• May 19th - St. Crispin of Viterbo

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Mon May 18 09:38:26 2020
    From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

    May 19th - St. Crispin of Viterbo
    Also known as
    Crispinus of Viterbo
    Crispinus von Viterbo
    il Santorello
    Kryspin z Viterbo
    Peter Fioretti
    Pietro Fioretti

    d. 1750
    =C2 Peter Fioretti was born at Viterbo, Italy, on November 13, 1668. His father, Ubald, died when Peter was very young. The raising of the boy
    and his stepsister was left in the hands of his mother, Marsha, who
    had already been widowed once when she married Ubald. When Peter was
    five years old, his mother dedicated him to the Virgin Mary at the
    shrine of Our Lady of the Oaks near Viterbo. "Look," she told her son,
    "this is also your mother. I have made you a gift to her." Peter never
    forgot that experience, and throughout his life referred to Mary as
    his "momma." Since his mother could not afford to educate him, Peter's
    paternal uncle, Francis, provided for his schooling. After working as
    a cobbler for his uncle, the frail, lean 25-year-old Peter asked to
    join the Capuchins, desiring to imitate Felix of Cantalice.

    The provincial minister, Angelo of Rieti, immediately accepted him for
    the novitiate. However, Peter met with opposition from his family,
    especially from his mother. Reminding her that she had already given
    him to the Virgin Mary, she consented to his going to "serve the
    Madonna." Having gotten to the novitiate, Peter also met with
    resistance from the novice director who, seeing how frail Peter
    appeared, advised him to return home. The novice director allowed him
    to remain as a guest while awaiting a decision from the provincial
    minister.

    The provincial minister reminded the novice director that it was the
    provincial minister's prerogative to accept novices and the director's responsibility to discern the vocation of those accepted. Peter was
    received into the Roman Capuchin province on July 22, 1693, taking the
    name, Crispin (after the patron of cobblers). Despite his prior
    training as a cobbler, in all his 57 years as a Capuchin, Crispin was
    never assigned as cobbler for the friars. After professing vows on
    July 22, 1694, he was assigned to Tolfa as cook for three years and
    then passed through a series of assignments: infirmarian at Rome, cook
    at Albano, orchard keeper at Monterotondo, and finally, questor at
    Orvieto for 38 years. Crispin knew everyone and everyone knew him,
    considering him a close personal friend. He possessed an amazing
    ability to integrate a life of feverish activity, on the one hand,
    with a solid interior life. Without concern for his own wellbeing,
    Crispin cared for those stricken during the epidemics at Farnese,
    Gallese and Bracciano. As questor, he begged for food not only on
    behalf of his Capuchin brothers, but also to provide for all the needy
    of his "big Orvietan family." For the friars, he would only beg for necessities, nothing more.

    Crispin accomplished a remarkable amount of good in the area of social
    and spiritual assistance, energetically ministering among the sick,
    the imprisoned, sinners, unwed mothers, families experiencing
    hardship, and those on the brink of despair. He was a skilled
    peacemaker both within his own Capuchin community and with others.
    Before beginning any task, Crispin always prayed first to Mary, his
    mother. He possessed a contagious joviality and his ministry was
    marked by a profound sense of joy. Nothing escaped his notice,
    particularly in discerning what people really needed. Daily he visited
    the sick and local prisoners, pleading their cause, urging the guards
    to respect their human dignity, bringing them bread, chestnuts and
    tobacco, and arranging for families to take turns providing the
    prisoners with good, homecooked meals. Babies were often abandoned on
    the doorstep of the friary and then placed in the care of Our Lady of
    the Star Shelter. Crispin took a personal interest in these
    foundlings, arranging for their being apprenticed in one or the other
    trade, and keeping in touch with many of them well into their adult
    lives. Crispin was filled with intuition and insight which prompted
    many learned people to seek his counsel.

    Crispin was convinced that much of human misery, both material and
    spiritual, was due to injustice. He therefore set about to confront
    social injustice by admonishing merchants, reminding people of
    workers' rights, and asking forgiveness of debts whenever possible. He
    used his sense of humor to lighten people's burdens. Every little
    occurrence found its way quickly to Crispin's ears. Without
    hesitation, he would offer himself as a mediator, friend, and
    counselor. Nonetheless, he was not without his critics and crosses,
    both within and outside the friary. Some called him opinionated and
    aggressive; others, a hypocrite. Some friars expected Felix to make
    their life easier. When their expectations were not met, they became embittered.

    Besides many letters, Crispin left a treasury of maxims, among them,
    "One doesn't get to heaven in a taxi."

    During the winter of 1747-48, Crispin fell gravely ill and was
    transferred to the provincial infirmary at Rome. Recovery was but
    temporary, and on May 19, 1750, the 82-year-old Crispin died of
    pneumonia at the friary of the Immaculate Conception located near the
    Piazza Barberini on Rome's famous via Veneto. Among the many sayings
    attributed to him was the exhortation, "Let us love God who deserves
    it!"

    Beatified by Pius VII on September 7, 1806, Crispin was canonized by
    Pope John Paul II on June 20, 1982.
    Source: Capuchin Order, San Francisco, California.


    Saint Quote:
    Mary seeks for those who approach her devoutly and with reverence, for
    such she loves, nourishes, and adopts as her children.
    --Saint Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church

    Bible Quote:
    All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the
    Son but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son,
    and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him.=C2 (Matt. 11:27) D=
    RB


    <><><><>
    MARY, GUARDIAN OF THE FLOWERS

    In a garden of souls stands a Lady so fair,
    She caresses each petal growing weak from despair,
    Breathes the strength down upon them,
    Brings the waters of life,
    Feeds the plants that have weakened
    From the earth's constant strife.
    The flowers spread out in colors profuse,
    Each a bud a fair promise of heavenly use.
    Tender hands take the bent stalk
    Grown weak from the flight,
    From the darkness of soil that has shut out the light.
    Turned the blossoming petal with soft tender hands,
    To face up to the Light that shines down from His land
    Sprinkles stardust to cover the flowers with grace
    As they grow on the path
    That leads straight to the place.
    Where the fairest of Flowers sits next to Her Son,
    As She welcomes you all
    From a mission well done!

    --- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
    * Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)