In those days, in response to the problem, a renovation began in some convents that accentuated spiritual life and the spirit of poverty. Tomás then asked to go live in one of those places, the convent of Bellegra. When he finally arrived there, after a long journey, he knocked on the door and was encouraged to say: “I am Brother Tomás de Cori and I come to become a saint.”
In Bellegra he drafted a set of instructions to improve the training of religious – a new rule – and to better regulate the life of the convents in which the renovation was being established. These convents were called “retreat convents”, “Retreats” or convents of Franciscan hermits.
Subsequently, the Order gathered in the General Chapter in Murcia (Spain) would generalize the regulations developed by Fray Tomás for all Franciscan convents in the world that had assumed this contemplative style.
After this enormous change, the friar’s reputation for holiness increased and many religious and lay people began to ask him for advice or spiritual direction. At the same time, his preaching and life confirmed an increasingly intense relationship with the Lord. His sermons were of such clarity and simplicity that Thomas always moved the hearts of those who came to hear him. The fruits were notable: many were encouraged to approach God or to reconcile with Him, or to live the Christian faith in a committed way.