Saint of the day June 4: Saint Francis Caracciolo. Catholic Saints

Every June 4 the Catholic Church commemorates San Francisco CaraccioloItalian religious of the 16th century, founder, together with Father Agustín Adorno, of the Order of Minor Regular Clerics, of which he was superior general.

Of what the heart overflows, the mouth speaks

They called Francis “the preacher of the love of God” because in his preaching he constantly alluded to God’s mercy toward sinners.

Father Francisco, at the same time, was always a faithful devotee of the Blessed Virgin. God granted him the gift of curing diseases, and on repeated occasions he was able to restore sick people to health simply by making the sign of the cross over them.

With a restless mind and a soul docile to the motions of the Holy Spirit, he led, throughout his religious life, several initiatives with the desire to extend the Kingdom of God.

Francis was the founder of one of the largest convents in Naples (Italy), which would soon be filled with vocations, and he did the same in Spain, in the cities of Madrid, Valladolid and Alcalá.

Cured from the worst disease

Francisco Ascanio Caracciolo was born on October 13, 1563 in the region of Abruzzo (Italy). At the age of 22 he was infected with leprosy, a skin disease that was incurable at that time. The doctors gave him up and his friends soon moved away, leaving him alone.

He, feeling lost, turned to the Lord, whom he asked to save him. In his prayer of supplication he promised God that he would give a different meaning to his life and that if he cured him, he would become a priest and dedicate his life to the apostolate.

Cured by a miracle, Francisco decided to keep his promise and began to prepare for the priesthood. He went to Naples to study theology and there, as soon as he was ordained a priest, he joined a group of religious dedicated to assisting prison inmates.

The foundation

In 1588 Pope Sixtus V gave his approval to the new Congregation that Francis and his companions founded. The Pope then left the residence next to the famous Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome under the care of the new Order.

The minor clerics – known as “caracciolos” or “caracciolinos” – worked in prisons and hospitals, announcing the Lord in these difficult circumstances, in addition to doing so by walking through streets or entire towns.

Francis gave the best of his life working for the extension of the Kingdom of God on earth, hard and demanding work, mainly because many souls were hardened.

The time that the saint dedicated to prayer and life in common with his brothers were the pillars that sustained him.

Clinging to the essential

In 1607, Father Francisco Caracciolo resigned from the position of superior general that had been entrusted to him to dedicate himself exclusively to prayer and meditation.

Thanks to the guidance and care of Francis, his spiritual children developed a lifestyle in which preaching (pastoral) was balanced with the contemplative life.

For the saint, all work in favor of those who suffer had to have a spiritual basis. It is in the effort to accompany his children that Francisco begins to develop the characteristics of the mystic.

In his room in the convent of Naples, he was found several times lying on the floor in ecstasy, with his arms crossed, facing his crucifix.

The return home

On June 4, 1608, at the age of 44, Saint Francis Caracciolo was called to the Father’s House, after suffering from an intense fever.

He was beatified by Pope Clement XIV on June 4, 1769, and canonized by Pope Pius VII on May 24, 1807.

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If you want to know a little more about Saint Francis Caracciolo, we recommend reading the following article from the Catholic Encyclopedia: https://ec.aciprensa.com/wiki/San_Francisco_Caracciolo.

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