Every November 13, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Fray Diego de San Nicolás, OFM, known as San Diego de Alcalá. Therefore, on this special date, in the Cathedral of Alcalá de Henares (Spain), his relics are exhibited. San Diego is the patron saint of the lay Franciscan brothers.
Diego was born in San Nicolás del Puerto, Seville, in 1400. As a young man he decided to respond to God’s call and became a hermit. Later, he would be received as a lay brother in the Order of the Franciscan Friars Minor of the Observance.
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The Franciscans sent him to the Canary Islands as a missionary. There he assumed the position of goalkeeper and then guardian. Already from those days Diego showed how deeply connected his heart and behavior were with Christ.
Those who were close to him perceived how generous he was and made him their reference for growing in holiness. The superiors of the Order realized this, who, despite his status as a layman, appointed him vicar of the mission in the Canary Islands, breaking the rule that reserved this type of positions for clerics.
On the occasion of the jubilee of 1450 in Rome and the canonization of Bernardino of Siena, Diego made a pilgrimage to the Eternal City. During his stay there was an epidemic that hit the city and Diego decided to stay to assist the sick.
The saint remained among the Romans for three months; months in which he performed numerous miraculous cures. One of those healings was that of a child who had accidentally fallen asleep inside an oven that was suddenly turned on. Diego asked the Virgin Mary to heal the child and only in a matter of seconds his wounds disappeared.
After the event, the saint, as he always did when he performed a miracle, insisted that what happened was not because of his merits, but because of the delicacy and attributes of the holy Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
Returning to Spain, Brother Diego resumed his work as doorman and gardener at the convent of Santa María de Jesús in Alcalá de Henares. He lived there until the end of his life.
God called him to his presence on November 12, 1463. His remains were laid to rest for several days. Cardinals and members of Spanish royalty came to honor him, among them Philip II, King of Spain, nicknamed “the Prudent,” who took the body of Saint Diego to the royal palace, where the miraculous healing of Prince Charles took place.
The prince was bedridden due to an accident until, through the intercession of Saint Diego, he was completely recovered.
San Diego de Alcalá “in America”
Devotion to San Diego also spread throughout the American continent. For example, he is very loved in Mexico, and places like the state of Durango have him as their patron saint.
On the other hand, the city of San Diego, the most important in southern California (United States), bears precisely his name, thanks to the fact that in its territory during the 18th century, the Franciscans established a mission there with the name “San Diego.” of Alcalá”.
More information about San Diego at: https://www.aciprensa.com/santos/santo.php?id=340.
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