St. Seraphin of Montegranaro
(1540-1604)
Born
into a poor Italian family, young Seraphin lived the life of a shepherd
and spent much of his time in prayer. Mistreated for a time by his
older brother after the two of them had been orphaned, Seraphin became a
Capuchin Franciscan at age 16 and impressed everyone with his humility
and generosity.
Serving as a lay brother, Seraphin imitated St. Francis in fasting,
clothing and courtesy to all. He even mirrored Francis' missionary zeal,
but Seraphin's superiors did not judge him to be a candidate for the
missions.
Faithful to the core, Seraphin spent three hours in prayer before
the Blessed Sacrament daily. The poor who begged at the friary door
came to hold a special love for him. Despite his uneventful life, he
reached impressive spiritual heights and has had miracles attributed to
him.
Seraphin died on October 12, 1604, and was canonized in 1767.
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