Saint of the Day - St. Joseph of Cupertino (September 18th)
Channel: House of Prayers for Everyone (HOPE)
Date: 17/09/2023

Every September 18th, the Church celebrates the life of St. Joseph of Cupertino, an Italian Conventual Franciscan friar who is honored as a Christian mystic and saint who experienced miraculous levitation and ecstatic visions throughout his life which made him the object of scorn.

Early Life

Joseph was born the son of Felice Desa and Francesca Panara in the village of Cupertino, in the Region of Apulia, then in the Kingdom of Naples, now in the Italian Province of Lecce. His father, a poor carpenter, died before his birth. Unfortunately, his father left a large debt, thus, his mother was forced to give birth to him in a stable.

Tradition suggests that Joseph began having mystical visions when he was seven that continued throughout his life and made him the object of scorn. This made his connection to the outside world a bit problematic. Soon, he apprenticed with his uncle as a shoemaker.

Priesthood

In 1620, he applied to the Conventual Franciscan friars but was rejected due to his lack of education. He then applied to the Capuchin friars in Martino, which accepted him as a lay brother; however, he was dismissed as his continued ecstasies deemed him unfit for the duties required of him.

He managed to work in a Franciscan convent, taking care of a stable. After several years, he impressed the friars with the devotion and simplicity of his life that he was admitted to their Order. Joseph was ordained a priest on March 28, 1628. He was sent to the convent of Santa Maria della Grotella, just outside Cupertino, where he spent the next 15 years.

Levitation

During this time, the frequency that Joseph experienced increased. A story is told that while participating in a mass, Joseph began to levitate. However, religious superiors and church authorities deemed him disruptive. Eventually, he was confined to a small cell, and forbidden from joining in any public gathering of the community.

During this time, Joseph was denounced to the Inquisition as the phenomenon of levitation was believed to be connected with witchcraft. Joseph was transferred to Assisi (1639–1653), then briefly to Pietrarubbia, and finally to Fossombrone, where he lived with and under the supervision of the Capuchin friars (1653–1657). 

He practiced a severe asceticism throughout his life. He spent 35 years of his life following this regimen. He was also unable to celebrate Mass in public because he would often be lifted up into the air when he went into an ecstatic state, which is said to happen every Mass.

Death and Venerations

Finally, on July 9, 1657, Joseph was allowed to return to a Conventual community, where he was sent to Osimo. There, he spent the rest of his life until he died on September 18, 1663.

Joseph was canonized in 1767 by Pope Clement XIII.  He is the patron of air travelers and students preparing for exams.

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Image attributed to the following:
- By Ludovico Mazzanti (1686-1775) - http://www.turismosi.it/writable/risorse/santuario_san_giuseppe_da_copertino_osimo2ny.jpgreproduction of a painting by Ludovico Mazzanti (1686-1775), see http://www.santiebeati.it/immagini/Original/34750/34750B.JPG for authorship information, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons