caption canonized_by death_date death_place canonized_date birth_place feast_day imagesize venerated_in birth_date titles image article_title name
saint , by tiepolo fidelis of sigmaringen and saint joseph of leonessa pope benedict xiv february 4 , 1612 amatrice , italy 1746 leonessa , italy february 4 250px roman catholic church 1556 martyr tiepologiuseppedaleonessafedele.jpg joseph of leonessa
 st. joseph of leonessa , o.f.m. cap .
joseph of leonessa

saint joseph of leonessa , o.f.m. cap. , -lrb- -rrb- -lrb- 1556 -- february 4 , 1612 -rrb- is a saint of the catholic church .
he was born eufranio desiderio at leonessa , a small town then in umbria , now in the lazio .
it is said that from his infancy he showed a remarkably religious bent of mind ; he used to erect little altars and spend much time in prayer before them , and often he would gather his companions and induce them to pray with him .
whilst yet a boy he used to take the discipline on fridays in company with the confraternity of the holy savior .
he was educated by his uncle , who had planned a suitable marriage for him , but in his sixteenth year he fell sick of a fever , and upon his recovery , without consulting his guardian , he joined the capuchin reform of the franciscan order .
he made his novitiate at the friary of the carcerelle near assisi .
as a friar he was remarkable for his great abstinence .
`` brother ass '' , he would say to his body , `` there is no need to feed thee as a noble horse would be fed : thou must be content to be a poor ass . ''
in 1599 , the year before the jubilee year , he fasted the whole year by way of preparation for gaining the indulgence .
