Felix of Cantalice

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Felix von Cantalice (* 1515 in Cantalice , † May 18, 1587 in Rome ) is a saint of the Catholic Church. His feast day is May 18th; his name means "the lucky one".

Life

Cantalice at Rieti

Felix was born in 1515 in the small town of Cantalice near Rieti , 90 kilometers northeast of Rome, as a child of very poor farmers. He grew up as a shepherd without any schooling; for reasons of poverty he learned neither to read nor to write.

At the age of 9, Felix came to a farmer in Cittaducale as a herding boy , where he stayed for more than 20 years and enjoyed a very religious upbringing.

At the age of 28, Felix entered the Capuchin Order , which had only been founded shortly before, in 1528. By an accident with an ox wagon, which he miraculously survived hardly injured, Felix saw himself strengthened in his decision to become a monk and adopted the habit in 1543 in the monastery near Cittaducale; later he went to the monasteries of Anticoli Corrado and Monte San Giovanni in Sabina , until he finally joined the Capuchin monastery in Rome, located at the church of SS. Croce e Buonaventura alla Pilotta.

Felix remained a lay brother throughout his life . After completing his first profession, his superiors sent him to Rome as a charity brother so that he could support the old charity brother who was begging for a living for his convent there . After his death, Felix replaced him and took on the difficult task. Day after day, winter and summer, he wandered through the city and asked for charitable gifts.

In doing so, he came together with people of all classes and ranks. Felix soon became very well known and loved because of his amiable nature. In reference to the thanks to his donors and patrons, he was given the nickname "Brother Deo Gratias". Although he could neither read nor write, even scholars consulted him about his profound knowledge of the scriptures .

Figure of Saint Felix in Cantalice Church

Throughout his life he was particularly interested in the children, with whom he sang songs he composed himself and taught them with his stories about God and a “right life”.

When he ran errands, he knew how to listen excellently. In his closeness to God, legend has it that Felix was endowed with extraordinary gifts, namely to heal the sick and to reanimate dead children. He is also said to have had the ability to prophesy .

He is said to have predicted the victory of the Christian fleet in the naval battle of Lepanto , and he also prophesied to Cardinal Michele Ghislieri that he would become the next Pope : He would become Pope Pius V.

Felix was a close confidante of Saints Charles Borromeo and Philip Neri . The great Archbishop of Milan , Charles Borromeo, often consulted him. One day during the carnival he and Philipp Neri organized a procession of the Cross of the Capuchin Brothers. At the end of the procession, Felix led Fra Lupo, a well-known Capuchin preacher, with a rope around his neck, imitating the ordeal of Christ. In the middle of the carnival frenzy, the procession stopped and Fra Lupo preached to the people. The carnival was then canceled.

Felix tried very hard to repent and fell back. Most of the time he only slept two hours a night. One day, after a long prayer in a lonely church, he saw himself suddenly carried in front of the altar in a vision in the middle of the night. He fell down in front of the tabernacle and asked the Blessed Virgin Mary to entrust him with the Christ Child for a moment: she appeared and put the child in his arms.

In April 1587 Felix became terminally ill. At the hour of his death he is reported to have said: “I see the Blessed Virgin and the angels in heaven!” Then he wished to be left alone and passed away.

Felix died in Rome on May 18, 1587 and was buried with great interest from the population. He was buried under an altar consecrated to him in the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione , the Capuchin Church in Rome.

Canonization

Felix statue with begging bag in Austria

In 1625 Felix was beatified by Pope Urban VIII , and in 1712 he was canonized by Pope Clement XI. The day of St. Felix's death, May 18, is the date of the corresponding name day .

iconography

In illustrations, Saint Felix of Cantalice is mostly shown with the baby Jesus in his arms, in relation to the vision with the Blessed Virgin Mary. There are also pictures of him carrying a begging sack.

Trivia

The baby ambulance , equipped with extensive technical innovations and presented by the Björn Steiger Foundation in 2012 , was named "Felix" in honor of Felix von Cantalice.

See also

Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice

literature

Web links

Commons : Felix von Cantalice  - collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Felix of Cantalice
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Saint of the Roman Catholic Church
DATE OF BIRTH 1515
PLACE OF BIRTH Cantalice , Italy
DATE OF DEATH May 18, 1587
Place of death Rome