October 25, 2005
Have you heard the good news that our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XIV, has given the Church five new canonized saints? He canonized them on Sunday during the Mass that closed the Year of the Eucharist and Synod on the Eucharist. The particularly great news for us is that one of the five is a Capuchin, Saint Felice (Felix) of Nicosia! It is worthwhile to note that Pope John Paul II also chose a Capuchin to be among the first that he canonized. That was Saint Crispin of Viterbo, after whom we named our first friary in the South Bronx.
So, who was Saint Felix of Nicosia? He was a lay brother who lived from 1715-1787 and spent most of those years as a questor (begging brother) for the Capuchins in Sicily. He took after his namesake, Saint Felix of Cantalice (after whom we named our second friary in Yonkers), and lived the simple life of a lay brother with great faithfulness to prayer, poverty, penance, and service to the poor. He particularly modeled the virtue of patience as he responded to persecution from one of his superiors for most of his life with great kindness and obedience. He was known for his frequent repetition of the phrase “Let it be for the love of God”, and he encouraged others to begin and end all of their works with this prayer in order to endure all things with serenity and joy.
As Pope Benedict said, “Brother Felice helps us to discover the value of the little things that make our lives more precious.” His was a hidden life, although the Lord worked miracles through him for the poor, the sick, and the prisoners whom he served with great generosity. His life is certainly an example of the little mustard seed and the little bit of yeast we hear of in today’s Gospel – unimpressive in themselves, but packed with great power for transformation within. In one sense, Saint Felix’s life would be the tiniest blip on the screen of historical influence; yet the ripple effect of his great love and holiness continues to grow even today.
One of the reasons Pope Benedict highlighted this saint at this time, along with the other four he just canonized, was his great love for Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist. When he would pass by a church, he would kneel for several minutes in adoration. He spent a great deal of time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and stirred up similar devotion in others, both young and old. His life reflected the humility, love and power of Jesus in the Eucharist.
Saint Felix of Nicosia, pray for us!
Fr. Richard Roemer, CFR
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