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Feast Day: September 18
Also known as
Joseph of
Copertino; the Gaper (derogatory term from his childhood); the Flying
Friar; Joseph Desa
Profile
Joseph's
father, Felice Desa was a
poor
carpenter who died before Joseph was born. Creditors drove his
mother, Francesca Panara, from her home, and Joseph was born in a
stable. Starting at age 8, Joseph received ecstatic visions that left him
gaping and staring into space. He had a hot temper, which his strict
mother worked to overcome.
Apprenticed to a
shoemaker, at 17 Joseph applied for admittance to the Friars Minor
Conventuals, but was refused due to his lack of education. He applied to
the Capuchins, was accepted as a
lay-brother in
1620, but his
ecstasies made him unsuitable for work, and he was dismissed. Abused
by his family, he continued his prayers, and was accepted as an oblate at
the
Franciscan convent near Cupertino. His virtues were such that he
became a cleric at 22, a
priest at 25. Joseph still had little education, could barely read or
write, but received such a gift of spiritual knowledge and discernment
that he could solve intricate questions.
His life became a series of visions and
ecstasies, which could be triggered any time or place by the sound of
a church bell, church music, the mention of the name of God or of the
Blessed
Virgin or of a saint, any event in the life of Christ, the sacred
Passion, a holy picture, the thought of the glory in heaven, etc. Yelling,
beating, pinching, burning, piercing with needles - none of this would
bring him from his trances, but he would return to the world on hearing
the voice of his superior in the order. He would often levitate and float
(which led to his patronage of people involved in
air travel), and could hear heavenly music.
Even in the
17th century, there was interest in the unusual, and Joseph's
ecstasies in public caused both admiration and disturbance in the
community. For 35 years he was not allowed to attend choir, go to the
common refectory, walk in procession, or say Mass in church. To prevent
making a spectacle, he was ordered to remain in his room with a private
chapel. He was brought before the Inquisition, and sent from one Capuchin
or
Franciscan house to another. But Joseph retained his joyous spirit,
submitting to Divine Providence, keeping seven Lents of 40 days each year,
never letting his faith be shaken.
Born
17 June
1603 as Joseph Desa at Cupertino, diocese of Nardo, near Brindisi in
the kingdom of
Naples
Died
18 September
1663 at Ossimo of a rapidly developed but severe
fever; body is in the church there
Beatified
1753 by
Pope
Benedict XIV
Canonized
16 July
1767 by
Pope
Clement XIII
Patronage
air crews,
air travellers,
aircraft pilots,
astronauts,
aviators,
flyers,
paratroopers,
students,
test takers
Prayers
Prayer to...
Readings
Clearly,
what God wants above all is our will which we received as a free gift from
God in creation and possess as though our own. When a man trains himself
to acts of virtue, it is with the help of grace from God from whom all
good things come that he does this. The will is what man has as his unique
possession.
-Saint Joseph of Cupertino, from the reading for his feast in the
Franciscan breviary
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