Saint Fidelis

St. Fidelis was born in 1576 in the town of Sigmaringen, southwestern Germany, where his father was mayor. He practiced law for some six years and, famed for his scrupulous honesty and life of mortification, made himself a name as the sympathetic "advocate of the poor." But the law courts then were so corrupt that at 34, he abandoned his profession in favor of the priesthood, and then, having sold all his possessions for the benefit of the poor, he joined the Capuchins at Freiburg in the Black Forest, taking the name of Fidelis, on 4 October 1612. 

Fidelis' burning zeal was directed especially towards the conversion of those who had fallen prey to Calvinism and Zwinglianism, and to achieve this objective, he used not only his oratorical skills in the pulpit but also wrote numerous anonymous pamphlets. In 1621, he was directed by Papal Nuncio to reform a Benedictine monastery at Pfaefers, and his superiors sent him to do missionary work among the Zwinglians in the Swiss Canton of the Grisons. He accomplished both tasks with such astonishing success that, in 1622, Pope Gregory XV, through the newly founded Congregation of the Propaganda in Rome, made him head of the Grisons missions. 

St. Fidelis traveled through the Alps in absolute poverty, depending solely upon God's Providence for his daily needs and armed only with his Crucifix, Bible, Breviary, and the book of the Capuchin rule. He would often preach and catechize several times during the day in the churches or open squares, perfectly oblivious to the threats and insults to which the infuriated Protestants subjected him. At times, he focused his attention on the city magistrates in lengthy conferences, and the conversion of the most influential citizens would then bring about numerous other conversions. The Protestant ministers became seriously alarmed over his successes and roused the populace by imputing political motives to his mission. On 24 April 1622, Fidelis was forcibly removed from the pulpit by a hostile crowd. Even though he was pressured to give up his faith and convert to Protestantism, he adamantly refused, which led to his brutal murder. The first martyr of the Capuchin Order and of the Propagation of the Faith, Fidelis, was canonized by Pope Benedict XIV on 20 June 1746.

 

St. Fidelis, pray for an increase in our faith and zeal that we may more earnestly desire the salvation of all people.

Prepared and updated by:

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,

Penampang, Sabah Malaysia.