Saint Joseph of Cupertino

St. Joseph of Cupertino was the son of a poor shoemaker in Brindisi, Italy. He began having ecstatic visions at the age of 8, which earned him the nickname "open-mouthed" from his schoolmates. At 17, he sought admission to the Franciscan Conventuals and then to the Capuchins but was refused due to his lack of intelligence and frequent ecstasies. Finally, the Franciscans at La Grotella took him in as a tertiary and gave him work as a stable hand. He lived an exemplary life of penance, humility, and obedience and was eventually accepted into the clerical state in 1625. Despite being barely able to read, he could solve the most intricate theological questions by infused knowledge. St. Joseph had the gift of prophecy and healing and could recognize the faces of sinners by their black appearance to him. People who lived in impurity were known to him by a disagreeable odor. He was especially famous for his extraordinary power of levitation, which allowed him to fly over the heads of the congregation from the church door to the altar or up to a branch of an olive tree, where he would remain in meditation while the branch remained undisturbed. St. Joseph of Cupertino's renowned levitation occurred in the presence of Pope Urban VIII. As he stooped down to kiss the Pope's ring, he unexpectedly ascended nearly thirty feet into the air, in full view of everyone. He remained suspended until his superiors asked him to descend. One day, a group of men was working to install a massive stone cross into its socket. Suddenly, St. Joseph appeared and, with ease, lifted the cross and carefully positioned it into the socket on their behalf. For 35 years, he was denied permission to attend choir, eat in the refectory, walk in procession, or celebrate Mass in the Church. Pope Alexander VII finally allowed him to return to the Conventuals at Osimo in 1657. St. Joseph of Cupertino said, "Love God! He in whom this love reigns is rich although he does not perceive it." Despite his severe personal penances, often taking food only on Thursdays and Sundays, St. Joseph remained cheerful and filled with spiritual fervor. He died a simple man of God on September 18, 1663. He was canonized by Pope Clement XIII on July 16, 1767. St. Joseph of Cupertino is known as the patron saint of aviators, astronauts, and all those who seek divine intervention in their studies, especially during examinations. He is also revered as the patron of students with learning disabilities.

O God, who hast ordained that Thine only-begotten Son,

when lifted up from the earth, should draw all things to Himself;

mercifully grant through the merits and example of Thy seraphic Confessor Joseph that we may be lifted up above all earthly desires

and be found worthy to come unto Him. Amen.

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,

Most High Servant,

Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love 

(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)