February 7th - Saint of the Day: Saint Giles Mary of Saint Joseph, Franciscan Brother
February 7th - Saint of the Day: Saint Giles Mary of Saint Joseph (Egidio Maria di San Giuseppe), Franciscan Brother Saint Giles Mary of Saint Joseph didn’t have a platform. He had a worn Franciscan habit, a bag for alms, and a heart that made Naples feel loved again. This was a lay brother, not a priest, who walked the streets like a living Work of Mercy. The poor knew his footsteps. The sick waited for his prayer. Even the powerful paid attention. His whole message can be summed up in one unforgettable line: “Love God, love God.” Simple words. Dangerous if taken seriously. And the stories are wild. Catholic tradition remembers extraordinary moments tied to his humility and prayer, including the famous tale of a stolen calf restored as a sign calling a wrongdoer back to repentance. The Church also recognized a major healing attributed to his intercession that helped lead to his canonization. Here’s the part nobody wants to admit: most people do not need a bigger audience. They need a bigger heart. Saint Giles shows what happens when Eucharistic devotion turns into street-level charity. Want the full story and the practical takeaways for daily life? Go read the full post at HolyManna.blog and explore many more Saints of the Day, Mass reflections, and Catholic truth for real life.
Aegidius Mary of Saint Joseph Pontillo
Egidio Maria de Saint Giuseppe
Egidio Maria da Taranto
Egidio Maria of Saint Joseph
Francesco Postillo
Francis Pontillo
Idzi Maria od św. Józefa
Saint of the Little Way
Memorial
7 February
Profile
Born to a pious family and raised in a small village. When his father died in 1747, Francesco took up the trade of rope maker to support his mother and siblings. Drawn to a religious life, he applied to the Discalced Friars Minor of Saint Peter of Alcantara at Naples, Italy in 1754 at age 25. He wished to become a priest, but lacked the education, and was received as a lay brother.
Porter and gate-keeper at his monastery‘s seminary, a position that put him in constant contact with those in need. He had a special ministry to the sick, and worked with lepers, travelling outside the city to help those who had become shunned and isolated; he often carried an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a depiction known as Our Lady of the Well when he made sick calls. Giles himself suffered from sciatica, which caused severe leg pain, difficulty walking and led to the use of a cane which is often seen in depictions of him; he also suffered from asthma and, late in life, dropsy (fluid retention leading to high blood pressure). Even in life he was considered by locals as a saint and patron of the sick and outcast. Legend says that when he was charged with distributing food and alms to the poor, Saint Joseph would intervene to insure he never ran out.
Born
16 November 1729 at Taranto, Apulia, Italy as Francis Pontillo
Died
7 February 1812 at Naples, Italy of natural causes while at prayer
huge crowds turned out for his funeral
his relics are enshrined in an urn next to the icon of Our Lady of the Well in the church of San Pasquale Baylón in Taranto
Venerated
24 February 1868 by Pope Pius IX (decree of heroic virtues)
Beatified
5 February 1888 by Pope Leo XIII
Canonized
2 June 1996 by Pope John Paul II
his canonization miracle involved the cure of Mrs Angela Mignogna in 1937
Patronage
Taranto, Italy (chosen on 29 June 1919 by Archbishop Orazio Mazzella of Taranto
Representation
Franciscan friar with a cane
Franciscan friar with a picture of Our Lady of the Well