Saint of the Day for 19 February: Blessed Corrado Confalonieri
Blessed Corrado Confalonieri: Life and Spirituality of the Noble Franciscan Hermit
Name
Blessed Corrado Confalonieri
Title
Hermit, Franciscan Tertiary
Baptismal name
Corrado Confalonieri
Birth
1290, Calendasco, Piacenza
Death
Feb. 19, 1351, Noto, Sicily
Recurrence
19 February
Martyrology
2004 edition
Beatification
July 12, 1515, Rome, Pope Leo X
Prayer
O most glorious St. Corrado, by the high favor you enjoy with God, obtain for us to be true devotees of you, imitating your virtues and showing you in deeds how grateful we are to the heavenly graces you ‘impart to us. Invigorate on your example our wavering faith, reawaken in our hearts the ancestral piety, drive away from us the divine scourges, obtain for your country of choice peace and for us those spritual and temporal goods necessary so that we may on earth endure the pains of this mortal life and enjoy in your company in Heaven eternal happiness. So be it.
Patron of
Noto, Calendasco
Roman Martyrology
At Noto in Sicily, Blessed Corrado Confalonieri of Piacenza, a hermit of the Third Order of St. Francis, who, putting aside worldly amusements, practiced for about forty years a very strict standard of living in continuous prayer and penance.
The Saint and Mission
The life of Blessed Corrado Confalonieri unfolds as a fascinating narrative of spiritual transformation and absolute dedication to the Christian mission, embodying in an exemplary way the path towards a life of service and profound communion with God. Renouncing his comfortable life and privileges of nobility to embrace an existence of penance and prayer, Corrado immersed himself deeply in the search for divine will, becoming a beacon of hope and a model of selfless service. Corrado Confalonieri’s mission can be seen as a living testimony of love and trust in God. His choice to live as a hermit, abandoning all worldly comforts for close communion with the Lord, reflects a profound understanding of the evangelical call to follow Christ in a radical way. His life in solitude, however, was not marked by isolation, but by an incessant commitment to others, especially the most needy, towards whom he expressed boundless charity. Through his example, Corrado shows that the Christian mission is not confined within the walls of a church or limited to the words of preaching; rather, it is realized in everyday life, in actions of love, service and personal sacrifice. His ability to see Christ in the least and the suffering and to act accordingly is a powerful reminder of the evangelical mandate to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Furthermore, Corrado Confalonieri lived his mission with a joy and inner peace that only a profound relationship with God can confer. This aspect of his life highlights the importance of prayer and contemplation as sources of strength and inspiration for Christian service. His dedication to the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary were pillars of his spirituality, which fueled his ability to face challenges and persevere in his journey of faith. Blessed Corrado Confalonieri represents an extraordinary example of how the Christian mission is intrinsically linked to personal conversion and the desire to live according to the heart of God. His life invites us to reflect on our own call to serve God and others with all of ourselves , reminding us that, through faith and love, we can transform our lives and the world around us.
The Saint and Mercy
The life of Blessed Corrado Confalonieri offers a fascinating perspective on mercy, both as a gift received and as a virtue practiced. Noble by birth, his story is a journey of inner transformation that takes him from luxury and opulence to a profound communion with God and with those most in need, through the choice of a hermit life under the rule of Saint Francis of Assisi. Mercy, in the life journey of Blessed Corrado, begins with a profound sense of repentance. Legend has it that, following a hunting accident that caused a devastating fire, Corrado found himself faced with the consequences of his actions. His decision to take responsibility, paying for the damages and then giving up all his possessions to live in poverty, is the first step on a path of mercy that will characterize his entire life: a mercy that begins with the recognition of his own need for forgiveness and conversion. Living as a hermit, Corrado becomes a witness and instrument of divine mercy. His life in solitude is not an escape from the world, but a way to get closer to God and, through this closeness, better serve his brothers and sisters in Christ. His existence is marked by acts of charity and help towards the poor and the sick, showing that mercy is not just an internal feeling, but translates into concrete actions of love towards others. Furthermore, the story of Blessed Corrado Confalonieri highlights mercy as a path to holiness. His life is an example of how God’s grace can profoundly transform a heart willing to welcome it, leading it to live the Gospel in a radical way. Corrado thus becomes a model of Christian life, in which mercy is both a personal calling and a mission to be lived every day. Blessed Corrado Confalonieri reminds us that mercy is at the center of the Christian experience. His life invites us to reflect on our actions and our spiritual journey, stimulating us to seek forgiveness where necessary and to live with a heart inclined to mercy, both in our relationship with God and in that with others. His legacy is a powerful reminder of the transformative power of mercy, capable of renewing lives and inspiring holiness in everyday life.
Hagiography
He was a fourteenth-century nobleman, the happy husband of a gentlewoman like him, and had a weakness for hunting. One day, along the bank of the yellowish Po, a greedy head of game, which he was chasing on horseback, surrounded by dogs and poachers, sought refuge in an impenetrable thicket. Dominated by impatience and…