Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Ordinary Time

Saint Joseph of Leonessa was born in 1556 at Leonessa in central Italy, baptized Eufranio Desiderio. Orphaned at twelve, he was educated by an uncle who hoped to arrange a secure future for him. Yet after a serious fever in his teens, Eufranio discerned a deeper call and entered the Capuchin Franciscans near Assisi, professing vows in 1573 and taking the name Joseph. A tireless preacher, he traveled through the towns of Umbria, Lazio, and the Abruzzi, calling souls to repentance with a life marked by severe fasting and simple poverty. In 1587 he was sent to Constantinople to serve Christians held captive in the Ottoman galleys. There he cared for the sick during plague and boldly preached the Gospel, suffering imprisonment and a brutal near-martyrdom when he sought to speak to the sultan. Returning to Italy, he poured himself into “home missions,” feeding pilgrims, teaching catechism, and organizing practical works of mercy for the poor. He died at Amatrice on February 4, 1612. He is venerated as patron of Leonessa (and also Fairfax), and his feast day is February 4.

Saint Veronica, also called Berenike, is remembered in Christian tradition as a widow of Jerusalem who lived in the first century. Though her story is not found in the Gospels, ancient devotion cherishes her as a compassionate disciple who stepped forward on the road to Calvary when others drew back. Moved by love and reverence, she offered Jesus her veil so He might wipe His bloodied, suffering face as He carried the Cross. When He returned it, His features were said to be miraculously impressed upon the cloth, a “true image” treasured in the Church’s memory as the Veil of Veronica. Her merciful act is honored in the Sixth Station of the Cross, inviting the faithful to console Christ in His Passion and to make reparation for sins that wound His Holy Face. Because of the veil and its image, she is venerated as a patron of photographers and of those who clean and launder. Saint Veronica is celebrated on February 4.