Felix of Cantalice

Saint Felix of Cantalice was born on May 18, 1515, to poor farming parents in Cantalice, Italy. The third of four sons, he spent his youth hired out as a shepherd and farmhand, learning to turn hard labor into prayer. At twenty-eight, after a frightening accident while plowing—when he was trampled by oxen yet rose unharmed—he gave thanks to God by entering the newly founded Capuchin friars in 1543 as a lay brother. Sent to Rome in 1547, Felix spent the next forty years as a questor, begging alms not only for his community but also for the sick and the poor. Barefoot in the streets with a sack over his shoulder, he greeted all with his humble “Deo gratias,” earning the nickname “Brother Deo Gratias.” In famine, he even gathered provisions for the whole city. He preached simply, taught children through catechetical songs, rebuked corruption, and became known for healing and deep charity. A friend of Saint Philip Neri, he died in Rome on May 18, 1587. He is patron of Cantalice, and his feast day is May 18.