Peter de Regalado

Saint Peter de Regalado was born around 1390 in Valladolid, Spain, to a noble family. After his father died, his mother formed him in faith, often praying at the local Franciscan church where the young Peter served at daily Mass. Drawn early to the Gospel life, he asked to join the Friars Minor as a child and was received at fourteen. His vocation soon deepened under the guidance of Pedro de Villacreces, a leader in the Franciscan Observant reform, which sought to recover the simplicity and fervor of Saint Francis. At the friary of La Aguilera, Peter embraced solitude, prayer, and radical poverty. He later served as guardian of the community and became a tireless reformer of discipline among Spanish friaries, known for severe fasting, humble preaching, and generous charity to the poor. In 1442 he was appointed leader of the Spanish Observant friars. After his death in 1456, pilgrims flocked to his tomb, and his body was later found incorrupt. He is venerated as patron of Valladolid and of bullfighters. His feast day is May 13.