On the holy old Anthony Berrettaio of Perugia, Father of the Capuchins

434 Anthony Berrettaio ’s trade 435 The honesty of his family 436 He loses his wife and children 437 He takes up the protection of the Capuchins 438 His help to build friaries 439 His other charitable works 440 His devout life 441 His edifying death

(434) It seems to me that I should say something about what the venerable old Anthony Berrettaio, a Perugian, did for our Congregation. Although he was an uneducated private citizen according to the world he was a naturally judicious man. He was so diligent and virtuous that it could be said that he was a prodigy of nature.

This very good man was born to parents who were lowly and with few possessions. As a child he learned to read and write. Then he dedicated himself to commerce. His first undertaking was that he went to Magno and bought some fine hats that were worn in those times. They were large and mostly red and he brought them back to his city of Perugia. When he returned to his house the judicious and God-fearing man, in order not to err and sell the hats for more than was fitting according to conscience, he got a pen and inkhorn. He made an account of what he had spent and how much time he had put in. Then he determined the price he thought he could give the hats with a little profit. He sold them all exactly at the same price. He was careful not to sell anything bad as something good. Because of this he had a very good name as a just and good man so that few other hats were sold in the city except his. When he finished them he went back and bought some more. The demand was so great that within a short time he acquired wealth or more than twenty thousand scudi. And as he told me, “My conscience does not reprimand me for having this from others as if I were greedy.”

(435) It pleased the Lord God that he should marry a woman like himself. They had two sons. These were two Angels, so well behaved and God-fearing that no one could ever boast of hearing them speak of the devil or say a bad word. The reputation of these two good sons spread throughout the city. Once a nobleman wanted to test it. When he saw one of the boys on the street, he dropped a silver coin without the boy noticing. When the boy drew near, calling him by name the nobleman said to him, “Take it, son, take that nice coin.” When the devout child saw it, surprised as if it were a snake, throwing up his little arms he said, “My daddy has told me never to take what belongs to others.” And he quickly fled straight back to his daddy.

(436) Our Lord God wanted to test the patience of this venerable old man for when the great plague came in 1529 the first thing he took form him was his wife and then the younger son. And when to poor fellow saw the other son fall ill, his grief was such that he nearly lost his mind. Often he was about to fall except the Lord preserved him miraculously. Furthermore our Lord wanted to give him some consolation. When the older son was near to death he had his father called. He said these words to him, “My father, I am very obliged to the Lord Jesus Christ because he has given me you as my father. Because you have always been a good father and you have raised me with the fear of God. Now I am at the end of my life and it saddens me very much that my death will be an immense sorrow for you. Nonetheless, if you love me, you should not be sad because I am going to a better Father than you. Be patient and take comfort. Our end is not in this world. Remember God and act so that you may come to enjoy heaven.” With these beautiful words issued by the Holy Spirit more than by the boy, the good son flew off to heaven.

Just as Anthony Berrettaio told me many times, God wanted to provide because feeling had blinded him so much that if that son had not left him that beautiful memory he would have gone mad and jumped from the window. However when he remembered those words he thanked God that his sons had arrived safely with Christ and enjoyed his glory and were always praying for him.

(437) It pleased the supreme Creator to exchange his natural sons for spiritual sons. If the Lord Jesus Christ had taken two from him, according to the judgement of his Majesty he gave him one hundred sons for each of them. For the venerable Father Bernardine of Asti was sent by Padre Ludovico da Fossombrone to the Province of Saint Francis in order to establish a house in Perugia. Because the poor Capuchins were not known at that time the good Father as best he could stayed with this one and that one while he dealt with the establishment of the friary. One day, while he was standing in the square, Anthony Berrettaio saw this Father appear. It felt as though a spirit said to him, “These are those Religious that God has prepared for me in exchange for my sons.” Drawing near he said to him, “Father, if you please. I would be grateful if I could tell you something.” Taking him aside he said, “I would like you to tell me what kind of Friars you are and what you are doing.” The good Father answered, “We are Friars of Saint Francis who have reformed not long ago and have taken up the habit that our Father Saint Francis wore. People call us Capuchin Friars. I have been sent by my Superior to start a little friary in your city, if God pleases.” The good old man said, “Where are you staying?” Father Bernardine answered, “We lodge where ever we are invited. We are poor and we know no one in this city of yours.” The good old man said, “It it would please you to come to my house I would receive you most willingly. You will not be as comfortable as you would be with these other citizens because I am a lowly wool-comber. However the little I have you have too.” Father replied, “I would much sooner I came to your house that any other because you are a mature man.” The old man said, “I have no one at home except an old maid who does some serving for me. There is neither woman nor children. I know that your peers are willingly solitary and I believe that my house will be suitable for you.”

On hearing these words Father Bernardine went there very willingly. From then on he did not want to go to anyone else’s house. So while he was negotiating with the Lord Priors and other noblemen regarding the Friary, he returned to the house of Anthony Berrettaio in the evening.

(438) A citizen, who was a great friend of Anthony Berrettaio and a prudent learned and highly regarded, came and said to him, “Anthony, I have seem certain Religious leaving your house. What are they doing? I am amazed that without knowing much about them that you have received them into your house.” Anthony replied, “I know them as much as I know Your Lordship. However, because I am still sad at the loss of those children, as you know, I saw these two poor Religious. I have taken them into my house first of all for the love of God, and secondly to receive from them a little consolation. If I am not deceived, they seem like good Religious. However, since I am a rough wool-worker, if Your Lordship would do me this courtesy to come to dine with us tomorrow morning, I would regard it as a great favour. Then you will know something about who they are from their own words.”

This pleased the nobleman. The following morning he went to dine with them. While dining he began to sound him out to see if he was educated. He found that he was an excellent man of learning and upbringing. When the meal was finished Anthony called the nobleman aside. He said to him, “What do you think of these Fathers?” He answered, “Anthony, believe me, he is a holy man. I want to go to the Lord Priors so that they might have him preach. They are holy Religious.”

On hearing this the holy old man said to Father Bernardine, “My Father, you have come to establish a friary in our city, as you have told me. Go to the site where you and want to build and be satisfied with it. As for the rest I want to build it at my expense. I do not want anyone else to spend as much as a farthing. And form now on, this house is yours. The Lord God has taken away my sons. As a Christian I accept this. I plan that your Order will have to be all my children. I beg you deign to accept this small amount of poverty that our Lord God has given me so that I may dispense it to the poor according to his will and to his glory.”

When Father Bernardine heard this he thanked God for it. Embracing the holy old man with great tenderness he also thanked him. By preaching many sermons in the Cathedral, he enamoured the entire city. They gave him the friary of Monte Malbe with great love and acceptance as if he had been Jesus Christ in person.

From then on the city of Perugia was one of the friendly cities that the Capuchins had in all of Italy. When the Friars of Monte Malbe entered the city, they all ran to the windows and along the streets to see them, as if they were Apostles of Christ.

I return now the holy old Anthony Berrettaio. He built the entire friary of Montemalbe. He built most of the old friary at Spoleto, the entire friary at Panicale and part of the friary at the Carcerelle at Assisi. Then in an upstairs apartment where he lived he had a room accommodated as a chapel with an altar, with three other rooms, as if it were a dormitory for the Friars. They had the fire in one room and slept in the other two. For about thirty years he brought them food with his own hands and served them at table than any father would have done with his own children. Often when the Friars found him ill in bed, he had them come and make the sign of the cross over him. When this was done he immediately sprang to his feet and no longer had any sickness. Often when he was infirm with gout he was healed with the sign of the cross.

He had a cupboard that he kept full of bread. He commanded that when the Friars left that they take as much as they wanted. I often hear him say, “My sons, I have no other children but you. I desire to spend all my wealth on you. It think it wrong that do not want it.”

(439) Because of this hospitality his reputation grew within the city. When a good work was done, Anthony Berrattaio was always the instigator. There was the Hospital of Mercy what was almost abandoned. I heard from his maid that one morning he was balancing his books with the men tho governed that Hospital. They calculated that he had spent there thirteen thousand florins of the old money for wall building, beds and other finishing touches for that Hospital. Each year he gave a dowry to the four eldest girls of the Hospital. He called the girls with a notary and other witnesses. In their presence he took the coins from his purse and gave them to merchants so that they could earn interest for the poor girls. He said to them, “Children, this is your dowry, if you are good. Otherwise you are not to receive even a farthing of it.” When the girls grew up the dowry was so healthy that they were easily married. Each year he dressed all the “Little Capuchins” who were orphans whom he cared for in the Hospital of Little Capuchins. Furthermore he had a good man called Marroncella who was very faithful to him. At the time of famine, when he had news of some citizens who had been reduced to poverty and who had families dying of hunger, he sent them sacks of grain by night through this man. It seemed that the more he gave the more the Lord God multiplied his wealth. He gave two parcels of farmland to the church of Saint Francis because he had buried his sons there.

(440) He always led a holy life. An idle word was never heard come from his lips. He went to confession and Holy Communion to the Capuchins every eight of fifteen days. At the time of the Indulgence or of Chapters he sometimes had thirty or forty Capuchins in his house. When the said Matins at night or did the discipline the whole house shook. That holy old man rejoiced so much that it seemed he was rejuvenated. If three of four days passed when he didn’t see Friars, became very sad. Twenty times a day he would have gone to a window that faced the basin and the road on which the Capuchins came. When he saw them, he went joyfully through the house saying, “Here are my sons. Here are my sons.”

He did many miraculous things with of memory. However since I cannot remember them very well I am not writing them down.

Everything I have written here about this holy old man I have heard from his own lips. Most of it I have seen with my own eyes.

(441) It pleased the most high God to reward his servant Anthony Berrettaio, father of the poor of Jesus Christ. For when a grave illness befell him, having organised all his affairs and leaving all his wealth to the Hospital of Mercy, in the arms of the Capuchins Friars he displayed signs of great perfection in that illness. When the Friars said to him, “How are you babbo vecchio?” he answered, “I am well my sons. How can I not be well when I am with Jesus Christ? Rejoice, my sons, and know that I am in his arms.”

With these and many other words of instruction that happy soul passed away to his Creator. His body was buried in Saint Francis’. To the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.