About the holy man Brother Peter of Civita Ducale, priest and preacher

Brother Peter was from a city called Civita Ducale, situated in the domain of the Aquila of Abruzzo. He was born of honest parents. He attended school at an early age and became quite a good grammarian. He was always a devout youth, honest and well behaved. He loved very much to read devout books and used to stay very withdrawn. When his parents saw that he was quite inclined to religion, they sought to have him become a priest. He became a Canon of Our lady of the Snows, the cathedral and principal church of that city.

When the Congregation of Capuchins came the devout young man decided to leave the world completely and to take up the Capuchin habit. When he was clothed hi did his novitiate with great fervour, spending the whole time macerating his body in holy fasts, vigils and the discipline. Most of the time at prayer he wept out of affection that God had called him to the holy Order. When he finished the year of probation he made his profession with the great hope of all those Fathers that he would turn out a holy religious, as later happened. He had no sooner made his profession than he was assigned to study and within a short time he became a very good preacher. He preached with great harvest souls and with such example of life that he seemed like a heavenly Angel.

He was a very zealous observer of the Rule, exercising all the holy virtues with great fervour, especially holy prayer in which he spent all his time apart form the necessities of nature and a little in writing and studying sermons. He said Mass every day with much devotion. He hardly ever returned to rest after Matins but persevered in prayer until dawn when he returned to his cell after saying Mass. He hardly ever spoke with anyone except a few words in a soft voice when it was necessary.

Often he was Guardian at Rome, Court Commissary and Vicar of the Province of Rome. He performed these offices unwillingly because they were an impediment to the sweetness of contemplation. Since by nature he was so withdrawn and of so few words he did not please the Friars very much. Nonetheless Friars and seculars regarded him as a great servant of God. An idle or vain word never came from hi s lips. HE fasted continuously and never ate more than once a day. He always wore one habit, coarse and patched.

For a long time he was Novice Master, giving the best example. Our Lord God visited him with many afflictions for he gave him incurable wounds in different parts of his body. He always bore this with the greatest patience. Despite his infirmity he never abandoned his usual abstinence of eating only once a day. I saw this myself when I was in Rome and he was sick in bed. The infirmarian came to Father Bernadine of Asti, who was Court Commissary at the time, and said to him, “Father, I do not have enough breath to make Brother Peter want to eat a little in the evenings. He needs it because he is ill and very weak. I am worried that he may be sinning gravely.” The Father Commissary replied, “This is his usual practice. Work at making him eat.” The infirmarian replied, “I don’t know how to look after him.” The Commissary replied, “Look after him joyfully and do not be concerned. He is not sinning is doing abstinence for the love of God. It cannot harm him because he is used to it. We read of Father Saint Francis who at his death admitted his fault to his brother body. He said to it, “forgive me, my body, because I have afflicted you more than was necessary.” A moderate abstinence like eating once a day may benefit our bodies more than many medicines. All the saints of old have regarded abstinence as very important. Many of them exceed human strength by far and are canonised nonetheless, just like Anthony, Hilarion, Macarius and countless others. Moreover, what could wee say about our Father Saint Francis who in forty days ate only two slices of bread.

This servant of God was extremely devoted to Our Lady. He fasted for all her vigils on bread and water and often said her Mass when it was possible. He did all the forty-days that our Father Saint Francis usually did. The Mother of God appeared to him in his prayer and assured him of full forgiveness of his sins and revealed to him the end of his life.

Hence when he was in the friary at Civita, his homeland, he fell gravely ill. He endured this with great patience. Having received all the most holy sacraments, that holy soul passed away happily to its creator. His body was buried in the aforementioned friary.

To the praise and glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.