About the holy man Brother Bonaventure of Cremona, priest

Brother Bonaventure was from Cremona. He was born to honest parents and attended school for a short time until he learned to read well. When he was about twenty years old he recognised the fallacies of this world. He decided to leave and took the habit in the Franciscan Order within the Congregation of Blessed Amadeus in which he lived some years, giving the very best example.

When the Congregation of Capuchins emerged he joined the Province of the Marches in order to better observe the Rule. He took the Capuchin habit in the devout friary at Pietrarubbia. After not many years he was sent to the Province of Bologna where he led a life that was more angelic than human, spending all his time, apart from the necessities of nature, in holy prayers. Ordinarily he ate only once a day and very little. However he most fasted on bread and water for the forty-days of Father Saint Francis and the vigils of Our Lady. It was an amazing thing that an idle word never came from his lips. He rarely conversed with anyone but always stayed wither in the church or in his cell. Ordinarily he said every day the Office of the dead, the seven Psalms and other devotions.

Once he and I were in the same family in the friary at Forlì not long after the departure from us made by that wretched Brother Bernardine of Siena, the Ochino. This holy man, as he told me, was in the friary at Faenza praying in his cell at midday when he saw a shining woman enter his cell. Startled very much by this vision, with great trembling the servant of God turned towards the woman and said to her, “Who are you Lady that you should come in so suddenly?” At these words the woman came closer and said to him, “Do not worry Brother Bonaventure. I have come to console you for I see you very melancholy. You have poured out many tears for your Congregation.” Brother Bonaventure concluded that she was the universal Advocate of sinners, the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of everyone. With great humility and tears he said to her, “Our Lady, I commend our poor Congregation to you.” The lady replied without revealing who she was, “do not worry Brother Bonaventure god loves the Congregation very much. However, because there was an impurity He wanted to purge it.” Without saying anything else she immediately disappeared.

Then the holy man added, “the same thing happened to me today during the payer at None. I was kneeling on my stretcher in my cell. Suddenly I heard my cell door open and there was that Lady in front of me. Seeing me totally astonished she said to me with great joy, “do not worry Brother Bonaventure I am that woman who appeared to you last year in the Friary at Faenza and I have come to console you. Know that in your Congregation there is still some dissolution. Know that the Lord god has purged it and wants to purify it so that His Majesty may be faithfully glorified in it.” Naming certain Religious and a great Prelate of the Church she said, “woe to those Religious and to that Prelate!” And she suddenly disappeared.

He told me about other things, great visions that happened to him while he was young. Because of these I knew that he had always been a holy soul and good friend of our Lord God.

Often during the time of the plague he set out to hear the confessions of those infected and through the confessions of this servant of His God bore the greatest fruit, for he was quite expert in cases of conscience. However, above all, he rejoiced very much at having snatched a poor religious from the hands of the enemy. She had been in mortal sin for fourteen years. When she was at the point of death, all night long this servant of God fought visibly with the enemy who did not want this woman to go to confession. With the grace of God however he brought he back because in the morning, well prepared after having received all the most holy sacraments, she passed away to the Lord.

It pleased the Lord God that our Superiors sent this servant of God as confessor to the Nuns of Naples, whom he governed in a holy manner. There in the friary of Saint Ephraim, being well prepared and having received all the most holy sacraments, he passed away to the better life. Although he did some miracles, I am not writing about them because I do not full knowledge of them. Let it suffice to say that he served the Lord God in the holy Order for about fifty-five years, replete of every virtue.

To the praise and glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ and HIs most fair Mother and of our Father Saint Francis. Amen.