About the holy man Brother Bartholomew of Spello, priest

Brother Bartholomew was from a place called Spello. He was born to honest but poor parents. He attended school when he was a boy until he learned to read. Then his father set him to work as a farmer. When he reached about twenty years of age he decided to leave the world. With great simplicity and fervour he was received into the Congregation of Zoccolanti. He always lived in a very holy way. Retiring to the poorest and most devout friaries of the Province. When he was involved with the Reform in the Order he was assigned to Speco di Sant’ Urbano within that Reform. However when he saw all the controversies to become a Capuchin in order to better and more soundly observe his profession. He was the first Capuchin of the Province of saint Francis.

Father Louis of Fossombrone received him and returned him to the Province of Saint Francis. He was the second Guardian of the Friary of Saint Valentine near Foligno. A little later Brother Luis obtained the first Bull. Brother Bartholomew led an exemplary life in the Congregation. We was such a lover of most holy poverty that although he was old he never wanted to wear anything other than one very poor, completely patched habit. In the beginning he was very austere about eating. He fasted for almost the whole year, however on the vigils of the Lord and of Our Lady he always fasted on bread and water. He rarely and hardly ever ate meat. When the minestra was well made he put water in it so that he would not taste it. I saw this my own eyes. He was a man of great silence especially at the appointed times. In that time silence was taken very much in account. So when he was Guardian in that friary of Saint Valentine, Brother Louis sent his Commissary General on visitation. This was Brother Augustine of Bassano. When he came to the friary, the poor fellows didn’t have a bell to wake the Friars so that they would get up for Matins, Brother Bartholomew cried loudly, “Up, servants of God. Get up to praise the Lord.” Because of this, in the morning when the Commissary was hearing the culpa, he had Brother Bartholomew do the discipline, reprimanding him strongly for having broken the silence. The servant of God did that discipline so joyfully, as if he had gone to a wedding feast. He applied himself so much to humility that he wanted to do all the menial tasks around the friary himself – washing the bowls, washing the clothes, sweeping the friary. He also worked the garden and washed the feet of the Friars and other similar acts of humility. He didn’t want others to do these things.

He was so pleasant towards his neighbour and compassionate to those ill or troubled that he was amazing. When the Friars came in the beginning and said, “Our congregation is in great danger” – because of the great persecutions it suffered they expected it to brought to an end any day – the man of God, Brother Bartholomew always consoled them. He used to say, “Do not worry, my sons. God will help us. Know that because Our Lord had raised up the Reform among the Zoccolanti, and because they have been slow to reform and many of them a enthusiastic in persecuting it, God had taken it from them and given it to us. Just as the Eternal Father took the Messiah from the synagogue and gave Him to the church. Just as the early church was attacked and persecuted so are we. God will not allow anyone to deprive us of this opportunity to be able to observe the rule if we will be what we should be.” When the Friars said, “We are finished. The Pope wants to bring us to an end.” He used to laugh. There was never a Capuchin as constant in good faith as was this holy man. They all used to say, “It could be simply that God revealed to him those things that he says about the Congregation.”

He said Mass every day and after he continued for some time at prayer he went to do those above mentioned acts of humility. He went to rest early in the evening and he was always in the church one or two hours before Matins. He rarely went to rest but continued in holy prayers until morning when he was in his prime. However in old age only a little of the rigour remained. He said often, “Do not be surprised if I eat some little thing because I feel my natural vigour is failing. If I do not eat a little minestra I cannot sleep. If I do not have some sleep I cannot pray.”

When Corsica was established, he was one of the first to go there with the venerable Father Joseph of Ferno. He stayed there on the island as Guardian for three years. In the Province of Saint Francis he was almost always Guardian and he governed with the very best example.

When he was in the devout friary of Monte Casale, when the poor fellow wanted to cut some saplings, a large rock fell on him and struck him in such a way that he could not heal. The Lord God wanted this because of the great desire he had to go among the infidels and die out of live for Him. Because the pain he suffered for many days and which he endured with such patience it was clear that the Lord God wanted to purify him in this world in order to give him heaven. He received all the sacraments and passed away to the better life. Amen.