About the holy man Brother Jerome of Montepulciano, Priest

Brother Jerome was from a city called Montepulciano situated in the domain of Florence. He was born to noble and quite God-fearing parents. They raised him with great tenderness. He attended school and became a very good grammarian. However when the devout youth came to the age of discretion, because he was so well behaved and inclined to the spiritual life, he took up canon law and within a short time turned out to become a good canonist. He became [indecipherable word] Cathedral Canon. The entire time that he served God in the habit of a Priest he behaved so religiously that the whole city regarded him as the most honest and devout cleric there was in his time in that city. Nothing reprehensible was ever heard about him. He persevered continuously in his devotions.

It pleased the Lord God however that the Capuchin Friars started the devout friary of the Magdalen situated in the mountains of that city. It was one of the first friaries of our Congregation and built by the venerable Father and holy man Brother Francis of Montepulciano, founder of the reform of the Conventual Fathers. The servant of God Brother Jerome decided to leave the world completely and came from the Zoccolanti to the Congregation of Capuchins. Brother Louis of Fossombrone received him in Rome and sent him back to the Province of Tuscany.

There he led quite an amazing life. Just like the early Fathers he established himself completely on the safest of foundations, holy humility, the foundation of the spiritual edifice and he did all the lowliest tasks of the Order. The mortification of his feelings was such that the Friars said, “This man lives dead.” For he rarely spoke and when he was questioned, according to the counsel of Our Lord he answered ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ Then bowing his head a little he used to go away. Whole months used to pass in which no one ever saw him speak with anyone. He was accustomed to say the sentence of the Apostle James: the religion of the one who does not check his tongue is vain. When he hear evil said of his neighbour, he immediately found some excuse and fled off.

He was very mortified in his eyes too since he was physically beautiful, tall, slim and with a handsome face. He adorned that physical beauty with modesty and the mortification of all his members, especially the eyes, for until he was old he stayed with his eyes lowered so much that they were seen rarely if ever. In every way he fled from conversation with anyone, especially women. This was the reason that although he was capable and well instructed in understanding the Sacred Scriptures, none the less he could never preach even though the Fathers begged him very much. He did this in order to avoid conversation. He said that when he was asked what it meant that he did not preach, “I haven’t even preached to myself. It is necessary first to preach to oneself and to convert oneself and then preach to one’s neighbour so that it cannot be said, ‘Hypocrite, take the beam from your own eye first and then remove the splinter from the eye of the other. Pride can be severely reprimanded in others while I am full of it. Similarly with the other vices. When I was young I had entered a great labyrinth for the bread I ate was from the income of benefices that I received and from the others that I would have had obliged me to preach to others with example and with teaching. The mercy of God was great that feed from this obligation, calling me to this holy Order. For I don’t know how well I would have fulfilled the obligation and dispensed the income according to the will of God, since I was not in that perfection that is fitting to one who takes up the pastoral care of souls that have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. Now I find myself in the Order with this desire to preach to myself. When it pleases the Lord that have preached to myself enough, if it is asked of me, I will also preach to others.”

His conversation in the woods and solitary places was not vain because he continuously practised holy prayers, mental and vocal. When he became a Priest he usually celebrated Mass with great devotion every morning and then continued at holy prayer. He was very austere with regard to his body especially in eating for he rarely ate more than once a day and then so little that the Friars wondered how such a large body could go with so little food. He was also very austere in dress. Once in the friary at Rome, in my presence, Brother Matthew of Bascio the first Capuchin saw this holy man who went without a mantle and with just the habit during the greatest cold of the year. Brother Jerome was about to sit and Brother Matthew put his hand on his shoulder. Marvelling at that austerity he said to him, “How is it possible that you do not die of could?” – almost ashamed at being surpassed in austerity. When Brother Matthew lifted off his hand, the other moved in such a way that I imagined that underneath he had a harsh hairshirt. The holy man cringed a little and answered him nothing.

He was often Provincial especially in the Province of Rome which he governed for many years with great holiness. When he was on visitation the servant of God never failed to come to choir and the prayer with the other Friars. Sometimes he would have missed Terce and Sext at which time he was listening to the Friars. He came for the rest (of the Hours.) He didn’t give many sermons but tried to preach to the Friars with example and always excused himself that he didn’t have the gift of speaking. Nonetheless the Friars said that they were happier that he preached with example than if he had preached to them with many words. He encouraged everyone in the observance of the Rule and other spiritual things when they saw that venerable Father go ahead of them with such holiness that a good effort would have been required for any one of them not to follow him perfectly. When some had not risen for Matins, at the (chapter of) faults the holy man only said this to him, “I arrived yesterday evening quite exhausted. By the grace of God I got up last night and did the prayer and the discipline with the others. I say no more.” Many times when he said these words the Friars were seen to weep with devotion, thanking God that He had given them such a holy man as shepherd and guide.

This servant of God had an outstanding devotion to the Mother of Jesus Christ. For in his day there was a saying for whenever there was a Friar who was very devoted to Our Lady: He seems like another Brother Jerome of Montepulciano. When a solemnity of Our Lady came he always did the octave fasting on bread and water, four days before and four days after. When he was not impeded he nearly always said the Mass of Our Lady. There was a strong opinion that the Queen of Heaven often appeared to this faithful servant of hers, even though this was not known for certain. The profound humility of this servant of God was such that never a word ever escaped from his lips that gave rise to self-praise.

It pleased the Lord God that he finally became Vicar of the Province of Bologna. It was the time of the great tribulation that our Congregation had because of the departure of Brother Bernardine Occhino. At that time His Holiness Paul III was in the city of Bologna. Because he had a brother by birth in the court of His Holiness and who loved him very much, the holy man went to visit him. When he was speaking with His Holiness very intimately, he very humbly commended the poor Congregation to him. The Pope replied, “My Brother Jerome, be grateful to the Lord because of the benefit you have receive because He has changed my heart for I had decided to bring you all down. However I have known that God loves you and has defended you. Since His Majesty is helping you I cannot fail to help you in the position I hold. Therefore do not concern yourselves because we will never fail you in all the favours that are fitting to Us if you are good sons of Holy Church. Go so that you may be blessed. Do not fail to pray to God for the happy state of the Church and for Us. He left His Holiness with this good news and advised the whole Congregation about it so that we would thank God and pray for His Holiness.

Therefore while this servant of God was in the city of Ferrara he fell gravely ill. After he had taken all the most holy sacraments and had given many beautiful exhortation his sons the Friars who were standing around him weeping at the loss of such a Father, well prepared that happy soul passed aware to its Creator. He was buried in the cemetery in front of the church.

However when the Friars built a tomb they exhumed that body in order to put the bones in the tomb it was amazing. For after being buried in damp, windy ground, after five years they found that body intact and sound as if he had only just died. Because of this the Friars made a coffin and put the body inside, and without burying it again they took it into the church. A great fragrance came from it. When the General the venerable Father Bernardine of Asti came on visitation assembled the Friars of that Friary. I was present when all the Friars saw the body in that coffin. That venerable Father said, “He has always been a great holy man and I want a small tomb made for him and the coffin put inside.”

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