About the holy man Brother Francis of Bisignano, Priest

Brother Francis was from a city called Bisignano situated in the Province of the Calabria. He was born to honest parents. In his early years he attend school and became quite well instructed in positive grammar. However when he reached the age of about sixteen years, considering the fallacies of this world and moved by the Holy Spirit the devout youngster decided to leave it and come to the Congregation of Capuchins where he could serve God more soundly and put the world beneath his feet.

He was received into the holy Congregation. When he was clothed in the habit of the Seraphic Father Saint Francis it lasted for many months that every time the devout youth remembered, it please him so much to see himself with that habit on that he could not hold back the tears. He led a very austere life for as long as he lived he never wanted to wear anything other than one completely patched habit, without a mantle or anything else. Most of the time he went barefoot. He fasted almost continuously however he always fasted on bread and water on the vigils of Our Lady and at other more devout times. In public opinion and reputation the whole Province regraded him to be the most austere that lived in his time. The devout you had an innate gentleness and beautiful disposition. He was so dedicated to despising himself that it was an amazing thing how he always gave of himself completely for everyone, especially the poor sick. He served them with so much charity that he seemed to be like and Angel. He did the lowliest tasks in the friary and was never seen upset. He rarely spoke with anyone. Outside of the tasks done for charity he always stayed in the church or withdrew to his cell for holy contemplation. When it happened that his Superiors sent him somewhere on a journey he never wanted to take anything, trusting in the providence of God. Hence once he was going on his journey with his companion. Night overtook them in a certain desolate places far from any dwellings. And as it pleased the Lord God, as they walked through these desert places they did not know where they were. Miraculously God guided them to a shepherds’ hut where there was a flock of animals. However that night there was no one there and the hut was locked. When the servant of God saw this he rejoiced very much. He thought, as it was, that God had prepared them there, because going a little further he ran the danger of coming to grief over some cliff. His companion went near because he wanted to open the little room but he could not do so because he was so tired. When the holy man of God saw this he said to his companion, “Let me try a little.” Making the sign of the cross, as soon as he touched the entrance it opened wide. They stayed quite comfortably in that little room. Recognising that benefit from the Lord God he could not thank Him enough. When they wanted to depart in the morning, so that the shepherds would not receive some detriment because of the bits and pieces that were there, the companion tried very hard to lock the entrance but couldn’t. When the holy man approached he closed the entrance in the same way as he opened it by the power of God. As soon as he touched it, the door was perfectly locked.

He lived many years in the holy Congregation with such exemplarity and a holy life that everyone believed that he had to perform miracles. Many noteworthy things could be written down about this holy man but which I Passover because I don’t have enough information. Let is suffice to say that it pleased the Lord god to reward this servant of His. When he was in the friary at Cosolito he fell mortally ill. Nonetheless, since the infirmity was so grave, on the morning of the Passover of the Resurrection of the Lord, God wanted to give this consolation that by himself, as if he had no illness, he went to the church and with the other Friars received the Most Holy Sacrament. At Vespers on the same day after having received all the most holy sacraments, that holy soul passed over to its Creator. To the praise and glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ.