About the holy man Brother Peter of Mazara, Priest

Brother Peter was born to noble parents from a city called Mazara situated on the Island of Sicily. He went to school when he was young. However when he was about twenty years old he dedicated himself to the military arts. Exercising himself at this aroused in him a certain anger and because he was a courageous man and held a very high regard for honour, he acquired a lot of enemies and fell into disfavour with the court. When he saw that he could not save himself, he bolted for the countryside and became the leader of some bandits. He did many wrong things in different parts that everyone feared him and his band very much.

It pleased the Holy Spirit to put into his heart to leave that evil life and to lead a religious life. He lasted in this good inspiration for many days during which time he did many good works, saving many from the hands of his company and he was very zealous about the honour of women. No longer able to resist the strong inspirations that the Lord was giving him he secretly left the other bandits. When he considered that it would not have been a good thing to be clothed in the religious habit in Sicily, and after inquiring about which Province was best for him to join the Order of Saint Francis he was told: ‘If you have devout towards Saint Francis and his Order you cannot do better than to go to his Province where his holy body is preserved.” Brother Peter answered, “I don’t believe I have been delivered from the hands of the enemy and received this inspiration from God except through the merits of Father Saint Francis. Because I was among highway robbers and murderers and I heard in his Fioretti, about Father Saint Francis in the mountains of Borgo San Sepolcro. With great kindness he had the three worst robbers sought out: Galasso, Mazzone and Calcagno. With his prayers and good words converted them so that they not only abandoned their wrongdoing but two of them became Friars Minor and lived and died in a holy manner in his Order. When I though about this I recommended myself fervently and begged this grace from God for me to come out from the hands of the enemy.”

Accepting this, Brother Peter came to the Province of Saint Francis and was received into the Congregation of Capuchins. His conversion was such that everyone knew that the Holy Spirit had guided him. He applied himself so much to despising himself that all his fury changed to gentleness. He was a mirror of patience and never desired anything else than to suffer. When he heard of some austere Guardian who dressed down the Friars a lot, he asked the grace of the Father Vicar to be put with him whom he wanted to be outstanding in saying to him words that debased him. He almost always spoke while kneeling down. For a long time he felt it was difficult to have found mercy before God for all the many evils he had done and unless he gave his life for Christ he could not feel satisfied. Because of this he sought with great insistence from our Fathers to be able to go among the infidels and be martyred by them – preaching the Christian faith. With whomever he spoke the servant of God said, “I see no way of being able to save myself except at the hands of the Turks or infidels because I have crucified Our Lord so many times that I am not worthy to die in my own bed.”

It did not please the Lord to put it into the heart of the Superiors to give him that permission. So them Brother Peter thought and said to himself, “The Lord God does not see me fit for such a difficult task. It is not granted to many to go to God with the palm of martyrdom. I will try as much as I can and with the good grace of my Order to martyr myself.”

He began to fast on bread and water with such fervour that he fasted almost continuously. Because many told him that he was doing too much and that he could be deceived, when that servant of God was passing through our friary of the Carcerelle, with great humility asked me what I thought about it. I answered him, “If you know that you are doing no harm to your body, continue on because when it is done simply for the love of God, abstinence brings with itself for the one who practises it that if there is any deception it uncovers it, mortifies the body and enlightens the intellect marvellously. And a moderate abstinence is necessary for anyone who wants to give himself to contemplation.” When he heard this the servant of God was very happy.

On his skin he wore a harsh hairshirt and practised contemplation almost continuously. For many years he held firm to the opinion of not having to say Mass but then, because it was unusual, our Superiors asked His Holiness permission for him. When he was ordained Priest he celebrated Mass almost every day with great devotion. He spoke little with the Friars and hardly ever ate more than once a day and then very little. He went barefoot continuously nor did he ever want to wear more than one habit of natural wool which he used more as a hairshirt than a habit. He was in the Province of Saint Francis for many years and then Father General sent him to the Province of Sicily where he gave the very best example to everyone. Everyone gave thanks to God that a man who lived such a bad life and was so proud had arrived at such gentleness and they saw him so very austere in his life. The poor fellow went to where he knew he had given bad example. Kneeling down and with great humility and tears he begged forgiveness so that even his enemies felt satisfied and were reconciled with him.

Not much time passed and he was elected Vicar Provincial of all of Sicily. He exercised that office with great prudence and good example. He was very merciful and kind towards his brothers and it was well known that he was regarded a servant of everyone according to what our Father Saint Francis wanted. He never missed the usual abstinence even though he suffered the greatest fatigue because of his office. He was also Master of Novices and everyone said it was not good for the novices because he was so kind that often when a novice deserved the discipline he had such compassion on him because he was young that he preferred to do it himself. He used to say, “My son, you have deserved the discipline but I want to do it for you.” When Friars told him that this was not good because they novices were not being mortified he answered, “They are Angels and don’t know what sin is. I am the worse man in the world and it is fitting for me to take the discipline.”

It pleased the Lord God that the Emperor Charles V made a great army to go to Africa which was held by the Moors. He was worried that this must be a great tribulation for Christendom because it was a nest of corsairs which effectively produced a lot of harm throughout the Lion sea. Because this was an enterprise against the infidels, and since he still had the desire to die for Christ, the servant of God very humbly asked permission of the Father General to be able to go with the armada. He always exercised himself in preaching to them with great fervour saying that they should go on this expedition simply for the love of God and not in order to get booty or honour and that they should first go to confession. “And if it happens that we should die there, you will be martyrs of Christ.” He took care of the sick, the wound and others in need. The good example these servants of God was such that the entire army regarded them as saints. When the city was taken he played his part since he was a valorous man.

It pleased the Lord God that all of Africa was burnt and consumed and completely dispossessed. Then as the army returned, Brother Peter, with his companions, did not fail in due charity because there were many wounded, many of whom died. These servants of God confessed them and gave them Holy Communion. Brother Peter saw to the needs of the many poor who could not provide for their physical needs because of their infirmity. He was a great comfort to everyone.

Finally as he was returning by sea, because of the great sufferings he had undergone, the servant of God fell gravely ill. The sickness lasted some days. He was very happy about this and said to his companions, “May God be blessed! I have always desired holy martyrdom and I came on this undertaking with that desire. I t has not pleased His Majesty that I die at the hands of the Moors. Now I hope he will allow me to die because of the many efforts I have sustain because of this holy enterprise. That will be like a martyrdom. He still preached to the soldiers and gave them the very best example. Having prepared with great fervour for the passage of death that holy soul passed away to its Creator.

Because they were a long way from Sicily some soldiers said to the Captain that the body should be thrown into the sea. The Captain and almost everyone replied with one voice, “If it was in the sea, it would be necessary to fish for it in order to have such a holy relic. The body of a man of such holiness as his has been deserves to be honoured by everyone.” With great devotion on everyone’s part they brought the body to Sicily and it was buried in one of our Friaries.

I heard the at he did some miracles in life and after his death the Lord God worked many miracles through him. However since this was in 48 or 49 I can’t remember any of them. Therefore since I am not well informed and I am not writing about them.

May this be enough to give confidence to everyone who reads this, though he may be a sinner, to trust in the mercy of God. Having forgiven Brother Peter he will forgive everyone who commends himself faithfully and who does as Brother did who left his sins and clothed himself in the holy habit of the Seraphic Father Saint Francis and with it did penance. If at first he had given bad example, with his good life he reconciled everyone.

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