About the holy youth Brother Cherubim of Spoleto

Brother Cherubim was from a city in Umbria within the dominion of the Church and the Province of Saint Francis. He was born of noble parents and attended school when he was young and became quite a good grammarian with a beautiful handwriting. Since the time he was a tot he was always a devout boy and always listened carefully when something devout was read or something about God was discussed. He had a brother a Priest called Don Melchior who was very careful about spiritual things. He directed Brother Cherubim since his boyhood towards spiritual things and organised it for him to enter a Fraternity that lived very spiritually. In this way he protected the child so that he never tasted the things of the world and he always told him about the miracles that the Mother of God and the other saints did in order to inspire in him the desire to do good.

Once a holy Bishop from Armenia was passing through Spoleto. HE had gone to Rome to kiss the feet of His Holiness and to visit the holy places. Don Melchior loved to welcome religious persons, especially foreigners. When he saw this Bishop, with great joy he took him to his house. He brought with him two interpreters. When the holy Bishop noticed what Don Melchior did, putting meat in front of them to eat, the Bishop asked him what was the reason why they put meat with a bone on the table before Priests. He answered, “Among us that is the way it is done.” The Bishop said, “That is not good because the Priest puts that bone in his mouth. Then the dog comes and eats it. Thus what has been in the mouth of the Priest, when he has said Mass, goes into the mouth of the dog.” Then later in the morning the holy Bishop wanted to celebrate (Mass) and after he had celebrated he stayed at prayer for more than an hour. The following night Don Melchior was struck by a fever. When the holy Bishop did not see him he asked about him. When he heard that he was ill he had himself brought to his bedside. After praying for some time, he made the sign of the Holy Cross over him and the fever left him immediately. Turning to the boy he said to him, “See, why do you think that this Bishop is holy unless it is because he had been devout and humble.” He showed him many virtues and good works that the Bishop had done. When he was a boy he always prayed.

These things helped very much to impress in the heart of the good boy the desire to do good so that while he was in the world he was always nourished in spiritual things. When he reached the age of about sixteen years he got hold of the Praise of Blessed Jacopone of Todi. He drew so many beautiful things from it and read them with such devotion that everyone in the Association was astonished. He was so inspired in the love of God that while he was in the world he led a life that was more angelic than human so that the whole of Spoleto had to talk about it. Secretly he gave much alms by himself to certain embarrassed poor people. He often fasted on bread and water and received Holy Communion every Sunday with great devotion. One day when he could not longer [withstand] the flame of the love of God that burned in his heart he decided to leave the world and to serve God quite seriously. Now at that time in Saint Isani there was a holy man called Brother Bernard who confessed most of Spoleto. He often spoke with this servant of God, whom everyone regarded as a saint and who bore the greatest fruit. So the youth called Galeazzo wanted to make this step of leaving the world prudently with advice. When he went to find Don Bernardo he confided to him that he desired to become a Religious if he so advised him. The holy man replied to this, “My son, God cannot put anything better than that into your heart. Therefore, do not delay because there will be no shortage of opponents whom the devil will obtain for you in order to remove from you this good purpose, because there is no better place in the world where man can spend his life than by serving God in some Order. Because you have sought my advice I give you the advice that you do not enter any other Order than that of the Capuchin Friars because that holy Order has begun in the world. The people of Spoleto have a robust nature and therefore you need an Order that may mortify you and because it is the most austere and detached from the world to be found. Therefore my son be on your way and do it very secretly because your relatives will make a lot of trouble about it.”

These words marvellously entered the heart of the good youth. Concurring with his two companions secretely they left and came to the frairy of the Carcere of Assisi where I was and they were received kindly. Because the Father Vicar was a long way away they could not be clothed immediately. When they became aware of what had happened, the relatives were furious and came to that friary and caused the greatest storm. With their din they forced their way into the friary and searched all the cells for the young men. It was necessary to let the relatives see them. They attacked them so vigorously that I felt that the constancy of the holy young man was miraculous. He answered them judiciously in such a beautiful way without becoming disturbed that he seemed like an Angel. So that they could battle with him all night more easily the relatives wanted to stay in the friary. When I realised that I could not send them away I decided to call all the novices and pretend that I want to leave there. When the young man saw that I had gone outside with all the Friars, the turned to his relatives and told them, “”Do you think that I want to stay with you? You are very much deceived because I want to go with the Friars. You can be at peace in your hearts that even though I am young in years, nonetheless God has so firmly given me the resolve to want to serve him in this holy Order that neither you nor the whole world could take me from it.”

Then they decided to go off to the city. When I considered that they would return in the morning, I thought to myself, ‘It would be good if they found him clothed in the habit of the Order.’ Without authority from the Father Vicar I called all three after Matins and said to them, “My sons, I do not have authority to cloth you. However in this case I can easily lend you the habit of the Order so that you can defend yourself more easily against your relatives.” This was the best remedy because they returned in the morning and when they saw them clothed they softened. Weeping they gave them a beautiful exhortation to be on guard about caring so much about life that they leave the Order. Completely edified they left.

However when the enemy of human nature saw that they (sic) were unable to defeat the young man through the relatives they gave him such a great temptation that he was about to go crazy. He said to me, “Father, I want my relatives to come back so that I can go with them. It is not me, but the devil has given me this temptation and made me come to hate the habit, the Friars and everything you tell me.” I answered him, “Now is not the time for me to preach to you because you have been benighted by the devil. I only say to you to remember how much you liked the Order when you were on good terms. That which you dislike now does not come from you but from the devil. God will not allow this to last long because you will return to the right path.”

It was something amazing. That was his first and last temptation, for as long as he lived he lived religious life so much that he seemed like and Angel on the earth.

No less was the temptation that the enemy brought upon him by means of an uncle of his who Guardian at Our Lady of the Angels called Brother Bernardine. He was truly a venerable Father and a good man. However he felt that his nephew could not last in our Congregation because of the harshness of our life and that he would not have been able to study here. He knew the young man was well educated and with a fine intelligence and did all he could to remove him. When he realised that he could not speak to him he tried to send him letters via seculars. Moreover he often sent Friars to try and speak with him. Once a ladder was found leaning against the window of the choir. IN this way he thought letters could be thrown down to him. Failing this, he came in person. Since I did not want him see him, let alone speak with him, as he was leaving he saw the novices a short distance away cutting wood on the mountain and he could not refrain from calling out to him. However the young man looked towards him when heard him call and replied to him, “Hey, glutton. Go and gorge yourself since that is your speciality.” At this response he left.

It pleased the Lord God that the young man made profession. When the venerable Father Francis of Iesi recognised the prudent and fair ways of the boy, as well as his sound mind, he adopted him. Within a short time that he spent with him he instructed him very well in the sciences and in sacred theology. Because this venerable Father was so profound in sacred theology so that there were few like him in the Order, he communicated sacred theology to the young man in a wonderful way that was useful to the young man at the same time to become learned and it served him at holy prayer by giving him all the salient things. From then on he was so inflamed by the love of God that he always had his mind transformed in the Lord.

However since the judgements of God are different to those of men, when His Majesty saw the youth ready and completely transformed in him, he drew him to Himself so that the evils of the world would not change his heart. When he was in a friary in the Province of Rome with his Master, he passed away to the better life and was buried in that friary. Then when that good Father returned to the friary at Perugia he told me, “I often commend myself to Brother Cherubim.” He was inferring that his soul was canonised in heaven.

To the praise of Jesus Christ. Amen.