Saint Felix of Nicosia | |
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| Born | 5 November 1715 Nicosia,Sicily |
| Died | 31 May 1787 Nicosia, Sicily |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 12 February 1888 byPope Leo XIII |
| Canonized | 23 October 2005 byPope Benedict XVI |
| Majorshrine | Cathedral of St. Nicholas Nicosia, Sicily |
| Feast | June 2[1] |
Felix of Nicosia (Italian:Felice di Nicosia; November 5, 1715 – May 31, 1787) was aCapuchinfriar, and is honored as a saint in theRoman Catholic Church.
He was bornFilippo Giacomo Amoroso inNicosia,Sicily on 5 November 1715,[2] about three weeks after the death of his father on October 12. As a young boy Filippo helped in the workshop of a shoemaker near a Capuchinfriary. Thus from an early age, he got to know the friars and their way of life.[3]
At the age of 20 he asked theGuardian of the friary to speak for him to theMinister Provincial inMessina so that he could be admitted to the Order as alay brother. Being illiterate, he could not be admitted as acleric. His application was rejected several times; however, seeing his continued perseverance, after eight years he was admitted to the Order and sent to thenovitiate inMistretta.[3]
On October 19, 1743 he entered the novitiate, being given the name ofBrother Felix (afterthe first Capuchin saint), and professed hisvows a year later.[3]
Against the norms, the authorities of theProvince then assigned him to the friary in his hometown.[4] This was contrary to the norms, because the fear was that young friars would find themselves distracted by family and friends, thereby stunting their spiritual growth. Yet the level of his detachment was so great that they felt that this fear was largely unwarranted in his case.
He was given the job ofquaestor, which involved roaming the region in the goal of collecting alms to support the friars and their work.[5] Every day he would knock on doors, inviting people to share their prosperity. His nature was such that he would always say 'thank you' and even when he was manhandled he would exclaim:Let it be for the love of God.[6]
He was devoted to Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. On Fridays he would contemplate thePassion and death of Jesus Christ. On Fridays duringLent, he fasted on bread and water. He had a particular veneration for theBlessed Sacrament, spending hours in front of thetabernacle, even after having endured the harsh trials of every day.
He was endowed with the gift of healing both physical and spiritual diseases and he delighted in tending the sick. He could alsobilocate. Called to aid the sick when a malignant epidemic was decimating the nearby town ofCerami in March 1777, he responded eagerly. He went about ministering the sick, and his efforts were crowned with great success.[5]
For 33 years he lived under a guardian who considered it his role to sanctify Felix by subjecting him to relentless severity and fantastic humiliations, all of which he heroically endured. Finally,in May 1787 he was overtaken by a sudden, raging fever while working in the garden. Felix told the doctor, who prescribed medicines for him that proved useless, because this was his final illness. He died later that month, on May 31, at two in the morning. So dedicated was he to hisvow of obedience that he requested permission to die from the guardian of the community.[5]
Felix wasbeatified byPope Leo XIII on 2 February 1888. In 1891, his relics weretranslated to thecathedral of the city for greater access by the public who wished tovenerate him. The cause for his canonization was opened on 19 June 1902,[7] and he wascanonized on 23 October 2005 byPope Benedict XVI.
