Saint Who?
Saints Who Achieved Sanctity Young
Blessed Grimoaldo of the Purification
Religious († 1902) Feast: November 18
Ferdinando Santamaria was the oldest of five children in Italy. His parents earned their living through a rope-making business. He was a devout boy who joined the church choir and became an altar server at the age of eight.
As a teenager, he was befriended by members of a local Passionist community. He considered joining that order, but his father strongly opposed it. Instead, he wanted Ferdinando to work in the family business. But the sight of a flowing river near his home made Ferdinando think deeply about how swiftly time passes. This convinced him that he should direct his life toward eternal life rather than earthly success. However, he patiently worked for his father until he was sixteen years old. He then took the name Grimoaldo and eagerly accepted the penitential practices of the Passionist rule, including sleeping on straw and wearing a rough black tunic. It wasn’t as easy for him to adjust to being a student, but he knew it was necessary to being ordained a priest.
Within a few years, Grimoaldo fell ill with acute meningitis. As his health quickly declined, he repeatedly told others that he wanted to accept this deadly disease as the will of God. He died peacefully at the age of nineteen.
Almighty God, show us how to peacefully accept your will, particularly in painful setbacks.
