Saint Who?
Saints Whose Bodies Resisted Corruption
Saint Pacificus of San Severino
Priest and religious († 1721)Feast: September 24
Born to a distinguished family in Italy, Pacificus was orphaned at the age of three. He was raised in his uncle’s house, where he became the scapegoat for two servants who took a dislike to him. It is said they blamed him for all that went wrong in the house, aware that the boy would be sternly punished. Pacificus, true to his name, bore these injustices peacefully, and was eventually rewarded with a miracle vindicating his innocence.
At seventeen, he joined the reformed Franciscans, and was ordained a priest seven years later. After a few years of active ministry, he became ill and never fully recovered. For the next thirty years, he was afflicted with lameness, deafness, and blindness, maintaining the while his inner peace. “God wills it, and so may his will be done.”
Since he could not preach missions, he turned to deeper contemplation. Miracles of healing and prophecy were attributed to him. He died on September 24, 1721, just after professing his gratitude for God’s bounty. Buried in a common grave, without a coffin, his body was found incorrupt after four years. An accidental injury to the relics produced a flow of blood similar to that of a living body. Pacificus was canonized in 1839.
Generous Father, through the prayers and example of Saint Pacificus, may I accept the crosses you permit with peace and gratitude.
