(C.D. Stampley Enterprises, Charlotte, NC 2001). Used with permission.

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For Astronauts

St. Joseph Cupertino (1603-1663)

Feast day: September 18

The patron of astronauts is St. Joseph Cupertino, a remarkable Franciscan priest whose levitations and movement through the air resembled astronaut space walks.

St. Joseph Cupertino is one of those saints the Church does not know what to do with. What are we to make of a priest who according to reliable eyewitnesses levitated and “flew” (or at least was propelled by some invisible power) through the air on at least 70 occasions over the course of 17 years?

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When the Father General of the Franciscans took Joseph to a private audience with {ln:Pope} Urban VIII, Joseph levitated in the presence of the Holy Father. ( {ln:Pope} Urban said if he outlived Joseph, he would promote Joseph’s cause for canonization and personally testify to this miracle). On another occasion when Joseph was living in Assisi Spain’s ambassador to the Papal Court brought his wife and a large retinue to see Joseph. As he entered the church to meet his visitors Joseph saw a statue of the immaculate Conception. He floated off the floor and flew over the heads of the ambassador and his party to the statue where he remained suspended in the air. Then he floated to the church door, landed gently on the floor, and returned to the friars residence. The Inquisition heard about Joseph and commanded him to appear before their tribunal. On October 21, 1638, as the inquisitors questioned him Joseph levitated.

His Franciscan superiors responded to the phenomena by banning Joseph from saying Mass in public, joining the friars in the choir for the Divine Office, eating with them in the refectory, walking in processions, or taking part in any public religious function. They moved him from one Franciscan house to another. They sent him to live in obscure corners of Italy. At one point, for reasons that are still not clear, the Inquisition even insisted that he be transferred from his order to the Capuchins. To his superiors, even if Joseph’s levitations were neither diabolical in origin nor the work of some undiscovered fraud, they were seriously disruptive to the day-to-day life of a religious community.

At the end of his life Joseph was living in a Franciscan house in Osimo. As he lay on his deathbed he heard the sound of the Altar Bell which announced that a priest was bringing Holy Communion to him for the last time—and for the last time Joseph levitated. He rose off his bed and floated out into the hall to meet the Blessed Sacrament.

When the cause of Joseph Cupertino’s canonization was put forward, Prosper Lambertini was appointed “the devil’s advocate.” Lambertini, later {ln:Pope} Benedict XIV, was one of the Church’s greatest experts on the saints and skeptical of reports of supernatural events, yet even he had to concede that the witnesses who gave testimony of Joseph’s levitations were of “unchangeable integrity. “As Benedict XIV Lambertini beatified Joseph.

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Prayer to the saints is a powerful thing.

Now, with Saints for Every Occasion, readers can quickly find help for any challenge they face – no matter how large or small. Author Thomas J. Craughwell profiles 101 patron saints from various continents, cultures and times – from saints who were contemporaries of Christ, to modern patrons like Padre Pio and Faustina Kowalska. Each saint lived heroically in difficult times and circumstances, providing powerful examples of how to turn almost any obstacle into a source of grace. Along with old favorites such as St. Anthony and St. Jude, Craughwell offers patrons for specifically modern concerns, including, for example, saints to watch over astronauts, internet users and environmental activists. Beautifully illustrated and entertainingly told, Saints for Every Occasion features 101 patron saints readers will seek out time and again.

“An excellent resource for home and classroom use.” – Publisher’s Weekly {/tabs}