Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Salvator of Horta.

Salvator was born in Spain’s Golden Period. Politics, money and the arts were thriving. The same was true of religion. The Society of Jesus was started in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola.

Salvator’s parents had little money. He joined the Franciscans as a brother at 21 and quickly gained a reputation for his austerity, humility, and simplicity. He earned a reputation for generosity while serving as the friars’ cook, porter, and official beggar in Tortosa. He used the Cross Sign to treat the sick. Salvator was transported to Horta by the friars after large groups of sick people started visiting the friary to see him. Once more, the ill went to Salvator to seek his intercession; one source stated that 2,000 patients visited Salvator each week. He advised them to examine their consciences, attend confession, and partake of Holy Communion in a dignified manner. He declined to offer prayers for people who rejected such sacraments.

Salvator received constant media attention. The spectators occasionally tore portions of his habit as souvenirs.
Salvator was relocated to Cagliari on the island of Sardinia two years before his passing. When he passed away in Cagliari, he prayed, “Into your hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit.”

Saint Salvator became a saint in 1938. March 18 is the liturgical celebration of Saint Salvator of Horta.

Source: franciscanmedia.org