Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Giles Mary of Saint Joseph, Patron Saint of Taranto

Saint Giles, named Francesco, was born in 1729 to a poor but religious family in Toronto, Italy. When he was 18, his father died, leaving him to take care of his family by making and selling rope. Though he was willing, he had felt the call to a religious life. By the time he was at the age of 25, he was able to make sure his family was financially secure; he had thus applied to the Discalced Friars Minor, which is located in Naples. Although he wanted to serve as a priest, since he lacked the necessary education, he became a lay brother instead. For the next nearly six decades, he acted as a porter and gatekeeper at the monastery’s seminary. It was in doing his work that he discovered his true calling; while receiving everyone who rang the bell, he had met some of the most destitute of individuals, to whom he had given his aid.

Saint Giles had often given aid to the sick, even when he had to go out of the city to help those who were suffering from some manner of disease. He often carried with him a symbol of the Blessed Virgin called “Our Lady of the Well.”

Saint Giles was poor in health, having suffered sciatica, which caused him severe leg pain, causing him to use a walking cane. This, along with having asthma and dropsy, did not stop him from carrying out the task that he felt God had given him.

Saint Giles would make his way through the streets of Naples, repeating the words “Love God, love God” to the people he met along the way.

They had given him the nickname “Consoler of Naples.”

St. Giles Mary of St. Joseph was canonized by Pope John Paul II.

Sources:

vermontcatholic.org

catholic.org