ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO CONTINUES TO INVITE EVERYONE TO SANCTITY

VATICAN CITY, OCT 25, 2003 (VIS) - Today in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope received a group of pilgrims who came to Rome on the occasion of the fourth centenary of the birth of St. Joseph of Cupertino who was a disciple of St. Francis of Assisi. Among the participants in the audience was Fr. Joachim Giermek, general minister of the Friars Minor Conventuals.

In his speech, the Pope said St. Joseph "is a teacher of prayer. The celebration of the Mass was at the center of his day, followed by long hours of adoration in front of the tabernacle. According to the most authentic Franciscan tradition, he was fascinated and moved by the mysteries of the Incarnation and Our Lord's Passion."

"Secondly, the saint from Cupertino continues to speak to young people, in particular to students who venerate him as their patron. He advises them to fall in love with the Gospel, 'to take off' in the vast ocean of the world and of history, remaining firmly anchored in the contemplation of Christ's face."

John Paul II said that St. Joseph of Cupertino is a "model of exemplary holiness for his brothers of the Franciscan Order of the Friars Minor Conventuals. ... For those who have embraced the ideas of a life of consecration, he represents a loud call to always live in search of the values of the spirit, totally consecrated to the Lord, and a necessary service of charity toward their brothers and sisters."

"Like all saints," he concluded, "St. Joseph of Cupertino never goes out of style! Four centuries later, his testimony continues to represent for everyone an invitation to be saints. Even if he belongs to another age, in certain aspects so different from ours, he shows us an itinerary of spirituality valid for all times; remember the supremacy of God, the need for prayer and contemplation, ardent and faithful adhesion to Christ, the commitment of the missionary proclamation, the love of the Cross."

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