Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Franciscan Capuchin monk, martyr and Saint

St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen


   
St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen
St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen
 
Feastday: April 24
1577 - 1622

Franciscan Capuchin martyr. He was born Mark Rey in Sigmaringen, Germany, in 1577. A practicing lawyer, he traveled across Europe as a tutor to aristocrats but then started defending the poor. In 1612, he became a Franciscan Capuchin monk, taking the name of Fidelis. A missionary to Grisons, Switzerland, Fidelis was so successful that local Protestants claimed that he was a spy for the Austrian Emperor. Fidelis was stabbed to death in a church in Seewis. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIV. Fidelis served also as the head of the Congregation for the Spreading of the Faith. 

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