Friday 27 September 2013

Life of brother Jeremiah (3)

Written by Br. Francesco Saverio Toppi in 1983, in occasion of the beatification

He joins the Capuchin Order

He arrived in Naples during the Lent of 1578. It was a proper time to create a good impression about the city. The churches were very crowded by the people who came to listen to the word of God.
Finally the Wallachian seemed to have found the country "of good Christians".

In Bari he had met the capuchins and started to attend their churches. In Naples he seemed to find in them those "holy monks" that his mother had talked about, and decided to enter their monastery.
The capuchin Provincial, Fr, Urbano of Giffoni, accepted the young aspirant, listened to him and, after telling him to come a second and a third time, decided to let him in the Order.
He sent him to the novitiate from Sessa Aurunca (Caserta), in the company of a monk known to be a saint, br. Pacifico of Salerno. They were agreeing from the first moment they met. From that moment they enjoyed a great spiritual friendship for the entire life.

Br. Pacifico of Salerno, which will live longer than his friend, will be one of the most authorised witnesses at the beatification process and he will relate, among many others, that during their first trip, the wallachian, without even thinking, offered to a beggar on the road the bread and the cheese he had received for this trip.
In May 1578 John was vested with the capuchin robe in the monastery from Sessa Aurunca and received the name of Br. Jeremiah, that made history.

On 8th of May 1579 he professed the evangelical councils, engaging himself to observe the Rule of the Minor Friars for his entire life.
From this moment until 1584 he accomplished several missions in several monasteries. In 1585 we find him in the "New Saint Ephrem" Monastery, taking care of the ill brothers. He will stay here for 40 years, until his death, that he will meet on 5th of March 1625.

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