← Back to Timeline
St. Felix of Cantalice
🀲

St. Felix of Cantalice

1515-1587

πŸ“… Feast Day: May 18

πŸ“– Life Timeline

1515 Born in May 15, 1515 AD, Sant'Angelo, Italy
1513 FELIX of CANTALICE (St) O
1587 IX of CANTALICE (St) O
1724 acteristic virtue was spiritual joy
1587 Died β€” May 18, 1587 AD, Perugia, Italy
1712 Canonized β€” 1712 by Pope Clement XI

✝ Biography

FELIX of CANTALICE (St) O.F.M. Cap. R.M. May 18 1513-1587. A native of Cantalice, near Rieti, in Apulia, the child of peasant farmers, he started life as a farm labourer, and at the age of thirty joined the Ca- puchins in Rome as a lay-brother; there- after for forty years he begged the daily alms for his friary. He was a friend of St Charles Borromeo, and an intimate of St Philip Neri. He was nicknamed Deo Gratias on account of his habitual use of this ejaculation. His characteristic virtue was spiritual joy. Canonized in 1724 β€” the first Capuchin friar to attain this honour. Cf. Ricct β€” Att. β€” Menzies β€” Holw. FELIX of ISTRIA (St) M. R.M. May 24 See ZoΓ©llus, Servilius, ete. FELIX of SARDINIA (St) M. R.M,. May 28 See Emilius, Felix, etc. FELIX (St) H. See Votus He was a Capuchin friar renowned for his work as a beggar for the poor and his joyful spirit.

πŸ›‘ Patronage

Patron of: Beggars, the poor, alms collectors, and those who distribute charity.

πŸ’¬ Words of the Saint

God is the physician of the soul and body.

πŸ“œ Key Facts

Born May 18, 1515, Cantalice, Italy
Died May 18, 1587 AD, Perugia, Italy
Feast Day May 18
Canonized 1712 by Pope Clement XI

πŸ•Š Legacy

Felix of Cantalice's joyful charity transformed Perugia. He proved that the lowest task β€” collecting alms β€” could be a path to extraordinary holiness. He is beloved in Italian Catholicism.

πŸ“œ Personal Writings

Read excerpts from the saint's own words β€” their personal letters, spiritual writings, and teachings.

πŸ“– Testimony

On Joy in Suffering

I am happy, I am happy, I am happy! Why? Because I have Jesus in my heart. I have no fear of suffering, no fear of death, no fear of the world. I have only joy, only peace, only love. I am a Franciscan, and I am happy.
β€” St. Felix of Cantalice

Browse Other Saints

πŸ™ St. Mary, Mother of God Jan 1 πŸ”¨ St. Joseph Mar 19 🐦 St. Francis of Assisi Oct 4 🌹 St. Therese of Lisieux Oct 1 ✝️ St. Padre Pio Sep 23 πŸ“š St. Augustine of Hippo Aug 28 πŸ•ŠοΈ St. Catherine of Siena Apr 29 πŸ”₯ St. John of the Cross Dec 14 🏰 St. Teresa of Avila Oct 15 ⚑ St. Maximilian Kolbe Aug 14 πŸ’— St. Faustina Kowalska Oct 5 πŸ“– St. Thomas Aquinas Jan 28 🍷 St. Benedict Jul 11 βš”οΈ St. Ignatius of Loyola Jul 31 πŸ—‘οΈ St. Joan of Arc May 30 πŸ”‘ St. Peter the Apostle Jun 29 βš”οΈ St. Paul the Apostle Jun 29 πŸ“– St. John the Apostle Dec 27 πŸͺ¨ St. Stephen, First Martyr Dec 26 πŸ”₯ St. John the Baptist Jun 24 πŸ†˜ St. Jude Thaddeus Oct 28 🦁 St. Ignatius of Antioch Dec 17 πŸ”₯ St. Polycarp Feb 23 πŸ”† St. Lawrence Aug 10 🎡 St. Cecilia Nov 22 πŸ‘ St. Agnes Jan 21 πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§ Sts. Perpetua and Felicity Mar 7 🏹 St. Sebastian Jan 20 πŸ’Œ St. Valentine Feb 14 πŸ₯Ί St. Monica Aug 27 🏜️ St. Anthony the Great Jan 17 🐝 St. Ambrose of Milan Dec 7 πŸ“œ St. Jerome Sep 30 πŸ“― St. Gregory the Great Mar 12 πŸ§₯ St. Martin of Tours Nov 11 πŸ›οΈ St. Basil the Great Jan 2 πŸ“ St. Gregory Nazianzen May 9 πŸŽ™οΈ St. John Chrysostom Jan 27 πŸ•―οΈ St. Cyril of Jerusalem Mar 18 ☘️ St. Patrick Mar 17 πŸš— St. Christopher Jul 25 🧡 St. Blaise Feb 3 ✝️ St. Helen May 18 🌧️ St. Scholastica Feb 10 β›΅ St. Columba Jun 9 πŸ„ St. Brigid of Kildare Feb 1 🎡 St. Dymphna May 15 🏰 St. Anselm of Canterbury Apr 21 πŸ‚ St. Bernard of Clairvaux Jun 20 🎢 St. Hildegard of Bingen Sep 17 πŸ• St. Dominic Aug 8 ✨ St. Clare of Assisi Aug 11 🍞 St. Elizabeth of Hungary Nov 17 🌹 St. Rita of Cascia May 22 πŸŒ™ St. Nicholas of Tolentino Sep 10 🍞 St. Zita Apr 28 πŸ’§ St. Margaret of Cortona Feb 22 🦡 St. Lidwina of Schiedam Jul 15 πŸ”₯ St. Catherine of Genoa Sep 15 πŸ¦‹ St. Catherine of Bologna Mar 9 βš“ St. Francis of Paola Apr 2 πŸ‘‘ St. Casimir Mar 4 βš”οΈ St. Stanislaus of Krakow May 8 πŸ“’ St. Vincent Ferrer Apr 5 🌾 St. Philip Benizi Aug 8 πŸ”₯ St. Clare of Montefalco Aug 27 πŸ•ŠοΈ St. Elizabeth of Portugal Jul 3 βš–οΈ St. Richard of Chichester Apr 10 🌊 St. Francis Xavier Dec 3 βœ’οΈ St. Teresa of Jesus Oct 15 🌹 St. Francis de Sales Jan 24 🍯 St. Jane Frances de Chantal Dec 13 πŸ˜„ St. Philip Neri May 26 πŸ₯ St. John of God Mar 8 🏰 St. Francis Borgia Oct 10 πŸ“š St. Robert Bellarmine Sep 17 πŸ•ŠοΈ St. Stanislaus Kostka Oct 15 πŸ’Š St. Aloysius Gonzaga Jun 21 πŸ₯ St. Camillus de Lellis Jul 14 πŸ• St. Martin de Porres Nov 3 β˜• St. Benedict the Moor Apr 15 πŸ”οΈ St. Mariana de JesΓΊs May 21 ❀️ St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Oct 16 βš–οΈ St. Alphonsus Liguori Aug 1 πŸ”‘ St. John Vianney (CurΓ© of Ars) Aug 4 🌾 St. Gerald Majella Oct 16 🌾 St. Isidore the Laborer May 15 🀲 St. Vincent de Paul Sep 27 πŸ‘Ά St. Louise de Marillac Mar 15 🌸 St. Kateri Tekakwitha Apr 17 πŸ‘Ά St. Andrew of Corsica Jan 9 🚢 St. Benedict Joseph Labre Jul 16 πŸŽͺ St. John Bosco (Don Bosco) Jan 31 πŸ“š St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Jan 4 ✈️ St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Jul 13 🏝️ St. Damien of Molokai Apr 15 πŸ—ΊοΈ St. Anthony Mary Claret Oct 24 🌹 St. Gemma Galgani Jun 11 🌷 St. Maria Goretti Jul 6 πŸ’ St. Mother Teresa Sep 5 🎡 St. Pius X Aug 21 πŸ•ŠοΈ St. John XXIII Sep 11 🌍 St. John Paul II Oct 22 ✊ St. Oscar Romero Mar 14 πŸ”¨ St. JosemarΓ­a EscrivΓ‘ Jun 26 πŸ”₯ St. Charles Lwanga Jun 3 πŸ”₯ St. Kizito Jun 3 β›΅ St. Andrew Dung Lac Nov 24 🀱 St. Gianna Beretta Molla Apr 28 ✨ St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Nov 15 πŸ’° St. Katharine Drexel Mar 3 β›ͺ St. Junipero Serra Jul 1 πŸ“– St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara Jan 6 πŸ”οΈ St. Therese of the Andes Oct 13 πŸ“š St. Edith Stein Aug 9 🌿 St. Antonia D'Amburgo Jan 23 πŸ“– St. John Neumann Jan 5 πŸ‘‘ St. John Fisher Jun 22 πŸ“œ St. Thomas More Jul 6 πŸ›‘οΈ St. John of Capistrano Oct 23 β›ͺ St. Charles Borromeo Nov 4 πŸ“š St. Peter Canisius Dec 21 πŸ‘Ά St. Anthony of Padua Jun 13 ❀️ St. John Eudes Aug 19 ✝️ St. Irenaeus of Lyons June 3 ✝️ St. Athanasius the Great May 2 ✝️ St. Cyprian of Carthage September 16 🎁 St. Nicholas of Myra December 6 πŸ‰ St. George April 23 πŸ”¬ St. Albert the Great November 15 πŸ“– St. Bonaventure July 15 ✝️ St. Peter Damian February 21 🏜️ St. Charles de Foucauld January 1 πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§β€πŸ‘¦ St. ZΓ©lie Martin November 28 β›ͺ St. Pope Paul VI September 21 β›ͺ St. Pope Pius XII October 9 β›ͺ St. John Paul I September 26 ✝️ St. Gregory of Nyssa September 10 ✝️ St. Hilary of Poitiers January 13 ✝️ St. Caesarius of Arles August 27 πŸ“– St. Caesarius of Heisterbach April 25 πŸ‘‘ St. Margaret of Scotland November 16 πŸ‘‘ St. Wenceslas September 28 πŸ‘‘ St. Cunegunda March 3 ✝️ St. Benedict of Aniane February 11 🌍 St. Adam, First Man Dec 20 🌺 St. Eve, First Woman Dec 20 πŸ‘ St. Abel, First Martyr Aug 2 ⭐ St. Enoch, The Walker with God Nov 12 🚒 St. Noah, Builder of the Ark Feb 6 (Oct 9 in East) πŸ•ŠοΈ St. Abraham, Father of Faith Sep 9 πŸ‘‘ St. Sarah, Matriarch of Promise Sep 9 πŸ‘ St. Isaac, Child of Promise Oct 29 πŸ’§ St. Rebekah, Chosen Bride Oct 29 🦴 St. Jacob, Father of the Twelve Tribes Oct 29 πŸ‘ St. Rachel, Beloved Wife Oct 29 πŸŒ™ St. Joseph of Arimathea (OT Joseph) Apr 1 πŸ“œ St. Moses, Lawgiver and Prophet Sep 4 πŸ”₯ St. Aaron, First High Priest Sep 4 βš”οΈ St. Joshua, Son of Nun Jan 1 🌾 St. Ruth, Moabite Convert Feb 29 πŸ”” St. Samuel, Last Judge and Prophet Aug 20 πŸ™ St. Hannah, Mother of Samuel Sep 14 🎡 St. David, Shepherd King Jan 9 (Jun 24 in some calendars) πŸ›οΈ St. Solomon, Wise King Jan 26 πŸ”₯ St. Elijah, The Thunder Prophet Jul 20 πŸ’§ St. Elisha, Successor of Elijah Dec 18 πŸŒ™ St. Job, Patient Sufferer Nov 22 😒 St. Jeremiah, Weeping Prophet Sep 14 πŸ“œ St. Baruch, Scribe of Jeremiah Aug 30 πŸ‘οΈ St. Ezekiel, Gatekeeper Prophet Dec 30 🦁 St. Daniel, Interpreter of Dreams Nov 17 πŸ”₯ Sts. Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael (Three Young Men) Sep 15 πŸ‘‘ St. Esther, Deliverer of the Jews Mar 16 βš”οΈ St. Judith, Widow Heroine Feb 10 🐟 St. Tobias, Faithful Pilgrim Mar 17 πŸ‹ St. Jonah, Prophet in the Fish Jan 27 πŸ•―οΈ St. Zechariah, Priest and Father of John the Baptist Sep 23 πŸ‘Ά St. Simeon, The Righteous Elder Feb 2 πŸ“– St. Anna (Hannah), Prophetess Feb 2