Today March 23

Today is the feast, well, of Easter of course (Alleluia!), but also of St. Joseph Oriol (1649 - 1702). His father died when Joseph was still an infant, but his mother married again and the stepfather treated him as his own child. There was no "your child" or "my child" between them. Good man! Those unsung heroes, the stepfathers.

Joseph was very poor (the stepfather was a shoemaker), but the priests in the diocese there in Barcelona considered him so promising and bright that they taught him to read and write. He was such a good student he merited a scholarship to the university, even getting an advanced postgraduate degree.

But he was not proud. Although all thought him a saint, he knew better. He knew the virtuous life would be a struggle, but he was up to the task. He ate very little, drank only water, dressed simply and lived in perfect continence. He became a parish priest. His simple room contained only these: a crucifix, a table, a bench, and some books. He didn't even have a bed, as he only slept a few hours a night!

He was a great confessor and had a real gift for spiritual direction. He didn't please everyone, though; some who felt him too strict complained about him. Some of his critics must have been the "big givers" (or at least "big men on campus" so to speak), since they got the attention of the bishop who forbid him to hear confessions. He obeyed instantly, unfair though the ruling was; but the prohibition didn't last long. The bishop died and was replaced with a more discerning man (who immediately lifted the ban).

He was very active in the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, though he was never able to travel nor to offer himself as a martyr. He was equally committed to the sick (whom he often cured!) and children and soldiers -- to all of whom his directness, gentleness and wisdom never failed to move. His funeral was so well-attended they had to shut the cathedral down so the burial could proceed. He was canonized in 1909. St. Joseph Oriol, pray for us.