Charles of Sezze

The entire life of Charles of Sezze unfolded in the hidden service proper to a lay brother. Over the years, he fulfilled the most modest duties—cook, gardener, porter, sacristan, and above all, questor (questuant) charged with begging for alms—in several convents in Latium, including Morlupo, Ponticelli, Palestrina, San Pietro in Montorio, and San Francesco a Ripa in Rome. He himself summarized his vocation by saying that the Lord had placed in his heart the resolution to become a lay brother, with a great desire to be poor and to beg for alms for His love. Despite his summary education, he became, under the guidance of his confessors and out of obedience, a prolific spiritual writer. He composed several treatises, including the Trattato delle tre vie della meditazione and other ascetic works, as well as an autobiography titled Le grandezze delle misericordie di Dio (The Greatness of the Mercies of God), written around 1661-1665. This work, which describes with finesse the stages of the mystical life, earned him comparisons to Saint Teresa of Avila. His reputation for spiritual wisdom attracted the trust of Roman personalities, and tradition reports that he was consulted by popes of his time.

At the heart of his humble life, Charles of Sezze led an intense life of prayer, progressing from meditation to infused contemplation and mystical union. His spirituality, entirely Franciscan, united radical poverty, obedience, and an ardent devotion to the Eucharist and the Passion of Christ. The most famous episode of his interior journey occurred in October 1648: while attending Mass at the church of San Giuseppe a Capo le Case in Rome, he received, according to sources, a "wound of love" in his heart, like a ray springing from the consecrated host at the moment of the elevation. This mystical grace, which he recounted himself in his writings, remains one of the most distinctive features of his spiritual profile. Charles was distinguished above all by a profound humility, complete obedience, and attentive charity toward the poor and the sick. His reputation for holiness, already widespread during his lifetime due to his spiritual gifts and writings, only grew after his death. It is reported that after his passing, a mark was observed on his chest, which was examined and presented among the facts studied in the context of his cause.

Having died in the odor of sanctity on January 6, 1670, Charles of Sezze has been the object of enduring devotion, particularly in his hometown and among the Franciscans. His cause led to his beatification by Pope Leo XIII in 1882 (on January 22 according to most sources). Nearly eight decades later, Pope John XXIII proclaimed him a saint in Rome on April 12, 1959. Although he died on the day of the Epiphany, his liturgical memorial is celebrated on January 7, so as not to coincide with the great solemnity of January 6. The Roman Martyrology and the calendar of the Franciscan Order commemorate him on this date. Sources indicate that a mark that appeared on his chest after his death was examined by a commission and recognized as supernatural in origin during the process, but the precise details of the miracles accepted for his beatification and canonization are not attested in a concordant manner in the sources consulted and are therefore reported here with caution.

The legacy of Charles of Sezze lies both in his figure as a Franciscan mystic of humility and in his spiritual writings. His autobiography, Le grandezze delle misericordie di Dio, and his treatises on the paths of meditation continue to be of interest to studies on 17th-century Franciscan mysticism. He is honored as the patron saint of the city of Sezze, which venerates him with particular attachment, and as patron of the diocese of Latina-Terracina-Sezze-Priverno, which he shares with Saint Lidan of Antena. His relics are preserved in Rome, in the church of San Francesco a Ripa, where he died, and a church is dedicated to him in Sezze. His memory illustrates the Franciscan ideal of a holiness lived out in the most ordinary tasks, by an uneducated lay brother who became a master of spiritual life. His example remains cited in the Franciscan tradition as that of a humble beggar raised to the heights of contemplation.