Humilis of Bisignano

As a lay brother, Brother Umile was entrusted with the most modest tasks of the community: begging for alms, serving at table, tending the vegetable garden, and various manual labors, which he performed with perfect obedience and joy.

Although illiterate and devoid of any human instruction, he was endowed by God with extraordinary mystical gifts. He experienced frequent ecstasies that earned him the nickname "the ecstatic brother." He also received the gifts of prophecy, discernment of hearts, and infused knowledge. Questioned several times by theologians and ecclesiastical assemblies on complex points of Catholic doctrine and the Holy Scriptures, he answered with a clarity and theological precision that astonished the scholars.

His reputation for holiness quickly spread beyond the walls of the convent. The Minister General of his Order, Father Benigno Genova, chose him as a traveling companion during his canonical visits in Calabria and Sicily. Furthermore, Popes Gregory XV and Urban VIII, having heard of his charisms, called him to Rome to benefit from his prayers and counsel. Brother Umile stayed for several years in the Eternal City, residing mainly at the convent of San Francesco a Ripa and, briefly, at that of San Isidoro.

He also spent time at the convent of Santa Croce in Naples, where he dedicated himself to propagating devotion to Blessed John Duns Scotus. In 1628, driven by the desire to suffer for the Gospel, he requested permission to go on a mission abroad, but his superiors refused his request, preferring that he continue his ministry of intercession and charity among the local populations.

Brother Umile's exceptional mystical gifts did not spare him from trials. To ensure the authenticity of his ecstasies and to rule out any suspicion of deception or diabolical influence, his superiors and ecclesiastical authorities subjected him to rigorous examinations and numerous public humiliations, which he endured with heroic patience and docility. From 1627, his health deteriorated severely under the effect of the rigorous penances he imposed upon himself and the fatigue of his travels. After staying in Naples and Cosenza to receive care, he was authorized to return permanently to his original convent in Bisignano in the middle of 1635. He spent his final years there in continuous prayer for the salvation of humanity, bearing his intense physical pain with total resignation. He died holily on November 26, 1637, at the age of 55, his eyes fixed on the crucifix. The canonical processes for his beatification opened in 1684. His heroic virtues were solemnly recognized by Pope Pius VI on October 4, 1780.

Brother Umile da Bisignano was beatified on January 29, 1882, by Pope Leo XIII, through an apostolic brief signed on October 1, 1881.

More than a century later, after the recognition of the required miracles, he was solemnly canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 19, 2002, during the solemnity of Pentecost, in Saint Peter's Square in Rome. His liturgical feast is inscribed in the Roman Martyrology on the date of November 26.

The spirituality of Saint Umile da Bisignano is based on the spirit of spiritual childhood and minority dear to Saint Francis of Assisi. He embodies the evangelical figure of the "little ones" to whom the Father reveals his deepest secrets. His entire life is centered on the contemplation of the crucified Christ and a filial devotion to the Virgin Mary.

His prayer, although simple, embraced the whole world. Questioned by his long-time confessor, Brother Dionisio of Canosa, about what he asked of God during his long hours of prayer, he replied: "The only thing I say to God is: 'Lord, forgive the sins of all men and make them love you as they are obliged to love you!'"

His body rests today at the convent of the Riforma (Santuario di Sant'Umile) in Bisignano, which remains an important center of devotion and pilgrimage in Calabria, perpetuating the memory of this humble servant of God.