Felix of Nicosia

After his religious profession, his superiors made the exceptional decision to send him back to his original convent in Nicosia. Although the usual rule avoided assigning a religious to his hometown to protect him from family distractions, Brother Felix's spiritual detachment was judged so perfect that this exception was granted. During more than forty years, Brother Felix exercised the function of questor (cercatore) for the community. Every day, he traveled the streets of Nicosia and neighboring villages (Capizzi, Cerami, Mistretta, Gagliano) to beg for food and alms. He knocked on the doors of the rich to invite them to share their goods, and visited the poor to bring them material and spiritual comfort. To every gift or refusal, he invariably responded with his now-famous formula: "Sia per l'amor di Dio" ("May it be for the love of God"). Within the convent, he did not spare his efforts and also assumed the tasks of porter, gardener, cobbler, and infirmarian, caring for the sick brothers with heroic devotion. Although illiterate, he possessed a remarkable spiritual knowledge: he memorized the biblical readings heard in the refectory and the sermons to then explain them with simplicity to the children and people he met in the street.

The life of Brother Felix is marked by rigorous mortifications and absolute obedience to his superiors. He considered himself 'u sciccareddu' (the little donkey) of the convent, tasked with carrying burdens for the service of God and his brothers. He practiced harsh penances, fasting on bread and water every Friday in March and praying with arms outstretched while contemplating the Passion of Christ.

His reputation for holiness spread rapidly in Sicily due to his tireless charity, but also to mystical gifts attributed to him, such as ecstasies, prophecies, and miraculous healings performed by invoking the name of Jesus. In May 1787, while gravely ill, he requested the obedience of his superior to be allowed to die. The guardian of the convent then formally ordered him to 'make his final journey.' It was in this ultimate attitude of obedience that Brother Felix passed away peacefully on May 31, 1787, at the age of 71.

The beatification process for Felix of Nicosia began shortly after his death due to popular fervor. Pope Pius IX proclaimed the heroic nature of his virtues on March 4, 1862. He was solemnly declared blessed by Pope Leo XIII on February 12, 1888. In 1891, his relics were transferred to the Cathedral of Nicosia to facilitate the veneration of the faithful. The cause for canonization was officially opened on June 19, 1902. After the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession, Pope Benedict XVI canonized him on October 23, 2005, in St. Peter's Square in Rome, during the conclusion of the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and the Year of the Eucharist. His liturgical feast is set for May 31 in the Roman Martyrology (the day of his death), while the Order of Capuchins and the dioceses of Sicily celebrate it on June 2.

The spirituality of Saint Felix of Nicosia rests on radical humility, joyful obedience, and absolute trust in Divine Providence. His favorite expression, "Sia per l'amor di Dio," summarizes his total abandonment to the will of the Father, which he welcomed with the same serenity in joy as in trial.

He perfectly embodied the Franciscan ideal of poverty and minority, living as a pilgrim without possessing anything of his own. His devotion was deeply centered on the Eucharist, before which he spent long hours in nocturnal adoration, and on the Passion of Christ. During his canonization homily, Pope Benedict XVI emphasized that this humble Capuchin friar "helps us to discover the value of the little things that make life more precious... by showing us that true and lasting joy... is the fruit of love." Today, a 60 km pilgrimage route across Sicily, called the "Path of Saint Felix of Nicosia," allows walkers to follow in his footsteps between Tusa and Nicosia.