MARCH 24 - BLESSED DIDACUS
Blessed Didacus was born in Cadiz, Spain. He was baptized Joseph Francis by his parents who loved their faith and practiced it. They were delighted when their child built an altar and decorated it. He would kneel and pray to Jesus, to Our Lady and to St. Joseph.
When he was old enough, Joseph learned to love the Mass and became an altar server at the Capuchin Franciscan church just down the street. He used to get up early enough to be at the church each morning and wait for the doors to be unlocked. He never missed a day.
One of the Capuchin priests or brothers gave Joseph a book about the lives of the Capuchin saints. He read it and read it again learning. every story. He grew to love the holy men who were poor and humble like Jesus. The day came when he asked to join the order. He was accepted and went to Seville, Spain, for his training, called a novitiate. He began a new life with a new name, Brother Didacus.
After years of preparation, Brother Didacus was ordained a priest. He was sent throughout Spain to preach to the people the Good News of Jesus which he did with joy. His homilies (sermons) were so clear and kind that people listened. They even brought friends to listen. Soon an ordinary church was too small for the crowds.
When Father Didacus was preaching, the talks were held outdoors, usually in the town square or in the streets. Father Didacus loved to preach about the Blessed Trinity and was know as “the Apostle of the Blessed Trinity and of Our Lady, the Mother of the Good Shepherd.” He was always available to hear confessions, too. He was happy when people came to the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Whenever he had some free time, he visited prisons, hospitals and the homes of shut-ins (people with infectious diseases). Father Didacus died in 1801 and was declared “blessed” by Pope Leo XIII in 1894.