St. Francis of Paola: Founder of the Minims, Patron of Sailors

St. Francis of Paola (1416–1507) was a hermit from Calabria, in southern Italy, who founded the Order of Minims, the “least” of all religious, whose members follow a perpetual Lenten diet as a sign of penance and humility, and whose motto is Charitas, “Charity.” Famous for miracles, he is said to have crossed the Strait of Messina to Sicily on his cloak when a boatman refused to carry him, and in 1943 Pope Pius XII named him the patron of Italian seafarers. Called to France by the dying King Louis XI, he spent his last twenty-five years at the French court. His feast day is April 2. Below are his story, the prayer of his feast and prayers to St. Francis of Paola.

A short prayer to St. Francis of Paola, written for this page:

St. Francis of Paola, humble servant of God, you crossed the sea trusting only in Him.
Pray for sailors, fishermen and all who travel by sea,
and teach me charity, humility and trust in God’s power. Amen.

Who was St. Francis of Paola?

Francis was born on March 27, 1416, at Paola, in Calabria, to poor and devout parents who had prayed for a child through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, after whom he was named. As a boy he spent a year in a Franciscan friary, made a pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome, and at about fifteen withdrew to live as a hermit in a cave near Paola. Disciples gathered around him, and from about 1435 a community grew that became the Order of Minims, approved by the pope in 1474. Its members add to the usual vows a fourth: to abstain all their lives from meat and dairy products, keeping a perpetual Lent.

His reputation for holiness and miracles spread throughout Italy. The best-known story tells that in 1464, when a boatman refused to take him and his companions across the Strait of Messina to Sicily without payment, Francis spread his cloak on the water, stepped onto it and crossed the strait. In 1483 Pope Sixtus IV sent him to France at the request of the dying King Louis XI, who hoped for a cure; Francis prepared the king for a holy death instead, and stayed in France as an adviser to Charles VIII and Louis XII, founding houses of his order there. He died at Plessis-lès-Tours on Good Friday, April 2, 1507, at ninety-one, and was canonized in 1519.

The prayer of his feast from the 1916 daily missal:

O God, the crown of the lowly, who hast transported the blessed Confessor Francis to the glory of thy Saints, grant, we beseech thee, that through his good works and our imitation of them we may happily attain the rewards promised to the humble. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.

Scripture

Jesus calls Peter to walk on the water (Matthew 14:29–31, Douay-Rheims):

And he said: Come. And Peter going down out of the boat, walked upon the water to come to Jesus.
But seeing the wind strong, he was afraid: and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying: Lord, save me.
And immediately Jesus stretching forth his hand took hold of him, and said to him: O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt?

What is St. Francis of Paola the patron saint of?

Sailors, seafarers and the Italian navy, named patron of Italian seafarers by Pope Pius XII in 1943
Calabria and the city of Paola

Feast day

The optional memorial of St. Francis of Paola, hermit, is April 2, the day of his death.

Frequently asked questions

Who are the Minims?

The Order of Minims, founded by St. Francis of Paola, whose members take a fourth vow of perpetual Lenten abstinence; their motto is Charitas.

Why is St. Francis of Paola the patron of sailors?

Because of the tradition that he crossed the Strait of Messina on his cloak; Pope Pius XII named him patron of Italian seafarers in 1943.

When is his feast day?

April 2.

More saints

Texts and sources

The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Francis of Paula (April 2), Collect, public domain (archive.org).
Matthew 14:29–31 (Douay-Rheims).