Conrad of Offida was an Italian

Friar Minor , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

preacher and founder of the

Celestines The Celestines were a Roman Catholic monastic order, a branch of the Benedictines, founded in 1244. At the foundation of the new rule, they were called Hermits of St Damiano, or Moronites (or Murronites), and did not assume the appellation of C ...

Biography

Conrad was born at

Offida Offida () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about northeast of Ascoli Piceno, on a rocky spur between the valleys of the Tesino (from north) and Tro ...

, a little town in the

March of Ancona The March of Ancona ( or ''Anconetana'') was a frontier march centred on the city of Ancona and later Fermo then Macerata in the Middle Ages. Its name is preserved as an Italian region today, the Marche, and it corresponds to almost the entire m ...

, c. 1241. When barely fourteen years old he entered the

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (also called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis of Assisi. The order adheres to the teachi ...

Ascoli Ascoli may refer to: Places in Italy *Ascoli Satriano, a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region *Province of Ascoli Piceno, a province of the Marche region **Ascoli Piceno, a city which is the seat of the province above ...

, and was making rapid progress in the study of sacred sciences, when an internal voice called him to humbler offices of the religious life. He therefore abandoned his studies with the consent of his superiors, and for many years was employed as cook and questor.Donovan, Stephen. "Blessed Conrad of Offida." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 6 January 2020 His superiors subsequently had him ordained and sent him forth to preach. Conrad proved himself an excellent preacher in various convents, among them Rivotorto, Sirolo, Forano, and La Verna.Cremona, Joseph Grech. "Blessed Conrad of Offida", ''Times of Malta'', October 9, 2006
/ref> He modelled his life after that of

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

. He was especially zealous for the observance of poverty. During his long religious life he always wore the same

habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

and always walked without sandals. The early legend declares that Conrad's guardian angel was the same that had formerly fulfilled this office for Francis of Assisi, and that Giles of Assisi came back to earth to teach him the mysteries of contemplation. He was a close friend of

Leo of Assisi Brother Leo (died c. 1270) was the favorite disciple, secretary and confessor of St Francis of Assisi. The dates of his birth and of his becoming a Franciscan are not known; a native of Assisi, he was one of the small group of most trusted compa ...

, the companion and confessor of Francis of Assisi, who when dying, entrusted Conrad with his writings. Conrad was allied with

Angelo da Clareno Angelo da Clareno (1247/1248 – 15 June 1337), also known as Angelo Clareno, was the founder and leader of one of the groups of Fraticelli in the early 14th century. Life Originally known as Pietro da Fossombrone, he was born about 1248, and ...

and with John of La Penna,

John of Parma John of Parma (c. 1209 – 19 March 1289) was an Italian Franciscan friar, who served as one of the first Ministers General of the Order of Friars Minor (1247–1257). He was also a noted theologian of the period. Life John was born about 1209 i ...

, Peter of John Olivi, Peter of Monticello and others of the "Spirituals". In 1294 he obtained permission from pope

Celestine V Celestine is a given name and a surname. People Given name * Pope Celestine I (died 432) * Pope Celestine II (died 1144) * Pope Celestine III (c. 1106–1198) * Pope Celestine IV (died 1241) * Pope Celestine V (1215–1296) * Antipope Cele ...

to separate from the main body of the order and found the

by whom the

rule of St. Francis Francis of Assisi founded three orders and gave each of them a special rule. Here, only the rule of the first order is discussed, i.e., that of the Order of Friars Minor. Origin and contents of the rule Origin Whether St. Francis wrote several ...

was observed in all its purity. When this congregation was suppressed by

Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII ( la, Bonifatius PP. VIII; born Benedetto Caetani, c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 to his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial ...

, Conrad immediately returned under the authority of the superiors of the order. The letter written in 1295 by Peter of John Olivi to Conrad in which the legitimacy of Boniface VIII's election is defended, has been edited by Ignatius Jeiler (Historisches Jahrbuch, III, 649). ''How the Virgin Came to Brother Conrad in Offia and Laid her Son in his Arms'', by Marie Spartali Stillman (1892) During a course of missions he was giving at

Bastia Bastia (, , , ; co, Bastìa ) is a commune in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest population of any commune on the is ...

Umbria it, Umbro (man) it, Umbra (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , ...

, he died on 12 December 1306 at the age of about sixty-five years and was buried in that place.

Veneration

Fifty-six years later his remains were carried off by the

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

ns and buried at San Francesco in the Oratory of San Bernardino, reposing beside those of Giles of Assisi in the choir of the cathedral at Perugia. Pope

Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

in 1817 ratified the

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

Conrad. His liturgical feast is kept in the Order of Friars Minor on 19 December.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Conrad Of Offida Italian beatified people 1241 births 1306 deaths 14th-century venerated Christians Celestine Order Beatifications by Pope Pius VII