02 April - François was born in 1416 in the small village of Paule, hence the name François de Paule in Calabria. He had an exemplary childhood because from an early age he was attracted to vigils and prayer.
As soon as he woke up in the morning, he had only one desire: to run to the church where he spent most of his day, because according to him: "with God, there can be no trouble". One very cold day, his mother ordered him to cover his head, so he recited the rosary. He replied: "Mother, you tell me to uncover myself when I speak to the queen, whereas in the presence of the Virgin Mary, the most distinguished of all queens since she is the Mother of God, you order me to cover myself!"
At the age of 13, François de Paule was handed over by his parents to the Franciscan monastery. He stayed there for a year, where he distinguished himself by his virtue and respect for the rules, and many miracles were performed there through him. One day he was sent to get fire to burn incense. He rushed, not having a container to bring the firebrands. He took the censers and put them in his clothes, brought them and with his fingers he put them in the censer without burning either his hands or his clothes. At the age of 14, François de Paule went to live as a hermit and lived in a cave along the coast where he wanted to live and die away from view. But this was not God's will. François de Paule had more and more disciples and had to found a monastery. According to the chroniclers: "there were more miracles than stones and wood to build this monastery".
Already during the lifetime of François de Paule, many miracles happened: he healed the sick whose doctors declared them incurable, he raised the dead, he crossed with two other brothers the stretch of sea between Calabria and Sicily with only his clothes as a boat... But the real miracle was his holiness: at night when his confreres went to bed, Francis of Paul continued to pray. Whether on the stones, in the mud, in the snow or in the water, he always walked barefoot. He dressed himself in cilice and lay down on the ground. To imitate the Lord, Francis of Paola did not take any food during Lent.
François de Paule lived for 25 years in France, where he took over the spiritual direction of King Louis XI. François de Paule died in France at the monastery of Plessis-lès-Tours on April 2, 1508. According to tradition, this moment was on a Friday around 3 p.m. Pope Leo X beatified François de Paule in 1513 and he was canonized in 1519.
