A POSTSCRIPT TO CHAPTER 15 —
MORE RESURRECTION MIRACLES PERFORMED BY FRANCISCAN SAINTS
St. Margaret of Cortona, St. Felix of Cantalice, St. Rose of Viterbo, St. Pacific of San Severino, and Others.
"I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, although he be dead, shall live."
—John 11:25
Earlier in this volume the author stated his conviction that if more exhaustive research were done, many other instances of the dead being miraculously restored to life would be found. Just recently a splendid volume came into my hands and amply proves the point. The book is called The Franciscan Book of Saints, by Marion Habig, O.F.M., and it recounts a good number of resurrection miracles which I had not discovered in all my previous research.
One can only surmise that if, for example, an extensive compilation of Benedictine saints were available, many other cases besides those of well-known Benedictine saints might surface—from a religious order about 700 years earlier on the scene than that of St. Francis of Assisi!
For the most part this chapter is a simple listing of some resurrection miracles culled from The Franciscan Book of Saints. It will suit our purpose best to present these holy workers of great miracles in the order of their feast days. Please note that all are not canonized saints; some are only venerated in certain localities, and some are venerated only within the Franciscan Order.
Blessed Agnes of Prague (1205-1282), who was the daughter of Primislaus Ottokar I, King of Bohemia, and whose mother was an aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, refused marriage offers from King Henry III of England and Emperor Frederick II of Germany. She became a Poor Clare, had the gift of miracles, and recalled to life the deceased daughter of her brother. (Feast Day on March 2).
St. Margaret of Cortona (1247-1297) left home at age eighteen because of harsh treatment by her stepmother. She led a scandalous life for nine years as the mistress of a young nobleman and she bore him a son. One day the nobleman did not come home; his dog returned and led Margaret to the blood stained corpse of her paramour in the forest. She subsequently made a public confession of her sins in the church at Cortona, changed her life, and became a great penitent. She secured the release of many souls from Purgatory, confronted demons, cured the sick, and restored a dead boy to life. At Cortona, Italy, her body is incorrupt to this day, and at times it emits a fragrant odor. (Feast Day on May 16).
St. Felix of Cantalice (1515-1587) was born in Cantalice in the lovely valley of Rieti, Italy, of pious peasant parents. He miraculously escaped death when unruly oxen dragged a sharp plowshare across his body. He was devoted to the Blessed Sacrament in long night vigils, and the Blessed Mother once appeared to him and placed the Child Jesus in his arms. He cured the sick with the Sign of the Cross and restored a dead child to life and gave it back to its mother. (Feast Day on May 18, the day he died in 1587 with a vision of Mary welcoming him to Heaven).
Bl. Andrew of Spello was a parish priest in Spello, not far from Assisi. He joined St. Francis at age 44, and was present at his death in 1226. He once brought down rain in a drought and he worked unusual miracles. The Christ Child appeared to him as a beautiful Boy. Bl. Andrew also restored dead persons to life. (Feast Day on June 9).
Born in a palace in 1374, Bl. Angelina of Marsciano was the daughter of a duke, and married a devout man at her father's insistence. The couple, however, lived together in perfect continence. When she became a widow, many young noblewomen followed her as virgins. This stirred up hostility even to the point of the King of Naples planning to burn her as a heretic. She presented herself, and was unharmed by burning coals held in the folds of her cloak to prove her innocence. Several days afterward she brought back to life the son of a prominent family. She became a prioress at 20 and founded 15 convents. Bl. Angelina died on July 14, 1435. (Feast Day on July 13).
St. Rose of Viterbo, a city in Romagna, Italy, lived from 1235-1252. As soon as she could walk she wanted to go to church, and loved to pray in quiet places. When an aunt died, the weeping of relatives stirred the small child's heart to deep sympathy. Rose was then only three, but she prayed in silence with her eyes raised heavenward. She touched the body of her dead aunt with her small hand and called the corpse by name. The eyes of the dead woman opened; she was alive again! She happily embraced her little niece. Christ once appeared to Rose on the cross, crowned with thorns and bleeding from all His wounds. Rose's body remains incorrupt to our day. (Feast Day on September 4).
St. Pacific of San Severino was born in 1653 in the town of that name in Ancona, Italy. As a boy he was once falsely accused of permitting a wine barrel to empty itself. He was vindicated when the barrel miraculously became full and the cellar floor became dry. As a priest offering Mass he was often in ecstasy, his face radiant. He cured the sick, foretold the future, and after his death on September 24, 1721, among many other miracles, two dead persons were restored to life through the application of his holy relics. (Feast Day on September 24).
Bl. Jane of Signa was born in 1244 in Signa, not far from the famous city of Florence. She was a shepherdess. Her flock was miraculously protected in a storm. Kneeling on her cloak she crossed the swollen Arno river more than once. She worked miracles in her life such as restoring sight to a blind man and restoring life to a dead child. She died on November 9, 1307. (Feast Day on November 16).
Bl. Berthold of Ratisbon was born around the year 1220. He became the greatest preacher of Germany in his time, his outdoor audiences sometimes numbering up to 100,000 people. He had the gift of prophecy. Once at Ratisbon Berthold spoke so powerfully against the sin of impurity that a woman of sinful life became so contrite that she fell dead. At Berthold's prayer she was restored to life and made a sincere confession. Berthold so influenced such sinners that the people of Ratisbon built a chapel and convent for these penitents. He died at Ratisbon on December 13, 1272. (Feast Day on December 19).
The Servant of God, Herman of Gersthagen, was born at Muehlhausen, Thuringia, Germany in 1224. He was a very humble friar who evangelized the regions of northern Germany. He was noted for the souls he restored to spiritual life through the Sacrament of Penance. There were many signs and wonders in his life and after his death. Through Herman nine blind persons received their sight, three mutes regained speech, many sick were cured and, to crown his miracles, Herman raised several dead persons to life. He died in 1287. No feast day is as yet given for him.
From the above accounts one can see that, at the minimum, they include about 15 persons restored to life. It is impossible to ignore all these voices raised from the dead that testify to the reality of what is considered the greatest miracle of all, the raising of the dead to life.