Conrad of Offida (c. 1241 - 12 December 1306) was an Italian

Friar Minor The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest contem ...

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 Ce ...

Biography

Conrad was born at

Offida Offida () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in the Italian region of 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 ...

, 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 entir ...

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

Order of Friars Minor The Order of Friars Minor (commonly called the Franciscans, the Franciscan Order, or the Seraphic Order; Post-nominal letters, postnominal abbreviation OFM) is a Mendicant orders, mendicant Catholic religious order, founded in 1209 by Francis ...

at Ascoli, 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 ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...

. 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. A 1903 paper in the '' American Journal of Psychology'' defined a "habit, from the standpoint of psychology, ...

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 Giles of Assisi (; 1190 – 1262), was one of the original companions of Francis of Assisi and holds a leading place among them. St. Francis called him "The Knight of our Round Table". Life Of Giles' origins and early life nothing certain is kn ...

came back to earth to teach him the mysteries of contemplation. He was a close friend of Leo of Assisi, 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, 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) * Antipop ...

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

by whom the rule of St. Francis was observed in all its purity. When this congregation was suppressed by

Boniface VIII Pope Boniface VIII (; born Benedetto Caetani; – 11 October 1303) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial origin with connections to the p ...

, 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 (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 ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, 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 popu ...

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

, 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 ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

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 (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...

Conrad in 1817. 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