Profile
Francesco was born to a pious family and raised in a small village. When his father died in 1747, he took up the trade of rope maker to support his mother and siblings. Drawn to a religious life, he applied to the Discalced Friars Minor of Saint Peter of Alcantara at Naples, Italy in 1754 at age 25. He wished to become a priest, but lacked the education, and was received as a lay brother.
Francesco became a porter and gate-keeper at his monastery‘s seminary, a position that put him in constant contact with those in need. He had a special ministry to the sick, and worked with lepers, traveling outside the city to help those who had become shunned and isolated; he often carried an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a depiction known as Our Lady of the Well when he made sick calls. Giles himself suffered from sciatica, which caused severe leg pain, difficulty walking and led to the use of a cane which is often seen in depictions of him; he also suffered from asthma and, late in life, dropsy (fluid retention leading to high blood pressure). Even in life he was considered by locals as a saint and patron of the sick and outcast. Legend says that when he was charged with distributing food and alms to the poor, Saint Joseph would intervene to insure he never ran out.
Born
- 16 November 1729 at Taranto, Apulia, Italy as Francesco Pontillo
Died
- 7 February 1812 at Naples, Italy of natural causes while at prayer
- huge crowds turned out for his funeral
- his relics are enshrined in an urn next to the icon of Our Lady of the Well in the church of San Pasquale Baylón in Taranto
Venerated
- 24 February 1868 by Pope Pius IX (decree of heroic virtues)
Beatified
- 5 February 1888 by Pope Leo XIII
Canonized
- 2 June 1996 by Pope John Paul II
- his canonization miracle involved the cure of Mrs. Angela Mignogna in 1937
Patronage
- Taranto, Italy (chosen on 29 June 1919 by Archbishop Orazio Mazzella of Taranto
Representation
- Franciscan friar with a cane
- Franciscan friar with a picture of Our Lady of the Well
Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-giles-mary-of-saint-joseph/
