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Joseph of Leonessa
Italian saint
SaintResearchedOrder of Friars Minor CapuchinPost-1588
Feast: 4 February (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
8 January 1556
verified
Died
1612
verified
Beatified
—
not on record
Canonised
1746
by Benedict XIV
Who they were
Eufranio Desideri was born at Leonessa, near Rieti, on 8 January 1556 and orphaned young. At sixteen he entered the Capuchins at Assisi, taking the name Joseph, and was ordained in 1580.
In Constantinople he helped the Christian prisoners and suffered greatly for preaching the Gospel even in the Sultan's palace. Back home, he shone in his care of the poor.
The miracles
The Dicastery's biography does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
A Capuchin who dared to preach Christ in the Sultan's palace and served the poor at home.
Sources
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints - biography: Giuseppe da Leonessa
- Wikidata Q2538977 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Joseph of Leonessa (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.