Henry was a man who did everything he could to get to heaven.

He was born in Northern Italy around 1250 to very poor parents. He never received an education and could not read or write. He lived as a day worker in a city called Treviso, and this is how he provided for his wife and child.

When both his wife and child died, Henry dedicated himself to prayer and service to the poor. He continued to work as a laborer, but gave away everything he earned to people living in poverty. He sought only to serve God—if he wasn’t working, he was in a church attending Mass, praying, or having his confession heard.

Some biographies go out of the way to note that he was an odd-looking man—thick-set, short, with sunken eyes, a crooked mouth, and a long nose. Mean people and children would see him as an easy target and sometimes tease or mock him, but he responded only by praying for them. Most other people noticed him as a holy man, even if he wore ragged clothes and seemed not to fit in.

When Henry got old and could no longer work, a citizen sheltered and fed him. Henry secretly gave away to the poor most of the food that was intended for him. Even when he was extremely weak, he would continue to walk through the region to visit churches every day.

When he died on this date in 1315, the people of Treviso crowded his room, seeking some artifact or relic. They found very little, however: some straw on which he slept, a log that served as his pillow, and a hair shirt that he wore as penance. When his body was moved to the cathedral, people broke into the church seeking some contact with Henry. At least 276 miracles were recorded within a few days of his death.

The reliquary chapel in the Basilica contains relics from two holy men named Henry—one is St. Henry, king, whose feast day is in July, and another is simply denoted with the name Henry and might be from this man.

Blessed Henry of Treviso, though you worked as a simple day laborer, you gave away all you earned to the poor—pray for us!