Though he sought out the most humble of roles wherever he was, people did not fail to notice St. Crispin’s holiness.

He was born in 1688 in Italy. His mother taught him a deep devotion to Mary, and as a young adult he received a little education at a Jesuit college before joining his uncle, a shoemaker, as an apprentice.

When he was 25, he applied to join the Franciscans and was accepted to a monastery in Viterbo. He was a small man who looked sickly, but gave himself to all kinds of manual labor. He liked to call himself the “Capuchin Ass,” humbly thinking himself the equal to a beast of burden. He worked in the garden and cooked food.

During several epidemics that struck the area, he helped care for the sick and was known for cures. He also took on a role begging from the local town to obtain money for the sustenance of the monastery. He became well-loved by citizens there, and when he was reassigned and another was sent in his place, everyone in the town refused to offer any money. The superiors were forced to return Crispin.

His last years were spent in Rome, where he was known for his prophecies and miracles. He died at the age of 82, and his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

St. Crispin of Viterbo, you were the shoemaker who helped people fix their souls—pray for us!

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Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Crispin of Viterbo is in the public domain. Last accessed March 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.