January 18 | Saint Charles of Sezze

Welcome, young history buffs and curious minds, to My Daily Saint, the podcast that digs deep into the incredible lives of the saints, those remarkable people who shaped history and continue to inspire us today. Forget dusty old portraits and boring stories. Today, imagine that you are walking through the most powerful hallways in the world. It is the 17th century, and you are in Rome. You are standing outside the room of Pope Clement IX. The pope is dying. The most important cardinals and bishops in the Church are nearby.

But the man the Pope has called for, the man the Pope wants at his bedside to give him a blessing, isn't a powerful bishop. He isn't a wealthy prince. He is a man who can barely read or write. He is a man who once accidentally set the monastery kitchen on fire because he wasn't paying attention to the onions. His name is Saint Charles of Sezzi, and if you think you have to be perfect, smart, or famous to be a saint, Charles is here to prove you wrong.

Our story begins in a town called Sese, located southeast of Rome, Italy. It was here, on October 19, 1613, that a boy named John Charles Marcioni was born. He was born into a poor family. While other kids might have been studying Latin, John Charles was out in the fields working as a shepherd. Because of this, his education was very poor. The records tell us he was barely able to read or write. But he had a deep determination in his heart. In his own autobiography, which he titled The Grandures of the Mercies of God, he wrote, Our Lord put in my heart a determination to become a lay brother, with a great desire to be poor, and to beg alms for his love.

So, he traded his shepherd staff for a Franciscan habit. He joined the Franciscan order not as a priest, because that required a lot of education, but as a laborer. This meant he did the manual labor, the hard work that kept the community running. He worked as a gardener, a beggar, a doorkeeper, and a cook. One day, while working in the kitchen, Charles was tasked with cooking onions. Maybe he got distracted praying, or maybe he just wasn't a great chef, but he accidentally started a fire in the kitchen while sautéing those onions.

It's a funny moment, right? But it reminds us that saints are human. They make mistakes. They burn dinner. But it's what they do after the mistakes that counts. Charles didn't let his lack of cooking skills stop him from serving. When the plague swept through the area, Charles didn't hide. He worked tirelessly for the victims, and risked his own health to help those who were sick and dying. He also worked as the doorkeeper for a time. In those days, hungry people would come to the monastery gates asking for food.

And if you were hungry, Charles fed you. People realized that Charles had a direct line to God. They sought him out for spiritual advice. He became known as a mystic, someone who experiences God in a profound, supernatural way.

This is why he is often depicted in art with a wound in his side, or holding a skull. And that brings us back to the Pope. Remember how Charles was called to the bedside of Pope Clement IX? The Pope knew Charles was special. Charles gave the dying Pope a blessing, but he also gave him a message. He told the Pope that they would meet again on January 6th. But Pope Clement died soon after. And then, Charles of Sese passed away on January 6, 1670.

He had predicted the exact date of his own death. Today, St. Charles is the patron saint of his hometown, Sese, and the diocese of Latina, Terracina, Sese, Proverno. He was canonized by Pope John XXIII on April 12, 1959.

This week, look for the person in your life who usually gets ignored. Make a point to open the door to them. Say hello. Ask how they are. Even share a meal with them. Thank you for joining us on My Daily Saint. We look forward to sharing another incredible story of faith and courage with you tomorrow.