Saint Joseph of Cupertino was an innocent monk who lived in the 17th century, in Italy. He is nicknamed ‘the flying saint’ because he has the miraculous ability to fly high in the air.
His life was very special. Like the birth of Jesus, Joseph was born in a stable. Joseph would have had spiritual revelations and visions since childhood. He was said to have some intellectual disability. He could not read properly. However, he had the ability to handle any great theological problems with God-infused knowledge.
Joseph was a young man who was interested in spiritual matters. However, even though he tried to become a member of the Conventual Franciscan monastery in his own country. But he was not permitted there because of his poor ability to read and write.
Later he tried to enter the Franciscan Capuchin monastery. They received Joseph there as a helper brother. But that didn’t last long. He could not stay there due to the continuous spiritual activities.
Back home, Joseph again tried to enter the Conventual Franciscan monastery. Due to Joseph’s prayerful spirit and simple life, the doors of the monastery were opened for him. Being behind in his studies caused many difficulties in his priestly training, but Joseph managed to answer all the questions correctly during the examinations. It was a great surprise to everyone. Finally, after completing all of his studies, Joseph was ordained a priest in 1628.
God gave him the gift of prophecy and the ability to heal the sick. He was also able to identify the sinners by looking at people’s faces. When people full of sin came before him, their faces were black. He also felt the unpleasant smell of those who led a sinful life.
On 4 October 1630, the Saint was participating in a procession marking the feast day of Francis in Cupertino. Suddenly he rose into the air and stood above the crowd. After coming back down, he realized what had happened to him and was upset. Even after that, he had several experiences of flying through the air. During the offering of Holy Communion and prayers, he would glide through the atmosphere, immersed in spiritual activity. There have been instances of him flying through the air while reciting night prayers in his own room. When this flight started during public rounds, everyone came to know about it. Joseph once flew into the air during a meeting with Pope Urban VIII. The flight soon gained popularity. People flocked to the monastery to witness this miraculous flight.
With that, his flight became a problem for the authorities. There were two reasons for that. The first was that this flight disrupted the discipline and contemplative nature of monastic life. The next reason was even more acute; was that many people interpreted this flight as associated with witchcraft. For these reasons, the monks transferred Joseph to various other monasteries. But the Saint’s divination continued.
He had a spiritual outpouring and ascended into the air whenever pronouncing the name of Jesus or the Holy Mother of God or celebrated Holy Mass. Because of this constant flight, for 35 years this saint was not allowed to enter public places by his monastic superiors. In the midst of great persecution, doubts, and discontent, Josephus constantly maintained his Christian faith and devotion to Christ.
On 18 September 1663, at the age of 60, the saint departed for his heavenly abode. A hundred years later, in 1767, the Catholic Church canonized him. The movie ‘The Reluctant Saint’ released in 1962 is a depiction of Joseph’s life. He was a saint who exhorted his life to love God very much.
He is the special mediator for pilots, airmen, astronauts, intellectually challenged, learning-disabled students, and examinees.