St Alphonsus Rodriquez is a saint whom very few people have
heard of, and whose main claim to fame seems to be that he refused to give up
when he was rebuffed in his efforts to become a priest in 16th
century Spain.
He was born in Segovia in 1531, where he inherited his
father’s wool business at the age of 23. He married, but their first child died
very young and then his wife died shortly after giving birth to a son, who
survived.
The business did not prosper, so Alphonsus sold it and went
to live with his two aunts, taking his son with him. The ladies were very
religious and Alphonsus learned to meditate and pray under their influence.
When his son died, Alphonsus decided that he wanted to become
a Jesuit and a priest. However, he had given away most of his money and had to
earn a living from begging in order to afford the education he needed to become
ordained.
The Jesuits at first refused to allow Alphonsus to join them
because of his poverty, lack of education and poor health. However, the head of
the order took note of his devotion and sincerity and allowed him to become a
lay brother, although not a priest. Alphonsus ended his days (in 1617) as the
Jesuits’ hall porter.
He was clearly one of those people who impressed everyone
with whom he came into contact - a genuinely good man who had no particular
gifts apart from his love for everyone and hatred for no-one. His funeral was
attended by thousands of people whose lives he had touched, including the
bishop and the viceroy.
© John Welford
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