Catholics around the world know of Padre Pio, but often forgotten are the other Franciscan friars who worked closely with him during his lifetime and who were inspired by his example of holiness.
Such was the case of Fr. Nazareno da Pula, a lay brother whose heroic virtues were recently recognized by the Vatican. This means he is now known as "venerable," an important step in his cause for beatification and canonization.
He was a dearly beloved friar who sought to imitate Padre Pio's example in his own unique way.
A "saint with sweets"
Born in Italy in 1911, he was raised in a good Catholic family, but was unable to attend any type of formal education. When he was 20 he entered military service and was even engaged to be married.
However, he was sent to fight in the Italian African War, and was captured and imprisoned in Ethiopia in 1941. He spent nearly four years in a British prison before he was released and allowed entry back into Italy.
He was discharged from the military and took a simple job, while also becoming more interested in the lives of the saints. Then everything changed when he met Padre Pio in 1950.
Shortly after his encounter with Padre Pio he asked to be admitted as a lay brother and took the name Fr. Nazareno. Instead of staying with Padre Pio at San Giovanni Rotondo, Padre Pio suggested that he enter at the community located in Sanluri, Italy.
According to VaticanNews, he "earned the nickname 'the saint with the sweets' because of his habit of distributing orange and lemon sweets while encouraging people to pray a Hail Mary as they ate them."
He could be included in the list of "holy porters," similar to Bl. Solanus Casey and St. Andre Bessette.
Fr. Nazareno later built a shrine to Our Lady of Consolation in Cagliari and died there in 1992 due to cancer. His life was connected to a variety of miracles and all those who knew him attested to his life of sanctity.
