St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen
Feast day: April 24
“I am sent to root out heresy, not to embrace it. The Catholic religion is the faith of all ages. I do not fear death.”
These were some of the last words of St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen, who died as a martyr in 1622 in Switzerland. While refusing to renounce his faith, St. Fidelis was stabbed by Calvinist soldiers, as he prayed “Lord, forgive my enemies.”
A friar of the Order of Friars Minor of the Capuchin Reform (OFM Cap.), St. Fidelis was born Mark Rey in 1577, at Sigmaringen, Prussia, studied civil law, and was first a practicing lawyer who was a zealous advocate for the poor. His actions were governed by justice, and he refused to take part in invectives and detractions which might affect the reputation of any adversary. He was eventually disgusted with the legal profession as he observed the injustices of a colleague in protracting lawsuits for gain. Concerned about living in the near occasion of sin, St. Fidelis chose instead to enter the Capuchin friars and took the name of Fidelis, the Latin word for “faithful.”
As a preacher, St. Fidelis was known for his burning zeal and he worked untiringly to convert heretics. He wrote many pamphlets against Calvinism and Zwinglianism, which unfortunately have been lost. St. Fidelis was appointed by authority of the papal nuncio to reform the Benedictine monastery at Pfafers, Switzerland.
Eventually, the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith commissioned St. Fidelis to evangelize in the Grisons region of Switzerland where almost everyone had converted to Calvinism due to the ignorance and lack of zeal amongst the priests there. A person constantly in prayer, St. Fidelis confided to a fellow friar that he persistently prayed never to fall into mortal sin and to die a martyr’s death in order to vindicate the Catholic faith. Taking with himself his crucifix, Bible, breviary and the rule of his order, St. Fidelis lived in absolute poverty trusting in God for his daily sustenance. He also had a strong devotion to the Blessed Mother.
Often preaching in several places on the same day, his evangelization in Switzerland faced strong opposition, and he was frequently threatened and insulted. St. Fidelis had a premonition that he would die a martyr. Still, he not only preached in the Catholic churches and in the public streets, but occasionally at the secret meetings of heretics. In Zizers, Switzerland, he held late night conferences with the magistrates and chief townsmen. St. Fidelis had the gift of prophecy and went into ecstasy at Mass.
His success in converting people back to the faith so incensed the Calvinists that the life of St. Fidelis was threatened. At one point he was met everywhere in the Grisons region with the cry, “Death to the Capuchins!” Finally, St. Fidelis was beaten, struck down and died after preaching in a church in the Seewis-im-Prättigau region near the Austrian border.
Reflection
Dear Lord, may I be faithful to what you have given us in the Church and always live a life devoted to the love of your people. Give me the strength to reach out to all with the beauty of your truth without compromise.
Prayer
O God, who were pleased to award
the palm of martyrdom to Saint Fidelis
as, burning with love for you, he propagated the faith,
grant, we pray, through his intercession,
that, grounded in charity,
we may merit to know with him
the power of the Resurrection of Christ.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
