Saint Didacus, Confessor
S. Didaci Confessoris
Saint Didacus, a humble lay brother of the Franciscan Order, was a man of deep prayer and charity, who served the poor and the sick and was raised by God to great holiness in lowliness.
Saint Didacus — in Spanish, Diego — was born about the year 1400 at San Nicolás del Puerto, in the region of Seville, in Spain, of poor and humble parents. Drawn from his youth to a life of solitude and prayer, he entered the Order of Friars Minor, the Franciscans, as a lay brother, and remained a simple religious, never a priest, all his life. In this lowly state he was to give an example of holiness that would be honoured throughout the Church.
A lowly and holy life
Saint Didacus was distinguished by his profound humility, his spirit of prayer, and his ardent charity. Though unlettered, he was filled with the wisdom of God, and it is related that he spoke of divine things with such fervour and light that learned men marvelled to hear him. For a time he was sent to the Canary Islands, where he laboured with great zeal among the people; and afterward, while at Rome during a great jubilee, he was charged with the care of the sick brethren, whom he served with such devotion, even to the most lowly offices, that his charity became famous, and many were restored to health through his prayers.
He loved the poor and gave himself to their relief, sharing with them even the little that was his to give. His whole life was hidden in humble service and unceasing prayer, especially before the Blessed Sacrament and the Cross of our Lord, by which his soul was inflamed with the love of God. In him was fulfilled the word of the Apostle, that God chooses the weak things of the world to confound the strong; for this poor and unlearned brother was raised by grace to a height of sanctity that has edified the Church for centuries.
His holy death
Saint Didacus died at Alcalá de Henares, in Spain, on the twelfth of November, 1463, embracing the Cross of his Saviour. His tomb became a place of pilgrimage, and many wonders were attributed to his intercession. He was canonised in the year 1588 — the saint after whom the city of San Diego in California was later named.
The collect of his feast confesses that God in his wondrous providence chooses the weak things of the world to confound the strong, and prays that by the loving intercession of blessed Didacus we may be brought to everlasting glory in heaven. In him the Church honours the holiness of the humble, and the great things that God works in those who are little in their own eyes.
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who by thy wondrous providence dost choose the weak things of the world to confound the strong: mercifully grant unto our lowliness, that by the loving prayers of blessed Didacus thy Confessor we may be found worthy to be raised unto everlasting glory in heaven.
Omnípotens sempitérne Deus, qui dispositióne mirábili infírma mundi éligis, ut fórtia quæque confúndas: concéde propítius humilitáti nostræ; ut, piis beáti Dídaci Confessóris tui précibus, ad perénnem in cœlis glóriam sublimári mereámur.
Patronage
He is venerated as a patron of Franciscan lay brothers and of cooks, and the city of San Diego, California, bears his name.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar this commemoration is no longer kept on the universal calendar, though it is retained in the calendar of the Franciscan Order on 13 November.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Didacus?
His feast is kept on 13 November in the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal, as a Third Class feast. In the modern calendar it is no longer observed on the universal calendar, though the Franciscan Order keeps it on 13 November.
Who was Saint Didacus?
He was a Spanish Franciscan lay brother (about 1400–1463), born near Seville, who lived a humble and holy life of prayer and charity. Though unlettered and never a priest, he was renowned for his wisdom in divine things, his care of the sick during a Roman jubilee, and his love of the poor. He was canonised in 1588.
Is Saint Didacus connected to San Diego in California?
Yes. “Didacus” is the Latin form of the Spanish name Diego. The city and bay of San Diego in California were named in his honour, San Diego being Spanish for Saint Didacus.
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