Saint of the day March 30, 2025

Today is the feast day of St. Peter Regalado. St. Peter Regalado was born in 1390 in Valladolid, Spain. He was raised by his mother who could see signs of holiness in him at a very young age. He would be in devotion for long periods of time in places of retirement, and he would inflict pain on himself, wishing to join in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. He also had serious thoughts about religious life.

At age ten, St. Peter begged his mother to let him join the Franciscans. She resisted God’s call for him, but she gave up after three years. In 1397, a stricter observance of the rule was implemented in Spain, and St. Peter lived it in full commitment. One day, St. Peter traveled to the city of Aguilar with his superior, Fr. Peter of Villagarcia. Fr. Peter was building new convents in his diocese that fit the new observance of the rule. In 1442, St. Peter was appointed the head of the new convents when Fr. Peter of Villagarcia died. As superior, it was said that St. Peter had the ability to be in two places at once to supervise the convents better.

St. Peter started taking religious poverty more seriously. Nine times a year, he would fast for forty days; he would scourge himself to the point of bleeding; and he would sleep on the floor with nothing more than straw for comfort. But his love for the neighbor was just as strong as his commitment to religious poverty. He would take the poor and the sick into the convent and take care of them. God rewarded St. Peter with an abundance of grace for his service. When he prayed intensely St. Peter would elevate from the ground, and there would be fire coming out of his body. One time, the fire from his body rose above the roof of the convent. When the bishop of Osma saw this, he shouted, “Truly, that is the abode of God.”

At age 66, St. Peter died on March 31, 1456. After his death, an untold number of miracles occurred at his grave. In 1492, the queen of Spain requested to have his fingers as relics. When St. Peter’s fingers were cut off, blood started to spew out of the cuts, as if St. Peter was still alive. He was beatified by Pope Innocent XI on 11 March 1684 and canonized by Pope Benedict XIV on 29 June 1746.


Reflection

Peter led the friars by his example. A special love of the poor and the sick characterized Peter. Miraculous stories are told about his charity to the poor. For example, the bread never seemed to run out as long as Peter had hungry people to feed. Throughout most of his life, Peter went hungry; he lived only on bread and water.
Peter was an effective leader of the friars because he did not become ensnared in anger over the sins of others. Peter helped sinning friars rearrange the priorities in their lives and dedicate themselves to living the gospel of Jesus Christ as they had vowed. This patient correction is an act of charity available to all Franciscans, not just to superiors.