24 April - Fidèle to his civil name Marc Roy, was born on 1 October 1578 in Sigmaringen, capital of the principality of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen in Swabia (today part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg).
He was a brilliant student and was much appreciated by his fellow students, who respectfully called him the Christian philosopher. He was pious, very close to the poor and the sick, whom he frequently visited in hospitals, prayed a lot, spent long hours in meditation in church, and often received Holy Communion.
He studied law in Freiburg im Breisgau. He first worked as a lawyer in Colmar, Alsace, where he practiced his profession with charity and loyalty. He was given the nickname "lawyer for the poor". However, he did not wish to continue his career, but rather to dedicate his entire life to God and the service of the Gospel. He entered the Capuchin Friars Minor, where he took the habit in 1612, in Freiburg im Breisgau, and received the name of Fidèle.
His first years of religious life were difficult, he had deep doubts and was the victim of violent temptations. His spiritual guide helped him to see clearly and reassured him. From then on, he sold all his possessions and found peace. He said, "I have returned the goods of the earth, and God gives me the kingdom of heaven in return."
He chose the most humble furnishings, the most worn-out clothes, inflicted painful mortifications on himself, and lived in times of penance, eating only bread, water and some fruit. "What misfortune," he said, "if I fought softly under this Chief crowned with thorns!"
Fidèle became a popular and appreciated preacher, his charity as well as his erudition and faith attracted people. In view of these successes, the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples sent him to Graubünden to fight against the Protestantism that had spread there with his close collaborator, Father Alexius von Speyer.
He put all his zeal into his mission, his holy and austere life was an eloquent witness, and made many conversions. An eminent preacher, he obtained many conversions from the Zwinglists of Graubünden. As a result of the resulting animosity, he was murdered and stabbed by a group of men who disputed his teaching. He died in Seewis im Prättigau in 1622. He was beatified on March 24, 1729 by Pope Benedict XIII. He was canonized some 20 years later, on June 29, 1746, by Pope Benedict XIV.
Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Fidèle de Sigmaringen de Wikipédia en français (auteurs)
