Saint Conrad was born around 1290 to a family of nobles in Italy. He married the daughter of another nobleman and loved her greatly, they lived a pious life together.
One day, while out hunting, Conrad ordered servants to set fire to brushwood to flush out some game. A strong wind spread the fire to nearby fields and forests, and the flames went on to destroy villages.
Unable to stop the fire, Conrad returned home in secret with his servants, and they said nothing about their role in the disaster. Authorities seeking the arsonist arrested an innocent peasant and tortured him to confession before condemning him to death.
When he heard this, Conrad was filled with remorse and stepped forward to take responsibility for the fire. He was ordered to pay restitution for the damages and sold nearly all of his property and his wife’s to do so.
The experience caused the couple to consider where God might be acting in their lives. They concluded that God was calling them to a simple life of service, and they gave the rest of their possessions to the poor, and each joined a religious order. Conrad retired to a lonely hermitage some distance from Piacenza and his wife entered the Order of Poor Clares.
Conrad took on the life of a hermit and lived a life of prayer and solitude. He became known for his holiness, and people sought him out for advice and spiritual direction. He moved several times to find greater solitude, but people seemed to always find him.
During a severe famine, people asked for his prayers. When relief came, his fame spread, and he was constantly visited by people seeking help. Several miracles were attributed to him, and they continued at his tomb after he died. People suffering from hernias often ask for his intercession.
He was called to eternal rest at Noto in Sicily, on 19 February, 1351. In 1515 Pope Leo X permitted the town of Noto to celebrate his feast, which permission was later extended by Urban VIII to the whole Order of St. Francis.
-FaithND
Other Saints of the Day
1. Saint Quodvultdeus
2. Saint Barbatus of Benevento
3. Saint Boniface of Lausanne
4. Saint Mansuetus of Milan
5. Saint Proclus of Bisignano
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