September 18th is the feast day for Saint Joseph of Copertino (Cupertino in Spanish). If you would like to learn about a very awesome saint who did some pretty crazy stuff, well, this saint is your man.

I won't give you a whole biography on this saint because his whole life was long, beautiful, and inspiring. This is a really long list of some of the facts of his life, but it's just beyond belief (and truly wonderful) what God has done through this man. 

Here they are:

• He was born June 18, 1603, in Italy with the name of Joseph Mary
• His parents were almost imprisoned when his father's debtors failed him, so his very pregnant mother fled to a friend's house and when she didn't get there in time she gave birth to him in a stable. (Sound like anyone you know?)
• His mind was always on things not of this world.
• Not intellectually gifted and very clumsy, he was not accepted with the Capuchin brothers.
• To much surprise, he was eventually received into the Provincial Chapter at Altamura.
•  By sheer miracle, he became a priest since he wasn't very learned and knowledgeable about the priesthood.
• His first mass was celebrated with many tears of joy.
• He went very much out of his way to suffer for Christ, by abstaining from all food except herbs (some that caused the others to be very nauseous for many days after), by sleeping on boards and straw, by cutting down on his sleep to pray, and by scourging himself (his cell was sprinkled with blood).
•  Anything pertaining to God would make him lose control of his senses and he would fall into a trance-like state (during this state, the friars performed tests like pricking him with needles, burning him, and hitting him with iron, but they could never pull him out of the trances).
• On many, many occasions, he was seen to be levitating (while he was saying mass even) and flying through the air.
• He rebuked a hawk for killing a finch he had taught to say "Jesus and Mary" and "Father Joseph, say your Breviary". He struck the hawk, and it did not fly away until he gave it the admonition to never do such a thing again.
• He told some hares to stay away from a certain place, for there were hunters lying in wait. The rabbits listened and lived, thanks to the saint's protection.
• He presented a white lamb to watch over everyone in church. It wouldn't make a noise, but it would awake the sleepy parishioners by jostling them gently.
• God gave him the gifts of infused knowledge, reading of hearts (consciences), reading of minds, visions, prophecy, miracles, perfume, and bilocation.
• He knew if someone was licentious because he strongly smelled the stench they gave off.
• Many theologians talked with him and said, "My conversations with Father Joseph have been of greater use to me than many years of study."
• When a man was dying, Joseph appeared to him even though Joseph was many miles away from the man.
• He brought back to life a whole herd of sheep who had been killed during a hailstorm.
• He accurately predicted the death of two popes.
• He preferred to do the lowliest tasks, and he wanted to be insulted and despised.
• People traveled from all over to see him and he was extremely popular, but he said, "I know not why these people come to see me for I am but an ignorant man and a poor sinner."
• He spent the last six years of his life seeing no one but his Bishop and a doctor.
• He suffered many Satanic attacks, but they didn't bother him. He said, "I do not fear his attacks, for I am with God and far from the world."
• He died at the age of sixty.