The Life of Blessed Nicholas Factor

By Giuseppe Alapont and Frederick William Faber

The amazing life of Blessed Nicholas Factor tells of a miracle working saint from the 16th century. As a child of five, Nicholas already manifested signs of his future sanctity. He fasted three times a week and gave the food he did not touch to the poor. With cheerful words he comforted the sick, and on visiting the leper hospital, he would at t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mediatrix Press
• Release date: Nov 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781957066271

Book preview

THE LIFE OF

BLESSED NICHOLAS FACTOR

OF THE ORDER OF THE OBSERVANTINE MINOR FRIARS OF SAINT FRANCIS

by Giuseppe Alapont

Postulator of the Cause

Translated by

Fr. Frederick William Faber

MEDIATRIX PRESS

MMXXIII

ISBN and Copyright

ISBN: 978-1-957066-27-1

©Mediatrix Press, 2023

The Life of Blessed Nicholas Factor (Nicholas Fattore) was originally published by Richardson, London, 1852, and is in the public domain. Typography and editing for this edition are a copyright of Mediatrix Press, all rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in an electronic or physical format, except for quotations for review in journals, bogs, or classroom use.

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APPROBATION

We hereby approve and sanction the Series of Lives of the Canonized and Beatified Saints, the Servants of God declared Venerable, and others commonly reputed to have died in the odor of sanctity, now in course of publication by the Congregation of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, and we cordially recommend it to the Faithful, as calculated to promote the glory of God and of His Saints, the increase of devotion, and the spread of our holy Religion.

Given at Westminster, the Feast of the Nativity of our B. Lady, a. d. 1851.

Nicholas Cardinal Wiseman

Dedication

To the regular clergy

Of the catholic church in England, the children of St. Benedict and St. Bernard, St. Dominic and St. Francis, and the sons.

Of the holy Ignatius, the great master of the spiritual life, and the nursing-father of saints and martyrs, who, in the straightness and neglect

Of their unhonored cloisters, or the cheerless solitude

Of their hired lodging, have joyfully embraced the poverty of Jesus, and earned by loving zeal

The crown of martyrdom, and who, through scenes of awful sacrilege, and times of bitter persecution, through the long and weary visitation of active malice or of cold contempt, have perpetuated, amongst their unworthy countrymen, the blessed lineage of their holy founders.

St. Wilfrid’s,

Feast of St. Bernard, MDCCCXLVII

BOOK I

CHAPTER I: OF THE BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD OF BLESSED NICHOLAS

The city of Valencia, the capital of one of the provinces of Spain, has ever been remarkable for the salubrity of its position, the number and riches of its population, the wonderful fertility of its soil, the majestic appearance of its buildings, and still more for the honorable manner in which its inhabitants have distinguished themselves in the army, in diplomacy, and in science; and for the number who, having excelled in the perfection of evangelical sanctity, have been glorified by God. Valencia was the birthplace of Blessed Nicholas Factor; a sketch of whose life we are about to give, for the glory of God and the edification of His elect.

Vincenzo Factor, born at Syracuse in Sicily, repaired in his youth to Valencia, and there settled. Being in easy circumstances and a good Christian, he wooed and won for his bride Ursula Stagna, a native of Albaida, a young lady of extreme modesty and of exemplary piety. Four sons and three daughters were the fruit of this marriage. Blessed Nicholas was the second, and was born on the festival of the Prince of the Apostles, June 29th, in the year 1520. A miraculous favor obtained by his father through the intercession of S. Nicholas, together with the circumstances of the child having been born on the day consecrated to S. Peter, induced him to give the double name Pietro Niccolo to this his second-born child.

Out of devotion to S. Vincent Ferrer he was baptized in the same holy font where, two centuries before, S. Vincent had himself been baptized in the church of S. Stephen the first martyr. These worthy parents, both by word and example, gave their children such a Christian education as became them, and had the satisfaction of witnessing its salutary effects in all of them. From his earliest infancy they were convinced that Pietro Niccolo was prevented by God with most special benediction. They, and others who knew him when he was about four or five years old, declared that they never saw anything puerile in his conduct; whereas, even then, they saw many indications of perfection in him. Before he reached the age of five, he began to fast three days in the week, Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday; his fast on Saturday was so rigorous, that he never would allow himself so much as a drop of water before his dinner hour. When he was five years old he went to a public school, which gave him the opportunity of increasing and concealing his fasts. His little collation, which, like the other children, he used to carry with him to school, he distributed, either partially or entirely, amongst the poor whom he happened to meet on the road. Whilst yet a mere child, as he was going through the public street on his way to school, in company with others of his own age, he met a beggar covered with sores; Nicholas knelt down at the beggar's feet, kissed them and his hands very devoutly, and then besought the poor man to give him his blessing. The other children laughed at him, but an elderly person, who had witnessed the scene with astonishment, reproved the scoffers, highly commended the pious act of Nicholas, and predicted that the child would one day be a great servant of the Lord.

When he was ten years old, he once saw a poor woman covered with a hideous leprosy from head to foot, standing at the door of the hospital of S. Lazarus; prostrating himself, he tenderly kissed her feet and hands, and begged her blessing. One of his companions asked him how he could kiss those feet and hands, covered as they were with most loathsome filth; the blessed child answered, I did not kiss the repulsive filth of that poor woman, but the sweet wounds of Jesus Christ. In a child of ten years old, such a lively and active faith is a true and incontestable proof that the Divine Spirit had, even at that early age, taken full possession of the boy’s soul, and dwelt therein with special complacency, affectionately working there, and enriching it with heavenly gifts and graces.

Guided by that celestial wisdom, he began when but a child, and ever after continued to visit the hospitals, serving and consoling the sick with incredible tenderness and charity; and he often exhorted his companions to this practice, occasionally taking some of them with him. He used to remind them that it was Jesus Himself whom they visited in the persons of the sick in the hospitals, and that our Divine Redeemer looks upon every act of charity done for His sake to the sick poor as done to Himself. It is worthy of remark, too, that in those days, visiting the hospital for the love of Jesus Christ was a work of Christian charity practiced but by few, so that it required that they who did it should possess a more than ordinary share of divine charity.

One morning, a school-fellow, in childish giddiness, accused him to the master of negligence in his studies, for which he received a couple of slight lashes; soon afterwards the master quitted the class, when Blessed Nicholas, in presence of all his companions, knelt down, begged his accuser’s pardon for the scandal given by his neglect, and with humble sincerity thanked him for the charity with which he had sought his amendment. When the wise master was informed of this, he conceived the highest opinion of the striking virtue displayed by such a child; prognosticating the perfection to which he would attain when of mature age. The life which he led at home rendered him amiable to every one; he was strictly obedient and affectionately respectful to all; remarkable for his love of retirement, when he was ever occupied, either in study or prayer, or in conversing with feeling simplicity on spiritual subjects with the members of his family, every one called him a holy, innocent child. One fact, tolerably significant of the effects of his exemplary conduct, was declared in the processes. His father had a Moorish female slave, most obstinately attached to Islam; this woman was at length so struck by the charity of Nicholas, then a child, and by his unwavering and engaging sanctity, which shone forth in all his actions, that she felt convinced such a child could only be guided by the one Supreme God, and that his religion alone could be true and divine; yielding to this conviction, she embraced the faith of Jesus Christ, and was baptized.

If, either at home or abroad, he saw anything that could offend our Lord, he courageously, yet kindly, admonished and scolded his equals and inferiors; whilst towards his superiors he used prudence and respect, humbly begging them to remember that God ought to be honored and reverenced by everyone, and that whoever offended Him drew down divine chastisements on themselves; he always corrected those who dared to take the holy name of God in vain, or the names of Mary and the Saints, an abuse which was very common in those days. As years rolled on, so did Blessed Nicholas advance in virtue and perfection; without slackening for a single day, he persevered in the above described virtuous career till the seventeenth year of his ago; to this we may add that at the proper time he was admitted to the holy sacraments of confession and communion, which he regularly frequented, which seculars then did but rarely. He constantly attended the church services, especially on festivals, assisting at all the divine offices, and at sermons; he studied indefatigably, and made great progress. At the age of seventeen he wrote extremely well, was well versed in his own and in the Latin languages, in both of which he composed well both in prose and verse; he had acquired the principles of music, played on the cymbal, sung with taste and skill, and could paint well.

CHAPTER II: HE ENTERS THE ORDER OF THE MINOR FRIARS

Almighty God already called His servant to solitude, where he might be wholly free from the disturbances of worldly affairs as far as it was possible; and the pious youth’s sole study was to ascertain the Divine will with regard to what order he was to make choice of. By prayer and fasting he besought the Almighty to guide him in an affair of such high importance. His father's ideas, however, were widely different from his own; rejoicing immeasurably in the exemplary conduct of Nicholas, he was most anxious to have him suitably settled in the world. He had a private interview with him, when he told him that he had a competent sum of money which he intended to give him, in order that he might enter into partnership with some merchant, and devote himself to commerce; that he might, moreover, look out for a wife to be his companion and comfort, and that the emoluments of the mercantile profession would enable him to provide for the children which the Lord would give him in due time, to be brought up in the divine service, as he himself had done with regard to Nicholas and his brothers and sisters. With great respect and lively gratitude Nicholas thanked his affectionate father for his obliging offers, but frankly and firmly told him that he could not accept them, being already espoused to the one Supreme Good, to whom he had entirely consecrated himself, and that he could follow no other commerce than that of Paradise. It is probable that this answer was not altogether unexpected by his father; still, though Christian piety was dear to him, the dread of losing so excellent a son was no small cross to him.

In the meantime, Nicholas prayed more fervently than ever that our Lord would be pleased to conduct him to the house for which he was destined, and to which he had been called for some time past. After class hours, he used frequently to repair to the monastery of Minor Friars, called S. Maria de Jesús, distant somewhat less than a mile from the city of Valencia. After spending some time in prayer in the church, he conversed with such of the religious as he happened to be acquainted with. Towards the end of November, 1537, repairing as usual to the above named monastery, our Lord gave him clearly to understand that this was the house for which He had destined him. After recommending himself anew to God with redoubled fervor, he presented himself to the father-guardian, and throwing himself on his knees, he with deep humility and many tears besought him in charity to admit him amongst the sons of S. Francis. The prudent superior admired the fervor and humility of the supplicating youth; and in his heart he blessed, and thanked the Lord for sending him so fervent a novice; however, he judged that time and trial ought to prove his vocation: he bade him rise, extolled his design, with which he expressed himself much pleased, but gave him to understand the propriety of examining whether his fervent desires proceeded from the spirit of God. He represented to him in terms the most distasteful to human nature, the extreme poverty of the seraphical order, the excessive and oppressive toils of the religious, the number and the rigor of their fasts, and in fine, the whole austerity of the rule of S. Francis. He reminded him of his duty as a son, and of the grief he would occasion to his family, if he left home without their knowledge and consent. In a word, he said all he possibly could to induce him to reflect on so many important points. But divine charity, when sincere, so far from being extinguished by many waters, becomes more vigorous, and its blessed flames are more expanded thereby.

The youthful Nicholas, kneeling and weeping, pleaded his own cause so well, that the father-guardian, persuaded and convinced of the sincerity of his vocation, felt in a manner obliged to allow him