The Vocation

Francesco was about ten years old when, one summer day, as the family was threshing wheat in the farmyard, a Capuchin friar arrived to collect alms, as was customary.

For Francesco, seeing the friar was like a revelation.

After the friar departed with the offering he had received, Francesco suddenly turned to his father and declared, “I want to become a monk.”

His father, without giving it much thought, replied, “If you’re willing to learn.”

Later, he added, “Become a monk in Paduli,” referring to a nearby town where there was a Franciscan monastery.

“No,” Francesco responded, “I want to become a monk with a beard.”

Recognizing his son’s determination, Grazio, known to everyone as Zi’ Razio, went to speak with the friars at the monastery in Morcone, the same place the Capuchin friar had come from and where the novitiate was located.

To be admitted, Francesco needed to be at least fifteen years old and to have completed the necessary studies required to eventually become a priest.

At the time, Francesco’s education was extremely basic, having been taught by an improvised local teacher who provided rudimentary instruction in reading and writing. It became essential, therefore, to find a proper teacher to guide him further in his studies.