Joseph of Cupertino

Saint Joseph of Copertino O.F.M. Conv.
St. Joseph of Copertino is lifted in flight, by Placido Costanzi (17th century)
Confessor
Born	Giuseppe Desa 17 June 1603 Copertino, Terra di Otranto, Kingdom of Naples
Died	18 September 1663(1663-09-18) (aged 60) Osimo, Marche, Papal States
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church (Franciscans)
Beatified	24 February 1753, Rome, Papal States by Pope Benedict XIV
Canonized	16 July 1767, Rome, Papal States by Pope Clement XIII
Major shrine	Basilica of St. Joseph of Copertino, Piazza Gallo, 10, Osimo, Ancona, Italy
Feast	18 September
Patronage	The City of Copertino and the City of Osimo, aviation, astronauts, mental handicaps, examinations, students

Joseph of Cupertino (Copertino), OFM Conv. (Italian: Giuseppe da Copertino; 17 June 1603 – 18 September 1663) was an Italian Conventual Franciscan friar who is honored as a Christian mystic and saint. According to traditional Franciscan accounts, he was "remarkably unclever", but experienced miraculous levitation and ecstatic visions throughout his life which made him the object of scorn.^[1] He applied to the Conventual Franciscan friars, but was rejected due to his lack of education. He then pleaded with them to serve in their stables. After several years of working there, he had impressed the friars so much with the devotion and simplicity of his life that he was admitted to their Order, destined to become a Catholic priest, in 1625.