Didacus of Alcalá
| Saint Didacus of Alcalá, O.F.M. | |
|---|---|
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San Diego de Alcalá by Francisco de Zurbarán
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| Religious and missionary | |
| Born |
c. 1400 San Nicolás del Puerto, Kingdom of Seville, Crown of Castile |
| Died | November 12, 1463 (aged 62–63) Alcalá de Henares, Kingdom of Toledo, Crown of Castile |
| Venerated in |
Catholic Church (Franciscans, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seville and the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego) |
| Canonized | 1588 by Pope Sixtus V |
| Major shrine | Ermita de San Diego, San Nicolás del Puerto, Seville, Spain |
| Feast | 13 November, 7 November (Franciscan Order in the United States and the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego) |
| Attributes | Cross, lily |
| Patronage | Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, Franciscan lay brothers |
Didacus of Alcalá, (or the more familiar Spanish: Diego), also known as Diego de San Nicolás, was a Spanish Franciscan lay brother who served as among the first group of missionaries to the newly conquered Canary Islands. He died at Alcalá de Henares on 12 November 1463 and is now honored by the Catholic Church as a saint.
Didacus was born c. 1400 into a poor but pious family in the small village of San Nicolás del Puerto in the Kingdom of Seville. His parents gave him the name of Diego, a derivative of Santiago (St. James), the patron saint of Spain. As a child, he embraced the hermit life and, later, placed himself under the direction of a hermit priest living not far from his native town. He then led the life of a wandering hermit. Feeling called to the religious life, he applied for admission to the Observant (or Reformed) branch of the Order of Friars Minor at the friary in Albaida and was sent to the friary in Arruzafa, near Córdoba, where he was received as a lay brother.
During his years living in that location, he journeyed to the villages in the regions surrounding Córdoba, Cádiz and Seville, where he would preach to the people. A strong devotion to him still exists in those towns.
Didacus was sent to the new friary of the Order in Arrecife on the island of Lanzarote, part of the Canary Islands. That island had been conquered by Spanish forces about 40 years earlier and was still in the process of introducing the native people to Christianity. He was assigned to the post of porter.
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