Ignatius of Laconi

Who was Ignatius of Laconi?

Saint Ignatius was a Sardinian Capuchin monk and saint. During a serious illness as a young man he made a vowed that, if he recovered his health, he would consecrate his life to God in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. He regained his health, but kept putting off the fulfilment of his vow from day to day. There is some indication that his parents raised objections to his entering the Franciscans. In 1721 his life was again threatened when a horse which he was riding shied. Ignatius called upon the assistance of Saint Francis of Assisi and renewed the vow he had previously made. This time his parents did not raise objections to his becoming a Franciscan.

He asked for admission at the Capuchin friary at Cagliari, but the superiors hesitated at first because of his delicate health. Ignatius then looked up an influential friend who interceded for him, and he was received into the novitiate. Despite his physical infirmities, his ardor allowed him to attend the spiritual exercises of the community and excel in perfection of his observance of the Rule of Saint Francis. Saint Ignatius was born into a peasant family in Laconi, Sardinia, and was canonized in 1951.