IFTTT Autopost 
Francesco Maria di Francia was born on February 19, 1853, in Messina, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, last of four children of Francesco di Francia (who died four months before Francesco was born) and his wife, Anna Toscano. His older siblings were, in order of birth, Giovanni, Maria Caterina, and Annibale (Hannibal). Annibale was canonized in 2004.
When their mother felt unable to care for all her children, she sent Annibale and Francesco to an elderly aunt to care for them. She, in turn, sent the boys to be cared for by their paternal priest uncle, Raffaele di Francia. Father Raffaele became more like the boys’ father than an uncle, and he made sure they had a solid education by enrolling them in the College of the Cistercian Fathers. He also influenced their eventual decision to become priests one day.
Annibale was temperamentally more like his father, while Francesco was more drawn to the fine arts, especially music and poetry. Francesco once wrote a short song honoring his patron saint, Francesco di Paola.
During Francesco’s journey to priesthood, he sometimes had doubts that being a priest was his vocation, and he considered making music his life’s work. But he decided his call to priesthood was genuine and was ordained on December 18, 1880, in the Church of San Paolo in Messina by the archbishop, Giuseppe Guarino (now a Servant of God).
Influenced by his brother Annibale, Father Francesco developed a sensitivity to and compassion for the poor and marginalized. In late summer of 1887, for example, a cholera epidemic came to Messina, and the archbishop gave Father Francesco permission to nurse the sick. This he did throughout the epidemic, and in 1888, he began nursing sick children in the city hospital.
In addition to his pastoral duties, Father Francesco also taught moral theology in Messina to seminarians
In 1896, Father Francesco met a woman named Natala Briguglio who encouraged him to found a new religious order of women. So, in 1897, Father Francesco founded the Poor Sisters of the Sacred Heart, later to be named the Capuchin Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The first member of the new order was Natala Briguglio who became known as Sister Veronia di Gesù Bambino.
On December 28, 1908, a severe earthquake struck Messina, and Father Francesco, and his brother Annibale, helped with rescue and reconstruction of the area.
On February 28, 1912, the archbishop appointed Father Francesco vicar general of the archdiocese. Despite the new administrative duties, Father Francesco continued his preaching and celebrating sacraments.
On December 22,1913, Father Francesco had a heart attack at a train station coming home. Among his last words were, “I prepare for paradise.” Father Francesco di Francia died in the evening of the same day, surrounded by religious sisters of the order he had founded. His brother Father Annibale didn’t learn about his brother’s death until New Year’s Eve.
Father Francesco was proclaimed Venerable by Pope Francis on March 19, 2019, feast of Saint Joseph.
