Saint Jeremiah of Wallachia

Jeremiah of Wallachia (born 29 June 1556 - 26 February 1625) was a Romanian-born Capuchin lay brother who spent his entire adult life serving as an infirmarian of the Order in Italy. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II on 30 October 1983, the first of his nation to be so honored. Born Ion Costist or Ioan (John) Costişte, he emigrated to Naples during his adolescence. Also known as Geremia from Wallachia, he became noted for his careful attention to the merciful works and to the care of the poor. His vision of the Blessed Mother resulted in one of the best known images created of him. He was born Ioan Costişte in a village in the Principality of Moldavia (Wallachia) to Margareta Bărbat and Stoica Costişte (Kostist), who were prosperous farmers. Few details have survived of his childhood and youth, other than that as a child he had developed the conviction that he wanted to go to Italy because that was where the best Christians were to be found. His mother told him it was a place "where the monks were all holy and there was the pope, the Vicar of Christ"; the fact that he was illiterate and knew his own dialect and no other language did not hinder his decision. At the age of 19, Costişte left home with his parents' permission to carry out his dream. After a long journey during which he served as a physician's assistant, he arrived in Bari, Italy, where he settled at the age of 22. He began to serve the celebrated doctor Pietro Lo Iacono. After five years of life there, he determined that he was not finding what he sought; he was then resolved to go back home. However, on 8 May 1579 he was admitted into the novitiate of the Capuchin friars for the Province of Naples, where he was given the religious name Jeremiah on 8 May 1579.