Born at Santa Colomba de Farnés in Catalonia (Spain), the family of Salvador Grionesos worked in a small local hospital helping the sick. Seeking to serve the Lord more closely, Salvador became a shoemaker and joined the famous Benedictine Abbey of Montserrat. He felt called, however, to a more intense life of humility and poverty and in 1541 became a Franciscan in Barcelona where he was professed a year later and sent to the convent of Tortosa, renowned for its observance and austerity. Working as porter and questor of alms, daily he met the local people with whom he frequently prayed and many of whom he cured with a simple sign of the cross. His reputation caused crowds to come to the friary, disturbing the peace of the cloister. His superiors then moved him out of Tortosa and he went eventually in 1559 to Horta some 10 km away. From being a tiny unknown village, Horta became known throughout Spain as Salvador attracted thousands in pilgrimage for cures of all kinds. Again Salvador was moved to other friaries, always obedient to his superiors who even tried to hide his presence by giving him a false name Alphonsus. The Lord continued to work miracles through him. He suffered and was completely misunderstood because of his charism. As the crowds continued to seek him out, he was moved out of Spain in 1565 to Italy where in Cagliari he had comparative peace for the last 15 months of his life. He was canonised by Pius XI in 1938.
First Reading: 1 Kings 19: 4-9, 11-15; Gospel: Mt. 11: 25-30
