Today, May 5, is the memorial of Saint Angelus.
Angelus was born in Jerusalem in 1185. His parents Jesse and Maria were Jewish converts. He was one of the first Carmelites to come to Sicily from Mount Carmel.
At age 18, Angelus and his twin brother John joined a group of hermits who formed the first Carmelite house. They were conversant in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.
He became a priest in 1210. Many miraculous cures were attributed to him during his lifetime. Because of the fame brought by his miracles, he wanted to avoid fame and retreated to the desert hermitage.
He was ordered to evangelize in Sicily, met with great success in converting some Sicilian Jews, and experienced great hatred from others, especially around Palermo and Licata.
In 1220, he was stabbed to death multiple times by hoodlums in the employ of Count Berengarius, a man whose incestuous relationship Angelus had denounced. Angelus died of his wounds within a week. He forgave his killer and requested the people not to avenge his death.
Angelus was canonized in 1459 by Pope Pius II.