Today in the scorching Roman sun I attended the canonisation of seven saints, including most famously Pope Paul VI and Archbishop Oscar Romero.
Less well-known to Australians is St Nunzio Sulprizio who lived 1817-36 and was beatified by his now fellow saint, Pope Paul VI, in 1963.
Nunzio was an orphan and exploited by an uncle who would not let him go to school and instead used him as an industrial slave. But the boy found peace when he could before Jesus in the Tabernacle.
Nunzio suffered terrible pain from health problems, yet said beautiful spiritual things that helped other patients in the hospital and have inspired people ever since. He died from bone cancer before reaching his 20th birthday.
St Nunzio proves you don’t need a doctorate to teach the most important things and that young people can be heroes!