While St. Joseph is widely known as the patron saint of workers, there are many examples of saints who worked diligently in their trade and sanctified it through the holiness of their lives.
Such was the case of St. Nunzio Sulprizio, an Italian blacksmith who died at the young age of 19 in the 19th century. He achieved the heights of sanctity at an early age and allowed his faith to permeate his daily work.
Holy blacksmith
Born in 1817, Sulprizio was born into an Italian Catholic family but experienced profound grief and loss during the early years of his life. A few years after his birth his father died, and then later his mother died. He was put into the care of his grandmother; she too died by the time he was nine years old.
His uncle, a blacksmith, took the responsibility of raising the young boy. This proved to be another cause of suffering, as his uncle was not religious and forbade him from attending school. Instead, Sulprizio was required to learn the trade of a blacksmith.
This added further stress to his fragile body and his uncle abused the young boy, making him do the most arduous tasks. It had a detrimental effect on his body, eventually leading to him being admitted to a hospital.
Despite all of the suffering he endured, all those around him were surprised at how he was able to smile during his work and instead of cursing or spewing foul language, he would pray to the Virgin Mary, "My Madonna, help me."
After Sulprizio was discharged from a hospital stay, a different uncle, a wealthy colonel, took him under his wing and felt compassion for him, wanting to nurse him back to health. Unfortunately, Sulprizio's health was already in an incurable state and so he was admitted to another hospital.
His Vatican biography explains how even in his suffering, he wanted to care for others:
Here too, despite his serious condition, he helped the other patients by bringing them even a simple glass of water. Many times he fasted voluntarily, prayed for others, or donated his meal, which the colonel had him bring from the castle, to those who were more alone and poor than him. As soon as he was admitted to hospital, Nunzio asked to receive his First Communion [which he had not received earlier].
He died on May 5, 1836, at the age of 19, and was immediately revered for his sanctity. His last words were, "Our Lady! See how beautiful she is!"
His cause for canonization was quickly opened and Pope Leo XIII held him in high esteem, as the Dicastery of Saints explains:
On June 21, 1891, Pope Leo XIII promulgated the Decree on the heroic nature of virtues, defining Nunzio as the exact copy of St. Aloysius Gonzaga and holding him up as a model for young people.
Before Pope Francis canonized Sulprizio in 2018, he pointed to his ability to offer up his suffering to God:
Let us consider that young man — blessed now and next month a saint — Sulprizio, who at 19 years of age ended his life reconciled, despite much suffering, with many issues, because his heart was at peace ...
Sulprizio is an example to all young people of how to suffer with God and to sanctify their work, no matter how arduous it may be.
