Ever heard of a saint who overcame a physical disability to become a beacon of knowledge and faith? That’s the story of Santo Hermano Miguel. We are standing before the Santuario del Santo Hermano Miguel. It stands as a testament to his enduring legacy.
This is not just another church. It is a sanctuary. It holds the mortal remains of Miguel Febres Cordero. He was Ecuador’s first male saint.
Born in Cuenca Ecuador in 1854 Francisco Luis Florencio Febres Cordero y Muñoz faced a difficult start. A congenital foot deformity kept him from walking for five years. Imagine the heartache of his family. Then a miracle happened. At age five Francisco saw a beautiful lady dressed in white. According to the family she was the Virgin Mary. Suddenly he could walk.
Francisco entered a school run by the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1863. Here he excelled. He found his calling to become a La Salle Brother. He took the name Miguel. His family initially opposed this decision. They were of high social standing. The La Salle Brothers had humble means.
Brother Miguel dedicated his life to teaching children. He taught all social classes. Students affectionately called him “saint”. He was known for his kindness and humility. He taught various subjects. He also gave daily catechism lessons.
Miguel was a prolific writer. He wrote numerous books. They were adaptations of other works under the pseudonym Bruno. His writings were so impressive that he was admitted to the Academy of the Language. This honor extended to Ecuador Colombia and other countries.
In 1907 an anticlerical government exiled Miguel to France. Later he was sent to Belgium and then Spain. He contracted pneumonia and died in Spain in 1910. Before his death he said he was not sad to die far from Ecuador. He believed it was God’s will.
His remains were later moved back to Quito. During the Spanish Civil War his remains were vandalized. Thankfully they were recovered and returned to Ecuador.
The Santuario del Santo Hermano Miguel is in the southern part of Quito in the La Magdalena parish. It is home to his remains in a bronze reliquary. This relic is similar to one in Rome of Saint John Baptist de la Salle.
The church recognizes two miracles attributed to Santo Hermano Miguel. The first was the healing of Sister Clementina Flores from a liver and kidney ailment. The second involved Beatriz Gómez de Núñez. She was cured of myasthenia gravis during Miguel’s beatification.
Pope Paul VI beatified Miguel in 1977. Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1984. Santo Hermano Miguel joined other Ecuadorian saints. This cemented his place in Catholic history.
His legacy lives on through his writings and his example of devotion. Remember as you leave Santuario del Santo Hermano Miguel, you’ve encountered a place of miracles. You’ve learned about an educator who dedicated his life to others.