The lamp was lit and the virgin soul awaited in peace the arrival of its Beloved. "Be prepared," he was used to suggesting to all his friends, patients and students, and he said it joyfully, without any shadow of sadness, as if he were exhorting them to look forward to a joyous wedding feast.

Saint Joseph Moscati

One day a man, who had gone to him for examinations, was enumerating his ailments to the Professor, who were following his account patiently and with interest. "If I don’t find a cure - concluded sadly the sick man - I will certainly die soon." At these words Moscati bounced from his chair and, beaming as if suddenly overwhelmed with joy, replied, "And what could be better? After all, what is life? Is earthly life nothing else than death? Only death itself can unveil to us the treasures of the real life."

Many times, he had foretold that he would die early, that his life would have been short. Perhaps the excessive work, or a heart condition unknown to most, or perhaps the weariness he felt in his whole being let him hardly be able to sustain the daily effort, causing him to foresee the approaching end. He frequently declared that he did not fear death. He also praised the beauty of sudden death for one who was properly prepared. And he was ready.

The morning of 12th April 1927 dawned like any other. He carried on with his occupations as usual. He got up at the usual time, made his meditation, went to St Clare’s Church, where he served Mass and made his Communion, then returned home.
Before going out again, to make his customary tour of the hospital, he advised his sister to arrange for a priest to offer the Sacraments to a colleague, a lapsed Catholic, who was a patient in a hospital. At the end of his work at the Hospital, he returned home, where he began examining the several patients who were awaiting him.
However, at three o’ clock he felt ill; he stopped working and retired to his own room. He called the servant, whom he asked to give him a little laudanum.
Then he sat down in his chair and crossed his arms. In this manner, without agony, and without speaking again, in perfect calm, he fell asleep like a child in the arms of his dearest Lord.

The news of his death spread in a flash, arousing grief, regrets, and bitterness. His corpse, laid out on the death bed, became object of continual pilgrimage; students, colleagues, poor people, sisters, priests, outstanding personalities of civic, political, academic, military and ecclesiastical circles all came.

November 16th 1930: Translation of Prof. Moscati’s body into Gesù Nuovo church.

Among the first to hasten thither was His Eminence Cardinal Ascalesi who said before all those present: "The Professor belonged to the Church. It was not those whose bodies he cured, but those whose souls he saved, who were waiting to greet him when he left this earth."

Two days later, the funeral was an imposing and moving ceremony in which an enormous throng took part. "Rarely indeed has Naples witnessed such an impressive spectacle of infinite sadness," reported "Il Mattino" the following day. His colleagues’ speeches were full of regret, grief, and admiration and represented the highest praise for the virtues of the departed.

During his life, Moscati's physical presence alone at his patients’ bedside gave them comfort, radiating a sense of interior consolation and peace. After his death, sufferers have frequently obtained graces and cures through him, usually seeing him beside them, with a power for good which God communicates to him in the world of the blessed, a thousand times more effective than during his life-time. Many moving episodes, which have no human explanation, confirm this.

He was raised to the honours of the altar by Pope John Paul II.

1973 - May 10th - The Decree on the heroic virtues of Prof. Joseph Moscati is published by the Sacred Congregation of Saints.

1973 - October 3rd -The two miracles obtained through Prof. Joseph Moscati’s intercession are approved.

1975 - November 16th - Pope Paul VI solemnly proclaims Blessed Prof. Joseph Moscati, fixing the 16th of November as his Feast-day.

1987 - October 25th - Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square at the presence of 100.000 people proclaimed Blessed Prof. Joseph Moscati a Saint, a new Saint of the Church.

His liturgical feast is on 16th November.

As a conclusion of this short biography, we report the article of the American weekly paper "The Enquirer News" of Thursday 5/5/1988:

"Three incredible miracles attributed to Dr.Moscati were confirmed by the Vatican Commission that investigated his life:
A blacksmith, dying of leukaemia, said Dr. Moscati appeared to him in a vision and told him "You are well." He immediately underwent medical tests - and sure enough, all signs of his leukaemia had vanished!

Hospital doctors sent a man with terminal Addison’s disease home to die. He prayed before a portrait of Dr. Moscati and referred that he later dreamed the physician operating on him. Next morning he rushed back to the hospital and the doctors confirmed he was cured.

Dr.Moscati astounded people even while he was alive, often making diagnoses and prescribing treatments even without seeing his patients. His colleagues admired him for the almost prophetic way he could make diagnoses. He is the first doctor in modern church to be sainted."

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E-mail: moscati@gesuiti.it