Conrad of Parzham

Published in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of St. Conrad, patron of our Province. St. Conrad was chosen as the Province patron due to the strong interest he had in the work of his Capuchin brothers in the United States. Originally a farmer on a well-to-do farm in Old Bavaria, John Birndorfer (1818-1894) becomes a Capuchin in a time of crisis. He labors over 40 years as a porter in the Altötting friary, the most significant pilgrimage center of Southern Germany. This simple brother, to whom “St. Conrad” churches are dedicated on six continents, owes his growing brilliance to the art of connecting friendship with God and love for humankind in daily life. His life story speaks spiritually to the present, encouraging us to bring depth and breadth to unadorned daily life. In a number of letters to St. Conrad interspersed throughout the biography, the author manages to show the relevance of Conrad’s life for readers today. While there have been several books written on the life of St. Conrad in German, this is the first new book on the saint published in English since 1936.