Conrad of Parzham

Saint Conrad of Parzham, O.F.M. Cap., was born in 1818 and was baptized with the name of John. He was the son of Bartholomäus Birndorfer and Gertrude Niedermayer and was born on the family farm near the town of Parzham in Bavaria, Germany.

From his earliest years, the young John gave indications of his future sanctity by his modesty and love of solitude. His devotion was noticeable especially when he prayed in church, the distant location of which was no hindrance to his visiting it frequently even in inclement weather. He had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin, and each day fervently recited the Rosary. On feast days he frequently made a journey to some remote shrine of the Blessed Mother. During such pilgrimages, always made on foot, he was engaged in prayer, and when he returned in the evening, he was usually still fasting.

John spent his early years on the family farm. At the age of 31 he decided to leave the secular world. After disposing of his inheritance, he received permission to be admitted as a lay brother among the Capuchin Franciscan Friars. Upon entering the novitiate, he took the name of Conrad.

Immediately after his profession he was sent to the friary of St. Ann in the city of Altötting. This place is known for its shrine to the Mother of Mercy. Conrad was given the position of porter at this shrine, and retained it until his death. Because it was a large and busy city, the duty of the friary porter was a very difficult one. Conrad was known to be diligent at his work, sparing in words, bountiful to the poor, eager and ready to receive and help strangers. Brother Conrad fulfilled the task of porter for more than forty years, assisting the inhabitants of the town in their needs of body and soul.

Conrad loved silence in a special way. His spare moments during the day were spent in a nook near the door where it was possible for him to see and adore the Blessed Sacrament. During the night he would deprive himself of several hours of sleep, to devote the time to prayer either in the oratory of the friars or in the church. It was generally believed that he never took any rest, but continually occupied himself in work and exercises of devotion. On April 21, 1894, Conrad died in the shrine where he had worked for forty-one years.

His heroic virtues and the miracles he performed won for him the distinction to be ranked among the Blessed by Pope Pius XI in 1930. Four years later, the same pope, approving additional miracles which had been performed, solemnly inscribed his name in the list of saints.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company.