Chaput the Capuchin: On Capuchins and Cappucinnos

His Excellency Archbishop Chaput of Denver has been assigned the troubled archdiocese of Philadelphia. Axios!

Archbishop Chaput’s father was a French Canadian who was descends from King Saint Louis IX. His mother is a Native American hailing from Potawatomi tribe. Most notably, Archbishop Chaput is a friar of the Capuchins.

So what is a Capuchin?

The Capuchins are a reformed branch of the Franciscans deriving from the 16th century. These observant Franciscans sought to live a life of strict poverty, asceticism, and contemplative prayer. They are sometimes recognized by their “austere and manly beards” (e.g. Saint Padre Pio was a Capuchin Franciscan).

They are called “Capuchins” because their Franciscan habit bears a hood called a “cappuccio” in Italian. This hood is a tribute to the monastic hoods of the Camaldolese monks who gave the Capuchins friars refuge in their early days. Your coffee cappuccino is named after the Capuchins since the frothed milk and espresso produce a color similar to the Capuchin habit. Also, the frothed milk on top of the cappuccino sometimes forms a point, which resembles the Capuchin hood.

May His Excellency Archbishop Chaput continue to teach and maintain the Catholic Faith and may Our Immaculate Lady, Saint Francis, Saint Bonaventure, and Saint Pio earnestly pray for him as sanctifies the diocese of Philadelphia. Let us also commit His Excellency to our prayers.

All Holy Capuchins, pray for us.