On May 13, Franciscans celebrate the memory of a lesser-known Spanish friar saint, Pedro Regalado (Peter Regulatus) (1390–1456), who devoted his life to prayer and contemplation.

Finding what he longed for among Franciscans

Peter was born in Valladolid, Castile, to a noble family of Jewish origin that had converted to Christianity. His father died when he was an infant, and his devout mother allowed him to enter the Franciscan friary in his native city when he was only thirteen. In 1404 he was inspired by a friar, Pedro de Villacreces, who was trying to revive the eremitical dimension of the life of the early friars, and he joined him at the remote rural friary of La Aguilera near Burgos. There Peter found the solitude, prayer, and poverty he longed for.

The hermitage of La Aguilera, near Burgos, Spain

Leading a simple, lifestyle

The friars in this reform movement led a