I love St. Joseph Cupertino so much. I feel like he is one of my brothers.
I want to share a story I have shared with students in the past, and this story is especially for my readers who are students.
A long time ago, in another world, at a famous Catholic university, it was time for me to begin a year's study of my doctoral candidacy exams. Now, if anyone has ever done this a long time ago, one knows how rigorous these tests were.
For one solid week in May, one would write out answers to questions one did not know ahead of time--three questions per day for five days, no notes, no computers, just paper and pen in one's little space.
On this day, at night, I said a prayer to St. Joseph Cupertino, as I knew my limitations. I said something like this, "Dear St. Joseph Cupertino. you know I am not a genius and you know I need help with my exams next spring. Please help me prepare."
At about four in the morning, in my room, I awoke with 15 questions in my head. As I kept pen and paper near my bed all the time, I scribbled down the questions which were flooding into my imagination.
Then, I fell back to sleep. When I awoke about four hours later, I looked carefully at the questions.
Then, I heard an interior voice, research these, study these, memorize the answers.
Being an obedient sort of girl, I did just that, putting my eggs into one basket of inspiration.
Nine months later, all of us candidates lined up outside the Graduate School of ........office and collected our brown paper envelopes with the first day of questions. On the way over to the library, where we were all to write out our answers in our bare carrels, I opened by packet. I laughed out loud.
My companion walking next to me told me to be quiet, as the questions were so hard some of the students walking behind us were getting nervous. "OK," I said. "You should not be looking at them outside here ahead of time." I could not tell her my ahead of time was nine months ago.
The first three questions were the first three on my list from St. Joseph Cupertino.
Because I had researched, studied and memorized these, with sources, authors, the whole nine yards, I was finished writing so fast that when I handed in my packet, now with answers, the secretary asked me if I had skipped some and given up. "No, I am finished." She stared at me, and I went on my way.
On Tuesday, we all picked up our second three questions in the sealed envelopes, and proceeded to walk to the library again. On the way, on the pavement outside the library, I opened my packet again.
I laughed, but quietly. Here were the second three questions from Joseph Cupertino. Again, I finished writing early and went to the cafeteria to meet my fiance. He asked me if this was cheating. I asked him if heaven could cheat. I could have passed up the inspirations and done my own thing, but God wanted me to show Him and His saint obedience, and the world the value of the virtue of obedience.
On the third day, I did not open the packet until I got to my carrell, as I knew what to expect. And, so it was, the next three questions from Joseph Cupertino. Thursday and Friday, the same last six questions I had been given in September, were in the packets.
Later on, I was told by the head of the department that I had done "better than expected", (he hated me, sadly as I was an obvious, zealous, practicing Catholic and he was fallen away, but that is another story), and another instructor told me my answers were some of the best, if not the best that year.
I could not take credit for this except that I was obedient to inspiration and worked hard on the answers.
Students, pray to the dear St. Joseph Cupertino. Even today, so many decades after this event, I smile and thank him for his patronage.
He is the patron saint of students and test taking.
