I was just listening to a podcast of EWTN's "Sunday Night Live" hosted by Fr. Benedict Groeschel (you can subscribe via iTunes). The latest episode concerned the life of the recently canonized St. Padre Pio. Fr. Groeschel was once a monk in the Capuchin order and received a letter of encouragement from his famous fellow Capuchin which was signed "Padre Pio, Cappuccino."
"Cappuccino???" I thought to myself. Could it be? Yes, the foamy espresso drink invented and beloved by Italians and exported to the U.S. where it has become a daily staple for millions of cubicle dwellers...was named for its resemblance to a Capuchin monk's habit: brown with a ring-like hood at the neck and with a splash of white like the beard of an old friar.
The order itself, which branched off from the Franciscans around 1520 in Italy, took its popular name from its religious habit. "Cappuccio" is Italian for "hood," while "cappuccino" is the diminutive form.
Similarly, the capuchin monkey was named for its resemblance to the monks (but long before the coffee drink).
However, I digress. The point is, next time you make a Starbucks run on a hectic day in the rat-race, let your drink remind you to pause and offer your day to God, perhaps asking St. Pio for his intercession on your behalf. Buona giornata!
