Every September 10, on the feast of this Augustinian saint, panecillos are blessed and distributed, recalling an episode of his life.
It is the end of the 13th century. In the Augustinian convent of Tolentino, in the Italian region of the Marche, lives a religious already famous for his holiness during his lifetime. Many poor people came to him because of his concern for all souls, especially for those who suffered the most.
Nicolas, as this Augustinian religious is called, suffers from a heavy illness. He suffered from severe stomach pains which he bore with great patience. For this reason, he hardly ingested any food.
However, his superiors had ordered him to eat more nutricious food than he used to eat, in order to strengthen his body. He did not succeed, for, although he was truly obedient, his health continued to weaken.
On one night, Nicholas of Tolentino has an apparition. The Virgin Mary instructs him to eat a piece of bread dipped in water and then eat it. With that, Mary assures him, he will be cured by his obedience.
And so St. Nicholas was cured. As a gesture of gratitude and fidelity, he began to bless pieces of bread and to distribute them among the sick. The blessed loaves of the Augustinian saint miraculously cured thousands of people, just as it had happened to him.
For this reason, on September 10, the feast of St. Nicholas of Tolentino, in many parishes bread rolls are blessed during the Eucharist on his feast day and then distributed to the sick.