Daily Saints

Saint Giles Mary-of-Saint-Joseph

Profile

Francesco was born to a pious family and raised in a small village. When his father died in 1747, Francesco took up the trade of rope maker to support his mother and siblings. Drawn to a religious life, he applied to the Discalced Friars Minor of Saint Peter of Alcantara at Naples, Italy in 1754 at age 25. He wished to become a priest, but lacked the education, and was received as a lay brother.

Porter and gate-keeper at his monastery‘s seminary, a position that put him in constant contact with those in need. He had a special ministry to the sick, and worked with lepers, travelling outside the city to help those who had become shunned and isolated; he often carried an icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a depiction known as Our Lady of the Well when he made sick calls. Giles himself suffered from sciatica, which caused severe leg pain, difficulty walking and led to the use of a cane which is often seen in depictions of him; he also suffered from asthma and, late in life, dropsy (fluid retention leading to high blood pressure). Even in life, he was considered by locals as a saint and patron of the sick and outcast. Legend says that when he was charged with distributing food and alms to the poor, Saint Joseph would intervene to insure he never ran out.

Born

16 November 1729 at Taranto, Apulia, Italy as Francis Pontillo

Died

7 February 1812 at Naples, Italy of natural causes while at prayer
huge crowds turned out for his funeral
his relics are enshrined in an urn next to the icon of Our Lady of the Well in the church of San Pasquale Baylón in Taranto

Venerated

24 February 1868 by Pope Pius IX (decree of heroic virtues)

Beatified

5 February 1888 by Pope Leo XIII

Canonized

2 June 1996 by Pope John Paul II
his canonization miracle involved the cure of Mrs Angela Mignogna in 1937

Patronage

Taranto, Italy (chosen on 29 June 1919 by Archbishop Orazio Mazzella of Taranto

Representation

Franciscan friar with a cane
Franciscan friar with a picture of Our Lady of the Well

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-giles-mary-of-saint-joseph/

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Saints Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

Daily Saints

Martyred February 5, 1597; Patron Saints of Japan; Canonized by Pope Pius IX on June 8, 1862

On the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1549, Saint Francis Xavier and two other Jesuits arrived at the harbor of Kagoshima, becoming the first missionaries to enter Japan. Fewer than sixty-five years later, the Catholic faith was flourishing in Japan, with upwards of 300,000 converts. Of the people of Japan, Saint Francis Xavier said, “These are the best people so far discovered, and it seems to me that among unbelievers no people can be found to excel them.” The Jesuits were successful in their missionary activity within the highly civilized Japanese culture because the members of the order respected the cultural norms, acted with great dignity and respect, and learned the language.

In 1587, however, things began to change. The Buddhist monks were increasingly concerned about the growing number of Christians, causing political tension for the ruler of Japan, Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi and his predecessor had been friendly and welcoming to the missionaries, perhaps in large part because they saw befriending these Europeans as politically and financially advantageous. But because of new tensions, caused in part by some fanatical Christians, Hideyoshi outlawed Christianity, giving the missionaries six months to leave. Many remained, however, continuing their good work quietly, and Hideyoshi let them be.

In 1593, Spanish Franciscans began to arrive; they took a more confrontational approach to conversion than the Jesuits did. Tensions continued to grow, and in 1597, the situation came to a head. A Spanish ship became shipwrecked off the coast of Japan, and Hideyoshi seized its merchandise. The angry captain spoke recklessly to Hideyoshi, threatening that the Spanish missionaries were sent to prepare for a Spanish invasion of the island. At that, Hideyoshi began to enforce his decade-old edict outlawing Christianity by arresting twenty-six Catholics—six Franciscan missionaries, seventeen Japanese and Korean lay Franciscans (three of whom were young boys), and three Jesuits. The Jesuits were Brother Paul Miki, only months away from being ordained a priest, another brother, and a priest.

Paul was born into an affluent Japanese family and became a Catholic when his whole family converted. At the age of twenty, he attended a new Jesuit seminary in Japan and became a brother two years later. He spent thirteen years as a Jesuit, during which time he was known as a gifted preacher who helped convert many of his countrymen.

When Brother Paul and his companions were arrested, they were tortured, had one of their ears severed, and were paraded 600 miles through many towns for 30 straight days, on display for all the people to see to dissuade them from being Christian. When they arrived in Nagasaki, the center of Christianity in Japan at that time, the soon-to-be martyrs were permitted to go to Confession one last time, chained to their crosses, secured with an iron collar, and lined up next to each other as four soldiers stood beneath them, each with spear in hand. During it all, Father Pasio and Father Rodriguez kept encouraging the others. Brother Martin continually repeated, “Into your hands, Lord, I entrust my life.” Brother Francis and Brother Gonsalvo prayed aloud in thanksgiving. And Brother Paul Miki preached his final sermon, professing Jesus as the only way to salvation, forgiving his persecutors, and praying that they would turn to Christ and receive baptism. Brother Paul continued to encourage the others, and as they all awaited death, they were filled with joy and continually cried out, “Jesus, Mary!” Then, with one thrust of the spear and one blow, each martyr went home to God.

Over the next 250 years, hundreds of thousands of Christians were martyred and many others were tortured mercilessly until they publicly renounced their faith. Despite this, pockets of Catholics remained and secretly practiced their faith. In 1854, Japan’s borders opened to the West, and numerous missionaries returned to feed the faith of these hidden Christians. By 1871, religious toleration returned, making public worship possible. Today, a national monument marks the place of the executions in Nagasaki.

Sometimes our attempts to share the faith with others appear to be silenced by the diabolical influences within the world. These martyrs of Nagasaki teach us that the seeds of faith can live on. The many martyrs that followed give witness to the power of God’s grace and the transforming character of His Word. How strong is your faith? Is it strong enough to endure torture and death? Allow the witness of these saints to inspire you to be more fervent.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-6-saints-paul-miki-and-companions-martyrs/

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Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

Daily Saints

c. 231–c. 251; Patron Saint of breast cancer patients, martyrs, rape victims, bellfounders, and bakers; Invoked against earthquakes, natural disasters, and fires; Pre-Congregation canonization, later confirmed by Pope Saint Gregory the Great, 7th century

As with many of the early and most revered martyrs in our Church, very little is known about the life and death of Saint Agatha. She was born in either Palermo or Catania, Sicily around the year 231 and died a martyr’s death in Catania around the year 251 during the persecution of Christians ordered by the Roman emperor Decius. Early devotion to her is attested to by the fact that she is one of the seven virgin martyrs listed in the Roman Canon (Eucharisitic Prayer I in today’s Missal). Since the fifth or sixth century, other details, hymns, art, and stories about her life and death have emerged. Much of what is written about her life, however, emerged centuries later, leaving its historical accuracy in question.

According to those later traditions, Agatha was born into a wealthy noble family. At the age of fifteen, she made a vow of virginity, choosing to devote herself and her wealth solely to Christ, her divine Spouse. Because she was very beautiful and wealthy, the local Roman Prefect Quintianus wanted to take her for his wife for impure reasons and to attain her wealth. She refused his every attempt.

When Emperor Decius issued a decree in 250, requiring all citizens to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods, Quintianus had an idea. He decided that if he arrested Agatha and threatened her with torture and death, she would renounce her Catholic faith and accept his offer of marriage. Instead, she deepened her devotion to Christ and once again refused him saying, “If you threaten me with wild beasts, know that at the Name of Christ they grow tame; if you use fire, from heaven angels will drop healing dew on me.”

Faced with another failure to steal her purity, Quintianus devised another plan. He imprisoned Agatha in the local brothel, thinking she would lose her virginity and then change her mind. However, she remained steadfast in her purity and faith in that ungodly environment.

After a monthlong stay in the brothel, Agatha was summoned before Quintianus again. Filled with rage, he threatened her with torture and death. She faced him with courage and remained at peace, exuding joy at the opportunity to suffer for Christ. Her peaceful and joyful disposition only angered Quintianus further, so he had her stretched on a rack, her flesh torn with iron hoods, burned with torches, and whipped. Finally, the sick and diabolical Quintianus ordered that her breasts be twisted and torn and then be cut off. To this, Agatha responded, “You cruel, impious, sacrilegious tyrant, do you feel no shame to torture a woman in her breasts, you, who from a mother’s breast drew your first nourishment? You may destroy my body, for it is but weak and perishable; yet my soul, consecrated from my childhood to its Saviour, you cannot reach nor destroy.” After being sent back to prison in this mutilated state, Agatha saw Saint Peter appear to her and miraculously heal her wounds with a father’s love. The prison cell then radiated with light, frightening and confusing the guards.

Four days later, Quintianus summoned Agatha again. When she appeared before him healed of her wounds, Quintianus was shocked but his heart remained obstinate. This time he stripped her of her clothing and made her roll over burning coals and sharp stones. The wrath of God, however, flared up and there was an earthquake. Part of the building they were in crumbled, killing two of Quintianus’ companions. The people of the town were outraged at what Quintianus had done to Agatha and blamed him for the earthquake. Again, Quintianus did not budge. After being sent back to prison, Agatha prayed and surrendered her spirit to the Lord, Who received her into her heavenly home.

It is shocking what people are capable of doing. Some are capable of the most hideous, diabolical, and self-serving acts. Others are capable of enduring those evils for the love of Christ with peace, strength, and joy. Regardless of the historical accuracy of the details of Saint Agatha’s life and death, her story, as it has been handed down, reveals the potential in every human heart. We have the potential to be great sinners, the potential to be great saints, or somewhere in-between. Allow the witness of Quintianus to fill your heart with a holy fear of sin and the witness of Saint Agatha to move you from that “in-between.” Her courage and unwavering fidelity to Christ have shone a light for countless people throughout the centuries. One day, in Heaven, we will meet the true Saint Agatha and rejoice as we gaze upon the beauty and purity of her soul. Seek to make your soul radiate with that same glory by the grace of God and your fidelity to His holy will.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-5-st-agatha-virgin-martyr/

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Saint Ansgar, Bishop

Daily Saints

801–865; Patron Saint of Scandinavia, Denmark, Sweden, and various locations in Germany; Declared a saint by Pope Nicolas I c. 865

Saint Rimbert succeeded today’s saint, Saint Ansgar, as the Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, Germany. Saint Rimbert was about thirty years younger than Saint Ansgar and most likely met Ansgar when Rimbert was a young monk. Eventually, Rimbert became a constant companion of Ansgar, knowing many intimate details of his life. After Ansgar’s death, Rimbert wrote a detailed biography about him, blessing us with that same intimate knowledge about today’s saint.

Ansgar was born into a noble Germanic family in the town of Amiens, modern-day France. When he was only about five years old, his mother died and his father sent him to live at the Benedictine Monastery of Corbie where he received his early education. In his early years at the monastery, Ansgar acted in childish ways, always joking around with the other boys. He didn’t take his faith or studies very seriously. However, one night he had the first of many visions that would set the course of his future. He saw the Blessed Mother coming to him with many other women behind her. Among the others was his own mother. The Blessed Mother asked him if he wanted to come to his mother and be with her, to which he responded that he did. At that, the Blessed Mother said to him, “If you desire to share our companionship, you must flee from every kind of vanity, and put away childish jests and have regard to the seriousness of life; for we hate everything that is vain and unprofitable, nor can anyone be with us who has delight in such things.” This was the beginning of a new journey of faith for Ansgar.

When Ansgar became a teenager, he began to slip in his devotion. He then had another vision that caused him to be both “terrified and comforted.” He experienced death, followed by what seemed to be 1,000 painful years in Purgatory, and then, once purified, entered into the celestial glories of Heaven. In Heaven he saw the angels and saints and, in the center, the Son of God Whom he adored. Jesus spoke to him in the most distinct voice that filled the whole world saying, “Go and return to Me crowned with martyrdom.”

In 822, at the age of twenty-one, Ansgar, professed as a monk, was sent to modern-day Germany as a missionary to help found the Abbey of Corvey and, from there, continued to move north into the pagan territory of modern-day Denmark. In 829, after returning to Germany for a couple of years, Ansgar was sent even farther north into Sweden to preach and win over converts to the faith. Two years later, in 831, Ansgar was named Archbishop of Hamburg-Bremen, a new diocese in northern Germany tasked with sending missionaries into what is modern-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

For the next thirty-five years, Bishop Ansgar worked tirelessly to stabilize his own diocese and to evangelize the pagans in the north. He built churches, hospitals, schools, and monasteries and endured wars, invasions, and the confiscation and destruction of his churches. He worked with other bishops, befriended kings, was threatened by the pagans and Vikings, but pressed on with his work. He devotedly reached out to the poor, lived a holy life according to his monastic rule, mortified his flesh, and regularly fasted on bread and water. Because he longed for the crown of martyrdom, he offered himself sacrificially to God and to unwavering evangelization.

In the thirty-fourth year of his episcopacy, at the age of 64, Bishop Ansgar endured months of intense suffering from an intestinal infection. Throughout that illness, he often quoted Job who said, “We accept good things from God; should we not accept evil?” (Job 2:10). Before his death, he made arrangements for the proper administration of his diocese and missions. When all was prepared and he was on his deathbed, he prayed until his last breath, quoting various Scriptures, including, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13), and “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).

Saint Ansgar did not become a martyr in blood, but he did lay his life down for others, carrying the heavy crosses of mortification, selfless evangelization, tireless administration, courageous travels, and fidelity to his monastic calling. He returned to his Lord as a true martyr who gave his life for his sheep. As we ponder Saint Ansgar, reflect upon the ways that you are called to live a sacrificial life in wholehearted service of our Lord. What attachments do you need to let go of? What sufferings do you need to willingly embrace? What cross do you need to pick up and carry? Imitate this great saint by losing yourself for Christ, for that is the only way to find that which is eternally more.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-3-saint-ansgar-bishop/

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Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr

Daily Saints

Died c. 316; Patron Saint of illnesses of the throat and other illnesses, wool workers, animals, bricklayers, bakers, farm workers; Pre-Congregation canonization

From 1346 to 1353, a bubonic plague commonly referred to as “Black Death” ravaged Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It was the most deadly pandemic in human history, with conservative estimates of its deadly toll reaching higher than 25 million people. Almost half of the people in Europe died in this pandemic. During that plague, many Catholics prayed fervently. Out of that chaos, a new devotion to the “Fourteen Holy Helpers” emerged. Those holy helpers were fourteen saints who were believed to be powerful intercessors, especially to cure illness. Among those fourteen is today’s saint.

Very little is known about Saint Blaise. The earliest mention of his life was not written until about 200 years after his death, by the medical writer Aëtius Amidenus, who spoke of the intercessory power of Saint Blaise to help unlodge objects stuck in the throat. The slightly more detailed Acts of Saint Blaise was written about 400 years after his death. Whether or not the stories written of him are true, what is certain is that the faithful have devoutly sought his intercession for centuries, and that practice continues today in the form of the blessing of throats on his feast day.

Legend has it that Blaise was an excellent physician in his hometown of Sebaste, Armenia, modern-day Silvas, Turkey. As a youth, he studied many of the great philosophers. When the Bishop of Sebaste died, Blaise was chosen as the new bishop by the popular acclaim “of all the people.” He was said to be a man of great faith and virtue, caring for his people in both body and soul. Many came to him for physical healing as a physician but also received many miracles. Many others came to him for spiritual healing, which was imparted by his deep faith. According to that same legend, even animals would listen to him and obey his commands, and he would heal them of ailments.

In the year 313, the co-ruling Roman Emperors, Constantine I and Licinius, jointly issued the Edict of Milan which established religious toleration throughout the Roman Empire. However, the Acts of Saint Blaise states that in 316, the Governor of Cappadocia, acting on an order by Licinius, began to arrest and kill Christians. Bishop Blaise is reported to have been among those arrested.

While on Blaise’s way to jail, the legend continues that a boy was choking on a fishbone, and the boy’s mother sent her son to Blaise for his prayers. Bishop Blaise miraculously cured him on the spot. Another story relates that on that journey to jail, a woman begged him to save her pig who had been seized by a wolf. Bishop Blaise ordered the wolf to release the pig and the wolf obeyed. Out of gratitude, the woman brought Blaise two wax candles to give light to his prison cell.

Despite these miracles, the governor insisted that Bishop Blaise renounce his Christian faith, which Blaise refused to do. Therefore, at the governor’s order, Blaise was ripped apart by metal combs used to comb wool and then beheaded.

Today, Saint Blaise is the patron saint of wool combers because of the legend of his torture and death by the metal combs. He is patron saint of animals because of his alleged authority over them. He is the patron saint of diseases of the throat and other illnesses because of the story that he healed the boy with a fishbone stuck in his throat, was a physician, and miraculously healed many others of their ailments. Two wax candles are used to bless throats today because of the legend of the candles brought to him in jail by the grateful woman.

As we reflect upon these stories that have been passed down through the years, perhaps the most important story to reflect upon is the story of faith that so many people have had for many centuries in the intercession of Saint Blaise. From the people who might have sought his prayers at the time of his ministry, to those who sought his intercession during the Black Death centuries ago, to the priestly blessings today at Mass using candles to bless throats, God has used Saint Blaise in ways that he could have never foretold. This should reassure us that God wants us to turn to the intercession of the saints in our time of need. Though God is fully capable of directly answering our prayers, He often chooses to use the mediation of others to impart His grace. Reflect upon your own devotion to Saint Blaise and all the saints. Seek out your special patron. Entrust your prayers to him or her and know that when you do, your patron offers you and your needs to God.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-3-saint-blase-bishop-and-martyr/

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Presentation of the Lord

Daily Saints

Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews who obeyed the Law of Moses. Jewish Law prescribed that two ritual acts needed to take place for a firstborn son. First, the mother of a newborn son was ritually unclean for seven days, and then she was to “spend thirty-three more days in a state of blood purity” (Leviticus 12:2–8). During these forty days she was not to “touch anything sacred nor enter the sanctuary till the days of her purification are fulfilled.” For this reason, today’s feast has at times been called the “Purification of Mary.” Second, the father of the firstborn son was to “redeem” the child by making an offering to the priest of five shekels so that the priest would then present the child to the Lord (see Numbers 18:16). Recall that the firstborn male of all the Egyptians, animals and children, was killed during the tenth plague, but the firstborn males of the Israelites were spared. Thus, this offering made for the firstborn son in the Temple was a way of ritually redeeming him in commemoration of protection during that plague. Since Jesus was presented in the Temple for this redemption, today’s feast is now referred to as the “Presentation in the Temple.”

“Candlemass” is also a traditional name given to today’s feast because as early as the fifth century, the custom of celebrating this feast with lighted candles had developed. The lit candles symbolized Simeon’s prophecy that Jesus would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” Lastly, this Feast has been referred to as the “Feast of the Holy Encounter” because God, in the Person of Jesus, encountered Simeon and Anna in the Temple.

Today’s feast is celebrated in our Church forty days after Christmas, marking the day that Mary and Joseph would have brought Jesus into the Temple. Though Mary was pure and free from sin from the moment of her conception, and though the Son of God did not need to be redeemed, Mary and Joseph fulfilled these ritual obligations.

At the heart of this celebration is the encounter of Simeon and Anna with the Christ Child in the Temple. It is in that holy encounter that Jesus’ divinity is manifested by a human prophet for the first time. At His birth, the angels proclaimed His divinity to the shepherds, but in the Temple, Simeon was the first to understand and proclaim Jesus as the Savior of the World. He also prophesied that this salvation would be accomplished by a sword of sorrow that would pierce the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Anna, a prophetess, also came forward and “gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38). Thus, these ritual acts were also a moment in which Jesus’ divine mission was made manifest to the world.

As we celebrate Mary’s ritual purification and Jesus’ ritual redemption, we should see them as acts in which we are called to participate. First, each of us is unworthy of entering the true Temple of the Lord in Heaven. Yet we are invited to enter that Temple in union with Mary, our Blessed Mother. It was her consent to the will of God that opened the door of God’s grace to us all, enabling us to spiritually become Jesus’ “mother” by allowing Him to be born in our hearts by grace. With her, we are now able to appear before God, purified and holy in His sight.

We must also see Saint Joseph redeeming us as he presented Jesus in the Temple. In offering Christ Jesus to the priest to offer Him to the Father, Saint Joseph also presents all who strive to live in union with Jesus. The hope is that, like Simeon and Anna, others will see God alive within us and experience the Savior of the World through us.

Ponder, today, your soul being the new temple of the Lord, and acknowledge your need to be purified and offered to the Father in Heaven. As Christ continues to enter into the temple of your soul, pray that He will shine forth for others to see so that, like Simeon and Anna, they will encounter our Lord within you.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-2-presentation-of-the-lord-feast/

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Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor

Daily Saints

1567–1622; Patron Saint of authors, journalists, writers, deaf persons, educators; Canonized April 8, 1665, by Pope Alexander VII; Declared a Doctor of the Church in 1877 by Pope Pius IX

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Reflection:

The Beatitudes call us to the heights of morality and holiness. Those who live according to these divine precepts are blessed beyond measure. The promises to those who live this high calling are great: They become children of God and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Furthermore, they receive comfort, satisfaction, mercy, purity, and peace. Though the rewards are great, so are the requirements: spiritual poverty, holy sorrow, meekness, longing for righteousness, a merciful heart, purity, peacemaking, and patient endurance during persecution.

The Beatitudes reveal the culmination of God’s moral teaching and the highest revelation of the Christian life. To fully appreciate their significance, it is helpful to understand the history of moral revelation. Doing so is more than a history lesson on God’s deepening revelation, it also reveals the path for our spiritual journey toward perfection.

Morality begins with the Natural Law—the innate understanding of right and wrong written on the human heart. This Law is from God and is often described as living in accord with right reason or common sense. All people have access to this moral law within their own consciences, enabling them to recognize God as the Creator, honor Him, respect human dignity and the common good, and refrain from acts such as murder, theft, and deception. Though universally present in all people, sin and our fallen human nature cloud our ability to clearly see and follow that law.

In the Old Testament, God slowly revealed Himself and called His people to greater holiness and moral living by adding to the Natural Law through revelation. From Abraham and his descendants, God raised up Moses through whom He revealed the Ten Commandments—a concise moral code rooted in Natural Law but explicitly revealed by God that called His chosen people to right worship, justice, and love for one’s neighbor.

Through the prophets—such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel—God called Israel to move beyond mere external observance of the law to an interior conversion of heart. Isaiah emphasized the virtues of justice and mercy, Jeremiah prophesied a new covenant in which God’s law would be written on the hearts of His people, and Ezekiel promised that God would give His people a new heart and a new spirit, enabling them to follow His statutes.

The wisdom literature—Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, Sirach—deepened the understanding of moral life by revealing moral gifts, such as the Fear of the Lord, the blessedness of righteousness, and the call to trust in God’s providence and live a virtuous life.

The Beatitudes elevate all laws of the Old Covenant. Jesus not only calls us to profound holiness, He also provides the means to achieve it through His Sacrifice, transmitted through the grace of the Sacraments. To live the Beatitudes is to live in imitation of Christ, who perfectly embodied all virtues in His life, Passion, and Resurrection. Hence, the Beatitudes are not only a moral code we must follow, they are a participation in and union with the Son of God, Who lived the Beatitudes to perfection.

Saint Francis de Sales was born fifty years after an Augustinian priest named Father Martin Luther ignited the Protestant Reformation, and just twenty-five years after John Calvin’s anti-Catholic teachings spread to Geneva, Switzerland. Francis was born into a noble family in the Duchy of Savoy, modern-day France, not far from Geneva. Because of his noble family heritage and his father’s influence, Francis was given an excellent education, eventually earning doctorates in civil law and theology. His father had selected a noblewoman for Francis to marry. He also had planned for his gifted son to enter into politics, but Francis was led in a different direction.

In 1586, at the age of nineteen, Francis attended a Calvinist lecture on predestination, which led him to believe he was destined for hell. This greatly affected him, and he struggled with the idea for months. Eventually, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother and the Memorare prayer, Francis was freed from this error and turned his focus to the pure love of God. After experiencing firsthand the effects that erroneous theology can have on a person, Francis devoted himself to a life of celibacy and began pursuing his God-given desire to be a priest. Though reluctant at first, his father eventually agreed to his son’s ordination and then helped to have him appointed to an important position in the Diocese of Geneva.

Because Geneva was under the control of the Calvinists, Father de Sales preached and resided in a cathedral some twenty miles south of Geneva. As a newly ordained priest, he began to make a name for himself. His sermons were preached with gentlemanlike qualities, showing great respect for those who disagreed with him. He never shied away from the theological truths under attack by the errors of the Reformation. He avoided controversy and criticism, focusing instead on virtues, prayer, holiness, and overcoming sin. Despite his kind nature and charitable approach, he was harshly treated by the many local anti-Catholics, some of whom even threatened his life.

In 1602, at the age of thirty-five, Father de Sales was ordained Bishop of Geneva, and his evangelical fervor moved ahead at full throttle. His intention was to win back the citizens of Geneva to the Catholic Church. So many had left, following the teachings of Calvin. For the first couple of years, Bishop de Sales was ineffective in winning over many converts. But little by little, one soul at a time, he began to have success. His success especially came in the form of placing written explanations of the faith under people’s doors, inviting them back to the Catholic Church. His preaching was clear, respectful, truthful, and charitable. His motto was “He who preaches with love, preaches effectively.”

Bishop de Sales was a very practical man, especially when it came to his theology. He believed that holiness was not reserved for those in the monastery or convent. He believed that everyone, in every state in life, within every occupation, was called to a life of sanctity. This conviction is most clearly seen in his most famous published book, Introduction to the Devout Life. This book was a compilation of letters he had sent to his spiritual directees over the years, which began by giving clear and practical advice on the importance of being purged of sin and of attachment to sinful habits. It then taught how to grow in the virtues, especially humility; navigate temptations; and overcome anxiety and sadness. It also provided exercises on how to renew one’s life of devotion, which was nothing other than loving and pleasing God with one’s life. This book, along with other writings, won many to the faith. In 1610, he assisted one of his spiritual directees, the future Saint Jane de Chantal, to establish the women’s Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary. His inspiring letters to her became a source of spiritual formation for the women of her newly founded order.

After turning down advancements within the Church, Bishop de Sales chose instead to devote his time and energy to the salvation of souls within his local diocese. It is said that Bishop de Sales won back as many as 40,000 Catholics who had become Calvinists. After nine years as a priest and twenty years as a bishop, Bishop de Sales suffered a stroke and died soon after. It is believed that one of the last things he wrote were the words “Humility, humility, humility,” his dying exhortation to his flock.

As we honor this holy bishop, try to imagine what it would have been like had he been your shepherd. He would have taken your call to holiness seriously. He would have exhorted you to overcome sin by fully confessing your sins in the Sacrament, and to then grow in virtue, especially humility. He would have helped you to learn and believe every truth revealed by God through His Catholic Church, and to seek every practical way imaginable by daily prayer and meditation to become a saint. He would have regularly reminded you that holiness is not reserved for the monk alone. You, within the context of your state in life, are also called. Respond as one of his flock and resolutely determine to follow the path God has in store for you, seeking to love Him and glorify Him with your life.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/january-24-saint-francis-de-sales-bishop-and-doctor/

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Saint John Bosco, Priest

Daily Saints

1815–1888; Patron Saint of apprentices, boys, editors, laborers, magicians, students; Canonized by Pope Pius XI on April 1, 1934

The youngest of three sons, John Bosco was born into a poor family in northwest Italy in the rural hamlet of Becchi. His father, a farmhand for a neighboring family, died when John was only two. His mother continued to raise her sons with much love and affection.

Until the age of twelve, John spent most of his time trying to support the family by working as a shepherd and farmhand like his father. His family’s poverty made it difficult for him to obtain a good education. His learning came from his lived experience, homelife, and the sermons at church that he listened to attentively.

At the age of nine, John had the first of many dreams that would greatly influence him. In his dream, he came across a group of rough boys who were talking and cursing. John became angry with them and raised his fists to threaten them for their cursing. Suddenly, a man appeared in his dream who was radiant like the sun. The man said to John, “Conquer the hearts of these, your friends, not with violence but with charity. Begin at once. Teach them the evil of vice and the excellence of virtue.” When John asked the man who he was, the man replied, “I am the Son of the lady I will send to be your teacher.” With that, the Blessed Mother appeared in the dream and began to teach John about his future mission of caring for boys with kindness.

John began his “ministry” when he was only ten. He would attend the shows of entertainers who performed juggling, magic tricks, and acrobatics. John studied their shows and then attempted to imitate them for other boys, always including prayers within the show and lessons he learned from Sunday sermons.

As was typical with many boys, John and his brother were always fighting with each other. This was one of the reasons that John decided to leave home at age twelve to look for work. A few years later, John caught the attention of a newly ordained priest and future saint, Father Joseph Cafasso, who saw his intellectual gifts and assisted him with his education. By the time John was twenty, Father Cafasso, with the help of some money from John’s mother, helped him enroll in the seminary. After six years of study, at the age of twenty-six, John was ordained a priest.

After ordination, Father John joined his mentor, Father Cafasso, in Turin to continue his studies at the Institute of Saint Francis where Father Cafasso was in charge. The two also engaged in ministry to the poor and imprisoned, cared for girls at a boarding school, and assisted in country parishes. It was in the prisons that Father John became aware of the number of boys who needed help. Of this experience, he later wrote in his Memoirs, “I saw large numbers of young lads aged from 12 to 18, fine healthy youngsters, alert of mind, but seeing them idle there, infested with lice, lacking food for body and soul, horrified me. Public disgrace, family dishonor, and personal shame were personified in those unfortunates.” He thought to himself, “Who knows?…if these youngsters had a friend outside who would take care of them, help them, teach them religion…they could be steered away from ruin…” Many of them were repeat offenders, and Father John’s heart was drawn to help them. His dream from when he was nine years old began to come to fruition as he sought to teach them, encourage them, listen to them, and befriend them as a mentor and spiritual father.

Father John’s plan was to found an oratory to provide structure and purpose for these boys. He helped them get jobs by teaching trades. At the same time, he provided them with food and shelter, taught them catechism, and gave them moral guidance and hope. Within ten years, Father John was assisting as many as 800 boys in need.

Less than a decade later, in 1861, some of the boys Father John mentored wanted to follow in his footsteps and assist other boys. Therefore, Father John founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales with a priest, seminarians, and a high school boy. The Salesian Order was formally approved by the Vatican in 1869. In 1871 Father John expanded his mission by founding a Salesian religious order of women called the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians to care for girls. Finally, in 1874 he founded the Salesian Cooperators, a lay organization that worked with the male and female Salesian Orders.

Saint John Bosco saw a need as he encountered troubled, imprisoned, poor, orphaned, but good-hearted young boys. He followed his inspiration not to be harsh with them, but to offer them loving discipline, friendship, education, skills to support themselves, and a family within his oratory. This loving concern for these young boys overflowed into the hearts of many others, and God used this saintly man to save the souls of many by raising up an army of workers to care for them.

Ponder those in your life who are troubled, abandoned, disgraced, or struggling in other ways. Strive to imitate Saint John Bosco by seeing the good in them and helping to draw that goodness out so that they will find hope in the midst of their struggles with despair.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/january-31-saint-john-bosco-priest/

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Saint Marianne Cope, Virgin

Daily Saints

1838–1918; Patron Saint of lepers, outcasts, those with HIV/AIDS, Hawaii; Canonized October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI

Born in Germany, Barbara Koob was brought to the United States by her parents before the age of one. The immigrant family settled in Utica, New York, and joined Saint Joseph Parish where Barbara later attended grade school. After grade school, Barbara began working in a textile factory to support the family after her father became too ill to work. Despite her longing to enter religious life, Barbara continued to financially support her family for the next nine years.

In 1862, at the age of twenty-four, Barbara finally realized her desire for religious life by entering the Sisters of Saint Francis in Syracuse, New York. Upon receiving the religious habit, she took the name Sister Marianne. For the next twenty-one years, she served as a teacher, principal, mother superior, provincial superior, hospital founder, and administrator. She was a trailblazer who specialized in caring for the outcasts of society with love and affection. Although this caused some to look down on her, Barbara’s care for society’s outcasts also won her much love and admiration from the German-speaking Catholics of central New York.

In 1883, now the Mother Provincial of her order, Mother Marianne’s life would change forever. She received a request from the government in Hawaii asking her to send sisters to care for those suffering from the dreaded disease of leprosy. With joy and enthusiasm that would have delighted Saint Francis, her order’s founder, she responded “Yes!” “I am hungry for the work…” Her heart was flooded with desire as she saw the great privilege of leaving home and family to care for these poor souls who suffered so greatly. At that time, more than fifty religious orders had already turned down the same request out of fear of their members contracting the disease. Mother Marianne responded in haste, going herself with six of her sisters. Though she did not realize it at the time, she would never return to New York. Instead, she spent the next thirty-five years exercising the great privilege of caring for the bodies, minds, and souls of God’s precious outcasts with Hansen’s Disease (leprosy).

Upon arriving in Hawaii, Mother Marianne and her sisters went right to work, cooperating with the Church and the government to better the lives of these poor ones of God. Mother Marianne and her sisters helped those with leprosy, despite their fatal condition, to live dignified lives—teaching them, having fun with them, praying with them, and caring for their physical needs. Mother Marianne’s administrative skills were of great use when she was called upon to open new homes, establish a residence and school for the children of those with leprosy, correct government abuses of her poor ones, and consolidate facilities as needed.

In 1884, Mother Marianne met the future Saint Damien de Veuster who devoted his life to the care of those with leprosy on the isolated island of Molokai. Two years after their meeting, Father Damien contracted leprosy himself. In 1888, Mother Marianne went to Molokai to care for him during his last year of life, since he was now an outcast too. She pledged to continue his good work, and with his passing, took over the home for boys he had established.

For twenty-seven more years after Father Damien’s death, Mother Marianne cared for the outcasts and their families. She often said to her sisters that it was their duty and privilege “to make life as pleasant and as comfortable as possible for those of our fellow creatures whom God has chosen to afflict with this terrible disease…” Mother Marianne died of natural causes at the age of eighty, never contracting the disease herself.

Two days after her death, one Honolulu newspaper wrote, “Throughout the Islands, the memory of Mother Marianne is revered, particularly among the Hawaiians in whose cause she has shown such martyr-like devotion…she was a woman of splendid accomplishments, and had fine executive ability. She impressed everyone as a real ‘mother’ to those who stood so sorely in need of ‘mothering.’”

As we honor Saint Marianne Cope, consider the quality of your affection and sincere concern toward society’s “outcasts.” The alcoholic, addict, criminal, impoverished, foreigner, and sinner are all images of Jesus waiting for your love. Allow this holy woman to inspire you to always see it as a privilege to love those most in need.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/january-23-saint-marianne-cope-virgin-usa-optional-memorial/

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Saint Sebastian, Martyr

Daily Saints

c. 255–c. 288; Patron Saint of archers, pinmakers, athletes, against epidemics, and of a holy death; Pre-Congregation canonization

The glorious crown of martyrdom was placed on the head of Saint Sebastian not once but twice. He was born at Narbonne, Gaul (modern-day France), but was raised in Milan, Italy. During his childhood, the persecution of Christians was temporarily on hold, only to resume when Sebastian reached adolescence. Sebastian was a strong Christian who desired to assist those being persecuted for the faith. This holy desire led Sebastian to join the Roman army under the Emperor Carinus in 283, where he kept his Christian faith secret so he could have access to jailed Christians. In 284, Diocletian became Emperor and made Sebastian one of his bodyguards and intelligence officers, not knowing that Sebastian was a Christian. Shortly after this promotion, Sebastian discovered that Marcus and Marcellianus, brothers imprisoned for their faith, were being pressured by their pagan family and friends to save their lives by denying Christ. Their very own pagan parents pleaded, teary-eyed, with their twin sons to deny Christ.

Sebastian knew it was risky, but he openly revealed to all at the jail that he was a Christian. He exhorted the imprisoned brothers to stay strong in the faith, even if it meant their deaths. Sebastian preached so persuasively that eventually the brothers’ parents, the jailer, sixteen other prisoners, and more than sixty other family and friends were converted and baptized. Two of these received miraculous healings at the same time. When the ailing governor of Rome, Chromatius, heard about these healings, he sent for Sebastian. Sebastian then healed the governor himself and subsequently instructed him in the faith. After Chromatius and his son were baptized by the priest Polycarp, a future saint and martyr, Chromatius left his governorship and assisted in the conversion of many others to the Christian faith.

Sebastian and Polycarp decided that one of them should go with Chromatius and many of the new converts to the countryside for safety while the other would stay in Rome to help the persecuted Christians. After consulting the pope, it was decided that Sebastian would remain in Rome to be the “Defender of the Church,” since he enjoyed the favor of the emperor. During the following two years, despite his high status and access to the emperor, several of Sebastian’s converts were nonetheless martyred, including the twin brothers Marcus and Marcellianus.

In the year 286, the Emperor Diocletian found out that Sebastian was a Christian. Feeling betrayed, he ordered Sebastian’s death. The execution was to be public and brutal in an attempt to intimidate other Christians. Sebastian was bound, arrested, tied to a post, and blindfolded. The archers stretched their bows and were ordered to fill him with as many arrows “as an urchin is full of pricks” (The Golden Legend Vol. II). After penetrating his torso and limbs with arrows, they untied him and left his pierced body for dead. But Sebastian did not die! Instead, a holy woman named Irene came to bury his body and found him still alive! She was the wife of Saint Castulus, an officer in the Diocletian’s household, who had been martyred earlier that year. Irene carefully removed Sebastian’s arrows, took him to her home and nursed him back to health. Saint Irene would herself die a martyr just two years later.

After he had regained his health, many urged Sebastian to flee for his life. Instead, Sebastian presented himself before the emperor and firmly accosted him for his cruelty toward Christians. A nineteenth-century biographer placed these words on Sebastian’s lips as he confronted the most powerful man in the world: “Hearken to me O Prince! The priests of your temples deceive you by their wicked falsehoods against the Christians. They tell you, that we are enemies of the Empire; yet it is by our prayer that the Empire is made to prosper. Cease your unjust persecutions against us, and remember the day of reckoning is near at hand when you, too, shall be judged by an all-knowing Judge. (The Acts of the Early Martyrs, Fastré S.J.) The emperor, angered by Sebastian’s words and shocked that Sebastian was still alive, ordered again that he be executed. This time, Sebastian was beaten to death with clubs and thrown into a sewer.

After Sebastian’s death, he appeared in a vision to a holy woman named Lucina and asked her to remove his remains from the sewer and bury him in the catacombs of Callixtus. She did so that night. A basilica was later built there in his memory. This church and cemetery remain an important pilgrimage site today. In the centuries that followed his martyrdom, Saint Sebastian became well known for his intercessory power, especially in fighting off the bubonic plague in the fourteenth century. More recently, he has also been honored as the patron saint of athletes because of his dogged perseverance.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/january-20-saint-sebastian-martyr/

Saint Sebastian, Martyr Read More »

Saint Giles Mary-of-Saint-Joseph

Saints Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

Martyred February 5, 1597; Patron Saints of Japan; Canonized by Pope Pius IX on June 8, 1862

Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

c. 231–c. 251; Patron Saint of breast cancer patients, martyrs, rape victims, bellfounders, and bakers; Invoked against earthquakes, natural disasters, and fires; Pre-Congregation canonization, later confirmed by Pope Saint Gregory the Great, 7th century

Saint Ansgar, Bishop

801–865; Patron Saint of Scandinavia, Denmark, Sweden, and various locations in Germany; Declared a saint by Pope Nicolas I c. 865

Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr

Died c. 316; Patron Saint of illnesses of the throat and other illnesses, wool workers, animals, bricklayers, bakers, farm workers; Pre-Congregation canonization

Presentation of the Lord

Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor

1567–1622; Patron Saint of authors, journalists, writers, deaf persons, educators; Canonized April 8, 1665, by Pope Alexander VII; Declared a Doctor of the Church in 1877 by Pope Pius IX

Saint John Bosco, Priest

1815–1888; Patron Saint of apprentices, boys, editors, laborers, magicians, students; Canonized by Pope Pius XI on April 1, 1934

Saint Marianne Cope, Virgin

1838–1918; Patron Saint of lepers, outcasts, those with HIV/AIDS, Hawaii; Canonized October 21, 2012, by Pope Benedict XVI

Saint Sebastian, Martyr

c. 255–c. 288; Patron Saint of archers, pinmakers, athletes, against epidemics, and of a holy death; Pre-Congregation canonization

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