Daily Saints

Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Daily Saints

Toward the end of the fourteenth century, the Church suffered from an internal conflict known as the Western Schism. In 1378, two men claimed to be the pope. Pope Urban VI resided in Rome, and the anti-pope Clement VII resided in Avignon, France. This division raged on until 1417 when the Council in Constance resolved the issue once and for all. Pope Urban VI instituted today’s feast, the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in 1389 as a way of asking the universal Church to pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary for unity and peace.

Though the immediate reason for the institution of this feast was internal Church conflict, its inspiration is the glorious story that Saint Luke recounts in the first chapter of his Gospel. After the Annunciation, God became man. Divinity united to humanity within the womb of the Blessed Mother. Most likely, Mary traveled to be with Elizabeth, her cousin, within a month of conceiving the Savior of the World. Thus, she traveled as a tabernacle of the Most High. Note that Luke tells us that she traveled “in haste.” On a spiritual level, we can see within this line a twofold action. First, though the Savior was but a tiny child within Mary’s womb, He was also God. He had divine knowledge. Thus, within His divinity, God the Son desired that His virginal mother not only go to Elizabeth to assist her in her pregnancy, but that she also go to her because the Son of God desired to sanctify John the Baptist within his mother’s womb. The first thing we see, therefore, in this journey “in haste” is the revelation of the Son of God’s desire to pour forth His sanctifying grace upon His precursor, John, within the womb. It was Jesus, within the womb, Who inspired His mother to make the journey so as to fulfill His divine will.

The “haste” also affected our Blessed Mother. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and carried the Eternal God within her womb. Therefore, her motherly heart would have sensed the longing of the will of her Divine Son within her womb to bestow His first gift of sanctifying grace upon John. As a result, she was compelled to travel quickly to Elizabeth so that her Son could fulfill His will.

When Mary reached Elizabeth, Elizabeth cried out, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” She went on to call Mary “the mother of my Lord” and to reveal that at the moment Mary greeted her, something amazing and spiritual took place within the child in her womb. John leapt for joy. Spiritual joy is a reaction to grace, and John encountered grace in that moment. Saint Thomas Aquinas holds the position that John the Baptist was delivered from Original Sin at that moment. In fact, he goes so far as to speculate that divine grace may have accelerated his use of human reason within the womb: “Perhaps also in this child the use of reason and will was so far accelerated that while yet in his mother’s womb he was able to acknowledge, believe, and consent, whereas in other children we have to wait for these things till they grow older: this again I count as a miraculous result of the divine power” (Summa Theologica 3.27.6).

In addition to the Visitation being a revelation to us about Saint John the Baptist and the Son of God’s desire to sanctify him in the womb, it also reveals much to us about the Blessed Mother. Immediately after her exchange with Elizabeth, Mary sings her Magnificat, in which she not only glorifies God for His greatness and perfect plan, but she also reveals the beauty of her own soul. The Blessed Mother speaks of her “lowliness” (humility) and the fact that “all ages” will call her blessed. She reveals that God has done “great things” for her because she had the gift of holy fear of the Lord. She goes on to reveal that in her lowly state, God will exalt her, as He will exalt all who humble themselves before Him.

As we celebrate this glorious feast, ponder first the great need the Church has for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the Mediatrix of Grace, as Vatican II called her. She is the instrument through which grace entered the world in the Person of her Son. Just as Pope Urban VI saw a need to heal the Church through Mary’s intercession in the fourteenth century, so the Church is also in great need of healing today. Call upon her intercession for the Church as we honor her Visitation today.

Ponder, also, the expediency with which Mary traveled to Elizabeth to introduce her cousin and the child in her womb to the Savior. Too often, we take a lackadaisical approach to evangelization. We hesitate, remain uncertain and uncommitted, and lack zeal. Reflect upon the holy drive within Mary’s heart as she traveled to Elizabeth, and seek to imitate that same drive in your life. Allow the Holy Spirit to not only inspire you to share the love of Christ with others, but to also fill you with a sense of holy urgency. God’s Heart burns with a desire to be known, loved, and adored by His people. He wants to use you, as He did Mary, to become the instrument by which this happens in the hearts of those to whom God is sending you.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-31—visitation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/

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The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Daily Saints

Of the greatest and most valuable treasures one could obtain in this world, nothing is more precious, more sacred, and more valuable than the Most Holy Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, our Sovereign and Eucharistic Lord. Millions, billions, or even hundreds of trillions of dollars do not come close to the infinite value and transforming power of the Body and Blood of Christ. No amount of earthly wealth can buy happiness, but the Eucharist bestows it freely. No amount of money can purchase Heaven, but the Eucharist transforms you into a member of the Body of Christ Whom you consume, leading you to Heaven. At the end of our lives, when we stand before the Just Judge, we will realize the transforming power of this Gift. Those who adored Him and received Him faithfully in Communion will be forever grateful they did.

Human dignity demands that we show respect to one another, reverencing the presence of God in each person as a living tabernacle of the Lord. However, we do not bow down before God’s presence in others, nor do we kneel before them in adoration and worship. In this world, the only One Whom we worship and adore, in hidden yet physical form, is our Lord Who is fully present in the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not only a fraternal meal we share with one another, it’s a communion with God Himself that unites us with Him. It is that union with God that also unites us with every other person who is united to God through the sharing of the Most Holy Eucharist.

The Solemnity of Corpus Christi originated with a mystic named Saint Juliana of Cornillon. She was born near Liège, Belgium around the year 1191. At the age of five, she and her sister were orphaned and entrusted to the care of Augustinian nuns. Within that convent, Juliana grew in her faith, participated in Eucharistic adoration, and frequented Holy Communion. She eventually joined the Augustinians and became a nun herself.

At the age of sixteen, she had a mystical vision during Eucharistic adoration in which she saw the moon with a dark stripe. By divine intuition, she understood that the moon symbolized the Church’s life on earth, and the dark stripe symbolized the absence of a feast that was specifically dedicated to the Body and Blood of Christ. In the convent, she had the same vision several more times but kept it to herself for twenty years.

Around the age of thirty-six, she shared her vision with two friends, one a local hermit and the other a fellow nun. Together, these holy women grew deep in their love of Christ in the Eucharist, especially adoring His hidden presence and receiving Him frequently in Holy Communion. After sharing her vision with the bishop, he reluctantly approved a local annual feast in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, and some other bishops followed. However, as word spread about Juliana’s visions, her superior and some clergy opposed her. She had to leave the convent, taking refuge in various Cistercian monasteries for ten years.

In 1258, around the age of sixty-seven, Juliana was adoring Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament in her cell when she died and was taken into the unveiled presence of God in Heaven. Prior to her death, the local Archdeacon in Lièges, Jacques Pantaléon of Troyes, had become familiar with Juliana and believed that her visions were from God and that a universal feast of Corpus Christi was God’s will. In 1261, Archdeacon Jacques Pantaléon was elected pope and took the name Pope Urban IV.

In 1263, a Eucharistic miracle took place in Bolsena, Italy, about ten miles from where Pope Urban was residing in Orvieto in the Papal States, modern-day Italy. A German priest named Father Peter of Prague stopped at the church in Bolsena to offer Mass during a pilgrimage at the tomb of Saint Christina, a fourth-century martyr. By his own admission, he was struggling to believe in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. During the consecration, the host he was holding began to bleed and flow onto his hands and the linen corporal on the altar. He immediately went to Orvieto to reveal the miracle and his lack of faith to Pope Urban. Pope Urban absolved him and then sent a delegation to investigate the miracle. They brought the corporal back to the cathedral in Orvieto with great solemnity where it remains enshrined today.

In 1264, Pope Urban instituted the universal Solemnity of Corpus Christi and asked the renowned theologian Father Thomas Aquinas to compose the liturgical texts for the feast. Among the texts the future saint and doctor of the Church composed are the revered and frequently sung hymns, “Pange Lingua,” “Tantum Ergo,” “Panis Angelicus,” and “O Salutaris Hostia.” The Thursday after the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity was chosen for the annual feast in honor of the day that the Eucharist was instituted.

After the death of Pope Urban IV, the Solemnity of Corpus Christi was removed from the universal calendar for about fifty-three years until Pope John XXII added it back in 1317. Since that time, the solemnity has grown and become an important annual celebration that often includes Eucharistic processions, adoration, and Mass. In many locations where it is not a holy day of obligation, the solemnity is moved to the following Sunday so as to extend the celebration to the entire people of God. In 1869, Pope Pius IX canonized Saint Juliana of Lièges, adding even greater credence to her miraculous visions and solidifying the importance of this holy solemnity.

As we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, spend time pondering the profound mystery of the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. As we kneel before Him, we truly kneel before His throne in Heaven, despite the reality being veiled from our eyes. As we consume the Blessed Sacrament, we truly consume Christ Himself—Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity—and receive Him into our souls. Though we might not feel Him with our bodily senses, we must allow our spiritual sense of faith to grow so that our love for Him in this Most Precious Gift exponentially increases. Let’s conclude with the “Tantum Ergo,” which is taken from the last two verses of the beautiful hymn of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the “Pange Lingua:”

Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail; Lo! o’er ancient forms departing, newer rites of grace prevail; faith for all defects supplying, where the feeble senses fail. To the everlasting Father, and the Son who reigns on high, with the Holy Ghost proceeding forth from Each eternally, be salvation, honor, blessing, might and endless majesty. Amen. Alleluia.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/corpus-christi—body-and-blood-of-christ–solemnity/

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Saint Paul VI, Pope

Daily Saints

1897–1978; Patron Saint of Vatican Council II; Canonized by Pope Francis on October 14, 2018

Giovanni Battista Montini was born in northern Italy, about fifty miles east of Milan. He was the second of three boys. His father was an attorney who ran a Catholic newspaper in the Province of Brescia and a member of the Italian Catholic Action, a lay organization that advocated for a greater influence of the Catholic faith within society. His mother was from a wealthy noble family, but her parents’ death when she was young resulted in her spending much of her teenage years in a boarding school in Milan run by French nuns. As a child, Giovanni was called “Battista” by his family. He was educated by Jesuits, and enjoyed sports and playing cards. When he was twelve, Battista was diagnosed with a chronic heart flutter and suffered from intestinal difficulties. He often missed long periods of school, spending time at the family villa and receiving private tutoring.

Though he had long thought of becoming a journalist like his father, Battista entered the seminary at the age of eighteen and was ordained a priest four years later. Shortly after his priestly ordination, Father Montini was sent to Rome to study canon law. Though ill health continued to plague him, he obtained his doctorate in canon law, studied for the Vatican diplomatic corps, briefly served at the Apostolic Nunciature in Warsaw, Poland, and then returned to Rome. In Rome, he began his service as a diplomat in the papal household under Pope Pius XI and assisted at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Holy Office, and the Secretariat of State. When Pope Pius XII was elected in 1939, Monsignor Montini worked with him daily, eventually acting as the pope’s de facto personal secretary.

In 1939, World War II broke out and Monsignor Montini assisted the pope as he navigated through the chaos. As thousands of refugees fled to Rome, Monsignor Montini organized the Vatican’s efforts to care for them, giving them shelter and food, keeping them hidden, and supporting their mental and spiritual needs. In 1952, Monsignor Montini was appointed Pro-Secretary of State for General Affairs and in 1954, was ordained the Archbishop of Milan and the Secretary of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. In Milan, Archbishop Montini’s organizational skills flourished. He built many new churches, organized diocesan-wide catechesis, and sought new and innovative ways to share the Word of God. In an attempt to confront the rise of Marxisit ideology, he showed great interest in upholding the dignity of the worker with his support of unions and immigrants. His ministry went beyond Catholics, seeking ways to reach out to other Christians, Jews, Muslims, and those without any faith.

When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, many people thought that Archbishop Montini would be a good successor. However, he was not a cardinal. It came to light later that Pope Pius XII had offered to make him a cardinal on at least two occasions, but Monsignor Montini had turned the office down. Therefore, when the college of cardinals entered the conclave to vote, they chose Cardinal Roncalli, the Patriarch of Venice, who took the name Pope John XXIII. Pope John was no stranger to Archbishop Montini and had a great fondness for him. Within a year of his papal election, the pope raised Archbishop Montini to the cardinalate and appointed him to various Vatican posts, in addition to being Archbishop of Milan. With those responsibilities, Cardinal Montini frequented the Vatican, continuing his service as a trusted papal advisor.

From 1958–1960, Cardinal Montini took a special interest in the Universal Church, making visits to several African countries, South America, the United States, and all parts of Europe. In 1961, Pope John XXIII appointed Cardinal Montini to a special commission meant to prepare for Vatican II. The pope had announced his intention to hold an ecumenical council just two years prior, much to the surprise of Cardinal Montini. Though uncertain of the wisdom of such a move, the cardinal was a loyal churchman and assisted in every way he could.

On October 11, 1962, Pope John XXIII formally opened the Second Vatican Council. In less than a year, however, the pope would die of stomach cancer. The pope’s vision for the council was to bring the ancient faith of the Church into closer connection to the modern world. He foresaw a new Pentecost, or a new springtime for the Church. The Holy Father also wanted to reach beyond the Catholic Church to seek greater union with people of all faiths and those with no faith at all. Though the central mission of the Church was to preach the saving message of Jesus Christ, he also saw the Church as a necessary institution sent by God to assist all peoples with the emerging issues of the day, such as modernization, communism, economic progress, war, and poverty. The Church needed to be an active force within every human and societal structure.

After the death of Pope John XXIII, Cardinal Montini was elected pope on June 21, 1963. His lifelong service to the Church prepared him well  for the task. As pope, he re-opened and presided over the remaining sessions of the Second Vatican Council and oversaw the implementation of its schema. He also implemented new liturgical rites for the sacraments and a new liturgical calendar. Pope Paul VI was the first traveling pope, making apostolic journeys to seventeen different countries. In the Holy Land, he met with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Athenagora of Constantinople; the two mutually lifted the excommunications imposed upon the leaders of each Church since 1054. During the rest of his journeys he exhorted churches and nations to address world peace, social justice, poverty, illiteracy, ecumenism, and world unity.

Perhaps the most difficult decision Pope Paul VI made was the promulgation of the encyclical Humanae Vitae, in which he reiterated the long-standing Church teaching on contraception. Though many bishops and theologians recommended the moral acceptance of contraception, the pope prayerfully followed his conscience, which resulted in outrage among some, especially in the Western World. He stood firm and suffered quietly through it all. His encyclical included various prophecies about what would result from the liberal use of contraception: infidelity, moral decline, diminished respect for women, governmental abuse of power, and an erroneous belief that humans have an unlimited dominion over their own bodies. Those prophecies have all come true.

Pope Saint Paul VI was one of the first popes to face the many challenges and blessings that have come from modernization. He sought to keep the ancient faith of the Church ever ancient while also making it ever new and relevant to a world in need. He sought unity among Christians, peace among nations, and respect for the dignity of all. As we honor this recent saint, ponder the effects that he has directly had upon your life. His prayerful decisions, especially regarding the way we celebrate the liturgy, have led many to engage the sacraments in a more active way, participating more fully in the sacred offering of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ to the Father in Heaven. Nothing in life is more important than that.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/saint-paul-vi/

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Saint Gregory VII, Pope, Religious

Daily Saints

c. 1020–1085; Invoked against corruption within the Church; Canonized by Pope Benedict XIII on May 24, 1728

In the eleventh century, civil interference within the Church caused many problems. Simony, the unfortunate practice of buying and selling positions of power within the Church, was rampant. Emperors and other nobility claimed the right to appoint bishops, including the pope, usurping the pope’s universal authority. This abuse is referred to as lay investiture. Additionally, many clerics failed to keep the vow of celibacy, due to the fact that many of them were political appointees rather than men responding to the will of God in faith. It was principally these abuses that today’s saint sought to reform.

Pope Saint Gregory VII was born as Hildebrand in the town of Sovana in modern-day Tuscany, central Italy. At a young age, Hildebrand was sent to Rome to study at Saint Mary’s Monastery on the Aventine Hill, where his uncle was abbot. In 1032, when Hildebrand was about twelve years old, a young man named Theophylactus of Tusculum became pope through a bribe by his father. Theophylactus, who was only twenty years old, took the name Pope Benedict IX. Pope Benedict was immoral and corrupt. In 1044, the faithful ran him out of Rome, and Pope Sylvester III was elected. Benedict IX returned just a year later and retook the papacy by force. Benedict’s second reign lasted less than two months—until he wanted to marry his cousin. His uncle, a holy priest named Gratian, encouraged him to resign and even paid him money to do so. As a result, Gratian was elected pope, taking the name Gregory VI. After being pope for less than two years, Gregory VI was deposed by the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry III, based on accusations that he bought the papacy from his nephew, even though he paid his nephew to leave the papacy to protect the Church.

During much of this turmoil, Hildebrand had lived a monk’s life in a Benedictine abbey of Cluny, France. After Pope Gregory VI’s resignation, the confusion around the papacy continued. In 1049, Bishop Bruno of Toul, France, was chosen pope with the support of the Holy Roman Emperor. However, this saintly bishop refused to accept the papacy until his election was properly confirmed in Rome, by the clergy and people. Bishop Bruno brought Hildebrand with him to Rome, received Roman consent, and became Pope (later, Saint) Leo IX. Pope Leo ordained Hildebrand as a deacon and named him papal administrator and papal legate to Tours, France, and then to Germany. Deacon Hildebrand continued to serve in the papal household during the pontificates of Pope Saint Leo IX, Victor II, Stephen IX, Nicholas II, and Alexander II. He was eventually made Archdeacon of Rome and was considered one of the most influential persons within the Church, second only to the popes he served.

Archdeacon Hildebrand was especially committed to reform of the Church, making him both loved and hated. Hildebrand worked tirelessly to enforce priestly celibacy, establish peace between the Holy Roman Empire and the Byzantines, root out simony, and establish Church law that gave the authority to pick the pope exclusively to the College of Cardinals—not to the civil rulers or nobility. In 1073, around the age of fifty-three, after working closely with five popes, Archdeacon Hildebrand was elected pope himself, taking the name Gregory VII.

The Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV, was about twenty-two years old when Pope Gregory VII became pope. In 1075, the pope declared twenty-seven clear and concise declarations of papal authority, elevating the authority of the papacy above every civil ruler, including the emperor. This caused quite a conflict among the pope, the emperor, and other nobility. The emperor responded by spreading false rumors that the pope practiced necromancy, hired assassins, and destroyed the Eucharist. By 1076, the emperor and his supporters were calling for the pope’s resignation. Pope Gregory VII not only refused to resign, he went so far as to excommunicate the emperor, forbidding the faithful to obey him. Word spread like wildfire. Support for Henry IV quickly dwindled and the princes declared that if the emperor did not receive absolution from the pope, he would be deposed.

In humiliation, Henry IV walked penitentially south, across the Swiss Alps, in the middle of winter, to meet the pope and beg him for forgiveness and absolution. The snowy conditions were treacherous, but he arrived at a castle in Canossa on January 25, 1077 where the pope was waiting. For three days, Henry stood at the gate shoeless, freezing, humbled, and begging for mercy. Eventually, the pope invited him in, absolved him, and restored him to communion with the Church. The pope then celebrated Mass for him and gave him Holy Communion.

Though Henry humbled himself in appearance, firsthand testimony describes him as distracted and angry. While he was able to regain the support of most of the nobility and princes, he soon turned on the pope again and was excommunicated a second time. War broke out between the papal army and the emperor’s. Eventually, Pope Gregory VII had to flee Rome, and Henry’s army burned the city to the ground. One year later, the pope died in exile in Salerno in 1085. His final words were recorded as, “I have loved what is good and hated what is evil, therefore, I die in exile.”

Pope Saint Gregory VII was a courageous defender of the divine authority God entrusted to the Church and vigorously sought to reclaim that authority. Confronting the Holy Roman Emperor was no small task, but even his decrees of excommunication were meant to reform hearts and reestablish God’s will for the Church. As you ponder the Church today, know that the Church has always been, and most likely always will be, in some need of reform. Do not lose hope if you see a need for reform. Instead, seek to imitate the courage of Pope Saint Gregory VII by firmly resolving to do whatever God asks of you to be an instrument of the reform that is needed, beginning with your own soul.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-25—saint-gregory-vii-pope/

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Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop

Daily Saints

Early Sixth Century–604; Patron Saint of England Pre-Congregation canonization

Shortly after the death and resurrection of our Lord, the Roman Empire launched its conquest of Britain. As the Romans slowly accepted Christianity, the faith began to trickle into pagan Britain. Once the empire legalized Christianity in the fourth century, the faith put down deeper roots in the conquered territory. In fact, one of the Church’s greatest saints, Saint Patrick of Ireland, was born and raised in Roman-Britain. In 410, Rome was sacked, the Roman Empire began to fall, and Roman troops were withdrawn from Britain. Soon after, the Angles and Saxons conquered the Britons, dividing their lands into nine smaller Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, all of which practiced some form of Germanic paganism. By the end of the sixth century, the young Christian nation had become a pagan one. The remaining British Christians retreated into small communities in the southeast part of what is now England and slowly became isolated from the Roman Church.

Around the year 595, Pope Saint Gregory the Great was said to have been walking through a Roman market when he came upon some young boys being sold as slaves. Out of concern for them, he inquired where the boys were from. “Angles from the isle of England” he was told. “Ah, they are angels!” he exclaimed. Seeing these pagan boys being sold as slaves moved the pope to take action. He wanted them Christian, and he wanted all of Anglo-Saxon England to be Christian. But how?

The pope’s first plan was to buy as many of the boys as possible, send them to monasteries where they could learn the Catholic faith, and if some were found worthy, ordain them as priests and send them back to their homeland to share the faith. However, this was a long-term plan, and the pope began to receive reports that the English were ready to convert if they only had missionaries to teach them the faith. Thus, the pope moved to plan B.

Prior to becoming the pope, Gregory was a Benedictine monk and converted his family home into the Abbey of Saint Andrew. At the time he became pope, Father Augustine was the abbey’s prior. Turning to the monks, Pope Gregory asked them to become missionaries to Anglo-Saxon England. Father Augustine was put in charge of the mission, and thirty to forty other monks were chosen to travel with him. Nothing is known about Augustine before his mission to England, but he was most likely born and raised in Rome in a noble family. Though his date of birth is unknown, he would have been advanced in years when he set out on his mission.

The monks’ objective was to go to King Æthelberht of the Kingdom of Kent, southeast England. King Æthelberht’s wife was a Christian and the daughter of Frankish King Charibert I. Before giving his daughter to Æthelberht in marriage, Charibert obtained Æthelberht’s agreement to allow his daughter to freely practice her Christian faith.   Æthelberht’s wife brought a Catholic bishop to Kent with her to minister to her needs. This arrangement clearly softened King Æthelberht’s heart toward Christians.

Father Augustine and his entourage of monks set out from Rome, first stopping in the Frankish kingdom. They brought letters from the pope which enabled them to attain translators and supplies from the Frankish nobility. Some of the monks became fearful of continuing their journey because of stories they heard about the hostility of the Anglo-Saxons. As a result, Father Augustine returned to Rome to share the monks’ concerns with the pope. Pope Gregory listened to the concerns and reassured Father Augustine that God had willed their mission. The pope then named Father Augustine abbot of the monks, extending his authority over them, and sent him on his way. Encouraged by the pope, Abbot Augustine and the monks set out for the Kingdom of Kent. After the monks crossed the English Channel, King Æthelberht went out to meet them, welcoming them with open arms. He offered them a ruined church and gave them permission to convert as many people as they could. In less than a year, the king himself converted and was baptized. Elated with the news, Pope Gregory named Abbot Augustine as the first Archbishop of Canterbury. After receiving episcopal ordination in Arles, France, Bishop Augustine returned to Kent and enthusiastically continued his mission. On Christmas Day 597, Bishop Augustine baptized nearly 10,000 Anglo-Saxons.

For the next nine years, Bishop Augustine worked tirelessly to establish the Church among the Anglo-Saxons. With the help of the king, dioceses were created and many conversions followed. After wide-ranging consultations with the pope, Bishop Augustine carefully set forth his plan of evangelization. He also tried to reach out to the oppressed Britons who were still Christian but had retreated from formal union with the pope. These British Christians were unhappy that so much attention was given to the evangelization of their Anglo-Saxon conquerors, and Bishop Augustine had little success in gaining their support.

God performed many miracles through Bishop Augustine. When the pope heard about the many miracles, he wrote to Bishop Augustine, warning him not to allow those miracles to feed his pride. “I know, dearly beloved brother, that Almighty God, by means of you, shows forth great miracles…Therefore, you need to rejoice with fear, and fear with joy concerning that heavenly gift; for you will rejoice because the souls of the English are by outward miracles drawn to inward grace; but you will fear, lest, amidst the wonders that are wrought, the weak mind may be puffed up with self-esteem…” After ten years of ministry in England, Bishop Augustine knew his death was near. He prepared for his demise by choosing his successor and ordaining him a bishop. At the time of Augustine’s death, two other kings had received baptism, and after his death, the missionary activity continued. By the end of the seventh century, after a series of ups and downs, the kings of each of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England converted, and their people followed.

Saint Augustine of Caterbury could have never imagined that he would one day become the patron saint of England. He was a holy monk, living a life of stability and prayer. But God called and he responded. Through his generosity and courage, countless conversions took place. Ponder your own generosity toward God. Are you ready and willing to say “Yes” to anything and everything God asks of you? Say “Yes” to Him today, and allow God the freedom to use you as He wills.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-27—saint-augustine-austin-of-canterbury-bishop/

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Saint Philip Neri, Priest

Daily Saints

1515–1595; Patron Saint of Rome, joy, comedians, and artists; Canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622

Philip Romulus Neri, the third of five children, was born into a middle class family in Florence, modern-day Italy. As a child, his friends and family often called him, “Pippo Buono” (good little Philip), because of his cheerfulness and moral character. Philip’s mother died when he was only about five years old, so he and his two sisters were cared for by their grandmother. He was well educated by the Dominican friars in Florence and later in life acknowledged the good influence they had upon him. By the age of eleven, Philip was known for his piety and prayerfulness, and for making frequent visits to the churches in Florence. When he turned eighteen, Philip was sent to live with his father’s wealthy cousin, Romolo, whom he referred to as his uncle, near the Benedictine monastery of Montecassino. Romolo had no children, so Philip was sent to him to become his heir.

Shortly after moving in with his uncle, Philip had a profound conversion. This conversion might have taken place in a seaside chapel called the Sanctuary of the Holy Trinity. Legend holds that the huge cliff overshadowing the chapel was split in two when Jesus died, opening a sanctuary overlooking the sea. Philip’s conversion had already been in full motion when he left Florence to live with his uncle, but once he arrived at his uncle’s and faced the real possibility of inheriting enough to live a stable life in the world, Philip had to make a choice. Did he want a comfortable life as a businessman, or did he want to follow the Holy Spirit Who was tugging on his heart? He chose the latter.

In 1533, Philip thanked his uncle and informed him that the Holy Spirit wanted him to go to Rome. He arrived penniless but found housing in the attic of a customs official. He paid for his simple accommodations by being a tutor for the man’s two sons. In Rome, Philip frequented the holy sites, prayed at the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul and the other Roman martyrs, and waited for God to direct him. His food was simple, usually only bread and water once a day. He enrolled in university where he studied philosophy, theology, and human sciences. While studying theology at the University of Saint Augustine, Philip was interiorly moved as he gazed at a large crucifix. As a result, he quit his studies, sold his books, and dedicated himself to full-time prayer. For the next ten years, until the age of thirty-three, Philip lived an eremitical life, often praying in the catacombs of the martyrs, frequently making all-night vigils. He refrained from idle pastimes, dividing his time between prayer and charity. He visited hospitals, conversed about holy subjects with the poor, converted sinners, and injected humor and laughter wherever he went. This one-on-one ministry as a layman, coupled with his life of prayer, set the foundation for what was to come next.

Around the year 1544, just before the Solemnity of Pentecost, Philip was praying in a catacomb and had a profound mystical experience. A ring of fire descended and entered his mouth, settling in his heart. The flame filled him with such an intense love for God that he fell to the ground and cried out, “Enough, Lord, I can bear it no more!” When he recovered, he noticed a visible swelling on his chest over his heart. For the rest of Philip’s life, especially when engaged in prayer and holy conversation, his heart would noticeably palpitate. Though some thought this to be a physical ailment, others saw it as the result of divine love filling his heart and flowing over. It is said that when people saw Philip, they were drawn to him, and especially drawn to his heart. A post-mortem exam revealed that he had an enlarged heart, so much so that two of his ribs were dislocated.

After this mystical experience, Philip began to engage in a more active apostolate as a street preacher in Rome. His approach to “preaching” was much different than that of others. Rather than railing against the immoralities of the day, he gathered young men around him as his companions, and with his joyful and affectionate personality, began to inspire others with the joy of following Christ. He and his companions spent much time serving the sick in the hospitals and doing many menial acts of service, such as cleaning, making beds, conversing, and helping in any way they could. He often started his conversations by saying, “Well, my brothers, when shall we begin to do good?” Doing good, with joy and enthusiasm, drew many to listen to him and follow his example. Philip converted one soul at a time to the life of virtue.

In 1548, a priest who served as Philip’s confessor assisted him in forming the Confraternity of the Holy Trinity. Members would regularly meet for prayer, especially Eucharistic adoration, and engage in holy conversations and comradery. In 1551, again with the encouragement and assistance of his confessor, Philip agreed to become a priest at the age of thirty-five, joining a community of priests at the Church of San Girolamo della Carita. As a priest, Father Phillip quickly entered into a new ministry that would occupy him for the rest of his life. He became a confessor to countless sinners, poor and rich alike. At first, he spent a few hours every day in the confessional, but eventually he would spend most of the day. As a confessor, Father Philip had profound spiritual gifts. He could read souls, identify sins that needed to be confessed, give supernatural counsel, perform miracles, and speak words of divine love that flowed directly from the Heart of Christ.

Within a year of his ordination, Father Philip began to gather young men in his room for prayer and holy conversation. They would talk, read about the saints, share meals, sing songs, go on walks, and pray together. Eventually, the number of his followers grew large, and he built an oratory for their meetings. Over the next fifteen years, this loose association continued to grow and in 1575, with the approval of the pope, Father Philip founded the Congregation of the Oratory whose ministry included prayer, preaching, and the sacraments.

Saint Philip Neri was a true missionary who re-evangelized the Christians of Rome, one soul at a time. His miracles, ecstasies during prayer, and ability to read souls were enough to convince everyone of his holiness. But setting those supernatural phenomena aside, it was the joy that radiated from his heart, a heart united to the Divine Heart of Christ, that was the surest sign of his sanctity. As we honor this saint of joy, ponder the importance of the gift of joy in your own life. Joy is a spiritual gift, not just a natural emotion. Joy comes from God alone. Open your heart to that gift, and ask Saint Philip Neri to pray that you receive it in abundance.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-26—saint-philip-neri-priest/

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Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor

Daily Saints

c. 673–735; Patron Saint of lectors, scholars, English writers, and historians; Pre-Congregation canonization; Canonization confirmed and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1899

In the fourth-century, many in Roman-controlled Britain were Catholic. However, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century and the removal of Roman troops from Britain to defend the homeland, Britain began to encounter threats from the Scottish and Irish. Angles and the Saxons from central Europe arrived to assist Britain but then conquered Britain themselves. By the sixth century, Britain had become known as Anglo-Saxon England and was divided into nine smaller kingdoms. The Anglo-Saxon people brought their pagan language and culture with them. Gradually, they eliminated Christianity from their new land, except from the southeast where many Britons had fled. To address this paganization, Pope Saint Gregory the Great sent Saint Augustine of Canterbury to evangelize the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Over the next century, all of the Anglo-Saxon kings converted and their subjects followed. It is into this historical context that today’s saint, Saint Bede, a holy monk, profound Scripture scholar, and brilliant historian, was born and ministered.

Bede was born near a Benedictine Monastery in Wearmouth and Jarrow, modern-day Tyne and Wear, in the northeastern part of the United Kingdom. As was common at that time, Bede was given to the care of the monks of Wearmouth at the age of seven with the expectation that he would remain with them and become a monk himself. A few years later, young Bede was sent across the river to the monks’ newly founded sister monastery at Jarrow. In 686, when Bede was about thirteen years old, a severe plague ravaged the monastery, leaving only Bede and Abbot Ceolfrid alive. One of the central duties of the monks was the chanting of the Divine Office, which the oblate Bede and the abbot continued faithfully.

Of his time in the monastery, Bede himself says, “I wholly applied myself to the study of Scripture; and amidst the observance of monastic rule, and the daily charge of singing in the church, I always took delight in learning, or teaching, or writing.” After more than a decade of study and prayer under Abbot Ceolfrid, Bede was ordained to the diaconate at the age of nineteen. Eleven years later, he was ordained to the priesthood at the age of thirty. Bede describes the thirty-two years of his priestly ministry as a monk this way: “From the time when I received priest’s orders, till the fifty-ninth year of my age, I have made it my business, for my own needs and those of my brethren, to compile out of the works of the venerable Fathers, the following brief notes on the Holy Scriptures, and also to make some additions after the manner of the meaning and interpretation given by them…”

Bede was a good Benedictine monk. According to the Benedictine Rule, Bede took a vow of stability, meaning he might never have left his monastery, except possibly for occasional short visits to nearby monasteries to assist with teaching. Within his monastic cell, Bede wrote more than forty books, twenty-five of them being commentaries on the Sacred Scriptures. He also wrote books on history, rhetoric, grammar, the calculation of time, biographies, theology, and poetry.

Bede’s most famous book was written when he was fifty-nine, The Ecclesiastical History of the English People. This book begins with a description of Britain and Ireland and their ancient inhabitants. From there, he traces the role of the Roman Empire in Britain, starting with Julius Caesar until Saint Alban, the first British martyr, and on through the early Christianization of the isle. After Britain was conquered by the Anglo-Saxons in the early fifth century, Bede describes the new evangelization initiated by Pope Saint Gregory the Great at the end of the sixth century and carried out by Saint Augustine of Canterbury. The bulk of his Ecclesiastical History then focuses upon the growth of the Church in England in the sixth and seventh centuries. Most importantly, this work ties the Anglo-Saxon people back to the Church in Rome. Though the Roman Empire no longer ruled Britain, the Catholic Church centered in Rome was the country’s true spiritual ruler. Bede especially saw Pope Saint Gregory the Great as the instrument of salvation for the Anglo-Saxons to whom he belonged.

Another of Bede’s great contributions to the Universal Church was his treatise “On the Reckoning of Time,” in which he taught the correct calculation of months and years. This work was significant because it enabled the Church in England to accept the correct day on which to celebrate Easter each year. This work also helped the world establish the current calendar that begins at the birth of Christ, solidifying the use of the term Anno Domini (A.D.), “in the year of our Lord.”

Bede’s commentaries on Scripture are deeply rooted in the writings of the Church Fathers but also broke new ground. Bede follows an allegorical and a moral approach by which he interprets the various passages of Scripture in the light of the death and Resurrection of Christ, emphasizing the Scripture’s deeper symbolic meaning, rather than just giving a literal interpretation.

After his death, Bede’s works became the foundation for much learning throughout Europe. He was described by his contemporaries as “the school-master of his age” and “the candle of the Church, lit by the Holy Spirit.” His works were copied over and over again, formed monks throughout Europe, and had an undeniable influence upon the whole history of the Church. By the ninth century, Bede was referred to as the “Venerable Bede’” in two Church councils. Saint Bede’s enduring influence has been felt so strongly that more than a millennia after his death, he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1899, the only Englishman to receive such an honor.

During his lifetime, Bede had a profound influence upon the monks he taught. He lived, prayed, studied, taught, and wrote from the confines of his monastery. From that place of solitude and prayer, God used him to influence all of Europe and the entire world. God can do great things when we live our vocation well. Ponder the vocation God has given you. As you do, know that your vocation is your path to holiness. Live it well, and God will bring forth His transforming presence in you and through you in ways that you could never have imagined.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-25-saint-bede-the-venerable-priest-and-doctor/

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Our Lady, Help of Christians

Daily Saints

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The feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, was instituted by Pope Pius VII. By order of Napoleon, the Pope was arrested on 5 July 1808, and imprisoned at Savona, Italy and Fontainebleau, France. In January 1814, after the Battle of Leipzig, he was brought back to Savona and set free on 17 March, the eve of the feast of Our Lady of Mercy, the patroness of Savona. The journey to Rome was a veritable triumphal march with the pontiff, attributing the victory of the Church after so much agony and distress, to the Blessed Virgin. He visited many of her sanctuaries on the way, crowning her images, and entered Rome on 24 May 1814 to enthusiastic crowds. To commemorate his own sufferings and those of the Church during his exile, he extended the feast of the Seven Dolours of Mary to the universal Church on 18 September 1814.

When Napoleon left Elba and returned to Paris, Murat was about to march through the Papal States from Naples. Pius VII fled to Savona on 22 March 1815, where he crowned the image of Our Lady of Mercy on 10 May 1815. Following the Congress of Vienna and Battle of Waterloo, he returned to Rome on 7 July 1815. To give thanks to God and Our Lady, he instituted the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians for the Papal States on 15 September 1815; it was celebrated on 24 May, the anniversary of his first return. The dioceses in the Tuscany region adopted it on 12 February 1816, and it spread over nearly the entire Latin Church.

The hymns of the Office were composed by Brandimarte. It is the patronal feast of Australasia, a double of the first class with an octave, and is celebrated with great splendor in the churches of the Fathers of the Foreign Missions of Paris. It has attained special celebrity since Saint John Bosco dedicated the mother church of his congregation at Turin to Our Lady, Help of Christians. The Salesian Fathers have carried the devotion to their numerous establishments, and prayers for her intervention are credited with the miraculous cure of Blessed Artemide Zatti.

Patronage

  • elderly people of Italy
  • Australia (proclaimed on 17 July 1916 by Pope Benedict XV)
  • China
  • New Zealand
  • Andorran security forces
  • Austrialian military chaplains
  • New York
  • Diocese of Shrewsbury, England
  • Diocese of Townsville, Australia
  • Military Ordinariate of Australia
  • Cabras, Italy
  • Caselle di Selvazzano, Italy

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/our-lady-help-of-christians/

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Saint William of Rochester

Daily Saints

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William led a wild and misspent youth, but as an adult he had a complete conversion, devoting himself to God, caring especially for poor and neglected children. He worked as a baker, and gave every tenth loaf to the poor. He attended Mass daily, and one morning on his way to church he found an infant abandoned on the threshold. He named the baby David, and adopted him, and taught him his trade.

Years later, he and David set out on a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands. During a stop-over in Rochester, England, the boy David turned on William, clubbed him, cut his throat, robbed the body, and fled. Because he was on a holy journey, and because of the miraculous cures later reported at his tomb, he is considered a martyr.

A local insane woman found William’s body, and plaited a garland of honeysuckle flowers for it; she placed the garland on William, and then on herself whereupon her madness was cured. Local monks, seeing this as a sign from God, interred William in the local cathedral and began work on his shrine. His tomb and a chapel at his murder scene, called Palmersdene, soon became sites of pilgrimage and donation, even by the crown. Remains of the chapel can be seen near the present Saint William’s Hospital.

Born

  • 12th century at Perth, Scotland

Died

  • throat cut in 1201 at Rochester, England
  • interred in the cathedral at Rochester

Canonized

  • 1256 by Pope Innocent IV

Patronage

  • adopted children

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-william-of-rochester/

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Saint Rita of Cascia

Daily Saints

1386–1457; Patron Saint of abuse victims, impossible causes, sickness, wounds, parenthood, and widows; Invoked against marital problems, fighting and discord, and infertility; Canonized by Pope Leo XIII on May 24, 1900

Margherita Lotti (Rita) was born in a small town near Cascia, Italy, to parents who were advanced in age. After years of childlessness, Rita’s parents saw the birth of their only child as an answer to prayer. At a young age, Rita’s faith was so strong that her parents set up a small oratory in their home in which she could pray. As a young girl, Rita begged her parents to permit her to enter a convent. Instead, according to the common practice of that time, her parents gave her away in marriage at the tender age of twelve.

Saint Rita is known as the patron saint of impossible causes, in part, because of the difficult marriage she endured with such love. Her husband was said to have been an angry and cruel man, who was mentally, emotionally, and even physically violent toward her. During their eighteen years of marriage, it is said that her prayers, coupled with the witness of her many virtues, softened his heart and he turned to Christ, at least enough to attain the hope of Heaven. Rita gave birth to two sons, perhaps twins, and raised them within the Catholic faith as a devout mother.

At that time, it was not uncommon for one family in a town to have an ongoing feud with another family. Such was the case with Rita’s husband, who was of the Mancini family. The Mancinis did not get along with the neighboring Chiqui family. The end to this feud was among Rita’s daily prayers. Her prayers were answered, at least on the side of her husband, Paolo. By the eighteenth year of their marriage, Paolo had begun to turn from his anger and to find more peace in God. He resolved to end the feud with the Chiqui family and attempted to restore peace. Rather than accept his overture, a member of the Chiqui family tricked Paolo and stabbed him to death.

At Paolo’s funeral, Rita publicly forgave her husband’s murderer and offered peace. However, Rita’s brother-in-law, Bernardo, was of a different mind. He began to stir up hatred in the hearts of Rita’s two sons to convince them to avenge their father’s death. The boys agreed, and Rita, filled with holy sorrow, tried to convince them to change their plans. When they wouldn’t, Rita turned to prayer. She prayed that God would preserve her sons from the mortal sin of murder, even if it meant taking their lives before they could carry out their plan. Rita’s prayers were answered. Both of her sons died of dysentery within a year, before they could act out their revenge.

Widowed and childless, Rita turned to her childhood desire of entering the convent. She was refused admission because she was previously married and due to the scandal of her husband’s violent death. In response, Rita sought to bring about a reconciliation between her family and the Chiqui family once and for all. She prayed through the intercession of her patrons, Saints John the Baptist, Augustine, and Nicholas of Tolentino. She also sought the prayers of Saint Mary Magdalene, the patroness of the convent she wanted to enter. Rita’s prayers were answered, reconciliation took place, and God opened the door for her to enter the convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia to live the Augustinian rule of life. One pious legend states that while she prayed and levitated, her three patron saints brought her inside the locked doors of the convent. When the sisters saw this, they concluded that it must be God’s will that she enter.

Not much is known about Rita’s forty years as a religious sister. She is said to have lived a profound life of prayer, often praying throughout the night. She joyfully embraced severe penances, ate only once a day, relying primarily on the food of the Most Holy Eucharist as her daily sustenance. Many who came to the convent to ask for her prayers attested to the power of her intercession. Some even attributed miracles to her prayers.

At the age of sixty, while deep in prayer before a crucifix, Sister Rita received the miraculous gift of the stigmata in the form of a wound on her head, inflicted by one of the thorns that pierced Jesus’ brow. This is believed to have taken place shortly after Rita heard a sermon on the Crown of Thorns by Saint James della Marca, a Franciscan friar who was known for his powerful preaching and devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. Sister Rita’s wound was so painful and unsightly that she is said to have remained in seclusion in her convent, even from her fellow sisters, for the last decade of her life. The one exception was a pilgrimage to Rome taken by all the sisters. Just prior to that trip, her wound healed, but it reappeared upon her return to the convent.

Since Rita’s death from tuberculosis at the age of seventy, many miracles have been attributed to her intercession. When her body was exhumed, it was found to be incorrupt and is on display in a glass reliquary at the Basilica of Saint Rita in Cascia. It is said that at times her body levitates and that sweet odors permeate the air.

Saint Rita of Cascia suffered greatly throughout her life. Her desire of becoming a nun was initially thwarted when she was given in marriage at the age of twelve to a violent and cruel man. She endured her marriage with love and suffered the brutal murder of her husband and the death of both her sons. She joyfully inflicted severe penances upon herself as a religious sister, and God joyfully inflicted upon her the suffering of His Crown of Thorns. Through it all, Saint Rita united herself more fully to the sufferings of Christ and won many graces for her soul and the souls of many others. Ponder your own sufferings, especially if you can relate to the ones that Saint Rita endured. As you do, strive to imitate this saint by uniting those sufferings to the sufferings of Christ for the salvation of your soul and the souls of those most in need.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/may-22—saint-rita-of-cascia/

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Location:

1235 S.Magnolia Ave. Anaheim, CA 92804-5115

Contact #

 (657) 208-2038

Email:

 [email protected]

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Address - 1235 S Magnolia Ave
Anaheim, CA 92804-5115 

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