Daily Saints

Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Century; Patron Saint of the Universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and a happy death

The Father in Heaven sent His Son into the world to be born of the Virgin Mary. The Father chose her who was the Immaculate Conception to bear His Son in her womb, bring Him into the world, and raise Him from infancy to adulthood. But the Father also needed to choose a foster father for His divine Son.

Of all the men in Israel that He could have chosen, He chose Joseph of Nazareth, a carpenter. Today’s solemnity not only honors him, but it also points us to his marital union with the Blessed Virgin Mary and to the effect that that marriage had not only upon him, Mary and Jesus, but also upon us as members of the Body of Christ.

Joseph was likely born in the small town of Bethlehem, where Jesus was also born, but he moved to Nazareth with Mary and Jesus after returning from Egypt in order to keep Jesus safe from Archelaus, the ruler of Judea. Though there are a number of apocryphal writings about him from the first several centuries, nothing is known about him for certain except what is contained in the Gospels. But the Gospels tell us all we need to know about this holy, obedient, and just man, who was given authority over the Son of God and continues to exercise a holy authority over the entire Church.

Saint Joseph was truly the father of Jesus. Of this truth, Saint Augustine writes, “By reason of their faithful marriage, both of them deserve to be called Christ’s parents, not only his mother but also his father, who was a parent in the same way that he was the mother’s spouse: in mind, not in the flesh.” Joseph’s fatherhood is also clearly established by the fact that the angel gave him the responsibility of naming Jesus. “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus…” (Matthew 1:21).

Saint Joseph was obedient to the Father in Heaven, and that obedience deepened his union with Mary his spouse, making their marriage the ideal family for the Son of God. Pope Saint John Paul II speaks of this fact in his apostolic exhortation Guardian of the Redeemer, when he says, “One can say that what Joseph did united him in an altogether special way to the faith of Mary. He accepted as truth, coming from God, the very thing that she had already accepted at the Annunciation” (#4).

Saint Joseph’s obedience is clearly seen in his response to four dreams by which an angel instructs Joseph how best to guard and protect the Son of God. Joseph acts immediately, in obedience, to the angel’s instructions. The Vatican II document, Dei Verbum states, “‘The obedience of faith’ must be given to God as he reveals himself. By this obedience of faith man freely commits himself entirely to God, making ‘the full submission of his intellect and will to God who reveals,’ and willingly assenting to the revelation given by him” (#5).

Thus, since Saint Joseph’s obedience was absolute, then that obedience fully united him to the Blessed Virgin Mary, in her obedience, and to the Father in Heaven. His obedience to the Father also enables him to become a powerful instrument of the Father’s authority on earth, exercised through him.

Saint Joseph exercised the authority of the Father by protecting the Son of God and expecting obedience from the Son as His earthly father. That Jesus was obedient to Joseph is made clear in the Gospels: “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them…” (Luke 2:52). The Son of God could only be obedient to the will of His Father. Therefore, in order for Joseph to exercise authority over Jesus, he had to enact nothing other than the will of the Father to which he, himself, was obedient.

On December 8, 1847, Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph to be the Universal Patron and Protector of the Catholic Church. This unique title reflects the same truth that Mary is the Mother of God and the Mother of the entire Church. Since she was the mother of the Son of God, and we, the Church, are members of the Body of Christ, then she is our Mother.

And since Joseph was the father of the Son of God, His guardian and protector, over whom he was given authority, and from Whom he received obedience, then we, too, can trust in Joseph’s guardianship over us. We must have confidence in submitting to his spiritual authority in our lives, for we are members of the Body of Christ.

As we honor Saint Joseph as the husband of Mary today, ponder the effect of that unique marriage bond. Saint Joseph was not perfect, but his absolute obedience to the Father’s will and his unity in marriage to the Mother of God makes him our father, just as he was the father of Jesus. As a loving father, he will direct us with the authority of God the Father, will protect us in times of trouble as he did for Jesus and Mary, and must always be seen as one uniquely chosen to be the father of the family to which we belong.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/march-19-saint-joseph-husband-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/

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Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor

Daily Saints

c. 315–c. 387; Pre-Congregation canonization; Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883

When Constantine the Great legalized Christianity throughout the Roman Empire in the year 313, many were hopeful that the sufferings Christians had endured during the first few centuries of the Church had finally come to an end. But the sufferings only changed. Politics entered the Church, emperors inserted themselves into doctrine, and theological and territorial divisions became fierce.

The theological divisions in the fourth century were primarily over the divine and eternal nature of the Son of God. Arius, a priest from Alexandria in North Africa, believed that the Father created the Son, making the Son subordinate to the Father and neither co-eternal nor co-equal with the Father. These teachings came to be known as the Arian Heresy. Others believed that the Son was “begotten of the Father,” meaning He existed from all eternity with the Father and was of the same divine nature.

This theological battle was initially addressed in the year 325 at the Council of Nicaea. However, after the Council of Nicaea, the controversy continued until the confusion was finally settled in 381 by the Council of Constantinople. It was in this fifty-six-year period of Church history and controversy that today’s saint was born, lived, and fought for the true faith.

Cyril was born in or near the city of Jerusalem around the year 315 A.D. Little is known about his early life, other than that he was well educated in the Scriptures and philosophy. It is believed that he was ordained a deacon for the Church of Jerusalem around the age of twenty by Saint Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem, who was a staunch opponent of the Arian Heresy. After Macarius died, Saint Maximus, another opponent of Arianism, became Bishop of Jerusalem and ordained Cyril a priest when Cyril was about twenty-eight years old.

During his priestly ministry, Cyril became a true shepherd of souls. He was entrusted by Bishop Maximus with the responsibility of assisting him as a preacher and catechist. Cyril preached every Sunday and catechized those preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation. A set of twenty-four of his catechetical instructions have been preserved and are remarkable for their content and clarity.

The lectures begin with a prologue, followed by eighteen lessons that were taught to the catechumens before they were baptized. The lessons explained what they needed to know about baptism, how to change from pagan morals, the meaning of the Creed, and the errors of Arianism. Once baptized, Cyril’s last six lessons led the neophytes through a period of mystagogy in which they were taught how to live the new life they received from the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Most Holy Eucharist, as well as lessons on prayer, especially found in the Lord’s Prayer.

Bishop Maximus either died or was deposed around the year 348, and Cyril was chosen to succeed him. He was ordained a bishop by Archbishop Acacius of Caesarea Maritima, from the metropolitan see just west of Jerusalem. Archbishop Acacius was sympathetic to Arianism, so he and others might have believed that Cyril was also sympathetic to Arianism, which he was not.

Soon after becoming the Bishop of Jerusalem, a miraculous sign, visible to all, appeared over the holy site of Jesus’ crucifixion. A large cross of light, surrounded by a rainbow, appeared in the sky and stretched for about two miles over the city. This sign was initially perceived as God’s affirmation of Bishop Cyril but might have also been a sign of the sufferings Cyril would soon endure.

The suffering began as Cyril fought Acacius on two fronts. Bishop Cyril claimed the right of independent governance from Acacius in the See of Jerusalem. He also opposed the Arian Heresy that Acacius taught. As a result of these tensions, Acacius, other Arian bishops, and emperors persecuted Cyril, leveled false accusations against him, and deposed and exiled him from Jerusalem three times during his almost forty years as a bishop.

Despite suffering through these theological and political Church controversies, Bishop Cyril was a true shepherd of his flock, preaching and catechizing just as he had done as a priest. His gentle, pastoral, conciliatory, and humble approach to his ministry led some more orthodox bishops to suspect him of being sympathetic to the Arians.

For that reason, after Cyril returned from his final exile in 378, the great Saint Gregory of Nazianzens was sent to investigate him. Gregory’s conclusion was that Cyril was orthodox, which ended all doubt. In 381, the Council of Constantinople gave further clarity on the Arian Heresy, further clarified the Creed of Nicaea, and affirmed Bishop Cyril’s office of Bishop of Jerusalem. He returned and remained a holy shepherd of his people until his death six years later.

One eyewitness visiting Jerusalem on pilgrimage wrote in her journal that Bishop Cyril’s catechetical lessons were delivered in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and were so well received by the people that whenever he completed a lesson, all the people would enthusiastically applaud.

Throughout the history of the Church, bitter divisions and the persecution of the orthodox defenders of the faith have been prevalent. Those who emerged as saints were those who persevered, remained faithful, never despaired, and continued to spread the pure faith of the Church, given to Her by Christ. Saint Cyril was one of those shining examples.

As we honor him, ponder your own commitment to the entire Truth of the Gospel. When challenged, do you shy away, cower, become confused, and give in to despair? Or do you lovingly stand firm in the Truth, retaining hope that, in the end, Christ will be victorious? Seek to imitate this great Doctor of the Church by embracing not only his orthodoxy but also the charity that fueled his zeal for souls.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/march-18-saint-cyril-of-jerusalem-bishop-and-doctor/

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Saint Patrick, Bishop

Daily Saints

c. 387–c. 460 or 493 (Actual dates are uncertain); Patron Saint of Ireland; Invoked against snake bites; Pre-Congregation canonization

Patrick was born in Roman-ruled Britain to loving parents, perhaps as an only child. His father was a senator and a deacon, and his grandfather was a married priest. Despite his Christian upbringing and the clerical influences of his father and grandfather, Patrick struggled with his faith, stating later that when he was young he “did not know the true God.” This testimony, and the quotes to follow, come from his own hand, preserved in his Confessio, Saint Patrick’s short autobiographical confession about the workings of God’s grace in his life and ministry.

At the age of sixteen, Patrick’s life took a dramatic turn for the worse; at least, that’s how it first appeared. Gaelic slave traders from Ireland arrived by ship and raided Patrick’s village. Though young women and children were often their preferred targets, a young, healthy boy could also profit them. Patrick was captured and “was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people.”

At the time of Patrick’s captivity, Ireland was a pagan country made up of more than a hundred small, family-based clans governed by local chiefs. Most clans united with other clans to form several larger kingdoms. Their religious beliefs were a mixture of polytheism, in which gods were honored and called upon, and animism, in which the natural world was believed to contain spirits who could be communicated with. Their druids (priests) engaged in demonic spells, incantations, curses, and dark magic.

It was Patrick’s conviction that, because he and his fellow slaves had drawn away from God and did not keep God’s precepts, the Lord brought down upon them the “fury of his being,” permitting them to be scattered throughout Ireland as slaves. But God’s just punishments are always inflicted upon his children for the purpose of converting their hearts, which is exactly what happened to Patrick. “And there the Lord opened my mind to an awareness of my unbelief, in order that, even so late, I might remember my transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God, Who had regard for my insignificance and pitied my youth and ignorance.”

While in captivity, Patrick was made a swineherd for one of the clans and spent much of his time in the forests, enduring the snow, ice, and rain. But his time alone, experiencing the suffering and loneliness of captivity, greatly benefited his soul. At first, Patrick didn’t know God. Then, he began to think about God. Then he began to speak to God.

Within six years, he was praying a hundred prayers every day and a hundred prayers every night. As a result, Patrick testified that “the Spirit was burning in me at that time.” After receiving chastisements from God for his lack of faith, Patrick’s heart was changed and filled with gratitude for all that God had done in his soul. He realized that his only “way to repay Him is to exalt Him and confess His wonders before every nation under heaven.”

Once Patrick had converted, God’s plan for his life changed. While asleep one night, Patrick heard a voice say to him, “Soon you will depart for your home country,” and shortly afterward, “Behold, your ship is ready.” By an intuition of grace, Patrick knew what he had to do. He escaped and ran 200 miles (about 184 modern miles). God directed him on the way and led him to a ship where Patrick convinced the captain to let him board. Three days later, they were back in Britain on a remote shore.

Patrick and some pagans disembarked from the ship and began a twenty-eight-day journey through the wilderness to find civilization. On the journey, the pagans mocked Patrick’s faith, but when they ran out of food, Patrick prayed and God miraculously provided them with a herd of pigs. The pagans were impressed and Patrick won their respect. This was the first of many times that God used Patrick to change hardened hearts. Then, Patrick was reunited with his parents at last.

Back in Britain, Patrick continued to pray, study Scripture, and learn the Catholic faith. His prayer led him into deep union with God. He had dreams and visions, including a vision in which he heard the voice of the Irish say to him, “We beg you, holy youth, that you shall come and shall walk again among us.” Patrick knew that he had to return, not as a slave, but as a missionary. Despite opposition from his family, Patrick was determined to answer God’s call.

Since Patrick had learned much about Irish culture and language, he was an ideal candidate for missionary work. After years of study, probably in France, he was ordained a bishop and sent by the Church back to Ireland to convert the pagans, his captors, to Christ. And that he did. It was by the courageous witness of his character, aided perhaps by miraculous signs and unwavering faith, that one of the kings converted. After being successful in one kingdom, Bishop Patrick moved to another. When he arrived in a new territory, he always sought to convert the local king and chiefs first. Once they were open to the Gospel, the people followed.

During the fewer than thirty years that Patrick evangelized the people of Ireland, he endured many hardships, including another short captivity, the constant danger of being killed, and staunch opposition from the druid spiritual leaders. But he also converted countless pagans, baptized and confirmed “so many thousands,” built churches, established religious life, ordained native clergy, and changed pagan Ireland as a whole into one of the greatest Catholic nations on earth.

Saint Patrick’s influence on Ireland was so profound that many later biographers have attributed numerous legends to him. Though most of these legends cannot be verified, the stories highlight the remarkable spiritual transformation of a hostile pagan nation by the faith and courage of one man. God humbled Patrick, changed his heart, set him on fire, and then used that fire to purify many thousands of people. In the centuries that followed, those converts went forth to the ends of the earth, bringing the same Gospel to others that Patrick first preached to them.

As we honor Saint Patrick, seek to imitate him by joining him in his initial humiliation. See your sins and pray that God purifies you by any means necessary. Convert your heart. Increase your daily prayer. Allow your heart to become inflamed by God’s Spirit. Say “Yes” to Him when He calls, and go where He sends you. Like Saint Patrick, God wants to send you on a mission, but He cannot do so until you fully convert your heart to His.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/march-17-saint-patrick-bishop/

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Saint Dentlin of Soignies

Daily Saints

Profile

Dentlin was the son of Saint Vincent Madelgarus and Saint Waldetrudis; he was the brother of Saint Landric, Saint Madalbarta and Saint Aldetrudis, and the Nephew of Saint Aldegund. Dentlin was an extraordinarily pious child, he is considered a confessor of the faith. A church in Cleves, Germany, was named for him.

Died

at age 7 in 7th century of natural causes
buried in Soignies, Belgium
relics transferred to the abbey church in Rees, Germany in the 1040’s
miracles reported at his tomb

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Patronage

in Belgium
– Hainault
– Mons
in Germany
– Kleve
– Rees

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-dentlin-of-soignies/

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Saint Artemide Zatti

Daily Saints

Profile

Artemide was one of three sons born to Albino Vecchi and Luigi Zatti. His was a poor family, and the boy had to drop out of school at age nine to work for a wealthy neighbor. The family eventually immigrated to Bahia Blanca, Argentina to find work, arriving in Buenos Aires on 9 February 1897. There Artemide worked in a tile factory, and attended a local parochial school run by the Salesians. He felt drawn to the Salesians, and at age 20 entered their seminary, Casa di Bernal.

Artemide contracted tuberculosis while caring for a young Salesian priest with the disease, a man who died from it in 1902. He was sent to San Josè Hospital for what little treatment there was in that day, but with little hope. With his friend and unofficial doctor, Father Evarisio Garrone, Artemide prayed for the intervention of Our Lady, Help of Christians, offering to dedicate his life to the care of the sick; the young Salesian was miraculously and completely healed.

He kept his promise. He worked in the San Jose pharmacy, and learned about hospital management from Father Garrone. Upon his mentor’s death, Artemide took charge of the hospital, and what time he could spare from his administrative duty was spent caring for patients. Today the hospital is named in his honour.

Born

12 October 1880 at Boretto, Reggio Emilia, in northern Italy

Died

15 March 1951 of cancer at Bahia Blanca, Argentina
relics interred in the Salesian chapel at Viedma, Argentina

Venerated

7 July 1997 by Pope John Paul II (decree of heroic virtue)

Beatified

14 April 2002 by Pope John Paul II

Canonized
9 October 2022 by Pope Francis
the canonization miracle involved the 24 August 2016 healing of a man in Tanauan Batangas, Lipa, Philippines who had suffered a “right cerebellar ischemic stroke, complicated by massive hemorrhagic lesion”, and was in such bad shape that medical authorities sent him home so he could die with family

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-artemide-zatti/

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Saint Matilda of Saxony

Daily Saints

Profile

Matilda was the daughter of Count Dietrich of Westphalia and Reinhild of Denmark; she was raised by her grandmother, abbess of the Eufurt. In 913, Matilda left the abbey, and married King Henry the Fowler of Saxony (Henry I), who had received an annulment from a previous marriage.

Matilda became the Queen of Germany. She was the mother of Otto, Holy Roman Emperor; Henry the Quarrelsome, Duke of Bavaria; Saint Bruno the Great, Archbishop of Cologne, Germany; Gerberga, wife of King Louis IV of France; Hedwig, mother of Hugh Capet.

Matilda founded several Benedictine abbeys. She was well known throughout the realm for her generosity. She taught the ignorant, comforted the sick, and visited prisoners.

Matilda was betrayed by Otto after Henry’s death when he falsely accused her of financial mismanagement.

Born

c.895 at Engern, Westphalia, Germany

Died

14 March 968 at Quedlinburg, Germany of natural causes
buried in the monastery at Quedlinburg

Patronage

death of children
disappointing children
falsely accused people
large families
people ridiculed for their piety
queens
second marriages
widows

Representation

alms
bag of money
crown
orb
sceptre
purse, indicative of her generosity
queen with a whip
queen holding a church

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-matilda-of-saxony/

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Saint Ansovinus of Camerino

Daily Saints

Profile

Ansovinus was a priest and a hermit at Castel Raimondo near Torcello, Italy. He became the bishop of Camerino, Italy, and was consecrated by Pope Leo IV; he accepted the vocation on the condition that his parishioners did not have to recruit soldiers, an obligation imposed on most bishops of the time.

Ansovinus was a confessor to Emperor Louis the Pious. He attended the Council of Rome called by Pope Saint Nicholas I in 861. He was a miracle worker. His association with crops come from his work of feeding the poor. Once when the granary was empty, but there were still poor people to feed, he prayed for help; the granary was found to be full, and everyone ate their fill.

Born

at Camerino, Italy

Died

868 at Camerino, Italy from a fever contracted at Rome, Italy
relics enshrined in a 14th century sarcophagus in the crypt of the cathedral in Camerino, Italy

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Patronage

gardeners
protection of crops
Camerino, Italy, city of
Camerino-San Severino
Marche, Diocese of Italy

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-ansovinus-of-camerino/

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Saint Luigi Orione

Daily Saints

Profile

Luigi joined the Franciscans at Voghera, Italy as a young man, but developed severe health problems and returned to his family. He studied under Saint John Bosco at Turin, Italy, was present at Saint John‘s death, and was cured of his illness during Saint John‘s funeral.

Luigi studied at the seminary in Tortona, Italy. While still a layman and student, he opened San Luigi House at San Bernardino in 1893, a home for the poor, homeless and abandoned. He was ordained on 13 April 1895.

Luigi founded the Hermits of Divine Providence congregation, the Ladies of Divine Providence, and an orphanage in Rome, Italy in 1899. Under the patronage of Pope Saint Pius X, he founded the Little Missionaries of Charity.

Luigi constructed the Marian shrine at Tortona, a site that became a rallying point for people during times of political unrest. To administer the houses of his congregations, Luigi travelled the world, visiting houses in Wales, Brazil, the United States, and throughout Italy.

Born

23 June 1872 at Pontecurone, Allessandria, Italy

Died

12 March 1940 at San Remo, Imperia, Italy from heart disease
body found intact when exhumed in 1965
interred at the shrine of Our Lady of Safe Keeping, Tortona, Italy

Venerated

5 February 1978 by Pope Paul VI (decree of heroic virtues)

Beatified

26 October 1980 by Pope John Paul II

Canonized

16 May 2004 by Pope John Paul II

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-luigi-orione/

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Saint Constantine II

Daily Saints

Profile

Constantine was born a Scottish prince, the son of King Kenneth II of Strathclyde. Constantine led a life of vice until his conversion, possibly after hearing the evangelizing preaching of Saint Columba and Saint Kentigern.

Constantine was married, and the father of at least one son, and briefly king of Stathclyde. Widowed, he abdicated his position, founded a monastery at Govan on the river Clyde, became a monk there, and evangelized the region.

Constantine became a priest. He was an abbot of a monastery in Govan, Scotland as well. Martyr.

Older martyrologies have entries for Constantines of Strathclyde, of Cornwall, and of Rahan, Ireland; they run the details of their lives together, and they could have been one, two or three people.

Died

bled to death in 874 in a cave near Crail after his right arm was cut off by Danish pirates
considered a martyr in Scotland for defending his Christian land against pagan invaders

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-constantine-ii/

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Saint Attalas of Bobbio

Daily Saints

Profile

Attalas was a monk at Lérins, France and Luxeuil Abbey. He helped Columbanus build the abbey in Bobbio, Italy.

Attalas served as its abbot from 615. During Attalas’s abbacy, most of the monks stood out against the severity of the Columbanian Rule. His monks included Saint Valery and Saint Blitmund of Bobbio.

Born

in Burgundy, France

Died

627 of natural causes
interred next to Saint Colombanus in the church at the abbey of Saint Colombano, Bobbio, Provincia di Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
re-interred in 1482 in a stone sarcophagus in the crypt of the basilica of Saint Colombano built over the site of the old church
altar, crypt and shrine were refurbished and the re-opened to the public in 1910

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Patronage

Bobbio, Italy
Luxeuil-les-Bains, France

Representation

abbot near a mill with his staff in hand
abbot with a nearby chair
with Saint Columbanus

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-attalas-of-bobbio/

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Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Century; Patron Saint of the Universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and a happy death

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor

c. 315–c. 387; Pre-Congregation canonization; Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1883

Saint Patrick, Bishop

c. 387–c. 460 or 493 (Actual dates are uncertain); Patron Saint of Ireland; Invoked against snake bites; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint Dentlin of Soignies

Saint Artemide Zatti

Saint Matilda of Saxony

Saint Ansovinus of Camerino

Saint Luigi Orione

Saint Constantine II

Saint Attalas of Bobbio

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