Daily Saints

Our Lady of Lourdes

January 11–July 16, 1858; Patron Saint of the sick, asthma sufferers

Bernadette Soubirous was born on January 7, 1844, into a humble and very poor family in Lourdes, France. Her father was a miller and her mother washed laundry. The eldest of nine children, Bernadette received a simple education from the Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction, but frequent illness hindered her studies. Growing up, she spoke the local dialect of Occitan and learned some French in her teenage years. Her family was so poor that all eleven lived together for free in a relative’s one-room basement that was formerly used as a prison or dungeon.

When Bernadette was fourteen years old, she went with her sister and a friend to gather some firewood to heat their home. Bernadette fell behind as they searched for wood near a naturally occurring rock grotto. She then heard the sound of a rushing wind but saw only a wild rose moving. Then, from within the grotto, she saw a dazzling light and the figure of a small young lady in white with yellow roses on her feet. The other two girls saw nothing. Bernadette asked her sister not to tell anyone, but her sister later told their mother. Bernadette’s mother punished the girls for lying and forbade them to return to the grotto.

Three days later, Bernadette felt drawn to return to the grotto, so she and her two companions begged for permission from her mother who reluctantly agreed. Bernadette brought with her a bottle of holy water. When they arrived at the cave, the three girls knelt to pray the rosary. Before finishing the first decade, the young woman in white appeared. Bernadette sprinkled holy water in her direction, telling her that if she were from God she should stay; if not, she should leave. The woman smiled and stayed for the rest of the rosary and then departed.

By this time, some of the local townspeople began to hear about these encounters. Some were superstitious, thinking it was the souls of dead relatives. Others believed it was the Blessed Virgin Mary. Four days later, Bernadette returned to the cave accompanied by a few grown-ups. When the lady appeared, she spoke to Bernadette for the first time, in Occitan. The lady spoke to Bernadette in a remarkably formal and respectful manner, not the way an adult would normally speak to a poor peasant girl. She asked Bernadette if she was willing to return for the next fourteen days. Bernadette agreed.

Bernadette recounts the following about the next two weeks of visions: “I came back for a fortnight. The vision appeared every day, except one Monday and one Friday. She repeated to me several times that I was to tell the priests they were to build a chapel there, and I was to go to the fountain to wash, and that I was to pray for sinners. During this fortnight, she told me three secrets which she forbade me to tell anyone. I have been faithful until now.”

As word spread, the numbers in attendance grew to 30, 100, 350, 800, 1000, 1,500, culminating with almost 10,000. During the fortnight, the local police got involved and threatened Bernadette and her family. However, Bernadette persevered. The lady asked people to pray for sinners and to do penance. During the ninth vision, the lady asked Bernadette to drink from a spring of water in the cave. She found only a small muddy puddle so she drank from it. This left mud on her face, which caused many of the onlookers to ridicule her, to the embarrassment of her family. Over the next two days, the little mud puddle turned into a flowing spring of clear water. Many began to believe when a woman’s paralyzed arm was cured after bathing it in the new spring of water. Throughout the fourteen days, Bernadette continually asked the lady’s name, because the parish priest had asked her to do so. Each time, the lady only smiled.

Upon the conclusion of the fourteen days, life returned to normal for the next three weeks. However, on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, Bernadette was drawn once again to the grotto. This time, she repeatedly asked the lady’s name. The lady responded, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Bernadette was a young, simple, and poorly educated peasant girl. She had no idea what the “Immaculate Conception” was. But she repeated the name to herself over and over so she wouldn’t forget. When she told the parish priest, he was stunned. Only four years prior, the pope had issued the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception. This fact, especially, helped convince the Church leaders that the apparitions were authentic.

Since that time, the waters in Lourdes have continued to flow, and over seventy healings have been recorded, studied, and confirmed by a rigorous scientific process. Countless thousands more healings have been professed by the faithful. Millions of people now visit Lourdes every year, making it one of the most frequented pilgrimage sites in the world. The sick flock to this holy grotto to bathe in or drink the miraculous water, seeking a cure for their ailments.

Several years after her visions, Bernadette entered religious life. Of the visions, she would later say, “The Virgin used me as a broom to remove the dust. When the work is done, the broom is put behind the door again.” This “broom” was canonized in 1933. The grotto of Lourdes, however, was much bigger than Bernadette. It was Our Lady’s gift to the people. It was her proclamation that she was the Immaculate Conception and her formal acceptance of the title here on earth.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-11—our-lady-of-lourdes/

Our Lady of Lourdes Read More »

Saint Scholastica, Virgin

Daily Saints

c. 480–543; Patron Saint of nuns, school, tests, reading, convulsive children; Invoked against storms and rain; Pre-Congregation canonization

Little is known about the life of Saint Scholastica, yet her influence upon the Church is undeniable. She was born into a wealthy family around the year 480 AD, in the town of Nursia, central Italy, shortly after the fall of the Western Roman emperor. It was a chaotic time, politically speaking, but also a time when God began to manifest His divine stability through her. She had one brother, most likely a twin, by the name of Benedict. Benedict and Scholastica are now honored as great saints. Both had a powerful influence upon monastic life as we have it today, Benedict being the father of Western monasticism and Scholastica its mother.

As a child, Scholastica dedicated herself to the service of God, taking no interest in the things of this world. She lived modestly, despite being raised in a wealthy home. When Benedict left home to become a hermit and to eventually found a monastery with a new monastic rule, she marveled at his hidden life of prayer and work. His vocation called out to her, and she received permission from the local bishop to enter a home of virgins who chose to adopt Benedict’s new monastic rule. Benedict assisted them and made Scholastica the abbess of the home.

Benedict’s new form of monasticism focused on forming permanent, self-contained, and self-supporting monasteries that followed a strict regimen of prayer and work. After aspirants’ callings were tested for a period of time, they made vows, permanently committing themselves to God and the community. Their lives became structured and ordered under the direction of an abbot or abbess to whom the monks and nuns vowed obedience. Soon after Benedict’s humble monastery on Monte Cassino began to bloom, Scholastica received permission to adopt his rule with a group of virgins, making them the first convent of Benedictine nuns. In the centuries to follow, their way of life spread far and wide across the Western world.

In his book Dialogues, Pope Saint Gregory captures the holy love that Benedict and Scholastica shared. Though Scholastica’s convent was only a few miles from Benedict’s monastery, the two would only get together once a year, in keeping with their strict rule of life. Those meetings fanned into flames their shared love for God and the fruits of their prayer and mutual calling to this new way of life. Each year they met at a nearby house and spent the day conversing on the holiest of topics. When these twins were around the age of sixty-three, they met for what would be their final conversation on earth. They spent the day praising God and engaged in spiritual talk. After a light dinner, Benedict announced that he and his companions needed to leave and return to the monastery. Scholastica begged him to stay so that they could continue conversing about God throughout the night. Benedict responded to her, “Sister, what are you saying? I simply cannot stay outside my cell.” Scholastica knew, however, that their holy conversation needed to continue, so she bowed her head in prayer, and God sent forth a lightning storm so powerful that Benedict and his brothers could not leave. Scholastica’s love for Benedict and her desire to continue with the praises of God throughout the night met with God’s approval and God provided the way. They parted the next day, and three days later, Benedict had a vision of his sister’s soul being taken to Heaven in the form of a dove. He had his brothers bring her body to the monastery, and Scholastica was buried in the grave intended for Benedict. Four years later, Benedict died and was buried in the same grave with his sister. The two were united by grace and a shared mission in this life, and they would forever share a grave from which they will rise together on the last day.

Pope Saint Gregory opines that Scholastica’s prayers were answered over Benedict’s objection because her love was great. “She did more which loved more,” he wrote. The witness of these siblings should especially teach us the value of holy friendships that mutually build each other up and give glory to God. We are made not only for communion with God, but for communion with one another. These saintly siblings give witness to this holy fact.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-10-saint-scholastica-virgin/

Saint Scholastica, Virgin Read More »

Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin

Daily Saints

1869–1947; Patron Saint of Sudan and human-trafficking survivors; Canonized on October 1, 2000 by Saint Pope John Paul II

In 1869, a daughter was born into a loving and well-respected family in western Sudan, in a village of the Daju tribe. Until the age of six, she and her three brothers and three sisters lived a happy and carefree life. That would all change around the year 1875 when one sister was abducted by Arab slave traders. Two years later, she also became their victim. When her captor asked her name, she couldn’t remember so she didn’t respond. She might have forgotten her given name due to the trauma she faced. Her captor sarcastically gave her the name “Bakhita,” which means “fortunate,” claiming that he would bring her good luck.

After her captivity, Bakhita was forced to travel hundreds of miles on foot to the city of El-Obeid. On her journey, she was bought and sold more than once, and over the next several years she was bought and sold several more times.

During Bakhita’s captivity, she was forced to convert to Islam and was continually abused. She was beaten most days, one time so severely that she could barely move for more than a month, and she often was bound firmly with chains to prevent her escape. On her deathbed, she would still have painful memories of those chains. One of the worst tortures she endured was the customary scarring of her breasts, belly, and arm with a sharp razor. Once the wound was inflicted, salt was then ground into it, causing permanent scarring and identifying the person as property.

Around the age of thirteen, the city in which she lived, El-Obeid, was threatened by revolutionaries. Bakhita’s owner, a Turkish general, decided to sell his slaves and return to his homeland. Bakhita was sold to an Italian Vice Consul working in the city of Khartoum, named Callisto Legnani. For the next two years, Callisto treated Bakhita well, despite her being his slave. As a result, when the revolutionaries began to make advancements on the city and Callisto made plans to escape to save his life, Bakhita begged him to take her with him, preferring his kindness over a new owner. He did so and, with the help of a friend named Augusto Michieli, they safely arrived in Italy. Upon their arrival, Callisto gifted Bakhita to Augusto and his wife Maria.

In the Michielis’ home, Bakhita continued to be treated well, working as a nanny for their newborn daughter. Three years later, the Michieli family decided to move back to Sudan for business reasons and sold their property in Italy. During the transition, they entrusted Bakhita and their young daughter to the care of the Canossian Sisters in Venice. It was with those loving sisters that Bakhita was introduced to Jesus Christ, her true Master, and began her formation in the Catholic faith.

Within the Catholic faith, Bakhita began to discover the God Whom she had sensed in her heart from childhood. Through the sisters’ teaching and virtuous witness, Bakhita began to understand Who this great God is and to love Him all the more. When the Michielis returned to take their daughter and Bakhita to Sudan, Bakhita refused to go with them. After days of trying to convince her, the Canossian Sisters involved the civil authorities, and in 1889, an Italian court ruled in Bakhita’s favor, declaring her free. She stayed with the sisters and on January 9, 1890, she was baptized, confirmed, and given her First Holy Communion by the Archbishop of Venice (later, Pope Pius X). She was given the baptismal name Josephine Margaret Fortunata, “Fortunata” being the Latin translation of the Arabic name “Bakhita.” Thus, at the age of twenty-one, this fortunate young girl was flooded with God’s grace, and her formerly abused body and soul began a transformation. Josephine stayed with the sisters, entered their novitiate in 1893, and made her vows in 1896, becoming Sister Josephine Margaret Fortunata.

In 1902, Sister Josephine was assigned to the convent in Schio in northern Italy where she spent the rest of her life. In that convent, she was given the responsibilities of welcoming guests as the doorkeeper and worked as a cook and sacristan. She became well known and well loved by the locals for her beautiful and warm smile, kindness, and calm demeanor. Many of the people affectionately referred to her as the “black mother.” She evangelized through her virtues and evident love of God and did not shy away from sharing her story, including her merciful heart that forgave her abusers. She served the people of God and grew in holiness in that convent for forty-two years.

At the end of her life, Sister Josephine suffered again, this time from illness. On her deathbed, she relived the horrors of her captivity but now confronted those horrors with God’s grace. Her last words were cries of love for our Blessed Mother. After her death, her effect upon the people of God was evident as she lay in state for three days while countless faithful came to express their love for her. Shortly after her death, cries for her canonization stirred among the faithful. Twelve years later, her cause for canonization was opened, and she was canonized by Pope John Paul II during the great jubilee year of 2000 in Saint Peter’s Square. Three years after her canonization, Pope John Paul II made an official visit to Khartoum, Sudan, honoring her on her home soil.

Saint Josephine was more than fortunate; she was greatly blessed by God. Later in life she not only forgave her captors, she also expressed her gratitude to them because God used their cruelty to lead her into the Catholic faith and consecrated life. Her witness reveals that God is all-powerful. He is able to take the worst and bring from it the best. He is able to transform tragedy into grace, abuse into mercy, hatred into love.

Ponder any way that you have been mistreated in life. If you find yourself angry or bitter, turn to this great saint and let her witness inspire you. In the end, she never lost hope. That hope led her from the cruelty of earthly masters to a holy slavery in the service of the divine King. If you find yourself bound by earthly masters, sins, or abuses, turn to the One Who promises complete liberation. Jesus must become our Master, and Saint Josephine shows us the way.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-8-saint-josephine-bakhita-virgin/

Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin Read More »

Saint Jerome Emiliani, Founder

Daily Saints

1486–1537; Patron Saint of orphans and abandoned children; Canonized on July 16, 1767 by Pope Clement XIII

For some, the greatest tragedies in life lead them down a dark path. For others, tragedy is met with faith and hope and becomes the beginning of personal transformation. Such was the case with today’s saint.

Jerome was born into an upper-class ruling family in Venice. When Jerome was around the age of ten, his father died. Jerome continued to grow in virtue and pursue his studies. He was not known for excelling, but for being sociable, friendly, cheerful, strong-minded, and enthusiastic.

When he was a teenager, Jerome joined the military, as was common in his family. While in the military, Jerome became more ambitious about obtaining honors than growing in virtue. His ambitions were realized as he was honored with promotions in rank. At the age of twenty-five, he participated in the War of the League of Cambrai and was given command of the fortress of Castelnuovo, just west of Venice. In 1511, after many of his soldiers abandoned him, he and three others were captured and imprisoned.

At first, Jerome perceived his capture as a defeat, but it would be the beginning of his lasting victory in Christ. While chained from head to foot and imprisoned, Jerome had time to reflect upon his life. Though his imprisonment lasted only a month, it was a powerful and transforming month. He returned to the faith of his youth, opened his heart to Christ, and especially turned to the intercession of the Mother of God. He vowed to her that if she were to set him free, he would change his life and devote himself to the will of God. And that’s what happened, to an extraordinary degree.

On September 27, 1511, Jerome encountered the Mother of God in his cell as a woman clothed in white. She accepted his promise, gave him the keys to his chains, and then led him through the compound and out of the city without being noticed by the guards. By her inspiration, he walked to the town of Treviso where he entered the church, presented himself before a statue of Our Lady, and his life began to change. Jerome remained in military service for the next few years but then abandoned his worldly ambitions and began to study theology.

By the year 1526, Jerome’s mother and two of his brothers had died, leaving him to care for one of his brother’s orphaned sons. By then, Jerome had a heart for charity; just like his imprisonment, this tragedy became the beginning of his future calling to care for abandoned and orphaned children. Of this period in his life, a close friend would later write, “By often listening to the word of God, he started to recall his ingratitude. He remembered his sins against the Lord. He wept often and, at the foot of the Crucified Lord, prayed to him not to be his judge, but his savior.”

In 1528, a severe famine and plague struck Venice, and many children were left orphaned. In addition to caring for his nephews, Jerome began to care for other orphans, providing for them out of his own means. He was a man energized by love and tireless in his care of the poor, abandoned, sick, and orphaned. He even took care of those who had died by ensuring their proper burial. In the years to follow, his warm and energetic personality, coupled with his faith and devotion to the suffering Christ, enabled him to build hospitals, orphanages, and places of refuge for reformed prostitutes.

In 1532, Jerome moved to Somasca, a city between Venice and Milan, and with two priests, founded the “Company of the Servants of the Poor” (later called the Order of the Somascan Fathers). These priests committed themselves to a life of poverty and service of the poor, sick, and especially orphaned children. Jerome devoted himself to the wholehearted proclamation of the Gospel in both his words and deeds. He organized his brothers and their homes with great skill. Many converted and grew fervent in their faith. His devotion to those suffering from the plague was so great that he himself contracted the disease and died a martyr of the plague in early February, 1537.

Saint Jerome was, at first, seduced by the glory and honor one can attain from the world. Apparent tragedy, for him, turned into glory. His imprisonment and suffering opened his eyes; he repented and turned his life toward Christ. He found his Lord in the poor, suffering, sick, and orphaned. He loved His Lord in them and became single-minded in His service.

Ponder your own ambitions in life. It is easy to become seduced by the passing “glory” of this world. But that false glory is fleeting. Seek to imitate this holy man by discovering the presence of God in those most in need of your love. Love them. See their dignity. Become an instrument of God’s mercy for them, and you, like Saint Jerome, will have discovered your purpose in life.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/february-8-saint-jerome-emiliani-priest/

Saint Jerome Emiliani, Founder Read More »

Saint Giles Mary-of-Saint-Joseph

Daily Saints

Profile

Francesco was born to a pious family and raised in a small village. When his father died in 1747, he 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.

Francesco became a 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, traveling 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 Francesco 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/

Saint Giles Mary-of-Saint-Joseph Read More »

Saints Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

Daily Saints

Martyred on 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/

Saints Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs Read More »

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/

Saint Ansgar, Bishop Read More »

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/

Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr Read More »

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/

Saint Blaise, Bishop and Martyr Read More »

The 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/

The Presentation of the Lord Read More »

Our Lady of Lourdes

January 11–July 16, 1858; Patron Saint of the sick, asthma sufferers

Saint Scholastica, Virgin

c. 480–543; Patron Saint of nuns, school, tests, reading, convulsive children; Invoked against storms and rain; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint Josephine Bakhita, Virgin

1869–1947; Patron Saint of Sudan and human-trafficking survivors; Canonized on October 1, 2000 by Saint Pope John Paul II

Saint Jerome Emiliani, Founder

1486–1537; Patron Saint of orphans and abandoned children; Canonized on July 16, 1767 by Pope Clement XIII

Saint Giles Mary-of-Saint-Joseph

Saints Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

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

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 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 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

The Presentation of the Lord

Ways to Donate

Paypal

Using Zelle

Mail a Check

Quick Links

Contact us

Location:

Contact #

Email:

Quick Links

Contact us

Location:

Contact #

Email:

Ways to Donate

Using Zelle

Mail a Check

Paypal