Daily Saints

Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero

Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Salvador, the Titular Bishop of Tambeae, as Bishop of Santiago de María, and finally as the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador.

Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero received his early education in the local public school. After finishing public school, he was privately tutored by Anita Iglesias, until he was 13 years old. He was trained by his father in carpentry and had exceptional skills, however, he wanted to pursue further studies for priesthood. At the age of 13, he entered the minor seminary. When his mother became ill, he left the seminary and returned home for three months. When he graduated, he enrolled in the national seminary and then finally completed his studies at the Gregorian University in Rome.

In 1942, he was finally ordained. After his ordination, he pursued a doctorate in theology in Italy. However, before finishing his doctoral degree, he was summoned back home by the bishop. On his journey back home, he was detained and was placed in a series of internment camps. They were eventually released from Cuban custody and sailed on to Mexico, then traveled to El Salvador.

Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero was first assigned to serve as a parish priest in Anamoros, and then was moved to San Miguel where he worked for over 20 years. He promoted various apostolic groups, started an Alcoholics Anonymous group, helped in the construction of San Miguel’s cathedral, and supported devotion to Our Lady of Peace.

As archbishop, Romero spoke out against social injustice and violence amid the escalating conflict between the military government and left-wing insurgents that led to the Salvadoran Civil War. In 1980, Romero was shot by an assassin while celebrating Mass. Latin American church groups often proclaim Romero an unofficial patron saint of the Americas and El Salvador. Saint Oscar Arnulfo Romero is one of the ten 20th-century martyrs depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey in London.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Romero
"Oscar Romero, patron of Christian communicators? (in Spanish)". Aleteia.
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-oscar-arnulfo-romero/

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Matthew 6:34

Daily Saints

Verse:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” - Matthew 6:34

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill my heart with Your holy gifts.
Let my weakness be penetrated with Your strength this very day that I may fulfill all the duties of my state conscientiously, that I may do what is right and just.
Let my charity be such as to offend no one, and hurt no one's feelings; so generous as to pardon sincerely any wrong done to me.
Assist me, O Holy Spirit, in all my trials of life, enlighten me in my ignorance, advise me in my doubts, strengthen me in my weakness, help me in all my needs, protect me in temptations and console me in afflictions.
Graciously hear me, O Holy Spirit, and pour Your light into my heart, my soul, and my mind. Assist me to live a holy life and to grow in goodness and grace.
Amen.

Source:

https://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=336

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Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo

Daily Saints

Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo is one of the first known saints of the New World. He served the Lord in Peru for 26 years.

Saint Turibius was born in Spain and educated for the law, he became so brilliant a scholar that he was made professor of law at the University of Salamanca and eventually became chief judge of the Inquisition at Granada. He succeeded too well. But he was not sharp enough a lawyer to prevent a surprising sequence of events.

When the archdiocese of Lima in Peru required a new leader, Turibius was chosen to fill the post: He was the one person with the strength of character and holiness of spirit to heal the scandals that had infected that area.

He cited all the canons that forbade giving laymen ecclesiastical dignities, but he was overruled. Turibius was ordained priest and bishop and sent to Peru, where he found colonialism at its worst. The Spanish conquerors were guilty of every sort of oppression of the native population. Abuses among the clergy were flagrant, and he devoted his energies and suffering to this area first.

He began the long and arduous visitation of an immense archdiocese, studying the language, staying two or three days in each place, often with neither bed nor food. Turibius confessed every morning to his chaplain, and celebrated Mass with intense fervor. Among those to whom he gave the Sacrament of Confirmation was the future Saint Rose of Lima, and possibly the future Saint Martin de Porres. After 1590, he had the help of another great missionary, Francis Solanus, now also a saint.

Though very poor his people were sensitive, dreading to accept public charity from others. Turibius solved the problem by helping them anonymously.

Sources:

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-turibius-of-mogrovejo/

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Saint Lea

Daily Saints

Saint Lea’s biographical details are mostly based on the testimony of Saint Jerome, a scholarly monk and beloved friend. According to accounts of Saint Lea’s life, she was a noblewoman of Rome, born into wealth and privilege.

After becoming a widow, she let go of her wealth and possessions to join a convent of consecrated virgins. She was later on named as the prioress of the convent. Saint Lea supported the house run by Saint Marcella, where she worked as a servant and later became the group’s superior.

In a letter by Saint Jerome after her death, Saint Lea was referred to as a woman of austerity, obedience, and remarkable penances. She was described as “blessed”, which emphasized her virtues as being worthy of heaven.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lea
Commire, Anne, ed. (2002). "Lea, St. (d. about 383)". Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Waterford, Connecticut: Yorkin Publications.
"Saint Lea of Rome, The Newman Connection". Newmanconnection.com.
Catholic News Agency. Catholicnewsagency.com.

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Blessed John of Parma

Daily Saints

The seventh general minister of the Franciscan Order, John was known for his attempts to bring back the earlier spirit of the Order after the death of Saint Francis of Assisi.

He was born in Parma, Italy, in 1209. It was when he was a young philosophy professor known for his piety and learning that God called him to bid good-bye to the world he was used to and enter the new world of the Franciscan Order. After his profession, John was sent to Paris to complete his theological studies. Ordained to the priesthood, he was appointed to teach theology at Bologna, then Naples, and finally Rome.

In 1245, Pope Innocent IV called a general council in the city of Lyons, France. Crescentius, the Franciscan minister general at the time, was ailing and unable to attend. In his place he sent Friar John, who made a deep impression on the Church leaders gathered there. Two years later, when the same pope presided at the election of a minister general of the Franciscans, he remembered Friar John well and held him up as the man best qualified for the office.

And so in 1247, John of Parma was elected to be minister general. The surviving disciples of St. Francis rejoiced in his election, expecting a return to the spirit of poverty and humility of the early days of the Order. And they were not disappointed. As general of the Order, John traveled on foot, accompanied by one or two companions, to practically all of the Franciscan convents in existence. Sometimes he would arrive and not be recognized, remaining there for a number of days to test the true spirit of the brothers.

The pope called on John to serve as legate to Constantinople, where he was most successful in winning back the schismatic Greeks. Upon his return, he asked that someone else take his place to govern the Order. At John’s urging, Saint Bonaventure was chosen to succeed him. John took up a life of prayer in the hermitage at Greccio.

Many years later, John learned that the Greeks who had been reconciled with the Church for a time, had relapsed into schism. Though 80 years old by then, John received permission from Pope Nicholas IV to return to the East in an effort to restore unity once again. On his way, John fell sick and died. He was beatified in 1781.

Sources:

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/blessed-john-of-parma/

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Saint Joseph

Daily Saints

The Feast of Saint Joseph, also referred to as the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, commemorates the life of Joseph. He was the earthly father of Jesus and the husband of Mary. After Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem in Judaea, where the Holy Family received the Magi, an angel warned Joseph and Mary about the impending violence against the child by King Herod the Great of Judaea, whereupon they fled to Egypt. There the angel again appeared to Joseph, informing him of Herod’s death and instructing him to return to the Holy Land.

Saint Joseph is venerated differently in various countries. In Sicily, Italy, Saint Joseph is regarded by many as their patron saint. According to legend, Saint Joseph interceded to relieve a famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages. There was a severe drought at the time, and the people prayed for their patron saint to bring them rain. They promised that if God answered their prayers through Joseph’s intercession, they would prepare a large feast to honor him. The rain did come, and the people of Sicily prepared a large banquet for their patron saint.

In the Philippines, some families maintain the ritual of holding a banquet for the Holy Family. The Novena to Saint Joseph is also recited at a nearby temporary altar.

St. Joseph is the patron of the universal church in Roman Catholicism, and his life is recorded in the Gospels, particularly Matthew and Luke.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Joseph

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph%27s_Day

https://www.sju.edu/news/10-facts-about-st-joseph-honor-his-feast-day

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Saint Cyril of Jerusalem

Daily Saints

The crises that the Church faces today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ and almost overcame Christianity in the fourth century. Cyril was to be caught up in the controversy, accused of Arianism by Saint Jerome, and ultimately vindicated both by the men of his own time and by being declared a Doctor of the Church in 1822.

Raised in Jerusalem and well-educated, especially in the Scriptures, he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem and given the task during Lent of catechizing those preparing for Baptism and catechizing the newly baptized during the Easter season. His Catecheses remain valuable as examples of the ritual and theology of the Church in the mid-fourth century.

There are conflicting reports about the circumstances of his becoming bishop of Jerusalem. It is certain that he was validly consecrated by bishops of the province. Since one of them was an Arian, Acacius, it may have been expected that his “cooperation” would follow. Conflict soon rose between Cyril and Acacius, bishop of the rival nearby see of Caesarea. Cyril was summoned to a council, accused of insubordination and of selling Church property to relieve the poor. Probably, however, a theological difference was also involved. He was condemned, driven from Jerusalem, and later vindicated, not without some association with and help from Semi-Arians. Half his episcopate was spent in exile; his first experience was repeated twice. He finally returned to find Jerusalem torn with heresy, schism and strife, and wracked with crime. Even Saint Gregory of Nyssa, who was sent to help, left in despair.

They both went to the Council of Constantinople, where the amended form of the Nicene Creed was promulgated in 381. Cyril accepted the word consubstantial—that is, Christ is of the same substance or nature as the Father. Some said it was an act of repentance, but the bishops of the Council praised him as a champion of orthodoxy against the Arians. Though not friendly with the greatest defender of orthodoxy against the Arians, Cyril may be counted among those whom Athanasius called “brothers, who mean what we mean, and differ only about the word consubstantial.”

Sources:

https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-cyril-of-jerusalem/

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Saint Patrick

Daily Saints

Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and Bishop in Ireland. Much of what is known about Saint Patrick comes from the Declaration, which was allegedly written by Patrick himself. It is believed that he was born in Roman Britain in the fourth century, into a wealthy Romano-British family.

According to tradition, Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. The Declaration says that he spent many years evangelising in the northern half of Ireland and converted thousands. Patrick’s efforts were eventually turned into an allegory in which he drove “snakes” out of Ireland, despite the fact that snakes were not known to inhabit the region.
Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. 385 – c. 461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Day

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Blessed John Amias

Daily Saints

Blessed John Amias was a Roman Catholic priest who was martyred in England. There is some doubt about his early life and his real name.

In an account of his life, a widower calling himself “John Amias” entered the English College at Rheims to study for the priesthood on June 22, 1580. He was ordained a priest in Rheims Cathedral on 25 March 1581.

Of his missionary life we know little. Towards the end of 1588 he was seized at the house of a Mr. Murton at Melling in Lancashire and imprisoned in York Castle. Given the 1585 Act making it a capital offence to be a Catholic priest in England the sentence of hanging, drawing and quartering was inevitable. It was carried out outside the city of York on 16 March 1589. Amias was beginning to address the assembled people, and explain that it was for religion, and not treason, that he suffered, but was not allowed to proceed.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Amias
Ryan, Patrick W.F. "Ven. John Amias." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 2 Feb. 2013
Stanton, Richard, A Menology of England and Wales, p.119, Burns 7 Oates, Ltd., London, 1892

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Saint Louise de Marillac

Daily Saints

Saint Louise de Marillac was born out of wedlock in 1591. Lord of Ferrires (1556-1604), claimed her as his natural daughter yet not his legal heir. Louise grew up amid the affluent society of Paris, but without a stable home life. Nevertheless, she was cared for and received an excellent education at the royal monastery of Poissy.

Around the age of fifteen, Louise felt drawn to the cloistered life but was refused admission. Her spiritual director assured her that God had “other plans” for her. When she was 22, her family convinced her that marriage was the best alternative. Her uncle arranged for her to marry Antoine Le Gras. Louise grew to love Antoine and was an attentive mother to their son. Along with being devoted to her family, Louise was also active in ministry in her parish. She had a leading role in the Ladies of Charity, an organization of wealthy women dedicated to assisting those suffering from poverty and disease.

She vowed not to remarry if her husband died before her. Three years after this experience, Antoine died. In 17th-century France, the charitable care of the poor was completely unorganized. Louise found the help she needed in young, humble country women, who had the energy and the proper attitude to deal with people weighed down by destitution and suffering. She began working with a group of them and saw a need for common life and formation. She co-founded Daughters of Charity with Vincent de Paul.
Louise led the Company of Daughters until her death. Nearing her death, she wrote to her nuns: “Take good care of the service of the poor. Above all, live together in great union and cordiality, loving one another in imitation of the union and life of our Lord. Pray earnestly to the Blessed Virgin, that she might be your only Mother.”

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_de_Marillac

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Prayer to the Holy Spirit

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