Daily Saints

Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs; and their Companions, Martyrs

Saint René Goupil (1606–1642); Saint Isaac Jogues (1607–1646); Saint Jean de la Lande (Unknown–1646); Saint Antoine Daniel (1601–1648); Saint Gabriel Lalemant (1610–1649); Saint Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649); Saint Charles Garnier (1606–1649); Saint Noël Chabanel (1613–1649); Patron Saints of North America; Canonized by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930

In the early seventeenth century, Dutch explorers made first contact with the Iroquois Confederacy in modern-day Albany, New York. The Confederacy was a political and military alliance of six Iroquoian-speaking native tribes located primarily in modern-day New York State. It was formed for inter-tribal security, diplomacy, and governance based on the tribes’ Great Law of Peace. The participating tribes were the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. The Dutch, and later British, engaged in fur trading in exchange for European items, such as metal tools, firearms, and alcohol.

Around the same time, French explorers came into contact with the Huron-Wendat Confederacy, who were continually at war with the Iroquois. Tensions between the two native confederacies centered around disputes over hunting grounds and trade routes associated with their new European alliances. The French were unique among the European settlers in that—in addition to establishing trade, political, and military alliances—they also sought to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the natives. The Jesuits were the driving force behind that work of evangelization. Though the French did establish some relations with the Iroquois Confederacy, their alliance with the Huron-Wendat Confederacy led the Iroquois to distrust the French and remain at war with the Huron-Wendat tribes.

When French Jesuits began arriving in North America, their first mission was at Port-Royal, Acadia, modern-day Nova Scotia. In 1613, a mission was established on the Mount Desert Island of modern-day Maine. In 1625, Notre-Dame-des-Anges was established near modern-day Quebec City, and in the same year, a mission was established at the mouth of the Saguenay River in Quebec. Among the first Jesuits to arrive was Father Jean de Brébeuf, one of more than 100 Jesuits who would arrive in the seventeenth century, eight of whom would die as martyrs.

In 1642, a layman named René Goupil was working as a medic for the Jesuit Missionaries near Quebec and was invited to accompany Father Isaac Jogues and a group of forty others, including Huron-Wendat chiefs, on a missionary expedition. While traveling, the group was attacked by Mohawk members of the Iroquois Confederation and taken to the village of Ossernenon near modern-day Auriesville, New York. Upon being seized by the Mohawks, René cried out to Father Jogues, “O my father, God be blessed; He has permitted it, He has willed it—His holy will be done. I love it, I desire it, I cherish it, I embrace it with all the strength of my heart.” Once captured, they were cruelly tortured, their fingers crushed and fingernails torn out. Father Jogues continually encouraged his companions, baptizing an elder Huron, hearing René’s confession, and preparing them for death. Years earlier, René had entered the Jesuit novitiate but had to leave because he suffered from deafness. Once captured, however, René made the Jesuit profession and was received into the order as a lay brother by Father Jogues on the spot.

Over the next six weeks, the tortures continued with beatings to the point of disfigurement. The captives’ fingers were cut off, and they were abused every day by numerous Mohawks within the camp. On September 29, Father Jogues and Brother René were walking in the village when two young Iroquois men told them to follow them. They did so, sensing this was the end. Suddenly, one of the Iroquois men turned and tomahawked Brother René in the head. He was the first Jesuit to be martyred. Father Jogues later learned that Brother René was killed because an Iroquois elder witnessed Brother René making the sign of the Cross on the forehead of an Iroquois child, and ordered his execution.

After more than a year in captivity, Father Jogues was able to escape and make his way back to France with the help of a sympathetic Mohawk and Dutch settlers. He was given a hero’s welcome in France, and Pope Urban VIII gave him permission to celebrate Mass, despite losing his fingers. At that time, the Blessed Sacrament could only be touched by the thumb and forefinger. In 1644, after being back in France for a year and a half, Father Jogues returned to the missions, desiring to continue the work and to accept martyrdom if God willed it. In 1646, he returned to the place of his previous captivity with Jesuit lay brother Jean de Lalande. Father Jogues’ desire was to establish peace with the Iroquois so that the Jesuits could continue their work of evangelization. He believed he was in a unique position to establish that peace. As they journeyed, they were captured and brought back to the same village of Ossernenon. This time, the Iroquois only kept them captive for a short period of time before Father Jogues was tomahawked in the head and beheaded on October 18, 1646. The next day, when Brother Jean de Lalande went to tend to his body, he was also martyred.

The other martyrs we honor today are Saints Antoine Daniel, Gabriel Lalemant, Jean de Brébeuf, Charles Garnier, and Noël Chabanel. Father Jean de Brébeuf arrived in New France and settled near Quebec in 1625 where he learned the Huron language and wrote a catechism in Huron, as well as a French–Huron dictionary for use by other Jesuits. In 1639, Father de Brébeuf, along with other French Jesuits, settlers, and soldiers, traveled farther west, down the Saint Lawrence River, deeper into Huron-Wendat territory and settled on the eastern side of Lake Huron, near the town of Midland, Ontario, Canada, to establish a Jesuit mission named Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. It was the first European settlement in modern-day Ontario. Sainte-Marie served as a central Jesuit mission to the Huron-Wendat Confederacy and as a headquarters for Jesuit activities in the area. From it, smaller missions were established in the area.

Each of the five remaining Jesuits was martyred in 1648–1649 at the missions served by Sainte-Marie. Father Antoine Daniel was captured at the Saint-Joseph mission on July 4, 1648, just after celebrating the Holy Mass. He was still in his vestments when he was shot with arrows and then burned in the chapel. Fathers Gabriel Lalemant and Jean de Brébeuf were serving at the Huron-Wendat village of Saint-Louis when it was attacked by the Iroquois on March 16, 1649. After several hours of extreme torture, including having hot coals placed on their bodies and being scalped, they died. On June 14, the remaining Jesuits and settlers abandoned and burned the Sainte-Marie Mission, to keep it from being desecrated by the Iroquois, and so they could flee to smaller and safer locations to continue their work. Fathers Charles Garnier and Noël Chabanel fled to Saint-Jean mission, and, despite the deaths of their fellow Jesuits, they continued their work. On December 7, 1649, their mission was attacked, and Father Garnier was shot with arrows and tomahawked to death. Father Chabanel was tracked down and killed; his body was never recovered.

These heroic saints helped lay the foundation of faith not only for the native peoples but also for the European settlers who arrived and populated North America. They epitomize a selfless desire to lay down their lives for others, even those who acted in excessively brutal ways. The torture they received did not lead to bitterness but to praise and thanksgiving to God that they were found worthy to imitate Christ’s death.

As we honor the North American Martyrs, ponder your own depth of sacrifice you are willing to make for the good of those around you. Family, friends, community, or workplace, we must continually look out for the good of others in a selfless way. Seek inspiration from today’s saints and strive to follow in their footsteps, through the unique form of martyrdom God asks of you.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-19—saints-jean-de-brbeuf-isaac-jogues-and-companions/

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Saint Luke the Evangelist

Daily Saints

First Century, died c. age 84; Patron Saint of artists, bachelors, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, glassworkers, goldworkers, laceworkers, notaries, physicians, and surgeons; Pre-Congregation canonization

In the first century, the city of Antioch was the capital of the Roman province of Syria and one of the most important cities in the eastern Mediterranean. For centuries, its ancient remains could be found in Antakya, Turkey, until a February 2023 earthquake obliterated many treasured religious sites. In the first century, Antioch was a central trade route in the Roman Empire, a culturally diverse city, mostly Greek-speaking, and an intellectual hub with a massive library. Antioch was also one of the earliest Christian communities, initially evangelized by Saints Paul and Barnabas, and whose first bishop was Saint Peter, “and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). Today’s exceptionally important saint, Saint Luke the Evangelist, was most likely born, raised, and discovered the faith in this city.

Luke is credited with writing the Gospel of Saint Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. According to the fourth-century historian, Eusebius, Luke “was of Antiochian parentage and a physician by profession, and…was especially intimate with Paul and well acquainted with the rest of the apostles” (3.4). Saint Paul identifies Luke in several of his epistles as being his close companion and as a physician (see Colossians 4:14; Philemon 1:24; 2 Timothy 4:11).

The fact that Luke was a faithful companion of Saint Paul is also revealed in the Acts of the Apostles when the narrative of Saint Paul’s journeys moves to the first-person plural, to “we,” implying Luke is part of the missionary activity he describes. The “we” passages begin in Acts 16:10–17 when Saint Paul receives a vision to go to Macedonia while in Troas. It appears that from this trip onward, Luke accompanied Saint Paul. The travels included Macedonia and Greece, Antioch, Galatia, Phrygia, Ephesus, back through Macedonia and Greece, and to Jerusalem, where Saint Paul was arrested and sent to Rome, spending two years there before being executed. It appears from Saint Paul’s writings that Saint Luke remained with him until the end—“Try to join me soon, for Demas, enamored of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:9–11). The second letter to Timothy was most likely written just before Saint Paul was executed.

Based on the prologue of his own Gospel, Luke was not an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry from the beginning; rather, he accurately investigated everything anew and wrote down his findings in an orderly sequence (see Luke 1:1–4). Saint Paul mentions Mark, the author of the first Gospel, next to Luke in his epistles, clearly indicating that Mark and Luke knew each other well. Luke’s Gospel was written after Mark’s, suggesting that Luke used Mark’s Gospel as a source.

Most scholars believe that Luke was a Gentile convert. This conviction is largely based on Colossians 4:10–14, in which Saint Paul does not include Luke in his greetings by those “who are of the circumcision,” meaning those who are Jews. He includes Luke after that in the grouping of the Gentiles. Furthermore, Luke’s Gospel and the Acts give special attention to the Gentile converts, holding them in an important position. Thus, Luke was most likely the only one of the four Gospel writers who was not of Jewish origin. This is further evidenced by the fact that Luke’s Gospel appears to have been written in Greek. His Greek grammar and structure are excellent, suggesting he is well educated in Greek language, literature, and culture.

Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles make up a two-volume single work. Both are written for a man named “Theophilus.” In the prologue to the Gospel we read, “I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus…” (Luke 1:4). In the prologue to Acts we read, “In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up…” (Acts 1:1–2). Scholars have varying opinions about who Theophilus is. He might be Saint Paul’s lawyer, and Luke’s writings might have been created for Saint Paul’s defense before the Roman authorities. Theophilus might also be a wealthy benefactor who commissioned and paid for Luke’s written accounts. However, many have suggested a spiritual interpretation rather than a literal one. The name “Theophilus” can mean “Friend of God.” Thus, Luke could be writing broadly to everyone who is a friend of God.

The Gospel according to Luke, the longest of the four gospels, is sophisticated in its literary form and offers a depth of moral teaching. Luke includes a number of parables and events that are not included in the other Gospels. The events include: Annunciation to Zechariah (Luke 1:5–25); Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26–38); Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth and the Magnificat (Luke 1:39–56); Birth of John the Baptist with Zechariah’s Canticle (Luke 1:57–80); Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:22–38); Jesus at the age of Twelve in the Temple (Luke 2:41–52); Jesus’ Rejection at Nazareth (Luke 4:16–30); The Widow at Nain (Luke 7:11–17); A Sinful Woman Forgiven (Luke 7:36–50); Jesus Sends Out Seventy-two Disciples (Luke 10:1–24); Jesus visits the home of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38–42); and Zacchaeus the Tax Collector Climbs a Tree (Luke 19:1–10).

Additionally, there are several parables only found in Luke: Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37); Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5–13); Rich Fool (Luke 12:13–21); Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6–9); Lost Sheep (Luke 15:3–7); Lost Coin (Luke 15:8–10); Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11–32); Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1–13); Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31); Unjust Judge (Luke 18:1–8); Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9–14); and Ten Coins and Servants (Luke 19:11–27).

It should be noted that only Luke includes details from the life of our Blessed Mother. Her Magnificat, experience at the Annunciation, and Presentation in the Temple suggest he either had an intimate knowledge of these events directly from the Blessed Mother or was privileged to receive a reliable and detailed account of them from another source. There is also an ancient tradition that Saint Luke was an artist who painted the first icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus.

Early tradition states that Saint Luke died at the age of eighty-four in Boeotia, Greece. It is also an ancient belief that he died a martyr, though records are unreliable. His writings, however, are reliable. Together, the Gospel of Saint Luke and the Acts of the Apostles make up a significant portion of the New Testament. God clearly used this intelligent and well-educated man when the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write a thorough, definitive, and orderly account of God’s life-saving actions in the Person of Jesus Christ and the early Church. Saint Luke did the writing, but the Holy Spirit guided the pen, using Saint Luke’s human experience and talent as the instrument.

As we honor this great evangelist, ponder the fact that while he wrote down this orderly account of the life of Christ and the early Church, little did Luke know that his writings would be among the most widely distributed writings in the history of the world and would be one of the primary instruments of the salvation of countless souls.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-18–st-luke/

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Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

Daily Saints

Early- to Mid-First Century–c. 107; Patron Saint of the Church in Northern Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean; Invoked against throat diseases; Pre-Congregation canonization

As soon as the Apostles received the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, they went forth from Jerusalem to preach the Gospel and establish the Church. Saint John the Apostle is said to have preached in Jerusalem and then in Asia Minor. Two of his early disciples were Saint Polycarp, whom Saint John appointed Bishop of Smyrna, and Polycarp’s dear friend, Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, whom we honor today.

Nothing is known for certain about the early life of Ignatius of Antioch, also known as Ignatius Theophorus (which means “God-Bearer”), but in the centuries that followed his life, much was written about him, most likely based on oral tradition. Some traditions state he was born in Syria and might have been the child whom Jesus placed in the midst of the Twelve, saying, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me” (Mark 9:37). Other traditions state he was born more than a decade after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

One of the earliest Christian communities to be established by the Apostles was in Antioch, one of the three largest cities in the Roman Empire, along with Alexandria (North Africa) and Rome. Antioch was the capital of the Roman province of Syria and a center for trade, culture, and administration. The Acts of the Apostles states that “it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians” (Acts 11:26). Saints Paul and Barnabas preached there. Tradition holds that Saint Peter was the first Bishop of Antioch before moving to Rome. Around the year A.D. 66, obedient to instructions left behind by Saint Peter, Ignatius became the third Bishop of Antioch and served in that capacity for approximately forty years.

The first major persecution of Christians within the Roman Empire took place under Emperor Nero after the Great Fire in 64. That persecution primarily centered in the city of Rome and is believed to have taken the lives of Saints Peter and Paul, as well as many other Roman martyrs. The second major persecution took place under Roman Emperor Domitian during the years 81–96. Bishop Ignatius was shepherding the Church of Antioch at that time, and it is said that he kept his people safe from persecution through his deep prayer and extreme penances. The third major persecution took place under Emperor Trajan from 98–117. If Christians refused to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods, they were to be executed.

Around the year 107, Trajan was traveling through Antioch and came upon Bishop Ignatius, a man of prominence, known by all as the leader of the Christians. Trajan questioned Ignatius about his faith and ordered him to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. Ignatius refused and confidently professed his faith in Christ, after which the emperor condemned Ignatius to death. The account of his martyrdom records the emperor’s sentence this way, “We command that Ignatius, who affirms that he carries about within him Him that was crucified, be bound by soldiers, and carried to the great [city] Rome, there to be devoured by the beasts, for the gratification of the people.”

Ignatius was bound in chains and taken more than 1,500 miles by land and sea, from Antioch through modern-day Turkey, across the Aegean Sea, through Greece, across the Ionian Sea to Italy, and by foot to Rome. Along the way, the fourth-century Church historian, Eusebius, tells us, “as he made the journey through Asia under the strictest military surveillance, he fortified the parishes in the various cities where he stopped by oral homilies and exhortations, and warned them above all to be especially on their guard against the heresies that were then beginning to prevail, and exhorted them to hold fast to the tradition of the apostles” (3.36). Of his journey, Ignatius said, “From Syria even unto Rome I fight with wild beasts, by land and by sea, by night and by day, being bound amidst ten leopards? that is, a company of soldiers who only become worse when they are well treated.”

Upon Ignatius’ arrival in Smyrna, the halfway point to Rome, his dear friend, Bishop Polycarp, came out to meet him and kissed the chains that bound him. While in Smyrna, and then at other stops along the way, Bishop Ignatius wrote seven marvelous letters that still exist. They were written to the Churches in Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, Smyrna, and a personal letter to Bishop Polycarp. Though these letters are not part of the New Testament, in many ways they could be. They mirror the profound faith and personal concern for the newly established Churches that Saint Paul expressed in his New Testament epistles. Pope Benedict XVI called these letters a “precious treasure” and stated, “In reading these texts one feels the freshness of the faith of the generation which had still known the Apostles. In these letters, the ardent love of a saint can also be felt” (General Audience 3/14/2007).

One of the most touching sentiments found in these letters was Ignatius’ burning desire to become “a sacrificial victim for God.” He beautifully expresses his interior longing to become a martyr for Christ and pleads with the Christians in Rome not to stand in the way of his martyrdom but to permit him to be “food for the wild beasts.” His desire was fulfilled when he was mauled to death by lions in the Flavian Amphitheater, Rome.

Ignatius also continually exhorted the Christian communities to reject every heresy attacking the infant Church and to do all they could to preserve the unity they enjoyed in Christ. With the Christian faith being so new, the communities were experiencing growing pains that could tear them apart. Ignatius spoke in a very fatherly way, expressing with heartfelt love that every Christian remains deeply united with each other in Christ. He is thought to be the first to refer to the Church as “Catholic,” meaning universal and full. He offers one of the earliest references to the celebration of the Eucharist in his letter to the Church in Smyrna, stating, “the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again.”

Saint Ignatius of Antioch is one of three Apostolic Fathers, meaning one of three saints who had direct ties to the Apostles and who left behind some writing. Saint Polycarp of Smyrna and Saint Clement of Rome (the fourth pope) are the others. Today, we not only honor Saint Ignatius, we also honor and give thanks to God for all those early evangelists, bishops, martyrs, confessors, and every member of those early Christian communities who helped lay the foundation of the Church.

Reflect, today, upon the burning desire in Saint Ignatius’ heart to die for Christ. Such a desire could only come from a soul that had a profound experience of the transforming love of Christ. Death and suffering became the door through which Saint Ignatius entered the glories of Heaven, and once he knew what awaited him on the other side, he longed for it with his whole being. If you have not arrived at such an interior conviction in your life, seek to discover that which this Apostolic Father discovered.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-17—st-ignatius-bishop-martyr/

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Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin

Daily Saints

1647–1690; Patron Saint of devotees of the Sacred Heart and those who have lost a parent while young; Invoked against polio and rheumatic fever; Canonized by Pope Benedict XV on May 13, 1920

Margaret Alacoque was born either in the small town of Terreau or Hautecour, in the Duchy of Burgundy within the Holy Roman Empire, in modern-day France. She was one of five surviving children, and the only surviving daughter. In her autobiography, she states that from babyhood Jesus claimed her as His own, and once she reached consciousness, Jesus showed her the “ugliness of sin.” As a child, she used to say over and over, “To God I give my purity, and vow perpetual chastity.” One day she prayed it as a vow during Consecration at Mass; however, she admitted that she had no idea what “purity” or “chastity” meant. She only knew she wanted them.

Margaret’s father died when she was very young. Her early education came from other villagers and servants, since her mother spent all her time trying to provide for her children. At the age of nine, she was sent to live with the Poor Clare nuns who educated her. However, after being there only two years, she fell seriously ill, probably with rheumatic fever, and was unable to walk for four years. One day, it was suggested to her that she dedicate herself to the Blessed Virgin Mary, vowing to be one of her daughters if she were cured. As soon as she dedicated herself to Mary, she was cured and the Blessed Mother became the mother of her heart, teaching and correcting her. Shortly afterward, while praying the rosary, the Blessed Mother appeared to her and said, “I am surprised, my daughter, that you are so careless in my service!” This loving reprimand had a profound effect upon Margaret, so much so that when she was confirmed, she added the name Mary to her name, making her Margaret Mary.

Another struggle, turned into a blessing, came in the form of financial hardships after her father’s death. Three of her father’s relatives took charge of the family estate, controlling every aspect of their family’s life. This oppression continued until Margaret Mary was seventeen years old, when her older brother reached the legal age to take back control from his father’s relatives. During those years, however, the oppression and cruelty Margaret Mary and her family endured enabled her to understand the suffering of Jesus more deeply. In fact, Jesus often appeared to her in His suffering and beaten state, teaching her to unite her sufferings and injustices to His own. Jesus spoke to her regularly. Later in life, after revealing these sensible experiences with our Suffering Lord, she was surprised that others did not have the same mystical encounters as she did. These years were also filled with frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament. When her guardians refused to allow her to go to church to pray, she would spend long hours, and even days, out back in the garden or by the cowshed in solitude on her knees, praying with a sorrowful heart.

Late in Margaret Mary’s teenage years, her mother encouraged her to marry and to abandon the idea of religious life to which she had committed herself since childhood. Because her mother was a widow, she would have little means of caring for herself. Her only hope was that Margaret wed so that she could be cared for in her daughter’s household. Her mother tearfully begged her, over and over, to get married. As a result, Margaret Mary began socializing more and attending dances with her brothers. This tormented her heart; every time she returned home, she was profoundly aware of Jesus’ sorrow. On at least one occasion, after returning home from a dance, Jesus appeared to her as He looked during His scourging at the pillar, revealing His love for her and that her sins caused His suffering. Margaret could take no more of it: little by little, she recommitted herself to her childhood vow to enter religious life.

Once Margaret Mary’s family understood that she had made up her mind to become a nun, they tried to get her to join the Ursulines, which a relative had joined. She desired, however, to embrace the more rigorous life of the Visitation Sisters. Though it seemed that everyone opposed her, she persevered, and, on May 21, 1571, she entered the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial. As soon as she entered the parlor for her initial visit, she interiorly heard Jesus say, “It is here that I would have thee be.” After some doubts by her superiors as to whether she was a good fit for the Visitation Sisters, she received the habit and took her vows on November 6, 1572.

During Margaret Mary’s novitiate, Jesus revealed to her that He had a special mission for her. She was to become a blank canvas on which Jesus’ sufferings would be written and revealed. After Margaret Mary made her vows, Jesus repeatedly appeared to her, revealing to her His desire that His Sacred Heart be honored, and uniting her soul more deeply with His sufferings. On the eve of every first Friday, Jesus inspired her to make a holy hour from 11:00 p.m. until midnight, lying prostrate so as to enter into His human sorrow that He suffered while abandoned by the Apostles in the Garden. On the first Friday, she was instructed to receive Holy Communion. Jesus instructed her that He desired all people to love Him and to come to know the love of His Heart. On the Friday after the octave of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Jesus asked that a feast be established in honor of His Sacred Heart. At one point, Jesus said to her, “My divine Heart is so inflamed with love for mankind, and for you in particular, that it can no longer contain within itself the flames of its burning charity and must spread them abroad by your means.” She saw Jesus’ Heart on fire and crowned with thorns. The flames represented Jesus’ burning love for humanity, and the thorns represented the sinful and ungrateful response of men.

Jesus made twelve promises to those who would honor His Sacred Heart: “I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life. I will establish peace in their families. I will console them in all their troubles. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy. Tepid souls shall become fervent. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection. I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored. I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.”

Sister Margaret Mary shared her visions with Mother de Saumaise, who doubted their authenticity. Her superiors expressed concern that Sister Margaret Mary was not living the normal prayer life of a Visitation sister. They expected her to pray certain vocal prayers and engage in various prescribed meditations. But how could she? She was a mystic, being drawn into a profound communion with Jesus. He was already with her, communing with her in the depth of her soul. She certainly could not abandon Jesus Himself so as to engage in more superficial prayers.

Eventually, her superior began to believe Margaret Mary but had her submit her visions and mystical experiences to theologians who judged her to be delusional. Many of the sisters doubted her also. By God’s providence, Jesuit Father and future saint, Claude de la Colombiere, became the sisters’ confessor. Upon listening to Margaret Mary, he believed her and helped to support the authenticity of these visions. Toward the end of Margaret Mary’s life, her community began to accept the revelations and observed the Feast of the Sacred Heart, building a chapel to the Sacred Heart three years before her death. Seventy-five years after her death, after thorough examination, Pope Clement XIII approved devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, paving the way for Margaret Mary’s canonization, which would not take place until 1920, and the inclusion of this feast on the General Roman calendar, which took place in 1929.

Today, there is no doubt that Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque lived a profoundly mystical life and that the revelations she received came directly from Jesus. During her life, however, she suffered greatly through mystical union with her crucified Lord. She faced continual opposition as she sought to fulfill God’s will, being mocked, ridiculed, and considered delusional. But God uses those whom this world writes off for great things. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that our Lord gave to the Church through her has become an enduring and transforming devotion in countless lives.

As we honor this great saint, ponder your own depth of devotion to Jesus’ suffering Heart. Reflect upon the twelve promises Jesus made to those who honor His Heart. As you do, renew and deepen your devotion to Him in this way so that you will become a greater recipient of His abundant mercy.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-17–st-margaret-mary-alacoque/

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Saint Teresa of Avila, Virgin and Doctor

Daily Saints

1515–1582; Patron Saint of Spain, lacemakers, and those in need of grace, in religious orders, and ridiculed for their piety; Invoked against bodily ills, headaches, and sickness; Canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622; Declared a Doctor of the Church on September 27, 1970

Saint Teresa of Ávila, also known as Saint Teresa of Jesus, was born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada in Ávila, Spain, to very faithful Catholic parents. Her father, Sánchez, had been married previously. He and his first wife, Catalina, had three children together, one daughter and two sons. After Catalina died, Sánchez married Beatriz with whom he had nine children, seven boys and two girls. Teresa was the third child of her father’s second marriage. By age six or seven, Teresa began to think seriously about her life of faith, desiring to become a saint and even a martyr. When Teresa was only twelve, her mother died, leaving her heartbroken.

For the first three years after their mother died, Teresa’s older sister cared for her at home. During that time, in addition to Teresa’s growing interest in her reading, she became very close to one of her cousins. That particular cousin was very worldly and loved to tell stories that were far from virtuous. At one point, over a period of a few months, Teresa and her cousin spent much time together, gossiping and speaking about many worldly matters. Though Teresa worked hard to keep her virtue strong, the influence of her cousin slowly did her much damage. In 1531 she revealed these struggles to her older brother and father, and they sent her to the nearby convent boarding school, Our Lady of Grace, where she could have the good influence of the nuns.

Teresa moved into the boarding school when she was sixteen years old. The first eight days at the monastery were very difficult for her as she slowly turned her mind back to God and away from worldly ideas. She greatly feared that the sisters would discover how worldly she had become over the previous three years, which caused her much distress. After the first eight days, she began to return to her pursuit of virtue, her peace of heart returned, and she once again began to desire to be a saint. The nuns were a great blessing to her, and she was most grateful for their holy influence. She began to think about being a nun but fought that desire out of fear.

In 1532, Teresa departed the monastery because of a serious illness and went to her sister’s house to be cared for. She was now more prepared to remain firmly grounded in her life of faith, understood how important good friendships were, and had discovered how dangerous worldly ones were.

After returning home, Teresa spent about three months struggling with the idea of becoming a nun. She knew it was the safest road for her to travel but was fearful of the decision, and the devil did all he could to convince her she could never be a good nun. This interior battle she endured ended with her firm resolve to become a nun. However, when she told her father about this desire, he strongly opposed it. He was not going to allow his most beloved daughter to depart from him.

At the age of twenty, despite opposition from her father, Teresa and her brother Rodrigo decided to enter religious life. They left in the early morning without anyone else knowing. Teresa entered the Carmelite Monastery of the Incarnation at Ávila on November 2, 1535. She recalls that the decision was quite painful for her as she left her father and family behind. Once she entered the convent, she realized that persevering through that painful decision was exactly what God wanted, and her resolve brought peace to her heart.

After making her first profession of vows a year later, Sister Teresa became quite ill and remained so for a few years. At one point, she lay in a coma for four days and was thought to be dead. During her illness, she spent time recovering at her sister’s home, stopping also at her uncle’s. Her uncle gave her a book on a particular method of prayer called “the prayer of recollection,” and this book became one of her greatest treasures. After returning to the Convent of the Incarnation, she consumed that book and began practicing the prayer of recollection, which was a method of seeking God’s presence within her own soul. Sister Teresa grew deep in prayer, experiencing what mystics have called “the prayer of quiet” and even “the prayer of union” at times. Her continuous physical pain became a foundation for her prayer, and during those many months of solitude and suffering, her daily practice of prayer brought forth great fruit. In 1542, she miraculously recovered from her illness and attributed her recovery to the intercession of Saint Joseph.

For the next ten years of her religious life, Sister Teresa lived a very ordinary life, not advancing much in prayer. However, in her late thirties, Sister Teresa experienced what might be called her “second conversion.” In 1554, she was passing by a statue of Christ crucified and suddenly was overwhelmed by this image. She was so moved by grace that she encountered the gift of tears. Soon afterward, she read a copy of The Confessions of Saint Augustine, which had a profound impact on her. Augustine helped her to understand that God was within her and that she was avoiding the mystical journey to Him within. Over the next few years, Sister Teresa’s life began to change dramatically. Her prayer deepened, and she experienced many ecstasies and visions. At times, the sisters would see her caught up in ecstasy for lengthy periods of time. They would even see instances when she elevated off the ground in the chapel.

As Sister Teresa began to enter more deeply into her second conversion, she became increasingly aware of the lukewarmness of her own convent, as well as the many other Carmelite convents throughout Spain. Instead of being places of deep prayer, mortification, and recollection, the convents had slipped into worldliness, comforts, and a lack of prayer. As a result, God began to direct her to engage in a reform of the Carmelite Order.

In 1562, Sister Teresa founded the convent of Saint Joseph in Ávila. After gaining episcopal approval and then papal approval, she moved into her new convent in 1563, taking on the role of mother superior and the title of Mother Teresa. For the next five years, she spent most of her time in prayer and writing. She wrote not only new constitutions that governed the reformed Carmelite convent, but she also wrote her book The Way of Perfection, in which she offered clear lessons to her sisters about the journey to holiness on which they were to embark. In her constitutions, she returned the order to practices that included severe penances, prayer, solitude, strict poverty, and separation from the world. Among their penances was the practice of going without shoes, which is why they are called the “Discalced” Carmelites, meaning “without shoes.”

In 1567, Mother Teresa received permission from the Carmelite general to begin founding more convents according to the rule she and her sisters had adopted at Saint Joseph. Over the next several years, she traveled often, founding convents throughout Spain that eventually numbered seventeen. Mother Teresa also received permission to found two monasteries for men with the help of her new spiritual director, Saint John of the Cross.

Mother Teresa’s work was not, however, well received by everyone. In 1576, members of the unreformed Carmelites had a general chapter meeting and voted that Mother Teresa should stop all reforms and retreat into “retirement.” Tensions remained high, and the unreformed Carmelites continued to oppose Mother Teresa’s reforms until the pope decreed the two to be separate provinces, eliminating the power struggles between them.

Mother Teresa authored four major books, several minor works, at least thirty-one poems, and 458 letters that still exist. Her writings are among the most profound spiritual writings in the history of the Church, earning her the title Doctor of the Church.

As we honor this great saint and mystic, ponder the fact that she needed to enter into a second conversion. Though she was a nun with an established life of prayer, she was not entering into the depth of prayer to which she was called. When she discovered this fact, God took her into her own soul and she met Him there. Through her, God left a profound and lasting spiritual legacy for the Church.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-15st-teresa-of-vila/

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Saint Callistus I, Pope and Martyr

Daily Saints

Late Second Century–c. 223; Patron Saint of cemetery workers; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint Callistus (also spelled Callixtus) is known to us primarily through his detractors, both of whom are considered heretics. One was a priest named Hippolytus of Rome, who later set himself up as an antipope in opposition to Pope Callistus. The other detractor was Tertullian, an early Christian writer and theologian who was initially orthodox and is even credited with first using the word “Trinity,” but who later followed the heresy of Montanism.

Based on their writings and on other later sources, Callistus was a slave in Rome, perhaps born of a slave mother. At that time, slavery was common. Criminals, captives of war, victims of piracy, and children born into slavery made up the slave population. The Roman Empire of the third century permitted slavery but also had laws forbidding harsh treatment and offered slaves ways of buying their freedom. As Christianity emerged, it often advocated for fair treatment of slaves and for their personal dignity, which is found even in the writings of Saint Paul.

Late in the second century, a Christian named Carpophorus is said to have collected money from other Christians to be used to care for widows and orphans. His slave, Callistus, was put in charge of the money, but he lost it and fled the city in fear. He was found due west of Rome on a ship waiting to set sail in the Mediterranean Sea. When he learned that he was found, he jumped overboard but was captured and returned to his master. He was later released, perhaps because his captors thought he would lead them to the money he lost. However, after his release, Callistus stirred up a controversy in a synagogue and was arrested and sent to work in the mines of Sardinia. Eventually, he was released at the request of the empress who was sympathetic to Christians.

After Callistus was released, the Christians entrusted him to the care of Pope Victor while he recovered from ill health. Pope Victor died around c. 199, and Callistus remained in the service of the pope’s successor, Pope Zephyrinus, who ordained him a deacon. At that time, deacons had great responsibility, and Deacon Callistus was no exception. He was appointed by the pope as the caretaker of an underground Christian cemetery on the Appian Way.

The Catacombs of Saint Callistus, as they are called today, were a massive multi-level underground cemetery used primarily for Christians from the second to fourth centuries. The tunnels span several miles and remain a popular place of pilgrimage. It is estimated that as many as a half million people are buried there. Burials included several early popes and beloved Roman martyrs, making the catacombs an important place of prayer.

Around the year 217, Pope Zephyrinus died and Deacon Callistus was chosen as his successor. By God’s grace, he had gone from slavery, to prisoner, to freeman, to deacon, to pope! Pope Callistus was a man of great compassion. Perhaps the sufferings, and even sins, that marked his early life inspired him to have a merciful heart. One question that had emerged at that time was what to do with those who had engaged in public sins but later repented. Some of these sinners had joined a heretical sect, engaged in adultery, or had succumbed to imperial decrees mandating emperor worship and the worship of Roman gods. Some priests, such as Hippolytus, revolted at the idea of leniency, especially for sexual sins. As a result, Hippolytus set himself up as a rival, or antipope, the first antipope in the history of the Church. Tertullian also opposed Pope Callistus, arguing that the power to bind and loose from sins was a power given only to Saint Peter by Jesus, but not to his successors.

Among his other pastoral achievements, Pope Callistus reinvigorated the practice of Ember Days, which were days of fasting at the beginning of the four seasons as a way of beseeching God for blessings in each of those seasons. He is said to have been a diligent evangelist, converting and baptizing many people of prominence, such as soldiers and senators, most of whom later died as martyrs.

During the reign of Roman Emperor Alexander Severus, a persecution of Christians broke out in the empire, especially in Rome. A Roman priest named Calepodius was tortured and thrown into the Tiber River with a millstone tied around his neck. Pope Callistus found his body and buried it in a catacomb. Afterwards, one tradition states that Calepodius appeared to the pope and prophesied the pope would soon die by martyrdom. Shortly afterwards, Pope Callistus was arrested, starved for a week, tortured, and then thrown into a deep well with a stone around his neck. Pope Callistus’ body was later recovered and buried next to Calepodius. In the ninth century, both of their bodies were transferred to the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere.

It has been said of Saint Callistus that if we knew more about his life from Christian sources, he might have gone down as one of our greatest popes. He suffered greatly in his early life but entered the service of the Church where he became a deacon and then pope. He taught about the importance of penance, evangelized, faced calumny and persecution with courage, and died for his faith. What little we know of his life remains an inspiration today, and his merciful commitment to repentant sinners shines forth as the law of Christ and the ongoing practice of the Church.

As we honor this ancient pope, ponder your own approach to mercy. Mercy is two-sided. We need to be convinced of God’s mercy toward us, and we need to show that same depth of mercy toward others. Pray to Saint Callistus today for a merciful and courageous heart so that you will follow in his footsteps.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-14–st-callistus-pope-martyr/

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Saint Hedwig, Religious

Daily Saints

1174–1243; Patron Saint of brides, widows, duchesses, those whose children have died, and difficult marriages; Invoked against jealousy; Canonized by Pope Clement IV on March 26, 1267

Hedwig of Andechs, later known as Hedwig of Silesia, was born at Andechs Castle in the Duchy of Bavaria within the Holy Roman Empire, in what is modern-day Germany. She was the daughter of Berthold IV, Count of Andechs and later Duke of Merania and Margrave of Istria and Carniola, and his wife, Agnes. Hedwig had at least six siblings who led influential lives: Ekbert became the Bishop of Bamberg; Berthold became the Archbishop of Kalocsa and Patriarch of Aquileia; Otto I became Duke of Merania and Margrave of Istria and Carniola; Agnes became Queen of France; Matilda became the abbess of the Benedictine Abbey of Kitzingen; and Gertrude became Queen of Hungary. Gertrude’s daughter and Hedwig’s niece was Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.

Raised by noble and faith-filled parents, Hedwig received a cultured and pious upbringing, along with an excellent education. Her early education might have taken place at the Benedictine Abbey of Kitzingen, where her sister would later become abbess. The Catholic faith was central to her family’s life, making her devout from a young age. Around the age of twelve, Hedwig married Henry I the Bearded, Duke of Silesia, thereby becoming the Duchess of Silesia. Their marriage was a political arrangement to form an alliance between two powerful ruling families. Silesia, in modern-day Poland, was almost 500 miles from Hedwig’s hometown of Andechs, which is in modern-day Germany.

Duke Henry and Duchess Hedwig were both deeply faithful. They had at least seven children together, four of whom survived to adulthood. Understanding well that the Church and state needed to be united, they used their authority and wealth primarily for advancing the Gospel, particularly through charitable works. They not only governed their lands effectively but also built hospitals and monasteries, lived out their Catholic faith, cared for the poor, led a life of daily prayer, and centered their primary mission around sharing the love of Christ with everyone.

After their seventh child was born, Henry and Hedwig took mutual vows of chastity in the presence of the local bishop to more fully devote themselves to the service of the Church. Hedwig moved close to a convent they had founded in Trebnitz, in present-day Wrocław, Poland. Hedwig’s faith and charity continued to blossom. She engaged in severe penances, cared for the poor, visited prisoners, and even washed the feet of lepers on Holy Thursday. She attended Mass daily and took joy in supplying bread and wine for the Eucharist. One of her greatest joys was caring for monasteries, including supplying them with food and clothing.

In 1238, when Hedwig was sixty-four, her husband Henry died. Her son, Henry II the Pious, succeeded his father as Duke of Silesia. Hedwig chose to spend her later years in greater solitude at the monastery in Trebnitz where her daughter was abbess. She did not take formal vows but lived as a lay sister, giving her the freedom to continue her abundant charitable works.

Hedwig died five years after her husband and was buried next to him in the Cistercian monastery of Trzebnica. She was canonized twenty-four years after her death. During the canonization ceremony, it is said that Pope Clement IV called upon her intercession for the cure of a blind girl, and the cure was immediate.

As we honor this holy woman, we are reminded that earthly wealth and power do not have to be obstacles to a deep love of God. Saint Hedwig shows us that our greatest temptations can also be the things that draw us closer to God if used rightly. As Jesus said, “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24). Saint Hedwig is among those who were both rich and powerful, yet entered through that eye of the needle and achieved great holiness. Ponder your own temptations in life. You might not have power or wealth to tempt you, but whatever it is, God can use every good thing and every cross we carry as a means of greater holiness. Allow Saint Hedwig to inspire you by her example.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-17–st-hedwige/

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Saint John Henry Newman

Daily Saints

1801–1890; Patron Saint of Newman Centers; Canonized by Pope Francis on October 13, 2019

John Henry Newman, born in London, England, was the eldest of three sons and had three sisters. His father was a banker, and his mother’s family were engravers and papermakers. His early education was given by his Anglican mother who was descended from French Calvinist Huguenots. As a child, he became well versed in the Bible, although his religious convictions were not definitive. At the age of seven, he was sent to Great Ealing School, a boarding school considered to be the best private school in England at that time. John was a serious student who loved to read, devouring everything from Arabian tales to philosophical and theological works. He especially loved stories that sparked his imagination.

When John Henry was fifteen, during his final year at Ealing, he went through a profound conversion. Of that conversion, he later wrote, “I fell under the influences of a definite creed, and received into my intellect impressions of dogma, which, through God’s mercy, have never been effaced or obscured” (Apologia #3). His conversion came through reading Evangelical books in which he came to a personal conviction about eternal glory. That year he continued to read and was introduced to Saint Augustine and other Church Fathers, though most of his reading was in Evangelical theology. His reading even led him to conclude that the “Pope was the Antichrist predicted by Daniel, St. Paul, and St. John.” Finally, he sensed that his life mission would require him to remain celibate, perhaps so he could be a missionary or for some other reason.

After his personal conversion, John Henry continued his studies at Trinity College, Oxford. Because he struggled, he graduated without distinctions. Desiring to continue with his intellectual pursuits, he began working as a private tutor and preparing for a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford, which he received in 1822 at the age of twenty-one. In 1824, he was ordained an Anglican deacon and became a priest in 1825. After his Anglican ordination, he became curate of Saint Clement’s Church, Oxford. As curate, he assisted the parish priest with various pastoral duties, which gave him time to reflect upon his theological concepts within the context of real life with real people. His time as a curate won him much respect, and in 1828, he was appointed Vicar of the University Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Oxford. He remained in this position until 1843.

In the early 1830s, some leaders within the Church of England were growing increasingly concerned about what appeared to be a laxity of faith among the Anglican community, as well as state interference in the Anglican Church. On July 14, 1833, an Anglican priest named John Keble preached a sermon at the University of Oxford that caught the interest of a number of Anglican leaders, including John Henry Newman. This sermon sparked what became known as the Oxford Movement. Over the next several years, John Henry and others began to write and publish “Tracts for the Times.” These tracts were a series of pamphlets that defended Anglican apostolic succession and argued for a return to the liturgical traditions with a renewed interest in the Church Fathers. Little by little, however, his writings appeared to sound more like Catholic teaching than Anglican. Though this caused controversy, John Henry continued to develop his doctrinal convictions.

It was Newman’s study and articulation of the teachings of the Church Fathers that had the biggest impact upon him. In 1842, he retired from his positions at Oxford and retreated to Littlemore, where he spent the next few years living a quasi-monastic life of prayer, study, and writing. After a thorough study of the Church Fathers and the development of the doctrines he deeply believed in, he was convinced that the Roman Catholic Church was the Church instituted by Christ. Despite the shock and disapproval of those close to him, on October 9, 1845, he was received into the Catholic Church in a small ceremony at Littlemore by Blessed Dominic Barberi. He then traveled to Rome for further studies, was ordained a Catholic priest in 1847, and returned to Birmingham, England, to form the Birmingham Oratory of St. Philip Neri in 1848.

In the years that followed, Father Newman helped found the Catholic University of Ireland and published the Apologia Pro Vita Sua, a theological defense of his personal conversion. He also published several other works, including The Idea of a University, in which he especially articulates the purpose of a university. He argued that a university was not just to teach useful knowledge but to cultivate the mind in its pursuit of knowledge, ultimately arriving at “a great and firm belief in the sovereignty of Truth.” It is for this reason that Catholic chaplaincies at colleges are called Newman Centers.

Before his death, Father Newman received two important honors. In 1877, he was given an honorary fellowship at Trinity College as a way of reconciling him with Oxford and his former colleagues. An even greater honor came in 1879 when Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal, despite the fact that he was not a bishop.

Saint John Henry Newman could have lived a comfortable life as an Anglican priest and scholar. However, he chose to follow the convictions of faith that God planted in his mind and heart.

As we honor Saint John Henry Newman, ponder his process of personal discovery and conversion. We all need ongoing conversion and transformation. Allow Saint John Henry Newman’s courage to inspire you to always seek out the fullness of the truth and go wherever it leads you.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/saint-john-henry-newman/

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Saint John XXIII, Pope

Daily Saints

1881–1963; Patron Saint of papal delegates; Canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was born in Sotto il Monte, a small village in the province of Bergamo, Italy. He came from a materially poor but spiritually rich family of tenant farmers who worked in vineyards and cornfields and who tended cattle. He was the fourth of thirteen children. As a child, he received an excellent education from his parish priest. He was confirmed at the age of eight and received his First Holy Communion a month and a half later. At the age of eleven, he began his eight years at a high school seminary in Bergamo. During this time, he also became a member of the Secular Franciscans. When he was fourteen, he began keeping a journal that he kept throughout his life and which was published after his death. One journal entry at the age of eighteen reflected, “And you, O God…opened my eyes to this light which sheds its radiance around me, you created me. So you are my Master and I am your creature. I am nothing without you, and through you I am all that I am. I can do nothing without you; indeed, if at every moment you did not support me I should slip back whence I came, into nothingness.”

At the age of nineteen, given Angelo’s strong potential for higher studies and priestly ordination, he received a scholarship to study at the Apollinaris Seminary in Rome. Shortly after Angelo arrived in Rome, his brother was drafted into military service. Because his brother was needed at home, Angelo volunteered to take his place and served for one year. After returning to Rome, he completed his studies for the priesthood, earning a doctorate in theology. He was ordained a priest on August 10, 1904, and completed studies in canon law the following year.

In 1905, Father Roncalli was appointed as the secretary to the Bishop of Bergamo and assigned to teach history and patrology in the Bergamo seminary. He served in these roles for the next ten years, assisting the bishop in numerous ways. He participated in a diocesan synod, helped edit the diocesan journal, La Vita Diocesana, assisted with pilgrimages, and engaged in various social works, about which his bishop was passionate. In 1910, he received the additional assignment of the pastoral care of the Catholic Action movement that sought to involve the laity in timely social needs within the Church and wider community. After ten years as a priest, he wrote in his journal, “My dominant thought, in my joy of having accomplished ten years as a priest, is this: I do not belong to myself, or to others; I belong to my Lord, for life and death. The dignity of the priesthood, the ten years full of graces which he has heaped upon me, such a poor, humble creature—all this convinces me that I must crush the self and devote all my energies to nothing else but work for the Kingdom of Jesus in the minds and hearts of men.”

In 1915, the year after the start of World War I, Father Roncalli was drafted into the Italian army, first as a medic, then as a chaplain for soldiers. Upon completing his service in 1918, he returned to Bergamo where he opened a hostel for students, taught in the seminary, and became a chaplain and spiritual director.

In 1921, Father Roncalli’s life moved from service of his local church to the universal church. Pope Benedict XV called him to Rome and appointed him as the President for Italy of the central council of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In that role, he made many pastoral visits to the Italian dioceses, where he helped to organize missionary activity. In 1925, he was named a bishop by Pope Pius XI and assigned as the Apostolic Visitor to Bulgaria. He chose as his episcopal motto, Oboedientia et Pax (Obedience and Peace), which summarized his ministry for the rest of his life.

After nine years of service in Bulgaria, Bishop Roncalli was appointed as Apostolic Delegate in Turkey and Greece, where he not only cared for the Catholics but also entered into ongoing dialogue with Muslims and Eastern Orthodox. During World War II, he became especially concerned for the welfare of Jews and, according to some estimates, personally assisted several thousand Jews in escaping the Holocaust by providing them with forged baptismal certificates and visas in order to help get them to Palestine. Years later, his actions were honored by the State of Israel when, in 2011, he was posthumously awarded the honor “Righteous Among the Nations.”

In 1944, several months after France was liberated from Nazi Germany, Bishop Roncalli was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to France by Pope Pius XII, where he assisted with the liberated prisoners of war and helped France rebuild after four years of occupation. His love of priestly ministry shone forth during this time as he worked to inspire the faithful and help them renew their faith after an excruciating period of national suffering. He remained in France for nine years, was named a cardinal in 1953, and subsequently made Patriarch of Venice, a traditionally prestigious position in the Church. At the age of seventy-one, Cardinal Roncalli threw himself into the pastoral ministry in Venice, where he planned to spend the rest of his life.

When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, Cardinal Roncalli was among the cardinal-electors. To his surprise and that of many, the seventy-seven-year-old Cardinal Roncalli was elected pope and took the name of his father, Giovanni, making him Pope Giovanni (John) XXIII. He soon became known as the “good pope” because of his humble, kind, and active papacy. His pastoral heart led him to visit the sick and imprisoned, his diplomatic background enabled him to see the world as his family, and his courage led him to make profound changes within the Church and world.

During the four and a half years he served as pope, John XXIII issued eight encyclicals. Among them, two stand out. Mater et magistra (Mother and Teacher) addressed the Church’s role in social progress amidst a time of rapid technological change and increasing social and economic inequality. Pacem in terris (Peace on Earth) dealt with human dignity, rights, and responsibilities of all peoples and nations to seek peace and harmony. He also convened the first Synod of the Diocese of Rome and began a revision of the Code of Canon Law.

The greatest surprise during his papacy came just three months after he was elected when, on January 25, 1959, while making a pastoral visit to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, he announced the twenty-third Ecumenical Council, which came to be known as Vatican II. In 1962, he wrote in his journal, “After three years of preparation, certainly laborious but also joyful and serene, we are now on the slopes of the sacred mountain. May the Lord give us strength to bring everything to a successful conclusion!” Though Pope John XXIII died before the conclusion of the Council, his courageous and pastoral heart is to be credited for the inspiration and instigation of the process that changed the Church in ways never seen before. Though some have criticized some aspects of the aftermath of Vatican II, this pastoral council, initiated by a pastoral pope, has transformed the Church in profound ways. Pope John XXIII was canonized in 2014 by Pope Francis, on the same day that Pope John Paul II was canonized. Many have suggested that their shared canonization prophetically illustrates that Saint John XXIII initiated the Council and Saint John Paul II definitively implemented it.

As we honor this holy pastor of the universal Church, ponder the amazing fact that God could use a poor, humble, and simple man in such a profound way. As a divine institution, God always has and always will guide the Church through the Vicar of Christ. Sinful and weak though even popes are, God’s grace suffices where human weakness is present. Pray for the pope today, and know that he is God’s gift to the Church in our day and age.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-11—st-john-xxiii-pope/

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Saint John Leonardi, Priest

Daily Saints

1541–1609; Patron Saint of pharmacists; Canonized by Pope Pius XI on April 17, 1938

The early sixteenth century saw the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, which resulted in religious and political chaos in northern Europe. Following the revolt of Martin Luther and others, the Catholic Church took a good look at itself and began a thorough process of internal reform. The foundation for this reform was laid by the Council of Trent during the years 1545–1563. Additionally, the Holy Spirit sparked a spiritual renewal of piety and personal devotion among the faithful, as well as the formation of several new religious orders, such as the Jesuits, Oratorians, Ursulines, Theatines, Barnabites, Somaschi Fathers, and the Discalced Carmelites. Among the newly formed religious orders was the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God, founded by today’s saint, Saint John Leonardi.

Giovanni (John) Leonardi was born into a middle-class family in the small town of Diecimo, Republic of Lucca, modern-day Italy. When John was four, the Council of Trent held its first session, and when he turned twenty-two, it held its last. Around the age of seventeen, John began studying to become a pharmacist, a well-respected occupation at that time. After ten years of study, he became certified and worked as a pharmacist’s assistant for the next few years. However, the work of providing medicine for the body soon deepened a desire he had held for years—the mission of providing spiritual medicine for the soul as a priest. After a few years of theological preparation, John was ordained a priest in 1572 at the age of thirty-one.

At the heart of Father Leonardi’s personal convictions was a desire to enter into a personal relationship with Christ. He not only lived this conviction, he also promoted it within his priestly ministry. After he was ordained, he served in his local parish in Lucca where he worked with youth and visited the sick and imprisoned. His devotion to Christ and desire for personal and ecclesiastical reform drew a group of young men whom he spiritually directed and formed in the faith. By 1574, the community of young men led to the formation of a group that would later evolve into a new diocesan congregation called the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca. They rented the church of Santa Maria della Rosa, where a community life took shape.

Because the Council of Trent had recently concluded, mandating various reforms, a newly inspired religious order might seem like a good way to help implement those reforms. Indeed, it was! However, Father Leonardi and his companions soon discovered that not everyone in Lucca was ready for reform, and some saw the formation of this new congregation as a threat. Therefore, other religious and even civil authorities began to oppose it. Opposition became so fierce that Father John spent much of the rest of his life in exile from Lucca, by mandate of the local government. Change and internal Church reform are difficult. Father John pressed on, however, and eventually gained wider support, including support from the local bishop and the pope.

In 1583, the new congregation was canonically established by the Bishop of Lucca with the approval of Pope Gregory XIII. They were not yet a formal religious order, so they only took simple vows. They were, however, encouraged in their mission and worked to implement the reforms of the Council of Trent, including forming the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine within Lucca, just as many other saintly reformers had been doing in other dioceses.

Over the next two and a half decades, bishops, cardinals, and popes called upon Father Leonardi to assist with the reform of the Church, including other religious orders. Most of his later years were spent in Rome, due to ongoing opposition in Lucca. In Rome, he worked with the future Saint Philip Neri, founded a seminary for the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, and promoted Forty Hours Devotion and frequent Communion. In 1606, a serious plague ravaged Rome, and Father John contracted it while ministering to the sick. He remained sickly for the next few years, dying in 1609. In 1621, Pope Gregory XV elevated the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God of Lucca to the status of a religious order, enabling them to take formal vows. The congregation continues its good work today.

Saint John Leonardi was inspired by the Holy Spirit to assist in the reform of the Church and to foster a deeply personal relationship with Christ, especially through adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, frequent Communion, and good catechesis. It often happens that the work the Holy Spirit inspires in one person is then opposed by those who do not listen to the promptings of that same Spirit. The life of Saint John Leonardi displays a prime example of this conflict. His perseverance throughout lends more credence to his holiness and divine mission.

As we honor this religious founder and confessor, ponder the fact that God’s will is not always embraced by the world with open arms. Therefore, when we act as instruments of God’s will and Truth, others will not always embrace us. This opposition can, at times, lead to discouragement. As you ponder Saint John’s life today, allow his fidelity and perseverance in the face of persecution to inspire you to press on with the mission God has given to you. Reject discouragement, pray for courage, and seek to implement God’s will in your life.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/october-9—saint-john-leonardi/

Saint John Leonardi, Priest Read More »

Saints Jean de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, Priests and Martyrs; and their Companions, Martyrs

Saint Luke the Evangelist

First Century, died c. age 84; Patron Saint of artists, bachelors, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, glassworkers, goldworkers, laceworkers, notaries, physicians, and surgeons; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

Early- to Mid-First Century–c. 107; Patron Saint of the Church in Northern Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean; Invoked against throat diseases; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin

1647–1690; Patron Saint of devotees of the Sacred Heart and those who have lost a parent while young; Invoked against polio and rheumatic fever; Canonized by Pope Benedict XV on May 13, 1920

Saint Teresa of Avila, Virgin and Doctor

1515–1582; Patron Saint of Spain, lacemakers, and those in need of grace, in religious orders, and ridiculed for their piety; Invoked against bodily ills, headaches, and sickness; Canonized by Pope Gregory XV on March 12, 1622; Declared a Doctor of the Church on September 27, 1970

Saint Callistus I, Pope and Martyr

Late Second Century–c. 223; Patron Saint of cemetery workers; Pre-Congregation canonization

Saint Hedwig, Religious

1174–1243; Patron Saint of brides, widows, duchesses, those whose children have died, and difficult marriages; Invoked against jealousy; Canonized by Pope Clement IV on March 26, 1267

Saint John Henry Newman

1801–1890; Patron Saint of Newman Centers; Canonized by Pope Francis on October 13, 2019

Saint John XXIII, Pope

1881–1963; Patron Saint of papal delegates; Canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014

Saint John Leonardi, Priest

1541–1609; Patron Saint of pharmacists; Canonized by Pope Pius XI on April 17, 1938

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