Saint of the day .

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Saint of the day: 25th March



Feast of the Annunciation

In both the East and West, Mary is the most important of saints - although little is known of her life.
St Matthew describes how, when the angel Gabriel came to her and said: "Hail favoured one, the Lord is with you", she replied simply: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be be done unto me according to your word."

When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, Elizabeth said: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."
It was on this occasion that Mary sang the Magnificat:
My soul glorifies the Lord, My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour...
The next mention of Mary in the New Testament comes when St Luke recounts the family's journey to Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve. Mary, he says, kept everything she saw and learnt of her son in her heart.
From time to time, Mary is mentioned during Jesus' public ministry. At the wedding feast, she urges her son to do something when the wine runs out early.
At the crucifixion, according to St John, as Mary stood by the apostle watching her son die, Jesus said to her: "Behold your son," and to John: "Behold your mother." From that hour the disciple looked after Mary in his own home.
The last mention of Mary in the New Testament, is in the Acts when we learn that she was with the disciples at Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came upon them all.
Many ancient traditions of the church glorify Mary, in particular by speaking of her lifelong virginity and her assumption into heaven.
A Carthusian wrote: 'Mary possessed the grace of gentleness to an exceptional degree. Gentleness is the summing-up of all the Christian virtues; it consists, above all, of respect for all animate beings; since one who is gentle is gentle towards all living things. And this, because in its root it derives from harmony with the will of God under all its forms, a tender acquiescence in all that is. It is also the prime requisite for all who long to clarify their inward vision. There is no contemplative life without infinite patience; light only penetrates souls at rest. Tranquillity is the first disposition necessary then, if the depths of the soul are to become translucent. The art of contemplating divine truths is the art of remaining still.
'Gentleness is the quality of a forgiving and merciful soul, and is inseparable from true intellectual insight. When the mind is purified and sees all being in their proper light, it cannot be but confident and loving.
'St John of the Cross once said how essential kindness is for all interior progress. Our vocation is truly virginal and a mirror of Mary's. She had no need to condemn the world. It was the world that broke its strength against her graciousness.'
From: 'The Prayer of Love and Silence.' Darton, Longman and Todd, 1962


Mary may your example teach us gentleness and love .

and Saint Julia Billiart

Nun and foundress. St Julia Billiart was born in Cuvilly, France in 1751. The fifth of seven children, she attended a little one room school. She enjoyed all subjects, but was particularly attracted to the religion lessons taught by the parish priest. Recognizing something 'special' in her, the priest secretly allowed her to make her First Communion at the age of nine, when the normal age at the time, was thirteen.

When she was sixteen, she began to teach farm workers about the Bible - sitting on a haystack. She carried on this mission of teaching throughout her life, and the Congregation she founded continues her work.

She suffered poor health for much of her life and was often barely able to walk. When the French Revolution broke out, Julia offered her home as a hiding place for priests. Because of this, she was hunted by the revolutionary authorities herself. For several years she had to live in hiding herself.

During this time she experienced a vision. She saw the crucified Lord surrounded by a large group of religious women dressed in a habit she had never seen before. An inner voice told her that these would be her daughters and that she would begin an institute for the Christian education of young girls. She and a rich young woman founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

At Amiens, the two women and a few companions set up their religious community. In 1804, Julia was miraculously cured of her illness and walked for the first time in twenty-two years. In 1805, Julie and three companions made their profession and took their final vows. She was elected as Mother General of the young Congregation.

In 1815, Julia nursed the wounded and starving soldiers who had survived the battle of Waterloo. After another illness, she died peacefully on this day in 1816 at the age of 64. Julia was beatified in 1906, and canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1969.


Saint Julia Billiart , may the Holy Spirit use your example to inspire us to seek calmness and tranquillity .

 

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Saint of the day: 26th March

Saint Liudger

Bishop. Frisian by birth, Liudger was one of the eighth century Anglo Saxon missionaries who evangelised parts of northern Europe. He studied under Boniface at Utrecht and Alcuin at York. He then began preaching in remote areas of Frisia where Charlemagne had gone ahead breaking up pagan shrines.

In 777 he was ordained priest and built several churches. When the Saxons invaded the area they drove out the priests and sacked the new churches.

Liudger took the opportunity to visit Rome and Monte Cassino during this time, staying there for two years. On his return to his homeland, he built a Benedictine monastery and set about rebuilding the ruined churches. In contrast to Charlemagne who tried to convert people with the sword, Liudger became known for being gentle and persuasive.

In 804 he was consecrated bishop of Munster. He built a monastery there. When someone denounced him to Charlemagne for giving too much church money to the poor, the Emperor came to see him to ask if this were true. Liudger kept him waiting until he had finished his prayers but managed to remain in the royal favour.



Liudger died at Werden after a long illness. His relics remain there today. He has been venerated as a saint since the 9th century .

Saint Liudger , using your example may the Holy Spirit inspire our spreading of the Gospel to be gentle and persuasive in manner .

 

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Saint of the day: 27th March

Saint John of Egypt

Hermit. Born in Asyut, Egypt, in 304, St John was a carpenter. When he was 25 he went out into the desert to pray and was to became one of the most famous hermits of his time.

For ten years he was the disciple of an elderly hermit. St John called him his "spiritual father." After the older monk's death, St John spent four or five years in various monasteries. Finally, he found a cave high in the rocks. The area was quiet and protected from the desert sun and winds. He divided the cave into three parts: a living room, a work room and a little chapel. People in the area brought him food and other necessities. Many also came to seek his advice about important matters.

The Emperor Theodosius I asked his advice twice, in 388 and in 392. Saints Augustine and Jerome wrote about the holiness of St John. When so many people came to visit him, some became his disciples. They stayed in the area and built a hospice.

St John had the gift of prophesy and was able to look into the souls of those who came to him. He was also a healer.
Even when John became famous, he remained humble and lived a very frugal life. He never ate before sunset. When he did eat, his food was dried fruit and vegetables. He never ate meat or cooked. In old age he was visited by the historian Palladius. His account of their meeting exists to this day. John died in 394 at the age of 90.




Saint John of Egypt , inspired your example may we be responsive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit .

 

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Saint of the day: 28th March

Saint Tutilo

Monk, and gifted musician. St Tutilo lived in the late ninth and early tenth centuries. He was educated at the Benedictine monastery of Saint-Gall.

A good-humoured person of many talents, he was a poet, portrait painter, sculptor, orator, architect and mechanic. But his greatest talent was music. He could play all the instruments known to the monks. Together with his friend, Blessed Notker, he composed much church music and taught at the abbey school.

Only three poems and one hymn remain of all Tutilo's works. But his paintings and sculptures are still found today in several cities of Europe.

Tutilo is said to have been a 'giant in strength, stature and wits'. He praised God through all his work. St Tutilo died in 915.




Saint Tutilo , with your example before us may we be inspired by the Holy Spirit to praise God through all we do .

 

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Saint Berthold of Carmel





Friar. Born in Limoges, France, in the 12th century, Berthold studied in Paris before going to the Holy Land as a crusader. There he joined the Latin-rite hermits who had settled on Mt Carmel in Palestine and was appointed their superior by the patriarch of Jerusalem. This was the beginning of the Carmelite order.



Saint Berthold of Carmel , pray for members of the Carmelite order .



and Saints Gwynllyw and Gwladys

These sixth century saints were the parents of St Cadoc, one of the early founders of monasticism in South Wales. They are also one of very few married couple to be canonised.

Gwynllyw was a chieftain. His wife Gwladys also came from an aristocratic family. Much of their life was spent fighting neighbouring tribes, but their son Cadoc converted them to Christianity and they became devout followers of Christ.

The couple settled near Stow Hill in Gwent, where they lived like monks, praying, taking long walks and bathing in the icy water of the river Usk winter and summer.

Eventually they decided to live apart. Gwynllyw was visited by St Dyfrig on his deathbed on this day.

Many miracles are associated with the couple. Several place names and church dedications preserve their memory.


Saints Gwynllyw and Gwladys , pray that we may be devoted followers of Christ .

 

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Saint of the day: 30th March



Saint John Clemacus

Monk and Abbot of Mt Sinai. A seventh century Palestinian, St John was married as a young man. When his wife died he became a monk. He lived in a community for a short time and then became a hermit. He lived at Thole, coming to church with other Egyptian solitaries on Saturdays and Sundays, but spending the rest of the week alone.

His name means ladder, and he wrote a book called the Ladder to Paradise, which deals with monastic spirituality, the vices and virtues of communal life and the pursuit of apatheria (passive disinterestedness) which was regarded as a perfect state. When he was seventy he was chosen to be the abbot of Sinai. He ruled for four years before retiring to his hermitage where he died in 649.

His concept of the spiritual life as a ladder inspired many artists. His emblem is also a ladder.


Saint John Clemacus , help us to climb that ladder to paradise .

 

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Saint of the day 31st March




Bishop of Antioch. According to legend, this 3rd century saint was so revered by his flock that they nicknamed him 'Agathangelus' which means 'The Good Angel'.

When the Emperor Decius began persecuting Christians, it is said not a single Christian in his diocese denied their faith. In 261 a representative of Decius named Martian summoned the bishop for cross-examination. Acacius told him that all the Christians were loyal to the Emperor, but when he was asked to make a sacrifice to the gods he refused.

Instead of immediately sentencing him to death, Martian continued the cross-examination and they are said to have spent hours discussing philosophy. Martian was so impressed with St Acacius' arguments he sent a transcript of the interview to the emperor, who pardoned him.

Saint Acacius , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 1st April

Saint Hugh of Grenoble

Bishop. St Hugh was born in 1052, at Chateauneuf in France. He was the son of a knight called Odilo and educated at the cathedral school at Valence, where he became a canon.

Hugh is said to have been very gifted, and good looking. He was also very shy. The bishop of Die, who was a papal legate made him his secretary. In 1080 he attended the Synod of Avignon which reviewed the deplorable state of the diocese of Grenoble. The clergy there had earned a terrible reputation for their loose morals and abuse of church funds.

When Hugh was made bishop of Grenoble he set about reforming the diocese. He was loved by the poor, but disliked by the nobility who were trying to acquire church lands. St Hugh built a bridge, a marketplace and three hospitals for the people in his care. He also restored the church of St Laurence and the cathedral. But he is especially remembered as the virtual co-founder of the Carthusian order.

His own father became a Carthusian monk before he died at the age of a hundred. Hugh spent many retreats at the monastery and asked the Pope for permission to resign from his bishopric many times, so that he could live as a monk. His request was always refused.

St Hugh defended Pope Innocent II against the anti-pope Anaceltus. During the final weeks of his life, he seemed to forget everything, except the Our Father and the Psalms. He died in 1132 surrounded by Carthusian monks.

His Life written by the Carthusian Gigues describes him as a very attractive character. Pope Innocent II canonised him just two years after his death.

Saint Hugh of Grenoble , pray for the reform of the Church .

 

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saint of the day: 2nd April

Saint Francis of Paola

Patron saint of seafarers. Founder of the Franciscan Minim Friars, Born at Paola in Calabria, in 1416, St Francis lived at a friary for a year when he was 13. He made a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi, and then became a hermit living in a cave overlooking the sea. When he was 20, he was joined by two companions. The neighbours built them a chapel and cells to live in. Later others came. The Friars were called the Minims and were approved by the Pope in 1474. There was usually only one priest in each community. They followed the Franciscan ideal.

St Francis of Paola became famous for his gifts of prophesy and miracles. He spent his last 25 years in France, establishing his order at Plesis, Amboise and other places. King Louis XI asked for him to visit when he was very ill and terrified of dying. He also helped negotiate peace between France and Brittany, and France and Spain. For a while he was tutor to the future king Charles VIII.

He died at Tours in 1507. Many artists, including Murillo, Velasquez and Goya have painted him. Liszt wrote the piano study: St Francis of Paola Walking on the Water. He is particularly popular in Italy, France and Mexico. Because so many of his miracles took place at sea, in 1947 he was declared patron of mariners.

Saint Francis of Paola , pray for all who travel the world's seas and oceans .

 

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Saint of the day: 3rd April

Saint Luigi Scrosoppi

Italian priest and founder of the Sisters of Providence. St Luigi was born on 4 August 1804, at Udine in Italy, the youngest of three sons of Domenico Scrosoppi, a jeweller and his wife Antonia Lazzarini. His brother Carlo was ordained when Luigi was six, and his brother Giovanni several years later. When he was 11 or 12 years old, Luigi's home region was struck by drought, famine, typhus, and smallpox in quick succession; the sight of such misery, complete poverty, and the number of orphans had a lasting effect on him.

In his teens, Luigi felt a call to the priesthood, and entered the same seminary as his brother Giovanni. He became deacon in 1826 and was ordained priest in 1827 at the cathedral in Udine; assisted at his first Mass by his brothers.

Luigi helped manage a children's centre run by his brother Carlo. As the numbers of children coming to stay grew, they both went begging on the streets in order to buy food for them.

Soon there were more orphans than space and the brothers decided to enlarge the house. Luigi went through the countryside to beg for building materials and labour. Work began in 1834 with Luigi coordinating, begging, supervising, and working construction. The centre was completed in 1836. That year also saw another cholera epidemic, and more and more orphaned children came to live with them.

The need of the orphans, and the constant work of the brother priests, attracted the attention of several women who were also working with the poor and the abandoned. Among them were Felicita Calligaris, Rosa Molinis, Caterina Bros, Cristina and Amalia Borghese and Orsola Baldasso. These women, under the spiritual direction of Carlo and Luigi, founded what would become the Congregation of Sisters of Providence who taught basic academic subjects and needlework. Luigi placed them under the patronage of Saint Cajetan, and the Congregation received final approval in September 1871 by Pope Pius IX.

In 1846 Luigi joined the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, a congregation devoted to charity and learning. He was elected provost of the community in November 1856. On 4 October 1854 he finished work on the Rescue Home for abandoned girls. On 7 March 1857 he opened the school and home for deaf-mute girls. He also opened Providence House for his unemployed former students, and worked in the hospitals with the sickest and poorest of patients.

In his later years, Luigi had to deal with the anti-clericalism that swept through Italy during unification. Many houses and groups, including the Oratory, were closed, and their assets sold off. While he could not save the Oratory or parish property, he did protect his charitable institutions, and saw the Congregation grow and spread.

Luigi died on 3 April 1884 at Udine. He was canonised on 10 June 2001 by Pope John Paul II, after the miraculous cure of an AIDS patient from Zambia was attributed to him. Peter Changu [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]ima, a young catechist had been told by doctors that hi case was terminal.

His parish community prayed for the intercession of Blessed Luigi, and on the night of Oct. 9, 1996, Changu went to bed and dreamed of Blessed Kuigi. He woke up in the morning completely recovered. Changu is now a seminarian.

Saint Luigi Scrosoppi , pray for those suffering from AIDS .

 

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Saint of the day: 4th April


Saint Benedict the African

Laybrother. Born in Sicily in 1526, of African slave parents, St Benedict was freed by his owner at a young age. When he was 21 some Franciscan hermits saw him being publicly insulted because of his colour. They were impressed by the dignified and patient way he endured being taunted, and invited him to join their group. In time he became their leader. When the group dispersed, in around 1564, he joined the Franciscan Friars at Palermo, as a laybrother, working in the kitchens.

In 1578, the brothers chose him as their superior. He was very reluctant to accept this role as he couldn't read or write, but carried out his duties very successfully. Later he was given other offices, including that of novice master. Benedict's sympathy and understanding as a religious counsellor, helped by a reputation as a healer, brought him many visitors. He spent his last years working again in the kitchens. He died in 1589. He was canonised in 1807 He is a patron of African-Americans.


Saint Benedict the African , pray for those who are victims of racism .

 

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Saint of the day: 5th April


Saint Vincent Ferrer

Friar. St Vincent Ferrer was born in Valencia in Spain, in 1357. His father was an Englishman, married to a Spanish lady.

At the age of 18 he joined the Dominican friars and soon became known as a powerful preacher. In 1390, he accompanied Cardinal Pedro de Luna to France. When de Luna become Pope at Avignon in 1394, he summoned St Vincent and made him master of the papal palace. St Vincent made great efforts to put an end to the great schism - the time where there was several claimant to the papacy. He was offered many church honours, but refused them all.

During his final years he devoted himself to preaching in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Flanders, England, Scotland, and Ireland. St Vincent was such a charismatic speaker, people would follow him from place to place and he helped many discover Christianity - including the Jewish Rabbi Paul, who became Bishop of Cartegena. He was even asked to preach in Granada which was a Moslem city.

St Vincent lived to see the end of the great schism and the election of Pope Martin V. He died during a preaching tour of Brittany on this day in 1419. He is the patron saint of builders - because he is said to have helped to build the church.

Saint Vincent Ferrer , pray for builders .

 

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Saint of the day: 6th April



Saint William of Aebelholt

Augustinian abbot. Born in France in 1127, William of Aebelholt went on to become one of Denmark's most revered saints. His letters are a valuable source of information about the early church there.

William was a canon in Paris when in 1171 he was invited by the bishop of Roskilde to take care of the reform of the abbey of Eskilso in Ise Fjord, Zealand. He then founded the abbey of Aebelholt on the same island. William was then sent to Rome to speak to the Pope on behalf of Ingleburga, sister of the Danish king, who had been repudiated by her husband, King Philip Augustus of France. He died in 1203 and was canonised in 1224.



Saint William of Aebelholt , pray for the people of Denmark .

 

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Saint of the day: 7th April

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Saint John Baptiste de la Salle

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Teacher and founder. St John was born at Rheims in France, in 1651 to a wealthy family. He was given a canonry as a young man. He trained for the priesthood at Saint Sulpice, In 1678 he became a priest, and could have continued living a rather relaxed life. Instead, he decided to devote himself to the education of poor boys. He gave up his canonry and fortune and set about training a group of young men who were the first Brothers of the Christian Schools. They established free schools in Paris, Rome and later England. The success of the congregation drew great hostility from professional schoolmasters and others.

St John was the first person to set up teacher training colleges and he sought to inspire his teachers with 'a father's love for their pupils, ready to devote all their time and energies to them.'

His system of education, outlined in his book 'The Conduct of Christian Schools' was a milestone in educational theory at the time, in particular his idea of teaching children in their mother tongue instead of Latin was very radical.

St John Baptiste de la Salle also wrote several books on prayer and meditation. He died at Rouen in 1719. He was canonised in 1900.

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Saint of the day: 8th April

Saint Julia Billiart

Nun and foundress. St Julia Billiart was born in Cuvilly, France in 1751. The fifth of seven children, she attended a little one room school. She enjoyed all subjects, but was particularly attracted to the religion lessons taught by the parish priest. Recognizing something 'special' in her, the priest secretly allowed her to make her First Communion at the age of nine, when the normal age at the time, was thirteen.

When she was sixteen, she began to teach farm workers about the Bible - sitting on a haystack. She carried on this mission of teaching throughout her life, and the Congregation she founded continues her work.

She suffered poor health for much of her life and was often barely able to walk. When the French Revolution broke out, Julia offered her home as a hiding place for priests. Because of this, she was hunted by the revolutionary authorities herself. For several years she had to live in hiding herself.

During this time she experienced a vision. She saw the crucified Lord surrounded by a large group of religious women dressed in a habit she had never seen before. An inner voice told her that these would be her daughters and that she would begin an institute for the Christian education of young girls. She and a rich young woman founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

At Amiens, the two women and a few companions set up their religious community. In 1804, Julia was miraculously cured of her illness and walked for the first time in twenty-two years. In 1805, Julie and three companions made their profession and took their final vows. She was elected as Mother General of the young Congregation.

In 1815, Julia nursed the wounded and starving soldiers who had survived the battle of Waterloo. After another illness, she died peacefully on this day in 1816 at the age of 64. Julia was beatified in 1906, and canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1969.


Saint Julia Billiart , pray that we may greet all we meet today with a smile .

 

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Saint of the day: 9th April

Saint Waudru

Married woman. Patron of Mons in Belgium. St Waudru came from from a very remarkable seventh century family. Her parents Walbert and Bertilia, her sister Aldegunde, her husband Madelgaire, and their four children, Aldetrude, Denteilin, Landric and Madelberte, are also all venerated as saints.

After her husband became a monk, St Waudru devoted herself to the care of the poor and sick. She built a convent in the area where the town of Mons was later established. She died on this day at Chateaulieu in 688.

Saint Waudru , pray for the people of Belgium .

 

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Saint of the day: 10th April

Saint Beocca and Hethor

Monks and martyrs of Chertsey in Surrey - now on the outskirts of London. They died when their monastery was ransacked by invading Danes in 870.

Many other members of the community are said to have perished with them. Their memory has been kept alive in several chronicles. William of Malmesbury also wrote an account of them.

The same Danish army is said to have killed the monks of Peterborough, Bardney, Ely, and Crowland. King Edmund of East Anglia also lost his life during the invasion.

Saint Beocca and Hethor , pray for an end to war .

 

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Saint of the day: 11th April

Saint Stanislaw

Bishop and martyr. Patron saint of Poland. St Stanislaw was born in 1010 to a noble family in Szczepanow. After his ordination, he received a canonry in Krakow. In 1072 he was consecrated bishop and became a reformer, a tireless preacher and generous benefactor to the poor.

At that time, the king, Boleslaw II, was abusing his power in many ways. On one occasion he abducted someone else's wife. St Stanislaw asked him to free the woman and then threatened to excommunicate the king he did not amend his ways. Boleslaw refused and went to the Cathedral where St Stanislaw was saying Mass. He ordered his soldiers to kill the saint. When they refused he pursued St Stanislaw to the chapel of St Michael outside the city and killed him with his own sword.

Pope Gregory placed an interdict on Poland and the king eventually fell from power. St Stanislaw was canonised in 1223. Besides being very popular in Poland, he has a strong following in Lithuania, Byelorussia and Ukraine.


Saint Stanislaw , pray for the people of Poland .

 

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Saint of the day: 12th April


Saint Theresa of the Andes

Carmelite novice. Theresa was one of six children born in 1900 in Santiago, Chile, to a well-to-do family of mixed Chilean, English and Spanish blood. As a child she was very devout, but her parents made sure she received a good general education, which included the humanities, science, music and art. She loved swimming and games and was a boisterous teenager.

When she was 19 she joined the Carmel of Los Andes, at the foot of the Andes, as a postulant. A year later, during Holy Week she contracted typhus. She made her vows as a Carmelite novice shortly before she died on this day in 1920. Devotion to her grew very quickly throughout Chile and other countries in South America. A national shrine was erected at La Riconda near Los Andes. She was canonised in 1993.

Saint Theresa of the Andes , pray for us .