Saint of the day .

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 27th January

Saint Angela Merici

Founder of the Ursuline nuns. St Angela was born in 1474, at Desenzano on the shores of Lake Garda near Verona in Italy. Her parents died when she was very young. She became a Franciscan tertiary with several friends, and they devoted themselves to teaching poor children. In 1535 they dedicated themselves to this work under the patronage of St Ursula, although they took no vows and wore lay clothes.

The sisterhood was finally organised after Angela's death in 1565. The church authorities had not been prepared to approve the order during her lifetime.

Angela's idea of unenclosed and mobile religious sisters was revolutionary for its time. Her congregation grew to become --the largest women's' teaching order in the church. She was canonised in 1807.


Saint Angela Merici , not afraid of controversy , inspired by your example may Christians embrace the revolutionary Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ , and may they do so without compromise .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 28th January

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Dominican friar and theologian. St Thomas was born to a noble family at Rocca Secca near Aquino. He was educated from the age of five to thirteen at St Benedict's monastery at Monte Cassino. He then studied at the University of Naples for five years, where he met the Dominicans and decided to join their order. His family were so upset by this they imprisoned him for fifteen months in an effort to make him change his mind. They failed.

St Thomas became a monk and went on to study in Paris and Cologne, where he met some of the finest brains of the time. He soon became one of their most famous lecturers himself. So great was his influence that he was asked to teach at universities across Europe. Paris remained his spiritual and intellectual home for most of his life until he set up his great school in Naples.

Besides tirelessly teaching, St Thomas wrote extensively on theology, philosophy and scripture. But he was always very modest and unassuming. Towards the end of his life he experienced a revelation of God, after which he stopped writing. St Thomas said that after what he has seen, everything he had written was 'so much straw'.

St Thomas died in 1274. He was canonised in 1323. and made a Doctor of the Church in 1567. His Summa Theologica was given given special honours at the Council of Trent. The substance of his work, although not all the details, still remains an authentic statement of Christian doctrine today.

Saint Thomas Aquinas , may all involved in the field of education be inspired by your example .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 29th January

St Gildas

Abbot. Born around 500AD, near the Clyde, ancient chronicles describe how St Gildas became a monk after his wife died. He became a notable figure in Welsh monastic life. Many Irish monks came to visit him and he travelled around Ireland and wrote letters to distant monasteries.

In 540 he wrote his famous De Excidio Britanniae, mentioned by Bede, which gives a vivid description of contemporary British rulers and the church - both of which he had a very low opinion of. He felt the Anglo Saxon invasions came as a punishment for decadence. Gildas had a fine knowledge of scripture, Virgil and the Letters of Ignatius of Antioch.

He lived as a hermit for a time on Flatholm Island in the Bristol Channel. But he ended his days on an island near Rhuis (Morbihan) in Brittany. Here he founded a monastery which became the centre of his cult after his death.

St Gildas , inspired by your example , may we strive to have the Scriptures as a constant companion .

 

[Colin]

{ From ICN }

Saint of the day: 30th January

Saint Bathildis

Queen, wife, mother and nun. This saint was an English woman whose life went from rags to riches. As a young girl, she was captured by pirates and sold as a slave to Erchinoald, who was in charge of the palace of the Frankish King, Clovis II.

Bathildis was so beautiful and intelligent she attracted the attention of the king. They married and had three sons, each of whom in turn eventually became king. When her husband died in 657, she acted as regent for her son who was only five. When he was old enough to take the throne, she became a nun and devoted the rest of her life to caring for the poor and sick.

During her reign Queen Bathildis founded monasteries, and hospitals and abolished slavery.

She spent her last 15 years at her convent in Chelles where she served the other nuns and was very obedient to the abbess.

Bathildis died in 680. Her cult became very popular in mediaeval France and England. She is portrayed in many images as a nun wearing a crown. One picture of her can be seen in the Sherborne Missal, recently acquired by the British Museum.

Saint Bathildis , may your example be an inspiration so that the poor , the sick and the enslaved made be placed at the centre of society .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 31st January

Saint John Bosco

Founder of the Salesian Order. St John was born on 16 August 1815 in Piedmont, the youngest son of a peasant farmer who died when he was only two. His mother brought him up in extreme poverty. When he entered the seminary in 1831, his clothes and shoes were provided by charity.

John was ordained in 1841. Originally he dreamed of becoming a foreign missionary, but soon settled into what became his life's work - teaching young men and boys mainly in Turin. For a time he was appointed chaplain at a girls' refuge.

He then went to live with his mother and 40 street boys. More and more boys came to stay. By 1856 there were more than 150 living in the centre and 500 children who came to visit daily. John set up day and evening classes for them, recruiting ten priests as teachers, and he established workshops to train them to become tailors and shoemakers.

A charismatic, cheerful personality, John Bosco developed a reputation for being a visionary and wonder worker, with a particular gift for handling difficult youths. He never used any form of punishment, but was kind and firm.

On Sundays he used to take boys on trips into the countryside, with Mass to start with, followed by breakfast, open air picnics, games and vespers, before going home. He believed natural beauty and music were very important for the development of young people.

In 1859 he began to organise his Congregation which was formally approved in 1874. He also helped set up similar schools for girls. By the time he died in 1888 there were 768 members in 64 houses around the world. There are now many thousands, with schools specialising in technical, agricultural subjects as well as seminaries.

John Bosco had great trust in Providence providing finance for projects which looked impossible.

St John Bosco died on this day in 1888. A large proportion of the population of Turin turned out for his funeral. More than 40,000 people visited his body as it lay in state. He was canonised in 1934.


Saint John Bosco , graced with the gift of handling difficult youths , be an inspiration to all who in life have to deal with the problem caused by children and youths who are having behaviourial problems .

 

[Colin]

{ From ICN }

Saint of the day: 1st February

Saint Brigid of Ireland

Abbess of Kildare. Patron of poets, blacksmiths and healers. There is very little historical evidence about St Brigid. Her Life was written in the 7th century. She is believed to have been born near Ulnmeras five miles from Kildare and baptised by St Patrick. Brigid is said to have founded the monastery at Kildare and contributed much to the spread of Christianity in Ireland.

Many stories speak of her gift for multiplication of food - creating large amount for unexpected visitors, and turning bath water into beer. Even her cows gave milk three times a day when some bishops came to call. Those who came into her presence were stunned by her holiness, kindness and beauty.

Although the facts of her life are hard to find, there is no doubt about the cult which followed after her death. Her popularity is second only to that of St Patrick. Many shrines were built in her honour - including an elaborate wooden church at Conleth and the double monastery at Kildare. In England there were at least 19 ancient churches dedicated to her, notably St Brides in Fleet Street, London. She is also venerated in Wales, France and Portugal.

A relic of her shoe, made of silver and brass set with jewels survives in the National Museum in Dublin.



Saint Brigid of Ireland , turning bath water into beer.....

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 2nd February

Saint Theophane Venard

Priest and martyr. The son of a French schoolmaster, St Theophane was born in 1829 in Saint-Loup sur-Thouet. He joined the Society of Foreign Missionaries of Paris and after his ordination was sent to Tonkin (Vietnam). This was a time when Christians were being violently persecuted in the country. He was forced to live in hiding, moving from place to place sleeping in caves and sampans.

In 1861 he was finally arrested and imprisoned in a bamboo cage before being beheaded for his faith.

Theophane's letters and his example inspired the young Theresa of Lisieux to volunteer for the Carmelite convent in Hanoi.

In 1865 his body was returned to his congregation's church in Paris, but his head remains in Tonkin. He was beatified with 19 other martyrs from Vietnam in 1909, and canonised in 1988.

Saint Theophane Venard , may your life be an inspiration to all who suffer persecution .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 3rd February

Saint Blaise

Patron saint of sufferers from throat diseases. One of the 'Fourteen Holy Helpers' St Blaise is believed to have been a fourth century bishop of Sebaste in Armenia. He was martyred by beheading in around 316AD under the Emperor Licinius, after being tortured with a wool comb.

According to legends, during the persecutions he hid in a cave and blessed sick or wounded animals. One day a woman brought her son with a fishbone stuck in his throat and he cured him. When he was imprisoned, the same woman brought him candles and food.

From this comes the tradition of blessing throats on this day with two candles.

Relics of St Blaise were claimed by Canterbury and at least four miracles were recorded at his shrine there, one dated 1451. Parson Woodford described a solemn procession in honour of St Blaise in Norwich on 24 March 1783.


Saint Blaise , legend says that you blessed sick and wounded animals . May this inspire us to love and respect all creatures .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 4th February

Saint Andrew Corsini

Bishop of Fiesole. Andrew Corsini was the son of a rich Florentine family, born in 1302. He lead a dissolute youth until one day his mother told him she had dreamt about giving birth to a wolf. Andrew was so disturbed by this he slunk away to church where he prayed and reflected and experienced a complete change of heart.

In 1318 he became a Carmelite friar. Ten years later he was ordained priest. He offered his first Mass at a hermitage to avoid a big celebration. He studied in Paris and was made prior of his community in Florence. Later he was appointed bishop of Fiesole.

Through his ministry Andrew Corsini acquired a reputation as a healer both of bodies and souls. Many confirmed gamblers and drinkers found their faith through him. He was always concerned about the poor and sick and would actively seek out those too shy to come to him.

St Andrew Corsini was also gifted as a peacemaker. He was often called in to mediate between warring parties. The Pope made him nuncio to Bologna where there were great divisions between the nobility and the ordinary people. His rich family background meant he knew how to speak with the upper classes while his life of poverty as a monk made him acceptable to the poor. He was taken ill on Christmas night and died on the Feast of the Epiphany in 1373. Andrew Corsini was canonised in 1629. He is buried in the Carmelite church in Florence.

Saint Andrew Corsini , always concerned for the poor , sick and addicted , may many be inspired by your example to come to their aid .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 5th February

Saint Agatha

Martyr. Patron of those in danger of fire, bell founders, jewellers and those suffering from diseases of the breast. St Agatha was a wealthy young woman who lived in Sicily in the third century. Both Palermo and Catania claim to be her birthplace. According to ancient accounts, she was arrested and questioned by the governor Quintan, because she refused to marry him, or give up her Christian faith.

The governor asked her: "You are a noblewoman. Why have you lowered yourself to be a humble Christian?" "Even though I am a noble," answered Agatha, "I am a slave of Jesus Christ." "Then what does it really mean to be noble?" the governor asked. Agatha answered: "It means to serve God."

Quintan had Agatha tortured and she eventually died at Catania, Sicily, in the year 250. A violent earthquake is said to have taken place about the time of her death. St Agatha has been invoked during the eruptions of Mount Etna.

Two churches in Rome were dedicated to her during the sixth century. She is depicted in the mosaics of Sant Appolinaire Nuovo, in Ravenna. St Agatha is very popular in Italy, where special bread is blessed in some churches on this day.

Saint Agatha , who preferred to die rather than deny the Lord , may we be inspired by your life and death to put the Lord before all else .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 6th February

Paul Miki and Companions

Martyrs of Japan. St Francis Xavier brought Christianity to Japan in 1549. By the time he left a few years later, there were about 2,000 Christians there. The Christian community continued to grow. in the ensuing years. This angered the Emperor Hideyoshi who embarked on a brutal persecution of Christians and their families.

Paul Miki came from a Japanese aristocratic family. He was a Jesuit priest and notable preacher. The other 25 martyrs included two Jesuit lay brothers, six Franciscans, (four of these were Spanish, one Mexican and one from India) and one Korean layman. The other 17 were all Japanese lay people - among them a doctor, a catechist, soldier and three young boys. They were tortured and then crucified in Nagasaki - (which is also the setting of the opera Madame Butterfly and the city destroyedby an atomic bomb in 1945).

These martyrs were canonised in 1862. Many hundreds of Japanese Christians died in later persecutions. in 1717, 1622, 1624, 1629 and 1632.

Saints Paul Miki and Companions , may we be inspired by your courage shown when you were persecuted and finally martyred .

also Saint Dorothy

Martyr. Patron of brides, florists and midwives. This third century saint died at Caesarea in Cappadocia during the persecutions of Diocletian. Like St Agatha, whose feast was yesterday, she had refused to marry. According to legend a young lawyer named Theophilus jeered at her as she was being taken to her execution.

He asked her to send him fruits from the garden of paradise. She agreed and prayed for him. An angel appeared to him that night and gave him a basket containing three apples and three roses. Theophilus became a Christian and was later also martyred.

St Dorothy became very popular in Europe, especially Italy and German where the motif of apples and roses often decorates her image.

Her legend was known in Anglo Saxon times. She inspired poems by Swinburne and Gerard Manley Hopkins .

Saint Dorothy , pray for brides , midwives and florists .

 

[S.ilvio]

Post count into three figures in this great thread...

 

[Colin]

Post count into three figures in this great thread...

Thanks , brother .

Peace and love to you and your loved ones .

Two more saints coming up who are new to me .

 

[Colin]

{ From ICN }

Saint of the day: 7th February

Saint Colette

Nun. Born in Corbie, France in 1381, Colette began to follow the Third Order Rule when she was 21. She became an anchoress, living in a small room whose only opening was a window into a church.

After four years of prayer and penance she left her cell. With the approval and encouragement of the Pope, she joined the Poor Clares and reintroduced the primitive Rule of St Clare in the 17 monasteries she established. Her sisters were known for their poverty - they rejected any fixed income - and for their perpetual fast. Colette's reform movement spread to other countries and is still thriving today. Colette was canonized in 1807.

For more information about the Collettines see: www.poorclarestmd.org

Saint Colette , may we be inspired by your life of prayer and fasting .

and Saint Ronan

Bishop. St Ronan was an early Christian bishop from Kilmaronen in Lennox, Scotland. Bede describes him as an Irish monk who defended the Roman calculation of Easter at the Synod of Whitby.

St Ronan's well at Innnerleithen, in Peebleshire, was popularised by Sir Walter Scott's novel of the same name.

According to tradition, the saint came to the valley and drove out the Devil. This event is commemorated in St Ronan's games, a week of festivities held every July which comes to a climax when a schoolboy chosen to represent St Ronan is given a pastoral staff to 'cleek the Devil'.

Saint Ronan , may we be inspired by your example to reject all that is evil , and be ever thankful for the saints of Ireland .

 

[Colin]

{ From ICN }
Saint of the day: 8th February

Saint Josephine Bakhita

Nun. Also known as Madre Moretta. Born in the Sudan in 1869 to a wealthy family, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of nine and sold into slavery. Sold and re-sold, she was bought by the Callisto Legnani, the Italian consul in Khartoum. and taken to Italy to become the nanny of a friend's daughter. They were both looked after by the Canossian Daughters of Charity in Venice.

Josephine was baptised in 1890 and took vows in 1896. She worked as a cook, seamstress and porter. Her gentle presence, warm, amiable voice, and willingness to help with any menial task were a comfort to the poor and suffering people who came to the door of the Institute.

After a biography of her was published in 1930, she became a noted and sought after speaker, raising funds to support missions. She died in 1947 and was canonised in 2000.

Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking

St Josephine Bakhita Catholics in England and Wales are being invited to pray for all victims of human trafficking on the Feast Day of St Josephine Bakhita, on Saturday, 8 February 2014.
"The Day of Prayer for the Victims of Trafficking is an opportunity to remember and pray for the thousands and thousands of victims of trafficking throughout the world,” said the Lead Bishop for Migration, Bishop Patrick Lynch.
“It is especially appropriate that the day itself coincides with the feast day of St Josephine Bakhita who despite the suffering she experienced as a slave was a wonderful witness of how to live a life rooted in faith, inspired by hope and characterized by love. I would, therefore, encourage all people - young and old - to make a special effort to join in this Day of Prayer.
Human trafficking now ranks as the second most profitable worldwide criminal enterprise after the illegal arms trade. The practical response of the Church and its charities, led in the main by Women Religious, is to raise awareness of this horrendous crime and to provide help and support for the most vulnerable victims.

The Office for Migration Policy (OMP) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service to raise awareness of the impact of human trafficking in the UK and the rest of the word. OMP is also liaising with two dicasteries of the Vatican, (The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant People) to develop closer collaboration with the Episcopal Conferences of countries of origin as well as transit and destination countries so that prevention, pastoral care and reintegration of trafficked people can be improved.

Saint Josephine Bakhita , may the world be free from these evils .

 

[Colin]

{ From ICN }

Saint of the day: 9th February

Saint Teilo

Monk and bishop. St Teilo was an important church figure in 8th century Wales although little is known about his life. Many ancient churches were dedicated to him in Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire, where he was born, probably at Pennaly.

He was a pupil of Dyfrig and Paul Aurelian and founded a monastery which was called the Familia Teliavi. During a great plague he went to Brittany for seven years, returning with Samson. He died at Llandelo Fawr.

A dispute is said to have arisen between Llandelo, Penally and Llandaf about who should have St Teilo's body. Overnight it was miraculously multiplied into three, legends say. This might explain three different sets of relics.

The tomb of Teilo on which oaths were taken, is in Llandaff Cathedral. It was opened in 1850. Inside was the record of another opening in 1736. A document from this date said the person was identified as a bishop by his crozier and other artifacts. Another silver shrine in the Lady Chapel at the cathedral has an ancient statue of the saint. At Penally there was a shrine of an unknown saint who was later identified as Teilo. But when the monastic community there was dispersed during the Reformation, all traces of the shrine were destroyed.

Saint Teilo , pray for the people of Wales .

 

[Colin]

{ From ICN }
Saint of the day: 10th February

Saint Scholastica

First Benedictine nun. All that is known about St Scholastica comes from the Dialogues of Gregory the Great. She was the twin sister of St Benedict and they were devoted to each other. Her convent was Plombariola, about five miles from his monastery at Monte Cassino. They used to meet just once a year. On his last visit in 543, she asked him to stay longer to discuss the joys of heaven. When he refused, because remaining would have meant breaking the Rule of his order, she prayed for rain and a violent thunderstorm prevented him from leaving.

She died three days later. St Benedict saw her in a vision ascending to heaven and buried her in the tomb he had prepared for himself. He arranged for his own body to be placed there when he died, seven years later.

Pope Gregory the Great said: "The bodies of these two, whose minds were always united in Jesus, were not separated in death.

Saint Scholastica , pray for all who suffer the effects of violent weather .

 

[Colin]

{ From ICN }
Saint of the day: 11th February

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

On this day, more than one hundred and fifty years ago, a 14 year-old girl, Bernadette Soubirous, saw Our Lady in a cave on the banks of the River Gave, near Lourdes in southern France.

Between 11 February and 16 July 1858, Bernadette was to experience a total of 18 apparitions. The "young and beautiful lady" made various requests. One day she revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception.

Later she asked for a chapel to be built nearby and told the girl to drink from a fountain in the grotto. No fountain was to be seen, but when Bernadette dug with her hands in the ground, a spring began to flow. Many healings, both physical and spiritual, have been since recorded at the shrine, though the water contains no curative property that science can identify. Lourdes is now the greatest shrine of Our Lady in the world.

Lourdes Mass at Westminster Cathedral


Cardinal-designate Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, was joined by Bishops John Arnold and John Sherrington and clergy of the diocese, in an overflowing Westminster Cathedral for the Anointing of the Sick at the annual Mass in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes on Saturday.
In his homily, Archbishop Vincent asked those present to remember Our Lady in the Grotto of Lourdes and to pray to her for those who were sick and suffering, not just those present in the Cathedral that afternoon, but worldwide.


Our Lady of Lourdes , may we always keep the sick in mind , placing them at the centre of society and seeing in them the face of your Son .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 12th February

Blessed James Fenn and Companions

Martyrs. James Fenn came from Montacute, near Yeovil in Somerset. After being educated at Oxford he became a schoolmaster and got married. When his wife died, he travelled to Rheims and studied for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1580. It was very dangerous to be a Catholic in England at that time, but James returned to Somerset to minister to the recusant community there. In 1584, he was captured, and hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn with Blesseds George Haydock, John Munden, John Nutter and Thomas Hemerford. They were beatified in 1929.

Blessed James Fenn and Companions , pray for the people of England .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 13th February

Saint Modomnoc

Abbot. St Modomnoc was born in the 6th century, and, according to legend was a son of the royal O'Neill family of Ireland. He studied under St David at his Menevia monastery in Pembrokeshire.

One of his duties as a monk was looking after the beehives. Stories tell that a swarm of his bees settled on his ship when it was time for him to return to Ireland - and so he was the person that introduced beekeeping to the country.

In the 9th century Martyrology of Oegus the Culdee it is written: "in a little boat from the east in a pure-coloured sea my Domnoc brought the gifted race of Ireland's bees."

Modomnoc settled at Tibberaghny in Co Kilkenny. Some historians claim he became bishop of Ossory.

Saint Modomnoc , pray for all who end creatures , be they great or small .