1459
Bl. Anthony della Chiesa miracle worker with
an ability
to
read the consciences
Dominican superior and companion of St. Bernardino of Siena. Anthony
was born in 1394, the son of the Marquis della Chiesa, in San Germano, Italy. At the age of
twenty, despite his family's objections, Anthony
became a Dominican,
gaining recognition as a preacher and confessor. He
accompanied St. Bernardine on
missions and served in various capacities
in the Dominican monasteries. Anthony was also one of the leaders
opposing the last of the antipopes, Felix V While journeying from
Savona to Genoa, Italy, Anthony was captured by pirates but was
released unharmed. He was a known miracle worker with an ability to
read the consciences of men and women. |
1562 Peter of
Alcántara practiced asceticism from 16 until death apared to
Teresa patron of Brazil OFM (RM)
Born at
Alcántara, Estremadura, Spain, in 1499; died at Arenas, 1562;
canonized in 1669.
Sixteenth
century Spain provided the Church with a wealth of
heroes--most of whom seemed to know one another. I hope you enjoy this
story of a man who truly fell in love with God at an early age.
Peter
Garavito's father, who was a lawyer and governor of the province,
died in 1513 and two years later, after studying law in Salamanca,
16-year-old Peter entered the Observant Franciscans at Manxarretes
(Manjaretes). At 22 he was sent to Badajoz to found a friary.
He was
ordained at the age of 25 (1524), and preached missions in Spain
and Portugal. After serving as superior at Robredillo, Plasencia, and
Estremadura, Peter finally had his request for solitude granted with an
appointment to the friary at Lapa, though he was also named its
superior. For a time he served as chaplain to the court of King John
III of Portugal. This period of his life is uneventful, but all the
time he was longing for a yet more rigorous following of the Franciscan
rule.
After he
was elected provincial for Saint Gabriel at Estremadura in
1538, he was able to take definite steps to begin the reform, but his
efforts were not well received during the provincial chapter at Placensia
in 1540. So, he resigned as minister provincial. For two
years (1542-44) he lived as a hermit with Friar Martin of Saint Mary on
Arabida Mountain near Lisbon and was named superior of Palhaes
community for novices when numerous friars were attracted to their way
of life. During that period he had become convinced of the need for a
vigorous Catholic reform, a Counter-Reformation with which to oppose
the Protestant Reformation.
Unable to
secure approval for a stricter congregation of friars from
his provincial, his idea was accepted by the bishop of Coria. Finally,
with the approval of Pope Julius III, c. 1556, he founded the Reformed
Friars Minor of Spain, usually called the Alcatarine Franciscans, which
established not only monasteries but also Houses of Retreat where
anyone could go and try to live according to the Rule of Saint Francis.
The friars lived in small groups, in great poverty and austerity, going
barefoot, abstaining from meat and wine, spending much time in solitude
and contemplation.
Three
years later, in 1559, the new order was enlarged with the
addition of a new province, that of Saint Joseph. But the Reformed
Franciscans
failed to win the support of the other Franciscans;
Conventuals and Observants, both jealous of their privileges, continued
to quarrel over the inheritance of Saint Francis.
At the
time of his death in 1562, Saint Peter was still uncertain of
the future of his work, which had been placed under the Conventuals.
But the example which he set was
followed by Saint Teresa of Ávila and there was
thus born Saint Joseph of Ávila, the first Reformed Carmel in
Spain.
Even if Peter's work was surpassed by that of Saint Teresa, it was
instrumental in releasing in Spain, and then throughout Europe, a
movement of vigorous revival which gave strength to the Church at a
time when it was sorely needed.
Teresa
and Peter
were intimate
friends for the last four years of her life. After they met in 1560, he
became her confessor, advisor, and admirer. His ferocious and almost
unbelievable asceticism is not myth, but rather described by Teresa in
a celebrated chapter of her autobiography. She wrote with awe that his
penances were "incomprehensible to the human mind." They had reduced
him, she tells us, to a condition in which he looked as if "he had been
made of the roots of trees."
He
practiced asceticism from the age of 16 until his death, opposing a
will of iron against the doubtlessly acute temptations of his body. He
slept for no more than two hours each night, and even then he did not
lie down, but slept either in a hard wooden chair or kneeling against
the wall. His cell was no more than 4- ½ feet long. He ate
extremely
little, at first going for three days, and then for a week without
food. When he did eat, he destroyed the taste of the food by sprinkling
it with ashes or earth. He never drank wine.
He never
wore shoes, or even sandals, and went about barefoot. He never
wore a hat or a hood, and exposed his head to the icy rains of winter
or the scorching sun of summer. He wore a hair shirt, and though he
possessed a cloak, he never wore it in cold weather. He went everywhere
on foot, or at the most would ride on a donkey.
Consumed
with fever, he refused a glass of water, saying "Jesus was
ready to die of thirst on the cross." For three years he never raised
his eyes from the ground. And yet, "With all his holiness," wrote Saint
Teresa of Ávila, "he was very kindly, though spare of speech
except
when asked a question, and then he was delightful, for he had a keen
understanding."
Such
asceticism may seem self-centered and excessive to us today. Some
may think that there are sufficient mortifications in the normal course
of life without adding to them. But asceticism has been in the Church
since the days of the Desert Fathers, and though the practices of the
ascetics might seem horrible, unnecessary, or even ridiculous to us,
the Church has never reproved them; indeed, they are to be recommended
for the active as well as for the contemplative. And who is to say that
the present unhappy state of the world would not be greatly changed for
the better if people did follow ascetic practices?
Peter's
asceticism, however, is only one aspect of his life of great
holiness and incessant labor devoted to the restoration in Spain of the
primitive Franciscan rule.
Saint
Peter was one of the great Spanish mystics and his Treatise on
Prayer and Meditation (1926 English translation) was said by Pope
Gregory
XV to be "a shining light to lead souls to heaven and a
doctrine prompted by the Holy Spirit." This treatise was used later by
Saint Francis de Sales. His mystical works, intended purely for
edification, follow traditional lines.
"He had
already appeared to me twice since his death," wrote Teresa of
Ávila, "and I witnessed the greatness of his glory. Far from
causing me
the least fear, the sight of him filled me with joy. He always showed
himself to me in the state of a body which was glorious and radiant
with happiness; and I, seeing him, was filled with the same happiness.
I remember that when he first appeared to me he said, to show me the
extent of his felicity, 'Blessed be the penitence which has brought me
such a reward'" (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia,
Underhill).
In art he
is depicted as a Franciscan in radiance levitated before the
Cross, angels carry a girdle of nails, chain, and discipline. Sometimes
he is shown (1) walking on water with a companion, a star over his
head; (2) praying before a crucifix, discipline (scourge), and
hairshirt; or (3) with a dove at his ear, cross and discipline in the
picture. He is venerated at Alcántara and Pedrosa (Roeder).
In 1862,
he was declared the patron of Brazil (Delaney).
|
1231
b. 1195 St. Anthony Of Padua
Few of the medieval
saints adopted into the Romish
calendar have attained to such lasting celebrity as St.
Anthony, or Antonio, of Padua. All
over Italy his memory is held in the highest veneration; but at Padua
in particular, where his festival is enthusiastically kept, he is
spoken of as Il Santo, or the saint, as if no other was of any
importance.
Besides larger
memoirs of St. Anthony, there are current in the north of Italy small
chap-books or tracts describing his character and his miracles. From
one of these, purchased within the present year from a stall in Padua,
we offer the following as a specimen of the existing folk-lore of
Venetian Lombardy. St. Anthony was born at Lisbon on the 15th of August
1195. At twenty-five years of age he
entered a
convent
of Franciscans, and as a preaching friar most zealous in checking
heresy, he gained great fame in Italy, which became the scene of his
labours. In this great work the power of miracle came to his aid.
On one
occasion, at Rimini, there was a person who held
heretical
opinions, and in order to convince him of his error, Anthony caused
the
fishes in the water to lift up their heads and listen to his discourse.
This miracle,
which of course converted the heretic, is
represented in a variety of cheap prints, to be seen on almost every
stall in Italy, and is the subject of a wood-cut in the chap-book from
which we quote, here faithfully represented. On another
occasion, to reclaim a heretic, he caused the man's mule,
after three
days' abstinence from food, to kneel
down and venerate the host,
instead of rushing to a bundle of hay that was set before it. This
miracle was equally efficacious.
Then we are
told of St. Anthony causing a new-born
babe to speak, and tell who was its father; also, of a wonderful
miracle he wrought in saving the life of a poor woman's child. The
woman had gone to hear St. Anthony preach, leaving her child
alone in
the house, and during her absence it
fell into a pot on the fire; but,
strangely enough, instead of finding it scalded to death, the mother
found it standing
up whole in the boiling cauldron.
What with
zealous labours and fastings, St. Anthony cut short his days, and died
in the odour of sanctity on the 13th of June 1231. Padua, now claiming
him as patron saint and protector, set about erecting a grand temple to
his memory. This large and handsome church was completed in 1307. It is
a gigantic building, in the pointed Lombardo-Venetian style, with
several towers and minarets of an Eastern character. The chief object
of attraction in the interior is the chapel specially devoted to Il
Santo. It consists of the northern transept, gorgeously
decorated
with sculptures, bronzes, and gilding. The altar is of white marble,
inlaid, resting on the tomb of St. Anthony, which is a sarcophagus of
verd antique. Around it, in candelabra and in suspended lamps, lights
burn night and day; and at nearly all hours a host of devotees may be
seen kneeling in front of the shrine, or standing behind with hands
devoutly and imploringly touching the sarcophagus, as if trying to draw
succour and consolation from the marble of the tomb. The visitor to
this splendid shrine is not less struck with the more than usual
quantity of votive offerings suspended on the walls and end of the
altar. These consist mainly of small framed sketches in oil or water
colours, representing some circumstance that calls for particular
thankfulness.
St. Anthony of
Padua, as
appears from these pictures, is a saint ever
ready to rescue persons from destructive accidents, such as the
over-turning of wagons or carriages, the falling from windows or roofs
of houses, the upsetting of boats, and such like; on any of these
occurrences a person has only to call vehemently and with faith on St.
Anthony in order to be rescued. The hundreds of small pictures we speak
of represent these appalling scenes, with a figure of' St. Anthony in
the sky interposing to save life and limb. On each are inscribed the
letters P. G. R., with the date of the accident;—the letters being an
abbreviation of the words Per Grazzia Ricevuto—for grace or favour
received. On visiting the shrine, we remarked that many are quite
recent; one of them depicting an accident by a railway train. The other
chief object of interest in the church is a chapel behind the high
altar appropriated as a reliquary. Here, within a splendidly deco-rated
cupboard, as it might be called, are treasured up certain relics of the
now long deceased saint. The principal relic is the tongue of Il Santo,
which. is contained within an elegant case of silver gilt, as here
represented. This with other relics is exhibited once a year, at the
great festival on the 13th of June, when Padua holds its grandest
holiday.
It is
to be remarked that the article
entitled 'St.
Anthony and the Pigs,' inserted under January 17, ought properly to
have been placed here, as the patronship of animals belongs truly to
St. Anthony of Padua, most probably in consequence of his
sermon
to the fishes. |
1250-1350(?) Blessed
Peter Ghisengi many miracles were reported at his tomb OSA (AC)
(also known as Peter
of Gubbio) Born at Gubbio, Umbria, Italy; died c.
1250-1350(?); cultus confirmed by Pope Pius IX. Blessed Peter was a
scion of the distinguished Ghisleni family. He became an Augustinian
hermit and later the provincial of his congregation. He is venerated at
Gubbio, where his relics rest and where many miracles were reported at
his tomb (Attwater2, Benedictines). |
1307
St. Albert of Trapani miracles
Carmelite
hermit and missionary.
He was born in
Trapani, Sicily,
and joined the Carmelite Order. After ordination, he was sent to nearby
Messina, where he gathered thousands with his preaching and miracles.
After serving as a missionary, Albert entered a monastic hermitage near
Messina. He remained there until his death. |
1220 Blessed Reginald
of Saint-Gilles Queen of Heaven cured him he taught canon law ,
OP (AC)
(also known as
Reginald of Orléans)
Born at Saint-Gilles,
Languedoc, France, c. 1183; died 1220; cultus
confirmed in 1885.
Reginald received his
training at the University of Paris and
thereafter taught canon law from 1206 to 1211 with great success.
Because of his evident talents and virtues, he was appointed dean of
the cathedral chapter (Saint-Agnan) of Orléans. Here as in
Paris, he
was renowned for the brilliance of his mind and the eloquence of his
preaching, as well as for his tender devotion to the Mother of God.
Since he was a very
zealous young man, Reginald was not content with
his life as it was. He was in truth leading a very holy life, but he
yearned for more. He determined on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land,
perhaps to pray for light to know his vocation, and on his way to
Jerusalem he visited Rome. Here he discussed his desires with Cardinal
Hugh de Segni, explaining that he felt a great call to the primitive
poverty and preaching of the apostles but knew of no way to realize his
hopes.
The cardinal replied
that he knew the exact answer to his seeking and
sent him to Saint Dominic,
who was in Rome at the time. Reginald hastened to open his heart to the
holy founder, and at Saint Dominic's words he knew he had come to the
end of his seeking.
Reginald had scarcely
made his decision to enter the Dominican order
when he became so ill that his life was in danger. Saint Dominic, who
was greatly attracted to the young man and knew what an influence for
good he would be in the order, prayed earnestly for his recovery. It
was said of Dominic that he never asked anything of God that he did not
obtain. In any case, it was the Queen of Heaven herself who came to
cure the dying man and ransom him a little time on earth.
Our Lady, accompanied
by Saint Cecilia and Saint Catherine of
Alexandria, appeared at Reginald's bedside and anointed him with a
heavenly perfume. The Blessed Mother showed him a long white scapular
and told him it was to be a part of the habit of the order. Going away,
she left him completely cured and filled with great joy. The friars,
who until that time, 1218, had worn the garb of he canons regular,
gladly changed to the scapular especially designed for them by the
Mother of God. Reginald was himself clothed with the Dominican habit,
and in fulfillment of his vows proceeded to the Holy Land.
On his return,
Reginald embarked on his brief but brilliant career of
preaching. In Bologna and in Paris, his eloquence and the shining
beauty of his life drew hundreds to follow him into the order. Among
these were not only students but many famous professors and doctors of
law. One of his greatest conquests was the young German dynamo, Jordan
of Saxony, who was to be like Reginald himself--a kidnapper of souls
for the service of God.
The first to be given
the scapular and the first to wear the Dominican
habit in the Holy Land, Reginald was also the first Dominican to die in
it. Consumed with the fiery zeal of his work, he died in 1220, mourned
by the entire order, when he had worn the habit scarcely two years. He
displayed no fear of death--perhaps Our Lady had told him, on the
occasion of the cure, that he was only loaned to life and the
order--but received the last sacraments with touching devotion
(Benedictines, Dorcy).
In art, Reginald is
generally portrayed in his sick bed being attended
by Saint Dominic, at whose prayer the Blessed Virgin appears with two
female saints to anoint Reginald. He may also be shown as a Dominican
offering his scapular to the Virgin (Roeder).
|
1287 Ambrose
Sansedoni of Siena unknown pilgrim said, "Do not cover that child's
face. He will
one day be the glory of this city." A few days later the child suddenly
stretch out his twisted limbs, pronounced the name "Jesus", and all
deformity left him.
Mystic
with deep contemplative prayer life. Received ecstacies.
Visionary. Known to levitate when preaching, and was seen circled in a
mystic light in which flew bright birds.
Also known as
Ambrogio Sansedoni Ambrose Sansedone
Profile The son of a book illuminator,
he was born so badly deformed that his
mother gave him off to the care of a nurse. The nurse claimed that the
only time the child was peaceful was in the local Dominican church,
especially when near the altar of relics. Legend says that one day in
church, the nurse covered the baby's face with a scarf; an unknown
pilgrim told her, "Do not cover that child's face. He will one day be
the glory of this city." A few days later the child suddenly stretch
out his twisted limbs, pronounced the name "Jesus", and all deformity
left him.
A pious child,
getting up during the nights to pray and meditate. At
age two he was given the choice of two of his father's books - and
chose the one about saints. From age seven he daily recited the Little
Office of the Blessed Virgin. Charitable, and even when young he worked
with the poor, the abandoned, and the sick.
When he announced he
wanted to join the preaching friars, his parents
and friends tried to talk him out of it. But Ambrose had heard the
call, and joined the friars in Siena in 1237 on his 17th birthday.
Studied in Paris,
France, and Cologne, Germany with Saint Thomas
Aquinas and Blessed Pope Innocent V under Saint Albert the Great.
Taught in Cologne. Ambrose wanted to write, but saw the greatness of
Saint Thomas, decided he could not match it, and devoted himself to
preaching.
Worked on diplomatic
missions for popes and secular rules. Evangelized
in Germany, France, and Italy. Mystic with deep contemplative prayer
life. Received ecstacies. Visionary. Known to levitate when preaching,
and was seen circled in a mystic light in which flew bright birds.
Born 1220 at Siena,
Italy Died 20 March 1287 at Siena, Italy of natural causes
Beatified 8 October
1622 by Pope Gregory XV (cultus confirmed)
Patronage betrothed
couples, affianced couples, engaged couples, Siena Italy
Prayers Merciful God,
may this feast of Blessed Ambrose bring joy to
the Church, that she may be strengthened with spiritual help and be
made worthy to enjoy everlasting happiness. We ask this through our
Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. - General Calendar of the Order of
Preachers
Representation
Dominican with a dove at his ear; holding a model of Siena, Italy;
holding a book; preaching |
1267
St. Parisius
miracles and
gift of prophecy
A beloved
Camaldolese spiritual director, also called Parisio. A
native of either Treviso or Bologna, Italy, he entered the Camaldolese
at the age of twelve. Ordained a priest,
he was appointed chaplain and spiritual director to the Camaldolese
nuns of the St. Christina Convent at Treviso in 1191. He apparently
held this post for seventy seven years, reportedly performing
miracles and
possessing
the gift of prophecy. His body is enshrined
in the
cathedral of Treviso. |
1270 Blessed Ilona
of Hungary mistress Vesprim Dominican convent trained Saint
Margaret of Hungary contemplative
prayer often led to ecstasy crufixes would come to life for her first
Dominican marked with the stigmata The lilies of light that appeared
during her prayer is unique in the annals of the Church When Ilona was
at the point of death, she was rapt in ecstasy. Her body
glowed with a radiance that made it impossible for her sisters to
determine the exact moment of her passing. At some point she also
received wounds in her side and feet, which healed; however, when her
tomb was opened 17 years after her death, the wound in her side
reopened of its own volition and rays of light poured forth from it.OP
V (PC)
(also
known as Helen).
Ilona was
the novice mistress of the Dominican convent of Vesprim,
where she trained the future Saint Margaret of Hungary in the ways of
holiness. She was one of the first sisters in the community founded by
Paul of Hungary in 1222. Ilona was known for her gift of contemplative
prayer that often led to ecstasy.
Sometimes
God gave visible signs of her sanctity, which were not always
understood by her community. Once she was watched by another sister as
she prayed alone. The corpus on the crucifix came to life, reached
down, and took her hand in His. It took a full day for the sisters to
pry her hand from that of the corpus. Another time the large crucifix
from the altar suspended itself over her until she finished her prayer,
at which time she replaced it.
Ilona is
reputed to have been the first Dominican marked with the
stigmata. Before 1237, she received a mark in her right hand on the
Feast of Saint Francis about 10 years after his death as she prayed for
some of the saint's intense love for heavenly things. As she went into
a state of ecstasy, her hand sparkled and gave off rays of light. In
the center of her palm a circle of gold appeared and from this a
dazzlingly bright lily grew. When she returned to a normal state of
consciousness, she prayed that the wound would be invisible. Later a
similar wound appeared in her left hand. God did not answer that prayer
until near the time of her death. The lilies of light that appeared
during her prayer is unique in the annals of the Church.
Ilona was
dearly loved within her community, which she served as novice
mistress and then as prioress. Her great desire was that her sisters
might remain faithful to the rule and the offering of penance. She also
had a "green thumb" with houseplants --her touch could restore withered
plants. Other miracles are recorded of her: she levitated; candles lit
themselves on the altar at her passing; and she revived a dead, pet
goat. Saint Ilona lived for 30 years after Saint Margaret was removed
to the more protected monastery at Budapest.
When
Ilona was at the point of death, she was rapt in ecstasy. Her body
glowed with a radiance that made it impossible for her sisters to
determine the exact moment of her passing. At some point she also
received wounds in her side and feet, which healed; however, when her
tomb was opened 17 years after her death, the wound in her side
reopened of its own volition and rays of light poured forth from it.
Ilona is
venerated in Hungary and within the Dominican Order although
she has never been formally beatified (Benedictines, Dorcy, Harrison).
|
1295 Thomas Hales of
Dover Miracles occurred at his tomb OSB M (AC)
feast day formerly on
August 5. The near contemporary vita of Saint Thomas, a Benedictine
monk of Saint Martin's Priory in Dover, a cell of
Christ Church in Canterbury, concentrates on a conventional list of
virtues and omits any biographical details of his early life.
On August 5, 1295,
the French raided Dover and all the monks went into
hiding except Thomas, who was too old and too infirm to run. The
raiders, who are described in detail in the vita, found him in bed and
ordered him to disclose the location of the church plate. He was
murdered for his refusal to answer them. Miracles occurred at his tomb,
which led to his veneration as a martyr. His cultus was encouraged by
indulgences from the bishop of Winchester and the archbishop of
Canterbury for pilgrimages to his tomb. King Richard II and "several
noble Englishmen" petitioned Rome for his canonization. In 1380 Urban
VI established a commission to enquire into Thomas's life and miracles.
The work was delegated to the priors of Christ Church and Saint
Gregory's in Canterbury, but nothing ever happened. There was an altar
dedicated to him ("blessed Thomas de Halys") in the Dover Priory church
in 1500, which was probably the altar of Our Lady and Saint Catherine
in front of which he was buried. Thomas's his image figured among those
of the English saints at the English College in Rome (Benedictines,
Farmer). |
1292
Blessed Benvenuta Bojani an early age Dominican tertiary on the Vigil
of the Feast of Saint Dominic he and Saint Peter Martyr, Mary and
Jesus-Child appeared; severe penances; miracle worker OP Tert. V (AC)
Born in
Cividale, Friuli, Italy, 1254; cultus approved in 1763.
Benvenuta
was the last of seven daughters. Her parents, too, must have
been amazing people in comparison with so many in our time. When the
silence of the midwife proclaimed that her father had been disappointed
once again in his desire for a son, he exclaimed, "She too shall be
welcome!" Remembering this she was christened by her parents Benvenuta
("welcome"), although they had asked for a son.
A vain
older sister unsuccessfully tried to teach the pious little
Benvenuta to dress in rich clothing and use the deceits of society.
Benvenuta hid from such temptations in the church where she developed a
tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin. By the age of 12, Benvenuta was
wearing hairshirts and a rope girdle. As she grew the rope became
embedded in her flesh. When she realized the rope must be removed, she
couldn't get it off, so she prayed and it fell to her feet. For this
reason she is often pictured in art holding a length of rope in her
hands.
Having
become a Dominican tertiary at an early age, she added the
penances practiced by the sisters to those she had appropriated for
herself. All her disciplines, fasting, and lack of sleep soon caused
her health to fail and she was confined to bed for five years.
Thereafter, she was too weak to walk, so a kind older sibling carried
her to church once a week for Compline (Night Prayer) in the Dominican
church, her favorite liturgy after the Mass.
After
evening prayer on the Vigil of the Feast of Saint Dominic,
Dominic and Saint Peter Martyr appeared to Benvenuta. Dominic had a
surprise for her. The prior was absent at the Salve procession, but at
the beginning of Compline she saw Dominic in the prior's place. He
passed from brother to brother giving the kiss of peace, then went to
his own altar and disappeared. At the Salve procession, the Blessed
Virgin herself came down the aisle, blessing the fathers while holding
the Infant Jesus in her arms.
Benvenuta
spent her whole life at home in Cividale busy with her
domestic duties, praying, and working miracles. She was often attacked
by the devil, who sometimes left her close to discouragement and
exhaustion. When someone protested against the death of a promising
young child, Benvenuta commented, "It is much better to be young in
paradise than to be old in hell." The devil often appeared to her in
horrifying forms but was banished when Benvenuta called upon the Virgin.
Benvenuta's
companions called her "the sweetest and most spiritual of
contemplatives, so lovable in her holiness that her touch and presence
inspired gladness and drove away temptations." This is amazing in light
of the severe penances that she imposed upon herself--and another sign
of blessedness that she didn't judge others by her standards for
herself (Benedictines, Dorcy). |
1463 St. John of Sahagun
experienced
visions, was famous
for his miracles, and had the gift of reading men's souls.
John Gonzales de
Castrillo was born at Sahagun, Leon Spain. He was
educated by the Benedictine monks of Fagondez monastery there and when
twenty, received a canonry from the bishop of Burgos, though he already
had several benefices. He was ordained in 1445; concerned about the
evil of pluralism, he resigned all his benefices except that of St.
Agatha in Burgos. He spent the next four years studying at the
University of Salamanca and then began to preach. In the next decade he
achieved a great reputation as a preacher and spiritual director, but
after recovering after a serious operation, became an
Augustinian friar
in 1463 and was professed the following year. He served as master of
novices, definitor, prior at Salamanca, experienced visions, was famous
for his miracles, and had the gift of reading men's souls. He denounced
evil in high places and several attempts were made on his life. He died
at Sahagun on June 11, reportedly poisoned by the mistress of a man he
had convinced to leave her. He was canonized in 1690 as St. John of
Sahagun. |
1567
St. Salvatore Franciscan of the Observance specially devoted to our
Lady and to St. Paul who appeared to him on several occasions many and
severe austerities
St. Salvatore is
usually described as "of Horta" because he spent many
years in the Franciscan Friary of that place. He was born at Santa
Columba in the diocese of Gerona in Spain. He came of a poor family,
and lost both his parents while still a child. Migrating to the town,
he worked as a shoemaker in Barcelona. At the age of twenty, as his
heart was set on the religious life, he became a Franciscan of the
Observance.
Employed in the
kitchen, his virtue quickly matured in these humble
surroundings, but he thirsted for greater austerity, and passed on,
first to the convent of St. Mary of Jesus at Tortosa, and then to the
solitude of St. Mary of the Angels at Horta in the same diocese. In
that house of very strict observance, he made a protracted stay but
eventually he returned to Barcelona, where his supernatural gifts
attracted much notice, and where the blind, lame and deaf came to him
to be healed. He always walked barefoot, scourged himself daily, and
kept long and rigorous fasts. He was specially devoted to our Lady and
to St. Paul who appeared to him on several occasions, notably on his
death-bed.
St. Salvatore had
gone to Sardinia in compliance with the orders of his
superiors when he was seized with an illness which proved fatal. He
died at Cagliari, being forty-seven years of age, in 1567. He was
venerated as a saint during his lifetime and was eventually canonized
in 1938. |
1601 St. Germaine
Cousin 400 miracles parted
waters{see
below for more}
Her remains were
buried in the parish church of Pibrac in front of the
pulpit. In 1644, when the grave was opened to receive one of her
relatives, the body of Germaine was discovered fresh and perfectly
preserved, and
miraculously raised almost to the level
of the floor of the church. It was exposed for public
view
near the pulpit, until a noble lady, the
wife of François de Beauregard, presented as a thanks-offering a
casket
of lead to hold the remains. She
had been cured of a malignant and incurable ulcer
in the breast, and
her infant
son whose life was despaired
of was restored to health on her seeking the intercession
of
Germaine. This was the first
of a long series of
wonderful
cures wrought at her relics. The leaden casket was placed
in the
sacristy, and in 1661 and 1700 the remains were viewed
and found fresh and
intact by the vicars-general of Toulouse, who have left testamentary
depositions of the fact. Expert medical evidence deposed that the body
had not been embalmed, and experimental tests showed that the
preservation was not due to any property inherent in the soil.
In 1700
a movement was begun to procure the beatification of Germaine, but it
fell through owing to accidental causes. In 1793
the casket was desecrated by
a revolutionary tinsmith, named Toulza, who with three
accomplices took out the remains
and buried them in the sacristy, throwing quick-lime and water on them. After
the Revolution, her body was found to be still intact save where
the quick-lime had done its work. The private veneration of Germaine
had continued from the original
finding of the body in 1644, supported and encouraged by numerous cures
and miracles. The cause of beatification was resumed in 1850. The
documents attested more than 400
miracles or
extraordinary graces, and thirty postulatory letters
from archbishops and bishops in France besought the beatification from
the Holy See. The miracles attested were cures of every kind (of blindness,
congenital and resulting from disease, of hip and spinal disease),
besides the multiplication of food for the distressed community of the
Good Shepherd at Bourges in 1845. On 7 May, 1854, Pius IX
proclaimed her beatification, and on 29 June, 1867, placed her on the
canon of virgin saints. Her feast is kept in the Diocese of Toulouse on
15 June. She is represented
in art with a shepherd's crook or with a distaff; with a watchdog, or a
sheep; or with flowers in her apron.
Her feast is kept in the Diocese of Toulouse on 15 June. |
1601 St.
Germaine
Cousin
Born in 1579 of
humble parents at Pibrac, a village about ten miles
from Toulouse; died in her native place.
When Hortense decided
to marry Laurent Cousin in Pibrac, France, it was
not out of love for his infant daughter. Germaine was everything
Hortense despised. Weak and ill, the girl had also been born with a
right hand that was deformed and paralyzed. Hortense replaced the love
that Germaine has lost when her mother died with cruelty and abuse.
Laurent, who had a weak character, pretended not to notice that
Germaine had been given so little food that she had learned to crawl in
order to get to the dog's dish. He wasn't there to protect her when
Hortense left Germaine in a drain while she cared for chickens -- and
forgot her for three days. He didn't even interfere when Hortense
poured boiling water on Germaine's legs. With this kind of treatment,
it's no surprise that Germaine became even
more ill. She came down with a disease known as scrofula, a kind of
tuberculosis that causes the neck glands to swell up. Sores began to
appear on her neck and in her weakened condition to fell prey to every
disease that came along. Instead of awakening Hortense's pity this only
made her despise Germaine more for being even uglier in her eyes.
Germaine found no
sympathy and love with her siblings. Watching their
mother's treatment of their half-sister, they learned how to despise
and torment her, putting ashes in her food and pitch in her clothes.
Their mother found this very entertaining. Hortense did finally get
concerned about Germaine's sickness -- because
she was afraid her own children would catch it. So she made Germaine
sleep out in the barn. The only warmth Germaine had on frozen winter
nights was the woolly sheep who slept there too. The only food she had
were the scraps Hortense might remember to throw her way.
The abuse of Germaine
tears at our hearts and causes us to cry for pity
and justice. But it was Germaine's response to that abuse and her cruel
life that wins our awe and veneration.
Germaine was soon entrusted with the sheep. No one expected her to
have any use for education so she spent long days in the field tending
the sheep. Instead of being lonely, she found a friend in God. She
didn't know any theology and only the basics of the faith that she
learned the catechism. But she had a rosary made of knots in string and
her very simple prayers: "Dear God, please don't let me be too hungry
or too thirsty. Help me to please my mother. And help me to please
you." Out of that simple faith, grew a profound holiness and a deep
trust of God.
|
1618
St. John Berchmans miracles were attributed to him after his death
Eldest son of a shoemaker, John was born at Diest, Brabant. He early
wanted to be a priest, and when thirteen became a servant in the
household of one of the Cathedral canons at Malines, John Froymont. In
1615, he entered the newly founded Jesuit College at Malines, and the
following year became a Jesuit novice. He was sent to Rome in 1618 to
continue his studies, and was known for his diligence and piety,
impressing all with his holiness and stress on perfection in little
things. He died there on August 13. Many miracles were attributed to
him after his death, and he was canonized in 1888. He is the patron of
altar boys |
1637 Blessed Humilis of
Bisignano Observant Franciscan lay-brother so widely known for his
sanctity that
he was called to Rome, where both Pope Gregory XV and Urban VIII
consulted him OFM (AC)
Born in Bisignano, Calabria, Italy, 1582; beatified in 1882.
Humilis
was an Observant Franciscan lay-brother so widely known for his
sanctity that he was called to Rome, where both Pope Gregory XV and
Urban VIII consulted him. In addition to his wisdom, Humilis possessed
the gift of working miracles (Attwater 2, Benedictines, Encyclopedia). |
1645
St. John de Massias Dominican monk at Lima austerities, miracles,
and visions
Peru. He was born in
Ribera, Spain,
to a noble family and was orphaned at a young age. John went to Peru to
work on a cattle ranch before entering the Dominicans at Lima as a lay
brother, assigned to serve as a doorkeeper, or porter. He was known for
his austerities, miracles, and visions. John cared for all the poor of
Lima, dying there on September 16. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1975 .
1645 Saint John Masias Marvelous
Dominican Gatekeeper of Lima, Peru truly a "child of God." saint of
simplicity charity levitated Many miracles were attributed saved souls
in urgatory
 (1585-1645)
Some saints have been brilliant leaders who steered their way through
complicated courses. Others have been renowned rather for their
childlike simplicity. St. John Masias of Lima, Peru, a friend and
fellow Dominican of St. Martin de Porres, was like Martin, truly a
"child of God."
John, a native of
Rivera, Plasencia, Spain, is said to have been
descended from a noble family that had become impoverished.
Whatever
his lineage, he was orphaned at an early age, and raised by an uncle,
who made him tend sheep to support himself and his brothers and
sisters. With no opportunity for schooling, Juan grew up
illiterate.
The solitude of shepherding, however, gave him, as it has given to
other saints, ample opportunity for recollection and prayer.
Sometimes
as he recited the rosary, he sensed the presence of Our Lady and St.
John the Evangelist.
When he was 21, he
felt inspired by St. John the Evangelist to migrate
to South America--a popular choice of many Spaniards in those days when
Spain was colonizing Latin America. The merchant who took him
across
the Atlantic abandoned him at Cartagena, Colombia, because he could
neither read nor write. Making his way gradually to Lima, John
entered
the employ of a landholder who assigned him to work with his cattle and
sheep. "On retreat" again among the animals, Masias resumed his
old
devotional schedule.
Around 1621, Juan
decided to apply for entry into the Dominicans as a
lay brother. Giving away what remained of his savings, he was
clothed
in the Dominican habit at the Lima convent of St. Mary Magdalen.
During his Dominican career Brother John held only one post, that of
porter of the convent, but it was in this role that he earned heaven.
The monastic life
suited John to a "T". He embraced penitential
practices so harsh that his prior ordered him to tone them down.
Though he had lost the sheepfold as a favored place of private prayer,
he found a hidden corner in the monastery garden that he called his
Gethsemane.
But John became noted
particularly for his works of charity. Every day
the poor, the sick and the abandoned would come to the door to receive
bread from him. (The convent still preserves the basket he used to hold
the loaves.) If his beloved poor were too shy to come begging at the
convent, he would search them out in their own homes.
Collecting the food
to give was his preliminary duty.
To save himself time
in begging door to door, he trained the priory's
donkey to go about town alone with baskets on its back. When the
people saw it coming, they would put food and clothing into its baskets
for Brother Juan to distribute. Nor did John content himself with
silent almsgiving. His contact with the needy gave him an
opportunity
to advise them and encourage them to love God and live good
lives.
There is no doubt that Blessed Juan copied this style of apostolate
from his good friend, fellow-Dominican lay brother and fellow townsman,
the holy mulatto St. Martin de Porres. Many miracles were
attributed
to Brother John.
Historians have often
criticized the Spaniards who colonized Peru and
other parts of Latin America for greed and harshness. But we must
not
forget the bright side, the holy side of their colonial efforts.
Thus, Lima itself
could boast of two saints early canonized: St. Rose
of Lima and Archbishop St. Toribio de Mogrovejo. More recent
popes
have added to that calendar two more, saints of simplicity and charity:
St. Martin de Porres (canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII) and St.
John Masias (canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI). Of such is the
kingdom of heaven.
--Father Robert F.
McNamara
Name/Title: Saint John Masias - Marvelous
Dominican Gatekeeper of Lima, Peru
Author:
Mary Fabyan Windeatt No. Pages:
156
"I'm going to see
Father Prior about this!" sputtered old Father
Francis, as the little group of priests and brothers peered into the
chapel at Brother John. Brother John was praying ardently-several
feet
off the floor! "There is no need to have these... these acrobatics! And
right in the sanctuary, too!"
The others did not
know what to say. `Brother John is a saint," ventured one brother.
Father Francis,
however, dismissed the wonder with a wave of his hand.
"I'm quite sure that Brother John is a saint," he declared, "but I
still see no reason for him to float about in the air! Some of our
younger brothers may think they should be able to float in the air too!"
"Oh, no!" exclaimed
one young priest. "That won't happen!"
"That's what you
think!" came the reply. "I shall speak to Father Prior
and ask him to put a stop to all such exhibitions. Brother John will
have to obey him!"
What would the Prior
say? Would he agree with Father Francis?
This book gives the
answer. It also tells how John Masias came from
Spain to the New World, how he was fired from a job because of his poor
education, how he went on miraculous travels, how he fought the Devil,
and how he freed over a million souls from Purgatory. All in all, this
is the wonderful story of St. John Masias, the marvelous Dominican
gatekeeper of Lima. Peru.
|
1642 Saint Simeon of
Verkhoturye led beggars life worked many miracles after death
was a nobleman, but he concealed his origin and led the life of a
beggar. He walked through the villages and for free sewed half-coats
and other clothes, primarily for the poor. While doing this he
deliberately failed to sew something, either a glove, or a scarf, for
which he endured abuse from his customers.
The ascetic wandered much, but most often he lived at a churchyard of
the village of Merkushinsk not far from the city of Verkhoturye (on the
outskirts of Perm). St Simeon loved nature in the Urals, and while
joyfully contemplated its majestic beauty, he would raise up a
thoughtful glance towards the Creator of the world. In his free time,
the saint loved to go fishing in the tranquility of solitude. This
reminded him of the disciples of Christ, whose work he continued,
guiding the local people in the true Faith. His conversations were a
seed of grace, from which gradually grew the abundant fruits of the
Spirit in the Urals and in Siberia, where the saint is especially
revered.
St Simeon of Verkhoturye died in 1642, when he was 35 years of age. He
was buried in the Merkushinsk graveyard by the church of the Archangel
Michael.
On September 12, 1704, with the blessing of Metropolitan Philotheus of
Tobolsk, the holy relics of St Simeon were transferred from the church
of the Archangel Michael to the Verkhoturye monastery in the name of St
Nicholas.
St Simeon worked many miracles after his death. He frequently appeared
to the sick in dreams and healed them, and he brought to their senses
those fallen into the disease of drunkenness. A peculiarity of the
saint's appearances was that with the healing of bodily infirmities, he
also gave instruction and guidance for the soul.
The memory of St Simeon of Verkhoturye is celebrated also on December
18, on the day of his glorification (1694). |
1645 St. Mariana
the
lily of Quito gift of prophesy
Mariana was born at Quito, Ecuador (then part of Peru), of
noble
Spanish parents. She was orphaned as a child and raised by her elder
sister and her husband. Mariana early was attracted to things religious
and became a solitary in her sister's home under the direction of
Mariana's Jesuit confessor. Mariana practiced the greatest austerities,
ate hardly anything, slept for only three hours a night for years, had
the gift of prophesy, and
reputedly performed miracles. When an
earthquake followed by an epidemic shook Quito in 1645, she offered
herself publicly as a victim for the sins of the people. When the
epidemic began to abate, she was stricken and died on May 26th. She is
known as Mariana of Quito and is often called "the lily of Quito." She
was canonized in 1950. |
1663 St. Joseph of
Cupertino b.1603 levitating at prayer temptations chains
Already as a child,
Joseph showed a fondness for prayer. After a short
career with the Capuchins, he joined the Conventuals. Following a brief
assignment caring for the friary mule, Joseph began his studies for the
priesthood. Though studies were very difficult for him, Joseph gained a
great deal of knowledge from prayer. He was ordained in 1628.
Joseph’s tendency to
levitate during prayer was sometimes a cross; some
people came to see this much as they might have gone to a circus
sideshow. Joseph’s gift led him to be humble, patient and obedient,
even though at times he was greatly tempted and felt forsaken by God.
He fasted and wore iron chains for much of his life.
The friars
transferred Joseph several times for his own good and for
the good of the rest of the community. He was reported to and
investigated by the Inquisition; the examiners exonerated him.
Joseph was canonized
in 1767. In the investigation preceding the
canonization, 70 incidents of levitation are recorded.
Comment: While
levitation is an extraordinary sign of holiness,
Joseph is also remembered for the ordinary signs he showed. He prayed
even in times of inner darkness, and he lived out the Sermon on the
Mount. He used his "unique possession" (his free will) to praise God
and to serve God’s creation.
Quote:
"Clearly, what God wants above all is our will which
we received as a free gift from God in creation and possess as though
our own. When a man trains himself to acts of virtue, it is with the
help of grace from God from whom all good things come that he does
this. The will is what man has as his unique possession" (St. Joseph of
Cupertino, from the
reading for his feast in the Franciscan breviary). |
1669-1739 Bl.
Angelus Capuchin of Acri many miracles of healing gifts prophecy
bilocation see into men's souls
Born at
Acri, Italy, he was refused admission to the Capuchins twice
but was accepted on his third attempt in 1690, and was ordained.
Unsuccessful in his first sermons, he eventually became a famous
preacher after a tremendous success preaching in Naples during Lent in
1711.
For the
rest of his life, he preached missions in Calabria and Naples,
converting thousands and performing many miracles of healing. He was
reputed to have had the gifts of prophecy and bilocation, experienced
visions and ecstasies and was a sought after confessor with the ability
to see into men's souls. He died in the friary at Acri on October 30,
and was beatified in 1825.
Blessed
Angelus of Acri, OFM Cap. (AC) Born at Acri (diocese of
Bisignano), Calabria, Italy, in 1669; died in 1739; beatified in 1825.
Angelus twice attempted unsuccessfully to become a religious. The third
time, after a tempestuous novitiate, he was professed as a Capuchin.
His public life as a preacher was again quite unsuccessful in the
beginning and "tempestuously successful" afterwards (Benedictines). |
1781
Saint Ignatius of Laconi Capuchin questor for 40 years as a child
found daily at church doors before dawn waiting in prayer to be opened
levitation in prayer gifts of prophecy and miracles of healing (AC)
Born in Laconi,
Sardinia, in 1701; died at Cagliari, Italy, in 1781;
canonized in 1951; feast day formerly May 12. I would like to be more
like this Saint Ignatius because I think he is a wonderful role model.
Vincent Peis' parents were of modest means, but his was not a modest
devotion to God. In fact, his childlike devotion was so remarkable that
he would be found daily at the church doors before dawn, waiting in
prayer, for them to be opened.
 Saint Ignatius
With some difficulty
he was received into the Capuchin branch of the
Franciscan Order at Buoncammino (near Cagliari) in 1722 as a
lay-brother, taking the name Ignatius. He passed his life doing mundane
tasks and, at age 40 (1741), was entrusted with the work of questor,
that is, begging for his convent at Cagliari. This office, which was
his occupation for 40 years, gave him an opportunity to exercise his
gentle love of children, the poor, and the sick. He travelled about on
foot in all kinds of weather, meeting with refusals and contradictions
but he never gave up.
An unusual legend
tells us that he would never beg alms from an
unscrupulous moneylender, who complained of this neglect. The local
guardian ordered Ignatius to call upon him. The saint returned with a
sack of food, but when it was opened, it dripped with blood. More
reliable accounts tell of his levitation in prayer and miracles of
healing wrought through his intercession.
Though he was
illiterate, he loved to listen to the Gospels, especially
the Passion accounts, and was favored with the gifts of prophecy and
miracles. He would pass whole hours in prayer before the tabernacle.
The particulars about his Christ-centered life that have survived show
a determined, gentle character like those in the Little Flowers of
Saint Francis. A contemporary portrait of the saint at Cagliari
confirms a written description of him as medium height with slight
features, a white beard and hair, upright in gait, and easy in manner
(Attwater, Benedictines, Farmer). |
1783 St. Benedict Joseph
Labré "the Beggar of Rome," a pilgrim recluse devoted to the
Blessed Sacrament miracles levitated.
Called "the Beggar of
Rome," a pilgrim recluse. He was born in Amettes,
France, on March 25, 1748, the eldest of eighteen children. Studying
under his uncle, a parish priest, at Erin, France, Benedict tried to
join the Trappists, Carthusians, and Cistercians but was refused by
these orders.
In 1770, he made a
pilgrimage to the major shrines of Europe, settling
in Rome in 1774. There he lived near the Colosseum and earned fame for
his sanctity. Benedict was devoted to the Blessed Sacrament and
attended the Forty Hours devotion in the city. He died in Rome on April
16, and was beatified in 1860. He was canonized in 1883.
Benedict Joseph Labre
(RM) Born at Amettes (near Boulogne), Arras,
France, March 26 (25?), 1748; died in Rome, April 17 (16?), 1783;
beatified in 1860; canonized in 1881.
Since God leads each
of us in our own way, our spiritual life will
assume an pattern totally different from that of anyone else. Each of
us is one of a kind. Our spirituality then should also be one of a
kind. This is shown dramatically in various people's lives.
The story of Saint
Benedict caught my eye and my heart. He was born in
18th century France in Amettes, then in the diocese of
Boulogne-sur-Mer, to a family of prosperous shopkeepers. His mother
claimed to feel his sanctity while she carried him in her womb. Because
of his piety he was sent to an uncle who was a parish priest at Erin
for his education in Latin, grammar, and mathematics to prepare him for
the religious life.
A domestic servant in
his uncle's house, probably jealous, used to
knock Benedict about when they were alone and forced the youngster to
perform chores beyond the strength of his years. Since Benedict seemed
to find this odious treatment amusing, the bully was disarmed.
In freedom from the
prying eyes of his preoccupied elders, little
Benedict tried his hand at austerities, the recipes for which he found
in the dusty library of the presbytery. In addition to almsgiving that
gives so much pleasure to the giver, he adopted a minor practice in
austerity that was more sane than them all: every night he would
replace his pillow with a plank of oakwood. Once upon being surprised
while sleeping in this way, he explained, without ostentation: "I do it
in order not to sleep too deeply."
He made steady
progress in his studies until he was 16. Then, suddenly,
he was unable to learn any more. His uncle died of cholera after he and
Benedict had ministered to other victims in the parish. Is this the
reason he could learn no more? Or was it because Benedict was overcome
by the dark night of the soul, as Saint John of the Cross calls this
state, in which God forms the soul and prepares it for union with
himself?
After his uncle's
death, he walked 60 miles to La Trappe to become a
monk. He was irresistibly drawn to the very austere order. But he was
denied entry. He vainly applied numerous times between 1766 and 1770
for entry into the Trappists, Carthusians, and Cistercians, but each
time was sent home. For some of the communities he was too young;
others, after admitting him, found him to be suffering such spiritual
tortures that they couldn't let him stay; to still others, the failure
of his physical health was proof that he could not observe the rule
and, therefore, must be rejected.
Finally, Benedict
realized that God must have something else in store
for him. He went home and told his parents that he felt God was calling
him to Rome. Perhaps because he was the eldest of 15 children, they
were reluctant but finally gave him their blessing. Off he went on foot
to Rome, begging his way.
Those who have never
begged say that it's painful only the first time,
but this isn't true. One does not knock on all doors in the same way.
It is not true that the same words invariably come to mind in front of
different faces. Each time is the first time. How tempting then to
deprive yourself of a stale piece of bread which even the dogs would
forego and to not ask. Begging is not easy. Try stretching out your own
hand and you will see how difficult it is to swallow pride and ask for
help.
Saint Vincent de Paul
understood that the beggar needs us and deprives
himself of us because we deprive ourselves of him. A beggar is a man
who is completely at our mercy, and whom we never thank for the
opportunity to act in God's Name.
The saint wandered to
Italy to seek admission there into a strict
monastery or community of hermits. In Italy he experienced inner
enlightenment and clearly recognized that it was God's will that, like Saint Alexis, he was to
leave his home, his father and mother, and
everything that was agreeable in the world, in order to lead a new
life, a life of rigorous penance, in the midst of the world, as an
eternal pilgrim.
From the moment of
this recognition, his soul was filled with perfect
peace, and all attempts made by confessors to bring him back to an
ordered life, with work, failed.
Benedict Joseph
wandered. For the next three or four years he wandered
about western Europe, going from shrine to shrine. He went to Santiago
de Compostella in Spain, to Aix-en-Provence and Paray-le-Monial in
France, to Assisi, Loreto, and Bari in Italy. He paid repeated visits
to Einsiedeln and to German sanctuaries, made a pilgrimage every year
to Loretto, and continued to make Rome his city of perpetual
pilgrimage. He always travelled on foot, slept in the open or in some
corner, his clothing rags, his body filthy, picking up food where he
could, and sharing any money given to him.
As he travelled in
his sack-cloth cinched with a rope, he carried with
him only his perpetual nourishment: the Imitation of Christ, the New
Testament, and a breviary. His rosary was made from the berries of wild
rose bushes, which he would eat when they began to wear out.
He finally settled in
Rome in 1774, where he found his vocation as a
tramp, wandering the streets with other vagrants. How could this be a
vocation? He dressed in rags and wandered from shrine to shrine.
Eventually he became widely known as one of the homeless who roamed the
streets accepting crumbs of food and clothes that the charitable would
give him.
During the day he
spent most of his time in churches with perpetual
adoration; at night he wandered to the seven major basilicas. He
quenched his thirst at the fountains; he lived from remnants of food
found in the streets. He slept for a few hours under an arch of the
Colosseum at the station of the Cross named "Simon of Cyrene helps
Jesus to carry the Cross." As time went on people began to realize that
there was something different about this tramp. He became known as the
'beggar of the Colosseum' or the 'beggar of the perpetual adoration.'
It was rumored that
he was of high birth but had committed a murder or
other heinous crime and now sought atonement. Alms given to him burned
in his hand; he passed them on to other who he deemed more needy. He
was once beaten by a man who thought Benedict had spurned his offer of
money because he gave it away.
His soul hovered
constantly over the greatest mysteries of the faith.
And, just as all water streams to the sea, so everything carried him on
to the mysteries of the Most Holy Trinity. "When I contemplate the
crowning of thorns," he said to the priest who examined him, "I feel
myself elevated to the Trinity of God."
"What do you, a man
without education, understand about this mystery?"
the priest asked.
"I understand nothing
about it," Benedict answered, "but I feel myself
transported to it." And this transport was sometimes so strong that his
soul was carried away and his body lay as though dead.
One day as he was
praying at Saint Ignatius' and had fallen into
ecstasy, an anxious visitor to the church asked the sacristan in alarm:
"What has happened to this beggar?"
Benedict seemed to be
swaying in the air. He was in a position that
mocked the laws of equilibrium and gravity. "The saint is in ecstasy,"
said the sacristan, as though this were the most natural thing in the
world, and went on sweeping with his broom.
Such soaring over the
ground, as well as bilocation, is frequently
attested in Benedict's case. As he worked in painting the interior of
the church, Antonio Cavallucci was so impressed by the sight of the
saint that he once took him to his studio and painted him. This
painting can still be seen at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica in
Rome, Italy.
 Image of Saint
Benedict Labre courtesy
of Saint Charles
Borromeo Church
This
painting and his
death mask reveal that Benedict was a handsome
man with deep-set eyes, strong cheek bones, a perfectly straight and
noble nose, high forehead, and gently protruding upper lip. Not only
was his soul beautiful, so was his physical body. Perhaps the one
transformed the other?
He is reputed to have
multiplied bread for the hungry, and on another
occasion to have cured an invalid.
One day some friends
found him in a quiet glen on his knees absorbed in
prayer. He stayed that way for the longest time. His companions were
deeply impressed. They also found out that he had the rare gift of
counseling people with the most complex problems and bringing them
peace.
His reputation spread
throughout Rome and soon strangers from all walks
of life came to talk to him: lawyers, doctors, judges, women in
society, bishops, cardinals, as well as just ordinary folks. His wisdom
and understanding enabled him to bring peace to the most troubled
souls.
He neglected his body
and his fragile health finally obliged him to
seek refuge in a hospice for poor men. There he was known to give away
his portion of the soup.
The man who had spent
long hours before the Blessed Sacrament collapsed
from exhaustion on the steps of his favorite Roman church, Santa Maria
dei Monti, during Holy Week and died, consumed by the inner flame of
ceaseless prayer, in the back room of a butcher's shop to which he had
been carried.
Since burial of Saint Philip Neri,
there had been no
such crowd pressing to see the mortal remains of a servant of God as at
the Requiem Mass for Benedict Joseph. The military summoned to the
scene had difficulty preserving order.
After his burial,
people came from all over Europe to visit his grave
and ask his intercession with God. In less than three months after his
death, 136 miracles had already been protocoled. The healings and
graces people received were so overwhelming that the Vatican was forced
to start the process for his canonization as a saint. In record time,
in 1883, he was proclaimed a person of rare heroic holiness.
The people of Rome
had no doubt about the holiness of this 'new Saint
Francis.' He is a late Western example of an ascetical vocation better
known in the East, that of the pilgrim or wandering holy man. He also
has points of resemblance with the Greek saloi and Russian yurodivy,
'fools for Christ's sake' (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Delaney,
Encyclopedia, Farmer, Girzone, de la Gorce, Schamoni, White).
On the day of his
canonization Mass, in the crowded Saint Peter's
Basilica way above the heads of the congregation was the glorious
painting of this sainted tramp dressed in his rags, held up for the
veneration and admiration of all the faithful.
"What a strange
vocation! And you cannot help but ask why. But it was a
time when the whole Christian world had become so materialistic that
spiritual things meant little to people. So God called this young man
to give up everything and wander the streets of Rome with other
homeless people, dressed in the stinking rags of a tramp.
"All the while God
molded in the depths of his soul a holiness that
transcended anything people had ever witnessed, and held up the
remarkable spirituality of this lowly beggar for the admiration and
example of all. It was no doubt a difficult vocation for one to follow,
but Saint Benedict was always a happy man, so he must have found a
strange satisfaction in the realization that he was following where God
was leading him" (Girzone).
Where is God leading
you? Have you heard His voice yet? It's a small
voice that cannot be heard except in the stillness of your heart. You,
too, are called to be a saint--but how?
And how many of those
nameless, faceless souls that we pass on the
street are really God's Presence among us? How often do we recognize
Him in them? Which one(s) is the saint we have failed to recognize?
In art, Saint Joseph
Labre is depicted as a beggar with his bowl and
the tricorn hat of a pilgrim sharing his alms with other poor (Roeder,
White). He is the patron saint of tramps and the homeless (White).
|
1484 Blessed Damian
dei Fulcheri Hundreds of sinners repented by the force of his preaching
miracles worked at his tomb OP (AC)
(also
known as Damian of Finario)
Born in
Finario (Finale or Finarium near Genoa), Liguria, Italy; died
near Modena at Reggio d'Emilia, Italy, in 1484; cultus approved in 1848.
Damian
was born of rich and noble parents at the end of the 14th
century. The only thing we know of his childhood was that as a baby he
was kidnapped by a madman. His parents prayed to the Blessed Virgin,
and Damian was returned unharmed.
He took
the Dominican habit at Savona, where he was a diligent student.
Once ordained, Damian became famous for his preaching, which he did in
nearly all the cities of Italy. Hundreds of sinners repented and
returned to God by the force of his preaching. Almost immediately upon
his death he became the object of pious veneration because of the
miracles worked at his tomb (Benedictines, Dorcy). |
1837
Anne Mary
Taigi Endowed
with the gift of prophecy, she read
thoughts and described distant events incorruptible.
Born at Siena 1769 daughter of a
druggist
named Giannetti, whose business failed, she was brought to Rome
and
worked for a time as a domestic servant. In 1790 she married
Dominic
Taigi, a butler of the Chigi family in Rome, and lived the normal life
of a married woman of the working class. In the discharge of these
humble duties and in the bringing up of her seven children she attained
a high degree of holiness. Endowed
with the gift of prophecy, she read
thoughts and described distant events. Her home became the
rendezvous
of cardinals and other dignitaries who sought her counsel. She was
beatified in 1920.
She frequented the
Sacraments of
Penance and the Holy
Eucharist, and it was observed that her piety increased on the approach
of every feast of Our Lady. The Rosary was her only book, and her
devotion to the Angelus was so great that she used to fall on her knees
at the first sound of the bell, even though she heard it when crossing
a stream.
And she had the most
important prayer of all -- the Mass. Every day,
without fail, she would leave her sheep in God's care and go to Mass.
Villagers wondered that the sheep weren't attacked by the wolves in the
woods when she left but God's protection never failed her. On several
occasions the swollen waters were seen to open and afford her a passage
without wetting her garments..
No matter how little
Germaine had, she shared it with others. Her
scraps of food were given to beggars. Her life of prayer became stories
of God that entranced the village children.
But most startling of
all was the forgiveness to showed to the woman
who deserved her hatred.
Hortense, furious at
the stories about her daughter's holiness, waited
only to catch her doing wrong. One cold winter day, after throwing out
a beggar that Germaine had let sleep in the barn, Hortense caught
Germaine carrying something bundled up in her apron. Certain that
Germaine had stolen bread to feed the beggar, she began to chase and
scream at the child. As she began to beat her, Germaine opened her
apron. Out tumbled what she had been hiding in her apron -- bright
beautiful flowers that no one had expected to see for months. Where had
she found the vibrant blossoms in the middle of the ice and snow? There
was only one answer and Germaine gave it herself, when she handed a
flower to her mother and said, "Please accept this flower, Mother. God
sends it to you in sign of his forgiveness."
As the whole village
began to talk about this holy child, even Hortense
began to soften her feelings toward her. She even invited Germaine back
to the house but Germaine had become used to her straw bed and
continued to sleep in it.
At this point, when
men were beginning to realize the beauty of her
life, God called her to Himself. One morning in the early summer of
1601, her father finding that she had not risen at the usual hour went
to call her; he found her dead on her pallet of vine-twigs. She was
then twenty-two years old, overcome by a life of suffering.
With all the evidence
of her holiness, her life was too simple and
hidden to mean much beyond her tiny village -- until God brought it too
light again. When her body was exhumed forty years later, it was found
to be
undecayed, what is known as incorruptible.
As is often the case with
incorruptible bodies of saints, God chooses not the outwardly beautiful
to preserve but those that others despised as ugly and weak. It's as if
God is saying in this miracle that human ideas of beauty are not his.
To him, no one was more beautiful than this humble lonely young woman.
After her body was found in this state, the villagers started to speak
again of what she had been like and what she had done. Soon miracles
were attributed to her intercession and the clamor for
her canonization began.
In this way, the most
unlikely of saints became recognized by the
Church. She didn't found a religious order. She didn't reach a high
Church post. She didn't write books or teach at universities. She
didn't go to foreign lands as a missionary or convert thousands. What
she did was live a life devoted to God and her neighbor no matter what
happened to her. And that is all God asks.
In Her
Footsteps: Do you make excuses not to help others because
you have so little
yourself? Share something this week with those in need that may be
painful for you to give up.
Prayer:
Saint Germaine, watch
over those children who suffer abuse as you did.
Help us to give them the love and protection you only got from God.
Give us the courage to speak out against abuse when we know of it. Help
us to forgive those who abuse the way you did, without sacrificing the
lives of the children who need help. Amen |
December 1531
The
Miracle Of
Guadalupe
For more than three
hundred years, the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe has
been celebrated and revered in Mexico as the Patroness of Mexican and
Indian peoples, and as the Queen of the Americas.
She stands on home
altars, lends her name to men and women alike, and
finds herself at rest under their skin in tattoos. Guadalupe’s image
proliferates on candles, decals, tiles, murals, and old and new sacred
art. Churches and religious orders carry her name, as do place names
and streets. Far from vulgarizing her image, these items personalize
her and maintain her presence in daily life. She is prayed to in times
of sickness and war and for protection against all evils.
The story of
Guadalupe begins in December 1531 in Tenochtitlan (Mexico
City) when the Virgin Mary appeared four
times to
the Indian peasant Juan Diego.
(First) He
was
on his way to mass
when a beautiful woman surrounded
by a body halo appeared to him with the music
of songbirds in the
background. As the birds became quiet, Mary announced “I
am the
Entirely and Ever Virgin, Saint Mary”. Assuring Juan Diego that
she was
his “Compassionate
Mother” and that she
had come out of her willingness
to love and protect "all
folk of every kind,"
she requested that he
build a temple in her honor at the place where she stood, Tepeyac
Hill,
on the eastern edge of Mexico City. (This spot has been identified as
the site where once stood a temple to the Aztec
goddess Tonantzin.)
Juan Diego went
directly to the bishop
of Mexico, Zumarraga,
to relate
this wondrous event.
The churchman was
skeptical and dismissed the humble peasant, who then
returned
to Tepeyac Hill to
beseech the Virgin Mary to find a more
prominent person who was less “pitiably poor” than he to do her
bidding.
Rejecting his
protestations, the Virgin urged him to return to the
bishop
and (Second)“indeed say
to him once more how it is I
Myself, the Ever
Virgin Saint Mary, Mother of God, who am commissioning you.”
Juan Diego returned
to the churchman’s palace after mass, waited, and
was finally able to enter his second plea on behalf of the Virgin. This
time, Zumarraga
asked
the humble native to request
a sure sign directly
from the “Heavenly Woman” as to her true identity. The
bishop
then had
some members of his staff follow Juan Diego to check on where he went
and whom he saw.
The next day, Juan
Diego hastened to the bedside of his dying uncle,
Juan Bernadino. The old
man,
gravely ill, begged his nephew to fetch a
priest for the last rites of the church. The following morning,
before
dawn, Juan Diego set off on this mission. He
tried to avoid the Virgin
because of his uncle’s worsening condition, but she intercepted him and
asked “Whither are you going?” He confessed that it was on
behalf of his uncle that he was rushing to
summon a priest.
 During this (third)
meeting, she
assured him that the uncle was “healed
up”, as she had already made a separate appearance to him.
This visitation would
start a tradition of therapeutic miracles
associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe.
She also comforted
Juan Diego with the assurance that she would give
him sure proof of her real identity.
Fourth)
On
December 12, 1531 the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego for the fourth
time and bade him to go to the top of Tepeyac Hill and pick “Castilian
garden flowers” from the normally barren summit.
She
helped him by
“taking them up in her own hands” and folded them into his cloak
woven
of maguey
plant fibers. Juan
Diego then set off to Zumarraga’s palace
with this sure sign of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe’s identity. As he
unwrapped his cloak, the flowers tumbled at the churchman’s feet, and
“suddenly, upon that cloak, there flashed a Portrait, where sallied
into view a Sacred Image of that Ever Virgin Holy Mary, Mother of God.”
This imprint of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, the “Miraculous
Portrait”
as it is often called, hangs today in the Basilica
of Gudalupe in
Mexico City. |
Maddern
Or Madron Well.
"Plunge thy right hand in St Maciron's spring, If true to its troth be
the palm you bring; But if a false digit thy fingers bear, Lay them at
once on the burning share."
OF the holy well at St Maddern, Carne [a] writes thus --
"It has been contended that a virgin was the patroness of
this
church--that she was buried at Minster--and that many miracles were
performed at her grave. A learned commentator, however, is satisfied
that it was St Motran, who was one of the large company that came from
Ireland with St Buriana, and he was slain at the mouth of the Hayle;
the body was begged, and afterwards buried here. Near by was the
miraculous Well of St Maddern, over which a chapel was built, so sacred
was it held, (This chapel was destroyed by the fanaticism of Major
Ceely in the days of Cromwell.) It stood at no great distance on the
moor, and the soil around it was black and boggy, mingled with a gray
moorstone. . .
"The votaries bent awfully and tremblingly over its sedgy
bank, and
gazed on its clear bosom for a few minutes ere they proved the fatal
ordeal; then an imploring look was cast towards the figure of St
Motran, many a crossing was repeated, and at last the pin or pebble
held aloof was dropped into the depth beneath. Often did the rustic
beauty fix her eye intently on the bubbles that rose, and broke, and
disappeared; for in that moment the lover was lost, or the faithful
husband gained. It was only on particular days, however, according to
the increase or decrease of the moon, that the hidden virtues of the
well were consulted." [b]
Of this well we have the following notice by William Scawen, Esq.,
Vice-Warden of the Stannaries. The paper from which we extract it was
first printed by Davies Gilbert, Esq., F.R.S., as an appendix to his
"Parochial History of Cornwall." Its complete title is, "Observations
on an Ancient Manuscript, entitled 'Passio Christo," written in the
Cornish Language, and now preserved in the Bodleian Library; with an
Account of the Language, Manners, and Customs of the People of
Cornwall, (from a Manuscript in the Library of Thomas Artle, Esq.,
1777)" --"Of St Mardren's Well (which is a parish west
to the
Mount), a fresh
true story of two persons, both of them lame and decrepit, thus
recovered from their infirmity. These two persons, after they had
applied themselves to divers physicians and chirurgeons, for cure, and
finding no success by them, they resorted to St Mardren's Well, and
according to the ancient custom which they had heard of, the same which
was once in a year--to wit, on Corpus Christi evening--to lay some
small offering on the altar there, and to lie on the ground all night,
drink of the water there, and in the morning after to take a good
draught more, and to take and carry away some of the water, each of
them in a bottle, at their departure. This course these two men
followed, and within three weeks they found the effect of it, and, by
degrees their strength increasing, were able to move themselves
on
crutches. The year following they took the same course again, after
which they were able to go with the help of a stick; and at length one
of them, John Thomas, being a fisherman, was, and is at this day, able
to follow his fishing craft. The other, whose name was William Cork,
was a soldier under the command of my kinsman, Colonel William
Godolphin (as he has often told me), was able to perform his duty, and
died in the service of his majesty King Charles. But herewith take also
this :-- "One Mr Hutchens, a person well known in those
parts, and now lately
dead, being parson of Ludgvan, a near neighbouring
parish to St
Mardren's Well, he observed that many of his parishioners often
frequented, this well superstitiously, for which he reproved them
privately, and sometimes publicly, in his sermons; but afterwards he,
the said Mr Hutchens, meeting with a woman coming from the well with a
bottle in her hand, desired her earnestly that he might drink thereof,
being then troubled with colical pains, which accordingly he did, and
was eased of his infirmity. The latter story is a full confutation of
the former; for, if the taking the water accidentally thus prevailed
upon the party to his cure, as it is likely it did, then the miracle
which was intended to be by the ceremony of lying on
the ground and
offering is wholly fled, and it leaves the virtue of the water to be
the true cause of the cure. And we have here, as in many places of the
land, great variety of salutary springs, which have diversity of
operations, which by natural reason have been found to be productive of
good effects, and not by miracle, as the vain fancies of monks and
friars have been exercised in heretofore."
Bishop Hale, of Exeter, in his "Great Mystery of Godliness," says --
"Of which kind was that noe less than miraculous cure,
which, at St
Maddern's Well, in Cornwall, was wrought upon a poore cripple; whereof,
besides the attestation of many hundreds of the neighbours, I tooke a
strict and impartial examination in my last triennial visitation there.
This man, for sixteen years, was forced to walke upon his hands, by
reason of the sinews of his Ieggs were soe contracted that he cold not
goe or walke on his feet, who upon monition in a dream to wash in that
well, which accordingly he did, was suddainly restored to the use of
his limbs; and I sasve him both able to walk and gett his owne
maintenance. I found here was neither art nor collusion,--the cure
done, the author our invisible God," &c.
In Madron Well--and, I have no doubt, in many
others--may
be found
frequently the pins which have been dropped by maidens desirous of
knowing "when they were to be married." I once witnessed the whole
ceremony performed by a group of beautiful girls, who had walked on a
May morning from Penzance. Two pieces of straw, about an inch long
each, were crossed and the pin run through them. This cross was then
dropped into the water, and the rising bubbles carefully counted, as
they marked the number of years which would pass ere the arrlval of the
happy day. This practice also prevailed amongst the visitors to the
well at the foot of Monacuddle Grove, near St Austell.
On approaching the Waters, each visitor is expected to
throw in a
crooked pin; and, if you are lucky, you may possibly see the other pins
rising from the bottom to meet the most recent offering. Rags and-
votive offerings to the genius of the waters are hung around many of
the wells. Mr Couch says :-- "At Maciron Well, near Penzance, I
observed the custom of hang-jog rags on the thorns which grew in the
enclosure."
Crofton Croker tells us the same custom prevails in
Ireland; and Dr
O'Connor, in his "Travels in Persia," describes the prevalence of this
custom.
Mr Campbell,[c] on
this subject, writes :--" Holy healing wells are
common all over the Highlands, and people still leave offerings of pins
and nails, and bits of rag, though few would confess it. There is a
well in Islay where I myself have, after drinking, deposited copper
caps amongst a hoard of pins and buttons, and similar gear, placed in
chinks in the rocks and trees at the edge of the 'Witches' Well.' There
is another well with similar offerings freshly placed beside it, in an
island in Loch Maree, in Ross-shire, and many similar wells are
to be
found in other places in Scotland. For example, I learn from Sutherland
that a well in the Black Isle of Cromarty., near Rosehaugh, has
miraculous healing powers. A country woman tells me, that abput forty
years ago, she remembers it being surrounded by a crowd of people every
first Tuesday its June, who bathed and drank of it before sunrise. Each
patient tied a string or rag to one of the trees that overhung it
before leaving. It was sovereign for headaches. Mr--remembers to have
seen a well here, called Mary's Well, hung round with votive rags.'"
Well-worship is mentioned by Martin. The custom, in his
day, in the
Hebrides, was to walk south round about the well.
Sir William Betham, in his "Gael and Cymbri"
(Dublin: W.
Curry, Jun.,
& Co., 1834), says, at page 235 :-- "The Celtae were much addicted
to the worship of fountains and rivers as divinities. They had a deity
called Divona, or the river-god."
[a] "Tales of the West," by the author of "Letters from the East,"
[b] The tale of "The Legend of Pacorra."
[c] "Popular Tales of the West Highlands," by J. F. Campbell. (See page
234, vol. ii.)
|
1367 Blessed
Sibyllina Biscossi blind (at 12) but saw Saint Dominic in ecstasy
worked MANY GOOD miracles as an
anchorite for 67 years OP
Tert. (AC)
(also known as
Sybillina) Born in Pavia, Italy, in 1287; cultus
approved in 1853;
beatified in 1854.
"All things work for
the good of those who love the Lord and are called
according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). How many of us would have the
faith to trust in God's providence as did this holy woman? As Mother
Angelica has witnessed, true faith is knowing that when the Lord asks
you to walk into the void, He will place a rock beneath your feet. True
faith is to be able to praise God in all things; to say with Job, "The
Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord"
(Job 1:21).
Sybillina's parents
died when she was tiny and as soon as she was old
enough to be of use to anyone, the neighbors, who had taken her in at
the time she was orphaned, put her out to work. She must have been very
young when she started to work, because at the age of 12, when she
became blind and could not work any more, she already had several years
of work behind her.
The cause of her
blindness is unknown, but the child was left doubly
destitute with the loss of her sight. The local chapter of the
Dominican tertiary sisters took compassion on the child and brought her
home to live with them. After a little while of experiencing their kind
help, she wanted to join them. They accepted her, young though she was,
more out of pity than in any hope of her being able to carry on their
busy and varied apostolate.
They were soon
agreeably surprised to find out how much she could do.
She learned to chant the Office quickly and sweetly, and to absorb
their teaching about mental prayer as though she had been born for it.
She imposed great obligations of prayer on herself, since she could not
help them in other ways. Her greatest devotion was to Saint Dominic,
and it was to him she addressed herself when she finally became
convinced that she simply must have her sight back so that she could
help the sisters with their work.
Praying earnestly for
this intention, Sybillina waited for his feast
day. Then, she was certain, he would cure her. Matins came and went
with no miracle; little hours, Vespers--and she was still blind. With a
sinking heart, Sybillina knelt before Saint Dominic's statue and begged
him to help her. Kneeling there, she was rapt in ecstasy, and she saw
him come out of the darkness and take her by the hand.
He took her to a dark
tunnel entrance, and she went into the blackness
at his word. Terrified, but still clinging to his hand, she advanced
past invisible horrors, still guided and protected by his presence.
Dawn came gradually, and then light, then a blaze of glory. "In
eternity, dear child," he said. "Here, you must suffer darkness so that
you may one day behold eternal light."
Sybillina, the eager
child, was replaced by a mature and thoughtful
Sybillina who knew that there would be no cure for her, that she must
work her way to heaven through the darkness. She decided to become a
anchorite, and obtained the necessary permission. In 1302, at the age
of 15, she was sealed into a tiny cell next to the Dominican church at
Pavia. At first she had a companion, but her fellow recluse soon gave
up the life. Sybillina remained, now alone, as well as blind.
The first seven years
were the worst, she later admitted. The cold was
intense, and she never permitted herself a fire. The church, of course,
was not heated, and she wore the same clothes winter and summer. In the
winter there was only one way to keep from freezing--keep moving--so
she genuflected, and gave herself the discipline. She slept on a board
and ate practically nothing. To the tiny window, that was her only
communication with the outside world, came the troubled and the sinful
and the sick, all begging for her help. She prayed for all of them, and
worked many miracles in the lives of the people of Pavia.
One of the more
amusing requests came from a woman who was terrified of
the dark. Sybillina was praying for her when she saw her in a vision,
and observed that the woman--who thought she was hearing things--put on
a fur hood to shut out the noise. The next day the woman came to see
her, and Sybillina laughed gaily. "You were really scared last night,
weren't you?" she asked. "I laughed when I saw you pull that hood over
your ears." The legend reports that the woman was never frightened
again.
Sybillina had a
lively sense of the Real Presence and a deep devotion
to the Blessed Sacrament. One day a priest was going past her window
with Viaticum for the sick; she knew that the host was not consecrated,
and told him so. He investigated, and found he had indeed taken a host
from the wrong container.
Sybillina lived as a
recluse for 67 years. She followed all the Masses
and Offices in the church, spending what few spare minutes she had
working with her hands to earn a few alms for the poor (Attwater2,
Benedictines, Dorcy).
|
1394 St. Dorothy of
Montau visions and spiritual gifts patroness of Prussia
Widow and
hermitess. She was born a peasant on February 6, 1347, in
Montau, Prussia. After marrying a wealthy swordsmith, Albrecht of
Danzig, Poland, she bore him nine children and changed his gruff
character. He even accompanied her on pilgrimages. However, when she
went to Rome in 1390, Albrecht remained at home and died during her
absence. A year later Dorothy moved to Marienswerder, where she became
a hermitess. She had visions and spiritual gifts. Dorothy died on June
25 and is the patroness of Prussia. She was never formally canonized.
Dorothy
of Montau, Widow (PC) Born at Montau near
Marienburg, Prussia, Germany, on February 6, 1347;
died June 25, 1394. Though she was never canonized, Saint Dorothy is
widely venerated in central Europe, particularly among the Prussians,
who have selected her as their patron saint. Like Saint Catherine of
Siena and Saint Bridget of Sweden, who were her contemporaries, she was
favored by divine grace with many visions, revelations, and ecstasies,
especially during the last years of her life.
As a
17-year-old peasant girl, she married a wealthy swordsmith from
Danzig named Albert (Albrecht) by whom she had nine children. Of these
only the youngest survived, a daughter who later became a Benedictine
nun. Albert appears to have been surly and bad- tempered, and it seems
likely that their married life, at least in its early years, was far
from ideal. However, Dorothy's gentleness, fortitude, and kindness
gradually softened him, and in 1384, he agreed to accompany her on a
pilgrimage to Aachen.
After
other pilgrimages to Einsiedeln and Cologne, they planned to make
one to Rome for the jubilee that was to be held in 1390; but while they
were making their preparations, Albert fell ill and so Dorothy went
alone, travelling on foot and begging her food. By the time she
returned from Rome, where she had been delayed by a sickness, her
husband had died.
Now that
she had become a widow, Dorothy was able to fulfill a dream
she had long cherished of retiring from the world. In 1391, she went to
Marienwerder where, after spending two years on probation, she became a
recluse in the church of the Teutonic Knights.
On May 2,
1393, she had herself walled up in a cell that measured 6' x
6' and was about 9' tall. Of the three windows one opened to the sky,
the second to a cemetery (and through which she also received food) and
the third on to the altar of the church where, as was often the custom
in those regions, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed all day.
Like many
others, Dorothy had an intense devotion to the Blessed
Sacrament and was often favored with mystic visions of it. Her
reputation for holiness grew rapidly and many people came to her
seeking counsel or miraculous cures.
However,
the rigors of her mode of life, added to the severe
austerities she practiced, soon broke her health and she died in May
1394, after living only a little more than a year in her cell. Many
miracles were attributed to her, and an account of her visions and
ecstasies has been left by her confessor (Benedictines, Delaney,
Encyclopedia).
Dorothy's
emblem is a lantern and a rosary. Sometimes she is surrounded
by arrows in paintings of her. Venerated at Montau and Marienwerder,
Prussia (Roeder).
|
1420 Blessed Elisabeth
the Good, OFM Tert. mystical experiences including the stigmata V
(AC)
Born in Waldsee, W&uouml;rtemberg, Germany, 1386; died there, ;
cultus confirmed in 1766. Elisabeth lived her whole life in a small
community of Franciscan tertiaries near Waldsee. She was subject to
mystical experiences including the stigmata, and went for long periods
without any natural food (Benedictines). |
|
1431 Blessed Mary of Pisa
Widow miraculous favors saw guardian angel from childhood
OP Tertiary (AC)
(also known as Catherine Mancini)
Born in Pisa, Italy, 1355;
died 1431; cultus confirmed by Pius IX in 1855; feast day formerly on
December 22.
Almost from the
moment Catherine Mancini was born into that noble
family she began enjoying the miraculous favors with which her life was
filled. At the age of three, she was warned by some heavenly agency
that the porch on which she had been placed by her nurse was unsafe.
Her cries attracted the nurse's attention, and they had barely left the
porch when it collapsed. She also was able to see her guardian angel
from her childhood.
When she was 5, she
beheld in an ecstasy the dungeon of a palace in
Pisa in which Blessed Peter
Gambacorta,
one of the leading citizens, was being tortured. At Catherine's prayer,
the rope broke and the man was released. Our Lady told the little girl
to say prayers every
day for this man, because he would one day be her
benefactor. |
1452 Blessed Peter de
Geremia heard a knock at the window no church large enough to hold
crowds countless miracles: fish, stopped Aetna w/veil of Saint Agatha,
raised dead etc. OP
(AC)
Born in Palermo,
Sicily, Italy, in 1381; cultus approved in 1784.
God has a mission for each of us and has given us the gifts to
successfully complete the purpose for which He created us. Our job is
to discern our role in His creation. The gifts He has given us can be
the instrument of our damnation when used against His purposes; when we
discern correctly through prayer and spiritual direction these same
talents and abilities can sanctify us and those around us. It's not too
late to seek God's will for your life--in fact, we should attempt to
understand His will for our every action, each day, using all the gifts
his has given us.
Peter Geremia was
unusually gifted. He was sent early to the University
of Bologna, where he passed his studies brilliantly, and attracted the
attention and praise of all. On the brink of a successful career as a
lawyer, he experienced a sudden and total conversion.
Having retired one
night, he was pleasantly dreaming of the honors that
would soon come to him in his work, when he heard a knock at the
window. As his room was on the third floor, and there was nothing for a
human to stand on outside his window, he sat up, in understandable
fright, and asked who was there.
A hollow voice
responded that he was a relative who had just died, a
successful lawyer who had wanted human praise so badly that he had lied
to win it, and now was eternally lost because of his pride. Peter was
terrified, and acted at once upon the suggestion to turn, while there
was still time, from the vanity of public acclaim. He went the next day
to a locksmith and bought an iron chain, which he riveted tightly about
him. He began praying seriously to know his vocation.
Soon thereafter, God
made known to him that he should enter the
Dominican Order. He did so as soon as possible. His new choice of
vocation was a bitter blow to his father, who had gloried in his son's
achievements, hoping to see him become the most famous lawyer in
Europe. He angrily journeyed to Bologna to see his son and demanded
that he come home. The prior, trying to calm the excited man, finally
agreed to call Peter. As the young man approached them, radiantly happy
in his new life, the father's heart was touched, and he gladly gave his
blessing to the new undertaking.
Peter's brilliant mind and great spiritual gifts found room for
development in the order, and he became known as one of the finest
preachers in Sicily. He was so well known that Saint Vincent Ferrer
asked to see him, and they conversed happily on spiritual matters. He
always preached in the open air, because there was no church large
enough to hold the crowds that flocked to hear him.
Being prior of the
abbey, Peter was consulted one day when there was no
food for the community. He went down to the shore and asked a fisherman
for a donation. He was rudely refused. Getting into a boat, he rowed
out from the shore and made a sign to the fish; they broke the nets and
followed him. Repenting of his bad manners, the fisherman apologized,
whereupon Peter made another sign to the fish, sending them back into
the nets again. The records say that the monastery was ever afterwards
supplied with fish.
Peter was sent as
visitator to establish regular observance in the
monasteries of Sicily. He was called to Florence by the pope to try
healing the Greek schism. A union of the opposing groups was affected,
though it did not last. Peter was offered a bishopric (and refused it)
for his work in this matter.
At one time, when
Peter was preaching at Catania, Mount Etna erupted
and torrents of flame and lava flowed down on the city. The people cast
themselves at his feet, begging him to save them. After preaching a
brief and pointed sermon on repentance, Peter went into the nearby
shrine of Saint Agatha,
removed the veil of the saint, which was there honored as a relic, and
held it towards the approaching tide of destruction. The eruption
ceased and the town was saved.
This and countless
other miracles he performed caused him to be revered
as a saint. He raised the dead to life, healed the crippled and the
blind, and brought obstinate sinners to the feet of God. Only after his
death was it known how severely he had punished his own body in memory
of his youthful pride (Benedictines, Dorcy).
|
1463
St. Didacus several miracles restoring patients eremite kind gentle
Didacus
was a native of the little town of San Nicolas of del Puerto in
the diocese of Seville, and his parents were poor folk. Near that town
a holy priest led an eremitical life. Didacus obtained his consent to
live with him and, though very young, he imitated the austerities and
devotions of his master. They cultivated together a little garden, and
also employed themselves in making wooden spoons, trenchers and such
like utensils. After having lived thus a recluse for some years he was
obliged to return to his home, but he soon after went to a convent of
the Observant Friar Minors at Arrizafa, and there took the habit among
the lay brothers.
After his
profession he was sent to the mission of his Order in the
Canary Islands, where he did a great work in instructing and converting
the people. Eventually, in 1445, he, though a lay brother, was
appointed chief guardian of a chief convent in those islands, called
Fuerteventura. After four years he was recalled to Spain, and lived in
several friaries about Seville with great fervor and recollection. In
the year 1450 a jubilee was celebrated at Rome and, St. Bernardine of
Siena being canonized at the same time, very many religious of the
Order of St. Francis were assembled there. Didacus went there with
FAther Alonzo de Castro, and at Rome he had to attend his companion
during a dangerous illness. His devotion in this duty attracted the
notice of his superiors and he was put in charge of the many sick
friars who were accommodated in the infirmary of the convent of Ara
Caeli.
St.
Didacus was thus engaged for three months, and is said to have
miraculously restored some of his patients. He lived for another
thirteen years after his return to Spain, chiefly at the Friaries of
Salcedo and Alcala in Castille. In 1463 he was taken ill at Alcala and
in his last moments asked for a cord (such as the Friars wear); he put
it about his neck and, holding a cross in his hands begged the pardon
of all his brethren assembled about his bed. THen, fixing his eyes on
the crucifix, he repeated with great tenderness the words of the hymn
on the cross, "Dulce lignum, dulces clavos, dulce pondus sustinet", and
peacefully died on November 12. Several miracles were attributed to him
in his lifetime and many more through his intercession after his death.
King
Philip II, out of gratitude for one in favor of his son,
solicitated the saint's canonization which was decreed in 1588.
Didacus
of Alcalà, OFM (RM)
(also
known as Diego, Diaz)
Born near
Seville, Spain, c. 1400; died at Alcalà de Henares, 1463;
canonized 1588. Born of poor parents, the young Diego lived for a time
as a solitary and then joined the Franciscans as a lay brother at
Arrizafa.
Although
remaining a lay brother, Diego was appointed doorkeeper of
Fuerteventura friary in the Canary Islands because of his ability and
goodness. Here he did great work among the poor, and earned such a
reputation for holiness that in 1445 he was chosen as superior of the
house for a term.
Later he
was recalled to Spain, and passed the last 13 years of his
life in humble duties at various houses of his order in Spain. After a
pilgrimage to Rome in 1450, died at the friary of Alcalà in
Castile.
Diego's chief devotion was to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament of the
Altar (Attwater, Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
|
1481 Bl. Constantius a boy of
extraordinary goodness gift of prophecy or second sight miracles
Early in the
fifteenth century, there lived at Fabriano a boy of such extraordinary
goodness that even his parents would sometimes wonder whether he were
not rather an angel than a human child. Once, when
his little sister was suffering from a disease which the doctors
pronounced incurable, Constantius Bernocchi asked his father and mother
to join him in prayer by her bedside that she might recover. They did
so, and she was immediately cured. At the age of fifteen he was
admitted to the Dominican convent of Santa Lucia and he seemed to have
received the habit from the hands of Blessed Laurence of Ripafratta, at
that time prior of this house of strict observance. Constantius was one
of those concerned with the reform of San Marco in Florence, and it was
while he was teaching in that city that it was discovered that he had
the gift of prophecy or second sight. Among other examples, the death
of St. Antoninus
was made known to him at the moment it took place, and this is
mentioned by Pope Clement VII in his Bull for the canonization of that
saint. He was also credited with the power of working miracles, and
besides the care of his office, he acted as peacemaker outside the
convent and quelled popular tumults. He was esteemed so holy that it
was reckoned a great favor to speak to him or even to touch his habit.
Upon the news of his death, the senate and council assembled,
"considering his death a public calamity", and resolved to defray the
cost of a public funeral. The cultus of Blessed Constantius was
confirmed in 1821. His feast day is February 25th. |
1492 Blessed Tadhg
MacCarthy Many cures have been reported at his under the high altar of
the cathedral of Ivrea B (AC)
Born
1455; died in Ivrea, Savoy, Italy; beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1895.
Tadhg was
born into the ancient royal line of Munster; the MacCarthys
were the most prominent family in southern Ireland and inevitably were
pitted against the Norman Fitzgeralds who seized Irish lands during the
reign of Henry II of England. A bitter enmity existed between the two
families that lasted for centuries.
When Pope
Sixtus IV consecrated Tadhg MacCarthy as bishop of Ross, the
Fitzgeralds reacted by contriving to place a rival claimant in the
office. When Tadhg returned from his consecration in Rome he found the
see occupied. About that same time Sixtus died and Tadhg's enemies
seized the opportunity to vehemently denounce him to the new Pope
Innocent VIII. The charges were so outrageous that the holy father
immediately excommunicated the lawful bishop. An investigation,
however, revealed that Tadhg was innocent of the charges whereupon
Innocent issued three bulls that totally exonerated Tadhg and appointed
him to the bishopric of Cork and Cloyne.
The
Fitzgeralds still opposed him and refused to surrender the property
of the see or to allow him to occupy it. Innocent intervened by issuing
such a strong decree that the Fitzgeralds finally relented. Tadhg set
out from Rome to assume the leadership of his see. He travelled as a
humble pilgrim and stayed overnight in the hospice of Ivrea. The next
morning he was found dead.
Tradition
says that the bishop of Ivrea was unable to sleep that night,
disturbed by a vivid dream of a bishop, unknown to him, being taken
into heaven. When it was discovered that Tadhg was a bishop, this dream
was considered the first of numerous miracles connected with him. Many
cures have been reported at his under the high altar of the cathedral
of Ivrea, where he continues to be the subject of veneration
(Montague). |
1508
Blessed Gratia
mysterious light seen above his cell miracles at his intercession
lay-brother at Monte Ortono, near Padua gift of infused knowledge
 According to
tradition, Gratia was a native of Cattaro (Kotor) in Dalmatia who followed the trade of the sea till he
was thirty years old. Coming one day into a church at Venice, he was
deeply impressed by a sermon from an Augustinian friar, Father Simon of
Camerino. Gratia determined to enter that order and was accepted as a
lay-brother at Monte Ortono, near Padua. Here, brother Gratia was
employed in the gardens, and soon earned the respect and veneration of the
whole convent.
When he was transferred to the friary of St. Christopher at Venice, a
mysterious light was seen above his cell, and miracles took place at
his intercession. When the church was being repaired and he was working
on the building, his cistern
was marvelously supplied with water all through a dry summer, and the
water remained fresh even when the sea got into it. In his
seventy-first year, Gratia was taken seriously ill, and insisted in getting out of bed to
receive the last Sacraments on his knees. He died on November 9,
1508. The cultus of Blessed Gratia was confirmed in 1889.
Blessed Gratia of Cattaro, OSA (AC) Born in Cattaro, Dalmatia; died
1509; beatified in 1889. The Venetian fisherman, Gratia, was converted
at the age of 30 on hearing a sermon. He then entered the Augustinians
as a lay brother, where he became a gardener famous for his gift of
infused knowledge (Benedictines, Encyclopedia).
THE BLESSED GRACE [GRATIA, GRACIJA] OF MUL
 Augustinian, Hermit
(Mul in Boka Kotorska, November 27, 1438 - Venice, November 9, 1508)
Blessed Grace of Mul In the small village of Mul in
Boka Kotorska,
a child was born who was christened Grace [Gracija]. This name seemed
to characterize his entire life as a fisherman, sailor, monk and saint.
As the child of a poor fisherman, he spent his youth on the sea as a
fisherman and working the barren land as a farmer. He soon became a
sailor. On one voyage across the Adriatic Sea from his native village
to Venice, he found not material but spiritual gain. In 1468, he heard
the inspired preaching of the Blessed
Simon of Camerine,
an Augustinian who was a famous popular missionary of the time. The
word of the Blessed Simon was like a seed planted in Grace's heart,
which would soon yield fruit. Grace decided to abandon his way of life
and devote himself entirely to God.
He knocked on the door of the Augustinian monastery and began a
monastic life in the impoverished monastery on Mt. Ortona near Padua.
After fifteen years of penitential life, from Ortona he went to a
monastery on the island of San Kristoforo in Venice. There he spent the
last years of his life and died in holiness at the age of 70. His body
was initially buried in a common grave. After a short time, it was
placed in a new marble sarcophagus and exhibited to the veneration of
believers. Many claimed that they received numerous graces through his
intercession.
After the fall of Napoleon, the hermits of St. Augustine left the
island of San Kristoforo and returned the body of the Blessed Grace to
his native village. Thus, after 250 years, the greatest son of this
coastal village returned home by boat to a magnificent celebration.
Pope Leo XIII approved the permanent veneration of this modest monk. In
1889, Grace was beatified.
Grace was a man of humble family origins. He went out into the world as
a sailor. When he chose the monastic life, he did not want to study
books and become a priest but live as a humble friar. Grace worked in
the sacristy, monastery and monastery garden with devoted love and
sacrifice. He cultivated special reverence toward Christ who is present
in the Holy Eucharist. During the Mass, he would submerge himself in
the Eucharistic Mystery and nourish himself with Christ's body during
Holy Communion. In his free time, he would spend hours kneeling before
the Most Holy Altar of the Sacrament. He was a eucharistic soul,
distinguished by a childlike sincere piety toward Mary. The poor and
beggars who came to the monastery gates had a special place in his
heart. He never refused them. He offered each "a crust of bread" and
word of encouragement, which often meant more to them than a material
gift.
|
1511
Blessed John Liccio Dominican habit 96 years cured the sick when he was
a baby reciting daily Office of the Blessed Virgin Office of the
Dead, and the Penitential Psalms as a child frequently in ecstasy
withered hand made whole OP (AC)
(also known as John Licci) Born in Sicily in 1400; beatified in 1733.
The man who holds the all-time record for wearing the Dominican
habit--96 years-- was also a person about whom some delightful stories
are told. Perhaps only in Sicily could so many wonderful things have
happened to one man.
John was born to a poor family. His mother died at his birth and his
father, too poor to hire a nurse for the baby, fed him on crushed
pomegranates and other odds and ends. He was obliged to leave the baby
alone when he went out to work in the fields, and a neighbor women, who
heard the child crying, took the baby over to her house and fed him
properly.
She laid the baby in bed beside her sick husband, who had been
paralyzed for a long time. Her husband rose up--cured, and the woman
began to proclaim the saintly quality of the baby she had taken in.
When John's father came home, however, he was not only unimpressed by
her pious remarks, he was downright furious that she had interfered in
his household. He took the baby home again and fed it more pomegranates.
At this point, the sick man next door fell ill again, and his wife came
to John's father and begged to be allowed to care for the child.
Begrudgingly, the father let the wonderful child go. The good woman
took care of him for several years, and never ceased to marvel that her
husband had been cured a second time--and that he remained well.
Even as a tiny baby, John gave every evidence that he was an unusual
person. At an age when most children are just beginning to read, he was
already reciting the daily Office of the Blessed Virgin, the Office of
the Dead, and the Penitential Psalms. He was frequently in ecstasy, and
was what might be called an "easy weeper"; any strong emotion caused
him to dissolve in floods of tears.
At the age of fifteen, John went to Palermo on a business trip for his
father, and he happened to go to confession to Blessed Peter Geremia,
at the church of Saint Zita. The friar suggested that he become a
religious. John believed himself quite unworthy, but the priest managed
to convince him to give it a try. The habit, which he put on for the
first time in 1415, he was to wear with distinction for nearly a
century.
Humble, pure, and a model of every observance, Brother John finished
his studies and was ordained. He and two brothers were sent to Caccamo
to found a convent, and John resumed his career of miracle-working,
which was to bring fame to the order, and to the convent of Saint Zita.
As the three friars walked along the road, a group of young men began
ridiculing them and finally attacked them with daggers. One boy
attempted to stab John, but his hand withered and refused to move.
After the friars had gone on, the boys huddled together and decided
that they had better ask pardon. They ran after the Dominicans and
begged their forgiveness. John made the Sign of the Cross, and the
withered hand was made whole.
The story of the building at Caccamo reads like a fairy tale. There
was, first of all, no money. Since the friars never had any, that did
not deter John Liccio, but he knew it would be necessary to get enough
to pay the workmen to begin the foundations.
John went into the parish church at Caccamo and prayed. An angel told
him to "build on the foundations that were already built." All he had
to do was to find them. The next day, he went into the woods with a
party of young woodcutters and found the place the angel had described:
foundations, strongly and beautifully laid out, for a large church and
convent. It had been designed for a church called Saint Mary of the
Angels, but was never finished.
John moved his base of operations to the woods where the angel had
furnished him with the foundations. One day, in the course of the
construction, the workmen ran out of materials. They pointed this out
to John, who told them to come back tomorrow anyway. The next day at
dawn a large wagon, drawn by two oxen, appeared with a load of stone,
lime, and sand. The driver politely inquired where the fathers would
like the material put; he capably unloaded the wagon, and disappeared,
leaving John with a fine team of oxen--and giving us a fascinating
story of an angel truck-driver.
These oxen figured at least once more in the legends of John Liccio.
Near Christmas time, when there was little fodder, a neighbor insisted
on taking the oxen home with him "because they were too much care for
the fathers." John refused, saying that they were not too heavy a
burden, and that they had come a long way.
The man took them anyway, and put them into a pasture with his own
oxen. They promptly disappeared, and, when he went shamefacedly to
report to the fathers, the man found the team contentedly munching on
practically nothing in the fathers' yard. "You see, it takes very
little to feed them," John said.
During the construction, John blessed a well and dried it up, until
they were finished with the building. Whereupon, he blessed it again,
and once more it began to give fine sweet water, which had curative
properties.
Beams that were too short for the roof, he simply stretched. Sometimes
he had to multiply bread and wine to feed his workers, and once he
raised from the dead a venturesome little boy who had fallen off the
roof while watching his uncle setting stones.
Word of his miraculous gift soon spread, of course, and all the
neighbors came to John with their problems. One man had sowed a field
with good grain, only to have it grow up full of weeds. John advised
him to do as the Scriptures had suggested--let it grow until the
harvest. When the harvest came, it still looked pretty bad, but it took
the man ten days to thresh the enormous crop of grain that he reaped
from that one field.
John never let a day pass without doing something for some neighbor.
Visiting a widow whose six small children were crying for food, John
blessed them, and he told her to be sure to look in the bread box after
he had gone. Knowing there had been nothing in it for days, she looked
anyway; it was full, and it stayed full for as long as the need lasted.
Once when a plague had struck most of the cattle of the vicinity, one
of John's good friends came to him in tears, telling him that he would
be ruined if anything happened to his cattle. "Don't worry," John said,
"yours won't get sick." They didn't.
Another time a neighbor came running to tell him that his wife was
dying. "Go home," said John. "You have a fine new son, and you
shouldn't waste any time getting home to thank God for him."
John was never too famous as a preacher, though he did preach a good
deal in the 90 years of his active apostolate. His favorite subject was
the Passion, but he was more inclined to use his hands than his speech.
He was provincial of Sicily for a time, and held office as prior on
several occasions.
John Liccio is especially invoked to help anyone who has been hit on
the head, as he cured no less than three people whose heads were
crushed by accidents (Dorcy).
|
1540 St. Angela Merici
innovative approach to education the Ursulines first teaching order of
women Saint Ursula appeared to
her levitated
When she was 56,
Angela Merici said "No" to the Pope. She was aware
that Clement VII was offering her a great honor and a great opportunity
to serve when he asked her to take charge of a religious order of
nursing sisters. But Angela knew that nursing was not what God had
called her to do with her life.
 She had just returned
from a trip to the Holy Land. On the way there
she had fallen ill and become blind. Nevertheless, she insisted on
continuing her pilgrimage and toured the holy sites with the devotion
of her heart rather than her eyes. On the way back she had recovered
her sight. But this must have been a reminder to her not to shut her
eyes to the needs she saw around her, not to shut her heart to God's
call.
All around her
hometown she saw poor girls with no education and no
hope.
In the fifteenth and
sixteenth century that Angela lived in, education
for women was for the rich or for nuns. Angela herself had learned
everything on her own. Her parents had died when she was ten and she
had gone to live with an uncle. She was deeply disturbed when her
sister died without receiving the sacraments. A vision reassured her
that her sister was safe in God's care -- and also prompted her to
dedicate her life to God.
When her uncle died,
she returned to her hometown and began to notice
how little education the girls had. But who would teach them? Times
were much different then. Women weren't allowed to be teachers and
unmarried women were not supposed to go out by themselves -- even to
serve others. Nuns were the best educated women but they weren't
allowed to leave their cloisters.
There
were no teaching
orders of sisters like we have today.
But in the meantime,
these girls grew up without education in religion
or anything at all.
These girls weren't
being helped by the old ways, so Angela invented a
new way.
She brought together
a group of unmarried women, fellow Franciscan
tertiaries and other friends, who went out into the streets to gather
up the girls they saw and teach them. These women had little money and
no power, but were bound together by their dedication to education and
commitment to Christ. Living in their own homes, they met for prayer
and classes where Angela reminded them, " Reflect that in reality you
have a greater need to serve [the poor] than they have of your
service." They were so successful in their service that Angela was
asked to bring her innovative approach to education to other cities,
and impressed many people, including the pope.
Though she turned him
down, perhaps the pope's request gave her the
inspiration or the push to make her little group more formal. Although
it was never a religious order in her lifetime, Angela's Company of
Saint Ursula, or the Ursulines, was the first group of women religious
to work outside the cloister and the first teaching order of women.
It took many years of
frustration before Angela's radical ideas of
education for all and unmarried women in service were accepted. They
are commonplace to us now because people like Angela wanted to help
others no matter what the cost. Angela reminds us of her approach to
change: "Beware of trying to accomplish anything by force, for God has
given every single person free will and desires to constrain none; he
merely shows them the way, invites them and counsels them."
Saint Angela Merici
reassured her Sisters who were afraid to lose her
in death: "I shall continue to be more alive than I was in this life,
and I shall see you better and shall love more the good deeds which I
shall see you doing continually, and I shall be able to help you more."
She died in 1540, at about seventy years old.
In Her Footsteps:
Take a look around
you. Instead of just driving or walking without
paying attention today, open your eyes to the needs you see along the
way. What people do you notice who need help but who are not being
helped? What are their true needs? Make a commitment to help them in
some way.
Prayer: Saint Angela,
you were not afraid of change. You did not let
stereotypes keep you from serving. Help us to overcome our fear of
change in order to follow God's call and allow others to follow theirs.
Amen
Copyright (c)
1996-2000 by Terry Matz. All Rights Reserved.
Angela de'Merici, OSU
V (RM) (also known
as Angela of Brescia) Born in Desenzano (near Lake
Garda and Brescia), Lombardy, Italy, March
21, 1470 or 1474; died in Brescia, Italy, January 27, 1540; canonized
1807; feast day formerly on May 31.
"If any person,
because of his state in life, cannot do without wealth
and position, let him at least keep his heart empty of the love of
them." --Saint Angela Merici.
As is often the case,
it was the number of burdens which Angela Merici
had to endure that brought her ever closer to God and moved her to
order her existemce. Recalling her life, we should thank God for every
hardship He permits us and the strength He gives us to endure them.
Each trial is an opportunity to trust in God, to realize His power and
His movement within and around us.
Orphaned at age 10,
Angela and her sister and brother were raised by
their wealthy uncle, Biancozi, at Salo. In Angela's first ecstatic
experience, the Blessed Mother appeared with Angela's elder sister.
Thus put her mind at rest regarding the salvation of her sister, who
had died suddenly without receiving the sacraments. Angela became a
Franciscan tertiary at 13 and lived austerely, sometimes eating only
bread, water, and vegetables once a week. From this time onward, she
wished to possess nothing, not even a bed (because the Son of Man had
nowhere to lay His head).
On the death of her
uncle, the 20-year-old Angela returned to her
hometown and began giving catechism lessons to the poor children in
Desenzano. She discussed her horror at the ignorance so many children
had of their religion with her friends, who were mostly tertiaries.
They were eager to help if Angela could show them how. Although Angela
was small of stature, she had a great spirit, charm, and beauty capable
of attracting and leading others. She and her friends began to
regularly and systematically teach their young, female neighbors.
Angela's own success in teaching the catechism in Desenzano led to the
invitation from a wealthy couple, whom she had once helped, to begin a
school in Brescia.
Angela had the
special gift of being able to remember everything she
read. She spoke Latin well and knew the meaning of some of the hardest
passages of Scripture, which led to her being sought out for counsel.
In Brescia she was brought in touch with the leading families and
became the center of a circle of devout men and women whom she inspired
with her great ideals.
On a trip to the Holy
Land, she suddenly lost her sight in Crete. She
continued her trip with devotion, and on the return trip, regained her
sight at the very spot where she'd lost it.
During a visit to
Rome for the Holy Year 1525, Pope Clement VII asked
her to take charge of a group of nursing sisters in Rome, but she
declined. She told him of a vision she had experienced years before of
maidens ascending to heaven on a ladder of light, which was what led
her to gather young women into an informal novitiate. In the vision the
holy virgins were accompanied up and down the ladder by glorious angels
who played sweet music on golden harps. All wore beautiful crowns
decorated with precious jewels. After a time the music stopped and the
Savior Himself called her by name to create a society of women. The
Holy Father gave her permission to form a community.
Shortly, thereafter, Saint
Ursula
appeared to her,
which is why she became the community's patron. Assisting at Mass one
day, Angela fell into ecstasy and was said to have levitated.
Soon after her return
to Brescia,
she was forced to withdraw to Cremona
because
war had broken out, and when Charles V was on the point of making
himself master of Brescia it was essential that non-combatants leave
the city. When peace again prevailed, Angela's return to Brescia was
greeted with joy by the citizens who already venerated her as a
prophetess and saint.
In Saint Afra's Church at
Brescia on November 25, 1535, Angela and 28 younger companions bound
themselves before God to devote the rest of their lives to his service,
especially by the education of girls. Angela placed herself and the
novices under the protection of Saint Ursula, the patroness of medieval
universities and venerated as a leader of women. This was the beginning
of the Company of Saint Ursula (Ursuline nuns), the first teaching
order of women--a novel idea that needed time before it was accepted.
The order had no
habit (members usually wore a simple black dress),
took no vows, and pursued neither an enclosed nor a communal life; they
worked to oversee the religious education of girls, especially among
the poorer classes, and to care for the sick. The Ursulines were
formally recognized by Pope Paul III four years after Angela's death
(1544) and were organized into a Congregation in 1565. At the start
much of the teaching was done in the children's homes: but in her
conception of an uncloistered, flexible society of women Saint Angela
was before her time.
She survived to
direct the society for only four years.
During that time
Angela was noted for her patience to her sisters and
kindness in her many acts of mercy to the poor, sick, and ignorant.
Soon there were 150 sisters to whom Angela addressed her wise sayings
in her Counsels. As her sisters surrounded her in prayer at the hour of
her death, a beautiful ray of light shone upon the saint--a sign that
God was welcoming her to her eternal home. Angela died with the name of
Jesus on her lips.
In 1568, Saint Charles
Borromeo
called the Ursulines to Milan and persuaded them to assume a cloistered
communal life. In a provincial synod he explained to his suffragan
bishops that he knew of no better means for the reform of their
dioceses than to introduce the Ursulines into populous communities.
Later in France
strict enclosure was adopted and the teaching of young
girls was made the chief concern of the order. The Ursulines flourish
today (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Bentley, Caraman, Delaney,
Farmer, Schamoni, Walsh, White).
In art Saint Angela
is represented by the image of virgins ascending a
ladder; or with Saint Ursula and companions appearing to her (White).
|
1568 Saint
Theodosius of Totma & founded Ephraimov wilderness monastery
miracles incorrupt
 born at Vologda
about the year 1530.
In his youth he was raised in a spirit of Christian piety and the fear
of God. At the insistence of his parents he married, but family life
did not turn him away from God. He went fervently to church and prayed
at home, particularly at night. After the death of his parents and his
wife, he withdrew to the Priluki monastery not far from Vologda.
At the monastery Theodosius passed through the various obediences: he
carried water, chopped fire-wood, milled flour and baked bread. He went
to Totma on the igumen's orders to search for a salt-works for the
monastery. He sought the permission of Tsar Ivan Vasilevich and the
blessing of Archbishop Nicander to found a monastery at Totma.
Theodosius was appointed head of this newly-formed Totma monastery,
which in a grant of 1554 was declared free of taxation.
The saint founded the Totma Ephraimov wilderness monastery and brought
brethren into it. Eventually becoming the head of two monasteries,
Theodosius continued to lead an ascetic life. He wore down his body by
wearing chains and a hairshirt, and beneath his monastic cowl he wore
an iron cap. Fond of spiritual reading, he acquired many books for the
monastery. St Theodosius reposed in the year 1568 and was buried in the
monastery he founded, and miracles occurred at his grave.
On September 2, 1796 during the reconstruction of the Ascension church,
his relics were found incorrupt, and their glorification took place on
January 28, 1798, on the day of his repose. |
1580 Blessed John
the Merciful of Rostov long life of pursuing asceticism humility,
patience and unceasing  prayer, he
spiritually nourished many people many healings that occurred at his
grave
(also known as "the Hairy") struggled at Rostov in the exploit of holy
foolishness, enduring much deprivation and sorrow. He did not have a
permanent shelter, and at times took his rest at the house of his
spiritual Father, a priest at the church of the All-Holy, or with one
of the aged widows.
Living in humility, patience and unceasing prayer, he spiritually
nourished many people, among them St
Irenarchus,
Hermit of Rostov (January 13). After a long life of pursuing
asceticism, he died on September 3, 1580 and was buried, according to
his final wishes, beside the church of St Blaise beyond the altar.
He had "hair upon his head abundantly," therefore he was called
"Hairy." The title "Merciful" was given to Blessed John because of the
many healings that occurred at his grave, and also in connection with
the memory of the holy Patriarch John the Merciful (November 12), whose
name he shared. |
1591
Bl. Alphonsus de Orozco vision
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
born in 1500 in
Oropesa, Spain.
He studied at Talavera, Toledo, and Salamanca, and became an Augustinian at the age of
twenty-two. St. Thomas of
Villanova
was one of his instructors, imbuing him with a spirit of recollection
and prayer. Alphonsus, a popular preacher and confessor, served as
prior of the Augustinians in Seville and then in 1554, at Valladolid.
In 1556 he became a court preacher, and in 1561 accompanied King Philip
II of Spain to Madrid. Throughout his court life, he did not engage in
the pleasures or intrigues around him. His example of holiness made a
great impression on the royal family and the nobles of Madrid.
Alphonsus was given a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and wrote
treatises on prayer and penance as Our Lady instructed him. He was
beatified in 1881. |
1592
St. Alexander
Sauli The Apostle of Corsica bishop performed miracles of
prophecy,
healing, and calming of storms both during his life and after his death
He came from a
prominent family of Lombard, Italy, born in Milan in
1533. At an early age he entered the Barnabite Congregation
{ Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Priest
Born in Cremona, Italy, 1502; died there, July 15, 1539; canonized by
Pope Leo XIII in 1897. "That which God commands seems difficult
and a
burden. . . . The way is rough; you draw back; you have no desire to
follow it. Yet do so and you will attain glory." Antony studied
medicine at the University of Padua. In 1524, at the age of 25, he set
up his practice in his hometown. As a medical man he found himself
ministering not only to the sick but also to the dying and the
bereaved. He found man and women sick not only in the body but
spiritually, and so he turned to the study of theology to learn more
about the comfort and ways of God. By 1528, it seemed natural that the
young doctor should be ordained as a secular priest who pursued a
spiritual and corporeal ministry. Soon he moved to work in Metan near
Milan. His zeal, molded on that of Saint Paul, knew no bounds. In
1530, he and a few other priests, including Venerable Bartholomew
Ferrari and Venerable James Morigia, founded the congregation of Clerks
Regular of Saint Paul, the members of which were neither monks nor
friars but lived under a rule "to revive the love of divine worship and
a true Christian way of life by continual preaching and faithfully
administering the sacraments." They worked among the
plague-stricken
Milanese, in the midst of wars, and during Luther's reforms. The group
so invigorated the city's spiritual life that it was approved by Pope
Clement VI in 1533 with Antony as its first provost general. The order
became known as the Barnabites when, in the last year of Antony's life,
the church of Saint Barnabas in Milan became the order's headquarters.
Antony resigned in 1536, helped spread the community, and worked
ceaselessly to reform the Church. Under his direction, Louisa Torelli
founded the congregation of women called Angelicals, who protected and
rescued girls who had fallen into disreputable lives. Antony was only
37 when he died as a result of his unceasing apostolic toil (Attwater,
Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, White).}
, and became
a teacher at the University of Pavia and superior general of the
congregation. In 1571 he was appointed by Pope Pius V to Aleria on
Corsica.
Taking three
companions, Alexander rebuilt churches, founded seminaries
and colleges, and stood off the pirate raids in the area. He became the
bishop of Pavia after refusing other sees, serving only a year before
his death. Alexander was a noted miracle worker. He was also spiritual
advisor to St. Charles
Borromeo and
to Cardinal Sfondrato,
who became Pope Gregory XIV. He was canonized in
1904 by Pope St. Pius X.
Alexander Sauli,
Barnabite B (RM)
Born at Milan, Italy,
in 1534; died at Colozza (near Pavia) on October
11, 1593; beatified in 1741 or 1742; canonized by Pope Saint Pius X in
1904. At the age of 17, Saint Alexander, son of an important Genoese
family, joined the Barnabites, which had been recently founded by Saint
Antony Zaccharia, studied at the order's college at Pavia, endowed the
college with a library, and was ordained in 1556. He was the confessor
of Saint Charles Borromeo and Cardinal Sfondrati (later Pope Gregory
XIV). Alexander earned the reputation as a zealous preacher during the
time he was teaching at the university in Pavia.
In 1567, he was
elected general of his congregation. About this time,
Borromeo was given the mandate to reform the Humiliati. With the
support of Pope Saint Pius V, Borromeo favored merging the group into
the lively Barnabites. As provost general Sauli resisted Borromeo's
efforts to incorporate the Humiliati friars into the Barnabites because
he feared that they would reduce the discipline of his congregation.
The assassination attempt on the life of Charles Borromeo in 1571, led
to the complete suppression of the order soon afterwards.
Later (1570) he began
his 20 years of service to the Church as a bishop
of the Corsican diocese of Aleria. There he carried out religious
reforms that were as unwelcome as they were necessary and overdue. The
saint found that the clergy were ignorant and the people irreligious,
engaging in frequent vendettas and brigandage. The bishop moved his
cathedral from Aleria to Cervione and began a systematic visitation. He
promulgated the decrees of the Council of Trent assiduously.
Sauli refused
translation to the see of Tortona and then Genoa, but
just before his death in 1592, Bishop Sauli was transferred to the
Italian see of Pavia at the command of Pope Gregory XIV. His friend,
Saint Philip Neri, considered that Sauli's reforms had transformed the
disreputable Corsican diocese into a model for others. He died during a
visitation of his new diocese.
The bishop was
reputed to have performed miracles of prophecy, healing,
and calming of storms both during his life and after his death. He was
a learned man with a special aptitude for canon law, preaching, and
catechesis. Although he is not as charismatic as some of the saints of
the Counter-Reformation, Saint Alexander Sauli was an exemplary pastor
in an age of abuse and corruption (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney,
Farmer, Orsenigo, Yeo). |