Mary Mother of GOD July 30 - Our Lady of Gray (France, 1602)

Saturday Saints of this Day July 30 Tértio Kaléndas Augústi.

Et álibi aliórum plurimórum sanctórum Mártyrum et Confessórum, atque sanctárum Vírginum.
And elsewhere in divers places, many other holy martyrs, confessors, and holy virgins.
Пресвятая Богородице спаси нас! (Santíssima Mãe de Deus, salva-nos!)

R. Deo grátias. R. Thanks be to God.

July is the month of the Precious Blood since 1850;

2022
22,600 Lives Saved Since 2007

The saints are a “cloud of witnesses over our head”,
showing us life of Christian perfection is possible.

We are the defenders of true freedom.
May our witness unveil the deception of the "pro-choice" slogan.
40 days for Life Campaign saves lives Shawn Carney Campaign Director www.40daysforlife.com ,
Please help save the unborn they are the future for the world

It is a great poverty that a child must die so that you may live as you wish -- Mother Teresa
Saving babies, healing moms and dads, 'The Gospel of Life'
CAUSES OF SAINTS

Our Bartholomew Family Prayer List Here
Joyful Mystery on Monday Saturday Glorius Mystery on Sunday Wednesday
Sorrowful Mystery on Friday Tuesday Luminous Mystery on Thursday Veterens of War

Acts of the Apostles

Nine First Fridays Devotion to the Sacred Heart From the writings of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
How do I start the Five First Saturdays?
Mary Mother of GOD 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary

When we find it hard to pay attention at Mass, we can ask St. Peter Chrysologus to be near us.
He will help us receive the sermon with loving hearts. He will also help us prepare our hearts for Holy Communion.

Heavenly Food July 30 - Our Lady of Gray (France, 1602)
Christ is the bread sown in the womb of the Virgin Mary, raised in the flesh, formed in His Passion, baked in the oven of the tomb, preserved in churches and distributed daily to the faithful as a heavenly food placed on altars.
Saint Peter Chrysologus: Sermon on the Our Father (d. 450)

July 30 – Our Lady the Promoter of Peace (Le Puy, France)
450 St. Peter Chrysologus A man who vigorously pursues a goal may produce results far beyond his expectations and his intentions. Thus it was with Peter of the Golden Words, as he was called, who as a young man became bishop of Ravenna, the capital of the empire in the West. declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII

Apostles of the Seventy The Holy Silas, Silvanus, Crescens, Epenetus and Andronicus disciples of the Savior.

Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic Church In China {whole article here }

Mary's Divine Motherhood
Called in the Gospel "the Mother of Jesus," Mary is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as "the Mother of my Lord" (Lk 1:43; Jn 2:1; 19:25; cf. Mt 13:55; et al.). In fact, the One whom she conceived as man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy Trinity.
Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly "Mother of God" (Theotokos).
Catechism of the Catholic Church 495, quoting the Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251.

July 30 – Our Lady the Promoter of Peace (Le Puy, France) -
Saint Peter Chrysologus, Doctor of the Church (d. ca. 451)

Marthe Robin’s Prayer for Priests
Lord, use your priests fully, entirely, to do and help them accomplish what you expect from them. Lead them in everything and for everything. Be their strength, O God.
Lord, let all their actions—big or small—originate in you, depend on you, and come from you. Let them live their lives for you, my God, to glorify you, to love you and to make you loved.
My God, set our hearts on fire with your love. Fill us with your light and divine joy. Father, spread your supreme mercy and divine forgiveness on souls and on the world.
My God, give your Love to France and to the world, and restore order and peace on earth. Bring about unity among peoples and unite minds. Dear Lord, make our hearts united in you. Marthe Robin

        Apostles of the Seventy The Holy Silas, Silvanus, Crescens, Epenetus and Andronicus disciples of the Savior.
250 St. Abdon A Persian nobleman who suffered martyrdom with his companion, St. Sennen
251 The Hieromartyr Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon; the presbyters Parmenius, Helimenas, and Chrysotelus; the
   deacons Luke and Mocius; the holy Persian Martyrs Abdon and Sennen; and the holy martyrs Olympius and
   Maximus suffered during the third century
258 SS. Maxima, Donatilla & Secunda, Virgin Martyrs, in North Africa
287 St. Valerius & Rufinus Martyrs served as missionaries in Gaul before being martyred at Soissons during the first
   years of the reign of Emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305). [see June 14]
303 SS. Abdon and Sennen, Martyred Persians; ministering to their fellows and burying the bodies of the martyrs;
304 Julitta The Holy Martyred for the faith; a certain pagan stole all her property; when Julitta turned for relief to the courts, her antagonist reported to the judge she was a Christian, which placed her outside the law's protection.
334 St. Rheticus Bishop of Autun, France Gallo Roman by birth; named bishop of Autun 310; worked to bring about condemnation of Donatism, including official denunciation of Donatist teachings by 313 Roman commission

450 St. Peter Chrysologus A man who vigorously pursues a goal may produce results far beyond his expectations and his intentions. Thus it was with Peter of the Golden Words, as he was called, who as a young man became bishop of Ravenna, the capital of the empire in the West. declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII
508 St. Ursus Bishop of Auxerre, France. He spent many years as a hermit prior to his appointment as bishop at the reported age of seventy-five.
734 St. Tatwine Archbishop of Canterbury from 731. Probably from Mercia, England, he became a monk at Bredon, and eventually was named archbishop of Canterbury in succession to Brithwald. Respected by St. Bede, he was the author of several works, including a grammar and riddles.
1198 St. Hatebrand Benedictine abbot of Olden Kloaster in Frisia, Netherlands. He was a native of that land and Revived Benedictine monatictine there.
1230 Bd Mannes always had an attraction to the contemplative life; brother was St Dominic, founder of the Friars Preachers; excellent preacher
1259 Saint Tsotne Dadiani, a virtuous military leader and the prince of Egrisi, lived mid 13th century; During that time Georgia languished under the yoke of Mongol oppression.

1460 Bd Archangelo Of Calatafimi; from childhood a religious retiring disposition; withdrew to a cave, to live in solitude; many people invaded his retreat to seek advice and conversation, when miracles take place, great numbers came; moved to Alcamo to revive /organize decayed hospice for poor; once more returned to solitary life; Pope Martin V ordered all hermits in Sicily, to return to the world or religious order; Obedient, he received the habit of the Friars Minor of the Observance from Bd Matthew of Girgenti

1504 Bl. Edward Powell English martyr, a councilor to Queen Catherine of Aragon, wife of King Henry VIII. A Welshman, Edward was a canon of Salisbury, England, and a fellow of Odd, noted for treatises opposing Martin Luther He served Queen Catherine of Aragon and opposed the spiritual supremacy of Henry VIII. For this he spent six years in prison before being hanged,

1540 Bl. Thomas Abel English martyr; graduate of Oxford University, Thomas served as chaplain to Queen Catharine of Aragon, proving intensely loyal to her cause during the ordeal of the divorce proceedings against her by King Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547). Arrested by English authorities for denying the spiritual supremacy of the king, he was incarcerated in the Tower of London for six years, finally receiving execution at Smithfield

1540 Bl. Richard Featherstone English martyr; tutor to the princess Mary; chaplain to Queen Catherine of Aragon I; In the crisis which attended the king’s efforts to secure divorce from his wife, Richard spoke openly in her defense; arrested for treason and executed at Tyburn.

16th v. Saint Angelina daughter of Prince George Skenderbeg of Albania

1922 Saint Anatole the Younger longed to be a monk from his youth; even though still a deacon received everyone with love; were always crowds of visitors at his cell; very little sleep, since the people would not leave his cell until late at night; always very kind and ready to help anyone who came to him with problems or sorrows; early 1920s St Anatole was mocked and tormented by soldiers of the Red Army; endured much suffering, but continued to receive visitors; gift of wonderworking

Apostles of the Seventy The Holy Silas, Silvanus, Crescens, Epenetus and Andronicus disciples of the Savior.

Silvanus_Crescens_Silas.jpg

St Silas was a respected figure in the original Church at Jerusalem, one of the "chief men among the brethren" (Acts 15:22). The Council of the Apostles was convened at Jerusalem in the year 51 to deal with the question of whether Gentile Christian converts should be required to observe the Mosaic Law. The Apostles sent a message with Paul and Barnabas to the Christians of Antioch, giving the decision of the Council that Christians of Gentile origin did not have to observe the prescriptions of the Mosaic Law. Nonetheless, they were told that they must refrain from partaking of foods offered to idols, from things strangled and from blood, to refrain from fornication (Acts 15:20-29). Together with Sts Paul and Barnabas, the Council of the Apostles sent Sts Silas and Jude to explain the message in greater detail, since they both were filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. St Jude was later sent back to Jerusalem, but St Silas remained at Antioch and zealously assisted St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, on his missionary journeys preaching the Gospel. They visited Syria, Cilicia, Macedonia.
In the city of Philippi they were accused of inciting unrest among the people, and for this they were arrested, beaten with rods, and then thrown into prison. At midnight, when the saints were at prayer, suddenly there was a strong earthquake, their chains fell off from them and the doors of the prison opened. The prison guard, supposing that the prisoners had fled, wanted to kill himself, but was stopped by the Apostle Paul. Then, he fell down trembling at the feet of the saints, and with faith accepted their preaching about Christ. He then led them out of the prison and took them to his own home, where he washed their wounds, and was baptized together with all his household.
From Philippi Sts Paul and Silas proceeded on to the cities of Amphipolis, Apollonia and Thessalonica. In each city they made new converts to Christ and built up the Church.
At Corinth the holy Apostle Silas was consecrated as bishop, and worked many miracles and signs, and there he finished his life.

250 St. Abdon A Persian nobleman who suffered martyrdom with his companion, St. Sennen
Romæ sanctórum Mártyrum Abdon et Sennen Persárum, qui, sub Décio, caténis alligáti et Romam addúcti, pro Christi fide prius plumbátis cæsi sunt, deínde gládio interfécti.
At Rome, in the reign of Decius, the holy Persian martyrs Abdon and Sennen, who were bound with chains, brought to Rome, scourged with leaded whips for the faith of Christ, and then put to the sword.
Abdon, also called Abdo or Abdus in some lists, is recorded in the Acta of the saints dating to the ninth century, but he and St. Sennen were venerated as early as the third century. The martyrs were exposed to persecutions in the reign of Emperor Diocletian and were carried in chains to Rome. There, they were put in an arena with wild animals but remained unharmed as the animals refused to slay them. Gladiators were sent in to kill them as a last resort. Abdon's body and that of his companion were buried in the Pontian cemetery near the gates of Rome; however, Florence and Soissons also claim possess their remains.

251 The Hieromartyr Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon; the presbyters Parmenius, Helimenas, and Chrysotelus; the deacons Luke and Mocius; the holy Persian Martyrs Abdon and Sennen; and the holy martyrs Olympius and Maximus suffered during the third century under the emperor Decius (249-251).
When Decius conquered Babylon, he found many Christians there and he began a persecution against them. He arrested St Polychronius, Bishop of Babylon, the three priests Parmenius, Helimenas, Chrysotelus, and two deacons, Luke and Mocius. They were brought before the emperor, who commanded them to offer sacrifice to idols. St Polychronius boldly replied,

"We offer ourselves in sacrifice to our Lord Jesus Christ, but we shall never worship idols made by human hands."

The enraged Decius had the confessors thrown into prison. When they were brought out for a second interrogation, St Polychronius remained silent. Decius said, "Your leader is voiceless." St Parmenius replied, "The holy bishop is not without a voice, but he does not wish to defile his pure lips and 'cast pearls before swine'" (Mt. 7:6). In a rage Decius commanded that St Parmenius' tongue be cut out. In spite of this, Parmenius spoke clearly to St Polychronius, saying, "Pray for me, Father, for I behold the Holy Spirit upon you."
By order of Decius the holy Bishop Polychronius was struck in the mouth with stones, and he gave up his spirit. They left his body lying in front of the temple of Saturn. Two Persian princes, Abdon and Sennen, who were secret Christians, came at night and buried the body of the holy martyr by the city walls.
Decius left for the city of Kordula, and ordered that the three presbyters and two deacons be taken along. At Kordula he again demanded that the martyrs offer sacrifice to idols. St Parmenius, despite his missing tongue, loudly and firmly refused.
Believing that St Parmenius was able speak through some sort of magic power, Decius increased the tortures and ordered that the confessors be burned with fire. Then a Voice was heard from Heaven, "Come to Me, ye humble of heart." Decius believed that this was also the work of magic, and he ordered the priests and deacons beheaded with an axe.
The Persian princes Abdon and Sennen took the bodies of the martyrs by night and buried them in their own village near Kordula. This was reported to Decius.The princes were arrested and brought before the emperor, who commanded that the holy princes be locked up in prison. The saints rejoiced and glorified God.
On the same day two other Persians, Olympius and Maximus, were brought before Decius and charged with being Christians. The holy martyrs were fiercely tortured and beheaded for their bold confession of faith in Christ. For five days their bodies lay unburied, but on the sixth day Christians secretly buried them at night.
Decius returned to Rome with Abdon and Sennen in chains. He told the saints to offer sacrifice to the gods, promising them freedom and honors. The holy martyrs answered, "We offer ourselves in sacrifice to our God Jesus Christ, therefore offer your sacrifice to your own gods." Decius sentenced them to be eaten by wild beasts. They set two lions upon them, and later on four bears, which would not touch the holy martyrs, but instead lay at their feet. Then they ran Abdon and Sennen through with swords. Their bodies lay for three days before an idol to frighten Christians. By night a secret Christian named Cyrenius took the bodies of the martyrs and buried them in his own home.

The holy Martyrs Abdon and Sennen suffered in the year 251. Their relics are preserved in the church of St Mark at Rome.

258 SS. Maxima, Donatilla & Secunda, Virgin Martyrs, in North Africa.

Tubúrbi Lucernáriæ, in Africa, pássio sanctárum Vírginum Máximæ, Donatíllæ et Secúndæ; quarum duæ primæ, in persecutióne Valeriáni et Galliéni, acéto et felle potátæ, deínde plagis acérrimis cæsæ et equúlei extensióne cruciátæ, cratículus étiam exústæ et calce perfricátæ, póstmodum cum Secúnda, Vírgine duódecim annórum, ad béstias simul projéctæ, sed ab his intáctæ, novíssime gládio jugulátæ sunt.
At Tuberbum Lucernarium in Africa, the holy virgins and martyrs Maxima, Donatilla, and Secunda. The first two, in the persecution of Valerian and Gallienus, were forced to drink vinegar and gall, then scourged most severely, stretched on the rack, burned on the gridiron, rubbed over with lime, and afterwards exposed to the beasts with the virgin Secunda, twelve years old. But being untouched by them, they were finally beheaded.

St. Maxima, Donatilla and Secunda were three holy virgins who suffered martyrs’ deaths around 258 in the persecutions against Christians under Governors Valerian and Gallienus. St. Maxima was fourteen years old and Donatilla was also very young. They lived in an imperial settlement near Tuburbium Maius (north of present-day Tunisia, in North Africa). When ordered to sacrifice to idols, all the citizens obeyed. However, Maxima and Donatilla fearlessly objected, confessing that they were Christians. They were condemned and subjected to all imaginable forms of torture. They were forced to drink vinegar and gall, and then were scourged, stretched on the rack, burned on the gridiron, and rubbed with lime. Secunda was arrested separately from Maxima and Donatilla, but was united with them in prison. She was only twelve years old, but had prepared herself for the promise of the Heavenly Kingdom. Surviving their earlier tortures, the three maidens were thrown before wild animals, but the beasts meekly retreated. They were eventually beheaded with a sword and received martyrs’ crowns.

287 St. Valerius & Rufinus Martyrs served as missionaries in Gaul before being martyred at Soissons during the first years of the reign of Emperor Diocletian (r. 284-305). [see June 14]

Assísii, in Umbria, sancti Rufíni Mártyris.
At Assisi in Umbria, St. Rufinus, martyr.

287? Ss. Valerius And Rufinus, Martyrs

Nearly all the chief martyrologies of the West make mention of SS. Valerius and Rufinus who suffered at or near Soissons towards the close of the third century. According to some accounts they were two of a group of missionaries sent from Rome to evangelize that part of Gaul. According to others, they were local young Gallo-Romans who held the office of keepers of the granaries in one of the imperial palaces situated on the river Vesle. In any case they were Christians and openly practised their religion. When the persecution broke out under Diocletian, Valerius and Rufinus, knowing that they were marked men, fled to a cave in one of the neighbouring woods. They were, however, discovered and arrested. After making a bold confession they were scourged, tortured and beheaded.

Over their place of burial a church was built and the town of Bazoches arose.

Two short texts of the supposed passio are printed in the Acta Sanctorum, June, vol. iii, and there is another, much longer, by Paschasius Radbertus. The fact that the names are entered on this day in the Hieronymianum constitutes a presumption for the real existence and early veneration of the two martyrs, but we hear little of them otherwise.

303 SS. Abdon and Sennen, Martyred Persians; ministering to their fellows and burying the bodies of the martyrs;
Romæ sanctórum Mártyrum Abdon et Sennen Persárum, qui, sub Décio, caténis alligáti et Romam addúcti, pro Christi fide prius plumbátis cæsi sunt, deínde gládio interfécti.
At Rome, in the reign of Decius, the holy Persian martyrs Abdon and Sennen, who were bound with chains, brought to Rome, scourged with leaded whips for the faith of Christ, and then put to the sword.
They were Persians who courageously confessed the faith of Christ in the persecution of Decius, ministering to their fellows and burying the bodies of the martyrs. They were brought to Rome as prisoners, refused to sacrifice, and spat upon the images of the gods, wherefore they were exposed to the beasts; as neither lions nor bears would touch them they were hewn into pieces by gladiators. But the more their bodies were mangled and covered with wounds the more were their souls adorned and beautified with divine grace, and rendered glorious in the sight of Heaven. The Christians at Rome did not treat them as strangers, but as brethren united to them in the hope of the same blessed country; and their bodies were buried by night at the house of a subdeacon called Quirinus. In the reign of Constantine their relics were removed to tile burying-place of Pontian (called also, from some sign, the "Bear and Cap", Ad Ursum Pileatum), situated near the Tiber on the road to Porto; this translation took place in consequence of a vision wherein the martyrs revealed their place of burial. These particulars are derived from their late and unreliable "acts", but the veneration of SS. Abdon and Sennen in Rome can be traced back to the fourth century.
The acts state that they gave burial in Persia to SS. Olympias (Olympiades) and Maximus, and these two victims of persecution are mentioned in the Roman Martyrology on April 15.

The passio of Abdon and Sennen is printed in the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. vii. Opinion inclines to the view that these martyrs suffered in the Diocletian persecution, for the mention of Decius in their acts is of no authority and is in contradiction with other statements in the same account. The date of their feast and their burial is the cemetery of Pontian are already mentioned in AD. 354 in the "Depositio Martyrum" written in that year. Moreover, in the cemetery of Pontian may still be seen on the wall of a subterranean baptistery in that catacomb a fresco (sixth or seventh century) representing SS. Abdon and Sennen with one or two other martyrs, the names being painted with the figures. See Mr Wilpert, Die Malereien tier Katakomben Rome:, pl. 258, and also DAC., vol. i, cc. 42-45, and vol. ii, cc. 402-408. Cf. also Bolletino della Commissione Archaeologica Conimunate di Roma, An. Ii (1923), fasc. liv; P. Franchi de' Cavalieri, Note agiografiche, vol. viii (1935); Analecta Bollandiana, vol. lvi (1938), pp. 296-300; and CMH., p. 404.

The Persian princes Abdon and Sennen took the bodies of Sts Parmenius, Helimenas and Chrysotelus, Luke and Moscius and buried them in their own village near Kordula.This was reported to Decius.The princes were arrested and brought before the emperor, who commanded that they be locked up in prison. The saints rejoiced and glorified God.
Decius returned to Rome with Abdon and Sennen in chains. He told the saints to offer sacrifice to the gods, promising them freedom and honors. The holy martyrs answered, "We offer ourselves in sacrifice to our God Jesus Christ, therefore offer your sacrifice to your own gods."
Decius sentenced them to be eaten by wild beasts. Two lions were loosed upon them, and then four bears. The animals would not touch the holy martyrs, but instead lay at their feet. Then they ran Abdon and Sennen through with swords. Their bodies lay for three days before an idol to frighten the Christians. One night a secret Christian named Cyrenius took the bodies of the martyrs and buried them in his own home.

The holy Martyrs Abdon and Sennen suffered in the year 251. Their relics are preserved in the church of St Mark at Rome.

304 Julitta The Holy Martyred for the faith A certain pagan stole all her property, and when Julitta turned for relief to the courts, her antagonist reported to the judge that she was a Christian, which placed her outside the law's protection.
Cæsaréæ, in Cappadócia, sanctæ Julíttæ Mártyris, quæ, cum bona sua, a quodam poténte sibi usurpáta, in judícia repéteret, atque ille exceptiónem daret quod ut Christiáno non debéret audíri, mox a Júdice jussa est thus idólis offérre, ut posset audíri. Quod illa constánter recúsans, in ignem conjécta est, sicque spíritum Deo réddidit; corpus autem a flamma remánsit illæsum. Ejus præclárus laudes sanctus Basilíus Magnus egrégio encómio celebrávit.
At Caesarea in Cappadocia, St. Julitta, martyr. As she sought through the courts the restitution of goods seized by a man of influence, the latter objected that, being a Christian, her cause could not be pleaded. The judge commanded her to offer sacrifice to the idols, that she might be heard. She refused with great constancy, and being thrown into the fire, yielded her soul unto God. Her body remained uninjured by the flames. St. Basil the Great has proclaimed her praise in an excellent eulogy.
Julitta lived at Caesarea in Cappadocia during the reign of the emperor Diocletian (284-305).
The judge demanded that the saint renounce Christ, for which he promised to return her unlawfully taken property. St Julitta resolutely refused the deceitful conditions, and for this she was burned to death in the year 304 (or 305).

St Basil the Great wrote an Encomium to St Julitta 70 years after her death as a martyr.

Emperor Diocletian by the edicts which he issued against the Christians in 303 declared them infamous, debarred from protection of the laws and from the privileges of citizens. St Julitta was a widow of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and possessed of farms, cattle, goods and slaves.
A powerful man of the town got possession of a considerable part of her estate: and when he could not make good his title before the magistrate, charged her with being a Christian. The judge caused incense to be brought into the court, and commanded her to offer sacrifice to Zeus; but she courageously made answer, "May my estates be ruined or given to strangers; may I lose my life, and may my body be cut in pieces, rather than that by the least impious word I should offend God that made me. If you take from me a little portion of this earth, I shall gain Heaven for it." The judge without more ado confirmed to the usurper the estates to which he unjustly laid claim, and condemned Julitta to the flames. She was led to the fire, walked boldly into it, and was killed, it would seem, by the smoke stifling her, for her body was drawn out dead before the flames reached it.
Julitta was buried by her fellow Christians, and St Basil, in a homily written about the year 375, says of her body, "It enriches with blessings both the place and those who come to it", and he assures us that "the earth which received the body of this blessed woman sent forth a spring of most pleasant water, whereas all the neighbouring waters are brackish. This water preserves health and relieves the sick."

We know practically nothing of St Julitta beyond what is contained in the homily of St Basil (Migne, PG., vol. xxxi, cc. 237-261). The Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. vii, give a Latin translation with introductory matter.

303 St. Julitta Martyred woman of Caesarea in Cappadocia, in modem Turkey. She lost all her estates in a court case. Her opponent suffered a decision against his claims and denounced Julitta as a Christian, thus gaining the entire land in the dispute. She was burned at the stake .

334 St. Rheticus Bishop of Autun, France. A Gallo Roman by birth, he was named bishop of Autun around 310, and worked to bring about the condemnation of Donatism, including the official denunciation of Donatist teachings by a Roman commission in 313.

4th v. John the Warrior The Holy Martyr served in the imperial army of the emperor Julian the Apostate; appearing to be a persecutor, St John rendered great help to the Christians. He freed those who had been arrested, warned others of dangers threatening them, and assisted in their flight. St John showed charity not only to Christians, but to all the destitute and those needing help. He visited with the sick, and he consoled the grieving
Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) sent him with other soldiers to seek out and kill Christians. When Julian the Apostate learned about the actions of the saint, he ordered him locked up in prison.
In the year 363 Julian the Apostate was killed in his war with the Persians. St John was set free and devoted his life to service of neighbor, and he lived in holiness and purity. He died in his old age.
The precise year of his death is unknown, and the place of burial of St John the Warrior was gradually forgotten. Then he appeared to a certain devout woman and indicated the location of his tomb. This became known throughout the region. His uncovered relics were placed in a church of the Apostle John the Theologian in Constantinople. The Lord granted the relics of St John the Warrior the power of healing. Through the prayers of St John, the aggrieved and sorrowing received comfort.
In the Russian Church, St John the Warrior revered as great intercessor in sorrows and difficult circumstances also pray to him for the recovery of stolen articles .

450 St. Peter Chrysologus A man who vigorously pursues a goal may produce results far beyond his expectations and his intentions. Thus it was with Peter of the Golden Words, as he was called, who as a young man became bishop of Ravenna, the capital of the empire in the West. declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII
St. Peter Chrysologus July 30, 2013 (406-450?)
A man who vigorously pursues a goal may produce results far beyond his expectations and his intentions. Thus it was with Peter of the Golden Words, as he was called, who as a young man became bishop of Ravenna, the capital of the empire in the West.
At the time there were abuses and vestiges of paganism evident in his diocese, and these he was determined to battle and overcome. His principal weapon was the short sermon, and many of them have come down to us. They do not contain great originality of thought. They are, however, full of moral applications, sound in doctrine and historically significant in that they reveal Christian life in fifth-century Ravenna. So authentic were the contents of his sermons that, some 13 centuries later, he was declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII. He who had earnestly sought to teach and motivate his own flock was recognized as a teacher of the universal Church.
In addition to his zeal in the exercise of his office, Peter Chrysologus was distinguished by a fierce loyalty to the Church, not only in its teaching, but in its authority as well. He looked upon learning not as a mere opportunity but as an obligation for all, both as a development of God-given faculties and as a solid support for the worship of God.

Some time before his death, St. Peter returned to Imola, his birthplace, where he died around A.D. 450.

Born 406. At the time there were abuses and vestiges of paganism evident in his diocese, and these he was determined to battle and overcome. His principal weapon was the short sermon, and many of them have come down to us. They do not contain great originality of thought. They are, however, full of moral applications, sound in doctrine and historically significant in that they reveal Christian life in fifth-century Ravenna.
So authentic were the contents of his sermons that, some 13 centuries later, he was declared a doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII. He who had earnestly sought to teach and motivate his own flock was recognized as a teacher of the universal Church.
In addition to his zeal in the exercise of his office, Peter Chrysologus was distinguished by a fierce loyalty to the Church, not only in its teaching, but in its authority as well. He looked upon learning not as a mere opportunity but as an obligation for all, both as a development of God-given faculties and as a solid support for the worship of God.

"Anyone who wishes to frolic with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ"
"He is the bread sown in the virgin, leavened in the flesh, moulded in his passion, baked in the furnace of the sepulchre, placed in the churches, and set upon the altars, which daily supplies heavenly food to the faithful."
"May our God deign to give me the grace of speaking and you the desire of hearing." Sermon 96
"A gentle maiden having lodged a God in her womb, asks as its price,
peace for the world, salvation for those who are lost, and life for the dead."
"We exhort you in every respect, honorable brother, to heed obediently what has been written by the Most Blessed Pope of the City of Rome; for Blessed Peter, who lives and presides in his own see,
provides the truth of faith to those who seek it." from a letter to Eutyches, 449
Saint Peter Chrysologus

To really benefit fruitfully from any conversation or homily, one's heart and mind must be open to receive the communication. Peter was filled with all the gifts and fruits of the Spirit but even his best efforts to impart his wisdom and knowledge would not benefit anyone unless his listeners were truly docile to grace through their hearts and attentive with their eyes and minds, both exteriorly and interiorly. Our souls have eyes and powerful perceptions that are drawn to God's message when we are good, sincere and desire to learn.

St Peter's heart went out to all of his members and to those who he addressed through his homilies. He told us:
"The devil does not wish to possess a man, but to destroy him. Why? Because he does not wish, he does not dare, he does not allow the man to arrive at the Heaven from which the devil fell.
Jealousy, envy, pride and anger, to name only a few capital sins, rage in Lucifer, the prince of devils."
"'I appeal to you by the mercy of God.' This appeal is made by Paul, or rather, it is made by God through Paul, because of God's desire to be loved rather than feared, to be a father rather than a Lord.
God appeals to us in his mercy to avoid having to punish us in his severity."

Listen to the Lord's appeal: In me, I want you to see your own body, your members, your heart, your bones, your blood.
You may fear what is divine, but why not love what is human?
You may run away from me as the Lord, but why not run to me as your father?
Perhaps you are filled with shame for causing my bitter passion. Do not be afraid.
This cross inflicts a mortal injury, not on me, but on death. These nails no longer pain me, but only deepen your love for me.
I do not cry out because of these wounds, but through them I draw you into my heart.
My body was stretched on the cross as a symbol, not of how much I suffered, but of my all-embracing love.
I count it no less to shed my blood: it is the price I have paid for your ransom.
Come, then, return to me and learn to know me as your father, who repays good for evil, love for injury,
and boundless charity for piercing wounds.
Listen now to what the Apostle urges us to do. I appeal to you, he says, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.
By this exhortation of his, Paul has raised all men to priestly status.
How marvelous is the priesthood of the Christian, for he is both the victim that is offered on his own behalf,
and the priest who makes the offering.
He does not need to go beyond himself to seek what he is to immolate to God:
with himself and in himself he brings the sacrifice he is to offer God for himself.
The victim remains and the priest remains, always one and the same.
Immolated, the victim still lives: the priest who immolates cannot kill.
Truly it is an amazing sacrifice in which a body is offered without being slain and blood is offered without being shed.
The Apostle says: I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice.
Brethren, this sacrifice follows the pattern of Christ's sacrifice by which he gave his body as a living immolation for the
life of the world. He really made his body a living sacrifice, because, though slain, he continues to live.
In such a victim death receives its ransom, but the victim remains alive. Death itself suffers the punishment.
This is why death for the martyrs is actually a birth, and their end a beginning.
Their execution is the door to life, and those who were thought to have been blotted out from the earth
shine brilliantly in heaven.
Paul says: I appeal to you by the mercy of God to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living and holy.
The prophet said the same thing: Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but you have prepared a body for me.
Each of us is called to be both a sacrifice to God and his priest.
Do not forfeit what divine authority confers on you. Put on the garment of holiness, gird yourself with the belt of chastity.
Let Christ be your helmet, let the cross on your forehead be your unfailing protection.
Your breastplate should be the knowledge of God that he himself has given you.
Keep burning continually the sweet smelling incense of prayer. Take up the sword of the Spirit.
Let your heart be an altar. Then, with full confidence in God, present your body for sacrifice.
God desires not death, but faith; God thirsts not for blood, but for self-surrender;
God is appeased not by slaughter, but by the offering of your free will

-Saint Peter Chrysologus

Peter urged his listeners to have confidence to the forgiveness offered through Christ:
"Gain for yourself the pardon coming from faith, since he is his own worst enemy who does not believe that he is given what the very generous Bestower of mercy promises in all kindness."[Sermon 58, On the Creed, par. 13 ]
"Brothers, let us be sinners by our own admission, so that with Christ's forgiveness we may be sinners no more."
[Sermon 30, on Matthew 9:9ff, par. 5 ]

He receives sinners (Luke 15:2). They do not say: "He assumes" them. What was it that he who receives had lost? Whoever finds what he lost pardons faults, turns wrath into joy, and transforms grief into grace. He receives sinners. God receives sinners, but God does not allow those whom he receives to remain sinners. The approach of the sinner does no harm to God. God sanctifies the sinner who draws near to him. O Pharisee, Christ does not receive sins when he receives sinners, because God is the recipient not of the offense, but of the human being. So the Pharisee should not have been looking at the condition the sinners were in when they arrived, but at their condition upon their return. A case in point, let them see that Paul, whom they had sent as a persecutor, returned thereafter as a preacher.[Sermon 168 par. 3 ]

Some time before his death, St. Peter returned to Imola, his birthplace, where he died around A.D. 450.

Comment: Quite likely, it was St. Peter Chrysologus’s attitude toward learning that gave substance to his exhortations. Next to virtue, learning, in his view, was the greatest improver of the human mind and the support of true religion. Ignorance is not a virtue, nor is anti-intellectualism. Knowledge is neither more nor less a source of pride than physical, administrative or financial prowess. To be fully human is to expand our knowledge—whether sacred or secular—according to our talent and opportunity.

St. Peter Chrysologus Born at Imola, 406; died there, 450. His biography, first written by Agnellus (Liber pontificalis ecclesiæ Ravennatis) in the ninth century, gives but scanty information about him. He was baptised, educated, and ordained deacon by Cornelius, Bishop of Imola, and was elevated to the Bishopric of Ravenna in 433. There are indications that Ravenna held the rank of metropolitan before this time. His piety and zeal won for him universal admiration, and his oratory merited for him the name Chrysologus. He shared the confidence of Leo the Great and enjoyed the patronage of the Empress Galla Placidia. After his condemnation by the Synod of Constantinople (448), the Monophysite Eutyches endeavoured to win the support of Peter, but without success.
Peter died in the year 450 or later, when on a visit to his birthplace. Older reference books say he died on 2 December, but a more recent interpretation of the ninth-century Liber Pontificalis Ecclesiae Ravennatis indicates that he died on a 31 July.[Calendarium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 98 ] When in 1729 he was declared a Doctor of the Church, his feast day, which was not included in the Tridentine Calendar, was inserted in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints for celebration on 4 December. In 1969 it was moved to 30 July.

A collection of his homilies, numbering 176, was made by Felix, Bishop of Ravenna (707-17).

Some are interpolations, and several other homilies known to be written by the saint are included in other collections under different names. They are in a great measure explanatory of Biblical texts and are brief and concise. He has explained beautifully the mystery of the Incarnation, the heresies of Arius and Eutyches, and the Apostles' Creed, and he dedicated a series of homilies to the Blessed Virgin and St. John the Baptist. His works were first edited by Agapitus Vicentinus (Bologna, 1534), and later by D. Mita (Bolonga, 1634), and S. Pauli (Venice, 1775) — the latter collection having been reprinted in P.L., LII. Fr. Liverani ("Spicilegium Liberianum"), Florence, 1863, 125 seq.) edited nine new homilies and published from manuscripts in Italian libraries different readings of several other sermons. Several homilies were translated into German by M. Held (Kempten, 1874).

St Peter Chrysologus, 400-450. Doctor of Homilies, Feast July 30th.

What can the only doctor of the church, who was born in the fifth century, enlighten us about our faith today? Plenty! Even though we can hardly pronounce his name and he is largely unknown, Peter can teach us much knowledge of God, especially through his homilies. None of the doctors have a more powerful message today than what this holy bishop has to say to us in the new millennium. Peter's fame and his significant contributions to the church comes from his brief, but powerful homilies. His extraordinary zeal to learn and assist others to learn about Christ are his telling trademarks. His unswerving loyalty and obedience to the church reveal his fascinating faith, holiness, and profound love for God and neighbor.
Let us reflect on Peter's priceless advice from one of his homilies: There are three things, my brethren, which causes faith to stand firm, devotion to remain constant and virtue to endure. They are prayer, fasting and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains and mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting are one. They give life to each other.
If there are any words more provocative and exact for Christian perfection then it should include Peter's counsel above. This wise gospel message contains an abundance of beatitudes and gifts of the Spirit. His expression is at the heart of Jesus' daily messages for everyone. Peter's homilies have the power to renew us amazingly.
Homilies can be like sweet music to the ear and joy to the heart. The homily during the catholic mass is a vital part of the Liturgy of the Word. It follows the reading of the gospel and is the explanation and elaboration on the celebration of the Word. This part of the liturgical service, offered immediately before the celebration of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, prepares its members to fully enter into the worship of God. It also prepares us to be empowered and enlighten to fully partake of the holy meal. Each liturgical celebration of the mass is an extension of the "Last Supper" that the Lord shared with his dear friends. He changed himself during this meal into precious food that fortifies us and enables us to proceed on our spiritual journey. More importantly, this meal strengthens us and enables us by transforming us into himself. That's right! Imagine being changed into another Christ? When this happens we'll be able to do and say what Christ would do or say himself. Is that possible? Believe it! It's Catholic theology.
The theme of transformation is at the heart of Christ's coming not only in the bread but also in his word. Christ physically and spiritually touches us to change us dramatically. His daily messages in the gospel have the power to make us new creatures. His body is not symbolic. It is real food. Only faith discovers God's flesh.
By looking back upon St Peter's words and reflecting we will get a better perspective of God's word. One way for transformation to take place is to be aware of a false doctrine that surfaced in Peter's day called Monophysitism. This false teaching and heresy that Peter spoke out against states that Jesus had only one nature and not two. This is a false and insidious statement or belief because it is not true and limits. It does not encourage us to approach Jesus who is like us - human. In addition Jesus is the eternal Word, the Divine Being. If Jesus is only human, how can he unite us to the divine and transform us? If he is only divine, how can we feel comfortable as humans and identify with him in a transforming manner?
The church through the wisdom of Peter and others stated in the Chalcedonian doctrine that Jesus is both human and divine. He came to divinize our fallen human nature into his. We must of course pray and do God's holy will as he did in order to be graced with divinization and unity. By attentive listening and earnestly attempting to imitate the lessons of homilies we can be transformed. God's Spirit will alert us to any information that could mislead or prevents us from intimate union with Jesus Christ. This could happen due to our misinterpretation of the homily than the speaker.

When a priest, deacon or laity delivers a homily, we ought to pray both for the speaker and ourselves. Why? To be on the same wavelength as the Holy Spirit who is inspiring the listeners and the speaker. It really doesn't matter who is speaking as long as they are speaking their best. God will do the rest. We should not get "hung up" on the preciseness, originality, and the style of the speaker. It is God's word and message. Its application will be most significant to us when we are attuned to the Holy Spirit. God has a way of getting the message across regardless of the speaker. God can write straight lines with crooked lines.
The Word of God is power. It is a two-edged sword that cuts into the marrow and joints of our body. It enkindles and quickens our spirit. The Holy Spirit is able to change and transform us. Before each homily there is a beautiful prayer from the liturgy requesting that God would cleanse our heart, mind, and lips with a burning coal as the prophet Isaiah. As we place the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips and heart, we might ask for the same cleansing fire in order that the word of God penetrates our mind, senses and spirit. Our intelligence and memory will be bathed with light; our imagination and curiosity clothed with grace and our senses will be restored to perfect order and orientation.
Father Rengers' book, The 33 Doctors of the Church, listed in the doctoral sources/links, starts writing about Saint Peter Chrysologus, the Golden-Worded, with this quote from Peter's 96th sermon - May our God deign to give me the grace of speaking and you the desire of hearing.
The Spirit also empowers us with divine receptivity, interpretation and insight on how to apply the words in our daily life. It also encourages us to act charitable as Christ did. The more we desire to be instructed by the word of God the more we will be guided by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ being the Word is an all-powerful and effective instrument for all, especially, sinners. We need to be transformed because sinners are imprisoned and attached to selfish ways. The Spirit of God and the Word of God desire to rush in upon us and unite us with our Father in perfect accord and unity. We take on and are clothed with God's attributes. We become divinized when we are prepared, tuned-in, expect and hope. We will expect more from God as our confidence develops. God is just and merciful to those who expect and hope. God will give supernatural light and graces to both parties-the speaker and the listener to penetrate us in homilies.

Our faith can be fortified with each homily with harmonious attunement. When we turn the ears of our heart toward God, we become more prepared to receive the meaning of God's words. Blessings and graces are constantly being given to us when we cooperate and are attuned to the Holy Spirit. We should be reminded of Jesus' words regarding homilies: he who hears you, hears me . Each homily provides new and different directions and advice.
Christianity, in Peter's era, was in the process of becoming both religiously and politically, a dominant presence in the European world.
Peter's fame came as a preacher. He got the gospel message out to the parishes, communities and churches. In Peter's day it was the forum for proclaiming the word of God. Homilies today are enlightening forces throughout the world even though constant media communications and endless talk bombard us.
When one communicates with God's Holy Spirit through listening, talking, writing, or praying, there is something extra special that happens. It is not just communication. Depending on the receptivity and willingness of the receiver, the spirit-filled communicator makes common to all what God possesses. More importantly, one receives what primarily belongs to God. It is not only from the speaker. They are the borrowed instrument by which God communicates.
What exactly did Peter have that was so special? Holiness! His name "Chrysologus" means literally "he of the golden words". Peter, according to contemporary accounts, was a spellbinding preacher not necessarily for what he said but how and with what spirit he said it.

A spirit-filled homily can begin to change your life, inspire you to make a resolution, encourage you to alter your attitude or reveal how to behave differently. Nearly anyone can convey or transfer something intangible such as a word, a message or a story. But to get the message across effectively with great results requires first a clear, sincere, inspired message. Secondly, readiness and preparation on the part of the listener is critical. We need to accept and receive the full impact of the speaker and message. St Peter Chrysologus was that type of person who was greatly infused with God's words in his homilies. The new catechism provides excerpts from his homilies.
Peter was a vigorous defender of truth and proponent of Christian morality. What he had to say was so emotional that it may take your breath away. In fact, it often took Peter's own breath away, and at times, he often appeared speechless in trying to formulate the truth he had to convey. His message was bigger than life. How does one describe the indescribable riches and treasures of the gospels except to stutter and stammer? One can't describe God. One only experiences God.
The life, action and words of Jesus Christ reveal the infinite mercy and wisdom of God. His life can impress and touch each of us with God's incomparable and incomprehensible perfect example and model. Every gesture, glance, posture, feeling, expression, breath and touch that the Redeemer showed, spoke, or described has the power to transform us instantly if we allow it. God is alive now. Scripture says that God is from everlasting to everlasting. This might sound redundant to the "worldly" person. However, to the reverent and spiritually sensitive, each word of scripture, or a homily based upon the gospel is as a precious mirror to their soul and has profound and personal depth and meaning.
Peter wanted to learn more about God and share it with others. With this great quest and attitude for learning, God touched him. And because of God, his attitude and quest for knowing God, he became most passionate. This desire and energy provided fire, warmth and excitement to his exhortations, sermons and homilies.

NEXT TO VIRTUE, LEARNING WAS, IN PETER'S VIEW,
THE GREATEST IMPROVER OF THE HUMAN MIND AND THE MAIN SUPPORT OF TRUE RELIGION.

He was afraid of fatiguing the attention of his listeners and spoke for brief time-limits. He also spoke with such vehemence that he sometimes became speechless from the excitement he was aiming to share with those who were listening to him.
Human ignorance is sad but spiritual ignorance is a pitiful condition and state that we allow ourselves to sink into or become trapped and immersed. It hides or distorts the truth and doesn't motivate us to want to learn or change. Our reluctance to hear God's words in sermons, homilies and religious discussions places us into a state of listlessness, lethargy, and indifference that cripple us spiritually and leads to moral quicksand. This condition sinks our minds into ignorance or misconceptions or blocks the truth. Our vices victimize us. Our hidden sins camouflage virtue. God hides goodness from the proud and lukewarm and reveals truth to the pure, simple and those attentive and prepared for his Word. Peter would also tell us that the devil tries to destroy beginnings. He is ferocious and has an insatiable cruelty and jealousy for us to gain heaven especially since he was tossed out. Many of Peter's sermons inform us of his vicious lies, diabolical snares, and enviable cunning.
Listening and desiring to learn more about the things of God is a great gift. It can begin anew every time we hear a homily. We might petition God to inspire us through many people and not only those in the pulpit, but also, in the workplace, with neighbors and with all those we meet daily in our current activities and conversations.
It is nearly impossible to be a Christian unless we grow. If we fail to use our talents, God permits us to become what we choose. Many people are depressed daily. What is most sad to see and hear is that many people are often possessed, obsessed, suppressed and repressed. Our human condition without grace weakens into oppression and depression. Often, trials, tests, and challenges that God permits cause these. However, in many instances, human nature experiences these painful ordeals because we fail to cooperate or allow ourselves to be moved or touched by grace, gifts, or God's Spirit. These gifts and graces, God bestows abundantly each day on those who ask, seek and pray in Jesus' name.
Sin robs us of God. All sin cheats us. Evil steals away our life and the joy of living. We are all sinners and therefore we would be wise to beseech God to allow us to be aware of his love for us poor sinners and help us detest sin. Ask God for distaste for sin. Sin blinds us and we hardly recognized we are sinners. We need insight. We need inner perception. We need interior clarity of mind and heart to be aware of evil and its surreptitious trickery. Human nature without grace has a tremendous propensity and proclivity for mendacity, pride and selfishness. Pray daily for daily perfection. It is available when we believe. We pray to believe. We pray to love. We pray to become human and divine as Our Lord and become all that He revealed.
Life is a learning process and as long as we are attempting to better others or ourselves God will help us grow spiritually. Desire is hope for improvement and betterment. Peter's homilies, and all spiritual messages, especially from the scriptures and the gospels, will exhort us to become more fully human as Jesus Christ and to expand one's knowledge and the love of God.
All creation shouts to us about God's goodness and gifts. The heavens reveal the majesty of God. Every creature tells us about God's power and love. Homilies can be silent and audible. Peter would say with St Francis de Sales that a modest demeanor is a silent sermon. All created things, be it beauty or ugliness, small or large, strong or weak, tall or short, black or white cries aloud the sublime gifts of the Creator. God's message and awe are implanted and imparted in the entire Creator's work.
Homilies have a way of piercing the rough edges of our mind and heart by melting the frozen (fixed dispositions and attitudes) and warming the chill (lack of ardor or piety). Virtues and vices can make or break us. Homilies can shake us up, startle and make us realize our condition, state of mind and level of sincerity toward God and disposition of our souls. Inspired homilies inform us of God's holiness surrounding us. Then, prejudices, bias and contempt will ebb away and have less a hold on us.
Peter Chrysologus was a master homilist. Homilies are not just words. They are more than communication. When one speaks with God's Spirit, homilies can embed and imprint profound truths from the heart and mind of God. They are God's designs and secrets for each of us in a personal and intimate manner. Homilies are invitations to "take heart" and learn to seek God's heart and mind. St Peter's message is the same as St Gregory of Nyssa who said: "to find God is to go on seeking God". Homilies invite us home to heaven-to the heart of love and life in God. Holy words can start a foundation; they can implode and explode in and around us -that's impressive; words can impregnate us and have a direct connection to the Word of God, Jesus. Reflect often: The Word became Flesh and dwelt among us.
Jesus Christ, the master Homilist, par excellence, taught Peter that God's Spirit is the same for each of us. He said heaven is where the heart is and the heart is where heaven is. A homily can plunge us into the kingdom of God. Take heart (be confident) and cry to Peter for his golden words of wisdom. His words will register and reveal in you spiritual insights. All homilies have the power to have a major impact offered during the mass. Go to mass more frequently. Hope to become more learned as well as more holy through God's graces and touches received during the homily. Learning and holiness through homilies go hand and hand with learning to sharing God.
Peter wholeheartedly defended the humanity of Jesus Christ. During the 5th century Christ's humanness came under intense question and disbelief. Heresies spread during this era. A priest, Nestorian, perpetuated the Nestorian heresy. It stated that Christ was divided. On the other hand, Peter insisted that Jesus Christ, as a person was one undivided. Chrysologus' inspiring words helped defeat and quiet the attacks on Christ's humanity. For that reason, Peter may also be considered the doctor of Christ's Humanity for his staunch defense of the "Everlasting Man". He defended Christ by stating: "… we can not judge on matters of faith without the consent of the Roman Bishop (Pope)."
Today, divisions reign abundantly in religion. Why? The basic reason is different beliefs, attitudes and opinions. The Catholic Church requires submission to the Pope in matters of faith and when he speaks from the "chair".
Submission to others in humility is central to Christianity. Obedience promotes unity and peace. The man of the golden words wrote: If peace of the Church causes joy in heaven, then division must give birth to grief. Union with God and unity among all are common goals in life.
It is consoling to note that the risen, radiant Redeemer breathes the Spirit of his Love into us when we pray, cry or act justly. God's love buoys us up, when we are down, sinking morally or in turbulent waters (tempted). The Spirit of the resurrected One (who descended into death) was raised up. His power enabled him to ascend to heaven. The same power will give us new vivacity and resilience when we sin and when we are truly contrite. The Spirit of Love is both a promise and a power to defeat the power of sin. Sin has its own power and promise. They are all seductions and lies. By exercising radical obedience and submission to God, as Christ, we too will share in Christ's glorious state now and after death. We need to be reminded that Christ learned obedience so we too can learn. Peter's homilies remind us of God's gift and graces so that we can learn. We should be eager to learn and be obedient as Jesus.
The mystery of Jesus Christ as true God and true Man is a profound truth and belief. Catholics acknowledge this sublime mystery when we participate in the mass and say the creed. The best way to grasp it is to submit and accept the mystery of the Incarnation in simple faith. Logic and reason are not the answers to accept this pure gift. God's revelation to all creatures that have ever lived, and who will be born in the many tomorrows, is somehow intricately connected to the Eternal Word. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. This Eternal Word, externalized in expression and humanized in Flesh, born of a woman, is an immeasurable treasure and adorable blessing. In matters of faith, to receive this gift, requires humility, submission and acceptance of others despite opinions, preferences and personal values or belief.
Our saint, Peter, assures us that we only become fully human by wanting to expand our knowledge whether sacred or secular according to our talents, gifts and opportunity.
St Peter Chrysologus has been declared a Doctor of the Church after nearly 1500 years. Unfortunately, many have nearly forgotten him. But the church in her wisdom through Benedict XIII in 1729 has entered his name into the august class of doctors. Many doctors and Christians down through the ages hold fast to this Jewish carpenter as a lovely reminder that all flesh is sacred because of the eternal Man-God. To hear about him in sermons and homilies as Peter proclaimed years ago and others express today is a divine blessing, each and every time. There is something always new about this infinite, human Being who desires our thoughts, feelings and affections daily. Saint Augustine, Doctor of the Church, wrote: Christ is ever ancient and ever new.

God earnestly wants to unite us to himself in order to transform us and be supportive for others.

Unity is the essential life of a Christian as it is the essence of God. The Creator urges us to imitate the very best. To help reach closeness with God, our saint wants us to fast at times. The Lenten Season is an excellen time to do this and specifically designated by Christ who fasted for 40 days and nights and it is listed in scripture.
The church tells us that it is a necessary discipline. Peter tells us only one thing about fasting: it obtains! Obtains what? The spirit of gratitude. We ought to be grateful that we have the ability to fast because many people can not. However, with God's Holy Spirit to guide us we do not only have to perform traditional fasting such as the absence of food and drink. We can fast with our eyes and all of our senses by restricting them lawful pleasures and preoccupation. We need to discern how to do this. Spiritual advice, a wise spiritual director, books and listening to homilies might fill the bill. If we are open to God, his message will get through and penetrate us with transforming results.
Fasting has not been dwelt upon too much with the doctors. Perhaps the church has emphasized fasting in times past more than today. Jesus mentions fasting in the gospels. One would never fathom or exhaust the spiritual pleasure or the supernatural knowledge of Jesus' words. Whether he talked about fasting or any subject, there is always an infinite depth to be discovered in his words. It is with God's Spirit that we can truly understand Jesus' words and grasp their meaning.
In addition to the doctors and Jesus' words about fasting, Mary, his Mother, has some priceless advice about the subject and effects of fasting. Obviously, these are not taken from the gospels because the focus there is on Jesus and his inexhaustible "Good News". Although the church takes no definitive stance about many of Mary's words in apparitions and appearance, one particular event going on for over twenty years ought to be looked upon with an open mind.
Apparitions are rarely mentioned on the doctors' site. The church has approved very few and takes no position on some because they are still going on presently. Medjugorge is such a case and because if the church later approves this happening we will have twenty years of messages (homilies) from the Mother of God. Who can speak better about the Messiah of God than the Mother of the Messiah of God?
This is what Mary said about fasting and is taken from the book entitled Words From Heaven
Fasting stops wars, suspends the law of nature, reduces punishment, defeats evil, purifies the heart, sanctifies, cures illness, brings the kingdom nearer and Mary encourages us to practice fasting.
It prepares us daily for the coming of Christ. This book is based on Medjugorje. The messages in the past have been found from http://www.catholic.net/.
At one time only three of the six visionaries have received all 10 secrets (as of 2/5/00). The other three have already received 9 of the 10 secrets. When these remaining three have received the 10 secrets, God's warning will take place. (This is not the end of the world but a sign that all will know that the Medjugorge events for over 20 years are authentic.) Our Lady is telling us that she wants prayer, fasting, reading the bible, reconciliation and liturgical functions like going to communion. These will avert many maladies that could happen. Some things have already been averted thanks to prayer and fasting.
Father Gambero's book listed in the Sources states that St Peter expressed his unbounded admiration for the mystery wrought in the Mother of the Lord and the greatness of her vocation. He sees her greatness as tied in a certain way to God's own greatness to the point of thinking that it is impossible to comprehend God correctly without reflecting on the mystery of Mary. He mentions the miracle of her virginity, her spouse, St Joseph, the Eve-Mary parallel, devotion to her and much more. She nursed Him who nurtured every living thing . Father goes on to say that Mary had two spouses. Mary's divine marriage with her Son compared to the human marriage with St Joseph.
In reality, Mary has many more spouses. One is the church. The church is Mary's mystical or heavenly spouse. Joseph was her earthly spouse. Joseph is The Patron of the Church and Mary is The patroness of the Church. She is also its mother, model and messenger.
Father Christopher Rengers' book, already mentioned, has this to conveny about St Mary:
"All of us receive our truest value from our union with Christ. The closer our union, the more do we share in his life and the more glory do we give to God."
This basic thought brings St Peter Chrysologus logically to the first one who was most closely and most uniquely united to Christ, his own mother.
Let those come and hear who ask who he is whom Mary brought forth: That which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit. Let those come and hear who have striven to becloud the clarity of the Latin tongue by a whirlwind of Greek, and have blasphemously call her anthropotokos ("mother of the human nature") and Christotokos ("Mother of Christ") in order to rob her of the title Theotokos ("Mother of God". (Sermon 145)
Apart from our Lord, the singular messenger who speaks not from earth but from heaven, is the Mother of God. That is Mary. Certainly her messages usually given to her seers, must be approved by the catholic church to be authentic and trustworthy. Her words are from heaven and can be trusted. Her words from Guadeloupe, Fatima and Lourdes, to mention only three, are most powerful and fruitful and we should heed them.
Mary always understood that her Son would do the talking and teaching when he lived on earth. She has been silent for a long time through divine providence. God has allows her a more visible presence in the past generation unlike any others. We certainly do not need her words. In fact, Mary would tell us to focus on the gospel and do what Jesus tells us as she mentioned to the servants at Cana.
The curch always recommends Holy Scripture as the authentic word of God. The gospels are always apart of her main liturgical events. The reverence, the rubrics and the reading of Holy Writ, the church treats with tremendous respect and honor.
However, Mary's words should not be ignored. There is much to be gained when we look at the beauty, sound, context, texture, elegance, power and meaning of her words. If her words and messages do not come from heaven, it is obvious that no words will ever come from heaven. No one can utter the words that she speaks unless God dwells within them.
Therefore, we would be wise to explore and ponder Mary's powerful messages when she speaks to her seers on earth. There are many church approved books about genuine apparitions. The book that I mentioned, Words from Heaven, which happens to be about Medjugorje, is only one of hundreds of books containing aspects of the gospels.
We must also remember that Jesus wants us to listen to the Woman in Heaven who taught him how to speak on earth. She is Jesus' seer beyond all the rest and it would be unwise to fail to listen to the Seat of Wisdom , one of her many titles.
Peter tells us that fasting obtains. Obtains what? What ever you name, fasting will obtain. It's that simple. It has enormous power. The immediate below link (www.e5 men) will explain masterfully how men and women, and marriages can obtain full and complete union with the help of fasting.

508 St. Ursus Bishop of Auxerre, France. He spent many years as a hermit prior to his appointment as bishop at the reported age of seventy-five.

Antisiodóri sancti Ursi, Epíscopi et Confessóris. At Auxerre, St. Ursus, bishop and confessor.

734 St.Tatwine Archbishop of Canterbury from 731. Probably from Mercia, England, he became a monk at Bredon, and eventually was named archbishop of Canterbury in succession to Brithwald. Respected by St. Bede, he was the author of several works, including a grammar and riddles.

1198 St. Hatebrand Benedictine abbot of Olden Kloaster in Frisia, Netherlands. He was a native of that land and Revived Benedictine monatictine there.

1230 Bd Mannes always had an attraction to the contemplative life; brother was St Dominic, founder of the Friars Preachers; excellent preacher
Of the three sons of Felix de Guzman and Bd Joan of Aza, Mannes was the middle one, Antony being the elder, and St Dominic, founder of the Friars Preachers, the younger.
Mannes was born at Calaruega, in the province of Burgos, in the middle of the twelfth century and had already devoted himself to God when Dominic was born in 1170. Of most of his life nothing is known, but he was among his younger brother's first followers, one of the sixteen who adopted the Rule of St Augustine in 1216 and made their profession at Prouille in the following year. These men were "all in fact and in name excellent preachers", and Mannes had already shared his brother's labours in Languedoc. After they had made their vows Dominic decided on the bold stroke of sending them straight out into the world, and Mannes with six others went to Paris and made the first French foundation, under Brother Matthew of France, near the university. He is next heard of as chaplain to the nuns at Prouille, whom St Dominic had established in 1207, and later on was put in charge of their new convent at Madrid; the founder refers to him in a letter to the sisters: "Our very dear brother, Brother Mannes, who has spared no pains to bring you to this high state, will take what steps seem to him necessary to secure its continuance. He has authority from us to make visitation of the convent, to correct what he finds amiss, and if he so judge fitting, to change the prioress, so long as the greater number of the sisters consent thereto."
Dominic evidently had a very high opinion of the qualities of his brother, who had always had an attraction to the contemplative life, making him a particularly suitable director for the Madrid nuns, an office he filled for a dozen years. He clearly shared the peaceful gentle disposition and personality which strongly attracted men to St Dominic, and had a similar serene and reasonable knowledge of the difficulties of souls. Bd Mannes outlived his great brother, but the year of his death is not certain; it is generally given as 1230, but there is a story that he visited Calaruega after St Dominic's canonization in 1234 and urged the people to build a chapel in his honour, saying, "Be satisfied with a small one for the present: my brother will know how to enlarge it when he chooses to", a prophecy fulfilled by King Alfonso X thirty years after. Bd Mannes was buried at the Cistercian church of St Peter at Gamiel d'Izan, and his cult us was approved in 1834.

See Mortier, Maîtres, Généraux 0.P., vol. i, pp. 2, 29, 90; Procter, Dominican Saints, pp. 213-215 Année Dominicaine, vol. vii, p. 819.

1259 Saint Tsotne Dadiani, a virtuous military leader and the prince of Egrisi, lived in the middle of the 13th century; During that time Georgia languished under the yoke of Mongol oppression.
After the death of Queen Rusudan, the Mongols began to exact exorbitant fees from the Georgian princes, and they established compulsory military service for their Georgian subjects. The situation became unbearable, and the Georgian nobility planned a massive rebellion against the invaders.
Having assembled at the peak of Mt. Kokhta (in the Meskheti region of southern Georgia), rulers from all over Georgia agreed to assemble the troops in Kartli and attack on a single front. Tsotne Dadiani and the ruler of Racha were the first to muster their armies. But there were traitors among them, and the Mongols learned of the conspiracy. They surrounded Mt. Kokhta, arrested the rebels—save for Tsotne Dadiani and the ruler of Racha—and led them away to the Mongol ruler at Anis-Shirakavan.
The prisoners denied every accusation and asserted that the purpose of the gathering on Mt. Kokhta was to collect the tribute that the Mongol authorities had demanded. Infuriated at their insurgency, the Mongols stripped them bare, bound their hands and feet, smeared them with honey, threw them under the scorching sun, and interrogated them daily about the gathering on Mt. Kokhta. Having heard what had transpired, Tsotne Dadiani became deeply distressed and took upon himself the blame for this tragic turn of events. Escorted by two servants, he journeyed voluntarily to Anis to lay down his life and suffer together with his brothers. Arriving in Anis and seeing his kinsmen doomed to death, the prince promptly undressed, tied himself up, and lay down next to them under the scorching sun. The disbelieving Mongols informed their ruler about the strange man who had willingly lain down beside those who were condemned.
The ruler summoned him and demanded an explanation. “We gathered with a single goal—to collect the tribute and fulfill your command. If it was for this that my countrymen were punished, I also desire to share in their lot!” answered the courageous prince. Tsotne’s chivalrous deed made a dramatic impression on the Mongols, and every one of the prisoners was set free. Tsotne Dadiani is not mentioned in accounts of the next conspiracy against the Mongols, in the year 1259. Historians believe that he had already reposed by that time. The virtues of St. Tsotne Dadiani are known to all throughout Georgia. His heroism and integrity are an example of faith, love and devotion to every generation, and the faithful of every era have honored his holy name. Tsotne Dadiani was numbered among the saints on October 26, 1999, according to a decree of the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

1460 Bd Archangelo of Calatafimi; from childhood a religious and retiring disposition; withdrew himself to a cave, there to live in solitude many people invaded his retreat to seek his advice and conversation, and when miracles take place, they came in greater numbers; removed to Alcamo asked to revive and organize a decayed hospice for the poor, which he undertook; once more returned to the solitary life; Pope Martin V saw fit to order all the hermits in Sicily, of which there were many, to return to the world or religious order; Obedient received the habit of the Friars Minor of the Observance from Bd Matthew of Girgenti
Archangelo was born, a member of the family of Placentini, in Sicily, about the year 1390. From his childhood he was of a religious and retiring disposition and it caused no surprise when in his early manhood he withdrew himself to a cave, there to live in solitude. As so often happens, many people invaded his retreat to seek his advice and conversation, and when it was said that miracles had taken place there, they came in greater numbers.
This distressed Archangelo; his charity was evoked by the needs of his visitors, but his humility represented him to himself as ill-equipped to help them. So he removed to Alcamo; here he was asked to revive and organize a decayed hospice for the poor, which he undertook, but when it was firmly re-established he once more returned to the solitary life.
It happened that Pope Martin V saw fit to order all the hermits in Sicily, of which there were many, to return to the world or to accept the religious life in an approved order. Obedient to this decree, Bd Archangelo went to Palermo and there received the habit of the Friars Minor of the Observance from Bd Matthew of Girgenti. After profession he was sent to the hospital at Alcamo to establish it as a house of the order, which was done. Archangelo accepted the Rule of St Francis in all its primitive austerity, and he was withdrawn from Alcamo to be minister provincial of the Sicilian Observants. In that office he was able to come to the help of Bd Matthew when, after resigning the see of Girgenti, he was shown the door by the father guardian who had succeeded Archangelo at Alcamo. Worn out with penance and work for souls, Archangelo died in April, 1460, and Pope Gregory XVI confirmed his cultus in 1836.

The fullest source of information is the volume of Fr A. Gioia, Il beato Arcangelo Placenza da Calatafimi (1926). The author has been able to use the materials submitted for the confirmatio cultus, and also a rare biography of the beatus by P. Longo printed in 1804. See also Leon, Auréole Séraphique (Eng, trans.), vol. ii, pp. 59-64 .

1471 Bd John Soreth at 16 became a Carmelite; Ph.D, Univ Paris; unanimously elected prior general of the whole order in 1451; at this time Carmelites, in common with other mendicant friars, were in urgent need of reform, part because of the Black Death and of the "great schism of the West". John was a forerunner of St Teresa; deeply versed both in sacred science and in profane philosophy over and above such gifts, it was his religion and goodness that made him the glory and the most illustrious reformer of the Carmelite order
John Soreth was born in Normandy about the year 1405, and at sixteen years old became a Carmelite; after being ordained he went to study at the University of Paris, where he took his doctor's degree in 1438. Two years later he was appointed prior provincial of his order in France, and in this office he had to deal with a dispute that broke out between the mendicant friars and the University of Paris, and was called in to settle a schism in the Carmelite province of Lower Germany; both of these difficult tasks he brought to a successful conclusion after he was unanimously elected prior general of the whole order in 1451. He was confirmed in the generalate in 1456, 1462 and 1468, and he carried out its arduous duties with unabating energy. At this time the Carmelites, in common with the other mendicant friars, were in most urgent need of a reform, in part because of the ravages of the Black Death and of the "great schism of the West". The lack of reality in their religious life was testified to by the slackening of the strictness of the law of personal poverty and by the exemption of those engaged in teaching from the obligations of choir office, common table, etc., dispensations from the rule which were regarded as "privileges" by those who had voluntarily undertaken its observance for the service of God and the good of their own souls.
Bd John was a forerunner of St Teresa, and, though he was not the first to attempt improvement, he tried to do it without compromising the unity of the order. Religious, like other reformers, meet opposition even from men of good will. In every province he visited he established one or more houses where the constitutions and rule were to be strictly observed, and every facility was given to those friars who wished to join these houses; to guide them he published a revised and up-to-date edition of the constitutions in 1462. At the same time he was responsible for the institution of convents of Carmelite nuns, which began about 1452 when several communities of béguines in the Netherlands asked to be affiliated to the order; he gave them the unrelaxed rule of the friars, with the addition of some special constitutions relative to their sex and state. The first of such convents was at Gueldre in Holland, and he established others at Liege, Dinant, Huy, Namur, Vilvorde and elsewhere. By the end of the century the movement had spread to Italy and to Spain, where later it was to attain to its greatest glory.

Bd John's efforts at reform among the friars met with only a limited success; but his sanctity and abilities were recognized by Pope Callistus III, who wished to make him a bishop and a cardinal. John however had not taught humility to others at the expense of his own, and the Holy See accepted his refusal of these honours, leaving him free to persevere with his own task; in the service of his order he went up and down Europe, to Germany, to England, to Italy, to Sicily. He made his journeys accompanied by only one friar and a muleteer, and exposure to the weather had so tanned and lined his face that the common people are said to have known him as "the nigger", or even as "the devil". Liege seems to have been his chief headquarters and he returned there nearly every year, taking an active interest in the affairs of the city, which was anything but quiet and peaceful; when it was pillaged in 1468 by Charles the Bold of Burgundy, Bd John had to go to one church and at the peril of his life rescue the Blessed Sacrament from the sacrilegious troopers. A contemporary Benedictine eulogist says of him: "He was a man deeply versed both in sacred science and in profane philosophy. But over and above such gifts, it was his religion and goodness that made him the glory and the most illustrious reformer of the Carmelite order. By word and example he attained that high indifference to the vanities of the world that is only reached by chosen souls. He was a model of regular observance and of Christian virtues."
Though doubtless there were local fraternities before his time, it seems that the institution of a Carmelite third order must be credited to Bd John Soreth. At Liege in 1455 he drew up a short rule for tertiaries which, with much added, is still the basis of the rule of Calced Carmelite tertiaries. He died at Angers on July 25, 1471, and it is often stated that he was poisoned by a friar who did not favour stricter observance, but the allegation is untrue; worn out with work and travelling, he succumbed to cholera brought on by eating unripe mulberries. There was always some cultus of John Soreth and, when the process of the beatification of Bd Frances d'Amboise in 1863 brought his name to the fore, it was confirmed by the Holy See in 1865.

Much information concerning Bd John Soreth was brought together by B. Zimmerman in his Monumenta historica Carmelitana (1907); see especially pp. 410-411.There is also an account of Soreth in Fr Daniel, Speculum Carmelitarum, reprinted in Analecta Ordinis Carmelitarum, vol. xi, pp. 24 seq., with valuable notes. Cf. also Fr Francis, Les plus vieux textes du Carmel, where the original version of the tertiary rule is printed on pp. 236-243.

1482 Bd Simon Of Lipnicza born at Lipnicza, in Poland, not far from Cracow; Friars Minor; fostering devotion to the holy name of Jesus, at the end of every sermon asking the people to pronounce it three times aloud. That which he preached in public he practised in private, and his virtues were recognized by his superiors and brethren, who made him in turn novicemaster, guardian and provincial; Miracles were multiplied at his tomb
He was born at Lipnicza, in Poland, not far from Cracow, in the university of which city he made his studies.
In 1453 St John Capistran began to preach a mission in Cracow, and one of the first-fruits of his heart-searching appeals was young Simon, who had just graduated. He offered himself to the Friars Minor, who seemed to him the most humble, mortified, and devoted to the cause of Christ and their neighbour; he was accepted, clothed by St John, and after ordination worked in his own city, his preaching and prayers bringing many sinners to repentance within a few years. Like the holy father Francis before him he visited the Holy Land in the hope that there his life might he asked of him, but God did not destine him to martyrdom, and he took up his apostolate at home with renewed energy. Bd Simon lived in an age of great Franciscan preaching, and among so many who were famed he was not the least eminent. In the face of a certain amount of local opposition he followed St Bernardino in fostering devotion to the holy name of Jesus, at the end of every sermon asking the people to pronounce it three times aloud. That which he preached in public he practised in private, and his virtues were recognized by his superiors and brethren, who made him in turn novicemaster, guardian and provincial. When the plague broke out in Cracow his devotion to our Lord and solicitude for the suffering drove him into the most pestiferous places, where he waited on the sick and dying by day and night. He himself became a victim, and he died in the midst of his labours on July 18 in 1482. Miracles were multiplied at his tomb and he was beatified in 1685.

There is a full account in the Acta Sanctorum, July, vol. iv, including a life by L. Strobcowicz which was printed in 1636, but the greater part of the notice devoted to him is a record of posthumous miracles from a contemporary manuscript source. Sec also Mazzarn, Leggendario Francescano (1679), vol. ii, 122-125; and Léon, Auréole Séraphique (Eng. tran.), vol. ii, pp. 503-506.

1490 Bd Peter of Mogliano an Observant Franciscan from Ancona; preaching companion to St James della Marca, who was, after St John Capistran, the most distinguished of the disciples of St Bernardino of Siesta; an effective preacher and director, and was chosen as confidant and counsellor by the Duke of Camerino, whose daughter, Bd Baptista Varani, owed much to her father's friend.
This Peter was born at Mogliano in the March of Ancona in the year 1442, and studied law for three years at the University of Perugia. In 1467 he was touched by the preaching of Friar Dominic of Leonissa, an Observant Franciscan from Ancona, and after careful reflection offered himself and was accepted by that order. He was sent as a preaching companion to St James della Marca, who was, after St John Capistran, the most distinguished of the disciples of St Bernardino of Siesta.
Bd Peter was an effective preacher and director, and was chosen as confidant and counsellor by the Duke of Camerino, whose daughter, Bd Baptista Varani, owed much to her father's friend. Peter was vicar provincial of the Franciscan province of the Marches for three terms, and once for the province of Rome, and in 1472 he was sent as commissary to Crete; in all these charges he showed himself a man of high prudence, understanding in the light of divine charity both men and affairs.
Six years after his death in 1490, Bd Baptista wrote an account of his last days to the Duchess of Urbino; on the feast of the Visitation he had a premonition of his death, and some days later was struck down by a painful illness. True to the tradition of St Francis, Peter bore his sufferings in such a way that his attendant said to him, "Father, you will die laughing". "You must know, dear lady," goes on Bd Baptista, "that for three years before his death he was known in this town and throughout the province simply as `the holy father'; people loved him so much that he was followed by a crowd wherever he went. When he had to go to the chapter at Urbino he passed through Camerino and stopped at our monastery; when he left there was such a mob waiting for him that, had it not been for the help of several kind young men, he would have been killed by their well-meant attentions...His happy and holy soul went to God on the night of Saturday-Sunday, July 25 [1490], the feast of St James the apostle, just at the time of the Te Deum at Matins. As he breathed his last he several times murmured the name of Jesus, and so went from this world with that sweet name on his lips by whose virtue he had wrought so many wonders during his life." The cultus of Bd Peter of Mogliano was confirmed in 1760.

Bd Peter is perhaps best known through his connection with the more famous Baptists Varani. See Mazzara, Leggendario Francescano (1679), vol. ii, pp. 153-155 Léon, Auréole Séraphique (Eng. trans.), vol. iii, pp. 2-8; and Le opere spirituali della B. Battista Varani (1894), pp. 61-101 .

1504 Bl. Edward Powell English martyr, a councilor to Queen Catherine of Aragon, wife of King Henry VIII. A Welshman, Edward was a canon of Salisbury, England, and a fellow of Odd, noted for treatises opposing Martin Luther. He served Queen Catherine of Aragon and opposed the spiritual supremacy of Henry VIII. For this he spent six years in prison before being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Smithfield, London. He was beatified in 1886.

1540 Bl. Richard Featherstone English martyr. Richard served as a chaplain to Queen Catherine of Aragon and tutor to the princess Mary I. In the crisis which attended the king’s efforts to secure divorce from his wife, Richard spoke openly in her defense and was arrested for treason and executed at Tyburn.

16th v. Saint Angelina daughter of Prince George Skenderbeg of Albania
Her mother's name is not known, but she raised her daughter in Christian piety and taught her to love God.
St Stephen Brancovich (October 9 and December 10), the ruler of Serbia, had come to Albania to escape those who wished to kill him. Some time before he arrived in Albania, St Stephen was unjustly blinded by the Turkish Sultan for some perceived offense. Since he was innocent, he bore his affliction with courage. St Stephen was not only Prince George's guest, but he was also treated as a member of his family. Not surprisingly, Stephen and Angelina eventually fell in love. With her parents' blessing, they were married in church. After a few years, they were blessed with two sons: George and John.
When the boys were grown, St Stephen and his family were forced to flee to Italy for their safety. At that time the Turks invaded Albania and began to slaughter men, women, and even children. St Stephen died in 1468, leaving Angelina a widow. In her distress, she turned to the ruler of Hungary for help. He gave them the town of Kupinovo in Sirmie. St Angelina left Italy with her sons in 1486, stopping in Serbia to bury St Stephen's incorrupt body in his native land. The children of these pious parents also became saints. George gave up his claim to the throne in favor of his brother John, then entered a monastery and received the name Maximus. John was married, but had no sons. He died in 1503 at a young age, many miracles took place before his holy relics.
St Angelina survived her husband and both of her sons. Mindful of her soul's salvation, she entered a women's monastery. She departed to the Lord in peace, her body was buried in the same tomb as her sons in monastery of Krushedol in Frushka Gora.

St Angelina is also commemorated on December 10 with her husband St Stephen and her son St John.

1922 Saint Anatole the Younger (Alexander Potapov in the world) longed to be a monk from his youth; even though he was still a deacon; St Anatole received everyone with love, and there were always crowds of visitors at his cell. He got very little sleep, since the people would not leave his cell until late at night. The Elder was always very kind and ready to help anyone who came to him with problems or sorrows; early 1920s St Anatole was mocked and tormented by soldiers of the Red Army. He endured much suffering, but continued to receive visitors; gift of wonderworking
His mother would not give her blessing for this, so he entered Optina monastery only after her death.
Anatole lived in the Skete for many years as cell attendant to St Ambrose (October 10). After his death Fr Anatole functioned as an Elder, even though he was still a deacon.
St Anatole received everyone with love, and there were always crowds of visitors at his cell. He got very little sleep, since the people would not leave his cell until late at night. The Elder was always very kind and ready to help anyone who came to him with problems or sorrows. One day he was visited by a man whose family had no roof over their head, and little money. No one was able to help him, so he began to drink. Then he decided to leave his wife and children and look for work in Moscow. Somehow he decided to go to Optina first and speak with Fr Anatole.
As he was blessing the man, St Anatole tapped him lightly on the head. Then the man said that he wanted to die. When questioned by the Elder, the man poured out his whole story. Fr Anatole listened patiently, blessed him again and told him that he would move into a new home in three days. This indeed came to pass, and the man's whole life changed.
In the early 1920s St Anatole was mocked and tormented by soldiers of the Red Army. He endured much suffering, but continued to receive visitors. He was supposed to be arrested on July 22, 1922, but asked for time to prepare himself.
Soldiers came the next morning and asked the Elder's cell attendant if he was ready. Fr Barnabas invited them to come in, and they found Fr Anatole lying in his coffin. The Lord had taken him during the night to spare him further suffering.
The Moscow Patriarchate authorized local veneration of the Optina Elders on June 13,1996. The work of uncovering the relics of Sts Leonid, Macarius, Hilarion, Ambrose, Anatole I, Barsanuphius and Anatole II began on June 24/July 7, 1998 and was concluded the next day. However, because of the church Feasts (Nativity of St John the Baptist, etc.) associated with the actual dates of the uncovering of the relics, Patriarch Alexey II designated June 27/July 10 as the date for commemorating this event. The relics of the holy Elders now rest in the new church of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God.

The Optina Elders were glorified by the Moscow Patriarchate for universal veneration on August 7, 2000.

To Save A Life is Earthly; To Save A Soul is Eternal

THE PSALTER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PSALM 8

Rejoice to the Lady, our helper: sing aloud in the joy of your heart.

Let your affections be enkindled in her: and she will overwhelm your enemies with confusion.

Let us imitate her humility: her obedience and her meekness.

All graces shine forth in her: for her capacity was immense.

Run ye to her with holy devotion: and she will share her good things with you.

Into thy hands, O Lady, I commend my spirit: my whole life and my last day.

Rejoice, ye Heavens, and be glad, O Earth: because Mary will console her servants and will have mercy on her poor.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost as it was in the beginning and will always be.

God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique, for each is the result of a new idea. As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike. It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints. Dear Lord, grant us a spirit that is not bound by our own ideas and preferences. Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves. O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory. Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint in order to get into heaven: only saints are allowed into heaven. The more "extravagant" graces are bestowed NOT for the benefit of the recipients so much as FOR the benefit of others.

There are over 10,000 named saints beati from history
and Roman Martyology Orthodox sources
Patron_Saints.html Widowed_Saints html Indulgences The Catholic Church in China
LINKS: Marian Shrines India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East Lourdes 1858 China Marian shrines 1995
Kenya national Marian shrine Loreto, Italy Marian Apparitions (over 2000) Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798
Links to Related MarianWebsites Angels and Archangels Saints Visions of Heaven and Hell
Widowed Saints html
Doctors_of_the_Church Acts_Of_The_Apostles Roman Catholic Popes Purgatory Uniates Chalcedon

Mary the Mother of Jesus Miracles_BC Lay Saints Miraculous_Icons Miraculous_Medal_Novena Patron Saints
Miracles by Century 100   200   300   400   500   600   700    800   900   1000    1100   1200   1300   1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000
Miracles 100   200   300   400   500   600   700    800   900   1000
1100   1200   1300   1400 1500 1600 1700 1800   1900 Lay Saints

The great psalm of the Passion, Chapter 22, whose first verse “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
Jesus pronounced on the cross, ended with the vision: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him” For kingship belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations. All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD; my descendants will serve you. The generation to come will be told of the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the deliverance you have brought.

Pope Benedict XVI to The Catholic Church In China {whole article here} 2000 years of the Catholic Church in China
The saints “a cloud of witnesses over our head”, showing us life of Christian perfection is possible.

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Saint Frances Xavier Seelos Practical Guide to Holiness

1. Go to Mass with deepest devotion. 2. Spend a half hour to reflect upon your main failing & make resolutions to avoid it.
3. Do daily spiritual reading for at least 15 minutes, if a half hour is not possible. 4. Say the rosary every day.
5. Also daily, if at all possible, visit the Blessed Sacrament; toward evening, meditate on the Passion of Christ for a half hour, 6. Conclude the day with evening prayer & an examination of conscience over all the faults & sins of the day.
7. Every month make a review of the month in confession.
8. Choose a special patron every month & imitate that patron in some special virtue.
9. Precede every great feast with a novena that is nine days of devotion. 10. Try to begin & end every activity with a Hail Mary

My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee. I beg pardon for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not

O most Holy trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the Tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended, and by the infite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I beg the conversion of poor sinners, Fatima Prayer, Angel of Peace

The voice of the Father is heard, the Son enters the water, and the Holy Spirit appears in the form of a dove.

THE spirit and example of the world imperceptibly instil the error into the minds of many that there is a kind of middle way of going to Heaven; and so, because the world does not live up to the gospel, they bring the gospel down to the level of the world. It is not by this example that we are to measure the Christian rule, but words and life of Christ. All His followers are commanded to labour to become perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect, and to bear His image in our hearts that we may be His children. We are obliged by the gospel to die to ourselves by fighting self-love in our hearts, by the mastery of our passions, by taking on the spirit of our Lord.

These are the conditions under which Christ makes His promises and numbers us among His children, as is manifest from His words which the apostles have left us in their inspired writings. Here is no distinction made or foreseen between the apostles or clergy or religious and secular persons. The former, indeed, take upon themselves certain stricter obligations, as a means of accomplishing these ends more perfectly; but the law of holiness and of disengagement of the heart from the world is general and binds all the followers of Christ.

God loves variety. He doesn't mass-produce his saints. Every saint is unique each the result of a new idea.

As the liturgy says: Non est inventus similis illis--there are no two exactly alike.
It is we with our lack of imagination, who paint the same haloes on all the saints.
Dear Lord, grant us a spirit not bound by our own ideas and preferences.
Grant that we may be able to appreciate in others what we lack in ourselves.
O Lord, grant that we may understand that every saint must be a unique praise of Your glory.
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives.

Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts.

The 15 Promises of the Virgin Mary to those who recite the Rosary ) Revealed to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan)

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive signal graces. 2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary. 3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies. 4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that soul would sanctify them by this means. 5. The soul that recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish. 6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying themselves to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise them in His justice, they shall not perish by an unprovided death; if they be just, they shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life. 7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church. 8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise. 9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary. 10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven. 11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. 12. I shall aid all those who propagate the Holy Rosary in their necessities. 13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death. 14. All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ. 15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

His Holiness Aram I, current (2013) Catholicos of Cilicia of Armenians, whose See is located in Lebanese town of Antelias. The Catholicosate was founded in Sis, capital of Cilicia, in the year 1441 following the move of the Catholicosate of All Armenians back to its original See of Etchmiadzin in Armenia. The Catholicosate of Cilicia enjoyed local jurisdiction, though spiritually subject to the authority of Etchmiadzin. In 1921 the See was transferred to Aleppo in Syria, and in 1930 to Antelias.

Its jurisdiction currently extends to Syria, Cyprus, Iran and Greece.

Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac

The exact date of the introduction of Christianity into Edessa {Armenian Ourhaï in Arabic Er Roha, commonly Orfa or Urfa, its present name} is not known. It is certain, however, that the Christian community was at first made up from the Jewish population of the city. According to an ancient legend, King Abgar V, Ushana, was converted by Addai, who was one of the seventy-two disciples. In fact, however, the first King of Edessa to embrace the Christian Faith was Abgar IX (c. 206) becoming official kingdom religion.

Christian council held at Edessa early as 197 (Eusebius, Hist. Ecc7V,xxiii).

In 201 the city was devastated by a great flood, and the Christian church was destroyed (“Chronicon Edessenum”, ad. an. 201).

In 232 the relics of the Apostle St. Thomas were brought from India, on which occasion his Syriac Acts were written.

Under Roman domination martyrs suffered at Edessa: Sts. Scharbîl and Barsamya, under Decius; Sts. Gûrja, Schâmôna, Habib, and others under Diocletian.

In the meanwhile Christian priests from Edessa evangelized Eastern Mesopotamia and Persia, established the first Churches in the kingdom of the Sassanides. Atillâtiâ, Bishop of Edessa, assisted at the Council of Nicæa (325). The “Peregrinatio Silviæ” (or Etheriæ) (ed. Gamurrini, Rome, 1887, 62 sqq.) gives an account of the many sanctuaries at Edessa about 388.

Although Hebrew had been the language of the ancient Israelite kingdom, after their return from Exile the Jews turned more and more to Aramaic, using it for parts of the books of Ezra and Daniel in the Bible. By the time of Jesus, Aramaic was the main language of Palestine, and quite a number of texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls are also written in Aramaic.

Aramaic continued to be an important language for Jews, alongside Hebrew, and parts of the Talmud are written in it.

After Arab conquests of the seventh century, Arabic quickly replaced Aramaic as the main language of those who converted to Islam, although in out of the way places, Aramaic continued as a vernacular language of Muslims.

Aramaic, however, enjoyed its greatest success in Christianity. Although the New Testament wins written in Greek, Christianity had come into existence in an Aramaic-speaking milieu, and it was the Aramaic dialect of Edessa, now known as Syriac, that became the literary language of a large number of Christians living in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire and in the Persian Empire, further east. Over the course of the centuries the influence of the Syriac Churches spread eastwards to China (in Xian, in western China, a Chinese-Syriac inscription dated 781 is still to be seen); to southern India where the state of Kerala can boast more Christians of Syriac liturgical tradition than anywhere else in the world.

680 Shiite saint Imam Hussein, grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad Known as Ashoura and observed by Shiites across the world, the 10th day of the lunar Muslim month of Muharram: the anniversary of the 7th century death in battle of one of Shiite Islam's most beloved saints. Imam Hussein died in the 680 A.D. battle fought on the plains outside Karbala, a city in modern Iraq that's home to the saint's shrine. The battle over a dispute about the leadership of the Muslim faith following Muhammad's death in 632 A.D. It is the defining event in Islam's split into Sunni and Shiite branches. The occasion is the source of an enduring moral lesson. "He sacrificed his blood to teach us not to give in to corruption, coercion, or use of force and to seek honor and justice." According to Shiite beliefs, Hussein and companions were denied water by enemies who controlled the nearby Euphrates. Streets get partially covered with blood from slaughter of hundreds of cows and sheep. Volunteers cook the meat and feed it to the poor. Hussein's martyrdom recounted through a rich body of prose, poetry and song remains an inspirational example of sacrifice to many Shiites, 10 percent of the world's estimated 1.3 billion Muslims.

Meeting of the Saints walis (saints of Allah)

Great men covet to embrace martyrdom for a cause and principle.

So was the case with Hazrat Ali. He could have made a compromise with the evil forces of his time and, as a result, could have led a very comfortable, easy and luxurious life. But he was not a person who would succumb to such temptations. His upbringing, his education and his training in the lap of the holy Prophet made him refuse such an offer.
Rabia Al-Basri (717–801 C.E.) She was first to set forth the doctrine of mystical love and who is widely considered to be the most important of the early Sufi poets. An elderly Shia pointed out that during his pre-Partition childhood it was quite common to find pictures and portraits of Shia icons in Imambaras across the country.
Shah Abdul Latif: The Exalted Sufi Master born 1690 in a Syed family; died 1754. In ancient times, Sindh housed the exemplary Indus Valley Civilisation with Moenjo Daro as its capital, and now, it is the land of a culture which evolved from the teachings of eminent Sufi saints. Pakistan is home to the mortal remains of many Sufi saints, the exalted among them being Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, a practitioner of the real Islam, philosopher, poet, musicologist and preacher. He presented his teaching through poetry and music - both instruments sublime - and commands a very large following, not only among Muslims but also among Hindus and Christians. Sindh culture: The Shah is synonymous with Sindh. He is the very fountainhead of Sindh's culture. His message remains as fresh as that of any present day poet, and the people of Sindh find solace from his writings. He did indeed think for Sindh. One of his prayers, in exquisite Sindhi, translates thus: “Oh God, may ever You on Sindh bestow abundance rare! Beloved! All the world let share Thy grace, and fruitful be.”
Shia Ali al-Hadi, died 868 and son Hassan al-Askari 874. These saints are the 10th and 11th of Shia's 12 most revered Imams. Baba Farid Sufi 1398 miracle, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki renowned Muslim Sufi saint scholar miracles 569 A.H. [1173 C.E.] hermit gave to poor, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti greatest mystic of his time born 533 Hijri (1138-39 A.D.), Hazrat Ghuas-e Azam, Hazrat Bu Ali Sharif, and Hazrat Nizamuddi n Aulia Sufi Saint Hazrath Khwaja Syed Mohammed Badshah Quadri Chisty Yamani Quadeer (RA) 1236-1325 welcomed people of all faiths & all walks of life.

801 Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya Sufi One of the most famous Islamic mystics
(b. 717). This 8th century saint was an early Sufi who had a profound influence on later Sufis, who in turn deeply influenced the European mystical love and troubadour traditions. Rabi'a was a woman of Basra, a seaport in southern Iraq. She was born around 717 and died in 801 (185-186). Her biographer, the great medieval poet Attar, tells us that she was "on fire with love and longing" and that men accepted her "as a second spotless Mary" (186). She was, he continues, “an unquestioned authority to her contemporaries" (218).
Rabi'a began her ascetic life in a small desert cell near Basra, where she lost herself in prayer and went straight to God for teaching. As far as is known, she never studied under any master or spiritual director. She was one of the first of the Sufis to teach that Love alone was the guide on the mystic path (222). A later Sufi taught that there were two classes of "true believers": one class sought a master as an intermediary between them and God -- unless they could see the footsteps of the Prophet on the path before them, they would not accept the path as valid. The second class “...did not look before them for the footprint of any of God's creatures, for they had removed all thought of what He had created from their hearts, and concerned themselves solely with God. (218)
Rabi'a was of this second kind. She felt no reverence even for the House of God in Mecca: "It is the Lord of the house Whom I need; what have I to do with the house?" (219) One lovely spring morning a friend asked her to come outside to see the works of God. She replied, "Come you inside that you may behold their Maker. Contemplation of the Maker has turned me aside from what He has made" (219). During an illness, a friend asked this woman if she desired anything.
"...[H]ow can you ask me such a question as 'What do I desire?' I swear by the glory of God that for twelve years I have desired fresh dates, and you know that in Basra dates are plentiful, and I have not yet tasted them. I am a servant (of God), and what has a servant to do with desire?" (162)
When a male friend once suggested she should pray for relief from a debilitating illness, she said,
"O Sufyan, do you not know Who it is that wills this suffering for me? Is it not God Who wills it? When you know this, why do you bid me ask for what is contrary to His will? It is not well to oppose one's Beloved." (221)
She was an ascetic. It was her custom to pray all night, sleep briefly just before dawn, and then rise again just as dawn "tinged the sky with gold" (187). She lived in celibacy and poverty, having renounced the world. A friend visited her in old age and found that all she owned were a reed mat, screen, a pottery jug, and a bed of felt which doubled as her prayer-rug (186), for where she prayed all night, she also slept briefly in the pre-dawn chill. Once her friends offered to get her a servant; she replied,
"I should be ashamed to ask for the things of this world from Him to Whom the world belongs, and how should I ask for them from those to whom it does not belong?" (186-7)
A wealthy merchant once wanted to give her a purse of gold. She refused it, saying that God, who sustains even those who dishonor Him, would surely sustain her, "whose soul is overflowing with love" for Him. And she added an ethical concern as well:
"...How should I take the wealth of someone of whom I do not know whether he acquired it lawfully or not?" (187)
She taught that repentance was a gift from God because no one could repent unless God had already accepted him and given him this gift of repentance. She taught that sinners must fear the punishment they deserved for their sins, but she also offered such sinners far more hope of Paradise than most other ascetics did. For herself, she held to a higher ideal, worshipping God neither from fear of Hell nor from hope of Paradise, for she saw such self-interest as unworthy of God's servants; emotions like fear and hope were like veils -- i.e., hindrances to the vision of God Himself. The story is told that once a number of Sufis saw her hurrying on her way with water in one hand and a burning torch in the other. When they asked her to explain, she said:
"I am going to light a fire in Paradise and to pour water on to Hell, so that both veils may vanish altogether from before the pilgrims and their purpose may be sure..." (187-188)
She was once asked where she came from. "From that other world," she said. "And where are you going?" she was asked. "To that other world," she replied (219). She taught that the spirit originated with God in "that other world" and had to return to Him in the end. Yet if the soul were sufficiently purified, even on earth, it could look upon God unveiled in all His glory and unite with him in love. In this quest, logic and reason were powerless. Instead, she speaks of the "eye" of her heart which alone could apprehend Him and His mysteries (220).
Above all, she was a lover, a bhakti, like one of Krishna’s Goptis in the Hindu tradition. Her hours of prayer were not so much devoted to intercession as to communion with her Beloved. Through this communion, she could discover His will for her. Many of her prayers have come down to us:
       "I have made Thee the Companion of my heart,
        But my body is available for those who seek its company,
        And my body is friendly towards its guests,
        But the Beloved of my heart is the Guest of my soul." [224]

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Mother Angelica saving souls is this beautiful womans journey

Shrine_of_The_Most_Blessed_Sacrament

Colombia was among the countries Mother Angelica visited.
In Bogotá, a Salesian priest - Father Juan Pablo Rodriguez - brought Mother and the nuns to the Sanctuary of the Divine Infant Jesus to attend Mass. After Mass, Father Juan Pablo took them into a small Shrine which housed the miraculous statue of the Child Jesus. Mother Angelica stood praying at the side of the statue when suddenly the miraculous image came alive and turned towards her. Then the Child Jesus spoke with the voice of a young boy: “Build Me a Temple and I will help those who help you.”

Thus began a great adventure that would eventually result in the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a Temple dedicated to the Divine Child Jesus, a place of refuge for all. Use this link to read a remarkable story about The Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Father Reardon, Editor of The Catholic Bulletin for 14 years Lover of the poor; “A very Holy Man of God.”

Monsignor Reardon Protonotarius Apostolicus
Pastor 42 years BASILICA OF SAINT MARY Minneapolis MN

America's First Basilica Largest Nave in the World

August 7, 1907-ground broke for the foundation

by Archbishop Ireland-laying cornerstone May 31, 1908

James M. Reardon Publication History of Basilica of Saint Mary 1600-1932

Index to Part I and Part II 1932

James M. Reardon Publication History of the Basilica of Saint Mary 1955 {update}

Brief History of our Beloved Holy Priest Here and his published books of Catholic History in North America
Reardon, J.M. Archbishop Ireland; Prelate, Patriot, Publicist, 1838-1918.
A Memoir (St. Paul; 1919); George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest 1803-1874 (1955);
The Catholic Church IN THE DIOCESE OF ST. PAUL from earliest origin to centennial achievement 1362-1950 (1952);
The Church of Saint Mary of Saint Paul 1875-1922; (1932)
The Vikings in the American Heartland;
The Catholic Total Abstinence Society in Minnesota;

James Michael Reardon Born in Nova Scotia, 1872; Priest, ordained by Bishop Ireland;

Member -- St. Paul Seminary faculty.

Affiliations and Indulgences Litany of Loretto in Stained glass windows here. Nave Sacristy and Residence Here
Sanctuary spaces between them filled with grilles of hand-forged wrought iron the life of our Blessed Lady After the crucifixon

Apostle statues Replicas of those in St John Lateran--Christendom's earliest Basilica.
Ordered by Rome's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, Popes' cathedral and official residence first millennium of Christian history.

The only replicas ever made: in order from west to east {1932}.

Saints Simon (saw), Bartholomew (knife), James the Lesser (book), John (eagle), Andrew (transverse cross), Peter keys), Paul (sword), James the Greater (staff), Thomas (carpenter's square), Philip (serpent), Matthew (book), and Jude sword

Every Christian must be a living book wherein one can read the teaching of the gospel
It Makes No Sense Not To Believe In GOD

THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi.

June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.

By Father John Corapi
THE BLESSED MOTHER AND ISLAM By Father John Corapi.

June 19, Trinity Sunday, 1991: Ordained Catholic Priest under Pope John Paul II;
then 2,000,000 miles delivering the Gospel to millions, and continues to do so.

By Father John Corapi

Among the most important titles we have in the Catholic Church for the Blessed Virgin Mary are Our Lady of Victory and Our Lady of the Rosary. These titles can be traced back to one of the most decisive times in the history of the world and Christendom. The Battle of Lepanto took place on October 7 (date of feast of Our Lady of Rosary), 1571. This proved to be the most crucial battle for the Christian forces against the radical Muslim navy of Turkey. Pope Pius V led a procession around St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City praying the Rosary. He showed true pastoral leadership in recognizing the danger posed to Christendom by the radical Muslim forces, and in using the means necessary to defeat it. Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons, and this more than anything was a battle that had its origins in the spiritual order—a true battle between good and evil.

Today we have a similar spiritual battle in progress—a battle between the forces of good and evil, light and darkness, truth and lies, life and death. If we do not soon stop the genocide of abortion in the United States, we shall run the course of all those that prove by their actions that they are enemies of God—total collapse, economic, social, and national. The moral demise of a nation results in the ultimate demise of a nation. God is not a disinterested spectator to the affairs of man. Life begins at conception. This is an unalterable formal teaching of the Catholic Church. If you do not accept this you are a heretic in plain English. A single abortion is homicide. The more than 48,000,000 abortions since Roe v. Wade in the United States constitute genocide by definition. The group singled out for death—unwanted, unborn children.

No other issue, not all other issues taken together, can constitute a proportionate reason for voting for candidates that intend to preserve and defend this holocaust of innocent human life that is abortion.
As we watch the spectacle of the world seeming to self-destruct before our eyes, we can’t help but be saddened and even frightened by so much evil run rampant. Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia, North Korea—It is all a disaster of epic proportions displayed in living color on our television screens. These are not ordinary times and this is not business as usual. We are at a crossroads in human history and the time for Catholics and all Christians to act is now. All evil can ultimately be traced to its origin, which is moral evil. All of the political action, peace talks, international peacekeeping forces, etc. will avail nothing if the underlying sickness is not addressed. This is sin. One person at a time hearts and minds must be moved from evil to good, from lies to truth, from violence to peace.
Islam, an Arabic word that has often been defined as “to make peace,” seems like a living contradiction today. Islam is a religion of peace. As we celebrate the birthday of Our Lady, I am proposing that each one of us pray the Rosary for peace. Prayer is what must precede all other activity if that activity is to have any chance of success. Pray for peace, pray the Rosary every day without fail. There is a great love for Mary among Muslim people. It is not a coincidence that a little village named Fatima is where God chose to have His Mother appear in the twentieth century. Our Lady’s name appears no less than thirty times in the Koran. No other woman’s name is mentioned, not even that of Mohammed’s daughter, Fatima. In the Koran Our Lady is described as “Virgin, ever Virgin.”

Archbishop Fulton Sheen prophetically spoke of the resurgence of Islam in our day. He said it would be through the Blessed Virgin Mary that Islam would be converted. We must pray for this to happen quickly if we are to avert a horrible time of suffering for this poor, sinful world. Turn to our Mother in this time of great peril. Pray the Rosary every day. Then, and only then will there be peace, when the hearts and minds of men are changed from the inside.

Talk is weak. Prayer is strong. Pray! God bless you, Father John Corapi

Father Corapi's Biography

Father John Corapi is what has commonly been called a late vocation. In other words, he came to the priesthood other than a young man. He was 44 years old when he was ordained. From small town boy to the Vietnam era US Army, from successful businessman in Las Vegas and Hollywood to drug addicted and homeless, to religious life and ordination to the priesthood by Pope John Paul II, to a life as a preacher of the Gospel who has reached millions with the simple message that God's Name is Mercy!

Father Corapi's academic credentials are quite extensive. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Pace University in the seventies. Then as an older man returned to the university classrooms in preparation for his life as a priest and preacher. He received all of his academic credentials for the Church with honors: a Masters degree in Sacred Scripture from Holy Apostles Seminary and Bachelor, Licentiate, and Doctorate degrees in dogmatic theology from the University of Navarre in Spain.

Father John Corapi goes to the heart of the contemporary world's many woes and wars, whether the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, or the Congo, or the natural disasters that seem to be increasing every year, the moral and spiritual war is at the basis of everything. “Our battle is not against human forces,” St. Paul asserts, “but against principalities and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness...” (Ephesians 6:12).
The “War to end all wars” is the moral and spiritual combat that rages in the hearts and minds of human beings. The outcome of that unseen fight largely determines how the battle in the realm of the seen unfolds. The title talk, “With the Moon Under Her Feet,” is taken from the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and deals with the current threat to the world from radical Islam, and the Blessed Virgin Mary's role in the ultimate victory that will result in the conversion of Islam. Few Catholics are aware of the connection between Islam, Fatima, and Guadalupe. Presented in Father Corapi's straight-forward style, you will be both inspired and educated by him.

About Father John Corapi.

Father Corapi is a Catholic priest .

The pillars of father's preaching are basically:

Love for and a relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary
Leading a vibrant and loving relationship with Jesus Christ
Great love and reverence for the Most Holy Eucharist from Holy Mass to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
An uncompromising love for and obedience to the Holy Father and the teaching of the Magisterium of the Church

God Bless you on your journey Father John Corapi

Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican
Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified
Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification.

Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest
Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization.

Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood
Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint.

Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania
May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970.

Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized
May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor.

Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs
Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century.

Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women
Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War.

Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified
Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran.

The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says
Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church.
Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says
Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.”

Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo
Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December
Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8.

Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes
Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer.

Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’
Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor.

Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification.

Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism
Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism.

Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood
May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan.

Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries
Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions.
Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward
Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life.

Records on life of Father Flanagan, founder of Boys Town, presented at Vatican
Jul 23, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The cause for canonization of Servant of God Edward Flanagan, the priest who founded Nebraska's Boys Town community for orphans and other boys, advanced Monday with the presentation of a summary of records on his life.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified
Jul 6, 2019 - 04:00 am .- Pope Francis approved the miracle attributed to Archbishop Fulton Sheen Friday, making possible the American television catechist's beatification.

Brooklyn diocese advances sainthood cause of local priest
Jun 25, 2019 - 03:01 am .- The Bishop of Brooklyn accepted last week the findings of a nine-year diocesan investigation into the life of Monsignor Bernard John Quinn, known for fighting bigotry and serving the African American population, as part of his cause for canonization.

Fr. Augustus Tolton, former African American slave, advances toward sainthood
Jun 12, 2019 - 05:03 am .- Fr. Augustus Tolton advanced along the path to sainthood Wednesday, making the runaway slave-turned-priest one step closer to being the first black American saint.

Pope Francis will beatify these martyred Greek-Catholic bishops in Romania
May 30, 2019 - 03:01 pm .- On Sunday in Blaj, Pope Francis will beatify seven Greek-Catholic bishops of Romania who were killed by the communist regime between 1950 and 1970.

Woman who served Brazil’s poorest to be canonized
May 14, 2019 - 06:53 am .- Pope Francis Tuesday gave his approval for eight sainthood causes to proceed, including that of Bl. Dulce Lopes Pontes, a 20th-century religious sister who served Brazil’s poor.

Seven 20th-century Romanian bishops declared martyrs
Mar 19, 2019 - 12:01 pm .- Pope Francis declared Tuesday the martyrdom of seven Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime in Romania in the mid-20th century.

Pope advances sainthood causes of 17 women
Jan 15, 2019 - 11:12 am .- Pope Francis approved Tuesday the next step in the canonization causes of 17 women from four countries, including the martyrdom of 14 religious sisters killed in Spain at the start of the Spanish Civil War.

Nineteen Algerian martyrs beatified
Dec 10, 2018 - 03:08 pm .- Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, were beatified Saturday during a Mass in Oran.

The Algerian martyrs shed their blood for Christ, pope says
Dec 7, 2018 - 10:02 am .- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church.
Algerian martyrs are models for the Church, archbishop says
Nov 16, 2018 - 03:01 am .- Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers has said that Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, are “models for our lives as disciples today and tomorrow.”

Francesco Spinelli to be canonized after healing of a newborn in DR Congo
Oct 9, 2018 - 05:01 pm .- Among those being canonized on Sunday are Fr. Franceso Spinelli, a diocesan priest through whose intercession a newborn was saved from death in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Algerian martyrs to be beatified in December
Sep 14, 2018 - 06:01 pm .- The Algerian bishops' conference has announced that the beatification of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in the country between 1994 and 1996, will be held Dec. 8.

Now a cardinal, Giovanni Angelo Becciu heads to congregation for saints' causes
Jun 28, 2018 - 11:41 am .- Newly-minted Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu will resign from his post as substitute of the Secretariat of State tomorrow, in anticipation of his appointment as prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints later this summer.

Pope Francis creates new path to beatification under ‘offering of life’
Jul 11, 2017 - 06:22 am .- On Tuesday Pope Francis declared a new category of Christian life suitable for consideration of beatification called “offering of life” – in which a person has died prematurely through an offering of their life for love of God and neighbor.

Twentieth century Polish nurse among causes advancing toward sainthood
Jul 7, 2017 - 06:14 am .- Pope Francis on Friday approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Hanna Chrzanowska, a Polish nurse and nursing instructor who died from cancer in 1973, paving the way for her beatification.

Sainthood causes advance, including layman who resisted fascism
Jun 17, 2017 - 09:22 am .- Pope Francis on Friday recognized the heroic virtue of six persons on the path to canonization, as well as the martyrdom of an Italian man who died from injuries of a beating he received while imprisoned in a concentration camp for resisting fascism.

Solanus Casey, Cardinal Van Thuan among those advanced toward sainthood
May 4, 2017 - 10:47 am .- Pope Francis on Thursday approved decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints advancing the causes for canonization of 12 individuals, including the American-born Capuchin Solanus Casey and the Vietnamese cardinal Francis Xavier Nguen Van Thuan.

Pope clears way for canonization of Fatima visionaries
Mar 23, 2017 - 06:44 am .- On Thursday Pope Francis approved the second and final miracle needed to canonize Blessed Francisco and Jacinta Marto, two of the shepherd children who witnessed the Fatima Marian apparitions.
Surgeon and father among sainthood causes moving forward
Feb 27, 2017 - 11:03 am .- Pope Francis recognized on Monday the heroic virtue of eight persons on the path to canonization, including an Italian surgeon and father of eight who suffered from several painful diseases throughout his life.

8 Martyrs Move Closer to Sainthood 8 July, 2016
Posted by ZENIT Staff on 8 July, 2016

The angel appears to Saint Monica
This morning, Pope Francis received Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Amato. During the audience, he authorized the promulgation of decrees concerning the following causes:

***
MIRACLES:
Miracle attributed to the intercession of the Venerable Servant of God Luis Antonio Rosa Ormières, priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Guardian Angel; born July 4, 1809 and died on Jan. 16, 1890
MARTYRDOM:
Servants of God Antonio Arribas Hortigüela and 6 Companions, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart; killed in hatred of the Faith, Sept. 29, 1936
Servant of God Josef Mayr-Nusser, a layman; killed in hatred of the Faith, Feb. 24, 1945
HEROIC VIRTUE:

Servant of God Alfonse Gallegos of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, Titular Bishop of Sasabe, auxiliary of Sacramento; born Feb. 20, 1931 and died Oct. 6, 1991
Servant of God Rafael Sánchez García, diocesan priest; born June 14, 1911 and died on Aug. 8, 1973
Servant of God Andrés García Acosta, professed layman of the Order of Friars Minor; born Jan. 10, 1800 and died Jan. 14, 1853
Servant of God Joseph Marchetti, professed priest of the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Charles; born Oct. 3, 1869 and died Dec. 14, 1896
Servant of God Giacomo Viale, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, pastor of Bordighera; born Feb. 28, 1830 and died April 16, 1912
Servant of God Maria Pia of the Cross (née Maddalena Notari), foundress of the Congregation of Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Eucharist; born Dec. 2, 1847 and died on July 1, 1919

Sunday, November 23 2014 Six to Be Canonized on Feast of Christ the King.

On the List Are Lay Founder of a Hospital and Eastern Catholic Religious
VATICAN CITY, June 12, 2014 (Zenit.org) - Today, the Vatican announced that during the celebration of the feast of Christ the King on Sunday, November 23, an ordinary public consistory will be held for the canonization of the following six blesseds, who include a lay founder of a hospital for the poor, founders of religious orders, and two members of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See:
-Giovanni Antonio Farina (1803-1888), an Italian bishop who founded the Institute of the Sisters Teachers of Saint Dorothy, Daughters of the Sacred Hearts
-Kuriakose Elias Chavara (1805-1871), a Syro-Malabar priest in India who founded the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate
-Ludovico of Casoria (1814-1885), an Italian Franciscan priest who founded the Gray Sisters of St. Elizabeth
-Nicola Saggio (Nicola da Longobardi, 1650-1709), an Italian oblate of the Order of Minims
-Euphrasia Eluvathingal (1877-1952), an Indian Carmelite of the Syro-Malabar Church
-Amato Ronconi (1238-1304), an Italian, Third Order Franciscan who founded a hospital for poor pilgrims

CAUSES OF SAINTS July 2015.
Pope Recognizes Heroic Virtues of Ukrainian Archbishop
Recognition Brings Metropolitan Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky Closer to Beatification
By Junno Arocho Esteves Rome, July 17, 2015 (ZENIT.org)
Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtues of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky. According to a communique released by the Holy See Press Office, the Holy Father met this morning with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

The Pope also recognized the heroic virtues of several religious/lay men and women from Italy, Spain, France & Mexico.
Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is considered to be one of the most influential 20th century figures in the history of the Ukrainian Church.
Enthroned as Metropolitan of Lviv in 1901, Archbishop Sheptytsky was arrested shortly after the outbreak of World War I in 1914 by the Russians. After his imprisonment in several prisons in Russia and the Ukraine, the Archbishop was released in 1918.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic prelate was also an ardent supporter of the Jewish community in Ukraine, going so far as to learn Hebrew to better communicate with them. He also was a vocal protestor against atrocities committed by the Nazis, evidenced in his pastoral letter, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." He was also known to harbor thousands of Jews in his residence and in Greek Catholic monasteries.
Following his death in 1944, his cause for canonization was opened in 1958.
* * *
The Holy Father authorized the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees regarding the heroic virtues of:
- Servant of God Andrey Sheptytsky, O.S.B.M., major archbishop of Leopolis of the Ukrainians, metropolitan of Halyc (1865-1944);
- Servant of God Giuseppe Carraro, Bishop of Verona, Italy (1899-1980);
- Servant of God Agustin Ramirez Barba, Mexican diocesan priest and founder of the Servants of the Lord of Mercy (1881-1967);
- Servant of God Simpliciano della Nativita (ne Aniello Francesco Saverio Maresca), Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts (1827-1898);
- Servant of God Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres del Cancino, Mexican founder of the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament (1866-1937);
- Servant of God Marie-Charlotte Dupouy Bordes (Marie-Teresa), French professed religious of the Society of the Religious of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (1873-1953);
- Servant of God Elisa Miceli, Italian founder of the Rural Catechist Sisters of the Sacred Heart (1904-1976);
- Servant of God Isabel Mendez Herrero (Isabel of Mary Immaculate), Spanish professed nun of the Servants of St. Joseph (1924-1953)

October 01, 2015 Vatican City, Pope Authorizes following Decrees
(ZENIT.org) By Staff Reporter
Polish Layperson Recognized as Servant of God
Pope Authorizes Decrees
Pope Francis on Wednesday authorised the Congregation for Saints' Causes to promulgate the following decrees:

MARTYRDOM
- Servant of God Valentin Palencia Marquina, Spanish diocesan priest, killed in hatred of the faith in Suances, Spain in 1937;

HEROIC VIRTUES
- Servant of God Giovanni Folci, Italian diocesan priest and founder of the Opera Divin Prigioniero (1890-1963);
- Servant of God Franciszek Blachnicki, Polish diocesan priest (1921-1987);
- Servant of God Jose Rivera Ramirez, Spanish diocesan priest (1925-1991);
- Servant of God Juan Manuel Martín del Campo, Mexican diocesan priest (1917-1996);
- Servant of God Antonio Filomeno Maria Losito, Italian professed priest of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (1838-1917);
- Servant of God Maria Benedetta Giuseppa Frey (nee Ersilia Penelope), Italian professed nun of the Cistercian Order (1836-1913);
- Servant of God Hanna Chrzanowska, Polish layperson, Oblate of the Ursulines of St. Benedict (1902-1973).

March 06 2016 MIRACLES authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
Pope Francis received in a private audience Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, during which he authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
MIRACLES

– Blessed Manuel González García, bishop of Palencia, Spain, founder of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth (1877-1940);
– Blessed Elisabeth of the Trinity (née Elisabeth Catez), French professed religious of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (1880-1906);
– Venerable Servant of God Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus (né Henri Grialou), French professed priest of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, founder of the Secular Institute “Notre-Dame de Vie” (1894-1967);
– Venerable Servant of God María Antonia of St. Joseph (née María Antonio de Paz y Figueroa), Argentine founder of the Beaterio of the Spiritual Exercise of Buenos Aires (1730-1799);
HEROIC VIRTUE

– Servant of God Stefano Ferrando, Italian professed priest of the Salesians, bishop of Shillong, India, founder of the Congregation of Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (1895-1978);
– Servant of God Enrico Battista Stanislao Verjus, Italian professed priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, coadjutor of the apostolic vicariate of New Guinea (1860-1892);
– Servant of God Giovanni Battista Quilici, Italian diocesan priest, founder of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Crucified (1791-1844);
– Servant of God Bernardo Mattio, Italian diocesan priest (1845-1914);
– Servant of God Quirico Pignalberi, Italian professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1891-1982);
– Servant of God Teodora Campostrini, Italian founder of the Minim Sisters of Charity of Our Lady of Sorrows (1788-1860);
– Servant of God Bianca Piccolomini Clementini, Italian founder of the Company of St. Angela Merici di Siena (1875-1959);
– Servant of God María Nieves of the Holy Family (née María Nieves Sánchez y Fernández), Spanish professed religious of the Daughters of Mary of the Pious Schools (1900-1978).

April 26 2016 MIRACLES authorised the Congregation to promulgate the following decrees:
Here is the full list of decrees approved by the Pope:

MIRACLES
– Blessed Alfonso Maria Fusco, diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist (1839-1910);
– Venerable Servant of God John Sullivan, professed priest of the Society of Jesus (1861-1933);
MARTYRDOM
– Servants of God Nikolle Vinçenc Prennushi, O.F.M., archbishop of Durres, Albania, and 37 companions killed between 1945 and 1974;
– Servants of God José Antón Gómez and three companions of the Benedictines of Madrid, Spain, killed 1936;
HEROIC VIRTUES
– Servant of God Thomas Choe Yang-Eop, diocesan priest (1821-1861);
– Servant of God Sosio Del Prete (né Vincenzo), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, founder of the Congregation of the Little Servants of Christ the King (1885-1952);
– Servant of God Wenanty Katarzyniec (né Jósef), professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (1889-1921);
– Servant of God Maria Consiglia of the Holy Spirity (née Emilia Paqualina Addatis), founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Addolorata, Servants of Mary (1845-1900);
– Servant of God Maria of the Incarnation (née Caterina Carrasco Tenorio), founder of the Congregation of the Franciscan Tertiary Sisters of the Flock of Mary (1840-1917);
– Servant of God , founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Family of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1851-1923);
– Servant of God Ilia Corsaro, founder of the Congregation of the Little Missionaries of the Eucharist (1897-1977);
– Servant of God Maria Montserrat Grases García, layperson of the Personal Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei (1941-1959).

LINKS:
Marian Apparitions (over 2000) India Marian Shrine Lourdes of the East   Lourdes Feb 11- July 16, Loreto, Italy 1858
China Marian shrines May 23, 1995 Zarvintisya Ukraine Lourdes Kenya national Marian shrine    Quang Tri Vietnam La Vang 1798
Links to Related Marian Websites Angels and Archangels
Doctors_of_the_Church   Acts_Apostles Roman Catholic Popes Purgatory Uniates, PSALTER BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 8 2022