All posts by Vicki Scheenstra

Vicki Scheenstra is a former Catholic Bookstore owner and has been active in Catholic Education.
patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Chrysostom, Feast Day September 13

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St. John Chrysostom Icon Public Domain Image
St. John Chrysostom Icon

The feast day of St. John Chrysostom is celebrated on September 13. 

St. John was born to Christian parents about the year 344.  After studying law he became a deacon and was ordained a priest.  He served as a priest in Syria for 12 years before becoming Bishop of Constantinople.  St. John Chrysostom is the patron saint of preachers, speakers and  epilepsy.

St. John was known for his powerful sermons.  He believed in the need to help the poor and wanted the wealthy to  be generous with their money.  This was not appreciated by all who listened to him.

In 403 he was charged with heresy and sent into temporary exile.  He was recalled and then exiled permanently.  He died on Sept. 14, 407 while marching in the hot sun.  His last words were:

“Glory to God for all things.”

St. John Chrysostom (which means golden mouthed) has been given the title of Doctor of the Eucharist for his preaching on the belief in the Real Presence.  He is considered one of the four great doctors of the Eastern Church along with St. Athanasius, St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. Basil

 

 Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.

Quote of St. John Chrysostom

 

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

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Feast Days, Our Lady, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Feast Day of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Our Lady of Lourdes Public Domain Image
Our Lady of Lourdes

The feast day of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on September 12.

On this day we reflect on the titles given to Mary.  Why has she become known by so many names?  Which name touches you the most when you think about the Blessed Virgin Mary?  Mary, Mother of God?  Mary, Queen of Saints?  The Immaculate Heart of Mary?

Each name tells us something about Mary, who loved and gave birth to Jesus.  Our Sorrowful Mother helps us to reflect on the suffering Mary experienced.    Some of her titles refer to the place in which she appeared to someone:  Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Other titles refer to her spirituality:  Our Lady of the Rosary,  Our Lady of Grace,  Mystical Rose, Star of the Sea.

The name we are given at birth is important.  We are called by that name throughout our life.  Each of us has been called to do something specific for God.  Perhaps it is prayer.  Perhaps it is raising a family with love.  Perhaps it is a profession like teaching or medicine, or farming.

Mary was called by God  for a very special purpose.  She was asked to love and raise Jesus, the Son of God.  She became the Mother of God and loved him in a way none of us can.

Today is a day to reflect on the role of Mary in the life of Jesus.  We can also reflect on our role in the world.  If we honor and imitate the mother of Jesus, we can be certain that we will come to know Jesus better.

 

Mary  is called Queen of Martyrs, for her martyrdom was the lengthiest, most intense, and most loving.

Quote of Bl. James Alberione

 

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

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Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Gabriel Perboyre, Feast Day September 11

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The Feast day of St. John Gabriel Peboyre is celebrated on September 11.

St. John was the oldest son  of a farmer in Le Puech, France.  He had seven younger siblings. Three of the brothers joined the Vincentian Fathers and two of the Daughter became Daughters of Charity.

When his younger brother was accepted into the Vincentian Seminary, his parents asked him to accompany the brother until he was settled.  He was surprised to find that he was also drawn to join the Vincentians.  His parents supported his decision to join the order rather than return home to farm.

In 1820, St. John was ordained a Vincentian priest.  He hoped to become a missionary and travel to China, however he was assigned to be a supervisor of the mother-house in Paris.

In 1835, he began his journey to China as a missionary.  It took five months to arrive.  He served the poor in Ho Nan  China before being transferred to Hubei.

Persecution began in 1839 and St. John Gabriel was arrested.  After being tortured,  he was found guilty of preaching Christianity and condemned to death.  He was tied to a stake and strangled.  His body wa retrieved and buried in the mission cemetery.

Pope John Paul II canonized St. John Gabriel Perboyre in 1996.

 

O my Divine Savior,
Transform me into Yourself.
May my hands be the hands of Jesus.
Grant that every faculty of my body
May serve only to glorify You.
Above all,
Transform my soul and all its powers
So that my memory, will and affection
May be the memory, will and affections
Of Jesus.

I pray You
To destroy in me all that is not of You.
Grant that I may live but in You, by You and for You,
So that I may truly say, with Saint Paul,
“I live – now not I – But Christ lives in me.

Prayer composed by St. John G. Perboyre

 

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

 

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patron saints, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Nicholas of Tolentino, Feast Day September 10

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St. Nicholas of Tolentino
St. Nicholas of Tolentino

The feast day of St. Nicholas of Tolentino is celebrated on September 10.  He is the patron saint of the souls in purgatory and the dying.

The parents of St. Nicholas were childless when they visited the Shrine of St. Nicholas of Myrna at Bari, Italy.  The year after praying for a child they became parents.  They named their child Nicholas in gratitude for their prayer being answered.

At the age of 18, Nicholas became an Augustinian monk.  He was ordained a priest at 25.  St. Nicholas was known for his visions and gift of miracles.  He received a vision of angels reciting the phrase “to Tolentino”.  He decided to move to Tolentino in 1274 where he lived the rest of his life.

St. Nicholas was a peacemaker during a time of war.   He was also a miracle worker and healer.  He often visited prisoners and was known for his kindness.

Once after becoming ill, he had a vision in which the Virgin Mary, St. Augustine and St. Monica appeared to him.  They told him to eat a certain type of roll dipped in water.  He was healed after doing so.  He then began healing others by giving bread  to them and reciting Marian prayers.  The rolls become known as St. Nicholas Bread.

Many legends and miracles are credited to St. Nicholas.  Over 300 miracles have been recognized.

After a long illness in which he became bedridden and suffered greatly, St. Nicholas died in 1245, surrounded by his community.

St. Nicholas of Tolentino was canonized by Pope Eugene  IV in 1446.

 

There is no sin or wrong that gives a man a foretast of hell in this life as anger and impatience.

Quote of St. Catherine of Sienna;  Feast day April 29

 

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

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Jesuit Saints, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Peter Claver, Feast Day September 9

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St. Peter Claver Public Domain Image
St. Peter Claver

The feast day of St. Peter Claver is celebrated on September 9.  He is the patron saint of African missions.

St. Peter Claver was born at Verdu, Catalonia, Spain in 1580. He entered the Jesuit college of Barcelona, becoming a Jesuit novitiate, taking his final vows on Aug 8, 1604.
St. Peter Claver left his homeland to become a missionary in the colonies of the new world. He ministered to the slaves arriving daily in Cartagena (now Columbia). Over a thousand slaves arrived in Cartagena every month. He brought them food, ministered to their medical needs and prayed with them. He followed them to the plantation they were taken to.  St. Peter Claver declared himself to be the “slave of the Negroes forever.”

After instructing them in the faith, he baptized them. By 1651 he had baptized over 300,000 slaves into the faith.

After suffering from illness for four years, St. Peter Claver died on Sept. 8, 1654.
St. Peter Claver has been declared the patron saint of African Missions.

 

“Seek God in all things and you shall find God by your side.”

Quote of St. Peter Claver

 

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

 

Feast Days, Our Lady, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Nativity of Virgin Mary, Feast Day September 8

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St. Anne with the Virgin Mary
St. Anne with the Virgin Mary

The feast day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary is celebrated on September 8.  On this day the church reflects on the birth of Mary and her role in salvation.

Mary was the only child of St. Anne and St. Joachim.  They had been praying for a child and it seemed as if they would be unable to conceive.  However, although St. Anne was not young, she conceived and became the mother of the mother of God!

The feast day is celebrated nine months after the celebration of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.  The Immaculate Conception celebrates the belief that Mary was born without the stain of original sin.  She was the “second Eve”.  Eve, also was born without original sin but she chose to disobey God.  Mary, however, always said “yes” to God.

Reflecting on the life of Mary can take us in many directions.  How is it possible to become the Mother of God?  How is it possible to become the Grandmother of God as St. Anne did?   We know that Mary was chosen for the title of Mother of God.  St. Anne and St. Joachim were also chosen…to be the parents of Mary.

We too have been chosen.  Where is God leading you?  Is your family life holy?  What needs to improve in your life to help you grow closer to God?  Is your prayer life healthy?  Learning to communicate with God leads us to know his will in our life.    Just as Mary said “yes”, we too must try to do the will of God.

Each of us is unique in the way we communicate with God.  Exploring the different prayer styles can help us to find the type of prayer that suits us best.  To understand what God’s will is, we must discover how God is “present” in our life.  Making time for prayer is the first step.  Admitting that we need guidance (humility)  will help us to take the time to listen for the whisper that comes from God.

 

The Virgin Mother’s heart remained perpetually inflamed with the holy love which she received of her Son.

Quote of St. Francis de Sales;  Feast Day January 24

 

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

 

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