All posts by Vicki Scheenstra

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

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Giles the Abbot, Feast Day September 1

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St. Giles, Abbot Public Domain Image
St. Giles, Abbot

The feast day of St. Giles the Abbot is celebrated on September 1.   St. Giles is the patron saint of the mentally ill, the disabled, epileptics, childhood fears, and depression.

St. Giles was born into a noble family in Athens, Greece in the seventh century.  After the death of his parents, he distributed his inheritance to the poor.    He also became known for the gift of miracles and healing he had received.  Giles longed to live a life of solitude, serving God as a recluse, away from all the praise and fame of the world.

He left Greece, sailing for France.  Everywhere he lived he became known for his gift of miracles and healing.  He would have to flee once again to find a place to live in peace and solitude.  He first lived near the mouth of the Rhone River.  Later he lived near the river Gard and finally he lived in the diocese of Nimes.  His final dwelling place was deep in the forest in a cavern in  a rock.  He occupied his time in prayer, praising God and meditating.  He was a vegetarian, living on herbs and roots.  His only companion was a red deer, which provided him with milk to drink.

After several years of living in complete solitude, the King of France instituted  a great hunt near where Giles lived.  The hunters chased the deer which led them to the cave where Giles lived.  They shot an arrow into the cave, wounding the holy hermit.  They found him covered with blood with the deer lying at his feet.  When the king was told what had happened, he ordered him taken care of.  He came to see him offering him gifts.  St. Giles refused the gifts and the King’s request to leave his solitude. Before leaving the king asked if there was anything he could do for him, St. Giles said he would like a monastery built where they were standing.

St. Giles became the Abbot of the monastery which was soon built.  Several disciples joined him.  His fame continued to spread because of his gift of miracles.  The conversion of the King was one of these miracles.

St. Giles made a pilgrimage to Rome to see the Pope.  He requested a blessing for his community which embraced the Rule of St. Benedict. Not only did he receive a blessing but he received the gift of two beautifully carved doors of cedar wood for his church.

Many sinners were converted because of the prayers and miracles of St. Giles.  St. Giles died on September 1, 725.  The miracles which took place near his tomb were so many that soon after his death a town began to grown and was named Giles.

 

 

I praise

Your humility that consoles me

Your patience that shelters me

Your eternity that preserves me

and……Your truth that rewards me.

Quote of St. Thomas Aquinas;  Feast day January 28

 

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

 

patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Raymond Nonnatus, Feast Day August 31

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St. Ramond Nonnatus Public Domain Image
St. Ramond Nonnatus

The feast day of St. Raymond Nonnatus is celebrated on August 31.  He was born in Catalonia, Spain in 1204.  His mother died during childbirth prompting a delivery by caesarean section.  The name Nonnatus means not born.  St. Raymond is the patron saint of women in labor and the falsely accused.

Raymond felt great empathy for expectant mothers and is the patron saint of women in labor.  His father wanted him to take over the family farm.  He chose instead to become a priest, joining the religious order of Mercedarians.    The Mercedarians were dedicated to ransoming Christian slaves from the Moors who occupied most of Spain.

St. Raymond was sent to Algeria where he used his inheritance to ransom slaves.  When the money ran out, he traded his life for that of a slave.   He was imprisoned but succeeded in converting several of his jailers.  The Moors then bored holes in his lips and sealed his mouth shut with a padlock to prevent him from preaching!

St. Raymond was sentenced to death, however, the Mercedarians ransomed him home to Spain.  He was then given the title of Cardinal by Pope Gregory IX in 1239.  Soon after, he came down with a fever and died in Cardona.   He is often shown in art in the company of angels.  Many miracles were attributed to St. Raymond before and after his death in1240 at the age of 37.

 

You pay God a compliment by asking great things of Him.

Quote of St. Teresa of Avila;  Feast day October 15

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

 

Faith, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Jeanne Jugan, Feast Day August 30

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St. Jeanne Jugan Public Domain Image
St. Jeanne Jugan

The feast day of St. Jeanne Jugan is celebrated on August 30.  She was born in 1792 in a small port town in the region of Brittany, France.

By the age of four her father had died at sea.  Her mother struggled to support her and her siblings.  She learned to knit and spin wool.  Eventually, she worked as a kitchen maid for a wealthy family.  Jeanne felt called to serve Christ while still in her teens.  She began by working in a local hospital.

At age 25, Jeanne joined the Third Order of St. John Eudes.  She worked as a nurse for six years but left for health issues.   Her spirituality focused on her devotion to Mary, her desire to be one with the poor and trust in Divine Providence.

Jeanne was sharing an apartment with an older woman and an orphaned younger woman.  One day, she met an elderly woman named Anne Chauvin.  Anne was blind, partially paralized and had no one to care for her.  She carried her home, up the flight of stairs to her apartment.  She gave her bed to Anne, deciding to sleep in the Attic.   By 1841, she had rented a room to provide housing for a dozen elderly people.  The next year, she acquired an unused convent which was able to house 40.  Many young women joined her to help.  The Community which she formed became known as The Little Sisters of the Poor.  Jeanne became known as Sister Mary of the Cross.

An ambitious priest eventually had her forced out of her leadership role and placed in retirement.  In retirement, Sister Mary continued to pray for the order which had 2400 members.  She was not known to be its foundress.  The priest was eventually disciplined and St. Jeanne Jugan acknowledged as the foundress.

St. Jeanne was considered a true friend of the poor.    She died in 1879 at the age of 86.  She was beatified by Pope John Paul II and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 11, 2009.

 

What happiness for us, to be a Little Sister of the Poor!  Making the poor happy is everything!

Quote of St. Jeanne Jugan

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Beheading of John the Baptist, Feast Day August 29

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Martyrdom of John the Baptist Public Domain Image
Martyrdom of John the Baptist

The Feast day of the Beheading of John the Baptist is celebrated on August 29.

 

John the Baptist is the last prophet proclaiming the coming of the Lord. We actually meet John when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry,

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.”( Luke1: 39)

John was actually about six months older than his cousin Jesus.

The next time we hear of John the Baptist he comes out of the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.  John  proclaimed:

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”(Matthew 3: 11)

In Matthew 3: 13,  Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying,

“I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

But Jesus answered him,

“Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”

After Jesus had been baptized, the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of

Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist Public Domain Image
Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist

God descending like a dove and a voice from heaven said,

“This is my Son, the Beloved,

with whom I am well pleased.”

We learn in Mark 1:14 that it is after the arrest of John the Baptist by King Herod, that Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news.”

Why was John arrested? The story is told in Mark 6: 17-29. John was arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”  Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so because Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. On Herod’s birthday Herodias’ own daughter came in and performed a dance that so delighted Herod and his guests that Herod promised her whatever she requested. She went to her mother asking “What shall I ask for?” Herodias replied,

“The head of John the Baptist.” 

The girl hurried back to King Herod saying

“I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”

King Herod was distressed at the request, but because of his oaths in front of guest he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back John the Baptists’ head. The head, on a silver platter, was given to the girl. In turn the girl gave it to her mother.

When the disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

John the Baptist is most remembered for his call to repentance and baptism. The following is one of his last statements before his death.

 

 

We are travelers, hastening to go back to our own country.

Quote of St. Leo the Great;  Feast day November 10

 

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Augustine, Feast Day August 28

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St. Augustine of Hippo by Sandro Botticelli Public Domain Image
St. Augustine of Hippo
by Sandro Botticelli
Public Domain Image

The feast day of St. Augustine is celebrated on August 28th. St. Augustine is the patron saint of brewers.

After the death of his father at the age of seventeen, St. Augustine left the church and led a loose life. He soon had both a mistress and a son. His mother St. Monica prayed for him for seventeen years before he returned to the faith.
Augustine began his search for faith by joining a group called the Manichees. Manichaeism teaches there are two gods at war with each other; good and evil. It also teaches that all matter is evil. He was hesitant to fully practice his faith due to physical desires. He is known for his statement

“O God, give me chastity, but not yet.”

Eventually, Augustine heard the preaching of St. Ambrose, which greatly influenced him. He began to study the bible. One day, after experiencing great remorse for his sins, Augustine heard a child singing, “Take up and read!” He opened his bible to the letters of St. Paul where he read “put away all impurity and live in imitation of Jesus.” From then on Augustine practiced his faith with zeal. He was baptized by St. Ambrose, ordained a priest and eventually became a bishop. He was also a famous writer. His book “Confessions” is considered a classic. After his death in 430 he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.

The following poem was written by St. Augustine.

Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you!       Lo, you were within, but I outside, seeking there for you,
and upon the shapely things you have made I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me, but I was not with you. They held me back far from you,
those things which would have no being, were they not in you.

You called, shouted, broke through my deafness;
you flared, blazed, banished my blindness;
you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you;
I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst;
you touched me, and I burned for your peace.

 

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Faith, patron saints

Prayers Quips and Quotes: St. Monica, Feast Day August 27

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St. Monica by Tristán de Escamilla, Public Domain Image
St. Monica by
Tristán de Escamilla,

The feast day of St. Monica is celebrated on August 27.  She is the patron saint of mothers, alcoholism and difficult marriages.

St. Monica was born of a Christian family in Tagaste in Africa in 331. She was given in marriage by her parents to a non-Christian named Patricius. He was known to have a a bad temper and alcoholism. They had three children who survived infancy. One of them was Augustine.

Monica was known for her pious nature. She prayed without ceasing for her family. A year before his death Patricius converted to Catholicism and was baptized. Augustine was 17 at the time of his father’s death. He left the faith and led an immoral life. By eighteen he had a mistress and a son. He joined a group called the Manichees. Manicheeism teaches that the material world is part of the realm of evil. There are two gods one good and one evil.

Monica never ceased praying for the return of her son to the Catholic faith. After more than 15 years of prayer, Augustine heard St. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, preach. He decided to study the faith, and eventually returned, being baptized in 387. Eventually Augustine became a priest and then a bishop.  St. Augustine  is now considered a Doctor of the Church.

Monica is the patron of mother’s because of her persistence in prayer.

 

“Nothing is far from God.”

Quote of St. Monica

 

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

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