The feast day of St. Peter Orseolo is celebrated on January 10.
St. Peter Orseolo married at the age of 18. He had one son. At the age of 20 he became the Commander of the Venetian Fleet and led them against Dalmatian pirates. After the revolution, he became a Doge (chief magistrate) in 976. He worked on restoring the city and began to rebuild the Church of San Marco. He also tried to help the widows and orphans and built hospitals. After two years of service as a Doge he joined the Benedictine Monastery in Southern France living the life of a hermit in the forest surrounding the monastery.
In 976, he decided to live a life of complete solitude, having contact only with God.
St. Peter Orseolo died in 987. His tomb became a site popular with pilgrims.
“Before all, and above all, attention shall be paid to the care of the sick, so that they shall be served as if they were Christ Himself.”
The feast day of St. Dominic of Silos is celebrated on December 20. He is the patron saint of pregnant women, shepherds and prisoners. He was a Benedictine monk and priest.
St. Dominic of Silos was born in Navarre, Spain. around the year 1000. He was a peasant, shepherding his father’s flock. His love of solitude led him to become a Benedictine monk. He was ordained a priest becoming the Master of novices and prior. Because of his opposition to the annexation of the monastery land he was driven into exile.
St. Dominic turned to King Ferdinand I of Leon for aid. King Ferdinand found him refuge in the town of Silos in a decaying Abbey occupied by six monks. Dominic became the abbot of the community. He rebuilt the monastery both physically and spiritually. The monastery became a center of book design and scholarship Its proceeds were used for charity.
St. Dominic raised funds to ransom Christians taken prisoner by the Moors. The membership in the monastery increased to 40 monks.
St. Dominic died on Dec. 20. Many healings were reported at the monastery, especially regarding pregnancy. Almost one hundred hears after his death, Blessed Joan de Aza de Guzmán prayed at his shrine to conceive the child she named Dominic.
“Is it not reward enough to know that one is doing the will of God?”
Quote of St. Just Bretenie’res; Feast day September 20
The feast day of St. Gertrude is celebrated on November 16. She is the patron saint of West Indies, Nuns and travelers.
St. Gertrude was born at Eisleben in Saxony, Germany on Jan. 6, 1256. At the age of five, Gertrude was placed in the care of Benedictine nuns. She later joined the monastery, living a cloistered life.
At the age of 24, St. Gertrude was experiencing an interior crisis and depression. She experienced a vision of Jesus on Jan. 27, 1281. He told her:
“I have come to comfort you and bring you salvation.”
St. Gertrude was filled with a new zeal for her vocation to love Jesus. She considered herself a “bride of Christ”. She dedicated herself to studying scripture and spiritual writing. St. Gertrude was inspired to write five books. Three of them still exist.
Eventually she was elected Abbess. She also took charge of the monastery at Hefta. She and her nuns moved there. Gertrude was well educated. She was a mystic and had a great devotion to the saints, the souls in purgatory, the Passion of Our Lord and to His Sacred Heart. She also was devoted to the Bl. Virgin Mary.
“O Sacred Heart of Jesus, fountain of eternal life, Your Heart is a glowing furnace of Love. You are my refuge and my sanctuary. O my adorable and loving Savior, consume my heart with the burning fire with which Yours is aflamed. Pour down on my soul those graces which flow from Your love. Let my heart be united with Yours. Let my will be conformed to Yours in all things. May Your Will be the rule of all my desires and actions. Amen. “
Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great
In 1298, St. Gertrude became very ill. The suffering she experienced was transfigured into love. St. Gertrude died in the year 1302.
The devotion St. Gertrude had for the Poor Souls in Purgatory is well known. The following prayer was written by her out of compassion for those still on their journey to heaven.
Eternal Father, I offer You the most Precious Blood of your Son, Jesus Christ, in union with all the masses said around the world today, for all the Poor Souls in Purgatory,for sinners everywhere, in the Universal Church, in my home and in my family. Amen.
The feast day of Bl. Herman the Cripple is celebrated on September 25. He is the patron saint of the unborn child and the disabled.
Bl. Herman was the son of the Earl of Altshausen in southern Germany. He was born with a cleft palate, cerebral palsy and possibly spina bifida. The doctors told his parents he would not live past five years of age. He lived to be 41.
Herman had trouble with both moving and speaking. His parents cared for him until the age of seven. He was then given to the Abbey of Reichenau to be cared for. The monks raised him in the Benedictine monastery where he became interested in theology and the spiritual world. In spite of his disabilities, Bl. Herman was very intelligent. He studied math, astronomy, theology, history, poetry , Arabic, Greek and Latin. He built musical instruments and was known for his poetry. At the age of 20 Herman became a Benedictine monk.
Towards the end of his life Herman suffered from blindness. He began writing hymns. The most famous are the Salve Regina, Hail Holy Queen and Redemptoris Mater. Bl. Herman used prayer and music to grow closer to God.
Bl. Herman died at the age of 41 in 1054. Because so many children with disabilities die because of abortion, Bl. Herman is the saint of the unborn child. He is also the patron saint of the disabled.
Hail Holy Queen
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! Our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us; and after this, our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
The feast day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux is celebrated on August 20. He was born in a family castle in Dijon, Burgundy in 1090. The family included six sons and one daughter. He was raised by a pious French mother. Bernard was also pious as a child, however the death of his mother caused a prolonged depression.
St. Bernard was drawn towards the Benedictine monastery at Citeaux. One day, at the age of 19, he knelt and asked God for guidance. All doubts vanished and he decided to follow the Cistercian way of life. Bernard was so persuasive that 31 nobles, including his five brothers and two uncles, were convinced to follow him to Citeaux.
When they arrived at the monastery , Stephen Harding was the abbot and they were instructed,
“If you desire to live in this house, leave your body behind; only spirits live here.”
After living a year at the monastery, he made his profession and continued living a cloistered life away from the world.
The monks lived a very simple life. The land was poor and they ate barley bread, herbs and some vegetables. The number of monks grew to 130. Eventually the monastery became known as Clairvzux.
St. Bernard suffered stomach problems but never complained. At one point he was near death because he became so ill. He was ordered to live apart from the community to recover his strength. He lived on a special diet under a doctor’s care and returned to the monastery with improved health.
St. Bernard received the gift of miracles. The first witnessed miracle happened while singing at Mass. He restored the speech to a relative named Josbert de la Forte who was near death. Many miracles were witnessed where Bernard healed the sick by making a sign of the cross over a person and praying.
Because his health was frail, he was directed to preach and write rather than work in the field. He was an eloquent preacher. He fought for reform in the church clergy. St. Bernard became well known as an arbitrator and counselor. He settled many disputes including intervening during a church schism.
St. Bernard preached during the Second Crusade throughout Europe. When the Crusade failed, St. Bernard attributed the failure to the sins of the Crusaders.
St. Bernard was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1830.
Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto you, O virgin of virgins, our mother. To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petitions, but in your mercy, hear and answer me.
Prayer of St. Bernard of Clairvaux
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The feast day of St. Benedict is celebrated on July 11. In the Eastern Church it is celebrated on March 14th.
St. Benedict was born in Nursia in 480 to upper class parents. He attended university in Rome. To escape the vice he was surrounded by he fled Rome and spent three years in seclusion. After these three years he founded the monasteries he is famous for.
St. Benedict is considered the founder of western monasticism. His monasteries were based on the principles in his book The Rule of Benedict. This book begins with this prologue:
“Listen carefully, my son, to the masters’ instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart. (R.B. Prologue)”
St. Benedict Public Domain Image
His rule begins with the word LISTEN! The monasteries have a very strict discipline. They focus on daily personal and liturgical prayer. Singing of the Psalms and reading the Divine Office is practiced daily. Listening to the word of God is the primary focus of their spirituality. Lectio Divino is slow reading and meditation on the scripture. Benedictine spirituality also demands obedience, hospitality, and service.
St. Benedict died while standing in prayer before God in the year 547. St. Benedict is the patron saint of students and Europe.
Shatter all your temptations against Christ.
Quote of St. Benedict
July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood.
Prayers, Quips and Quotes Articles for the Month of July
St. Romuald was born at Ravenna, Italy in 951. His feast day is celebrated on June 19.
As a young man he pursued the pleasures of the world. However, at the age of 20, he witnessed a duel between his father and a relative over property. His father killed the relative. St. Romuald fled to a Benedictine monastery to do penance as if he had committed the crime himself.
St. Romuald became a monk at the Basilica of Saint Apollinare in Classe. Wanting a stricter order he founded several monasteries of his own. When faced with temptation he always turned to prayer. His rule states,
“Sit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. The path you must follow is in the Psalms – never leave it.”
St. Romuald spent 30 years founding monasteries. His father eventually followed him and became a monk. When he wavered he had the encouragement of his son.
St. Romuald died in the year 1027.
I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me.
God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to see before me.
God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to be before me,
God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to secure me.
The feast day of St. Elizabeth of Schoenna is celebrated on June 18.
St. Elizabeth was born in 1129 in Bonn, Germany. She was raised in a monastery and at the age of twelve entered a Benedictine Monastery. She made her profession in 1147 and became superioress of the Benedictine Nuns in 1157.
Elizabeth often had visions and ecstasies which occurred on Holy Days and Sundays. She wrote down her visions and after her death in 1165, the material was published by her brother Egbert who was a priest. The church has not examined her work and has not given an opinion.
Although she has never been formally canonized her name has been entered in the Roman martyrology.
To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ.
The feast day of St. Augustine of Canterbury is celebrated on May 27.
St. Augustine was the prior of the Benedictine Monastery of St. Andrew in Rome. Pope Gregory decided he needed to send missionaries to England. Augustine and 30 monks were who he chose to send. The mission was to unite the Christians after the Saxon conquest of England.
The King of England listened with curiosity to what the missionaries had to say. On Pentecost Sunday in 597, King Ethelbert was baptized. He believed in religious freedom and did not make his new religion mandatory however many followed his example and were baptized. St. Augustine was not successful in uniting the Anglo-Saxon Christians with the original Briton Christians (Celtics). He followed Pope Gregory’s advice to purify rather than destroy pagan temples and customs. As much as possible pagan rites and festivals were changed into Christian feasts.
St. Augustine died eight years after arriving in England. He died on May 26.
God’s works are not regulated by our plans and wishes.
Quote of St. Vincent de Paul; Feast day September 27
The feast day of Bl. Julian of Norwich is celebrated on May 8.
Very little is actually known about Julian of Norwich. It is believed her birth name is Julian and that she was born to a privileged family in Norwich in 1341. She lived as a recluse, probably as a Benedictine Nun.
At the age of 30, she became deathly ill. Near death she experienced visions of Christ. She wrote about her visions immediately in her book Revelation of Divine Love. The book has been translated into many languages.
Bl. Julian believed in God’s love and mercy. She believed sin brings someone to self knowledge which leads to acceptance of the role of God in their life. She believed the pain caused by sin is a reminder of the passion of Christ. Bl. Julian saw God as both Father and Mother which was controversial. Bl. Julian always accepted the authority of the Church.
Bl. Julian of Norwich died in the year 1416.
He did not say: You will not be assailed, You will not be belabored, You will not be disquieted, but He said….”You will not be overcome.”
The feast day of St. Anselm is celebrated on April 21.
St. Anselm was born in 1033 near Aosta . At the age of 15 Anselm wanted to enter a monastery but his father opposed the idea. For a time, he lost interest in religion, but at the age of 27 he finally entered the Monastery of Bec in Normandy. Fifteen years later he became the abbot of the Benedictine monastery.
In 1093 he became the Archbishop of Canterbury. England’s King William Rufus refused to cooperate with his efforts to reform the Church. When the king became very ill St. Anselm became his confessor. However, after he recovered his health matters worsened and St. Anselm went into exile until the death of the King in 1100. The successor, King Henry I, recalled Anselm. St. Anselm fearlessly disagreed with King Henry over the King’s insistence on investing England’s bishops. St. Anselm went into exile for three more years.
St. Anselm opposed the slave trade and worked for the poorest people. He persuaded the national council of Westminster to prohibit the sale of human beings. He was admired for his patience and his teaching ability. St. Anselm published theological works. The most well known is Cur Deus Humo (Why God became Man).
St. Anselm died in the year 1109. St. Anselm was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1720 by Pope Clement XI.
For I do not seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe in order to understand. For this also I believe…that unless I believed, I should not understand.
The feast day of St. Elphege is celebrated on April 19.
St. Elphege was born in 954 to a noble Saxon family. He became a Benedictine monk at Deerhurst Monastery in Gloucestershire, England. After several years he left to become a hermit at Bath where he became abbot. His rule was strict, requiring diligent prayer and service. In 984 he became the Bishop of Winchester. He worked tirelessly to help the poor trying to eliminate poverty in his diocese. In 1006, he was appointed archbishop of Canterbury.
Persecutions by the Danes were taking place at this time. When Canterbury was sacked and burned St. Elphege was taken captive. Because he refused to cooperate in there ransom demands they became angry and drunk. They pelted him with oxen bones and stones and then killed him with an axe in the year1012. As he died he prayed for his attackers.
Just look how these days, when “Alleluia” is ringing in our ears, our spirit soars!…If these days fill us with such tremendous joy, what will that day be like when we are told “Come, you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom.” when all the saints are gathered together?
