The feast day of St. Athansius is celebrated on May 2.
St. Athanasius was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 295. He received a classical education. He was ordained a priest and then became bishop of Alexandria. He was a true defender of the Church’s teaching against Arianism, which held the belief that Christ was not divine. The heresy had just begun but became very controversial. During the Council of Tyre, Emperor Constantine exiled him to northern Gaul. Constantine’s son succeeded after his death and restored St. Athanasius as bishop. A year later he was exiled again by a coalition of Arian bishops. When St. Athanasius appealed to Rome, Pope Julius I called a synod to review the situation.
St. Athanasius was exiled five times for defending the divinity of Christ. Although he spent 17 years in exile, his final years were peaceful. He wrote the book, “The Life of St. Anthony”, which described the great monk’s struggles with demons. St. Athanasius died on May 2, 373. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.
If the world is against the truth, then I am against the world.”
The feast day of St. Joseph the Worker is celebrated on May 1.
St. Joseph was entrusted by God to be the guardian of Jesus Christ, the son of God. His primary mission was to keep Jesus safe and to provide for him. Joseph, Mary and Jesus are referred to as “The Holy Family”. St. Joseph was a carpenter.
Joseph was engaged to be married to Mary, when she was found with child. He was going to divorce her quietly to avoid scandal, however an angel appeared to him in a dream, saying;
“Joseph, son of David, do no be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.Mat: 1: 20-21
Joseph immediately took Mary as his wife.
The angel appeared to Joseph a second time. This time he was told his family was in danger. They fled to Egypt where they stayed until the angel told him it was safe to return.
We celebrate two feast days for St. Joseph. The first is on March 19; Feast day of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary. The second feast day is May 1; The Feast day of St. Joseph the Worker.
St. Joseph is the patron for a happy death because tradition tells us that he died with Jesus and Mary at his side. He is also the patron of fathers and workers.
St. Joseph with Angel
First, do what is necessary, then do what is possible, and before long you will find yourself doing the impossible.
The feast day of St. Marie de l’Incarnation is celebrated on April 30.
St. Marie de l’Incarnation was born in Tours, France. She was the daughter of a baker. Against her will she married Claude Martin, a silk manufacturer at the age of 17. She had one son. Two years later she became a widow and worked as an embroiderer.
St. Marie experienced a vision in which she saw all of her faults and human frailties. Then she was immersed in the Blood of Christ. This transformed her and led her to become an Ursuline Nun at Tours, France. Her son became a Benedictine priest. She experienced another vision which led her to become a missionary to Canada. She came to New France (Quebec) on July 4, 1634. She worked as a missionary with the Jesuits in Canada. She taught the children of both the natives and the settlers.
St. Marie de l’Incarnation died on April 30, 1762 from hepatitis.
St. Marie de l’Incarnation was both a mystic and writer. She experienced many visions. St. Marie de l’Incarnation was canonized on April 3, 2014 by Pope Francis.
The feast day of St. Louis Marie de Montfort is celebrated on April 28.
St. Louis de Montfort was born on Jan 31, 1673 at Montfort, France. As a child he had a profound devotion to praying before the Blessed Sacrament. At the age of 12 he entered a Jesuit College in Rennes. While at college he visited church before and after class. He joined a society of men who ministered to the poor and the sick. He would read to those in the hospital during their meals. He studied theology in Paris. At the age of 27 he was ordained in 1700 and assigned as a hospital chaplain at Poitiers. He reorganized the staff which resulted in great resentment and his resignation.
Pope Clement XI appointed him to be a missionary and he went to Brittany to preach. He was an emotional preacher and was successful in spreading the devotion to the Blessed Virgin through the Rosary. He wrote “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” and “The Secret of the Rosary” which were very popular books. He was also known for his devotion to the angels; especially guardian angels.
For 17 years he preached the gospel in towns and villages. His preaching was known to move men to cry and beg for forgiveness. St. Louis preached against Jansenism. He founded the Daughters of Wisdom who worked in the hospitals and teaching girls and the Company of Mary which was for missionaries. St. Louis organized several priests into the Company of Mary in 1715. The Company of Mary was led for 39 years by Father Mulot who at first refused to join the Company due to being paralyzed on one side. He was however cured of his disability when he began to preach.’
St. Louis de Montfort fell ill and died on April 28, 1716.
Imitate the virtues of the Blessed Virgin, particularly her profound humility, her lively faith, her blind obedience, her continual prayer.
The feast day of St Zita is celebrated on April 27. St. Zita is the patron of maidservants and housewives.
Zita was born in Tuscany, Italy in 1212. At the age of 12, she became a servant for the Fatinelli household. She was mistreated by her employees and criticized for her hard work by her fellow servants. She continued to be meek and humble and had an inward peace that everyone could see. She was good and loving to everyone regardless of how they treated her. Eventually she gained everyone’s trust and was put in charge of the house.
Zita believed that her work was assigned to her by God. She always rose early to pray before work. She attended daily mass and spent the rest of the day working tirelessly.
When Zita died at the age of 60 on April 27, 1271 it is said that a star appeared above the attic where she slept. She had served the family for 48 years. Miracles reported at the time of her death numbered 150.
In 1580, the body of Zita was exhumed and found to be incorruptible. Her body was put on display in a silver casket, as is tradition, in the church where she had prayed while alive. Although her body is “incorruptible,” it is browned and wizened, probably the result of a form of natural mummification. Only her hands and face are uncovered for viewing.
St. Zita was canonized in 1696.
There is no place for selfishness…and no place for fear! Do not be afraid,then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when love requires sacrifice.
The feast day of St. Mark the Evangelist will be celebrated on April 25.
St. Mark was born into a Jewish family. St. Mark was one of the first disciples of Jesus. He was not one of the original twelve apostles. St. Mark is the patron saint of notaries and lawyers.
St. Mark accompanied St. Paul and Barnabas (his cousin) on their missionary journey to Cyprus. St. Mark is the author of the second gospel. This gospel is the oldest gospel and was written in Greek for Gentile converts. It is believed St. Peter requested him to write this gospel.
Much of what we know about St. Mark we have learned from tradition. It is believed that Mark is the man who carried water to the house where the Last Supper took place. It is also possible he was the man who ran away naked when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:51-52)St. Mark is believed to have been present at the Wedding at Cana when Jesus turned the water into wine. (John 2:1-10)
When St. Peter escaped from prison he went to the home of Mark’s mother. Mark went to Alexandria to preach. He then founded the church in Alexandria.
St. Mark died a martyr, being dragged through the streets with a rope around his neck in the year 68.
The symbol of St. Mark is a winged lion. The lion represents the way the gospel should be preached. St. Mark is the patron saint of lawyers.
On the feast day of St. Mark let us pray:
O God, who exalted blessed Mark the Evangelist, by the grace of preaching the Gospel, grant that we may profit by his teaching and be defended by his prayers. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
The Bible is a letter from the Almighty God to His creatures.
The feast day of St. Mary Pelletier is celebrated on April 24.
Rose Virginie Pelletier was born on July 3l, 1796 on the island of Noirmoutier, Vendée, off the west coast of France. She was the eighth child of Dr. Julian and Anne Pelletier.
It was wartime in France during her childhood. Her family became isolated because her father had treated an enemy soldier. As a child she was very independent but quite compassionate. Her father died when she was only ten years old. Rose was not able to attend school until the Ursuline Sisters opened a school in 1808 in Noirmoutier. While she enjoyed school she also clashed with authority. She was sent to a boarding school in 1810 where she experienced not only the loss of her freedom but loneliness. The boarding school was very strict. When her mother died in 1815 she was not told until after the funeral had taken place. She experienced profound grief.
Near the school was the convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge which had been founded by St. John Eudes. It provided care for women and girls who were homeless. Rose was attracted to their mission and wanted to join the convent. Both her guardian and the boarding school disapproved. Rose, however, persisted and eventually she was allowed to join on the condition she would not make her vows until she was 21. When she made her vows she took the name Sister Mary of St. Euphrasia. She carried out her mission with great enthusiasm.
The mission grew rapidly and Mary saw the need to change the governmental structure in order to deploy sisters to other countries. After much struggle her plans were approved by the Pope. She then founded the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd of Angers. They became known as the Good Shepherd Sisters.
The following quote is attributed to St. Mary Pelletier:
It is well known that I had neither riches nor talent, nor external charm, but I always loved, and I loved with all the strength of my soul.
St. Mary Pelletier eventually established 110 new convents in six continents before her death on April 24, 1868. She was known for her fortitude, cheerfulness and her trust in God.
St. Mary Pelletier was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1910.
The feast day of St. Cletus is celebrated on April 26.
St. Cletus was a Roman by birth. He was ordained by St. Peter the Apostle. He served as the third bishop of Rome, succeeding St. Linus who followed St. Peter. According to tradition, Pope Cletus divided Rome into 25 parishes. Records show that he ordained 25 priests.
The name Cletus means “one who has been called”. Pope Cletus served as pope for twelve years before he was martyred in the year 92 during the persecutions of Domitian. His relics are buried near St. Linus in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The humility of our divine Savior and His most blessed Mother was always accompanied by a perfect obedience.
The feast day of St. Giles of Assisi is celebrated on April 23.
St. Giles was born in Assisi, Italy in 1190. He became one of the earliest followers of St. Francis of Assisi. He accompanied St. Francis on many missions. He visited the Tomb of the Apostle James in Spain and the holy city of Jerusalem. He also visited the sanctuary of the Holy Archangel Michael in Italy. During his travels, St. Giles earned his room and board by chopping firewood, sweeping rooms, washing dishes and other manual labor. He considered labor an opportunity for joy and purification. St. Giles encouraged penance and love of God.
St. Giles was known for his spiritual advice. His Franciscan spirituality is reflected in the many sayings that are collected in a book titled “The Golden Sayings”. St. Giles is referred to as one of the Little Flowers of St. Francis.
St. Francis also referred to him as his “Knight of the Round Table.” The life of St. Giles showed his spirituality. As St. Giles once said:
“The word of God does not belong to him who hears or speak it, but to him who puts it into practice.”
At the great chapter of 4,000 brothers, St. Francis sent Giles to Africa in 1219 with companions to preach the gospel. It never succeeded. As soon as they arrived in Africa, the Christians there led them to a different ship which returned them to Italy. After his return he lived in the convent in Perugia until his death by natural causes in 1262.
Whoever gives up prayer because of difficulties is like a man who runs away from battle.
More than 80,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square Wednesday morning to listen to the teachings of Pope Francis as he spoke for his General Audience, according to Zenit News Agency. He focused on the Catholic belief in the Communion of Saints. (October 30, 2013)
Pope Francis stated that the Communion of Saints relates both to the communion with holy things and the communion with holy persons. The Holy Father stated that no one is alone but rather exists in a communion with all who belong to Christ.
“The Church,” Pope Francis said, “in its most profound truth is a communion with God. This relation between Jesus and the Father is the ‘matrix’ of the bond between us Christians: if we are intimately inserted into this ‘matrix’ in this fiery furnace of love that is the Trinity, then we can become truly one heart and one soul, because the love of God purges our selfishness, our prejudices, our internal and external divisions.” He also stated that our faith needs support from others during difficult moments.
Pope Francis told the crowd that within the communion of saints exists a great family where each one helps and sustains the other.
“A final aspect of the communion of Saints,” he continued, “is the spiritual bond that exists between those who continue their pilgrimage on earth and those who have passed the threshold of death into eternity. All who are baptized down here on earth, the souls in Purgatory, and all the blessed already in Paradise form one big family.”
“This communion between heaven and earth is realized especially through intercessory prayer,” he concluded.
Pope Francis called it the ‘highest form of solidarity’ as well as the foundation of the liturgical celebrations of All Saints and All Souls, which will be celebrated on Nov. 1, and Nov. 2.
This article was originally published on October 30, 2013.
The feast day of Bl. Maria Gabriella is celebrated on April 22.
Bl. Maria Gabriella was born in 1914 in Sardinia, Italy. She was the fifth child of eight children. Her father was a shepherd. As a child she was strong willed and rebellious. At the age of 18 her temper calmed down. After the death of her younger sister she joined the “Azione Cattolic” which was a Catholic youth movement.
At the age of 21 she entered the Trappestine monastery of Grottaferrata. She offered her prayers to heal divisions and prayed for Christian unity. She is credited with the beginning of the ecumenical movement in Italy.
Bl. Maria came down with tuberculosis and 15 months later died in 1930 at the age of 25. She was beatified on Jan. 15, 1982 by Pope John Paul IIon the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
To come to possess all, desire the possession of nothing. To arrive at being all, desire to be nothing. To come to the knowledge of all, desire the knowledge of nothing.
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.
