The feast day of St. Hyacintha is celebrated on January 30.
St. Hyacintha was born near Viterbo, Italy in 1588. Her father was a count and her mother was from a Roman family. Her birth name was Clarice.
Clarice entered the convent of the Tertiearies at Virterbo as a Third Order Franciscan Sister. However, she did not in the beginning embrace the love of poverty which St. Francis called for. She supplied herself with material goods to live life in comfort. When she became seriously ill a confessor brought her Holy Communion to her room. When he noticed her material possessions he advised her to live more humbly. Hyacintha rid herself of her fine clothes and special foods. She began to live a simple life which included penances. She developed a special devotion to the sufferings of Christ and inspired others by her acts of penance. She had a special devotion for Mary, the Mother of Mercy.
St. Hyacintha died at the age of 55 in 1640. Many miracles were reported at her grave site. She was canonize by Pope Pius VII in 1807.
The feast day of St. Angela Merici is celebrated on Jan. 27. St. Angela is the patron saint of the sick and disabled.
St. Angela Merici was born in 1474. She lived primarily in Brescia, Italy. Her parents read to Angela when she was young, teaching her about the saints and martyrs. She lost both of her parents when she was about ten years old. She also lost her sister to death. They were quite close and her grief was great. It was made worse because her sister had not received the Last Sacraments. In spite of being reassured by the parish priest concerning her sister’s salvation, Angela prayed to Jesus for consolation. She experience a vision of a company of Angels surrounding her sister, escorting her to Heaven. She no longer had any doubt about her sisters entry into heaven.
On a trip to the Holy Land St. Angela became blind. She refused to end the pilgrimage, continuing to visit the shrines and praying with enthusiasm. On the return trip her vision was restored while praying before a crucifix.
St. Angela became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis and served the marginalized, the poor, the orphans and the sick. She had a special desire to educate the poor.
At the age of 57, Angela organized twelve girls to help her teach catechism. The group grew to 28 and they formed The Company of Saint Ursula. It was named after St. Ursula who was an early martyr and patron of education and the youth. They later became known as the Ursulines. It was the first group of women religious to work outside the cloister and the first teaching order of women. The order impressed many people with its work including Pope Clement. He requested that she take charge of a religious order of nursing sisters, however she turned him down. She knew her calling was to teach the poor and uneducated.
After her death on Jan. 27, 1540, the Company of Saint Ursula spread rapidly.
The feast day of St. Marianne Cope is celebrated on Jan. 23. St. Marianne Cope was the first Franciscan woman from North America to become a saint. St. Marianne Cope is the patron saint of outcasts.
The birth name of St. Marianne Cope was Barbara Koob (now officially Cope) She was born on Jan 23, 1838 in SE Hessen, West Germany. She was one of ten children. Her father was a farmer. The family moved to the United States one year after her birth.
Her vocation to the religious life was delayed by the necessity to support her family when her father became ill. At the age of 25, Barbara entered the Sisters of St. Francis in Syracuse, New York. She received her religious habit and the name of Sister Marianne. She served as a teacher and principal in several elementary schools in New York. She also helped establish two of the first hospitals in central NY. In 1870, she became a nurse administrator at St. Joseph’s in Syracuse, NY.
In 1882, a priest requested help managing hospitals and schools in Hawaii; primarily working with leprosy patients. She responded to his letter with the following words.
“I am hungry for the work and I wish with all my heart to be one of the chosen ones, whose privilege it will be to sacrifice themselves for the salvation of the souls of the poor Islanders…I am not afraid of any disease, hence, It would be my greatest delight to minister to the abandoned lepers.”
Along with six other sisters of St. Francis, she arrived in Honolulu in Nov. 1833. Mother Marianne was the supervisor as they managed Kakóako Branch Hospital on Oahu which treated 200 leprosy patients. They began by thoroughly cleaning the hospital. They also opened a home for the healthy daughters of the patients who were ill. Mother Marianne met Fr. Damien (now St. Damien…the Apostle to Lepers) in January 1884 while he was still healthy.
In 1887 the new government in charge of Hawaii closed the Hospital. In 1888, she went to Kalaupapa several months before the death of St. Damien. She reassured him she would provide care for the patients at the Boy’s Home at Kalawao on the Island of Molokai. Three Sisters ran the Bishop Home for boys and girls.
Mother Marianne died in Hawaii of natural cause on August 9, 1918 and is buried on the grounds of Bishop Home. The Saint Marianne Cope Shrine and Museum was built to honor her memory.
Mother Marianne was beatified on May 14, 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI. St. Marianne Cope was canonized on Oct 21, 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI.
“I am not thinking of reward. I am working for God and do so cheerfully.“
St. Berard was born at Carbro, Umbria, Italy. He became a Franciscan monk at the time of St. Francis in 1213. He spoke Arabic.
St. Francissent him and other Franciscans to preach to Muslims in Morocco, (Peter Otho, Accursius, and Adjutus). When they arrived they began preaching in the marketplace. They were immediately arrested and told to stop. They refused which resulted in them being beaten.
After refusing to renounce Christ, the sultan beheaded them on January 16, 1220. They are believed to be the first Franciscan martyrs. After viewing their relics, Anthony of Paduadecided to join the Franciscans.
St. Berard was canonized in 1481 by Pope Sixtus IV.
Watch, dear Lord, with those who wake
or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels
charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones,
O Lord Jesus Christ, rest your weary ones,
bless your dying ones, soothe your suffering ones,
The feast day of Bl. Eurosia is celebrated on January 9.
Bl. Eurosia was born in Quinto Vicentino, Italy in 1866. Her parents were farmers. She was called Rosina by her family. At age four they moved to Marola where she attended school for only two years before stopping to help with the farm work and domestic chores. She joined the Association of the Daughters of Mary and taught catechism. She had a devotion to the infant Jesus, the Eucharist, the Virgin Mary and the souls in purgatory.
After the death of a neighbor, Rosina began caring for the two children left with no mother. Eventually, she married the father, Carlo Barban. They had nine children, Bl. Eurosia became known as “Mama Rosa”. She became a member of the Franciscan Third Order. She was known for feeding the hungry and nursing the sick.
In Jan, 1932, Bl. Eurosia died surrounded by family.
“I want to spend my heaven in doing good upon earth.”
The feast day of St. Rose Phillippine Duchesne is celebrated on Nov. 18. St. Rose is the patron saint of the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri
St. Rose was born in Grenoble, France in 1769. She was drawn to the contemplative life. During the French revolution she spent her time nursing prisoners. She soon joined the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
During Eucharistic Adoration she experienced a vision where she was serving God in the New World. Twelve years later , at the age of 49, she moved to the United States. She was sent to the Louisiana Territory.
In Louisiana, she opened the first free school west of the Missouri River. By 1828 she had founded six houses. She worked among the Potawatomie Indians who named her Quah-kak-ka-num-ad, “Woman-Who-Prays-Always”.
St. Rose died at the age of 83 at St. Charles, Missouri on November 18, 1852.
St. Rose was Beatified by Pope Pius XII in 1940.
St. Rose was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
Humility is the virtue that requires the greatest amount of effort.”
The feast day of St. Elizabeth of Hungary is celebrated on November 17. Elizabeth was a Princess born in 1207 to King Andrew II of Hungary. St. Elizabeth of Hungary is the patron saint of widows, charities, bakers and young brides.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary was born in 1207 in Hungary. She was the daughter of Alexander II who was the King of Hungary. She was betrothed at the age of four to be married to Louis of Thuringa (a German principality). At the age of 14 she married Louis who was 21.
Elizabeth was very pious from a young age. Louis, also was quite religious. Their marriage was a happy and fruitful union. They had three children. Louis was a brave soldier. While he was away Elizabeth devoted herself to charity. She helped to build a hospital which had 12 beds.
He encouraged her works of charity. After six years of marriage Louis was killed during the crusades while she was pregnant with their third child at the age of 20. Elizabeth’s relatives resented how generous she was with the family’s money. They mistrusted her and eventually threw her out of the palace.
Upon hearing the news of her husband’s death, Elizabeth cried out,
“The world with all its joys is now dead to me.”
After finding care for her children, Elizabeth left the castle and became a Third Order Franciscan, joining them on Good Friday. She devoted herself entirely to helping the sick and poor. A Franciscan hospital was built in which she was able to care for the sick and suffering.
St. Elizabeth died at the age of 24 in 1231. Soon after her death miracles of healing were reported at her grave site
A legend exists that her husband met her unexpectedly as she went secretly on an errand to help the poor. The bread she was carrying was turned into roses. Pictures of St. Elizabeth often show her carrying bread or roses.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary died at the age of 24 in 1231 at Marburg, Germany of natural causes. She was canonized on May 27, 1235 by Pope Gregory IX.
The feast day of Bl. Maria Restituta is celebrated on October 29. She was martyred by the Nazis when she refused to remove crucifixes from the hospital walls.
Helen Kafka was born in Vienna, Austria in 1894. Her father was a shoemaker. Helen’s first job was that of a salesgirl. She then became an assistant caregiver at the Lainz public hospital. It was at the hospital that she met the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity. She joined the Order at the age of 20. She took the name Restituta who was a marty in the 4th century.
Sister Restituta became a surgical nurse in 1919 working at the Moulding hospital. After the Nazi invasion of the country she became an opponent of the Nazis. When they ordered her to remove all the crucifixes on the walls of the hospital, she refused. The Nazis then arrested her and charged her for “aiding and abetting the enemy in the betrayal of the fatherland and for plotting high treason”.
The last days Sister Restituta spent in prison were spent caring for other prisoners. Even the communist prisoners spoke highly of her. She was offered freedom if she left her religious order but she refused.
Bl. Maria was beheaded at the age of 48 on March 30, 1943 in Vienna. Pope John Paul II beatified her on June 21, 1998.
Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Bl. Bonaventure of Potenza,
Feast Day October 26
San Damiono Cross
Bl. Bonaventure was born Jan. 4, 1651 in Naples, Italy into a poor family. He studied Latin from a priest and became a Franciscanat the age of 15. He was sent to Amalfi to study and was ordained a priest.
As a priest Bl. Bonaventure was known for his simple but powerful sermons. When an epidemic broke out he served all who were sick without concern for his own health. He was known for miraculous cures. Bl. Bonaventure was a very effective priest. His humility was admired and his spirituality was focused on humility, service and obedience.
After 45 years of service as a priest he died from gangrene after asking for forgiveness for his faults. He was given a crucifix and died peacefully on October 26, after receiving the last sacrament.
Pope Pius VI beatified Bl. Bonaventure in 1775.
“No none has the right to sit down and feel helpless, there’s too much to do.”
The feast day of St. John Capistrano is celebrated on October 23. He is the patron saint of chaplains, military chaplains and judges.
St. John was born in 1386. He was the son of a German knight. He was well educated studying civil and church law. By the age of 26 he became governor of Perugia. When a battle broke out against the Malatestes he tried to broker peace. He became a prisoner of war. During his time in prison, he encountered St. Francis of Assisi in a dream and experienced a conversion. When released from prison he joined the Franciscansof Perugia. Four years later he was ordained a priest.
St. John Capistrano was known for his preaching. Great crowds gathered to hear him. He was instrumental in reviving the faith. He was a student of St. Bernadino of Sienawho introduced him to the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus.
During the crusades he preached in Hungary. He visited the kings of Europe uniting them and their armies against invading forces. In 1456, he led a Christian army to Belgrade. When it appeared that they would be overpowered by the Muslims, he ran to the front line holding a crucifix crying
“Victory, Jesus, Victory!“
The Christian army won a great victory and Belgrade was freed from the siege. Several months later, St. John died at Villach in Austria after a painful infection. He was canonized in 1724.
The following quote is taken from the treatise written by St. John Capistrano called “Mirror of the Clergy”.
Those who are called to the table of the Lord must glow with the brightness that comes from the good example of a praiseworthy and blameless life. They must completely remove from their lives the filth and uncleanness of vice. Their upright lives must make them like the salt of the earth for themselves and for the rest of mankind. The brightness of their wisdom must make them like the light of the world that brings light to others. They must learn from their eminent teacher, Jesus Christ, what he declared not only to his apostles and disciples, but also to all the priests and clerics who were to succeed them, when he said: “You are the salt of the earth. But what if salt goes flat? How can you restore its flavor? Then it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
The feast day of St. John XXIII is celebrated on October 11. He was known also known as “Good Pope John”.
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was born in 1881 near Borgano, Italy. He was the oldest of 13 children. Angelo joined the Secular Franciscan Order. After he was ordained a priest in 1904, he returned to Rome to study canon law. He became the bishop’s secretary, Church history teacher in the seminary and publisher of the diocesan paper.
During World War I, he served as a stretcher bearer for the Italian army. During World War II he was a papal diplomat, serving in Bulgaria, Turkey and France. With the help of Germany’s ambassador in Turkey, Archbishop Roncalli, he helped save approximately 24,000 Jewish people from death.
In 1953 he was named a cardinal and Bishop. He was elected Pope at the age of 77, taking the name of John. He soon called an ecumenical council and presided over the first session of the Second Vatican Council. The purpose of the Council was to bring the church into the modern world. It also was an effort to end hostilities between religions. Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant religious leaders were invited to attend.
One quote he is remembered for is:
“The Church has always opposed errors. Nowadays, however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity.”
Pope John XXIII earned the title Good Pope John because of his kind and cheerful demeanor.
He died on June 3, 1963. He was beatified November 15, 1881 by Pope John Paul II. He was canonized on the same day as Pope John Paul II by Pope Benedict on April 27, 2014.
In the Blessed Sacrament a heavenly school is open to me, with the best teacher one can possibly imagine…Jesus Christ himself.
The feast day of Bl. Mary Angela is celebrated on October 10.
Bl. Mary Angela Truszkowska was baptized as Sophia Camille after she was born in Kalisz, Poland on May 16, 1825. Her parents were well educated and devout Catholics.
As a child Sophia’s health was frail due to contracting tuberculosis. She was tutored at home. After the family moved to Warsaw in 1837, Sophia enrolled for a short time at the Academy of Madame Guerin until she withdrew due to health issues. She studied at home using her father’s library. She developed a great interest in social justice.
Sophia was drawn to a strong prayer life. She attended daily Mass and had a devotion to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. When she was 23 she experienced a conversion which changed her life. She considered joining the cloistered Visitation Sisters but was advised by her confessor not to leave her ailing father.
While traveling with her father in Germany, Sophia felt called by Our Lord to serve the suffering poor and aging. She became a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. She was constantly searching for God’s will while she served the poor. Eventually, Sophia began to teach the poor children and help the aging and homeless. Together with her cousin Clothilde they rented an attic with her father’s help and began the “Institute of Sofia Truszkowska”.
Both Clothilde and Sophia became Lay Franciscans. Sophia took the name Mary Angela. Their Franciscan spirituality led them to start a new order. On the feat day of the Presentation of the Bl. Virgin Mary, they dedicated themselves before an icon of Our Lady of Czestvehowa and founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice. St. Felix was the first Capuchin Franciscan to be canonized. The purpose of the order was that “in all and by all” God may be known, loved and glorified”. They became known as the “Felician Sisters”. Their ministry ranged from teaching to hospitals and caring for the poor and aging.
Mother Angela served for over 30 years. The sufferingshe experienced from progressive deafness, malignant tumors and terrible headaches was mostly unknown by those she served. Her Eucharistic spirituality inspired many. She always tried to imitate Mary and was known for her great love.
Today the Congregation of Sisters of St. Felix are known for their devotion to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Mother Angela died on October 10, 1899. Her face changed from one of suffering to an expression of peace.
