Category Archives: Martyr

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Bl. Anacleto, Feast Day April 1

March 31, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

The feast day of Bl. Anacleto Gonzalez Florez is celebrated on April 1.

Bl. Anacleto Gonzalez Florez was born on July 13, 1888 in Tepatitlan, Jalisco, Mexico. He studied law during a time of persecution.

Anacleto was greatly involved in social and religious activities and a member of the Catholic Association of Young Mexicans. He taught religious education, wrote articles and books and was dedicated to works of charity. In 1922 he married Maria Concepcion Guerrero and they had two children.

Anacleto joined the League for the Defense of Religious Freedom after four journalists were murdered. He began a weekly newspaper named “Word”. He was periodically imprisoned; however, he preached the gospel to inmates while in prison.

In 1927 guerrilla warfare spread. Anacleto wrote bulletins from his hiding places. He was captured on April 1, 1927 in the home of the Vargas Gonzalez family. He and two of the Vargas brothers were arrested. Anacleto was tortured be being hung by his thumbs until his fingers were dislocated and having the bottoms of his feet slashed. He refused to give his captors any information.

Bl. Anacleto was sentenced to death and was shot with the Vargas Gonzalez brothers and Luis Padilla Gomez on April 1, 1927.

The last words of Bl. Anacleto were….“I die, but God does not die. Viva! Cristo Rey!”

Well, Lord, if this is how You treat Your friends, no wonder You have so few!

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

April is the Month of the Eucharist

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Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Benjamin, Feast Day March 31

March 30, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

The feast day of St. Benjamin is celebrated on March 31.

St. Benjamin was a deacon serving in Persia. There had been twelve years of peace in Persia when Abdas, a Christian bishop, burned the Temple of Fire which was a great sanctuary. King Isdegerd threatened to destroy all Christian churches unless it was rebuilt. When Abdas refused to rebuild the sanctuary the King proceeded to carry out his threat.

It was during this time that St. Benjamin was arrested. He was imprisoned for one year for his faith. At the end of the year he was released on the condition that he could not speak about religion.

St. Benjamin declared that it was his duty to preach about Christ and refused to be silent. He was arrested again and tortured. Reeds were thrust between his nails and then withdrawn. A knotted stake was inserted into his bowels to rend and tear him.

St. Benjamin died a martyr in 424. St. Benjamin is the patron of Evangelists.

The cross means there is no shipwreck without hope; there is no dark without dawn; nor storm without haven.

Quote of St. John Paul II; Feast day October 22

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Margaret Clitherow, Feast Day March 26

March 25, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

St. Margaret Clitherow Public Domain Image — St. Margaret Clitherow

The feast day of St. Margaret Clitherow is celebrated on March 26.

St. Margaret Clitherow was born in Middleton, England in 1555. She was raised in the Anglican faith. Her father was Thomas Middleton, the Sheriff of York. She married John Clitherow who was a wealthy butcher. They had two children.

Margaret converted to the Catholic faith after several years of marriage. She began harboring fugitive priests during the persecution of Queen Elizabeth. She also was known to let the priest celebrate Mass on her property. St. Margaret was arrested and put into prison. She refused to deny her faith and sentenced to die by being ‘pressed to death’. At the trial Margaret’s only statement was…

“Having made no offense, I need no trial”.

The martyrdom of St. Margaret took place in 1586. St. Margaret was stretched on the ground with a sharp rock on her back and crushed under a door laden with heavy weights. She died within fifteen minutes. Many of her bones were broken. She was 33 years old.

St. Margaret was canonized in 1970 as one of the 40 martyrs of England and Wales.

Spirit of truth, You are the reward of saints, the comforter of souls, light in the darkness, riches to the poor, treasure to lovers, food for the hungry, comfort to the wanderer; to sum up, You are the one in who all treasures are contained.

Quote of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi; Feast day May 25

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Julian of Antioch, Feast Day March 16

March 15, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

The feast day of St. Julian of Antioch is celebrated on March 16.

St. Julian was born in Anazarbus, Cilicia (Turkey). He was arrested for being a Christian during the persecutions of Diocletian in 305 A.D.

St. Julian refused to renounce his faith resulting in his being tortured and paraded through the city of Cilicia. After being sentenced to death, his body was sewn into a sack filled with vipers and scorpions and then cast into the sea. When the sack was recovered, the remains of St. Julian were sent to Alexandria and then to Antioch where St. John Chrysostom gave the eulogy at his burial.

Jesus stretches out His arms on the cross to embrace sinners.

Quote of St. John XXIII; Feast day October 11

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Faith, Jesuit Saints, Martyr

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Oglivie, Feast Day March 10

March 8, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

St. John Oglivie Public Domain Image — St. John Oglivie

The feast day of St. John Oglivie is celebrated on March 10.

St. John Oglivie was born in 1579 to noble parents in Scotland. He was raised a Calvinist. He became interested in the debate between the Protestants and the Catholics and turned to the scripture for guidance.

Two verses stood out to him:

“God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:4);

and

“Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” (Mat ll:28).

He had a great admiration of the martyrs of the faith. St. John Oglivie converted to the Catholic faith when he was 17. His early studies were with the Benedictines. He attended the Jesuit College at Olmutz. The Jesuits are also known as the Society of Jesus.

St. John Oglivie was ordained a Jesuit priest in Paris in 1610. He requested to serve in Scotland. He went to Scotland, then returned. He also went to London, Paris and then back to Scotland. He was very successful in converting people to the faith. Eventually however, he was betrayed and arrested. He was tortured in an attempt to make him reveal the names of other Catholics. He refused to do so.

St. John Oglivie was tried for the treason of converting Protestants to the faith. He stood trial three times. In 1615, he was hanged at Glasgow at the age of 36. Just before he was hanged, St. John tossed his Rosary beads into the crowd. They were caught by a Calvinist nobleman who later became a Catholic. He credited his conversion to the incident and the martyr’s beads.

St. John Oglivie was canonized in 1976.

Lord, give me patience in tribulation.

Quote of St. Thomas More; Feast day June 22

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Faith, Martyr

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Sts. Perpetua & Felicity, Feast Day March 7

March 5, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

The feast day of St. Perpetua and St. Felicity is celebrated on March 7.

Both St. Perpetua and St. Felicity were martyred during a time of great persecution. They were put to death in the year 202 in the games which made public spectacles of those who refused to renounce their faith.

St. Perpetua was a well educated noblewoman living in Carthage, North Africa. Her mother was a Christian but her father was a pagan. Her father tried unsuccessfully to convince her to renounce her faith. Perpetua was 22 when she was arrested and imprisoned. She kept a diary of her sufferings and the nature of the torture she endured. She continued to care for her child in spite of the torture she was forced to endure.

St. Felicity was a pregnant slave girl who was imprisoned at the same time as Perpetua. She also was tortured and condemned to die. Several days before the games began she gave birth to a baby girl. The baby girl was secretly taken away to be raised by Christians.

Both St. Perpetua and St. Felicity are honored on their Feast day of March 7.

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle.

I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.

Quote of St. Teresa of Calcutta; Feast day Sept. 5

March is the Month of St. Joseph

St. Perpetua and St. Felicity in Art

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The Mystery of Faith

Category Archives: Martyr

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Bl. Anacleto, Feast Day April 1

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Benjamin, Feast Day March 31

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Margaret Clitherow, Feast Day March 26

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Julian of Antioch, Feast Day March 16

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Oglivie, Feast Day March 10

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Sts. Perpetua & Felicity, Feast Day March 7

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