The Feast day of St. Gerard Sagredo is celebrated on September 24. He is a martyr and patron saint of Hungary.
St. Gerard was born in Venice in 980. He went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land but his ship landed at Istria. He became the educator of the prince and played a role in the conversion of Hungary to Christianity.
St. Gerard became the first Bishop of Csanad in 1030. After the death of the King, St. Stephen, he refused to serve the new King. Persecution against Christians became common.
St. Gerard was martyred on September 24, 1046. Legend states he was placed in a wooden barrel hauled to the hilltop and rolled down what is now named Gillert Hill. At the bottom he was beaten to death.
St. Gerard Sagredo was canonized in 1083.
“It is in loving the cross that one discovers his heart.”
Sept. 21 is the feast day of St. Matthew the Apostle. The Catholic Church will be celebrating his life and martyrdom during the holy Mass. St. Matthew is the patron saint of accountants and bankers.
St. Matthew is also known as “Levi”. Matthew was a tax collector by trade. Tax collectors were despised by most of the people. He was called by Jesus to be one of the twelve Apostles.
The Apostles lived and traveled with Jesus during the three years leading up to his crucifixion. After the crucifixion they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecostand began to spread the “Good News” of salvation.
It is believed that St. Matthew is the author of the first gospel. This gospel was written in Aramaic, which was the language of the Hebrew people. The Gospel of Matthew is referred to as the “teaching gospel”. It contains most of the parables of Jesus and the Beatitudes, which were given to us by Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount.
After the death and resurrection of Jesus, Matthew is believed to have preached in Ethiopia. Reports of his martyrdom vary greatly. It is not known if he was burned, stoned, beheaded or killed with an ax. However, the Church considers him to be a martyr who died for the faith. Traditional prayer:
Glorious St. Matthew, in your Gospel you portray Jesus as the longed-for Messiah who fulfilled the Prophets of the Old Covenant and as the new Lawgiver who founded a Church of the New Covenant. Obtain for us the grace to see Jesus living in His Church and to follow his teachings in our lives on earth so that we may live forever with him in heaven.
Acquire the spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved.
Quote of St. Seraphim of Sarov; Feast Day February 5
The martyrdom of 103 Koreans is celebrated on September 20.
For over 100 years the Christians in Korea practiced their faith in secret. The government of Korea was based on Confucianism and believed that Christians were a threat to the government.
The first known martyrs are Paul Youn and James Kouen. They were martyred after refusing to offer sacrifice on the death of a relative.
Over the next 100 years over 10, 000 Korean Christians were tortured and executed.
On May 6, 1984, in Seoul, Pope John Paul IIcanonized 103 of the martyrs. Their feast day is celebrated on September 20.
Martyrdom is the heroic act of love.
Quote of St. Just Bretenie’res……Korean Martyr; Feast Day March 7
The Feast Day of St. Cyprian is celebrated on September 16. Cyprian was born in North Africa in the 3rd century. He is an important Christian writer. He is the patron saint of North Africa.
At the age of 35, Cyprian converted to Christianity. Soon after his baptism he was ordained, later becoming the Bishop of Carthage. After his baptism he gave away his possessions.
When the persecutions of Christians began in Carthage, Cyprian went into hiding rather than give sacrifices to pagan gods or face execution. Fourteen months later he returned. He called a council to determine the fate of those who had lapsed and denied their faith. The council agreed with Cyprian who disagreed with both extreme answers. He was against allowing anyone to return with little or no penance. He was also against not allowing the lapsed Christians back at all.
Persecutions began again in 256. St. Cyprian proclaimed his faith in Christ and refuesed to sacrifice to pagan gods. He was banished to Curubis. On September 13, 258, St. Cyprian was imprisoned and sentenced to die by the sword.
The execution of St. Cyprian happened in public very quickly. He removed his clothing, knelt down, prayed and then blind folded himself. He was then beheaded with a sword.
To him who still remains in this world, no repentance is too late. The approach to God’s mercy is open.
The Feast day of St. John Gabriel Peboyre is celebrated on September 11.
St. John was the oldest son of a farmer in Le Puech, France. He had seven younger siblings. Three of the brothers joined the VincentianFathers and two of the Daughter became Daughters of Charity.
When his younger brother was accepted into the Vincentian Seminary, his parents asked him to accompany the brother until he was settled. He was surprised to find that he was also drawn to join the Vincentians. His parents supported his decision to join the order rather than return home to farm.
In 1820, St. John was ordained a Vincentian priest. He hoped to become a missionary and travel to China, however he was assigned to be a supervisor of the mother-house in Paris.
In 1835, he began his journey to China as a missionary. It took five months to arrive. He served the poor in Ho Nan China before being transferred to Hubei.
Persecution began in 1839 and St. John Gabriel was arrested. After being tortured, he was found guilty of preaching Christianity and condemned to death. He was tied to a stake and strangled. His body wa retrieved and buried in the mission cemetery.
Pope John Paul II canonized St. John Gabriel Perboyre in 1996.
O my Divine Savior, Transform me into Yourself. May my hands be the hands of Jesus. Grant that every faculty of my body May serve only to glorify You. Above all, Transform my soul and all its powers So that my memory, will and affection May be the memory, will and affections Of Jesus.
I pray You To destroy in me all that is not of You. Grant that I may live but in You, by You and for You, So that I may truly say, with Saint Paul, “I live – now not I – But Christ lives in me.
The Feast Day of St. Regina is celebrated on September 7. She was born in Alise, France. Her mother died at childbirth. Regina’s father was a prominent man who was a pagan. He hired a Christian nurse to raise Regina. While Regina was quite young the nurse secretly baptized Regina.
St. Regina became more and more religious as she grew older. When her father learned that she had been baptized, he disowned her. She lived with her nurse and worked in the fields to earn money. She also tended sheep. While working, she meditated on the love and mercy of God.
When Regina was 15 years old, the prefect of Gaul named Olybrius noticed Regina and became determined to marry her. He was unhappy that she was a Christian. Olybrius tried to convince her to deny her faith but she not only refused but proclaimed her faith even louder. Olybrius then had her imprisoned. She was chained to the walls of the cell with an iron belt. After she still refused to deny her faith, she was whipped and scourged. Finally she was beheaded. She died in the year 286. Many were converted after seeing a solitary dove hover over her during the torture.
The relics of St. Regina are enshrined in Flavigini Abbey where many miracles have since occurred.
St. Regina is honored as a martyr for the faith. She is the patron saint against poverty and for victims of abuse.
If the moon is beautiful as it reflects the light of the sun at so great a distance, what will be the beauty of the saints, who for all eternity and not at a distance, will reflect the divine image of God!
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
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.
The Feast Day of the Martyrs of Gafsa is celebrated on August 26.
St. Augustinefounded several monasteries on Northern Africa. After the death of St. Augustine in 484, King Hunmeric ordered all monasteries abolished and the monks and nuns turned over to the Moors.
The seven brothers from the Gafsa, Tunisia monastery were arrested. They were: Deacon Boniface, Subdeacons Scrvus and Rusticus; Abott Liberatus and Monks: Rogatus, Septimus and Maximus.
After being taken prisoner they were taken to Carthage. They were offered bribes to renounce Christianity. When they refused they were thrown into prison. Christians living in Carthage bribed the jailers who let them offer support to the prisoners. However, the King was informed and he then ordered the prisoners burned to death. The youngest monk, Maximus was given a second chance to renounce Christianity. He refused and pledged his allegiance to God and his Augustinian brothers.
The soldiers tied bundles of dry wood to the monks and placed them on an old raft. They were however, unable to make the wood burn. The King became infuriated and ordered the monks to be beaten to death.
The seven Augustinian brothers are honored as martyrs of the faith.
What unites our soul most closely to God is self-denial;
The Feast Day of St. Genesius of Rome is celebrated on August 25. St. Genesius is the patron saint of actors, comedians and clowns.
St. Genesius was a legal clerk who also performed as an actor. He lived in the third century. St. Genesius performed for Emperor Diocletian.
One of the plays he performed in was about a catechumen (student of Christianity) who was about to be baptized. It was a satire which mocked the sacrament. However, it was influencing St. Genesius to desire baptism. During the play, he saw angels around him and requested baptism.
The emperor was so outraged, he had Genesius arrested and tortured. He was eventually beheaded.
St. Bartholomew was born in Galilee. He was also known as Nathanael. Bartholomew was one of the original twelve Apostles called by Jesus. We know very little about Bartholomew except that he was faithful to Jesus and did his best to spread Christianity after the Resurrection of Jesus. St. Bartholomew is the patron saint against neurological diseases and leather workers.
Bartholomew was present at the Last Supper and he witnessed the Ascension.
After the resurrection, Bartholomew preached in India, Ethiopia and Asia Minor. He was flayed and beheaded by King Astyages in Armenia for converting souls to Christianity.
The Feast Day of St. Bartholomew is celebrated on Aug. 24.
The Feast Day of St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe is celebrated on August 14. He was born in Poland in 1894. His father ran a religious book store before enlisting in the army. His mother later became a Benedictine Nun. St. Maximilian is the patron saint of drug addicts, prisoners, families, and the pro life movement.
At the young age of 12, Maximilian experienced a vision from the Virgin Mary.
“That night I asked the Mother of God what was to become of me. Then she came to me holding two crowns, one white, the other red. She asked me if I was willing to accept either of these crowns. The white one meant that I should persevere in purity, and the red that I should become a martyr. I said that I would accept them both.”
Maximilian entered the minor seminary of the Conventual Franciscans in Lviv (formerly Poland, now the Ukraine) becoming a novice at 16. He studied science as well as philosophy and theology. He was ordained a priest at the age of 24. His mission was to fight against indifference towards God. He founded the Militia of the Immaculata which fought evil and promoted prayer, work and suffering. He became known as the Apostle of Consecration to Mary.
When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, Kolbe and his friars were arrested and then released after 3 months on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.
He was arrested a second time in 1941. After three months a prisoner escaped and ten men were ordered to be executed. St. Maximilian Kolbe offered to take the place of a man about to be executed. When asked who he was he replied, ” a priest”. The commandant allowed the exchange. He was stripped naked and given no food. The prisoners sang. On the eve of the Feast of the Assumption the jailer came to inject the remaining prisoners with a needle with carbolic acid. The bodies of the prisoners were burned.
Maximilian Kolbe was canonized in 1982.
No one in the world can alter the truth,
all we can do is seek it and live it.
Quote of St. Maximilian Kolbe
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Feast day of St. Maximus the Confessor is celebrated on August 13. He was born in 580 in Constantinople to a noble family.
After serving as secretary to Emperor Heraclius, Maximus became a monk and abbot at Chrysopolis, which is now Turkey.
St. Maximus attended the Lateran Council which condemned Monotheism. Monotheism believed Jesus Christ had a divine nature not a human nature. After returning from the council St. Maximus refused to accept Monotheism which was a heresy prevalent at the time. He was arrested and charged with treason. After six years in prison he was brought back to Constantinople with two of his disciples to be tortured and mutilated. Their tongues and right hands were cut off. They were then sent to Skhemaris on the Black Sea where he died in the year 662
St. Maximus is considered a mystic and honored for his theology of the Incarnation and the two natures of Christ…human and divine. He wrote over 90 works on the faith.
After his death miracles were reported to have occurred at this tomb.
“Be on guard lest the vice
that separated you from your brother
be not found in your brother, but in you;
and hasten to be reconciled to him
lest you fall away from the commandment of love.”
Quote of St. Maximus the Confessor
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
