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Faith, Franciscan Saints, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Feast Day Nov. 17

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St. Elizabeth of Hungary by Moroder Public Domain Image
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
by Moroder

 

 

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.

https://stelizabethdallas.org/

“How could I bear a crown of gold

when the Lord bears a crown of thorns?…

and bears it for me!”

Quote of St. Elizabeth of Hungary

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Art

November is the Month of the Poor Souls

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Benedictine Saints, patron saints, Sacred Heart, Saint of the Day, Spirituality, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Gertrude the Great, Feast Day Nov. 16

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St. Gertrude the Great
St. Gertrude the Great

 

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.

The following prayer expresses her devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“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.

Quote of St. Gertrude

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Laurence O’Toole, Feast Day Nov. 14

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St. Laurence O'Toole
St. Laurence O’Toole

 The feast day of St. Laurence O”Toole is celebrated on November 14.  He is the patron saint of the archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland.

St. Laurence was born in County Kildare, Ireland.  At the age of ten, Laurence became a hostage of Dermod Mac Murchad, King of Leinster. The king gave him permission, when he was twelve, to enter the monastic school of Glendalough, where he studied for thirteen years. When he was only 25 years old, he became the abbot of the Abby of St. Kevin in 1150. He governed the monastery with virtue and prudence.

In 1162, St. Laurence was unanimously chosen as the Archbishop of Dublin. As Archbishop he focused on the reformation of the clergy. He spent much time in prayer, fasted often and prayed for those who had died. He was known for feeding the hungry and aiding the homeless.

St. Laurence participated in the Lateran Council which was held in 1179 by Pope Alexander III. He died in 1180 at the age of 52. Miracles were recorded after his death at his tomb. He was canonized by Pope Honorius III in 1226.

 

 

There is One very near you who

knocks at your door every hour of the day,

who begs you to listen to Him

and to keep silence… in order to hear Him.

Quote of St. Just Bretenie’res: Korean Martyr; Feast day March 7

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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patron saints, Sacred Heart, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Feast Day November 13

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St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

 

The feast  day of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is celebrated on November 13.  She is the patron saint of immigrants, orphans and against malaria.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was born in Lombardi, Italy in 1850. She wanted to become a nun but was hindered by poor health. She became a teacher, teaching at a girl’s school for six years.

Frances took religious vows in 1877, adding Xavier to her name to honor St. Francis Xavier.

At the request of her bishop she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart to care for poor children.

At the urging of Pope Leo XIII, she immigrated to the Unites States with six nuns to work with Italian immigrants.  She crossed the Atlantic ocean in spite of her great fear of water.

She founded many schools, hospitals, and orphanages in the United States, England, France, Spain and South America. In New York City, St. Frances Cabrini founded Columbus Hospital and Italian Hospital. In the 1980’s they merged into Cabrini Hospital.

In 1909 St. Frances Xavier Cabrini became a naturalized United States citizen. She died from malaria at the age of 67, on December 22, 1917, at Columbus Hospital in Chicago, IL.

In 1931, her body was exhumed, found partially incorrupt, and is now enshrined under glass in the altar at St. Frances Cabrini Shrine in Manhattan.

The  National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini w was dedicated in 1955. It is located in Chicago at Lincoln Park. Chicago is the city where she primarily lived, worked and died.

The following prayer was written by St. Frances Xavier Cabrini.

Fortify me with the grace of Your Holy Spirit and give Your peace to my soul that I may be free from all needless anxiety, solicitude and worry. Help me to desire always that which is pleasing and acceptable to You so that Your will may be my will.Amen

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Stretch every fiber of my being, dear Lord, that I may more easily fly towards you.  May your Spirit, which once breathed over the chaos of the earth, give life to all the powers of my soul.

Quote of St. Frances Cabrini

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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patron saints, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Martin of Tours, Feast Day Nov. 11

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St. Martin of Tours
St. Martin of Tours

 

The feast day of St. Martin of Tours is celebrated on November 11.  He is the patron saint of soldiers and beggars.

St. Martin was born in 315 in Pannonia, a Roman Province. Martin’s father was an army officer. Secretly he became a catechumen (a student preparing to become Catholic) at the age of ten. He longed to be a monk so that he could be alone with God in prayer. He was forced to join the army at the age of 15 before he had been baptized. His job was to protect the emperor. He became an officer and was assigned garrison duty in Gaul.

He is portrayed in art helping a beggar who was freezing cold and in need of help. Martin removed his cloak, cut it in half with his sword and gave one half to the beggar. That night, Martin had a dream in which Jesus was wearing his cloak. The dream inspired Martin to immediately seek baptism. He was eighteen years old. Two years after his baptism Martin refused to fight any longer, saying,

I have served you as a soldier, now let me serve Christ.”

Martin was eventually ordained an exorcist. He was chosen as the Bishop of Tours because of his holiness. Martin lived outside the city because of his need for solitude.

St. Martin was known for his miracles and his compassion. St. Martin died on Nov. 8 and was buried at his request in the Cemetery of the Poor.  Near the time of his death, St. Martin prayed the following prayer:

“Lord, if your people still need me, I do not refuse the work.  Thy will be done.”

 

Quote of  St. Martin of Tours

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Charles Barromeo, Feast Day Nov. 4

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St. Charles Borromeo
St. Charles Borromeo

St. Charles Borromeo was born into a noble family in 1528. He was the nephew of Pope Pius IV. When he was twelve he was sent to a Benedictine Abby to be educated.  St. Charles Borromeo is the patron saint of catechists, catechumens and seminarians

St. Charles was an active leader in the Council of Trent. He was ordained a priest while the Council was in progress. That same year he became the Bishop of Milan. At the age of 22, he was named a Cardinal. While serving as the Cardinal of Milan, he enforced the decrees of the Council of Trent. He established seminaries and hospitals. During the plague of 1576, he worked with the sick and helped to bury the dead.   For three months he fed 3000 daily with his own money.  He founded a society for secular priests called the Oblates of St. Ambrose in 1578. It is now known as the Oblates of St. Charles.

St. Charles was very active in the Catholic Reformation, working to rid the church of corruption. He was the teacher and confessor to St. Aloysius Gonzaga.

St. Charles Barromeo died at the age of 46 in 1584.

 

 

“The candle that gives light to others must itself be consumed, Thus we also have to act.  We ourselves are consumed to give a good example to others.”

Quote of St. Charles Borromeo

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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