Category Archives: Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Leo the Great; Feast Day November 10




St. Leo the Great
St. Leo the Great

 

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Leo the Great;

Feast Day November 10

The feast day of St. Leo the Great is celebrated on November the 10.

St. Leo was born in Tuscany. He lived during a time of great political chaos for the Church. Barbarian armies were ravaging the once mighty Roman Empire. Leo was an ordained a Deacon. He became the Bishop of Rome in 440. He was Bishop of Rome for 21 years, until his death in 461.

During his papacy, he was known for meeting Attila the Hun in 452 as he was preparing to invade Italy. Amazingly, he persuaded him to turn back, and avoided a war. Leo fought many heresies, including Pelagianism which teaches that grace was not necessary for salvation.

Leo is considered one of the great administrators of the Church. He also gave profound spiritual sermons. He presided over the fourth ecumenical council called the Council of Chalcedon. At this council the two natures of Christ was discussed and clarified. The faith teaches that Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine.

St. Leo the Great also clarified the role of the pope, persuading Emperor Valentinian to recognize the primacy of the Bishop of Rome in 445.  His teaching focused on the scripture which had Jesus telling Peter:  “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.  What you forbid on earth shall be forbidden in Heaven.  What you allow on earth shall be allowed in heaven.’  (Matthew 16:19)

Leo was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV in the eighteenth century. The title “Great” has been given to only three Popes. The three “Great popes are St. Leo the Great, St. Gregory the Greatand St. Nicholas the Great.  St. John Paul II is unofficially considered by some to be “great”.  The title “Great” means that the Pope has exercised great leadership and contributed greatly to the theology of the church.

If indeed we are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives in our

hearts…we must work with much vigilance to make the chamber of our heart

not unworthy of so great a guest.

 Quote of St. Leo the Great

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, Feast Day Nov. 8




 

Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity
Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The feast day of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is celebrated on Nov. 8.  She is the patron saint of the sick and the loss of parents.  St. Elizabeth was born into a military family in 1880. She was strong willed and exuberant. When seven, her father died and her family moved to Dijon.

From her bedroom window, she could see the monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns. After the death of her father she experienced outbursts of anger. She experienced both conversion and peace from the sacrament of confession.

At the age of 14 she received her first communion. From that time on she was no longer angry. She developed a great devotion to the Eucharist. It was on her first communion day that she met the prioress of the monastery for the first time. The prioress explained to her that the meaning of the name Elizabeth is “house of God”.

While Elizabeth had an early desire to become a Carmelite nun, she was delayed by her mother’s objections until she was 21. Until then, she sang in two choirs and helped students prepare for their first communion.

In 1901, she finally entered the Carmel monastery taking the name Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity. She had a great devotion to the Carmelite saints but was also drawn to the teachings of St. Paul. She believed the core of his teaching was the love of Christ.  St. Elizabeth was a contemplative who wrote many poems and prayers including her famous Prayer to the Trinity.

St. Elizabeth died from Addison’s Disease in 1906 (kidney disease) at the age of 26. Elizabeth viewed suffering as a gift; a way to share in the redemptive suffering of Jesus.

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity was canonized by Pope Francis on October 16, 2016.

 

“Jesus gives His cross to His true friends
so he can come even closer to them.”

Quote of Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Carina, Feast Day Nov. 7




St. Carina and Companions
St. Carina and Companions

 

The feast day of St. Carina and companions is celebrated on November 7.

Very little is known about St. Carina other than her martyrdom. Under the rule of Emperor Julian the Apostate in the city of Ankara, she and her husband and thirteen year old son, Melasippus, were arrested in the year 360 for being Christian. They refused to renounce their faith. St. Carina and her husband were tortured to death. Their son was beheaded.

 

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues,

but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

   Quote of C. S. Lewis

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Theophane Venard, Feast Day Nov. 6




St. Theophane Venard
St. Theophane Venard

 

St. Theophane was born in France in 1829. He entered the Foreign Mission of Paris.   He was ordained a priest in 1852 and became a missionary.  He worked for 15 months at Hong Kong before going to West Tonkin which is now Vietnam.

In Vietnam, he taught seminary and ministered to the people of Tonkin for four years.  He was arrested on Nov. 30, 1860 and tried for being a Christian.

During his trial he refused to renounce his faith. St. Theophane was caged for several months before he was beheaded in 1861. While being caged he was allowed to write many letters. Some of them survived. In a letter to his father he wrote,

“We are all flowers planted on this earth, which God plucks in His own good time; some a little sooner, some a little later…Father and son may we meet in Paradise. I, poor little moth, go first. Adieu.”

He was an inspiration to St. Thérèse of Lisieux who is known as the Little Flower.

On June 19, 1988 St. Theophane Venard was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II.  He is considered one of the martyrs of Vietnam.

 

Guide your ship well.

Let prudence take the helm,

let humility be the rudder,

God your compass,

Mary, your anchor of hope.

Quote of St. Theophane Venard

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth, Feast Day Nov. 5

Virgin Mary Visits Elizabeth
Virgin Mary Visits Elizabeth

 

 

St. Elizabeth is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. She is a relative of the Virgin Mary and the wife of Zachariah. Elizabeth was considered barren due to old age. However, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah while he was at the temple. He told him not to be afraid, that he was to have a son and was to name him John. Zachariah questioned the angel and the angel said he would be mute because of his doubt.

Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, came to visit her. It is Elizabeth you greeted Mary by saying,

“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

When her son was born Zachariah asked for a tablet and wrote

“His name is John”.

Immediately, he was able to speak again. Their son was John the Baptist.  St. John the Baptist and Jesus are considered cousins.

 

“When a nation lacks saints,

darkness invades peoples minds.”

 

Quote of Bl. Bronislaw Markiewiez; Poland, (1842-1912)

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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




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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