The Feast Day of St. Nicholas of Tolentino is celebrated on September 10. He is the patron saint of the souls in purgatory and the dying.
The parents of St. Nicholas were childless when they visited the Shrine of St. Nicholas of Myrna at Bari, Italy. The year after praying for a child they became parents. They named their child Nicholas in gratitude for their prayer being answered.
At the age of 18, Nicholas became an Augustinian monk. He was ordained a priest at 25. St. Nicholas was known for his visions and gift of miracles. He received a vision of angels reciting the phrase “to Tolentino”. He decided to move to Tolentino in 1274 where he lived the rest of his life.
St. Nicholas was a peacemaker during a time of war. He was also a miracle worker and healer. He often visited prisoners and was known for his kindness.
Once after becoming ill, he had a vision in which the Virgin Mary, St. Augustineand St. Monica appeared to him. They told him to eat a certain type of roll dipped in water. He was healed after doing so. He then began healing others by giving bread to them and reciting Marian prayers. The rolls become known as St. Nicholas Bread.
Many legends and miracles are credited to St. Nicholas. Over 300 miracles have been recognized.
After a long illness in which he became bedridden and suffered greatly, St. Nicholas died in 1245, surrounded by his community.
St. Nicholas of Tolentino was canonized by Pope Eugene IV in 1446.
There is no sin or wrong that gives a man a foretast of hell in this life as anger and impatience.
Quote of St. Catherine of Sienna; Feast day April 29
The Feast Day of St. Rose of Viterbo is celebrated on September 4. Rose was born in Viterbo, Italy in 1234. The city was in revolt against the pope. Her family was exiled for supporting the Pope. After the Pope won the dispute, Rose returned to the city.
St. Rose was pious from a very young age. She practiced contemplative prayer by age 7. She had the gift of miracles and visions. While still a child she is credited with the healing of her Aunt who was believed to be dead. At the age of ten, Mary instructed her to join the 3rd Order of St. Francis. Shortly after, Our Lord appeared to her on a cross wearing a crown of thorns. When Rose asked him why this had happened he told her his deep love for men was the reason. Rose persisted asking him who had pierced him. He told her:
The sins of men have done it.
This vision inspired young Rose to take to the streets preaching penance. St. Rose tried and failed to join the Order of Poor Clare’s due to lack of a dowry. She tried to found a religious community of her own but it was not approved. She lived a life of prayer and penance in her father’s home. She died in 1251 at the age of 18.
The body of St. Rose was discovered to be incorrupt and lies in the monastery of St. Mary of the Roses which refused her entry. St. Rose was canonized in 1457.
Rose’s dying words to her parents were:
“I die with joy, for I desire to be united to my God. Live so as not to fear death. For those who live well in the world, death is not frightening, but sweet and precious.“
The Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated on May 13.
In 1917, an angel and Our Lady appeared six times to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. Jacinta (7 years old) and Francisco (9 years old) were brother and sister. Lucy Dos Santos (14 years old) was their cousin. Jacinta and Francisco both died several years after the apparitions.
Francisco was born on June 11, 1908. During the apparitions Francisco could see but not hear what was being said. He had a great love of praying before the Blessed Sacrament. He also had a great devotion to praying the Rosary. He received his first communion on the day of his death, April 4, 1919.
Jacinta was born on March 11, 1910. Jacinta could both hear and see what was said during the apparitions. She was profoundly affected when Our Lady told her that Jesus was very offended by sin. After seeing a vision of hell, she decided to offer herself completely to the salvation of souls. She offered her sufferingto free souls from the fires of hell. A year after the apparitions she came down with bronchial pneumonia, an abscessed lung and then was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She offered all of her suffering to Jesus. She was rushed to a hospital in Lisbon. The Blessed Virgin visited her their three times. She died without the presence of her parents or Lucy on Feb.20, 1920.
Lucy was born on March 22, 1907. After the apparitions Our Lady told her that her cousins would soon be in heaven and that Lucy should spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady said “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.” It was Lucy who requested a miracle so people would believe in the apparitions. During the investigations surrounding the apparitions, Lucy was harassed. She entered the Sisters of St. Dorothy as Sister Mary of the Sorrowful Mother. Later she became a Carmelite Sister taking the name Sister Maria Lucia. She had several more visions of Our Lady. Lucy died on Feb. 3, 2005 at the age of 97.
The children saw a brilliant flash of lightning. A beautiful Lady appeared clothed in white and she asked the children to return on the thirteenth of each month. She asked the children to pray the Rosary daily and for devotion to her Immaculate Heart. She also requested prayer for Russia. Our Lady of Fatima spoke of observing the first Saturdays of each month by going to confession and receiving Holy Communion as a devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
On the final visit, a dramatic “dance of the sun” took place. It was witnessed by thousands of people. The sun seemed to tumble from the sky.
During the apparitions in Fatima three secrets were revealed to the children.
After being promised they would go to heaven the children saw a vision of hell which was filled with fire and demons.
Mary instructed the children how to save souls from Hell and convert the world to Christianity. She asked them to spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart and to pray the Rosary. She asked them to pray for Russia.
The children had a vision of the assassination of the Holy Father.
Many believe the third secret was a prophecy of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II canonized Francisco and Jacinta Marto on May 13, 2000.
Several chapels have been built at the site.
Pope John Paul II gave thanks to Our Lady of Fatima for her intercession after he survived an attempted assassination. He reminded the faithful that “the message of Fatima is a call to conversion and repentance, the nucleus of the message of the Gospel”.
“There is no queen like humility
to make the King surrender.
Humility drew the King from heaven
to the womb of the Virgin,
and with it, by one hair,
we will draw Him to our souls.”
Quote of St. Teresa of Avila; Feast day October 15
The Feast Day of St. Ignatius of Loyola is celebrated on July 31. St. Ignatius of Loyola was born the youngest of 13 children in a family castle in Guipuzcoa, Spain. Until he was 30, he served as a courtier and soldier in Spain.
St. Ignatius was wounded when a cannonball shattered his leg. While in the hospital he spent a great deal of time studying the lives of the saints. When he was finally released from the hospital, he decided he should try to imitate the saints. He went to confession, and then lived in a cave for about a year while caring for the poor and sick.
He entered school at the age of 35. After studying Latin and theology in several different schools, he received his degree in Paris. While in Paris, he met St. Francis Xavierwho was one of his followers. Ignatius, with five followers founded the Order of the Society of Jesus, which came to be known as the Jesuits. They offered themselves to the Pope, for any work he wanted them to do. The Jesuits were known for their missionary work. They were a great influence during the Counter Reformation.
St. Ignatius was a mystic. He had several visions. His spirituality focused on the Trinity, Christ and the Eucharist. His motto was “All for the greater glory of God.” In 1548, his book The Spiritual Exerciseswas printed. This introduces the concept of a 30-day retreat.
St. Ignatius died of Roman Fever, almost blind, at the age of 65 on July 31, 1556. St. Ignatius is the patron saint of Catholic soldiers, and retreats.
The Basilica of St Ignatius of Loyola was built next to the house where he was born in Azpeita, the Basque Country. The house itself is now a museum. St. Ignatius’ legacy includes many Jesuit schools and educational institutions. In the U.S. alone there are 28 Jesuit colleges and universities. There are more than 50 Jesuit secondary schools.
Lord Jesus Christ take all my freedom my memory my understanding and my will. All that I have and cherish You have given me. I surrender it all to be guided by Your will Your grace and Your love are wealth enough for me. Give me these, Lord Jesus and I ask for nothing more.
The Nativity of St. John the Baptist is celebrated on June. The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday after January 6th.
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)
St. John the Baptist baptizing Jesus Public Domain Image
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 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
St. John the Baptist Public Domain Image
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.
The Feast Day of St. Aloysius Gonzaga is celebrated on June 21. He was a Jesuit Deacon who lived in Italy and Rome from 1568-1591. He is the patron saint of youth and plague victims.
St. Aloysius was born in Castiglione, Italy in 1568. He was one of seven children and lived in a castle. He was expected to follow his father into the military, but by the early age of nine Aloysius had decided he had a religious calling. He received his 1st communion from St. Charles Borromeo, who was a Cardinal.
St. Aloysius’ family was living in Florence when Aloysius came down with kidney disease. He spent his time while he was ill reading the lives of the saints. After reading about Jesuit missionaries in India he became determined to join the Society of Jesus. Against the will of his father he joined the Jesuits at the age of 18. He gave up his right to an inheritance.
In 1590 Aloysius returned to Rome. While he was in Rome he had a vision of Archangel Gabriel who told him he would die within a year. In 1591, a plague broke out in Rome. Aloysius volunteered to serve in the hospital. It was not long before he came down with the plague himself. After receiving another vision, St. Aloysius told several people he would die on the Feast of Corpus Christi, (Body of Christ). The Feast of Corpus Christi fell on June 21 that year. In the morning he seemed fine but he grew weaker quickly. St. Bellarmine gave him the last rites and he died just before midnight at the age of 23.
St. Aloysius was known for his purity. He had taken a vow of perpetual virginity while very young, safeguarding himself from temptation by always looking downward when in the presence of women. His prayers included the Office of Mary and the Psalms. St. Aloysius had been ordained a deacon but was never ordained a priest.
A Carmelite mystic, St. Maria Magdalena de Pezzi claimed to have had a vision of St. Aloysius on April 4, 1600. She described him as radiant in glory because of his interior works and said he was a hidden martyr for his great love of God.
Pious legend tells us his first words were the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Before his death, his final words were “Into Thy hands.”
St. Aloysius was canonized on Dec. 31, 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.
The Feast Day of St. Elizabeth of Schoenna is celebrated on June 18.
St. Elizabeth was born in 1129 in Bonn, Germany. She was raised in a monastery and at the age of twelve entered a Benedictine Monastery. She made her profession in 1147 and became superioress of the Benedictine Nuns in 1157.
Elizabeth often had visions and ecstasies which occurred on Holy Days and Sundays. She wrote down her visions and after her death in 1165, the material was published by her brother Egbert who was a priest. The church has not examined her work and has not given an opinion.
Although she has never been formally canonized her name has been entered in the Roman martyrology.
To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ.
The Feast Day of St. Simon Stock is celebrated on May 16.
Little is known about the early life of St. Simon Stock. Legend has told us that from the age of twelve he lived as a hermit in a hollow tree trunk. As a young man he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. There, he joined a group of Carmelites. They returned together to Europe.
St. Simon was elected Superior General of his Order in London in 1254. St. Simon founded many Carmelite Communities in Cambridge, Oxford, Paris and Bologna. He was instrumental in the transition from a hermit Order to an Order of mendicant friars.
In 1251 he experienced an apparition during a time when the order was being oppressed. The Virgin Mary appeared to him holding the brown scapular in one hand. She told him,
“Receive, my beloved son, this scapular of thy Order; it is a special sign of my favor which I have obtained for thee and thy children of Mt. Carmel. He who dies clothed with this habit shall be preserved from eternal fire. It is the badge of salvation, a shield in time of danger and a pledge of special peace and protection.”
The scapular is made of two squares of cloth connected by strings. It is worn over the shoulders, one on the chest, one on the back.
The promise from the Virgin Mary is believed to mean that Carmelites who live their vocation well, with love and sincerity will be saved. It is a reminder that Mary is their role model in love. The Carmelite Order is a contemplative Order which focuses on contemplative prayer. Mary leads those in the Carmelite Order to a deeper love of Jesus Christ, the Eucharist and the Beatitudes. The role models for the Carmelite Order are the Virgin Mary and the prophet Elijah. It was Elijah who heard the voice of God in the whisper of the gentle breeze.
St. Simon Stock was known to have a special gift of miracles and prophecy. St. Simon Stock. died on July 16, 1265 in Bordeaux, France.
God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience,
The Feast Day of St. Lydwina is celebrated on April 14. St. Lydwina is the patron saint of ice skaters and the chronically ill.
St. Lydwina was born in Schiedam, Holland into a family of nine children in 1380. While still young she developed a devotion to Our Lady of Schiedam. While ice skating one day she injured herself, breaking several ribs. Gangrene set into the wounds she had received and spread throughout her body. She was bedridden for the rest of her life suffering from various illnesses.
St. Lydwina offered all of her suffering to Jesus on the cross. She experience mystical gifts including vision of heaven, hell and purgatory. She received apparitions of Christ and bore the stigmata. Many miracles occurred at her bedside.
In one vision she saw a rosebush with the words
“When this shall be in bloom your suffering will be at an end.”
In the spring of 1433 she exclaimed,
“I see the rose bush in full bloom!”
Easter morning, 1433, she had a vision of Christ giving her the Last Rites.
St. Lydwina died on April 14, 1433. Her grave became a site for pilgrims to visit and a chapel was built there. She was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1890.
“I commend myself to the prayers of yourself and your friends, so that Christ, the source of all pity, may design to wash me clean in the water of His mercy.”
If we turn to the teachings of Jesus, it is clear heaven and hell do exist. The following parables in Matthew given to us by Jesus describe heaven.
1. In Mat 13 1. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again and out of joy goes and sells all the he has and buys that field.
2. “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
3. “The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away.
4. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat and then went off. When the crop grew the weeds appeared as well. “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn”.
5. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. It is the smallest of seeds yet when full grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.
6. The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flower until the whole batch was leavened.
Jesus has many references to the existence of hell. In Matthew 25:41 He says “Depart from me unto the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” In Mark 9:47-48 He refers to hell as the fire which is never quenched.
The Catholic Church firmly believes in the existence of heaven and hell. It is the jurisdiction of God to determine who enters heaven and who ends up in eternal fire. We believe hell is actually the absence of God. We are given the gift of free will. We actually choose our future. Do we want to be with God, who is love and mercy, or do we choose selfishness and evil? If we choose love and mercy, we must be sincere and actually walk the talk. We must take the time to love both God and our neighbor. In Matt: 7:13 Jesus tells us…
“Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
It is hard to imagine choosing evil. However, sin and evil are actually glamorous and tempting. Selfishness and anger can easily dominate our will and life.
In the past it was believed that the number of people entering heaven were few. The culture reflected the belief that most people deserved eternal punishment. The result was that most people had great fear of literally “going to hell”. Today’s culture believes the opposite. Many people find it hard to believe anyone is in hell…that God forgives all sins and eventually we will all go to heaven.
Jesus teaches us that Hell is a place to fear. To be forgiven, we must first repent. Let’s take the time to get to know and love Jesus. When we actually love God, we will want to spend time with him and come to know his will for us. Jesus himself tells us in Matt: 22 37 Jesus said:
“The greatest commandments are “You shall Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
If we do this we have no need to fear hell, but can look forward to eternity in heaven…a treasure beyond understanding.
The Feast Day of the Children of Fatima is celebrated on Feb. 20.
In 1917, an angel and Our Lady appeared six times to three shepherd children in < Portugal. Jacinta (7 years old) and Francisco (9 years old) were brother and sister. Lucy Dos Santos (14 years old) was their cousin. Jacinta and Francisco both died several years after the apparitions.
Francisco was born on June 11, 1908. During the apparitions Francisco could see but not hear what was being said. He had a great love of praying before the Blessed Sacrament. He also had a great devotion to praying the rosary. He received his first communion on the day of his death, April 4, 1919.
Jacinta was born on March 11, 1910. Jacinta could both hear and see what was said during the apparitions. She was profoundly affected when Our Lady told her that Jesus was very offended by sin. After seeing a vision of hell, she decided to offer herself completely to the salvation of souls. She offered to free souls from the fires of hell. A year after the apparitions she came down with bronchial pneumonia, an abscessed lung and then was diagnosed with tuberculosis. She offered all of her suffering to Jesus. She was rushed to a hospital in Lisbon. The Blessed Virgin visited her there three times. She died without the presence of her parents or Lucy on Feb.20, 1920.
Lucy was born on March 22, 1907. After the apparitions Our Lady told her that her cousins would soon be in heaven and that Lucy should spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our Lady said,
“My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God.”
It was Lucy who requested a miracle so people would believe in the apparitions. During the investigations surrounding the apparitions, Lucy was harassed. She entered the Sisters of St. Dorothy as Sister Mary of the 0px Later she became a Carmelite Sister taking the name Sister Maria Lucia. She had several more visions of Our Lady. Lucy died on Feb. 3, 2005, at the age of 97.
During the apparitions in Fatima three secrets were revealed to the children.
1. After being promised, they would go to heaven the children saw a vision of hell which was filled with fire and demons.
Mary instructed the children how to save souls from Hell and convert the world to Christianity. She asked them to spread the devotion to the Immaculate Heart and to pray the Rosary. She asked them to pray for Russia.
The children had a vision of the assassination of the Holy Father.
Many believe the third secret was a prophecy of the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II canonized Francisco and Jacinta Marto on May 13, 2000.
If men knew the meaning of eternity, they would do anything to mend their lives.
The feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated on Feb. 11.
Our Lady of Lourdes is the patron saint of bodily ills. Our lady first appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France on Feb. 11, 1858. Bernadette was a poor shepherdess who was only 14 years old. Our Lady actually appeared to her eighteen times.
During the first vision Bernadette saw a bright light and a beautiful lady dressed in a brilliant white dress adorned with a blue ribbon. A long veil covered her body from her head to her feet. Her hands were clasped as if praying and she carried a white and gold rosary with a gold cross in her hands. Bernadette took her rosary out of her pocket and guided by Our Lady they prayed the rosary. After praying, the vision ended. Bernadette asked the girls with her if they had seen anything and they said no. She told them not to say anything however her sister told their mother who did not believe the story.
On Feb. 14, Bernadette returned to the Grotto where the vision had happened. She asked those with her to pray the rosary. When Our Lady appeared again, Bernadette’s face was transfigured. She sprinkled the holy water which had been given her and said, “If you come from God, come near us.” The holy water touched Our Lady and she smiled and came closer. They began to pray the rosary together.
On Feb.18, St. Bernadette was accompanied after Mass by a lady and a religious. When she began praying, Our Lady appeared again and they all prayed the rosary. Our Lady asked Bernadette to return for 15 consecutive days. Bernadette promised she would do so. Our Lady said, “I also promise to make you happy, not in this world, but in the next.”
Bernadette went to the Grotto with a lit candle for the next 15 days. Hundreds of people began coming with her. On Feb. 21. Bernadette observed that Our Lady seemed sad. She asked her “What is wrong? What can I do?” Our Lady said,
“Pray for sinners.”
A doctor examined Bernadette and concluded there was nothing wrong with her. Bernadette was ridiculed nonetheless. On Feb. 23, Our Lady requested that a Sanctuary be built on the site. She told Bernadette to talk to the priest. When the priest asked her the name of the lady Bernadette did not know. The priest told her he needed a miracle and she should ask the lady for the rose bush to blossom.
On Feb. 25, Our Lady told Bernadette to drink from the fountain. Puzzled, Bernadette looked around for water. She discovered water coming up from the ground which soon became a pool of water. On Feb. 26 Our Lady revealed to Bernadette her name saying, “I am the Immaculate Conception”. During one apparition people witnessed Bernadette praying for fifteen minutes with the candle flame burning through her fingers. She remained unharmed.
The last apparition occurred on the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Many miracles of healing have been attributed to he healing waters of Lourdes. St. Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity seeking God in the silence of the convent. She died on April 16, 1879. The message of Our Lady of Lourdes is timeless…….Pray for sinners!
Our Lady of Fatima
