Many people falsely believe the church began when Christ rose from the dead. However, the official beginning of the church is celebrated on Pentecost Sunday.
Fifty days after the crucifixion, the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles. They were transfigured from frightened, confused disciples of Jesus to men of courage and conviction. Their confusion was removed by the Holy Spirit, or as Jesus called him…The Advocate.
The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity. As Catholics, we believe in One God, manifest by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Belief in the trinity was passed on through church traditions. Before every prayer, we begin with the sign of the cross, praying in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. The mystery of the cross (suffering) is important to our faith. Without suffering, we cannot come close to Jesus on the cross. Jesus told the Apostles He would not leave them orphaned. He would send them the Advocate, to lead and guide them. Today, we call the Advocate the Holy Spirit.
Trinity Crucifix
Just as each of us has more than one type of relationship (mother, daughter, sister) God also shows Himself to us in different ways; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is the creator of everything, Jesus is the Son, sent to redeem the world from the slavery of sin, and the Holy Spirit is the Advocate sent to guide and show us the way to the Father and Son.
The most important part of prayer is actually listening in quiet for guidance from God. Sharing with him our pain, joy and needs is important, but we must also ask him to lead us by His Holy Spirit, so that we may know His will in our life.
The symbols of the Holy Spirit are the Dove, the wind, and the fire. God speaks to us in many ways. Listen for him in the silence.
The feast day of St. Leopold is celebrated on May 12.
St. Leopold was born in Croatia, Italy. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans and was ordained even though he had disabilities and health problems. He had a speech impediment which made it difficult to preach. He also suffered from severe arthritis, poor eyesight and a stomach ailment. His vocation became that of a confessor. He was known to spend as many as 15 hours a day hearing confessions. Several bishops were known to seek his spiritual direction. He was often criticized for his compassion and leniency. He was very understanding and caring towards expectant mothers and children. This led to his work starting orphanages.
St. Leopold wanted to become a missionary and work for the reunion between Roman Catholics and Orthodoxy. Because of his health he was unable to travel but unity was constantly in his prayers. He became known as the Apostle of Confession and Unity.
Most of his life St. Leopold lived in Padua, Italy. However, because he did not want to renounce his Croatian nationality he spent one year in prison during World War I.
St. Leopold had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He often prayed the Rosary. He also received the Eucharist daily and visited the sick in nursing homes.
St. Leopold died from esophagus cancer on July 30, 1942. While he was dying the friars gathered around him and sang the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen). St. Leopold was canonized in 1982 by Pope John Paul II..
You have become an ornament to heaven,
O Mother of God, and a light for all the earth!
Quote of St. Germanus of Constantinople; Feast day May 12
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. Isidore is celebrated on May 15.
He is the patron saint of farmers. St. Isidore was born to poor parents at Madrid, Spain in the 12th century. As a young boy he worked for a wealthy farmer in Madrid. He married Maria de la Cabeza who also became a saint. They had one son who died as a child.
Isidore was very religious. He attended daily Mass before going to work in the fields. This sometimes caused complaints that he spent too much time in church. He prayed as he worked in the fields. It is said that angels sometimes helped him with his work. On holidays he would visit the many churches in Madrid. He loved the poor, often giving those more poor than himself food to eat. He also cared for animals. His concern that they be treated well was well known. He was kind and generous.
St. Isidore is a role model for everyone. He practiced his faith always and showed kindness and generosity to those he met.
St. Isidore died on May 15, 1130 after living a simple but holy life. He was canonized in 1622.
Like a tree in spring the cross has burst into flower… the cross on which the Lord of glory hung.
The feast day of St. Mathias is celebrated on May 14. St. Mathias was not one of the original twelve Apostles. He was not present at the Last Supper.
After the suicide by hanging of Judas Iscariot, the Apostles decided to choose either Mathias or Joseph called Barsabbas to replace Judas Iscariot. They prayed, saying. “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Acts (1:24) They drew lots and chose Mathias to replace him.
Mathias preached in Judea, Egypt and Ethiopia. Stories of his martyrdom vary. It is believed he was stoned and beheaded.
St. Mathias is the patron saint against alcoholism and smallpox. He is also the patron of carpenters.
Who except God can give you peace?
Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?
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 the Carthusian Martyrs is celebrated on May 11. The Carthusian Order was founded in 1084 by St. Bruno of Cologne. It was a strict order. Its members lived as hermits, focusing on contemplative prayer. It consisted of 25 houses with 350 male and 75 female members. They came under attack during the Hessite Revolution in Bohemia in the 15th century.
In 1537 during the English Reformation the London Charter house was dissolved. Its members were put in prison and later executed when they refuse to declare King Henry the head of the Church of England. King Henry issued the “Act of Supremacy” declaring any who refused to take an oath recognizing him as head of the Church of England to be guilty of high treason. Eighteen Carthusians refused and were sentenced to death.
The first Carthusians to be martyred were hanged, drawn and quartered. All were tortured before they were martyred. Eighteen were beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. Three were canonized in 1970 by Pope Paul VI.
Our Lord likes courage. Get it from Him. You won’t find it in yourself.
The feast day of St. Damien of Molokai is celebrated on May 10. He is the patron saint of leprosy and outcasts.
St. Damien of Molokai was born Josef de Veuster on Jan. 3, 1840 in Treinelo, Belgium. His parents were farmers. He attended college at Braine-le-Comte. Josef became a novitiate at the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. He took the name of Damien when he made his vows. As a missionary he arrived in Honolulu in 1864. He was ordained a priest on May 1864.
Hawaii was in the midst of a health crisis; primarily, influenza, syphilis and leprosy. The king of Hawaii, Kink Kamehameha IV created a leper colony on the island of Molokai. Fr. Damien requested to be sent to Molokai to tend to their spiritual needs. He arrived at Kalaupapa on May 10, 1873, where he cared for 600 lepers.
St. Damien Public Domain Image
Fr. Damien built the Parish Church of St. Philomena where he preached and taught the Catholic faith. He restored pride and dignity to the people in the settlement. He organized a band, horse riding and choir. He provided comfort to the people on the island for 16 years serving as priest, doctor and home builder. He built their coffins and dug their graves.
Father Damien said,
“My greatest pleasure is to go there (the cemetery) to say my beads, and meditate on that unending happiness which so many of them are already enjoying.”
Fr. Damien had a profound faith in the Holy Eucharist, believing his strength came from receiving the Eucharist on a daily basis. In 1885 he contracted the illness of leprosy, yet he continued to serve the people of the settlement. He died April 15, 1889 at the age of 49. St. Damien is known as the Apostle of the Lepers.
“Without the constant presence of Our Divine Master upon the altar in my poor chapels, I never could have persevered casting my lot with the lepers of Molokai”
The feast day of St. Pachominus is celebrated on May 9.
St. Pachomius was born in Egypt in 298 and entered the army when he was twenty years old. The kindness of the Christians he met led to his conversion after he left the army. After his baptism he became a disciple of Palemon. They led a life of poverty and dedicated themselves to God and a life of prayer as hermits.
St. Pachominus built a monastery on the banks of the Nile river at Tabenisi. They soon had 100 monks join them; living a life in community and prayer. St. Pachomius established ten other monasteries and two nunneries for women. Over seven thousand monks were living in his monasteries at the time of his death in 346. He was the first to organize hermits into groups and write a Rule for them to follow.
If the highest aim of a Captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.
The feast day of Bl. Julian of Norwich is celebrated on May 8.
Very little is actually known about Julian of Norwich. It is believed her birth name is Julian and that she was born to a privileged family in Norwich in 1341. She lived as a recluse, probably as a Benedictine Nun.
At the age of 30, she became deathly ill. Near death she experienced visions of Christ. She wrote about her visions immediately in her book Revelation of Divine Love. The book has been translated into many languages.
Bl. Julian believed in God’s love and mercy. She believed sin brings someone to self knowledge which leads to acceptance of the role of God in their life. She believed the pain caused by sin is a reminder of the passion of Christ. Bl. Julian saw God as both Father and Mother which was controversial. Bl. Julian always accepted the authority of the Church.
Bl. Julian of Norwich died in the year 1416.
He did not say: You will not be assailed, You will not be belabored, You will not be disquieted, but He said….”You will not be overcome.”
The feast day of St. Rose Venerini is celebrated on May 7.
St. Rose was born at Viterbo, Italy in 1656. She was one of four children. Her father was a doctor. At an early age Rose was drawn to the religious life.
In 1676, at the encouragement of her father she entered the Dominican Monastery of St. Catherine, planning to make her vows there. Several months later, her father died suddenly and she returned home to care for her mother. The following years were filled with grief. Her brother Domenico died at the age of 27. Her mother died a few months later suffering greatly from grief.
Rose formed a rosary group in her home. A Jesuit priest became her advisor and she decided to become a teacher rather than a contemplative nun. On August 39, 1685, she left home to open her first school. Soon the cardinal asked her to supervise the training of teachers in the Diocese of Montefiascone. She organized and opened many schools in many cities of Italy, including Rome.
St. Rose celebrated the Eucharist daily. She meditated on the crucifix and united her suffering to the suffering of Christ. When she died in 1728 a number of miracles were attributed to her. She was canonized in 2006. The Venerini Sisters which she founded can now be found in the United States.
I feel so nailed to the will of God that nothing else matters, neither death nor life. I want what He wants. I want to serve Him as much as pleases Him and no more.
The feast day of St. Francis de Laval is celebrated on May 6.
St. Francis de Laval was born in Normandy, France in 1628. He wished to become a priest at an early age. His Father placed him with the Jesuits where he lived for 14 years.
He eventually became the first bishop of New France, (Quebec). He served as Bishop for over 30 years before resigning due to age. He was known for living a holy and simple life, believing in a spirit of poverty. Under his leadership many new schools and churches were opened.
St. Francis de Laval died in 1708 from an ulcer which became progressively worse.
Trust the past to the mercy of God; the present o His Love, and the future to His Providence.
