The feast day of St. Bede the Venerable is celebrated on May 25.
St. Bede was born in Sunderland, England in 672 or 673 near the Monastery of St. Peter and St. Paul. At an early age he was sent there to be educated. His entire life became a life of study and prayer.
At the age of 19, he ordained a deacon. He became a priest at the age of 30. After declining a request to be abbot of his monastery he chose to instead focus on writing. He wrote over 60 books, which have not survived. He also translated writings of the early church Fathers from Latin and Greek into English.
St. Bede died on Ascension Thursday, May 26, 735 while singing to God. Pope Leo XIII proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church in 1899.
Christ is the morning star, who, when the night of this world is past, brings to His saints the promise of the light of life and opens everlasting day.
The feast day of St. Joanna is celebrated on May 24.
St. Joanna was a devoted follower of Jesus. We learn about her in Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 8. She was the wife of Chuza who was a steward for Herod. She, along with Mary Magdalene, Susanna, and other women, provided for Jesus out of their personal resources as he traveled from town to town preaching and healing.
St. Joanna was one of the three women who arrived at the tomb to prepare the body for burial on the first Easter morning. She is also referred to as the myrrh bearer. The women discovered the stone moved and the body gone. Two men appeared to them in dazzling clothes, telling them He had risen and reminding them that Jesus had said he would be crucified and rise again. The women reported to the Apostles all that they had seen and heard.
It is hard to imagine being such a close friend of Jesus. The disciples who followed and supported Jesus knew Him in a way we can only wish to know him. But St. Joanna shows us what a true disciple is. She supported Jesus and His ministry on a daily basis in any way possible. She heard the words he spoke and saw the miracles he worked. True friendship is what all of us should be seeking from Jesus. True friends are always there for each other. As disciples we should be serving Jesus in any way we can. We should also be turning to Him in all our needs weather they be small or large. We should never be afraid to be honest with Jesus, because He is our friend.
The instruments of God are always humble.
Quote of St. John Chrysostom; Feast day September 13
The feast day of St. John Baptist Rossi is celebrated on May 23.
St. John Baptist Rossi was born in Voltaggio, Italy in 1698. He was one of four children. He studied in Rome. Suffering from epilepsy, he was forced to leave college. However, he eventually finished his studies. He was ordained a priest at the age of 23.
St. John Baptist Rossi worked in Rome for 40 years. He served the sick, homeless and prisoners. He earned a reputation for being a good confessor. He especially supported the hospice of Saint Gala which gave overnight shelter to the poor. It was founded by Pope Celestine III.
In 1764, St. John died from a stroke. The papal choir sang at his choir and 260 priests attended his funeral. He was canonized by Pope Leo XII in 1881.
From silly devotions and sour faced saints, good Lord, deliver us!
The feast day of St. Rita of Cascia is celebrated on May 22. She is the patron saint of impossible causes, abuse victims and widows.
St. Rita was born in 1386 in Cascia, Italy. She was known to be very spiritual even as a young child. She enjoyed visiting shrines and wished to become a nun. Her parents were opposed to the idea and arranged for her to be married. Her husband turned out to have a bad temper and was very difficult for her to live with. She dealt with his abuse with prayer, patience and kindness. They had twin sons. Their difficult marriage lasted 22 years.
One day while returning home from work her husband was ambushed and killed. St. Rita’s sons were now teenagers and began to talk of revenging their father’s death. St. Rita turned to prayer. She prayed that her sons would not be able to go through with the revenge. Her prayer was soon answered. Both her sons died from a deadly illness soon after without taking revenge on their father’s killer.
After the death of her husband and sons, Rita applied to enter the Augustinian Convent. Her first attempt was denied because of the ongoing feud. Rita persisted however. She convinced her husband’s family to put aside their hostility. The two rival families embraced peace. Rita turned to St. John the Baptist, St. Nicholas of Tolentino and St. Augustine, requesting their intercession. The convent changed their decision and allowed her entry. She was 36 when she entered the monastery.
St. Rita had a great devotion for the passion of Christ. She meditated often on the crucifix. On Good Friday, 1442, St. Rita meditated on the suffering of Jesus on the crucifix. She offered to relieve Christ’s suffering by sharing even the smallest part of his pain. As she was meditating, a small wound on her forehead appeared. It appeared to be a thorn from the crown that Jesus wore. St. Rita had this stigmata for 15 years.
St. Rita was confined to bed for the last four years of her life. She ate very little. The Eucharist sustained her and she remained joyful during her suffering. Before her death St. Rita requested a rose be brought to her from her parents’ garden even though it was January. Surprisingly, a rose was discovered to be blooming on the rosebush and it was presented to her. St. Rita gave thanks to God for this sign of God’s love.
Because this impossible request of St. Rita for a rose in January was answered she became the patron of impossible causes. It was also known that her prayers were known to obtain remarkable cures.
St. Rita died on May 29, 1456. Many miracles were recorded after her death . She was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900.
The feast day of St. Eugene de Mazenod is celebrated on May 21.
St. Eugene Mazenod was born in Aixen Provence, France in 1782 on August 1. He was born into a wealthy family during the French Revolution. Because of the Revolution his family fled France and lived in exile for eleven years. His family life was filled with turmoil and fighting. Although Eugene tried to keep his family together, his parents eventually divorced. At the age of 20, Eugene returned to France. After having a mystical experience at the foot of the cross on Good Friday in 1807 Eugene was led to enter the seminary of Saint Sulpice in Paris in 1808. He was ordained a priest on Dec. 21, 1811 at Amiens, France.
As a priest, Eugene began by serving those in prison and the youth. He founded the Missionaries of Provence, asking the Pope directly that his group be recognized. It was approved by Pope Leo XII in 1826 under the name “Oblates of Mary Immaculate”. As Superior General St. Eugene led and inspired his missionaries for 35 years until his death. They worked with the youth, cared for shrines, worked in the prisons and heard confessions. Because of his zeal he earned the nickname, “the second Paul”.
In 1832, St. Eugene was named Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Marseilles. Five years later he became the Bishop. As Bishop, he sent his missionaries to Canada the United States, Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America. They would preach and baptize.
St. Eugene died at age 79. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1955. There are over 4000 Missionary Oblates in 67 countries today. St. Eugene de Mazenod is the patron saint of dysfunctional families.
In spiritual life, when you cease to climb, you begin to descend.
The feast day of St. Bernadine of Siena is celebrated on May 20.
St. Bernadine was born in 1380 in a Sianese town. His father was the governor. He was orphaned at the age of six and raised by a pious aunt. When he was 20 years old the plague killed twenty people in one day in his town. He and ten companions offered to run the hospital. They nursed the patients for 4 months. Although he did not come down with the plague, he did become sick with fever and exhaustion afterwards. He was sick for several months. He then spent over a year caring for his aunt at her death.
At the age of 22 he joined the Franciscan Order. He was ordained at the age of 24. Bernadine lived in solitude and prayer for almost 12 years before God sent him to preach. He traveled on foot from town to town all over Italy. He was known to attract crowds of 30,000. He preached about vice and virtue, punishment and glory which were themes advised by St. Francis of Assisi.
St. Bernadine had a special devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. He devised a symbol (IHS) which were the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek in Gothic letters on a blazing sun. He wanted the symbol to replace superstition. The devotion spread and began appearing in churches, homes and on buildings.
In 1427, Bernadine was called to Rome to stand trial for heresy for promoting the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. He was found innocent of heresy. After the trial St. Bernadine preached for 80 consecutive days. He was offered the office of bishop in the cities of Siena, Ferrar, and Urbino. He declined the office of bishop.
St. Bernadine preached for over 30 years, traveling all over Italy. While serving as Franciscan Vicar General the order grew from 140 friars to over 4000 friars before he died while traveling. Miracles were attributed to St. Bernadine after his death. He was canonized six years later in 1450 by Pope Nicholas V.
God must be the king of our minds, the Lord of our minds, so that the thought of Him never leaves us, and we speak, think, and act always either for Him or guided by love of Him. Let our souls be thus a house of prayer and not a den of thieves.
