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Faith, Featured, patron saints, Spirituality

Twenty Five Popular Patron Saints For Men To Consider As Their Confirmation Name

February 21, 2026 Vicki Scheenstra

Easter is just around the corner! Students of Catholicism are preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. At the Easter vigil adults coming into the Catholic faith will be baptized, receive their first communion and be confirmed.

The list below is twenty five male patron saints which men might be interested in as they choose their patron saint for confirmation.

Young Catholics will receive the sacrament during the Easter season, when the Bishop of their diocese visits their parish.

The sacrament of confirmation is one of the three sacraments of initiation. First is baptism which is often received shortly after birth. Second is Communion or Eucharist, which received at age of reason, usually seven or eight years of age. The third is confirmation. The age for confirmation is decided upon by the Bishop of the Diocese and can range from age of reason to high school.

When confirmed, the person is “sealed with the Holy Spirit”. The sacrament makes the person a full member of the Catholic Church. It’s history goes back to Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. On Pentecost the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit and their confusion was lifted. The Apostles received gifts from the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the following: 1.Wisdom, 2.Understanding, 3. Counsel, 4. Courage 5.Knowledge 6. Reverence, 7. Wonder and awe. Not everyone receives the same gifts.

The fruits of the Holy Spirit come when we make use of the gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are the following: 1. Charity 2. Joy 3. Peace 4. Patience 5. Kindness 6. Goodness 7. Generosity 8. Gentleness 9. Faithfulness 10. Modesty 11. Self-control 12 Chastity

The person being confirmed chooses a patron saint. The name of the saint is the name the bishop will use when he anoints him/her and lays hands in prayer on them. The saint is to be a role model and guide for the person throughout their life. In good times and bad, we ask our patron saint to pray with us and for us.

Are you searching for a patron saint?

The following twenty five saints should be considered as you choose your patron saint.

St. Andrew the Apostle

Feast day: Nov. 30

Patron of fishermen

Apostle and martyr

St. Andrew was the brother to Simon Peter. They were both fishermen. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist and the first apostle to be called by Jesus. When Andrew asked Jesus where he lived Jesus responded “Come and See.” Andrew then told Simon Peter about Jesus saying “We have found the Messiah!”

After the resurrection, St. Andrew preached in Greece.

St. Andrew was martyred by crucifixion.

St. Anthony of Padua

Feast day: June 13

Patron of lost items and missing persons

Doctor of the Church

St. Anthony was born in Portugal in 1195. He joined the Augustinian Order. Later he joined the Franciscan Order at age 26. He is called “The hammer of the Heretics.” His preaching was simple and easy to understand. The Infant child Jesus miraculously appeared to him.

St. Anthony was canonized less than one year after his death in 1231.

St. Augustine of Hippo

Feast day: Aug. 28

Patron of Brewers

Father of the Church

St. Augustine was the patron of brewers because of his lifestyle which included loose living and parties. His mother was St. Monica, who prayed for him for many years. He finally converted after reading a passage of scripture which said, “put away all impurity and live in imitation of Jesus.” This passage helped him to decide to return to the faith.

He was baptized by St. Ambrose. Eventually, he became the Bishop of Hippo. He is know for the poem “Too late have I loved You.”

In the year 430, he fell ill. He spent his last days in prayer, dying on Aug. 28.

St. Bernard Clairvaux Public Domain Image — St. Bernard Clairvaux

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Feast day: Aug. 20

Doctor of the Church

Patron saint of mountaineers, The Alps

St. Bernard was born in Burgundy, France. After his mother’s death he entered the Cistercian Order. He founded a monastery known as the Abbey of Clairvaux. He was the Abbot. He refused offers to become a bishop. In 1128, he participated in the Council of Troyes. He was known for fighting against heresies.

In 1139, he assisted in the Second Council of the Lateran. He encouraged Lectio Divina and contemplation on scripture.

St. Dominic

Feast day: Aug 8

Patron of Astronomers

Founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans)

St. Dominic was born in 1170 into a wealthy family at Calaruega, Spain. As a priest he preached against the Albigensianism heresy. He also helped to reform the Cistercians.

He organized the Order of Preachers, known as the Dominican Order. They were traveling preachers who practiced a life of prayer and penance.

St. Dominic spread the Marian devotion of praying the Rosary.

St. Dominic died on Aug. 6

St. Francis of Assisi

Feast day: Oct. 4

Patron of environment and animals

Founder of The Franciscan Order

St. Francis was born in Assisi, Italy in 1181 into a wealthy family. He lived a wild life when young, becoming a soldier. However, God appeared to him in a dream telling him to go home.

Later, in prayer, God said “Francis, repair my church.” Francis took this literally, and began to repair the church buildings which were falling down. Eventually, it led Francis to leave his family, founding the Franciscan Order. Franciscans took a vow of poverty and served the sick and poor.

St. Francis loved animals and nature. Birds and wild animals had no fear of him. He also composed music.

St. Francis died in 1226.

St. Gregory the Great

Feast day: Sept. 3

Patron saint of students, teachers, musicians

Doctor of the Church

St. Gregory became a prefect of Rome before the age of 30. The pope chose him to be one of his seven deacons. At age 50 he was elected pope. He is know for reforming the liturgy. The Gregorian chant is attributed to St. Gregory.

Pope Gregory became a Benedictine monk living in his own home. He founded six monasteries after five years in office. He also re-energized the missionary work of the church.

Pope Gregory died in 604. He was declared a saint by popular acclamation.

St. Jerome

Feast day: Sept. 30

Patron of librarians, students, and orphans

Doctor of the Church

St. Jerome was born in 342 in Aquileio. He is the most educated of the Church Fathers. He was baptized by Pope Liberius in 360.

Wanting a religious library, he copied St. Hilary’s books. He is most famous for his translation of the Bible from Hebrew into Latin (the vulgate). He also wrote many commentaries on scripture. He was a priest, confessor, theologian and historian.

St. Jerome died near Bethlehem on Sept. 30, 420.

In art he is shown as one of the four church fathers (Augustine of Hippo, Ambrose, Pope Gregory the Great and Jerome).

St. John the Baptist

Feast day: June 24

Patron of prosperity, baptism and conversion

Cousin to Jesus

John the Baptist was the cousin to Jesus. He was the son of Elizabeth, who miraculously conceived in her old age. Zechariah was his father.

At age 30 John began to preach in Jordan against evil behavior. He called everyone to penance and baptism, saying the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. He baptized large crowds of people. Eventually, he baptized Jesus, saying. “It is I who need baptism from You.”

It is John who identified Jesus as “The Lamb of God”.

John the Baptist is considered the last of the Old Testament prophets.

John was beheaded at the request of the daughter of the king on June 24th.

St. John the Evangelist

Feast day: Dec. 27

Patron of Book sellers, printers, art dealers

Apostle

St. John was a Galilean, born to Zebedee. His mother was Salome. He was the Brother to St. James the Greater. John and James were known as “the sons of thunder.” St. John is also known as “The beloved disciple” and “The Apostle of Charity”.

John was with Jesus at the marriage feast of Cana. He was given the honor of sitting next to Jesus at the Last Supper. He was also with Jesus during all of his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and at the crucifixion. He was the only Apostle who stood with the holy women at the foot of the cross.

Jesus spoke about him from the cross, saying “Woman, behold thy son”. John took Mary the mother of Jesus into his home after Jesus’ death and cared for her.

St. John was the first Apostle to recognize Jesus when he appeared to them on the shore.

St. John worked in Jerusalem and at Ephesus after the death of Jesus, living in Asia Minor. He wrote the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and possibly the Book of Revelation.

St. John of the Cross

Feast day: Dec. 14

Patron saint of poets, mystics, and contemplatives

Doctor of the Church

John of the Cross was born in Spain in 1542. After the death of his father he attended a school for orphans. His mother kept the family together inspite of being homeless. At the age of 14 he took a job caring for hospital patients who suffered mental and terminal illnesses. From poverty and suffering John found beauty and happiness not in the world but in God.

St. John joined the Carmelite Order. He met and became a friend to St. Teresa of Avila. She asked him to help him reform the order. Threatened by the change John envisioned, he was captured and imprisoned by members of his own order, being locked in a small room and beaten regularly. After nine months he escaped, taking only his mystical poetry with him. This poetry includes The Dark Night of the Soul.

St. John of the Cross died in 1591.

St. Joseph

Feast day March 19, May 1

Patron of fathers, a happy death, workers, foster children

Foster father of Jesus

Husband to the Blessed Virgin

Joseph was engaged to be married to Mary, when she was found with child. He was going to divorce her quietly to avoid scandal, however an angel appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do no be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Mat: 1: 20-21

Joseph immediately took Mary as his wife.

The angel appeared to Joseph a second time. This time he was told his family was in danger. They fled to Egypt where they stayed until the angel told him it was safe to return.

Joseph worked as a carpenter. He was the foster father of Jesus, loving him and providing for him and Mary. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are referred to as “The Holy Family”.

We celebrate two feast days for St. Joseph. The first is on March 19; Feast day of St. Joseph, husband of Mary. The second feast day is May 1; Feast day of St. Joseph the worker.

St. Joseph is the patron for a happy death because tradition tells us that he died with Jesus and Mary at his side.

St. Jude Thaddius Public Domain Image — St. Jude Thaddius

St. Jude Thaddaeus

Feast day: Oct. 28

Patron of desperate causes

Apostle and martyr

St. Jude was an apostle of Jesus. He was brother to St. James the Less. He is not the same person as Judas who betrayed our Lord.

St. Jude is the author of an epistle in the Bible. Because he stressed the need to persevere during difficult times, he is considered the patron of desperate causes.

Tradition tells us that he suffered martyrdom along with the apostle Simon the Zealot in Beirut, a province of Syria. In art he is shown with an ax which was used in his execution.

St. Justin Martyr

Feast day: June 1

Patron of philosophers

Martyr

Father of the Church

St. Justin Martyr lived from 100-165. He was born a Gentile at Flavia, Neapolis. He converted to Christianity and defended the faith in Asia Minor and Rome. He wrote two “Apologies”. These were attempts to explain the faith. His first Apology is one of the earliest records teaching the meaning of the Eucharist.

St. Justin was a student of philosophy. After his conversion, he continued to debate philosophy publicly with his fellow students. A rival philosopher turned Justin in to authorities because of his faith. He was put on trial and then executed. He was beheaded in the year 165.

St. Justin Martyr is considered a Father of the Church.

St. Luke

Feast day: Oct. 18

Patron of physicians and surgeons

Author of the Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles

St. Luke was a gentile who spoke Greek. He followed Paul after the Resurrection of Jesus. He accompanied Paul to Macedonia. When Paul was imprisoned, St. Luke stayed near him.

St. Luke was born at Antioch in Spain. He is referred to as a physician by St. Paul, St. Jerome and St. Irenaeus. He is referred to as “the beloved physician” by Paul in Col. 4:14.

The Gospel of Luke focuses on God’s mercy and forgiveness of sinners. Only in the Gospel of Luke does the story of the Prodigal Son appear.

St. Mark the Evangelist

Feast day: April 25

Patron of attorneys, prisoners, notaries

Martyr

St. Mark was a disciple of Jesus who traveled with St. Paul. He accompanied Paul and Barnabus on their missionary journey.

St. Mark wrote the second gospel when Romans requested that he write down the teachings of St. Peter. Tradition says that he was present at the Miracle of Cana when Jesus turned the water into wine.

Tradition also tells us he was martyred in the year 68 by being dragged through the street with a rope around his neck.

He is portrayed as a lion because his Gospel begins with John the Baptist crying “Make ready the way of the Lord”.

The relics of St. Mark are in Venice.

St. Matthew

Feast day: Sept. 21

Apostle

Patron saint of bankers and accountants

Martyr

St. Matthew was one of the twelve called to be an Apostle. He was a tax collector before Jesus called him to follow him. He is also known as ‘Levi”.

The Gospel of Mathew was written in Aramaic which the Hebrew tongue. The Gospel of Mathew has the most parables of the Gospels. It also has the Beatitudes which are in the Sermon on the Mount. Tradition tells us that he worked in Ethiopia.

Tradition tells us that St. Matthew died a martyrs death, being killed with an ax.

St. Michael the Archangel

Feast day: Sept. 29

Archangel

Patron of police, paratroopers, mariners, sickness

The name Michael means “Who is like God.” St. Michael is the leader of the good angels. He is considered a warrior angel. In the Book of Revelations it is St. Michael who is the leader during the final battle between good and evil at the end of time.

St. Michael the Archangel is the patron of police because of his battle against evil. St. Michael defend me in battle is a popular Catholic prayer.

St. Michael has appeared in three places: the cave of St. Michael in Italy, Mont St. Michel in France and The Grotto of St. Michael in Mexico.

St. Patrick

Feast day: March 17

Patron of Ireland, slaves

St. Patrick was born in Kilpatrick, Scotland, in 387. At age 14 he was captured by a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave. As a slave, he tended to the sheep. He turned to God in prayer. His prayer “The Breastplate of St. Patrick” is well known.

Patrick was a slave until the age of 20. He received guidance in a dream. He was led to sailors who took him to Britain. In another dream, the people of Ireland asked him to return.

He became a priest, then a Bishop. As Bishop he was sent back to Ireland. Many people converted under his guidance. He is known for using the shamrock to explain the Trinity.

He died in Saul, where he built his first church, on March 17, 461.

St. Paul

Feast day: June 29

Apostle

Martyr

Author of 14 Epistles

Patron of converts, authors, writers, publishers

St. Paul is known as the Apostle of the Gentiles. He is also known as Saul of Tarsus. Before his conversion, he was persecuting Christians. In the Book of Acts his conversion story is told. Paul hears a voice saying “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Paul replies, “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up enter the city and you will be told what to do.” Acts 9: 4-6

After this experience Paul was baptized, and he began preaching that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He fled Damascus returning to see Peter. Paul traveled on several missionary journeys, accompanied by Barnabus.

He was imprisoned in Caesarea and then in Rome, being kept in chains. After his release he went to Spain. He was imprisoned again and beheaded in the year 67.

St. Paul wrote 14 Epistles which have greatly influenced the Christian faith.

St. Peregrine Laziosi

Feast day: May 1

Patron of cancer victims

St. Peregrine was born to wealthy parents in Forli, Italy in 1260. He was active in politics when he was young, being a member of the anti-papal party. After striking St. Philip Benizi in the face at an uprising he repented and converted to Catholicism.

St. Peregrine received a vision of the Virgin Mary, after which he followed her instructions to join the Servites, observing silence and solitude.

He was afflicted with a tumor on his leg which the doctors wanted to amputate. He spent the night before the operation in prayer. The following morning he was completely cured and the tumor was gone. The miracle became well known.

St. Peregrine died at the age of 85.

St. Peter

Feast day: June 29

Patron of fishermen

Apostle and martyr

Peter’s name at birth was Simon. He was from Bethsaida and the brother to St. Andrew. Both Simon and Peter were fishermen. It was Andrew who told Simon that he had found the Messiah. Jesus then called Simon to follow him.

Jesus gave Simon the name of Peter which means “rock”. When Peter acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of the living God, Jesus said to him, “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

St. Peter is always listed as the first of the Apostles in all of the New Testament accounts. Peter, along with James and John were present at the transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the Agony in the Garden.

At the crucifixion Peter denied Jesus three times.

When Jesus appeared to Peter after the Resurrection, he told Peter three times “feed my sheep”.

After the Resurrection, Peter appointed the replacement of Judas. He preached to the Gentiles.

Peter died in Rome during the reign of Nero. He was crucified upside down because he declared himself unworthy to die in the same manner as the Lord.

St. Sebastian

Feast day: Jan. 20

Martyr

Patron of archers, athletes and soldiers

St. Sebastian was born in Gaul. He became a soldier in the Roman army. Sebastian converted many people to the christian faith. He is also known for curing a deaf mute.

St. Sebastian was named captain of the guards. When they learned he was Christian, he was ordered executed. He was shot with arrows and left to die. The widow of St. Castulas found him still alive and nursed him back to health. Soon after, he was beaten to death on the Emperors orders.

St. Sebastian is considered the patron saint of athletes because of his physical endurance and energetic way of defending the faith.

St. Thomas the Apostle

Feast day: July 3

Patron of architects

Apostle and Martyr

St. Thomas was born into a Jewish family. Jesus called him to be one of the twelve disciples.

He is most remembered for not believing that Jesus had risen from the dead, saying “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in his side I will not believe. John 20: 25

Jesus appeared to Thomas a week later saying “Peace be with you. Put your finger here and see my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered “My Lord and my God!”

St. Thomas is remembered as Doubting Thomas.

After Pentecost, Thomas was sent to evangelize the Parthians, Medes, Persians, and India.

St. Thomas was speared to death at Calamine.

St. Vincent de Paul

Feast day: Sept. 27

Patron of Charitable Societies

St. Vincent was born in 1581 to poor parents in Gascony, France. His first school was led by Franciscans. He was ordained a priest in 1600 after studying at the University of Toulousse.

St. Vincent was captured by pirates while he was at sea. They held him prisoner for two years. He escaped, going to Rome and then returning to France.

St. Vincent founded the Sister of Charity who served the poor through corporal and spiritual works of mercy. He then founded the Vincentians. Their mission was to serve the poor in smaller towns and villages. He also conducted retreats for clergy and established seminaries.

St. Vincent died at the age of 80.

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Calendar, Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Feast Days and Saint of the Day; APRIL CALENDAR

February 15, 2022 Vicki Scheenstra

St.Bernadette of Lourdes

Bl. Anacleto Gonzalez Florez…Mexico…Martyr…1(888-1927)
St. Francis of Paola...Italy…Hermits of St. Francis…(1416-1507)
Sts. Irene, Agape and Chionia…Sisters…Martyrs
St. Isidore of Seville...Spain…Bishop…Doctor of the Church…(d.636)
St. Vincent Ferrer...Spain…Dominican…d.1819
Bl. Michel Ru...Italy…Salesian
St. John Baptist de la Salle...Patron of Teachers…France…d. 1719
St. Julia Billiart...Sisters of Notre Dame…France…d. 1816
St. Mary of Cleophas...Friend and follower of Jesus
St. Michael de Sanctis...Patron saint of cancer;…Spain…d 1625
St. Marguerite of ‘Youville…Canada…Grey Nuns…d. 1771
St. Teresa of Los Andes... Chili…Carmelite…d. 1920
St. Martin I...Bishop of Rome…Martyr…d. 655
St. Lydwina....Holland…Patron saint of ice skaters and chronically ill…d.1433
St. Paternus...Ireland…Bihop…550
St. Bernadette of Lourdes…Visionary…France…d. 1879…Incorrupt
St. Stephen Harding...Cistercian…England (d.1134)
Bl. Marie of the Incarnation...Widow and Carmelita…France d. 1618
St. Elphege...Archbishop of Canterbury…Benedictine…Martyr (954-1012)
St. Agnes of Montepulciano...Dominican Nun…italy…(1268-1317)
St. Anslem...Doctor of the Church…Archbishop of Canterbury…Benedictine (1033-1109)
Bl. Maria Gabriella...Trappestine Nun…Italy (1914-1939)
St. Giles of Assisi...Italy…Franciscan…d. 1262
St. Mary Pelletier...France (1796-1868)
St. Mark the Evangelist…Apostle & Martyr …patron saint of lawyers and notaries (d.68)
St. Cletus…Bishop of Rome…Martyr…d. 92
St. Zita...Italy…Patron of maidservants and housewives…d. 1271
St. Louis de Montfort...France…Dominican…d. 1716
St. Catherine of Siena...Dominican Nun…Patron saint against fire, illness and miscarriage…Doctor of the Church (1347-1380)
St. Marie de l’Incarnation...France…d. 1762

Calendar, Faith, Feast Days, Featured, patron saints

Feast Days and Saint of the Day; MARCH CALENDAR

February 1, 2022 Vicki Scheenstra

St. David of Wales,,,Missionary priest
Bl. Henry Suso...Swabia…Dominican
St. Kathrine Drexel...U.S.A…patron saint of philanthropists and racial justice.
St. Casimer… Poland
St. John Joseph of the Cross…Italy…Franciscan Priest
St. Collette...France…Benedictine
St. Perpetua & St. Felicity...North Africa…Martyrs
St. John of God...Portugal…patron saint of booksellers, printers, firefighters, heart patients, hospitals, nurses and the sick.
St. Gregory of Nyssu...Bishop…Asia Minor
St. John Ogilvie Scotland…Martyr
St. Teresa Margarite of the Sacred Heart...Carmelite…Italy
St Seraphina...Italy
St. Leander...Spain…Benedictine…Doctor of the Church
St. Matilda…patron saint of widows
St. Louise de Marillac...France
St. Julian of Antioch…Cilicia (Turkey)…Martyr
St. Patrick...Patron saint of slaves, Ireland and snakes….Britain and Ireland
St. Cyril of Jerusalem...Doctor of the Church
St. Joseph…patron for a happy death
St. Ambrose Sansedoni…Italy…Dominican
Bl. Marie Candida of the Eucharist...Sicily…Carmelite
St. Catherine of Sweden…Abbess
St. Turibius of Magrovejo…Bishop…Spain
St. Oscar Romero y Galdomez…Archbishop…El Salvador…Martyr
Annunciation of the Lord St. Lucy...Benedictine … Italy
St. Margaret Clitherow...England…Martyr
St John of Egypt...Hermit
St. Sixtus.….Pope
St. Mark of Arethusa...Bishop
St. John Climacus ,,,Syria..Abbot
St. Benjamin,,,Deacon…Persia

Faith, Prayer, Spirituality

Remembering St. Teresa of Calcutta through pictures, quotes and prayers

Mother Teresa Public domain Image — Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa will soon be officially declared a saint!

The day before the feast day of Bl. Mother Teresa Pope Francis will proclaim that she is a saint. Her feast day is celebrated on Sept. 5. The world remembers her as a “living saint”.

St. Teresa of Calcutta was born to parents Nikola and Drana Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1916 in Skopje of Macedonia and named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was baptized on August 17, 1910 in Macedonia. She was the third child in her family, following sister Aga and a brother, Lazar. Her father, Nikola died, when she was eight years old. Her father was a traveler, an extrovert, and a businessman who spoke five languages. Her mother, Drana, was extremely pious, adopting several orphans. She was known as Gonxha (pronounced gon’KHA) which means “flower bud”.

Gonxha desired early to become a missionary. At the age of eighteen, she joined the Sisters of Loreto. Here she took the name of Sister Mary Teresa after St. Therese of Lisieux. She was sent to Calcutta, India to teach at St. Mary’s High School for Girls, which was run by the Sisters of Loreto. On May 24, 1937, she took her final Profession of Vows to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She then became known as Mother Teresa. In 1944, she became principal of the school.

Mother Teresa received a second calling while on a train. Christ spoke to her, asking her to work in the slums of Calcutta, caring for the sickest and poorest of the people. Pursuing this calling changed her life forever. In one year, she received approval to do the work she was being called to do. After six months of basic medical training she went to the slums to aid the needy and dying. Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity with 12 members, most of them students from St. Mary’s. She established a leper colony, an orphanage, a mission house, and several health clinics.

In 1971, Mother Teresa visited New York City, where she opened a soup kitchen and a home to care for HIV/AIDS sufferers. In 1979, she received the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 1983, Mother Teresa suffered her first heart attack. After suffering from lung, kidney and heart problems for several years, she died on Sept. 5, 1997, which is now her feast day. At the time of her death her Missionaries of Charity numbered over 4,000. She had 610 foundations in 123 countries.

Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19, 2003, after confirmation of her first miracle. The miracle was reported that a woman who had a large and very visible tumor, had stayed with the Missionaries of Charity. After she and the Sisters had prayed for Mother Teresa’s intercession, the growth, six to seven inches in length, had disappeared within several hours. Finding no other medical explanation for the sudden cure it was declared her first miracle. Over 3500 other reports are being investigated as possible miracles.

After accepting a second miracle, Pope Francis cleared the way for Mother Teresa to be declared a saint. Pope Francis signed a decree declaring that the inexplicable 2008 recovery of a Brazilian man who suddenly woke from a coma caused by a viral brain infection was due to the intercession of the Albanian nun, who died in 1997.

The Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, the postulator spearheading Mother Teresa’s canonization case, stated that the man fully recovered following his wife’s prayers and he has since returned to work as a mechanical engineer. The couple also have had two children.

In 2003, Mother Teresa’s private correspondence revealed she had experienced a “dark night of the soul”… feeling abandoned by God and lacking in faith. This lasted unusually long; for fifty years. Many saints have experienced such feelings, described by John of the Cross, in his book Dark Night of the Soul. She was filled with loneliness, and torture, due to this lack of consolation from God.

Each image in the following list is accompanied by a quote or prayer of Mother Teresa. The images are all public domain images.

As we celebrate the sainthood and feast day of St.Teresa of Calcutta on Sept. 5, let’s remember the remarkable things she did and said.

Sisters of Charity Public Domain Image — Sisters of Charity

Prayer of Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Dear Jesus, help us to spread your fragrance
everywhere we go.
Flood our souls with your spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess our whole being so utterly
that our lives may only be a radiance of yours.
Shine through us and be so in us
that every soul we come in contact with
may feel your presence in our soul.
Let them look up and see no longer us, but only Jesus.
Stay with us and then we shall begin to shine as you shine,
to shine as to be light to others.
The light, O Jesus, will be all from you.
None of it will be ours.
It will be you shining on others through us.
Let us thus praise you in the way you love best
by shining on those around us.
Let us preach you without preaching,
not by words, but by our example;
by the catching force –
the sympathetic influence of what we do,
the evident fullness of the love our hearts bear to you.

Amen

Mother Teresa with Child Public Domain Image — Mother Teresa with Child/Associated Press

Mother Teresa: Smile

“Let us always meet each other with a smile for the smile is the beginning of love.”

“Peace begins with a smile.”

“Every time you smile at someone it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: God and Faith

“We are nothing without God, but if we put our lives in God’s hands miracles happen.”

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

“Faith in action is love, and love in action is service. Byt transforming that faith into living acts of love, we put ourselves in contact with God Himself, with Jesus our Lord.”

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish He didn’t trust me so much.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: Prayer

The fruit of silence is prayer.

The fruit of prayer is faith.

The fruit of faith is love.

The fruit of love is service.

The fruit of service is peace.”

Mother Teresa

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhju (Mother Teresa)

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is a dream, realize it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is a duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is life, fight for it.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: Abortion

“Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love but to use any violence to get what it wants.”

“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

“There are two victims in every abortion: a dead baby and a dead conscience.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: Love and Forgiveness

“It is not how much we do, but how much love we put into the doing. It is not how how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.”

“I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

“If we really want to love we must learn to forgive.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: Helping the Sick

“Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely, and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.”

“Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not come, we have only today. Let us begin.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: Service

“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives; be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous, be happy anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God, it was never between you and them anyway.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: Prayer

“Love to pray. Feel often during the day the need for prayer and take trouble to pray Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God’s gift of Himself. Ask and seek, and your heart will grow big enough to receive Him and keep Him as your own.”

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: Silence

“We need to find God and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature; trees, flowers, grass, grow in silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

“In the silence of the heart God speaks.”

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa: Love

“Love has a hem to her garment

that reaches the very dust.

It sweeps the stains from

the street and lanes,

and because it can, it must.”

Mother Teresa

Save

Faith, Feast Days, Our Lady, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes; Feast of the Holy Family

The feast of the Holy Family is celebrated the first Sunday after Christmas. It is a time to reflect on the love and tenderness Jesus, Mary and Joseph had for one another. How can we improve our own family lives to be more loving?

One way to celebrate the Feast Day of the Holy Family is to make an act of consecration. An act of consecration is a sacred act and should be done in a very prayerful way. It needs to be prayed deeply. and slowly..from the heart.

Consecration to the Holy Family Prayer

O Lord Jesus, you lived in the home of Mary and Joseph in Nazareth. There you grew in age, wisdom and grace as you prepared to fulfill your mission as our Redeemer. We entrust our family to you.

O Blessed Mary, you are the Mother of our Savior. At Nazareth you cared for Jesus and nurtured him in the peace and joy of your home. We entrust our family to you.

O Saint Joseph, you provided a secure and loving home for Jesus and Mary, and gave us a model of fatherhood while showing us the dignity of work. We entrust our family to you.

Holy Family, we consecrate ourselves and our family to you. May we be completely united in a love that is lasting, faithful and open to the gift of new life. Help us to grow in virtue, to forgive one another from our hearts, and to live in peace all our days.

Keep us strong in faith, persevering in prayer, diligent in our work, and generous toward those in need.

our home, O Holy Family, truly become a domestic church where we reflect your example in our daily life. Amen.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us!

Short Prayer to the Holy Family

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul; Jesus Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.

“If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.”

Quote of St. Teresa of Calcutta

January is the Month of the Holy Name

Christmas, Faith, Quote, Spirituality

Celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas

The Catholic Church celebrates Christmas for twelve days.

While the Nativity of Our Lord is celebrated Dec. 25, the Twelve days of Christmas begins on Christmas Day, Dec. 25(beginning at sundown), and ends at sunrise on Jan. 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. During the Christmas season the priest’s vestments are gold to symbolize the sacredness of the Christmas season. The change in the color of vestments indicates that Advent is over. During Advent, the priest’s vestments are purple to symbolize the holy season of waiting and prayer.

According to legend, the song The Twelve Days of Christmas was actually written by Jesuit priests in England during the sixteenth century. It was a time of persecution and the song was used to secretly teach basic facts regarding the Catholic faith. If someone studied all the items represented in the song they knew the basics of the catholic faith.

Each number had a secret meaning:

Twelve represented the twelve teachings mentioned in the Apostles Creed;

Eleven represented the faithful Apostles;

Ten represented the commandments;

Nine represented the choirs of angels;

Eight represented the Beatitudes;

Seven represented the seven sacraments;

Six represented the six days of creation;

Five represented the first books of the Old Testament;

Four represented the four gospels;

Three represented the Trinity;

Two represented the two natures of Christ…human and divine;

and One represented Jesus himself, our Lord and our God.

The Pear Tree represented the cross we must carry when we follow Christ.

The Apostles’ Creed is a summary of the faith taught by the Apostles. When we pray the Apostles Creed we are professing our faith in the church begun by the Apostles.

The Apostles’ Creed

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy catholic Church,
The communion of saints,
The resurrection of the body
and life everlasting. Amen

The Catholic Church has feast days throughout the year. Many of its feast days are in honor of the saints. The feast day given to a saint is usually the day he or she died and entered heaven.

Take a small amount of time each day during the twelve days of Christmas to meditate on the actual feast day we are celebrating.

The Nativity of Our Lord; December 25

The Word of God,

the Day whose light shines

upon the angels…

put on flesh and was born

of the Virgin Mary.

Quote of St. Augustine (Feast day August 28)

Feast day of St. Stephen; December 27

St. Stephen; First Martyr

Look! I see an opening in the sky,

and the Son of Man standing

at God’s right hand…

Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Lord, do not hold

this sin against them.

Quote of St. Stephen

St. John the Evangelist; December 27

Apostle and Evangelist

St. John the Evangelist was one of the twelve Apostles. He wrote the fourth gospel: The Gospel of John. He is also known as the ‘Beloved Disciple’.

In the beginning

was the Word,

and the Word was God.

Gospel of John

The Holy Innocents; December 28

The Holy Innocents are the innocent children murdered by King Herod after the Magi told him about birth of the new King of the Jews, called the Christ child. The little children were murdered in an attempt to find and murder Christ, “The King of the Jews”.

The star of Bethlehem

shines

in the night of sin.

Quote of St. Edith Stein (Feast day August 9)

St. Thomas Becket; Feast Day December 29

St. Thomas Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was also a martyr. He was murdered with swords in the year 1170.

I feel as though I am with Mary and Joseph beside the Crib.

It is good to be there. Outside are the cold and the snow,

images of the world, but in the little cave,

lit by the light of Jesus, it is sweet and warm and light.

Quote of Bl. Charles de Foucauld (Feast day December 1)

St. Anysia; Feast Day December 30

St. Anysia was a martyr in Greece. She lived from 284-309. She was killed with a sword after being accosted by a soldier. She used her wealth to help the poor.

The prayer of a good innocent,and obedient child is like dew from heaven falling upon his whole family.

Quote of Bl. John XIII

St. Sylvester I; Feast Day December 31

St. Sylvester I was the Bishop of Rome. He died in the year 335 after helping to define doctrine at the Council of Nicea which proclaimed the Nicean Creed.

Call of Peter (Luke 5:20)

Do not be afraid;

from now on,

you will be catching people.”

Call of Levi (Luke 4:27)

“Follow me.”

Quote of Jesus Christ

Mary, Mother of God; Feast Day January 1

Mary was the Mother of Jesus and wife of St. Joseph. She was chosen by God the Father to bring Jesus into the world and raise him.

“Why should we be astonished if the God

who could work marvels in the scripture

and through His saints should choose to

reveal Himself even more marvelous

by means of His Mother?”

Quote of St. Bernard (Feast day August 20)

Feast day of St. Basil the Great; Feast Day January 2

St. Basil was the Bishop of Constantinople. He was known for his preaching and defending the two natures of Christ…both human and divine.

Troubles are usually the brooms

and shovels that smooth the road

to a good man’s fortune;

and many a man curses the rain that

falls upon his head,

and knows not

that it brings abundance.

Quote of St. Basil the Great

Most Holy Name of Jesus; Feast Day January 3

Jesus in the soul’s abyss is sweeter far than earthly bliss.

A flower strong is that name mild. Ne’er disturbed by

tempest wild. far lovelier than a diamond bright.

That name adorns the soul with light.

The name of Jesus sweetly rings like rarest zither’s silver strings.

Ah, Jesus, for your names blest sake, forgive my sins,

exceeding great.

Grant, dear Lord, that your fair name may wound my

heart with holy pain. Jesus, choicest love be ever thine.

Bless me Jesus, God of power, now and in

death’s departing hour.

Quote of Bl. Henry Suso (Feast day March 2)

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton; Feast Day January 4

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is the first native born American to be canonized. She lived in New York, dying in 1821. She is the Founder and first Superior of the Sister of Charity in the U.S.

“Be attentive to the voice of Grace.”

Quote of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. John N. Neumann; Feast Day January 5

St. John N. Neumann was born in Bohemia. He emigrated to the U.S. becoming a Redemptorist priest and the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia. He is the first American bishop to be canonized.

A man must always

be ready for death,

for death comes

when and where God wills it.

Quote of St. John N. Neumann

Feast of the Epiphany; Feast Day January 6

The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the Three Kings following the star to visit Jesus. They brought the King of the Jews gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The simple shepherds

heard the voice of an angel

and found their lamb;

the wise men saw the light of

a star and found their wisdom.

Quote of Bishop Fulton J. SheenSave

Save

[love]

Faith, Feast Days

Catholic Church Celebrates its Birthday on Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost
Public Domain Image

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.

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.

As Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said,

“In the silence of the heart God speaks.”

When you hear God in the silence of your heart, you are experiencing Pentecost…..the birth of your faith.

[love]

Faith

The Mystery of Easter Joy

April 14, 2019 Vicki Scheenstra

What does Easter mean to You?

When I think of Easter, I think of the surprise those who loved Jesus expressed. Mary Magdalene exclaimed, “I have seen the Lord!” When Jesus appeared to the apostles while Thomas was absent, Thomas declared his disbelief saying he needed to “see with his own eyes the wounds of the Lord”

To me, Easter means Hope. Easter means new life. Easter means new beginnings. Most of all, Easter means Joy! Joy that Jesus is alive in our life. Jesus takes away our fear and doubt. Jesus leads us in a mysterious way to new beginnings and gives us joy at the same time.

When we are hurting and depressed it is easy to lose hope, and we can lose our faith. If everything Jesus tells us is true, than there is a heaven, and it is possible that in spite of my sins I will inherit everlasting life! How we deal with suffering defines who we are as Christians. The saints were all willing to suffer for their faith. They seemed to understand the value of suffering more than those of us in the modern world.

Jesus died on the cross for MY sins. He died on the cross for YOUR sins. If we turn to him in faith for guidance, he will lead us home…to heaven.

Lead me Lord is one of my favorite prayers. It tells the Lord that I do not know the future. I need His guidance. If I am quiet and listen, He will lead me to know His will. What a difference my life would be if all my prayers had been answered YES! I heard once that God has only two answers to our prayers…Yes or …I have a better plan! I ask God to help me discover what His plan is for me.

Thank you, Jesus, for dying for my sins.

Help me to know your will and to follow it.

Help me to never be discouraged or to give up hope.

Help me to share my joy that I feel knowing that you love me.

May I joyfully serve you always.

Lead me Lord!

Faith

Who were the 14 Holy Helpers?

August 7, 2018 Vicki Scheenstra

Intercessory prayer has always been an important form of prayer in the church. The church believes that we can and should pray for each other. This does not end when we die. The saints are closer to God than we are. We ask them to pray for us in our time of need. This is called intercessory prayer.

During the black plague, which lasted from 1346-1349, a number of saints gained great popularity for their ability to intercede and were given credit for many miraculous cures. They became known as the Holy Helpers. A feast day was created to celebrate their sanctity and celebrated on August 8. in 1969, this feast day of the Holy Helpers was dropped because of the reform of the liturgical calendar. The 14 Holy Helpers are still popular today.

All of the Holy Helpers except St. Giles were martyrs. Symptoms of the plague were a black tongue, painful throat, severe headache, fever, and boils on the abdomen. It came on suddenly and could result in death within hours. The people who contracted the disease turned to the Holy Helpers to intercede for them during the frightening experience.

1. St. George…Feast Day April 23rd…Died 303

St. George was born in Cappadocia (modern Turkey) into a Christian family. He became a high ranking soldier. When Emperor Diocletian began persecuting Christians, he protested. He was then jailed and tortured. He died a martyr after being beheaded. Legend tells us that St. George killed a dragon which was threatening the townspeople. He made the sign of the cross and then killed it with a lance. Many people were converted and baptized because of St. George.

St George is invoked for protection of domestic animal.

2. St. Blaise… Feast Day Feb. 3

St. Blaise was born in Armenia. He was a physician and a philosopher. He became a Bishop of Armenia. Due to persecution, he fled and lived as a hermit. Legend tells us that hunters came upon him praying in a cave. He was surrounded by lions, wolves and bears. He was imprisoned. He was known for his gift of healing. The most famous healing happened while he was in prison. A mother came with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his throat. At Blaise’s command the child was able to cough up the bone.

St. Blaise died a martyr. After being tortured, he was beheaded.

St. Blaise  is invoked for healing of the throat.

3. St. Erasmus (or St. Elmo)…Feast Day June 2…Martyr

St. Elmo lived in Italy. He served as the Bishop of Formiae, Campagna, Italy and was martyred during the persecutions of Christians by Diocletan.

Trying to flee the persecutions, St. Elmo fled to Mt. Lebanon and lived in solitude for a time. When he was found, he was tortured and imprisoned. Because he refused to deny his faith he was scourged and cast into boiling oil, sulfur and pitch. He was miraculously saved from harm. According to legend an angel led him to freedom. After escaping prison he converted many with his preaching and miracles. A second time he was captured, imprisoned and tortured. Again, an angel led him to freedom. During his torture he had hot iron hooks struck into his intestines. He survived these wounds which is why he is invoked for intestinal problems.

St. Elmo is considered the patron saint of sailors. A blue light appears at mastheads before and after a storm; the seamen took it as a sign of St. Erasmus’s protection. This became known as St. Elmo’s Fire. St. Elmo died as a martyr in 303. He was tortured and disemboweled.

St. Elmo  is the patron saint of sailors 
and against intestinal troubles.

4. St. Pantaleon … Feast Day July 27th…D. 304

St. Pantaleon was born into a wealthy christian family. He left the faith and became a physician. He returned to the faith before his father died leaving him a large inheritance. During the persecution of Dicletian, he refused to denounce his faith. After healing a man with palsy, he was tortured in many ways. Tradition says he was burned by torches until Christ appeared and put out the flames. Attempts at boiling him and drowning at sea also failed. He was finally nailed to a tree and beheaded. He prayed for forgiveness of his persecutors before his death.

St. Pantaleon is patron saint of physicians, midwives, 
tuberculosis and torture victims.

5. St. Vitus (also St. Guy)… Feast Day June 14

St. Vitus was born in 291 into a pagan family in Sicily. He was cared for by a Christian family who had him baptized. His furious father tried to have him renounce his faith. When he would not, his father turned him over to the governor Valerian who had him tortured for refusing to deny his faith. He was ordered scourged, however his executioners’ hands were paralyzed. They were healed after St. Vitus made a sign of the cross over ther. Escaping during a storm, St. Vitus fled to Italy. After converting many, Diocetian had him arrested and tortured again. When he was thrown to the wild beasts, the animals cowered at his feet. He wurvived boiling oil but was martyred on the rack in the year 303.

St. Vitus is the patron saint of dancers and actors. 
He is invoked during storms and against epilepsy
and those afflicted with St Vitus Dance.

6. St. Christopher … martyr … Former Feast Day July 25

Because the existence of St. Christopher is not verified his feast day was dropped when the liturgical year was reformed. However, his legend is powerful and many still ask for his intercession. Legend says that he converted to the faith after following the devil. He was very tall and considered a giant. He devoted his life to carrying people across a river with no bridge. One day, he was carrying a small child. The child became heavier and heavier until St. Christopher staggered. When they had crossed the river the child told St. Christopher that he was the Christ child and that he had been carrying the burdens of the world on his shoulders. St. Christopher is believed to be martyred by Emperor Deius in approximately 250

St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers,
transportation workers and soldiers.

7. St. Denis (also Dionysius) Feast Day October 9 bishop and martyr

St. Denis is also known as St. Diomysius. He was converted by St. Paul, becoming one of his followers. He was known converting many people. Pope St. Clement sent him to Gaul where he became the first bishop of France, At the age of 110, he was martyred by beheading. Tradition tells us that after he was beheaded, he took his head in his own hands placing it 2000 paces away where a chapel was later built.

St. Denis is invoked against diabolical possession and headaches.

8. St. Cyriacus (also Cyriac)… Feast Day August 8 … deacon and martyr

St. Cyriacus was a pious Roman who became a deacon and tried to help people being persecuted for their faith. He also ministered to people in prison. Eventually, he was put in prison himself. While in prison he converted many and restored the sight of several blind men. When Emperor Diocletian’s daughter was found to be possessed by the devil it was St. Cyriacus who was able to free her of this possession. After she was healed the Emperor left him to live in peace. However, under the persecution of the co Emperor Maximum, he was again persecuted. He was tortured and beheaded on March 16, 303.

St. Cyriacus is the patron against eye disease,
diabolical possession and temptation, especially at the time of death.

9. St. Aciathius (also Acaciid) … Feast Day May 8th

St. Aciathius was a Roman soldier. He joined the army during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, becoming a captain. He converted to Christianity and was filled with zeal. He converted many pagan soldiers. The emperor had him thrown into prison and tortured on the rack when he would not renounce his faith. He was brought before the tribune Bibianus. After declaring that his name was Christian, because he was a follower of Christ, Bibianus ordered him beaten with clubs and chained. After suffering more torture, he was beheaded on May 8, 311.

St. Acathius is the invoked against headaches.

10. St. Eustace (also Eustachius, Eustathius)… Feast Day Sept. 20th

Before his conversion St. Eustace was none as Placedas. He was a kind man who enjoyed hunting. He was also a Roman general. One day he followed a stag into the forest. While he was staring at the deers antlers they vegan to glow showing a cross between them. He heard a voice asking him to convert to Christianity. Pacedus and his family were soon baptized and he became known as Eustace. St. Eustace was martyred in the year 118 by being burned inside a bronze bull.

St. Eustaca is the patron against fire, difficult situations,
family troubles and hunters and fire fighters.

11. St. Giles the Abbot (also Aegildius)… Feast Day Sept. 1… Hermit and abbot

St. Giles was born into a noble family in Athens, Greece in the seventh century. After the death of his parents, he distributed his inheritance to the poor. He also became known for the gift of miracles and healing he had received. Giles longed to live a life of solitude, serving God as a recluse. He left Greece, sailing for France. Everywhere he lived he became known for his gift of miracles and healing. He would have to flee once again to find a place to live in peace and solitude. His final dwelling place was deep in the forest in a cavern in a rock. He occupied his time in prayer, praising God and meditating. His only companion was a red deer, which provided him with milk to drink. St. Giles is the only Holy Helper who was not a martyr.

After several years of living in complete solitude, the King of France instituted a great hunt near where Giles lived. The hunters chased the deer which led them to the cave where Giles lived. They shot an arrow into the cave, wounding the holy hermit. They found him covered with blood with the deer lying at his feet. When the king was told what had happened, he ordered him taken care of. He came to see him offering him gifts. St. Giles refused the gifts requesting a monastery instead. St. Giles became the Abbot of the monastery which was soon built. Several disciples joined him. His fame continued to spread because of his gift of miracles. The conversion of the King was one of these miracles.

St. Giles is the patron saint of the mentally ill, the disabled,
epileptics,childhood fears, and depression.

12. St. Margaret of Antioch … Feast Day July 2

St. Margaret was a virgin and martyr. St. Margaret was born in Antioch. She was raised by a Catholic nurse. When her pagan father learned of her faith, he was very displeased. He wanted her to marry the city prefect. When she refused, the prefect hd her tortured on the rack and pierced with iron hooks. She was then left in prison to die. Miraculously, all her wounds were healed. She was then tortured again with flaming hooks which did her no harm. Finally, she was beheaded. She was one of the saints who talked to St. Joan of Arc.

St. Margaret is the patron of women in childbirth.
St. Margaret is invoked against backaches and kidney disease.

13. St. Catherine of Alexandria … Feast Day Nov 25th

While there is no historical evidence regarding St. Catherine of Alexandria there is a strong tradition about her martyrdom. St. Catherine was born around 287 in Alexandria, Egypt. She was the daughter of a wealthy pagan couple. She had a love of learning and studied philosophy and religion. After studying Christianity, she converted. She is known to have debated 50 philosophers, converting them.

Legend tells us that she was imprisoned and tortured by Emperero Maxentius after she refused to marry him. He forced her to debate the most learned pagan philosophers hoping she would commit apostasy, however the debates resulted in many conversions to the Christian faith. St. Catherine was tortured by being placed on a wheel full of spikes in an attempt to kill her. The wheel broke into two pieces and fell apart. She was then beheaded.

St. Catherine is invoked as the patron saint of students, teachers, 
librarians and lawyers.

14. St. Barbara… Feast Day December 4

St. Barbara was a virgin and martyr. She is the patron of builders, artillery men and miners. She was martyred in Asia Minor in the 3rd or 4th century. Her father isolated her in a high tower where she was tutored by philosophers and poets. She converted to Christianity, which infuriated her father. He ordered her killed. She was caught trying to escape and then beheaded by her father. He was immediately struck dead by lightning.

St. Barbara is invoked against fever, lightning, fire and sudden death.

The saints are men and women who have joy in their hearts and spread it to others… never hating, but serving the others.

Quote by Pope Frances on Nov. 1, 2013 All Saints Day

The 14 Holy Helpers in Art

Faith, Feast Days, Spirituality

Celebrating Conversion on the Feast Day of the Conversion of St. Paul

St. Paul was not one of the original apostles. While persecuting Christians after the death of Jesus, he was thrown to the ground by a bright light. He heard a voice asking him;

“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

He responded with;

“Who are you, Lord?”

Jesus answered him,

“I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

But get up and enter the city and you will be told what you are to do.”

Paul was blinded by the light for three days after which scales fell from his eyes. He then joined the apostles, becoming known as “The Apostle of the Gentiles”. He wrote many of the epistles in the Bible. He is the patron saint of writers, the press, and missionaries.

St. Paul was not Jewish like the other Apostles. He convinced St. Peter that Gentiles did not need to become Jewish in order to follow Jesus. They then decided that it was not necessary for Gentiles to be circumcised in order to be Christian.

The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast day of the Conversion of St. Paul on Jan. 25. We should all be able to relate in a personal way to the conversion of St. Paul.

We are all sinners.

Sometimes it feels as if ‘the scales have fallen from our eyes’. One day we are blindly acting like hypocrites and then we awaken to a new day. We know without a doubt that our behavior must change. This is a conversion experience. Conversion can be frightening at first. It is God asking us to change our lifestyle and behavior. Hopefully, we can respond like St. Paul did…with tireless zeal and love. If we do let God direct our lives, we will be filled with an indescribable joy. This joy that is also known as the Peace of Christ.

This is what happened to St. Paul. After his conversion experience, he felt the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. This forgiveness filled him with inner joy.

As we celebrate the feast day of the Conversion of St. Paul, let us ask ourselves the following questions.

Do we want to live as lukewarm Christians or follow Jesus now and experience his forgiveness and love?
What does it really mean to be a Christian?
Do people know I am a Christian by my actions?
Which behaviors in my life need to come to an end to make me a true follower of Christ?
What is Jesus asking me to do with my life?

Save

Faith, Feast Days, Prayer, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Most Holy Name of Jesus, Feast Day January 3

January 8, 2017 Vicki Scheenstra

The feast day of The Most Holy Name of Jesus gives us the opportunity to venerate and reflect on the holy name of Jesus. The devotion was begun primarily by St. Bernadine of Siena and the Franciscan and Dominican nuns and priests in the twelfth century. Later it was promoted by the Jesuits. The feast day was approved in 1721 by Pope Innocent XIII.

When we reflect on the name of Jesus it is a form of prayer. To invoke Jesus name is a powerful but simple way of praying to God ‘without ceasing’.

In the Gospel of John Jesus said to his disciples,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14;6

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians he said,

“So great is the Most Holy Name of Jesus that God highly exalted Him and gave Him the Name that is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bend; in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2:9-11

As we begin a new year, let us turn to Jesus for guidance in all we do. May Jesus bless our lives and grant us peace and healing.

“Jesus in the soul’s abyss is sweeter far than earthly bliss.

A flower strong is that name mild. Ne’er disturbed by tempest wild.

Far lovelier than a diamond bright.

That name adorns the soul with light.

The name of Jesus sweetly rings like rarest zither’s silver strings.

Ah, Jesus, for your names blest sake, forgive my sins, exceeding great.

Grant, dear Lord, that your fair name may wound my heart with holy pain.

Jesus, choicest love be ever thine.Bless me Jesus,

God of power, now and in death’s departing hour.”

Quote of Bl. Henry Suso; Feast day March 2

January is the Month of the Holy Name

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Feast Days, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips ane Quotes: The Holy Innocents, Feast Day December 28

January 3, 2017 Vicki Scheenstra

The feast day of The Holy Innocents is celebrated on December 28.

According to the Gospel of St. Matthew 2:16-18, Herod ordered the execution of all young male children near Bethlehem out of fear of a newborn King of the Jews after the announcement of His birth by the Magi.

It is not known how many children died, however, they are considered Martyrs and are honored by the Catholic Church.

An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream saying;

“take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child and kill kill Him.”

Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt keeping them safe from harm.

The star of Bethlehem

shines

in the night of sin.

Quote of St. Edith Stein; Feast day August 9

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

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St. Andrew the Apostle

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Augustine of Hippo

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Dominic

St. Francis of Assisi

St. Gregory the Great

St. Jerome

St. John the Baptist

St. John the Evangelist

St. John of the Cross

St. Joseph

St. Jude Thaddaeus

St. Justin Martyr

St. Luke

St. Mark the Evangelist

St. Matthew

St. Michael the Archangel

St. Patrick

St. Paul

St. Peregrine Laziosi

St. Peter

St. Sebastian

St. Thomas the Apostle

St. Vincent de Paul

“If you want to bring happiness to the whole world, go home and love your family.”

January is the Month of the Holy Name

1. St. George…Feast Day April 23rd…Died 303

2. St. Blaise… Feast Day Feb. 3

3. St. Erasmus (or St. Elmo)…Feast Day June 2…Martyr

4. St. Pantaleon … Feast Day July 27th…D. 304

5. St. Vitus (also St. Guy)… Feast Day June 14

6. St. Christopher … martyr … Former Feast Day July 25

7. St. Denis (also Dionysius) Feast Day October 9 bishop and martyr

8. St. Cyriacus (also Cyriac)… Feast Day August 8 … deacon and martyr

9. St. Aciathius (also Acaciid) … Feast Day May 8th

10. St. Eustace (also Eustachius, Eustathius)… Feast Day Sept. 20th

11. St. Giles the Abbot (also Aegildius)… Feast Day Sept. 1… Hermit and abbot

13. St. Catherine of Alexandria … Feast Day Nov 25th

14. St. Barbara… Feast Day December 4

The saints are men and women who have joy in their hearts and spread it to others… never hating, but serving the others.

Quote by Pope Frances on Nov. 1, 2013 All Saints Day

The 14 Holy Helpers in Art

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

Discovering the Spirituality of Catholicism

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