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Doctor of the Church, Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Augustine, Feast Day August 28

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St. Augustine of Hippo by Sandro Botticelli Public Domain Image
St. Augustine of Hippo
by Sandro Botticelli

The feast day of St. Augustine is celebrated on August 28th. St. Augustine is the patron saint of brewers.   St. Augustine was born in Africa.  His mother was St. Monica.

After the death of his father at the age of seventeen, St. Augustine left the church and led a loose life. He soon had both a mistress and a son. His mother St. Monica prayed for him for seventeen years before he returned to the faith.

Augustine began his search for faith by joining a group called the Manichees. Manichaeism teaches there are two gods at war with each other; good and evil. It also teaches that all matter is evil. He was hesitant to fully practice his faith due to physical desires. He is known for his statement

“O God, give me chastity, but not yet.”

Eventually, Augustine heard the preaching of St. Ambrose, which greatly influenced him. He began to study the bible. One day, after experiencing great remorse for his sins, Augustine heard a child singing, “Take up and read!” He opened his bible to the letters of St. Paul where he read “put away all impurity and live in imitation of Jesus.” From then on Augustine practiced his faith with zeal. He was baptized by St. Ambrose, ordained a priest and eventually became a bishop. He was also a famous writer. His book “Confessions” is considered a classic. After his death in 430 he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.

The following poem was written by St. Augustine.

 

Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you! Lo, you were within, but I outside, seeking there for you,
and upon the shapely things you have made I rushed headlong – I, misshapen.
You were with me, but I was not with you. They held me back far from you,
those things which would have no being, were they not in you.

You called, shouted, broke through my deafness;
you flared, blazed, banished my blindness;
you lavished your fragrance, I gasped; and now I pant for you;
I tasted you, and now I hunger and thirst;
you touched me, and I burned for your peace.

 

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

Dominican Saints, Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Thomas Aquinas, Feast Day January 28

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St. Thomas Aquinas

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Thomas Aquinas,

Feast Day January 28

The feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas is celebrated on Jan. 28.  He is the patron saint of students and universities and a Doctor of the Church.    He was ordained as a Dominican Priest.

St. Thomas was born in Roccasecca, Sicily in 1225. His parents were from Italian nobility. St. Thomas was well educated. He was raised in a Benedictine monastery at Monte Casino. He finished his studies at Naples.

Against his families wishes he joined the Dominicans, also known as the Order of Preachers and was ordained a priest.  His brothers followed careers in the military. In an attempt to end his desires to become a Dominican, his brothers hired a prostitute to seduce him. According to legend, two angels appeared to Thomas to strengthen him and increase his determination to remain celibate. He thus became known as the “Angelic Doctor”.

While he was still a student, St. Thomas was given the nickname “the dumb ox” due to his large size and silent nature. However, he was actually quite gifted and intelligent. He is considered one of the most influential theologians in the history of the Church.

After he was ordained a priest, Pope Urban IV called him to Rome where he was appointed to teach. St. Thomas turned down an offer from Pope Clement IV to be the Archbishop of Naples.

St. Thomas published many books. He also wrote many hymns which are still sung today. One of St. Thomas most famous works, Summas Theologica was never completed. He fell ill and died before he could finish it in 1274.

St. Thomas was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V.   He is the patron saint of students and universities.

 

O Lord my God, make me submissive without protest,
poor without discouragement, chaste without regret,
patient without complaint, humble without posturing,
cheerful without frivolity, mature without gloom,
and quick witted without flippancy.

Quote of St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas

January is the Month of the Holy Name.

 

 

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Doctor of the Church, Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Hilary of Poitiers, Feast Day January 13

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St. Hilary St. Hilary of Poitiers

The feast day of St. Hilary of Poitiers is celebrated on January 13.

St. Hilary was raised a pagan; however, he was in search of God. After reading the story of Moses in the Old Testament he found a definition of God which inspired him. In Exodus 3:14 God told Moses:

“I am who I am.”

The simplicity of this statement led St. Hilary to study the bible further. He loved the psalms and stories about the prophets. After reading the Gospel of John he accepted Jesus as the Son of God.

St. Hilary was already married and had one daughter named Apra when he was elected Bishop of Poitiers. He defended the belief that Christ is both human and divine. The Arian heresy was growing which denied the divinity of Christ. He wrote about the Trinity and composed hymns.

When Emperor Constantius ordered the bishops of the West to sign a condemnation of Athanasius, Hilary refused and was banished to Phrygia (Turkey). He became known as “Athanasius of the West”. After seeking a public debate, he was allowed to return home where he was welcomed.

St. Hilary died in the year 368.  He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.

 

“Satan once loved me ardently

in the death of sin;

let him behold me reigning with

You throughout the ages.”

Quote of St. Hilary of Poitiers

 

January is the Month of the Holy Name.

 

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Doctor of the Church, Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Basil the Great, Feast Day January 2

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St. Basil the Great

The feast day of St. Basil the Great is celebrated on January 2.  He is the patron saint of hospital administrators and a Doctor of the Church.  He was the Bishop of Caesarea

St. Basil was born in 330 at Caesarea of Cappadocia. He was born into a family of ten children. He studied at Constantinople and Athens where he met St. Gregory Nazianzen.

Before deciding to become a monk, he practiced law and opened a school. He directed the monastery in Pontus for five years. He eventually was ordained a priest. St. Basil became bishop in 370. He fought against Arianism ( the belief that Jesus was not divine in nature) at the Council of Constantinople. He also fought for reform of the clergy. He was known for his holiness and was tireless in caring for his people. He was known for preaching twice a day to huge crowds. The hospital that he built was a hospital that was called a wonder of the world.

Basil was best known for his preaching. Because of his writings he is considered a one of the great teachers of the Church.

Sickly since youth, the work of teaching, his life of abstinence, and the responsibilities and sorrows of pastoral service took their toll on him. Saint Basil died on January 1, 379 at age 49.

St. Basil is considered a Doctor of the Church. He is the patron saint of hospital administrators.

“Troubles are usually the brooms and shovels that

smooths 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

January is the Month of the Holy Name

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Doctor of the Church, Faith, Jesuit Saints, patron saints, Sacred Heart, Saint of the Day, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Peter Canisius, Feast Day December 21

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St. Peter Canisius

The feast day of St. Peter Canisius is celebrated on December 21.  He is the patron saint of the Catholic Press, a Jesuit priest and a Doctor of the Church.

St. Peter Canistius was born in Holland in 1521. He received his masters degree at the age of 19 from the University of Cologne. He studied art, law, and theology. He met Peter Faber, the first disciple of Ignatius, at a retreat. Soon after, he decided to become a member of the Society of Jesus, (the Jesuits). He was ordained in 1546. During the Council of Trent he was a delegate. St. Peter taught at several universities and established colleges and seminaries. He also wrote a catechism for lay people which was easy to understand. It was translated into twelve languages. He was an eloquent preacher, leading the counter reformation and renewing the faith in southern Germany. He also led reform in Austria, Bavaria and Bohemia.

After Mass one day, he received a vision of the Sacred Heart. Afterward, he offered his work to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Prior to his death he suffered from a paralytic seizure. He continued preaching and writing until his death on Dec. 21, 1597.

 

“Anyone who wishes to frolic with the devil cannot rejoice with Christ.”

Quote of St. Peter Canisius

 

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

 

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Carmelite Saints, Doctor of the Church, Faith, patron saints, Prayer, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John of the Cross, Feast Day December 14

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St. John of the CrossPrayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John of the Cross, Feast Day December 14

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John of the Cross,

Feast Day December 14

The feast day of St. John of the Cross is celebrated on December 14.  Because of his mystical writing, he is called the Mystical Doctor. He is one of the 35 Doctors of the Church. He is the patron of mystics.

Juan de Yepes Alvarez was born in Spain in 1542. His father was disowned by the family when he married a weavers’ daughter. His father died soon after his birth. Most of Juan’s childhood was spent in poverty. As a teenager, Juan worked in a hospital caring for the terminally ill and mental patients.

At the age of 21, Juan became a brother in the Carmelite Order. He went for higher studies in Slamanca and was ordained a priest, taking the name of John of the Cross at age 25. He soon met St. Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun, who convinced him to help her in the work of reforming the Carmelite Order. There was great resistance to the reforming of the order to a more prayerful life. Those against the reform actually kidnapped him. They held him prisoner for over nine months in a small cell, six by ten feet wide. He was beaten often. During this time of trial, St. John of the Cross became very close to God, spending his time writing his mystical poetry. He eventually escaped using a rope made of strips of blankets to climb out the window. The only thing he took with him was his writings. John hid in a convent infirmary where he read his poetry to the nuns. From this period on he shared his experience of God’s love.

St. John of the Cross wrote many books including:

St. John of the Cross
  • Ascent of Mount Carmel,
  • Dark Night of the Soul
  • A Spiritual Canticle
  • Living Flame of Love

 

 

 

 

In 1579, he became Rector of Colegio de San Basilio, continuing his writing ministry. He is known for a spirituality which believes in the prayer of detachment. His spirituality also focused on joining our suffering to the Paschal Mystery  (the death and suffering of Jesus Christ).   He taught that the Cross leads to resurrection, agony to ecstasy, darkness to light, abandonment to possession, denial of self to union with God.

St. John of the Cross died of fever caused by cellulitus. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. His feast day is Dec. 14, the day of his death and entry into heaven.

 

“Live in the world as if only God

and your soul were in it;

then your heart will never be made

captive by any earthly thing.”

Quote of St. John of the Cross

St. John of the Cross

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

 

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