The Feast Day of St. Anthony Mary Claret is celebrated on October 24. He is the patron saint of educators, the Catholic Press and weavers.
St. Anthony Mary Claret was the Archbishop of the Diocese of the Canary Islands. With a group of five other priests he was the Founder of the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, also known as the Claretians.
St. Anthony Mary Claret was born in Catalonia, Spain in 1807. At the age of twelve he became a weaver. He entered the seminary at Vic in 1829 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1835 on the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, whom he was named after. He entered the Jesuit novitiate but had to leave due to his ill health.
St. Anthony Mary Claret was assigned to missionary work throughout Catalonia. In 1848 he was sent to the Canary Islands where he gave retreats for fifteen months. When he returned to Spain, he established the Congregation the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (The Claretians) on the feast of “Our Lady of Mt. Carmel“ (July 16, 1848).
He also founded the religious library at Barcelona called “Libreria Religiosa”. It is now known as “Libreria Claret). He was appointed Archbishop of Santiago, Cuba in 1849. Over 9,000 marriages were validated within two years of his arrival. He began a hospital and several schools. The first women’s religious institute in Cuba was begun by St. Anthony. It was known as the Religious of Mary Institute.
In 1857 he was recalled to Spain and he became the Confessor to Queen Isabella II. He became a resident of an Italian Hospice. Preaching everywhere he went, he also distributed books. Eventually, his life in danger, he went to France where he preached in Paris.
In 1869, he participated in the First Vatican Council. He had to withdraw due to poor health. He died on Oct. 24, 1870, at the age of 62 in a Cistercian monastery in France.
“The man who burns with the fire of divine love is a son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and wherever he goes, he enkindles that flame. He desires and works with all his strength to inflame all men with the fire of God’s love. Nothing deters him, he rejoices in poverty, he labors strenuously, he welcomes hardships, he laughs off false accusations, he rejoices in anguish. He thinks only of how he might follow Jesus Christ and imitate him by his prayers, his labors, his sufferings, and be caring always and only for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.”
The Feast Day of St. Eurosia is celebrated on June 25. St. Eurosia is considered the patron saint against bad weather.
St. Eurosia was a French martyr. She was born in Bayonne, France into a noble family. Betrothed against her will to a Moore, she escaped through the mountains and hid in a cave. Eurosia was pursued and captured. Her captures dragged her out of the cave by her hair. She was then martyred. Her limbs were amputated and then she was beheaded. At the moment of her death a violent storm came which terrorized her captures.
St. Eurosia’s remains were discovered by a shepherd. Her head remained at the original shrine, but her body was taken to Jaca for burial. Miracles were reported at the original shrine which became a site of pilgrimage.
St. Eurosia was canonized by Pope Leo XIII.
Where the sign of the cross is erected,
the wickedness of the devil is immediately repelled.
The Feast Day of St. Audrey is celebrated on June 23.
St. Audrey was also known as Etheldreda. She was born an English princess. At her parents insistence, she married a prince named Tonbert. He permitted her to keep the vow of virginity which she had earlier made. However, after three years she was a widow.
She was later forced to marry a king from Northumberland, named Egfrid. After twelve years he tried to change her mind about living as brother and sister. When she refused he tried to bribe the bishop St. Wilfred of York, asking him to release her from her vows. St. Wilfrid refused.
With the permission of her husband St. Audrey became a nun and founded the Abbey of Ely. She died from an enormous growth on her neck in 679. She was not yet 50 years old.
Sixteen years later her body was found to be incorrupt.
Charity is the sweet holy bond that binds the soul with the Creator.
The Feast Day of St. Thomas More is celebrated on June 22. St. Thomas More is the patron saint of lawyers.
St. Thomas More was born in London, England in 1478. He wrote the famous book Utopia which was a work of fiction which depicted a pagan and communist island which was ruled by reason. It touched on many controversial issues and established him as a humanist.
St. Thomas More attended St. Anthony’s School in London and served as a page for the archbishop of Canterbury. He continued his studies at Oxford University eventually becoming a lawyer. He was tempted to become a monk and moved near to a Cathusian monastery near London. He participated as much as possible. Torn becoming a monk or working as a civil servant his desire to become a civil servant won. In 1504, he entered Parliament. Life began to change in 1527 when King Henry tried to use the Bible to prove to Thomas More that his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, who failed to produce a male child, was void. St. Thomas More could not agree with King Henry’s plan to divorce Catherine.
In 1532, Thomas More resigned from the House of Commons because of his health. When More refused to swear to King Henry’s Act of Succession and the Oath of Supremacy he was refusing allegiance to the King.
St. Thomas More was sent to the Tower of London on April 17, 1534 and found guilty of treason. He was beheaded on July 6, 1535. His last words were:
“The king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
St. Thomas More is considered a martyr of the faith. St. Thomas More was canonized in 1935 by Pope Pius XI.
The Feast Day of St. Silverius is celebrated on June 20.
St. Silverius was the son of Pope Hermisdas who had been married before entering his ministry. St. Silverius was chosen as Pope while he was serving as a sub deacon. He was ordained on June 8, 536.
As Pope, St. Silverius refused to approve the doctrine of monophysitism which believed Christ had one nature not two (human and divine). Because of this ruling Pope Silverius was deposed and replaced by a deacon named Vigilus. St. Silverius was accused of treason and degraded to the rank of monk. After an appeal he was sent to Rome for an inquiry. Silverius however was forced to live on the island of Palmaria off Naples.
St. Silverius died from murder by starvation in the year 539. He was recognized a saint by popular acclamation.
Cast yourself into the furnace of the gentle heart of Jesus.
All your defects and imperfections will be consumed there.
St. Romuald was born at Ravenna, Italy in 951. His feast day is celebrated on June 19.
As a young man he pursued the pleasures of the world. However, at the age of 20, he witnessed a duel between his father and a relative over property. His father killed the relative. St. Romuald fled to a Benedictine monastery to do penance as if he had committed the crime himself.
St. Romuald became a monk at the Basilica of Saint Apollinare in Classe. Wanting a stricter order he founded several monasteries of his own. When faced with temptation he always turned to prayer. His rule states,
“Sit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. The path you must follow is in the Psalms – never leave it.”
St. Romuald spent 30 years founding monasteries. His father eventually followed him and became a monk. When he wavered he had the encouragement of his son.
St. Romuald died in the year 1027.
I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me.
God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to see before me.
God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to be before me,
God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to secure me.
The Feast Day of St. Elizabeth of Schoenna is celebrated on June 18.
St. Elizabeth was born in 1129 in Bonn, Germany. She was raised in a monastery and at the age of twelve entered a Benedictine Monastery. She made her profession in 1147 and became superioress of the Benedictine Nuns in 1157.
Elizabeth often had visions and ecstasies which occurred on Holy Days and Sundays. She wrote down her visions and after her death in 1165, the material was published by her brother Egbert who was a priest. The church has not examined her work and has not given an opinion.
Although she has never been formally canonized her name has been entered in the Roman martyrology.
To be ignorant of the Scriptures is to be ignorant of Christ.
The Feast Day of St. Germaine Cousins is celebrated on June 15. St. Gemaine was born in the small village of Pebrac, France in 1579. Her mother died soon after her birth. Germaine was born with a paralyzed right arm and a disease which caused abscesses around the neck.
Her father soon remarried. The step-mother treated her harshly, refusing to let her sleep in the house. Germaine slept on a mattress of hay in the stable or in the cupboard under the stairs. She was underfed being given only scraps of food and forbidden to play with her step-siblings.
At an early age, Germaine was given the chore of caring for the family sheep. While caring for the sheep, Germaine developed a relationship with God, attending Mass whenever possible. When she heard the nearby church bells ring, she entrusted the sheep to her guardian angel so that she could receive communion. The sheep were always found safe on her return.
One day in the winter the village people saw the stepmother pursuing Germaine and accusing her of stealing bread and concealing it in her apron. She threatened to hit her with a stick and Germaine opened her apron. Summer flowers fell to the ground. After this incident the parents decided she had been touched by God and invited her to live in the house. Germaine, however, refused. She preferred to go on living as she had been.
One morning in 1601 she was found dead in the cupboard under the stairs at the age of 21. After her death her body became very beautiful. Word spread and many people came to see the change. She was buried in the church of Pibrac. Forty three years later when a relative had died and was to be buried, her body was exhumed and found to be incorruptand flexible.
St. Germaine was canonized on June 29 1867 by Pope Pius IX.
The Feast Day of St. Boniface is celebrated on June 5.
St. Boniface was born in Wessex, England in 675. After studying in English monasteries he became a missionary traveling to Europe where he converted pagans in what today is Germany and the Netherlands.
St. Boniface became the bishop of Mainz in 722. He is remembered for cutting down an oak tree which was associated with the god Thor. Those who witnessed the event expected him to be punished by Thor. When nothing immediately happened many people converted.
The pope wanted St. Boniface to reform the German Church. St. Boniface organized the German Church solving many of the existing problems which included the education and proper ordination of the clergy.
On his final mission, at the age of 80, he and 53 companions were martyred while he was instructing converts for the sacrament of confirmation. The date of his martyrdom was June 5, 754. He is referred to as the Apostle to the Germans.
In her voyage across the ocean of this world,
the Church is like a great ship being pounded by the waves
of life’s different stresses. Our duty is not to abandon ship
but to keep her on her course. Let us stand fast in what is right
and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening
aid and say to him “O Lord, You have been our refuge in all generations.”
The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin is celebrated on May 31.
We celebrate Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth while she was pregnant with Jesus. Elizabeth was six months pregnant with St. John the Baptist. When they met, the baby lept for joy in Elizabeth’s womb.
Not only the baby, but Mary and Elizabeth were filled with joy. Elizabeth tells Mary:
“Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”
Mary responds with the Magnificat which has become a beautiful hymn of praise and thanksgiving.
Magnificat
My soul does magnify the Lord: And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty has done great things to me: and holy is His Name. And His mercy is from generation until generations, to them that fear Him. He has showed might with His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things: and the rich he hath sent empty away. He has received Israel His servant, being mindful of His mercy: As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
The Visitation
As we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation let us reflect on how important our families are to us. Imagine the joy Elizabeth and Mary shared together as they anticipated the birth of their babies! It is important that we too, give thanks to God for the many blessings he has bestowed on us and our families.
God hugs you.
Quote of St. Hildegarde of Bingen; Feast day Sept. 17
The Feast Day of St. Bona of Pisa is celebrated on May 29. She is the patron saint of flight attendants, travelers, pilgrims and travel guides.
St. Bona of Pisa was born in 1156 in Pisa, Italy. She was the child of a single mother. She was told that her father had vanished during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. As a child she was very pious. In a vision while praying before the crucifix, Jesus reached out his hand and touched her. By the age of ten she had become an Augustiniantertiary. (A tertiary is a lay member of a monastic order).
In another vision she learned that her father was still alive and fighting in the Crusades in Jerusalem. St. Bona decided to make a trip to Jerusalem to find her father. After finding him she returned home, only to be captured by pirates on the Mediterranean Sea! Countrymen came to her rescue and she eventually arrived home safely.
St. Bona was appointed the official pilgrimage guide by the Knights of St. James. She made nine trips to Spain and Santiago de Compostella, always leading a group of pilgrims. On her final trip she became very ill. She died at the age of 51 after returning home from the pilgrimage.
Pope John XXIII named her the patron saint of flight attendants, travel guides, couriers and travelers.
The greatest method of prayer is to have none.
If in going to prayer one can form in oneself a pure capacity
for receiving the spirit of God, that will suffice all method.
At the center of the Catholic faith is its’ belief in the Eucharist. Jesus Himself said:
“I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6, 35).
In John 6.53 He states,
“Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day, for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.”
The church has always interpreted this statement to be literally true. How is this possible? All things are possible with God!!
In the Old Testament, God rained down manna from the sky to feed the Israelites in the desert for forty years. The Eucharist is modern day manna. Our faith is nourished and kept alive by living bread… the body and blood of Jesus Christ. St. Paul teaches us that the church is the Body of Christ. In I Corinthians 12-13 St. Paul states:
“For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”
The Saints in the early church all professed a belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Justyn Martyr (100-165) was one of the first to try to explain this belief.
Next Sunday, we celebrate Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ). It is important for us to reflect on how Jesus came to nourish us, not only by scripture but by being true food for us.
Through God all things are possible. When we read the bread of life discourse (John 6), we need to ask ourselves, do we truly believe what Jesus tells us, or like the disciples who turn away do we pick and choose the teachings of Jesus we want to believe.
To quote St. Augustine ((354-430),
“If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it’s not the gospel you believe, but yourself.”
To be true disciples of Jesus, we must get to know Him, to love Him and let ourselves be fed by Him.
