The Feast Day of St. Macrina the Younger is celebrated on July 19. She was born into a family of saints during the year 327 in Cesarea. Her grandparents were martyrs. Her grandmother was St. Macrina the Elder. Her parents Basil the Elder and Emmelia are both saints. St. Macrina is the patron saint of teachers.
Macrina’s mother taught her to read and educated her. Macrina in turn taught her brothers to read. Her brothers were St. Basil and St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Peter of Sebastea.
At the age of twelve, Macrina became engaged to marry. Her fiance died suddenly and she then decided to remain single. She helped her mother raise her brothers as well as helping her mother run the household.
When Macrina’s father died, both Macrina and her mother consecrated themselves to a life of prayer and contemplation.
St. Macrina died a peaceful death in 371 holding the crucifix which she always had near her.
My life is an instant, an hour which passed by.
My life is a moment which I have no power to stay.
You know, O my God, that to love you here on earth…
The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel is celebrated by the Catholic Church on July 16. It is on this day in about 1386 that Our Lady appeared to St. Simon Stock. She gave him a Brown Scapular saying,
“Take, beloved son this scapular of thy order as a badge of my confraternity and for thee and all Carmelites a special sign of grace; whoever dies in this garment, will not suffer everlasting fire.”
The scapular symbolizes Mary’s protection and reminds those wearing it of the call to prayer and penance. It stands for a commitment to follow Jesus and imitate Mary as the perfect model of all disciples of Christ.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Public Domain Image
A chapel was built near the Fountain of Elijah (northern Israel) which was dedicated to Our Lady. The hermits living there became known as the “Brothers of Mount Carmel”. St. Simon Stock was a leader of the Carmelite Order. The Carmelites have a special devotion to Mary. Their saints and theologians have a special devotion to her and the mystery of the Immaculate Conception (the belief that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin). St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and St. Terese of Lisieux are well known Carmelite saints.
Mt. Carmel is located north of Jerusalem along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a well known mountainous ridge in Palestine which is covered with caves. Hermits lived in the caves, living a life of solitude and prayer. Mt. Carmel is mentioned in the Old Testament many times.
The history of the Carmelites dates back to ancient times. It is believed to have been founded by the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The Carmelite Order is a contemplative order. Their spirituality follows the contemplative spirit of Elijah, living a spiritual life of contemplation and prayer. One of their goals is to “find God in the silence’. The rule of the Carmelites was written by St. Albert Avogadro in 1214.
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel The feast celebrates the appearance of Mary to St. Simon Stock.It is a special feast day for those who have a special devotion to Mary and wear the Brown Scapular. The Apparition of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1587. The feast celebrates the appearance of Mary to St. Simon Stock.
The Feast Day of St. Kateri Tekakwitha is celebrated on July 14. St. Kateri Tekakwitha is the Patron of the environment and ecology. She was known as the “Lily of the Mohawks”.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha was born in 1656 in Auriesville, NY. She was the daughter of a Mohawk warrior and Catholic Algonquin. She is the first Native American to be declared a saint.
On Easter, 1676, Kateri was baptized by Jesuit missionary Father Jacques de Lambertville at the age of 20. She was devoted to prayer, penitential practices and the care of the sick and aged in Caughnawaga near Montreal. Her relics are now enshrined in Caughnawaga.
When Kateri was four years old smallpox attacked her family. Her mother and little brother died from the disease. Kateri’s face was scarred by the disease and she became partially blind. Her two Aunts and an Uncle adopted her. Because of her conversion, she incurred hostility from her tribe. She went to a new Christian colony in Indianan, Canada. She was devoted to the Eucharist and to “Christ crucified.” She spent much time praying before the Blessed Sacrament.
At the age of 23 Kateri died on Wednesday of Holy Week, at approximately 3 p.m. Within fifteen minutes after her death, her face, which was marked by smallpox, was healed and became beautiful. Father Cholone called others to see what had happened. Miraculous cures at the Sault Mission were frequent that year (1682) and attributed to Kateri. She appeared to many people after her death, always carrying a cross.
Blessed Kateri’s tomb is found at St. Francis Xavier Mission in the Mohawk Nation at Kahnaqake, near Montreal, Quebec. She is honored at the National Shrine of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in Florida, NY and the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, NY.
The Feast Day of St. Veronica is celebrated on July 12.
St. Veronica is the patron saint of photographers. Little is known about Veronica. She was a follower of Jesus and present during his crucifixion. While Jesus carried the cross, she was moved with compassion. She knelt in front of Jesus and used her veil to wipe his face clean. Her kindness is commemorated on the sixth station of the cross prayed by the church. The soldiers pushed Veronica away and she later discovered the imprint of Christ’s face on her veil. It is believed that Veronica left her veil in the care of Pope Clement I, the successor to St. Peter. The veil known as Veronica’s Veil is on display at St.Peter’s Basilica.
The name Veronica means “true image”.
St. Veronica
We are nothing without God…
but if we put our lives in God’s hands,
miracles happen.
Quote of St. Teresa of Calcutta; Feast day September 5
The Feast Day of St. Thomas the Apostle is celebrated on July 3. Thomas was also called Didymus which means twin. St. Thomas is the patron saint of India and architects.
Thomas the Apostle was known for questioning things. He was not afraid to ask questions or state his disbelief. Jesus treated him with love and compassion.
St. Thomas was also known as “Doubting Thomas”.After the resurrection Jesus appeared to the Apostles. Thomas was not there and did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. When Jesus later appeared to him he said “Peace be with you. Do not doubt but believe.” (John 21:24) St. Thomas also asked Jesus “How can we follow you, when we know not where you are going?” Jesus responded, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Whoever follows me will live forever.”
Thomas was one of the original twelve apostles. He was present at the Last Supper. He was also present when Jesus had the Apostles lower their nets and they miraculously caught many fish. After the resurrection, St. Thomas was sent to evangelize the Parthians, the Persians and India. He is believed to have built the first church in India. St. Thomas died a martyr’s death when at Calamine in India he was speared to death while praying.
The First Martyrs of the Church of Rome are honored on June 30. The feast day has been celebrated beginning in 1969.
More than half of Rome was destroyed by fire in July of 64. The unpopular Emperor Nero was blamed for the fire but he accused the Christians to cover his own crimes. The martyrs were executed in many different ways. Some were burned alive at night to be used as living torches. Others were crucified and still others were fed to wild animals. The crime they were charged with was “their hatred of the human race”.
There was a large Jewish population in Rome at the time of the persecution. Paul had not yet visited Rome, however there were Christians living there.
The Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of St. Paul and St. Peter on June 29.
Both saints were martyred for their faith during the persecution of Nero. St. Peter was crucified upside down by his own request. He did not consider himself worthy to be crucified in the same manner as Our Lord. St. Paul was beheaded. It is possible they were both martyred on the same day.
St. Peter was one of the original Apostles. He was a fisherman before he was called to follow Jesus. He was the brother to the Apostle Andrew. St. Peter was clearly the leader of the apostles. With James and John he witnessed the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden. His mother-in-law was cured by Jesus. Originally, Peter’s name was Simon. Jesus asked the apostles, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon said, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God.” Jesus then said:
“Blessed are you Simon, Son of Jonah, for flesh and blood have not revealed this to you but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to 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.”
During the crucifixion of Jesus, Peter denied Jesus three times. Jesus also told Peter three times…
“Feed my sheep”.
St. Peter is the patron saint of fishermen.
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.
Prayer to St. Peter and St. Paul
Grant, we pray, O Lord our God, that we may be sustained by the intercession of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, that as through them you gave your Church the foundations of her heavenly office, so through them you may help her to eternal salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
The Feast Day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is celebrated on June 27.
Many people believe the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was originally painted by St. Luke. It is presently in the Church of St. Alphonsus under the care of the Order of Redemptorists. Numerous miracles have followed the icon.
The icon is an authentic expression of Byzantine art from ancient times. The gold background reflects God’s glory. In the portrait are Mary, the Mother of God, the Christ Child and the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. Mary is gazing at the person who is looking at the icon moving everyone to love Jesus her son and Our Savior. The Christ Child is comforted in his mother’s arms. One of his sandals is almost lost indicating that we sometimes need to seek assistance in our troubles. It is Mary who protected Our Lord in his childhood. She will protect us also.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Icon Chapel Bydgoszcz
The Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was first venerated in Crete. Tradition tells us however, that in 1480 the icon was smuggled from Crete to Rome by a thief! The smugglers asked Mary for protection during a storm at sea and God answered their prayers. After arriving in Rome, the merchant who had stolen the icon became very ill. He asked his caretaker to return the icon to the Church. The wife of the caretaker however insisted they keep the picture for themselves after the man had died. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared several times to the man and his wife requesting that the icon be returned to a church. When she was ignored, she began appearing to their six year old daughter, requesting that the icon be placed between the Churches of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. Eventually, the icon was returned and enshrined at St. Matthews in 1499. St. Matthews was destroyed when Napoleon’s army invaded Rome in 1798. The icon was believed to be lost.
In 1855, The Order of Redemtorists came to Rome. They were granted possession of the land on which St. Matthew’s previously existed to build a new church. A Redemptorist priest remembered that he had learned as a young boy that the holy icon was in an Augustinian monastery near Rome. The Redemptorists petitioned the pope to allow the image to be returned to the spot the Blessed Virgin had requested that it be placed.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
On April 26, 1866 the icon was transferred in a solemn procession to the Church of St. Alphonsus. They were given permission to spread the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Prayer to Our Lady:
Mother of Perpetual Help, Woman of Eternal Hope, your wordless gaze tells us so much about you. Knowing eyes look upon us with tender love. The slight bend of your head reveals such maternal concern. While. your left hand supports the Child, your right hand is ready to receive us, too. Just as He feels the beating of your heart, so you encourage us to lead a life of hope and holiness. Just as His sandal will fall on your lap, through your intercession may God pick us up as we stumble and fall. Never let us be parted from you and your son, Jesus.
Lady of love, you invite us to place our hand where His fingers touch yours — near a heart of endless hope — so that we may be united often in prayer here on earth and joined forever with you in heaven. Amen.
Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.
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. 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.”
