Tag Archives: France

Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Julia Billiart, Feast Day April 8

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St. Julia Billiart
St. Julia Billiart

The feast day of St. Julia Billiart is celebrated on April 8.

St. Julia Billiart was born in 1751 near Cuvilly, France. She was the daughter of wealthy farmers. As a teenager she helped support her family when they face financial difficulties. She attended a one room school house in Culvilly. Playing school was her favorite activity as a child. Her favorite subject was religion. A priest noticed her devotion and allowed her to receive her first communion at the age of nine rather that thirteen. She developed a great love of the Eucharist.

When Julia was 30 years old she came down with a strange illness. Shortly after, she witnessed an attempt on her father’s life. The trauma from the incident resulted in complete paralysis which lasted for 22 years. For part of that time she also experience a great difficulty in speaking. St. Julia offered all her pain and suffering to God. Although she was paralyzed she taught catechism from her bed for twenty years. She gave spiritual advise to those who came to visit her. She was known for often exclaiming,

“How good God is!”

St. Julia offered her home as a hiding place for priests during the French Revolution. As a result, Julie became a target herself. Five times she went into hiding to protect her friends. During this time she receive a vision. She saw her crucified Lord surrounded by religious women dressed in a habit she had never seen before. An inner voice told her that these would be her daughters and that she would begin an institute for the Christian education of young girls. With the financial help of Francoise Blin de Bourdon she became the co-founder of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Julia began living a religious life in 1803 with several companions.

In 1804 she was miraculously cured of her illness and walked again for the first time in 22 years. In 1805 she and three others made their profession and final vows. She became the Mother General of the Congregation.

After founding the Sister of Notre Dame, Julia opened a variety of schools in France and Belgium serving both the poor and the wealthy.

St. Julia died peacefully on April 8, 1816 when she was 64. She was beatified in 1906 and canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1969.

 

Look to God as a sunflower looks to the sun…for life.

Quote of St. Julia Billiart

 

April is the Month of the Eucharist.

 

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Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Baptist de la Salle, Feast Day April 7

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St. John Baptist de la Salle
St. John Baptist de la Salle

 

The feast day of St. John Baptist de la Salle is celebrated on April 7.  He is the patron saint of teachers.

St. John Baptist de la Salle was born on April 30, 1651 at Rheims, France. He was the oldest of ten children in a noble family. He studied in Paris and was ordained a priest in 1678 at the age of 27. Father John’s first assignment was as a spiritual director for the Sisters of the Holy Infant and their orphanage. They urged him to begin an orphanage for boys. Soon, a second orphanage was begun in the same diocese.

St. John knew he was called to educate the poor. During this time, education was only possible for the rich. Because he was in need of more teachers, Father John established two teachers colleges; Rheims and St. Denis. He emphasized classroom teaching over individual instruction and taught in the native language rather than Latin. He also began a reform school for boys at Dijon.

St. John Baptist de la Salle sold everything he owned and gave his large inheritance to the poor in the province of Champagne which was suffering from famine. He depended on Divine Providence for all his needs. St. John founded the Institute of the Brother of the Christian Schools. It was a group of lay men wishing to educate the poor. The Brothers founded a school in the U.S. in 1846.

On Good Friday in 1719, St. John died at the age of 68. He had been suffering from asthma and rheumatism.

 

You can work miracles by touching the hearts of those entrusted to your care.

Quote of St. John Baptist de la Salle

 

April is the Month of the Eucharist.

St. John Baptist de la Salle in Art

 

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Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Louise de Marillac, Feast Day March 15

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louis de marillacThe feast day of St. Louise de Marillac is celebrated on March 15. 

Louise was born in 1591 in Meux, France into a noble family.  Her mother died while she was quite young.  Her father eventually placed her with the royal Dominican monastery in Poissy.  At the age of 15, her father also died.  She requested entry in the Capuchins  but was denied due to her frail health.

Several years later, Louise married Antony Le Gras.  They had one son, Michel.  When her husband became ill, Louise became severely depressed.  In 1619, while in Paris, she met St. Francis de Sales, who became her spiritual advisor.  Her depression came to an end after a spiritual experience during a Mass on Pentecost.  She described her experience in the following way:

 

“On the Feast of Pentecost during Holy Mass or while I was praying in the church, my mind was completely freed of all doubt.  I was advised that I should remain with my husband and the time would come when I would be in the position to make vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and that I would be in a small community where others would do the same.” 

 

Louise’s husband died three years after this experience.  She decided never to marry again and to serve God alone.  She sold her home and moved into a small home which was near St. Vincent de Paul who became her advisor.  While still raising her son and managing her home she helped St. Vincent to begin the Daughters of Charity.  St. Vincent said “Your convent will be the house of the sick; your cell, a hired room; your chapel, the parish church; your cloister, the streets of the city or the wards of the hospital;  your enclosure, obedience.

Louise was very hard working and courageous.  Eventually there were over 40 housed which she started in France.  She also established hospitals and orphanages.

Louise died on March 15, 1660.  She was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1920 and canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934.

 

Be diligent in serving the poor.  Love the poor, honor them my children, as you would honor Christ himself.

Quote of St. Louise de Marillac

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

 

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Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Colette, Feast Day March 6

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St. Colette 2The feast day of St. Colette is celebrated on March 6.  

St. Colette was born in Corbie, France in 1380. Her father was a carpenter. Both her parents were near sixty when she was born. She was orphaned at the age of 17 and left in the care of a Benedictine abbot.

In her search for a vocation, St. Colette first joined the Bequins, then the Benedictines and the Urbanist Poor Clares. She then chose to live the life of a recluse. In her dreams, she received direction to reform the Poor Clares. She joined the Poor Clares, founding the Colettine Poor Clares. She founded over 17 convents under the reformed rule which was quite strict. Her reform movement met with resistance. She was even accused of sorcery.

St. Colette was well known for her sanctity, ecstasies and visions of the Passion. She foretold the date of her own death. She had a deep devotion to the Passion of Christ and was known for her love of animals. Her sanctity was rewarded with the gift of miracles and supernatural favors.

St. Colette
St. Colette died in 1447. She was canonized in 1807.

 

If there be a true way that leads to the Everlasting Kingdom, it is most certainly that of suffering, patiently endured.

Quote of St. Colette

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

St. Colette in Art

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Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Romanus, Feast Day Feb. 28

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St. Romanus

The feast day of St. Romanus is celebrated on Feb. 28.  St. Romanus is the patron saint against mental illness.

St. Romanus was born in 390 in Upper Bugey, France.  He decided to live as a hermit in the Jura Mountains. His brother St. Lupieinus followed in his footsteps. Together they established two monasteries at Condat Leuconne. They also founded a convent at La Beaume which was led by their sister.

St. Romanus was ordained a priest by St. Hilary of Arles in 444.  St. Romanus is known for the healing of two lepers by embracing them.   He died of natural causes in 460. St.   Romanus is buried at the Abby of Beaume.

“We have only one evil to fear and that is sin.”

St. Alphonsus Liguori; Feast day August 1

 

February is the Month of the Passion of the Lord

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Faith, Jesuit Saints, Sacred Heart, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Claude de la Columbiere, Feast Day Feb. 15

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The feast day of St. Claude de la Columbiere is celebrated on Feb. 15.

St. Claude de la Columbiere was born near Lyon France in 1641.   He was educated in a Jesuit school and later joined the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.   Early in his priesthood he was named preacher of the Avignon School.   He was a powerful preacher and his sermons were published.   He fought against the Jansenism heresy which believed in predestination. Jansenism  also believed that Christ died only for the elect, not for all of mankind.

While serving as Superior for the Parayle Monail School he met St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. She had received visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and sought his spiritual direction.  He became her spiritual director and confessor.  Father Claude advised her to receive the gifts of God with faith and humility. He considered the devotion to the Sacred Heart a remedy for the heresy of Jansenism.

St. Claude was arrested for converting Protestants.  He was imprisoned and then banished to England. When he returned to France he was terminally ill with kidney disease. he was sent to Lyon and Paray to recover his health. He died on Feb. 15, 1682.

 

No one can penetrate the mysteries of the Sacred Heart
without tasting the cup of bitterness
that Jesus drank from so deeply.

 

 

Quote of St. Claude de la Columbiere

 

February is the Month of the Passion of Our Lord

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Faith, Our Lady, Prayer, Visionary

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Our Lady of Lourdes, Feast Day Feb. 11

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lourdes
The feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated on Feb. 11.

Our Lady of Lourdes is the patron saint of bodily ills. Our lady first appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, France on Feb. 11, 1858. Bernadette was a poor shepherdess who was only 14 years old. Our Lady actually appeared to her eighteen times.

During the first vision Bernadette saw a bright light and a beautiful lady dressed in a brilliant white dress adorned with a blue ribbon. A long veil covered her body from her head to her feet. Her hands were clasped as if praying and she carried a white and gold rosary with a gold cross in her hands. Bernadette took her rosary out of her pocket and guided by Our Lady they prayed the rosary. After praying, the vision ended. Bernadette asked the girls with her if they had seen anything and they said no. She told them not to say anything however her sister told their mother who did not believe the story.

On Feb. 14, Bernadette returned to the Grotto where the vision had happened. She asked those with her to pray the rosary. When Our Lady appeared again, Bernadette’s face was transfigured. She sprinkled the holy water which had been given her and said, “If you come from God, come near us.” The holy water touched Our Lady and she smiled and came closer. They began to pray the rosary together.

On Feb.18, St. Bernadette was accompanied after Mass by a lady and a religious. When she began praying, Our Lady appeared again and they all prayed the rosary. Our Lady asked Bernadette to return for 15 consecutive days. Bernadette promised she would do so. Our Lady said, “I also promise to make you happy, not in this world, but in the next.”

Bernadette went to the Grotto with a lit candle for the next 15 days. Hundreds of people began coming with her. On Feb. 21. Bernadette observed that Our Lady seemed sad. She asked her “What is wrong? What can I do?” Our Lady said,

 

“Pray for sinners.”

A doctor examined Bernadette and concluded there was nothing wrong with her. Bernadette was ridiculed nonetheless. On Feb. 23, Our Lady requested that a Sanctuary be built on the site. She told Bernadette to talk to the priest. When the priest asked her the name of the lady Bernadette did not know. The priest told her he needed a miracle and she should ask the lady for the rose bush to blossom.

On Feb. 25, Our Lady told Bernadette to drink from the fountain. Puzzled, Bernadette looked around for water. She discovered water coming up from the ground which soon became a pool of water. On Feb. 26 Our Lady revealed to Bernadette her name saying, “I am the Immaculate Conception”. During one apparition people witnessed Bernadette praying for fifteen minutes with the candle flame burning through her fingers. She remained unharmed.

The last apparition occurred on the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. Many miracles of healing have been attributed to he healing waters of Lourdes.
St. Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity seeking God in the silence of the convent. She died on April 16, 1879. The message of Our Lady of Lourdes is timeless…….Pray for sinners!

 

Death came through Eve,  Life through Mary.

 Quote of St. Jerome; Feast day September 30

 

lourdes8

February is the Month of the Passion of the Lord



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Carmelite Saints, Faith, Spirituality

The Spirituality and Prayers of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

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St. Therese of Lisiuex

 

Thérèse was born in Alencon, France in 1873. She suffered from the death of her mother, due to breast cancer, at the age of four. Her family then moved to Lisieux. At a young age she wished to follow her sisters, Pauline and Marie, into the convent but was denied due to her age. However, in 1888 she entered the Carmel of Lisieux. On Sept. 8, 1890 she made her religious profession as a Carmelite.

Because of her love and prayers for the missions St.Thérèse is the patron saint of missions. She is also the patron saint of gardeners and florists. Thérèse of Lisieux was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church. She is the youngest Doctor of the Church.

St. Therese of Lisiuex 3

St. Thérèse is also known as the Little Flower. She saw herself as a flower in the garden of God. Calling herself “the little flower of Jesus” she wanted to give glory to God by just being herself among all the other flowers in Gods garden.

The health of St. Thérèse was poor. She suffered grief when her father died and also contracted tuberculosis. She suffered much pain but offered her suffering for ‘the poor sinners’. Her great desire was to save souls. “My mission…to make God loved….will begin after my death”, she said. “I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses.” She also said, “I want to suffer and even rejoice for love, for this is my way of scattering flowers. Never a flower shall find but its petals shall be scattered for you, and all the while I will sing, yes sing, even when gathering my roses in the midst of thorns, and the longer and sharper the thorns may be, the sweeter shall be my song!”

The following quote shows her spirituality:

“The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word and the doing of the least action for love.”

Her spirituality is known as “The little way”. She trusted in Jesus to make her holy and focused on doing small deeds daily rather than great deeds.

Her autobiography “The Story of a Soul” has led many pilgrims to her ‘little way’.

St. Thérèse was only 24 when she died of tuberculosis. After her death she was canonized a saint on May 17, 1925 by Pope Pius XI. Pope John Paul II declared her a doctor of the Church in 1997. Her writings have led many souls closer to God.

The following prayers were written by St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

St. Therese of Lisieux Public Domain Image
St. Therese of Lisieux

PRAYER OF ST. THERESE OF LISIEUX

Yes, all is well when we seek only the will of Jesus!

All my strength lies in prayer and sacrifice. They are my invincible weapons, and I know, by experience that they can soften the heart as much as words.

More than ever, I understand that the smallest events of our life are conducted by God; He is the One who makes us desire and who grants our desires.

St. Therese of Lisieux Public Domain Image
St. Therese of Lisieux

A MORNING PRAYER

O my God! I offer Thee all my actions of this day for the intentions and for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I desire to sanctify every beat of my heart, my every thought, my simplest works, by uniting them to Its infinite merits; and I wish to make reparation for my sins by casting them into the furnace of Its Merciful Love.

O my God! I ask of Thee for myself and for those whom I hold dear, the grace to fulfill perfectly Thy Holy Will, to accept for love of Thee the joys and sorrows of this passing life, so that we may one day be united together in heaven for all Eternity.

Amen.

St. Therese of Lisieux Public Domain Image
St. Therese of Lisieux

MY SONG OF TODAY

Oh, how I love thee, Jesus! My soul aspires to Thee. And yet for one day only my simple prayer I pray!

Come reign within my heart, smile tenderly on me.

Today, dear Lord, today.

St. Thérèse

St. Therese of Lisieux Public Domain Image
St. Therese of Lisieux

 

MAY TODAY THERE BE PEACE

May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love.

It is there for each and every one of us.

St. Thérèse

St. Therese of Lisieux Public Domain Image
St. Therese of Lisieux

PRAYER FOR SPIRITUAL CHILDHOOD

Lord, give me the open heart of a child. Let me come trustingly to you, not afraid to ask for your love.

.Deliver me from the belief that I am self-sufficient. Show me my need of you.

Give me the grace to reach out to you, Lord give me a child’s’ simplicity and a sense of wonder.

May my enthusiasm for you never die. Let me hasten to converse with you in the intimacy of prayer. Give me discernment to realize there is no detail of my life too tiny for your concern.

Help me to perceive your glory in the helplessness of the cross.

Son of God, who for my sake, took on the dependency of childhood, help me to accept the readiness of the Father’s grace.

Amen



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