Tag Archives: Franciscan

Doctor of the Church, Franciscan Saints, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Anthony of Padua, Feast Day June 13

June 12, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra 1 Comment

Bartolome_Esteban_Murillo_-_'The_vision_of_Saint_Anthony_of_Padua'._61_x_39.7_cm public domain image — The Vision of Saint Anthony of Padua by Bartolome Esteban Murillo

The feast day of St. Anthony of Padua is celebrated on June 13. He is the patron saint of sailors, lost articles and fishermen.

St. Anthony was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195. His name at Baptism was Fernando. At the age of 15 Fernando entered the Augustinian Monastery. He did not focus on his studies and prayer, but spent time with friends and enjoyed political discussions. He was sent to Coimbra where he studied for nine years. He was ordained a priest during this time.

A turning point occurred in Fernando’s life after the massacre of five Franciscans. They had been tortured and beheaded. Their bodies were returned from Morocco and carried in a solemn procession to Fernando’s monastery. He was inspired to change orders and become a Franciscan, taking the name Anthony.

St. Anthony was sent to Morocco. but decided to return after becoming ill. He never arrived. His ship was hit by stormy weather and sent off course. He eventually landed on the East coast of Sicily. He was nursed back to health by the friars. While still ill, he attended the great Pentecost Chapter of Mats which was attended by 3000 Friars including St. Francis. Anthony was asked to give a short simple sermon. From then on he became a public preacher. The fire and knowledge with which he spoke inspired many to conversion.

St. Anthony made over 400 trips across Italy and France preaching against heresies. He presented the Christian faith in a positive light. Anthony became the teacher of sacred theology to the friars.

In 1226, St. Anthony was appointed provincial superior at the age of 31. It was in Padua that St. Anthony preached his last and most famous Lenten sermon. The crowds were near 30,000 so he preached in open fields. He was exhausted after the sermon. He knew death was near and received the last rites in the town of Arcilla singing with the friars there.

Shortly before he died he exclaimed,

“I see my Lord!”

He died in 1231 at the age of 36 after serving as a Franciscan for ten years.

St. Anthony is often shown in art holding the child Jesus in his arms. Tradition tells us that one night as Anthony was praying the room was filled with brilliant light. Jesus appeared to St. Anthony as a little child.

St. Anthony was canonized in 1232 by Pope Gregory IX. In 1946 Pope Pius XII declared him a Doctor of the Church.

Poverty is an easy way to God…

Poverty is the mother of humility.

It is as difficult to preserve humility amid riches

as purity in the midst of delights and luxury.

Quote of St. Anthony of Padua

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart.

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Faith, Franciscan Saints

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Bernadine of Siena, Feast Day May 20

May 19, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

St. Bernadine Public Domain Image — **St. Bernadine**

The feast day of St. Bernadine of Siena is celebrated on May 20.

St. Bernadine was born in 1380 in a Sianese town. His father was the governor. He was orphaned at the age of six and raised by a pious aunt. When he was 20 years old the plague killed twenty people in one day in his town. He and ten companions offered to run the hospital. They nursed the patients for 4 months. Although he did not come down with the plague, he did become sick with fever and exhaustion afterwards. He was sick for several months. He then spent over a year caring for his aunt at her death.

At the age of 22 he joined the Franciscan Order. He was ordained at the age of 24. Bernadine lived in solitude and prayer for almost 12 years before God sent him to preach. He traveled on foot from town to town all over Italy. He was known to attract crowds of 30,000. He preached about vice and virtue, punishment and glory which were themes advised by St. Francis of Assisi.

St. Bernadine had a special devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. He devised a symbol (IHS) which were the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek in Gothic letters on a blazing sun. He wanted the symbol to replace superstition. The devotion spread and began appearing in churches, homes and on buildings.

In 1427, Bernadine was called to Rome to stand trial for heresy for promoting the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. He was found innocent of heresy. After the trial St. Bernadine preached for 80 consecutive days. He was offered the office of bishop in the cities of Siena, Ferrar, and Urbino. He declined the office of bishop.

St. Bernadine preached for over 30 years, traveling all over Italy. While serving as Franciscan Vicar General the order grew from 140 friars to over 4000 friars before he died while traveling. Miracles were attributed to St. Bernadine after his death. He was canonized six years later in 1450 by Pope Nicholas V.

God must be the king of our minds, the Lord of our minds, so that the thought of Him never leaves us, and we speak, think, and act always either for Him or guided by love of Him. Let our souls be thus a house of prayer and not a den of thieves.

Bl. Charles de Foucauld; Feast day December 1

May is the Month of Our Lady

Faith, Franciscan Saints, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Ivo of Kermartin, Feast Day May 19

May 18, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra Leave a comment

St. Ivo Painting by Rogier van der Weyden Public Domain Image — St. Ivo
Painting by Rogier van der Weyden

The feast day of St. Ivo of Kermartin is celebrated on May 19. St. Ivo is the patron saint of lawyers, judges, orphans and widows.

St. Ivo was born in Kermarton, Brittany, France on Oct. 17, 1253. He studied at the University of Paris, becoming a lawyer. He quickly became well known for his knowledge of philosophy, theology and canon law. He was appointed a judge of the Ecclesiastical Court and received minor orders. It is believed he entered the Third Order of Franciscans. He was ordained a priest in 1284.

St. Ivo’s defense of the downtrodden earned him the title “Advocate of the Poor.” He often visited the poor in prison and payed their expenses. He refused to take bribes which was a common corruption of that time.

Eventually, St. Ivo was elected as an official for the Bishop of Treguier. In this position he resisted the taxation imposed upon the church. St. Ivo also built a hospital. St. Ivo served as a parish priest for 18 years. He died on May 19, 1303 at the age of 50. He was canonized by Pope Clement VI in 1347.

The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avert suffering the more you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt.

Quote of Thomas Merton

May is the Month of Our Lady.

Faith, Franciscan Saints, Prayer, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Paschal Baylon, Feast Day May 17

May 16, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra 1 Comment

The feast day of St. Paschal Baylon is celebrated on May 17.

St. Paschal Baylon was born into a peasant family in Aragon, Spain. He worked as a shepherd while he was young. He taught himself to read while tending the sheep. He was known from an early age to have the gift of miracles. After having a mystical vision to enter a Franciscan Community nearby he joined the Reformed Franciscan Order as a lay Franciscan brother in 1564. He worked as a doorkeeper.

St. Paschal Baylon had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. He spent many hours before the Blessed Sacrament in prayer. He is known to have defended the belief in the Real Presence to the Calvinists he knew. He lived a life of poverty and prayer.

St. Paschal died on May 17. Miracles were reported immediately after his burial. St. Paschal was canonized in 1690.

O Father Eternal God, Grant me faith and courage;

Son, wisdom of the Father, grant me light and make me wise;

Holy Spirit, beloved of Father and Son, inflame my heart and purify my soul,

that I may approach this majestic Sacrament with faith and love.

Quote of St. Paschal Baylon; Feast day May 17

May is the Month of Our Lady.

Faith, Franciscan Saints

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Francis of Paola, Feast Day April 2

April 1, 2016 Vicki Scheenstra 2 Comments

The feast day of St. Francis of Paola is celebrated on April 2.

St. Francis was born in Paola, Italy in 1416. His parents named him after St. Francis of Assisi. He was educated at San Marco at the Franciscan friary. At the age of fifteen, Francis decided to become a hermit. He lived in a cave on the seashore eating food which grew wild. He soon had followers and they founded an order called the Hermits of St. Francis. The Order was approved by Pope Sixtus IV in 1474. In 1492 the name of the Order was changed to Minim Friars. Minim means ‘least’. The orders primary focus was on humility. It also emphasized penance and chastity.

St. Francis of Paola was credited with many miracles becoming known as a wonder worker. He was also known for his gift of prophecy. He was so well known that King Louis XI of France requested his help while nearing death. Pope Sixtus II ordered him to go to France. Unable to cure the king, St. Francis told him not to fear death but to fear the loss of eternal life. He became the spiritual advisor to the king. He encouraged the king to surrender his heart and soul to God before it was too late. The king died in Francis’ arms in 1482. The son of the king, Charles, became a friend to Francis. He endowed several monasteries for the Minims in France. Francis spent his final years at the monastery in Plessis, France where he died.

St. Francis spent the final three months of his life in complete solitude. He died at the age of 91 on Good Friday, April 2.