The feast day of St. Sabas is celebrated on December 5. He was a priest and monk. St. Sabas was born at Mutalaska, Cappadocia. His father was an army officer. he was raised by an uncle whose wife mistreated him.
At the age of eight Sabas ran away to another uncle, only to run away again later when a dispute arose. He went to live in a monastery. At the age of 30, he became a hermit. St. Euthymius was his advisor. When Euthymius died, he lived alone in the desert for four years.
Although he loved solitude, disciples were drawn to him, eventually numbering 150 monks. A priest was requested and he accepted ordination in 491. His followers were from Egypt and Armenia. They built several hospitals.
St. Sabas lived to over 90 years of age. He is considered one of the founders of Eastern Monasticism.
The feast day of Bl. Charles de Foucauld is celebrated on December 1. He is the patron saint of diocesan priests. He was a hermit, priest and martyr.
Bl. Charles de Foucauld was born in Strasbourg, France on Sept. 25, 1858. His father was in the military. Orphaned at the age of six, he and his sister Marie were raised by their grandfather. Charles joined the military, becoming an officer. When his grandfather died, Charles lost his faith. During his period of doubt he repeatedly prayed,
“My God, if you exist, let me come to know you.”
Charles was discharged from the military for misconduct. At the age of 28, he regained his faith. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he decided to become a Trappist monk. He spent seven years as a Trappist monk, first in France and then in Syria. After deciding this was no longer God’s will, he was released from his vows. He became a servant for a convent of Poor Clares and began studying for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1901 at the age of 43. He wished to work with the poor and abandoned. In an attempt to begin a religious order he wrote a Rule for it to follow. However, he found few followers.
On Dec. 1, 1916, he was killed by a band of marauders who surrounded his house. Twenty years after his death religious orders began to form following his rule. The Little Brothers of Jesus, Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart and the Little Sisters of Jesus all follow the Rule written by Bl. Charles de Foucauld. An Association of diocesan priest known as Jesus Caritas also follow the spirituality of Bl. Charles de Foucauld.
Bl. Charles de Foucauld was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. He is the patron saint of diocesan priests.
Let us pray a great deal for the conversion of sinners,
since it was above all for them that Our Lord worked
The feast day of St. Bruno is celebrated on October 6. He is the founder of the Carthusian Order.
St. Bruno was born at Cologne, Germany in 1030. He studied in France and was ordained a priest. For 18 years he was a professor of theology. He then became the Chancellor of the archdiocese. He supported the reform of clergy by Pope Gregory VII and removed his own archbishop because of scandal.
St. Bruno had a great love of silence and solitude. He received a vision from God showing him a hermitage where he should spend his life growing closer to God. Along with friends, St. Bruno opened a hermitage in Chartreuse. Their order became known as the Carthusians. The hermitage was in a mountainous, desert region which was very isolated. The hermits lived in private cells, coming together for Matins and Vespers each day. The rest of their day was spent in solitude. They ate together only on great feast days. Their time was spent copying manuscripts.
Pope Urban II requested St. Bruno to come to Rome as an advisor. When the pope fled Rome Bruno moved to Calabria after turning down an offer to become a bishop.
St. Bruno died of natural causes on October 6, 1101.
Although he was not formally canonized, Pope Clement X extended his feast day to the whole church in 1674.
The feast day of St. Giles the Abbot is celebrated on September 1. St. Giles is the patron saint of the mentally ill, the disabled, epileptics, childhood fears, and depression.
St. Giles was born into a noble family in Athens, Greece in the seventh century. After the death of his parents, he distributed his inheritance to the poor. He also became known for the gift of miracles and healing he had received. Giles longed to live a life of solitude, serving God as a recluse, away from all the praise and fame of the world.
He left Greece, sailing for France. Everywhere he lived he became known for his gift of miracles and healing. He would have to flee once again to find a place to live in peace and solitude. He first lived near the mouth of the Rhone River. Later he lived near the river Gard and finally he lived in the diocese of Nimes. His final dwelling place was deep in the forest in a cavern in a rock. He occupied his time in prayer, praising God and meditating. He was a vegetarian, living on herbs and roots. His only companion was a red deer, which provided him with milk to drink.
After several years of living in complete solitude, the King of France instituted a great hunt near where Giles lived. The hunters chased the deer which led them to the cave where Giles lived. They shot an arrow into the cave, wounding the holy hermit. They found him covered with blood with the deer lying at his feet. When the king was told what had happened, he ordered him taken care of. He came to see him offering him gifts. St. Giles refused the gifts and the King’s request to leave his solitude. Before leaving the king asked if there was anything he could do for him, St. Giles said he would like a monastery built where they were standing.
St. Giles became the Abbot of the monastery which was soon built. Several disciples joined him. His fame continued to spread because of his gift of miracles. The conversion of the King was one of these miracles.
St. Giles made a pilgrimage to Rome to see the Pope. He requested a blessing for his community which embraced the Rule of St. Benedict. Not only did he receive a blessing but he received the gift of two beautifully carved doors of cedar wood for his church.
Many sinners were converted because of the prayers and miracles of St. Giles. St. Giles died on September 1, 725. The miracles which took place near his tomb were so many that soon after his death a town began to grown and was named Giles.
The feast day of St. Pachominus is celebrated on May 9.
St. Pachomius was born in Egypt in 298 and entered the army when he was twenty years old. The kindness of the Christians he met led to his conversion after he left the army. After his baptism he became a disciple of Palemon. They led a life of poverty and dedicated themselves to God and a life of prayer as hermits.
St. Pachominus built a monastery on the banks of the Nile river at Tabenisi. They soon had 100 monks join them; living a life in community and prayer. St. Pachomius established ten other monasteries and two nunneries for women. Over seven thousand monks were living in his monasteries at the time of his death in 346. He was the first to organize hermits into groups and write a Rule for them to follow.
If the highest aim of a Captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.
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.
The recollection of injury is…a rusty arrow and poison for the soul.
