St. Joseph Barsabas was a follower and disciple of Christ. In the Acts of the Apostles St. Matthias was chosen over him to replace Judas after the crucifixion.
St. Joseph Barsabas, is also known as Barsabbas and Joseph the Just. He is considered one of the 72 disciples sent out by Our Lord. (Luke 10:1)
He spread the good news of the resurrection after the crucifixion.
Why climb the mountains or go down into the valleys of the world looking for Him who dwells within us.
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.
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 day of St. Camillus de Lellis is July18.
St. Camillus was born on May 25, 1550 in Bucchianico, Abruzzo, Italy. His mother died when he was a child and he received little attention.
As a teenager he was adventurous and a risk taker often losing his money and fighting. During one fight he was wounded in his leg. The wound did not heal but spread to his foot. It was during this time that his father also died.
Camillus continued to fight and gamble. He became so destitute that he stopped at a church to request help. Leaving the church, he met two monks. He soon began working for a Capuchinmonastery helping with construction projects. After talking to a priest, he had a burning desire to become a Benedictine priest. However, he was rejected due to lack of education.
At the age of 25, Camillus was admitted into a hospital for treatment of his leg. To pay for the treatment he cared for the sick and dying in the hospital. He was discharged form the hospital for gambling and fighting. He decided to study to become a Benedictine, however his wound again needed treatment. He returned to the hospital where he was hired to help reform the hospital.
At the age of 34 he became a priest and organized others to help. They called themselves “Servants of the Sick.”
The Order of St. Camillus serves the sick and dying in 35 countries. They care for both the physical and spiritual needs of the person in need.
The feast day of Bl. Rose Chretien is celebrated on July 17. It is also the Feast of the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne. She was born near Eureaux, France in 1741.
Bl. Rose married at a young age and soon became a widow. She decided to join the Discalced Carmelite Order and became a choir nun. At her profession in 1777 she took the religious name of Sister Julia Louise of Jesus.
Bl. Rose is considered one of the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne. The sixteen Carmelites were imprisoned along with English Benedictine nuns. The Carmelites were condemned as traitors and sentenced to death by guillotine. As they were martyred, one by one, they renewed their vows and chanted the hymn Veni Creato Spiritus which was the hymn sung at their ceremony professing their vows.
Several days after their deaths, the persecution called the Reign of Terror led by Robespierre came to an end. The English Benedictine Nuns credited the Carmelites with ending the bloodbath and saving their community.
The Carmelite Sisters were buried in a common grave at Picpus Cemetery with a single cross where 1306 other victims of the guillotine were buried.
Those who do something for the glory of God are not troubled by failure, because they have already achieved their pupose of pleasing God, by acting with a pure intention.
Quote of St. Alphonsus Liguori, Feast day August 1
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. Bonaventure is celebrated on July 15.
St. Bonaventure was born in 1218 in Bagnorgio, Latium. His name at birth was John of Fidanza. He was the son of a doctor. When he was young, he suffered from a serious illness. His distraught mother took him to St. Francis of Assisi to ask for healing prayers. When healed, St. Francis exclaimed “O-Buono ventura!” (O good fortune!) From then on he was known as Bonaventure.
St. Bonaventure studied philosophy and theology in Paris. He entered the Franciscan order in 1243 at age 22. He later became a bishop. Pope Sixtus V inscribed him Doctor of the church in 1557.
St. Bonaventure was regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of the Middle Ages. St. Bonaventure wrote many books, including The Journey of the Mind to God. He is known as the Seraphic (Angelic) Doctor.
In 1257, St. Bonaventure was chosen as minister general of the Franciscan Order. He led the order into a deeper love of the Franciscan spirituality. At the request of his brothers he wrote a book describing St. Francis titled The life of St. Francis.
St. Bonaventure died while assisting the Second Council of Lyons on July 15, 1274.
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.
Who can tell me what is most pleasing to God that I may do it?
The feast day of St. Henry II is celebrated on July 13.
St. Henry was born to Duke Henry of Vavaria and Princess Gisela of Burgundy. As a youth he considered becoming a priest. He was educated at the Cathedral School in Hildesheim by St. Wolfgang of Regensburg who was a bishop.
In 995 Henry became the Duke of Bavaria. He became the king of Germany in 1002. In 1004 he was crowned King of Pavia, Italy. He married St. Cunegunga, however they had no children. In 1014 he was crowned the Emperor of the Roman Empire by Pope Benedict VIII. He worked to establish peace in Europe. He was also able to reform the church. He fostered missions and began the construction of the Cathedral at Basel, Switzerland, which took 400 years to complete.
Later in life he came down with an aliment which crippled his leg. He was cured by the touch of St. Benedictat Monte Cesino. After the death of his wife he considered becoming a monk however he was turned down. He was told he could no more good in the world as a public servant.
St. Henry II died on July 13, 1024 from natural causes at Pfalz Gvona, Saxony (modern Germany). He was canonized by Pope Bl. Eugene III.
From now on, regard this life as a desert
through which you pass until you come to the Promised Land,
the Jerusalem, which is above the land of the living.
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. VeronicaSt. 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. Benedict is celebrated on July 11. In the Eastern Church it is celebrated on March 14th.
St. Benedict was born in Nursia in 480 to upper class parents. He attended university in Rome. To escape the vice he was surrounded by he fled Rome and spent three years in seclusion. After these three years he founded the monasteries he is famous for.
St. Benedict is considered the founder of western monasticism. His monasteries were based on the principles in his book The Rule of Benedict. This book begins with this prologue: “Listen carefully, my son, to the masters’ instructions and attend to them with the ear of your heart. (R.B. Prologue)”
His rule begins with the word LISTEN! The monasteries have a very strict discipline. They
St. Benedict Public Domain Image
focus on daily personal and liturgical prayer. Singing of the Psalms and reading the Divine Office is practiced daily. Listening to the word of God is the primary focus of their spirituality. Lectio Divino is slow reading and meditation on the scripture. Benedictine spirituality also demands obedience, hospitality, and service.
St. Benedict died while standing in prayer before God in the year 547. St. Benedict is the patron saint of students and Europe.
The feast day of Bl. Emmanuel Ruiz and Companions is celebrated on July 10.
Emmanuel was born in Santander, Spain. He became a Franciscan priest serving as a missionary in Damascus during a time of great persecution.
During the massacre which occurred in 1860 thousands of victims were tortured and died. The villages of Lebanon were pillaged and burned. The massacre began with a quarrel between a Maronite and Druse. When a crowd came looking for them, Emmanuel and his companions refused to renounce their faith and become Muslims. Emmanuel, his supervisor and seven others were tortured and martyred.
Bl. Emmanuel was beatified in 1926 by Pope Pius XI.
The feast day of St. Veronica Giuliani is celebrated on July 9.
St. Veronica was born in Mercatello, Italy in 1660. She was the youngest of seven children. Her mother died when she was seven. Even as a child she had a great compassion for the poor. She was known to give away food and her clothing. At the age of 17, she refused to marry. After pleading with her father, she joined the Poor Clares in 1677. She worked in the kitchen, infirmary and sacristy.
St. Veronica had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart and to the Eucharist. She offered her sufferings to the missions. She was known as a mystic. After a vision in which she saw her own heart as a ‘heart of steel’ she became much more compassionate and loving.
At the age of 34 St. Veronica became the novice mistress. She held the position for twenty two years. In 1697, at the age of 37, Veronica received the stigmata. She bore the marks of the crown of thorns and five wounds on her body. She underwent a humiliating investigation during which she was temporarily removed from her position. The investigation concluded the stigmata was real and she regained her position of novice mistress. She became the abbess at the age of 56. Eleven years later she died on July 9, 1727.
The body of St. Veronica was found to be incorrupt. She was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI on May 26, 1839.
