Tag Archives: Martyr

Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Bibiana, Feast Day Dec. 2

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St. Bibiana Public domain Image
St. Bibiana

The feast day of St. Bibiana is celebrated on December 2.  She was a virgin and a martyr in the year 361.

 

St. Bibiana was born in Rome. Her father was a knight, whose name was Flavian. Her mother’s name was Dafrosa. When Apronianus was named the Governor of Rome he persecuted the Christians mercilessly. Flavian was arrested and tortured. He fled into exile where he died from his wounds. Bibiana’s mother, Dafrosa, was beheaded.

Bibiana and her sister Demetria were robbed of all their possessions leaving them in poverty. They did however, stay in their house, spending much time in prayer.

They were summoned by Apronianus. Demetria confessed her Faith and then fell dead at the governors feet. Bibiana was given to a woman named Rufina who tortured her unsuccessfully. Apronianus ordered her to be tied to a pillar and beaten with scourges laden with lead plummets until she died. St. Bibiana endured the torture with joy until her death.

Two days later, a priest buried her next to her mother and sister. A church was built over her grave.

 

I believe Lord, but let me believe more firmly.

I hope Lord, but let me hope more surely.

I love, Lord, but let me love more warmly.

I repent Lord, but let me repent more deeply.

Quote of St. Antony Claret; Feast day October 24

 

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

 

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Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Bl. Charles de Foucauld, Feast Day Dec. 1

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Bl. Charles de Foucauld
Bl. Charles de Foucauld

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

and suffered and prayed.

Quote of Bl. Charles de Focauld

 

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

 

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Apostle, Faith, Martyr, patron saints

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Andrew the Apostle, Feast Day Nov. 30

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The Crucifixion of St. Andrew the Apostle by Mattia Preti
The Crucifixion of St. Andrew the Apostle
by Mattia Preti

 

The feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle is celebrated on November 30.  He is the patron saint of fishermen.  St. Andrew was the first of the twelve Apostles to be called by Jesus.

Mark 1:16-20 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

St. Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter. He was a fisherman and a follower of St. John the Baptist. When he heard the call of Jesus, he immediately left everything and followed Him.

After the ascension of Jesus to heaven, Andrew went to Greece to preach the gospel. In the year 70 he became a martyr. He was put to death on a cross to which he was tied, not nailed. It was a cross in the form of an X, which is now called “St. Andrew’s Cross”. He lived for two days, suffering, yet still preaching the gospel.

Three countries have chosen St. Andrew as their patron: Russia, Scotland and Greece. He is also the patron of fishermen.

St. Andrew’s relics are kept at the Basilica of St. Andrew in Patras, Greece.

 

“How blind man is when he refuses to open his heart to the light of faith!”

Quote of St. Bernadette, Feast Day April 16

St. Andrew the apostle in Art

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Carmelite Saints, Martyr

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Bl. Denis of the Nativity, Feast Day Nov. 29

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Bl. Denis of the Nativity and Bl. Redemptus of the Cross Public Domain Image
Bl. Denis of the Nativity and Bl. Redemptus of the Cross
Bl. Denis of the Nativity on the left

 

The feast day of St. Denis of the Nativity is celebrated on November 29.  He was a Carmelite priest and a martyr.

Peter Berthelot was born on December 12, 1600 in Calvados, France. He became a sailor at the age of twelve, traveling to Spain, England and America. In 1619 he traveled to India where he was a cosmographer and first pilot of the Kings of France and Portugal. In 1635 he met his spiritual counselor Father Philip of the Most Trinity and decided to join the Discalced Carmelites. He chose the name Denis of the Nativity when he made his profession on Dec. 25, 1636. He was given the gift of contemplation and known for his holiness.

As a missionary, he and his companion Redemptus left for Goa in 1638 where they were taken prisoner. They were tortured in an attempt to force their conversion to Islam. During his captivity, Denis helped others by sacrificing his needs. He always had encouraging words and set a strong example.

Both Denis and Redemptus were condemned to die. He was killed by a sword that split his head in two.

Both Carmelites were beatified on June 10 1908 by Pope Leo XIII.

 

Prayer is a mighty weapon,

an unfailing treasure,

a wealth which is never expended,

a harbor that is always calm.

Quote of St. John Chrysostom; Feast day September 13

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Martyr, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Catherine of Alexandria, Feast Day Nov. 25

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St. Catherine Alexandria
St. Catherine Alexandria

 

The feast day of St. Catherine Alexandria is celebrated on November 25.  She is the patron saint of Christian philosophers, teachers and librarians.  She is considered a virgin and martyr.

While there is no historical evidence regarding St. Catherine of Alexandria there is a strong tradition about her martyrdom.  St. Catherine was born around 287 in Alexandria, Egypt.  She was the daughter of a wealthy pagan couple. She had a love of learning and studied philosophy and religion. After studying Christianity, she converted.

Legend tells us that she was imprisoned and tortured by Emperero Maxentius after she refused to marry him. He forced her to debate the most learned pagan philosophers hoping she would commit apostasy, however the debates resulted in many conversions to the Christian faith.

St. Catherine was tortured by being placed on a wheel full of spikes in an attempt to kill her. The wheel broke into two pieces and fell apart. She was then beheaded.

 

“Strength for a person who desires to acquire virtues,

consists in not losing heart when one happens to fall,

but in continuing once more on the way.

Not to fall is characteristic only of angels.”

Quote of St. Moses

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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Faith, Feast Days, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Andrew Dung, Feast Day Nov. 24

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St. Andrew Dung
St. Andrew Dung

 

The feast day of St. Andrew Dung and companions is celebrated on November 24.  St. Andrew Dung was a priest and martyr of Vietnam.

 

St. Andrew Dung represents the 117 martyrs of Vietnam; 97 of the martyrs were Vietnamese and 21 were foreign missionaries. The missionaries included 11 Spaniards and, 10 French; 8 were bishops, 50 were priests and 59 were lay people. They were martyred during a period of persecution between 1625 and 1886.

St. Andrew was the born in 1795 to a poor pagan family in North Vietnam. He moved to Hanoi when he was twelve. He was educated by a Christian and after three years was baptized. He became a catechist and continued to study theology.

In 1823, he was ordained a priest.  He was imprisoned under Emperor Minh Mang. His congregation made donations to free him. He changed his name to Andrew Lac to avoid persecution and changed locations. He was arrested a second time along with Father Peter Thi another Vietnamese Priest. Again his freedom was bought. They were soon arrested a third time and beheaded after being brutally tortured.

The 117 martyrs were beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 27, 1900. The memorial celebrates all the Vietnamese Martyrs of the 17th, 18th and 9th centuries.

 

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who,

in a period of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.

Quote by Dante Alighieri

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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