Tag Archives: November Feast Days

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth, Feast Day Nov. 5

Virgin Mary Visits Elizabeth
Virgin Mary Visits Elizabeth

 

 

St. Elizabeth is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. She is a relative of the Virgin Mary and the wife of Zachariah. Elizabeth was considered barren due to old age. However, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah while he was at the temple. He told him not to be afraid, that he was to have a son and was to name him John. Zachariah questioned the angel and the angel said he would be mute because of his doubt.

Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, came to visit her. It is Elizabeth you greeted Mary by saying,

“Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.”

When her son was born Zachariah asked for a tablet and wrote

“His name is John”.

Immediately, he was able to speak again. Their son was John the Baptist.  St. John the Baptist and Jesus are considered cousins.

 

“When a nation lacks saints,

darkness invades peoples minds.”

 

Quote of Bl. Bronislaw Markiewiez; Poland, (1842-1912)

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Charles Barromeo, Feast Day Nov. 4




St. Charles Borromeo
St. Charles Borromeo

St. Charles Borromeo was born into a noble family in 1528. He was the nephew of Pope Pius IV. When he was twelve he was sent to a Benedictine Abby to be educated.  St. Charles Borromeo is the patron saint of catechists, catechumens and seminarians

St. Charles was an active leader in the Council of Trent. He was ordained a priest while the Council was in progress. That same year he became the Bishop of Milan. At the age of 22, he was named a Cardinal. While serving as the Cardinal of Milan, he enforced the decrees of the Council of Trent. He established seminaries and hospitals. During the plague of 1576, he worked with the sick and helped to bury the dead.   For three months he fed 3000 daily with his own money.  He founded a society for secular priests called the Oblates of St. Ambrose in 1578. It is now known as the Oblates of St. Charles.

St. Charles was very active in the Catholic Reformation, working to rid the church of corruption. He was the teacher and confessor to St. Aloysius Gonzaga.

St. Charles Barromeo died at the age of 46 in 1584.

 

 

“The candle that gives light to others must itself be consumed, Thus we also have to act.  We ourselves are consumed to give a good example to others.”

Quote of St. Charles Borromeo

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Martin de Porres, Feast Day Nov. 3




 

St. Martin de Porres
St. Martin de Porres

 

St. Martin was born in Lima, Peru in 1579.  He was the son of the governor of Panama.  His mother Anna Martin was a freed black slave.  St. Martin is the patron saint of social justice and barbers.

When he was 15, he became a Dominican Friar. He worked as a barber, farm laborer and in the infirmary. In the infirmary he cared for the sick.  His medical knowledge regarding herbs was discovered and put to good use.

He begged from the rich to support the sick. His desire was to become a foreign missionary and earn martyrdom. Because this was not possible he offered his body to God. He received many spiritual gifts in return for his penances. Martin loved both humans and animals. He established an orphanage and children’s hospital. He also established a shelter for cats and dogs. He was a friend to St. Rose of Lima. St. Martin de Porres is the first black saint from the Americas.

St. Martin de Porres had many spiritual gifts.  He had healing power and a prophetic gift.  He could see into the future and read hearts.  St. Martin died Nov. 3, 1639.  His body is incorrupt.

Miracles were reported at his tomb.

St. Martin was canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962.

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Compassion is preferable to cleanliness,

With a bit of soap I can clean my bed,

but think of the flood of tears I would

require to clean from my soul

the stain that harshness against

this unfortunate would leave.

Quote of St. Martin de Porres

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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What do the Saints Tell Us About Purgatory?




 

holy-souls-in-purgatory

What Do The Saints Tell Us  About Purgatory?                                                                                                                                                                      Learn what the Saints believed about Purgatory.   The quotes of the saints can teach us the beliefs of the early Church.

Halloween is celebrated on Oct. 31. Halloween stands for “All Hallows Eve.” It falls on the night before All Saint’s Day which is followed by All Soul’s Day on Nov. 2. On All Saint’s Day the Church celebrates the lives of the Saints. On All Soul’s Day the Church prays for the dead, who are on their pilgrimage to heaven (Purgatory).

Although the word Purgatory (as well as the words Trinity and Incarnation) does not appear in the Bible there are several references to it in both the New and the Old Testament. The Saints have testified to their belief in purgatory also.

The three main reasons Catholics believe in Purgatory are the following:

  • The Bible teaches us to “pray for the dead”.

    (2 Maccabees 12:44-45). For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.

  • The Bible tells us of a cleansing fire.
  • (Hebrews 12:29)  Our God is a consuming fire. Zechariah 13” 8-9 In the whole land, says the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say,

  • “They are my people”, and they will say, “The Lord is our God.”

  • St. Paul prayed for the dead. (2 Timothy 1: 17-18) St. Paul prays for Onesiphorus who has died.
  • The Church Fathers and early Saints believed in Purgatory: The Church Fathers have a long tradition of praying for the dead. St. Augustine was asked by his mother Monica to pray for him at the altar. St. Gertrude the Great had a devotion to the Souls in Purgatory, as did St. Pio, St. Bridget and St. Bernadette.

The following quotes from the saints of the Catholic Church show that purgatory is a belief that has always existed in the church.

St. Paul
St. Paul
  1. St. Paul, First Century, Feast Day June 29

“May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesephores, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain….. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord in that day!

Quote of St. Paul

St. Augustine
St. Augustine

2.  St. Augustine of Hippo, Africa d. 430,  Feast Day August 28

 

“Some suffer temporal punishments only in this life, others only after death, still others both in life and after death, but always before this most strict and most final court.”

Quote of St. Augustine

St. Monica
St. Monica

3.  St. Monica, Africa 331-337  Feast Day August 27

 

To St. Augustine before her death:

“All I ask is this, that wherever you may be,

you will remember me at the altar of the Lord.”

Quote of St. Monica

St. John Chrysostom
St. John Chrysostom

4. St. John Chrysostom;  Antioch 344-407  Feast Day Sept. 13

 

“Let us help and commemorate them. If Job’s sons were purified by their fathers sacrifices why would we doubt that our offerings for the dead bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate to help those who have died and to offer our prayers for them.”

Quote of St. John Chrysostom

St. Gertrude the Great
St. Gertrude the Great

5. St. Gertrude the Great;  Germany 1256-1302  Feast Day Nov. 16

 

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the most precious Blood of Thy Divine Son , Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the wold today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, those in the Universal Church, in my home and in my family. Amen

Quote of St. Gertrude

 

St. Catherine of Genoa
St. Catherine of Genoa

6. St. Catherine of Genoa;  Italy 1447-1510  Feast Day Sept. 15

 

“No one is barred from heaven. Whoever wants to enter heaven may do so because God is merciful. Our Lord will welcome us into glory with his arms wide open. The Almighty is pure however, and if a person is conscious of the least trace of imperfection and at the same time understands that Purgatory is ordained to do away with such impediments, the soul enters this place of perfection gladly to accept so great a mercy of God. The worst suffering of these suffering souls is to have sinned against Divine Goodness and not to have been purified in this life.”

Quote of St. Catherine of Genoa

St. Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales

7. St. Francis de Sales;  France 1567-1622   Feast Day Jan. 24

 

“With Charity towards the dead we practice all the works of charity. The Church encourages us to aid the souls in purgatory, who in turn will reward us abundantly when they come into their glory.”

Quote of St. Francis de Sales

St. Margaret Mary
St. Margaret Mary

8.  St. Margaret Mary;  France 1647-1690  Feast Day October 16

 

“If only you knew with what great longing these holy souls yearn for relief from their suffering. Ingratitude has never entered Heaven.”

Quote of St. Margaret Mary

St. Gregory the Great
St. Gregory the Great

9.   St. Gregory the Great; Italy 540-604  Feast Day Sept. 3

 

“Each one will be presented to the Judge exactly as he was when he departed this life. Yet there must be a cleansing fire before judgement because of some minor faults that may remain to be purged away.”

Pope St. Gregory the Great, Dialogues

 

St. Thomas Aquinas
St. Thomas Aquinas

 

10.  St. Thomas Aquinas;  Naples, Italy 1226-1274 Feast Day Jan. 28

 

“The more one longs for a thing, the more painful does deprivation of it become. And because after this life, the desire for God, the Supreme Good, is intense in the souls of the just (because this impetus toward him is not hampered by the weight of the body and that time of enjoyment of the “Perfect Good would have come) had there been no obstacle, the souls suffers enormously from this delay.”

Quote of St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Faustina
St. Faustina

11.  St. Faustina;  Poland  1905-1938

 

“O Jesus, I understand that your mercy is beyond all imagining, and therefore I ask you to make my heart so big that there will be room in it for the needs of all the souls living on the face of the earth. O Jesus, my love extends beyond the world, to the souls suffering in purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them by means of indulgenced prayers. God’s mercy is unfathomable and inexhaustible, just as God himself is unfathomable. Even if I were to use the strongest words there are to express this mercy of God, all this would be nothing in comparison with what it is in reality. O Jesus, make my heart sensitive to all the sufferings of my neighbor, whether of body or of soul. O my Jesus, I know that You are toward us as we are toward our neighbor.”

Quote of St. Faustina

St. John Vianney
St. John Vianney

12.  St. John Vianney;  France 1786-1859 Feast Day August 4

 

“It is definite that only a few chosen ones do not go to Purgatory and the suffering there that one must endure exceed our imagination.”

Quote of St. John Vianney

 

St. Bernadette
St. Bernadette

 

13.  St. Bernadette  Lourdes, France Died 1879  Feast Day April 16

 

“In our prayers, let us not forget sinners and the poor souls in Purgatory especially our poor relatives.”

Quote of St. Bernadette

 

St. Padre Pio
St. Padre Pio

 

14.  St. Pio of Pietreleina;  Italy 1887-1968  Feast Day Sept. 23

 

“May the prayer of thy suppliant people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, benefit the souls of thy departed servants and handmaids: that thou may both deliver them from all their sins, and make them to be partakers of thy redemption. Amen

Eternal rest grant to them, O lord and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen

May their souls and the souls of the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen

Quote of St. Padre Pio

St. Bridget of Sweden
St. Bridget of Sweden

 15.     St. Bridget of Sweden  1303-1373  Feast Day July 23

 

St. Bridget to Our Blessed Lady:

“You are my Mother, the Mother of Mercy, and the consolation of the souls in Purgatory.”

Our Blessed Lady to St. Bridget

“I am the Mother of all the Poor Souls; for my prayers serve to mitigate their sufferings every single hour that they remain there. (Purgatory).”

 

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: All Souls Day, November 2




 

Holy Souls in Purgatory Prayer Card
Holy Souls in Purgatory
Prayer Card

 

The feast day of All Souls’ Day is celebrated on November 2.  It is always celebrated the day after All Saint’s Day which is celebrated November 1.

The Church devotes the month of November to praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

 

To understand the doctrine of purgatory, it is necessary to understand several beliefs of the catholic church.

  • It is good to pray for the dead
  • We believe in tradition
  • Nothing unclean may enter heaven

Praying for the dead is a tradition which precedes the New Testament. In 2 Maccabees 23:45-46 it says:

“But if he was looking to the splendid reward that was laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, so that they might be delivered from their sin.

Before we can enter into the presence of God in heaven we must be cleansed and purified.  This process is known as purgatory.  The bible teaches us that it is good to pray for the dead.  Praying for those souls who are in the purification process in purgatory relieves the suffering of  both the soul in purgatory and my own soul.

 

Many of the Saints had devotions of praying for the holy souls in purgatory.  St. Gertrude the Great, St. Padre Pio and St. Margaret Mary are well known for their devotion to helping the souls in purgatory through prayer.

The Catholic Church believes in the power of prayer.  When we pray for some one else this is called intercessory prayer.  We ask the saints in heaven to pray for us on our journey. (The saints are interceding for us.)   We also pray to Our Lord to guide those we love and hasten the journey of those who have died and are entering heaven.  (We are interceding for the souls in purgatory.)

 

We believe that the more souls who are praying the better! The following prayer is a popular prayer asking for mercy for those who have died.

 

 

“Eternal Father, I offer thee the most precious Blood of thy divine son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal Church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.”

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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Prayers, Quips and Quotes: All Saint’s Day, Feast Day November 1




All Saints Day Communion by Bra Angelico Public Domain Image
All Saints Day Communion by Bra Angelico

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: All Saint’s Day .                                                                                                                                                                                                        The Solemnity of All Saints Day is also known as All Hallows Eve. It is celebrated on November 1 by Western Christianity. It honors all souls who have arrived in heaven. Many countries celebrate it as a national holiday. It is followed by All Souls’ Day on Nov. 2 in which Catholics pray for those still on their journey to heaven. This journey is known as purgatory. Catholics believe that life is a spiritual pilgrimage. Death is the beginning of our journey through purgatory to heaven. Purgatory is where a soul is prepared and purified to enter heaven.

A Saint is a person whose soul has arrived in its’ eternal home…heaven.  The journey to heaven is not easy!    We ask for the prayers of those in heaven to aid us on our journey to heaven.

 

 

True learning consists in the science of the saints:

that is to say…in knowing how to love Jesus Christ.

Quote of St. Alphonsus Liguori; Feast day August 1

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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