Tag Archives: Saint of the Day

Dominican Saints, Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Ambrose Sansedoni, Feast Day March 20




St. Ambrose

The feast day of St. Ambrose Sansedoni is celebrated on March 20.

St. Ambrose Sansedoni was born in Siena, Italy in 1220. At birth, he was very deformed. He needed the care of a nurse. The nurse found that he was most peaceful when he was in St. Mary Magdalene Church near the altar. She reported that an unknown pilgrim said,

“Do not cover that child’s face. He will one day be the glory of this city.”

A few days later the child stretched out his deformed limbs saying the name “Jesus” and was healed; all of his deformities were gone

.
As a child Ambrose was very devout. He prayed and meditated during the night. He was drawn to reading the lives of the saints and reciting from the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin.

At the age of 17, he joined the Dominicans in Siena, Italy. He was sent to study for the priesthood in Paris, France and Cologne, Germany with St. Thomas Aquinas. As a priest he devoted himself to preaching and teaching. He became well known for his elegant preaching. He also became a peacemaker; restoring peace between Venice and Genoa and also between Florence and Pisa.

St. Ambrose died of natural causes in 1287. His writings have not survived.

 

To be an angel in prayer, and a beast in one’s relations with people is to go lame in both legs.

St. Francis de Sales; Feast day January 24

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Joseph, Feast Day March 19




St. Joseph and child
St. Joseph and child

The feast day of St. Joseph is celebrated on March 19.  St. Joseph is the patron for a happy death because tradition tells us that he died with Jesus and Mary at his side.

 

  Joseph was engaged to be married to Mary, when she was found with child. He was going to divorce her quietly to avoid scandal, however an angel appeared to him in a dream, saying,

“Joseph, son of David, do no be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”   Mat: 1: 20-21

 

 

Joseph immediately took Mary as his wife. The angel appeared to Joseph a second time. This time he was told his family was in danger. They fled to Egypt where they stayed until the angel told him it was safe to return.
Joseph worked as a carpenter. He was the foster father of Jesus, loving him and providing for him and Mary. Jesus, Mary and Joseph are referred to as “The Holy Family”.
We celebrate two feast days for St. Joseph. The first is on March 19; Feast day of St. Joseph,Husband of Mary. The second feast day is May 1; The Feast day of St. Joseph the Worker.

 

 

Always keep your devotion to St. Joseph, as I do. He will be your guide and counselor, just as he was
to Our Lady.

 

 

Quote of St. John XXIII; Feast day October 11

March is the Month of St. Joseph

 

 St. Joseph in Art

 

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Doctor of the Church, Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Feast Day March 18




St. Cyril of Jerusalem
St. Cyril of Jerusalem

The feast day of St. Cyril of Jerusalem is celebrated on March 18.

St. Cyril was born in 315. He was raised in Jerusalem by a Christian family. Little is known about his early life. He was ordained by St. Maximus. He was a great instructor of catecheumans who were studying to become baptized into the church.

While serving as Bishop of Jerusalem, he was exiled from Jerusalem three times by the Arianists who denied the belief in the divinity of Christ. After his final return to Jerusalem he he attended the Council of Constantinople. He died in 386 at the age of 70.

St. Cyril is a Doctor of the Church.

 

If Christ could change water into wine, can He not change wine into His own blood?

Quote of St. Cyril of Jerusalem

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Patrick, Feast Day March 17




St. Patrick
St. Patrick

The feast day of St. Patrick is celebrated on March 17.   St. Patrick is the patron saint of slaves, Ireland and snakes.

St. Patrick was born in Kilpatrick, Scotland, in 387. His parents were Romans, living in Britain. At age 14 he was captured by a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave. As a slave, he tended to the sheep. He turned to God in prayer. His prayer “The Breastplate of St. Patrick” is well known.

Patrick was a slave until the age of 20. He received guidance in a dream. He was led to sailors who took him to Britain. In another dream, the people of Ireland asked him to return. He was reunited with his parents

St. Patrick studied to become a priest. He was ordained a priest by St. Germanus who was the bishop he studied under.   He was ordained a priest, then a Bishop. As Bishop he was sent back to Ireland. Many people converted under his guidance. St. Patrick is known for using the shamrock to explain the Trinity. He served as the Bishop of Ireland for forty years. Many miracles are attributed to St. Patrick.

St. Patrick wrote “The Confession of St. Patrick”  which  tells about his passionate faith and the trials he experienced.  St. Patrick died in Saul, where he built his first church, on March 17, 461

 

The Breastplate of St. Patrick

Christ be behind me, Christ be before me,
Christ be beside me…King of my heart.
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me…never to part.
Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me…shield in the strife.
Christ in my sitting, Christ in my sleeping,
Christ in my rising…light of my life.

(may be sung to Morning has Broken)

 

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

 

St. Patrick in Art

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Faith, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Julian of Antioch, Feast Day March 16




St. Julian of Antioch
St. Julian of Antioch

 

The feast day of St. Julian of Antioch is celebrated on March 16.  

St. Julian was born in Anazarbus, Cilicia (Turkey).  He was arrested for being a Christian during the persecutions of Diocletian in 305 A.D.

St. Julian  refused to renounce his faith resulting in his being tortured and paraded through the city of Cilicia. After being sentenced to death, his body was sewn into a sack filled with vipers and scorpions and then cast into the sea. When the sack was recovered, the remains of St. Julian were sent to Alexandria and then to Antioch where St. John Chrysostom gave the eulogy at his burial.

 

Jesus stretches out His arms on the cross to embrace sinners.

 

Quote of St. John XXIII; Feast day October 11

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Louise de Marillac, Feast Day March 15




louis de marillacThe feast day of St. Louise de Marillac is celebrated on March 15. 

Louise was born in 1591 in Meux, France into a noble family.  Her mother died while she was quite young.  Her father eventually placed her with the royal Dominican monastery in Poissy.  At the age of 15, her father also died.  She requested entry in the Capuchins  but was denied due to her frail health.

Several years later, Louise married Antony Le Gras.  They had one son, Michel.  When her husband became ill, Louise became severely depressed.  In 1619, while in Paris, she met St. Francis de Sales, who became her spiritual advisor.  Her depression came to an end after a spiritual experience during a Mass on Pentecost.  She described her experience in the following way:

 

“On the Feast of Pentecost during Holy Mass or while I was praying in the church, my mind was completely freed of all doubt.  I was advised that I should remain with my husband and the time would come when I would be in the position to make vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and that I would be in a small community where others would do the same.” 

 

Louise’s husband died three years after this experience.  She decided never to marry again and to serve God alone.  She sold her home and moved into a small home which was near St. Vincent de Paul who became her advisor.  While still raising her son and managing her home she helped St. Vincent to begin the Daughters of Charity.  St. Vincent said “Your convent will be the house of the sick; your cell, a hired room; your chapel, the parish church; your cloister, the streets of the city or the wards of the hospital;  your enclosure, obedience.

Louise was very hard working and courageous.  Eventually there were over 40 housed which she started in France.  She also established hospitals and orphanages.

Louise died on March 15, 1660.  She was beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1920 and canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934.

 

Be diligent in serving the poor.  Love the poor, honor them my children, as you would honor Christ himself.

Quote of St. Louise de Marillac

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

 

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Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Matilda, Feast Day March 14




St. Matilda in Art
St. Matilda

St. Matilda is the patron saint of widows and second wives.  Her feast day is celebrated on March 14.

 

St. Matilda was born in 895. She was raised by her grandmother, the Abbess of Eufurt Convent. Matilda married Henry the Fowler who was the son of the Duke Otto of Saxony, whose first marriage had been declared invalid. He eventually became the King of Germany.

Widowed in 936, St. Matilda was known for her generosity towards charities. This estranged her from her sons, Otto and Henry. They became angry and criticized her extravagance. She decided to retire to a country home. In time, her sons asked for forgiveness welcoming her back to the palace.

St. Matilda built many churches, convents and monasteries. She lived her final years at the convent at Nordausen. She died at the monastery at Quedlinberg on March 14, 968 where she is buried.

 

Apart from the cross there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven.

 

Quote of St. Rose of Lima; Feast day August 23

 

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Benedictine Saints, Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Leander, Feast Day March 13

St. Leander
The feast day of St. Leander is celebrated on March 13.

St. Leander was born into a saintly family. Both he and his brother St. Isidore served as the Bishop of Seville. His sister St.Florentia became an abbess in charge of forty convents and over 1,000 nuns. He was born at Cartagena, Spain in 534.

St. Leander became a Benedictine monk. In 579 he became the Bishop of Seville. As bishop he defended the church from the heresy of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. He promoted orthodox Christianity. For a period of time he was forced into exile in Byzantium. When he returned he oversaw the Third Council of Toledo.

It was St. Leander who began the practice of reciting the Nicene Creed during Mass. He believed it would help in the fight against Arianism.

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
Maker of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial
of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.

With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

St.Leander died in the year 601. He was succeeded as bishop by his brother St. Isidore.
St. Leander is considered a Doctor of the Church.

The humble man receives praise the way a clean window takes the light of the sun. The truer and more intense the light is the less you see of the glass.

Quote of Thomas Merton

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Seraphina, Feast Day March 12




St. Seraphina
The feast day of St.Seraphina is celebrated on March 12. 

St. Seraphina was born in San Gimignano, Italy to a poor family in 1238. As a young girl she was very pretty. After her father died, she came down with a strange illness. The illness took away her beauty. Her eyes, feet and hands became deformed.

Eventually, St. Seraphina was paralyzed. She helped her mother spin and sow. She never complained and was known for her serenity. Her mother also died leaving her with no income. A friend would bring her food.

St. Seraphina turned to Christ on the Cross for comfort. She felt she was called to imitate the suffering Christ. Her favorite saint was St. Gregory the Great, due to his many sufferings. She asked him to intercede for her, asking for patience to bear her sufferings. Eight days before her death, St. Gregory appeared to her telling her she would die on his feast day. His feast day was celebrated at the time on March 12. It is now celebrated on Sept. 3.

St. Seraphina died on March 12, 1253 at the age of 15.

The cross is the staff of the lame.

Quote of St. George of Amastris; Feast day February 21

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Carmelite Saints, Faith, Incorruptables, Sacred Heart, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Teresa Margaret Redi, Feast Day March 11




St. Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart.jpg6
The feast day of St. Teresa Margaret Redi is celebrated on March 11.  

 

Anna Maria Redi was born on July 15, 1747 into a large pious family in Florence, Italy. From an early age she was drawn to God. She was sent to a Benedictine boarding school at the age of nine. The nuns noticed her love of the Blessed Sacrament. She learned to meditate at a young age. Rather than seeking attention she preferred to go unnoticed and spend time alone. After meeting someone who was about to make a profession as a Carmelite, she had a spiritual experience and decided she too wanted to become a Carmelite.

 

At the age of 17 she entered the Carmelite convent, taking the name Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart. She advanced quickly in her spirituality. She was able to focus both on the contemplative prayer life and serving her community. She worked among the sick and as an assistant sacristan. She was very penitential; sleeping on the floor and living a very disciplined life. Several miracles are believed to have happened while she was working with the sick.

One Sunday, while in the choir, she had a mystical experience in which God revealed the deeper meaning of the Love of God. It transformed her knowledge of God. She tried to always offer a smile and serene attitude no matter what the situation. She believed that God would be found if God alone was sought. To love her neighbor, she decided to sympathize with their troubles, excuse their faults, always speak well of them and never willingly fail in charity, in thought, word or deed.

St. Teresa Margaret did experience the Night of the Spirit. She no longer received consolations from God and greatly feared offending God. She was greatly tempted by despair. It is believed she had a premonition regarding her death. Although she was very healthy, she probably died from a strangulated hernia. It was misdiagnosed as colic.

St. Teresa Margaret died on March 7, 1770 at the age of 22. She died holding her crucifix in her hands invoking the names of Jesus and Mary, otherwise suffering in silence.

The burial of St. Teresa Margaret was delayed because her body did not begin to decay. In fact, a sweet perfume was noticed  coming from the crypt (underground burial place). She was buried 18 days after her death and her body still had not decayed. Miracles were immediately reported after her death. Her incorrupt body was transferred on the Feast of the Sacred Heart to the nuns choir in the Carmel of Florence.

 

Always receive with equal contentment from God’s hand either consolations or sufferings, peace or distress, health or illness. Ask nothing, refuse nothing, but always be ready to do and to suffer anything that comes from His Providence.

 

Quote of St. Teresa Margaret Redi

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

St. Teresa Margaret Redi in Art



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Faith, Jesuit Saints, Martyr

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Ogilvie, Feast Day March 10




St. John Oglivie Public Domain Image
St. John Oglivie

The feast day of St. John Ogilvie is celebrated on March 10.

St. John Ogilvie was born in 1579 to noble parents in Scotland. He was raised a Calvinist. He became interested in the debate between the Protestants and the Catholics and turned to the scripture for guidance.

Two verses stood out to him:

“God wills all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (I Timothy 2:4);

and

“Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome and I will refresh you.” (Mat ll:28).

He had a great admiration of the martyrs of the faith. St. John Ogilvie converted to the Catholic faith when he was 17. His early studies were with the Benedictines. He attended the Jesuit College at Olmutz. The Jesuits are also known as the Society of Jesus.

St. John Ogilvie was ordained a Jesuit priest in Paris in 1610. He requested to serve in Scotland. He went to Scotland, then returned. He also went to London, Paris and then back to Scotland. He was very successful in converting people to the faith. Eventually however, he was betrayed and arrested. He was tortured in an attempt to make him reveal the names of other Catholics. He refused to do so.

St. John Ogilvie was tried for the treason of converting Protestants to the faith. He stood trial three times. In 1615, he was hanged at Glasgow at the age of 36.  Just before he was hanged, St. John tossed his Rosary beads into the crowd. They were caught by a Calvinist nobleman who later became a Catholic. He credited his conversion to the incident and the martyr’s beads.

St. John Ogilvie was canonized in 1976.

 

Lord, give me patience in tribulation.

Quote of St. Thomas More; Feast day June 22

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph

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Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Gregory of Nyssa, Feast Day March 9

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St. Gregory of Nyssa

 

The feast day of St. Gregory of Nyssa is celebrated on March 9.  

St. Gregory was born in 335 in Cappadocia, Asia Miner. He came from a family of at least five saints. St. Basil and St. Emmilia were his parents. He was raised by his brother St. Basil the Great and his sister Macrina in what is today known as Turkey.

St. Gregory married but continued studying for the priesthood which at that time allowed married priests. In 372 he became the Bishop of Nyssa. He taught against many false doctrines, defending the divinity of Christ. He defended the orthodox beliefs on the Trinity, Incarnation and Redemption.

St. Gregory  was arrested briefly and falsely accused of embezzlement. He was restored as bishop in 378. St. Gregory attend the first Council of Constantinople in 381 and settled many disputes within the church. He was a philosophical theologian and mystic. He became known as the “Father of Mysticism.”   St. Gregory died in the year 395.

 

 

May what is pleasing to God be always in your mind and heart and in mine.

Quote of St. Gregory of Nyssa

 

March is the Month of St. Joseph.

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