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patron saints, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Martin of Tours, Feast Day Nov. 11

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St. Martin of Tours
St. Martin of Tours

 

The feast day of St. Martin of Tours is celebrated on November 11.  He is the patron saint of soldiers and beggars.

St. Martin was born in 315 in Pannonia, a Roman Province. Martin’s father was an army officer. Secretly he became a catechumen (a student preparing to become Catholic) at the age of ten. He longed to be a monk so that he could be alone with God in prayer. He was forced to join the army at the age of 15 before he had been baptized. His job was to protect the emperor. He became an officer and was assigned garrison duty in Gaul.

He is portrayed in art helping a beggar who was freezing cold and in need of help. Martin removed his cloak, cut it in half with his sword and gave one half to the beggar. That night, Martin had a dream in which Jesus was wearing his cloak. The dream inspired Martin to immediately seek baptism. He was eighteen years old. Two years after his baptism Martin refused to fight any longer, saying,

I have served you as a soldier, now let me serve Christ.”

Martin was eventually ordained an exorcist. He was chosen as the Bishop of Tours because of his holiness. Martin lived outside the city because of his need for solitude.

St. Martin was known for his miracles and his compassion. St. Martin died on Nov. 8 and was buried at his request in the Cemetery of the Poor.  Near the time of his death, St. Martin prayed the following prayer:

“Lord, if your people still need me, I do not refuse the work.  Thy will be done.”

 

Quote of  St. Martin of Tours

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

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Doctor of the Church, Faith, Pope, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Leo the Great; Feast Day November 10

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St. Leo the Great
St. Leo the Great

 

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Leo the Great;

Feast Day November 10

The feast day of St. Leo the Great is celebrated on November the 10.

St. Leo was born in Tuscany. He lived during a time of great political chaos for the Church. Barbarian armies were ravaging the once mighty Roman Empire. Leo was an ordained a Deacon. He became the Bishop of Rome in 440. He was Bishop of Rome for 21 years, until his death in 461.

During his papacy, he was known for meeting Attila the Hun in 452 as he was preparing to invade Italy. Amazingly, he persuaded him to turn back, and avoided a war. Leo fought many heresies, including Pelagianism which teaches that grace was not necessary for salvation.

Leo is considered one of the great administrators of the Church. He also gave profound spiritual sermons. He presided over the fourth ecumenical council called the Council of Chalcedon. At this council the two natures of Christ was discussed and clarified. The faith teaches that Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine.

St. Leo the Great also clarified the role of the pope, persuading Emperor Valentinian to recognize the primacy of the Bishop of Rome in 445.  His teaching focused on the scripture which had Jesus telling Peter:  “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.  What you forbid on earth shall be forbidden in Heaven.  What you allow on earth shall be allowed in heaven.’  (Matthew 16:19)

Leo was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIV in the eighteenth century. The title “Great” has been given to only three Popes. The three “Great popes are St. Leo the Great, St. Gregory the Greatand St. Nicholas the Great.  St. John Paul II is unofficially considered by some to be “great”.  The title “Great” means that the Pope has exercised great leadership and contributed greatly to the theology of the church.

If indeed we are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives in our

hearts…we must work with much vigilance to make the chamber of our heart

not unworthy of so great a guest.

 Quote of St. Leo the Great

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Feast Days, Pope, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: Dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica, Nov. 9

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Basilica of St. John Lateran
Basilica of St. John Lateran

 

The dedication of St. John Lateran Basilica is celebrated on November 9.

St. John Lateran Basilica is the oldest of the four great basilicas in Rome.   The four basilicas are:

  • The Basilica of St. Peter
  • The Basilica of St. Mary Major
  • The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Wallls
  • The Basilica of St. John Lateran

Originally, the site was occupied by the palace of the family of the Laterani. The term “Lateran”  does not  refer to a saint but to the church’s ancient origins as the the Lateran palace, which once belonged the Roman noble family of the Laterni.

Constantine acquired the old palace through marriage. Not only did Constantine end the persecution of the Church he also gave the palace to the Church as a gift and it was enlarged. It became the residency for the Pope.  The Basilica has been dedicated to both St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.

 

Until the 14th century popes resided in the Lateran palace. It’s official title is:

“Mother Church of the whole world.”

The Basilica of St. John Lateran  is the official seat of the Pope (the Pope’s Cathedral).
Pope Sylvester officially dedicated the basilica in the year 324 declaring it a house of God.
The Basilica has been dedicated to both St. John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist.

 

“Little children, love one another.”

Quote of St. John the Evangelist;  Feast Day Dec. 27

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

Carmelite Saints, Faith, Prayer, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, Feast Day Nov. 8

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Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity
Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity

The feast day of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity is celebrated on Nov. 8.  She is the patron saint of the sick and the loss of parents.  St. Elizabeth was born into a military family in 1880. She was strong willed and exuberant. When seven, her father died and her family moved to Dijon.

From her bedroom window, she could see the monastery of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns. After the death of her father she experienced outbursts of anger. She experienced both conversion and peace from the sacrament of confession.

At the age of 14 she received her first communion. From that time on she was no longer angry. She developed a great devotion to the Eucharist. It was on her first communion day that she met the prioress of the monastery for the first time. The prioress explained to her that the meaning of the name Elizabeth is “house of God”.

While Elizabeth had an early desire to become a Carmelite nun, she was delayed by her mother’s objections until she was 21. Until then, she sang in two choirs and helped students prepare for their first communion.

In 1901, she finally entered the Carmel monastery taking the name Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity. She had a great devotion to the Carmelite saints but was also drawn to the teachings of St. Paul. She believed the core of his teaching was the love of Christ.  St. Elizabeth was a contemplative who wrote many poems and prayers including her famous Prayer to the Trinity.

St. Elizabeth died from Addison’s Disease in 1906 (kidney disease) at the age of 26. Elizabeth viewed suffering as a gift; a way to share in the redemptive suffering of Jesus.

St. Elizabeth of the Trinity was canonized by Pope Francis on October 16, 2016.

 

“Jesus gives His cross to His true friends
so he can come even closer to them.”

Quote of Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Carina, Feast Day Nov. 7

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St. Carina and Companions
St. Carina and Companions

 

The feast day of St. Carina and companions is celebrated on November 7.

Very little is known about St. Carina other than her martyrdom. Under the rule of Emperor Julian the Apostate in the city of Ankara, she and her husband and thirteen year old son, Melasippus, were arrested in the year 360 for being Christian. They refused to renounce their faith. St. Carina and her husband were tortured to death. Their son was beheaded.

 

“Courage is not simply one of the virtues,

but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”

   Quote of C. S. Lewis

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Theophane Venard, Feast Day Nov. 6

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St. Theophane Venard
St. Theophane Venard

 

St. Theophane was born in France in 1829. He entered the Foreign Mission of Paris.   He was ordained a priest in 1852 and became a missionary.  He worked for 15 months at Hong Kong before going to West Tonkin which is now Vietnam.

In Vietnam, he taught seminary and ministered to the people of Tonkin for four years.  He was arrested on Nov. 30, 1860 and tried for being a Christian.

During his trial he refused to renounce his faith. St. Theophane was caged for several months before he was beheaded in 1861. While being caged he was allowed to write many letters. Some of them survived. In a letter to his father he wrote,

“We are all flowers planted on this earth, which God plucks in His own good time; some a little sooner, some a little later…Father and son may we meet in Paradise. I, poor little moth, go first. Adieu.”

He was an inspiration to St. Thérèse of Lisieux who is known as the Little Flower.

On June 19, 1988 St. Theophane Venard was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II.  He is considered one of the martyrs of Vietnam.

 

Guide your ship well.

Let prudence take the helm,

let humility be the rudder,

God your compass,

Mary, your anchor of hope.

Quote of St. Theophane Venard

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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