Hoping to be Martyred

Saint John of Kanty

Saint John of Kanty
Profile:
Polish from a rural background.
Brilliant student at the University of Cracow, Poland.
Priest.
Professor of theology at University of Cracow.

Saint John was stripped of his university position. Rivals who resented Saint John's popularity with the students had cooked up a false charge against him. Saint John was not even allowed to appear at his own hearing or testify in his own defense. So at 41, he was assigned as parish priest at Olkusz, Bohemia. He took his new position seriously, was terrified of the responsibility but did his best. For a long time that wasn't enough for his parishioners for they knew what a Cracow professor would think of their small rural town. But even more insulting, their town was once again being used as a dumping ground for a priest who was disgraced, but in the end he won their hearts. After eight years, he was exonerated and transferred back to Cracow. He had been so successful that these once-hostile people followed him several miles down the road, begging him to stay. Back at Cracow, he taught Scripture for the rest of his life.

John was a serious, humble man, generous to a fault with the poor, sleeping little, eating no meat and little of anything else. Pilgrim to Jerusalem, hoping to be martyred by Turks. He made four pilgrimages to Rome, carrying his luggage on his back. When warned to look after his health, he pointed out that the early desert fathers lived long lives in conditions that had nothing to recommend them but the presence of God.

At the time of his death, John was so well loved that his veneration began immediately. For years his doctoral gown was worn by graduates receiving advanced degrees at the University of Cracow. He was declared patron of Poland and Lithuania in 1737 by Pope Clement XII, thirty years before his final canonization.

Also known as
• John Cantius
• John Kantius
• John of Kanti
• John of Kenti

Born
23 June 1390 at Kanty, Silesia, Poland
Died
24 December 1473 at Cracow, Poland, of natural causes
Canonized
16 July 1767 by Pope Clement XIII
Patronage
Lithuania
Poland
Representation
In a professor's gown with his arm around the shoulder of a young student whose gaze he directs towards heaven.
Giving his garments to the poor.

Readings:
Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause.
Saint John of Kanty

Patron Of Weavers

Saint of the Day Profile

October 24 Saint of the Day Saint Anthony Mary Claret

Profile:

Worked as a weaver in his youth. Seminary student with Saint Francisco Coll Guitart. Ordained on 13 June 1835. Missionary in Catalonia and the Canary Islands. Directed retreats. Founded the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians). Archbishop of Santiago de Cuba on 20 May 1850. 

Founded the Teaching Sisters of Mary Immaculate. Following his work in the Caribbean, Blessed Pope Pius IX ordered Anthony back to Spain. Confessor to Queen Isabella II, and was exiled with her. Had the gifts of prophecy and miracles. 

Reported to have preached 10,000 sermons, published 200 works. Spread devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Born
23 December 1807 at Sallent, Catalonia, Spain
Died
24 October 1870 in a Cistercian monastery at Fontfroide, Narbonne, France
Canonized
• 7 May 1950 by Pope Pius XII
• Blessed Jacinto Blanch Ferrer served as Vice-Postulator for Saint Anthony’s Caused from 1916 until his death in 1936
Patronage
• Catholic press
• Claretians
• Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
• weavers

Readings
Driven by the fire of the Holy Spirit, the holy apostles traveled throughout the earth. Inflamed with the same fire, apostolic missionaries have reached, are now reaching, and will continue to reach the ends of the earth, from one pole to the other, in order to proclaim the word of God. They are deservedly able to apply to themselves those words of the apostle Paul: "The love of Christ drives us on." The love of Christ arouses us, urges us to run, and to fly, lifted on the wings of holy zeal. The zealous man desires and achieve all great things and he labors strenuously so that God may always be better known, loved and served in this world and in the life to come, for this holy love is without end. Because he is concerned also for his neighbor, the man of zeal works to fulfill his desire that all men be content on this earth and happy and blessed in their heavenly homeland, that all may be saved, and that no one may perish for ever, or offend God, or remain even for a moment in sin. Such are the concerns we observe in the holy apostles and in all who are driven by the apostolic spirit. For myself, I say this to you: The man who burns with the fire of divine love is a son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and wherever he goes, he enkindles that flame; he deserves and works with all this strength to inflame all men with the fire of God's love. Nothing deters him: he rejoices in poverty; he labors strenuously; he welcomes hardships; he laughs off false accusations; he rejoices in anguish. He thinks only of how he might follow Jesus Christ and imitate him by his prayers, his labors, his sufferings, and by caring always and only for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
From a work by Saint Anthony Mary Claret.

Blog post courtesy:
http://catholicsaints.info/saint-anthony-mary-claret/ 

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Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer

Memorial of the Most Holy Redeemer

 

 Memorial of the Most Holy Redeemer October 23

 

Celebrated in honor of the graces and benefits of the Redemption. It was instituted at Venice, Italy in 1576 in thanksgiving for the cessation of a plague, and is now found only in the special calendar of some dioceses and religious orders.

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Sayings Of The Saints

Sayings Of The Saints - Pope Saint John Paul II

O Blessed Trinity, we thank you for having graced the church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your fatherly care, the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him. Trusting fully in your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you. Grant us, by his intercession, and according to your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen.
Official prayer to ask favors through the intercession Pope John Paul II

God is always on the side of the suffering. His omnipotence is manifested precisely in the fact that he freely accepted suffering. He could have chosen not to do so. He could have chosen to demonstrate his omnipotence even at the moment of the Crucifixion. In fact, it was proposed to him:
"Let the Messiah, the King of Israel come down now from the cross that we may see and believe." (Mark 15.32)
But he did not accept that challenge. The fact that he stayed on the Cross until the end, the fact that on the Cross he could say, as do all who suffer,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15.34)
If the agony on the Cross had not happened, the truth that God is Love would have been unfounded. Yes! God is Love and precisely for this he gave his Son, to reveal himself completely as Love. Christ is the One who "loved...to the end." (John 13.1) "To the end" means to the last breath.  
Pope John Paul II from Crossing The Threshold of Hope

To save means to liberate from evil. This does not refer only to social evils, such as injustice, coercion, exploitation. Nor does it refer only to disease, catasrophes, natural cataclysms, and everything that has been considered disaster in the history of humanity. To save means to liberate from radical, ultimate evil. Death itself is no longer that kind of evil, if followed by the Resurrection. And the Resurrection comes about through the work of Christ. Through the work of the Reddemer death ceases to be an ultimate evil; it becomes subject to the power of life. The world does no have such power. The world, which is capable of perfecting therapeutic techniques in various fields, does not have the power to liberate man from death. And therefore the world cannot be a source of salvation for man. Only God saves, and He saves the whole of humanity in Christ.  
Pope John Paul II, from Crossing the Threshold of Hope

The essential usefulness of faith consists in the fact that, through faith, man achieves the good of his rational nature. And he achieves it by giving his response to God, as is his duty - a duty not only to God, but to himself. Christ did everything in order to convince us of the importance of this response. Man is called upon to give this response with inner freedom so that it will radiate that veritatis splendor (splendor of truth) so essential to human dignity. Christ wants to awaken faith in human hearts. He wants them to respond to the word of the Father, but he wants this in full respect for human dignity. In the very search for faith an implicit faith is already present, and therefore the necessary condition for salvation is already satisfied.
Pope John Paul II, from Crossing the Threshold of Hope

What emanates from the figure of Saint Joseph is faith...Joseph of Nazareth is a "just man" because he totally "lives by faith." He is holy because his faith is truly heroic. Sacred Scripture says little of him. It does not record even one word spoken by Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth. And yet, even without words, he shows the depth of his faith, his greatness. Saint Joseph is a man of great spirit. He is great in faith, not because he speaks his own words, but above all because he listens to the words of the Living God. He listens in silence. And his heart ceaselessly perseveres in the readiness to accept the Truth contained in the word of the Living God. We see how the word of the Living God penetrates deeply into the sould of that man, that just man. And we, do we know how to listen to the word of God? Do we know how to absorb it into the depths of our human personalities? Do we open our conscience in the presend of this word?  
Pope John Paul II from Daily Meditations

On my pastoral journeys around the world I always try to meet representatives of the Jewish community. But a truly exceptional experience for me was cartainly my visit to the synagogue of Rome. The history of the Jews in Rome is a unique chapter in the history of the Jewish people, a chapter closely linked for that matter to The Acts of the Apostles. During that memorable visit, I spoke of the Jews as our elder brothers in the faith. These words were an expression both of the Vatican Council's teaching and a profound conviction of the part of the Church.... The New Convent has its roots in the old. The time when the people of the Old Covenant will be able to see themselves as part of the New is a question to be left to the Holy Spirit. We, as human beings, try only not to put obstacles in the way. Forgive us, Lord, when we fail to foster genuine understanding between Christians and Jews.
Pope John Paul II, from Crossing the Threshold of Hope

Many people today are disoriented and lost in search of genuine fellowship. Often their lives are either too superficial or shattered by brokenness. Their work often is dehumanizing. They long for an experience of genuine encounter with others, for true fellowship. Well, is this not precisely the vocation of a parish? Are we not called to be a warm, brotherly family together? Are we not people united together in the household of God through our common life? Your parish is not mainly a structure, a geographical area or a building. The parish is first and foremost a community of the faithful. This is the task of a parish today: to be a community, to rediscover its identity as a community. You are not a Christian all by yourself. To be a Christian means to believe and to live one's faith together with others. For we are all members of the body of Christ.... For fellowship to grow, the priest's role is not enough, even though he plays an essential role. The commitment of all parishioners is needed. Each of their contributions is vital.
Pope John Paul II from Draw Near to God


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Pope Saint John Paul II

October 22 Saint of the Day Profile

October 22 Saint of the Day Pope Saint John Paul II

Profile:

For many years Karol believed God was calling him to the priesthood, and after surviving two nearly fatal accidents, he responded to the call. He studied secretly during the German occupation of Poland, and was ordained on 1 November 1946. In these years he came to know and practice the teachings of Saint Louis Marie Montfort and Saint John of the Cross. Earned his Doctorate in theology in 1948 at the Angelicum in Rome, Italy.

Parish priest in the Krakow diocese from 1948 to 1951. Studied philosophy at the Jagiellonian University at Krakow. Taught social ethics at the Krakow Seminary from 1952 to 1958. In 1956 he became a professor at the University of Lublin. Venerable Pope Pius XII appointed Wojtyla an auxiliary bishop in Krakow on 4 July 1958. Servant of God, Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Krakow on 30 December 1963.

Wojtyla proved himself a noble and trustworthy pastor in the face of Communist persecution. A member of the prepatory commission, he attended all four sessions of Vatican II; is said to have written Gaudium et spes, the document on the Church in the Modern World. He also played a prominent role in the formulation of the Declaration on Religious Freedom. Following the Council, Pope Paul VI, appointed Karol Wojtyla cardinal on 26 June 1967.

In 1960 he published Love and Responsibility. Pope Paul VI, delighted with its apologetical defense of the traditional Catholic teaching of marriage, relied extensively on Archbishop Wojytla's counsel in writing Humanae Vitae. In 1976 he was invited by Pope Paul VI to preach the lenten sermons to the members of the Papal Household.
In 1978, Archbishop Wojtyla became the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI. He took the name of his predecessors (John, Paul, John Paul) to emphasize his desire to continue the reforms of Vatican II.

John Paul II is the most traveled pope in history, having visited nearly every country in the world which would receive him. As the Vicar of Christ he has consecrated each place that he has visited to the Blessed Virgin Mary. On 13 May 1983 he went to Fatima to consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He later repeated the consecration of the world to Mary in union with all the Bishops of the Catholic Church, in fulfillment of Our Lady's promises at Fatima.

In 1995, Pope John Paul II began a lengthy catechisis on the Blessed Virgin Mary during his weekly Angelus addresses, culminating with his instruction on Our Lady's active participation in the Sacrifice of Calvary. This active participation of Our Lady at Calvary is called the co-redemption. Already in 1982 and 1985 he had used the term "corredemptrix" in reference to Our Lady in public addresses. This is significant, for he is the first Pope to do so since Pope Benedict XV at whose prayer Our Lady came to Fatima to reveal Her Immaculate Heart. Since the time of Pope Benedict XV, this terminology was under review by the Holy See; the present Pope's usage is a confirmation of this traditional view of Mary's role in salvation history.

Born

18 May 1920 as Karol Wojtyla at Wadowice, Poland

Papal Ascension

16 October 1978

Died

2 April 2005 at Rome, Italy of natural causes

Beatified

• 1 May 2011 by Pope Benedict XVI at Rome, Italy
• the beatification miracle involved the cure from Parkinson's disease of a man in France.

Canonized

• 27 April 2014 by Pope Francis
• the canonization miracle involved the healing of a Costa Rican woman who suffered from a brain aneurysm.

Patronage

• World Meeting of Families 2015
• World Youth Days

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Saint Ursula And Companions

Saint of the Day Profile

October 21 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Ursula

Profile:

Legendary princess, the daughter of a Christian British king and Saint Daria. She travelled Europe in company of either 11 or 11,000 fellow maidens; the 11,000 number probably resulted from a misreading of the term "11M" which indicated 11 Martyrs, but which a copyist took for a Roman numeral. Ursula and her company were tortured to death to get them to renounce their faith, and old paintings of them show many of the women being killed in various painful ways. Namesake for the Ursuline Order, founded for the education of young Catholic girls and women.

There are other saints closely associated with Ursula and her story, travelling companions who were martyred with her.
• Agnes of Cologne
• Antonia of Cologne
• Calamanda of Calaf
• Cesarius of Cologne
• Cordula
• Cunigunde of Rapperswil
• Cyriacus of Cologne
• Fiolanus of Lucca
• Ignatius of Cologne
• James of Antioch
• Mauritius of Cologne
• Martha of Cologne
• Odilia
• Pontius of Cologne
• Sulpitius of Ravenna
• Vincent of Cologne
travelling companion, but escaped the massacre
• Cunera
• Cunibert of Cologne and her mother
• Daria

Died
21 October 238 in Cologne, Germany
Patronage
• British Virgin Islands
• Catholic education (especially of girls)
• Cologne, Germany
• holy death
• students, school children
• teachers, educators
• University of Paris
Representation
• arrow
• banner
• cloak
• clock
• ship
• young woman shot with arrows, often accompanied by a varied number of companions, male and female, who are being martyred in assorted, often creative ways.

Blog post courtesy:
http://catholicsaints.info/saint-ursula/

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Sayings Of The Saints

Sayings Of The Saints Wallpaper

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Saint Paul of the Cross

October 19 Saint of the Day Profile

October 19 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Paul of the Cross

Profile:

The son of Luca Daniel and Anna Maria Daneo; he was the second of sixteen children born to the couple, ten of whom died in infancy. Paolo was baptized at the age of 3 days, and was raised in a pious family; his father, a merchant, was known for his deep faith, and a brother and close uncle were both priests. Paolo was known as a pious child who attended daily Mass, but he wasn't confirmed until he was 25 years old, a common practice of the time. In 1701 the family moved from Ovada to Castellazo Bormida, and Paolo received his early education at a boy's school run by a priest in Cremolino, Italy. In 1713 he had what became known as a "conversion" experience, which convinced Paolo that he was called to religious life. He declined an arranged marriage, and when he received an inheritance from a rich uncle, a priest, he kept only the man's breviary and refused the wealth.

In 1715 he volunteered for the military service in the crusade against the Turks, but his call to religious life led him to return home in 1716. In 1720 he received a series of visions that confirmed his call, including one where he saw himself in what would become the habit of the Passionists. With his bishop's support, he went on a 40 day retreat and wrote the rule of a potential community, which he called The Poor of Jesus. His brother, Giovanni-Battista, became the second member of the community, and the two moved to Rome, Italy to help found a hospital and seek other members to help them care for the patients and staff.

While there, the Daneo brothers studied theology, and on 7 June 1727 were ordained to the priesthood by Pope Benedict XIII in Saint Peter's Basilica. The brothers became travelling preachers, leading parish missions around Italy. Father Paul was a preacher of such power that hardened soldiers and bandits were seen to weep at his words. He was known as a great spiritual teacher; over 2,000 of his letters survive, most devoted to spiritual direction.

Due to the ascetic lifestyle of a Passionist, the group attracted few members to begin with, but they were a dedicated lot, spending at least three hours in prayer each day. They established their first Retreat, as Passionist monasteries are known, in 1737 on Monte Argentario on the west coast of Italy. Pope Benedict XIV approved the Passionist Rule on 15 May 1741; Pope Clement XIV approved the congregation in 1769. Father Paul reluctantly served as the congregation's first superior-general, and by the time of his death there were 12 Retreats and 180 members. The Passionist fathers, brothers and sisters continue their good work around the world today.

Born
3 January 1694 at Ovada, Piedmont (northern Italy) as Paolo Francesco Danei
Died
• 18 October 1775 at Rome, Italy of natural causes
• interred in the chapel of the Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Rome
Beatified
1 October 1852 by Blessed Pope Pius IX
Canonized
29 June 1867 by Blessed Pope Pius IX
Patronage
• Castellazo Bormida, Italy
• Ovada, Italy

Readings:
The soul is a seed which God sows in the field of the Church; to produce fruits, it must die under the strokes of pains, sorrows, contradictions, and persecutions. – Saint Paul of the Cross

Let us fear more to be deprived of sufferings than a miser fears to lose his treasures. – Saint Paul of the Cross

Suffering is brief; joy will be eternal. – Saint Paul of the Cross

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Saint Luke the Evangelist

October 18 Saint of the Day Profile

October 18 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Luke the Evangelist

Profile:

Born to pagan Greek parents, and possibly a slave. One of the earliest converts to Christianity. Physician, studying in Antioch and Tarsus. Probably travelled as a ship's doctor; many charitable societies of physicians are named for him. Legend has that he was also a painter who may have done portraits of Jesus and Mary, but none have ever been correctly or definitively attributed to him; this story, and the inspiration his Gospel has always given artists, led to his patronage of them.

He met Saint Paul the Apostle at Troas, and evangelized Greece and Rome with him, being there for the shipwreck and other perils of the voyage to Rome, and stayed in Rome for Paul's two years of in prison. Wrote the Gospel According to Luke, much of which was based on the teachings and writings of Paul, interviews with early Christians, and his own experiences. Wrote a history of the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles.

Born

at Antioch

Died

• c.74 in Greece
• some stories say he was martyred, others that he died of natural causes
• relics at Padua, Italy

Patronage

artists, bachelors, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, doctors, glass makers, glassworkers, glaziers, gold workers, goldsmiths, lacemakers, lace workers, notaries, painters, physicians, sculptors, stained glass workers, surgeons, unmarried men, Worshipful Company of Painters, 2 cities

Representation

• physician
• bishop
• book
• brush (refers to the tradition that he was a painter)
• man accompanied by a winged ox
• man painting an icon of Blessed Virgin Mary
• ox
• palette (refers to the tradition that he was a painters)
• winged calf
• winged ox

Writings

• Canonical Gospel According to Luke
• Canonical Acts of the Apostles

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Against Throat Diseases

October 17 Saint of the Day Profile

Profile:

Convert from paganism to Christianity. Succeeded Saint Peter the Apostle as bishop of Antioch, Syria. Served during persecution of Domitian. During the persecution of Trajan, he was ordered taken to Rome to be killed by wild animals. On the way, a journey which took months, he wrote a series of encouraging letters to the churches under his care. First writer to use the term the Catholic Church. Martyr. Apostolic Father. His name occurs in the "Nobis quoque peccatoribus" in the Canon of the Mass. Legend says he was the infant that Jesus took into his arms in Mark 9.

Born

c.50 in Syria

Died

• thrown to wild animals c.107 at Rome, Italy
• relics at Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome

Patronage

• against throat diseases
• Church in eastern Mediterranean
• Church in North Africa

Representation

• bishop surrounded by lions
• chains
• lions

Readings

I am writing to all the churches to let it be known that I will gladly die for God if only you do not stand in my way. I plead with you: show me no untimely kindness. Let me be food for the wild beasts, for they are my way to God. I am God's wheat and bread. Pray to Christ for me that the animals will be the means of making me a sacrificial victim for God. No earthly pleasures, no kingdoms of this world can benefit me in any way. I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire. The prince of this world is determined to lay hold of me and to undermine my will which is intent on God. Let none of you here help him; instead show yourselves on my side, which is also God's side. Believe instead what I am now writing to you. For though I am alive as I write to you, still my real desire is to die. My love of this life has been crucified, and there is no yearning in my for any earthly thing. Rather within me is the living water which says deep inside me: "Come to the Father." I no longer take pleasure in perishable food or in the delights of this world I want only God's bread, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, formed from the seed of David, and for drink I crave his blood, which is love that cannot perish. Pray for me that I may obtain my desire. I have not written to you as a mere man would, but as one who knows the mind of God.
Ask for me this only in your prayers, that strength may be given me of the Lord that I may not be called but proved to be a Christian. Then shall I be seen to be faithful when the world no longer sees me. For nothing that appeareth is eternal. For the things which are perceived are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. I write to the Churches and charge you all that willingly I die for Christ, if you prevent me not. I ask of you that your love for me be not untimely; allow me to be devoured of wild beasts, through whom I may attain unto God. I am the grain of God ground between the teeth of wild beasts, that I may be found to be the pure bread of Christ. Then indeed shall I be the true disciple of Christ when the world shall no longer behold my body. Beseech Christ on my behalf that through these means I may be found a perfect sacrifice. Not as Peter and Paul do I command you. They were apostles, I am the least of them; they were free, but I am a slave even unto this day, but, if you wish, I shall be the freedman of Jesus Christ, and in Him I shall rise again and be free. Amen. - from a letter to the Romans from Saint Ignatius of Antioch

Follow your bishop, every one of you, as obediently as Jesus Christ followed the Father. Obey your clergy too as you would the apostles; give your deacons the same reverence that you would to a command of God. Make sure that no step affecting the Church is ever taken by anyone without the bishop's sanction. The sole Eucharist you should consider valid is one that is celebrated by the bishop himself, or by some person authorized by him. Where the bishop is to be seen, there let all his people be; just as, wherever Jesus Christ is present, there is the catholic Church. - Saint Ignatius of Antioch

Blog post Courtesy:

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Difficult Marriages

Saint of the Day Profile

October 16 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Hedwig of Andechs

Profile:

Daughter of Berthold IV, Duke of Merania. Aunt of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Married Prince Henry I the Bearded of Silesia and Poland in 1186 at age 12. Mother of seven, including Saint Gertrude of Trebnitz. Cared for the sick both personally and by founding hospitals. Widow. Upon her husband's death, she gave away her fortune and entered the monastery at Trebnitz where her daughter was abbess.

Born

1174 in Castle Andechs, Bavaria (part of modern Germany)

Died

• 15 October 1243 at at Trzebnica, Silesia (part of modern Poland)
• relics preserved at Adechs Abbey

Canonized

26 March 1267 by Pope Clement IV

Patronage

• against jealousy
• brides
• duchesses
• death of children
• difficult marriages
• widows
• Silesia
• diocese of Görlitz, Germany
• Andechs Abbey, Bavaria, Germany
• 6 cities

Readings

Hedwig knew that those living stones that were to be placed in the buildings of the heavenly Jerusalem had to be smoothed out by buffetings and pressures in this world, and that many tribulations would be needed before she could cross over into her heavenly homeland. Because of such great daily fasts and abstinences she grew so thin that many wondered how such a feeble and delicate woman could endure these torments. The more attentively she kept watch, the more she grew in the strength of the spirit and in grace, and the more the fire of devotion and divine love blazed within her. Just as her devotion made her always seek after God, so her generous piety turned her toward her neighbor, and she bountifully bestowed alms on the needy. She gave aid to colleges and to religious persons dwelling within or outside monasteries, to widows and orphans, to the weak and the feeble, to lepers and those bound in chains or imprisoned, to travelers and needy women nursing infants. She allowed no one who came to her for help to go away uncomforted. And because this servant of God never neglected the practice of all good works, God also conferred on her such grace that when she lacked human means to do good, and her own powers failed, through divine favor of the sufferings of Christ she had the power to relieve the bodily and spiritual troubles of all who sought her help.  
From a biography of Saint Hedwig

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Saint Teresa of Avila

October 15 Saint of the Day Profile

October 15 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Teresa of Avila

Profile:

Born to the Spanish nobility, the daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Doña Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives of the saints, and playing at "hermit" in the garden. Crippled by disease in her youth, which led to her being well educated at home, she was cured after prayer to Saint Joseph. Her mother died when Teresa was 12, and she prayed to Our Lady to be her replacement. Her father opposed her entry to religious life, so she left home without telling anyone, and entered a Carmelite house at 17. Seeing her conviction to her call, her father and family consented.

Soon after taking her vows, Teresa became gravely ill, and her condition was aggravated by the inadequate medical help she received; she never fully recovered her health. She began receiving visions, and was examined by Dominicans and Jesuits, including Saint Francis Borgia, who pronounced the visions to be holy and true.

She considered her original house too lax in its rule, so she founded a reformed convent of Saint John of Avila. Teresa founded several houses, often against fierce opposition from local authorities. Mystical writer. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church on 27 September 1970 by Pope Paul VI.

Born

28 March 1515 at Avila, Castile, Spain as Teresa Sanchez Cepeda Davila y Ahumada

Died

• 4 October 1582 at Alba de Tormes of natural causes in the arms of her secretary and close friend Blessed Anne of Saint Bartholomew
• body incorrupt
• relics preserved at Alba
• her heart shows signs of Transverberation (piercing of the heart), and is displayed, too

Canonized

12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV

Patronage

• sick people; against bodily ills or sickness
• against headaches
• against the death of parents
• lace makers or lace workers
• people in need of grace
• people in religious orders
• people ridiculed for their piety
• World Youth Day 2011
• Amos, Canada, diocese of
• Avellaneda-Lanús, Argentina, diocese of
• Berzano di Tortona, Italy
• Pozega, Croatia
• Spain

Representation

• nun wearing the habit of a Discalced Carmelite
• Carmelite nun with her heart pierced by an arrow held by an angel
• Carmelite nun holding a pierced heart, book and crucifix
• Carmelite nun with book and quill
• Carmelite nun receiving a message from a dove

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Feast of the Maternity

Feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

October 11:

Commemorates Mary's divine motherhood, her dignity as Mother of God, and refers also to her spiritual motherhood of men. It was first granted to Portugal, Brazil, and Algeria in 1751; it is now of almost universal observance. Under this title Poland celebrates the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland.

Pope Saint John XXIII

October 11 Saint of the Day Profile

October 11 Saint of the Day Profile Pope Saint John XXIII

Profile:

Born to an Italian peasant family. Educated at Bergamo and the Pontifical Roman Seminary. Ordained on 10 August 1904. Secretary to the bishop of Bergamo, Italy from 1904 to 1914, during which he wrote the basis for his five-volume biography of Saint Charles Borromeo. Served in World War I in the medical corps, and as a chaplain. Worked in Rome, Italy after the war, and reorganized the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Titular archbishop of Areopolis on 3 March 1925. Vatican diplomatic representative to Bulgaria on 16 October 1931, then to Turkey and Greece on 12 January 1935. Titular archbishop of Mesembria on 30 November 1934. Papal nuncio to France on 23 December 1944 where he mediated between conservative and socially radical clergy. Created cardinal on 12 January 1953, and patriarch of Venice, Italy on 15 January 1953. Elected 261st pope on 28 October 1958.

As pope he stressed his own pastoral duties as well as those of other bishops and clergy. Promoted social reforms for workers, poor people, orphans, and the outcast. He advanced cooperation with other faiths and traditions including Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Church of England, and even Shinto. In April 1959 he forbade Catholics to vote for parties supporting Communism. His encyclical, Mater et Magistra of 14 July 1961 advocated social reform, assistance to underdeveloped countries, a living wage for all workers, and support for socialist measures that promised real benefit to society.

He nearly doubled the number of cardinals, making the college the largest in history. On 25 January 1959, he announced his intent to call a council to consider ways to renew the Church in the modern world, promote diversity within the unity of the Church, and consider reforms promoted by ecumenical and liturgical movements. Convening the council, known as Vatican II, on 11 October 1962, was the high point of his reign.
His heartiness, his overflowing love for humanity individually and collectively, and his freshness of approach to ecclesiastical affairs made John one of the best-loved popes of modern times.

 

Born

25 November 1881 at Sotto il Monte, diocese of Bergamo, Italy as Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli

Papal Ascension

• elected 28 October 1958
• installed on 4 November 1958

Died

• 7:50pm on 3 June 1963 at Rome, Italy of stomach cancer
• buried in Saint Peter's basilica, Vatican City

Canonized

• on 5 July 2013, Pope Francis approved the promulgation of a decree of canonization
• 27 April 2014 by Pope Francis

Patronage

papal delegates

Readings

Everyone remembers the image of Pope John's smiling face and two outstretched arms embracing the whole world. How many people were won over by his simplicity of heart, combined with a broad experience of people and things! The breath of newness he brought certainly did not concern doctrine, but rather the way to explain it; his style of speaking and acting was new, as was his friendly approach to ordinary people and to the powerful of the world. It was in this spirit that he called the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, thereby turning a new page in the Church's history Christians heard themselves called to proclaim the Gospel with renewed courage and greater attentiveness to the "signs" of the times. The Council was a truly prophetic insight of this elderly Pontiff who, even amid many difficulties, opened a season of hope for Christians and for humanity. In the last moments of his earthly life, he entrusted his testament to the Church: "What counts the most in life is blessed Jesus Christ, his holy Church, his Gospel, truth and goodness". - Pope John Paul II

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Sayings Of The Saints

Saintly Verse of the Day Saint Daniel Comboni

The missionaries will have to understand that they are stones hid under the earth, which will perhaps never come to light, but which will become part of the foundations of a vast, new building.

Saint Daniel Comboni

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Saint Daniel Comboni

October 10 Saint of the Day Profile

October 10 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Daniel Comboni

Profile:

Educated at Father Mazza's Institute in Verona, Italy, studying theology, medicine, and several languages. Ordained on 31 December 1854 in the diocese of Verona, Italy by Blessed John Nepomuk von Tschiderer. Missionary to modern Sudan in 1857, but returned home in 1859 due to ill health. Taught at Mazza's Institute 1861 to 1864. Wrote on the need for aid in Africa, that the aid should be used to "Save Africa Through Africa", treating Africans as adults in need of a hand, not children in need of guidance as was common in European thought of the day. Travelled to France, Spain, England, Germany, and Austria to on fund-raising missions.

In 1867 at Verona, he founded the Istituto delle Missioni per la Nigrizia for priests and brothers, and the Istituto delle Pie Madri for women who were called to work in Africa; they became known as the Comboni Missionaries, and in 1894 became the Congregation of the Sons of the Sacred Heart. He opened similar institutions in Cairo, Egypt, to acclimatize missionaries to Central Africa. Wrote to the 1st Vatican Council in 1870 on the need for Church's involvement in African conversion. Pro-vicar Apostolic of Central Africa in 1872 covering Nubia, Egyptian Sudan, and the territory south to the Lakes (nearly 100,000,000 people). He founded missions in El-Obeid (Kordofan), Khartoum, Berber, Delen, and Malbes. Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa, titular bishop of Claudiopolis, and Bishop of Khartoum in 1877.

He helped suppress the slave trade in the region. Contributed material for scientific works about the region, and of its geography; works on several dialects were based in large part on Daniel's notes about the languages. He spoke six European languages, Arabic, and several central African dialects. The Comboni Family continue their work today with priests, brothers and sisters ministering in hospitals, schools, and orphanages in 41 countries.

Born

15 March 1831 at Limone sul Garda, Italy

Died

10 October 1881 of natural causes at Khartoum, Sudan of natural causes

Canonized

5 October 2003 by Pope John Paul II

Readings

The missionaries will have to understand that they are stones hid under the earth, which will perhaps never come to light, but which will become part of the foundations of a vast, new building. - Saint Daniel Comboni

From the time of his priestly formation in the institute founded by the Servant of God Nicola Mazza, Daniel Comboni felt called to give his own life to proclaim the Gospel in the land of Africa. This awareness stayed with him throughout his life and supported him in his missionary labours and pastoral difficulties. He felt comforted in this dedication by the words he heard from Pope Pius IX: "Labora sicut bonus miles Christi pro African" ("Work like a good soldier of Christ for Africa" Scritti, n. 4085). The modernness and boldness of his work were expressed in the preparation and formation of future priests, in the tireless promotion of the missions by his writing and publishing, in the founding of two institutes one for men, the other for women exclusively dedicated to the mission "ad gentes", by struggling for the abolition of the terrible slave-trade and by actively working "for the rebirth of Africa through itself". These insights of the new blessed produced great fruit for the evangelization of the African continent by paving the way to the consoling growth of the Church in Africa today (cf. Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa, nn. 3338). "Leading humanity to the light of eternal life": Daniel Comboni's ideal continues today in the apostolate of his spiritual sons and daughters. They still maintain strong ties in Africa, particularly in Sudan, where their founder spent a great part of his energy as a tireless evangelizer and where he died at a young age, worn out by his labours and illness. The unconditional trust he had in the power of prayer (cf. Scritti n. 2324) is effectively expressed in the "Cenacles of missionary prayer" which are being set up in many parishes and represent a significant way to promote and renew missionary spirituality. - Pope John Paul II at the beatification ceremony for Blessed Daniel on 17 March 1996


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Saint Denis of Paris

October 9 Saint of the Day Profile

October 9 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Simeon Denis of Paris

Profile:

Missionary to Paris, France. First Bishop of Paris. His success roused the ire of local pagans, and he was imprisoned by Roman governor. Martyred in the persecutions of Valerius with Saint Rusticus and Saint Eleutherius. Legends have grown up around his torture and death, including one that has his body carrying his severed head some distance from his execution site. Saint Genevieve built a basilica over his grave. His feast was added to the Roman Calendar in 1568 by Pope Saint Pius V, though it had been celebrated since 800. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Died

• beheaded c.258 at Montmarte (= mount of martyrs)
• his corpse was thrown in the River Seine, but recovered and buried later that night by his converts
• relics at the monastery of Saint Denis

Patronage

• against frenzy
• against headaches
• against hydrophobia or rabies
• against strife
• France
• Paris, France
• possessed people

Representation

• beheaded bishop carrying his severed head - the head sometimes wears its mitre, and there is often a vine growing over his neck
• city
• furnace


Blog post courtesy:

http://catholicsaints.info/saint-denis-of-paris/

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Saint Simeon Senex

October 8 Saint of the Day Profile

October 8 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Simeon Senex 

Profile:

The man who, in Luke 2, picked up the Infant Jesus and gave the blessing known as the Nunc dimittis.

Readings

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
"Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel."
The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
Luke 2:25-35, 
New American Bible


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Sayings of the Saints

Sayings of Saint Bruno

Rejoice, my dearest brothers, because you are blessed and because of the bountiful hand of God's grace upon you. Rejoice, because you have escaped the various dangers and shipwrecks of the stormy world. Rejoice because you have reached the quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbor. Many wish to come into this port, and many make great efforts to do so, yet do not achieve it. Indeed many, after reaching it, have been thrust out, since it was not granted them from above. By your work you show what you love and what you know. When you observe true obedience with prudence and enthusiasm, it is clear that you wisely pick the most delightful and nourishing fruit of divine Scripture.
Saint Bruno

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Saint Bruno

Saint of the Day Profile

October 6 Saint of the Day Profile Saint Bruno

Profile:

Educated in Paris and Rheims, France. Ordained c.1055. Taught theology; one of his students later became Pope Blessed Urban II. Presided over the cathedral school at Rheims from 1057 to 1075. Criticized the worldliness he saw in his fellow clergy. He opposed Manasses, Archbishop of Rheims, because of his laxity and mismanagement. Chancellor of the archdiocese of Rheims. Following a vision he received of a secluded hermitage where he could spend his life becoming closer to God, he retired to a mountain near Chartreuse in Dauphiny in 1084 and with the help of Saint Hugh of Grenoble, he founded what became the first house of the Carthusian Order; he and his brothers supported themselves as manuscript copyists. Assistant to Pope Urban II in 1090, and supported his efforts at reform. Retiring from public life, he and his companions built a hermitage at Torre, where, 1095, the monastery of Saint Stephen was built. Bruno combined in the religious life the eremetical and the cenobitic; his learning is apparent from his scriptural commentaries.

Born

1030 at Cologne, Germany

Died

• 1101 at Torre, Calabria, Italy of natural causes
• buried in the church of Saint Stephen at Torre

Canonized

1623

Patronage

• possessed people
• Ruthenia

Representation

• branch
• chalice
• chalice with the Sacred Host
• cross in hand
• crucifix with leaves and flowers
• death's head
• globe under his feet
• man holding a book and being illuminated by a ray of light
• skull
• star
• star on his breast

Readings

Rejoice, my dearest brothers, because you are blessed and because of the bountiful hand of God's grace upon you. Rejoice, because you have escaped the various dangers and shipwrecks of the stormy world. Rejoice because you have reached the quiet and safe anchorage of a secret harbor. Many wish to come into this port, and many make great efforts to do so, yet do not achieve it. Indeed many, after reaching it, have been thrust out, since it was not granted them from above. By your work you show what you love and what you know. When you observe true obedience with prudence and enthusiasm, it is clear that you wisely pick the most delightful and nourishing fruit of divine Scripture.
From a letter by Saint Bruno to the Carthusians

Blog post courtesy:

http://catholicsaints.info/saint-bruno/

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