Day 269 -- The Visitation of Mary

Many of my blog entries have been about our Blessed Mother and why not? As Catholics we look up to Mary as our mother. Jesus gave her to us as our mother through his disciple John while on the cross "Behold your mother." Today we remember when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth when she was pregnant with John the Baptist. Luke records "the child leaped in her womb."

When have you hear Our Lord speaking to you and you leaped for joy? Or leaped to speedily do what the Lord asks of us? It may not always be easy, but we have Mary to help us and pray for us as the prayer Hail Mary says, "...pray for us sinners..."

Today I pray to our Lord for the confidence to do what the Lord is asking of me. May I always be a good and faithful servant and do God's Will and confirm to His Plan for my life. Let us all pray the Hail Mary today on this last day of May, the month of Mary with a joyful expectation for great things from the Lord.

"They [John and Jesus] were both alive while still in the womb. Elizabeth rejoiced as the infant leaped in her womb; Mary glorifies the Lord because Christ within inspired her. Each mother recognizes her child and is known by her child who is alive, being not merely souls but also spirits." -Tertullian (160-240), from his Sermon on The Visitation of Mary

Day 268 -- Saint Joan of Arc

Today we remember one of my favorite saints for her bravery and her heroism, Saint Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake at the young age of 19. She was born on January 6, 1412 in Lorraine, France. She was a shepherdess and a mystic. At the age of 13 she started to receive visions from Saint Margaret of Antioch, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and Saint Michael the Archangel.

In the 15th century, England controlled most of what is modern-day France. In May 1428, Joan's visions told her to find the true king of France and help him to reclaim his throne. For more than three years she resisted, but she finally went to Charles VII and told him of her visions. While carrying a banner that read "Jesus, Mary" she led troops from one battle to another. Her victories from February 23, 1429 to May 23, 1430 brought Charles VII to his throne, even though she was severely wounded. She was captured by the Burgundians and was sold to the English for 10,000 Francs. She was put on trial by an ecclesiastical court conduced by the Bishop of Beauvais, a supported of England and was executed on May 30, 1431 as a heretic. In 1456 her case was re-tried and Joan was acquitted--too bad it was 23 years too late. She was canonized on May 16, 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. She is patron of captives, France, martyrs, imprisoned people, rape victims, soldiers, and people ridiculed for their piety.

Mark Twain wrote an essay about Saint Joan of Arc.


PRAYER
In the face of your enemies, in the face of harassment, ridicule, and doubt, you held firm in your faith. Even in your abandonment, alone and without friends, you held firm in your faith. Even as you faced your own mortality, you held firm in your faith. I pray that I may be as bold in my beliefs as you, St. Joan. I ask that you ride alongside me in my own battles. Help me be mindful that what is worthwhile can be won when I persist. Help me hold firm in my faith. Help me believe in my ability to act well and wisely. Amen.


“About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they’re just one thing, and we shouldn’t complicate the matter.” -Saint Joan of Arc, at her trial

Day 267 -- Saint Conon the Elder and Saint Conon the Younger

Saint Conon the Elder and his son Saint Conon the Younger were born in Iconium, Asia Minor. When Conon the Elder's wife died, he encouraged his son to religious life and he lived as a hermit. He and his son were charged with being Christians and they freely admitted that. They were both tortured and martyred in the year 275. Their relics are in Acerra, Italy.

"Those who live according to the spirit of the world are fond of pleasures and ease; but those who live according to the Spirit of God, study to purchase the kingdom of heaven by pain and tribulation." -Saint Conon the Elder

Day 266 -- Blessed Antoni Julian Nowowiejski

Blessed Antoni Julian Nowowiejski was born on February 11, 1858 and was ordained bishop of Plock, Poland on June 12, 1908. He was made archbishop of Plock on November 25, 1930. He was martyred on May 28, 1941 at the Dzialdowo death camp, Poland and is one of the 108 Polish Martyrs of World War II. He was beatified on June 13, 1999 in Warsaw, Poland by Pope John Paul II.

Day 265 -- Saint Augustine of Canterbury

Saint Augustine of Canterbury was born in Rome and was a monk and abbot of Saint Andrew's abbey in Rome. He, along with 40 brother monks, including Saint Lawrence of Canterbury, were sent by Pope Saint Gregory the Great to evangelize the British Isles in 597. He established the faith throughout England and he converted King Aethelberht and he brought 10,000 people into the Church. He was ordained a bishop in modern-day France and he was the first Archbishop of Canterbury, England. During his time as archbishop he reestablished relations between the Celtic and Latin churches. He also worked with Saint Justus of Canterbury. He died of natural causes in Canterbury on May 26, 605. His relics are outside the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Canterbury. This was a building project he started.

Day 264 -- Saint Philip Neri

Saint Philip Neri was born on July 22, 1515 in Florence, Italy to a poor family. One of his brother's died in childhood. He was taught my the Dominicans and was a pious youth. In 1533 he moved to San Germano to help some family members with their business, but he would escape and go to the local Dominican chapel in the mountains. He had a vision that he should go to Rome, so he left his family and he did. He became friends with Galeotto Caccia and he paid him to tutor his two sons. He was also friends with Saint Ignatius of Loyola. He wrote poetry in Latin and Italian and studied philosophy and theology. He then began to care for the sick and founded a society of like-minded people to do the same. He lived in the city as a hermit. He founded the Confraternity of the Most Holy Trinity with Persiano Rose. He entered the priesthood in 1551 and heard confessions by the hour. He also worked with the youth and found safe places for them to play. Pope Gregory XIV tried to make him a cardinal, but he declined. Then in 1575, he founded the Congregation of the Oratory (a group of priests dedicated to preaching and teaching. When he was hit with several illnesses, they were always cured through prayer. He died of natural causes on May 27, 1595. He was canonized on March 12, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.

“Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life. Therefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits.”

Day 263 -- Saint David Galván Bermúdez

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico on January 29, 1881, Saint David Galván Bermúdez, entered the seminary at age 14. He was an excellent student, but then he began questioning his vocation, so he left for three years and worked, dated, and lived a wild life. At one time even he was arrested to hitting his girlfriend while he was drunk. When he realized he could not ignore the call to his vocation, he was on probation for a year, and then returned to the seminary. He was ordained on May 20, 1909. He was the seminary instructor in Amatitán and then became the supervisor of the seminary. He was arrested one time for the crime of being a priest. During the periods of rebellion, he worked with the injured but patching wounds and hearing confessions. While on his way to Guadalajara to help victims of street fighting, he was arrested with Father Jose Araiza. He comforted fellow prisoners and heard their confessions in the hours before his execution. He was murdered for being a priest on January 30, 1915 in Guadalajara. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 21, 2000 during the Jubilee of Mexico.

"What greater glory is there than to die saving a soul?"

-Saint David, on his way to minister to the wounded in a fire fight

Day 262-- Saint Joanna the Myrrhbearer

Saint Joanna the Myrrhbearer lived in the first century and was married to Chuza, who was a steward to King Herod Antipas. She is mentioned in Luke 8:3 (Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources). Eastern tradition says that she gave the head of John the Baptist a proper burial. Joanna was also one of the first woman who discovered the empty tomb when she went to anoint the body of Jesus. She has a special place in the lives of the Jesuits.

Day 261 -- Saint Jane Antide Thouret

Saint Jane Antide Thouret was born in November of 1765 in Sancy, France. When she was 16 years old, her mother died and she had to help her father care for her younger siblings. In 1787 she joined the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in Paris and she worked in hospitals. During the suppression of religious orders in the French Revolution she was ordered to return home. She refused and tried to escape and was beaten so badly that it took her several months to recover. By foot, she returned to Sancey and cared for the sick and opened a small school for girls. By the late 1790s she was forced to flee to Switzerland. She worked with other exiled religious and clergy to care for the sick, but there was an anti-Catholic prejudice there too, and they were forced to move to Germany. Eventually she returned to Switzerland and met with her Vicar General and he asked her to found a school and hospital for her Order. In 1799 the school was open. The congregation expanded with other schools and hospitals in France, Switzerland, and Italy. They then moved into prison ministry. They received papal approval in 1819. Saint Jane died in 1828 in Naples, Italy and was canonized in 1934.

Day 260 -- Saint Rita of Cascia

Today we honor Saint Rita of Cascia, and this weekend I was able to spend much of my time with a Sister Rita who is a living example of a Christian woman living her vocation of love. We had our Women's Cursillo Weekend for our Diocese and I was humbled and honor to serve it by serving my sisters-in-Christ in the Chapel. I like to think I have some artistic ability (one of my Mom's gifts), but I really liked the way the chapel looked every time we were in there.

Saint Rita is the patron of many things: abuse victims, against loneliness, against sickness, of desperate, impossible, and forgotten causes, difficult marriages, parenthood, widows, and wounded people. I spend my weekend with women who fit into all these categories of who need prayer and healing in their lives. These women will be in my thoughts and prayers and I am humbled as how they shared so openly and freely. I thank God for allowing me this opportunity. I love the way the Lord can take 27 women--of all ages and nationalities--and mold them into what He wants them to learn, know, and discover about Himself, themselves, and others.

I do know this is a blog about saints, and I did mention Saint Rita, but spending the weekend with a wonderful Sister Rita, who could be a saint and has become I have been able to get to know more, I will leave you with this prayer to Saint Rita. May our prayer to her, be one that is taken to God and answered in His timing, as only He knows best.

Dear Saint Rita, model Wife and Widow, you yourself suffered in a long illness showing patience out of love for God. Teach us to pray as you did. Many invoke you for help, full of confidence in your intercession. Deign to come now to our aid for the relief and cure of {name of sufferer}. To God, all things are possible; may this healing give glory to the Lord. Amen.

Day 259 -- Blessed Manuel Gómez González

Blessed Manuel Gómez González was born on May 29, 1877 in San José de Ribarteme, Pontevedra, Spain. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Braga, Portugal in 1902. In 1913 he was transferred to the Diocese of Frederico Westphalen, Brazil. He was a pastor known for his social work in the region. He was martyred on May 21, 1924 in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil with one of his altar boys, Blessed Adilo Daronche. He was beatified on October 21, 2007 and awaits canonization.

Day 258 -- Saint Austregisilus of Bourges

Saint Austregisilus of Bourges is represented as an armored knight on horseback with a religious habit over his armor and another man falling off a horse in front of him. He was educated and trained as a courtier but felt the call to religious life and became a monk in the Abbey of Saint-Nizier at Lyons, France. He became the abbot of his house. In 612 he became bishop of Bourges, France. He died in 624.

Day 257 -- Saint Joaquina Vedruna de Mas

Saint Joaquina Vedruna de Mas was born in Barcelona on April 16, 1783. She was married to a Spanish nobleman Theodore de Mas and had 9 children. She was widowed in 1816 and then 10 years later she founded the Institute of the Carmelite Sisters of Charity. Their mission is to care for the sick and to teach children. She had a great devotion to the Holy Trinity. She died in 1854 of cholera and was canonized on April 12, 1959. She is the patron of abuse victims, the death of children, exiles, and widows.

Day 256 -- Saint Theodatus

Saint Theodatus was an innkeeper and was martyred around the year 304.by the persecutions of Diocletian for giving a Christian burial to seven nuns who were also martyed.

Day 255 -- Blessed Antonia Mesina

Born on June 21, 1919 in Sardinia, Italy, Blessed Antonia Mesina was the second of ten children to a peasant family. She only went to school for four years when she had to quit to take over the housekeeping for her mother, Grazia, who became bed-ridden with a heart condition. At the age of 10, she joined Catholic Action and became an active member. At age 16, while collecting wood, she was beaten and murdered on May 17, 1935 in Nuoro, Italy by a teenager would-be rapist and she fought him off to her last breath. She is considered a martyr to purity. She is a patron for rape victims and martyrs. She was beatified on October 4, 1987 by Pope John Paul II in Rome.

DAy 254 -- Saint John Nepomucene

When Saint John Nepomucene, born as John Wolfin around 1340 in Bohemia, was cured by the prayers of his parents, they consecrated him to God. He became a priest and was a great preacher. He was the Vicar General of Prague and was an advocate for the poor in the court of King Wenceslaus IV. He was the queen's confessor and he taught her many things about his husband's ill-temper. He was imprisoned for refusing to disclose the queen's confession to the king. When he stood by the seal of confession, he was ordered to be executed. His image is used by many in art as a symbol of the Sacrament of Confession. He died by drowning on March 20, 1393. He was canonized on March 19, 1729.

He is the patron against floods and for one to make a good confession.

Day 253 -- Saint Isidore the Farmer

Today we remember another saint from Spain who is one of the patrons of World Youth Day. Reading about these saints is getting me more and more excited about this awesome pilgrimage!! Saint Isidore the Farmer was born around 1070 in Madrid, Spain and was was married to Saint Mary de la Cabeza. When their son died young they thought it was the will of God that they not have children, so they lived chaste lives and did good works. When his fellow workers grew angry because he would attend daily Mass and take time out for prayer, he said he had to follow the Higher Master. There is a story that his master was angry because he was not in the field doing work, but the master saw angels plowing the fields. Miracles and cures have been reported at his grave and his body remains incorrupt. He died on May 15, 1130. He was canonized on March 12, 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.

Including being a patron of WYD '11 he is also patron of many things, including agricultural workers, farmers, for rain, Lima, Peru, Sariaya, Philippines, and against the death of children.

Day 252 -- Saint Matthias the Apostle

Saint Matthias the Apostle was an apostle of Jesus Christ who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. He witnessed Christ's resurrection. He preached the Gospel for 30 years in Judea, Cappadocia, Egypt, and Ethiopia. He died as a martyr by stoning in the year 80 in Colchis. Some of his relics are in Trier, Germany, and the others are in Saint Mary Major in Rome.

“In those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and said…” As the fiery spirit to whom the flock was entrusted by Christ and as the leader in the band of the apostles, Peter always took the initiative in speaking: “My brothers, we must choose from among our number.” He left the decision to the whole body, at once augmenting the honor of those elected and avoiding any suspicion of partiality.

Did not Peter then have the right to make the choice himself? Certainly he had the right, but he did not want to give the appearance of showing special favor to anyone. “And they nominated two,” we read, “Joseph, who was called Barsabbas and surnamed Justus, and Matthias.” He himself did not nominate them; all present did. But it was he who brought the issue forward, pointing out that it was not his own idea but had been suggested to him by a scriptural prophecy.

And they all prayed together, saying: “You, Lord, know the hearts of men; make your choice known to us. You, not we.” Appropriately they said that he knew the hearts of men, because the choice was to be made by him, not by others.

They spoke with such confidence, because someone had to be appointed. They did not say “choose” but “make known to us” the chosen one; “the one you choose,” they said, fully aware that everything was being preordained by God.

from a homily on the Acts of the Apostles by Saint John Chrysostom

Day 251 -- Our Lady of Fatima

‎"O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy. Amen."

Today we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary under Our Lady of Fatima. On May 13 and on the 13th day until October 13th in 1917, three children, Francisco, Jacinta, and Lucia received apparitions of Our Lady near Fatima. Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, and the conversions of Russia.

Mary gave the children three secrets which were revealed over time. Francisco died in 191 and Jacinta died in 1920. Lucia became a Carmelite nun. In 1930, the local bishop approved the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. In 2002 it was added to the Church's worldwide calendar. Sister Lucia died in 2005 at the age of 97.



Before World Youth Day, one of our stops on the pilgrimage will be to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. As my devotion to Mary grows, I am looking forward to this spot on our pilgrimage very much.

Day 250 -- Saint Candida Maria de Jesus Cipitria y Barriola

Saint Candida Maria de Jesus Cipitria y Barriola was the oldest of seven children having born as Juana Josefa Cipitria y Barriola. She was born on May 31, 1845 in Guipúzcoa, Spain. Juana's family were weavers and she learned the craft as well as a child. At 18 she left home to work as a maid in Burgos, Spain. She felt the call to religious life and on December 8, 1871 she founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Jesus which cared for the Christian upbringing of children. She took the name Mother Candida Maria de Jesus. The Congregation received papal approval from Pope Leo XIII on July 30, 1901. Mother Candida based the Congregation's spirituality on the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. She died on August 9, 1912 in Salamanca, Spain. She was canonized on October 17, 2010.

Day 249 -- Blessed Albert of Bergamo

There are a lot of saints and blesseds on the calendar today and I chose Blessed Albert of Bergamo because he made a pilgrimage to Compostela, Spain and I will be there in about 90 days. Blessed Albert was born in Villa d'Ogna, Italy to a modest but pious farm family. He was a married layman and worked as a farmer. He also became a Dominican tertiary. He ministered to the poor. Other pilgrimages he made were to Rome and Jerusalem. He eventually settled in Cremona, Italy. He died on May 7, 1279 in Cremona of natural causes. He was beatified on May 9, 1748 by Pope Benedict XIV. He is the patron of bakers and day laborers.


Prayer
Almighty and ever-loving God, you led Blessed Albert to shine forth in humility of life, in zeal for the truth and in apostolic charity. May we follow in his footsteps and so obtain the same reward. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
-General Calendar of the Order of Preachers

Day 248 -- Saint Damien (Saint Joseph de Veuster)

Today we honor a saint who was only canonized less than two years ago on October 11, 2009. Saint Damien was born as Joseph de Veuster on January 3, 1840 in Tremeloo, Belgium on the family farm. He studied at the College of Braine-le-Comte. He joined the Picpus Father on October 7, 1860 and took the name Damien. He was a seminarian in Paris. When his brother got sick and could not go on a mission to Hawaii he volunteered to go while still in the seminary. He was ordained in Honolulu on May 24, 1864. He became the resident priest in the leper colony on Molokai where he worked for years to care for the spiritual and medical needs of those afflicted with leprosy. He turned Molokai into a place of dignity and into a community. He contracted leprosy in 1885 and lived with the disease and worked with the patients until he died on April 15, 1889. He was buried next to Saint Philomena Church in Molokai. His body was moved to Belgium in 1936. His arm, however, is now in Molokai.

He is the patron of leprosy and leper patients.

Day 247 -- Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger

Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger was born to a working class family on June 20, 1797 in Bavaria, Germany as Caroline Gerhardinger. She was educated by the Canonesses of Saint Augustine until 1809 when religious orders were closed by the decree of the government. With this, Carline decided to start a new religious order devoted to Christian education. In 1828 many religious communities opened when the government received concessions from the Vatican. Caroline and her other sisters moved into a refurbished convent and they opened the order that would become the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Caroline took the name Teresa. She was soon known as Teresa of Jesus because of her devotion to the True Presence of Christ. Their Rule was approved by the Vatican on January 23, 1854 and the Order spread. Teresa spend the rest of her live devoted to the work of her Order. She died on May 9, 1879 in Bavaria. She was beatified on November 17, 1985 and awaits canonization.

To read more about the School Sisters of Notre Dame click here.

Day 246 -- Pope Saint Boniface IV

Pope Saint Boniface IV born in Abruzzi, Italy around the year 550 to a doctor named John. He was a student of Saint Gregory the Great. He then became a Benedictine monk and deacon and served until Saint Gregory the Great. On August 25, 608 he was chosen as the 67 pope. The year after he was elected, he did converted the Roman temple of the old gods--the Pantheon--to a Christian Church which was dedicated to Our Lady and the Martyrs. This was the first time a conversion like this took place. He met with the first bishop of London when the Church expanded to England. He corresponded with Saint Columba and encouraged reforms among the clergy. Later in life, he converted his house to a monastery, lived there and divided his time between papal work and the prayerful life as a monk. He died in Rome in 615 of natural causes. His relics were moved a few times, and since October 21, 1603 they are in Saint Peter's Basilica.

Day 245 -- Saint Agostino Roscelli

Today we remember Saint Agostino Roscelli who was born on July 27, 1818 in Bargone di Casarza Ligure, Italy. His family was poor farming family and he worked as a mountain shepherd and spend much time in prayer. He realized his call to the priesthood during a parish mission in May 1835. He received financial aid which allowed him to study in Genoa. He was ordained on September 19, 1846.

He was priest at the Church of Consolation in Genoa, he then became chaplain of an orphanage in 1874 for 22 years. He then became a prison chaplain and he especially liked working with prisoners on death row. He then established a school to train young women who were in danger of starving or prostitution. On October 15, 1876 he founded the Institute of Sisters of the Immaculata to run this school and others he established. He died on May 7, 1902 in Genoa. He was canonized on June 10, 2001 by Pope John Paul II.

"A spiritual feature characteristic of Blessed Agostino Roscelli…was to work at the service of his brothers and sisters without ever neglecting his interior union with the Lord. The true contemplative is the one who is able to work with greater force and incisiveness for the salvation of souls and the good of the Church. The new blessed’s apostolic activity was truly fruitful because it flowed from a genuine mystical and contemplative life. His ardent love for God, enriched by the gift of wisdom, enaged him to give himself as far as possible to serving his neighbor without ever being separated from the Lord." Pope John Paul II during the beatification ceremony

Day 244 -- Blessed Anna Rosa Gattorno

"My love, what can I do to make the whole world love you? Make use once again of this wretched instrument to renew the faith and conversion of sinners."

Blessed Anna Rosa Gattorno was born was Rose Maria Benedetta in Genoa, Italy to a wealthy and pious family as one of 6 children. She was baptized the day after her birthday, which was October 14, 1831. She was confirmed at age 12.

On November 5, 1852 she married Gerolamo Custo and they moved to France, but because of financial reasons, they came back to Genoa. Their oldest children was deaf due to an illness and then her husband died on March 9, 1858 and Rose Maria was a widow and with three children. Then the youngest died a few months later.

A lot people with having so many hardships in their lives and so close to each other, would have lost their faith and become angry with God, but Rose Maria was different. She thought of them as a lesson and they knew they happened for a reason and it was the beginning of a religious vocation for her. She took her pain and turned it to joy. She continued to care for her children, but she took a private vow of chastity and obedience in 1858, and then a vow of poverty in 1861 and became a Franciscan tertiary.

She wanted to live a life of solitude, but Catholic associations in Genoa began asking for her help. While working on the revised Rule for the Pious Union of the New Ursuline Daughters of Holy Mary Immaculate, she received a call to form her own congregation. She was encouraged by many people including the Archbishop of Genoa, but she worried that this would take her away from her children. So she went to Pope Pius IX around January 3, 1866 thinking he would discourage her from the idea, but instead he told her to begin work immediately.

So on December 8, 1866, with Father Giovannio Battista Tornatore, she co-founded the Institute of the Daughters of Saint Anne, Mother of Mary Immaculate to work with the poor and sick. She took her habit on July 26, 1867 and on April 8, 1870 she and 12 sisters made their solemn profession and it was here when she took the name Anna Rosa. The Institute received official approval in 1879 and the Rule was approved in 1892.

By the time of her death from influenza, on May 6, 1900, there were 368 houses in Italy, Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and Eritrea (in Africa). They built schools and had 3,500 sisters and worked to minster to the deaf. Today they are affiliated with the Movement of Hope, the Contemplative Order of the Daughters of Saint Anne, and the Sons of Saint Anne. She had a special devotion to Saint Anne and the Blessed Mother. Blessed Anna Rosa was declared blessed by Pope John Paul II on April 9, 2000.

I really liked reading and learning Blessed Anna Rosa's story of how she took many tragedies in her life and turned them around to fulfill God's Plan. Her life reminds me of something my spiritual director and I were talking about a few weeks ago...turning the sorrow into joy. Blessed Anna Rosa is a model of how to do that!

DAy 243 -- Saint Avertinus of Tours

Saint Avertinus of Tours was a deacon who lived in the 12th century with Saint Thomas Becket. He traveled into exile in France with Saint Thomas. He participated in the synod in Tours, France in 1163. After Saint Thomas died Avertinus served the poor in Touraine. He died in 1189.

Day 242 -- Blessed Margareta Kratz

Blessed Margareta Kratz lived the life as a Premonstratensian nun in the monastery of Engelport, Germany. She was born around the year 1430 in Scharfenstein, Germany and entered the Order in 1450. She lived for the next 82 years working with the poor and during a famine in 1530 until her death at age 100.

Day 241 -- Saints James and Philip

Today the Church remembers two saints who ministered around the time of Jesus: Saints James and Philip.


Saint James was a cousin of Jesus and brother of Saint Jude Thaddeus. He was raised Jewish and converted to Christianity. He was one of the Twelve Apostles and one of the first to have see the Risen Christ. He was the first bishop of Jerusalem. He worked with Saint Paul on evangelization and spent much time in prayer on his knees. He died a martyr around the year 62. He is patron of hatmakers.

Prayer O Glorious Saint James, you were our Lord's cousin and at the same time his friend and follower. You wrote that every good and perfect gift comes to us from the Father of lights, and that faith without works is useless. You preached the divinity of Jesus until your death as a martyr. Obtain for us from the Father of lights the great gift of a living faith in Jesus' divinity which will inspire us to unstinting labor in the service of God and our fellow human beings and enable us to reach our heavenly destiny. Amen.


Saint Philip was a disciple of John the Baptist and one of the Twelve Apostles. Little is known about him, but Scripture tells us that he was shy and naive, but practical. He preached in Greece and Asia Minor and was a martyr as well around the year 80 in Phrgia. He is patron of Luxembourg.

Prayer
O Glorious Saint Philip, at the Last Supper you said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father and it will be enough for us." Help us to make this our prayer also and to seek God in all things. Obtain for us the grace to know the Father and Jesus Christ whom he has sent - for in this does eternal life consist.

Day 240 -- Saint Athanasius of Alexandria

Today we remember a saint who was born around the year 295 in Alexandria, Egypt: Saint Athanasius of Alexandria. He studied the classics and theology in Alexandria. He was a deacon, secretary, and student of bishop Alexander of Alexandria. In 325 he attended the Council of Nicea. He formulated the doctrine that says Christ is the same as the Father called homo-ousianism. Around the year 238 he became bishop of Alexandria and he served as bishop for 46 years. Five different times he was exiled for disputing Arianism. He fought for the acceptance of the Nicene Creed and he is a Doctor of the Church. He died on May 2, 373 in Alexandria. His relics are in Venice, Italy.


Prayer to Mary, Mother of Grace
It becomes you to be mindful of us, as you stand near him who granted you all graces, for you are the Mother of God and our Queen. Help us for the sake of the King, the Lord God and Master who was born of you. For this reason, you are called full of grace. Remember us, most holy Virgin, and bestow on us gifts from the riches of your graces, Virgin full of graces.

Day 239 -- Saint Joseph the Worker

Today we celebrated the beatification of Pope John Paul II and Divine Mercy Sunday, but our saint of the day will be Saint Joseph the Worker. Saint Joseph has been part of my entire life by first being baptized at Saint Joseph Parish, attending Saint Joseph School, then Saint Joseph College. He represents what a real man should be. When I was laid off from my job and began a new job six months later I began working at the Catholic Center on May 1, 2006.

Saint Joseph was a carpenter by trade and Jesus followed in his footsteps with that trade. He was the earthly spouse of Blessed Virgin Mary and foster father of Jesus. He received visions from angels telling of God's plan for his life with Mary and Jesus. He is written about in the Gospels, but says not a word. He is particularly noted for his willingness to immediately get up and do what God wants him to do. I pray today, to have the the vigor like Saint Joseph to do what the Lord wants me to do for Him and His Church. It is not know when Joseph died, but it is assumed before Jesus began his public ministry and passion. The name Joseph means "whom the Lord adds."

Saint Joseph is patron of many people, countries dioceses, and cities:
--against hesitation (I need that one a lot!!)
--travelers
--unborn children
--Vatican II

--the Americas
--Mexico
--Peru
--Korea

--Archdiocese of Hartford, CT
--Diocese of Virac, Philippines



Prayer to Know One's Vocation
O Great Saint Joseph, you were completely obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Obtain for me the grace to know the state of life that God in his providence has chosen for me. Since my happiness on earth, and perhaps even my final happiness in heaven, depends on this choice, let me not be deceived in making it. Obtain for me the light to know God's Will, to carry it out faithfully, and to choose the vocation which will lead me to a happy eternity.


PRAYER
Blessed Joseph, husband of Mary, be with us this day. You protected and cherished the Virgin; loving the Child Jesus as your Son, you rescued Him from the danger of death. Defend the Church, the household of God, purchased by the blood of Christ. Guardian of the Holy Family, be with us in our trials. May your prayers obtain for us the strength to flee from error and wrestle with the powers of corruption so that in life we may grow in holiness and in death rejoice in the crown of victory. Amen.