Posted in QUOTES on HEAVEN, THE 4 LAST THINGS : HEAVEN By Fr Martin von Cochem

Thought for the Day – 20 April – On the Spiritual Joys of Heaven 4: The Beatific Vision

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 20 April – During this Season of Alleluias and Joy, we will consider Fr von Cochem’s Reflections upon our Heavenly Homeland.

Excerpts from THE FOUR LAST THINGS —- DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL and HEAVEN
FR MARTIN VON COCHEM (1625-1712) OSFC .

Nihil Obstat: Thomas L Kinkead, Censor Liborium
Imprimatur: Michael Augustine — Archbishop of New York (New York 5 Oct 1899)

PART IV
ON HEAVEN

III.4 On the Spiritual Joys of Heaven: The Beatific Vision

There is no greater happiness upon earth than to love and be loved in return and the more tender, pure and ardent this love be, the greater the joy and delight it affords us.

Now, the love of Heaven, the love of the Redeemed for God and for each other, is the most tender, the most pure, the most ardent affection, an affection infinite and boundless; consequently it is a source of immense delight and happiness unspeakable.
May the God of all Grace make us partakers of this love and we shall then know, by experience, that of which words fail to convey an idea.
No-one will be privileged to partake in this love, unless here below, he lives in the love of God and dies in His Friendship.
Let us, therefore, strive to increase within ourselves, this Divine Charity, in order that we may be admitted hereafter into the full enjoyment of His Love.

The Beatific Vision of the Divine Countenance is a joy above all joys, a delight far surpassing all the Celestial pleasures of which we have spoken.
Without this, all other joys would lose their savour, they would be changed to bitterness.

On one occasion, when the devil was speaking by the mouth of a person who was possessed, he said: “If the whole Heavens were a sheet of parchment, if the whole ocean were ink, if every blade of grass were pens and every man on earth a scribe, it would not suffice to describe the intense, immeasurable delight which the Vision of God affords to the blessed.”
And at another time he said that if God would but vouchsafe to grant him the privilege of beholding His Divine Countenance for a few moments, he would, if it were possible, gladly bear in his own person, all the torments of Hell until the Day of Judgement.

This teaches us that if a man spent his whole life in works of most severe penance and, after his death were permitted only for one instant to gaze on the Face of God, he would have received an ample recompense for all his mortifications.

Now, consider how transcendent must be the bliss which the Saints derive from the contemplation, the enjoyment, the possession of the Supreme God!
If to gaze on the Divine Countenance for one passing moment is a joy beyond all that which a life of pleasure offers to the worldling, what rapture will it be to gaze for evermore, with undimmed eyes, on His Infinite Beauty, what rapture to call this Supreme Good one’s own, for all eternity!

God is a being in Whom all that is most admirable and desirable exists in the highest degree.
In Him is all that which is most attracts and fascinating to us; clemency, beauty, justice, compassion, wisdom, majesty, every sweet and sublime attribute in its fullest perfection.
From God proceeds all Grace, all we need for our spiritual and temporal welfare, all the happiness, the joy, the repose, the consolation, all the benefits and blessings which His creatures enjoy in Heaven and on earth.
And when the Redeemed enter upon the contemplation of this Infinite Good, upon the possession of this source of all that is to be loved and admired and longed for, their joy will indeed be full.
What unspeakable delight it will afford them to understand the Mystery of the Incarnation, the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist!

What unspeakable delight it will be to them to comprehend how God can be invisible Himself,and yet, see everything; how He can Himself be unmoved and yet the source of all motion; how He can be Himself immutable and yet the Author of all change.
These and many other Mysteries will be made clear to the blessed in the Light of God and this fount of knowledge will not be exhausted to all eternity.
The more they know God, the more will their desire to know Him better increase and of this knowledge there will be no limit and no defect.

Thus they will ever hunger and yet be perfectly satisfied; this rich treasury will ever be open to them and never will they exhaust all the wealth it contains.

Meditate frequently upon this subject, O reader and excite within thy soul an earnest desire to enjoy God forever and ever.

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, QUOTES on LOVE, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on WATCHING, St Francis de Sales, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 20 April – ‘ … See, I am with you all the days of this age …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 20 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament”– Easter II – Feroal Day – 1 Peter 2:21-25 – John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ I lay down My Life for My sheep.”

John 10:15

“He cries out, saying:
See, I am with you all the days of this age.
He is Himself the Shepherd,
the High Priest,
the Way and the Door
and has become all things at once for us.”

St Athanasius (297-373)
Father & Doctor of the Church

“With good reason Christ declares:
I am the Good Shepherd,
I seek out the lost sheep,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal (Ez 34:16).
I have seen the flock of mankind
struck down by sickness;
I have witnessed my lambs
wander about where demons dwell;
I have seen my flock ravaged by wolves.
All this I have seen
and have not witnessed it from on high.
That is why I took hold of the withered hand,
gripped by pain, as if by a wolf;
I have unbound those whom fever had bound;
I taught him to see,
whose eyes had been shut from his mother’s womb;
I brought Lazarus out from the tomb
where he had lain for four days (Mk 3:5; 1:31; Jn 9; 11).
For I am the Good Shepherd
and the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.”

Basil of Seleucia (Died 448)
Bishop of Seleucia

(Oratio 26)

“The measure of love,
is to love without measure.”

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor of the Church

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, GOD ALONE!, GOD is LOVE, ONE Minute REFLECTION, Quotes on SALVATION, QUOTES on WATCHING, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 20 April – “ I lay down My Life for My sheep.” – John 10:15

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 20 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament”– Easter II – Feroal Day – 1 Peter 2:21-25 – John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“ I lay down My Life for My sheep.” – John 10:15

REFLECTION – “The service of the Good Shepherd is Love. That is why Jesus says He “lays down His Life for His sheep.” For we must know what distinguishes Him – the Good Shepherd watches over the needs of His flock, the bad one seeks his own interest. That is what the Prophet said: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who seek only to feed themselves! Should they not feed their flock?” (Ezek 34:2). Those who only use the flock for their own interest are not good shepherds … A good shepherd, in the natural sense, bears with much for the sake of the flock over which he watches, as Jacob testified: “By day the heat consumed me and the cold by night.” (Gen 31:40)…

But the spiritual flock’s salvation, is more important, than even the life of the shepherd. That is why, when the flock is in danger, its shepherd must accept to lose his physical life for the salvation of the flock. The Lord said: “The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep” his physical life in the loving exercise of authority … Christ gave us an example: “He laid down His Life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.” (1 Jn 3:16).” – St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Dominican Priest and Friar, Theologian, Doctor of the Church (Lectura super Ioannem, X lect 3, 1-20).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through the Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, St Francis de Sales

Our Morning Offering – 20 April – Daily Morning Prayer Of St Francis de Sales

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 20 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter II

Daily Morning Prayer
Of St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Lord, I lay before Thee my weak heart,
which Thou fills with good desires.
Thou knows that I am unable
to bring the same to good effect,
unless Thou bless and prosper them
and, therefore, O Loving Father,
I entreat Thee to help me
by the merits and Passion of Thy dear Son,
to Whose honour I would devote this day
and my whole life.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 20 April – St Theodore Trichinas (5th Century) Confessor,

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 20 April – St Theodore Trichinas (5th Century) Confessor, Hermit and Monk of Constantinople (modern Istanbul), Miracle-worker, graced with the charims of dispelling demons. After his death, a holy oil secreted from his tomb, had the property of curing illness.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “The same day, St Theodore, Confessor, surnamed Trichinas, from the rough hair garment which he wore. He was renowned for many miracles but especially for his power over the demons. From his body issued a liquid which imparts health to the sick.”

Theodore is one of the great Saints of the first centuries of Christianity in the East. Although there are no dates whic confirm the lifetime of St Theodore Trichinas it is known that he lived in the 5th Century.

Theodore, a young man from Constantinople, was attracted by the austere and intense spiritual life of Monks, who, following the example of the St Anthony Abbot (250-356), were increasingly abandoning their hermitage in the desert, to live in prayerful communities, hosted in permanent Monasteries.

Tradition reports that our Saint led an austere life, dedicating much of his time to prayer. He left the world and retired to a Monastery located at the foot of Mount St Absinthe beyond Chalcedon on the Bosphorus.

This Monastery later took its name from his nickname ‘Trichinas.’ This name was given to Theodore because of the long-haired tunic which was his only clothing.

Theodore’s sanctity soon enabled him to cast out demons and perform many miracles. After his death, his tomb became a place of pilgrimage, also because a miraculous ointment supposedly leaked from his tomb and his body, had the power to curing illnesses.

The cult of St Theodore Trichinas was completely unknown until the 16th Century, when the learned hagiographer, Cardinal Cesare Baronio, introduced him into the Roman Martyrology, on 20 April.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Our Lady of Schier, Bavaria and the Saints celebrated today – 20 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

FERIAL DAY

Our Lady of Schier, Bavaria – 20 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/20/our-lady-of-schier-bavaria-and-memorials-of-the-saints-20-april/

St Agnes OP (1268-1317) Virgin, Sister and Abbess of the Order of Preachers of Montepulciano, Mystic, known as “The Miracle Worker” – her body is incorrupt. Agnes was Beatified in 1534 and Canonised in 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.
About St Agnes:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/saint-of-the-day-20-april-st-agnes-of-montepulciano/

St Peter Caedwalla (c658-689) Layman, King of Wessex. Venerable St Bede wrote of him in his History of the English Church.
An Interesting Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/20/saint-of-the-day-20-april-saint-peter-caedwalla-of-wessex-c658-689-king-of-wessex/

Bl Catwallon
St Domninus of Digne
Bl Gerald of Salles
Bl Harduin

Blessed Hildegun O.Cist. (Died 1188) Virgin, Cistercian Monk of Schönau – yes! she was disguised as a boy as a child, for her own safety and after many frightening trials, decided to retain the identity in order to enter the Cistercian Monastery as Brother Joseph. Her true identity remained a secret until her death.
Or Brother Joseph!:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/20/saint-of-the-day-20-april-blessed-hildegun-of-schonau-died-1188-virgin/

St Hugh of Anzy-le-Duc
Bl John of Grace-Dieu

St Marcellinus – Bishop of Embrun (born in North Africa- died 374)
St Marcellinus:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/20/saint-of-the-day-20-april-st-marcellinus-of-embrun-born-in-north-africa-died-374/

St Marcian of Auxerre
St Margaret of Amelia
Bl Maurice MacKenraghty
St Michel Coquelet
Bl Oda of Rivreulle
St Sara of Antioch
St Secundinus of Córdoba
St Servilian

Blessed Simon Rinalducci OSA (Died 1322) Priest, Friar of the Order of the Hermits of St Augustine, noted for his theological studies, Prior of several houses, renowned Preader, Miracle-worker. Blessed Simon was a model of humility and obedience, even in the face of great trials and obvious injustices. Simon was Beatified on 19 March 1833 by Pope Gregory XVI (cultus confirmed).
His Ardent Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/20/saint-of-the-day-blessed-simon-rinalducci-osa-died-1322/

St Sulpicius
St Theodore Trichinas (5th Century) Confessor
St Theotimus of Tomi
St Vincent of Digne
St Wiho of Osnabrück

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Posted in GOD ALONE!, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on HEAVEN, THE 4 LAST THINGS : HEAVEN By Fr Martin von Cochem

Thought for the Day – 19 April – On the Spiritual Joys of Heaven 3

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 19 April – During this Season of Alleluias and Joy, we will consider Fr von Cochem’s Reflections upon our Heavenly Homeland.

Excerpts from THE FOUR LAST THINGS —- DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL and HEAVEN
FR MARTIN VON COCHEM (1625-1712) OSFC

Nihil Obstat: Thomas L Kinkead, Censor Liborium
Imprimatur: Michael Augustine — Archbishop of New York (New York 5 Oct 1899)

PART IV
ON HEAVEN

III.3 On the Spiritual Joys of Heaven

Thirdly, the will of each one of the blessed will be crowned with felicity and kindled with the love of God and of the blessed, in whose company he is.

The noblest pleasures a man can enjoy come from his will.
A man is happy when all succeeds with him according to his wishes; when he acquires and possesses all that which his heart can desire; when he is generally esteemed and praised by his fellow-men; when he loves and is loved, by the object of his affections.
This and much more besides, is the portion of the
blessed but in the highest degree and in the greatest possible perfection.

The Love of God for them and, their love of Him, is so profound, they are enflamed and consumed, with Divine Charity, their will resembles a live coal, glowing with light and heat, until it is absorbed by the fire of which it is a part.
So it is with the Saints in Heaven; imbued with Divine Charity, they burn and shine in the Light of God and
reflect His Image more and more.
St John says: “We know that when He shall appear we shall be like to Him because we shall see Him as He is” (i John iii. 2).

In the Love of God and in union with Him, they find such ineffable delight that, inebriated by the sweetness of Divine Charity, they lose themselves in Him!

Posted in DECEMBER - The DIVINE INFANCY and The IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, FATHERS of the Church, franciscan OFM, MARIAN QUOTES, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The KINGDOM of GOD / HEAVEN

Quote/s of the Day – 19 April – The Good Shepherd

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Quote/s of the Day – 19 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter II – 1 Peter 2:21-25 – John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I am the Good Shepherd,
I know Mine and Mine know Me.”

John 10:14

“Come, then and search out Thy sheep,
not through Thy servants or hired men
but do it Thineself.
Lift me up bodily and in the flesh,
which is fallen in Adam.
Lift me up, not from Sarah but from Mary,
a Virgin, not only undefiled
but a Virgin, whom grace had made inviolate,
free of every stain of sin.”

St Ambrose (340-397)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Christ acts like a loving mother.
To induce us to follow Him,
He gives us Himself as an example
and promises us a reward in His Kingdom.”

St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)
Evangelical Doctor

“Christ said that the shepherd
enters through the gate
and that He is Himself the Gate,
as well as the Shepherd.
Then, it is necessary,
that He enter through Himself.
By so doing, He reveals Himself
and through Himself, He knows the Father.
But we enter through Him
because through Him. we find happiness.”

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
Doctor Angelicus / Doctor Communis

Posted in "Follow Me", CHRIST the LIGHT, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on LOVE of GOD, QUOTES on TRUTH, The GOOD SHEPHERD, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 April – ‘ … These pastures are the spiritual joys of Heaven. … ‘John 10:14

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One Minute Reflection – 19 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter II – 1 Peter 2:21-25 – John 10:11-16 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“I am the Good Shepherd and I know Mine and Mine know Me.”- John 10:14

REFLECTION – “I am the good shepherd. I know My Own—by which I mean, I love them—and My Own know Me. In plain words – those who love Me are willing to follow Me, for anyone who does not love the Truth, has not yet come to know it.

My dear brethren, you have heard the test we shepherds have to undergo. Turn now to consider, how these words of our Lord, imply a test for yourselves too. Ask yourselves whether you belong to His flock, whether you know Him, whether the Light of His Truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you will come to know Him but, by love, not by mere conviction but, by action. John the Evangelist is my authority, for this statement. He tells us that anyone who claims to know God, without keeping His commandments, is a liar.

Consequently, the Lord immediately adds: ‘As the Father knows Me and I know the Father and I lay down My life for My sheep.‘ Clearly, He means that laying down His life for His sheep, gives evidence of His knowledge of the Father and the Father’s knowledge of Him. In other words, by the love with which He dies for His sheep, He shows, how greatly He loves His Father.

Again He says: ‘My sheep hear My voice and I know them; they follow Me,and I give them eternal life.’ Shortly before this He had declared – ‘If anyone enters the sheepfold through Me, he shall be saved, he shall go freely in and out and shall find good pasture.‘ He will enter into a life of faith; from faith, he will go out to vision, from belief to contemplation and will graze in the good pastures of everlasting life.

So our Lord’s sheep will finally reach their grazing ground, where all who follow Him in simplicity of heart, will feed on the green pastures of eternity. These pastures are the spiritual joys of Heaven. There, the elect look upon the Face of God with unclouded vision and feast at the banquet of life, forever more.

Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures ,where we shall keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow citizens. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith and long eagerly for what Heaven has in store for us. To love thus, is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination, is not deterred by the roughness of the road which leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveller who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going.” – St Gregory the Great (540-604) Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from his Sermon 14).

PRAYER – Grant us, Thy servants, O Lord God, we beseech Thee, to enjoy lasting health of mind and body and by the intercession of glorious and blessed Mary, ever Virgin, may we be delivered from present sorrow and partake of the fullness of eternal happiness. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, EUCHARISTIC, EUCHARISTIC ADORATION and Nocturnal, FATHERS of the Church, HOLY COMMUNION, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of PETITION, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES on FORGIVENESS, The HOLY EUCHARIST / The HOLY MASS

Our Morning Offering – 19 April –Prayer Before Holy CommunionBy St Anselm

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Our Morning Offering – 19 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Easter II

Prayer Before Holy Communion
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Doctor of the Church

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
Who according to the Will of the Father
and with the co-operation of the Holy Ghost,
has, by Thy Death. given Life to the world,
I adore and revere this, Thy Holy Body
and this, Thy Holy Blood
which was given up
and poured forth, for the many,
unto remission of sins.
O merciful Lord,
I beg of Thee Mercy,
that through the power of this Sacrament,
Thou will make me one of that many.
Through faith and love, make me feel
the power of these Sacraments,
so I may experience their saving power.
Absolve and free from all sin
and punishment of sin, Thy servants,
Thy handmaidens, myself,
all who confessed their sins to me,
those whom I have promised,
or am obliged, to pray for
and so too, those who themselves hope
or beg, to be helped, by my prayers to Thee.
Make our Church rejoice
in Thy constant protection and consolation.
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day –19 April – St Ursmar (644-713) Bishop and Abbot of Lobbes

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Saint of the Day –19 April – St Ursmar (644-713) Bishop and Abbot of Lobbes in Belgium, Ascetic and Penitent, renowned Preacher which led him to be appointed as an itinerant missionary Bishop In France, Belfgum and Germany. Born in 644 in Belgium and died there at his See on 18 April 713. Patronages – Binche, Lobbes and Luxembourg.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At the Monastery of Lobbes, St Ursmar, Bishop.”

St Ursmarwas born near Avesne, in Haynault (in the Fremch-speaking region of Belgium) and grew up from his cradle, a model of all virtues, in which he made continual progress by a life of humility, patience and penance and by an assiduous application to prayer, in which he usually shed abundance of tears.

What he most earnestly asked of God was the gift of an ardent charity, in order that all his thoughts and actions, and those of all men, might, with the most pure and fervent intention and in the most perfect manner, be directed in all things, to fulfil His Holy and adorable Will.

In his conversation it was his earnest desire to induce persons of a secular life to fix their thoughts, as much as the condition of their state would allow, on heavenly things. Also, to accompany even their worldly business with such aspirations and thoughts and to study to withdraw their hearts from all attachment to creatures.

St Landelin had then lately founded the Abbey of Lobes, on the Sambre, in a territory which is now subject to the Prince of Liege, although in the diocese of Cambray. Ursmar here put on the monastic habit. When, in 686, St Landelin retired into a closer solitude, where he soon after built the Monastery of Crespin, he left Ursmar as the Abbot of Lobes.

Our Saint redoubled his fervour in all the exercises of penance in this dignity. He never tasted any flesh-meat or fish and for 10 years never once touched bread, not even in a dangerous illness.

He finished the building of his Abbey and Church and founded several other Monasteries. He often left his dear cell to preach the Faith to idolaters and sinners. He became the apostle of several districts in Cambrai, Arras, Tournay, Noyon, Terouanne, Laon, Metz, Triers, Cologne and Maestricht.

By virtue of a commission from the Holy See, he exercised the functions of a Bisho,: his predecessor, St Landelin and his 2 successors, Sts Ermin and Theodulph, were invested with the same character.

St Ursmar receives holy orders as Abbot of Lobbes Abbey in 691, probably by Saint Lambertus, the Bishop of Maastricht (19th Century relief in the Church of Saint Ursmar in Lobbes)

In his old age he resigned his Abbacy to St Ermin and died in retirement in 713, being almost sixty-nine years old, on the 18th day of April, on which he is honoured as principal Patron at Binche, Lobbes and Luxembourg but is named today, on the 19th which was the day of his burial, in the Roman and several other Martyrologies.

His Relics are venerated at Binche, 4 leagues from Mons. See his original life by a disciple, with the notes of Henschenius, also in 981, Folcuin, Abbot of Lobbes, in his accurate history of The Gests of the Abbots of Lobbes.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Easter II, Notre-Dame de Fourvière Basilica / Our Lady of Lyons, France (1643) and the Saints for 19 April

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THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

Notre-Dame de Fourvière Basilica / Our Lady of Lyons, France (1643) – 19 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/19/notre-dame-de-fourviere-basilica-our-lady-of-lyons-france-1643-and-memorials-of-the-saints-19-april/

St Alphege (c953–1012) ArchBishop of Winchester and Martyr, Monk, Hermit, Abbot, Teacher, Apostle of charit, His body is incorrupt.
The Life and Death of St Alphege:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/19/saint-of-the-day-19-april-st-alphege/

St Apollonius the Priest
St Aristonicus of Melitene

Blessed Bernard (Died 1182) Penitent, Pilgrim, Hermit. Patronages – of sinners, convicts, prisoners, penitents, pilgrims.
The Roman Martyrology: “At the Monastery of Saint-Bertin in the territory of France in Thérouanne, lies the tomb of Blessed Bernard, penitent, who, eager to atone for the sins of his youth with an austere penitence, voluntarily chose exile and, barefooted, wearing rough garments, was a tireless pilgrim to the holy places.”
Dear Blessed Bernard, pray for us!:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/19/saint-of-the-day-19-april-blessed-bernard-of-sithiu-died-1182-layman-penitent/

Blessed Conrad OFM (1234-1289) Priest, Friar of the Friars Minor, Missionary, Evangeliser, Penitent, zealous Preacher, Cardinal-elect.
Bl Conrad’s Fervent Service:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/19/saint-of-the-day-19-april-blessed-conrad-of-ascoli-ofm-1234-1289/

St Crescentius (Died c396)Deacon and Confessor of Florence, Italy. The image below shows St Zenobius seated with his Deacons, St Crescentius and St Eugenius kneeling at either side. Painting on a pillar in the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Florence, Crescent, Confessor, disciple of the blessed Bishop St Zenobius.”
His Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/04/19/saint-of-the-day-19-april-saint-crescentius-died-c396-deacon-and-confessor/

St Expeditus (Died 303) Roman Centurion, Martyr. Patron of emergencies – of “just and urgent causes” – hence his name.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/19/saint-of-the-day-19-april-st-expeditus-died-303-martyr/

Prayer to St Expeditus in Urgent Need

Our dear Martyr and protector, Saint Expeditus,
You who know what is necessary
and what is urgently needed.
I beg you to intercede
before the Blessed Trinity
that by your intercession,
my request will be granted.
……………………
(Clearly express your needs
and ask him to find a way to help you.)
May I receive your blessings and favours.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
One God with the Almighty Father.
Amen.

If Saint Expeditus grants your request, place an advertisement in the local Catholic newspaper and/or your Parish Bulletin or Notice Board, thanking Saint Expeditus, so that his name and fame will grow

St Gaius of Melitene
St Galata of Melitene
St George of Antioch

St Gerold (c900-c978) Hermit. Born in in Rhaetia, in the lower part of the Alps (part of modern Austria/Switzerland) and died on 16 April 978 of natural causes in Frisun, today the Town of St Gerold.
St Gerold’s Life of Prayer:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/19/saint-of-the-day-19-april-saint-gerold-of-saxony-c900-c978-hermit/

Blessed James Duckett (Died 1602) Layman Martyr.
James Duckett was Beatified by Pope Pius XI on 15 December 1929.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/19/saint-of-the-day-19-april-blessed-james-duckett-died-1602-layman-martyr/

St Pope Leo IX (1002-1054) known as “The Apostolic Pilgrim”
When the German Pope Damasus II died in 1048, Bishop Bruno was selected by the Emperor, Henry III, to succeed him. Bruno agreed to go to Rome and to accept the Papacy if freely elected thereto by the Roman people. He wished, at least, to rescue the See of Peter from its servitude to the German Emperors. When, in company with Hildebrand, he reached Rome and presented himself to its people clad in pilgrim’s guise and barefooted but still tall and fair to look upon, they cried out with one voice that him and no other would they have as Pope. Assuming the name of Leo, he was solemnly enthroned on 12 February, 1049.
The Apostolic Pilgrim:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/19/saint-of-the-day-19-april-st-pope-leo-ix-1002-1954/

St Martha of Persia
St Rufus of Melitene
St Timon Deacon Martyr
St Ursmar (644-713) Bishop and Abbot of Lobbes in Belgium


St Vincent of Collioure

Martyrs of Carthage – 17 Saints: A group of Christians Martyred in the persecutions of Decius. We know little more than the names – Aristo, Basso, Credula, Donato, Ereda, Eremio, Fermo, Fortunata, Fortunio, Frutto, Julia, Mappalicus, Martial, Paul, Venusto, Victorinus and Victor. Died in the year 250 in prison in Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunis, Tunisia).

Posted in QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on JOY, THE 4 LAST THINGS : HEAVEN By Fr Martin von Cochem

Thought for the Day – 18 April – On the Spiritual Joys of Heaven 2

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 18 April – During this Season of Alleluias and Joy, we will consider Fr von Cochem’s Reflections upon our Heavenly Homeland.

Excerpts from THE FOUR LAST THINGS —- DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL and HEAVEN
FR MARTIN VON COCHEM (1625-1712) OSFC .

Nihil Obstat: Thomas L Kinkead, Censor Liborium
Imprimatur: Michael Augustine — Archbishop of New York (New York 5 Oct 1899)

PART IV
ON HEAVEN

III.2 On the Spiritual Joys of Heaven

Secondly, inasfar as their memory is concerned, the blessed will also find fullness of joy in Heaven, for it will, like the understanding, be enlightened by God and all the events of their past life, will be as fresh and as distinct to their remembrance, as if they beheld them inscribed on tablets before their eyes.

Then they perceive by what a marvellous way, God led them to their eternal goal, how mercifully He pardoned their transgressions, how He succoured them in the hour of temptation and how He made all things work together for their good.

This retrospect will arouse in the heart of each one, the holiest gratitude towards God and, oft-times they will give expression to it thus:
O my God, Whom I love above all things, how great are the gifts and graces Thou hast bestowed upon me, how generous Thou hast been towards me, how often Thou hast rescued me from the danger of falling into sin, how mercifully Thou hast preserved me from eternal damnation and how wonderfully Thou hast guided me in the way of salvation! How can I sufficiently praise and magnify Thine Infinite Bounty? How can I sufficiently thank Thee and adore Thee for the benefits Thou hast lavished upon me?

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, In the PRESENCE of GOD, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN TITLES

Quote/s of the Day – 18 April – Our Sweetest Mother ‘… my protectress and my consoler!’

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Quote/s of the Day – 18 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Saturday of the Blessed Virgin (Salve Sancta Parens – Eastertide ) – Sirach 24:9-12. – John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Woman, behold thy son.
… Behold thy mother”

John 19:26

“You are more to be valued than the entire creation,
for from you alone the Creator received
a share in the first-fruits of our humanity.
His Flesh was made of your flesh,
His Blood of your blood;
God was nourished by your milk
and your lips kissed the lips of God. …
In His foreknowledge of your dignity,
the God of all the world, has loved you
and, in accordance with His Love for you,
He predestined you and called you into being ”

St John Damascene (675-749)
Father and Doctor of the Church

“Through a woman, [Eve]
a curse fell upon the earth;
through a woman, [Mary]
there returned to the earth,
a blessing!”

St Peter Damian (1007-1072)
Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church

“May the Blessed Virgin,
unique in her merits,
stand in the Presence of her Creator
interceding always in our favour.
She will be radiant in the fullness of glory,
she who brought forth,
from her virginal womb,
the King of glory.”

St Amadeus of Lausanne (1108-1159) 

“And thou, Immaculate Virgin Mary,
my only joy, be thou my protectress
and my consoler!
Be ever my advocate with God
that I may put into practice,
my good resolutions.”

St Gerard Majella (1726-1755)

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, EASTER, MARIAN QUOTES, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN Saturdays, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Quotes on SALVATION, The PASSION, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 18 April – “Woman, behold thy son. … Behold thy mother” – John 19:26

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One Minute Reflection – 18 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Saturday of the Blessed Virgin (Salve Sancta Parens – Eastertide ) – Sirach 24:9-12. – John 19:25-27 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Woman, behold thy son. … Behold thy mother” – John 19:26

REFLECTION – “Mary, the Mother of the Lord, stood by her Son’s Cross. No-one has taught me this but the holy Evangelist John. Others have related how the earth was shaken at the Lord’s Passion, the sky was covered with darkness, the sun withdrew itself and how, the thief was, after a faithful confession, received into Paradise. John tells us what the others have not told, how the Lord, while fixed on the Cross called to His Mother. He thought it was more important that, victorious over His sufferings, Jesus gave her the offices of piety, than that He gave her a Heavenly Kingdom. For if it is the mark of religion to grant pardon to the thief, it is a mark of much greater piety, that a mother is honoured with such affection, by her Son. “Behold,” He says, “thy son.” “Behold thy mother.” Christ testified from the Cross and divided the offices of piety, between the mother and the disciple.

Nor was Mary below what was becoming the Mother of Christ. When the Apostles fled, she stood at the Cross and with pious eyes beheld her Son’s wounds. For she did not look to the death of her offspring but to the salvation of the world. Or perhaps, because that “royal heart knew, that the redemption of the world would be through the death of her Son, she thought that by her death, she also might add something to that universal gift. But Jesus did not need a helper, for the redemption of all, Who saved all without a helper. This is why He says, “I am counted among those who go down to the pit. I am like those who have no help.” He received indeed, the affection of His Mother but sought not another’s help. Imitate her, holy mothers, who in her only dearly beloved Son, set forth so great an example of maternal virtue. For neither have you sweeter children, nor did the Virgin seek the consolation of being able to bear another son.” – St Ambrose (340-397) Archbishop of Milan, Great Western Father and Doctor (Letter 63)

PRAYER – Almighty, everlasting God, Who in the Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, prepared a dwelling place worthy of the Holy Ghost, graciously grant, that we, who are devoutly keeping the Feast of her Immaculate Heart, may be able to live according to Thy Heart. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN HYMNS, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN Saturdays, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, St Alphonsus de Liguori,

Our Morning Offering – 18 April – O Mother Blest By St Alphonsus

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Our Morning Offering – 18 April – Our Lady’s Saturday

O Mother Blest
By St Alphonsus Maira Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church
Trans. Fr Edmund Vaughn C.SS,R, (1827 – 1908 )

O Mother blest, whom God bestows
On sinners and on just,
What joy, what hope thou givest those
Who in thy mercy trust.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste,
Mary thou art fair,
Of all mothers, sweetest best,
none with thee compare.

O heavenly Mother, mistress sweet!
it never yet was told
that suppliant sinner left thy feet,
unpitied, unconsoloed.
Thou are clement, thou are chaste, …

O Mother, pitiful and mild,
Cease not to pray for me;
For I do love thee as a child,
And sigh for love of thee.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …

Most powerful Mother, all men know
Thy Son denies thee nought;
Thou askest, wishest it, and lo!
His power thy will hath wrought.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste, …

O Mother blest, for me obtain,
Ungrateful though I be,
To love that God Who first could deign
To show such love for me.
Thou art clement, thou art chaste,
Mary, thou art fair.
Of all mothers, sweetest, best,
None with thee compare.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 18 April – Saint Amideus (Died 1265) OSM Servite Founder

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Saint of the Day – 18 April – Saint Amideus (Died 1265) OSM Servite Founder and Friar of the Order of the Servants of Mary. Also known as – Bartolomeo degli Amidei, Amadeus. Additional Feast on as the Seven Holy Founders.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “In Tuscany, on Mount Senario, the blessed St Amideus, one of the Seven Holy Founders of the Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary, very celebrated for an ardent love of God.”

Fresco of Bartolomeus Amidei (Saint AmIdeus degli Amidei)

Amideus was born to the wealthy Amidei Family in Florence. He, together with his six brother Friars founded the Order in 1233.

The Order was founded in 1233 by The Seven Holy Founders, each a member of a Patrician family of Florence, Italy.

These cloth merchants left their City, families and professions and withdrew to Monte Senario, a mountain outside Florence, for a life of poverty and penance.

The seven were:
Bonfilius of Florence, born Bonfilius Monaldi (Buonfiglio dei Monaldi);
Alexis of Florence, born Alexis Falconieri (Italian:
Alessio Falconieri) (1200 – 17 February 1310);
Manettus of Florence, born Benedict dell’Antella (Benedetto dell’ Antella);
Amideus, born Bartholemew Amidei (died 1266) (also known as Bartolomeo degli Amidei);
Hugh of Florence, born Ricovero Uguccioni (Hugh dei Lippi Uggucioni (Ricovero dei Lippi-Ugguccioni));
Sostene of Florence, born Gerardino Sostegni (Gherardino di Sostegno);
and Buonagiunta of Florence, born John Manetti (Giovanni di Buonagiunta (Bonajuncta)).
They were Cnonised by Pope Leo XIII on 15 January 1888.

Their full history here:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/02/17/saints-of-the-day-17-february-the-seven-holy-founders-of-the-servite-order-osm-formation-on-15-august-1233/

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Basilica della Santa Casa / The Basilica of Our Lady of Loreto erected (1586) – 18 April

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Basilica della Santa Casa / The Basilica of Our Lady of Loreto erected (1586) – 18 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/18/third-sunday-of-easter-2021-basilica-della-santa-casa-the-basilica-of-our-lady-of-loreto-erected-1586-and-memorials-of-the-saints-18-april/

St Agia of Hainault
St Amideus (Died 1265) OSM Servite Founder


St Anthia of Illyria
St Antusa of Constantinople
Saint Apollonius the Apologist Martyr

St Athanasia of Aegina

Blessed Barbara Aurillot / Marie of the Incarnation O.Carm (1566-1618) Widow, Lay Carmelite Sister, Apostle of Charity, Mystic. Barbara is considered the Foundress of the French branch of Carmel. She was known for receiving visions and ecstasies and for supernatural gifts.
Her Vita:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/18/saint-of-the-day-18-april-blessed-barbara-aurillot-marie-of-the-incarnation-ocd-1566-1618-widow/

St Bitheus
St Calocerus of Brescia
St Cogitosus
St Corebus
St Eleuterius of Illyria
St Elpidius of Melitene
St Eusebius of Fano

St Galdinus della Sala (c1096-1176) Cardinal Bishop of Milan from 1166 until his death in 1176.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Milan, St Galdini, Cardinal and Bishop of the City, who, at the conclusion of a discourse against heretics, gave up his soul to God.”
Blessed St Galldinus:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/18/saint-of-the-day-18-april-saint-galdinus-della-sala-of-milan-c1096-1176-cardinal-archbishop/

St Gebuinus of Lyons
St Genocus
St Hermogenes of Melitene

Blessed Idesbald O.Cist (c1095-1167) Cistercian Priest and Abbot of Ten Duinen Abbey, Our Lady of the Dunes.
The Roman Martyrology states: “In Bruges in Flanders, in today’s Belgium, Blessed Idesbald, Abbot, who, soon became a widower and exercised for another thirty years, duties in the palace of the Counts, entered the Monastery of Dune at a mature age, which he held holy, as the third Abbot for twelve years.” His Body is Incorrupt.
His Life of Grace:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/18/saint-of-the-day-18-april-blessed-idesbald-of-dunes-o-cist-c-1095-1167/

Blessed James Oldo OFM (1364-1404) Priest and Friar of the Friars Minor, widower, Apostle of Charity, Preacher, painter, musician. His body is incorrupt. Beatified on 26 March 1934 by Pope Pius XI.
Holy Blessed James:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/18/saint-of-the-day-18-april-blessed-james-oldo-ofs-1364-1404/

St Laserian of Leighlin

St Perfectus (Died 850) Priest and Martyr of Córdoba in Spain. His Martyrdom was recorded by Saint Eulogius in the Memoriale Sanctorum.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Córdoba, St Perfect, Priest and Martyr, killed by the Moors for inveighing against the followers of Mohammed.”
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/04/18/saint-of-the-day-18-april-st-perfectus-died-850-priest-and-martyr/

St Pusicio
St Ursmar of Lobbes
St Wigbert of Augsburg

Posted in QUOTES on HEAVEN, QUOTES on MYSTERIES of our FAITH, THE 4 LAST THINGS : HEAVEN By Fr Martin von Cochem

Thought for the Day – 17 April – On the Spiritual Joys of Heaven

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 17 April – During this Season of Alleluias and Joy, we will consider Fr von Cochem’s Reflections upon our Heavenly Homeland.

Excerpts from THE FOUR LAST THINGS —- DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL and HEAVEN
FR MARTIN VON COCHEM (1625-1712) OSFC

Nihil Obstat: Thomas L Kinkead, Censor Liborium
Imprimatur: Michael Augustine — Archbishop of New York (New York 5 Oct 1899)

PART IV
ON HEAVEN

III. On the Spiritual Joys of Heaven

WITH regard to the spiritual joys of the Redeemed in Heaven, they are in such great abundance that in speaking of them, one does not know where to begin or where to end!
Think of the spiritual consolations granted to eminent servants of God in this world.
We know concerning some Saints that their life on earth was more akin to the Angels than of men, so frequently were they favoured with ecstasies, visions, interior lights and Divine consolations of all kinds.
And yet, all these favours were but as a drop out of the boundless ocean of Celestial Sweetness.
What rapture it will be for holy souls in Heaven to drink from the fountainhead and draw freely from the inexhaustible Source of all felicity!

All the powers of the mind, the understanding, the memory, the will, the imagination, every thought, every desire, the whole intellectual being, elevated and perfected by God Himself, will be fully satisfied and will add to and heighten the joys of the soul.

With the understanding the blessed will behold all created things in the Light of God and thoroughly penetrate the secrets of nature.
It is recorded of King Solomon that “God gave to Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, as the sand that is on the seashore. And the wisdom of Solomon surpassed the wisdom of all the Orientals and of the Egyptians and he was wiser than all men.
He also spoke three thousand parables and his poems were a thousand and five. And he treated about trees from the cedar that is in Lebanon unto the hyssop which cometh out of the wall and he discoursed of beasts and of fowls and of creeping things and of fishes. And they came from all nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon and from all the Kings of the earth, who heard of his wisdom“ (3 Kings iv. 29-34).

We have never heard of wisdom equal to this, nor can we cease to wonder at the wide range and astuteness of this great King’s understanding.
Yet compared with the wisdom of the least of the Saints in Heaven, it ranks no higher than does the knowledge possessed by a child of 3 years old, beside the erudition and wisdom of the most learned of men.

For all the operations of nature, all the powers of the universe are open and revealed to the least of the Saints in Heaven.
Nothing is hidden or mysterious in his eyes. He knows all that the Holy Trinity has accomplished from all eternity, in how marvellous a manner the Heavens and the earth were created out of nothing, how wisely all has been ordered and maintained from the beginning to the end of time. He knows how the Son of God was begotten of the Father before all ages; he knows how the Holy Ghost proceeds eternally from the Father and the Son.

He knows how Christ was born of an earthly Mother without violation of her virginity; he knows all Our Lord accomplished and suffered throughout His whole Life and how each Saint and Servant of God lived for God and laboured in His service.

All which is mysterious and incomprehensible to us in the Holy Scriptures, the Mysteries of our Religion and of nature, he understands without a moment’s reflection.

Hadst thou been on earth but a simple, illiterate peasant, on thy entrance into Heaven thy eyes would be opened and thou wouldst see clearly and understand all things perfectly.
What joy, what happiness this knowledge and clear insight will be to thee.
What grateful thankfulness thou wilt render to God forever and ever!

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the BRIDEGROOM, MARIAN QUOTES, QUOTES on the CHURCH, QUOTES on TRUTH, St PETER!, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 17 April – On the Bride of Christ

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Quote/s of the Day – 17 April –“The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – St Pope Anadletus (c25-c89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4 – Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build My Church”

Matthew 16:18

“Behold, thy mother”
John 19:27

“His Mother is the entire Church
because by God’s grace,
she brings forth the members of Jesus Christ,
that is to say, those who are faithful to Him.
His Mother is also every holy soul
who does the Will of His Father
and whose fruitful charity is made manifest
in those whom it brings forth for Him
until He Himself is formed in them (Gal 4:19)…”

St Augustine (354-430)
Father and Doctor of Grace

My Dear Jesus
Return Thy Spouse to Apostolic Sanctity
By St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)

Our sweet Father Lord Jesus Christ,
because of Thine Infinite Goodness,
we ask Thee to return Thy Spouse, the Church
to tha state of sanctity as of the time of the Apostles.
Hear us, O Lord because Thou art kind and merciful.
In Thy bountiful compassion look upon us.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God,
have mercy upon us.
May the power of God the Father,
the Wisdom of the Son
and the Strength of the Holy Ghost
and too, the glorious Virgin Mary,
guide and protect us
on the way to peace, love and prosperity.
May the Angel Raphael,
who always assisted Tobias,
be with me in every place I stop
and on every road I travel.
My dear Jesus, my dear Jesus, my dear Jesus,
my love and my God, I trust in Thee.
Amen

St Jerome Emiliani (1486–1537)

“The Church alone, being the Bride of Christ
and having all things in common
with her Divine Spouse,
is the depository of the Truth.”

St Pius X (1835-1914)

Posted in CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, I BELIEVE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, QUOTES on FAITH, QUOTES on the CHURCH, St PETER!, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 17 April – “Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

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One Minute Reflection – 17 April –“The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – St Pope Anadletus (c25-c89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and Martyr – 1 Peter 5:1-4 – Matthew 16:13-19 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“Upon this rock I will build My Church” – Matthew 16:18

REFLECTION – “Brothers, when it comes to fulfilling my duties as Bishop, I discover that I am weak and slack, weighed down by the weakness of my own condition, while at the same time, I want to act generously and courageously. However, I draw my strength from the untiring intercession of the Almighty and Eternal Priest, Who, like us but equal to the Father, lowered His divinity to the level of man and raised humankind to the level of God. The decisions He made, give me a just and holy joy. For, when He delegated many shepherds to care for His flock, He did not abandon watching over His beloved sheep. Thanks to that fundamental and eternal assistance, I in turn, have received the protection and support of the Apostle Peter, who also does not abandon his function. This solid foundation, on which the whole of the Church is built, never grows tired of carrying the whole weight, of the building which rests on it.

The firmness of faith, for which the first of the Apostles was praised, never fails. Just as everything which Peter professed in Christ remains, so that which Christ established in Peter, remains… The order willed by God’s Truth remains. Saint Peter perseveres in the solidity which he received; he has not abandoned the governance of the Church which was placed in his hands. That, my brothers, is what that profession of faith, inspired by God the Father, obtained in the heart of the Apostle. He received the solidity of a rock which no assault can shake. In the entire Church, Peter says everyday: “Thou art the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” – St Leo the Great (400-461) Pope, Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon on the anniversary of his Consecration as Bishop).

PRAYER – Look forgivingly upon Thy flock, Eternal Shepherd and keep it in Thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Anciet Thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom Thou didst constitute the Shepherd of the whole Church. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DIVINE Mercy, Goodness, Patience, DOCTORS of the Church, Holy Name PRAYERS, JANUARY month of THE MOST HOLY NAME of JESUS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, QUOTES for CHRIST, The HOLY NAME, The MOST HOLY REDEEMER, Our SAVIOUR

Our Morning Offering – 17 April –Glory, Honour and Praise, To Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 17 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament”

Glory, Honour and Praise,
To Our Lord Jesus Christ!
A devout Prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ,
to be said both Morning and Evening
By St Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)
Doctor of the Church
(From His “A Brief Christian Doctrine”)

GLory, Honour and Praise Be,
May all the world adore Thee,
blessed be Thy Holy Name,
Who for us sinners,
vouchsafest to be born of a humble Virgin
and blessed be Thine Infinite Goodness,
Who died upon the Cross for our Redemption.
O Jesu, Son of God
and Saviour of mankind,
have mercy upon us
and so dispose our lives here,
by Thy Grace
that we may, hereafter,
rejoice with Thee forever
in Thy Heavenly Kingdom,
Amen.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 17 April – St Innocent (c285-c353) Bishop and Confessor

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Saint of the Day – 17 April – St Innocent (c285-c353) Bishop and Confessor of Tortona in Italy. Born and died in his See of Tortona. A brave and holy shepherd who underwent all manner of evil for the Faith of Christ.

The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Tortona, St Innocent, Bishp[ and Confessor.”

St Innocent was born into one of the noble families of Tortona who protected the local Christians and were exterminated during the ferocious persecution of Emperor Diocletian, who left the City without a Bishop until 318.

In 303, Innocent, at the age of 22, was imprisoned and his family property confiscated. Only after 313 did he go to Rome to recover his father’s property. There he gained the suport of Pope Sylvester, who first Ordained himas a Deacon and then sent him to Tortona as the Bishop after Consecrating him on 24 September 325.

Thus began a pastoral care which led to the reorganisation of the local community and was characterised by the fight against paganism. During St Innocent’s Eepiscopate, the Relics of the 1st Bishop of Tortona, Saint Marzianus of Tortona , were found on the left bank of the Scrivia River.

The family property was donated by St Innocent’s to his See and by the proceeds thereof the construction of several Churches began, including a Basilica on the hill overlooking the City (later destroyed by fire in 1609).

St Innocent’s body, who died on 17 April c353, was buried at the Basilica he had built. His sister is credited with founding what would later become the Monastery of Sant’Eufemia.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

 Nossa Senhora da Arrábida / Our Lady of Arrábida, Portugal (16th Century), St Pope Anicetus Martyr and the Saints for 17 April

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Nossa Senhora da Arrábida / Our Lady of Arrábida, Portugal (16th Century) – 17 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/17/nossa-senhora-da-arrabida-our-lady-of-arrabida-portugal-16th-century-and-memorials-of-the-saints-17-april/

St Pope Anicetus (Died 168) 12th Bishop of Rome and Martyr Papacy 157-168.
This wonderful Pope
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/17/saint-of-the-day-17-april-saint-pope-anicetus-i-died-168-martyr/

Bl essed Andrés Hibernón Real OFM (1534-1602) Religious Friar, Apostle of the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin and the Holy Rosary, Apostle of the poor. He predicted the date of his death four years before the fact, which was 18 April 1602 in Gandia, Valencia, Spain of natural causes immediately after having prayed a rosary. He was Beatified on 22 May 1791 by Pope Pius VI. His body is incorrupt.
A Life of Love:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/17/saint-of-the-day-17-april-blessed-andres-hibernon-real-o-f-m-1534-1602/

St Agia of Hainault
St Anthia of Illyria
St Athanasia of Aegina
St Bitheus
St Calocerus of Brescia
St Cogitosus
St Corebus

St Donan of Eigg (Died 617) Priest and Martyr, Monk, Missionary
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/17/saint-of-the-day-17-april-saint-donan-of-eigg-died-617-priest-and-martyr/

St Eleuterius of Illyria
St Elpidius of Melitene
St Eusebius of Fano
St Galdinus of Milan
St Gebuinus of Lyons
St Genocus
St Hermogenes of Melitene
St Innocent (c285-c353) Bishop and Confessor of Tortona
Bl Idesbald of Dunes
Blessed James of Cerqueto OSA (1285-1366)

St Landericus (c637-c730) Bishop, Abbot
His Life of Service:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/17/saint-of-the-day-17-april-st-landericus-c637-c720-bishop-abbot/


St Laserian of Leighlin

Blessed Mariana of Jesus OdeM (c1565-1624) “The Lily of Madrid” Tertiary Sister of the Mercadarian Order (the Servants of Mary) Mystic and Ecstatic, graced with Visions of Our Lord and His Mother and granted the ability, by her intercession, to be responsible for many miracles, Spiritual Director and Apostle of the poor and the sick. In addition, Mariana was known to bilocate and levitate during her ecstasies.
Patronages – of Madrid, Mercedarian Tertiaries Mercedarian Lay Fraternities and Apostolates.
Her body is Incorrupt.
“The Lily of Madrid”:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/17/saint-of-the-day-17-april-blessed-mariana-of-jesus-odemc1565-1624-the-lily-of-madrid/

St Pantagathus of Vienne Bishop
St Perfecto of Córdoba
St Pusicio

St Robert de Turlande/Chaise-Dieu OSB (c1000-1067) Priest, professed religious of the Order of St Benedict, Monk, Abbot, Apostle of Charity, Marian devotee. He was of noble stock, was related to Saint Gerald of Aurillac (c855–c909) and was a descendant of St Caesarius of Arles (470-543). He is best known for the establishment of the Benedictine Convent of La Chaise-Dieu (‘Home of God’) and for his total commitment to the poor. He became a spiritual inspiration for Pope Clement VI (1291–1352) – whose own origin,s in the religious life were based at that Convent – and it was Pope Clement who confirmed the Canonisation of the Benedictine Abbot on 19 September 1351 in Avignon.
His Devoted Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/17/saint-of-the-day-17-april-st-robert-de-chaise-dieu-osb-c-1000-1067/

St Stephen Harding O.Cist. (1050-1104) Abbot and Co-Founder of the Cistercian Order
About St Stephen:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/saint-of-the-day-17-april-st-stephen-harding/

St Ursmar of Lobbes

St Wando (c665-756) Abbot of Fontenelle/St Wandrille’s Monastery.
His Holy Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2025/04/17/saint-of-the-day-17-april-saint-wando-c665-756-abbot/

This is St Wandrille who founded Fontenelle Abbey
Posted in QUOTES on HEAVEN, THE 4 LAST THINGS : HEAVEN By Fr Martin von Cochem

Thought for the Day – 16 April – On the Joys of Heaven 2

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day – 16 April – During this Season of Alleluias and Joy, we will consider Fr von Cochem’s Reflections upon our Heavenly Homeland.

Excerpts from THE FOUR LAST THINGS —- DEATH, JUDGMENT, HELL and HEAVEN
FATHER MARTIN VON COCHEM (1625-1712) OSFC .

Nihil Obstat: Thomas L Kinkead, Censor Liborium
Imprimatur: Michael Augustine — Archbishop of New York (New York 5 Oct 1899)

PART IV
ON HEAVEN

II:2 On the Joys of Heaven

… In fact, what can be wanting to the glorified body in Heaven?
It is in the enjoyment of perpetual health, perpetual rest, perpetual happiness, so that in the super-abundance of joy and satisfaction, it can scarce realise how enviable is its condition.

Finally, the Redeemed will take very great pleasure in beholding one another, in conversing with one another, in kindly exchanges and friendly communication.
Think how beautiful a sight it will be, to see hundreds of thousands of beings in all the splendour of their glorified state. If on earth we esteem it a pleasure to look upon a handsome face, we can appreciate, in some slight degree, what it will be in Heaven, the lowliest of whose inhabitants is possessed of a beauty far exceeding the personal attractions of any mortal man.

Moreover, the Redeemed are united together by the bond of mutual charity, for they love one another more dearly than the most affectionate of brothers and sisters. If they have never met on earth, yet they know one another better than if they had been brought up together.
Each one will know the incidents of his earthly career.

Each one will be able to see into the other’s heart, and know how great is the affection he feels for him.
Each one will rejoice in the other’s glory as much as if it were his own and the lowliest in the Kingdom of Heaven exults, as much in the glory of the highest as the latter can possibly do.
This was explained to St Augustine by St John the Baptist in a vision. “Know,” he said to him, “on account of the inexpressible charity which the blessed have towards one another, each takes no less pleasure in the exaltation of another than if it were his own. Nay, more, he who is greater, wishes that the lower were equal to him and even more honoured than himself; for in his triumph he, too, would triumph.
In like manner, those who are in a lowly place rejoice in the glory of those who are in the highest place; they do not envy them, far from it.
They would not desire the high position if the others had it not; they would rather give them a part of their own glory, were this possible. ”

Hence it may be seen, the Saints take pleasure in the splendour wherewith their fellows are crowned and entertain for each and all of them, a heartfelt affection. More especially do they love one who has, by word or example, helped them on their way to Heaven; to such a one they know not how they can sufficiently testify their gratitude.

Each one will also feel a particular affection for the Saint whom he chose as his Patron upon earth and whom he honoured with a special devotion and this affection will be reciprocated by the object of it.
Those who stood in this relationship to one another, will meet together more often; they will converse on holy subjects and mutually relate their experiences on earth, telling how marvellously the providence of God saved them from eternal perdition.
In a word, the pleasures afforded to the Redeemed by this intercourse, will be innumerable and they will do everything in their power to gratify and show kindness to one another.

O God of All Mercies!
who would not desire to enter into this Land
of eternal peace, where are joys
beyond all which mortal man can conceive,
joys so many and so manifold,
so wondrous and so sweet!
Sometimes, the pleasures of this world
have such a fascination for a man,
he cannot renounce them,
even though he sees Hell open before him.
And yet those pleasures are less than nothing
in comparison to the joys of Heaven;
in fact, all the joys one can picture
or desire for oneself, cannot equal the least
and the lowest of the joys which will be ours
for all eternity!

O my God, how unspeakable will be
the bliss of Heaven! May it be my happy lot to share
in that felicity!
Urged by this desire, I will give Thee no rest,
everyday I will implore Thee to take me to Thyself.
I will detach my heart from this world,
I will entirely renounce all earthly pleasures;
all my aspirations, all my affections
shall be fixed upon the heavenly treasures
and I will hold myself ready everyday
to leave this earthly scene.
The sooner death comes to fetch me hence,
the more welcome will it be,
for I shall leave this land of exile
and enter into my true country.
God grant that so it may be!
Amen

Posted in "Follow Me", CARMELITES, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, CHRIST, the WAY,TRUTH,LIFE, DOCTORS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, In the PRESENCE of GOD, Of PILGRIMS, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES on ETERNAL LIFE, QUOTES on FRIENDSHIP, QUOTES on GRACE, QUOTES on HEAVEN, St Francis de Sales, The LAMB of GOD, The WILL of GOD, The WORD

Quote/s of the Day – 16 April – Take God for your Spouse and Friend …

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Quote/s of the Day – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10; John 20:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“My Lord and my God.”

John 20:28

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I Am meek and humble of heart
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For My yoke is easy and My burden light.”

Matthew 11:29-30

“If we wish to make any progress
in the service of God,
we must begin everyday of our life,
with new eagerness.
We must keep ourselves,
in the presence of God,
as much as possible
and have no other view or end,
in all our actions
but the Divine honour.”

St Charles Borromeo (1538-1584)

“Take God for your Spouse and Friend
and walk with Him continually
and you will not sin and will learn to love
and the things you must do
will work out prosperously for you.”

St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church

“You will begin to taste, even in this life,
a foretaste of eternal life,
for the principal beatitude of the soul in Heaven,
is to be confirmed forever in the Will of the Father.
Thus, it tastes the divine sweetness.
But it will never taste it in Heaven,
if it is not clothed with it on earth,
where we are pilgrims and travellers.
When it is clothed with it, it tastes God
by Grace in its troubles; its memory will be full
of the Blood of the Lamb without blemish;
its mind will be opened and contemplate
the ineffable love that God has made known
in the Wisdom of His Son and the love it finds,
in the Holy Spirit’s goodness, casts out self-love
and love for created things, to love only God.
So do not be afraid … but suffer with joy,
so as to conform yourself to the Will of God.””

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Doctor Caritatis

Posted in AUGUSTINIANS OSA, CHRIST the WORD and WISDOM, DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, GOD ALONE!, ONE Minute REFLECTION, The APOSTLES & EVANGELISTS, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 16 April – ‘ … He touched the Man, he recognised the God! …’

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection and the Blessed Sacrament” – Ferial Day – Wednesday in the Second Week of Easter – 1 John 5:4-10; John 20:19-31 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/

“This is the day the Lord has made” – Psalm 117:24

REFLECTION – “This is the day the Lord has made” (Psalm 117:24). Call to mind what the world was like in the beginning: “Darkness covered the abyss while God’s Spirit swept over the waters. Then God said: ‘Let there be light’ and there was light. God then separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day’ and the darkness he called ‘night’” (Gn 1:2) … “This is the day the Lord has made.” It is the day the Apostle Paul spoke of: “You were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord” (Eph 5:8)…

Is it not true to say that Thomas was a man, one of the disciples, one of the crowd so to speak? His brethren said to him: “We have seen the Lord.” But he said: “Unless I touch Him, unless I put my hand into His side, I shall not believe.” The Evangelists bring you the news and you do not believe it? The world believed but a disciple did not believe?… The day the Lord has made had not yet happened; darkness still covered the abyss, the depths of darkness of the human heart. Let Him come Who is the Sign of Day, let Him come and, without anger, let Him, Who brings healing patiently, gently say: “Come. Come, touch and believe. You declared that: ‘Unless I touch Him, unless I put my hand into His side, I shall not believe.’ Come, touch, put in your hand and do not be unbelieving but believe. I understand your wounds; it is for you I have kept my scars.”

In putting out his hand this disciple is able to bring his faith to full completion. Indeed, what is faith’s completion? Not to believe that Christ is only Man, not even to believe that Christ is only God but to believe that He is Man and God … And so, the disciple whom the Saviour granted to touch His Bodily members and scars, cried out: “My Lord and my God.” He touched the Man, he recognised the God! He touched the Flesh, he turned towards the Word, for “the Word became Flesh and made His dwelling amongst us” (Jn 1:14). The Word permitted His Flesh to be hung on the wood … the Word permitted His Flesh to be placed in the tomb. The Word raised up His Flesh, showed it to the disciples, offered it to their touch. They touched, they cried out: “My Lord and my God!

This is the day the Lord has made!” – St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church (Sermon 258).

PRAYER – Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord God, unto all Thy servants that they may remain continually in the enjoyment of soundness, both of mind and body and, by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, always a Virgin, may be delivered from present sadness and enter into the joy of Thine eternal gladness. Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, DOMINICAN OP, Our MORNING Offering, QUOTES on CONSCIENCE, The GOOD SHEPHERD

Our Morning Offering – 16 April – Guide Me Lord By St Albert the Great

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 16 April – “The Month of the Resurrection” –Monday in the Second Week of Easter

Guide Me Lord
By St Albert the Great (1200-1280)
Doctor of the Church

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Who seeks those who stray
and receives them when returning,
make me approach Thee
through the frequent hearing of Thy Word,
lest I sin against my neighbour,
by the blindness of human judgement,
through the austerity of false justice,
through comparing his inferior status,
through too much trust in my merits
or through ignorance of the Divine Judgement.
Guide me to search diligently,
each corner of my conscience,
lest the flesh dominate the spirit!
Amen

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 16 April – Blessed William Gnoffi (1256-1317) Hermit,

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Saint of the Day – 16 April – Blessed William Gnoffi (1256-1317) Hermit, Ascetic and visionary of our Blessed Mother, builder of Churches and founder of communities. Patronage – Co-Patron of the City of of Castelbuono. Also known as https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/99487 Guglielmo

William Gnoffi was born in Polizzi Generosa in Sicily 1256, into a noble family. At the age of just 15, he retreated to pray in the caves near the ruins of the former Norman Monastery of Saints Cosmos and Damian.

Although William did not entered any Religious Order, he gained many converts by his own sanctity in living and preaching the Gospel of Christ which is, after all which is necesssary.

We know Blessed William travelled throughout the villages of the Madonie mountains to beg and preach the Gospel and that the Madonna appeared to him several times during his life.

He is also credited with restoring the mountain sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Alto, where he lived as a Hermit.

During his 5th year of solitary life, he one day reached Gonato, near Geraci Siculo, where he built a small Church and remained there for 11 years in penance.
After forming a community of ascetics around himself, who followed him to Castelbuono, with the help of Alduino Ventimiglia, Count of Geraci, he built a Church and hermitage.

In 1288, the sacred building was named Santa Maria del Parto, in the district once called ‘Favare’ and now called San Guglielmo.

Blessed William’s life was adorned with miracles which occurred thanks to his intercession. On 16 April 1317, Bl William Gnoffi died at the age of 61. He was buried at the Abbey of Santa Maria del Parto.

In 1500, his body was recognised and placed in a silver urn, now kept in a niche in the Matrice Nuova Church of Castelbuono. In 1613, the Beatification proceedings were drawn up by the Bishop of Cefalù.

Blessed William Gnoffi is the Co-Patron Saint of the City of Castelbuono.

The urn containing his Relics is carried in procession every year during the Feast of Saint Anne, along with the silver urn containing the Saint’s skull and the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

Posted in Uncategorized

Nostra Signora delle Vittorie / Our Lady of Victories in the Church of St Mark, Vienna (1683), St Benedict Joseph Labre and the Saints for 16 April

Posted on by AnaStpaul

FERIAL DAY

Nostra Signora delle Vittorie / Our Lady of Victories in the Church of St Mark, Vienna (1683) – 16 April:
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/16/nostra-signora-delle-vittorie-our-lady-of-victories-in-the-church-of-st-mark-vienna-1683-and-memorials-of-the-saints-16-april/

St Benedict Joseph Labre TOSF (1748-1783) – Known as the Beggar of Perpetual Adoration (1748-1783) Lay Penitent and Pilgrim – he “abandoned his country, his parents and whatever is flattering in the world, to lead a new sort of life, a life most painful, most penitential, not in a wilderness, nor in a cloister but in the midst of the world, devoutly visiting as a pilgrim the famous places of Christian devotion.” Canonised by Pope Leo XIII on 8 December 1881.
Dearest St Benedict Joseph:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/04/16/saint-of-the-day-16-april-st-benedict-joseph-labre/

Blessed Arcangelo Canetoli (1460-1513) Priest and Canon of the Canons Regular of the Congregation of the Most Holy Saviour at Bologna, Mystic gifted with the charism of prophecy and of many visions of the Blessed Virgin, Born in 1460 in Bologna, Italy and died on 16 April 1513 (aged 53) in Gubbio, Italy of natural causes. His body is incorrupt. Arcangelo was Beatified on 2 October 1748 by Pope Benedict XIV.
Holy Arcangelo:
https://anastpaul.com/2023/04/16/saint-of-the-day-16-april-blessed-arcangelo-canetoli-crssb-1460-1513-priest/

St Drogo (1105–1186) Lay Penitent Pilgram, Apostle of prayer and the Holy Eucharist, Anchorite.
His life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/16/saint-of-the-day-16-april-saint-drogo-1105-1186/

St Elias

St Fructuosus (Died 665) Archbishop of Braga, Spain, Hermit, Confessor, Monk, Abbot, a great Founder of Monasteries.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/04/16/saint-of-the-day-16-april-saint-fructuosus-of-braga-died-665/

St Herveus of Tours

Blessed Joachim Piccolomini OSM (1258–1305) Tertiary Servite Lay Friar, Apostle of charity of the sick, devotee of the Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin.
Blessed Joachim’s Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/16/saint-of-the-day-16-april-blessed-joachim-piccolomini-of-siena-osm-1258-1305/

St Lambert of Saragossa

St Magnus of Orkney (c1075-1115) Layman Martyr, Magnus was the Earl .of Orkney in Scotland and related to the Royal House of Norway, which exercised sovereignty over the Orkney Islands at that time. The story of St Magnus’ life and Martyrdom are well attested.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2022/04/16/saint-of-the-day-16-april-saint-magnus-of-orkney-c-1075-1115/

St Turibius (c402-c460) Bishop of Astorga in Spain, Hermit, Monk, Defender of the Faith against heresy, in particular, the heresy of Priscilian., Miracle-worker. Born in Astorga, Spain in c402 and died there in c460 of natural causes. Patronages – Diocese of Palencia, Diocese of Santander, Diocese of Astorga, all in Spain.
The Roman Martyrology reads: “At Palencia, St Turibius, the Bishop of Astorga, Spain, who with the aid of Pope St Leo the Great, drove the heresy of Priscilian entirely out of Spain and, went to rest in the Lord with a great renown for miracles.”
Zealous and Miraculous St Turibius:
https://anastpaul.com/2024/04/16/saint-of-the-day-16-april-saint-turibius-of-astorga-c402-c460-bishop/


St Vaise
Blessed William Gnoffi (1256-1317) Hermit

Martyrs of Corinth – 9 Saints: A group of nine Christians who were tortured and Martyred together in the persecutions of Decius. We know little more than three of their names – Callistus, Charisius and Leonide. They were thrown into the sea at Corinth, Greece c250.

Martyrs of Saragossa: Group of 18 Martyrs murdered in 304 in Saragossa, Spain in the persecutions of Diocletian and the prefect Dacean. We know little more than the names – Apodemus, Caecilian, Caius, Crementius, Engratia, Eventius, Felix, Fronto, Gaius, Julia, Lambert, Lupercus, Martial, Optatus, Primitivus, Publius, Quintilian, Saturnius (4 men of this name), Succesus and Urban. Their graves re-discovered in 1389 in the crypt under the Church of San Encrazia in Saragossa.