Easter Monday, Our Lady of Divine Providence, Cussanio, Italy (1521) and Memorials of the Saints 5 April

Easter Monday -the Second day of the Octave

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Santuario Madonna della Divina Provvidenza / Our Lady of Divine Providence, Cussanio, Italy (1521) – 5 April:

In the locality where the Sanctuary now stands, a poor deaf-mute of vulgar appearance and short stature, dressed in a rough habit, used to lead the animals to pasture. Nobody cared about him but on 8 May 1521 Bartholomew Coppa saw a Lady dressed in white coming to meet him, who approached him with maternal affection and blessed him with the word. He then told him to go to Fossano to announce the justice of God and to warn, that there would be great scourges without doing penance.

Having said this, the Lady disappeared and Bartolomeo ran to tell the story. His acquaintances hearing him speak were shocked and the kindest pushed him to carry out the mission that had been entrusted to him.
So Bartholomew went through the streets of the City to become a proclaimer of penance and to send Christians to leave the way of sin, threatening the punishments of God. But he was not listened to and he was disheartened, tired and hungry after three days, he returned to the place. of the prodigy and here he fell asleep on the ground.
And it is here that a new miracle took place. The Lady, who does not abandon her faithful, appeared to him a second time, no longer dressed in white but dressed in blue, gave him bread, repeated the command of the first time and disappeared. Bartholomew waking up, found food and gave thanks to the divine benefactress.
He brought some of the bread to his master and those in the neighbourhood and reminded them of the Lord’s threats. But again it was not believed.
After just six months, in October of the same year, a horrendous plague broke out in Fossano and its surroundings. Thousands of victims and desolation, death and sadness reminded the people of Fossano the words of poor Bartolomeo, who had foretold these punishments.
They then decided to follow his words and the plague subsided. Then in memory of the prodigious event they had a small Chapel built on the site of the Apparition of the Madonna, dedicating it to the Queen of Heaven.

In 1600 the Augustinian Brothers of the Congregation of Genoa came to Cussanio and the friars built the great Monastery complex next to the Sanctuary. During the French Revolution the Convent and Church were suppressed and the buildings forcibly abandoned.

Then, in the year 1872, the Bishop, Emiliano Manacorda, a personal friend of Saint Don Bosco, arrived at the Diocese and claimed ownership of the Monastery which had been wrongfully confiscated by the state and proceeded upon the complete renovation of the Sanctuary. Work began shortly after 1875 and continued for about twenty years and included the elevation of the majestic dome and the reconstruction of the entire façade. The nave was extended, two aisles built and the interior was adorned with Altars, sculptures and paintings. Two of the paintings, attributed to the painter Giuseppe Barotto, depict the two scenes mentioned above and are now preserved in the Church.

St Vincent Ferrer OP (1350-1419) (Optional Memorial)
Biography of St Vincent:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/05/saint-of-the-day-5-april-st-vincent-ferrer-o-p-1350-1419/

St Albert of Montecorvino
Bl Antonius Fuster
St Becan
Bl Blasius of Auvergne
St Catherine of Palma OSA (1533–1574) Nun
St Claudius of Mesopotamia
St Derferl Gadarn
St Gerald of Sauve-Majeure
St Irene of Thessalonica
St Maria Crescentia Hoss

Blessed Mariano de la Mata Aparicio OSA (1905-1983)
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/04/05/saint-of-the-day-5-april-blessed-mariano-de-la-mata-aparicio-osa-1905-1983/
St Pausilippus
Bl Peter Cerdan
St Theodore the Martyr
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Martyrs of Lesbos: 5 saints – Five young Christian women martyred together for their faith. We don’t even know their names. island of Lesbos, Greece.

Martyrs of North-West Africa: Large group of Christians murdered while celebrating Easter Mass during the persecutions of Genseric, the Arian king of the Vandals. They were martyred in 459 at Arbal (in modern Algeria).

Martyrs of Seleucia: 120 saints – One-hundred and eleven (111) men and nine (9) women who, because they were Christians, were dragged to Seleucia and martyred for refusing to worship the sun or fire or other pagan idols during the persecutions of King Shapur II. They were burned alive in 344 in Seleucia, Persia.