Day: August 12, 2026

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Madonna del Bosco / Our Lady of the Woods, Montemilone, Potenza, Basilicata, Italy (13th Century) and Memorials of the Saints – 12 August

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Madonna del Bosco / Our Lady of the Woods, Montemilone, Potenza, Basilicata, Italy(13th Century) – 12 August:

The shrine of the Glorious Virgin was built on the slopes of a hill, about 400 meters above sea level, at the behest of the Basilian Monks, who preferred to raise their convents and shrines on the banks of rivers or on the mountain ranges, with the intention to raise, more and more, the spirit to Heaven. The site is located about 3 kilometers from the Town centre. the church was built on the design of the brothers Luigi and Ruggiero Sarolo , sculptors of Muro Lucano, which began construction in 1187 and finished in 1189 . The sanctuary, to see it from a distance, has something magical with its stand on the slope of the hill.

The statue, which was recently restored, is roughly made but expressive and full of solemn majesty. The Virgin seated on a throne in the chest holds the Divine Child. The peculiar characteristics of the statue and , particularly , the crowns of the Virgin and Child, recall those of the French art of the post- Carolingian period but the clothes and painted decorations are purely Byzantine and Byzantine unmistakably is the posture of the blessing hand of the Child – the two fingers, the index and middle fingers open and the other closed.

St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) (Memorial)

St Jeanne de Chantal/Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641) Mother, Widow, Foundress of the Congregation of the Visitation with the assistance and guidance of St Francis de Sales, whose great friend and collaborator she was. St Vincent de Paul served as her spiritual director after St Francis de Sales’ death. Her favourite devotions were the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. St Jane was buried in the Annecy Convent next to St Francis de Sales. Canonised on 16 July 1767 by Pope Clement XIII .(Optional Memorial)

St Anicetus of Marmora
St Discolio of Vercelli
St Euplus of Catania (Died 304) Deacon Martyr
St Eusebius of Milan
St Felicissima the Blind
St Gracilian
St Herculanus of Brescia

Blessed Pope Innocent XI (1611-1689) Lawyer, Apostle of Charity, Reformer, Administrator. He is known in Budapest as the “Saviour of Hungary” and “Father of the Poor”

St Jambert of Canterbury
St Julian of Syria

St Macarius of Syria
St Merewenna
St Micae Nguyen Huy My
St Murtagh of Killala
St Photinus of Marmora

St Pedro del Barco (1088-1155) Hermit, Penitent, Canon, Apostle of the needy, he is regarded as the father of the agricultural industry in Avila, Spain.

St Porcarius of Lerins
St Simplicio of Vercelli
St Ust
—
Martyrs of Augsburg – 4 saints: The mother, Hilaria, and three friends of of Saint Afra of Augsburg. While visiting the tomb of Saint Afra who were seized by the authorities and martyred when they visited Afra’s tomb – Digna, Eunomia, Euprepia and Hilaria. They were burned alive c 304.

Martyrs of Rome – 5 saints: A group of Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. We know little more than their names – Crescentian, Juliana, Largio, Nimmia and Quiriacus.
• c.304 in Rome, Italy
• buried on the Ostian Way outside Rome.

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 12 August – St Jaenbert

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Saint Jaenbert (Jaenberht, Janbriht, Janibert, Jambert, Lambert, Lanbriht, Genegberht) Jænberht was a medieval monk, and later the abbot, of St Augustine’s Abbey, Canterbury. He came from a prominent family in the kingdom of Kent, and a kinsman of his, Eadhun, was an official of King Egbert II of Kent. In 760 he was elected Abbot of St. Augustine’s, Canterbury, and blessed by Archbishop Bregwin. When the archbishop died he was buried at Christ Church, and Jaenbert asserted the rights of his own abbey as the traditional burying-place with such vigour that the monks of Christ Church elected him archbishop to avoid his appeal to Rome, thus showing the great strength of his personality and will.

Canterbury Cathedral seen from St Augustine’s Abbey

As archbishop, he had a difficult relationship with King Offa of Mercia, who at one point confiscated lands from the archbishopric. By 787, some of the bishoprics under Canterbury’s supervision were transferred to the control of the newly created Archbishopric of Lichfield. Jænberht also presided over church councils in England and minted silver coins, thus making him the earliest Archbishop of Canterbury whose coinage has been preserved. The saint was renowned for his wisdom and sound judgment. He was sought after by both clergy and laity for his advice and guidance on matters of faith and morals. Jambert was the thirteenth prelate of the primal see of England and was noted for his patronage of monasteries and the poor.

St Augustine’s Abbey

He died on 12 August, 792, of natural causes, and was buried in the abbey church of St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury.

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 12 August – I Come, O Lord

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Our Morning Offering – 12 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” Memorial of St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)

I Come, O Lord
By St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)

I come, O Lord,
unto Thy sanctuary
to see the life and food of my soul.
As I hope in Thee, O Lord,
inspire me with that confidence
which brings me to Thy holy mountain.
Permit me, Divine Jesus,
to come closer to Thee,
that my whole soul may do homage
to the greatness of Thy majesty,
that my heart,
with its tenderest affections,
may acknowledge Thy infinite love,
that my memory may dwell
on the admirable mysteries,
here renewed everyday
and that the sacrifice,
of my whole being,
may accompany Thine.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION

One Minute Reflection – 12 August – Give me the strength to meet you with the wise virgins

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One Minute Reflection – 12 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Readings: Ps 44:8, Ps 44:2, 2 Cor 10:17-18; 11:1-2, Matt 25:1-13.

Then will the kingdom of heaven be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom and the bride. Five of them were foolish and five wise.

Matt 25:1-13

REFLECTION – Inexpressible birth, conception without seed, exempt of corruption, the deliverance of a mother that has no spouse. The birth of God renews the human nature; this is why all the generations magnify you as is due, O mother and Spouse of God!

O my Christ, friend of man, God of all goodness, in the middle of the night, before the trumpet sounds, as the scripture says, "Rise, the Spouse is here!" Purify my soul and my mind, and give me the force to go to meet you with the wise virgins.

When the souls of the just are filled with Joy while sinners groan and cry, when judgement is at the door, and you appear as one coming down from heaven, spare me then, O compassionate One, have mercy and save me
You who are without beginning, uncreated, Son of God, Supreme Deity, in your mercy save me, and give me the strength to stand in your presence, without flinching, till morning that I might worship you and glorify you, O my Creator. Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Book of hours of Sinai

PRAYER – Holy God, grant we pray, Your Holy Spirit of love and divine grace to grow ever more in faith and love. . By our prayers and love for You and our neighbour, may we merit Your divine assistance. Lord Jesus, help us to dwell often on the manner in which we are following You. Let us strive each day to become more and more like You in all things and, to become beacons of Your Light, to all the world. St Clare of Assisi, and St Jane Frances de Chantal, you who were lights to all, pray for us,amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 12 August – St Clare 

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Quote/s of the Day – 12 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – Memorial of St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)

Thou hast loved justice, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Ps 44:8

For though you, more than others, could have enjoyed the magnificence and honor and dignity of the world, and could have been married to the illustrious Caesar with splendor befitting you and His Excellency, you have rejected all these things and have chosen with your whole heart and soul a life of holy poverty and destitution. Thus you took a spouse of more noble lineage, who will keep your virginity ever unspotted and unsullied, the Lord Jesus Christ.

When you have loved Him, you shall be chaste;
when you have touched Him, you shall become pure;
when you have accepted Him, you shall be a virgin.
Whose power is stronger,
Whose generosity is more abundant,
Whose appearance more beautiful,
Whose love more tender,
Whose courtesy more gracious.
In whose embrace you are already caught up;
who has adorned your breast with precious stones
and has placed priceless pearls in your ears
and has surrounded you with sparkling gems
as though blossoms of springtime
and placed on your head a golden crown
as a sign to all of your holiness.

O blessed poverty, who bestows eternal riches on those who love and
embrace her!

O holy poverty, to those who possess and desire you
God promises the kingdom of heaven and offers, indeed, eternal glory and
blessed life!

O God-centered poverty, whom the Lord Jesus Christ who ruled and now
rules heaven and earth, who spoke and things were made, condescended to
embrace before all else!

Be filled with a remarkable happiness and a spiritual joy! Contempt of the world has pleased you more than its honors, poverty more than earthly riches, and you have sought to store up greater treasures in heaven rather than on earth, where rust does not consume nor moth destroy, nor thieves break in and steal. Your reward then, is very great in heaven! And you have truly merited to be called a sister, spouse, and mother of the
Son of the Father of the Most High and of the glorious Virgin.

What a great laudable exchange: to leave the things of time for those of eternity, to choose the things of heaven for the goods of earth, to receive the hundred-fold in place of one, and to possess a blessed and eternal life.

She was the first flower in Francis’ garden, and she shone like a radiant star.

St. Bonaventure on Clare

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary

Thought for the Day – 12 August – The Blessedness of the Merciful

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St John Eudes – The Admirable Heart of Mary

Mary’s Heart, The Sea

The Admirable Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary is not only a fountain, as we have seen, it is also a sea, of which the ocean created by God on the Third Day is a beautiful figure. This is the fifth symbolic picture or representation of Our Lady’s immaculate Heart.

The Holy Ghost declares that Mary, His most worthy Bride, is a sea. A humble and learned writer who, while revealing his brilliant gifts in his excellent commentary on the psalms, has chosen that his name and person remain unknown, teaches us that the name of sea is given in Sacred Scripture to the glorious Virgin because she is indeed a sea of purity, vast in extent and in usefulness. We shall consider shortly that Mary is an ocean in purity and in extent. As for usefulness, this holy Doctor tells us that just as the sea does not permit the adjoining land to remain sterile, so the souls who approach the Mother of God with true devotion bring forth abundant fruits of benediction, thanks to the graces she lavishly bestows on them. Let us say of her Heart that it is a sea full of great and wondrous riches.

In the order of nature, the sea is one of the greatest marvels of God’s omnipotence. “Wonderful are the surges of the sea.” * God, Who is great everywhere, is especially admirable in the sea. “Wonderful is the Lord in the depths.” The holy Heart of Mary is an ocean of wonders and an abyss of miracles, It is the extraordinary masterpiece of essential and un-created Love, in which the effects of infinite power, wisdom and goodness shine more brilliantly than in all the hearts of angels and men.

What is the sea? It is the gathering of the waters, says Sacred Scripture, or if you prefer, it is the place where all the waters are gathered. “Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place.” And the sacred text adds: “The gathering together of the waters, he called Seas.” Now what is the august Heart of Mary? It is the place where are gathered and united the living waters of all graces springing from the Heart of God, as from their first source. St. Jerome says: “Grace is divided among other saints, but Mary possesses the plenitude of sanctity.”

All the graces of heaven and earth merge their waters in the great sea of the Holy Heart of the Mother of the Saint of Saints. “In me is all grace of the way and the truth.” In Mary’s Heart are all the graces of the angels and of men, all the graces of the Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Archangels and Angels, all the graces of the holy Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, disciples of Jesus, martyrs, priests and levites, confessors, hermits, virgins and widows, of the Holy Innocents and of all the blessed in heaven. There is no overflow of grace in Mary; she is not overwhelmed, for her Heart is worthy of all the gifts and all the liberalities of God’s infinite goodness, and is capable of receiving and using them all for the glory of His Divine Majesty.

St. Bernardine of Siena tells us that all the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost descended into the soul and heart of this heavenly Virgin in such fulness, especially when she conceived the Son of God within her chaste womb, that her Heart forms an abyss of grace which no human or angelic intellect can comprehend. The mind of God, that of her Son, Jesus Christ, and her own, are alone capable of understanding the abundance and perfection of this ocean of grace.

The sea does not hoard its waters, but freely dispenses them to the earth through the rivers, which flow into the ocean only to come out of it again, that they may water the whole earth and make it bear all kinds of fruit. “Unto the place from whence the rivers come, they return, to flow again.” The Heart of our munificent Queen does not withhold any of the graces she receives from the generous hand of God. She returns them all to the first source, and waters the barren earth of our hearts to the extent needed to make them fruitful for God and for eternity. “That we may bring forth fruit to God.”

Her heart is an ocean more strong than the firmament itself, that sea of which St. John speaks in the Apocalypse: “And in the sight of the throne was, as it were, a sea of glass like to crystal; a sea of glass mingled with fire, and them that had overcome the beast . . . standing on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.”

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption – Day Seven – 12 August

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Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption

DAY SEVEN:

Daily Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ,
Thou has destroyed the power of death
and given the hope of eternal life,
for body and soul.
Thou granted Thy Mother
a special place in Thy glory
and did not allow decay to touch her body.
As we rejoice in the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
grant us renewed confidence
in the victory of life over death.
Amen

Day 7:
Mary, Queen of every heart,
accept all that we are
and bind us to Jesus and to thyself,
with the bonds of love,
so that we may be thine forever
and may be able to say in all truth:
“I belong to Jesus through Mary.”
Our Mother, Assumed into Heaven
and Queen of the Universe,
ever-Virgin Mother of God,
obtain for us our petitions,
if it be for the glory of God
and the good of our souls.
………………………………..
(Mention your request)
Our Mother, assumed into Heaven, we love thee.
Give us a greater love for Jesus
and for thee.
O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us.
Amen