Saint Osith, also known as Osyth, Osgyth, Othith, Ositha, Sythe, a Mercian noblewoman and prioress martyred in the 8th century. Born in Quarrendon, Buckinghamshire, England, she was the daughter of Frithuwald, a sub-king of Mercia in Surrey. Her mother was Wilburh, of the royal house of Mercia. Her parents, with St Erconwald, founded Chertsey Abbey in 675 AD.
Raised in the care of her maternal aunts, St Edith of Aylesbury and Edburga of Bicester, her ambition was to become an abbess, but she was forced by her father into a marriage with Sighere, King of Essex. She is the mother of King Offa of Essex.
While her husband was away on a hunt, Osith persuaded two local bishops to accept her vows as a nun. Upon the king’s return some days later, he reluctantly agreed to her decision and granted her some land at Chich near Colchester, now named after her as St Osyth, where she established a convent, and ruled as first abbess. She was beheaded by Vikings, perhaps because she resisted being carried off.
The holy spring at Quarrendon, is associated with her legend, in which Osith stood up after her execution, picking up her head and walking with it in her hands, to the door of a local convent, before collapsing there.
Veneration of St Osith was widespread across England. Norwich Cathedral and St Albans Abbey had chapels dedicated to her in the Middle Ages.
St Osyth Priory, after being stolen by Henry VIII and turned into a manor house for his lackeys
On Sunday 7 October 1571 the combined Christian fleets under Don John of Austria achieved a significant naval victory over the Turks in the Straits of Lepanto. Thousands of Christians were liberated, the Turkish fleet was destroyed and they suffered their first great defeat at sea. In gratitude to God and Our Lady, Pope Saint Pius V ordered an annual commemoration to be made of Our Lady of Victory. In 1573 Pope Gregory XIII transferred the feast to the first Sunday of October with the title Feast of the Most Holy Rosary since the victory was won through invocation of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1716 Pope Clement XII extended the feast to the whole Latin Rite calendar, assigning it to the first Sunday in October. Saint Pope Pius X changed the date to 7 October in 1913.
St Martin Cid Bl Matthew Carreri St Osith St Palladius of Saintes St Quarto of Capua St Rigaldo
Martyrs of Arima: Eight lay people Japan who were martyred together in the persecutions of Christianity in Japan: • Blessed Hadrianus Takahashi Mondo • Blessed Ioanna Takahashi • Blessed Leo Hayashida Sukeemon • Blessed Martha Hayashida • Blessed Magdalena Hayashida • Blessed Didacus Hayashida • Blessed Leo Takedomi Kan’Emon • Blessed Paulus Takedomi Dan’Emon They were martyred on 7 October 1613 in Arima, Hyogo, Japan and Beatified on 24 November 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Mercedarian Nuns of Seville: Five Mercedarian nuns at the monastery of the Assumption in Seville, Spain noted for their piety – Sisters Agnese, Bianca, Caterina, Maddalena and Marianna.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War • Blessed José Llosá Balaguer
Our Morning Offering – 7 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary” – Memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and of Victory
Through Thee, to Us, our Saviour Came To Our Lady of the Rosary By St Amadeus of Lausanne O.Cist (1108-1159)
Through thee, to us, our Saviour came, Through thee, to Him, we fain would go. Our lives are marred by wrong and shame, Yet, confidence in thee we know. The friendship thou dost give to all Who love thy name, shall ever be Assurance thou wilt hear our call, Sweet Lady of the Rosary!
Thou art our Strength upon the way, Our Morning Star, to cheer and guide; Our Beacon Light to show the day, And lead us to the Saviour’s Side; A Comforter in ev’ry pain We find, O Mother blest, in thee, And seek we, never, thee in vain, Fair Lady of the Rosary!
Thy praises, Mary, we would sing, And all our faculties employ, That unto thee our hearts might bring A glory-crown of love and joy. Bless thou each humble effort made In thy regard and grant that we, May by thy influence be swayed, Our Lady of the Rosary!
One Minute Reflection – 7 October – “Month of the Holy Rosary” – Readings: Ps 44:2, Prov 8:22-24, 32-35, Luke 1:26-38
And when the angel had come to her, he said, Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.
Luke 1:26-38
REFLECTION – The day of the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin, I resolved to abandon myself so much to God, who is always in me and in whom I am and I live, that I do not worry of my conduct, not only exterior, but even interior, slowly resting between His arms without fear of temptation, illusion, prosperity, adversity, nor my bad inclinations, nor my very faults, hoping that He will lead everything by His kindness and His infinite wisdom, so that everything will succeed in His glory; not to want to be loved or to be supported by anyone; Wanting to have in Him and my father, and my mother, and my brothers, and my friends, and all that could have for me some feeling of tenderness.
It seems to me that we are well at ease in an asylum so sure and so sweet, and that I must fear neither men, demons, nor myself, nor life, nor death. As long as God suffers it, I am too happy. It seems to me that in this I found the secret to live content, and that now everything I feared in spiritual life no longer has to make me fear.
Bl Claude la Colombière
PRAYER – Lord God and Father, who entrusted the earth to men and each to the other, grant us the grace this day, to see Your Face in our neighbour and to seek all who need our help. Grant us the grace to work faithfully for Your glory, for the salvation of our souls through the light of faith You have given us. We beg the grace of Your love and mercy and the light of love You send with Your Holy Spirit. May the prayers of Mary our Holy Mother, keep us ever in her guiding care. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.
The greatest method of praying, is to pray the Rosary.
St Francis de Sales
The salvation of the whole world began with the “Hail Mary.” Hence, the salvation of each person is also attached to this prayer.
St Louis de Montfort
Those who say the Rosary daily and wear the Brown Scapular and who do a little more, will go straight to Heaven.
St Alphonsus Ligouri
If our age in its pride laughs at and rejects Our Lady’s Rosary, a countless legion of the most saintly men of every age and of every condition, have not only held it most dear and have most piously recited it but, have also used it at all times, as a most powerful weapon to overcome the devil, to preserve the purity of their lives, to acquire virtue more zealously, in a word, to promote peace among men.
Pope Pius XI
The Rosary is the scourge of the devil.
Pope Adrian VI
Among all the devotions approved by the Church, none has been favoured by so many miracles, as the devotion of the Most Holy Rosary.
A pious woman having one night received information that a poor person in the suburbs was lying in extreme necessity, and none of her domestics being within, sent her son with something for her relief. The boy being very young, was greatly afraid, going, by himself to such a lonely place, until a page appeared, bearing a flambeau, and conducted him safely to his destination. His mother doubted not that it might be his good Angel who had rendered him the charitable office. These blessed Spirits have often appeared visibly to man. The learned interpreter of the Holy Scripture, Cornelius a Lapide, supposes, that after the resurrection, they will sometimes assume bodies of exquisite beauty to recreate us. It is amazing to see them take every form to render services to us. They have appeared in various shapes, as pilgrims, &c., to serve and benefit man, who does almost nothing to testify his gratitude.
If it were only at certain times they rendered us assistance, it would not be so wonderful; but to be conferring favours on us every moment we exist, is inconceivable—and it is this our good Angel does for us. If a prince of the royal blood came and spent some time in waiting on an humble peasant, in a poor cabin, every one would be amazed; but if this peasant was his enemy, one from whom he could expect nothing like gratitude—if, moreover, he not only passed some months with him, but even resolved on remaining in his service as long as he lived, notwithstanding all the vicious propensities and vile habits which he discovered in him, the wonder would be infinitely greater. Yet it is in this manner, O my soul! thy good Angel guards thee.
O excessive bounty !—even while we sleep, they watch over us they are always at our side—though we are sinners, and consequently their enemies—though our interior deformity is so great, that if we saw it we could not support the sight— though we spend our lives in sin, or in such frivolous occupations as certainly excite the pity of these blessed spirits—though we corrupt our best actions by numberless defects, they are never weary of our company. Even after death, they visit us in Purgatory, and render us in its flames very great consolations. Is not this to be our slaves ? Where would we be able to find persons who would sacrifice their liberty so perfectly in the service of kings ? O bounty of our God ! the Princes of Paradise our slaves and servants! Well, indeed, did the holy Vincent of Caraffe say, that the life of a Christian was a life of astonishment.
But the Angels not only protect man, they also give their cares to everything that is destined for his service. According to St. Augustine, these blessed Spirits preside over every animate and inanimate thing in this visible world. The stars and the firmament have their Angels—the fire, the air, the water, have their Angels—kingdoms have their Angels, as is seen in the Scriptures provinces have their Angels, for the Angels who appeared to Jacob, says Genesis, were the guardians of the provinces through which he passed towns and cities have their Angels—altars, churches, nay, even particular families, have their Angels. Thus the world is full of Angels, and it seems that the sweetness of Divine Providence renders it necessary; for if, as some say, there be in the air so great a number of evil spirits, that if they were permitted to assume bodies, they would obscure the light of the sun, how could men be safe from their malicious arts, unless protected by the Angels ?
Whatever Eliseus might say to his servant of the protection of these blessed Spirits, the poor man could not believe it, until God miraculously opened his eyes, and manifested them to him under visible forms. If the same favour is not given to us, still have we not faith ? and can we not behold with our interior eyes these amiable spirits, and acknowledge them as our greatest benefactors, and the faithful ministers of God alone, whom we adore, who is admirable in all his works, and deserves for them eternal, everlasting praise ?
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