Day: October 19, 2026

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 19 October – Blessed Agnès of Jesus

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Blessed Agnès of Jesus, also known as Agnès Galand, Agnes of Jesus Galand, Agnes of Jesus of Langeac, Agnes of Langeac, was a was a French nun of the Dominican Order. Born on 17 November 1602 in Le Puy, Haute-Loire, she consecrated herself to the Virgin Mary at age seven.

Agnès Galand was born the third of seven children of Pierre Galand, a cutler by trade, and his wife, Guillemette Massiote. When she was five years old, she was entrusted to a religious institute for her education. Even from that early age, she showed a strong sense of spiritual maturity. Agnes joined the Dominican Monastery of St. Catherine of Siena at Langeac in 1623. At her receiving of the religious habit she took the name Agnes of Jesus. Soon after her own profession, she was assigned to serve as the Mistress of novices for the community. Galand was elected to lead her community as prioress in 1627. She was later deposed from this office, but she accepted her demotion with indifference and grace.

She was a mystic, St Louis de Montfort noted this:

I shall simply relate an incident which I read in the life of Mother Agnes of Jesus, a Dominican nun of the convent of Langeac in Auvergne. … One day the Blessed Virgin appeared to Mother Agnes and put a gold chain around her neck to show her how happy she was that Mother Agnes had become the slave of both her and her Son. And St. Cecilia, who accompanied our Lady, said to her, “Happy are the faithful slaves of the Queen of Heaven, for they will enjoy true freedom.”

In 1631, Agnes experienced the most famous of her visions, in which the Blessed Virgin Mary urged her to pray for an unknown priest with the command, “Pray to my Son for the Abbé of Prébrac.” Jean-Jacques Olier was the current holder of that office, and while at a retreat led by Vincent de Paul, he experienced a vision in which Agnes appeared to him, though he was unacquainted with her. He sought out the nun who had appeared to him in the dream. When he met Agnes, she told him: “I have received orders from the Holy Virgin to pray for you. God has destined you to open the first seminaries in France.” Olier would go on to found the Society of Saint-Sulpice. Before her death, she related to her community her great desire that they pray for priests.

She died on 19 October 1634 in Langeac and was declared venerable on 19 March 1808 by Pope Pius VII.

Posted in Uncategorized

Virgen del Camino / Our Lady of the Way, León, Spain (1505) and Memorials of the Saints – 19 October

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Virgen del Camino / Our Lady of the Way, Valverde de la Virgen, León, Castile and León, Spain (1505) – 19 October:

On 2 July 1505, while watching his sheep, Alvar Simón Fernández saw the Virgin, radiant with light and heard her say: “Go to the city and tell the Bishop to come to this place and install this image my Son wishes to appear here, for the good of this land.” The shepherd answered, “Señora, how will they believe it was you who sent me?” She asked for his slingshot and with it launched a small stone, saying, “When the Bishop sees this stone it will be so large that he will know I have sent you and where you find the stone, is where my Son and I want you to put the image.”

The miraculously-located Shrine was outside the City of León on the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrim road to Compostela, hence the title Virgin of the Way The Virgen del Camino was declared Patron of the León region in 1914. The Statue is a 84 centimetre wooden Pietà, which the Basilica’s website dates to 1514. Its coronation, which Pope Benedict XI authorised in 1917, was carried out on 19 October 1930. The large, modern Sanctuary was completed in 1961 and houses the Statue. The Virgin of the Way is honoured today and on 15 September, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

St Paul of the Cross CP (1604-1775) Priest, Mystic, Preacher, endowed with miraculous powers of healing and prophecy, Founder of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ known as the Passionists. Canonised on 29 June 1867 by Blessed Pope Pius IX who placed his Feast on 28 April. It was moved in 1969. So great was his eloquence when he spoke of the Passion that both he and his hearers would shed tears and the most hardened hearts were moved to repentance.

Bl Agnes of Jesus
St Altinus
St Aquilinus of Evreux
St Asterius of Ostia
St Beronicus of Antioch
St Desiderius of Longoret
St Ednoth
St Ethbin
St Eusterius of Salerno
St Frideswide

St Laura of Cordoba
St Lucius of Rome
St Luke Alonso Gorda
St Lupus of Soissons
St Matthaeus Kohyoe
St Pelagia of Antioch

St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Franciscan Friar and Priest, Mystic, Ecstatic, Writer, Preacher, Reformer, Hermit, Apostle of Prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, the Passion and Charity, Miracle-worker.

Bl Philip Howard (1557–1595) Martyr, Married, Layman

St Potenzianus of Sens
St Ptolemy of Rome
St Sabiniano of Sens
St Theofrid

Blessed Thomas Hélye (c 1180-1257) Priest, Penitent, Teacher, Missionary and renowned Preacher.

St Varus of Kemet
St Verano of Cavaillon
—
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: 18 Beati
• Blessed Antonio Elizalde Garvisu
• Blessed Constantino Miguel Moncalvillo
• Blessed Dionisio Arizaleta Salvador
• Blessed Emiliano Pascual Abad
• Blessed Eusebio de Las Heras Izquierdo
• Blessed Ferran Castán Messeguer
• Blessed Francesc Solá Peix
• Blessed Francisco Marco Martínez
• Blessed Francisco Milagro Mesa
• Blessed Francisco Simón Pérez
• Blessed Josep Ferrer Escolà
• Blessed Josep Ribé Coma
• Blessed Julio Leache Labiano
• Blessed Juan Senosiaín Zugasti
• Blessed Manuel Font y Font
• Blessed Narcís Simón Sala
• Blessed Nicolas Campo Giménez
• Blessed Pere Vives Coll

Posted in Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 19 October – Prayer for the Gift of Prayer By St Alphonsus Liguori

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Prayer for the Gift of Prayer
By St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)
Most Zealous Doctor of the Church

O Incarnate Word,
You have given Your Blood and Your Life
to confer on our prayers that power by which,
according to Your promise,
they obtain for us all that we ask.
And we, O God,
are so careless of our salvation,
that we will not even ask You for the graces
that we must have, if we should be saved!
In prayer You have given us the key
of all Your Divine treasures
and we, rather than pray,
choose to remain in our misery.
Alas! O Lord, enlighten us,
and make us know the value of prayers,
offered in Your name and by Your merits,
in the eyes of Your Eternal Father.
Amen

Posted in ONE Minute REFLECTION, Uncategorized

One Minute Reflection – 19 October – “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth”

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 October – “Month of the Most Holy Rosary” – Readings: Ps 91:13-14, Ps 91:2, Phil 3:7-12, Ps 36:30-31, Luke 12:32-34

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, Do not be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms. Make for yourselves purses that do not grow old, a treasure unfailing in heaven, where neither thief draws near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

Luke 12:32-34

REFLECTION – Why distress yourself and go to such effort to conceal your wealth behind bricks and mortar? “A good name is more desirable than great riches”. The reason you love money is because of the attention it wins you. But think how much greater your renown will be if you can be called the father and protector of thousands of children rather than by keeping thousands of gold pieces in your money-bags. Whether you like it or not, one of these days you will have to leave your money there; whereas you will take with you the glory for all the good things you have done before our sovereign Lord, while a whole lot of people, rushing to your defence before the judge of us all, will call out the names that declare you have fed them, helped them, and shown them kindness.

How thankful, happy and proud must you be for the honor shown you: it isn't you who must go to pester others at their door, others will come flocking to your own. Yet right now you are grumpy, you make yourself inaccessible, you run away from encounters for fear of having to let go of a little of what you are so jealously guarding. And you only have one thing to say: “I haven't anything, I won't give you anything, because I am poor.” You are poor indeed, poor of everything good: poor in love, poor in goodness, poor in trust in God, poor in your everlasting expectations.

St Basil

PRAYER – All-powerful, eternal God and Father, grant us the grace of Your Spirit and fill us with the light of understanding and love. May we learn to truly pray and by our prayers to entreat You to bless us in Your goodness and lead us to true faith in Your eternal light and Word sent to redeem us. May we always be waiting and prepared to open the door of our hearts to Jesus Christ our Lord, who comes in light, love and peace. Grant that by the prayers of all Your Angels and Saints, we may be strengthened. Holy Mother, be our protection and our guide. We make our prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord with the Holy Spirit, God now and forever, amen.

Posted in CATHOLIC Quotes

Quote/s of the Day – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantara

Posted on by AnaStpaul

For, if they have devotion, nothing is more sweet, nothing more pleasant, than to insist to prayer and meditation. But, if that be wanting, nothing more hard, nothing more difficult, nothing more burdensome than to pray.

Devotion doth so far forth obtain the name of virtue, that likewise it is a special gift of the Holy Ghost: a heavenly dew, an assistance obtained by prayer, whose property is to remove all difficulties happening in prayer and meditation ; to expel tepidity, to minister alacrity in the divine service, to instruct the understanding, to roborate the will, to kindle in our hearts heavenly love, to extinguish the flames of unlawful desires, to engender a hatred and loathing of sin, and all transitory things; and, last of all, to him that possesseth it, to infuse a new fervor, a new spirit, a new mind, and new desires to do well.

Nine Helps to Devotion:
-Generous resolution
-Custody of the heart
-Custody of the senses
-Solitude
-The reading of spiritual books
-Continual memory of Almighty God
-Perserverance in good exercises
-Corporal abstinence and austerities
-Works of mercy

Nine Impediments to Devotion:
-Sin
-Extreme remorse of conscience
-Anxiety and inordinate sadness
-Overwork
-Being ‘busy’
-Delights and pleasures of the senses
-Inordinate delight in eating and drinking
-Curiosity
-An intermission in spirtual exercises

It cometh to pass that many, allured with the pleasure of this admirable and unused sweetness, (which is greater than can be comprehended) come to God, and frequent these spiritual actions ; as reading, prayer, meditation, use of the Sacrament, for the great content and delight they take in them, so that for the principal end, wherewith they are moved, is this admirable sweetness which they vehemently desire. This is a great error, and many are plunged into it.

From this error springeth another branch; to wit, that many judge themselves and others, according to the ebbing and flowing of consolations, so far that they are persuaded that a man is more or less perfect, by how much more or less he is visited with divine consolations.This is a great mistake.

Posted in OCTOBER - The HOLY ROSARY and The HOLY ANGELS

Thought for the Day – 19 October – Novenas in honour of the holy Angels

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Glories of the Holy Angels

Venerable Henri Boudon, Archdeacon of Evreux

To make Novenas in honour of the holy Angels—to take certain days to honour them—and to celebrate their Feasts with particular devotion.

The Catholic Church teaches, that we should not superstitiously attach ourselves to certain numbers; but there are some mysterious ones, consecrated by the piety of the faithful, which she sanctions and authorizes as that of three, which is the number of the holy Trinity; that of forty, which is the number of days our Lord spent in the wilderness; that of nine, which corresponds with the number of the angelic Choirs.

Any devotion practised for nine days is termed a Novena. St. Teresa was very partial to this practice, as she herself tells us. It is most useful to perform such a one in honour of the Angels; we ourselves have seen miraculous things effected by it.

It may be as follows : the first day, honour the Angels of the last Choir by some prayer— nine Gloria Patris, for example—and ask them for the grace or favour you want; and thus ascend to all the choirs successively. If your object be the graces peculiar to each Choir, you can on the first day, ask the Angels to obtain for you a lively faith; on the second, beg of the Archangels holy zeal; on the third, honour the Principalities, and beg the extinction of the reign of sin; on the fourth, the Powers, for their support against the malicious efforts of hell; on the fifth, the Virtues, that they may facilitate the practice of that, perfection to which all Christians are by their baptismal engagement bound to aspire; on the sixth, honour the Dominations, that you may know the divine will; on the seventh, the Thrones, that, by a perfect subjection to this blessed will, you may obtain that peace which surpasses all understanding;” on the eighth, honour the Cherubim that, taught from on high, you may renounce in practice the maxims and doctrine of the world ; and, finally, on the ninth, honour the Seraphim, for the establishment of the reign of the love of God in the hearts of all.

This devotion of Novenas is also a useful preparation for the feasts of our Lord and his blessed Mother, as well as of the Angels. It may consist of any pious practice, as of nine acts of mortification, nine genuflections, nine visits to the Holy Sacrament, or nine Ave Marias, a devotion which our Lord revealed to St. Mechtilde. It is well to commence by receiving the Holy Sacraments, that our souls being cleansed from sin, God may be more ready to hear and grant our requests. Thus much for the devotion of the Novena.

Tuesday in each week (since there is no day or week in which we do not experience the protection of the angels) should be sacred to the angelic devotion—as also the 29th of September and the 8th of May, the feasts of St. Michael. In Normandy, they devote the 16th of October to honour the apparition of this glorious Archangel on the Mount of Tornbe, commonly called Mount St. Michael. The church built there in his honour is frequented by crowds of pilgrims on this day, and numberless miracles are operated by his intercession.

The 18th of March is the feast of St. Gabriel; the 24th of October, that of St. Raphael and the 2nd of the same month is consecrated to the Angels Guardians. All these days should be solemn feasts with the devotees of the holy Angels. They would do well to prepare for them by some act of mortification, (St. Francis fasted forty days to prepare for the feast of St. Michael,) or by the Novena, and to celebrate the feast itself by approaching the Sacraments, reciting the Office of and Litany and Beads of these blessed Spirits, each one according to his time and devotion.

Behold another way of honouring the Angels : when about to celebrate the festival of a Saint, form the intention of honouring his or her guardian; thus you will keep a perpetual holiday in honour of the Angels. Love to visit churches and altars dedicated to them; you will thereby obtain, through their intercession, the most precious gifts and graces.