St Margaret of Scotland (1045-1093) Queen Consort of Scotland Saint Margaret’s name signifies “pearl” “a fitting name,” says Bishop Turgot, her Confessor and her first Biographer, “for one such as she.” Her soul was like a precious pearl. Today is the date of St Margaret’s Death and the usual date for a Feast and in Scotland St Margaret is remembered today. But the Traditional Calendar holds her Feast on 10 June as set by Pope Innocent XII in 1693. About St Margaret: https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/16/saint-of-the-day-16-november-st-margaret-of-scotland-1045-1093-queen/
St Elpidius the Martyr St Eucherius of Lyon St Eustochius the Martyr St Felicita of Capua St Fidentius of Padua St Gobrain of Vannes St Ludre St Marcellus the Martyr St Othmar of Saint Gall (c 689-c 759) Priest, the First Abbot of the Abbey of St Gall in Switzerland. Bl Simeon of Cava
Saint of the Day – 13 November – Blessed Leone of Assisi OFM (Died 1271) Priest and Friar of the Friars Minor of St Francis, Confessor, Secretary and Companion of St Francis, commonly known as “Brother Leo.” Died at Assisi, on15 November, 1271. His date and place of birth is uncertain but is believed to have been in Assisi and not in Viterbo, as some writers have asserted.
Although not one of the original twelve companions of St Francis, Leo was one of the first to join him after the approbation of the first Rule of the Friars Minor (1209-1210) and perhaps was already a Priest. In the course of time, he became the Confessor and Secretary of the Saint, and from about 1220, o the time of Francis’ death, Leo was his constant companion.
Leo was with the “Poverello” when the latter retired to Fonte Colombo near Rieti in 1223 to re-write the Rule of the Order and he accompanied him on his subsequent journey to Rome, to seek its approval. During the following year. Leo was with the Saint on Mount La Verna, when Francis received the Stigmata. Francis called him “Frate Pecorello di Dio – Little poor one of God” because of Leo’s simplicity and tenderness. Leo nursed his master during his last illness.
Leo had entered deeply into the bitter disappointments experienced by the Saint during the last few years of his life and soon after St Francis’s death, he came into conflict with those whom he considered traitors to the Poverello and his ideal of poverty.
St Francis and Bl Leone contemplating morality by El Greco
After Francis’s death Leo took a leading role in the opposition to Elias of Cortona. Having protested against the collection of money for the erection of the Basilica of San Francesco, it was Leo who broke in pieces the marble box which Elias had set up for offerings, for the completion of the Basilica at Assisi. For this, Elias had him scourged and this outrage, on St Francis’s dearest disciple, consolidated the opposition to Elias. Leo was the leader in the early stages of the struggle in the Order for the maintenance of St Francis’ ideas on strict poverty.
Friar Leone (Detail) – “Saint Francis, Friar Leone and Friar Ginepro admire the sky” – modern bronze statues by Fiorenzo Bacci – “Eremo delle Carceri” at Assisi
He retired , thereafter, to a hermitage of the Order. Leo assisted at Saint Clare’s deathbed in 1253. After suffering many persecutions, by the dominant party in the Order, he died at the Portiuncula, in extreme old age and his remains are buried in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi.
Much that is known concerning him was collected by Paul Sabatier in the “Introduction” to the Speculum perfectionis (The Mirror of Perfection). It was likely compiled after his death, based on stories that he told and in his writings.
Fiesta del Patronato de Nuestra Señora / Feast of the Patronage of Our Lady (1679):
Statue of Our Lady in Barcelona Cathedral
This Feast was first permitted by Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, on 6 May, 1679, for all the Provinces of Spain, in memory of the victories obtained over the Saracens, heretics and other enemies, from the sixth century to the reign of Philip IV. Pope Benedict XII ordered it to be kept in the Papal States on the third Sunday of November. To other places it is granted, on request, for a Sunday in November, to be designated by the ordinary. The Office is taken entirely from the Common of the Blessed Virgin and the Mass is the “Salve sancta parens”. In many places the Feast of the Patronage of Our Lady, is held with an additional title of Queen of All Saints, of Mercy, Mother of Graces.
St Didacus de Alcalá de Henares) OFM (c 1400-1463) Confessor, Lay Brother of the Order of Friars Minor, Hermit, Mystic. Months passed before it was possible to bury Brother Didacus, so great was the number of people who came to venerate his remains. Not only did his body remain incorrupt but it diffused a pleasant odour. After it was laid to rest in the Franciscan Church at Alcalá de Henares, astounding miracles continued to occur at his tomb. Pope Sixtus V, himself a Franciscan, Canonised Brother Didacus in 1588. About this lovely Sainst: https://anastpaul.com/2021/11/13/saint-of-the-day-13-november-saint-didacus-ofm-c-1400-1463/
St Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) Mother Cabrini, was an Italian-American religious sister, who founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that was a major support to the Italian immigrants to the United States, Cardinal Mundelein of Chicago officiated at her funeral and in 1938 also presided at her beatification by Pius XI. She was canonised by Pius XII in 1946. She lies buried under the altar of the chapel of Mother Cabrini High School in New York City.(Memorial for the United States only ) – her Universal Feast Day is 22 December. Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2017/12/22/saint-of-the-day-22-december-st-frances-xavier-cabrini-m-s-c-1850-1917/
All Saints of the Augustinian Order: On 13 November – St Augustine’s Birthday, we celebrate the Feast of All Saints of the Augustinian Order. On this day we call to mind the many unsung brothers and sisters of the Augustinian family who have “fought the good fight” and celebrate now, in Heaven. Let us pray for one another that we too may one day join in the “unceasing chorus of praise” with all our Augustinian brethren in Heaven.
All Saints of the Benedictine & Cistercian Orders: Those interested in the Benedictine family may be interested to know that today, within the Benedictine liturgical tradition, is traditionally celebrated the Feast of All Saints of the Benedictine Order – In Festo Omnium Sanctorum Ordinis S.P.N. Benedicti. The Cistercians — who also follow the Rule of St Benedict — likewise observe this day for All Saints of their Order. (On a related note, the Benedictines also traditionally observe 14 November as All Souls of their Order.
All Benedictine Saints
St Benedict and St Bernard -1542
All Saints of the Premonstratensian Order or the “Norbertines.” The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons , are a Roman Catholic religious order of canons regular founded in Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg. Premonstratensians are designated by O.Praem. following their name. St Norbert was a friend of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and so was largely influenced by the Cistercian ideals as to both the manner of life and the government of his order. Aside from St Norbert there are at present fifteen saints of the Order who have been Canonised or have had their immemorial cults confirmed by the Holy See. St Norbert (c 1080-1134) “Defender of the Eucharist” and “Apostle of the Eucharist” – Bishop, Confessor, Founder. Patron for peace, invoked during childbirth for safe delivery, of infertile married couples. St Norbert here: https://anastpaul.com/2017/06/06/saint-of-the-day-6-june-st-norbert/
St Norbert
All Saints of the Norbertines
All Deceased Dominican Brothers and Sisters
St Abbo of Fleury St Amandus of Rennes St Amanzio St Beatrix of Bohemia St Brice of Tours (Died 444) Bishop St Caillin St Chillien of Aubigny St Columba of Cornwall St Dalmatius of Rodez St Devinicus St Eugenius of Toledo St Florido of Città di Castello St Gredifael St Himerius St Homobonus of Cremona St Juan Ortega Uribe Blessed Leone of Assisi OFM (Died 1271)Priest and Friar of the Friars Minor, Companion, Secretary and Confessor of St Francis. St Leoniano of Vienne St Maxellendis St Mitrius St Pope Nicholas I St Paterniano St Quintian of Rodez Bl Robert Scurlock Bl Warmondus of Ivrea
Martyrs of Caesarea – 5 Saints: A group of Christians murdered for their faith in the persecutions of Diocletian, Galerius Maximian and Firmilian. – Antoninus, Ennatha, Germanus, Nicephorus and Zebinas. 297 at Caesarea, Palestine.
Martyrs of Ravenna – 3 Saints: A group of Christians murdered together in the persecutions of Diocletian. The only information about them that has survived are three names – Solutor, Valentine and Victor. c 305 in Ravenna, Italy.
Martyrs of Salamanca – 5 Saints: The first group of Christians exiled, tortured and executed for their adherence to the Nicene Creed during the persecutions of the Arian heretic Genseric. – Arcadius, Eutychianus, Paschasius, Paulillus and Probus. Born in Spain and Martyred in 437. Their relics are at Medina del Campo, Spain.
Quote/s of the Day – 2 November – All Souls Day – “The Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory”
“Remember, when you leave this earth, you can take nothing with you, which you have received, only that, which you have given.”
St Francis of Assisi (c 1181–1226)
“This death … has already levelled his bow to strike me. Is it not prudent to prevent its stroke, by dying now to the world, that at my death, I may live to God?”
St Francis Borgia (1510-1572)
“It seems to me, my daughters, that everything passes so quickly that we should be thinking more, about how to die, than how to live!”
St Teresa of Jesus of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of the Church
“The powers of hell will assail the dying Christian but his Angel Guardian will come to console him. His Patrons and St Michael, who has been appointed by God to defend his faithful servants, in their last combat with the devils, will come to his aid.”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
“It is not Death that will come to fetch me, it is the good God. Death is no phantom, no horrible specter, as presented in pictures. In the catechism it is stated, that death is the separation of soul and body, that is all! Well, I am not afraid of a separation which will unite me to the good God forever.”
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (1873 – 1897)
Prayer for a Holy Death By St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
My beloved Jesus, I will not refuse the cross, as the Cyrenian did; I accept it, I embrace it. I accept, in particular, the death Thou hast destined for me, with all the pains which may accompany it; I unite it to Thy Death, I offer it to Thee Thou hast died for love of me; I will die for love of Thee and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee always and then do with me what Thou will. Amen
Saint of the Day – 2 November – Blessed Margaret of Lorraine OSC (1463-1521) Duchess of Alençon, Mother, Widow, Nun of the Poor Clares, Apostle of the sick, the poor and those suffering under unjust feudal lords. Born in 1463 as Marguerite de Lorraine-Vaudemont in Vaudemont Castle, Lorraine, France and died on 2 November 1521 at Argentan, Brittany, France of natural causes. Also known as – Margaret Lotarynska, Marguerite de Lorraine-Vaudemont, Margarita, Margherita, Marguerite. Margaret was Beatified on 10 March 1921 by Pope Benedict XV (cultus confirmed).
Blessed Margaret of Lorraine was born of the ancient noble family of the Dukes of Lorraine. Her earnest efforts to lead a virtuous life attracted attention very early in her life. After the death of her husband, Duke Rene of Alençon, she assumed the government of the Duchy. In this, she was guided solely by Catholic principles and by means of prudent economy, she managed to save a significant amount of materials which she used to render aid to the poor and the needy. She took particular pleasure in nursing the sick and the lepers. She built Churches, Convents and hospitals everywhere.
The subject matter taught in the schools and the instruction of the people were objects of particular solicitude to her. Hard-hearted landlords and selfish officials were dealt with by her, with the greatest severity.
Still, she remained very humble and spent a great part of her day in meditating on the sufferings of Christ and in performing works of penance.
In later years, after she had turned the government over to her son, she was invested with the habit of the Third Order. And when that no longer satisfied her desire for perfection, she entered the Convent of the Poor Clares at Alençon, which she herself had founded. Blessed Margaret aspired to perfection as a child, a woman, a ruler, a widow and finally as a religious and she succeeded in achieving her goal.
Every Christian is obliged to strive for perfection. It is not without reason that Our Lord says: “Be you, therefore, perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5,48).
This obligation does not require the impossible of us. Everyone can love his neighbour, do good and overcome himself. We must, above all, bear in mind that perfection does not consist in external practices but rather, in the disposition of our heart. The motive must be the love of God. All for the love of God!
Blessed Margaret of Lorraine died a saintly death at the Convent at Alençon in the year 1521. Pope Benedict XV approved her veneration.
In 1792 the body of Blessed Margaret was exhumed and found incorrupt. Inside the casket was found a small reliquary which contained her heart.
During the French Revolution a group of Jacobins disinterred the saint’s body to profane it, later placing it in a common grave. Only the bones and the saint’s heart remain and are now at the Monastery of Clarisses at Alençon
All Saints Day – (a Holy Day of Obligation) Instituted to honour all the saints, known and unknown. It owes its origin in the Western Church to the dedication of the Roman Pantheon in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the Martyrs by Pope Saint Boniface IV in 609, the anniversary of which was celebrated at Rome on 13 May. Pope Saint Gregory III Consecrated a Chapel in the Vatican Basilica in honour of All Saints, designating 1 November as their feast. Pope Gregory IV extended its observance to the whole Church. It has a Vigil and Octave and is a Holy Day of Obligation – the eve is popularly celebrated as Hallowe’en. Patronage – Arzignano, Italy. ABOUT: https://anastpaul.com/2019/11/01/solemnity-of-all-saints-1-november/ AND: https://anastpaul.com/2018/11/01/1-november-solemnity-of-all-saints/ AND: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/11/01/1-november-the-feast-of-all-the-saints/
Unsere Liebe Frau von Heede / Our Lady of Heede, Queen of the Universe , Queen of the Poor Souls in Purgatory (1937-1945) – 1 November
St Amabilis of Auvergne St Austremonius St Benignus of Dijon St Cadfan St Caesarius of Africa St Caesarius of Damascus St Ceitho St Cledwyn of Wales Bl Clemens Kyuemon St Cyrenia of Tarsus St Dacius of Damascus St Deborah the Prophetess St Dingad Bl Dionysius Fugixima St Floribert of Ghent St Gal of Clermont St Genesius of Lyon St Germanus of Montfort St Harold the King St James of Persia St John of Persia St Julian of Africa St Juliana of Tarsus St Lluís Estruch Vives St Marcel of Paris St Mary the Slave St Mathurin St Meigan St Nichole St Pabiali of Wales St Pere Josep Almató Ribera Auras St Peter Absalon Bl Peter Paul Navarra Bl Petrus Onizuka Sadayu St Rachel the Matriarch
Saint of the Day – 31 October – Blessed Christopher of Romagna OFM (Died 1272) Priest, Friar of the Order of Friars Minor during the life of St Francis, Missionary, sent by St Francis to preach against the heretic Albigensians in France.and Founder of Franciscan Monasteries there. Born in the late 12th Century in the Romagna region of Italy and died in 1272 in Cahors, France, of natural causes. He was Beatified in 1905 by Pope Pius X. Also known as – Christophe de Romagne.
A Franciscan Friar – unknown name
Christopher had been a Priest for many years when the grace of God impelled him to ask our holy Father St Francis, for the Habit. In 1219 Blessed Christopher of Romagnola was sent to Guienne, in southern France, to establish the Order in those parts. He was a man full of holy simplicity and sincere love for the poor and the unfortunate. He took great pleasure in caring for the many persons who were afflicted with leprosy in those days and were outcasts of society.
Christopher was very severe with himself. He wore an iron shirt for a long time, and always a belt having sharp points. He ate but once a day even in his advanced age. He built a small cell for himself of branches and sticks and covered it with straw. But in spite of these rigorous penances, he was always cheerful of countenance and pleasant in his dealings with others.
The pleasant demeanor by which Blessed Christopher gained the hearts of so many sinners, was a virtue he had learned from St Francis. Father Christopher had seen how St Francis of Assisi dealt with his fellowmen, especially with poor sinners.
Portrait of an unknown Franciscan Friar
As in all things else, so in this matter, St Francis kept before his mind the example of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who always received sinners with kindness.
Realising the value of time, Blessed Christopher of Romagna never wasted a moment, always busily occupied in prayer, meditation, manual labour, care of the garden, or other work that benefitted his brethren. His kindness and affability attracted many sinners, whom he succeeded in converting. God frequently favoured him with extraordinary inspirations and so, it was revealed to him, that St Francis was about to die. He hastened from France to Italy and arrived at the Portiuncula shortly before the death of St Francis. He had the consolation of receiving the Saint’s last blessing.
When Christopher arrived at the age of nearly one hundred years, his earthly sojourn came to an end. While earnestly exhorting the brethren gathered about his deathbed, he surrendered his soul to God in the year 1272. In death Blessed Christopher of Romagna looked more like a person who had fallen asleep, than like a dead person. An unusual concourse of people assembled for his burial which took place in Cahors, France. Many miracles occurred after his death; and his cult as Blessed was approved in 1905. He was buried there at the Franciscan Monastery. Sadly his relics were destroyed by the Huguenots in 1580 when they burned down the Monastery
Vigil of All Saints Day or All Hallow’s Eve: Eve of the Feast of All Hallows, that is, All Saints Day. Halloween is a day on which many quaint customs are revived. It is popular in the United States and Scotland and in the US has become the second largest secular holiday of the year.
St Ampliatus St Antoninus of Milan St Apelles of Eraclea Sintica St Arnulf of Novalesa St Begu of Hackness Blessed Christopher of Romagna OFM (Died 1272) Priest St Epimachus of Melusio St Erth of Cornwall
Bl Irene Stefani St Jesús Miquel Girbau St Lucilla of Rome Bl Maria de Requesens St Narcissus St Notburga of Cologne St Quentin St Stachys of Constantinople
St Wolfgang of Regensburg (c 934 –994) “The Great Almoner,” Bishop, Monk, Missionary, Ascetic, Apostle of Charity. He is regarded as one of the three great German saints of the 10th century, the other two being Saint Ulrich and Saint Conrad of Constance. He was Canonised in 1052 by Pope Leo IX. St Wolfgang’s life: https://anastpaul.com/2019/10/31/saint-of-the-day-31-october-saint-wolfgang-of-regensburg-c-934-994/
Prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit By St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church
We beg the All-Merciful Father through You, His Only-Begotten Son made Man for our sake, Crucified and Glorified for us, to send upon us, from His treasure-house, the Spirit of Sevenfold Grace, Who rested upon You in all His fullness.
The Spirit of Wisdom, enabling us to relish the fruit of the tree of life, which is indeed Yourself. The Gift of Understanding: to enlighten our perceptions. The Gift of Prudence, enabling us to follow in Your Footsteps. The Gift of Strength: to withstand our adversary’s onslaught. The Gift of Knowledge, to distinguish good from evil by the light of Your holy teaching. The Gift of Piety, to clothe ourselves with charity and mercy. The Gift of Fear, to withdraw from all ill-doing and live quietly in awe of Your Eternal Majesty.
These are the things for which we petition. Grant them for the honour of Your Holy Name, to which, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, thanksgiving, renown and Lordship forever and ever. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 25 October – Feast of St Raphael the Archangel –
“Come, follow me”
Matthew 19:21
“… Now is the time in this life of suffering, when we journey apart from Him. … So let us fast and pray now because, we are in the days of childbirth!”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of Grace
“Jesus is happy to come with us, as Truth is happy to be spoken, as Life to be lived, as Light to be lit, as Love is to be loved, as Joy to be given, as Peace to be spread.”
St Francis of Assisi (1181/2–1226)
“Better that only a few Catholics should be left, staunch and sincere in their religion, than that they should, remaining many, desire as it were, to be in collusion with the Church’s enemies and in conformity with the open foes of our faith.”
St Peter Canisius (1521-1397) Doctor of the Church
“What quality of attraction do I possess? My good example, rather than my words, will have a spiritual appeal for others, so that I shall be a living sermon. Words are heard but example attracts. It is a great misfortune for me, if my sins tepidity, or vices, are the true reflection of my spiritual state and lead others into evil ways too!”
Quote/s of the Day – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor
“Truly, matters in the world, are in a bad state but if you and I begin, in earnest, to reform ourselves, a really good beginning will have been made.”
“Our Lord, in the Blessed Sacrament, has His Hands full of graces and He is ready to bestow them on anyone, who asks for them”
“No tongue is able to declare the greatness of the love which Jesus bears to every soul and, therefore, this Spouse, when He would leave this earth, in order that His absence might not cause us to forget Him, left us, as a memorial, this Blessed Sacrament, in which He Himself remained; for He would not, that there should be any other pledge to keep alive, our remembrance of Him, than He Himself!”
One Minute Reflection – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor – Philippians 3:7-12, Luke 12:32-34 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” – Luke 12:34
REFLECTION – “For the man who loves God it is sufficient to please the One he loves; and, there is no greater recompense to be sought, than the loving itself. For love is from God, by the very fact, that God Himself is love. The good and chaste soul is so happy to be filled with Him that it desires to take delight in nothing else. For what the Lord says is very true: – ‘Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.’
What is a man’s treasure but the heaping up of profits and the fruit of his toil? For whatever a man sows, this too will he reap and each man’s gain, matches his toil and where delight and enjoyment are found, there the heart’s desire is attached. Now there are many kinds of wealth and a variety of grounds for rejoicing – every man’s treasure is that, which he desires. If it is based on earthly ambitions, its acquisition makes men not blessed but wretched.
But those who enjoy the things that are above and eternal, rather than earthly and perishable, possess an incorruptible, hidden store, of which the prophet speaks: ‘Our treasure and salvation have come, wisdom and instruction and piety, from the Lord: these are the treasures of justice.’ Through these, with the help of God’s grace, even earthly possessions are transformed into heavenly blessings. It is a fact that many people use the wealth, which is either rightfully left to them or otherwise, acquired, as a tool of devotion. By distributing what might be superfluous to support the poor, they are amassing imperishable riches, so that what they have discreetly given, cannot be subject to loss. They have properly placed those riches, where their heart is, – it is a most blessed thing, to work to increase such riches, rather than to fear that they may pass away.” – St Pope Leo the Great (400-461) Bishop of Rome and Great Western Father and Doctor of the Church (An excerpt from Sermon 92).
PRAYER – O God, Who graciously made blessed Peter, Thy Confessor, glorious by the gift of remarkable penance and sublime contemplation, grant, we beseech Thee, that, by the merit of his prayers, we may the more easily understand the things of Heaven by curbing our passions. 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).
Our Morning Offering – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor
Hear Me, O Lord By St Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)
Hear me, O Lord, my soul’s delight, joy of my heart, not because of my merits but because of Thy boundless goodness. Teach me, enlighten me, direct me, help me in all things that I may never say or do anything but that which I know to be pleasing in Thou sight. Guide me, O God, my Love, my Light and my Life! Amen.
Saint of the Day – 19 October – St Peter of Alcantara OFM (1499-1562) Confessor, Franciscan Friar and Priest, Mystic, Ecstatic, Writer, Preacher, Reformer, Hermit, Apostle of Prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, the Passion and Charity, Miracle-worker. Patronages – Nocturnal Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Brazil (named by Pope Pius IX in 1862), Estremadura Spain, night watchmen.
St Peter of Alcantara, Confessor By Father Francis Xavier Weninger (1860-1946)
St Peter was born in the year 1499, at Alcantara, in Spain. He became celebrated for his great piety and the austerity of his life and in order to distinguish him from other Saints of the same name, received the surname, “of Alcantara.”
Besides other signs of future holiness, Peter, when only seven years of age, evinced so great a love for prayer that he sometimes forgot to eat and drink. During the time of his studies, he kept his innocence unspotted in the midst of many dangers, by making prayer, the holy Sacraments and penances, its guardians. When hardly sixteen years old, he secretly left his father’s house and entered the Franciscan Order, in which he soon became a model of all virtues. After having finished his novitiate, he was charged with different functions, all of which he discharged most successfully. The office of preacher was the most agreeable to him. An incredible number of hardened sinners were converted by his sermons, in which he treated of penance and a reform of life.
The fame of his virtues and holiness gave additional weight to every word he uttered. Especially admirable, were the untiring zeal with which he practised all manner of bodily austerities and his continual communion with God in prayer. His whole life was one of extraordinary and almost unexampled mortification. He guarded his eyes so closely that he not only never looked on a woman’s face but knew his brethren only by their voices and, after a long sojourn in the Monastery, could not tell whether the choir and the dormitory were vaulted or covered with boards.
The cell he chose for his dwelling was so narrow that it was more like a tomb than the abode of a living human being and so low that he could not stand upright in it. He kept an almost continual fast and hardly partook, every third day, of some undressed herbs, bread and water. It even happened that during eight days he took no food whatever. He scourged himself twice daily with iron chains. He wore, day and night, a penitential instrument made of tin, pierced like a grater. For forty years, he allowed himself only one hour and a half of sleep at night and this, not lying down but kneeling, or standing with his head leaning against a board. The remainder of the night he occupied in prayer and meditation. As long as he lived in the order, he went barefoot and bareheaded, even in the coldest season. His clothing consisted of his habit and a short cloak, made of rough sack-cloth. He seemed to have made a comtract with his body, never in this world, to allow it any peace or comfort.
His union with God in prayer had reached so high a degree that he was often seen in ecstacy, or raised high in the air and surrounded by a heavenly brightness. The power of his holy prayers was experienced, not only by many hardened sinners but also by many sick, for whom he obtained health and strength. The inhabitants of the City of Albuquerque, ascribed to him their deliverance from the pestilence, for, as soon as Peter had called upon the Divine Mercy, the pestilence, which had most fearfully ravaged the City, disappeared.
The love of God, which filled the heart of the Saint, manifested itself in his intercourse and conversation with men, whom he endeavoured to inflame with the same love. This appeared in all his actions but especially, at the time of Holy Mass, when he stood like a Seraph before the Altar, his face burning and tears streaming from his eyes. When meditating on the Passion and Death of our Saviour, he was frequently so deeply touched, in his inmost heart that for hours, he was like one dead. His devotion to God would sometimes burn his heart so intensely, that to moderate his emotion, he would go into the fields to breathe more freely.
Having reached his fortieth year, he was chosen Provincial but endeavoured to refuse the dignity and when compelled by obedience to accept it, he regarded it as an opportunity to do good to those under his charge. God admonished him to restore the primitive observance in the Order, according to the Rule and spirit of St Francis. Although he could not but foresee, the many and great difficulties which he would encounter in this undertaking, still, trusting in God, he went courageously to work after having obtained the sanction of the Pope.
The Almighty visibly aided His faithful servant, for, in six years, the Saint had founded nine Monasteries, in which the mortification and the perfect poverty, which St Francis especially cherished, were observed in all the rigour of the first Rule. In the course of time, this renewed Order was disseminated throughout all Spain, to the great joy of the Saint. This and other labours which he performed, to the honoir and glory of God, made him greatly esteemed by everyone.
St Teresa, who lived at that period, asked his advice in her cares and doubts, whenever she had occasion and called him a Saint while he was yet upon earth. St Francis Borgia entertained great friendship for him and the praise of his great virtues resounded throughout all Spain. The Emperor Charles V. desired to make him his Confessor but the humble servant of the Almighty knew how to say so much of his incapacity for this office, that the Emperor abandoned the idea, to the Saint’s great joy. This became a new incentive for him to devote himself entirely to the service of God and the welfare of those in his care.
St Teresa of Jesus with St Peter of Alcantara
He had reached his 63rd year, more by a miracle than in a natural way, when he was visited by Providence with a severe illness, which soon left no hope of his recovery, as his body was entirely wasted away by the severity of his life, his painful journeys and his uninterrupted labours. He himself, was informed from on high, of his approaching end and he received the last Sacraments, with so deep a devotion that the eyes of all present were filled with tears. After this he fell into a rapture, in which the Divine Mother and St John the Evangelist, appeared to him and assured him of his salvation. Hence, regaining consciousness, he cheerfully recited the words of the Psalmist: “I have rejoiced in those things which have been said to me; We shall go into the house of the Lord.” Having said this, he calmly gave his soul into the keeping of his Creator, in the year of Our Lord 1562.
St Teresa, who has written much in his praise, says among other things: “He died as he had lived, a Saint and I have, after his death, received many graces from God, through his intercession. I have often seen him in great glory and when I saw him the first time, he said to me: ‘O happy penance, which has obtained so great a glory for me!‘” The Roman Breviary testifies that, St Teresa, although, at the time of his death, far from him, saw his soul gloriously ascend into Heaven.
The biographers of St Peter, relate many and great miracles which he wrought, while he was still living. In the Breviary, we read, among other things, the following. “He crossed rapid rivers with dry feet. In times of great poverty, he fed his brethren with food which he received from Heaven. The staff which he placed in the ground, immediately became a budding fig-tree. Once, in the night-time, when he sought shelter from a snow-storm in a roofless house, the snow remained hanging in the air, above it and thus, formed a roof to protect him from being buried in the snow.” St Peter of Alcantara, pray for Holy Mother Church and for all her faithful Amen, amen!
One Minute Reflection – 15 October – St Teresa of Jesus of Avila OCD (1515-1582) Virgin and Doctor of the Church – 2 Corinthians 10:17-18; 11:1-2, Matthew 25:1-13 – Scripture search here: https://www.drbo.org/
“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” – Matthew 25:6
REFLECTION – “The souls’ husband is the Holy Spirit, by His grace. When His interior inspiration calls the soul to repentance, then every enticement of vice is in vain. The pride that wants command, the greed and lust that consumes everything: this was the master that used to control and ravage the soul. Their very names have been removed from the repentant sinner’s mouth… When grace is poured into the soul and gives it light, God makes a covenant with sinners. He is reconciled with them… Then is celebrated the wedding of the Bridegroom with His bride, in the peace of a pure conscience.” – St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – Graciously hear us, O God, our Saviour that as we rejoice on the feast-day of blessed Teresa, Thy Virgin, we may be so nourished by the food of her heavenly teaching, as to learn how to serve Thee.T hrough 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).
Our Morning Offering – 4 October – St Francis of Assisi OFM (c 1181–1226) Confessor, Founder
Lord, Make Me an Instrument of Thy Peace. “The Peace Prayer” By St Francis of Assisi (c 1181–1226
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned and it is in dying, that we are born to eternal life. Amen
Saint of the Day – 4 October – St Francis of Assisi OFM (c 1181–1226)
An Excerpt from The Little Flowers of St Francis of Assisi Translated from the 14th Century Fioretti (1905)
“In this book are contained certain little Flowers, namely, miracles and devout examples of the glorious poor Little One of Christ, St Francis and of some of his holy companions, to the praise of Jesus Christ. Amen.
In the first place, let us consider how the glorious St Francis, in all the acts of his life, was conformed to the life of that blessed Christ; that, as Christ in the beginning of His preaching elected twelve Apostles that they should despise every worldly thing and follow Him in poverty and in all virtues, so St Francis, for the founding of his Order, elected, in the beginning, twelve companions, who were to be possessors of nothing but an entire poverty.
And, as one of the twelve Apostles of Christ, rejected by God for his infidelity, finally strangled himself, so also, one of the twelve companions of St Francis, who was called Brother John della Capella, apostatised and finally, hanged himself in like manner. And this is to the elect, a great warning and a matter of humility and of fear, to cause them to remember that no-one is certain, to persevere to the end, in the grace of God.
As the blessed Apostles were wholly marvellous for sanctity and humility and full of the Holy Ghost, so the blessed companions of St Francis were men of such great sanctity that, since the time of the Apostles, the world had not seen the like; since one of them, like St Paul, was taken up into the third heaven and this was Brother Giles; another of them, namely Brother Filippo Longo, was touched on the lips by an angel, like the Prophet Isaias, with a coal of fire; another of them and this was Brother Silvester, spoke with God, as one friend with another, after the manner of Moses; another, by the purity of his soul, flew up to the light of the Divine Wisdom, like the eagle, St John the Evangelist and this was the most humble Brother Bernard, who explained, most profoundly, Holy Writ and another was sanctified by God and canonised in Heaven whilst still living on earth and this was Brother Ruffino, who was a gentleman of Assisi. And so were they all privileged with remarkable signs of holiness, as will be declared in the sequel . . .” –page 1 – 2
St Aurea St Berenice St Caius of Corinth St Callisthene of Ephesus St Crispus of Corinth St Damaris of Athens St Diogenes of Milan St Domnina St Hierotheus Bl Julian Majali St Lucius of Alexandria St Peter of Damascus
Martyrs of Alexandria: A group of Christians, men and women, young and old, murdered together for their faith. The only names that have come down to us are the brothers Mark and Marcian.
Saints of the Day – 2 October – The Holy Guardian Angels
The Twelve Works of our Guardian Angel By St Bonaventure of Bagnoregio OFM (1217-1274) Confessor, Cardinal Bishop of Albano, Theologian, Franciscan Minister General Doctor of the Church
According to Sacred Scripture there are twelve works of charity which our guardian Angel does for us.
THE FIRST is to rebuke us for our faults. According to the Book of Judges, Chapter 2, verse 1 – The Angel of the Lord ascends from Galgala to the place of those weeping and says: “I have led you forth from the land of Egypt . . . And you have not heard my voice.“
THE SECOND is to absolve us from the bonds of our sins. According to Book of Acts, Chapter 12, verse 7 – The Angel stood by . . . and the chains fell from his hands; yet this must be understood as disposing this to happen.
THE THIRD is to take away from us, those things impeding our progress in goodness, which is signified in the Book of Exodus, Chapter 12, verse 12 – where the Angel struck the first born of Egypt.
THE FOURTH is to constrain those demons afflicting us, according to the Book of Tobias, Chapter 12, verse 3 – “He chased the demon from my wife,” says Tobias of the Archangel St. Raphael.
THE FIFTH is to teach us, according to the Book of Daniel, Chapter 9, verse 22: – Now I have entered, to teach you and so that you might understand.
THE SIXTH is to reveal secrets, for according to the Book of Genesis, Chapter 18, verse 17 – the three Angels expressed the Mystery of the Trinity and Unity, after which God said: Can I conceal from Abraham what I am about to do?
THE SEVENTH is to console, according to the Book of Tobias, Chapter 5, verse 13 – Be of a strong spirit, it is nigh, that you are to be cured by God etc..
THE EIGHTH is to comfort us on the way to God, according to Third Book of Kings, Chapter 19, verse 7 – Rise and eat, for a grand way remains for you.
THE NINTH is to lead us forth on this way and to conduct us back to God, according to the Book of Tobias, Chapter 5, verse 15 – I shall lead and I shall lead him back etc..
THE TENTH is to cast down our enemies, according to the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 37, verse 36 – Having entered, the Angel of the Lord struck upon the camps of the Assyrians etc..
THE ELEVENTH to mitigate our temptations; and this is signified in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 32, verse 24 – where Jacob wrestled with the Angel and was comforted after the match, having accepted his blessing, the nerve of his femur withered up.
THE TWELFTH is to pray for us and to carry our prayers to God, according to the Book of Tobias, Chapter 12, verse 12 – When you were praying with tears . . . I offered your prayer etc.. All of these are the effects of our Guardian Angel’s care of us, on account of which, we ought to be submissive and grateful both to God and the Holy Angels.
Bl Aaron of Auxerre St Alodius of Auxerre St Annemond of Lyons St Bardomianus
Blessed Bernardine of Feltre OFM (1439-1494) Franciscan Priest and Friar, Missionary Preacher, Poet, peace-maker, Civil protestor against the practice of usury, defender of the poor. He was a true ‘child prodigy’ – by the time he was 12 he was fluent in Latin and at the age of 15 he composed a poem and read it in the Town Square to celebrate a local peace treaty. He is remembered most especially, in connection with the “Monti di Pietà” “Mount of Piety” of which he was the reorganiser and, in a certain sense, the Founder, together with the Blessed Michele Carcano. On 13 April 1654, Pope Innocent X confirmed the cultus of Blessed Bernardine and he was formally Beatified in 1728 by Pope Benedict XIII. Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/28/saint-of-the-day-28-september-blessed-bernardine-of-feltre-ofm-1439-1494/
St Chariton of Palestine Bl Christian Franco St Conval of Strathclyde St Eucarpus St Eustochium St Exuperius of Toulouse (Died 411) Bishop St Faustus of Riez
Blessed Francesco Piani of Caldarola OFM (1424-1507) Francisan Friar, renowned Preacher and Peacemaker, a collaborator in the fight against usury by the institution of the “Mount of Piety,” (a type of pawn shop), social activist and protector of the struggling rural communities. He was Beatified by Pope Urban VII in 1634 – his cult was reaffirmed on 1 September 1843 by Pope Gregory XVI. His Amazing Life: https://anastpaul.com/2021/09/28/saint-of-the-day-28-september-blessed-francesco-piani-of-caldarola-ofm-1424-1507/
St John of Dukla St Laurence of North Africa St Lioba of Bischofsheim St Machan St Martial of North Africa St Martin of Moyenmoutier St Paternus of Auch St Privatus of Rome St Salonius of Geneva St Silvinus of Brescia
St Solomon of Genoa St Stacteus St Tetta of Wimborne Bl Thiemo St Willigod of Moyenmoutier St Zama of Bologna
Augustinian Martyrs of Japan: The first Augustinian Missionaries arrived in Japan in 1602 and met with immediate success; many were brought to the faith; many of them became Augustinians and many of them were Martyred in the periodic persecutions of Christians. This memorial commemorates all of them, whether they have a sanctioned Cause for Canonisation or not. They include: • Blessed Bartolomé Gutiérrez Rodríguez • Blessed Ferdinand Ayala • Blessed Francisco Terrero de Ortega Pérez • Blessed Ioannes Mukuno Chozaburo • Blessed Laurentius Kaida Hachizo • Blessed Mancius Yukimoto Ichizaemon • Blessed Martín Lumbreras Peralta • Blessed Melchor Sánchez Pérez • Blessed Michaël Ichinose Sukezaemon • Blessed Pedro de Zúñiga • Blessed Petrus Sawaguchi Kuhyoe • Blessed Thomas Jihyoe of Saint Augustine • Blessed Thomas Terai Kahyoe • Blessed Vicente Simões de Carvalho • Saint Magdalena of Nagasaki
Martyrs of Antioch – 37 Saints: A group of 30 soldiers and 7 civilians who were murdered together for their faith. The names that have come down to us are – Alexander, Alphinus, Heliodorus, Mark, Neon, Nicon and Zosumus. c 303 at Antioch, Pisidia (in modern Turkey).
Saint of the Day – 27 September – Saint Delphina TOSF (1283-1360) Virgin Laywoman, Married in Chastity to St Elzear (below) Widow, Recluse, Apostle of the Poor and needy. Born in 1283 at the Chateau-Puimichel in Languedoc (modern Puy-en-Velay, France) and died on 26 November 1360 of natural cause, having lived as a Franciscan tertiary for most of her life. Patronages – • Brides, Tertiaries, Diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia, Italy. Also known as – Delphine, Delphine of Glandèves, Delphina/e of Sabran.
Delphine was the daughter and heiress of the Count of Puy-Michel. Left an orphan in her infancy, she was placed under the guardianship of her uncles and was brought up under the direction of her Aunt, who was the Abbess of the Convent of St Catherine of Sorps, at Bauduen. As a young girl, she took a vow of virginity which she kept to the end of her life.
Despite her vow, at the age of twelve she was espoused to the ten-year-old Elzéar, Count of Sabran. They were married three years later at the Castle of Puy-Michel. Having grown up together, they regarded each other as brother and sister, rather than husband and wife. Inspired by her example, her husband also took a vow of celibacy, which both honoured throughout their married life. The couple, having both received the habit of the Third Order of St Francis, lived together at their Castle in Ansouis, in the practice of prayer, penance andgood works towards the poor. After seven years, they moved to Puy-Michel. When Elzéar had to go to Naples to see to some inherited property, they kept up a regular correspondence. Elzéar died in 1323.
Reliquaries of Sts Elzéar and Delphina in the Franciscan Church of Ansouis, France
After the death of her husband, Delphina sold all her possessions for the benefit of the poor and retired first to Naples and then to Cabrières, which was the location of the Castle where her husband had been born. She finally returned to Apt where her husband had been buried. Upon her death, she was buried with him in the church of the Friars Minor there, wearing the habit of the Order.
The veneration that had begun to be given to Delphina was confirmed by Pope Urban V, godson of Elzéar, who Canonised Elzéar and Delphina in 1694. Her feast day is not the date of her death, 26 November but today, 26 September, sharing this day with the remembrance of her husband.
Saint/s of the Day – 29 August – Blessed John of PerugiaOFM (Died 1231) Priest and Blessed Peter of Sassoferrato OFM (Died 1231) Lay Brother, Martyrs, Confessors, Friars of the Friars Minor. Both were beheaded in 1231 in Valencia, Spain. We have no artworks of the two Saints, those below are generic Franciscans.
A Franciscan Friar
The two Friars Minor, Blessed John of Perugia, a Priest, and Peter of Sassoferrato, a lay brother, were sent to Spain with a large number of Friars by St Francis himself. There, they were assigned to the kingdom of Aragon, where they built a small Convent in the little town of Teruel and reaped much fruit, by their holy lives, their prayers and their sermons on penance.
Their longing for the conversion of the infidels and the hope of obtaining the Palm of Martyrdom urged Friars John and Peter to go to the larger city of Valencia, which was governed, at that time, by the Moorish King Azotus. The Friars began to preach in public that Jesus Christ is the true Son of God and that only through Him, can we be saved. Azotus was a bitter enemy of the Christians.
Hearing of the activities of the Friars, he had them seized and cast into prison. He used every possible means to force them to apostatise. But when promises and threats alike, failed to shake their constancy, he condemned them to be beheaded. The Friars thanked the King,, praying fervently to God to enlighten their persecutor and in His mercy, to grant him the grace of conversion to the true Faith. Then, Blessed John of Perugia and Peter of Sassoferrato were beheaded. This occurred in the year 1231.
A few years later, James I, the Catholic King of Aragon, made war on Valencia. His army defeated the army of Azotus, who by this ill fortune and by the grace which the holy Martyrs had won for him from God, recognised Mohammed as a false prophet and Christ as the Saviour of the world. King James rejoiced exceedingly when Azotus asked to be Baptised. After his Baptism, Azotus offered the Friars Minor, his former palace for a Convent.
“When I was still an infidel,” he told them, “I caused your brethren to be executed at Teruel. I sincerely regret this crime and desire to make reparation for it. Accept my palace, in which the blood of many holy Martyrs has been shed and convert it into a convent.”
The palace was remodeled into a Convent and, next to it, a Church was erected in honour of the two Martyrs. On 11 September 1704, Pope Clement XI approved the public veneration which was paid to them and in 1783, Pope Pius VI again honoured them by confirming their cultus.
Blessed John of Perugia`OFM (Died 1231) Martyr, Friar of the Friars Minor AND Blessed Peter of Sassoferrato OFM (Died 1231) Martyr, Friar of the Friars Minor
St Adelphus St Adausia of Rome St Alberic of Bagno de Romagna St Basilia of Sirmium Bl Bronislava St Candida of Rome St Edwold the Hermit St Euthymius of Perugia St Maximian of Vercelli St Medericus St Nicaeus of Antioch St Paul of Antioch St Repositus of Velleianum Bl Richard Herst St Sabina of Troyes St Sator of Velleianum St Sebbe of Essex St Velleicus St Victor of La Chambon St Vitalis of Velleianum
Saint of the Day – 27 August – Feast of the Seven Joys of Our Lady. This Feast is also known as “The Franciscan Crown,” The Seven Joys of the Virgin. Today was kept by the Franciscans as the Feast of the Seven Joys of the Virgin Mary. As an expression of the Seraphic Order’s devotional life, it corresponds to the Feast of the Holy Rosary, which began among the Dominicans and the observance on 15 September of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin,
The devotion to the Seven Joys in and of itself, however,is much older; the story of its origin is told thus in the Manual for Franciscan Tertiaries.
About the year 1420, a young man, deeply devoted to Our Lady, took the habit of St Francis. Before joining the Order, he had, among other practices, been accustomed daily, to make a Chaplet of flowers,and with it, to Crown a Statue of the Blessed Virgin. Having in his novitiate no longer an opportunity of making this Crown for his Most Beloved Queen, he, in his simplicity, thought that she would withdraw her affection from him; this temptation of the devil disturbed his vocation. He resolved to abandon the cloister. The merciful mother appeared to him and gently rebuking him, strengthened him in his vocation by telling him to offer her, instead of the Chaplet of Flowers, a Crown much more pleasing to her, composed of seventy two Ave Marias and a Pater after each decade of Ave Marias. Our Lady instructed him to meditate at each decade upon the seven joys she had experienced, during years of her exile upon the earth.
The novice immediately commenced reciting the new Crown or Chaplet and derived, therefrom, many spiritual and temporal graces.
This pious practice spread quickly through the whole Order, and even throughout the world… St Bernardin of Siena used to say that it was by the Crown of the Seven Joys that he had obtained all the graces which Heaven has heaped upon him.
The Seven Joys listed in the Manual are the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Birth of Christ, the Adoration of the Magi, the Finding of the Christ Child in the Temple, the Resurrection and the Assumption but other version of the list may be found. Two more Aves are added to make the number seventy-two mentioned above and another Pater and Ave for the intentions of the Pope. The recitation concludes with a versicle and response and with the Collect of the Immaculate Conception.
Praying The Franciscan Crown
Using beads for the Franciscan Crown (seven decades), announce the First Mystery and pray the Our Father on the single bead just before the medallion.
Pray one Hail Mary for each of the ten beads. (It seems most fitting to proceed around the beads in a clockwise direction.)
On the single bead between the decades, announce the next Mystery and then pray the Our Father. Continue as in Step 2 for the remaining Mysteries.
After the last Mystery, pray one Hail Mary each on the fourth and third beads from the Cross to complete 72 years of Mary’s Joy.
Pray the Our Father and the Glory Be to the Father (Gloria Patri), for the intention of the Holy Father on the 2nd bead from the Cross.
Pray a Hail Mary on the single bead closest to the Cross.
The recitation concludes with a versicle and response and with the Collect of the Immaculate Conception.
V. In thy Conception, o Virgin, thou wast immaculate. R. Pray for us to the Father, whose Son thou didst bear. Let us pray. O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, prepared a worthy dwelling place for Thy Son; we beseech Thee, that, as by the foreseen death of Thy sam, Son, Thou preserved her from every stain, so Thou may grant us also, through Her intercession, to come to Thee with pure hearts. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.
Quote/s of the Day – 14 August – The 10th Sunday after Pentecost – 1 Cor.inthians 12:2-11, Luke 18:9-14
“… For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
Luke 18:14
“Let him who is greatest among you, become as the youngest and he who is the leader, as the servant.”
Luke 22:25
“As “pride, is the beginning of all sin,” (Eccl. 10:15) so humility, is the foundation of all virtue. Learn to be really humble and not, as the hypocrite, humble merely in appearance.”
St Bonaventure (1221-1274) Seraphic Doctor of the Church
“Once humility is acquired, charity will come to life like a burning flame devouring the corruption of vice and filling the heart so full, that there is no place for vanity.”
St Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419)
“True humility scarcely ever utters words of humility.”
Quote/s of the Day – 12 August – St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) Virgin
“O wondrous blessed clarity of Clare! In life she shone to a few; after death, she shines on the whole world! On earth she was a clear light. Now in Heaven, she is a brilliant sun. O how great the vehemence of the brilliance of this clarity! On earth this light was indeed kept within cloistered walls, yet shed abroad its shining rays. It was confined within a convent cell, yet spread itself through the wide world.”
Pope Innocent IV (c 1195-1254) Papal reign 25 June 1243-1254
Our Morning Offering – 12 August – St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) Virgin
Excerpt from the Prayer to the Five Wounds of Jesus By St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)
I pray Thee, O most gentle Jesus, that having redeemed me by Baptism from original sin, so now, by Thy Precious Blood, which is offered and received, throughout the world, deliver me from all evils, past, present and to come. And by Thy most bitter Death, give me a lively faith, a firm hope and perfect charity, so that I may love Thee with all my heart and all my soul and all my strength. Make me firm and steadfast in good works and grant me perseverance in Thy service, so that I may be able to please Thee always. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 12 August – St Clare of Assisi (1194-1253) Virgin. Patronages – embroiderers, needle workers, eyes, against eye disease, for good weather, gilders, gold workers, goldsmiths, laundry workers, television (proclaimed on 14 February 1958 by Pope Pius XII because when St Clare was too ill to attend the Holy Mass, she had been able to see and hear it, on the wall of her room.), television writers, Poor Clares, Assisi, Italy, Santa Clara Indian Pueblo.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Assisi, in Umbria. Italy, St Clare, Virgin, the first of the poor woman of the Order of Minors. Being celebrated for holiness of life and miracles. she was placed among holy virgins, by Alexander IV.”
St Clare, Virgin, Founder, Mystic, Miracle-worker By Fr Francis Xavier Weninger SJ (1805-1888) (Excerpt)
St.Clare, Founder of the Order which bears her name, was born of rich and pious parents, at Assisi, in the district of Umbria, in Italy. She received the name of Clare, which means “clear or bright,” for the following reason. While her mother Hortulana, was kneeling before a Crucifix, praying that God might aid her in her hour of delivery, she heard the words: “Do not fear. You will give birth to a light which shall illumine the whole world.”
From her earliest childhood, prayer was Clare’s only delight. She gave to the poor all the presents which she received from her parents. She despised all costly garments, all worldly pleasures. Beneath the fine clothes she was obliged to wear, she wore a rough hair-girdle. She partook of so little food that it seemed as if she wished to observe a continual fast.
During this same period lived St Francis, surnamed “the Seraphic,” on account of his great virtues. Clare frequently went to him and confided to him, her desire to renounce the world and to consecrate her virginity to God and to lead a perfect life in the most abject poverty. St Francis who saw that besides other gifts and graces, she was filled with the most ardent love of God, possessing great innocence of heart and despising the world, strengthened her in her holy desire, while at the same time, he tested her constancy. Being sufficiently convinced that her desires were inspired by Heaven, he advised Clare to leave her home, which she did on Palm Sunday, going to the Church of the Portiuncula, where she had her hair cut off, as a sign that she would enter a religious life. She divested herself of all feminine ornament, and attired in a penitential garb, tied around her with a cord, she was placed. by St Francis in a vacant Benedictine Convent. She was at that time just eighteen years of age.
When her parents heard of what she had done, they hastened to the Convent, to take Clare home, declaring that this choice of a state of life was only a childish whim, or that she had been persuaded to it by others. Clare, however, after opposing their arguments, fled into the Church, and clinging to the Altar with one hand, with the other she showed her head shorn of its hair, exclaiming: “Know all, that I desire no other bridegroom but Jesus Christ. Understanding well what I was doing, I chose Him and I will never leave Him.” Astonished at this answer, all returned home, admiring her virtue and piety. Clare thanked God for this victory and was, on account of it, all the more strengthened in her resolution.
Clare had a sister younger than herself, named Agnes. A few days later she, too, fled from her parents’ roof and going to Clare, wished to be invested in the same habit and to serve God in the same manner. St Clare received her joyfully but as all her relatives were provoked beyond measure that she, too, had entered a Convent, twelve of them went and forcibly tore her from her sister’s arms. Clare took refuge in prayer and, as if inspired by the Almighty, ran after her sister, loudly calling her by name. God assisted her by a miracle. Agnes suddenly became immovable, as if rooted to the ground and no-one possessed strength enough to drag her from where she stood. Recognising in this, the powerful hand of God, they opposed her no longer but allowed her to return to the Convent.
Meanwhile, St Francis had rebuilt the old Church of St Damiano and had bought the neighbouring house. Into this house he placed his first two religious daughters, Clare and Agnes, who were speedily joined by others, desirous of conforming themselves to the rule of life which St Francis had given to Clare. This was the beginning of the Order of Poor Clares, which has since given to the world, so many shining examples of virtue and holiness, to the salvation of many thousands of souls.
St Clare was appointed Abbess by St Francis and filled the office for forty two years with wonderful wisdom and holiness. Her mother too, together with her youngest daughter, took the habit and submitted to the government of St Clare.
She was, to all in her charge, a bright example of poverty. In austerity towards herself, she was more to be admired than imitated. The floor or a bundle of straw was her bed, a piece of wood, her pillow. Twice during the year she kept a forty days’ fast on bread and water. Besides this, three days of the week, she tasted no food and so little on the others that it is marvellous that she could sustain life with it. The greater part of the night, she spent in prayer and her desire for mortification was so great that St. Francis compelled her to moderate her austerities.
She nursed the sick with the greatest pleasure, as in this work of charity, she found almost constant opportunity to mortify and overcome herself. Besides all her other virtues, she was especially remarkable for her devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. She sometimes remained whole hours immovable before the Tabernacle and was often seen in ecstacy, so great was her love for the Saviour it concealed. She sought her comfort in Him alone in all her trials, amidst all her persecutions and how great were the graces she thereby received, the following event will sufficiently illustrate.
The Saracens besieged Assisi and made preparations to scale the walls of the Convent. St Clare, who was sick at the time, had herself carried to the gates of the Convent, where, with the Ciborium, containing the Blessed Sacrament, in her hands, prostrating herself in company with all her religious, she cried aloud: “O Lord, do not give into the hands of the infidels, the souls of those who acknowledge and praise Thee. Protect and preserve Thy handmaidens whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy Precious Blood.” A voice was distinctly heard, saying: “I will protect you always.”
The result proved that this was the Voice of Heaven. The Saracens, seized with a sudden fear, betook themselves to flight, those who had already scaled the walls, became blind and flung themselves down. Thus were St Clare and her religious protected and the whole City preserved from utter devastation, by the piety and devotion of the Saint to the Blessed Sacrament. We must omit many miracles which God wrought through His faithful servant.
[When St Clare] … had reached the age of sixty years, during twenty-eight of which, she had suffered from various painful maladies, although she had not been confined to her bed, or rather, her bundle of straw. Her patience while suffering was remarkable and she was never heard to complain.
The hour of her death drew near and she saw a great many white-robed virgins come to meet her, among whom was one who surpassed all the rest in beauty. She followed them and they led her to see the Almighty face-to face. Several who had read in the depths of her heart, said that she died more from the fervour of her love for God, than from the effects of her sickness. Her holy death took place in 1253. The great number of miracles wrought after her death, through her intercession and the heroic virtues which made her so remarkable, induced Pope Alexander IV., only two years later, to place her in the number of Saints.
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 ofAugsburg. 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.
AnaStpaul 
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