Category: MARIAN TITLES

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Madonna della Montagna / Our Lady of the Mountain, Polsi di San Luca, Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy (1144) and Memorials of the Saints – 2 September

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Madonna della Montagna / Our Lady of the Mountain, Polsi di San Luca, Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy (1144) – 2 September :

The stone Statue found in the Chest

in 1144, a boy found his calf kneeling before an unusual iron Cross, apparently just unearthed. The Madonna appeared, asking for the young herder to spread the news and for a Church to be built on the spot, half a mile high in the mountains.

In 1560, a chest was found floating in the sea. It was taken ashore and found to contain a stone Statue of the Madonna. When the chest was placed in a cart, the oxen suddenly took off for the mountain pass and nothing more was heard of the Statue until it turned up in the heart of Aspromonte, at the place where a calf had found a Cross and the Madonna had requested a Church. The Sanctuary there became a place of pilgrimage.

This is the replica Statue which is used for the Processions

Every year, people from all over Calabria and Sicily would make the 24-hour walk, enlivened by hymns and ballads, along the rugged path to Polsi, where they would greet the Madonna with gunshots on their arrival on 2 September As pilgrims still do — though now they can travel by road or train as well — they would spend the night in one of the hostels near the Shrine. On 3 September, a wooden Madonna is carried in procession. The stone Statue is only taken from its place on the main Altar every 25 years or in special circumstances. Also known as the Mother of the Good Shepherd, the Madonna of the Mountain was crowned in 1881, 1931 and on 2 September 1981.

The stone Statue above the Altar

Bl Albert of Pontida
St Antoninus of Pamiers
St Antoninus of Syria

Blessed Antonio Franco (1585-1626) Monsignor, Priest,
Penitent, Ascetic.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/09/02/saint-of-the-day-2-september-blessed-antonio-franco-1585-1626/

St Brocard
St Castor of Apt
St Comus of Crete
St Eleazar the Patriarch
St Elpidius of Lyon
St Elpidius the Cappadocian
St Hieu

St Ingrid of Sweden OP (Died 1282) Dominican Religious and Mystic.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/09/02/saint-of-the-day-2-september-st-ingrid-of-sweden-o-p-died-1292/

St Justus of Lyons
St Lanfranco of Vercelli
St Lolanus
St Margaret of Louvain
St Maxima

St Nonnossus (c 500-c 575) Monk, Abbot and Deacon.
Not to be confused with St Nonnatus:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/02/saint-of-the-day-2-september-saint-nonnosus-c-500-c-575/

St Prospero of Tarragona

St Solomon le Clerq FSC (1745-1792) Martyr, Religious Brother of the De La Salle Brothers, Teacher.
About St Solomon here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/02/saint-of-the-day-2-september-st-solomon-le-clercq-fsc/

St Theodota of Bithynia
St Valentine of Strasbourg
St William of Roeskilde
—
Marytrs of Nicomedia – 3 saints: Three Christians who were martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. No details about them but their names have survived – Concordius, Theodore and Zenone. They were martyrd in
Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey).

The Holy Martyrs of September (Died 1792) – 191 beati: Also known as – • Martyrs of Paris,• Martyrs of Carmes.

Martyrs of 2 September – 10 saints: A group of ten Christian martyrs; their names are on old martyrologies but we have lost all record of their lives and deaths. They were canonised.
• Antoninus
• Diomedes
• Eutychian
• Hesychius
• Julian
• Leonides
• Menalippus
• Pantagapes
• Philadelphus
• Philip

Holy Bishops of Rennes:
Honors all the bishops of the Diocese of Rennes, France who have been recognized as saints and beati. They include :
Saint Maximinus of Rennes
Saint Modéran of Rennes
Saint Rambert of Rennes
Saint Riotisme of Rennes
Saint Servius of Rennes
Saint Synchronius of Rennes

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Baldomer Margenat Puigmitja
• Blessed Fortunato Barrón Nanclares
• Blessed Joan Franquesa Costa
• Blessed José María Laguía Puerto
• Blessed Lorenzo Insa Celma

Posted in ART DEI, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, QUOTES on the CROSS of CHRIST, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS, The HOLY CROSS

September Devotion – The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Posted on by AnaStpaul

September – Month of The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Seven Sorrows of
the Blessed Virgin Mary

1, The prophecy of Simeon
2. The Flight to Egypt
3. Loss of Child Jesus for 3 days
4. Meeting Jesus carrying His Cross
5. The Crucifixion of Jesus
6. The Pieta – receiving Jesus’ Body
The Burial of Jesus

The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin – Altarpiece by Albrecht Dürer.

During this month of September, we are drawn into the spiritual Martyrdom which the Blessed Mother experienced during the physical Martyrdom of Jesus. The evils of sin are manifest but conquered through intense suffering. The Blessed Mother’s tears of anguish reflect God’s washing away of sin.

We see this theme of joy followed by affliction mirrored in the liturgical calendar in two September Feasts – the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on 14 September and the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on 15 September. Happy the heart of the blessed Virgin Mary! She, without dying, earned the treasure of Martyrdom beneath the Cross of our Lord for her anguish.

The name of Our Lady of Sorrows centres on the extraordinary and bittersweet suffering the Blessed Mother experienced during Christ’s Passion. As seen in the artwork above, her agony is composed of “The Seven Dolors,” that pierced the Heart of Mary. Dürer’s portrayal of each event encompasses the central figure of Christ’s sorrowful Mother.

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN REFLECTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, MATER DOLOROSA - Mother of SORROWS, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SEPTEMBER-The SEVEN SORROWS of MARY and The HOLY CROSS

Our Morning Offering – 1 September – What Can I Say? By St Anselm

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 1 September – “Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”

As we enter the Month of our Sorrowful Mother, let us unite ourselves to her and offer her our meagre consolation.

What Can I Say?
By St Anselm (1033-1109)
Magnificent Doctor
Marian Doctor

My most merciful Lady,
what can I say about the fountains
that flowed from your most pure eyes
when you saw your only Son before you,
bound, beaten and suffering?
What do I know of the flood
that drenched your matchless face,
when you beheld your Son,
your Lord and your God,
stretched on the Cross without guilt,
when the flesh of your flesh
was cruelly butchered by wicked men?
How can I judge, what sobs,
troubled your most pure breast,
when you heard, “Woman, behold your son,”
and the disciple, “Behold, your Mother,”
when you received as a son
the disciple in place of the Master,
the servant for the Lord?
Amen

From “The Prayers and Meditations of Saint Anselm with the Proslogion,” Benedicta Ward, trans,1973, Penguin classics, Penguin Group (UK)

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Collection of all the Feasts of Our Lady, celebrated at Louvain -and Memorials of the Saints – 1 September

Posted on by AnaStpaul

“Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary”

Collection of all the Feasts of Our Lady, celebrated at Louvain – 1 September:

The Abbot Orsini writes that “A feast is kept in honour of the Blessed Virgin, called the Collection of all the Feasts of Our Lady.”

Louvain refers to Leuven, the capital of the Province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. There was once a Chapel called Our Lady of Louvain, which had stood near the Church tower of a separate Church dedicated to Saint Peter. The Chapel owed its origin to an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary that was given by a group of Monks from Abbey Park as a sign of brotherhood in 1132. According to tradition, the wooden statue,
which depicted the Blessed Virgin seated with the Divine Child in her lap, was a gift from heaven deposited on the earth by heavenly Angels. The image excited a lively religious fervour upon its reception and there are numerous miracles credited to pious devotion to the image of Our Lady of Louvain.

Over 350 years later, as the Chapel of Our Lady of Louvain was built on land that was needed for the construction of the new and larger Church of Saint Peter, it was necessary to demolish the Chapel. In a letter dated 28 March 1496, Bishop John Horne of Liege, authorised the transfer of materials from the Chapel of Our Lady of Louvain to the new Basilica of Saint Peter The old Chapel was demolished two years later in 1498 and the Statue of the Virgin was placed on a special Altar in the collegiate Church of Saint Peter. Every year, on the eve of the first Sunday in September, the miraculous image of Our Lady of Louvain had been carried in procession by the canons and members of the local council while bells tolled and musicians accompanied the image singing the Salve Regina. Sometime later, the Statue became known by the title of Notre-Dame-sous-la-Tour. The original Church of Saint Peter was made entirely of wood and completed in about 986. It burned to the ground in 1176. It was rebuilt in Romanesque style with two west towers, and that image is still used as the ancient seal for the City. The Church was then enlarged in 1425 in the Brabantine Gothic style. The Church of Saint Peter was heavily damaged in both world wars but most importantly, the original Statue of Our Lady of Louvain was completely destroyed in 1944 by
allied bombing during World War II and it is now only a replica that is on display at the Church.

Abigail the Matriarch
St Aegidius
St Agia
St Anea
St Arcanus
St Arealdo of Brescia
Bl Colomba of Mount Brancastello
St Constantius the Bishop
St Donatus of Sentianum
St Felix of Sentianum

St Gideon the Judge

St Giles (c 650 – c 710) Monk, Hermit, Abbot.- One of the 14 Holy Helpers
About St Giles here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/09/01/saint-of-the-day-1-september-st-giles/
About the 14 Holy Helpers here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/07/25/thought-for-the-day-25-july-the-memorial-of-st-christopher-died-c-251-one-of-the-fourteen-holy-helpers/

Blessed Giuliana of Collalto OSB (1186-1262) Benedictine Nun
Bl Giustino of Paris
Bl Giovanna Soderini
St Jane Soderini
St Joshua the Patriarch
Bl Juliana of Collalto
St Laetus of Dax

St Lupus of Sens (Died 623) Bishop of Sens – France, Confessor, Monk, Missionary.
About St Lupus:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/09/01/saint-of-the-day-1-september-saint-lupus-of-sens-died-623-bishop/

St Lythan
St Nivard of Rheims
St Priscus
St Regulus
St Sixtus of Rheims
St Terentian
St Verena
St Victorious
St Vincent of Xaintes
—
Exiles of Campania
Twelve Holy Brothers: Martyrs of the South –
A group of Martyrs who died c 303 at various places in southern Italy. In 760 their relics were brought together and enshrined in Benevento, Italy as a group.
• Saint Arontius of Potenza
• Saint Donatus of Sentianum
• Saint Felix of Sentianum
• Saint Felix of Venosa
• Saint Fortunatus of Potenza
• Saint Honoratus of Potenza
• Saint Januarius of Venosa
• Saint Repositus of Velleianum
• Saint Sabinian of Potenza
• Saint Sator of Velleianum
• Saint Septiminus of Venosa
• Saint Vitalis of Velleianum
One tradition describes Saint Boniface of Hadrumetum and Saint Thecla of Hadrumetum as their parents.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Martyred Hospitallers of Saint John of God – (12 beati)
• Blessed Alejandro Cobos Celada
• Blessed Alfonso Sebastiá Viñals
• Blessed Amparo Carbonell Muñoz
• Blessed Antonio Villanueva Igual
• Blessed Carmen Moreno Benítez
• Blessed Crescencio Lasheras Aizcorbe
• Blessed Enrique López y López
• Blessed Francesc Trullen Gilisbarts
• Blessed Guillermo Rubio Alonso
• Blessed Isidro Gil Arano
• Blessed Joaquim Pallerola Feu
• Blessed Joaquín Ruiz Cascales
• Blessed José Franco Gómez
• Blessed José Prats Sanjuán
• Blessed Josep Samsó y Elias
• Blessed Manuel Mateo Calvo
• Blessed Mariano Niño Pérez
• Blessed Maximiano Fierro Pérez
• Blessed Miquel Roca Huguet
• Blessed Nicolás Aramendía García
• Blessed Pedro Rivera
• Blessed Pio Ruiz De La Torre

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Our Lady of the Founders (5th Century) Constantinople and Memorials of the Saints – 31 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Lady of the Founders – The Relic of the Girdle of Our Lady, Constantinople (5th Century) – 31 August:

The Abbot Giovanni Battista Orsini tells us the Empress Saint Pulcheria had this Church built, and gave to it the Girdle of Our Lady. A feast of this relic is kept at Constantinople, under the title of the Deposition of Our Lady’s Girdle. The French having taken this City, this precious treasure was carried off by Nivellon, Bishop of Soissons and placed in the celebrated Abbey of Our Lady, with a portion of the veil of that Queen of Heaven.

The Empress Saint Pulcheria lived in Constantinople in the 5th century, and she built many Churches, hospitals and public houses for the destitute. She is responsible for at least three Churches in Constantinople that were dedicated to the Blessed Virgin – the Blachemae, the Chalkoprateia and the Hodegetria.
The Church of the Virgin of Blachernae, now known as the Church of Panagia of Blachernae, is located in Istanbul. It was once the most celebrated Shrine in Constantinople and lies inside the high walls of the City, only a short distance from the Golden Horn. The Church was begun by the Empress Pulcheria, and completed by her husband, the Emperor Marcian. It was built upon the site of what was thought to be a sacred spring, the waters of which are still thought to have therapeutic value. The Emperor Leo I made several additions, including the Hagai Soros, which was actually a small Chapel next to the Church where the Holy Robe and Girdle of the Blessed Virgin Mary were kept in a silver and gold reliquary. The relics had been brought from Palestine in 458.

In the year 911 it was reported that there was a Marian apparition at this Church. The City was under siege by a large Muslim army, so the citizens of Constantinople had recourse to Mary, praying for relief at the Blachernae Church. Very early one morning the Blessed Virgin, preceded by a host of Angels, was seen to enter through the Church doors, escorted by Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Apostle. She advanced to the centre of the Church and knelt there to pray fervently with tears in her eyes. After a time she moved to the Altar and continued praying before she removed her veil and held it out over the faithful as she ascended back into Heaven. This was seen as a sign that she was taking the City under her protection and so it happened that the Christian’s won a striking victory over their enemies, who were driven off.
The City of Constantinople came under siege during the Fourth Crusade in the year 1203 and was captured in April of 1204. The Bishop Nivelon de Cherisy was one of the first men to scale the walls of mighty Constantinople when it was finally opened to the Crusaders. Despite the fact that there was a stern prohibition against plundering relics from Churches and monasteries, many holy relics were obtained and brought back to the West. Bishop Conrad of Halberstadt, Abbot Martin of Pairis, and Nivelon of Soiccons were known to have taken relics. Nivelon of Soiccons enriched his Cathedral at Soissons with several important relics. Robert of Clari later includes in a list of relics he viewed at the Church of the Blessed Virgin of the Pharos (Lighthouse) the Crown of Thorns, the Virgin’s Robe, the Head of St John the Baptist and two large pieces of the True Cross. The robe was a large portion of the sleeveless shirt worn by the Virgin Mary, as well as her Girdle.

Francesco d’Antonio – Madonna della Cintola

St Aidan of Lindisfarne (Died 651) Apostle of Northumbria, Bishop, Monk, Missionary, Abbot, Ascetic.
St Aidan’s Story:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/31/saint-of-the-day-31-august-st-aidan-of-lindisfarne-died-651-apostle-of-northumbria/

St Ammi of Caesarea
St Aristides the Philosopher
St Barbolenus of Bobbio
St Caesidius
St Cuthburgh of Wimborne
St Cwenburgh of Wimborne
St Joseph of Arimathea (Died 1st Century) “The Secret Disciple of Jesus”
St Mark of Milan
St Optatus of Auxerre

St Paulinus of Trier (Died 358) Bishop of Trier, Confessor, Missionary.
About this Saint Paulinus:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/31/saint-of-the-day-31-august-saint-paulinus-of-trier-died-358-or-359-bishop/

Blessed Pere (Peter) Tarrés i Claret (1905-1950) Priest, Medical Doctor, Co-Founder, with Dr Gerrado Manresa, of a clinic for the poor, dedicated to the Blessed Mother.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/31/saint-of-the-day-31-august-blessed-pere-peter-tarres-i-claret-1905-1950/

St Raymond Nonnatus O.deM. (1204-1240) Religious Priest, Confessor, Cardinal, Founder of the Mercedarian Order.
Biography here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/31/saint-of-the-day-31-august-st-raymond-nonnatus-o-dem/

St Raymond Nonnatus Robustian of Milan
St Raymond Nonnatus Rufina of Caesarea
St Raymond Nonnatus Theodotus of Caesarea
—
Martyrs of Prague – 64 beati

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Martyrs of Pozo de la Lagarta – 18 beati:
• Blessed Bernardo Cembranos Nistal
• Blessed Dionisio Ullivarri Barajuán
• Blessed Enrique Vidaurreta Palma
• Blessed Félix Paco Escartín
• Blessed Germán Martín y Martín
• Blessed Isidro Ordóñez Díez
• Blessed José María Palacio Montes
• Blessed Justo Zariquiegui Mendoza
• Blessed Marciano Herrero Martínez
• Blessed Miguel Menéndez García
• Blessed Tomás Alonso Sanjuán
• Blessed Ventureta Sauleda Paulís

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Santa Maria del Pozzo, Mother and Queen of Mercy / Our Lady of the Well – Capurso, Bari, Italy (1705) and Memorials of the Saints – 30 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Santa Maria del Pozzo, Mother and Queen of Mercy / Our Lady of the Well – Capurso, Bari, Italy (1705) – 30 August and 20 May:

The town of Capurso (Bari), on the east coast of southern Italy, claims Our Lady of the Well as its Patron under the title Madonna del Pozzo. Tradition says that it was on 30 August 1705, that the image of Our Lady sculpted in wood was found in a well. It is now preserved in the Basilica St Maria del Pozzo, construction on which began in 1770. On 20 May 1852, the image of the Blessed Mother was solemnly crowned. The Societá Maria del Pozzo, dedicated to Madonna del Pozzo and her traditions was established in 1922. The Society has its origins at Capursoand its Headquarteredare in Chicago, Illinois,

On 30 August 1705, the Priest, Don Domenico Tanzella , after recovering from a serious illness that forced him to bed drinking the water of the well of “Santa Maria”, descending into the hollow shaft of the Piscino found, on the wall, an icon of the Holy Virgin. Don Domenico Capurso exhibited the icon in the Tanzella Chapel dedicated to St Lawrence Martyr . Many miracles, were recorded, one, to a certain Caterina, crippled for many years, wife of Lorenzo Maffiola. Our Lady would appear in a dream and told her that she was to go to the Chapel of Tanzella and she would receive healing grace. The next day Catherine dragged herself there and with tears implored the Madonna for a cure. Suddenly she felt a sensation and tried to walk succeeded! At the news of this new miracle pilgrims began to flow in Capurso from countries near and far, on foot and by every means available at the time, singing hymns glorifying Mary. Today in celebration on 30 August or the last Sunday in August., 100s descend upon the Sanctuary to process the Statue through the streets. Everyone wants to touch and venerate the miraculous Madonna.

St Adauctus of Rome
St Agilus

Blessed Alfredo Ildefonso Schuster OSB (1880-1954) Cardinal, Archbishop of Milan, Benedictine Monk and Abbot, Writer, Liturgical scholar.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/30/saint-of-the-day-30-august-blessed-alfredo-ildefonso-schuster-osb-1880-1954/

St Arsenius the Hermit
St Boniface of Hadrumetum
St Bononius of Lucedio
Bl Bronislava of Poland
Bl Edward Shelley
Bl Ero di Armenteira
Bl Euphrasia of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (1877-1952)
Bl Eustáquio van Lieshout
St Fantinus of San Mercurius
St Felix of Rome

Saint Fiacre (Died 670) Priest, Abbot, Monk, Hermit, apostle of charity, gardener.
About St Fiacre:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/09/01/saint-of-the-day-1-september-saint-fiacre-died-670/

St Gaudentia of Rome

Blessed Giovanni Giovenale Ancina CO (1545–1604) Bishop of Saluzzo, member of the Oratory of St Philip Neri, Scholar, Musician and Composer, renowned Preacher Doctor of Medicine. Commonly known as Blessed Juvenal Ancina.
The Life of Blessed Juvenal:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/30/saint-of-the-day-30-august-blessed-giovanni-giovenale-ancina-co-1545-1604-bishop/

St Jeanne Jugan LSP (Mary of the Cross) (1792 – 1879) Sister and Founder of the Little Sisters of the Poor,
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/30/saint-of-the-day-30-august-st-mary-of-the-cross-1792-1879-jeanne-jugan/

Blessed John Roche (Died 1588) Lay Martyr
St Loarn
St Margaret Ward
Bl María Rafols-Bruna
St Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran

St Pammachius (c 340 – 410) Senator, Monk, Apostle of Charity, friend of St Jerome andhe was praised by St Augustine.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/08/30/saint-of-the-day-30-august-st-pammachius/

St Pelagius the Hermit
St Peter of Trevi
Bl Riccardo of Lotaringia
Bl Richard Flower
Bl Richard Leigh
Bl Richard Martin
St Rumon of Tavistock
St Sylvanus the Hermit
St Thecla of Hadrumetum
St Theodosius of Oria
Bl Yusuf Nehme
—
Martyrs of Colonia Suffetulana – 60 saints: A group of 60 Christians martyred for destroying a statue of Hermes.
They were martyred in Colonia Suffetulana, Africa.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed José Ferrer Adell
• Blessed Manuel Medina Olmos
• Blessed Vicente Cabanes Badenas
Martyrs of Barranco del Chisme (Spanish Civil War) – 10 beati:
• Blessed Alberto José Larrazábal Michelena
• Blessed Antonio María Arriaga Anduiza
• Carles Canyes Santacana
• Blessed Caterina Margenat Roura
• Diego Ventaja Milán
• Blessed Eleuterio Angulo Ayala
• Blessed Josefa Monrabal Montaner
• Manuel Medina Olmos
• Blessed Maria Dolores Oller Angelats
• Blessed Nicasio Romo Rubio

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Victory of the King of France (Philip the Fair), imploring the help of Our Lady of Chartres (1304) and Memorials of the Saints – 17 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Victory of the King of France (Philip the Fair), imploring the help of Our Lady of Chartres (1304) – 17 August:

It was on this day in the year 1304 that “Philip the Fair” gained a signal victory over the Flemish after recommending himself to Our Lady of Chartres.

The eldest son of King Philip and Isabella of Aragon, he was nicknamed Philip the Fair while yet a Prince for his handsome features. He became King of France at only 17 years of age and married Joan of Navarre in 1284, which enlarged his Kingdom.
In the year 1302, Philip sent an inadequate army into Flanders to suppress the Flemish, who were making incursions into his realm at will. His army was soundly defeated at the Battle of the Golden Spurs. Philip responded by winning a naval victory over the Flemish at Zierichzee and then met the Flemish army at the Battle of Mons-en-Pevele, also known as Mons-en-Puelle, on 17 August 1304.

King Philip the Fair

The battle was furious, lasting all day in extreme heat. Eventually the majority of the French army fled the field, leaving Philip alone with only ten Knights fighting desperately to save themselves and their King. Philip’s horse collapsed, having been killed under him and his life was in great danger of being lost. At that moment, while facing death and certain defeat in battle, Philip turned to the Queen of Heaven, Our Lady of Chartres, begging her assistance to save the day and his life.
Suddenly the French Knights, who had been fleeing the field, turned and saw the King’s Royal Standard still stood, and that he, himself, fought like a Knight of great renown amidst a sea of raging enemies. Racing to the scene with their swords and lances, they turned the Flemish and drove them from the field in what became a resounding victory for the King of France. The Battle of the Golden Spurs was well compensated.
In gratitude for this victory and favour of Our Lady of Chartres, King Philip went at once to do homage to the Virgin Mary at her Cathedral. He took off his own armour and gave it to the Cathedral at the Altar. He also gave to it, in perpetuity, the land and lordship of Barrus, founded a daily Mass forever and left to this Church ,all of the other accoutrements which he had worn on that day of victory. This feast is kept in the Church of Notre Dame, at Paris, on the following day, the 18th and the office is double. This armour is formerly exhibited in the Church ,on the Anniversary of the battle.

King Philip’s Armour

St Amor of Amorbach
St Anastasius of Terni
St Beatrice da Silva Meneses OIC (1424-1492) Virgin, Nun, Founder

St Benedicta of Lorraine
St Carloman
St Cecilia of Lorraine

St Clare of the Cross of Montefalco (c 1269-1308) Augustinian Nun and Abbess, before becoming a nun, St Clare was a member of the Third Order of St Francis (Secular), Mystic, Penitent, Spiritual adviser,
Her Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/17/saint-of-the-day-17-august-saint-clare-of-the-cross-of-montefalco-c-1269-1308/

St Donatus of Ripacandida
St Drithelm
St Elias the Younger
Bl Enric Canadell Quintana
Bl Eugenio Sanz-Orozco Mortera
St Pope Eusebius
St Eusebius of Sicily

St Hyacinth OP (1185-1257) ) “Apostle of Poland” and “Apostle of the North” also known as “the Polish St Dominic”– Religious Priest of the Order of Preachers, Confessor, Doctor of Law and Divinity, Missionary, Preacher, Miracle Worker, Mystic.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/17/saint-of-the-day-17-august-st-hyacinth-o-p-apostle-of-poland-and-apostle-of-the-north/

St Jacobo Kyushei Gorobioye Tomonaga
St James the Deacon

St Jeanne of the Cross Delanoue (1666-1736) Virgin, Sister and Foundress of the Congregation of St Anne de la Providence
About St Jeanne:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/17/saint-of-the-day-17-august-st-jeanne-delanoue-1666-1736/

St Jeroen of Noordwijk
St Juliana of Ptolemais
St Leopoldina Naudet
St Mamas
Bl Marie-Élisabeth Turgeon
St Michaël Kurobyoie
St Myron of Cyzicus

St Nicolò Politi (1117-1167) Basilian Monk and Hermit. He was known for his miracles even during his childhood and was Venerated as a saint even before his death.
About St Nicolò:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/17/saint-of-the-day-17-august-st-nicolo-politi-1117-1167/

Bl Noël-Hilaire Le Conte
St Paul of Ptolemais
St Theodore of Grammont
—
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: Bl Antoni Carmaniú Mercarder, Bl Facundo Escanciano Tejerina, Bl Eugenio Sanz-Orozco Mortera, Bl Enric Canadell Quintana, Florencio López Egea and see below –
Martyrs of Malaga – 8 beati: A priest and seven brothers, all members of the Hospitallers of Saint John of God, all martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.

Posted in MARIAN TITLES

Nuestra Señora de las Gracias de Torcoroma / Our Lady of Graces of Torcoroma, Colombia (1711) and Memorials of the Saints – 16 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Nuestra Señora de las Gracias de Torcoroma / Our Lady of Graces of Torcoroma, Ocaña, Norte de Santander, Colombia (1711) – 16 August:

The holy apparition took place on 16 August, 1711. At that time, there lived in the Mountains of Torcoroma in the Ocaña region, a peasant family dedicated mainly to the cultivation of cane with which they made sweets. The family consisted of Don Cristóbal Melo, his wife Pascuala Rodríguez and their two children, José and Felipe. According to their contemporaries, the Melo-Rodríguez were people of good morals and a life consecrated to the Christian Faith.
One morning Don Cristóbal sent his children to cut down a tree, that had wood good enough to carve the box or “canoe” with which he made his sweets. The young boys went into the mountain and as they entered the thick of the forest ,they marked the oaks that were suitable for their purpose. Until they found one that was a “wonder” and despite the fact that it was summer, it had fragrant red flowers. Such was the perfume that it could be perceived from afar.
Excited about the great find, they proceeded to cut down the tree. Given its complicated location, when cutting its base, the main part fell into a ravine. It was dusk and the boys resolved to return home and discuss the event with their father. The next day they restarted their search for the appropriate tree, but not finding one that suited their purposes, they determined to use the one already felled and went to the place where it had fallen.
They began to carve the “canoe” right there and shortly after taking the first ax blows, a light so intense came out that it reached out and illumined the lush forest. When the father realised what was lying in the middle of the splinters of the trunk, he, without thinking for a second, put his hands where his sons were preparing to take the next blow, stopping them suddenly. The father and his children were astonished when they saw, in the heart of the trunk, the image of the Virgin, with her hands together and placed on her chest, with the action of her face “as if directed to heaven,” shining with a great light and with an intense and aromatic perfume.
The news of the holy apparition quickly spread through the Ocaña region. Upon reaching the ears of the Priest and Vicar of the City, Fr.Diego Gabino Quintero, he asked Cristóbal Melo to present himself with the image of the Virgin. After carefully examining it and having listened to numerous testimonies that affirmed the divinity of the image, the Priest authorised its private worship.

In 1716 Fray Antonio Monroy y Meneses, Bishop of Santa Marta , came on a pastoral visit and after a rigorous analysis of the image that appeared and the testimony of the witnesses, he granted permission for a Chapel to be erected on the site of the appearance and ordered that the image be brought to the cCty to place it on the Altar of the main Church, today the Cathedral of Santa Ana . The image would rest in the Church for several years while awaiting the Chapel, which was only built in 1882 thanks to the financing of Bogota parishioners. Finally, at the beginning of the 20th century, the image would be definitively transferred to the Sanctuary, where it is visited not only by its faithful but by thousands of pilgrims every year..

St Stephen of Hungary (c 975- 1038) King of Hungary (Optional Memorial) “Apostle of Hungary,” King and Confessor, Marian devotee,  Apostle of Charity, Evangeliser and Missionary. 
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/16/saint-of-the-day-16-august-st-stephen-of-hungary-c-975-038-apostle-of-hungary/

Blessed Angelo Agostini Mazzinghi O.Carm. (1385-1438) was an Italian Priest and a professed member of the Carmelite Order.   He was a noted preacher, prior and reformer, teacher of theology and was known for his pious devotion to the Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Carmelite Rule of Life and to the profession of the Gospel. 
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/16/saint-of-the-day-16-august-blessed-angelo-agostini-mazzinghi-o-carm-1385-1438/

St Armel of Brittany (Died c 570) Priest, Monk, Missionary, Confessor, Evangeliser, spiritual adviser, Miracle-worker .,
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/16/saint-of-the-day-16-august-saint-armel-of-brittany-died-c-570/

St Arsacius of Nicomedia
St Frambaldo
Bl Iacobus Bunzo Gengoro
Bl Jean-Baptiste Menestrel
Bl John of Saint Martha
Bl Laurence Loricatus
Bl Magdalena Kiyota Bokusai
Bl Maria Gengoro
Bl Ralph de la Futaye

St Roch (1295-1327) “Pilgrim,” Confessor, Hermit, Apostle of the Sick, Miracle Worker.
The story of St Roch here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/16/saint-of-the-day-16-august-st-roch/

St Serena
Bl Simon Kiyota Bokusai
Bl Thomas Gengoro
St Titus the Deacon
St Ugolina of Vercelli (c 1239-c 1300) Anchorite, Recluse
—
Martyrs of Palestine – 33 saints: Thirty-three Christians martyred in Palestine; they are commemorated in old martyrologies, but the date and exact location have been lost.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Bl Amadeu Monje Altés
Bl Antonio María Rodríguez Blanco
Bl José María Sanchís Mompó
Bl Laurentí Basil Matas
Bl Plácido García Gilabert

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PAPAL PRAYERS, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, THE ASSUMPTION

Our Morning Offering – 15 August – Prayer in Honour of the Assumption

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 15 August – The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Prayer in Honour of the Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
By Venerable Pope Pius XII (1876-1958)

O Immaculate Virgin,
Mother of God
and Mother of men,
we believe with all the fervour of our faith,
in thy triumphal Assumption,
both body and soul, into Heaven,
where thou art acclaimed as Queen
by all the Choirs of Angels
and all the legions of the Saints.
And we unite with them
to praise and bless the Lord,
who has exalted thee
above all other pure creatures
and to offer thee
the tribute of our devotion
and our love.
Amen

Posted in DOGMA, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, THE ASSUMPTION

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Memorials of the Saints – 15 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary +2021

Fra Angelico, The Death and the Assumption of the Virgin, c1432.  This work combines the ancient iconography of the Dormition–showing the Virgin’s body surrounded by the Apostles, while Christ receives her soul, shown as a baby because she is reborn into Heaven–with the evolving imagery of the Assumption.  

The Feast celebrates the Assumption of the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven upon her death. According to Pope Benedict XIV, it is a probable opinion, which it is impious to deny, though not an article of faith but has since in 1950 has been raised to a DOGMA of the Faith.
The origin of the Feast day is not known but it was celebrated in Palestine before the year 500.
It is a holy day of obligation, it’s Vigil being a fast day, in many English-speaking countries.
In 1950, Pope Pius XII proclaimed Mary’s Assumption a Catholic Dogma:
“the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Munificentissimus Deus).
He did not specify whether she died first – Catholic Doctrine leaves that open. St Epiphanius of Salamis (Cyprus, died 403) had written, “No-one knows how her life ended.” But the Assumption of Mary is a nexus of Catholic faith in God’s power to resurrect the body and unite it with the soul in everlasting life.
Among the many masters who have painted the subject of the Assumption are Fra Angelico, Ghirlandaio, Rubens, Del Sarto and Titian.
Patronages – Acadians, Cajuns, Cistercian Order, Cistercians, fish dealers, fish-mongers, French air crews, harness makers, France, Guatemala, India, Jamaica, Malta, Paraguay, Slovakia, east Africa (region of east Africa which includes diverse countries, proclaimed on 15 March 1952 by Pope Pius XII) South Africa (this is not a region but a country) and the Assumption is, therefore, the Patronal Feast of the Country of South Africa – proclaimed on 15 March 1952 by Pope Pius XII), 24 dioceses, 38 cities.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/19/the-solemnity-of-the-assumption-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-19-august/

St Alypius of Thagaste (Died 430) Bishop

Blessed Alfred of Hildesheim OSB (Died 874) Bishop, Benedictine Monk, Confessor, Founder of Essen Abbey, Hildesheim Cathedral, many Convents, Schools and Seminaries, Royal Spiritual Adviser to the East Frankish King Louis the German, Diplomatic Peacemaker, he was know for his great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
His Lifestory:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/15/saint-of-the-day-15-august-blessed-alfred-of-hildesheim-osb-died-874-bishop/

Bl Agustín Hurtado Soler
St Arduinus of Rimini
Bl Claudio Granzotto
Bl George Halley

Blessed Isidore Bakanja (c 1887-1909) Congolese Martyr, Layman, Evangelist, Marian devotee especially of the Holy Rosary and Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/15/saint-of-the-day-15-august-blessed-isidore-bakanja-c-1887-1909-martyr/
St Napoleon of Alexandria

St Simplician (c 320-c 401) Archbishop of Milan and Successor of St Ambrose (340-397) Doctor of the Church in the Archdiocese of Milan, Teacher, Catechist, Writer, Mystic.
St Ambrose used to call Simplician father, as a sign of spiritual relationship but they were also great friends. Simplician took also an active part in the conversions of both Alypius of Thagaste and Augustine of Hippo. The meeting between Augustine and Simplican occurred in Milan in 386 and it is recorded in Augustine’s Confessions. After his conversion, Augustine also called Simplician father and in 397 he dedicated to Simplician two books on the issue of predestination, known as De Diversis Quaestionibus ad Simplicianum. St Augustine, remembered and referred to him with deep gratitude, calling him the “spiritual father of my soul” and would submit his own writings to him to review and comment.
Details of the life of St Simplician here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/15/saint-of-the-day-15-august-st-simplician-of-milan/

St Stanislaus Kostka SJ (1550-1568) Polish Jesuit Novice.
On the evening of the Feast of Saint Lawrence (10 August), Stanislaus felt a mortal weakness, magnified by a high fever and clearly saw, that his last hour had come. He wrote a letter to the Blessed Virgin begging her to call him to the skies, there to celebrate with her, the glorious Anniversary of her Assumption (15 August). His confidence in the Blessed Virgin, which had already brought him many favours, was this time again rewarded – on 15 August 1568, towards 4:00 in the morning, while he prayed to God, to the Saints and to the Virgin Mary, he died.
Many in the City proclaimed him a saint and people hastened from all parts to venerate his remains and to obtain, if possible, arelic.
St Stanislaus was Beatified on 19 October 1605 by Pope Paul V and Canonised on 31 December 1726 by Pope Benedict XIII.
https://anastpaul.com/2017/11/13/saint-of-the-day-13-november-st-stanislaus-kostka-sj-1550-1568/

St Tarcisius (3rd century) Martyr of the Eucharist – Patronages – altar servers, first communicants.
About St Tarcisius:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/15/saint-of-the-day-15-august-st-tarcisius-3rd-century-martyr-of-the-eucharist/

Martyrs of Nicomedia – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together. No details survive but the names – Eutychian, Philip and Straton. They were martyred in Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey).

Martyred in the Mexican Revolution: 4 Saints –
St David Roldán Lara
St Luis Batiz Sainz
St Manuel Moralez
St Salvador Lara Puente

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939.
• Blessed Agustì Ibarra Angüela
• Blessed Carmelo Sastre y Sastre
• Blessed Clemente Vea Balaguer
• Blessed Francisco Míguez Fernández
• Blessed Ildefonso Alberto Flos
• Blessed Jaume Bonet Nadal
• Blessed Joan Ceró Cedó
• Blessed Josep Santonja Pinsach
• Blessed Juan Francisco Barahona Martín
• Blessed Juan Mesonero Huerta
• Blessed Luis Ros Ezcurra
• Blessed Manuel Formigo Giráldez
• Blessed Miguel Alberto Flos
• Blessed Sebastià Balcells Tonijuan
• Blessed Severiano Montes Fernández

Posted in DOGMA, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, THE ASSUMPTION

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption – Day Nine – 14 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption

DAY NINE

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 9:
O Blessed Mother Assumed into Heaven,
after years of heroic martyrdom on earth,
we rejoice that thou hast at last
been taken to the throne
prepared for thee in Heaven by the Holy Trinity.
Lift our hearts with thee in the glory of thy Assumption
above the dreadful touch of sin and impurity.
Teach us how small earth becomes
when viewed from Heaven.
Make us realise,
that death is the triumphant gate
through which we shall pass to thy Son
and that someday, our bodies shall rejoin our souls
in the unending bliss of Heaven.
From this earth, which we tread as pilgrims,
we look to thee for hope and help.
In honour of thy Assumption into Heaven,
we ask for this favour:
………………………………..
(Mention your request)
At the hour of our death,
lead us safely to the presence of Jesus
to enjoy the vision of God for all eternity
together with thee.
O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us,
that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Amen

Posted in AUGUST - The Immaculate Heart of Mary, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering

Our Morning Offering – 14 August – O Immaculate Heart of Mary,

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 14 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary”

O Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Heart of Love and Mercy

O Most Blessed Mother,
heart of love,
heart of mercy,
ever listening, caring, consoling,
hear our prayer.
As your children,
we implore your intercession
with Jesus your Son.
Receive with understanding
and compassion
the petitions we place before you today,
especially those so deep in our heart.
We are comforted in knowing
your heart is ever open
to those who ask for your prayer.
We trust to your gentle care and intercession,
those whom we love
and those who are sick or lonely or hurting.
Help all of us, Holy Mother,
to bear our burdens in this life
until we may share eternal life
and peace with God forever.
Amen

Posted in DOGMA, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, THE ASSUMPTION

The Vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Memorials of the Saints – 14 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – 14 August:

Mention is made of this vigil, with fasting, by Pope Nicolas I, who was the Pope in the year 858. It is recorded that on this day, Angels were heard, near the City of Soissons, singing this anthem:

“Felix namque es, sacra Virgo Maria, et omni laude dignissima, quia ex te ortus est Sol justitiae, Christus Deus noster.”

Vigils were kept on the evening before each feast day from the earliest days of the Church. On that evening all of the faithful would gather together to prepare themselves for the feast they were about to celebrate. This might also include listening to readings from the Scriptures and a sermon on the topic by a Priest. Mass would then be celebrated on the feast day and the fast would be broken. It is said that both Saint Augustine and Saint Jerome practiced and fully supported, the idea of the vigil. The Vigil of the Assumption would have been one of the Church’s most important vigils.

“Of the glory and felicity of the Saints in the beatific vision Saint Paul says with Isaias (I Cor. 2,9; Is. 64, 4), that neither have mortal eyes seen, nor ears heard, nor can it enter into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him and who hope in Him. In accordance with this Catholic truth, we should not wonder at what is related of Saint Augustine, the great light of the Church, that, in setting out to write a book on the glory of the blessed, he was visited by his friend, Saint Jerome, who had just died and entered into the glory of the Lord and was admonished by his visitor, that he would not be able to compass his design; since no tongue or pen of man could describe the least part of the blessings enjoyed by the Saints in the Beatific Vision. Such is the testimony of Saint Jerome; and if through holy Scriptures we had no other information than that this glory is eternal, it would be beyond all our comprehension. For, however much of our intellect may expand, it will never comprehend eternity and ,as this is infinite and boundless, it is inexhaustible and incomprehensible, how much soever it may be known and loved. Just as God, the Infinite and the Almighty, created all things, without being thereby exhausted and even if He had created endless worlds ever anew, would remain still infinite and immutable; so also, although seen and enjoyed by countless Saints, He will remain an infinite source of new knowledge and love; for in creation and in glory, all creatures participate in Him only to a limited extent, each according to its condition, while He, in Himself, is without limitation or end.

If on this account the glory even of the least of the Saints is ineffable, what shall we say of the glory of the most Blessed Mary, since among the Saints she is the most holy and she by Herself is more like to her Son than all the Saints together, and since her grace and glory, exceed those of all the rest, as those of an Empress or Sovereign over her vassals?” – From the writings of Abbot Giovanni Battista Orsini (c 1450-1503) (the 39th Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller from 1467 to 1476).

St Maximillian Kolbe OFM Conv (1894 -1941) “Martyr of Charity” (Memorial)
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/14/saint-of-the-day-14-august-st-maximilian-kolbe-priest-and-martyr-1894-1941-prisoner-16670/
And more here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/14/saint-of-the-day-14-august-st-maximillian-kolbe-ofm-conv-martyr-of-charity-and-apostle-of-consecration-to-mary/

Bl Aimo Taparelli
St Antony Primaldo

St Arnold/Arnulf of Soissons (1040-1087) Bishop, Monk, Abbot
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/14/saint-of-the-day-14-august-saint-arnold-of-soissons-1040-1087/

St Athanasia of Timia
St Callistus of Todi
St Demetrius of Africa
St Domingo Ibáñez de Erquicia
St Eberhard of Einsiedeln
St Eusebius of Palestine

St Eusebius of Rome (Died 357) Priest, Confessor. “At Rome, the birthday of the blessed Priest Eusebius, who for the defence of the Catholic Faith, was shut up in a room of his own house by the Arian Emperor, Constantius, where constantly persevering in prayer for seven months, he rested in peace. His body was removed by the Priests, Gregory and Orosius and buried in the cemetery of Cllistus on the Appian Way.” – Roman Martyrology.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/14/saint-of-the-day-14-august-saint-eusebius-of-rome-died-357-priest-confessor/

St Fachanan of Ross
St Francisco Shoyemon
Bl Juliana Puricelli
St Marcellus of Apamea
Bl Sanctes Brancasino
St Ursicius of Nicomedia
St Werenfridus OSB (Died c 780) Priest, Monk, Missionary
__

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: 11 Beati
• Blessed Ángel de la Red Pérez
• Blessed Antonio María Martín Povea
• Blessed Basilio González Herrero
• Blessed Ezequiél Prieto Otero
• Blessed Joaquín Frade Eiras
• Blessed Jocund Bonet Mercadé
• Blessed José García Librán
• Blessed Ricardo Atanes Castro
• Blessed Segundo Pérez Arias
• Blessed Vicente Rubiols Castelló

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, THE ASSUMPTION

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption – Day Eight – 13 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption

DAY EIGHT

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 8:
Mary, Queen Assumed into Heaven,
we rejoice that thou art the Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Thou hast given thy holy fiat to God
and thou art the Mother of our Saviour.
Obtain peace and salvation for us
through thy prayers,
for thou have given birth
to Christ our Lord, the Saviour of all mankind.
Intercede for us
and bring our petitions before the Throne of God.
……………………………….
(Mention your request)
Through thy prayers,
may our souls be filled
with an intense desire to be like thee
a humble vessel of the Holy Spirit
and a servant of the Almighty God.
O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us.
Amen

Posted in DOGMA, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, THE ASSUMPTION

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

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

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

Posted on by AnaStpaul

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)
The story of St Clare:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/11/saint-of-the-day-11-august-st-clare-of-assisi/

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 Saless. Canonised on 16 July 1767 by Pope Clement XIII .(Optional Memorial)
Details of St Jane here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/12/saint-of-the-day-12-august-st-jane-frances-de-chantal/

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”
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/12/saint-of-the-day-12-august-blessed-pope-innocent-xi-1611-1689/

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.
His life:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/12/saint-of-the-day-12-august-st-pedro-del-barco-1088-1155/

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 DOGMA, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, THE ASSUMPTION

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption – Day Six – 11 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption

DAY SIX

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 6:
Mary, our dear Mother and mighty Queen,
take and receive our poor hearts
with all their desires,
all the love and all the virtues and graces
with which they may be adorned.
All we are and all we might be,
all we have and hold in the order of nature
as well as of grace,
we have received from God,
through thy loving intercession.
Help us dear Mother,
to surrender to God,
all that we have,
including our petitions.
…………………………………
(Mention your request)
Our Lady and Queen, into thy gentle hands,
we entrust all,
that it may be returned to its noble origin.
O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us.
Amen

Posted in DOGMA, MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, THE ASSUMPTION

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption – Day Five – 10 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption

DAY FIVE

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 5:
O merciful and loving Mother,
may thy glorious beauty
fill our hearts with a distaste
for earthly things
and an ardent longing
for the joys of Heaven.
May thy merciful eyes
glance down upon our struggles
and our weakness
in this vale of tears.
Hear then loving Mother,
our request and plead to Jesus for us.
………………………………..
(Mention your request)
Crown us with the pure robe of innocence
and grace here
and with immortality
and glory in Heaven.
O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us.
Amen

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Feast of St Lawrence, Virgen de la Peña / Our Lady of the Crag, Bogotà, Colombia (1685 ) and Memorials of the Saints – 10 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Virgen de la Peña / Our Lady of the Crag, Bogotà, Colombia (1685 )– 10 August:

On 10 August 1685, Bernardino Rodríguez de León “saw a great and unusual radiance that was not the natural light of day” in the peaks east of Bogotá. On drawing near, he realised the light was coming from an image of an Angel, the Virgin and Child and St Joseph, outlined in the living rock.

News of the discovery soon spread throughout the Capital and after an investigation, the Archbishop authorised the construction of a Chapel on the mountainside and public veneration on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday of 1686. The thatched Chapel collapsed in 1714 and a sturdier stone building took its place. Mysteriously, people began to see Our Lady’s face change expression – sad, tearful, joyous. On 8 May 1716, the left wall of the Chapel collapsed to its foundation, after only 150 days. It was decided to move the images from the mountain. In early June, stonemason Luis de Herrera began separating the images from the underlying rock. Legend relates that when he finished, a bird flew out. The images were cleaned, polished and touched up to make the figures and clothing more distinct. They still weighed 750 pounds. In November, men carried them on their shoulders to the plain, where they were greeted with rejoicing and dancing. Another straw shelter protected the statues until completion of a new Chapel in 1722. Now a national monument, Our Lady of the Crag is still a very active Church and an Archdiocesan Sanctuary.

St Lawrence (Died 258) Martyr (Feast) “Keeper of the Treasures of he Church,” Martyr, Archdeacon. St Lawrence was one of the seven Deacons of the City of Rome under Pope St Sixtus II, who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians by decree of the Roman Emperor Valerian.
St Lawrence here:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/10/saint-of-the-day-feast-of-st-lawrence-of-rome-martyr/

St Agathonica of Carthage
St Agilberta of Jouarre

Blessed Amadeus of Portugal OFM (1420–1482) Friar of the Order of Friars Minor, Reformer, Miracle-Worker and Confessor
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/10/saint-of-the-day-blessed-amadeus-of-portugal-o-f-m-1420-1482/

Blessed Arcangelo Placenza da Calatafimi OFM (c 1390-1460) Priest, Friar, of the Order of Friars Minor, Hermit, Mystic, Penitent.
About:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/10/saint-of-the-day-10-august-blessed-arcangelo-placenza-da-calatafimi-ofm-c-1390-1460/

St Aredius of Lyon
St Asteria of Bergamo
Bl Augustine Ota
St Bassa of Carthage
St Bessus (Died c 286) Martyr
St Bettelin

St Blane (Died 590) Irish Bishop and Confessor, Missionary.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/10/saint-of-the-day-10-august-st-blane-died-590/

Bl Claude-Joseph Jouffret de Bonnefont
St Deusdedit the Cobbler
Bl Edward Grzymala
Bl Franciszek Drzewiecki
Bl Francois François
St Gerontius
Bl Hugh of Montaigu
Bl Lazare Tiersot
St Paula of Carthage
St Thiento of Wessobrunn
—
Martyrs of Alexandria – 260+ saints: A large number of Christians who died in Alexandria, Egypt between 260 and 267 in the persecutions of Decius and Valerian, whose names have not come down to us and who are commemorated together.

Martyrs of Rome – 165 saints: Group of 165 Christians martyred in the persecutions of Aurelian. 274 in Rome, Italy.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Antonio González Penín
• Blessed José Toledo Pellicer
• Blessed José Xavier Gorosterratzu Jaunarena
• Blessed Juan Martorell Soria
• Blessed Pedro Mesonero Rodríguez
• Blessed Victoriano Calvo Lozano

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, THE ASSUMPTION

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption – Day Four – 9 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption

DAY FOUR

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 4:
O Dearest Mother Mary, Assumed into Heaven,
God placed thee at His right hand
that thou may intercede for his little ones
as the Mother of God.
In the midst of all the saints
thy stand as their Queen and ours —
dearer to the Heart of God
than any of creation.
Pray for thy children
and grant us every grace
won by our loving Saviour on the Cross.
Please intercede for us in our needs
and ask thy divine Son Jesus
to grant our request if it be for the
good of our souls.
………………………………..
(Mention your request)
O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us.
Amen

Posted in DOGMA, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, THE ASSUMPTION

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption – Day Three – 8 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption

DAY THREE

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 3:
O Mother, Assumed into Heaven
because thou shared in all the mysteries
of our Redemption here below,
Jesus has crowned thee with glory.
With thy most glorious and powerful intercession,
help us O loving Mother
and present to Jesus our request.
…………………………………
(Mention your request)
O Queen assumed into Heaven, pray for us.
Amen

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Santa Maria della Querce / Our Lady of the Oak, Lucignano, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy (1417) and Memorials of the Saints – 8 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

XIth Sunday after Pentecost +2021

Santa Maria della Querce / Our Lady of the Oak, Lucignano, Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy (1417) – 8 August, Third Saturday of September:

In 1417 Feliciano Batone painted a fresco of the Pietà on a wayside Shrine beneath a great oak . Fifty years later, there was a surge in devotion to the Madonna of the Oak after the story circulated that on 8 August 1467, a man from Siena, running from his enemies, stopped there to pray to Mary, who made him invisible to his pursuers.

A small wooden Chapel was built to protect the image and Consecrated that year. Located on a hill northeast of the old City centre, beyond the Medici Fortress and the cemetery, the present Church was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1558 and Consecrated in 1617.

On the third Sunday of September, near the feast of the Sorrowful Mother on S15 September, Lucignano celebrates St. Mary of the Oak with religious services, food, games and fireworks.

St Aemilian of Cyzicus
St Altman of Passau (c 1020 – 1091) Bishop

Ven Antonio/Margil of Jesus OFM (1657-1726)
About Venerable Antonio:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/08/saint-of-the-day-8-august-venerable-antonio-margil-of-jesus-ofm-1657-1726-the-flying-father/

St Cyriacus/Cyriac the Martyr (Died c 303) Deacon, Miracle-worker. One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/08/saint-of-the-day-8-august-saint-cyriacus-the-martyr-died-c-303/

St Eleutherius of Constantinople
St Ellidius
St Famianus of Compostela
St Gedeon of Besancon
St Hormisdas of Persia
Bl John Felton

Bl John Fingley
St Largus
St Leobald of Fleury
St Leonidas of Constantinople
St Marinus of Anzarba

St Mary of the Cross/ Mary MacKillop (1842-1909) – the first Australian born Saint
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/08/saint-of-the-day-st-mary-of-the-cross-1842-1909/

St Mummolus of Fleury
St Myron the Wonder Worker
St Paulus Ge Tingzhu
St Rathard of Diessen
St Severus of Vienne
St Sigrada
St Smaragdus
St Ternatius of Besançon
St Ultan of Crayke
Bl William of Castellammare di Stabia
Bl Wlodzimierz Laskowski
—
Martyrs of Albano – 4 saints: Four Christians who were martyred together, and about we today know little more than their names – Carpóforo, Secondo, Severiano and Vittorino. They were martyred in Albano, Italy – their remains are interred in the San Senator cemetery, on the Appian Way, 15 miles from Rome, Italy.

Martyrs of Rome – 5 saints: Five Christians martyred together; we know nothing else about them but the names – Ciriaco, Crescenziano, Giuliana, Memmia and Smaragdus. They were martyred at the 7 mile marker, on the Via Ostia, Rome, Italy.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War – Martyrs of El Saler – 5 beati: Five nuns, all members of the Sisters of the Pious Schools, all teachers, and all martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Antonia Riba Mestres
• Maria Baldillou Bullit
• María Luisa Girón Romera
• Nazaria Gómez Lezaun
• Pascuala Gallén Martí
They were martyred on 8 August 1936 in El Saler, Valencia, Spain.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Bl Cruz Laplana Laguna
Bl Fernando Español Berdie
Bl Leoncio López Ramos
Bl Manuel Aranda Espejo
Bl Mariano Pina Turón
Bl Pedro Álvarez Pérez

Posted in MARIAN DEVOTIONS, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, NOVENAS, THE ASSUMPTION

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption – Day Two – 7 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Novena to Our Lady of the Assumption

DAY TWO

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 2:
Mary, Assumed into Heaven,
we venerate thee as the Queen of Heaven and earth.
As thou tasted the bitterness of pain and sorrow
with thy Son on earth,
thou now enjoy
eternal bliss with Him in Heaven.
Loving Queen,
we beg thy intercession,
do not despise our petitions,
for we trust in thy power with God
………………………………….
(Mention your request)
We praise and bless Our Lord Jesus
for giving us such a loving Mother.
O Queen Assumed into Heaven, pray for us.
Amen

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY, The TRANSFIGURATION

Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Nossa Senhora das Graças / Our Lady of Graces, Pesqueira, Pernambuco, Northeast, Brazil (1936) and Memorials of the Saints – 6 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Transfiguration of Our Lord (Feast)
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/06/feast-of-the-transfiguration-of-the-lord-6-august-todays-gospel-mark-92-10/
AND:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/06/august-6-the-feast-of-the-transfiguration-of-the-lord/

Nossa Senhora das Graças / Our Lady of Graces, Pesqueira, Pernambuco, Northeast, Brazil (1936) – 6 August :

On 6 August 1936, Maria da Luz Teixeira, 13, and Maria da Conceição, 16 (a poor girl living with the Teixeira family), were gathering castor beans on Guarda mountain in the Cimbres district, 15 miles from Pesqueira. There was a flash of light and then Maria da Conceição said, “Look, there’s an image that looks like Our Lady.” Maria da Luz saw it too, up on a rock. They ran home and told Maria da Luz’s parents. At her mother’s insistence, Artur Teixeira climbed the hill with the girls, who reached the spot long before he struggled up through the brush. He saw nothing unusual but, at his suggestion, the girls together asked the image, “Who are you?” “I am Grace.” They asked what she wanted. “I’ve come to warn of three punishments sent by God. Tell the people to pray much and do penance.”

After this the girls returned to the site daily, where they prayed with a growing crowd of pilgrims. On 9 August, the crowd demanded a sign; reluctantly, the girls asked for one. The next day, they found water flowing from the rock and two sets of footprints embedded in stone, one an adult’s and one a child’s. The apparition confirmed they belonged to her and her son. The Bishop conducted an investigation. Maria da Luz described Our Lady of Grace as “similar to Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Pesqueira Cathedral but her mantle is blue and her dress cream, with a belt. She has a little child in her left arm and both have very beautiful crowns on their heads.”

Eventually the Virgin told her that the people’s response had been sufficient to avert the three chastisements, sometimes identified as armed bandits (particularly the notorious Lampião, killed by police in 1938) and the coming of World War II or a Communist regime to Brazil. Maria da Conceição died young. In 1940, Maria da Luz joined the Religious of Christian Instruction, taking the name Sister Adélia. In her absence, pilgrims continued to visit the Shrine at the apparition site, where 296 carved stone steps lead to a Statue of Our Lady of Grace (as depicted on the Miraculous Medal, without the Child, not as the girls saw her) and to report miracles there.
In 1966, the Vatican approved the apparitions. Sister Adélia has since participated in some events at the Shrine, including the anniversary pilgrimages of 1985 and 1986 and reported some new messages from Our Lady. As of 2010 she was still living, aged 87. Because the original site is located in the Xukuru Indian reservation, an area of constant conflict, the City and Diocese of Pesqueira have built a new Shrine to Our Lady of Grace, with a grotto and Chapel, on a Calvary Shrine hill closer to town.

Bl Gezelin of Schlebusch
St Gislain of Luxemburg
St Glisente of Brescia
Bl Goderanno
Bl Guillermo Sanz
St Hardulf of Breedon

St Pope Hormisdas (c 450-523) Bishop of Rome from 514 until his death in 523. A talented diplomat, arbitrator and negotiator.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/06/saint-of-the-day-6-august-saint-pope-hormisdas-c-450-523/

St James the Syrian

St Justus and St Pastor of Alcala – Holy Martyred Children (Died 304) Saints Justus and Pastor of Alcala were two brothers, who in their tender age overcame, with an heroic courage, the rage and power of Dacian, armed with all the instruments of cruelty.
The Martyred Children:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/06/saints-of-the-day-6-august-saints-justus-and-pastor-the-holy-martyred-children-of-alcala-de-henares-in-spain-died-304/

Bl Octavian of Savona
St Pope Sixtus II (Died 258) Pope and Martyr

St Stephen of Cardeña
Bl Tadeusz Dulny
Bl William of Altavilla
—
Martyrs of Cardeña: Two hundred Benedictine monks at the Saint Peter of Cardegna monastery, Burgos, Spain who were martyred in the 8th century by invading Saracens. They were buried by local Christians in a nearby churchyard in Burgos, Spain and Beatified in 1603 by Pope Clement VIII (cultus confirmed).

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: 10 Beati
• Blessed Alejandro Casare Menéndez
• Blessed Andrés Soto Carrera
• Blessed José González Ramos Campos
• Blessed José María Recalde Magúregui
• Blessed Juan Silverio Pérez Ruano
• Blessed Saturnino Ortega Montealegre

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, MARIAN Antiphons, MARIAN POETRY, MARIAN PRAYERS, MARIAN TITLES, Our MORNING Offering, PRAYERS of the CHURCH

Our Morning Offering – 5 August – Concórdi lætítia

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 5 August – “Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary” – The Memorial of the Dedication of Mary Major, Our Lady of the Snows

Concórdi lætítia
Harmonious Joy

Sounds of joy have put to flight
All the sadness of the night.
Now a Maid beyond compare
Hears her praises fill the air:
Virgo María.

Who is she whom angels sing,
Making all creation ring?
She it is who wins our priase,
As on earth our voice we raise:
Virgo María.

Queen of virgins, Maiden mild,
Hear me, take me for your child.
Ever my protector be,
Bring eternal life to me:
Virgo María.

Mighty Godhead, Three in One,
While eternal ages run,
Look to Mary, full of grace,
And forgive the human race:
Virgo María.
Amen

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major / Our Lady of the Snows, Our Lady of the Snow, Adro, Italy (1519) and Memorials of the Saints – 5 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major / Our Lady of the Snows (Optional Memorial)
HERE:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/05/salus-populi-romani-santa-maria-maggiore-rome-5-august/
AND HERE:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/05/august-5-dedication-of-the-basilica-of-saint-mary-major-our-lady-of-the-snows/

Nostra Signora della Neve / Our Lady of the Snow, Adro, Italy (1519) – 5 August, 8 July:
https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/08/nostra-signora-della-neve-adro-italy-our-lady-of-the-snow-adro-brescia-italy-1519-and-memorials-of-the-saints-8-july/

St Abel of Rheims
St Addai
St Aggai of Edessa
Bl Arnaldo Pons
St Cantidianus
St Cantidius
St Cassian of Autun
St Casto of Teano
Bl Corrado of Laodicea
St Emygdius (Died c 303) Bishop Martyr
St Eusignius
St Gormeal of Ardoilen
Bl James Gerius
St Margaret the Barefooted
St Mari
St Memmius of Châlons-sur-Marne
St Nonna

St Oswald of Northumbria (604-642) Martyr and King.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/05/saint-of-the-day-5-august-saint-oswald-of-northumbria-c-604-642-martyr/

St Paris of Teano
Bl Pierre-Michel Noël

Blessed Salvio Huix-Miralpeix C.O. Cong Orat (1877–1936) Bishop of Ibiza and later of Lleida, Catalonia and Martyr. Religious of the Congration of the Oratory of St Philip Neri, Professor of Theology, Apostle of the sick.
His Life and Death:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/08/05/saint-of-the-day-5-august-blessed-salvio-huix-miralpeix-co-cong-orat-1877-1936-bishop-and-martyr/

St Sobel
St Theodoric of Cambrai-Arras
St Venantius of Viviers
St Viator
—
Martyrs of Fuente la Higuera: A group of Augustinian priests and clerics who were martyred together in the Spanish Civil War. 5 August 1936 in Fuente la Higuera, Valencia, Spain. They were Beatified on 28 October 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI.
10 Beati:
• Anastasio Díez García
• Ángel Pérez Santos
• Cipriano Polo García
• Emilio Camino Noval
• Felipe Barba Chamorro
• Gabino Olaso Zabala
• Luciano Ramos Villafruela
• Luis Blanco Álvarez
• Ubaldo Revilla Rodríguez
• Victor Gaitero González

Martyrs of the Salarian Way: Twenty-three Christians who were martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian.
303 on the Salarian Way in Rome, Italy.

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Bl Eduardo González Santo Domingo
Bl Jaume Codina Casellas
Bl José Trallero Lou
Bl Lluís Domingo Mariné
Bl Manuel Moreno Martínez
Bl Maximino Fernández Marinas
Bl Victor García Ceballos

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Madonna dell’Apparizione / Our Lady of the Apparition, Pellestrina, Italy (1716) and Memorials of the Saints – 4 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Madonna dell’Apparizione / Our Lady of the Apparition, Pellestrina, Italy (1716) – 4 August:

The Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Apparizione in Pellestrina was built in July 1717, a year after the appearance of the Madonna on the island. The event of 4 August 1716, the Feast day of St Dominic, was in fact confirmed true by canonical process: – a young boy from Pellestrina met a woman who advised him to tell the Parish Priest to celebrate Mass and to pray for the salvation of Venice, which, at that time, was besieged by the Turks. The following day, at the same hour of the Apparition, the Venetians won the Battle of Petrovaradin against the Turks.

Throughout the entire year the Sanctuary is a destination for many pilgrims and devotees in search of grace and even today, on 4 August in Pellestrina, the Madonna dell’Apparizione and the victory of Venice is celebrated over three days.

St Dominic de Guzman OP (1170-1221) (Memorial) Founder of the Dominican Order of Preachers – Priest, Founder, Confessor, Teacher, Preacher, Mystic, Miracle-Worker, Apostle of the Holy Rosary. At Dominic’s baptism, Blessed Joan, his Mother, saw a star shining from his chest, which became another of his symbols in art, and led to his patronage of astronomy. The Roman Martyrology states today: “At Bologna, St Dominic, Confessor, Founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, most renowned for sanctity and learning. He preserved his chastity unsullied to the end of his life and by his great merits, raised three persons from the dead. After having repressed heresies by his preaching and instructed many in the religious and Godly life, he rested in peace on the 6th of this month. His Feast, however, is celebrated on thsi day by decree of Pope Paul IV.”
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/08/saint-of-the-day-8-august-st-dominic-de-guzman-founder-of-the-dominican-order-of-preachers/

St Agabius of Verona
St Aristarchus of Thessalonica (1st Century)
St Crescentio of Rome
St Eleutherius of Bithynia
St Epiphanes of Besançon
St Euphronius of Tours (c 530-573) Bishop
St Francesc Mercader Rendé


Blessed Frédéric Janssoone OFM (1838-1916) “God’s Pedlar” “Good Father Frédéric,” Franciscan Priest, prolific and passionate preacher, Evangeliser.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/04/saint-of-the-day-4-august-blessed-frederic-janssoone-ofm-1838-1916-gods-pedlar-good-fr-frederic/

St Hyacinth of Rome
St Ia of Persia
St Isidore of Besançon
St Lua of Limerick
St Onofrio of Panaia
St Perpetua of Rome
St Protasius of Cologne
St Rainerio of Split
St Sithney (Died c 529)
St Tertullinus of Rome
Bl William Horne

Posted in MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Maria Santissima Scala del Paradiso / Holy Mary, Ladder to Paradise, Noto, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy (1498) and Memorials of the Saints

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Finding of the Body of St Stephen, Protomartyr

Maria Santissima Scala del Paradiso / Holy Mary, Ladder to Paradise, Noto, Siracusa, Sicily, Italy (1498) – 3 August:

Local tradition holds that Angels frescoed the image of the Madonna, Ladder to Paradise, on a rock wall in the countryside before St. Corrado di Fuori’s arrival in 1340 and, that it was discovered there on 3 August 1498. However, the Diocese of Noto, of which the Madonna della Scala is the Patron, suggests that an unknown artist created the fresco in the late 1500s or early 1600s, a period more in keeping with its style.

In any case, by the time of the earthquake that destroyed the City of Noto on 11 January 1693, popular devotion had grown around the image, surrounding it with votive lamps, ex votos left in thanksgiving for answered prayers, and eventually, an Oratory. The earthquake demolished the Chapel but the image remained intact.

In 1708, a group of Carmelite Hermits took over the site and undertook the building of another Church, which was blessed the following year. In 1712, Ven. Girolamo Terzo, recently appointed the group’s Superior, hired an expert to detach the fresco from its rock and arranged its spectacular transfer to the church, pulled by a team of untamed oxen. Ven. Girolamo promoted devotion to the Madonna of the Ladder by distributing copies of the image on evangelical visits throughout the region.

With a reputation for cures and other miracles, the Hermitage became a place of pilgrimage, particularly on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary, 8 September.
The Sanctuary suffered damage during World War I. Afterwards it was restored and in 1919 the Catholic Church gave the Madonna, Ladder to Paradise, her own liturgical feast day, 3 August. An annual festa on this date draws the people of Noto to the Shrine seven miles distant, where after Mass in the Carmelite Chapel a statuary version of the image goes in procession through all the neighbouring districts.

The image of the “Ladder to Paradise” echoes the story of Jacob (Genesis 28:12) and St John Climacus’s Ladder of Ascent, a guide to the spiritual life written in Greek in the 600s, which became popular among Western religious after its translation into Latin in the 1500s (Scala Paradisi). Here, the Virgin is identified with the way to heaven because of her role in bringing Christ to humanity and her ongoing help to all who follow Him.

St Abibas
St Aspren (1st Century) Bishop of Naples

Blessed Augustine Gazotich OP (1262-1323) Bishop of Lucera, Croatia, Of the Order of Preachers. He was also noted for being the guide for Dante Alighieri as the poet travelled through Croatia. His reputation for personal holiness remained noted long after his death; this resulted in Pope Innocent XII confirming the late Bishop’s beatification in 1700.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/03/saint-of-the-day-3-august-blessed-augustine-gazotich-o-p-1262-1323/

St Dalmatius
St Euphronius of Autun
St Gamaliel
St Gaudentia
Bl Godfrey of Le Mans
Bl Gregory of Nonantula
St Hermellus
St Nicodemus
St Senach of Clonard (Died 6th Century) One of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland
St Trea of Ardtree

St Waltheof of Melrose O.Cist. (c 1095-1159) Monk, Abbot, Apostle of charity, Mystic.
His Life:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/03/saint-of-the-day-3-august-saint-waltheof-of-melrose-o-cist-c-1095-1159/
—
Martyrs of Vercelli – 4 saints (below)-

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Biandrés Avelino Gutiérrez Moral
Bl Antonio Isidoro Arrué Peiró
Bl Eleuterio Mancho López
Bl Geronimo Limón Márquez
Bl Patricio Beobide Cendoya
The Story of these around 10000 Martyrs of Spain:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/08/03/saints-of-the-day-3-august-the-martyrs-of-the-spanish-civil-war-1931-1939/

Posted in franciscan OFM, INDULGENCES, MARIAN TITLES, PLENARY Indulgences, SAINT of the DAY

Santa Maria degli Angelis / Our Lady of Angels, Assisi, Italy (13th Century) Feast Day and Portiuncula Indulgence and Memorials of the Saints – 2 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Santa Maria degli Angelis / Our Lady of Angels, Assisi, Italy (13th Century) Feast Day and Portiuncula Indulgence: 2 August

Our Lady of Angels, or of the Portiuncula, is located on the outskirts of the City of Assisi, in Italy. It was a desolate locality and apparently an unsettled one where robbers and the lawlessness flourished, for the Benedictines who had lived at the Monastery felt it was too hazardous to remain there. They abandoned the Monastery, relocating to Mount Subasio, which was a fortified Monastery.
The original Chapel is thought to date from the 4th Century and was built by holy hermits who had come from the Valley of Josaphat. It is said that they brought relics of the Blessed Virgin with them to the region when they constructed the Chapel.
The history of the feast is inspiring. St Francis of Assisi, in the early days of his conversion, while he was still uncertain as to what path to pursue, was praying earnestly for enlightenment before the Crucifix at the Church of San Damiano, when he heard within himself the command of the Crucified: “Build up my house, for it is nearly falling down.” Taking the words literally, Francis began to restore San Damiano and other dilapidated Churches in and near Assisi. The most famous of these was the Church of Our Lady of the Angels.
Some time after the restoration of this little Chapel, an Angel told St Francis to come to the Church of Our Lady of Angels, or Portiuncula. There he found Our Lord, His Blessed Mother and the Angels waiting for him. Our Lord commended Francis because of his zeal for the salvation of souls and promised to grant him whatever he should ask on behalf of sinners. St Francis asked for this great favour – that all those who came to this Church to pray and, truly sorry for their sins, confessed them, should “Obtain in perpetuity a Plenary Indulgence” so that they would have nothing to account for when God called them. This was the great favour he asked, but Our Lord granted it to him through Mary.
When Saint Francis came upon the little, run down and abandoned Chapel of Our Lady of Angels, or Santa Maria degli Angelis, in the year 1208, it was almost completely hidden in shrubs and bush. Saint Francis entered the hidden Church, which measured only (7 x 4 metres) twenty-two feet by thirteen feet and saw the ancient fresco that had been placed above the main Altar. It was an image of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin surrounded by Angels. Some say that this is why the Chapel was named Our Lady of Angels, although there are also legends that Angels could often be heard singing there.

The place took its name, the Little Portion, or Portiuncula in the native Italian, from the small section of fertile land that was gifted to the Monks to work for their support. It is said that this was the place where Saint Francis first understood his vocation, received visions and was also where the saint desired to live. The Benedictines had lived at that location for hundreds of years but the Benedictine Monks gave this Chapel to Saint Francis upon his request. It was certainly here that the Franciscan Order was founded.
At first Saint Francis wished the convent which he built there to be the principal one of his Order. He assembled the first General Chapter there, where there were five thousand religious. It was also where he yielded up his spirit on 3 October 1226, the twentieth of his conversion and the forty-fourth of his age. The cell in which the poor man of Assisi died can still be seen where it rests against one of the columns of the cupola under the choir bay.

St Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696-1787) Doctor of the Church (Memorial)
St Alphonsus:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/01/saint-of-the-day-1-august-st-alphonsus-maria-de-liguori-c-ss-r-1696-1787-doctor-of-the-church/
And more:
https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/saint-of-the-day-1-august-st-alphonsus-maria-de-liguori-c-ss-r-doctor-of-the-church/
The Roman Martyrology states of St Alphonsus today: “At Nocera-de-Pagani, Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Bishop of St Agatha of the Goths and Founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists), distinguished by his zeal for the salvation of souls, by his writings, his preaching and his example.
He was inscribed on the Calendar of the Saints by Pope Gregory XVI in the year 1839, the 52nd after his happy death and , in 1871, was declared Doctor of the Universal Church by Pius IX, according to a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites.“

St Eusebius of Vercelli (c 283-371) Bishop (Optional Memorial) Bishop, Confessor, Founder of monasticism in his region of Italy.
St Eusebius:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/02/saint-of-the-day-2-august-saint-eusebius-of-vercelli-c-283-371/

St Peter Julian Eymard SSS (1811-1868) – “Apostle of the Eucharist”Priest, Founder of two religious institutes, Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers and Brothers and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2017/08/02/saint-of-the-day-2-august-st-peter-julian-eymard-sss-apostle-of-the-eucharist/

St Auspicius of Apt
St Betharius of Chartres
St Centolla of Burgos
St Etheldritha of Croyland
Bl Frederic Campisani
Bl Giustino Maria Russolillo
Bl Gundekar of Eichstätt
Bl Joanna of Aza
Bl John of Rieti
St Maximus of Padua
St Pedro de Osma

St Peter Faber SJ (1506-1546) the “Second Jesuit” – as co-Founder with St Ignatius. He was the first Priest and theologian of the Order.
Biography:
https://anastpaul.com/2018/08/02/saint-of-the-day-2-august-st-peter-faber-s-j-1506-1546-the-second-jesuit/

St Plegmund
St Rutilius
St Serenus of Marseilles (Died c 606) Bishop of Marseilles
St Sidwell
St Pope Stephen I
—
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Bl Fernando Olmedo Reguera
Bl Miguel Amaro Rodríguez

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, INDULGENCES, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Feast Saint Peter in Chains, the Portiuncula Indulgence, Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes / Our Lady of Mercy, Barcelona, Spain (1218) and Memorials of the Saints – 1 August

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Feast Saint Peter in Chains:
https://anastpaul.com/2019/08/01/1-august-the-feast-of-saint-peter-in-chains/

Portiuncula Indulgence:
An Indulgence which may be gained in any Church so designated by the Bishop, by all the faithful who, after Confession and Holy Communion, visit such Churches between noon of 1 August and midnight of 2 August, or on the Sunday following. The Indulgence is toties quoties and is applicable to the souls in Purgatory.

Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes / Our Lady of Mercy, Barcelona, Spain (1218,) Founding of the Mercedarian Order – 1 August, 24 September :

Original image from the Mercedarian website

On 1 August of 1218, St Peter Nolasco, St Raymund of Penafort and James, King of Aragon, each had a vision of the Virgin Mary asking them to found a religious Order devoted to freeing Christian captives from the Muslims, who still held much of Spain. The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy grew quickly, collecting alms for ransom and sometimes offering themselves in exchange for prisoners. The Statue of the Mother of God of Mercy in Barcelona (below) dates from the 1300s. She became the City’s Patron after saving it from a plague of locusts in 1687. Before the counter-reformation, the Mercedarian Order celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Ransom on 1 August, the date when she showed St. Peter Nolasco their white habit. The Vatican changed the date to 24 September when it extended the feast to entire Church in 1696. Since Vatican II, Catholic observance of Our Lady of Mercy’s day is limited to places and organisations that claim her as Patron. Meanwhile, the Mercedarians have changed their mission to teaching and chaplaincy and the Barcelona soccer team visits the Basilica of La Mercè after victories in thanksgiving for her help. Her fiesta in Barcelona is a spectacular sequence of processions, dances, music, games and fireworks.

St Adela Mardosewicz
Bl Aleksy Sobaszek
St Alexander of Perga
St Almedha
St Arcadius
St Attius of Perga
St Buono
St Brogan
St Charity
St Ethelwold of Winchester (c 912-984) Bishop
St Exuperius of Bayeux
St Faith
St Faustus
St Felix of Gerona
St Friard
Bl Giovanni Bufalari
St Hope
St Jadwiga Karolina Zak
St Jonatus
St Justin of Paris
St Kenneth of Wales
St Leontius of Perga
St Maur
St Nemesius of Lisieux
Bl Orlando of Vallombrosa
St Peregrinus of Modena
St Rioch
Bl Rudolph
St Secundel
St Secundus of Palestrina
St Sophia
St Verus of Vienne

Holy Maccabees: Jewish dynasty which began with the rebellion of Mathathias and his five sons against the Syrian king, Antiochus IV (168 BC) and ruled the fortunes of Israel until the advent of Herod the Great. Syrian attempts to force Greek paganism on the Jews, the profanation of the Temple at Jerusalem and the massacre which followed, brought the nation to arms under Mathathias, a priest of the sons of Joarib. At the death of Mathathias, Judas Machabeus, his third son, drove the Syrians and Hellenists out of Jerusalem, rededicated the Temple and began an offensive and defensive alliance with the Romans. Before the treaty was concluded, however, Judas, with 800 men, risked battle at Laisa with an overwhelming army of Syrians under Bacchides, and was slain. He was succeeded in command by his youngest brother, Jonathan (161 BC). Jonathan defeated Bacchides, revenged the death of his brother and made peace with Alexander who had usurped the throne of Demetrius, the successor to Antiochus. A period of peace followed in which Jonathan ruled as high priest in Jerusalem but Tryphon, who was plotting for the throne of Asia, treacherously captured him at ptolemais and later put him to death. The captaincy of the armies of Israel then fell to Simon, the second son of Mathathias. Under him the land of Juda flourished exceedingly. He obtained the complete independence of the country and a grateful people bestowed upon him the hereditary kingship of the nation. His rule marked five years of uninterrupted peace. He was treacherously slain by his son-in-law, Ptolemy, about the year 135 BC After Simon the race of the Machabees quickly degenerated. In 63 BC the Romans thought it necessary to interfere in the fratricidal war between Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II. With this interference and the advent of Herod the Great the sceptre passed forever from the land of Juda. The story of the Machabees is written in the two books of the Old Testament which bear that name.

Saints Faith, Hope and Charity: The daughters of Saint Sophia. While still children, they were tortured and martyred for their faith in the persecutions of Hadrian. They were scourged, thrown into a fire, and then beheaded.

Martyrs of Nowogrodek – 11 beati: A group of eleven Holy Family of Nazareth nuns who were murdered by the Nazi Gestapo in exchange for 120 condemned citizens of Nowogrodek, Belarus who were scheduled for revenge killings. They are –
• Adela Mardosewicz
• Anna Kukolowicz
• Eleonora Aniela Józwik
• Eugenia Mackiewicz
• Helena Cierpka
• Jadwiga Karolina Zak
• Józefa Chrobot
• Julia Rapiej
• Leokadia Matuszewska
• Paulina Borowik
• Weronika Narmontowicz
They were machine-gunned by firing squad on 1 August 1943 by the Gestapo about three miles outside Novogrudok (Nowogródek), Hrodzyenskaya voblasts’, in Nazi occupied Belarus and buried on the site of the execution in a common grave. One of their surviving sisters, Maria Malgorzata Banas, located the grave on 19 March 1945 and tended to it until her death in 1966. Their relics have since been re-interred in a common sarcophagus in the chapel of the Novograd Farny Church (the Church of the Transfiguration, also known as Biala Fara or the White Church).