Especially known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, Bernardine devised a symbol—IHS, the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek–in Gothic letters on a blazing sun. This was to displace the superstitious symbols of the day, as well as the insignia of factions: for example, Guelphs and Ghibellines. The devotion spread and the symbol began to appear in churches, homes and public buildings.
The provenance of this item indicates that the prayer book belonged to Franciscan communities in Tuscany during the lifetime of Saint Bernardine of Siena.
“The name of Jesus is the glory of preachers because the shining splendour of that Name causes His word to be proclaimed and heard. And how do you think such an immense, sudden and dazzling light of faith came into the world, if not because Jesus was preached? Was it not through the brilliance and sweet savour of this Name that God called us into His marvelous light? When we have been enlightened and in that same light behold the light of heaven, rightly may the apostle Paul say to us: ‘Once you were darkness but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light.’ “
And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favoured one! The Lord is with you.”………..Luke 1:28
REFLECTION -“You must know that when you ‘hail’ Mary, she immediately greets you! Don’t think that she is one of those rude women of whom there are so many — on the contrary, she is utterly courteous and pleasant. If you greet her, she will answer you right away and converse with you!”……..St Bernardine of Siena
PRAYER – Lord God, You sent your angel to Mary and Your divine Son became man when she gave her consent to the angel’s announcement. Help me to give a perpetual consent to all that You will for me and a perpetual refusal to all that only I, in my pride, wish. Help me to see and understand and pray unceasingly to discern Your will. Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, help us all. St Bernardine of Siena, please pray for us, amen.
Saint of the Day – 20 May – St Bernardine of Siena OFM (1380 at Massa di Carrara, Italy to 1444 at Aquila, Italy of natural causes) “Apostle of the Most Holy Name of Jesus,” Priest, Missionary, Preacher, known as the “Apostle of Italy,” the “Star of Tuscany,” and the “Second Paul.” Saint Bernadine is one of the most renowned Franciscan preachers and reformers, a prolific writer who graced the Church with countless sermons and writings and is largely responsible for increasing the popular devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. St Bernadine is also remembered for his ardent devotion to Our Blessed Mother and the Holy Family. His numerous Patronages include – against chest and lung problems, respiratory illnesses, of Advertising and Communications and Public Relations workers, against gambling and gambling addictions, of Italy, Diocese of San Bernardino, California, of the Diocese of Capri, Italy, of the Italian Cities of Altavilla Irpina, Aquila, Camaiore, Carpi, Castelspina, Alessandria, Montecchio, Trevignano Romano Venice.
Saint Bernadine was the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across Italy, bringing peace to areas ridden with strife, attacking the paganism he found rampant. When he preached, he would attract large crowds of nearly 30,000 listeners, converting many on the spot. Above all, he followed St. Francis’s admonition to preach about “vice and virtue, punishment and glory.” Saint Antoninus described him as “a new star in the midst of the murky darkness of the earth; to shine with the brightness of Divine gifts; to beam far and wide the bright rays of his glorious life and teachings; to lead in the fear of God, by the holiness of his example, a people whose blindness had removed it from the straight path of the heavenly Homeland.”
He was born on the Feast of the Nativity of Mary in Siena, Italy. StBernadine entered the world in nobility, the son of a governor. At age six, he lost both his parents and thus orphaned, was raised by a pious aunt who attended to both his physical and spiritual needs. Bernadine excelled at school, demonstrating both intelligence and diligence, holiness and piety, and was well-liked and popular. At age 17, he entered a Marian confraternity at the La Scala hospital, beginning a secluded religious life devoted to prayer and meditation. At that time, the plague raged throughout Europe and Bernadine left seclusion to aid the sick, placing himself at great risk and assuming administration of the hospital. While he never contracted the plague, he fell ill from exhaustion and was confined to bed for several months. While he never fully recovered, his voice—hoarse and weak from his sickness- was fully restored through his devotion to Our blessed Mother, allowing him to develop profound preaching skills. Following his own sickness, his aunt fell ill and he nursed her until her death, never leaving her side. Upon her death, Saint Bernadine turned to fasting and prayer, spending his days seeking the will of the Lord in his life.
One day while he was kneeling at the foot of his crucifix, praying for guidance, Bernadine heard the voice of Jesus say to him: “My son Bernardine, you see Me hanging on the Cross, in a state of total denudation. If you love Me and want to walk in My footsteps, fasten yourself also to the cross, divested of everything.” Following this divine message, Bernadine joined the Franciscan Order, distinguishing himself through obedience, which he considered the virtue of highest import.
Bernadine was assigned to preaching, having a natural gift given by the Holy Spirit. Over the next decade of his life, he traveled throughout Italy, preaching in major cities, a natural successor to Saint Vincent Ferrer. The Adorable Name of Jesus was the usual theme of his sermons, stemming from his aunt’s instruction as a child. Wherever he traveled, he carried a tablet on which the Holy Name of Jesus (IHS) was written, adopting it as his standard and his “sole weapon.” He firmly held only in this Name could man be saved, as Saint Peter had instructed the elders in the Synagogue.
One of Bernadine’s listeners in Siena was to become Pope Pius II. In his notes, the Pope tells of one of Bernardine’s addresses: “One day, as he was preaching in the square in Siena, a thick cloud formed and threatened rain. Everyone wanted to run off. ‘Friends, remain in peace,’ exclaimed the orator. He knelt down and prayed, ordering the cloud, by virtue of the Name of Jesus, to go away. Scarcely had he spoken when the cloud scattered without a drop of rain, and the weather turned as fair as it had been before.”
Bernardine was a preacher of inspired eloquence. He has been called the Doctor of the Heart of Mary due to his writings on Mary’s heart. He wrote, “from her heart, as from a furnace of Divine Love, the Blessed Virgin spoke the words of the most ardent love.” He was also a distinguished master in the science of all things sacred, as is proved by the writings he has left us.
Bernadine’s watchword, like Saint Francis, was peace. He preached peace wherever he went, balancing the social climate of the day with the teachings of the Church. Mass reconciliations were reported as he celebrated Mass, given his encouragement of the kiss of peace between attendees.
Numerous miraculous occurrences were reported in his presence. One day, preaching in praise of the Blessed Virgin, he applied to Her the verse of the Apocalypse: “A great sign appeared in heaven, a Woman clothed with the sun…” At once a brilliant star appeared over his head. On other occasions, Bernadine was understood by all present when he spoke in Italian—even by those who didn’t speak Italian! He obtained miraculous conversions and reformed the greater part of Italy by his burning words and by the power of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Bernardine was appointed Vicar General of his Order in 1438, an office he held for five years. After five years, he began preaching again until, worn out from his missionary labors, he died on the Eve of the Ascension. At his death, his brothers surrounded him, chanting, “Father, I have manifested Thy Name to men.” Saint Bernadine was buried at Aquila in the Abruzzi. The miracles reported at his tomb encouraged Pope Nicholas V to canonise him only six years later.
St Bernadine of Siena (Optional Memorial)
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St Abercius
Bl Albert of Bologna
St Alexander of Edessa
St Althryda
St Anastasius of Brescia
St Aquila of Egypt
St Arcangelo Tadini
Bl Arnaldo Serra and Companions
St Asterius of Edessa
St Austregisilus of Bourges
St Basilla of Rome
St Baudelius of Nîmes
St Codrato
Bl Columba of Rieti
St Ethelbert of East Anglia
BlGuy de Gherardesca
St Helena
St Hilary of Toulouse
St José Pérez Fernández
St Lucifer of Caglieri
St Marcello
Bl Maria Angelica Perez
St Plautilla of Rome
St Protasius Chong Kuk-bo
St Rafaél García Torres
St Talaleo of Egea
St Thalalaeus of Edessa
St Theodore of Pavia
St Tomás Valera González
St Celestine V tasted bitterly his own failure but this did not prevent him from being a saint. When he realised that he was in the wrong place, he quickly did something about it, whatever the consequences. To admit failure, particularly in a place of importance and public scrutiny, takes a rare kind of courage and that kind of courage is the stuff that saints are made of. Say no more!
St Pope Celestine V, please pray for us, that we may have the courage to admit our failures.
Saint of the Day – 19 May – St Pope Celestine V Born 1210 at Isneria, Abruzzi, Italy as Pietro del Morrone; Papal Ascension – 5 July 1294 – Papal Abdication – 13 December 1294. Died: • 19 May 1296 in Rome, Italy of natural causes. St Celestine is buried in the church of Saint Agatha, Ferentino, Italy and re-interred in the Church of Saint Maria di Collemaggio, Aquila, Italy. Monk, Hermit, Pope, Founder. Patron of Bookbinders,Papal resignations, Aquila, Urbino, Molisem Sant’Angelo Limosano. Attributes – Papal vestments, Papal tiara, Book
Peter Celestine, was Pope for five months from 5 July to 13 December 1294, when he resigned. He was also a monk and hermit who founded the order of the Celestines as a branch of the Benedictine order.
He was elected pope in the Catholic Church’s last non-conclave papal election, ending a two-year impasse. Among the only edicts of his to remain in force was the confirmation of the right of the pope to abdicate; nearly all of his other official acts were annulled by his successor, Boniface VIII. On 13 December 1294, a week after issuing the decree, Celestine resigned, stating his desire to return to his humble, pre-papal life. He was subsequently imprisoned by Boniface in the castle of Fumone in the Campagna region, in order to prevent his potential installation as antipope. He died in prison on 19 May 1296 at the age of 81.
St Celestine was canonized on 5 May 1313 by Pope Clement V. No subsequent pope has taken the name Celestine.
Pietro Angelerio was born to parents Angelo Angelerio and Maria Leone in a town called Sant’Angelo Limosano, in the Kingdom of Sicilia (Sicily). After his father’s death he began working in the fields. His mother Maria was a key figure in Pietro’s spiritual development: she imagined a different future for her deeply beloved son than becoming just a farmer or a shepherd. From the time he was a child, he showed great intelligence and love for others. He became a Benedictine monk at Faifoli in the Diocese of Benevento when he was 17. He showed an extraordinary disposition toward asceticism and solitude and in 1239 retired to a solitary cavern on the mountain Morrone, hence his name (Peter of Morrone). Five years later he left this retreat and went with two companions to a similar cave on the even more remote Mountain of Maiella in the Abruzzi region of central Italy, where he lived as strictly as possible according to the example of St. John the Baptist. Accounts exist of the severity of his penitential practices.
The cardinals assembled at Perugia after the death of Pope Nicholas IV in April 1292. After more than two years, a consensus had still not been reached. Pietro, well known to the cardinals as a Benedictine hermit, sent the cardinals a letter warning them that divine vengeance would fall upon them if they did not quickly elect a pope. Latino Malabranca, the aged and ill dean of the College of Cardinals cried out, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I elect brother Pietro di Morrone.” The cardinals promptly ratified Malabranca’s desperate decision. When sent for, Pietro obstinately refused to accept the papacy and even, as Petrarch says, tried to flee, until he was finally persuaded by a deputation of cardinals accompanied by the king of Naples and the pretender to the throne of Hungary. Elected on 5 July 1294, at age 79, he was crowned at Santa Maria di Collemaggio in the city of Aquila in the Abruzzo on 29 August, taking the name Celestine V.
Shortly after assuming office, Celestine issued a papal bull granting a rare plenary indulgence to all pilgrims visiting Santa Maria di Collemaggio through its holy door on the anniversary of his papal coronation. The Perdonanza Celestiniana festival is celebrated in L’Aquila every 28–29 August in commemoration of this event.
With no political experience, Celestine proved to be an especially weak and ineffectual pope. He held his office in the Kingdom of Naples, out of contact with the Roman Curia and under the complete power of King Charles II. He appointed the king’s favorites to church offices, sometimes several to the same office. One of these was Louis of Toulouse, whom Celestine ordered given clerical tonsure and minor orders, although this was not carried out. He renewed a decree of Pope Gregory X that had established stringent rules for papal conclaves after a similarly prolonged election. In one decree, he appointed three cardinals to govern the church during Advent while he fasted, which was again refused. Realizing his lack of authority and personal incompatibility with papal duties, he consulted with Cardinal Benedetto Caetani (his eventual successor) about the possibility of resignation. This resulted in one final decree declaring the right of resignation, which he promptly exercised after five months and eight days in office, thus on 13 December 1294, Celestine V resigned. In the formal instrument of renunciation, he recited as the causes moving him to the step: “The desire for humility, for a purer life, for a stainless conscience, the deficiencies of his own physical strength, his ignorance, the perverseness of the people, his longing for the tranquility of his former life”. Having divested himself of every outward symbol of papal dignity, he slipped away from Naples and attempted to retire to his old life of solitude.
The next pope to resign of his own accord was Pope Benedict XVI in 2013, 719 years later.
The former Celestine, now reverted to Pietro Angelerio, was not allowed to become a hermit once again. Various parties had opposed his resignation and the new Pope Boniface VIII had reason to worry that one of them might install him as an antipope. To prevent this he ordered Pietro to accompany him to Rome. Pietro escaped and hid in the woods before attempting to return to Sulmona to resume monastic life. This proved impossible and Pietro was captured after an attempt to flee to Dalmatia was thwarted when a tempest forced his ship to return to port. Boniface imprisoned him in the castle of Fumone near Ferentino in Campagna, attended by two monks of his order, where Pietro died after 10 months at about the age of 81. His supporters spread the allegation that Boniface had treated him harshly and ultimately executed Pietro but the historical evidence is lacking. Pietro was buried at Ferentino but his body was subsequently removed to the Basilica Santa Maria di Collemaggio in Aquila.
Philip IV of France, who had supported Celestine and bitterly opposed Boniface, nominated Celestine for sainthood following the election of Pope Clement V. The latter signed a decree of dispensation on 13 May 1306 to investigate the nomination. He was canonised on 5 May 1313 after a consistory. Most modern interest in Celestine V has focused on his resignation. He was the first pope to formalise the resignation process and is often said to have been the first to resign. In fact he was preceded in this by Pope Pontian (235), John XVIII (1009), Benedict IX (1045) and Gregory VI (1046). As noted above, Celestine’s own decision was brought about by mild pressure from the Church establishment. His reinstitution of Gregory X’s conclave system established by the papal bull Ubi periculum has been respected ever since.
A 1966 visit by Pope Paul VI to Celestine’s place of death in Ferentino along with his speech in homage of Celestine prompted speculation that the Pontiff was considering retirement.
Celestine’s remains survived the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake with one Italian spokesman saying it was “another great miracle by the pope”. They were then recovered from the basilica shortly after the earthquake. While inspecting the earthquake damage during a 28 April 2009 visit to the Aquila, Pope Benedict XVI visited Celestine’s remains in the badly damaged Santa Maria di Collemaggio and left the woolen pallium he wore during his papal inauguration in April 2005 on his glass casket as a gift.
To mark the 800th anniversary of Celestine’s birth, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the Celestine year from 28 August 2009 through 29 August 2010. Benedict XVI visited the Sulmona Cathedral, near Aquila, on 4 July 2010 as part of his observance of the Celestine year and prayed before the altar consecrated by Celestine containing his relics, on 10 October 1294.
St Alcuin of York
Bl Augustine Novello
St Calocerus of Rome
St Pope Celestine V
St Crispin of Viterbo
St Cyriaca of Nicomedia and Companions
St Cyril of Trèves
St Dunstan of Canterbury
St Evonio of Auvergne
St Hadulph of Saint-Vaast
Bl Humiliana de’ Cerchi
St Ivo Hélory of Kermartin
Bl Jean-Baptiste-Xavier Loir
Bl Józef Czempiel
Bl Juan of Cetina
Bl Louis Rafiringa
Bl Lucinio Fontanil Medina
St Parthenius of Rome
Bl Peter de Duenas
Bl Peter Wright
St Philoterus of Nicomedia
St Pudens of Rome
St Pudentiana of Rome
St Theophilus of Corte
Bl Verena Bütler
St Pope John I tried to bring peace between king and emperor but succeeded also in endangering his own life. So it seems to be lot of peacemakers. However, he was willing to take the risk and so should we be in trying to reconcile others. Sometimes, we succeed but oftentimes, both sides turn against the striving peacemaker. That is the risk we take but that is also the challenge of being a Christian. “If you find that the world hates you, know it has hated me before you” (John 15:18). St Pope John I, please pray for us that we too might have your courage in the face of adversity and persecution.
Saint of the Day – 18 May – St Pope John I (c 470 – 526) He
was Pope from 13 August 523 to his death in 526.
He was a priest in Rome and was elected the 53rd pope in 523. Italy’s ruler, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian and for a while he let Catholics alone but in later life he became suspicious of everyone, imagining conspiracies and attempts to seize his throne. He tried to involve Pope John in his political machinations. John led a delegation to Constantinople to negotiate with Emperor Justin I; he was the first pope to travel to Constantinople and while there crowned Justin. The mission was successful but Theodoric thought John and Justin I had plotted against him. While returning to Rome, John was kidnapped and imprisoned by Theodoric’s soldiers at Ravenna, where he died of neglect and ill treatment. His body was transported to Rome and buried in the Basilica of St. Peter. St Pope John I is depicted in art as looking through the bars of a prison or imprisoned with a deacon and a subdeacon. He is venerated at Ravenna and in Tuscany.
St Pope John I, (Optional Memorial)
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Bl Burchard of Beinwil
St Dioscorus of Kynopolis
St Elgiva of Shaftesbury
St Eric of Sweden
St Felix of Cantalice
St Felix of Spoleto
St Feredarius of Iona
Bl Jan Oprzadek
St Merililaun
St Ortasio of Alexandria
St Potamon of Heraclea
St Serapione of Alexandria
Bl Stanislaw Kubski
St Venantius of Camerino
Bl William of Toulouse
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Martyrs of Ancyra – 8 saints: Seven nuns martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian and the innkeeper who was executed for giving them a Christian burial: Alexandria, Claudia, Euphrasia, Julitta, Matrona, Phaina, Thecusa and Theodatus. c.304 in Ancyra, Galatia (in modern Turkey)
The life of St Paschal Baylon is one of simple adoration of the Lord. He recognised the importance of spending time before Our Saviour, in contemplation of His passion, love, and sacrifice—in the earthly presence of God. Through his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, St Paschal was graced with wisdom beyond his education and obedience and charity beyond measure. His life inspires us to greater communion with the Lord, leading us to His spiritual treasures. As prayer before the Blessed Sacrament occupied much of Saint Francis’ energy. Most of his letters were to promote devotion to the Eucharist. St Paschal shared this concern. An hour in prayer before our Lord in the Eucharist could teach all of us a great deal! Many holy and busy Catholics today, across the world, find that their lives in every respect, are enriched by these minutes regularly spent in prayer and meditation.
O God, You filled St. Paschal with a wondrous love for the sacred mysteries of Your Body and Blood. May we draw from this Divine Banquet the same spiritual riches he received. St Paschal Baylon Pray for us amen!
“There is no more efficacious means than this (Eucharistic Adoration)
for nourishing and increasing the piety of the people
toward this admirable pledge of love
which is a bond of peace and of unity.”
“He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal”……………….John 6:54
REFLECTION – “God is as really present in the consecrated Host as He is in the glory of Heaven”…..St Paschal Baylon
PRAYER – Lord Jesus Christ, never let me abstain from receiving You in Holy Communion and let me always find the time to visit You in the Tabernacle. Lord teach enlighten my mind with a fuller love and understanding of Your Eucharistic Heart. St Paschal Baylon, Seraph of the Eucharist, pray for us all! Amen
Virgin Mary, hear my prayer:
through the Holy Spirit
you became the Mother of Jesus;
from the Holy Spirit may I too have Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit your flesh conceived Jesus;
through the same Spirit may my soul receive Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit you were able to know Jesus,
to possess Jesus,
and to bring Him into the world.
Through the Holy Spirit may I too come to know your Jesus.
Imbued with the Spirit,
Mary, you could say:
“I am the handmaid of the Lord,
be it done unto me according to your word”;
in the Holy Spirit,
lowly as I am,
let me proclaim the great truths about Jesus.
In the Spirit you now adore Jesus as Lord
and look on Him as Son;
in the same spirit,
Mary, let me love your Jesus. Amen
I AM A SINNER by ST PASCHAL BAYLON (Memorial today 17 May)
I am a sinner and You
are He who justifies the impious.
I am poor, you are rich in infinite riches.
Give me an increase of faith,
an increase of love,
a complement of all virtues
with which I may serve You and praise You
all my life so that, at last,
I may enjoy You in Heaven.
Amen.
Saint of the Day – 17 May – St Paschal Baylon (1540 (feast of Pentecost) at Torre Hermosa, Aragon, (modern Spain) – 15 May 1592 (feast of Pentecost) at Villa Reale, Spain of natural causes) Franciscan lay brother, Mystic, Contemplate, known as the “Seraph of the Eucharist,” “Saint of the Blessed Sacrament,” “Servant of the Eucharist.”Patron of cooks, shepherds, Eucharistic congresses and organisations (proclaimed by Pope Leo XIII on 28 November 1897), Diocese of Segorbe-Castellón de la Plana, Spain, Obado, Bulacan, Philippines. Attributes – The Eucharist, Monstrance, Franciscan habit.
Today, 17 May marks the Feast Day of Saint Paschal Baylon, mystic, known for his profound devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. While Saint Paschal never became a priest, he is the saint most often thought of in relation to the Holy Eucharist and Pope Leo XIII declared him the patron saint of Eucharistic congresses and associations. He wrote, “There is no more efficacious means than this for nourishing and increasing the piety of the people toward this admirable pledge of love, which is a bond of peace and of unity.” Among all those most devoted to the Eucharist, Paschal Baylon seemed to the Pope to be “the greatest.”
As a youth, Paschal Baylon tended his family’s sheep. He taught himself to read so that he could pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, the popular prayer book of his day. Paschal disciplined himself to endure the harshness and loneliness of a shepherd’s work. And when his sheep trod on others’ vines, he scrupulously paid for the damage out of his own meager resources.
At twenty-one, St Paschal joined the reformed Franciscans of St. Peter of Alcántara at Loreto. As a lay brother, Paschal for many years served as porter and guestmaster with patience and good humor. John Ximenes, his biographer, reports that he was a model friar, always the first at prayer and never once behaving badly in a relationship. “In no single case,” said Ximenes, “do I remember to have noted even the least fault in him, though I lived with him in several of our houses and was his companion on two long journeys.”
Like other saintly doorkeepers Brother André and Solanus Casey, Paschal gained a reputation for miracles.
For example, Martin Crespo once told how the saint freed him from his determination to take vengeance on his father’s murderers:
“One Good Friday there was a lifelike representation of the descent from the cross. Along with everyone else in town, I followed the crucifix borne in triumph through the streets. In a last ditch effort to get me to repent, my friends boxed me in and forced me to endure the preacher’s address. He concluded his eloquent speech in a pathetic peroration, urging me to forgiveness in memory of our Saviour’s passion. His fine discourse left me unmoved and cold.
“Quit tormenting me,” I exclaimed angrily. “It’s no use. I will not forgive them.” Brother Paschal, whom I had not noticed before, stepped forward. He took me by the arm and drew me aside. “My son,” he said, “have you not just now seen a representation of our Lord’s passion?” Then with a glance that penetrated my soul he said: “For the love of Jesus Crucified, my son, forgive them.”
“Yes, Father,” I replied, hanging my head and weeping. “For the love of God I forgive them with all my heart.” I no longer felt the same person. The crowd anxiously awaited the outcome of our mysterious conference. When Paschal announced that I had forgiven my enemies, they burst into applause.”
We remember Paschal Baylon most as the “Saint of the Blessed Sacrament.” Typically he spent as many hours a day as he could worshiping before the Tabernacle. Because of his faithful devotion, the Church has named him Patron of Eucharistic Congresses and conferences. He died in 1592 at the age of fifty-two.
Saint Paschal exhibited an ardent love for Christ and was especially devoted to the Eucharistic Mystery. He traveled from church to church, always on foot, visiting and praying before the Blessed Sacrament, referring to his encounters with “the real presence of Jesus” in these moments. During his prayers, he would often levitate above the floor, so much was his love and zeal for Christ.
Many miracles are attributed to Saint Paschal, including creating fresh-flowing streams by striking the ground, healing, and miraculous charity. Saint Paschal also experienced mystical visions. On one such occasion, while he was out in the fields with his sheep and unable to go to Mass at the nearby monastery, Paschal was waiting for the sound of the Consecration Bell which he always observed in prayer. In his longing to be present at the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, he cried out, “My Master, My adorable Master, Oh that I might see Thee!” Suddenly before him he saw Angels bowed down before a Chalice, with the Blessed Sacrament floating above it. In the Divine Presence of Our Lord, Paschal fell flat on his face and adored God. Then taking courage he gazed upon the beautiful vision.
The “Servant of the Eucharist,” as he was commonly called, died on 17 May Pentecost Sunday, in 1592. His tomb at the Royal Chapel in Villareal, Valencia, Spain immediately became the object of innumerable pilgrimages, even by the king and the nobles of Spain. At his funeral Mass, Saint Paschal’s eyes miraculously opened during the Consecration, adoring the Blessed Sacrament even in death. Since his death, strange occurrences have continued to be reported, known as the “Knocks of St. Paschal.” At first, the knocks came from Paschal’s tomb. Later they came from relics and pictures of the saint. The knocking sound is believed to come as a kind of warning, to let people know that a terrible event was about to take place. It is also said that in Spain and Italy, those who are devoted to Saint Paschal, are warned about their death, days before, so that they may have a chance to receive the Last Sacraments. Beatified by Pope Paul V in 1618, he was Canonised by Pope Alexander VIII on 16 October 1690.
St Adrione of Alexandria
Bl Antonia Messina
Bl Bernard of Verdun
St Cathan of Bute
St Fionnchan of Druim-Eanaigh
St Giulia Salzano
St Heraclius of Noviodunum
Bl Ivan Ziatyk
St Madron of Cornwall
St Maildulf of Malmesbury
St Maw
St Paschal Baylon
St Paul of Noviodunum
St Peter Lieou
St Rasso of Grafrath
St Restituta of Carthage
St Silaus of Lucca
St Solochanus of Chalcedon
St Thethmar
St Victor Roma
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Martyrs of Alexandria – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together; no details about them have survived except their names: Adrio, Basilla and Victor.
4th century Alexandria, Egypt
Martyrs of Nyon: A group of Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. We know little more than three of their names: Aquilinus, Heradius and Paul. 303 at Noyon, Switzerland
“What seems to shine forth especially in the life of Andrew Bobola is his Catholic faith, whose vigour, nourished by divine grace, grew so much stronger with the passing of the years that it conferred on him a special mark of distinction, and spurred him on to undergo his martyrdom with courage.
But the Catholic Church, particularly in the countries to the East, was facing an extremely grave crisis owing to the efforts of the schismatics, who were striving by every device to draw the faithful away from the unity of the Church into their own errors. Andrew went, therefore, into those regions on the instruction and command of his Superiors and by public sermons and private instruction through their cities, towns and villages and most of all by the fervour of his exceptional holiness and the burning zeal of his apostolate, he freed the wavering faith of a multitude of Christians from beguiling falsehood, brought them back to sound principles, and joyfully invited all he could to return to the one fold of Jesus Christ.
He did not merely restore and strengthen the faith of the Christians, languishing and on the verge of collapse but roused them also to weep for their own sins, to settle their disputes, to heal their divisions, to restore true morality. It seemed that, like his Divine Master, wherever he passed by doing good, a new spring blossomed forth, bright with heavenly flowers and fruits of salvation. Consequently, as tradition has it, he received from all, even from the schismatics, the significant title of “Hunter of Souls.”
This tireless apostle of Jesus Christ had lived by faith, had spread the faith and had defended the faith; so too, he did not hesitate to die for the faith of his fathers.” INVICTI ATHLETAE (On St. Andrew Bobola) (Venerable) Pope Pius XII Encyclical Promulgated on 16 May 1957
Do you find yourself persecuted, in trouble, disliked and maligned because you live by and defend the Faith? But this is our mission – we do not live according to the instructions of our Divine Master, unless we ‘go forth and spread the good news’. If we miss a single opportunity to live and speak the truth, we may well be responsible for the eternal damnation of a soul – what a frightening thought!
St Andrew Bobola, inspire us with your zeal for souls and please Pray for us!
…..”the Polish Martyr rose to the heights of the noblest triumphs which the Church commemorates. Andrew was asked if he were a priest of the Latin rite, and he replied:
‘I am a Catholic priest. I was born in the Catholic faith. In that faith I wish to die. My faith is true; it leads to salvation. Do you rather repent; give place to sorrow for sin, else you will be unable, in your errors, to win salvation. By embracing my faith, you will acknowledge the true God and will save your souls’.
St Andrew Bobola SJ
At these words, those wicked men, utterly devoid of humanity, were roused to a fiendish barbarity and reached such a degree of cruelty that they inflicted still more horrible sufferings on the soldier of Christ. Once again, “he was scourged, a crown like that of Jesus Christ was bound about his head, he was struck heavy blows and lay wounded by a scimitar. Next, his right eye was gouged out, strips of skin were torn off, his wounds were savagely scorched and rubbed with prickly bundles of straw. Nor was that enough: his ears, nose and lips were cut off, his tongue torn out by the root and finally, a weapon plunged into his heart. And, at long last, the valiant athlete, three hours after midday, displaying a truly marvelous example of fortitude, was pierced by a sword and achieved the glory of martyrdom.” ……………….Venerable Pope Pius XII – INVICTI ATHLETAE (On St. Andrew Bobola) Encyclical Promulgated on 16 May 1957
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven…………..Matthew 5:11-12
REFLECTION – “The mind shudders as it recalls all the tortures which the athlete of Jesus Christ endured with unconquerable fortitude and a faith resolute and unbroken……..We do not think this filled him with fear but rather with a heavenly joy. For We know that he had always prayed for martyrdom and had often recalled these words of the Divine Redeemer..”………Venerable Pope Pius XII
PRAYER – Gracious Lord, help me too to be an apostle of zeal and a ‘hunter of souls’. For I know that is through Your grace and by that grace manifest in my life that I may reach out and help all those around me. Grant me Lord, the courage and zeal of St Andrew Bobola, who I now request for his intercessionary prayers, on behalf of all Your Holy Church. Amen
Saint of the Day – 16 May – St Andrew Bobola SJ (1591-1657) Martyr, Priest, Missionary, known as the Apostle of Lithuania and the “Hunter of Souls.”. Born Andrzej Bobola – Patron of Poland and the Archdiocese of Warsaw. His body is incorrupt.
Bobola was born in 1591 into a noble family in the Sandomir Palatinate in the Province of Lesser Poland of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, then a constituent part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1611 he entered the Society of Jesus in Vilnius, then in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the other part of the Commonwealth. He subsequently professed solemn vows and was ordained in 1622, after which he served for several years as an advisor, preacher, Superior of a Jesuit residence, etc., in various places.
From 1652 Bobola also worked as a country “missionary”, in various locations of Lithuania: these included Polotsk, where he was probably stationed in 1655 and also Pinsk, (both now in Belarus). On 16 May 1657, during the Khmelnytsky Uprising, he was captured in the village of Janów (now Ivanava, Belarus) by the Cossacks of Bohdan Chmielnicki and, after being subjected to a variety of tortures, killed.
One description of Bobola’s death written in 1865 states:
“In the same year, the Cossacks surprised a holy Polish Jesuit, in the town of Pinsk and conferred on him the palm of martyrdom, on the 16th of May, 1657. Father Andrew Bobola, …had just offered up the holy sacrifice, when a horde of Cossacks attacked the town. On beholding the barbarians, Father Bobola fell upon his knees, raised his eyes and his hands toward heaven, and, having a presentiment that his hour had arrived, exclaimed, “Lord, thy will be done!” At that moment, the Cossacks rushed upon him, stripped him of his holy habit, tied him to a tree, placed a crown upon his head, …after which they scourged him, tore out one of his eyes, burned his body with torches, and one of the ruffians traced, with his poignard, the form of a tonsure on the head of the venerable Father and on his back the figure of a chasuble! To do this, the executioner had to strip off the skin of the holy martyr! But this was not yet all. The fingers of the apostle had received the priestly unction. The executioner tore from them the skin and forced needles under his nails! And during this indescribable torture, the hero prayed for his tormentors; he preached, both by word and example, until the schismatics tore out his tongue and crushed his head. Father Andrew Bobola, whom the Church declared Blessed, the 30th of October, 1853, was sixty-five years of age.”
Bobola’s body was originally buried in the Jesuit church in Pinsk. It was later moved to their church in Polotsk. By the beginning of the 18th century, however, nobody knew where Bobola’s body was buried. In 1701 Father Martin Godebski, S.J., the Rector of the Pinsk College, reputedly had a vision of Bobola. This caused him to order a search for the body. It was found completely incorrupt, which was recognized by the Church and its supporters as proof of holiness. In 1719 the casket was officially reopened and the body inspected by qualified medical personnel (five physicians and pharmacists). It was reportedly still completely incorrupt: pliable and with soft flesh.
In 1922, the Bolsheviks moved the corpse, later described by an American journalist as “remarkably well-preserved” to the Museum of Hygiene of People’s Commissioners of Health in Moscow. The whereabouts of the remains was not known to the Catholic authorities and Pope Pius XI charged the Papal Famine Relief Mission in Russia, headed by American Jesuit Father Edmund A. Walsh, with the task of locating and “rescuing” them. In October 1923—as a kind of “pay” for help during famine—the remains were released to Walsh and his Assistant Director, Father Louis J. Gallagher, S.J. Well packed by the two Jesuits, they were delivered to the Holy See by Gallagher on All Saints’ Day (1 November) 1923. In May 1924, the relics were installed in Rome’s Church of the Gesù, the main church of the Society of Jesus.
Since 17 June 1938 the body has been venerated at a shrine in Warsaw, with an arm remaining at the original shrine in Rome.
Declared Blessed by Pope Pius IX on 30 October 1853, Bobola was canonised by Pope Pius XI on 17 April 1938. His feast day was originally celebrated by the Jesuits on 23 May but it is now generally celebrated on 16 May. On his feast day in 2002, Pope John Paul II declared Bobola a patron saint of Poland and of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Warsaw.
St Abdas of Cascar
Bl Adam of Adami
Bl Adam of San Sabine
St Andrew Bobola
St Annobert of Séez
St Aquilinus of Isauria
St Brendan the Navigator
St Carantac
St Carantoc
St Diocletian of Osimo
St Felix of Uzalis
St Fidolus of Aumont
St Fiorenzo of Osimo
St Fort of Bordeaux
St Francoveus
St Gennadius of Uzalis
St Germerius of Toulouse
St Hilary of Pavia
St Honorius of Amiens
Bl Louis of Mercy
St Margaret Of Cortona
St Maxima of Fréjus
Bl Michal Wozniak
St Peregrinus of Auxerre
St Peregrinus of Terni
St Possidius of Calama
St Primael of Quimper
St Simon Stock
St Ubaldus Baldassini
St Victorian of Isauria
Bl Valdimir Ghika
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Martyrs of Saint Sabas: A group of monks, whose names have not come down to us, who were massacred by Moors at the monastery of Saint Sabas in Palestine.
There was nothing exceptional about St Isidore the Farmer’s life except his obvious holiness. He was a husband, a father and a common labourer who did all things exceptionally well because he did all for God. His life teaches that holiness is within the reach of everyone and that the life of the ordinary man should be the pathway to God. Many implications can be found in a simple laborer achieving sainthood: Physical labor has dignity; sainthood does not stem from status; contemplation does not depend on learning; the simple life is conducive to holiness and happiness. The truth which emerges is this: If you have your spiritual self in order, your earthly commitments will fall into order also. “[S]eek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness,” said the carpenter from Nazareth, “and all these things will be given you besides” (Matthew 6:33).
Saint of the Day – 15 May – Isidore the Farmer (c 1070 -1130) – Layman, Confessor, Farm Worker and Apostle of Charity – Patronages – against against the death of children, of agricultural workers, farm workers, farmers, field hands, husbandmen, ranchers, day labourers, for rain, livestock, rural communities, United States National Rural Life Conference, Diocese of Digos, Philippines, Diocese of Malaybalay, Philippines, 24 Cities. His body is incorrupt.
St. Isidore, the Farmer, was born in Madrid, Spain, about the year 1110. He came from a poor and humble family. From childhood he worked as a farm hand on the De Vargas estate. He was very prayerful and particularly devoted to the Mass and the Holy Eucharist. He loved the good earth, he was honest in his work and careful in his farming practices. It is said that domestic beasts and birds showed their attachment to him because he was gentle and kind to them. Master De Vargas watched Isidore at plowing and he saw two angels as his helpers. Hence, the saying arose, “St. Isidore plowing with angels does the work of three farmers.”
Isidore married a sweet and pious maid-servant by the name of Maria. They had only one son who died in youth. Both were most charitable and ever willing to help neighbours in distress and the poor in the city slums.
St. Isidore died on May 15, 1170 (the Spanish feast day), his saintly wife, a little later. He was canonised on March 22, 1622. The earthly remains of the holy couple are found over the main altar of the cathedral in Madrid, Spain. S. Maria was not officially canonised but is honoured as a saint throughout Spanish countries. Her head (cabeza) is carried in solemn processions during times of drought. By a special decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, dated February 22, 1947, St. Isidore was constituted as the special protector of the National Catholic Rural Life Conference and American farmers.
How beautiful and appropriate for the Catholic farm family to be devoted to this simple and saintly couple, who like farmers everywhere are “partners with God,” in furnishing to the world food, fiber and shelter.
In the morning before going to work, Isidore would usually attend Mass at one of the churches in Madrid. One day, his fellow farm workers complained to their master that Isidore was always late for work in the morning. Upon investigation, so runs the legend, the master found Isidore at prayer whilst an angel was doing the ploughing for him.
On another occasion, his master saw an angel ploughing on either side of him, so that Isidore’s work was equal to that of three of his fellow field workers. Isidore is also said to have brought back to life his master’s deceased daughter and to have caused a fountain of fresh water to burst from the dry earth to quench his master’s thirst.
One snowy day, when going to the mill with corn to be ground, he passed a flock of wood-pigeons scratching vainly for food on the hard surface of the frosty ground. Taking pity on the poor animals, he poured half of his sack of precious wheat upon the ground for the birds, despite the mocking of witnesses. When he reached the mill, however, the bag was full, and the wheat, when it was ground, produced double the expected amount of flour.
Isidore’s wife, Maria, always kept a pot of stew on the fireplace in their humble home as Isidore would often bring home anyone who was hungry. One day he brought home more hungry people than usual. After she served many of them, Maria told him that there simply was no more stew in the pot. He insisted that she check the pot again and she was able to spoon out enough stew to feed them all.
He is said to have appeared to Alfonso VIII of Castile and to have shown him the hidden path by which he surprised the Moors and gained the victory of Las Navas de Tolosa, in 1212. When King Philip III of Spain was cured of a deadly disease after touching the relics of the saint, the king replaced the old reliquary with a costly silver one and instigated the process of his beatification. Throughout history, other members of the royal family would seek curative powers from the saint.
The number of miracles attributed to him has been counted as 438. The only original source of hagiography on him is a fourteenth century codex called Códice de Juan Diácono which relates five of his miracles: 1. The pigeons and the grain. 2. The angels ploughing. 3. The saving of his donkey, through prayer, from a wolf attack. 4. The account of his wife’s pot of food. 5. A similar account of his feeding the brotherhood. The codex also attests to the incorruptible state of his body, stating it was exhumed 40 years after his death.
Isidore was beatified in Rome on 2 May 1619, by Pope Paul V. He was canoniSed nearly three years later by Pope Gregory XV, along with Saints Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Ávila and Philip Neri, on 12 March 1622.
In 1696, his relics were moved to the Royal Alcazar of Madrid to intervene on behalf of the health of Charles II of Spain. While there, the King’s locksmith pulled a tooth from the body and gave it to the monarch, who slept with it under his pillow until his death. This was not the first, nor the last time his body was allegedly mutilated out of religious fervour. For example, it was reported one of the ladies in the court of Isabella I of Castile bit off one of his toes.
In 1760, his body was brought to the Royal Palace of Madrid during the illness of Maria Amalia of Saxony.
In 1769, Charles III of Spain had the remains of Saint Isidore and his wife Maria relocated to the San Isidro Church, Madrid. The sepulchre has nine locks and only the King of Spain has the master key. The opening of the sepulchre must be performed by the Archbishop of Madrid and authorized by the King himself. Consequently, it has not been opened since 1985.
St Isidore the Farmer (Optional Memorial)
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St Achilles of Larissa
St Adiutor of Campania
St Alvardo
Bl Andrew Abellon
Bercthun of Beverley
Bertha of Bingen
St Caecilius of Granada
St Caesarea of Otranto
St Cassius of Clermont
Bl Clemente of Bressanone
St Colman Mc O’Laoighse
St Ctesiphon of Verga
Bl Diego of Valdieri
St Dymphna
St Euphrasius of Andujar
St Gerebernus
St Hallvard of Oslo
St Hesychius of Gibraltar
St Hilary of Galeata
St Indaletius of Urci
St Isaias
St Isidore of Chios
St Maximus of Clermont
St Nicholas the Mystic
St Rupert of Bingen
St Secundus of Avila
St Simplicius of Sardinia
St Sophia of Rome
St Victorinus of Clermont
St Waldalenus of Beze
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Martyrs of Maleville: 50 Mercedarian friars murdered for their faith by Huguenots. 1563 in the Mercedarian convent of Maleville in Rodez, France
Martyrs of Persia: Three Christians who were tortured, mutilated, imprisoned, starved and finally executed together for refusing to worship the sun and fire during the persecutions of Shapur II. We know nothing else about them but their names: Bohtiso, Isaac and Simeon. They were beheaded or burned at the stake (records vary) in the late 3rd century somewhere in Persia
Martyrs of Lampsacus:
Andrew of Troas
Denysa of Troas
Paul of Troas
Peter of Lampsacus
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War
Joan Montpeó Masip
What was the holiness of Matthias? Obviously, he was suited for apostleship by the experience of being with Jesus from His baptism to His ascension. He must also have been suited personally, or he would not have been nominated for so great a responsibility. Must we not remind ourselves that the fundamental holiness of Matthias was his receiving gladly the relationship with the Father offered him by Jesus and completed by the Holy Spirit? The Apostles were given the mission to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world, bearing witness to His Resurrection and establishing the Kingdom of God upon the earth. For that, they left all things and gave themselves totally. All of us share in this mission and we all have to be apostles wherever we are. By our very Baptism, we are sent to share the Gospel, just as St Matthias did. If the apostles are the foundations of our faith by their witness, they must also be reminders, that holiness is entirely a matter of God’s giving but it is offered to all, in the everyday circumstances of life. We receive, we must accept and now we must give!
“We know nothing else about him (St Matthias), if not that he had been a witness to all Jesus’ earthly events (cf. Acts 1: 21-22), remaining faithful to Him to the end. To the greatness of his fidelity was later added the divine call to take the place of Judas, almost compensating for his betrayal.
We draw from this a final lesson: while there is no lack of unworthy and traitorous Christians in the Church, it is up to each of us to counterbalance the evil done by them with our clear witness to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.” – Pope Benedict GENERAL AUDIENCE, Saint Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 18 October 2006
Then they prayed, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place.” Then they gave lots to them and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles……. Acts 1:24-26
REFLECTION – “”In those days, Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples and said…” As the fiery spirit to whom the flock was entrusted by Christ and as the leader in the band of the apostles, Peter always took the initiative in speaking: “My brothers, we must choose from among our number.” He left the decision to the whole body, at once augmenting the honour of those elected and avoiding any suspicion of partiality.
Did not Peter then have the right to make the choice himself? Certainly he had the right but he did not want to give the appearance of showing special favour to anyone. “And they nominated two,” we read, “Joseph, who was called Barsabbas and surnamed Justus, and Matthias.” He himself did not nominate them; all present did. But it was he who brought the issue forward, pointing out that it was not his own idea but had been suggested to him by a scriptural prophecy.
And they all prayed together, saying: “You, Lord, know the hearts of men; make your choice known to us. You, not we.” Appropriately they said that he knew the hearts of men, because the choice was to be made by him, not by others.
They spoke with such confidence, because someone had to be appointed. They did not say “choose” but “make known to us” the chosen one; “the one you choose,” they said, fully aware that everything was being preordained by God.”…………… from a homily on the Acts of the Apostles by Saint John Chrysostom
PRAYER – Almighty God, who into the place of the traitor Judas chose thy faithful servant Matthias to be of the number of the twelve Apostles; grant that Thy Church, being always preserved from false Apostles, may be ordered and guided by faithful and true pastors; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. – collect from the feast of Saint Matthias – St Matthias Pray for us!
Saint and Feast of the Day – 14 May – St Matthias, Apostle of Christ, Martyr (1st Century- c80) – Patron of alcoholics; carpenters; smallpox; tailors; hope; perseverance, diocese of Gary, Indiana, diocese of Great Falls-Billings, Montana. Attributes – lance, spear.
St Matthias is according to the Acts of the Apostles, the apostle chosen by lot to replace Judas Iscariot following Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and his subsequent suicide (as in the Gospel According to Matthew). His calling as an apostle is unique, in that his appointment was not made personally by Jesus, who had already ascended into heaven and it was also made before the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the early Church.
There is no mention of a Matthias among the lists of disciples or followers of Jesus in the three synoptic gospels but according to Acts, he had been with Jesus from his baptism by John until his Ascension. In the days following, Peter proposed that the assembled disciples, who numbered about one hundred and twenty, nominate two men to replace Judas. They chose Joseph called Barsabas (whose surname was Justus) and Matthias. Then they prayed, “Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all [men], shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”[Acts 1:24–25] Then they cast lots and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was numbered with the eleven apostles. Matthias was present with the other apostles at Pentecost.
No further information about Matthias is to be found in the canonical New Testament. Even his name is variable: the Syriac version of Eusebius calls him throughout not Matthias but “Tolmai”, not to be confused with Bartholomew (which means Son of Tolmai), who was one of the twelve original Apostles.
The tradition of the Greeks says that St. Matthias planted the faith about Cappadocia and on the coasts of the Caspian Sea, residing chiefly near the port Issus. Clement of Alexandria observed (Stromateis vi.13.):
“Not that they became apostles through being chosen for some distinguished peculiarity of nature, since also Judas was chosen along with them. But they were capable of becoming apostles on being chosen by Him who foresees even ultimate issues. Matthias, accordingly, who was not chosen along with them, on showing himself worthy of becoming an apostle, is substituted for Judas.”
The feast of Saint Matthias was included in the Roman Calendar in the 11th century and celebrated on the sixth day to the Calends of March (February 24 usually but February 25 in leap years). In the revision of the General Roman Calendar in 1969, his feast was transferred to May 14, so as not to celebrate it in Lent but instead in Eastertide close to the Solemnity of the Ascension, the event after which the Acts of the Apostles recounts that Matthias was selected to be ranked with the Twelve Apostles.
St Matthias stoned to death at Colchis in 80. It is claimed that St Matthias the Apostle’s remains are interred in the Abbey of St. Matthias, Trier, Germany, brought there through Empress Helena of Constantinople, mother of Emperor Constantine I (the Great) and St Mary Major Rome.
5th Sunday of Easter (2017)
St Matthias the Apostle (Feast)
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St Ampelio
St Boniface of Ferentino
St Boniface of Tarsus
St Carthage the Younger
St Corona the Martyr
St Costanzo of Capri
St Costanzo of Vercelli
Bl Diego of Narbonne
St Dyfan
St Engelmer
St Erembert of Toulouse
St Felice of Aquileia
St Fortunatus of Aquileia
St Gal of Clermont-Ferrand
Bl Giles of Santarem
St Henedina of Sardinia
St Justa of Sardinia
St Justina of Sardinia
St Maria Domenica Mazzarello
St Maximus
St Michael Garicoïts
St Pons of Pradleves
St Pontius of Cimiez
St Tuto of Regensburg
St Victor the Martyr
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Martyrs of Seoul – 5 Beata: A group of lay people martyred together in the apostolic vicariate of Korea.
• Petrus Choe Pil-je
• Lucia Yun Un-hye
• Candida Jeong Bok-hye
• Thaddeus Jeong In-hyeok
• Carolus Jeong Cheol-sang
14 May 1801 at the Small West Gate, Seoul, South Korea – Beatified: 15 August 2014 by Pope Francis\
Prayer of Pope Francis on the Centenary of Our Lady of Fatima – 13 May 2017
Hail Holy Queen,
Blessed Virgin of Fatima,
Lady of Immaculate Heart,
our refuge and our way to God!
As a pilgrim of the Light that comes to us from your hands,
I give thanks to God the Father, who in every time and place is at work in human history;
As a pilgrim of the Peace that, in this place, you proclaim,
I give praise to Christ, our peace, and I implore for the world concord among all peoples;
As a pilgrim of the Hope that the Spirit awakens,
I come as a prophet and messenger to wash the feet of all, at the same table that unites us.
Refrain (sung by the assembly):
Ave O Clemens, Ave O pia! Salve Regina Rosarii Fatimae. Ave O clemens, Ave O pia! Ave O dulcis Virgo Maria!
The Holy Father:
Hail, Mother of Mercy,
Lady robed in white!
In this place where, a hundred years ago
you made known to all the purposes of God’s mercy,
I gaze at your robe of light
and, as a bishop robed in white,
I call to mind all those who,
robed in the splendour of their baptism,
desire to live in God
and tell the mysteries of Christ in order to obtain peace.
Refrain…
The Holy Father:
Hail, life and sweetness,
Hail, our hope,
O Pilgrim Virgin, O Universal Queen!
In the depths of your being,
in your Immaculate Heart,
you keep the joys of men and women
as they journey to the Heavenly Homeland.
In the depths of your being,
in your Immaculate Heart,
you keep the sorrows of the human family,
as they mourn and weep in this valley of tears.
In the depths of your being,
in your Immaculate Heart,
adorn us with the radiance of the jewels of your crown
and make us pilgrims, even as you were a pilgrim.
With your virginal smile,
enliven the joy of Christ’s Church.
With your gaze of sweetness,
strengthen the hope of God’s children.
With your hands lifted in prayer to the Lord,
draw all people together into one human family.
Refrain:
The Holy Father:
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary,
Queen of the Rosary of Fatima!
Grant that we may follow the example of Blessed Francisco and Blessed Jacinta,
and of all who devote themselves to proclaiming the Gospel.
Thus we will follow all paths
and everywhere make our pilgrim way;
we will tear down all walls
and cross every frontier,
as we go out to every periphery,
to make known God’s justice and peace.
In the joy of the Gospel, we will be the Church robed in white,
the whiteness washed in the blood of the Lamb,
blood that today too is shed in the wars tearing our world apart.
And so we will be, like you, an image of the column of light
that illumines the ways of the world,
making God known to all,
making known to all that God exists,
that God dwells in the midst of his people,
yesterday, today and for all eternity.
Refrain…
The Holy Father, with all the faithful:
Hail, Mother of the Lord,
Virgin Mary, Queen of the Rosary of Fatima!
Blessed among all women,
you are the image of the Church robed in paschal light,
you are the honour of our people,
you are the victory over every assault of evil.
Prophecy of the merciful love of the Father,
Teacher of the Message of Good News of the Son,
Sign of the burning Fire of the Holy Spirit,
teach us, in this valley of joys and sorrows,
the eternal truths that the Father reveals to the little ones.
Show us the strength of your protective mantle.
In your Immaculate Heart,
be the refuge of sinners
and the way that leads to God.
In union with my brothers and sisters,
in faith, in hope and in love,
I entrust myself to you.
In union with my brothers and sisters, through you, I consecrate myself to God,
O Virgin of the Rosary of Fatima.
And at last, enveloped in the Light that comes from your hands,
I will give glory to the Lord for ever and ever. Amen.
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