Our Morning Offering – 28 January
The Offering of the Day
Grant us this day, Lord,
a vigilant heart,
that no alien thought can lure
away from You;
a pure heart,
that no unworthy love can soil;
an upright heart,
that no distress can overcome.
And give us, Lord,
understanding to know You,
zeal to seek You,
wisdom to find You
and a hope,
that will one day take hold of You.
Through Christ our Lord, amen.
(Adapted from a prayer of St Thomas Aquinas)
St Thomas Aquinas (Memorial)
—
St Aemilian of Trebi
St Agatha Lin
Bl Amadeus of Lausanne
St Antimus of Brantôme
St Archebran
Bl Bartolomé Aiutamicristo
St Brigid of Picardy
St Callinicus
St Cannera of Inis Cathaig
Bl Charlemagne (a decree of canonization was issued by the anti-pope Paschal III, but this was never ratified by valid authority.)
St Constantly
St Flavian of Civita Vecchia
St Glastian of Kinglassie
Bl James the Almsgiver
St James the Hermit
St Jerome Lu
St John of Reomay
St Joseph Freinademetz
Bl Julian Maunoir
St Julian of Cuenca
St Lawrence Wang
St Leucius of Apollonia
Bl María Luisa Montesinos Orduña
St Maura of Picardy
Bl Mosè Tovini
Bl Odo of Beauvais
Bl Olympia Bida
St Palladius of Antioch
St Paulinus of Aquileia
Bl Peter Won Si-jang
St Richard of Vaucelles
St Thyrsus of Apollonia
—
Martyrs of Alexandria
To the long list of authorities Ursulines were to obey—Ten Commandments, Church, parents, civil laws—St. Angela added “divine inspirations that you may recognize as coming from the Holy Spirit.” A refreshing and liberating rule. Also a dangerous one, for when it’s obeyed, the Holy Spirit may act in unexpected ways.
Sometimes the “tried and true” ways are no longer adequate and new ways have to be found to bring the Gospel to the world. Saints like Angela Merici had to find new ways to do the old tasks and innovation has always been a part of genuine sanctity. New wineskins are often needed for the eternally new wine of the Gospel and the saints were not only holy people, they were often creative geniuses, as well and this IS the Holy Spirit!
St Angela Merici Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 27 January
“Reflect that in reality you have a greater need to serve [the poor] than they have of your service.”
“Do not lose heart, even if you should discover that you lack qualities necessary for the work to which you are called. He who called you will not desert you, but the moment you are in need He will stretch out His saving hand.”
“Disorder in society is the result of disorder in the family.”
“Consider that the devil doesn’t sleep, but seeks our ruin in a thousand ways.”
“As our Saviour says: “A good tree is not able to produce bad fruit.” He says: A good tree, that is, a good heart as well as a soul on fire with charity, can do nothing but good and holy works. For this reason Saint Augustine said: “Love, and do what you will,” namely, possess love and charity and then do what you will. It is as if he had said: Charity is not able to sin.”
One Minute Reflection – 27 January
The servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome but must be kindly toward all…….2 Tm 2:24
REFLECTION – “Exercise pleasantness toward all, taking great care especially that what you have commanded may never be done by reason of force.
For God has given free will to everyone and therefore, never forces anyone – but only indicates, calls and persuades.”……………St Angela Merici
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, teach me how to deal pleasantly with those I in my life. Help me to persuade rather than attempt to force others to do what must be done. Help me always to lead by example and by my life. St Angela Merici, pray for us, amen!
Saint of the Day – 27 January – St Angela Merici C.S.U. – (1474-1540 died aged 65) Virgin/Religious/Foundress/Teacher – Patron of sickness, handicapped people, loss of parents
St Angela was a religious teacher who founded the Company of St. Ursula in 1535 in Brescia, Italy in which women dedicated their lives to the service of the Church through the education of girls. From this organization later sprang the monastic Order of Ursulines, whose nuns established places of prayer and learning throughout Europe and, later, worldwide, most notably in North America.
She was born in 1474 at Desenzano del Garda, a small town on the southwestern shore of Lake Garda in Lombardy. She and her older sister, Giana Maria, were left orphans when she was fifteen years old. They went to live with their uncle in the town of Salò. Young Angela was very distressed when her sister suddenly died without receiving the Last Rites of the Church and prayed that her sister’s soul rest in peace. It is said that in a vision she received a response that her sister was in heaven in the company of the saints. She joined the Third Order of St. Francis around that time. People began to notice Angela’s beauty and particularly to admire her hair. As she had promised herself to God, and wanted to avoid the worldly attention, she dyed her hair in soot.
Merici’s uncle died when she was twenty years old and she returned to her home in Desenzano, and lived with her brothers, on her own property, given to her in lieu of the dowry that would otherwise have been hers had she married. She later had another vision that revealed to her that she was to found an association of virgins who were to devote their lives to the religious training of young girls. This association was a success and she was invited to start another school in the neighboring city, Brescia.
In 1524, while traveling to the Holy Land, Merici became suddenly blind when she was on the island of Crete. Despite this, she continued her journey to the Holy Land and was ostensibly cured of her blindness on her return, while praying before a crucifix, at the same place where she was struck with blindness a few weeks before. In 1525 she journeyed to Rome in order to gain the indulgences of the Jubilee Year then being celebrated. Pope Clement VII, who had heard of her virtue and success with her school, invited her to remain in Rome. Merici disliked attention, however, and soon returned to Brescia.
On 25 November 1535, Merici gathered with 12 young women who had joined in her work in a small house in Brescia near the Church of St Afra, where together they committed themselves in the founding of the Company of St Ursula, placed under the protection of the patroness of medieval universities. Her goal was to elevate family life through the Christian education of future wives and mothers. Four years later the group had grown to 28. Merici taught her companions to be consecrated to God and dedicated to the service of their neighbour but to remain in the world, teaching the girls of their own neighbourhood, and to practice a religious form of life in their own homes. The members wore no special habit and took no formal religious vows. Merici wrote a Rule of Life for the group, which specified the practice of celibacy, poverty and obedience in their own homes. The Ursulines opened orphanages and schools. On 18 March 1537, she was elected “Mother and Mistress” of the group. The Rule she had written was approved in 1544 by Pope Paul III. Angela gave the Ursulines a military structure, dividing towns into districts governed hierarchically by mature Christian women. This design allowed the community to support members in daily Christian living and protect them from spiritually unhealthy influences.
The rule that Angela wrote for the company required members to remain faithful to the Christian basics. In the following excerpt, she explains the importance of daily vocal and mental prayer:
“Each one of the sisters should be solicitous about prayer, mental as well as vocal, that is a companion to fasting. For Scripture says prayer is good with fasting. As by fasting we mortify the carnal appetites and the senses, so by prayer we beg God for the true grace of spiritual life. Thus, from the great need we have of divine aid, we must pray always with mind and heart, as it is written, “Pray constantly” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NJB). To all we counsel frequent vocal prayer that prepares the mind by exercising the bodily senses. So each one of you, every day will say with devotion and attention at least the Office of the Blessed Virgin and the seven penitential psalms (Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143) because in saying the office we are speaking with God.
To afford matter and some method in mental prayer, we exhort each one to raise her mind to God and to exercise herself in it every day. And so in the secret of her heart, let her say: “My Saviour, illumine the darkness of my heart, and grant me grace rather to die than to offend your Divine Majesty any more. Guard, O Lord, my affections and my senses, that they may not stray, nor lead me away from the light of your face, the satisfaction of every afflicted heart.
I ask you, Lord, to receive all my self-will, that by the infection of sin is unable to distinguish good from evil. Receive, O Lord, all my thoughts, words, and deeds, interior and exterior, that I lay at the feet of your Divine Majesty. Although I am utterly unworthy, I beseech you to accept all my being.”
When Merici died in Brescia on 27 January 1540, there were 24 communities of the Company of St. Ursula serving the Church through the region. Over the years the Ursulines have flourished as the oldest and one of the most respected of the church’s teaching orders. Her body was clothed in the habit of a Franciscan tertiary and was interred in the Church of St. Afra.
St Angela Merici (Optional Memorial) INCORRUPT
(VIDEO – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etRhdM26g08 APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER)
—
Bl Antonio Mascaró Colomina
St Avitus
St Candida of Bañoles
St Carolina Santocanale
St Devota of Corsica
St Domitian of Melitene
St Emerius of Bañoles
Bl Jurgis Matulaitis-Matulewicz/George Matulaitis
St Gilduin
Bl Gonzalo Diaz di Amarante
St Henry de Osso y Cervello
St John Maria Muzeyi
Bl John of Warneton
St Julian of Le Mans
St Julian of Sora
St Lupus of Châlons
Bl Manfredo Settala
St Marius of Bodon
Bl Michael Pini
St Natalis of Ulster
St Paul Josef Nardini
Bl Rosalie du Verdier de la Sorinière
St Theodoric of Orléans
St Pope Vitalian
—
Martyrs of North Africa – 30 saints
Datius of Africa and 46 companions
Lucius of Africa and 40 companions
Thought for the Day – 26 January
St Paul makes it clear to Timothy that he is to proclaim the Word with persistence BUT “through all patience.” This is the most important part of these instructions! Growth in the Spirit is a lifelong journey, in which great patience is needed. The one who proclaims the Word needs patience in dealing with the one being taught. This is a human enterprise and humans are notoriously slow to understand, accept and implement the Word of God in their lives. Christians are to proclaim the Word without being judgmental. So, as Paul tells Timothy so he tells you and me to go forth, proclaim the Word, live your faith, treat others with respect and kindness and do it all with patience and love. Thus faith is the centre of the Christian’s life and from that centre he radiates Christ’s love to all whom he meets. (Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois)
In these letters, we get another glimpse of life in the early Church: great zeal in the apostolate, great communion in Christ, great friendship. Yet always there is the problem of human nature and the unglamorous details of daily life: the need for charity and patience in “quarrels with others, fears within myself,” as Paul says. Through it all, the love of Christ sustained them. At the end of the Letter to Titus, Paul says that when the temporary substitute comes, “hurry to me.”
Sts Timothy and Titus Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 26 January
“Proclaim the word;
be persistent
whether it is convenient or inconvenient;
convince,
reprimand,
encourage,
through all patience and teaching.” …………..St Paul (2 Tm 4:2)
Saint/s of the Day -26 January – St Timothy and St Titus
St Timothy – (c17-c97) – BISHOP and MARTYR – Missionary, Peacemaker, Teacher, Administrator, Preacher, Friend and Counsel – Patron against intestinal disorders, against stomach diseases, of Termoli, Italy
Timothy means”honouring God” or “honoured by God” ) – he was an early Christian evangelist and the first first-century Christian bishop of Ephesus, who tradition relates died around the year AD 97. Timothy was from the Lycaonian city of Lystra in Asia Minor, born of a Jewish mother who had become a Christian believer, and a Greek father. The Apostle Paul met him during his second missionary journey and he became Paul’s companion and co-worker along with Silas. The New Testament indicates that Timothy traveled with Saint Paul, who was also his mentor. Paul entrusted him with important assignments. He is addressed as the recipient of the First and Second Epistles to Timothy.
Rembrandt’s Timothy and his grandmother, 1648.
The name “Timothy” means”honouring God” or “honoured by God” ) – he was an early Christian evangelist and the first first-century Christian bishop of Ephesus, who tradition relates died around the year AD 97. Timothy was from the Lycaonian city of Lystra in Asia Minor, born of a Jewish mother who had become a Christian believer, and a Greek father. The Apostle Paul met him during his second missionary journey and he became Paul’s companion and co-worker along with Silas. The New Testament indicates that Timothy traveled with Saint Paul, who was also his mentor. Paul entrusted him with important assignments. He is addressed as the recipient of the First and Second Epistles to Timothy
Timothy became St Paul’s disciple, and later his constant companion and co-worker in preaching. In the year 52, Paul and Silas took Timothy along with them on their journey to Macedonia. Augustine extols his zeal and disinterestedness in immediately forsaking his country, his house and his parents, to follow the apostle, to share in his poverty and sufferings. Timothy may have been subject to ill health or “frequent ailments” and Paul encouraged him to “use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake”. 1 Timothy 5:23
When Paul went on to Athens, Silas and Timothy stayed for some time at Beroea and Thessalonica before joining Paul at Corinth. Timothy next appears in Acts during Paul’s stay in Ephesus (54-57) and in late 56 or early 57 Paul sent him forth to Macedonia with the aim that he would eventually arrive at Corinth. Timothy arrived at Corinth just after 1 Corinthians reached that city. The letter was not well received and Timothy quickly returned to Ephesus to report this to Paul.
Timothy was with Paul in Corinth during the winter of 57-58 when Paul dispatched his Letter to the Romans. (Romans 16:21) According to Acts 20:3-6, Timothy was with Paul in Macedonia just before Passover 58; he left the city before Paul, going ahead of him to await Paul in Troas. (Acts 20:4-5) “That is the last mention of Timothy in Acts”. In the year 64, Paul left St. Timothy at Ephesus, to govern that church.
His relationship with Paul was close. Paul entrusted him with missions of great importance. Timothy’s name appears as the co-author on 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians and Philemon. Paul wrote to the Philippians about Timothy, “I have no one like him.” (Philippians 2:19-23) When Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, he summoned his faithful friend, Timothy, for a last farewell.
That Timothy was jailed at least once during the period of the writing of the New Testament is implied in Hebrews mentioning Timothy’s release at the end of the epistle.
The apocryphal Acts of Timothy states that in the year 97, the 80-year-old bishop tried to halt a procession in honor of the goddess Diana by preaching the gospel. The angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death.
St Titus (first century-c96) BISHOP, Disciple of Paul, Missionary, Peacemaker, Teacher, Administrator, Friend – Patron of Crete
Timothy was with Paul in Corinth during the winter of 57-58 when Paul dispatched his Letter to the Romans. (Romans 16:21) According to Acts 20:3-6, Timothy was with Paul in Macedonia just before Passover 58; he left the city before Paul, going ahead of him to await Paul in Troas. (Acts 20:4-5) “That is the last mention of Timothy in Acts”. In the year 64, Paul left St. Timothy at Ephesus, to govern that church.
His relationship with Paul was close. Paul entrusted him with missions of great importance. Timothy’s name appears as the co-author on 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians and Philemon. Paul wrote to the Philippians about Timothy, “I have no one like him.” (Philippians 2:19-23) When Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, he summoned his faithful friend, Timothy, for a last farewell.
That Timothy was jailed at least once during the period of the writing of the New Testament is implied in Hebrews mentioning Timothy’s release at the end of the epistle.
The apocryphal Acts of Timothy states that in the year 97, the 80-year-old bishop tried to halt a procession in honor of the goddess Diana by preaching the gospel. The angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death.
Titus was an early Christian missionary and Church leader, a companion and disciple of Paul the Apostle, mentioned in several of the Pauline epistles including the Epistle to Titus. He is believed to be a Gentile converted to Christianity by Paul and according to tradition, he was consecrated as Bishop of the Island of Crete. Titus brought a fundraising letter from Paul to Corinth, to collect for the poor in Jerusalem. Later, on Crete, Titus appointed presbyters (elders) in every city and remained there into his old age, dying in the city of Candia.
Titus was a Greek, apparently from Antioch, who is said to have studied Greek philosophy and poetry in his early years. He seems to have been converted by Paul, whereupon he served as Paul’s secretary and interpreter. In the year 49, Titus accompanied Paul to the council held at Jerusalem, on the subject of the Mosaic rites. Although the apostle had consented to the circumcision of Timothy, in order to render his ministry acceptable among the Jews, he would not allow the same in regard to Titus, so as not to seem in agreement with those who would require it for Gentile converts.
Towards the close of the year 56, Paul, as he himself departed from Asia, sent Titus from Ephesus to Corinth, with full commission to remedy the fallout precipitated by Timothy’s delivery of 1 Corinthians ( and Paul’s “Painful Visit” ), particularly a significant personal offense and challenge to Paul’s authority by one unnamed individual. During this journey, Titus served as the courier for what is commonly known as the “Severe Letter,” a Pauline missive that has been lost but is referred to in 2 Corinthians. After meeting success on this mission, Titus journeyed north and met Paul in Macedonia, where the apostle, overjoyed by Titus’ success, wrote 2 Corinthians. Titus then returned to Corinth with a larger entourage, carrying 2 Corinthians with him. Paul joined Titus in Corinth later. From Corinth, Paul then sent Titus to organize the collections of alms for the Christians at Jerusalem. Titus was therefore a troubleshooter, peacemaker, administrator and missionary.
Early church tradition holds that Paul, after his release from his first imprisonment in Rome, stopped at the island of Crete to preach. he necessities of other churches requiring his presence elsewhere, he ordained his disciple Titus as bishop of that island and left him to finish the work he had started. Chrysostom says that this is an indication of the esteem St. Paul held for Titus.
Paul summoned Titus from Crete to join him at Nicopolis in Epirus. Later, Titus traveled to Dalmatia. The New Testament does not record his death.
St Timothy (Memorial)
St Titus (Memorial)
—
St Alberic of Citreaux
St Alphonsus of Astorga
St Ansurius of Orense
St Athanasius of Sorrento
St Conan of Iona
Bl Eystein Erlandsön
Bl José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero
Bl Marie de la Dive veuve du Verdier de la Sorinière
Bl Michaël Kozal
St Paula of Rome
St Robert of Molesme
St Theofrid of Corbie
St Theogenes of Hippo
St Tortgith of Barking
—
Martyred Family of Constantinople
Xenophon
Mary
John
Arcadius
Thought for the Day – 25 January
We marvel at the total conversion of the man whom we celebrate today. We marvel at his zeal, his influence, and his transparent honesty in speaking about himself: “I am the foremost of sinners but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” ( 1 Tim 1:15-16). That sums up the importance of this feast for us, who are among those who follow in Paul’s footsteps and believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life, and are still making good on our own conversion.
In the end, the same thing that converted Saul is the only thing that will convert us: the deep conviction that “Christ loves us with all the inexhaustible charity of God’s own heart.” (Christ is Passing By, no. 59) For St Paul the time came and then everything changed—he changed, the world changed. He discovered that he possessed the age-old love which the Lord had pledged to his fathers: I have loved you with a timeless love. (Jer 31:3) And “in being loved by Christ,” concludes Saint John Chrysostom, “he thought of himself as possessing life, the world, the angels, present and future, the kingdom, the promise, countless blessings.”…………Rev. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.
Paul is undoubtedly hard to understand. His style often reflects the rabbinical style of argument of his day and often his thought skips on mountaintops while we plod below. But the bottom-line is this: the question is “what is it about” and the answer is “love”.
St Paul Pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 25 January
Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me………..Galatians 2:20
REFLECTION – “Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is and in what our nobility consists and of what virtue this particular animal is capable. Each day he aimed ever higher; each day he rose up with greater ardour and faced with new eagerness the dangers that threatened him. He summed up his attitude in the words: “I forget what is behind me and push on to what lies ahead……………The most important thing of all to him, however, was that he knew himself to be loved by Christ. Enjoying this love, he considered himself happier than anyone else”…….St John Chrysostum
PRAYER – O God, who instructed the whole world through the preaching of the Apostle St. Paul, grant that we who celebrate the Feast of his conversion today, may through his patronage and prayers, begin too to understand our greatest gift, that we are LOVED by You! This we ask of You through Christ our Lord. St Paul Pray for Us! Amen.
Our Morning Offering – 25 January
Saint Paul’s Prayer (Ephesians 3: 14-21)
This, then, is what I pray,
kneeling before the Father,
from whom every fatherhood,
in heaven or on earth takes its name.
In the abundance of his glory may he,
through his Spirit,
enable you to grow firm
in power with regard to your inner self
so that Christ may live
in your hearts through faith
and then, planted in love
and built on love,
with all God’s holy people
you will have the strength
to grasp the breadth and the length,
the height and the depth,
so that, knowing the love of Christ
which is beyond knowledge,
you may be filled
with the utter fullness of God.
Glory be to him whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine;
glory be to him
from generation to generation
in the Church and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen
Conversion of Paul the Apostle (Feast)
—
St Agape the Martyr
St Agileus of Carthage
St Amarinus of Clermont
St Ananias of Damascus
Bl Antoni Swiadek
Bl Antonio Migliorati
St Apollo of Heliopolis
Bl Archangela Girlani
St Artemas of Pozzuoli
St Auxentius of Epirus
St Bretannion of Tomi
St Donatus the Martyr
St Dwynwen
St Emilia Fernández Rodríguez de Cortés
St Eochod of Galloway
Bl Francesco Zirano
Bl Henry Suso
St Joel of Pulsano
St Juventinus of Antioch
Bl Manuel Domingo y Sol
St Maximinus of Antioch
St Palaemon
St Poppo
St Praejectus of Clermont
St Publius of Zeugma
St Racho of Autun
St Sabinus the Martyr
Bl Teresa Grillo Michel
Thought for the Day – 24 January
Holiness, St Francis taught, is for everyone – from housewife to queen, from soldier to pope. He was one of the first to open the gates of methods of holiness to all and sundry. By his time in the history of the world most could read – then as now – there is really no excuse. Much more so in our time – everything to assist on the pathway to holiness is at our fingertips. WE ARE ALL called to be and CAN BE SAINTS!
St Francis de Sales, Pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 24 January
“Nothing makes us so prosperous in this world
as to give alms.”
“Man is the perfection of the Universe.
The spirit is the perfection of man.
Love is the perfection of the spirit
and charity that of love.
Therefore, the love of God is the end,
the perfection of the Universe.”
“There are no galley-slaves in the royal vessel of divine love – every man works his oar voluntarily! “
“All the pains in a hundred thousand million Hells suffered with the greatest perfection possible to a human creature would have been nothing compared to the smallest sigh of Our Lord, to the smallest drop of blood that he shed for love of us.”
“Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He is your keeper. He has kept you hitherto. Do you but hold fast to his dear hand and he will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, he will bear you in his arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. Our Father will either shield you from suffering, or he will give you strength to bear it.”
“A quarrel between friends, when made up, adds a new tie to friendship.”
“Friendships begun in this world will be taken up again, never to be broken off. “
~~~ St Francis de Sales
One Minute Reflection – 24 January
Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart……….Mt 11:29-30
REFLECTION – “If there was something better than meekness, God would certainly have told us.
But He exhorts us above all to be meek and humble of heart.”………..St Francis de Sales (Saint of the Day)
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, teach me what true meekness entails. Inspire me to practise it after Your example in all circumstances of my life. St Francis de Sales, you learnt the true meaning of humility and meekness, please pray for us, amen!
Our Morning Offering – 24 January
An Act of Abandonment
by ST FRANCIS de SALES
O my God, I thank You and I praise
You for accomplishing Your holy
and all-lovable will without any regard for mine.
With my whole heart,
in spite of my heart,
do I receive this cross I feared so much!
It is the cross of Your choice,
the cross of Your love.
I venerate it;
nor for anything in the world
would I wish that it had not come,
since You willed it.
I keep it with gratitude and with joy,
as I do everything that comes from Your hand;
and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag,
with all the respect
and all the affection which Your works deserve.
Amen.
Saint of the Day – 24 January – St Francis de Sales CO, OM, OFM (Cap)- Doctor of the Church / “The Gentleman Saint” (1567-1622 aged 55) Bishop of Geneva – Patron of against deafness, authors, writers (proclaimed on 26 April 1923 by Pope Pius XI), Catholic press, confessors, deaf people, journalists (proclaimed on 26 April 1923 by Pope Pius XI), teachers, educators, Champdepraz, Aosta, Italy, 8 dioceses – Also known as “The Gentle Christ of Geneva”, Francis of Sales, Franz von Sales – His motto ‘Non-excidet’ – (no failure)
He became noted for his deep faith and his gentle approach to the religious divisions in his land resulting from the Protestant Reformation. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation, particularly the Introduction to the Devout Life and the Treatise on the Love of God.
Francis de Sales was born on 21 August 1567 in the Château de Sales into the noble Sales family of the Duchy of Savoy, in what is today Thorens-Glières, Haute-Savoie, France., the eldest of 13 children. His father was François de Sales, Lord of Boisy, Sales and Novel. His mother was Françoise de Sionnaz, the only child of prominent magistrate, Melchior de Sionnaz and a noblewoman. He was baptised Francis Bonaventura, after two great Franciscan saints. His father wanted him, the first of his six sons, to attend the best schools in preparation for a career as a magistrate. He therefore enjoyed a privileged education in the nearby town of La Roche-sur-Foron and at the age of eight, at the Capuchin college in Annecy.
From early youth, Saint Francis de Sales had a great desire to devote himself entirely to the service of God, although his father had other plans for him. With the pious Abbe Deage as his tutor, Francis was a student at the University of Paris from his fourteenth to his twentieth year; and after studying jurisprudence at the University of Padua for four more years, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Law. Francis was also a skilled swordsman who enjoyed fencing, an expert horseman and a superb dancer. Then Francis studied at the University of Padua and received a doctorate in civil and canon law. His father wanted him to marry but Francis desired to be a priest. In 1593 he finally obtained the consent of his father to enter the sacred ministry; and since he had devoted much time to the study of theology during his student years, he was ordained a priest six months later.
Not long afterwards Saint Francis de Sales volunteered for the difficult and dangerous task of leading the people of the province of Chablais back to the fold of the Church, after the protestant reformation. Several times he miraculously escaped death at the hands of assassins. But he persevered in his heroic and patient efforts and after four years succeeded in converting a large number of Calvinists. It was here that Francis began to write and distribute a weekly essay, explaining some doctrines of faith. For two years, he and his friends had these essays printed. Francis preached with power and charm in simple, clear language. His gentleness and love drew many hearts to God. The majority of the Chablais inhabitants accepted the Catholic faith.
In 1599 he was appointed coadjutor to his bishop and in 1602 he became bishop of Geneva, a position which he filled in an exemplary manner for twenty years. When Francis was appointed bishop of Geneva, he not only wrote for and encouraged priests, but he also took an interest in the candidates for priesthood. Francis even conducted the examinations to see if the candidates were fit for this vocation. He also trained laypeople to teach catechism. Francis often gave spiritual guidance to people.
At Dijon, in 1604, Saint Francis de Sales became acquainted with St Jane de Chantal, for whom and through whom he founded the nursing and teaching order known as Visitation Nuns. He died at Lyons on December 28, 1622.
Francis de Sales and Jane Frances de Chantal, medal 1867
The body of the holy bishop was exhumed ten years after his death and was found perfectly preserved. When the body was once again exhumed at a later date, only bones and dust remained.
St Frances de Sales was beatified in 1661, and canonized in 1665. He was declared a doctor of the Church in 1877
St Francis de Sales (Memorial) – Doctor of the Church
Our Lady of Tears
—
St Anicet Hryciuk
St Artemius of Clermont
St Bartlomiej Osypiuk
Bertrand of Saint Quentin
St Daniel Karmasz
St Exuperantius of Cingoli
St Felician of Foligno
St Filip Geryluk
Bl Francesc de Paula Colomer Prísas
St Guasacht
St Ignacy Franczuk
Bl John Grove
St Julian Sabas the Elder
St Luigj Prendushi
St Macedonius Kritophagos
Bl Marcolino of Forli
Bl Marie Poussepin
Bl Paula Gambara Costa
St Projectus
St Sabinian of Troyes
St Suranus of Sora
St Thyrsus
Bl William Ireland
—
Martyrs of Asia Minor – 4 saints
Martyrs of Podlasie – 13 beati
Martyrs of Antioch
Babylas
Epolonius
Prilidian
Urban
Thought for the Day – 23 January
In 1888, Mother Marianne and two sisters went to Molokai to open a home for “unprotected women and girls” there. The Hawaiian government was quite hesitant to send women for this difficult assignment; they need not have worried about Mother Marianne! On Molokai she took charge of the home that Saint Damien de Veuster had established for men and boys. Mother Marianne changed life on Molokai by introducing cleanliness, pride and fun to the colony. Bright scarves and pretty dresses for the women were part of her approach.
Awarded the Royal Order of Kapiolani by the Hawaiian government and celebrated in a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, Mother Marianne continued her work faithfully. Her sisters have attracted vocations among the Hawaiian people and still work on Molokai.
The government authorities were reluctant to allow Mother Marianne to be a mother on Molokai. Thirty years of dedication proved their fears unfounded. God grants gifts regardless of human short-sightedness and allows those gifts to flower for the sake of the kingdom.
To the Reverend Sister Marianne,
Matron of the Bishop Home, Kalaupapa.
To see the infinite pity of this place,
The mangled limb, the devastated face,
The innocent sufferers smiling at the rod,
A fool were tempted to deny his God.
He sees and shrinks; but if he look again,
Lo, beauty springing from the breasts of pain!
He marks the sisters on the painful shores,
And even a fool is silent and adores.
St Marianne Cope Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 23 January
“Creep down into the heart of Jesus.
He alone can comfort you in your
supreme hour of sorrow.”
~~~ St Marianne Cope (Saint of the Day)
One Minute Reflection – 23 January
Do not grow slack but be fervent in spirit;
he whom you serve is the Lord………….Romans 12:11
REFLECTION – “Let us make the very best use of the precious moments and do all in our power for His dear sake and for His greater honour and glory…………I do not think of reward; I am working for God and do so cheerfully.”….St Marianne Cope (Saint of the Day)
PRAYER – Loving Father, grant me to have a true fervour in Your service. Help me to become a zealous worker for Your honour and glory, in imitation of your Son and of your holy saints. St Marianne Cope, ntercede for us all, that we may go forth unafraid to serve the most needy of our Father’s children. Please pray for us, amen!
Saint of the Day – 23 January – St Marianne Cope TOSF (1838-1918) also known as Saint Marianne of Molokaʻi- (Born Maria Anna Barbara Koob in 1838-died 1918 aged 80) Virgin, Religious, Missionary to lepers – Patron of Lepers, outcasts, those with HIV/AIDS, Hawai’i.
St Marianne was a German-born American nun who was a member of the Sisters of St Francis of Syracuse, New York and administrator of its St. Joseph’s Hospital in the city. Known also for her charitable works, in 1883 she relocated with six other Sisters to Hawaiʻi to care for persons suffering Hansen’s Disease on the island of Molokaʻi and aid in developing the medical infrastructure in Hawaiʻi.
In November 1888, Cope moved to Kalaupapa. She cared for the dying Fr. Damien of Molokai (pictured) who was already known internationally for his work in the leper colony and began to take over his burdens. She had met him shortly after her arrival in Hawaii. When St. Damien died on 15 April 1889, the government officially gave Cope charge for the care of the boys of Kalaupapa, in addition to her existing role in caring for the female residents of the colony.
Despite direct contact with the patients over many years, Cope did not contract the disease. She died from natural causes at the age of 80. In 2005 Cope was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI and declared a saint by the same pope on October 21, 2012, along with St. Kateri Tekawitha.
St Marianne Cope
—
St Abel the Patriarch
St Agathangelus
St Amasius of Teano
St Andreas Chong Hwa-Gyong
St Aquila the Martyr
St Asclas of Antinoe
St Clement of Ancyra
St Colman of Lismore
St Dositheus of Gaza
St Emerentiana
St Eusebius of Mount Coryphe
Bl Henry Suso
St Ildephonsus
Bl Joan Font Taulat
St John the Almsgiver/the Mericiful
Bl Juan Infante
St Jurmin
St Lufthild
St St Maimbod
Bl Margaret of Ravenna
Martyrius of Valeria
St Messalina of Foligno
St Ormond of Mairé
St Parmenas the Deacon
St Severian the Martyr
Thought for the Day – 22 January
There is a certain genius that comes from the faith and we saw it in our day in St Mother Teresa. The saints tackle great and difficult things and accomplish wonders because they did NOT and do NOT depend on their OWN strength and effort. They KNOW that all things are possible with and in God – they take Him at His word – they ask for miracles and receive them! They are never disappointed – this is the genius of faith!
St Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 22 January
In him who is the source of my strength, I have strength for everything…………Phil 4:13
REFLECTION – “Remember that the Christian life is one of action; not of speech and daydreams. Let there be few words and many deeds and let them be done well ………….By myself I can do nothing but in union with God, I can do all things. Out of love for God, I want to do all things”
~~~ St Vincent Pallotti (Saint of the Day)
PRAYER – God of all might, grant that I may place myself in Your hands and never despair. Let me not shrink from even the hardest of tasks – for with Your help I can do anything. St Vincent Pallotti, you who accomplished so much for the Glory of the Kingdom of God, please pray for us, amen!
Our Morning Offering – 22 January
Not the intellect, but God
Not the will, but God
Not the heart, but God
Not taste, but God
Not touch, but God
Not food and drink, but God
Not clothing but God
Not tranquillity, but God
Not the worldly goods, but God.
Not riches, but God.
Not honours, but God.
Not distinction, but God.
Not dignities, but God.
Not advancement, but God.
God in all
God always.
– Saint Vincent Pallotti (written by him before his first Holy Mass)
AnaStpaul 
You must be logged in to post a comment.