Quote/s of the Day – 28 November – The Memorial of St Pope Gregory III (Died 741
“The only true riches are those that make us rich in virtue. Therefore, if you want to be rich, beloved, love true riches. If you aspire to the heights of real honour, strive to reach the Kingdom of Heaven. If you value rank and renown, hasten to be enrolled in the heavenly court of the Angels.”
St Pope Gregory III (Died 741)
“When God is our strength, it is strength indeed; when our strength is our own, it is only weakness.”
St Augustine (354-430) Father and Doctor of the Church
Saint of the Day – 28 November – Saint Pope Gregory III (Died 741) Bishop of Rome 11 February 731 until his death on 28 November 741. Born in Syria and died on 28 November 741 of natural causes.
The Roman Martyrology states: “St Rome, the blessed Pope Gregory III, who departed for Heaven with a reputation for great sanctity and miracles.“
Beside the fact that Gregory was a Priest at Saint Crisogono Church in Rome and that he was the son of a Syrian named John nothing else is known about his life prior to being elected the 90th pope. He was elected by popular acclamation in 731, during the funeral procession of his predecessor, because of his reputation for virtue and learninge.
Gregory’s Pontificate, like that of his predecessor, was troubled by the iconoclastic controversy (the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols) in the Byzantine Empire.
Upon his accession as Pope, Gregory immediately appealed to the Byzantine Emperor Leo III, to moderate his position on the Iconoclastic controversy. When Pope Gregory’s representative was arrested on the orders of the Emperor, Gregory called a Synod in November 731, which condemned Iconoclasm outright. Leo responded by trying to bring the Pope under control, although the fleet he sent to enforce the imperial will, was shipwrecked in the Adriatic Sea. Failing, he appropriated Papal territories in Sicily and Calabria, transferring ecclesiastical jurisdictions in the former Praetorian Prefect, to the Patriarch of Constantinople. His attempt to force the Duke of Naples to enforce an imperial decree to confiscate [apal territory in the duchy failed, as the Duke was supportive of the Pope’s stand.
Pope Gregory demonstrated his opposition to Iconoclasm by emphasising his veneration of icons and relics. He repaired numerous beautiful Churches, adorning them with icons and images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and many Saints. He ordered, in the heart of St. Peter’s Basilica and Iconostasis, (an iconostasis is a wall of artworks and religious paintings, used to separate the Nave from the Sanctuary) situated between six onyx and marble columns. He also built a new oratory in St. Peter’s Basilica, which housed relics of several Saints. He was also an enthusiastic supporter of monasticism – he established the Monastery of S. Chrysogonus and rebuilt the Hospice of Saints Sergius and Bacchus near St Peter’s.
Pope Gregory also promoted the Church in northern Europe. He supported the continuing mission of St. Boniface in Germany, elevating him to the rank of Archbishop in 732. In 732, Gregory banned the consumption of horsemeat, both domestic and wild, comparing it as an “abomination” since it was associated with pagan ritual feastings. He was very conscious of the ongoing Lombard threat but was unsuccessful at stopping their advance. He also undertook and completed, the restoration of the Walls of Rome.
Pope Gregory III died on 28 November 741. He was succeeded by Pope Zachary and was buried in St Peter’s Basilica, in the oratory he had built at the start of his Pontificate.
Nyina wa Jambo – Mother of the Word, Kibeho, Rwanda (1981) – 28 November
The apparitions began in November 1981 when six young girls and one boy claimed to see the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus. But only the visions of the first three — 17-year-old Alphonsine, 20-year-old Nathalie, and 21-year-old Marie Claire — have received Bishop Misago’s solemn approval. Because there were reservations about the other four visionaries and the supposed visions of Jesus, Bishop Misago did not confirm the authenticity of either those visions or visionaries. The Virgin appeared to them with the name “Nyina wa Jambo,” that is “Mother of the Word,” which is synonymous with “Umubyeyl W’iamna” that is, “Mother of God,”,as she herself explained to them. In the visions, Our Lady emphasised the call to pray the Rosary. She also asked for penance and fasting. A dreadful vision all three girls received became a key apparition leading to the official acceptance and approval of Kibeho. These girls reported seeing a gruesome picture – a river of blood, people who killed one another, abandoned bodies with no-one to bury them, a tree on fire, an open chasm, a monster, and severed heads. The vision is now considered a prophecy of the ethnic genocide that would take place in the country 13 years later. Tragically, in 1994, visionary Marie Claire became one of its victims.
Description “She had a seamless white dress and also a white veil on her head. Her hands were clasped together on her breast and her fingers pointed to the sky… I could not determine the colour of her skin,” said Alphonsine, “but she was of incomparable beauty.“ From the beginning in Kibeho, in southern Rwanda, there were conversions, prayer meetings, pilgrimages, miraculous cures and favours and abnormal phenomena during the apparitions. Also, the sun appeared to pulsate, spin, or split in two — a miracle reminiscent of Fatima.
Approval “Yes, the Virgin Mary did appear in Kibeho on 28 November 1981″ and then over “the course of the following six months,” proclaimed Bishop Augustine Misago of Gikongoro, Rwanda, Africa, when he announced his official approval of the apparitions. “There are more reasons to believe this than to deny it.”
Prayer Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Word, Mother of all those who believe in Him and who welcome Him into their life, we are here before you to contemplate You. We believe that you are among us, like a mother in the midst of her children, even though we do not see You with our bodily eyes.
We bless you, The Sure Way that leads us to Jesus the Saviour, for all the favours which You endlessly pour out upon us, especially, that, in your meekness, You were gracious enough to appear miraculously in Kibeho, just when our world needed it most.
Grant us always the light and the strength necessary to accept, with all seriousness, Your call to us to be converted, to repent, and to live according to your Son’s Gospel. Teach us how to pray with sincerity and to love one another as He loved us, so that, just as You have requested, we may always be beautiful flowers diffusing their pleasant fragrance everywhere and upon everyone.
Holy Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, teach us to understand the value of the cross in our lives, so that, whatever is still lacking to the sufferings of Christ, we may fill up in our own bodies for His mystical Body, which is the Church. And when our pilgrimage on this earth comes to an end, may we live eternally with You in the kingdom of Heaven. Amen
St Anrê Tran Van Trông Bl Calimerius of Montechiaro
St Fionnchu of Bangor St Pope Gregory III (Died 741) Bishop of Rome 11 February 731 until his death on 28 November 741. (His Feast was moved to 10 December in 1969), St Hilary of Dijon St Hippolytus of Saint Claude St Honestus of Nimes St Irenarcus
Bl James Thompson St Papius St Quieta of Dijon St Rufus St Simeon the Logothete St Sosthenes of Colophon (1st Century) Bishop, Martyr. St Stephen the Younger Bl Theodora of Rossano — Martyrs of Constantinople – 8 saints: A group of over 300 Christians martyred during the persecutions of the Iconoclast emperors. We have a lot of information on Saint Stephen the Younger, but for the others we have nothing but seven of their names – Andrew, Auxentius, Basil, Gregor, John, Peter and Stefan. They were scourged, stoned and/or dragged to death through the streets of Constantinople in 764.
Martyrs of North Africa – 13 saints: A group of thirteen clerics killed or exiled in the persecutions of Arian Vandals in North Africa – Crescens, Crescentian, Cresconius, Eustace, Felix, Florentian, Habetdeum, Hortulanus, Mansuetus, Papinianus, Quodvultdeus, Urban and Valerian.
Martyrs of Tiberiopolis – 14 saints: A group of fourteen Christian laymen, deacons, priests and bishops who were martyred together in the persecutions of Julian the Apostate – Basil, Chariton, Comasios, Daniel, Etymasius, Hierotheos, John, Nicephorus, Peter, Sergius, Socrates, Theodore, Thomas and Timothy. 361 at Tiberiopolis, Phyrgia (in modern Turkey)
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War – Martyred Augustinians of Madrid – 12 beati; Martyred Hospitallers of Madrid – 15 beati; Oblate Martyrs – 23 beati. • Blessed Ángel Francisco Bocos Hernández • Blessed Ángel Sastre Corporales • Blessed Antonio Hilario Delgado Vílchez • Blessed Antonio Meléndez Sánchez • Blessed Avelino Rodríguez Alonso • Blessed Balbino Villaroel y Villaroel • Blessed Benito Alcalde González • Blessed Bernardino Álvarez Melcón • Blessed Cándido Castán San José • Blessed Cecilio Vega Domínguez • Blessed Clemente Díez Sahagún • Blessed Clemente Rodríguez Tejerina • Blessed Daniel Gómez Lucas • Blessed Eduardo Bautista Jiménez • Blessed Eleuterio Prado Villaroel • Blessed Francisco Esteban Lacal • Blessed Francisco Polvorinos Gómez • Blessed Gregorio Escobar García • Blessed Isidoro Martínez Izquierdo • Blessed José Guerra Andrés • Blessed José Mora Velasco • Blessed José Peque Iglesias • Blessed José Prieto Fuentes • Blessed José Ruiz Cuesta • Blessed José Vega Riaño • Blessed Juan Alcalde y Alcalde • Blessed Juan Antonio Pérez Mayo • Blessed Juan Baldajos Pérez • Blessed Juan Herrero Arroyo • Blessed Juan Jesús Adradas Gonzalo • Blessed Juan José Caballero Rodríguez • Blessed Juan María Múgica Goiburu • Blessed Juan Pedro del Cotillo Fernández • Blessed Julián Plazaola Artola • Blessed Justo Fernández González • Blessed Justo Gil Pardo • Blessed Justo González Lorente • Blessed Lucinio Ruiz Valtierra • Blessed Luis Campos Górriz • Blessed Manuel álvarez Rego • Blessed Manuel Gutiérrez Martín • Blessed Marcelino Sánchez Fernández • Blessed Marcos Pérez Andrés • Blessed Pascual Aláez Medina • Blessed Pedro de Alcántara Bernalte Calzado • Blessed Pedro María Alcalde Negredo • Blessed Vicente Andrés Llop Gaya • Blessed Publio Rodríguez Moslares • Blessed Ramiro Frías García • Blessed Sabino Rodrigo Fierro • Blessed Samuel Pajares García • Blessed Senén García González • Blessed Serviliano Riaño Herrero • Blessed Vicente Blanco Guadilla
Saint of the Day – 27 November – Blessed Bernardine of Fossa OFM (1420-1503) Priest and Friar of the Observant Friars Minor of St Francis, Missionary in Italy and a renowned Preacher, noted Historian, Lawyer, Ascetical Writer, rising within the Order to important positions. Born in 1420 in Fossa, Aquila, Italy as Giovanni Amici and died on 27 November 1503 in the Franciscan Convent in L’Aquila, Italy of natural causes, aged 83. Also known as – Bernardine d’Amici, Bernardine of Aquila, Bernardine of Aquilanus, Fra Bernardino of Fossa, Giovanni Amici. Additional Memorial – 7 November (Franciscans). Patronages – the City and Diocese of L’Aquila.
The Roman Martyrology states: “At L’Aquila, blessed Bernardino da Fossa (Giovanni) Amici, Priest of the Order of Minors, who preached the Catholic Faith in many Provinces of Italy.“
Giovanni belonged to the ancient and noble family of the Amici and sometimes bears the name of Aquilanus on account of his long residence and death in the Town of Aquila.
He was of very lively intelligence and excelled in his studies. He graduated in Canon and Civil Law in Perugia and in 1445, at 21, he entered the Friars Minor of the Observance and completed his novitiate at Gubbio. On 13 March 1446 he made his solemn profession in the Convent of Stroncone taking the name of Bernardine and receiving the Habit from St James of the Marches who was then preaching a course of Lenten sermons at Perugiato. As was the custom of many religious Orders at the time, the place of birth was added, so Giovanni became Fra ‘Bernardino da Fossa.
Bernardine was endowed with outstanding organisational, spiritual and guiding skills and was, therefore, entrusted with various positions in the Franciscan Convents of Gubbio, Stroncone and others, also in Umbria. From there he passed into the Abruzzi, residing especially in his own City of L’Aquila.
He was a zealous Priest and talented Preacher in numerous Umbrian Towns. He was elected Provincial Father of the Friars Minor Observants for the Abruzzi four times , holding the office from 1454 to 1460 and then from 1472 to 1475 : between 1464 and 1467 he was instead Superior of Bosnia and Dalmatia, a Province just established by Pope Pius II and in 1468 he was elected Procurator of the Order at the Holy See .
He was twice elected bishop of Aquila (first in 1472 , on the death of Cardinal Amico Agnifili and then in 1491 , as the successor of Giovanbattista Gaglioffi) but he declined the election both times, from a spirit of humility.
In 1475 he abandoned all office and retired to the Convent of San Giuliano dell’Aquila. On 16 January 1495 , he managed to stop the troops of Charles VIII and persuaded them not to cross the L’ Aquila territory, sparing the population the serious consequences of a military occupation.
Bernardine was also a prolific writer – his writings include several sermons and short ascetical works and focus on themes of history and theology. His nephew, Antonio Amici, who was also his Biographer, published some of Bernardine’s works in 1572 , today of great value due to the extreme rarity of the preserved copies. Bernardine was the Author of the first life of his Patron, St Bernardino of Siena.
Bernardine died in the Convent of L’Aquila on 27 November 1503 and was always given a cult of blessed, both in Italy and throughout the Franciscan Order. The cult was later confirmed by the Beatification of Pope Leo XII on 26 March 1828.
Apparition of Christ to the Blessed Bernardino of Fossa by Francesco da Montereale,
Memorial of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal / The Medal of the Immaculate Conception (1830) (the correct title is the latter):
This Memorial on the Catholic Calendar commemorates the apparition to St. Catherine Labouré on 27 November 1830. Then a Novice of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, the young woman saw the Holy Virgin in glowing white, standing on a partial sphere, gazing heavenwards, holding up a gold globe as in offering to God. Words formed in an oval around her: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.” The image turned around to reveal a cross atop a bar interlacing a letter M, with two hearts beneath. The Virgin spoke: “Have a medal struck after this model; everyone who wears it will receive great graces…”
On 30 June 1832, Aurélien Vachette delivered the first 1500 medals, commissioned by the the seer’s spiritual director and approved by the Archbishop. Vachette. As Catherine reported, rays came from Mary’s hands but here the hands were empty, held out at her sides. A snake appeared under her feet and below, the date 1830. On the reverse, where Catherine quoted the Virgin as saying, “The M and the two hearts are enough,” Vachette added the 12 stars of Revelation 12:1 encircling the whole. Despite these innovations, Sister Catherine approved the new Immaculate Conception medal, soon known as the Miraculous Medal for the many blessings it delivered as it spread rapidly through France, Europe and the world. It is still one of the most beloved and widespread and efficacious sacramentals of Catholic believers.
Two of the most famous conversions due to the Miraculous medal was that of Fr Alphonse Ratisbonne NDS (1814-1884), an anti-Catholic Jewish banker and Claude Newman (1923-1944). Fr Alphonse Ratisbonne received a vision of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. After his conversion, he became a Priest and worked for the conversion of the Jewish people.
St Acacius of Sebaste St Acharius of Noyon St Apollinaris of Monte Cassino St Barlaam Blessed Bernardine of Fossa OFM (1420-1503) Priest, Friar of the Friars Minor St Bilhild of Altmünster Bl Bronislao Kostkowski St Eusician St Facundus St Fergus the Pict St Gallgo of Wales St Gregory of Sinai St Gulstan St Hirenarchus of Sebaste St James Intercisus St John Angeloptes St John of Pavia St Josaphat Bl José Pérez González Bl Juan Antonio de Bengoa Larriñaga St Laverius
Martyrs of Antioch – (3 saints): A group of Christians martyred together for their faith. Little information has survived except for their names – Auxilius, Basileus and Saturninus.
Martyrs of Nagasaki – (11 beati): A group of eleven Christians martyred together for their faith during a period of official persecution in Japan. They are: • Blessed Alexius Nakamura • Blessed Antonius Kimura • Blessed Bartholomaeus Seki • Blessed Ioannes Iwanaga • Blessed Ioannes Motoyama • Blessed Leo Nakanishi • Blessed Matthias Kozasa • Blessed Matthias Nakano • Blessed Michaël Takeshita • Blessed Romanus Motoyama Myotaro • Blessed Thomas Koteda Kyumi They were martyred on 27 November 1619 in Nagasaki, Japan and Beatified on 7 May 1867 by Pope Pius IX.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: • Blessed Bartolomé Gelabert Pericás • Blessed Eduardo Camps Vasallo • Blessed José Pérez González • Blessed Juan Antonio de Bengoa Larriñaga • Blessed Miguel Aguado Camarillo • Blessed Pedro Armendáriz Zabaleta
Quote/s of the Day – 26 November – The Memorial of St Leonard of Port Maurice OFM (1676-1751)
“I believe, that were it not for the Holy Mass, at this moment, the world would be in the abyss, unable to bear up, under the mighty load of its iniquities. Mass is the potent prop that hold the world on its base.”
“What graces, gifts and virtues the Holy Mass calls down!”
“Oh Most Sacred Name, Name of peace, Balsam of life, which is the centre of all the sighs, of the most fervent lovers of Jesus. The Sign of those who truly love Jesus is to bear Jesus imprinted in the heart and to name often and with devotion, the Most Holy Name of Jesus.”
Saint of the Day – 26 November – Saint Sylvester Gozzolini OSB Silv. (1177– 1267) Priest, Abbot, Founder of the Silvestrini Congration, Mystic, gifted with the charism of prophecy and miracles, but also subject to violent attacks by the devil. Born in 1177 in Osimo, Marche, Italy and died on 26 November 1267 at Monte Fano, Fabriano, Italy of natural causes aged 90. Also known as – Silvestro, Sylvester of Osimo.
Sylvester was born of a noble family at Osimo in the Marches of Ancona and in his boyhood was remarkable for his love of study and his good conduct. As a youth, he was sent by his father to Bologna to study jurisprudence but was admonished by God to devote himself to sacred learning. Thus he abandoned the study of law for that of theology and Holy Scripture, giving long hours daily to prayer. This incited his father to anger, which Sylvester patiently endured when his father would not speak to him for ten years. On account of his remarkable virtue, the Canons of Osimo elected him an honorary member of their chapter, in which position he benefited the people by his prayers, his example and his sermons.
While assisting at the funeral of a nobleman, his relative, who had been unusually handsome, he looked into the open coffin and seeing the corpse all deformed, said to himself: “What this man was, I am now; what he is now, I shall be hereafter.“ As soon as the funeral was over, reading these words of our Lord: “If any one will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,” he retired into solitude in order to attain greater perfection.
There he gave himself up to watching, prayer and fasting, often eating nothing but raw herbs. The better to conceal himself from men he frequently changed his place of abode;and at length settled at Monte Fano, which, though near to Fabriano, was at that time, a desert. There he built a Church in honour of the most holy father St Benedict and founded the Congregation of Sylvestrians, under the Rule and Habit shown him by St.Benedict in vision.
Satan, roused to envy, strove in many ways to terrify his Monks, making assaults by night at the Monastery gates. But the man of God repressed the enemy’s attacks with such vigour, that the Monks, recognising their father’s sanctity, were more and more confirmed in their holy purpose.
Sylvester was remarkable for the spirit of prophecy and other gifts, which he guarded by deep humility. This so stirred up the devil’s envy that he cast the saint headlong down the oratory stairs and well nigh killed him but the blessed Virgin at once graciously restored him to health. In gratitude for this benefit, Sylvester showed her the tenderest unfailing piety to the end of his life.
In 1247 he obtained from Pope Innocent IV, at Lyons, a Bull confirming his Order and before his death, founded a number of Monasteries.
He died at the age of ninety years, renowned for sanctity and miracles in1267. He was Beatified in1269 by Pope Clement IV who also added him to the Martyrology) and Canonised in 1598 by Pope Clement VIII. His body was disinterred and placed in a Shrine (1275-85) and is still honoured in the Church of Monte Fano. In 1890, the Sovereign Pontiff Leo XIII, extended his Office and Mass to the universal Church, with the rank of Double (third-class feast in the 1960 reform of Pope John XXIII), therefore, reducing today’s memorial to the status of a commemoration, as well as that of Saint Peter of Alexandria, who shares today as his Feast. In 1970, both these were removed altogether and relegated to the local calendars. These wonderful Saints were packed away in dark storage where no-one ever venerates or prays to them for their holy intercession.., but you and I will pray the Collect below and remember .him ..
Collect: May the intercession, O Lord, of blessed Sylvester, the Abbot, recommend us to Thee; that what we cannot hope for through any merits of our own, we may obtain by his prayers. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen
Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Westrozebeke / Our Lady of Westrozebeke, Staden, West Flanders, Belgium (1482) – 26 November, Third Sunday of June:
On 26 November 1382, opposing armies camped around the Village of Westrozebeke: rebels recently victorious in Ghent vs. Louis II, King of Flanders and French troops brought in to help him. The residents congregated at a forest Chapel to beg the Virgin’s help. At the battle the next day, the rebels fled after their leader was killed. Afterward, a red silk thread encircling the area the King’s forces had occupied, with seven knots equally spaced along it and crosses where the ends met, was discovered – this was interpreted as a sign of the Virgin’s protection. The silk thread was soon distributed for relics and in its place, eight Chapels were built – seven to honour each of Mary’s Sorrows, where the knots had lain and a larger one to honour the Holy Cross. In 1384, Louis II’s son-in-law Philip II of Burgundy, instituted an annual procession and Mass in thanksgiving for the victory. Many pilgrims sought out the circuit of eight Chapels and the help of Our Lady of Roosebeke (“rosy stream“), especially sufferers from the streptococcal skin infection erysipelas, known as St Anthony’s fire in English but as wondroos (“rosy wound“) in Dutch. And they continued to frequent the old forest Chapel of Our Lady of the Fountain, near a spring with waters believed to cure eye diseases. The annual pilgrimage continued for centuries. The faithful from the Provincial Capital of Bruges, brought new clothes for Our Lady’s Statue, while those from Menen, to the south, came in thanksgiving for their deliverance from an epidemic in the early 1500s. In 1566, iconoclasts destroyed the Statue. Believers installed a new one in 1584. During World War I, another miracle came to light. In 1916, when Germans torpedoed the ferry “Sussex” as it crossed the English Channel toward France, sailors from Westrozebeke prayed to Our Lady and were spared. But their Village was not so fortunate: it was destroyed during the war. Our Lady’s beloved Statue, which had been moved away for safekeeping, returned afterwards and was installed in the new Church of St Bavo on 13 June1924.
St Bavo’s Church
Now part of the Municipality of Staden, Westrozebeke holds a 10-day festival in July, starting on the third Sunday, when firemen throw roses from the Church tower. The religious portion culminates in Our Lady’s Pageant on the following Saturday, with a procession and Mass in St Bavo’s Church, where roses encircle the Statue of Our Lady.
Bl Albert of Haigerloch St Alypius Stylites St Amator of Autun St Basolus of Verzy St Bellinus of Padua St Bertger of Herzfeld St Conrad of Constance St Ðaminh Nguyen Van Xuyên Bl Delphine of Glandèves St Egelwine of Athelney
St Magnance of Ste-Magnance St Marcellus of Nicomedia Bl Marmaduke Bowes St Martin of Arades St Nicon of Sparta Bl Pontius of Faucigny St Sabaudus of Trier St Siricius, Pope St Stylianus St Sylvester Gozzolini OSB Silv. (1177– 1267) Priest, Abbot, Founder St Tôma Ðinh Viet Du St Vacz — Martyrs of Alexandria – 7+ saints: A group of approximately 650 Christian priests, bishops and laity martyred together in the persecution of Maximian Galerius. We have the names and a few details only seven of them – Ammonius, Didius, Faustus, Hesychius, Pachomius, Phileas and Theodore. The were born in Egypt and were martyred there in c 311 in Alexandria, Egypt.
Martyrs of Capua – 7 saints: A group of seven Christians martyred together. The only details about them to survive are the names – Ammonius, Cassianus, Felicissimus, Nicander, Romana, Saturnin and Serenus. They were martyred in Capua, Campania, Italy, date unknown.
Martyrs of Nicomedia – 6 saints: A group of six orthodox Christians martyred by Arians. Few details have survived except their names – Marcellus, Melisus, Numerius, Peter, Serenusa and Victorinus. Martyred in 349 in Nicomedia, Bithynia, Asia Minor (modern Izmit, Turkey).
One Minute Reflection – 25 November – Readings: Daniel 6: 12-28; Psalm: Daniel 3: 68-74; Luke 21: 20-28 – The Memorial of St Catherine of Alexandria (Died c 305)
“Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” – Luke 21:28
REFLECTION – “The powers of heaven will be moved.” What does the Lord mean by the powers of heaven if not the Angels and Archangels, Thrones, Dominations, Rulers and Powers? (Col 1,6). At the coming of the severe Judge, they will appear visibly before our eyes… “Then they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great authority and majesty.” In other words, they are going to see, in power and majesty, Him Whom they chose not to hear in a state of humility… He said these things about the condemned; words of consolation for the elect follow at once: “When these things begin to take place, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” Truth is exhorting His elect by saying: “When the disasters of the world become more frequent… let your hearts exult! While the world, which is not your friend, is coming to an end, the redemption you have sought ,is coming near.!”
Those who love God are ordered to rejoice and be merry at the world’s end. They will soon find Him Whom they love, while what they have not loved is passing away. It should be far from the hearts of all the faithful who long to see God to grieve over the disasters of a world, for they know, these very disasters, are soon to end. It is written that: “Whoever wishes to be a friend of this world, makes himself an enemy of God” (Jas 4,4). Someone who does not rejoice as the end of the world approaches, testifies, that he is its friend and this itself convicts him, of being God’s enemy!
PRAYER – Lord God, creator of all Light and creator of all good, grant that we may look up to You always and know that by Your Light and your goodness we are safe in this world of corruption. May the Light of our Lord Jesus, make the path He has set out bright and clear and may the prayers of St Catherine of Alexandria be a help in our struggle. Lead us, Lord, in Your kindness and mercy to the banquet which awaits us. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Saint of the Day – 25 November – Blessed Beatrice d’Ornacieux O.Cart (c 1260–1303) Virgin, Carthusian Nun, Mystic, Founded a Monastery at Eymeu. Born in c1260 in Ornacieu, Dauphine (in the southeastern area of modern France and died on 25 November 1303 at the Monastery of Eymeu, Valence, France of natural causes. Also known as – Beatrice di Ornacieu, Beatrice of Eymeu, Beatrix… Additional Memorials – 27 November (Diocese of Grenoble, France), 13 February (Diocese of Valence, France).
The Roman Martyrology states: “In the territory of Valence in France, Blessed Beatrice d’Ornacieux, Virgin of the Carthusian Order, who, famous for her love for the Cross, lived and died in extreme poverty in the Monastery of Eymeu which she founded.”
Beatrice, of noble birth, was born in the Castle of the village in Ornacieu in the Dauphiné, a historical region of south-eastern France of which Grenoble is the Capital.
In 1273, when she was about 13 years of age, she entered the Charterhouse of Parménie, thus adopting the Rule of life of Saint Bruno. St Bruno had founded the Monastery in 1084, where, according to the ancient texts, he distinguished himself for his devotion to the Passion of Christ.
From this intense devotion arose a love for sufferings, to sanctify herself and to understand a little of the sufferings of Christ. It is said that Beatrice “loved” tribulation, as only the saints know how to and thus transform themselves into a close unity with Christ and offer themselves as a means of redemption with Him.
In 1301 she was sent to found a new Monastery in Eymeu, in the Diocese of Valence with two of her Carthusian companions, Luisa Alleman of Grésivaudan and Margaret of Sassenaye. Later other young woman joined her, despite the extreme poverty in which they lived.
Beatrice experienced visions for many years of the Blessed Virgin and of Christ. But the devil too attempted to overcome her virtue. She alternated between mystical ecstasies and persecutions of the Evil One.
Beatrice died on 25 November 1303, (some say 1309). When the other two religious also died, their bodies were translated to Parménie and kept until 1901 in the Sanctuary of the Olivetani; currently they are in the Church of Rancurel.
Beatrice’s cult was approved by Pope Pius IX on 15 Apri 1869.
Madonna del Sasso / Our Lady of the Rock, Fiesole, Tuscany, Italy (1028) – 25 November:
The Abbot Orsini wrote: “Our Lady of the Rock, in the territory of Fiesole, in Tuscany. This image is placed in a rock, where two shepherds retired to pray; Our Lady ordered them to build a Church in this place.”
On the Feast of the Visitation in 1028 two young twin sisters, while they were guarding their flock, sought protection under a rock. The Virgin Mary holding the Infant Jesus in her arm, appeared to them in a cloud. She reassured them and told them that she desired a Church to be built there, then asks them to alert their father. He went to that place and the Virgin appeared to him and reiterates her request. The inhabitants of the village flocked to the site. Many of them also saw the Virgin. The ecclesiastical authorities approved the construction of a Sanctuary dedicated to Our Lady of Rock. The construction had just begun when Mary appeared to all present to thank them and encourage them to bring the work to completion. According to local legend, the Gospel was first preached at Fiesole (in the Province of Tuscany by Saint Romulus, a Disciple of Saint Peter during the days of the Christian persecutions. The Cathedral of Saint Romulus was built in 1028 by Bishop James Bavaro with materials taken from several other edifices – hence, the Shrine took the name Our Lady of the Rock. The little Church, now known as the Cathedral or Duomo of Saint Romulus, is in the Cathedral square – called the Shrine of the Primerana – is the one dedicated to Our Lady of the Rock. It was then enlarged in 1260, and again the following century. The bell tower dates from the year 1213. The Cathedral contains sculptures by Mino da Fiesole and the old Cathedral was once a Benedictine Abbey and had a large library, though that has long since been dispersed to other locations. The Abbey closed in 1778. Among other apparitions, too numerous to mention, is the one in which Mary warned Saint Andrew Corsini of his approaching death. During his lifetime, our Blessed Mother obtained from her Divine Son for Andrew the gifts of prophecy, miracles of healing, the conquest of hardened souls and many other conversions. The Cathedral of Fiesole is the resting place of a long list of Saints and illustrious churchmen, all of whom were devout clients of Our Lady.
Bl Adalbert of Caramaico St Alanus of Lavaur St Audentius of Milan Blessed Beatrice d’Ornacieux O.Cart (c 1260–1303) Virgin, Carthusian Nun. St Bernold of Ottobeuren Bl Conrad of Heisterbach Bl Ekbert of Muensterschwarzach
St Erasmus of Antioch Bl Garcia of Arlanza Bl Guido of Casauria St Imma of Wurzburg Bl Jacinto Serrano López St Jucunda of Reggio Aemilia Bl Maria Corsini Beltrame Quattrocchi St Mercurius of Caesarea St Moses of Rome Bl Santiago Meseguer Burillo — Martyrs of Africa – (13 saints): A group of 13 Christians murdered together for their faith in Africa, date unknown. The only details to have survived are their names – Claudian, Cyprian, Donatus, Felix, Januarius, Julian, Lucian, Marcian, Martialis, Peter, Quirianus, Victor and Vitalis.
Saint of the Day – 24 November – Saint Colman of Cloyne (c 530 – c 600) Bishop, Monk, Founder and Patron of Cloyne Monastery from which the area took its name, converted by St Brendan the Navigator, Poet (one of the earliest known Irish Poets to compose his works in the vernacular). Born in c 530 in Munster, Ireland and died in 600 of natural causes. Patronage – the Diocese of Cloyne, Ireland. Also known as – Colman MacLenini, Colman Mac Lenine, Colman MacLenine.
According to the Book of Leinster, Colman, son of Lenin, was a descendant of the King of Munster. The year of his birth, which has not been ascertained exactly, is believed to have been 530
Colman, brought up in heathenism, adopted the profession of bard. He became attached to the Court of the King of Cashel and the range of his duties may be inferred from an ancient description of the order generally. Bards were historians, as well as poets; their duty was to record the deeds of the kings, chieftains and heroes; to register the genealogies and privileges of noble families, together with the bounds and limits of their lands and territories. He was engaged in these activities until about the forty-eighth year of his life.
In 570, a dispute as to the succession to the throne of Cashel took place between two relatives and a meeting was arranged between the rival candidates at which Saint Brendan the Navigator (c 484–c 577) and the son of Lenin, our Saint, were present. Through their influence, a compromise was effected by which Aodh-caomh was acknowledged as King. He was the first Christian King of Cashel. It was at this time, that the Shrine of Ailbe of Emly, which had been stolen, was discovered. Amongst those who found it, was Colman. Brendan said that it was not right that the hands which had held this Sacred relic should be defiled henceforth, thus it was ,that the son of Leinin offered himself to God. Brendan blessed him and gave him the name Colmánand (a name that corresponds to Colum, the equivalent of the Latin columbus, a dove).
Colman then went to the school of Saint Iarlaithe of Tuam and after his studies, he was Ordained by St Brendan. He is next mentioned as preaching to the heathen population in the east of County Cork. He is described as a “religious and holy presbyter, who afterwards became a famous bishop.” The Prince of Déise, in the present County of Waterford, presented his child to Colman for baptism. Colman baptised him Declan and urged his parents to educate him well in his faith. This child became Saint Declan.
Colman was given churches in Erry and Killenaule by Coirpre Cromm mac Crimthainn, King of Munster (Cashel), as well as lands in Cloyne. The Cloyne estate was large and contained some of the best land in the area.
Many places in the counties of Cork and Limerick are linked with the name of Colman but his earliest settlement appears to have been Cloyne. It is said that the ruins of St. Colman’s ancient oratory known as Colman’s Chapel, were still to be seen at the beginning of the last century. This small oblong building, situated in the grounds of Cloyne Cathedral and known as the Fire House, was the repository of St. Colman’s relics. Another tradition is that the Fire House was used for maintaining a Sacred Fire such as had been maintained by the nuns of St. Brigid in Kildare’s Holy Shrine.
Magraiden, who died in 1405, relates in his life of St. Brendan that “this Colman, son of Lenin, was distinguished amongst the saints by his life and learning. He was a Founder of the Church of Cloyne, a celebrated Cathedral in Munster”.
According to some historians St. Colman died on 24 November in 600..
There is also in the vicinity of the Town of Cloyne, a holy well dedicated to St Colman and which had become a place of pilgrimage and miracles.
Vierge Noire de Myans, / The Black Madonna of Myans, Montmélian, Chambéry, France (1248) 24 November:, 8 September:
The original Statue before restoration after the French revolution desecration
On 24 November 1248, a disastrous avalanche on Mont Granier buried whole towns and killed hundreds in Savoy. When word spread that the cataclysm had stopped short at the small Chapel of the Virgin near Myans, its Ebony Statue of the Virgin and Child from the 1100s, became a magnet of devotion. In 1452, Franciscans began building the Church they would maintain there for 300 years. In 1792, French revolutionaries attacked the Church and badly damaged the Black Virgin. The restored Statue, re-installed in the Church Crypt in 1855, was canonically crowned 50 years later. Our Lady of Myans is celebrated on 8 September, Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin and on 24 November in remembrance of this miracle.
The many pilgrims who visit can, in fact, on entering the Sanctuary, contemplate at first glance, two superimposed Churches. The only other Sanctuary to present this characteristic, is that of Bethlehem.
The Upper Sanctuary now known as Notre-Dame de Myans is also known as The Golden Virgin of Myans for surmounting the Sanctuary, stands the most magnificent Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Gold, which was erected in memory of the collapse of Mount Granier and the miracle our Blessed Mother wrought in the town of Myans.
St Alexander of Corinth St Balsamus of Cava St Bieuzy of Brittany St Chrysogonus St Colman of Cloyne (530 – 606) Bishop Bl Conrad of Frisach St Crescentian of Rome St Eanfleda of Whitby St Felicissimus of Perugia St Félix Alonso Muñiz St Firmina of Amelia St Flora of Cordoba St Francisco Borrás Román St Hitto of Saint-Gall St Kenan of Damleag St Leopardinus of Vivaris Bl Maria Anna Sala St Marinus of Maurienne St Mary of Cordoba St Phêrô Võ Ðang Khoa St Pierre Rose Ursule Dumoulin Borie St Portianus of Miranda St Protasius of Milan St Romanus of Le Mans St Vinh-son Nguyen The Ðiem — Martyred in the Spanish Civil War – Martyred Carmelite Sisters of Valencia – 12 beati: • Blessed Antonia Gosens Sáez De Ibarra • Blessed Cándida Cayuso González • Blessed Clara Ezcurra Urrutia • Blessed Concepción Rodríguez Fernández • Blessed Daría Campillo Paniagua • Blessed Erundina Colino Vega • Blessed Feliciana de Uribe Orbe • Blessed Félix Alonso Muñiz • Blessed Francisco Borrás Román • Blessed Justa Maiza Goicoechea • Blessed María Concepción Odriozola Zabalía • Blessed María Consuelo Cuñado González • Blessed Niceta Plaja Xifra • Blessed Paula Isla Alonso
Quote/s of the Day – 23 November – The Mmemorial of St Pope Clement I (Died c 101) Martyr, Apostolic Father
“Through Him, our gaze penetrates he heights of heaven and we see, as in a mirror, the most holy Face of God. Through Christ, the eyes of our hearts are opened and our weak and clouded understanding, reaches up toward the light.”
“This, beloved, is the way in which we found our salvation, Jesus Christ, the High Priest Who offers our gifts, the Patron and Helper in our weakness (Heb 10:20; 7:27; 4:15). It is through Him, that we look straight at the heavens above. Through Him, we see mirrored, God’s faultless and transcendent countenance. Through Him, the eyes of our heart were opened. Through Him, our unintelligent and darkened mind shoots up into the light. Through Him, the Master was pleased to let us taste the knowledge that never fades …”
“Charity unites us to God. There is nothing unkind in charity, nothing arrogant. Charity knows no schism, does not rebel, does all things in concord. In charity all the elect of God have been made perfect.”
“Look at the holy Apostles. It was by sinful jealousy that Peter was subjected to tribulation, not once or twice but many times; it was in that way, that he bore his witness before leaving us for his well-earned place in glory. And Paul, because of jealousy and contention, has become the very type of endurance rewarded. … In him we have one of the greatest of all examples of endurance. … [And] we too, are in the same arena and have the same conflict before us.”
“Let us fix our thoughts on the Blood of Christ and reflect how Precious that Blood is, in God’s eyes, inasmuch, as its outpouring for our salvation, has opened the grace of repentance to all mankind.”
Our Morning Offering – 23 November – The Memorial of Blessed Miguel Pro – Martyr (1891-1927)
Heart Of Jesus By Blessed Miguel Pro – Martyr (1891-1927)
I believe, O Lord but strengthen my faith, Heart of Jesus, I love Thee but increase my love. Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee but give greater vigour to my confidence. Heart of Jesus, I give my heart to Thee but so enclose it in Thee that it may never be separated from Thee. Heart of Jesus, I am all Thine but take care of my promise so that I may be able to put it into practice even unto the complete sacrifice of my life. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 23 November – St Pope Clement I (Died c 101) Martyr, Apostolic Father, Papacy c 88 – c 101. Born in Rome and Martyred at Chersonesus, Greece. The Liber Pontificalis states that Clement died in Greece in the third year of Emperor Trajan’s reign, or 101. Patronages – mariners, sailors, marble artisans, sick children, stonecutters, Diocese of Aarhus, Denmark, Dundee, Scotland, Steenwijk, Netherlands, Velletri, Italy. Also known as – Clement of Rome, Clemens Romanus. St Clement is listed by St Irenaeus and Tertullian as the fourth Bishop of Rome, holding office from 88 until his death. He is considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church, (those who provided a direct link between the Apostles and later generations of Church Fathers). one of the three chief ones together with St Polycarp and St Ignatius of Antioch. He has left one genuine writing, a letter to the Church of Corinth and many others have been attributed to him.
The Roman Martyrology states: “The birthday of Pope St Clement, who held the sovereign Pontificate, the third after the blessed Apostle Peter. In the persecution of Trajan, he was banished to Chersonesus, where, being precipitated into the sea with an anchor tied to his neck, he was crowned with Martyrdom. His body was taken to Rome, during the Pontificate of Nicholas I and placed with due honour, in the Church which had been previously built under his invocation.”
Few details are known about Clement’s life. Tradition suggests that Clement was the son of a Roman named Faustinus and that he joined the Church in Rome during its early years through the preaching of Saint Peter or Saint Paul. He went on to share in the missionary journeys of the Apostles, some believe he was one of the 72 or 70 disciples and may even have assisted the first Pope in running the Church on a local level.
Clement was said to have been Ordained by St Peter the Apostle and he is known to have been a leading member of the Church in Rome in the late 1st century. After the deaths of St Peter’s first two successors, the Saints Popes Linus and Cletus, Clement took up St Peter’s position of primacy in the Church around the year 88.
In his letter to the Church at Corinth in response to a dispute in which certain Presbyters of the Corinthian Church had been deposed, he asserted the authority of the Presbyters as rulers of the Church, on the ground that the Apostles had appointed them. His letter, which is one of the oldest extant Christian documents outside the New Testament, was read in Church, along with other Epistles, some of which later became part of the Christian canon. These works were the first to affirm the apostolic authority of the clergy.
St Clement has been identified as the Clement that Paul mentioned in Philippians 4:3: “And I entreat thee also, my sincere companion, help those women who have laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement and the rest of my fellow labourers, whose names are in the book of life.” (DR).
According to apocryphal acta dating to the 4th century at earliest, Clement was banished from Rome to the Chersonesus during the reign of the Emperor Trajan and was set to work in a stone quarry. Finding, on his arrival, that the prisoners were suffering from lack of water, he knelt down in prayer. Looking up, he saw a Lamb on a hill, went to where the Lamb had stood and struck the ground with his pickaxe, releasing a gushing stream of clear water. This miracle resulted in the conversion of large numbers of the local pagans and his fellow prisoners to Christianity.
St Clement by Tiepolo
As punishment, Clement was Martyred by being tied to an anchor and thrown from a boat into the Black Sea. Since then, that every year a miraculous ebbing of the sea revealed a divinely built Shrine containing his bones.
The Martyrdom of St Clement
The Inkerman Cave Monastery marks the supposed place of Clement’s burial in the Crimea. A year or two before his own death in 869, Saint Cyril (c 827–869), (brother of St Methodius) brought to Rome what he believed to be the relics of Saint Clement, bones he found in the Crimea buried with an anchor on dry land. They are now enshrined in the Basilica di San Clemente, one of the oldest Parish Churches in Rome. Other relics of Saint Clement, including his head, are claimed by the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves in Ukraine.
In works of art, Saint Clement can be recognised by having an anchor at his side or tied to his neck. He is most often depicted wearing papal vestments, including the Pallium and sometimes, with a Papal Tiara but more often with a Mitre. He is also sometimes shown with Papal symbols such as the Papal Crucifix and the Keys of Heaven. In reference to his Martyrdom, he often holds the palm of Martyrdom.
The St Clement’s Cross is also referred to as the Anchored Cross or Mariner’s Cross.
St Clement’s Cross
St Clement is among the Saints mentioned in the Church’s most traditional Eucharistic prayer, the Roman Canon.
La Conchita de Granada. Virgen de la Concepción / Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Granada, Nicaragua (1721) – 23 November to 8 December:
Patron of Granada and of the Armies of Nicaragua – known as the “General” of the armies.
In 1721, women washing clothes in Lake Nicaragua saw a chest floating in but every time it drew near, waves pulled it back out. The women went to tell the Franciscan Friars. When they arrived and waded into the water, the chest floated up to their hands. On top were the words, “For the City of Granada.” Inside were two images of the Virgin (one of which was later given to the City of Masaya). Immediately, the Franciscan Friars carried the image to the Cathedral in procession. In 1856, the American Mercenary, William Walker invaded and proclaimed himself president of Nicaragua. On 23 November 1856, when he began to lose his private war in Central America, he left Granada, commanding the fire that almost completely destroyed the City Among the few objects recovered in good condition was the Sacred Statue of the Virgen de la Concepción, still in the Cathedral of Granada today.
Granada Cathedral
The Virgin is shown slaying a dragon with a spear, which is inscribed in the Title given her in 1862, “General of the Nicaraguan Army.” The army band plays in her honour on 28 November, the first day of the Novena, prior to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December. The Statue is a one and a half meter tall wood carving,the Virgin Mary smiles gently – in her left arm the Child Jesus lies, while with his right hand he holds a spear that rests on the head of a serpent. The current spear is not the original spear, since William Walker stole the original which was solid silver. The Virgin’s feet rest on a half moon. In 1862, once the Nicaraguan National War had ended, General Tomas Martínez declared the Title of “General of the Nicaraguan Armies,” this Title was granted, considering that the Virgin had played “a decisive role in the great battles against the Mercenaries.” The Title of General makes the Blessed Virgin enjoy a salary for the reconstruction of the Church, in addition, the Title thus belonging to the armed forces, grants the Army a particular role in the celebrations of the Patron during the Novena and the Festivities in her honour on 8 December.
St Pope Clement I (Died c 101) Martyr, Apostolic Father, Papacy c 88 – c101(Optional Memorial)
St Adalbert of Casauria St Alexander Nevski St Amphilochius of Iconium St Augusta of Alexandria St Cecilia Yu Sosa St Clement of Metz Bl Detlev of Ratzeburg Bl Enrichetta Alfieri St Falitrus of Chabris St Faustina of Alexandria Bl Felícitas Cendoya Araquistain St Felicity of Rome St Gregory of Girgenti Bl Guy of Casauria St Jaume Nàjera Gherna St John Camillus the Good St Loëvan of Brittany St Lucretia of Mérida Bl Margaret of Savoy
St Mustiola of Chiusi St Paternian of Fano St Paulinus of Whitland St Rachildis of Saint-Gall St Severin of Paris St Sisinius of Cyzicus St Trudo of Hesbaye St Wilfetrudis of Nivelless
One Minute Reflection – 17 November – Readings: 2 Maccabees 7: 1, 20-31; Psalm 17: 1, 5-6, 8b and 15; Luke 19: 11-28 and the Memorial of St Elizabeth of Hungary TOSF (1207-1231) Princess
“He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’” – Luke 19:13
REFLECTION – “From this time onward, Elizabeth’s goodness greatly increased. She was a lifelong friend of the poor and gave herself entirely to relieving the hungry. She ordered that one of her Castles, should be converted into a Hospital in which she gathered many of the weak and feeble. She generously gave alms to all who were in need, not only in that place but in all the territories of her husband’s empire. She spent all her own revenue from her husband’s four principalities and finally, she sold her luxurious’ possessions and rich clothes for the sake of the poor.
Twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, Elizabeth went to visit the sick. She personally cared for those who were particularly repulsive; to some she gave food, to others clothing; some she carried on her own shoulders and performed many other kindly services. Her husband, of happy memory, gladly approved of these charitable works. Finally, when her husband died, she sought the highest perfection; filled with tears, she implored me to let her beg for alms from door to door.
On Good Friday of that year, when the Altars had been stripped, she laid her hands on the Altar in a Chapel in her own Town, where she had established the Friars Minor,and before witnesses, she voluntarily renounced all worldly display and everything that our Saviour in the gospel advises us to abandon. Even then, she saw that she could still be distracted by the cares and worldly glory which had surrounded her while her husband was alive. Against my will she followed me to Marburg. Here in the Town she built a hospice, where she gathered together the weak and the feeble. There she attended the most wretched and contemptible at her own table.
Apart from those active good works, I declare before God that I have seldom seen a more contemplative woman. When she was coming from private prayer, some religious men and women often saw her face shining marvelously and light coming from her eyes like the rays of the sun!
Before her death I heard her Confession. When I asked what should be done about her goods and possessions, she replied that anything which seemed to be hers, belonged to the poor. She asked me to distribute everything except one worn out dress in which she wished to be buried. When all this had been decided, she received the Body of our Lord. Afterward, until vespers, she spoke often of the holiest things she had heard in sermons. Then, she devoutly commended to God all who were sitting near her and as if falling into a gentle sleep, she died.” – Conrad of Marburg (1180-1233) Priest, Spiritual Director of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (An excerpt from Letter).
PRAYER – Holy God and Father, grant us a strong Faith! Poor Your graces into our hearts that we may believe with all our hearts, minds and souls and that in believing, we may constantly raise our entire being to You in prayer and supplication, in prayer and adoration, in prayer and love. May the intercession of St Elizabeth of Hungary, a woman of deep prayer and charity from her youth, strengthen our perseverance and trust. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever, amen
Saint of the Day – 17 November – Saint Hugh of Lincoln O.Cart. (1135-1200) Carthusian Monk, Bishop of Lincoln, England, Confessor, Exorcist, Diplomat, Social Reformer and Protector of the poor and unjustly treated. Born in c 1135 at Avalon Castle, Burgundy, France and died on 16 November 1200 at London, England of natural causes. Patronages – sick children, sick people, swans, shoemakers. Also known as – Hugh of Avalon, Hugh of Burgundy. St Hugh was the first Carthusian Monk to be Canonised.
The Roman Martyrology states of him today: “In England, St Hugh, Bishop, who was called from a Carthusian Monastery to the government of the Church of Lincoln. He ended his holy life in peace, renowned for many miracles.“
Hugh was born at the Château of Avalon of a noble family, the son of Guillaume, Duke of Avalon. His mother died when he was eight, years old and because his father was a soldier, he was sent away for his education. When his father returned from military excursions, he retired from the world to the Augustinian Monastery of Villard-Benoît, near Grenoble and took his son Hugh, with him.
In 1140 Hugh joined the Carthusian Order at the age of 20 at Grande Chartreuse. He was highly regarded for his intellectual ability, his integrity and kind and caring nature. In 1175, at the request of Henry II, he was sent to England to found the first English Charterhouse at Witham in Somerset, which he did in the face of obstacles of all kinds. It flourished so well under his care, that in 1181 the King chose him to be Bishop of Lincoln. Hugh was reluctant to leave the monastic life but agreed and moved to Lincoln in 1186. He set about rebuilding the part of the Cathedral which had been damaged in an earthquake the previous year.
The Diocese was vast and Hugh travelled ceaselessly on horseback, ministering to the needs of the people. He stayed at small diocesan manors, as he travelled through the countryside. The most central of these was what has become Buckden Towers which he built, halfway between Lincoln and London. As a Bishop, he was exemplary, constantly in residence or travelling within his Diocese, generous with his charity, scrupulous in the appointments he made. He raised the quality of education at the Cathedral school and began the restoration of the Cathedral, which had been damaged by fire.
Hugh was known for his love of justice and his kindness to the oppressed, children and animals. Throughout his ministry he tended to lepers and in 1190 he risked his life to protect a group of Jews from violence. He also upheld the rights of the peasants against the King’s harsh and unjust forestry laws. Although he was highly principled and outspoken, his conciliatory nature and sense of humour helped him to win over his opponents.
St Hugh exorcises a man possessed by the devil
As one of the premier Bishops of the Kingdom of England Hugh more than once accepted the role of diplomat to France for Richard and then for King John in 1199, the latter trip took great toll on his health. He Consecrated St Giles’ Church, Oxford, in 1200. There is a Cross consisting of interlaced circles cut into the western column of the tower that is believed to commemorate this. Also in commemoration of the Consecration, St Giles’ Fair was established and continues to this day each September. While attending a national Council in London, a few months later, he was stricken with an unnamed ailment and died two months later on 16 November 1200
Hugh was held in great affection by everyone from peasants to monarchs and on his death at the age of 60, he was greatly mourned. At his magnificent funeral the Kings of England and Scotland helped to carry the bier. He was buried in Lincoln Cathedral and Canonised on 18 February 1220 by Pope Honorius III.
St Hugh is usually depicted as a Bishop, sometimes as a Carthusian. In either case he is accompanied by a swan, the swan of Stow, Lincolnshire (site of a palace of the bishops of Lincoln) which had a deep and lasting friendship with the Saint, even guarding him while he slept. The swan would follow him about, and was his constant companion while he was at Lincoln.as it was reported that a fierce swan at his manor at Stow became very tame and attached to him, eating from his hand and yet, the swan would attack anyone else who came near Hugh!
At Avalon, a round tower in the Romantic Gothic style, was built by the Carthusians in 1895 in Hugh’s honour on the site of the castle where he was born.
Virgen del Milagro / Our Lady of the Miracle – Mazarrón, Murcia, Spain (1585) – 17 November :
The original Statue
17 November is a special day for the coastal Town of Mazarrón, the day the Fiesta del Milagro takes place. They have for their Mother and Patroness the Immaculate Conception, and it is She, who from generation to generation, has been attributed the protection of the people against the Berber invasion.
It was the year 1585 and in the early morning of 17 November witnesses assured that about fifty Berber pirates had docked in the port of Bolnuevo to loot . For no apparent reason they fled without carrying out their assault.
The processional Statue
As is clear from reports and records of eyewitnesses, the Virgin drove the Turkish pirates away, who in their flight, left their standard, which is still preserved and can be seen after a recent restoration. It is from this miraculous event that the Virgin became the Patron of the Town. Devotion to her has continued unabated and with immense love since 1585 and the commemoration of the miraculous event occurs every 17 November with a pilgrimage. The Blessed Virgin is the Queen and Lady of Mazarrón. always watching over the Town since time immemorial.
St Acisclus St Aignan of Orléans St Alphaeus of Palestine St Eugene of Florence St Eusebio Roldán Vielva St Florinus of Remüs St Giacinto Ansalone St Gregory of Tours
St Hugh of Lincoln O. Cart. (c 1135-1200) Bishop, Carthusian Monk St Hugh of Noara St Josefa Gironés Arteta St Juan de Castillo-Rodriguez St Laverius St Lazarus Zographos St Lorenza Díaz Bolaños St Namasius of Vienne Bl Salomea of Galicia Bl Sébastien-Loup Hunot St Thomas Hioji Nishi Rokuzaemon St Victoria of Cordoba Bl Yosafat Kotsylovsky St Zacchaeus of Palestine — Jesuit Martyrs of Paraguay – 3 saints
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: • Blessed Eusebio Roldán Vielva • Blessed Josefa Gironés Arteta • Blessed Lorenza Díaz Bolaños
Quote/s of the Day – 16 November – The Memorial of St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
“Bodily and spiritual affliction are the surest sign of Divine predilection.”
“Gratitude for suffering is a precious jewel for our heavenly crown… Man should always firmly believe, that God sends just that trial which is most beneficial for him.”
“Every time we look at the Blessed Sacrament, our place in Heaven is raised forever.”
“Angels constantly guard the clients of the Blessed Virgin from the assaults of Hell.”
Our Morning Offering – 16 November – The Memorial of St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
Hail, Sacred Heart of Jesus! By St Gertrude the Great (1256-1302)
Hail, Sacred Heart of Jesus! Living and strengthening, Source of eternal life, Infinite Treasury of the Divinity, Burning Furnace of Divine Love! You are my Refuge and my Sanctuary. My loving Saviour, consume my heart in that burning fire with which Your own is inflamed. Pour into my soul those graces which flow from Your Love. Let my heart be so united with Yours, that our wills may be one and my will, in all things, conformed with Yours. May Your Will be the guide and rule of my desires and of my actions. Amen
Saint of the Day – 16 November – Saint Agnes of Assisi OSC (1197-1253) Virgin, Nun,Abbess, younger sister of Clare of Assisi and one of the first Abbesses of the Order of Poor Ladies (now the Poor Clares). Born Caterina Offreducia in 1197 at Assisi, Italy and died on 16 November 1253 at the Monastery of San Damiano of natural causes. Patronage – the Poor Clares, siblings, children of Mary, engaged couples, chastity.
Agnes was the younger daughter of Count Favorino Scifi. Her saintly mother, Blessed Hortulana, belonged to the noble family of the Fiumi and her cousin, Rufino, was one of the celebrated “Three Companions” of St Francis.
Agnes’s childhood was passed between her father’s Palace in the City and his Castle of Sasso Rosso on Mount Subasio.
On 18 March, 1212, her eldest sister Clare, moved by the preaching and example of St Francis, had left her father’s home to follow the way of life taught by the Saint. Sixteen days later, Agnes repaired to the Monastery of St Angelo in Panso, where the Benedictine Nuns had afforded Clare temporary shelter and resolved to share her sister’s life of poverty and penance. Agnes was just Fifteen years of age.
At this ocurrence, the fury of Count Favorino knew no bounds. He sent his brother Monaldo, with several relatives and some armed followers, to St Angelo’s Monastery, to force Agnes, if persuasion failed, to return home. The conflict which followed is related in detail in the “Chronicles of the Twent Four Generals.” Monaldo, (Agnes’ uncle) beside himself with rage, drew his sword to strike the young girl but his arm dropped, withered and useless, by his side; others dragged Agnes out of the Monastery by the hair, striking her and even kicking her repeatedly. Presently St.Clare came to the rescue and suddenly, Agnes’s body became so heavy that the soldiers having tried in vain to carry her off, dropped her, half dead, in a field near the Monastery.
Overcome by a spiritual power against which physical force availed not, Agnes’s relatives were obliged to withdraw and to allow her to remain with St Clare.
St Francis, who was overjoyed at Agnes’s heroic resistance to the entreaties and threats of her pursuers, presently cut off her hair and gave her the habit of Poverty. Soon after, he established the two sisters at St Damiano’s, in a small rude dwelling adjoining the humble Sanctuary, which he had helped to rebuild with his own hands. There several other noble ladies of Assisi joined Clare and Agnes, and thus began the Order of the Poor Ladies of St Damian’s, or Poor Clares, as these Franciscan nuns afterwards came to be called.
From the outset of her religious life, Agnes was distinguished by such an eminent degree of virtue, that her companions declared that she seemed to have discovered a new road to perfection, known only to herself.
As Abbess, she ruled with loving kindness and knew how to make the practice of virtue bright and attractive to her subjects. In 1219, Agnes, despite her youth, was chosen by St Francis to found and govern a community of the Poor Ladies at Monticelli, near Florence, which in course of time, became almost as famous as St Damiano’s. A letter written by St Agnes to St Clare, after this separation, is still extant, touchingly beautiful in its simplicity and affection. Nothing perhaps in Agnes’s character, is more striking and attractive, than her loving fidelity to Clare’s ideals and her undying loyalty in upholding the latter, in her lifelong and arduous struggle for Seraphic Poverty.
Full of zeal for the spread of the Order, Agnes established, from Monticelli, several Monasteries of the Poor Ladies in the north of Italy, including those of Mantua, Venice and Padua, all of which observed the same fidelity to the teaching of St Francis and St Clare.
In 1253 Agnes was summoned to St Damiano’s during the last illness of her beloved sister and assisted at the latter’s triumphant death and funeral.
On 16 November of the same year,she followed St Clare to her eternal reward. Her mother Hortulana and her younger sister Beatrice, both of whom had followed Clare and Agnes into the Order, had already passed away.
The precious remains of St Agnes repose near the body of her mother and sisters, in the Church of St Clare at Assisi. God, Who had favoured Agnes with many heavenly manifestations during life, glorified her Tomb after death, by numerous miracles. In 1753 Pope Benedict XIV recognised her holiness and recognised her cultus by and permitted the Order of St Francis to celebrate her Feast. It is kept on 16 November, as a double of the second class.
Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn / Our Lady of Ostra, Brama, Vilnius, Lithuania (1363) – 16 November:
This Marian Title is the prominent Catholic painting of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated by the faithful in the Chapel of the Gate of Dawn in Vilnius, Lithuania. The painting was historically displayed above the Vilnius City Gate; city gates of the time often contained religious artefacts intended to ward off attacks and bless passing travellers. The painting is in the Northern Renaissance style and was completed most likely around 1630. The Virgin Mary is depicted without the infant Jesus. The artwork soon became known as miraculous and inspired a following. A dedicated Chapel was built in 1671 by the Discalced Carmelites. At the same time, the painting was covered in expensive and elaborate silver and gold clothes leaving only the face and hands visible.
In 1702, when Vilnius was captured by the Swedish army during the Great Northern War, Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn came to her people’s rescue. At dawn, the heavy iron of the Gate collapsed, crushing and killing four Swedish soldiers. After this, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Army successfully counter-attacked near the gate. In the following centuries, the cult grew and Our Lady became an important part of religious life in Vilnius. This inspired many copies in Lithuania, Poland and diaspora communities worldwide. On 5 July 1927, the image was canonically crowned as Mother of Mercy. It is a major site of pilgrimage in Vilnius and attracts many visitors, especially from Poland.
Patronage of Our Lady: Feast permitted by a 1679 Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites for all Provinces of Spain, in memory of the victories obtained there over infidels. Pope Benedict XIII granted it to the Papal States and it may now be celebrated with due permission by Churches throughout the world.
Bl Edward Osbaldeston St Elpidius the Martyr St Eucherius of Lyon St Eustochius the Martyr St Felicita of Capua St Fidentius of Padua St Gobrain of Vannes St Ludre St Marcellus the Martyr St Othmar of Saint Gal Bl Simeon of Cava — Martyrs of Africa – (11 saints)
Martyrs of Almeria – (9 saints): Soon after the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the Communist-oriented Popular Front had all clergy and religious arrested and abused as they considered staunch Christians to be enemies of the revolution. Many of these prisoners were executed for having promoted the faith and this memorial remembers several of them killed in the province of Almeria. • Adrián Saiz y Saiz • Bienvenido Villalón Acebrón • Bonifacio Rodríguez González • Diego Ventaja Milán • Eusebio Alonso Uyarra • Isidoro Primo Rodríguez • Justo Zariquiegui Mendoza • Manuel Medina Olmos • Marciano Herrero Martínez
Saint of the Day – 15 November – Blessed Lucia of Narni OP (1476-1544) Virgin, Tertiary of the Order of Preachers, Mystic, Stigmatist, Ecstatic, Married but remained chaste and fulfilled her vow of Virginity before she left her marital home and entered a Convent. Born on 13 December 1476 in Narni, Umbria, Italy as Lucia Brocadelli and died on 15 November 1544 at the Saint Catherine of Siena Convent in Ferrara, Italy of natural causes. Patronage – of Narni, Italy. Also known as – Lucy Brocadelli, Lucy de Alessio, Lucia Broccadelli. Her body is incorrupt.
Already very early it became evident to her pious Italian family that this child was set for something unusual in life. Lucia was born in 13 December 1476 on the feast day of Saint Lucia of Syracuse, the eldest of eleven children of Bartolomeo Brocadelli and Gentilina Cassio, in the Town of Narni (then called Narnia) and in the region of Umbria.
When Lucia was five years old, she had a vision of the Child Jesus with Our Lady. Two years later, Our Lady appeared with Child Jesus, Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Dominic. Jesus gave her a ring and Saint Dominic gave her the scapular. At age 12, she made a private vow of total consecration, determined, even at this early age, to become a Dominican. However, family affairs were to make this difficult. During the following year Lucia’s father died, leaving her in the care of an uncle. And this uncle felt that the best way to dispose of a pretty niece was to marry her off, as soon as possible.
The efforts of her uncle to get Lucia successfully married form a colorful chapter in the life of the Blessed Lucia. Eventually the uncle approached the matter with more tact, arranging a marriage with Count Pietro of Milan, who was not a stranger to the family. Lucia was, in fact, very fond of him but she had resolved to live as a religious. The strain of the situation made her seriously ill. During her illness, Our Lady appeared to her again, accompanied by Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine and told her to go ahead with the marriage as a legal contract but to explain to Pietro that she was bound to her vow of virginity and must keep it. When Lucia recovered, the matter was explained to Pietro and in 1491 the marriage was solemnised.
Lucia’s life now became that of the mistress of a large and busy household. She took great care to instruct the servants in their religion and soon became known for her benefactions to the poor. Pietro, to do him justice, never seems to have objected when his young wife gave away clothes and food, nor when she performed great penances. He knew that she wore a hair-shirt under her rich clothing and that she spent most of the night in prayer and working for the poor.
But when, after having disappeared for the entire night, Countess Lucia returned home early in the morning in the company of two men and claimed that they were Saints Dominic and John the Baptist, Pietro’s patience finally gave out. He had his young wife locked up. Here she remained for the season of Lent; sympathetic servants brought her food until Easter. Being allowed to go to the Church, Lucia never returned. She went to her mother’s house and on the Feast of the Ascension, 1494, 8 May she put on the habit of a Dominican tertiary.
Count Pietro was furious, burned down the Dominican Priory and even tried to kill her spiritual director who had given her the habit. Rich and influential, he continued to try to bring her back. The following year, Lucia went to Rome and entered the Monastery of the Dominican tertiaries near Pantheon. Her sanctity impressed everyone so much that by the end of the year, with five other Sisters, she was sent by the Master General of the Dominicans, to start a new Monastery in Viterbo.
On Friday, 25 February 1496, Lucia received the Stigmata, the Sacred Wounds. She tried very hard to hide her spiritual favours because they complicated her life wherever she went. She had the stigmata visibly and she was usually in ecstasy, which meant a steady stream of curious people who wanted to question her, investigate her, or just stare at her. Even the Sisters were nervous about her methods of prayer. Once they called in the Bishop, and he watched Lucia with the sisters for 12 hours, while she went through the drama of the Passion.
The Bishop hesitated to pass judgement and called for special commissions; the second one was presided by a famous Inquisitor of Bologna. All declared that her Stigmata were authentic. Here the hard-pressed Pietro had his final appearance in Lucia’s life. He made a last effort to persuade hery to come back to him. After seeing her, he returned to Narni, sold everything he had and became a Franciscan. In later years, he was a famous preacher.
The Duke of Ferrara was planning to build a Monastery and, hearing of the fame of the mystic of Viterbo, asked Sister Lucia to be its Prioress. Lucia had been praying for some time that a means would be found to build a new Convent of strict observance and she agreed to go to Ferrara. This led to a two-year battle between the Towns. Viterbo had the Mystic and did not want to lose her; the Duke of Ferrara sent first his messengers and then his troops to bring her. Much money and time was lost before she finally escaped from Viterbo and was solemnly received in Ferrara on 7 May 1499.
Various problems arose in the Convent due to the Duke bringing all sorts of unsuitable people to view ‘his’ Convent and Stigmatist. the Sisters petitioned the Bishop and, by the order of the Pope, he sent ten nuns from the Second Order to reform the community. Lucia’s foundation was of the Third Order; of women who remained part of the laity even after their vows. The Second Order “real” nuns, according to the chronicle, “brought in the very folds of their veils the seed of war.” Nnuns of the Second Order wore black veils, a privilege not allowed to tertiaries.
The uneasy episode ended when one of these ten nuns was made Prioress and when the Duke died on 24 January 1505. Lucia was placed on penance. The nature of her fault is not mentioned, nor was there any explanation of the fact that, until her death, 39 years later, she was never allowed to speak to anyone but her Confessor, who was chosen by the Prioress. Only now, 500 years later, the situation is slowly beginning to clear.
The Dominican Provincial, probably nervous for the prestige of the Order, would not let any member of the Order go to see her. Her Stigmata disappeared, too late to do her any good and vindictive companions said: “See, she was a fraud all the time.” When she died in 1544, people thought she had been dead for many years. It is hard to understand how anyone, not a saint, could have so long endured such a life. Lucia’s only friends during her 39 years of exile were heavenly ones – the Dominican Catherine of Racconigi, sometimes visited her – evidently by bi-location – and her other heavenly friends often also came to brighten her lonely cell.
Immediately after her death everything suddenly changed. When her body was laid out for burial so many people wanted to pay their last respects that her funeral had to be delayed by three days. Her Tomb in the Monastery Church was opened four years later and her perfectly preserved body was transferred to a glass case. When Napoleon suppressed her Monastery in 1797, her body was transferred to the Cathedral of Ferrara and on 26 May 1935 to the Cathedral of Narni.
So many miracles occurred at her Shrine that Lucia was finally Beatified on 1 March 1710 by Pope Clement XI.
It is thought that Lucia was the inspiration for th little girl Lucy, who could see many things that no-one else could, in C S Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.
Notre-Dame de Piedmont / Our Lady of Pignerol, Savoy, France (1098) – 15 November:
Our Lady of Pignerol, is also known as Our Lady of Pinerolo, Notre-Dame de Piedmont and Madonna delle Grazie di Pinerolo. The Shrine was built in honour of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in the year 1098, by Adelaide, Countess of Savoy. It is a National Shrine of Savoy. Pinerolo is a Town in northern Italy near Turin in a region historically known as Savoy, which was annexed to France. The Town itself began just over 1,000 years ago, due to its central location along a trade route that ran between France and Italy. The pious and far-seeing Countess anticipated, by almost one thousand years, the Dogma of the Assumption of Our Lady. Mary was publicly honoured under this beloved title and frequently repaid the generosity of her devout Adelaide, by answering the pleas of her children, crying to her for help in every need. Answering their prayers, curing their ills and obtaining miracles for the faithful, where human aid was despaired of,but where faith always conquered. When the Assumption of Our Lady was proclaimed a Dogma, the rejoicing at the Pignerolo Shrine was indescribable. Venerable Pope Pius XII, on 1 November 1950, solemnly proclaimed:
“By the authority of Our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed Dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
Although this declaration of Pope Pius XII was made “ex cathedra,” belief in the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a commonly held belief among early Catholics and the Fathers of the Church. In the Apocalypse of Saint John, Chapter 12, the woman mentioned is said to be an allusion to both the Church and our Blessed Mother:
“And a great sign appeared in heaven – A woman clothed with the sun,and the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars; and being with child, she cried travailing in birth and was in pain to be delivered.”
This passage is generally interpreted as the Church being clothed with the Son, or Son of God, while Our Lady has the moon beneath her feet, representing the things of the material world. She is crowned with 12 stars, the Apostles and is in labour to bring forth the children of God, amidst a world full of affliction and misery.
The Shrine celebrates Our Lady annually on 15 November.
St Anianus of Wilparting St Arnulf of Toul Bl Caius of Korea St Desiderius of Cahors St Eugene of Toledo St Felix of Nola St Findan St Fintan the Missionary St Gurias of Edessa Bl Hugh Faringdon Bl John Eynon Bl John Rugg Bl John Thorne St Joseph Mukasa
Bl Miguel Díaz Sánchez St Paduinus of Le Mans Bl Richard Whiting Bl Roger James St Shamuna of Edessa St Sidonius of Saint-Saens — Martyrs of Hippo – 20 saints: 20 Christians martyred together and celebrated by Saint Augustine. The only details about them to survive are three of the names – Fidenziano, Valerian and Victoria. Hippo, Numidia (in north Africa).
Martyrs of North Africa – 3 saints: A group of Christians murdered for their faith in imperial Roman north Africa. The only details that have survived are the names of three of them – Fidentian, Secundus and Varicus.
Saint of the Day – 14 November – Saint Serapion of Algiers OdeM (c 1179–1240) Mercedarian Priest and Martyr, Soldier and Crusader, Born in c 1179 as Serapion Scott in the British Isles and died by being crucified, stabbed and dismembered alive in Algeria in 1240. He was the first of his Order to merit the Palm of Martyrdom. Patronages – against arthritis, of the Diocese of Azul, Argentina. Also known as – Serapion of the Bristish Isles, Serapio, Serapius.
The Roman Martyrology states today: “At Algiers in Africa, the blessed Serapion, of the Order of Our Blessed Lady of Ransom, for the Redemption of the faithful in captivity and the preaching of the Christian Faith. He was the first of his Order to deserve the Palm of Martyrdom by being crucified and cut to pieces.”
The renowned painting of The Martyrdom of Saint Serapion by Francisco de Zurbarán.The Ma
Serapion was a noble, born at the turn of the year 1178 in the British Isles and was a relative of the Scottish Monarch. And even though the exact dates of his childhood and youth are unknown, later on, he is seen at the side of King Richard the Lionhearted on the Third Crusade, fighting for the Faith and for the liberation of the land where Jesus lived. Even then, he was busy caring for the captives who were being liberated in Palestine.
He too suffered in prison at the hands of the Duke of Austria, until he was set free by the latter’s son, Leopold VII, whom he went on to accompany in the battles against the Saracens in Spain, at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212. After the victory, he retired to Burgos, leaving that City to accompany Leonore of Castile in 1221, who was headed to Aragon to marry King James I.
In the following year, he became acquainted with Saint Peter Nolasco in Daroca and entered the Order of Mercy.
Impelled by charity for the captives, he carried out several redemptions. In 1229, on one of the redemption missions, he was accompanied by Saint Raymond Nonnatus in 1229 and ransomed more than 150 captives. During the redemption mission in 1240, which he carried out with his companion Fr Berenguer de Bañares in Algiers, he was taken hostage. Saint Peter Nolasco wrote to Fr Guillermo de Bas, asking him to collect–without delay–the necessary goods with which to come to the aid of the redeemer. Since they did not have the price of ransom in time, St Serapion was crucified on a cross like Saint Andrew, suffering a cruel Martyrdom, as reflected in the Mercedarian iconography. He is said to have pronounced the following words while hanging on the cross:
“O sweet and precious wood, the perfect image of the Wood on which my beloved Jesus died, through you, I hope to ascend to eternal happiness!”
Because of his cruel martyrdom on the cross, he is the Patron Saint of those who suffer bone and joint paints. The blessing of oil in his honour is an ancient tradition of the Order that is included in the current Ritual.
Saint Serapion appears in the ancient Mercedarian liturgy, specifically in the 1560 Breviary of Master General Miguel Puig, with a proper antiphon and prayer.
His process of Beatification was started in 1717 in Barcelona and Genoa, conducted by Manuel Ribera and José Rimón as procurators. On 14 July 1728, a decree was issued confirming his immemorial cult. he was Canonised on 14 April 1728 by Pope Benedict XIII and on 24 August 1743, he was included in the Roman Martyrology.
The Twenty Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Nossa Senhora dos Remédios / Our Lady of Remedies, (Lamego, Portugal) 6th Century) Also known as – Nossa Senhora da Gruta / Our Lady of the Grotto – 14 November:
The Abbot Orsini wrote: “Our Lady of the Grotto, in the Diocese of Lamego, in Portugal. This Chapel was cut in the rock, in the same place where an image of the Blessed Virgin had been found.”
Lamego is both a Municipality and a City in northern Portugal, the City having a total of less than 9,000 inhabitants. The City is an ancient one, as the Roman’s came to settle the area in about the year 500 BC. The people became Catholic when Ricardo I, the Visigothic King, converted to Christianity late in the 6th century. The Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios, or Our Lady of Remedies, is in the location of Our Lady of the Grotto. It is in the Town of Lamego, district of Viseu, Portugal and is located atop the hill of Saint Stephen. This site begins as an old hermitage that was dedicated to Saint Stephen (Santo Estevao) constructed in 1361, so Catholic devotion here goes well back into the Middle Ages. By the 16th century, the old hermitage was at risk of collapsing and so was demolished, to make way for the construction of a new hermitage in the same spot. The Bishop of Lamego placed an image of the Virgin and Child there and thus over time, Marian devotion eclipsed devotion to Saint Stephen. Miraculous cures, especially of diseases, brought more pilgrims and the name for the image as Our Lady of Remedies. The Marian Shrine that can be seen there today, however, was built during the 18th through the 20th centuries, from 1750 to 1905 when it was completed. 8 September the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, is the date when there are feasts in honor of Our Lady of Remedies. The celebration in September includes fireworks, musicals, sporting events and recreational activities that take place in amid the trees in a grove of a nearby park. There is a parade known as the Procession of the Triumph, who’s participants are richly dressed, that is the highpoint of the celebration. Inside the Church there is an Altar above which the image of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios rests. It is carved in wood and is surrounded by stained glass windows having images of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Annunciation. Two side Altars are dedicated to the parents of the Blessed Virgin, Joachim and Saint Anna.
There is also a famous Baroque staircase, having 686 steps, that leads to the Sanctuary. There are several levels, decorated with sculptures of kings and eight fountains. There is also a “Court of the Kings” where eighteen Kings of Israel, all belonging to the family tree of the Blessed Virgin and Mother of God, can be seen.
St Adeltrude of Aurillac St Alberic of Utrecht St Antigius of Langres St Dubricius of Wales St Etienne-Théodore Cuenot St Hypatius of Gangra Bl Jean of Tufara
Bl Maria Louise Merkert Bl Maria Teresa of Jesus St Modanic St Ruf of Avignon St Serapion of Alexandria St Serapion of Algiers OdeM (c 1179–1240) Priest Martyr St Siard St Venerando the Centurian St Venerandus of Troyes — Holy Fathers of Merida
Martyrs of Emesa: Group of Christian women tortured and executed for their faith in the persecutions of the Arab chieftain Mady. They died in Emesa (modern Homs, Syria).
Martyrs of Heraclea – (3 saints): Group of Christians murdered together for their faith. The only details we have are three of their names – Clementinus, Philomenus and Theodotus. They were martyred in Heraclea, Thrace.
Martyrs of the Jaffa Gate: • Blessed Déodat of Rodez • Blessed Nikola Tavelic • Blessed Pierre of Narbonne • Blessed Stefano of Cuneo
Saint of the Day – 13 November – Saint Didacus (de Alcalá de Henares) OFM (c 1400-1463) Lay Brother of the Order of Friars Minor, Hermit, Mystic, Confessor, Born in c 1400 at Seville, Spain and died on 12 November 1463 at Alcala, Castile, Spain of natural causes. Also known as – St Didacus of St Nicholas, Diego, Diaz, Didacus de Alcalá de Henares, Didacus of Alcala. Patronages – Franciscan laity, Franciscan lay brothers, Diocese of San Diego, California.
The Roman Martyrology states of him today: “At Alcala in Spain, St Didacus, Confessor of the Order of Minorites, who was renowned for his humility. Incribed on the catalogue of the Saints by Pope Sixtus V, with a Feast Day of 13 November.“
Didacus was born about 1400 at San Nicolas in Andalusia, of poor and God-fearing parents. He entered the Third Order of St Francis when he had scarcely reached young manhood and under the direction of a devout Tertiary Priest, he served God for a long time as a Hermit. Consumed with the desire for still greater perfection, he later entered the Franciscan Convent at Arizafa in Castile and was there admitted to solemn vows as a lay brother.
His rapid progress in virtue made him a model to all his companions. His soul was continually occupied with God in prayer and meditation. From this source, he gathered such supernatural insight concerning God and the Mysteries of Faith, that learned theologians listened with astonishment to the inspiring conversations of this uneducated lay brother. Since Brother Didacus manifested great zeal for souls and willingness for sacrifice, his superiors sent him with other brethren to the Canary Islands, which at that time, were still inhabited by wild infidels. Didacus was eager for martyrdom and in this spirit, bore with dauntless patience, the many hardships that came his way. Both by word and example, he helped in converting many infidels.
In 1445, he was appointed Guardian of the chief Friary on the islands at Fortaventura. Recalled to Spain, he went to Rome in 1450 at the command of the Observant Vicar General, St John Capistrano, to attend the great Jubilee and the Canonisation ceremonies of St Bernardine of Siena. On this occasion, an epidemic broke out among the many Friars assembled in the large Convent of Aracoeli. Didacus attended the sick with great charity and trust in God. And God did not fail him. Despite the lack of supplies in the City at the time, Didacus always had ample provisions for his patients. He miraculously restored many of them to health by merely making the Sign of the Cross over them.
Leaving Rome, he returned to Spain, where, as in the former days, he was a source of great edification to the Friars of every Convent in which he lived.
When he felt that the end of his life was drawing near, he asked for an old and worn-out habit, so that he might die in it as a true son of the poor St Francis. He died on 12 November 1463, at the Franciscan Monastery in Alcalá, pressing a Crucifix to his heart and repeating the words of the Good Friday chant: “Dulce lignum, dulce ferrum, dulce pondus sustinet” – Precious the wood, precious the nails, precious the weight they bear.
Months passed before it was possible to bury Brother Didacus, so great was the number of people who came to venerate his remains. Not only did his body remain incorrupt but it diffused a pleasant odour. After it was laid to rest in the Franciscan Church at Alcalá de Henares, astounding miracles continued to occur at his tomb. Pope Sixtus V, himself a Franciscan, Canonised Brother Didacus in 1588.
The Church pays to Didacus today, the very same honours as we have seen her pay to Bernardine and John Capistrano. What is this but asserting, that before God, heroic acts of hidden virtue, are not inferior to the noble deeds that dazzle the world, if, proceeding from the same ardent love, they produce in the soul, the same increase of divine charity.
AnaStpaul 
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