Quote of the Day – 26 August
“Let Mary never be far from your lips
and from your heart.
Following her, you will never lose your way.
Praying to her, you will never sink into despair.
Contemplating her, you will never go wrong.”
Our Morning Offering – 26 August
Prayer to Our Lady of Czestochowa
Our Lady of Czestochowa,
Queen of Poland, pray for us.
Holy Mother of Czestochowa,
you are full of grace, goodness and mercy.
I consecrated to you all my thoughts,
words and actions – my soul and body.
I beseech your blessings
and especially prayers for my salvation.
Today I consecrate myself to you, good Mother, totally –
with body and soul amid joy and sufferings,
to obtain for myself and others,
your blessings on this earth
and eternal life in heaven. Amen
Blessed Feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Queen of Poland – 26 August – Also known as – The Black Madonna of Czestochowa, Czarna Madonna, Hodegetria, Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae Conceptae, Matka Boska Czestochowska, One Who Shows the Way. Our Lady of Czestochowa is a revered icon of the Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. Several Pontiffs have recognised the venerated icon, beginning with Pope Clement XI who issued a Canonical Coronation to the image on 8 September 1717 via the Vatican Chapter. Patron of Poland.
According to tradition, the icon of Jasna Góra (Bright Mountain) was painted by Luke the Evangelist on a tabletop built by Jesus Himself and the icon was discovered by St Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine and collector of Christian relics in the Holy Land. The icon was then enshrined in the imperial city of Constantinople, where it remained for the next 500 years.
In 803, the painting is said to have been given as a wedding gift from the Byzantine emperor to a Greek princess, who married a Ruthenian nobleman. The image was then placed in the royal palace at Belz, where it remained for nearly 600 years.
History first combines with tradition upon the icon’s arrival in Poland in 1382 with a Polish army fleeing the Tartars, who had struck it with an arrow.
Legend has it that during the looting of Belz, a mysterious cloud enveloped the chapel containing the image. A monastery was founded in Częstochowa to enshrine the icon in 1386 and soon King Jagiello built a cathedral around the chapel containing the icon.
However, the image soon came under attack once again. In 1430, Hussites (pre-Reformation reformers) attacked the monastery, slashed the Virgin’s face with a sword, and left it desecrated in a puddle of blood and mud.
It is said that when the monks pulled the icon from the mud, a miraculous fountain appeared, which they used to clean the painting. The icon was repainted in Krakow, but both the arrow mark and the gashes from the sword were left and remain clearly visible today.
The miracle for which the Black Madonna of Częstochowa is most famous occurred in 1655, when Swedish troops were about to invade Częstochowa. A group of Polish soldiers prayed fervently before the icon for deliverance and the enemy retreated. In 1656, King John Casimir declared Our Lady of Częstochowa “Queen of Poland” and made the city the spiritual capital of the nation.
The Virgin again came to the aid of her people in 1920, when the Soviet Russian Red Army gathered on the banks of the Vistula River, preparing to attack Warsaw. The citizens and soldiers fervently prayed to Our Lady of Częstochowa and on September 15, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, she appeared in the clouds above Warsaw. The Russians were defeated in a series of battles later dubbed the “Miracle at the Vistula.”
During Nazi occupation, Hitler prohibited pilgrimages to Jasna Góra but many still secretly made the journey. In 1945, after Poland was liberated, half a million pilgrims journeyed to Czestochowa to express their gratitude. On September 8, 1946, 1.5 million people gathered at the shrine to rededicate the entire nation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. During the Cold War, Jasna Góra was a centre of anti-Communist resistance. Czestochowa is regarded as the most popular shrine in Poland, with many Polish Catholics making a pilgrimage there every year. A pilgrimage has left Warsaw every August 6 since 1711 for the nine-day, 140-mile trek. Elderly pilgrims recall stealing through the dark countryside at great personal risk during the German Nazi occupation. Pope John Paul II secretly visited as a student pilgrim during World War II. He was a fervent devotee of the Virgin Mary and of her icon at Czestochowa. As pope, he made pilgrimages to pray before the Black Madonna in 1979, 1983, 1991 and 1997. In 1991, he held his Sixth World Youth Day at Czestochowa, which was attended by 350,000 young people from across Europe.
The four-foot-high painting displays a traditional composition well known in the icons of Eastern Christians. The Virgin Mary is shown as the “Hodegetria” (“One Who Shows the Way”). In it the Virgin directs attention away from herself, gesturing with her right hand toward Jesus as the source of salvation. In turn, the child extends his right hand toward the viewer in blessing while holding a book of gospels in his left hand. The icon shows the Madonna in fleur-de-lis robes.
Our Lady of Czestochowa – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHTPPBxowQY
—
St Abundius the Martyr
St Alexander of Bergamo
St Anastasius the Fuller
St Bregwin of Canterbury
St Elias of Syracuse
St Eleutherius of Auxerre
St Felix of Pistoia
Bl Herluin
Bl Ioachim Watanabe Jirozaemon
St Irenaeus of Rome
Bl Jacques Retouret
St Jeanne Elizabeth des Bichier des Anges
Bl Jean Bassano
Bl Jean of Caramola
Bl Juan Urgel
Bl Levkadia Herasymiv
Bl Margaret of Faenza
St Mary of Jesus Crucified
St Maximilian of Rome
St Melchizedek the Patriarch
St Orontius of Lecce
St Pandwyna
St Rufinus of Capua
St Secundus the Theban
Bl Stanislaus Han Jeong-Heum
St Teresa de Gesu, Jornet y Ibars
St Victor of Caesarea
St Victor the Martyr
St Vyevain of York
—
Martyrs of Celano – 3 saints: Three Christians, Constantius, Simplicius and Victorinus, martyred in the same area at roughly the same time. That’s really all we know, though it didn’t stop writers in later centuries from inventing colourful histories, making them a father and sons, adding saintly family members, earthquakes, close escapes, etc.
They were martyred in c 159 in the Marsica region of Italy. At some point their relics were interred under the main altar of the San Giovanni Vecchio church in the Collegiata di Celano and were authenticated in 1057 by Pope Stephen IX. The city was depopulated in 1222; when it was re-built, the relics were re-enshrined in the church of San Vittorino on 10 June 1406. Patronage – Celano, Italy.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Emilio Serrano Lizarralde
• Blessed Francesc Casademunt Ribas
• Blessed Josep Maria Tolaguera Oliva
• Blessed Luis Valls Matamales
• Blessed María de Los Ángeles Ginard Martí
• Blessed Pere Sisterna Torrent
Our Morning Offering – 23 August
To You we Cry, O Queen of Mercy!
By St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Doctor mellifluus (Mellifluous Doctor)
To you we cry,
O Queen of Mercy!
Return, that we may
behold you dispensing favours,
bestowing remedies,
giving strength.
Ah, tender Mother!
Tell your all-powerful Son
that we have no more wine.
We are thirsty after the wine of His love,
of that marvelous wine
that fills souls with a holy inebriation,
inflames them,
and gives them the strength to despise
the things of this world
and to seek with ardour heavenly goods.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 22 August – The Queenship of Mary
As St. Paul suggests in Romans 8:28–30, God has predestined human beings from all eternity to share the image of his Son. All the more was Mary predestined to be the mother of Jesus. As Jesus was to be king of all creation, Mary, in dependence on Jesus, was to be queen. All other titles to queenship derive from this eternal intention of God. As Jesus exercised his kingship on earth by serving his Father and his fellow human beings, so did Mary exercise her queenship. As the glorified Jesus remains with us as our king till the end of time (Matthew 28:20), so does Mary, who was assumed into heaven and crowned queen of heaven and earth.
In the fourth century St Ephrem called Mary “Lady” and “Queen.” Later Church fathers and doctors continued to use the title. Hymns of the 11th to 13th centuries address Mary as queen: “Hail, Holy Queen,” “Hail, Queen of Heaven,” “Queen of Heaven.” The Dominican rosary and the Franciscan crown as well as numerous invocations in Mary’s litany celebrate her queenship.
The feast is a logical follow-up to the Assumption and is now celebrated on the octave day of that feast. In his 1954 encyclical To the Queen of Heaven, Pius XII points out that Mary deserves the title because she is Mother of God because she is closely associated as the New Eve with Jesus’ redemptive work because of her preeminent perfection and because of her intercessory power. (Fr Don Miller OFM)
“Just as Mary surpassed in grace all others on earth, so also in heaven is her glory unique. If eye has not seen or ear heard or the human heart conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9), who can express what He has prepared for the woman who gave Him birth and who loved Him, as everyone knows, more than anyone else?” (St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) – Doctor of Light – Mellifluous Doctor)
Mary Queen of Heaven and Earth Pray for your children!
Your eyes opened to a new kind of light
Wide pools that gaze with merciful love upon the world
Your sword-pierced heart, immaculate,
Strong-walled as a cathedral
In the holy city of God.
Angels surround your throne
Holy Blessed Virgin,
Mother of God
Star-crowned Queen of heaven and
Queen of angels
We, though sinners, are yours,
Every tribe on earth, every race
Beckoned to enclosure
In deep mantle-folds of grace.
Quote/s of the Day – 22 August – The Queenship of Mary
“She has surpassed the riches of the virgins,
the confessors, the martyrs, the apostles,
the prophets, the patriarchs and the angels,
for she herself is the first-fruit of the virgins,
the mirror of confessors, the rose of martyrs,
the ruler of apostles, the oracle of prophets,
the daughter of patriarchs, the queen of angels.”
“To serve the Queen of Heaven is already to reign there
and to live under her commands, is more than to govern.”
“Prayer is powerful beyond limits
when we turn to the Immaculata
who is queen even of God’s heart.”
“No one has access to the Almighty
as His mother has – none has merit such as hers.
Her Son will deny her nothing that she asks
and herein lies her power.
While she defends the Church,
neither height nor depth,
neither men nor evil spirits,
neither great monarchs,
nor craft of man, nor popular violence,
can avail to harm us – for human life is short
but Mary reigns above, a Queen forever.”
One Minute Reflection – August 22 – The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary
My fruit is better than gold, yes than pure gold and my revenue than choice silver………….Prv 8:19
REFLECTION – “Mary is the stem of the beautiful flower on which the Holy Spirit rests with the fullness of His gifts. Hence, those who want to obtain the seven gifts of the Spirit must seek the flower of the Holy Spirit on the stem (Mary).
We go to Jesus through Mary and through Jesus we find the grace of the Holy Spirit.”…St Bonaventure (1217-1274) Seraphic Doctor
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, You made Mary the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. Help me through Mary and Jesus to reach the Spirit and obtain His surpassing gifts. Holy Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, be my companion and my guide. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 22 August – The Queenship of Mary
Mary our Queen, Holy Mother of God
By St Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) Evangelical Doctor
Mary, our Queen,
Holy Mother of God,
we beg you to hear our prayer.
Make our hearts overflow with divine grace
and resplendent with heavenly wisdom.
Render them strong with your might
and rich in virtue.
Pour down upon us the gift of mercy
so that we may obtain the pardon of our sins.
Help us to live in such a way
as to merit the glory and bliss of heaven.
May this be granted us by your Son Jesus
who has exalted you above the angels,
has crowned you as Queen,
and has seated you with Him
forever on His refulgent throne.
Amen.
The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary – 22 August – A Marian feast day decreed by Pope Pius XII on 11 October 1954, in his encyclical Ad caeli reginam to recognise and celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of the world, of the universe, of the angels, of heaven, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Virgins, all Saints,of Families, Queen conceived without original sin Queen assumed into Heaven, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of Mercy, Queen of Peace. The movement to officially recognise the Queenship of Mary was initially promoted by several Catholic Mariological congresses in Lyon, France, Freiburg, Germany and Einsiedeln, Switzerland. Pro Regalitate Mariae, an international society to promote the Queenship of Mary, was founded in Rome, Italy by noted Marioligist and writer Father Gabriel Roschini. Patronages – the diocese of Cabinda, Angola.
From early times Christians have believed and not without reason, that she of whom was born the Son of the Most High received privileges of grace above all other beings created by God. He “will reign in the house of Jacob forever,” “the Prince of Peace,” the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” And when Christians reflected upon the intimate connection that obtains between a mother and a son, they readily acknowledged the supreme royal dignity of the Mother of God.
In this feast, particularly cherished by the Popes of modern times, we celebrate Mary as the Queen of Heaven and Earth.
Pope Pius IX said of Mary’s Queenship: “Turning her maternal Heart toward us and dealing with the affair of our salvation, she is concerned with the whole human race. Constituted by the Lord, Queen of Heaven and earth and exalted above all choirs of Angels and the ranks of Saints in Heaven, standing at the right hand of Her only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, she petitions most powerfully with Her maternal prayers and she obtains what she seeks.”
And Pope Pius XII added the following: “We commend that on the festival there be renewed the consecration of the human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Upon this there is founded a great hope that there will rejoice in the triumph of religion and in Christian peace…
…Therefore, let all approach with greater confidence now than before, to the throne of mercy and grace of our Queen and Mother to beg help in difficultly, light in darkness and solace in trouble and sorrow…
. . Whoever, therefore, honours the lady ruler of the Angels and of men – and let no one think themselves exempt from the payment of that tribute of a grateful and loving soul – let them call upon her as most truly Queen and as the Queen who brings the blessings of peace, that She may show us all, after this exile, Jesus, who will be our enduring peace and joy.”
O Mary, when our eyes close in our last sleep and open to behold thy Son, the Just Judge and the Angel opens the Book and the Enemy accuses us; in that terrible hour, come to our aid. Be with us.
When death came to Joseph, you and your Son were with him: Thy Son to judge, thou to console. O Happy Joseph! When death comes for us, be near us. O Mary, when we are held captive in the place of atonement; plead for us and visit us, that we may find consolation in thy presence. Stretch forth thy hand to help us; deliver us from our bondage. We are thy children: Thou art our Mother. As little children we come to thee; we know no fear.
O Mary, He changed water into wine for thee, even as He said: My hour has not yet come. Now He will not refuse thee, when you plead for us thy children. O Mary, come quickly to our aid. Do not let us stray from the Fold. The wolf is waiting to destroy us. There shall be neither night nor day to thy praises.
Adoration to the Father Who created thee! Adoration to they Son, Who took flesh from thee! Adoration to the Holy Spirit, Thy Divine Spouse! Three in One, One in Three. Equal in all things. To Him be glory for ever. Forever. Forever. Amen.
Queenship of Mary (Memorial)
—
St Andrew of Fiesole
St Anthusa of Seleucia
St Antoninus of Rome
St Arnulf of Eynesbury
St Athanasius of Tarsus
Bl Bernard Perani
St Dalmau Llebaría Torné
Bl Élie Leymarie de Laroche
St Epictetus of Ostia
St Ethelgitha of Northumbria
St Fabrician of Toledo
St Felix of Ostia
St Gunifort
St Joan Farriol Sabaté
St John Kemble
St John Wall
St Josep Roselló Sans
St Julio Melgar Salgado
St Maprilis of Ostia
St Martial of Ostia
St Maurus of Rheims
St Narciso de Esténaga y Echevarría
St Philibert of Toledo
Bl Richard Kirkman
St Saturninus of Ostia
Bl Simeon Lukach
St Sigfrid of Wearmouth
St Symphorian of Autun
St Thomas Percy
St Timothy of Rome
Bl William Lacey
_
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Dalmau Llebaría Torné
• Blessed Joan Farriol Sabaté
• Blessed Josep Roselló Sans
• Blessed Julio Melgar Salgado
• Blessed Narciso de Esténaga y Echevarría
Quote/s of the Day – 21 August – The Memorial of St Pope Pius X
“The daily adoration or visit to the Blessed Sacrament
is the practice which is the fountainhead
of all devotional works.”
“HOLY COMMUNION is the shortest
and the safest way to heaven.”
“The greatest obstacle in the apostolate of the Church
is the timidity or rather the cowardice of the faithful.”
“Let the storm rage and the sky darken —
not for that shall we be dismayed.
If we trust as we should in Mary,
we shall recognise in her, the Virgin Most Powerful,
who with virginal foot did crush the head of the serpent.”
St Pius X, Pope (Memorial)
Our Lady of Knock: Our Lady, Saint Joseph and Saint John the Evangelist appeared in a blaze of light at the south gable of Saint John the Baptist Church, Knock, County Mayo, Ireland. They appeared to float about two feet above the ground and each would occassionally move toward the visionaries and then away from them. The Blessed Virgin Mary was clothed in white robes with a brilliant crown on her head. Where the crown fitted to her brow, she wore a beautiful full-bloom golden rose. She was praying with her eyes and hands raised towards Heaven. Saint Joseph wore white robes, stood on Our Lady’s right and was turned towards her in an attitude of respect. Saint John was dressed in white vestment, stood was on Mary’s left and resembled a bishop, with a small mitre. He appeared to be preaching and he held an open book in his left hand. Behind them and a little to the left of Saint John was a plain altar on which was a cross and a lamb with adoring angels. The apparition was witnessed by fifteen people. Miraculous healings were reported soon after the area and it is now a major pilgrimage destination. Patronage – Ireland.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Joan Cuscó Oliver
• Blessed Joan Vernet Masip
• Blessed Pedro Mesonero Rodríguez
• Blessed Pere Sadurní Raventós
• Blessed Ramon Peiró Victori
• Blessed Salvador Estrugo Salves
On the Feast Day of St Bernard, August 20, can we do better than call on our Mother
The Memorare by St Bernard of Clairvaux
REMEMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled
to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought
thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by
this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins,
my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand,
sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy
hear and answer me. Amen.
(The Express Novena you will recall, is 9 times the Memorare)
Thought for the Day – 20 August – The Memorial of St Bernard of Clairvaux
Man of the century! Woman of the century! You see such terms applied to so many today—“golfer of the century,” “composer of the century,” “right tackle of the century”—that the line no longer has any punch. But Western Europe’s “man of the twelfth century,” without doubt or controversy, had to be Bernard of Clairvaux. Adviser of popes, preacher of the Second Crusade, defender of the faith, healer of a schism, reformer of a monastic Order, Scripture scholar, theologian, and eloquent preacher: any one of these titles would distinguish an ordinary man. Yet Bernard was all of these—and he still retained a burning desire to return to the hidden monastic life of his younger days.
His ability as arbitrator and counsellor became widely known. More and more he was lured away from the monastery to settle long-standing disputes. On several of these occasions, he apparently stepped on some sensitive toes in Rome. Bernard was completely dedicated to the primacy of the Roman See. But to a letter of warning from Rome, he replied that the good fathers in Rome had enough to do to keep the Church in one piece. If any matters arose that warranted their interest, he would be the first to let them know.
Shortly thereafter it was Bernard who intervened in a full-blown schism and settled it in favour of the Roman pontiff against the antipope.
Bernard felt responsible in some way for the degenerative effects of the crusade. This heavy burden possibly hastened his death, which came August 20, 1153.
Bernard’s life in the Church was more active than we can imagine possible today. His efforts produced far-reaching results. But he knew that they would have availed little without the many hours of prayer and contemplation that brought him strength and heavenly direction. His life was characterised by a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother. His sermons and books about Mary are still the standard of Marian theology….Fr Don Miller OFM
St Bernard Pray for us!
Thought for the Day – 17 August – The Memorial of St Hyacinth of Poland – “Apostle of Poland” “Apostle of the North”
“Our readers, we can but fancy, have marvelled at the prodigious labours and travelling of Saint Hyacinth, although we have given only a meager account of them. They extended over a period of nearly forty years and carried him through a large part of Europe and Asia. Doubtless, if they were recorded in detail and in proper sequence, they would be found infinitely more stupendous than we have painted them. He alone could have told them as they should be recounted. Yet it possibly never entered his mind to leave posterity any information on his life. The one thing that engaged his thoughts was, after saving his own soul, to help those of others, to make God known and to extend the kingdom of Christ. The same idea filled the minds of the confrères who were often his companions in labour. In this way, it was only through the scanty records discovered in cities and the early convents that historians have been able to tell us the little we do know about him. Still perhaps never was there a life which should be more completely written than that of Saint Hyacinth Odrowaz.
One may consider the practical, lively faith of the Poles, whether in the home land or in others, as a perpetual miracle of Saint Hyacinth. In no small measure they owe it to him. To that keen faith we must attribute the magnificent institutions of learning, charity, benevolence and the like, as well as the churches, monasteries and similar edifices, in which Poland abounds and in which it has found expression. All these are filled with the spirit which the people largely derived from him. They simply thrill with love and gratitude for him. This true spirit of Catholicity, we must remember, has been preserved undiminished for centuries through wars of every kind, division, hardships, persecution and every sort of oppression-the like of which the world has seen few parallels. We have here, it would seem, the greatest miracle of the zealous apostle’s life. At least, it has contributed more to the glory of God, the good of the Church, and the salvation of souls than any miracle he performed.” (Acta; STANISLAUS, Father, O. P., of Cracow, manuscript Vita Sancti Hyacinthi.)
Saint Hyacinth teaches us to spare no effort in the service of God but to rely for success not on our industry but on the assistance of the Holy Eucharist and the prayer of the Immaculate Mother of God.
St Hyacinth of Poland pray for the Poland, the Church and for us all!
Quote/s of the Day – 17 August
As it is the Memorial of St Hyacinth O.P. of the great Marian Miracle,
I am posting Quotations on Mary from some of our great Dominican Saints.
Enjoy!
“Mary is the Divine Page
on which the Father wrote
the Word of God, His Son.”
“As mariners are guided into port
by the shining of a star,
so Christians are guided to heaven
by Mary.”
“Mary is the most sweet bait,
chosen,
prepared
and ordained by God,
to catch the hearts of men.”
“To ask favours
without interposing Mary,
is to attempt to fly without wings.”
One Minute Reflection – 17 August – The Memorial of St Hyacinth of Poland
Come, blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…Matthew 25:34
REFLECTION – “Mary, the Mother of our Lord, accompanied by the choirs of Angels, will come to meet you. What a day of joy that will be for you!”….St Jerome (343-420) Doctor of the Church
PRAYER – O Mary, Mother of God and my mother, watch over me at every moment and keep me free from sin. Then upon my death, come to meet me and lead me to my eternal home in heaven. As you, St Hyacinth, took Mary with you and she made smooth your path, pray that we too may always ‘take Mary with us’ to lead us safely home to her son, who is our Lord, amen.
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (in the US, however, in most countries of Africa, the Solemnity will celebrated on Sunday 20 AUGUST): The feast celebrates the assumption of the body of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven upon her death. According to Pope Benedict XIV, it is a probable opinion, which it is impious to deny, though not an article of faith but has since in 1950 has been raised to a DOGMA of the Faith. The origin of the feast day is not known but it was celebrated in Palestine before the year 500. It is a holy day of obligation, its vigil being a fast day, in all English-speaking countries except Canada. Among the many masters who have painted the subject of the Assumption are Fra Angelico, Ghirlandajo, Rubens, Del Sarto and Titian.
Patronages:
• Acadians, Cajuns
• Cistercian Order, Cistercians
• fish dealers, fishmongers
• French air crews
• harness makers
• —
• France
• Guatemala
• India
• Jamaica
• Malta
• Paraguay
• Slovakia
• —
• east Africa (region of east Africa which includes diverse countries, proclaimed on 15 March 1952 by Pope Pius XII)
• South Africa (THIS IS NOT AN REGION BUT A COUNTRY and the Assumption is, therefore, the Patronal Feast of the Country of South Africa – proclaimed on 15 March 1952 by Pope Pius XII)
• —
• 24 dioceses
• 38 cities
—
St Alipius of Tagaste
Bl Alfred of Hildesheim
Bl Agustín Hurtado Soler
St Arduinus of Rimini
St Arnulphus of Soissons
Bl Claudio Granzotto
Bl George Halley
St Napoleon of Alexandria
Bl Pio Alberto del Corona
St Simplician of Milan
St Tarcisius
—
Martyrs of Nicomedia – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together. No details survive but the names – Eutychian, Philip and Straton. They were martyred in Nicomedia, Bithynia (in modern Turkey).
Martyred in the Mexican Revolution: 4 Saints –
St David Roldán Lara
St Luis Batiz Sainz
St Manuel Moralez
St Salvador Lara Puente
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War: Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939.
• Blessed Agustì Ibarra Angüela
• Blessed Carmelo Sastre y Sastre
• Blessed Clemente Vea Balaguer
• Blessed Francisco Míguez Fernández
• Blessed Ildefonso Alberto Flos
• Blessed Jaume Bonet Nadal
• Blessed Joan Ceró Cedó
• Blessed Josep Santonja Pinsach
• Blessed Juan Francisco Barahona Martín
• Blessed Juan Mesonero Huerta
• Blessed Luis Ros Ezcurra
• Blessed Manuel Formigo Giráldez
• Blessed Miguel Alberto Flos
• Blessed Sebastià Balcells Tonijuan
• Blessed Severiano Montes Fernández
Thought for the Day – 14 August – The Memorial of St Maximillian Kolbe
St Maximilian’s “Secret” to Holiness and Happiness
St. Maximilian says: “It is a false and widely diffused idea that the saints were not like us. They were also subject to temptation, they fell and got up, they also felt overwhelmed with sadness, weakened and paralyzed by discouragement. But remember the words of the Saviour: ‘Without me, you can do nothing’ (Jn 15:51) and those of St. Paul: ‘I can do all things in him who strengthens me’ (Phil 4:13). Not confiding in themselves, but, putting all their confidence in God after every humiliating fall, they repented sincerely, they purified their soul in the Sacrament of Penance and then they went back to work with still greater fervour.”
We are very much deceived if we think we cannot become a saint, or that we will be “lucky” if we even make it to Purgatory. The great men of the world overcome all kinds of obstacles in order to become rich or famous. Why do we not try harder to persevere, when that is precisely what Our Blessed Lord deserves? After all, He poured Himself out for us so that we might be holy. The saints were not supermen; they were sinners who persevered through hardship and adversity because they were humble and repentant and confident in God’s grace.”…(Fr Angelo M. Geiger F.I.)
In the end, holiness is not merely a warm feeling of God’s presence or even the ecstatic experiences of the saints. St Maximilian tells us that true holiness is found in obedience and obedience is acquired through prayer, penance and perseverance.
And this obedience consists in living – truly living the life of a Catholic, St Maximillian said his own words):
“Go to confession with sincerity, diligence, a deep sorrow for his sins and a firm resolve to amend his life. He will suddenly feel a peace and happiness compared with which all the fleeting, unworthy pleasures of this world are really an odious torment.
Let everyone seek to come and receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist with proper preparation.
Go to Eucharistic Adoration – for this is the the most important activity.
Let him never permit his soul to remain in sin but let him purify it immediately.
Let him do his duty manfully.
Let him address humble and frequent prayers to God’s throne, especially through the hands of the Immaculate Virgin.
Let him welcome his brethren with a charitable heart, bearing for God’s sake the sufferings and difficulties of life.
Let him do good to all, even his enemies, solely for the love of God and not in order to be praised or even thanked by men.”
Then we will come to understand what it means to have a foretaste of paradise; and perhaps more than once we will find peace and joy even in poverty, suffering, disgrace, or illness.
St Maximillian, pray for us!
Quote/s of the Day – 14 August – The Memorial of St Maximillian Kolbe
“If angels could be jealous of men,
they would be so, for one reason:
HOLY COMMUNION.”
“Jesus honoured her before all ages
and will honour her for all ages.
No one comes to Him, nor even near Him,
no one is saved or sanctified,
if he too will not honour her.
This is the lot of Angels and of men.”
“Be a man! Don’t blush for your convictions.”
“Let us remember, that love lives through sacrifice
and is nourished by giving.
Without sacrifice, there is no love.”
“My aim is to institute perpetual adoration,
for this is the the most important activity.”
“Be a Catholic!
When you kneel before an altar,
do it in such a way that others
may be able to recognise
that you know before Whom you kneel.”
One Minute Reflection – 14 August – The Memorial of St Maximillian Kolbe
Mine are counsel and advice; mine is strength; I am understanding….Proverbs 8:14
REFLECTION – “When we dedicate ourselves to Mary, we become instruments in her hands, just as she is an instrument in God’s hands. Let us then be guided by her, for she will provide for the needs of body and soul and overcome all difficulties and anxieties.”…St Maximillian Kolbe
PRAYER – My Lord and my God, You who are the fruit of Mary’s blessed womb and the most Divine Son of our Father, grant that I may always have recourse to You, through her who bore You. Grant that she may help and comfort me and lead me to You. Mary, Holy and loving Mother of God, pray for us all, amen
Our Morning Offering – 14 August
Consecration to the Immaculata – By St Maximillian Kolbe
O Immaculata, Queen of Heaven and earth,
Refuge of sinners and our most loving Mother,
God has willed to entrust the entire order of mercy to you.
I, ……………(name), a repentant sinner,
cast myself at your feet, humbly imploring you
to take me with all that I am and have,
wholly to yourself as your possession and property.
Please make of me, of all my powers of soul and body,
of my whole life, death and eternity, whatever most pleases you.
If it pleases you, use all that I am and have without reserve,
wholly to accomplish what was said of you:
“She will crush your head,” and
“You alone have destroyed all heresies in the whole world.”
Let me be a fit instrument in your immaculate and merciful hands
for introducing and increasing your glory to the maximum
in all the many strayed and indifferent souls
and thus help extend as far as possible,
the blessed kingdom of the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
For wherever you enter you obtain the grace of conversion
and growth in holiness, since it is through your hands
that all graces come to us from the most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Allow me to praise you, O Sacred Virgin
Give me strength against your enemies
Amen
A shorter version of the prayer can be used for the daily renewal of the consecration:
Daily Consecration Renewal to the Immaculata
By St Maximillian Kolbe
Immaculata, Queen and Mother of the Church,
I renew my consecration to you for this day
and for always, so that you might use me
for the coming of the Kingdom of Jesus in the whole world.
To this end, I offer you all my prayers,
actions and sacrifices of this day.
Amen
St Hippolytus of Rome (Optional Memorial)
St Pope Pontian (Optional Memorial)
—
Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners: St. John Damascene calls Mary a city of refuge to all who flee to Her. This idea of a city of refuge is an old Scriptural fact calling attention to the humanity, the pity, of the old Jewish Law, which established certain cities of refuge where criminals might find escape from the arm of the authorities. For instance there were no less than six Levitical Cities, three on either side of the Jordan, where men who had been guilty of the act of involuntary homicide might find protection and immunity, until they were released from banishment by the death of the High Priest. These six cities were obliged to receive the homicides and to lodge them without any charge. But there were at least 48 cities which had this privilege of asylum. Nor was it a peculiarly Jewish custom. Even the Greeks and Romans had their cities of asylum. The Jewish idea was brought into Christianity. One of the beautiful customs in the Middle Ages was “the right of sanctuary,” by which those who ran foul of the law could not be taken so long as they remained in the Church, or sanctuary. And this is Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners!
—
St Anastasius the Monk
St Anastasius the Priest
St Benildus
St Cassian of Imola
St Cassian of Todi
St Concordia
St Conn O’Rourke
Bl Gertrude of Altenberg
St Helen of Burgos
St Herulph of Langres
Bl Jakob Gapp
Bl John of Alvernia
St Junian of Mairé
St Ludolph
Bl Mark of Aviano
St Maximus the Confessor
St Nerses Glaietsi
St Patrick O’Healy
Bl Pierre Gabilhaud
St Radegund
St Radegunde
St Wigbert of Fritzlar
Bl William Freeman
—
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Francesc Castells Areny
• Blessed Inocencio García Díez
• Blessed José Bonet Nadal
• Blessed José Boher y Foix
• Blessed José Juan Perot y Juanmarti
• Blessed Jose Tàpies y Sirvant
• Blessed Josep Alsina Casas
• Blessed Luciano Hernández Ramírez
• Blessed Maria de Puiggraciós Badia Flaquer
• Blessed Mateo Despóns Tena
• Blessed Modesto García Martí
• Blessed Pascual Araguàs y Guàrdia
• Blessed Pedro Martret y Molet
• Blessed Silvestre Arnau y Pascuet
Martyred Claretians of Barbastro – 51 beati:
• Blessed Agustín Viela Ezcurdia
• Blessed Alfons Miquel Garriga
• Blessed Alfons Sorribes Teixidó
• Blessed Antolín Calvo y Calvo
• Blessed Antoni Dalmau Rosich
• Blessed Atanasio Vidaurreta Labra
• Blessed Eduardo Ripoll Diego
• Blessed Esteve Casadevall Puig
• Blessed Eusebi Maria Codina Millà
• Blessed Felipe de Jesús Munárriz Azcona
• Blessed Francesc Roura Farró
• Blessed Francisco Castán Meseguer
• Blessed Gregorio Chirivas Lacamba
• Blessed Hilario Llorente Martín
• Blessed Jaume Falgarona Vilanova
• Blessed Joan Baixeras Berenguer
• Blessed Joan Codinachs Tuneu
• Blessed José Amorós Hernández
• Blessed José Blasco Juan
• Blessed José Figuero Beltrán
• Blessed José Pavón Bueno
• Blessed Josep Maria Badía Mateu
• Blessed Josep Ormo Seró
• Blessed Josep Ros Florensa
• Blessed Juan Díaz Nosti
• Blessed Juan Echarri Vique
• Blessed Juan Sánchez Munárriz
• Blessed Leoncio Pérez Ramos
• Blessed Lluís Escalé Binefa
• Blessed Lluís Lladó Teixidor
• Blessed Lluís Masferrer Vila
• Blessed Manuel Buil Lalueza
• Blessed Manuel Martínez Jarauta
• Blessed Manuel Torras Sais
• Blessed Miquel Masip González
• Blessed Nicasio Sierra Ucar
• Blessed Pedro García Bernal
• Blessed Pere Cunill Padrós
• Blessed Rafael Briega Morales
• Blessed Ramon Illa Salvia
• Blessed Ramon Novich Rabionet
• Blessed Salvador Pigem Serra
• Blessed Sebastià Riera Coromina
• Blessed Sebastián Calvo Martínez
• Blessed Secundino Ortega García
• Blessed Teodoro Ruiz de Larrinaga García
• Blessed Tomàs Capdevila Miró
• Blessed Wenceslau Clarís Vilaregut
They were martyred on 2 August through 18 August 1936 in Barbastro, Huesca, Spain and Beatified on 25 October 1992 by Pope John Paul II.
Quote/s of the Day – 11 August – The Memorial of St Clare of Assisi
“He, Christ, is the splendour of eternal glory, “the brightness of eternal light and the mirror without cloud.”
Behold, I say, the birth of this mirror. Behold Christ’s poverty even as he was laid in the manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. What wondrous humility, what marvellous poverty!
The King of angels, the Lord of heaven and earth resting in a manger!
Look more deeply into the mirror and meditate on His humility, or simply on His poverty.
Behold the many labours and sufferings He endured to redeem the human race.
Then, in the depths of this very mirror, ponder His unspeakable love which caused Him to suffer on the wood of the cross and to endure the most shameful kind of death.
The mirror Himself, from His position on the cross, warned passers-by to weigh carefully this act, as He said:
“All of you who pass by this way, behold and see if there is any sorrow like mine.”
Let us answer His cries and lamentations with one voice and one spirit:
“I will be mindful and remember and my soul will be consumed within me.”
“We become what we love and who we love shapes what we become.
If we love things, we become a thing.
If we love nothing, we become nothing.
Imitation is not a literal mimicking of Christ,
rather it means becoming the image of the beloved,
an image disclosed through transformation.
This means we are to become vessels of God’s
compassionate love for others.”
“ Blessed be You, O God, for having created me. ”
“Cling to His most sweet Mother,
who carried a Son whom the heavens could not contain;
and yet she carried Him in the little enclosure of her holy womb
and held Him on her virginal lap.”
“Gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him,
as you desire to imitate Him.
….Totally love Him, Who gave Himself totally for your love.”
“They say that we are too poor
but can a heart which possesses the infinite God be truly called poor?
We should remember this miracle of the Blessed Sacrament when in Church.
Then we will pray with great Faith to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist:
‘Save me, O Lord, from every evil – of soul and body.’”
“her whole life was a Eucharist because …
from her cloister she raised up a continual ‘thanksgiving’ to God
in her prayer, praise, supplication, intercession, weeping, offering and sacrifice.
She accepted everything from the Father in union with the infinite ‘thanks’ of the only begotten Son.
Thought for the Day – 8 August – The Memorial of St Dominic de Guzman
Words of Pope Benedict XVI on St Dominic
In the second volume of his work “Jesus of Nazareth”, in speaking of the first and last coming of Christ, he introduces a “middle coming”, through his word, the sacraments, events. And he continues: ” But there are also modalities of this coming season. The impact of two great figures -Francisco and Domingo- between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, has been a way in which Christ has re-entered history, re-enforcing His word and his love; a way with which He has renewed the Church and has driven history to itself. ” In St Dominic’s words: “You are my companion and must walk with me. If we hold together, no earthly power can withstand us.”
Likewise, Benedict XVI, recognising the Marian devotion of Saint Dominic, manifested in his catechesis on February 3, 2010: ” First and foremost, Marian devotion, which he cultivated with tenderness and left his spiritual children as an inheritance, Which in the history of the Church have had the great merit of spreading the prayer of the holy rosary, so rooted in the Christian people and so rich in evangelical values, a true school of faith and piety.
Once, at a difficult point in the preaching ministry, St Dominic had a dream in which he saw heaven. Christ was there, arrayed like a king, with His Mother beside Him cloaked in a magnificent mantle. Around the Blessed Mother were countless souls from all walks of life: clergy, laypersons, and members of every religious order ever founded. Among the religious there were Benedictines, Augustinians, Carmelites, Franciscans, everyone, except the Order of Preachers. Struck to the heart, Dominic said, “Is there not a single one of mine?” The Lord gestured to his Mother, who opened her mantle. There, under it, were hundreds and hundreds of Dominican souls in their black and white habits. The Lord said, “Behold, I have left your Order in the care of My Mother.”
And, in the catechesis of August 8, 2012, he referred to another characteristic of St Dominic, the prayer : “St Dominic was a man of prayer. In love with God, he had no other aspiration than the salvation of souls, especially those who had fallen into the webs of the heresies of his time; Imitator of Christ, incarnated radically the three evangelical counsels joining to the proclamation of the Word the testimony of a poor life; under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, progressed in the path of Christian perfection. At all times prayer was the force that renewed and made more and more fruitful his apostolic works.
St Dominic reminds us that at the origin of the witness of faith, which every Christian should give in family, work, social commitment and also in times of relaxation, is prayer, personal contact with God. Only this real relationship with God gives us the strength to live intensely every event, especially moments of greater suffering. “
St Dominic pray for us!
Our Morning Offering – 7 August
Prayer for Peace to the Immaculate Virgin
By Pope Paul IV
Look down with maternal clemency,
most Blessed Immaculate Virgin,
upon all your children.
Consider the anxiety of bishops
who fear that their flocks
will be tormented by a terrible storm of evils.
Heed the anguish of so many people,
fathers and mothers of families
who are uncertain about their future
and beset by hardships and cares.
Soothe the minds of those at war
and inspire them with “thoughts of peace.”
Through your intercession,
may God, the avenger of injuries,
turn to mercy.
May He give back to nations
the tranquility they seek
and bring them to a lasting age
of genuine prosperity. Amen
(Juan Pedro Carrafa, Bishop of Chieti, who became Pope Paul IV,
was a friend of and one of the Founders with, our Saint today,
St Cajetan of the Theatine Clerics Regular)
Thought for the Day – 5 August
Theological debate over Christ’s nature as God and man reached fever pitch in Constantinople in the early fifth century. The chaplain of Bishop Nestorius began preaching against the title Theotokos, “Mother of God,” insisting that the Virgin was mother only of the human Jesus. Nestorius agreed, decreeing that Mary would henceforth be named “Mother of Christ” in his see. The people of Constantinople virtually revolted against their bishop’s refutation of a cherished belief. When the Council of Ephesus refuted Nestorius, believers took to the streets, enthusiastically chanting, “Theotokos! Theotokos!”….. ( Fr Don Miller, OFM)
“Mary is the Divine Page on which the Father wrote the Word of God, His Son.” … St Albert the Great (1206-1280)
German; scientist, philosopher, theologian and Doctor of the Church
” What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ and what it teaches about Mary, illumines in turn, its faith in Christ” (CCC#487).
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!
Prayer to Our Lady of the Snows
Mary, Mother of God,
it is our Christian belief that all who fashion their lives in imitation of your Son, Jesus Christ
and have placed their hope in Him,
are gathered together in a communion of saints.
Those who have gone before us live in intimate communion with Christ.
You are the most eminent of them, for you were drawn into His life and being as no other.
You who gave Him human life followed Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Mary, look at us.
Look at all who are centred on your Son.
At the present time some of His disciples are pilgrims on earth.
Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory,
contemplating ‘in full light, God Himself Triune and One, exactly as He is.
All of God’s people hunger to be intimately one with Him.
Mary, we are the wayfarers
and we hunger for this exchange of spiritual goods with you
who were so intimately close to Jesus Christ.
Your image, as protectress of the Roman people,
reminds us that you invite us to live in Christ.
Your arms embrace Jesus fully, effortlessly.
Jesus, whose burden is light and yoke is easy,
wishes to be as close to every individual as He is to you.
You are both wayfarer and guide to us wayfarers on our pilgrimage of faith.
Teach us, Mary, to embrace Christ fully, to make Him our Way, our Truth, our Life.
Teach us, Mary, to carry Christ to the world,
and, each in our own way, to give Him birth in the hearts of many.
Protect your people, Mary – protect your Church.
We ask this, as we ask all things, through Jesus Christ Our Lord,
in union with God our Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever. Amen
Quote of the Day – 5 August
“Jesus honoured her before all ages
and will honour her for all ages.
No one comes to Him,
nor even near Him,
no one is saved or sanctified,
if he too will not honour her.
This is the lot of angels and of men.”
One Minute Reflection – 5 August
Rejoice, O highly favoured daughter! The Lord is with you………..Luke 1:28
REFLECTION – “The salvation of the whole world began with the “Hail Mary.”
Hence, the salvation of each person is also attached to this prayer.”…St Louise Marie Grignion de Montfort
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, let the great prayer to Your holy Mother be on my lps, morning, noon and night. Enable me to say it especially at the hour of my death – for she will come to me! Mary, Mother of our God, pray for us, amen.
AnaStpaul 
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