One Minute Reflection – 2 June – Martyrs – The Memorial of Sts Erasmus (martyred in c 303 and Marcellinus and Peter – (martyred in 304).
My dear friends, do not be taken aback at the testing by fire which is taking place among you, as though something strange were happening to you; but in so far as you share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, so that you may enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed….1 Peter 4:12-13
REFLECTION – “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.”…St Gertrude the Great
PRAYER – O GOD, who dost give us joy through the memory of Thy holy Martyrs, graciously grant that we may be inflamed by their example, in whose merits we rejoice. Sts Erasmus, Marcellinus and Peter, Pray for us! Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day – 2 June – St Erasmus (Died c303) Bishop Martyr – also known as Saint Elmo (Telmo, Eramo, Erarmo, Ermo, Herasmus, Rasimus, Rasmus), Bishop of Formiae, Campagna, Italy. St Erasmus or Elmo is also one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, saintly figures of Christian tradition who were venerated especially as intercessors. Patronages – against appendicitis, against severed birth pains, against abdominal or stomach pains and diseases, against colic, against danger at sea, of mariners, sailors, childbirth and women in labour, ship navigators, Gaeta, Italy, Formia, cattle pest, Fort St Elmo, Malta.
As with many Martyrs of the early Church, we know little about their lives and upbringings but much about their pious and courageous deaths, accounts of which were recorded and believed to be more instructive to the faithful than complete biographies.
The childhood and birthplace of Saint Erasmus is lost to history. In the late third century, we do know that he was appointed as the Bishop of Antioch in Asia Minor, where he led the faithful. When Emperor Diocletian ascended to the throne, widespread persecution of Christians began and Antioch was not overlooked. Saint Erasmus fled into the mountains of Lebanon, where he undertook an austere life of prayer and fasting, going without food for days at a time. Holy legend tells us that a raven brought him food when he deprived himself for too long. Eventually, however, he was discovered by the soldiers of the Emperor and dragged to judgement.
St Erasmus was urged to recant his faith and some respect was offered him. However, when he adamantly stated his belief in Christ and could not be persuaded to make offerings to the gods. He stated,
“Almighty God, Who created all things, hath wrought heaven and hell and all that is therein, Him will I not forsake, for nothing can or may be done to me, for His Goodly Grace hath given to me such Grace and to other of His chosen friends, that He was made man and hath tasted and suffered the bitter death for me and for all sinners.”
Saint Erasmus was viciously tortured. He was at first scourged, had heated hooks jabbed into his intestines and stomach and was finally thrown into a caldron filled with boiling oil. However, despite these horrific tortures, the Lord protected Saint Erasmus from death and many were converted to the faith—including the jailor and his family.
Unable to torture him physically into recanting his faith, the judge ordered him imprisoned in chains, thrown into a pit filled with vipers and worms and forbid the jailor to feed him, insisting that he die of starvation for his crime. However, Erasmus was again delivered, by an Angel appearing to him and leading him to freedom. During his escape, the Angel proclaimed, ”Erasmus, Follow me! Thou shalt convert a great many.”
Erasmus fled to Europe, preaching the power of the Lord, performing miracles and converting the multitudes proclaimed by the Angel. Upon his arrival in Italy, however, he was again arrested—this time by Emperor Maximin, who also persecuted Christians. History tells us that the Emperor, enraged by Erasmus’ success in conversions, ordered three hundred of the newly Baptised Christians killed as incentive for Erasmus to recant his faith. When he did not, he was cruelly tortured and again imprisoned. During this torture, his intestines were slowly wound around a sailor’s capstan, which is why he is the Patron Saint of sailors today. Eventually, Saint Erasmus died a Martyr’s death due to disembowelling and subsequent beheading, having been summoned by the voice of the Lord.
From the Golden Legend:“And when the hour was come that this holy Bishop and Martyr of God should depart out of this world, then was heard a loud voice perfectly, coming from Heaven saying: “Erasmus, My true servant, thou hast done Me true service, wherefore come with Me and go and enter into the bliss and joy of thy Lord and I promise thee and all people that think upon thy great pain and call upon thy holy name and worship every Sunday, what that they ask of Me in thy name for the wealth of their souls, I shall grant it. Now come, my true and chosen friend, be glad and comforted with Mine ascension . I will that thou arise with Me and come sit upon the right hand of My Father.”
Then was this holy man right glad and joyful and he cast his eyes upward to Heaven, with lifting up his hands and there he saw, a clear shining crown come from heaven upon his blessed head. Then gave he loving and thanking to Almighty God with bowing his head and kneeling and both his hands upward to Heaven and meekly said: “O Lord in thy hands yield my spirit and this Sunday receive my soul into thy peace and rest.” And with saying these words he yielded up his ghost, which was seen by many men’s eyes, shining clearer than the sun and how that he was received of the holy Angels and was led through the height of heaven into the uppermost plan of heaven – there he standeth with God, with all the holy company and is there a true helper to all them that call truly to Saint Erasmus for ghostly health, which joy and ghostly health let us pray, that he for us, all of our Lord God may obtain.”
Saint Erasmus is one of the 14 Holy Helpers, a group of saints invoked with special confidence because they have proven themselves efficacious helpers in adversity and difficulties. Other Saints identified as Holy Helpers are: Saints Blaise, Catherine of Alexandria, George, Christopher and others. Saint Erasmus, due to the manner in which he was tortured, is the Patron Saint of those with stomach or intestinal disorders.
Saint Erasmus, under the name Saint Elmo, is also the Patron Saint of sailors and the shining lights observed upon his death, continue to be reported by sailors as “Saint Elmo’s fire.” This electrostatic phenomenon has been reported throughout history, from Julius Caesar, to the journals of sailors on Magellan’s voyage around the globe, to the writings of Shakespeare, Melville and Charles Darwin.
A chronicler of Magellan’s voyage to circle the globe, observed: “During those storms the holy body, that is, to say St. Elmo, appeared to us many times in light…on an exceedingly dark night on the maintop where he stayed for about two hours or more for our consolation.” Darwin wrote that one night when the Beagle was anchored in the estuary of the Rio Plata: “Everything was in flames, the sky with lightning, the water with luminous particles, and even the very masts were pointed with a blue flame.” The appearance of St Elmo’s Fire is regarded as a good omen for sailors, as it tends to occur near the end of severe thunderstorms or weather systems, the answer to sailors’ prayers for heavenly intervention. In these moments, the guiding hand of Saint Elmo is present.
The endurance of Saint Erasmus in the face of cruel and horrific torture reminds us that the Lord is always with those who love Him. It is difficult to imagine being in a position of profound physical torture, like that many of the early Church’s Martyrs endured. In our day to day lives, we often find it difficult to withstand the smallest inconveniences and hurts we experience, generally feeling lost and overwhelmed. But the lives of the early Martyrs are not that different from our own. Terminal illnesses, significant financial and vocational struggles, victimisation and trauma fill our lives and the lives of those we love. Our suffering is sometimes great, albeit different from the early Martyrs. Our call is to join that suffering to Christ, to look to the Lord for support and succour, to rely on Our Blessed Mother for grace and intercession. When we are able to do that—when we are able to look beyond our struggles and suffering to see the face of God present within us, we grow closer to the glorious Saints and Martyrs who reflected their faith for all to see, even in the midst of great pain!
St Marcellinus (Optional Memorial)
St Peter the Exorcist (Optional Memorial)
—
St Ada of Ethiopia
St Adalgis of Thiérarche
St Armin of Egypt
St Barbarinus
St Blandina the Slave
St Bodfan of Wales
St Daminh Ninh
Bl Demetrios of Philadelphia
St Dorotheus of Rome
St Erasmus (Died c 303)
St Pope Eugene I,
St Evasius
Bl Giovanni de Barthulono
Bl Guy of Acqui
St Honorata
St Humatus
St John de Ortega
St Joseph Tien
St Nicholas Peregrinus
St Photinus of Lyons
St Rogate
Bl Sadoc of Sandomierz
St Stephen of Sweden
—
Martyrs of Lyons and Vienne: A group of 48 Christians from the areas of Vienne and Lyon, France, who were attacked by a pagan mob, arrested and tried for their faith, and murdered in the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius. A letter describing their fate, possibly written by Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, was sent to the churches in the Middle East. Only a few names and details of their lives have surived; some of them have separate entries on this date –
• Alexander of Vienne
• Attalus of Pergamos
• Biblis of Lyons
• Blandina the Slave
• Cominus of Lugdunum
• Epagathus of Lugdunum
• Maturus the Novice
• Photinus of Lyons
• Ponticus of Lugdunum
• Sanctius of Vienne
• Vettius of Lugdunum
They were martyred in assorted ways on on various during 177.
Martyrs of Sandomierz: A group of 49 Dominicans, some of whom received the habit from Saint Dominic de Guzman himself. They worked separately and together to bring the faith and establish the Dominican Order in Poland, basing their operations in and around Sandomierz. In 1260 they were all martyred by the Tartars as they were singing the Salve Regina at Compline; the custom of singing the Salve Regina at the deathbed of Dominicans stems from this incident. We know a few details about a few of the martyrs, but most survive only as names –
• Zadok
• Andrea, chaplain
• James, novice master
• Malachi, convent preacher
• Paul, vicar
• Peter, guardian of the garden
• Simone, penitentiary
friars
• Abel, Barnabas, Bartholomew, Clemente, Elia, John, Luke, Matthew, Philip
deacons
• Giuseppe, Joachim, Stefano
sub-deacons
• Abraham, Basil, Moses, Taddeo
clerics
• Aaron, Benedict, David, Dominico, Mattia, Mauro, Michele, Onofrio, Timothy
professed students
• Christopher, Donato, Feliciano, Gervasio, Gordian, John, Mark, Medardo, Valentino
novices
• Daniele, Isaiah, Macario, Raffaele, Tobia
lay brothers
• Cyril, tailor
• Jeremiah, shoemaker
• Thomas, organist
They were martyred in 1260 at Sandomierz, Poland and Beatified on 18 October 1807 by Pope Pius VII (cultus confirmation).
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
Quote of the Day – 27 May – The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
In all our undertakings —
when we enter a place or leave it;
before we dress;
before we bathe;
when we take our meals;
when we light the lamps in the evening;
before we retire at night;
when we sit down to read;
before each new task —
we trace the Sign of the Cross on our foreheads.
O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy creatures…Psalm 104:24
REFLECTION – “…the Holy Spirit who came down on the Apostles is the same Spirit who fashioned the world. Pentecost should also be for us a festival of thanksgiving for creation, a cause for reflection on the creative Reason, who is is also manifested in the beauty of the world, as a creative Love.”…Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) 1985
PRAYER – Lord God, pour out the gifts of the Holy Spirit on all mankind and fulfil now, in the hearts of Your faithful, what You accomplished at the beginning of the world, every second of every day and when the Gospel was first preached on earth. Come, O Holy Spirit, come! We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
St Abdas of Cascar
Bl Adam of Adami
Bl Adam of San Sabine
St Andrew Bobola
St Annobert of Séez
St Aquilinus of Isauria
St Brendan the Navigator
St Carantac
St Carantoc
St Diocletian of Osimo
St Felix of Uzalis
St Fidolus of Aumont
St Fiorenzo of Osimo
St Fort of Bordeaux
St Francoveus
St Gennadius of Uzalis
St Germerius of Toulouse
St Hilary of Pavia
St Honorius of Amiens
Bl Louis of Mercy
St Margaret Of Cortona
St Maxima of Fréjus
Bl Michal Wozniak
St Peregrinus of Auxerre
St Peregrinus of Terni
St Possidius of Calama
St Primael of Quimper
St Simon Stock (1165-1265)
St Ubaldus Baldassini
St Victorian of Isauria
Bl Valdimir Ghika
—
Martyrs of Saint Sabas: A group of monks, whose names have not come down to us, who were massacred by Moors at the monastery of Saint Sabas in Palestine.
Our Morning Offering – 15 May – “Mary’s Month” – Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Eastertide
Mary, Mother of Grace St Athanasius (297-373) Father & Doctor
It becomes you to be mindful of us,
as you stand near Him who granted you all graces,
for you are the Mother of God and our Queen.
Help us for the sake of the King,
the Lord God and Master, who was born of you.
For this reason,
you are called full of grace.
Remember us, most holy Virgin,
and bestow on us gifts
from the riches of your graces,
Virgin full of graces.
Amen
Sunday Reflection – 13 May – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord “O Blessed Host”
” Blessed Host” Eucharistic Prayer before Holy Communion By St Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) Diary 159
O Blessed Host, in golden chalice enclosed for me,
That through the vast wilderness of exile I may pass –
pure, immaculate, undefiled;
Oh, grant that through the power of Your love
This might come to be.
O Blessed Host, take up Your dwelling within my soul,
O Thou my heart’s purest love!
With Your brilliance the darkness dispel.
Refuse not Your grace to a humble heart.
O Blessed Host, enchantment of all heaven,
Though Your beauty be veiled
And captured in a crumb of bread,
Strong faith tears away that veil.
Marian Thought for the Day – 13 May – “Mary’s Month” – The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord and the Feasts of Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Help, Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Memorial of the Dedication of the Minor Basilica of Saint Mary of the Martyrs (Pantheon)
Mary is the “Janua Cœli,” the Gate of Heaven
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
MARY is called the Gate of Heaven, because it was through her, that our Lord passed from heaven to earth. The Prophet Ezechiel, prophesying of Mary, says, “the gate shall be closed, it shall not be opened and no man shall pass through it, since the Lord God of Israel has entered through it—and it shall be closed for the Prince, the Prince Himself shall sit in it.”
Now this is fulfilled, not only in our Lord having taken flesh from her and being her Son, but, moreover, in that she had a place in the economy of Redemption; it is fulfilled in her spirit and will, as well as in her body. Eve had a part in the fall of man, though it was Adam who was our representative and whose sin made us sinners. It was Eve who began and who tempted, Adam. Scripture says: “The woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold; and she took of {37} the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, and he did eat.” It was fitting then in God’s mercy that, as the woman began the destruction of the world, so woman should also begin its recovery and that, as Eve opened the way for the fatal deed of the first Adam, so Mary should open the way, for the great achievement of the second Adam, even our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to save the world by dying on the cross for it. Hence Mary is called by the holy Fathers a second and a better Eve, as having taken that first step in the salvation of mankind which Eve took in its ruin.
How, and when, did Mary take part and the initial part, in the world’s restoration? It was when the Angel Gabriel came to her to announce to her the great dignity which was to be her portion. St Paul bids us “present our bodies to God as a reasonable service.” We must not only pray with our lips and fast and do outward penance and be chaste in our bodies but we must be obedient and pure in our minds. And so, as regards the Blessed Virgin, it was God’s will that she should undertake willingly and with full understanding, to be the Mother of our Lord and not to be a mere passive instrument, whose maternity would have no merit and no reward. The higher our gifts, the heavier our duties. It was no light lot to be so intimately near to the Redeemer of men, as she experienced afterwards when she suffered with Him. Therefore, weighing well the Angel’s words before giving her answer to them—first she asked whether so great an office would be a forfeiture of that Virginity which she had vowed. When the Angel told her no, then, with the full consent of a full heart, full of God’s love to her and her own lowliness, she said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.” It was by this consent that she became the Gate of Heaven.
Marian Thought for the Day – 4 May – Mary’s Month! – Friday of the Fifth Week of Eastertide
Mary is the “Virgo Prædicanda,” the Virgin who is to be Proclaimed
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
MARY is the Virgo Prædicanda, that is, the Virgin who to be proclaimed, to be heralded, literally, to be preached.
We are accustomed to preach abroad that which is wonderful, strange, rare, novel, important. Thus, when our Lord was coming, St John the Baptist preached Him; then, the Apostles went into the wide world and preached Christ. What is the highest, the rarest, the choicest prerogative of Mary? It is that she was without sin. When a woman in the crowd cried out to our Lord, “Blessed is the womb that bare Thee!” He answered, “More blessed are they who hear the word of God and keep it.” Those words were fulfilled in Mary. She was filled with grace in order to be the Mother of God. But it was a higher gift than her maternity to be thus sanctified and thus pure. Our Lord indeed would not have become her son unless He had first sanctified her but still, the greater blessedness was to have that perfect sanctification. This then is why she is the Virgo Prædicanda; she is deserving to be preached abroad because she never committed any sin, even the least; because sin had no part in her; because, through the fullness of God’s grace, she never thought a thought, or spoke a word, or did an action, which was displeasing, which was not most pleasing, to Almighty God; because in her was displayed the greatest triumph over the enemy of souls.
Wherefore, when all seemed lost, in order to show what He could do for us all by dying for us; in order to show what human nature, His work, was capable of becoming; to show how utterly He could bring to naught the utmost efforts, the most concentrated malice of the foe and reverse all the consequences of the Fall, our Lord began, even before His coming, to do His most wonderful act of redemption, in the person of her who was to be His Mother. By the merit of that Blood which was to be shed, He interposed to hinder her incurring the sin of Adam, before He had made on the Cross atonement for it. And therefore it is that we preach her who is the subject of this wonderful grace.
But she was the Virgo Prædicanda for another reason. When, why, what things do we preach? We preach what is not known, that it may become known. And hence the Apostles are said in Scripture to “preach Christ.” To whom? To those who knew Him not—to the heathen world. Not to those who knew Him but to those who did not know Him.
Preaching is a gradual work, first one lesson, then another. Thus were the heathen brought into the Church gradually. And in like manner, the preaching of Mary to the children of the Church and the devotion paid to her by them, has grown, grown gradually, with successive ages. Not so much preached about her in early times as in later. First she was preached as the Virgin of Virgins—then as the Mother of God—then as glorious in her Assumption—then as the Advocate of sinners—then as Immaculate in her Conception. And this last has been the special preaching of the present century and thus that which was earliest in her own history is the latest in the Church’s recognition of her.
Thought for the Day – 24 April – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Eastertide and the Memorial of St Mary Euphrasia Pelletier (1796-1868)
Sorrow and joy alternated almost without interruption in Angers and the new houses. There were difficulties connected with each of the foundations, entailing a great deal of hard work. Throughout these hardships, St Mary Euphrasia endured and embraced them, and said “Great crosses bring great graces.”
Ardent prayer sustained her. “Pray, be silent and hope”became her motto. She loved to repeat: “I belong to every country where there are souls to be saved.” Her work of saving them was going on apace and souls were bought at a great price.
Mary Euphrasia’s last years were very lonely. Labour, enterprises, intense activities, physical and moral sufferings were steadily taking a toll on the Foundress’ strength. She was almost seventy-two years of age when she breathed her last on 24 April 1868, the Friday after Good Shepherd Sunday. “Goodbye my daughters, goodbye dear Institute” were her last words.
Mary Euphrasia founded, in her lifetime, 110 houses on every continent. Today, the Mission Partners of the Good Shepherd (Sisters and Lay) are present in more than 70 countries, embracing the world with their zeal for the salvation of all people. A year after the death of Mary Euphrasia, the Ceylon (Sri Lanka) mission was founded. From Ceylon, the Good Shepherd Sisters came to Singapore in 1939 and reached Malaysia in 1956.
It is not easy to sum up the life of Mary Euphrasia. Perhaps it is best understood in terms of her own wish for her Sisters: “You will effect no good, my dear Sisters … until you become animated with the thoughts, sentiments and affections of the Good Shepherd” and “Live His way of life!”
Quote/s of the Day – 20 April – Friday of the Third Week of Eastertide – Today’s Gospel: John 6:52-59
“Speaking of: The Holy Eucharist”
“You can call happy those who saw Him. But, come to the altar and you will see Him, you will touch Him, you will give to Him holy kisses, you will wash Him with your tears, you will carry Him within you like Mary Most Holy.”
St John Chrysostom (347-407) Doctor of the Church
“The Blessed Eucharist is the perfect Sacrament of the Lord’s Passion, since It contains Christ Himself and his Passion.”
St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Angelic Doctor
“The last degree of love is when He gave Himself to us to be our Food; because He gave Himself to be united with us in every way.”
St Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)
“Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.”
St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) Most Zealous Doctor
“Upon receiving Holy Communion, the Adorable Blood of Jesus Christ really flows in our veins and His Flesh is really blended with ours.”
St John Vianney (1786-1859)
“I urge you with all the strength of my soul to approach the Eucharistic Table as often as possible. Feed on this Bread of the Angels from which you will draw the strength to fight inner struggles.”
Apologies, I mixed up the 17 and 18 April – the Saint of the Day I posted yesterday is actually celebrated today! So I am going to miss the Saint altogether today. Last year I posted the story of St Marie of the Incarnation O.S.U. (1599-1672) – Also known as Marie Guyard, Marie Guyart of the Incarnation,Marie Guyart, Marie de l’Incarnation, Marie of the Ursulines, Mother of New France, Teresa of the New World, for today. Here is the post: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/18/saint-of-the-day-18-april-st-marie-of-the-incarnation/
Quote/s of the Day – 13 April – Friday of the Second Week of Eastertide “Just Random”
Try to fulfil each day’s task steadily and cheerfully. The life of a true Christian should be a perpetual jubilee, a prelude to the festivals of eternity.
St Théophane Vénard (1829-1861) Martyr
Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbour; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.
C S Lewis (1898-1963)
Our solid conviction is that Jesus is who He said He is and He can do what He says He can do. Not only that but if Jesus is, who He says He is, then you are, who He says you are. And if He is who He says He is, then you can do what He says you can do.
Quote of the Day – 12 April – Thursday of the Second Week of Eastertide & the Memorial of St Zeno of Verona (c 300 – 371)
“How earnestly do I desire, if I were able, to celebrate you, O Patience, queen of all things! But by my life and manners, more than by my words. For you rest in your own action and council more than in discourses and in perfecting, rather than in multiplying virtues. You are the support of virginity, the secure harbour of widowhood, the guide and directress, of the married state, the unanimity of friendship, the comfort and joy of slavery, to which you are often liberty. By you, poverty enjoys all, because, content with itself, it bears all. By you, the prophets, were advanced in virtue and the apostles united to Christ. You are the daily crown and mother of the martyrs. You art the bulwark of faith, the fruit of hope and the friend of charity. Happy, eternally happy, is he who shall always possess you in his soul.”
Pope’s 3rd Apostolic Exhortation on Holiness, Gives Practical Advice on How Not to Settle for Failure or Mediocrity
Jesus wants our happiness and wants us to be saints. He does not want us to settle for a bland and mediocre existence.
Gaudate et Exsultate: On the Call for Holiness in our Modern World was published today, marking Pope Francis’ 3rd Apostolic Exhortation after Evangelii Gaudium and Amoris Laetitia.
The five-chapter, 98-page document can be considered somewhat of a practical handbook on how to help us achieve holiness in the circumstances of our ordinary lives. The chapters include: 1) The Call to Holiness 2) Two Subtle Enemies of Holiness 3) In the Light of the Master 4) Signs of Holiness in Today’s World 5) Spiritual Combat, Vigilance and Discernment.
Reflecting on saints, the Pope speaks specifically of the saints ‘next door:’ “Nor need we think of those already beatified and canonised” but, he stressed, “I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: n their daily perseverance, I see the holiness of the Church militant. A holiness found in our next-door neighbors, the middle class of holiness.”
The document which stresses the need for discernment acknowledges that the Christian life is a battle. It notes that the devil tries to “poison with the venom of hatred, desolation and vice.”
Our call to holiness, it also asserts, is a constant battle. If we do not realize this, it warns, we “will be prey to failure or mediocrity.” Yet, it suggests, we can count on “the powerful weapons” God has given us, including prayer, meditation, Mass, Confession, Eucharistic adoration, charitable acts and community outreach.
While recalling some of the saints’ great examples, including St Francis of Assisi, St John Paul II, and Edith Stein, the Pope provides advice on how we can be good Christians.
The answer is clear, he says: “We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount.”
The life of a Christian, the text also stresses, is a constant battle, noting we need strength and courage to reject the devil’s temptations–those “dangers and limitations that distract and debilitate”– and to proclaim the Gospel. Pope Francis also warns against that which impedes our call to holiness, such as hedonism and consumerism, noting they “can prove our downfall.”
Pope Francis concludes the work, stating: “It is my hope that these pages will prove helpful by enabling the whole Church to devote herself anew to promoting the desire for holiness.” (via Zenit)
***
Link to full text of Apostolic Exhortation: https://zenit.org/articles/gaudate-et-exsultate-on-the-call-to-holiness-in-todays-world-full-text/
Vatican Media has released a new video that focuses on the theme of the Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate: On the Call for Holiness in our Modern World. The two-and-a-half-minute video shows how the exhortation addressed the needs of people of all ages around the world.
Quote of the Day – 28 February 2018 – Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
“Does our life become from day to day more painful, more oppressive, more replete with sufferings? Blessed be He a thousand times who desires it so. If life be harder, love makes it also stronger and only this love, grounded on suffering, can carry the Cross of my Lord, Jesus Christ.”
One Minute Reflection – 22 February – The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter
“On this rock I will build my Church”…Matthew 16:18
REFLECTION – “How blessed is the Church of Rome, on which the Apostles poured forth all their doctrine along with their blood!” (De Praescriptione Hereticorum, 36)…….Tertullian
“I decided to consult the Chair of Peter, where that faith is found exalted by the lips of an Apostle; I now come to ask for nourishment for my soul there, where once I received the garment of Christ. I follow no leader save Christ, so I enter into communion with Your beatitude, that is, with the Chair of Peter, for this I know is the rock upon which the Church is built.” (cf. Le lettere I, 15, 1-2)…………..St Jerome (343-420) Father & Doctor
PRAYER – Holy Father, send Your Divine Enlightener into the hearts of all Your faithful, filling us with the strength to fulfil our mission as the followers of the Chair of St Peter. And most of all, we pray Lord Holy God to inspire and light the way of our Holy Father, Francis. Sustain and guide him, keep him in health and strength, to lead Your people by the Light of the Way and the Truth. Holy Father, have mercy on us, Holy Spirit guide and lead us, Lord Jesus Christ be our intercessor and teacher, amen.
St Ailius of Alexandria
St Angelus Portasole
St Aristion of Salamis
St Athanasius of Nicomedia
St Baradates of Cyrrhus
Bl Diego Carvalho
St Elwin
Bl Émilie d’Oultremont d’Hoogvorst
Bl Isabella of France
St John the Saxon
St Limnaeus
St Margaret of Cortona
St Maximian of Ravenna
St Miguel Facerías Garcés
St Mohammed Abdalla
St Papias of Heirapolis
St Paschasius of Vienne
St Raynerius of Beaulieu
St Thalassius
—
Martyrs of Arabia – A memorial for all the unnamed Christians martyred in the desert and mountainous areas south of the Dead Sea during the persecutions of Emperor Valerius Maximianus Galerius.
Madonna del Pilerio: The term Pilerio probably derives from piliero (pillar), or it could be older and derive from the greek puleròs (guardian, guardian of the city gate). The cult of the Madonna del Pilerio as the patron saint of Cosenza, dates back to the end of the 16th century. It is said that in the year 1576, while the plague desolated different regions of Italy, a devotee, praying before the icon of the Madonna del Pilerio, noticed a stain similar to the pestiferous bubo (the marks of the plague), present on the face of the Image. The phenomenon was noted by the people and by the ecclesiastical authorities. The stain was considered a prodigy and a revealing sign of the protection of the Madonna for the City of Cosenza, saved by her from the plague. Since then the Virgin of Pilerio became the Protectress of the City.
The news of the prodigious sign did not take long to spread and from the neighbouring countries a growing rush of devotees began. The pilgrimages continued over time and grew in number, so much so that in 1603, the Archbishop Monsignor Giovan Battista Costanzo (1591-1617), to better serve the influx of pilgrims, removed the painting from the place where it was and placed it before on one of the pillars of the central nave of the Duomo, then on the main altar and finally in 1607 in the specially built chapel dedicated to the Virgin and where even today is venerated. On April 17, 1607, at the unanimous request of the inhabitants of Cosenza, the Archbishop Mgr. Costanzo crowned the Virgin of Pilerio Regina and Patrona della Città. In 1783 a violent earthquake struck down on Cosenza. On that occasion another sign was found on the face of the image of the Pilerio.
—
St Alexius of Kiev
St Ammonius of Alexandria
Bl Anthony of Saxony
St Anthony Kauleas
St Benedict of Aniane (747-821)
Bl Benedict Revelli
St Damian of Africa
St Damian of Rome
St Ethelwald of Lindisfarne
St Eulalia of Barcelona
St Gaudentius of Verona
St Goscelinus of Turin
Bl Gregory of Tragurio
Bl Humbeline of Jully
St Jak Bushati
St Julian of Alexandria
St Julian the Hospitaller
Bl Ladislaus of Hungary
Bl Ludan
St Meletius of Antioch
St Modestus of Alexandria
St Modestus of Carthage
St Modestus the Deacon
Bl Nicholas of Hungary
St Sedulius
Bl Thomas of Foligno
—
Martyrs of Albitina – 46 saints:
During the persecutions of Diocletian, troops were sent to the churches of Abitina, North Africa on a Sunday morning; they rounded up everyone who had arrived for Mass and took them all to Carthage for interrogation by pro-consul Anulinus. The 46 who proclaimed their Christianity were executed. We know some of their names and stories.
• Ampelius
• Cassiano
• Ceciliano
• Cecilia
• Danzio
• Deciano
• Emeritus
• Ercolina
• Eva
• Fausto
• Felice (2 by this name)
• Felix
• Gennara (2 by this name)
• Gennaro
• Giriale
• Hilarion
• Maggiore
• Margherita
• Martino
• Mary
• Massimiano
• Matrona (2 by this name)
• Onorata
• Pelusio
• Pomponia
• Prima
• Quinto
• Regiola
• Restituta
• Rogatian (3 by this name)
• Rogato (2 by this name)
• Saturninus the Elder
• Saturninus the Younger
• Seconda (2 by this name)
• Thelica
• Victoria
• Vincenzo
• Vittoriano
• Vittorino
They were tortured to death in 304 in prison at Albitina, North Africa.
Martyred in England:
Bl George Haydock
Bl James Fenn
Bl John Nutter
Bl John Munden
Bl Thomas Hemeford
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
Josep Gassol Montseny
Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes – DAY NINE– 10 February (we Pray the Novena for our own intentions and for the sick, the infirm within our own communities but also for all those throughout the world who suffer, especially those who have no-one to pray for them in preparation for the Wold Day of the Sick on 11 February.)
DAY NINE
O glorious Mother of God,
to you we raise our hearts and hands
to implore your powerful intercession
in obtaining from the benign Heart of Jesus
all the graces necessary
for our spiritual and temporal welfare,
particularly for the grace of a happy death.
O Mother of our Divine Lord,
as we conclude this novena for the special favour
we seek at this time.
……………………………(make your request)
Mary and Bernadette
We feel animated with confidence that your prayers in our behalf
will be graciously heard. O Mother of My Lord,
through the love you bear to Jesus Christ
and for the glory of His Name,
hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.
O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes,
glorious in your assumption,
triumphant in your coronation,
show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God,
Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother,
be our comfort, hope, strength, and consolation. Amen.
Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes – DAY SEVEN– 8 February (we Pray the Novena for our own intentions and for the sick, the infirm within our own communities but also for all those throughout the world who suffer, especially those who have no-one to pray for them in preparation for the Wold Day of the Sick on 11 February.)
DAY SEVEN
O Almighty God,
who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son,
we humbly beseech You,
that as we contemplate the apparition of Our Lady in the Grotto of Lourdes,
we may be blessed with health of mind and body.
O most gracious Mother Mary, beloved Mother of Our Lord and Redeemer,
look with favour upon us as you did that day on Bernadette
and intercede with Him for us
that the favour we now so earnestly seek may be granted to us.
………………………………(make your request)
O Brilliant star of purity, Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes,
glorious in your assumption, triumphant in your coronation,
show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God, Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother,
be our comfort, hope, strength and consolation. Amen
Saint of the Day – 3 February – St Blaise (Died c 316) – Martyr, Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia, Physician, Miracle-worker. Died in c 316 by his flesh being torn off his body by iron wool-combs, then beheaded. Patronages – against angina • against bladder diseases • against blisters • against coughs • against dermatitis • against dropsy • against eczema • against edema • against fever • against goitres • against headaches • against impetigo • against respiratory diseases • against skin diseases • against snake bites • against sore throats • against stomach pain • against storms • against teething pain • against throat diseases • against toothaches • against ulcers • against whooping cough • against wild beasts • angina sufferers of ; of children, animals, builders, drapers, against choking, veterinarians, infants, of 21 Cities, of stonecutters, carvers, wool workers. St Blaise is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers – https://anastpaul.com/2018/07/25/thought-for-the-day-25-july-the-memorial-of-st-christopher-died-c-251-one-of-the-fourteen-holy-helpers/
Today the Church remembers the life and witness of Saint Blaise, a 3rd century Armenian bishop who endured terrifying torments and surrendered his life rather than repudiate his profession of Faith.
Much of the life of Saint Blaise is history that has passed into legend but even these legendary accounts offer spiritual insight.
Blaise was renowned as a wonderworker, effecting miraculous cures. T his would have been enough to attract attention but he was also not averse to calling out the Roman officials who ruled the region in which he lived, Cappadocia, for their tyranny and intolerance of Christian faith and practice. The combination of a reputation for supernatural power and the courage of his convictions was not welcomed by Rome and the governor ordered Bishop Blaise to be arrested. Blaise was able to elude capture and took refuge in the wilderness. It was there in the caves of Cappadocia that his ministry and his mission continued.
There is an account of Saint Blaise that identifies not only his pastoral care for the Christian faithful but also for the animals of the wilderness.
A woman had witnessed her piglet carried off by a wolf and spoke of her plight to the bishop. Saint Blaise called for the wolf, demanded her return the piglet to its rightful owner and reminded the wolf of the grave penalty that awaited a thief. The wolf complied and returned the piglet to its owner- a credit to the bishop’s power of persuasion. The woman would later return the favour to Saint Blaise when he was finally captured and imprisoned. She brought to him candles to illuminate his dank and dreary cell.
This legend hints at how the saints represent, in their holiness, the restoration of a paradise lost and regained in Christ. The ease and familiarity with which the Biblical character of Adam is believed to have communed with nature before the fall is recapitulated in Saint Blaise- he is a sign that anticipates the restoration of all things in Christ where the lion will rest with the lamb and in this case, the wolf will return stolen property to its rightful owner.
Saint Blaise has been invoked for centuries as a specialist in diseases of the throat. The origin of this practice might be in the story of a child brought to the saint who was either choking or suffering from some other malady of the throat. Saint Blaise blessed the boy and he was restored to health.
The practice of blessing throats on the Feast of Saint Blaise is a commemoration of this miracle, that crossed candles are often used to impart this blessing might also be a recollection of the kindness of the woman who gave candles to the saint as he languished in prison.
Saint Blaise was an extraordinarily popular saint during the Middle Ages in Europe. Presentations of his miraculous and mighty deeds were commonly represented in art and sculpture, and he was included in a listing of saints called the Fourteen Holy Helpers (or Auxiliary Saints), holy men and women who could be counted on as intercessors for all manner of maladies from madness to travelers in distress. During times in which a sore throat could be a signal of an impending epidemic or an early death, the faithful were all too happy to accept the help of a heavenly specialist in such matters like Saint Blaise.
The legends regarding Saint Blaise report that his sojourn in the wilderness did not protect him for very long. He was eventually arrested and brought to trial. The judge advised him that only a pinch of incense offered to the image of Caesar and the gods of Rome could win him his freedom. Blaise refused. He was cruelly tortured and beheaded.
The Church does not mourn Saint Blaise, for we know that in Christ this world is not all that there is. While tyrants like Caesar and his successors can threaten us with death, Christ promises us a life that like his own, is transformed through suffering and death, into resurrection.
The scriptures proclaim, “though they slay me I will trust in you.”
Saint Blaise did precisely this. He trusted that Christ would not abandon him to the power of death nor allow his suffering to be meaningless. Our lives might never be raised to the legendary status of Saint Blaise but we can trust in Christ as he did and live in hope that one day we will join him in communion with all the saints who have gone before us in faith and who, from their place in heaven, guide and protect us still. (Fr Steve Grunow)
NOVENA to OUR LADY of LOURDES – DAY ONE – 2 FEBRUARY (we Pray the Novena for our own intentions and for the sick, the infirm within our own communities but also for all those throughout the world who suffer, especially those who have no-one to pray for them in preparation for the Wold Day of the Sick on 11 February.)
O Mary Immaculate,
Our Lady of Lourdes,
virgin and mother, queen of heaven,
chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of the Eternal Word
and in virtue of this title preserved from original sin,
we kneel before you as did little Bernadette at Lourdes
and pray with childlike trust in you
that as we contemplate your glorious appearance at Lourdes,
you will look with mercy on our present petition
and secure for us a favorable answer to the request
for which we are making this novena.
……………………………………(make your request)
O Brilliant star of purity,
Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Lourdes,
glorious in your assumption,
triumphant in your coronation,
show unto us the mercy of the Mother of God,
Virgin Mary, Queen and Mother,
be our comfort, hope, strength and consolation. Amen.
One Minute Reflection – 2 February – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life
Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered...Hebrews 5: 7-9
REFLECTION – “When Mary let Simeon take the Son of the Promise into his arms, the old man began to sing of his dreams. Whenever she puts Jesus in the midst of His people, they encounter joy. For this alone will bring back our joy and hope, this alone will save us from living in a survival mentality. Only this will make our lives fruitful and keep our hearts alive: putting Jesus where He belongs, in the midst of His people…Hence, it is all the more important for consecrated men and women to be one with Jesus, in their lives and in the midst of these great changes (in the world)…Putting Jesus in the midst of His people means having a contemplative heart, one capable of discerning how God is walking through the streets of our cities, our towns and our neighbourhoods. Putting Jesus in the midst of His people means taking up and carrying the crosses of our brothers and sisters. It means wanting to touch the wounds of Jesus in the wounds of a world in pain, which longs and cries out for healing.”…Pope Francis on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life – 2 February 2017
PRAYER – May the Lord renew in you and in all consecrated people each day the joyful response to His freely given and faithful love. Dear brothers and sisters, like lighted candles, always and everywhere shine with the love of Christ, Light of the world. May Mary Most Holy, the consecrated Woman, help you to live to the full, your special vocation and mission in the Church for the world’s salvation. And may we all follow our Lord in obedience. Amen!
In January, the Catholic Church celebrated the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus and in February, we turn to the entire Holy Family—Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
In sending His Son to earth as a Baby, born into a family, God elevated the family beyond a mere natural institution. Our own family life reflects that lived by Christ, in obedience to His mother and foster father. Both as children and as parents, we can take comfort in the fact that we have the perfect model of the family before us in the Holy Family.
One commendable practice for the month of February is a Consecration to the Holy Family – I will post this pray during this month. If you have a prayer corner or a home altar, you can gather the entire family and recite the consecration prayer, which reminds us that we aren’t saved individually. We all work out our salvation in conjunction with others—first and foremost, together with the other members of our family.
There’s no need to wait until next February to repeat the consecration, it’s a good prayer for your family to pray every month.
Grant unto us, Lord Jesus,
ever to follow the example of Your holy Family,
that in the hour of our death
Your glorious Virgin Mother
together with blessed Joseph
may come to meet us
and we may be worthily received by You
into everlasting dwellings
who lives and reigns, world without end.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 24 January – The Memorial of St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church: Doctor caritatis (Doctor of Charity)
St Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787) on St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
When one Doctor of the Church talks about another, you know it’s going to be good:
“Great was the faith of St Francis de Sales. Such was his delight when he thought of the beauty and excellence of Faith, that he was heard to exclaim, “Oh my God, the beauty of our holy Faith appears to be so delightful that I could die for love for it and it seems to me that I ought to enclose this precious gift which God has bestowed upon me, in a heart full of the sweetest perfumes of devotion.” Hence he was never satisfied with giving God thanks for having blessed him with the favour of being born a child of the True Church: “O bountiful God,” said he, “great indeed are the favours by which Thou hast bound me to Thee’ but how shall I ever sufficiently thank Thee for having enlightened me with the true Faith?” And he declared that, although he constantly had so much to do with heretics, he had never once doubted in the least of the truth of his Faith. They who love God never doubt in matters of Faith, it is only those who do not live according to the dictates of their Faith who doubt of its Truths.”
[I think this is very true. And I have read a great many Saints who commented on the converse of this: Liguori himself, Aquinas and Jerome, all stated that public heresy is almost always driven by some sin, some lust or greed or pride that separates one from Grace – at least it’s fullness – and leads to souls developing a loathing for the Truth Christ has revealed through His Church. Thus, they apostatise in order to rationalise or justify, in their minds, their private (or even public) sin].
“Great also was the Hope of St Francis. He was always firmly convinced that God continually watches over our welfare and hence he was always calm and intrepid in the midst of the greatest dangers. In the very dangers which threatened his designs for the glory of God, he never lost confidence. And this he always endeavoured to instill into others. On one occasion he is related to have said to a timid soul: “Do you desire to belong entirely to God? Why, then, do you fear on account of your weakness? Do you hope in God? And shall he who hopes in God be ever confounded? Be not afraid of your fears.” He who loves God much, confides much in Him. Love always cuts off fear.
Holy Saint, since thou art now in Heaven loving Jesus face to Face, obtain for me the Grace to love Him, as thou didst love Him in thy lifetime.”
Quote/s of the Day – 24 January – The Memorial of St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church: Doctor caritatis (Doctor of Charity)
“Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them. He is your keeper. He has kept you hitherto. Do you but hold fast to His dear hand and He will lead you safely through all things; and, when you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. Our Father will either shield you from suffering, or He will give you strength to bear it.”
“Anxiety is the greatest evil that can befall a soul, except sin. God commands you to pray but He forbids you to worry.”
“Great occasions for serving God come seldom but little ones, surround us daily.”
“Half an hour’s meditation each day is essential, except, when you are busy. Then a full hour is needed.”
“Let us think only of spending the present day well. Then, when tomorrow shall have come, it will be called TODAY and then, we will think about it.”
“Every morning, prepare your soul for a tranquil day.”
“What we need, is a cup of understanding, a barrel of love and an ocean of patience.”
“A quarrel between friends, when made up, adds a new tie to friendship.”
“Friendships begun in this world will be taken up again, never to be broken off. “
“Don’t get upset with your imperfections. It’s a great mistake because it leads nowhere – to get angry because you are angry, upset at being upset, depressed at being depressed, disappointed because you are disappointed. So don’t fool yourself. Simply surrender to the Power of God’s Love, which is always greater than our weakness.”
“Don’t sow your desires in someone else’s garden; just cultivate your own as best you can; don’t long to be other than what you are but desire to be thoroughly what you are. Direct your thoughts, to being very good at that and to bearing the crosses, little or great, that you will find there. Believe me, this is the most important and least understood point to the spiritual life. We all love according to what is our taste; few people like what is according to their duty or to God’s liking. What is the use of building castles in Spain when we have to live in France?”
St Francis de Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Church
Saint of the Day – 21 January – St Agnes (c 291- c 304) Child Virgin Martyr – Patronages – Betrothed couples; chastity; Children of Mary; Colegio Capranica of Rome; crops; gardeners; Girl Guides; girls; rape victims; virgins; the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York; the City of Fresno. She is one of seven women who, along with the Blessed Virgin, are commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. Agnes is depicted in art with a lamb, from the Latin word for “lamb”, agnus. However, the name “Agnes” is actually derived from the feminine Greek adjective hagnē meaning “chaste, pure, sacred”.
Saint Agnes of Rome was a member of the Roman nobility born in c 291 and raised in an holy Catholic family. She suffered Martyrdom at the age of twelve or thirteen during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, on 21 January 304. She was a beautiful young girl of wealthy family and, therefore, had many suitors of high rank. Legend holds that the young men, slighted by her resolute devotion to religious purity, submitted her name to the authorities as a follower of Christianity.
The Prefect Sempronius condemned Agnes to be dragged naked through the streets to a brothel. In one account, as she prayed, her hair grew and covered her body. It was also said that all of the men that attempted to rape her were immediately struck blind. The son of the prefect is struck dead but revived after she prayed for him, causing her release. There is then a trial from which Sempronius recuses himself and another figure presides, sentencing her to death. She was led out and bound to a stake but the bundle of wood would not burn, or the flames parted away from her, whereupon the officer in charge of the troops drew his sword and beheaded her, or, in some other texts, stabbed her in the throat. It is also said that her blood poured to the stadium floor where other Christians soaked it up with cloths.
Agnes was buried beside the Via Nomentana in Rome. A few days after her death, her foster-sister, Saint Emerentiana, was found praying by her tomb; she claimed to be the daughter of Agnes’ wet nurse, and was stoned to death after refusing to leave the place and reprimanding the pagans for killing her foster sister. Emerentiana was also later canonised. The daughter of Constantine I, Saint Constance, was said to have been cured of leprosy after praying at Agnes’ tomb. She and Emerentiana appear in the scenes from the life of Agnes on the 14th-century Royal Gold Cup in the British Museum.
An early account of Agnes’ death, stressing her young age, steadfastness and virginity, but not the legendary features of the tradition, is given by Saint Ambrose.
Agnes was venerated as a saint at least as early as the time of St Ambrose, based on an existing homily. She is commemorated in the Depositio Martyrum of Filocalus (354) and in the early Roman Sacramentaries.
Agnes’s bones are conserved beneath the high altar in the church of Sant’Agnese fuori le mura in Rome, built over the catacomb that housed her tomb. Her skull is preserved in a separate chapel in the church of Sant’Agnese in Agone in Rome’s Piazza Navona.
Because of the legend around her martyrdom, she is patron saint of those seeking chastity and purity. Agnes is also the patron saint of young girls. Folk custom called for them to practise rituals on Saint Agnes’ Eve (20–21 January) with a view to discovering their future husbands. This superstition has been immortalised in John Keats’s poem, The Eve of Saint Agnes.
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