St Abraham Kidunaia
St Abraham of Rostov
St Achahildis of Wendelstein
St Anne of Mount Olympus
St Colman of Kilmacduagh
St Dodone of Wallers-en-Fagne
St Donatus of Corfu
St Ermelinda of Meldaert
St Eusebia of Bergamo
St Felician of Carthage St Gaetano Errico (1791-1860) His Story: https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/29/saint-of-the-day-29-october-st-gaetano-errico-1791-1860/
St Honoratus of Vercelli
St John of Autun
St Kennera
St Mary of Edessa
St Narcissus of Gerona St Narcissus of Jerusalem (c 99-c 215)
St Sigolinus of Stavelot
St Stephen of Cajazzo
St Terence of Metz
St Theodore of Vienne
St Zenobius of Sidon
—
Martyrs of Douai – (160 saints and beati): 160 priests, laymen and religious who studied at the English College in Douai, France, then returned to minister to covert Catholics in England during a period of government persecution of the Church, and were murdered for their work.
Martyrs of Lucania – (4 saints): A group of Christians executed together for their faith. Only their names have survived – Felician, Hyacinth, Lucius and Quintus. Their martyrdom occurred in Lucania, southern Italy.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Arsenio Merino Miguel
• Blessed Benito Paradela Novoa
• Blessed Joaquina Rey Aguirre
• Blessed José Ruiz Bruixola
• Blessed Maurilio Tobar González
• Blessed Ponciano Nieto Asensio
• Blessed Victoria Arregui Guinea
Thought for the Day – 28 October – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles and Martyrs, Gospel: Luke 6:12-19
As the Father Sent Me, so I am Sending You
Saint Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)
Bishop, Father & Doctor of the Church
An excerpt from his Commentary on the Gospel of John
Our Lord Jesus Christ has appointed certain men to be guides and teachers of the world and stewards of His divine mysteries. Now He bids them to shine out like lamps and to cast out their light, not only over the land of the Jews but over every country under the sun and over people scattered in all directions and settled in distant lands. That man has spoken truly who said: No one takes honour upon himself, except the one who is called by God, for it was our Lord Jesus Christ who called His own disciples before all others to a most glorious apostolate. These holy men became the pillar and mainstay of the truth and Jesus said that He was sending them just as the Father had sent Him.
By these words, He is making clear, the dignity of the apostolate and the incomparable glory of the power given to them but He is also, it would seem, giving them a hint about the methods they are to adopt, in their apostolic mission. For if Christ thought it necessary to send out His intimate disciples in this fashion, just as the Father had sent Him, then surely, it was necessary, that they, whose mission was to be patterned on that of Jesus, should see exactly why the Father had sent the Son. And so Christ interpreted the character of His mission to us in a variety of ways. Once He said – I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance. And then at another time He said – I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will but the will of Him who sent me. For God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.
Accordingly, in affirming that they are sent by Him just as He was sent by the Father, Christ sums up in a few words the approach they themselves should take to their ministry. From what He said, they would gather that it was their vocation to call sinners to repentance, to heal those who were sick, whether in body or spirit, to seek in all their dealing, never to do their own will but the will of Him who sent them and, as far as possible, to save the world by their teaching.
Surely it is in all these respects, that we find His holy disciples striving to excel. To ascertain this is no great labour, a single reading of the Acts of the Apostles or of Saint Paul’s writings is enough.
Quote/s of the Day – 28 October – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles and Martyrs, Gospel: Luke 6:12-19
“Simon was worlds apart from Matthew, who, on the contrary, had an activity behind him as a tax collector that was frowned upon as entirely impure. This shows that Jesus called His disciples and collaborators, without exception, from the most varied social and religious backgrounds.
It was people who interested Him, not social classes or labels! And the best thing is that in the group of His followers, despite their differences, they all lived side by side, overcoming imaginable difficulties, indeed, what bound them together, was Jesus Himself, in whom they all found themselves united with one another.
This is clearly a lesson for us who are often inclined to accentuate differences and even contrasts, forgetting, that in Jesus Christ, we are given the strength to get the better of our continual conflicts.
Let us also bear in mind, that the group of the Twelve, is the prefiguration of the Church, where there must be room for all charisms, peoples and races, all human qualities that find their composition and unity in communion with Jesus.”
Pope Benedict XVI
Catechesis on Saints Simon and Jude General Audience Saint Peter’s Square Wednesday, 11 October 2006
“Woe to them! They followed the way of Cain … These are blemishes … as they carouse fearlessly and look after themselves. They are waterless clouds blown about by winds, fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead and uprooted. They are like wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameless deeds, wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever.”
One Minute Reflection – 28 October – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles and Martyrs, Gospel: Luke 6:12-19
And when it was day, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostle … Luke 6:13
REFLECTION – “Saint Paul said: “The weakness of God is stronger than all men” (1Cor 1:25). It is clear from this too that the gospel is divine. For whence did it strike twelve unlettered men to attempt such great enterprises, men who were living in marshes, or rivers, in desert places, who had never perhaps gone into a city or the public square? Whence did it strike them to array themselves against the whole world? That they were cowardly and unmanly, he who has written about them shows, inasmuch as he does not even deprecate nor try to gloss over their failings. This, in itself, is a powerful proof of the truth. What then does this man say about them? That after the innumerable miracles they had seen Christ work, when He was taken prisoner some fled, while the one who remained, although he was head over the rest, denied Him.
Here were men who failed to stand up to the Jews when Christ was alive. Yet when He died and was buried, they arrayed themselves against the whole world… Would they not have said to themselves: “What is this? He had not strength to save Himself, will He protect us? He did not defend Himself when He was alive, will He reach out His hand to us, now He is dead? When He was alive He did not conquer a single nation—shall we convince the whole world by speaking His name?”… Hence it is clear that, if they had not seen Him risen and received this mighty proof of His power, they would never have risked such a gamble.” … St John Chrysostom (c.345-407) Priest at Antioch then Bishop of Constantinople, Father & Doctor of the Church – Homily on the 1st letter to the Corinthians 4, 3
PRAYER – Lord God, You taught us to call upon Your name, through the preaching of the Apostles. Open our eyes each day, grant that we may see Jesus Your Son at our side, open our ears that we may hear His voice, open our mouths, that we may beg forgiveness and proclaim the good news, as we follow the way Your Son carved out for us. At the intercession of Sts Simon and Jude, may Your Church continue to grow and to hope in Your love. We make our prayer through Jesus our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 28 October – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles and Martyrs
Come, let us worship the Lord, the King of Apostles.
One Joyful Hymn of Praise must Greet Morning Hymn On the Feast of Sts Simon and Jude From the Breviary The Benedictines of Saint Cecilia’s Abbey, Ryde, UK
One joyful hymn of praise must greet
Apostles whom we always find
Together in the Gospel’s page,
By faithful love and zeal combined.
To follow Christ in early youth
Was surely Simon’s joy and pride,
Before the Zealot would set forth
To preach His Name both far and wide.
Saint Jude, a kinsman of our Lord,
In heart and mind yet closer still,
Your words remain until this day
With hope and love our souls to fill.
As brothers both in life and death,
A martyr’s crown was your reward,
As shining witnesses to truth
And victims worthy of your Lord.
O gleaming stars in heaven’s light
Help us to tread our thorny way,
That with our faith alert and strong
We may attain to glory’s day.
Be praised the Father evermore,
The Holy Spirit and the Son,
May we rejoice before God’s throne
Eternally when life is done.
Amen
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles of Christ – 28 October
Today the Church celebrates the feast of Sts Simon and Jude whose names occur together in the Canon of the Mass and are also celebrated on the same day. These two Apostles have been linked in name since the early days of Christianity and some believe that this is because they were relatives of Jesus.
San Simón | Jusepe de Ribera / Image: Saint Jude Thaddeus | Georges de La Tour
St Simon in the Gospels is called “the Zealot” and this may indicate that he belonged to that military group of Jews called the Zealots, the last of whom committed suicide on Masada rather than surrender to the Roman legions. Legend has Simon evangelising the area around Edessa in Syria, where later a great school of theology arose. It is also said, that after preaching in Egypt, he joined St Jude in Mesopotamia and that they both went as missionaries to Persia and were martyred there. Undoubtedly, their names are linked also because of this association.
St Simon
Jude was most certainly a cousin of Jesus and is mentioned in the lists of the “brothers of the Lord.” In Luke he is called Jude and in Matthew and Mark, ‘Thaddeus’ and is considered to be the brother of James, the first Bishop of Jerusalem and the leader of the early Christian community there – this is James the Lesser, not the brother of St John. He is the author of the Epistle of Jude in the New Testament, one of those called the ‘Catholic Epistles.’ It is believed that the early translators of the New Testament from Greek into English, sought to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot and subsequently abbreviated his forename. In iconography, , St Jude is often shown with an image of his cousin, our Lord Jesus and a tongue of fire over his head.
At the Last Supper, it was Jude who asked the Lord Jesus, why He did not manifest Himself to the rest of the world and Jesus answered that he and the Father would visit all those who loved Him, saying – “We will come to him and make our abode with him.”
Jude is the patron of ‘hopeless cases’ and devotion to him, as the advocate of impossible causes, is widespread throughout the Church. So why is St Jude Thaddaeus the patron saint of desperate causes? The traditional reason is rather simple – When one hears the name Judas (Latin and Greek) or even Jude (English), one immediately thinks of Judas Iscariot who betrayed our Lord. Therefore, a person had to be desperate to invoke his name. Being so seldom invoked and reverenced, St Jude is ready and waiting to hear the prayers of those who call upon him. Ironically, he is probably the Apostle who is invoked the most in prayer and the most memorialised in churches, with statues and stained glass windows or other artworks.
It is a beautiful tradition, associated with prayer to St Jude, for his intercession, to leave a copy of the prayer in a Church, or before his Statue, Picture or Shrine, for someone else in great need, to find. The prayer is usually prayed as a Novena.
Prayer to St Jude
Patron of Impossible Causes
Most holy Apostle, St Jude,
faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the Church honours and invokes you universally,
as the patron of hopeless causes,
of things almost despaired of.
Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone.
Help me, I implore you,
by that particular privilege given to you,
to bring visible and speedy help
where help is almost despaired of.
Come to my assistance in this great need,
that I may receive the consolation
and help of Heaven in all my necessities,
tribulation and sufferings,
particularly ………………… (state request)
and that I may praise God with you
and all the elect forever.
I promise, O blessed St Jude,
to be ever mindful of this great favour,
to always honour you as my special and powerful patron
and to gratefully encourage devotion to you.
Amen
Lord of Miracles/Señor de los Milagros de Nazarenas: A mid-17th-century painting of the Crucifixion that is venerated in Lima, Peru and its celebration involves one of the largest processions in the world.
It was painted by an unnamed African taken to Peru as a slave from what is now Angola. Above the Cross is the Holy Spirit and God the Father. Below and to the right of Jesus, is His mother, the Virgin Mary with her heart pierced by a sword of sorrow. Kneeling and weeping at the foot of the cross is St Mary Magdalene.
The name originated on 13 November 1655 when everything around it was destroyed in an earthquake that left the painting standing and undamaged. Christ is shown enduring the pain of crucifixion.
Every year in October, hundreds of thousands of devotees from all races and economic backgrounds participate in a procession honouring the image through the streets of Lima. Boulevards are decorated in purple on 18,19 and the final Feast 28 October to celebrate the Lord of Miracles.
St Abdias of Babylon
St Abraham of Ephesus
St Alberic of Stavelot
St Anastasia the Elder
St Anglinus of Stavelot
St Cyril of Rome
St Cyrilla of Rome
St Diomedes the Younger
St Dorbhene of Iona
St Eadsin of Canterbury
St Elius of Lyon
St Faro of Meaux
St Ferrutius
St Fidelis of Como
St Genesius of Thiers
Bl Germain of Talloires
St Gioan Dat
St Godwin of Stavelot
St Maria Ascuncion
St Remigius of Lyons
St Rodrigo Aguilar Aleman
St Salvius of Amiens
—
Martyrs of Avila – 3 saints: Two sisters and a brother who, during a period of persecution, fled Talavera de la Reina, Spain, were caught and executed. Martyrs: Christeta, Sabina and Vincent. 303 in Avila, Spain.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Claudio Julían García San Román
• Blessed Maria Asuncion
Thought for the Day – 27 October – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 18:9–14
Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)
Always descend, always humble yourself.
Hermit and Missionary in the Sahara
Retreat, Holy Land, Lent 1898
“[Christ:] See [My] devotion to men and consider what your own should be. See that humility for man’s good and learn to humble yourself to do good… to make yourself small to win others, not to fear to go lower or lose your rights when it is a matter of doing good, not to believe that in descending you make yourself powerless to do good. To the contrary, by descending you imitate Me, by descending you make use of the same means, for the love of humankind, that I Myself employed, by descending you walk in My way and, therefore, in the truth and you are in the best place to lay hold of life and give it to others… By my incarnation I place Myself on a level with creatures, by My baptism …on that of sinners, descent, humility… Always descend, always humble yourself.
Let those who are first always stand in the last place, through humility and in disposition of spirit, with an attitude of descent and service. Love of men, humility, the last place, in the last place, so long as the divine will does not call you to another, since then you must obey. Obedience before all else, conformity to God’s will. In the first place, be spiritually in the last, through humility, occupy it in the spirit of service, telling yourself, that you are only there, to serve others and lead them to salvation.”
Quote/s of the Day – 27 October – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 18:9–14
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Luke 14:11
‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
Luke 18:13
“If you wish to reach high, then begin at the lowest level. If you are trying to construct some mighty edifice in height, you will begin with the lowest foundation. This is humility. However great the mass of the building you may wish to design or erect, the taller the building is to be, the deeper you will dig the foundation. The building in the course of its erection, rises up high but he who digs its foundation, must first go down very low. So then, you see even a building is low before it is high and the tower is raised, only after humiliation.”
St Augustine (354-430)
Father & Doctor (Sermon 69)
“The three most important virtues are: humility, humility and humility.”
St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
Doctor of the Church
“For it is well known, that, on the spiritual road, not to go on, overcoming self, is to go backwards and not to increase our gain, is to lose.”
St John of the Cross (1542-1591)
Doctor of the Church
“We are ever but beginning, the most perfect Christian, is to himself but a beginner, a penitent prodigal who has squandered God’s gifts and comes to Him, to be tried over again, not as a son but as a hired servant.”
Sunday Reflection – 27 October – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 18:9–14
Mary Receives Him
St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
I see thee after the Ascension.
This is a time of bereavement but still of consolation.
It was still a twilight time but not a time of grief.
The Lord was absent but He was not on earth, He was not in suffering.
Death had no power over Him.
And He came to her, day-by-day in the Blessed Sacrifice.
I see the Blessed Mary at Mass and Saint John celebrating.
She is waiting for the moment of her Son’s Presence – now she converses with Him in the Sacred rite and what shall I say now? She receives Him, to whom once she gave birth …..
O Holy Mother, stand by me now at mass time, when Christ comes to me, as thou did minister to thy infant Lord – as thou did hang upon His words when He grew up, as thou was found under His Cross.
Stand by me, Holy Mother, that I may gain somewhat of thy purity, thy innocence, thy faith and He may be the one object of my love and my adoration, as He was of thine. Amen
One Minute Reflection – 27 October – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 18:9–14
‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ … Luke 18:13
REFLECTION – “The Gospel of the two men praying in the temple, the Pharisee and the tax collector, reveals to what kind of prayer penetrates to God.
We notice a difference even in their respective postures. The one stands “with unbowed head” as if the temple belongs to him, while the other “keeps his distance,” as if he has crossed the threshold of a house in which he really does not belong.
The first one prays “to himself,” really, not even praying to God but reviewing for himself the list of his virtues assuming that, when God Himself notices them, He will respect them and marvel at them. Moreover, this man catalogues his virtues as a means of setting himself off from “other men,” none of whom have attained his level of perfection. He is travelling the road of “self-discovery,” which is precisely the path of “loss of God.” The other man can only discover sin in himself, can only find himself devoid of God, which, as he pleads, “be merciful to me,” turns into an empty place for God to occupy. No-one, whose ultimate goal is his own perfection, will ever find God.
Anyone who has the humility to permit God’s perfection to take effect in his emptiness – not by being passive but by working with the talent He gives him – will be considered a “justified” person in the sight of God.” … Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905-1988)
PRAYER – Lord God, deepen our faith, strengthen our hope, enkindle our love and so that we may obtain what You promise, make us love what You command. Mary, holy Mother, teach us complete humility and trust, help us to be a total fiat as you are. We make our prayer, through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for all eternity, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 27 October – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
Adoro te Devote, latens Deitas! I Devoutly Adore You, hidden Deity By St John Paul II (1920-2005)
We adore You, O wonderful Sacrament
of the presence of the One
who loved His own “to the end.”
We thank You, O Lord,
who edifies,
gathers together
and gives life to the Church.
O divine Eucharist, flame of Christ’s love
that burns on the altar of the world,
make the Church, comforted by You,
evermore caring, in wiping away,
the tears of the suffering
and in sustaining the efforts
of all who yearn for justice and peace.
And you, Mary, “Eucharistic” Woman
who offered your virginal womb
for the incarnation of the Word of God,
help us to live the Eucharistic Mystery
in the spirit of the “Magnificat.”
May our lives be a never-ending praise
of the Almighty who concealed Himself
beneath the humility of the Eucharistic signs.
Adoro te devote, latens Deitas. .. Adoro te… adiuva me!
I Devoutly Adore You, hidden Deity I Adore You, help me!
Saint of the Day – 27 October – Blessed Bartholomew OP (c 1200–1271) Bishop, Confessor, Dominican Friar, renowned Preacher, Defender of the Faith, Writer, Theologian, diplomatic peacemaker – also known as Bartholomew of Braganza – born in c 1200 in Vicenza, Italy and died there in 1271.
Bartholomew was born in the city of Vicenza to the noble family of di Braganca. He studied at Padua, receiving there the habit of the recently founded Order from the hands of St Dominic himself, at about the age of twenty. Immediately after his ordination, he was sent to Lombardy to preach against the heretics who were leading others away from the true faith. As a young priest he founded a military order whose purpose was to keep civil peace in towns throughout Italy.
He was so effective in this, that the Holy Father, Pope Gregory IX called him to Rome and appointed him Master of the Sacred Palace (the Papal Theologian), which is an office traditionally held by Dominicans. Because of the differing needs of the Church, the following Pope, Innocent IV, appointed him to become a bishop on the Island of Cyprus. For most men, such an appointment is an honour and a tribute to their holiness and their demonstrated leadership skills. But for Bartholomew, it was a form of exile that had been urged by an antipapal group that was only too happy to see him leave for Cyprus.
Already having become a friend of St Louis the King of France, Bl Bartholomew renewed this friendship as St Louis went through Cyprus on his way to Egypt during the Seventh Crusade (1248). In 1254, he was sent as legate to the courts of England and France and as Henry III of England was, at that time, in his realm in the Aquitaine, Bartholomew travelled there towards the close of that year, then accompanied the English king and queen to Paris. He was, on this occasion, presented by the King of France with a relic of the true Cross and a thorn from Jesus’ Crown of Thorns, worn at His Crucifixion. These he afterwards placed in the beautiful Dominican Church built by him at Vicenza which is known as the Church of the Crown.
Two years later, in order to ensure the presence of so distinguished a prelate at his own court, Pope Alexander IV made him Bishop of Vicenza, his native city. During his tenure of that see, Bartholomew was subject to the hostility of the local ruler Ezzelino III, a Ghibelline who was noted for the brutality of his rule and who was a strong opponent of Papal power. But in Vicenza, he not only continued to preach the truths of the faith and free the local Church from the errors of the Manicheans but he also established such a sense of peace that the people asked him to become their temporal ruler as well. He rightfully declined but this shows the great virtue that he not only had but also, that he instilled in his people.
He was venerated by the people and, according to the Bollandists, has always been honoured with the title of “Blessed”. In recognition of this, he was formally Beatified in 1793. He wrote commentaries on Scripture, was the reputed author of a commentary on the “Hierarchy” of St Dionysius the Areopagite, of two volumes of sermons and some smaller works.
O God, who made Blessed Bartholomew, Your Confessor and Bishop, wonderful in leading the enemies of the faith from the darkness of error to the light of truth and in bringing back multitudes to peace and concord, grant, through his intercession, that Your peace, which passes all understanding, may keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, who lives and reigns with You forever and ever.
St Abban of Magh-Armuidhe
St Abraham the Poor Bl Bartholomew OP (c 1200–1271)
St Capitolina
St Colman of Senboth-Fola
St Colman of Templeshambo
St Desiderius of Auxerre
St Elesbaan of Ethiopia
St Emilina of Boulancourt
St Erotheides
St Florentius of Trois-Châteaux St Frumentius (Died c 383) Apostle to Ethiopia St Frumentius’ Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/27/saint-of-the-day-27-october-st-frumentius-died-c-383-apostle-to-ethiopia/
St Gaudiosus of Naples
Bl Goswin of Clairvaux
St Namatius of Clermont
St Odrian of Waterford
Bl Salvador Mollar Ventura
St Thraseas of Eumenia
St Uni
Thought for the Day – 26 October – Saturday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Marian Saturdays
Speaking of: Saturday Devotions in Honour of Our Lady
Part Three
By Sr M Jean Frisk SSM
The Sorrowful Heart of Mary Saturdays
and the Five First Saturdays
In the message of Fatima, especially in the apparitions of 13 June and 13 July 1917, Mary drew attention to the custom of devoting Saturdays to her and praying the Rosary in reparation. Lucia, the eldest of the three children heard the following on 13 June:
“My child, behold my heart surrounded with thorns which ungrateful men place therein at every moment by their blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, try to console me and tell them that I promise to help, at the hour of death, with the graces needed for salvation, whoever, on the First Saturday of five consecutive months, shall confess and receive Holy Communion, recite five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for fifteen minutes while meditating on the fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation to me.”
On 13 July, the children were again admonished to say the rosary. At this time, the Blessed Mother asked for the Consecration of the world to her Immaculate Heart and for communion of reparation on the first Saturday of each month. These messages were accompanied by an appeal and a promise – an appeal for prayer and reparation by the people for their transgressions against the divine law; a promise of peace and love in this life and eternal happiness in the next on the twofold condition of prayer and amendment.
In 1925, Lucia vouched for this message, saying that Mary would assist us at the hour of death if the first Saturdays of five consecutive months were sanctified with Confession, Holy Communion, praying the Rosary and meditation.
This practice refreshed the custom known as the Rosary Saturdays, popular since the seventeenth century and continued to the present at places of pilgrimage. Both Pope Pius IX and Pope Leo XIII fostered this custom. St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort also fostered the Rosary in connection with his missions, which often encompassed Saturdays.
To be continued/…
Find Part One and Two by searching: Saturday devotions
Quote of the Day – 26 October – Saturday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Marian Saturdays
As we draw to the end of the Month of the Holy Rosary, let us listen to our newest Saint on the Rosary.
A Saint’s Prayer Corner
“Now the great power of the Rosary lies in this, that it makes the Creed into a prayer – of course, the Creed is, in some sense, a prayer and a great act of homage to God but the Rosary gives us, the great truths of His life and death, to meditate upon and brings them nearer to our hearts.
And so we contemplate all the great mysteries of His life and His birth in the manger and so too the mysteries of His suffering and His glorified life. But even Christians, with all their knowledge of God, have usually more awe than love of Him and the special virtue of the Rosary lies in the special way in which it looks at these mysteries, for with all our thoughts of Him are mingled thoughts of His Mother and in the relations between Mother and Son, we have set before us the Holy Family, the home in which God lived.
Now the family is, even humanly considered, a sacred thing, how much more the family bound together by supernatural ties and, above all, that in which God dwelt with His Blessed Mother.”
Below is part of Newman’s cell in the Birmingham Oratory. One sees clearly the Rosary beads hanging on the wall, in a prayer corner with devotional images and items.
One Minute Reflection – 26 October – Saturday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 13:1-9 and the Memorial of Blessed Bonaventura of Potenza OFM Conv (1651-1711)
And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Lo, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and I find none. Cut it down, why should it use up the ground?’…Luke 13:7
REFLECTION – “The Lord also has something very fitting to say about a fruitless tree, “Look, it is now three years that I have been coming to it. Finding no fruit on it, I will cut it down, to stop it blocking up my field.” The gardener intercedes. This tree is the human race. The Lord visited this tree in the time of the patriarchs, as if for the first year. He visited it in the time of the law and the prophets, as if for the second year. Here we are now, with the gospel the third year has dawned. Now it is as though it should have been cut down but the Merciful One intercedes with the Merciful One. He wanted to show how merciful He was and so He stood up to Himself with a plea for mercy. “Let us leave it,” he says, “this year too. Let us dig a ditch around it.” Manure is a sign of humility. “Let us apply a load of manure, perhaps it may bear fruit.” Since it does bear fruit in one part and in another part does not bear fruit, its Lord will come and divide it. What does that mean, “divide it”? There are good people and bad people now in one company, as though constituting one body.” … St Augustine (354-430) Father & Doctor (Sermon 254)
PRAYER – Come to help us in our weakness, God of mercy, forgive the sins of Your people and as nothing we can do is worthy in Your sight, save us through the intercession of the Mother of our Lord, Jesus Christ. May the prayers of all your saints and we entreat Your servant, Blessed Bonaventura of Potenza to add his prayers on our behalf. We make our prayer through Jesus with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Saint of the Day – 26 October – Blessed Bonaventura of Potenza OFM Conv (1651-1711) Priest and Religious of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual, Miracle-worker, blessed with the gift of prophecy – born on 4 January 1651 of Potenza, Naples, Italy as born Carlo Antonio Gerardo Lavanga and died on 26 October 1711 in Ravello, Italy of gangrene while singing a psalm during a religious ecstasy.
Bonaventura was born of poor but virtuous parents in Potenza in the kingdom of Naples. A pious priest gave the boy instructions in Latin. At the age of 15, Bonaventura received the Franciscan habit among the Conventuals. After his profession, he resumed his studies with great ardour but his zeal for perfection was less ardent.
His superiors sent him to Amalfi, where he lived eight years under the guidance of an eminent director of sauls. This spiritual director trained his pupil above all in humility, self-abnegation and obedience and Bonaventura achieved a high degree of perfection in these virtues.
One day Bonaventure told his master that the key to the sacristy was lost. “Well,” said his master with a smile, “then you will have to look for it in the well, get a rod and fish it out.” Promptly Bonaventura went to the well and with rod and line fished for the key. It was not long before he actually drew it out. God rewarded him in a miraculous manner for his blind obedience.
As a priest he laboured with remarkable success. His words, conduct, prayer and mortification combined to produce blessed results. His simple sermons made a deep impression on all hearts. At times, a single word of hi,s was enough to move the most hardened sinner to contrition.
At various times he was appointed guardian of a convent but his humble pleas were always successful in changing the mind of his superiors. Obedience at length compelled him to accept the position of novice master. In this office he sought to inculcate in his pupils, above all, the practice of humility and obedience.
When an epidemic broke out among the townsfolk, Bonaventura at once sacrificed himself. Fearless of contracting the disease, he hastened from end-to-end of the town, rendering every possible service to the stricken, even the lowliest and administering the sacraments to them. He cured many miraculously, he multiplied their insufficient provisions by his blessing and he foretold future events.
After Bonaventura had been a shining model of virtue among his brethren for 45 years, he felt that his last hour was at hand. While the community gathered about his bed during the administration of the last sacraments, the dying man in touching words begged pardon of his superior and the community for his many faults and infractions of the rule, as he called them.
Deeply moved, the superior handed him the crucifix and amid abundant tears, the servant of God kissed the feet of the Saviour and then died peacefully on 26 October 1711. Pope Pius VI Beatified him in 1775.
Bishop Orazio Soricelli, Archbishop of Amalfi-Cava de ‘Tirreni , called a special jubilee year dedicated to the Blessed Bonaventura da Potenza in his archdiocese. The jubilee year opened on 26 October 2011, the third centenary of the death of the Blessed.
St Adalgott of Einsiedeln
St St Alanus of Quimper
Albinus of Buraburg
St Alfred the Great
St Alorus of Quimper
St Amandus of Strasburg
St Amandus of Worms
St Aneurin
St Aptonius of Angouleme
St Arnold of Queralt
St Bean of Mortlach
St Bernard de Figuerols Bl Bonaventura of Potenza OFM Conv (1651-1711)
St Cedd
Bl Celina Chludzinska
St Cuthbert of Canterbury
Bl Damian dei Fulcheri
St Eadfrid
St Eata of Hexham St Pope Evaristus – (c 44 – c 107) Martyr
Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/26/saint-of-the-day-26-october-st-pope-evaristus-c-44-c-108/
St Felicissimus of Carthage
St Fulk of Piacenza
St Gaudiosus of Salerno
St Gibitrudis
St Gwinoc
St Humbert
St Lucian
St Marcian
St Quadragesimus of Policastro
St Rogatian of Carthage
St Rusticus of Narbonne
St Sigibald of Metz
—
Martyrs of Nicomedia – 5 saints
Thought for the Day – 25 October – Friday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 12:54-59
“Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” … Luke 12:56
“Oh that we could take that simple view of things, as to feel that the one thing which lies before us is to please God! What gain is it to please the world, to please the great, even to please those whom we love, compared with this? What gain is it to be applauded, admired, courted, followed, compared with this one aim, of not being disobedient to a heavenly vision? What can this world offer comparable with that insight into spiritual things, that keen faith, that heavenly peace, that high sanctity, that everlasting righteousness, that hope of glory, which they have who in sincerity love and follow our Lord Jesus Christ?
Let us beg and pray Him day by day, to reveal Himself to our souls more fully,
to quicken our senses,
to give us sight and hearing, taste and touch of the world to come,
so to work within us, that we may sincerely say,
“Thou shall guide me with Thy counsel” and after that receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of Thee – my flesh and my heart fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
One Minute Reflection – 25 October – Friday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C, Gospel: Luke 12:54-59 and the Memorial of Bl Thaddeus McCarthy (c 1455–1492)
“As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge and the judge hand you over to the officer and the officer put you in prison.” … Luke 12:58
REFLECTION – “Now all of us, without exception, upon earth are guilty of offences, he who has a suit against us and accuses us, is the wicked Satan – for he is “the enemy and the exactor.” While, therefore, we are in the way, that is, ere yet we have arrived at the termination of our life here, let us deliver ourselves from him, let us do away with the offences of which we have been guilty, let us close his mouth, let us seize upon the grace that is by Christ, which frees us from all debt and penalty and delivers us from fear and torment, lest, if our impurity be not cleansed away, we be carried before the judge and given over to the exactors, that is, the tormentors, from whose cruelty no man can escape, yea, rather, who will exact vengeance for every fault, whether it be great or small.
Far removed from this danger are those who search for the time of Christ’s corning and are not ignorant of His mystery but well know that the Word, though He be God, has shone forth upon the inhabitants of earth in likeness as one of us, that freeing them from all blame, He may bless with exceeding happiness those who believe in Him and acknowledge Him as God and the Son of God, by Whom and with Whom to God the Father be praise and dominion, with the Holy Spirit, forever and ever, Amen” … St Cyril of Alexandria (376-444), Father & Doctor of the Church – Commentary on Luke (1859) Sermons 89-98.
PRAYER – Lord God, You fill us with Your grace and teach us true faith. Strengthen in our hearts that faith that no trials may quench the fire, that we may seek Your face in every moment and accept AND LIVE all of Your will. Send us Your Spirit to keep the fire blazing. May the humble love and intercession of Mary Mother of our faith, be our succour and may Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy intercede for us on our pilgrim way. Through Jesus Christ, Your Son our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 25 October – Friday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C
O Sacred Heart of Jesus By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
O Sacred Heart of Jesus,
living and quickening source of eternal life,
infinite treasure of the Divinity
and burning furnace of divine love.
You are my refuge and my sanctuary,
O my amiable Saviour.
Consume my heart with that burning fire
with which Your Heart is ever inflamed.
Pour down on my soul
those graces which flow from Your love
and let my heart be so united with Yours,
that our wills may be one
and mine in all things,
be conformed to Yours.
May Your divine will
be equally the standard
and rule of all my desires
and of all my actions.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 25 October – Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy (c 1455–1492) the “White Martyr of Munster” – Bishop – born Tadhg Mac Cárthaigh in c1455 in County Cork, Ireland and died on 25 October 1492 in a pilgrim’s hostel at Lvrea, Italy of natural causes. He was a Bishop who never ruled his See/s, even though he was appointed to two of them – Bishop of Ross, Ireland in 1482 and Bishop of Cork and Cloyne in 1490. Patronages – exiles, the homeless, those suffering calumny, rejection and persecution, pilgrims.
Bishop Thaddeus McCarthy, the young Irish Prelate whose immemorial cult was confirmed by Pope Leo XIII in 1896, was born in the middle of the fifteenth century. He studied theology first under his uncle, one Canon Thady McCarthy and then in Paris and in Rome. At the age of 27 he was named bishop of Ross by Pope Sixtus IV and consecrated in Rome. Returning to Ireland, he discovered that his see was already in the possession of one Hugh O’Driscoll, also appointed to it by the same Pope Sixtus IV. It would seem that news had reached Rome of the death of Hugh O’Driscoll, either by simple misinformation or by political intrigue. Bishop O’Driscoll assumed that Thaddeus was an imposter and in 1488 obtained his excommunication by Pope Innocent VIII. Thaddeus appealed the excommunication, a Roman commission judged in his favour and in 1490 he was named Bishop of Cork and Cloyne.
A Wandering Bishop
Bishop Thaddeus attempted to take possession of his new see but was prevented from entering his cathedral by supporters of Gerald Fitzgerald who, with the support of local chieftains, had usurped his jurisdiction over the diocese of Cork and Cloyne. Armed men took possession of the cathedral preventing Thaddeus from entering. Everywhere he turned, he suffered the pain of rejection. For two years, he travelled from town to village armed with the papal documents announcing his rightful appointment and absolution from any criminal charge. This persecution as such was the outcome of political pressure. By now, he was alone, having strenuously opposed any form of retaliation by his own McCarthy clan. They, in response, abandoned him. Now, without family support, status and security but with unwavering faith and trust in God, he once again set off for Rome to plead his case to the Pope.
The Pontiff gave him a new document dated 18 July 1492 and ordered the powerful Gerald Earl of Kildare to protect Thaddeus, to support him and to restore him to his rightful place as Bishop of Cork and Cloyne.
Blessed Thaddeus appeals to the Pontiff (detail of the Thaddeus altar, Cobh)
The Pilgrim
Fearing that an attempt would be made on his life, Thaddeus disguised himself as a humble pilgrim and set out on foot from Rome. On the evening of 24 October 1492, an exhausted Thaddeus arrived at a hostel for pilgrims in Ivrea, Italy. He was wearing the hooded habit of a pilgrim with its distinctive sign of the oyster shell. The innkeeper received the poor pilgrim warmly and provided him with a room for the night. At dawn, a strange and wonderful light was seen shining from the room. Upon entering it, the innkeeper found the lifeless body of 37 year old Thaddeus McCarthy, radiant with a heavenly beauty.
Blessed Thaddeus is often depicted wearing the scallop shell – symbol of a pilgrim
The local bishop was apprised of the phenomenon, he had, in fact, dreamed that very night of an unknown bishop ascending into the glory of heaven. He recognised Thaddeus as the bishop of his dream. Further investigation revealed that Thaddeus’ wallet contained the papal documents recognising him as bishop of Cork and Cloyne, and an episcopal ring. Clothed in episcopal robes, Thaddeus’ body attracted crowds of the local faithful to the cathedral where he lay in state. He was buried in the cathedral of Ivrea, where his tomb became a place of extraordinary graces and miracles.
The death of Thaddeus, St Colmán’s Cathedral, Cobh
A Pontiff Between Ireland and Italy
In 1742, 350 years later, when the tomb of Thaddeus McCarthy was opened, his body was found to be incorrupt. Devotion to the Irish bishop developed and in 1847 the clergy and faithful of Ivrea donated a large amount of money for victims of the Great Hunger in Ireland. The contact between Ireland and Ivrea resulted in a movement for the beatification of Bishop Thaddeus. In 1896, Pope Leo XIII confirmed his immemorial cult. Major relics of the Blessed were sent from Ivrea to the church at Cork, Ross and Cloyne. Below are the relic of Thaddeus’s leg bone and a prayer for his Canonisation, both part of the shrine on the North Cathedral, Cork.
Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy is known as The White Martyr of Munster because the mental and physical sufferings that he endured with heroic patience. He is a patron of people in every sort of affliction, especially of those suffering rejection, homelessness, calumny and exile. Here is the liturgical collect for his feast:
O God, who didst adorn Blessed Thaddeus, Thy Confessor and Thy Bishop
with invincible fortitude in bearing adversity, grant, we beseech Thee, that following his example as we make our pilgrim way upon earth, we may prevail mightily over the things that come against us.
One will recognise in the Collect, the allusion to Romans 8:35–39:
Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or the sword? (As it is written: For thy sake we are put to death all the day long. We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.) But in all these things we overcome, because of him that hath loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy never accomplished what he was consecrated to accomplish. in this life but now he has two Diocese after all. He is beloved in Ivrea and in Cobh! He never governed his diocese, ordained new priests, or even confirmed anybody, as best we can tell. But he fulfilled his purpose – he gave his life for God, earning the title “White Martyr of Munster.” Below, the magnificent shrine and relics in the beautiful Cathedral in Ivrea, Italy, where Thaddeus lies and at the bottom, the equally magnificent side-chapel dedicated to his memory in St Colmán’s Cathedral, Cobh, Ireland. And, all over Ireland Shrines and side-chapels are dedicated to the Blessed and beloved Thaddeus.
A window dedicated to Blessed Thaddeus in the Church in Caheragh, near Skibbereen
On 25 October his feast day, let’s ask his intercession for those who are discouraged by lack of results, that they would seek not to be successful but to be faithful. Blessed Thaddeus McCarthy, pray for us!
St Alfons Arimany Ferrer
St Bernard of Calvo
St Canna verch Tewdr Marw
St Chrysanthus St Crispin & St Crispian – (†285 or 286) Martyrs Their Story: https://anastpaul.com/2018/10/25/saints-of-the-day-25-october-sts-crispin-crispinian-%e2%80%a0285-or-286-martyrs/
St Cyrinus of Rome
St Daria
St Dulcardus
Bl Edmund Daniel
St Fronto of Périgueux
St Fructus of Segovia
St Gaudentius of Brescia
St George of Périgueux
St Goeznoveus of Leon
St Guesnoveus
Bl Henry of Segusio
St Hilary of Javols
St Hilary of Mende
St Hildemarca of Fecamp
St Januarius of Sassari
St Lucius of Rome
St Lupus of Bayeux
St Mark of Rome
Bl Maurus of Pécs
St Miniato of Florence
St Peter of Rome
St Protus of Sassari
St Recaredo Centelles Abad
St Tabitha Bl Thaddeus McCarthy (c 1455–1492)
St Theodosius of Rome
—
Martyrs of Constantinople:
Marciano
Martirio
Martyrs of Cruz Cubierta – 5 beati: A mother, Blessed María Teresa Ferragud Roig de Masiá and her four daughters, Blessed María Joaquina Masiá Ferragud, Blessed María Vicenta Masiá Ferragud, Blessed María Felicidad Masiá Ferragud and Blessed Josefa Ramona Masiá Ferragud, all nuns, who were Martyred in the Spanish Civil War, on 25 October 1936 in Cruz Cubierta, Alzira, Valencia, Spain.
They were Beatified on 11 March 2001 by St Pope John Paul II.
Forty Martyrs of England and Wales – 40 saints: Following the dispute between the Pope and King Henry VIII in the 16th century, faith questions in the British Isles became entangled with political questions, with both often being settled by torture and murder of loyal Catholics. In 1970, the Vatican selected 40 martyrs, men and women, lay and religious, to represent the full group of perhaps 300 known to have died for their faith and allegiance to the Church between 1535 and 1679. They each have their own day of memorial, but are remembered as a group on 25 October.
• Alban Roe • Alexander Briant • Ambrose Edward Barlow • Anne Line • Augustine Webster • Cuthbert Mayne • David Lewis • Edmund Arrowsmith • Edmund Campion • Edmund Gennings • Eustace White • Henry Morse • Henry Walpole • John Almond • John Boste • John Houghton • John Jones • John Kemble • John Lloyd • John Pain • John Plesington • John Rigby • John Roberts • John Southworth • John Stone • John Wall • Luke Kirby • Margaret Clitherow • Margaret Ward • Nicholas Owen • Philip Evans • Philip Howard • Polydore Plasden • Ralph Sherwin • Richard Gwyn • Richard Reynolds • Robert Lawrence • Robert Southwell • Secular Clergy • Swithun Wells • Thomas Garnet.
Canonised on 25 October 1970 by St Pope Paul VI
Martyrs of Rome – 67 saints: A group of 46 soldiers and 21 civilians martyred together in the persecutions of Claudius II. 269 in Rome, Italy.
Martyred in the Spanish Civil War:
• Blessed Alfons Arimany Ferrer
• Blessed Recaredo Centelles Abad
Thought for the Day – 24 October – The Memorial of St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)
Jesus foretold that those who are truly His representatives would suffer the same persecution as He did. Besides 14 attempts on his life, Anthony had to undergo such a barrage of the ugliest slander that the very name Claret became a byword for humiliation and misfortune. The powers of evil do not easily give up their prey. No-one needs to go looking for persecution. All we need to do is be sure we suffer because of our genuine faith in Christ, not for our own whims and lack of prudence. St Anthony pulled no punches but preached the Truth, fearless in the love of Christ and His Church, His Bride!
From the beginning Anthony wanted to be a priest. His seminary life was exemplary and he was ordained on 13 June 1835. He resolved never to waste a moment of time and during his 35 years as a priest he wrote 200 books and pamphlets and preached some 25,000 sermons.
On one trip, besides travelling, he preached 205 sermons in 48 days, 12 in one day. To make sure his efforts might be recognised for what they were, he started off by reminding his hearers that the ordinary motives for labour are money, pleasure or honour. But these were not his motives:
“… not money, for I do not want a penny from anybody… Nor do I preach for pleasure, for what pleasure can I possibly take in spending myself all day, in being fatigued from early morning until late at night?… I must be in the confessional most of the morning, the whole of the afternoon and in the evening, instead of resting, I have to preach. This is not just for a day, but… for months and years…
Perhaps I labour for honour… no, not for honour either… A preacher is exposed to many calumnies. If praised by one, he is misunderstood by another, treated as the Jews treated Jesus, Who was calumniated by maligners of His person, of His words and works, before they finally seized, scourged and killed Him by a most painful and shameful means. But like the apostle St Paul, I fear none of these things, since I value my soul more than my body. At any cost, I must discharge the ministry I have received from God Our Lord, which is to preach the Gospel… I have no worldly end in view but… that God may be known, loved and served by all the world… that sins and offences against Him may be hindered as much as possible…
Another thing that spurs me on, to preach ceaselessly, is the thought of the multitude of souls which fall in the depths of hell… Who die in mortal sin, condemned forever and ever… I see how many live habitually in mortal sin, so that never a day passes without increasing the number of their iniquities. They commit sin as easily as they drink a glass of water, just for diversion, or for a laugh. These unfortunate ones run to hell of their own accord, blind as bats… If you were to see a blind man about to fall into a pit or over a precipice, would you not warn him? Behold, I do the same and do it I must, for this is my duty… You may tell me that sinners will insult me, that I should leave them alone… Ah no, I can’t abandon them. They are my dear brothers. If you had a beloved brother who, sick and in the throes of delirium, were to insult you with all the angry words imaginable, would you abandon him? I am certain you wouldn’t. You would have even more compassion for him, do your utmost for his speedy recovery. This is how I feel in regard to sin ners. These poor souls are in a delirium and the more in need of our pity…
You may say the sinner doesn’t think of hell, nor even believe in it. So much the worse for him. Do you by chance think he will escape condemnation because of his unbelief? Truth is independent of belief… I must warn sinners and make them see the precipice which leads to the unquenchable fires of hell, for they will surely go there if they do not amend their ways. Woe to me if I do not preach and warn them, for I would be held responsible for their condemnation… How often I pray, with St Catherine of Siena – ‘O my God, grant me a place by the gates of hell, that I may stop those who enter there saying: Where are you going, unhappy one? Back, go back! Make a good confession. Save your soul. Don’t come here to be lost for all eternity!”
Further he boldly proclaimed – “The sole reason why society is perishing is because it has refused to hear the word of the Church, which is the word of life, the word of God. All plans for salvation will be sterile if the great word of the Catholic Church is not restored in all its fullness.”
His own words, are the best description for St Anthony’s life:
“A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with love, who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires mightily and strives by all means possible to set the whole world on fire with God’s love. Nothing daunts him, he delights in privations, welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at slander and rejoices in suffering. His only concern is how he can best follow Jesus Christ and imitate Him in working, suffering and striving constantly and single-mindedly, for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.”
St Anthony Mary Claret, Pray for the world, the Church, for us all, amen!
Quote/s of the Day – 24 October – The Memorial of St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870) and St Luigi Guanella (1842-1915)
“When I am before the Blessed Sacrament. I feel such a lively faith that I can’t describe it. Christ in the Eucharist is almost tangible to me… When it is time for me to leave, I have to tear myself away from His sacred presence.”
“Lord, by the words of consecration, the substance of the bread and wine is converted into the substance of Your Body and Blood. All powerful Lord, say over me the word which will change me into You.”
Our Morning Offering – 24 October – Thursday of the Twenty Ninth week in Ordinary Time, Year C and the Memorial of St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)
May I know You and Make You known By St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870) Founder of the Claretian Missionaries
O my God and my Father,
may I know You
and make You known,
love You
and make You loved,
serve You
and make You served,
praise You
and make all creatures praise You.
Grant, my Father,
that all sinners be converted,
all the just persevere in grace
and all of us
attain to eternal glory.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 24 October – Blessed Giuseppe Baldo (1843 – 1915) Priest and Founder of both the Little Daughters of Saint Joseph (1894) and the Sisters of Charity of Saint Mary (1882), Apostle of Charity, Founder of numerous charitable institutions – born on 19 February 1843 in Puegnago, Brescia, Italy and died on 24 October 1915 (aged 72) in Ronco all’Adige, Verona, Italy of natural causes. He is the Patron of his Orders and of Ronco all’Adige.
Giuseppe Baldo was born in Brescia on 19 February 1843 as the sixth of nine children to the farmer Angelo Baldo and his wife, the midwife Ippolita Casa, six of the Baldo’s nine children died as infants. He was Baptised on 20 February in the parish church of Saint Michael the Archangel by Fr Domenico Ottini.
He commenced his studies for the priesthood in Verona on 7 December 1858 and had excellent results in all of his studies. The Bishop of Verona, Luigi di Canossa ordained him to the priesthood on the Feast of the Assumption, 15 August 1865 after he had received a special papal dispensation, from Pope Pius IX, as he was much younger than the rules required.
He spent a year as assistant priest in the suburban parish of Montorio, after which he was called by his bishop to carry out the prestigious role of vice president of the Verona Bishopric, where he remained for 11 years as an appreciated educator and spiritual director. Feeling inspired to devote himself to a broader apostolate, he asked and obtained permission to be sent as the parish priest to Ronco all’Adige, Verona, where he remained until his death. He took possession of his parish on 17 November 1877 but he was immediately opposed by the Mafia and Freemasons, who threatened to kill him if he displayed any public religious ceremonies..
In 1882 Blessed Guiseppe established a new religious congregation, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Mary. In 1888, he decided to found another order to administer and run the kindergarten and the canteen he had established for malnourished children. He also opened a hospital called “Casa Ippolita” in 1888 and in 1893 he founded a shelter for older people. On 21 November 1894 he founded the Little Daughters of Saint Joseph while the first ten postulants received their habits on 24 June 1896 from the Bishop of Verona, Cardinal Luigi di Canossa. The first seven female religious made their profession into the order on 25 June 1897.
The first superior appointed was not Baldo but rather Sr Clementina Forante who managed the congregation from 1864 until 1928. The order received diocesan approval on 3 May 1895 while receiving the Papl decree from St Pope Pius X on 10 February 1913 and full Papal approval – after Baldo’s death – from Pope Pius XII on 3 April 1940.
Blessed Giuseppe spent 38 years of such intense and zealous charitable and spiritual work in his Parish and the surrounds, often being threatened and abused by the local gangsters but he carried on, with total trust in the love and power of God. He died on 24 October 1915 after 22 months of a long and painful illness. His remains were transferred to the Motherhouse of the congregation on 7 September 1950. His orders now operate in Georgia, Kenya, Uganda, Italy and Rwanda amongst other places and as of 2005 there were 405 religious in 68 houses.
At the end of the canonical process, on 26 January 1987 Blessed Giuseppe received the recognition of the heroic nature of his virtues. And two years later, on 31 October 1989, he was raised to the altars with the title of Blessed at St Peter’s by St Pope John Paul II.
AnaStpaul 
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