One Minute Reflection – 19 June – The Memorial of St Romuald (c 951-1027)
And we have this confidence in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, in regard to whatever we ask, we know that, what we have asked him for, is ours...1 John 5:14-15
REFLECTION – “Better to pray one psalm with devotion and compunction than a hundred with distraction.”…St Romuald
PRAYER – Father, through St Romuald You renewed the life of solitude and prayer in your Church. By our prayer and self-denial as we follow Christ our Lord, bring us the joy of heaven. Kindly receive the intercession of St Romuald still, as we beg his prayers for all of your Church. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen
Our Morning Offering – 19 June – Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Prayer to the Two Loving Hearts By St John Eudes (1501-1680)
O Jesus, only Son of God, only Son of Mary,
I offer You the most loving Heart
of Your divine Mother
which is more precious
and pleasing to You than all hearts.
O Mary, Mother of Jesus,
I offer you the most adorable Heart
of your well-beloved Son,
who is the life and love and joy of your Heart.
Blessed be the Most Loving Heart
and Sweet Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
and the most glorious
Virgin Mary, His Mother,
in eternity and forever.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 19 June – St Romuald (c 951-1027) – Monk, Abbot, Ascetic, Founder of the Camaldolese order and a major figure in the eleventh-century “Renaissance of eremitical asceticism”. St Romuald was born in c 951 at Ravenna, Italy and died on 19 June 1027 at Val-di-Castro, Italy of natural causes. Patronages – the Camaldolese order and Suwalki, Poland. St Romuald’s body is incorrupt.
According to the vita (life) by St Peter Damian O.S.B. (1007-1072), himself a Benedictine and Doctor of the Church , written about fifteen years after Romuald’s death, Romuald was born in Ravenna, in northeastern Italy, to the aristocratic Onesti family. As a youth, according to early accounts, Romuald indulged in the pleasures and sins of the world common to a tenth-century nobleman. At the age of twenty he served as second to his father, who killed a relative in a duel over property. Romuald was devastated and went to the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe to do 40 days of penance. After some indecision, Romuald became a monk there. San Apollinare had recently been reformed by St Maieul of Cluny Abbey (906-994) but still was not strict enough in its observance to satisfy Romuald. His injudicious correction of the less zealous aroused such enmity against him that he applied for and was readily granted, permission to retire to Venice, where he placed himself under the direction of a hermit named Marinus and lived a life of extraordinary severity.
About 978, Pietro Orseolo I, Doge of Venice, who had obtained his office by acquiescence in the murder of his predecessor, began to suffer remorse for his crime. On the advice of Guarinus, Abbot of San Miguel-de-Cuxa, in Catalonia and of Marinus and Romuald, he abandoned his office and relations and fled to Cuxa, where he took the habit of St Benedict, while Romuald and Marinus erected a hermitage close to the monastery. Romuald lived there for about ten years, taking advantage of the library of Cuxa to refine his ideas regarding monasticism.
Pietro Orseolo I, Doge of Venice before St Romuald
After that he spent the next 30 years going about Italy, founding and reforming monasteries and hermitages. His reputation being known to advisers of the Holy Roman Emperor Otto III, Romuald was persuaded by him to take the vacant office of abbot at Sant’Apollinare to help bring about a more dedicated way of life there. The monks, however, resisted his reforms and after a year, Romuald resigned, hurling his abbot’s staff at Otto’s feet in total frustration. He then again withdrew to the hermetical life.
In 1012 he arrived at the Diocese of Arezzo. Here, according to the legend, a certain Maldolus, who had seen a vision of monks in white garments ascending into Heaven, gave him some land, afterwards known as the Campus Maldoli, or Camaldoli. St Romuald built on this land five cells for hermits, which, with the monastery at Fontebuono, built two years later, became the famous motherhouse of the Camaldolese Order. Romuald’s daunting charisma awed Rainier of Tuscany, who was neither able to face Romuald nor to send him away. Romuald founded several other monasteries, including the monastery of Val di Castro, where he died in 1027.
The church in Eremo di Camaldoli, the famous motherhouse of the Camaldolese
St Romuald’s feast day was added to the Liturgical Calendar in 1594, today, the day of his death and entry into life.
St Romuald’s Rule:
Romuald was able to integrate these different traditions in establishing his own monastic order. The admonition in his rule Empty yourself completely and sit waiting places him in relation to the long Christian history of intellectual stillness and interior passivity in meditation also reflected in the nearly contemporary Byzantine ascetic practice known as Hesychasm.
Sit in your cell as in paradise. Put the whole world behind you and forget it. Watch your thoughts like a good fisherman watching for fish. The path you must follow is in the Psalms — never leave it.
If you have just come to the monastery and in spite of your good will, you cannot accomplish what you want, take every opportunity you can to sing the Psalms in your heart and to understand them with your mind. And if your mind wanders as you read, do not give up; hurry back and apply your mind to the words once more.
Archbishop Cosmo Francesco Ruppi noted that, “Interiorisation of the spiritual dimension, the primacy of solitude and contemplation, slow penetration of the Word of God and calm meditation on the Psalms are the pillars of Camaldolese spirituality, which St Romuald gives as the essential core of his Rule.”
Romuald’s reforms provided a structural context to accommodate both the eremitic and cenobitic aspects of monastic life.
St Romuald, from the San Marco altarpiece by Fra Angelico
St Adleida of Bergamo
Bl Arnaldo of Liniberio
St Culmatius of Arezzo
St Deodatus of Jointures
St Deodatus of Nevers
St Gaudentius of Arezzo
St Gervase
St Hildegrin of Châlons-sur-Marne
Bl Humphrey Middlemore
St Innocent of Le Mans
St Julia Falconieri
St Lambert of Saragossa
St Lupo of Bergamo
St Modeste Andlauer
St Nazario of Koper
Bl Odo of Cambrai
St Protase
St Rémi Isoré
Bl Sebastian Newdigate
Bl Thomas Woodhouse
Bl William Exmew
St Zosimus of Umbria
Thought for the Day – 18 June – Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:38-42
Pope Francis: to love your enemies, prayer is the way
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
“Pray for the one who hurt me?” the Pope asked. “Yes,” he answered, “because it changes lives.” If we think it is impossible, then pray, the Pope said. Pray every day for the grace to forgive and the grace to love.
“This advice: ‘Be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy.’ And then: ‘You shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect’,” the Pope remarked. Forgiveness and prayer are the way to do this. “This is the way of holiness,” he said. “If all men and women of the world learned this, there would be no wars, there would not be.”
Wars begin “in bitterness, rancour, the desire for revenge, to make someone pay. But that destroys families, destroys friendships, destroys neighbourhoods, destroys so much,” he said. For Pope Francis, this is why we must pray always for the grace not to hold grudges and for “the grace to pray for our enemies, to pray for the people that do not love us, the grace of peace.”
If we make this our daily prayer, the Pope continued, even just praying one prayer a day for our enemies, this is how we will “win” and make progress “on the path of holiness and perfection.” In the end, “evil is overcome by good,” he said, and “sin is won with generosity.” “Prayer is an antidote against hatred, against wars, these wars that start at home, which start in the neighbourhood, which begin in families,” he said.
The Pope said if he knows that someone wants to hurt him and does not love him, “I pray especially for him.”
One Minute Reflection – 18 June – Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:38-42
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also...”Matthew 5:38-39
REFLECTION – “Whoever keeps the whole Law but falls short in one particular has become guilty in respect to all of it” (Jas 2:10). What is this one law if not true love, perfect charity? It is of this that Saint Paul also said : “For the whole Law is fulfilled in one statement, namely: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’” (Gal 5:14)…
For true charity is patient in adversity and moderate in prosperity; strong in painful suffering, joyful in good works; completely safe in temptation. It is very gentle among genuine brothers, very patient among the false. It is innocent in the midst of snares, groans in the midst evildoing and breathes naturally in the truth. It is chaste in the married woman, Susannah, in the widow, Anna, in the virgin, Mary (Dn 13:1f.; Lk 2:36). It is humble in Peter’s obedience and free in Paul’s arguments. It is human in the witness of Christians, divine in the forgiveness of Christ. For true charity, beloved brethren, is the soul of the whole of Scripture, the strength of prophecy, the structure of knowledge, the fruit of faith, the wealth of the poor, the life of the dying. So keep it faithfully; cherish it with all your heart and all the strength of your soul (cf Mk 12:30).”…St Caesarius of Arles (470-543), monk and Bishop (Sermons to the people, no. 23, 4-5, which draws its inspiration from Saint Augustine)
PRAYER – King of heaven and earth, Lord God, rule over our hearts this day. Sanctify us and guide our every thought, word and deed according to Your commandments. That we may grow in love, patience, strength, gentleness, forgiveness and all the ways of our guide, Your Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour. Holy Mother Mary, pray for us and keep us ever in your care that we may not go astray. We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, one God with You and the Holy Spirit, forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering 18 June – Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time, Year B
Excerpt from Jesus, My Friend By St Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682)
O Jesus!
You are my true Friend,
my only Friend.
You take a part in all my misfortunes;
You take them on Yourself;
You know how to change them into blessings.
You listen to me with the greatest kindness
when I relate my troubles to You,
and You have always balm to pour on my wounds.
I find You at all times;
I find You everywhere;
You never go away;
if I have to change my dwelling,
I find You wherever I go.
You are never weary of listening to me;
You are never tired of doing me good.
O Jesus!
Grant that I may die praising You,
that I may die loving You,
that I may die for the love of You.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 18 June – St Gregory Barbarigo (1625-1697) Cardinal who served as the Bishop of Bergamo and later as the Bishop of Padua, Canon and Civil lawyer, Vatican prelate, Apostle of Charity and the Sick, Reformer, Teacher – born on 16 September 1625 at Venice, Italy as Gregorio Giovanni Gasparo Barbarigo and died on 18 June 1697 at Padua, Italy of natural causes. Patronages – Diocese of Bergamo, Diocese of Padua. His body is incorrupt.
He was a front-runner in both the 1689 and 1691 papal conclaves for his diplomatic and scholastic nature whereby he distinguished himself. He was a noted scholar and was an able pastor who displayed careful attention to pastoral initiatives and frequent parish visitations.
St Gregory was born on 16 September 1625 in Venice as the eldest of four children to the nobles Giovanni Francesco Barbarigo (a senator) and Lucrezia Leoni. His father instructed him in philosophical studies and in mathematics while tutors taught him Latin and Greek; he also received the rudiments of music.
In 1643 he accompanied the Venetian ambassador Aloise Contarini to Münster for the negotiations to prepare for the Peace of Westphalia which was signed on 24 October 1648. There he became acquainted with Archbishop Fabio Chigi (the future Pope Alexander VII) – the nuncio to Cologne and a participant in the negotiations. In July 1648 he returned to Venice and continued his studies in Padua. In the winter in 1653, he went to Rome to ask the advice of Cardinal Chigi who recommended that he not retire as a hermit but follow the ecclesiastical career and begin obtaining a doctorate in law and theology. He obtained doctorates in both canon law and civil law, as well as theology, on 25 September 1655 and received his ordination to the priesthood on 21 December 1655.
He left for Rome at in late February 1656 for Chigi – now Pope Alexander VII – initiated him into the papal service. In 1655 he was given a Canonicate in the cathedral chapter of Padua without the requirement of residence and in 1656 – at the request of the pope – he organised the assistance to the Romans in the Trastevere area who had been stricken with the plague. He oversaw the care of the mothers and their children and the funerals of the deceased in this work.
On 9 July 1657 the pope appointed him as the newest Bishop of Bergamo (* see note below) and he received his episcopal consecration as such on 29 July 1657. When he arrived in Bergamo, he proceeded to visit each of the 390 parishes of the diocese.
He was a successful bishop and his fame spread through the ranks so much to the point that his old friend Alexander VII elevated him into the cardinalate on 5 April 1660. In 1664 he was made the newest Bishop of Padua and upon entrance into his new diocese he strove to model himself upon the example of Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584).
He was a strong supporter of the work of the Council of Trent. He made the seminaries of Padua and of Bergamo larger and added an archive and printing press in Padua. He celebrated a diocesan synod from 1–3 September 1683 and wrote the “Regulae Studiorum” in 1690 for ecclesial studies . He also visited all 320 parishes in his diocese.
Cardinal Barbarigo fostered catechetical instruction and he travelled across to each village in his diocese in order to teach and to preach to the people. His compassion to the poor was well known for he gave his household goods and his clothes to the poor. He even sold his bed to help them.
Barbarigo died after a brief illness on 18 June 1697 in Padua where he was interred in the diocesan cathedral. His remains were exhumed on 25 May 1725 and found to be incorrupt.
Barbarigo’s Beatification was celebrated under Pope Clement XIII while Pope John XXIII Canonised him in 1960; the latter Pope held Barbarigo as a great role model and fostered a great devotion to him.
*Note: An unusual feature of diocesan life in Bergamo is that for historical reasons, a number of the parishes in the diocese, even if a minority, celebrate the liturgy not according to the Roman Rite but according to the Ambrosian Rite. The Ambrosian Rite, also called the Milanese Rite, is a Catholic liturgical Western rite. The rite is named after Saint Ambrose, a bishop of Milan in the fourth century. The Ambrosian Rite, which differs from the Roman Rite, is used by some five million Catholics in the greater part of the Archdiocese of Milan, Italy, in some parishes of the Diocese of Como, Bergamo, Novara, Lodi and in about fifty parishes of the Diocese of Lugano, in the Canton Ticino, Switzerland.
Although at various points in its history the distinctive Ambrosian Rite has risked suppression, it survived and was reformed after the Second Vatican Council partly because Blessed Pope Paul VI belonged to the Ambrosian Rite, having previously been Archbishop of Milan. In the 20th century, it also gained prominence and prestige from the attentions of two other scholarly Archbishops of Milan: Achille Ratti, later Pope Pius XI and the Blessed Ildefonso Schuster O.S.B. (1880-1954), both of whom had been involved in studies and publications on the rite before their respective appointments.
Differences from the Roman Rite Some features of the Ambrosian Rite distinguish it from the Roman Rite liturgy.
Mass – the main differences in the Mass are:
The principal celebrant blesses all the readers, not only the deacon.
The Gospel is followed by a short antiphon.
The General Intercessions or “Prayers of the Faithful” immediately follow the homily
The Rite of Peace comes at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist, before the Offertory (Presentation of the Gifts)
The Creed follows the Offertory, before the Prayer over the Gifts
There are some differences between the First Eucharistic Prayer of the Ambrosian Missal and the Roman Canon, the first in the Roman Missal; but its Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV are the same as in the Roman Rite. In addition, the Ambrosian Rite has two proper Eucharistic Prayers, used mainly on Easter and Holy Thursday.
The priest breaks the Host and places a piece in the main chalice before the Lord’s Prayer, while an antiphon (the Confractorium) is sung or recited.
The Agnus Dei is not said.
Before the final blessing, the people say three times Kyrie, eleison (Lord have mercy).
The Ambrosian Rite has its own cycle of readings at Mass.
Many of the prayers said by the priest during Mass are peculiar to the Ambrosian Rite, which has a particularly rich variety of prefaces.
Liturgical year – The main differences in the liturgical year are:
Advent has six weeks, not four.
Lent starts four days later than in the Roman Rite, so that Ash Wednesday is postponed to a week later than in the Roman Rite, and Carnival continues until “sabato grasso” (“Fat Saturday” in Italian), corresponding to Shrove Tuesday (called “mardi gras”, i.e. “Fat Tuesday”, in French) in areas where the Roman Rite is used.
On Fridays in Lent, Mass is not celebrated and, with a few exceptions, Communion is not distributed.
Red, not the Roman-Rite green, is the standard colour of vestments from Pentecost to the third Sunday of October and there are other differences in liturgical colours throughout the year.
Other differences are:
The Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office or Breviary) is different in structure and in various features.
The liturgical rites of the Holy Week are quite different.
The rite of funerals is different.
Baptism of infants is done by triple immersion of the head.
The thurible has no top cover, and is swung clockwise before the censing of a person or object.
Ambrosian deacons wear the stole over the dalmatic and not under it.
The Ambrosian cassock, buttoned with only five buttons below the neck, is held with a fascia at the waist, and is worn with a round white collar.
Ambrosian chant is distinct from Gregorian chant.
St Abraham of Clermont
St Alena of Dilbeek
St Amandus of Bordeaux
St Arcontius of Brioude
St Athenogenes of Pontus
St Calogero of Sicily
St Calogerus of Fragalata
St Calogerus the Anchorite
St Colman mac Mici
St Cyriacus of Malaga
St Demetrius of Fragalata
St Edith of Aylesbury
St Elizabeth of Schonau
St Elpidius of Brioude
St Equizio of Telese
St Erasmo
St Etherius of Nicomedia
Bl Euphemia of Altenmünster
St Fortunatus the Philosopher
St Gerland of Caltagirone
St Gregory Barbarigo (1625-1697)
St Gregory of Fragalata
St Guy of Baume
St Jerome of Vallumbrosa
St Marcellian
St Marina of Alexandria
St Marina of Bithynia
Bl Marina of Spoleto
St Mark
Bl Osanna Andreasi
St Osanna of Northumberland
St Osmanna of Jouarre
St Paula of Malaga
Bl Peter Sanchez
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Hermits of Karden: A father (Felicio) and his two sons (Simplicio and Potentino)who became pilgrim to various European holy places and then hermits at Karden (modern Treis-Karden, Germany). (Born in Aquitaine (in modern France) Their relics transferred to places in the Eifel region of western Germany at some point prior to 930. They were canonised on 12 August 1908 by Pope Pius X (cultus confirmation).
Martyrs of Ravenna – 4 saints: A group of four Christians martyred together. We have no details but their names – Crispin, Cruciatus, Emilius and Felix. They were martyred in Ravenna, Italy, date unknown.
Martyrs of Rome – 3 saints: Three Christians martyred together . We have no details but their names – Cyriacus, Paul and Thomas. In Rome, Italy, date unknown.
Martyrs of Tripoli – 3 saints: Three imperial Roman soldiers, at last two of them recent converts, who were imprisoned, tortured and executed for their faith. Martyrs – Hypatius, Leontius and Theodulus. They were Greek born and they died c135 at Tripoli, Phoenicia (in modern Lebanon).
Wishing all Dads a Blessed and Happy Father’s Day! – 17 June
Strength of a Mountain Unknown Author
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle’s flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it … Dad!
Don’t Forget to Say ‘Happy Father’s Day’ to a Priest this Weekend — and Pray for Him!
A Prayer for All our Fathers and our Priests
God our Father,
we give you thanks and praise
for fathers young and old.
We pray for young fathers,
newly embracing their vocation;
may they find the courage and perseverance
to balance work, family and faith in joy and sacrifice.
We pray for our own fathers,
who have supported and challenged us;
may they continue to lead in strong and gentle ways.
We remember fathers around the world,
whose children are lost or suffering;
may they know that the God of compassion,
walks with them in their sorrow.
We pray for men who are not fathers
but still mentor and guide us,
with fatherly love and advice.
Most importantly, all our Priests,
our spiritual Fathers, who guide,
teach us and lead us to You
and who feed and nourish us
with Your Sacraments.
We remember fathers, grandfathers
and great-grandfathers,
who are no longer with us
but who live forever in our memory
and nurture us with their love.
Amen
Thought for the Day – 17 June – The Memorial of St Albert Chmielowski (1845-1916)
At the beatification on 22 June 1983, St Pope John Paul II said: “Brother Albert…reached [the] heights of holiness…by way of love… Adam Chmielowski studied painting and for a number of years engaged in artistic activities before following his vocation, which, after a first attempt in the Society of Jesus, led him to the Third Order Franciscans, from where his Albertine vocation took shape… Brother Albert laid down his life in the service of the very poor and of social outcasts. [He] gave his life completely to Christ. And in Christ [he] discovered the fullness of knowledge, of love and of service….”
Brother Albert confessed: “I look at Jesus in His Eucharist. Could His love have provided anything more beautiful? If He is bread, let us too become bread…let us give ourselves.”Brother Albert did this to the very end, until he died in his “beggars’ refuge” in Krakow in 1916.
On the basis of a new miracle worked by God through the intercession of Brother Albert (beatified 22 June 1983), St Pope John Paul II canonised him only six years later, on 12 November 1989, to the joy of the Polish people and for the consolation of all homeless people, for whom this Polish saint can be a powerful intercessor, just as he was a generous helper to them while on earth.
Quote of the Day – 17 June – The Memorial of St Albert Chmielowski (1845-1916)
“I look at Jesus in His Eucharist. Could His love have provided anything more beautiful? If He is bread, let us too become bread… let us give ourselves.”
Sunday Reflection – 17 June – Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
….What happens in Spring? Plants blossom, trees flower. I will ask you some questions. Can a sick tree or plant fully blossom if it is sick? No! Can a tree, a plant which is not watered by rain or artificially, blossom nicely? No. And can a tree and a plant whose roots have been removed or which have no roots flower? No. Without roots, can they flower? No! And this is a message: Christian life has to be a life that must blossom in works of charity, in doing what is good. But if you have no roots, you cannot blossom, and who is the root? Jesus ! If you are not with Jesus, there in the roots, you will not blossom. If you do not water your life with prayer and the sacraments, will you bear Christian flowers? No! Because prayer and the sacraments water the roots and our life blossoms. I hope that your Spring may be bloom beautifully, as blooming as Easter will be; blossoming with good works, virtue and doing good to others. Remember this, this is a very beautiful verse from my country: “What blossoms a tree bears come from what lies underneath it”. Never cut off Jesus’ roots.
During Mass, after breaking the consecrated Bread, that is the Body of Christ, the priest shows it to the faithful, inviting them to participate in the Eucharistic banquet. We know the words that ring out from the sacred altar: “Happy are those who are called to his Supper. This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. Inspired by a passage in the Book of Revelation — “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev 19:9): it says “marriage” because Jesus is the Spouse of the Church — this invitation calls us to experience intimate union with Christ, the source of joy and holiness. It is an invitation which brings happiness and at the same time spurs us to an examination of conscience enlightened by faith.
Although we are the ones who stand in procession to receive Communion; we approach the altar in a procession to receive communion, in reality it is Christ who comes towards us to assimilate us in Him. There is an encounter with Jesus! To nourish oneself of the Eucharist means to allow oneself to be changed by what we receive. Saint Augustine helps us understand this when he talks about the light he received when he heard Christ say to him: “I am the food of strong men; grow and you shall feed upon me; nor shall you convert me, like the food of your flesh, into you but you shall be converted into me” (Confessions VII, 10, 16: pl 32, 742).
Each time we receive Communion, we resemble Jesus more; we transform ourselves more fully into Jesus.As the Bread and the Wine are converted into the Body and Blood of the Lord, so too those who receive it with faith, are transformed into a living Eucharist.
You reply “Amen” to the priest who distributes the Eucharist saying “the Body of Christ”; that is, you recognise the grace and the commitment involved in becoming the Body of Christ. Because when you receive the Eucharist, you become the Body of Christ. This is beautiful; it is very beautiful. As it unites us to Christ, tearing us away from our selfishness, Communion opens us and unites us to all those who are a single thing in Him. This is the wonder of Communion: we become what we receive!
Let us approach the Eucharist: receiving Jesus who transforms us into Him makes us stronger. The Lord is so good and so great!
One Minute Reflection – 17 June – The Memorial of St Albert Chmielowski (1845-1916)
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”….Matthew 6:19-21
REFLECTION – Reflecting on his own priestly vocation, St Pope John Paul II wrote in 1996 that Brother Albert had played a role in its formation …..“because I found in him a real spiritual support and example in leaving behind the world of art, literature and the theatre and in making the radical choice of a vocation to the charity” ………..St John Paul speaking of St Albert Chmielowski(Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination)
PRAYER – Father of goodness, make me realise and understand that each and all of my brothers represent the face of Jesus and that He is the only way to You for us all! Help me to extend all of myself to my neighbour in loving imitation of Your Son. St Albert Chmielowski, pray for us that we too may be a light in the darkness of this world, to all who call out to us in their pain and suffering. And please pray for us! Amen
Our Morning Offering – 17 June – The Month of the Sacred Heart, Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B
I Pray You Lord Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
I pray You Lord,
in Holy Communion,
to give me the grace
of a cheerful heart,
an even temper,
sweetness, gentleness
and brightness of mind,
as walking in Your light
and by Your grace.
I pray You to give me the spirit
of overabundant, ever-springing love,
which empowers and sweeps away,
the vexations of life
by its own richness and strength
and which, above all things,
unites me to You,
who are the fountain
and the centre of all mercy,
loving kindness and joy.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 17 June – St Albert Chmielowski T.O.S.F. (1845-1916) – The Painter Who Became an Advocate for the Poor and then a Saint! Artist, Founder, Tertiary Franciscan, Apostle of Charity.
This Krakow native’s experience of the Church was remarkably similar to that of Pope Francis. He strove to emulate the example of St Francis of Assisi, after whom Pope Francis took his papal name and was the living embodiment of the Church of the poor Francis has spoken so much about.
Adam Chmielowski was born into an aristocratic family in Igołomia, a village outside of Krakow, in 1845. Then, Poland formally didn’t exist: The once-mighty Polish state was partitioned between Austria, Prussia and Russia in 1772, 1773 and 1795. Yet the Polish people refused to accept this and many rebelled against the oppressors.
One such upheaval was the January Insurrection of 1863-1864, directed against the Russian Empire, in which the Poles fought bravely yet were brutally suppressed. Not yet 18, Adam took part. During one battle, a Russian grenade killed Adam’s horse and badly damaged his leg, which was amputated. Adam, however, didn’t take pity on himself; he stoically taught himself to function with a wooden limb and offered up the dismemberment to God for the cause of Polish independence.
After the uprising, Adam decided to pursue a career in painting and was accepted at the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where he studied with many famous Polish painters. Upon returning to Poland, Adam worked as a painter 1870-1885. In total, he produced 61 paintings . He quickly became one of the most feted Polish artists, living briefly in Warsaw and then in artsy, intellectual Krakow. Adam’s social circle consisted of the best-known Polish artists, actors and writers.
Yet Adam Chmielowski wasn’t happy with this glitzy life of celebrity. At one point, he was even hospitalised for depression. Adam remained a devout Catholic,and his paintings — including his masterpiece, the unfinished Ecce Homo, which depicts the mocked Christ — often dealt with religious themes.
He knew that he needed to grow closer to God. Adam briefly thought of becoming a Jesuit, but his enthusiasm fizzled after entering the novitiate. He kept asking God what He wanted of him.
Nineteenth-century Krakow was a city of social inequality. In Adam’s day, more than a fifth of its population consisted of the unemployed, who were frequently homeless. The filthy, lice-infested city homeless shelter had terrible sanitary conditions . The Church in Krakow, especially the Vincentians and other orders, aided the poor. However, this was insufficient.
At this time, Adam became increasingly attracted to St Francis of Assisi. This medieval champion of the poor’s ministry resonated with Krakow’s socioeconomic problems. Eventually, Adam welcomed the homeless into his own apartment. In 1887, Adam Chmielowski became a Third Order Franciscan and took vows at the hands of Krakow Archbishop Cardinal Albin Dunajewski. He began to call himself “Brother Albert” and wore a gray habit.
The following year, Brother Albert realised that to bring Krakow’s poor lasting change, the city’s homeless shelter would need reform. He negotiated an agreement with the city government, making him the institution’s caretaker. To finance the improvements, Brother Albert auctioned off his paintings. In addition to improving the material conditions, he banned alcohol in the shelter. He asked the poor to work (making exceptions for the elderly and those with disabilities), teaching them practical skills and lectured on the Catechism and the Gospels.
Eventually, Brother Albert founded two religious orders, the Albertine Brothers and Sisters, devoted to the poor. They set up homes for the poor, sick and elderly in 20 Polish cities. Brother Albert worked to help as many poor persons as possible until his death in 1916, amidst World War I. During that bloody conflict, he sent Albertine Brothers and Sisters to the trenches to aid war invalids. After his death, thousands of Kracovians visited his tomb, convinced that he died a saint.
Today, the Albertines run homes for the poor and sick all over the world. Visitors to Krakow can make a pilgrimage to the Albertine-run Ecce Homo Shrine, which features a museum devoted to St Albert and the famous titular painting. (NC Register) – For more details and images here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/06/17/saint-of-the-day-17-june-st-albert-chmielowski-t-o-s-f-the-19th-century-polish-saint-who-was-influenced-by-st-francis-of-assisi-later-influenced-pope-st-john-paul-ii/
Maria in the Forest: Also known as:
• Holy Mary in the Forest
• Maria im Walde
The Apparitions occurred in a wooded area near Dolina, Grafenstein, Carinthia, Austria on the 17, 18 and 19 June 1849 to three young shepherdesses.
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St Adolph of Utrecht
St Agrippinus of Como
St Albert Chmielowski (1845-1916)
St Antidius of Besançon
Bl Arnold of Foligno
St Avitus of Perche
St Blasto of Rome
St Botolph of Ikanhoe
St Briavel of Gloucestershire
St David of Bourges
St Dignamerita of Brescia
St Diogenes of Rome
St Emily de Vialar
St Gundulphus of Bourges
St Herveus of Bretagne
St Himerius of Amelia
St Hypatius of Chalcedon
St Molling of Wexford
St Montanus of Gaeta
St Nectan of Hartland
Bl Paul Burali d’Arezzo
Bl Peter Gambacorta
St Phêrô Ða
Bl Philippe Papon
Bl Pierre-Joseph Cassant
St Prior
St Rambold of Ratisbon
Bl Ranieri Scaccero
St Theresa of Portugal
—
Martyrs of Apollonia – 7 saints: A group of Christians who fled to a cave near Apollonia, Macedonia to escape persecution for his faith, but were caught and executed. The names we know are – Basil, Ermia, Felix, Innocent, Isaurus, Jeremias and Peregrinus. They were beheaded at Apollonia, Macedonia.
Martyrs of Aquileia – 4 saints: Four Christian martyrs memorialised together. No details about them have survived, not even if they died together – Ciria, Maria, Musca and Valerian. c.100 in Aquileia, Italy.
Martyrs of Chalcedon – 3 saints: Three well-educated Christian men who were sent as ambassadors from King Baltan of Persia to the court of emperor Julian the Apostate to negotiate peace between the two states, and an end of Julian’s persecutions of Christians. Instead of negotiating, Julian imprisoned them, ordered them to make a sacrifice to pagan idols and when they refused, had them executed. Their names were Manuel, Sabel and Ismael. They were beheaded in 362 in Chalcedon (part of modern Istanbul, Turkey) and their bodies burned and no relics survive.
Martyrs of Fez – 4 beati: A group of Mercedarians sent to Fez, Morocco to ransom Christians imprisoned and enslaved by Muslims. For being openly Christian they were imprisoned, tortured, mutilated and executed. Martyrs – Egidio, John, Louis and Paul. They were martyred in Fez, Morocco.
Martyrs of Rome – 262 saints: A group of 262 Christians martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian. In c303 in Rome, Italy. They were buried on the old Via Salaria in Rome.
Martyrs of Venafro – 3 saints: Three Christian lay people, two of them imperial Roman soldiers, who were converts to Christianity and were martyred together in the persecutions of Maximian and Diocletian – Daria, Marcian and Nicander. They were beheaded c.303 in Venafro, Italy. By 313 a basilica had been built over their graves which were re-discovered in 1930. They are patrons of Venafro, Italy.
Thought for the Day – 16 June – The Memorial of St Benno of Meissen (1010-1106)
Saint Benno lived during a difficult political time and managed—despite threat, imprisonment and punishment—to remain true to the teachings of the Church and his role as priest and bishop, servant of his people.
At a time when the Church is criticised and attacked from both the inside and outside, we look to saints like St Benno as inspiration. His witness provides example to each of us, inspiring fidelity to our Holy Father and to the Magisterium, in all things and truth, even when these are the “hard decisions” to make.
Quote of the Day – 16 June – Month of the Sacred Heart and the Memorial of St Lutgarde of Aywières (1182-1246) Mystic – The first known female Stigmatist and one of the first Devotees of the Sacred Heart (St Lutgarde here: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/saint-of-the-day-16-june-st-lutgarde-of-aywieres-the-first-known-woman-stigmatic-of-the-church-and-one-of-the-first-promoters-of-devotion-to-the-sacred-heart/)
“So be it, Lord, so long as Your Heart’s love is mingled with mine I have and hold my heart in You. For with You as my shield, my heart is secure for all time.”
One Minute Reflection – 16 June – Saturday of the Tenth week in Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:33-37
“Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.”…Matthew 5:33-37
REFLECTION – “Again the Law says: “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” (Ex 21:24) but Our Lord admonishes us not only to bear patiently the blows of one who strikes us but humbly to turn to him the other cheek. (Mt 5:39) And so the object of the Law is to teach us not to do to others what we do not wish to suffer and, therefore, it cuts away our wrong-doing, through our fear of suffering. But now the object must be, to cast away our hatred, our love of pleasure, our vainglory and the rest of our unruly desires.
I repeat that the aim of Christ, our Master, is precisely to teach us how we come to commit all our sins; how we fall into evils. First He sets us free, through holy baptism, giving us the forgiveness of our sins, then He gives us the power to do good, if we desire it and no longer to be dragged down into sin, so to speak, by force.”…St Dorotheus of Gaza (c 500-c 565), monk in Palestine – Instructions, no. 1, 6-8 ; SC 92
PRAYER – True Light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ, as You enlighten all men for their salvation, give us Your grace, we pray to herald Your coming by preparing the ways of justice and of peace. Grant, that St Benno of Meissen, who has gone before us, may by his prayers intercede for us all. We pray to You Lord Jesus, Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 16 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
Be the Heart of My Heart By St John Eudes (1501-1680)
O Heart all lovable
and all loving of my Saviour,
be the Heart of my heart,
the Soul of my soul,
the Spirit of my spirit,
the Life of my life
and the sole principle
of all my thoughts,
words and actions,
of all the faculties of my soul
and of all my senses,
both interior and exterior.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 16 June – St Benno (1010-1106) Confessor and Bishop of Meissen – born in 1010 at Hildesheim, Germany – died on 16 June 1106 of natural causes – also known as Benedict. Patronages – anglers, fishermen, weavers, diocese of Dresden-Meissen, Germany and Munich, Germany.
Saint Benno worked throughout his long life to reform the Church, supported the legitimacy of the Pope at a time when the papacy was being politically attacked, suffered persecution and exile and worked numerous miracles. Saint Benno remains one of the most venerated saints throughout Germany.
Benno was born to a noble family in Saxony (modern day Germany) and was educated from a young age by the monks of the abbey of Saint Michael. He was ordained a priest, and eventually, at the age of 56 became Bishop of Meissen. Soon thereafter, he was appointed Canon to the imperial chapel of Emperor Henry III, a pious ruler who looked to the Church for guidance in political matters. Upon his death, Henry IV ascended to the throne, at the young age of sixteen. Unlike his predecessor, he sought to subjugate the Church to the state and restrict the legitimacy of the papacy throughout Germany.
However, at that time, one of the greatest of the Church’s popes, Pope Gregory VII, sat on the Chair of Peter and wished for nothing more than to preserve the role of the Pope in investing bishops—that is, providing bishops with the symbols of their holy office, signifying their marriage to the Church. This “Investiture Contest” spread throughout Europe and many bishops sided with the political leaders of their regions, rather than the Pope. However, Saint Benno stood alongside Pope Gregory VII, against the Emperor, instituting the reforms of the Church and maintaining the divine duties of the Pope. For his trouble, he was imprisoned and exiled for many years.
One of the most famous legends told of Saint Benno involves his barring the emperor from receiving the Holy Eucharist following his excommunication (the Pope had excommunicated Henry IV, due to his decisions to challenge the Church’s legitimate authority to invest bishops). Henry, however, hoped that the German bishops would take no notice of this `excommunication’ and rode to Meissen—to the cathedral served by Saint Benno—to receive the Eucharist. Saint Benno realised that there was nothing he could do to keep the emperor out, save barring the cathedral to everyone. So that is what he did. He locked the cathedral doors and threw the keys into the river Elbe. Henry knew that if he attempted to break down the doors to the cathedral, he would anger the crowds gathered, so simply rode away vowing vengeance on the holy bishop.
After he had gone, Saint Benno ordered the local fisherman to cast their nets into the Elbe and after praying over the water, they hauled in their nets. In the net was a fish that had the keys to the cathedral hanging upon its fins. Benno retrieved the key and reopened the cathedral. It was not soon thereafter that he was both imprisoned and exiled, although would not stray from the teachings of the Church, even under threat of punishment.
Saint Benno lived to be a very old man and spent the last years of his life preaching the faith to those who had not yet converted. He never lost sight of his calling as a diocesan bishop, visiting and preaching at all the parishes in his diocese, celebrating the Mass, enforcing discipline and enacting reform amongst the clergy and building many grand cathedrals for the glory of the Lord. An accomplished musician, Saint Benno encouraged music and chanting during Masses throughout the diocese, penned many hymns and wrote extensively on the Gospels.
Following his death, at the age of nearly one hundred, Saint Benno was buried in the cathedral at Meissen. When the cathedral was rebuilt in 1285, his relics were translated to the new cathedra, and many miraculous cures were reported at that time. His relics were later translated to Munich in 1580 and Saint Benno remains the patron saint of that city today.
St Actinea of Volterra
St Aitheachan of Colpe
St Amandus of Beaumont
Bl Antoine Auriel
St Aurelian of Arles
St Aureus of Mainz
St Benno of Meissen (1010-1106)
St Berthaldus
St Ceccardus of Luni
St Cettin of Oran
St Colman McRhoi
St Crescentius of Antioch
St Cunigunde of Rapperswil
St Curig of Wales
St Cyriacus of Iconium
St Elidan
St Felix of San Felice
St Ferreolus of Besançon
St Ferrutio of Besançon
Bl Gaspare Burgherre
St Graecina of Volterra
St Ismael of Wales
St Julitta of Iconium
St Justina of Mainz
St Lutgarde of Aywières (1182-1246)
St Maurus of San Felice
St Palerio of Telese
St Similian of Nantes
Bl Thomas Redyng
St Tycho of Amathus
—
Martyrs of Africa: A group of five Christians martyred together. We know nothing else but the names – Cyriacus, Diogenes, Marcia, Mica, Valeria. They were martyred in an unknown location in Africa, date unknown.
Martyrs of Làng Cóc: A group of five Christian laymen, four farmers and a doctor, from the same village in the apostolic vicariate of Central Tonkin (in modern Vietnam). During the persecutions of emperor Tu Duc, they were each ordered to stomp on a cross to show their contempt for Christianity; they each refused. Imprisoned, tortured and martyred.
• Anrê Tuong
• Ðaminh Nguyen
• Ðaminh Nguyen Ðuc Mao
• Ðaminh Nhi
• Vinh Son Tuong
The were beheaded on 16 June 1862 in Làng Cóc, Nam Ðinh, Vietnam and canonised on 19 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II.
Thought for the Day – 15 June – St Bernard of Menthon C.R.S.A (c 1020-1081)
Saint Bernard’s life was one of simple service in a difficult environment. His hospitality was legendary and his works survive today in the form of the hospices he established. His community—the Houses and Congregations of Saints Nicholas and Bernard—remains active today, maintaining the Alpine hospices as well as one in the Himalayas. Upon his death, he was interred at the cloisters of Saint Lawrence. Numerous miracles were reported at the site of his burial, as well as in Saint Bernard’s pass. We are inspired by the love of Saint Bernard to extend ourselves to those in need, never missing an opportunity to show God’s love. Saint Bernard reminds us of the epistle of Saint Peter:
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen
Quote/s of the Day – 15 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
“O most Sacred, most loving Heart of Jesus, You are concealed in the Holy Eucharist and You beat for us still.”
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
“I beg and entreat you, by the love of God and by the respect which we owe Him, to apply yourselves to serve Our Lord Jesus Christ with all the fidelity of which you are capable and to venerate His Divine Majesty with the deepest respect, above all in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, in which He is hidden in all the greatness of His divine and human natures, wherein He is present as entirely, as powerfully and as infinitely, as He is in heaven.”
One Minute Reflection – 15 June – Friday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year B – Today’s Gospel Matthew 5:27-32
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that every one who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress and whoever marries a divorced woman, commits adultery.”…Matthew 5:31-32
REFLECTION – “Married love particularly reveals its true nature and nobility when we realise that it takes its origin from God, who is love… Marriage, then, is far from being the effect of chance or the result of the blind evolution of natural forces. It is in reality the wise and provident institution of God the Creator, whose purpose was to effect in man His loving design. As a consequence, husband and wife, through that mutual gift of themselves alone… develop that union of two persons in which they perfect one another, cooperating with God in the generation and rearing of new lives. The marriage of those who have been baptised is, in addition, invested with the dignity of a sacramental sign of grace, for it represents the union of Christ and His Church (Eph 5:32).
In the light of these facts the characteristic features and exigencies of married love are clearly indicated. This love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then, merely a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above all, an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive the joys and sorrows of daily life but also to grow, so that husband and wife become, in a way, one heart and one soul and together attain their human fulfilment.
It is a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner, loves not only for what he receives but loves that partner, for the partner’s own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself.
Married love is also faithful and exclusive of all other and this until death. This is how husband and wife understood it on the day on which, fully aware of what they were doing, they freely vowed themselves to one another in marriage… Finally, this love is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being.”…Blessed Paul VI – Humanae vitae, 8-9
PRAYER – Yours is the day and Yours, the night, Lord God and we are Your children. Grant we pray, that the weakness of our humanity, the drive of our emotions and flesh may not overpower us. Lead us Lord, through the dangers of our day, give us strength and true love, wishing only our final home for those who share our lives, especially our spouse. Mary, pray for us, that we may imitate your faithfulness in all things, St Joseph be a guide and a support to us all. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.
Our Morning Offering – 15 June – June, the Month of the Sacred Heart
Daily Offering to the Sacred Heart By St Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) Doctor of the Church
O my God!
I offer You all my actions of this day
for the intentions and for the glory
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
I desire to sanctify
every beat of my heart,
my every thought,
my simplest works,
by uniting them
to His infinite merits
and I wish to make reparation for my sins
by casting them into the furnace
of His Merciful Love.
O my God! I ask of You for myself
and for those whom I hold dear,
the grace to fulfill perfectly
Your Holy Will,
to accept for love of You
the joys and sorrows of this passing life,
so that we may one day be united together
in heaven for all Eternity.
Amen
Saint of the Day – 15 June – St Bernard of Menthon C.R.S.A (c 1020-1081) – Priest, Arch-Deacon, Vicar General, Preacher, Evangeliser, Founder of a patrol that cleared robbers from the mountains and he established hospices for travellers and pilgrims to Rome and the Holy Land, Italy; he established a community of Augustinian Hospitallers to staff them and they continue their good work today. The large dogs, trained to search for lost victims in the mountains, are named for him, also known as the Apostle of the Alps, Bernard of Aosta, Bernard of Aotha, Bernard of Mentone, Bernard of Montjoux. BornBernard de Menthon around 1020 and died in 1081 at Novara, Italy. Patronages – Alpinists, Alps (proclaimed by Pope Pius XI on 20 August 1923), Campiglia Cervo, Italy, mountain climbers (proclaimed by Pope Pius XI on 20 August 1923), mountaineers, skiers, travellers in the mountains (proclaimed by Pope Pius XI on 20 August 1923).
Born in c 1020, probably in the Chateaux de Menthon near Annecy, in Savoy. He was descended from a rich, noble family and received a thorough education. He refused to enter an honourable marriage proposed by his father and decided to devote himself to the service of the Church.
Chateaux de Menthon
Placing himself under the direction of Peter, Archdeacon of Aosta, under whose guidance he rapidly progressed, Bernard was ordained priest and on account of his learning and virtue was made Archdeacon of Aosta, having charge of the government of the diocese under the bishop. Seeing the ignorance and idolatry still prevailing among the people of the Alps, he resolved to devote himself to their conversion. For forty two years he continued to preach the Gospel to these people and carried the light of faith even into many cantons of Lombardy, effecting numerous conversions and working many miracles.
For another reason, however, Bernard’s name will forever be famous in history. Since the most ancient times there was a path across the Pennine Alps leading from the valley of Aosta to the Swiss canton of Valais, over what is now the pass of the Great St Bernard. This pass is covered with perpetual snow from seven to eight feet deep and drifts sometimes accumulate to the height of forty feet. Though the pass was extremely dangerous, especially in the springtime on account of avalanches, yet it was often used by French and German pilgrims on their way to Rome. For the convenience and protection of travellers, St Bernard founded a monastery and hospice at the highest point of the pass, 8,000 feet above sea-level. A few years later he established another hospice on the Little St Bernard, a mountain of the Graian Alps, 7,076 feet above sea-level. Both were placed in charge of Augustinian monks after pontifical approval had been obtained by him during a visit to Rome.
Statue of St Bernard at the Little St Bernard Pass.
Statue of St Bernard at the Little St Bernard Pass.
These hospices are renowned for the generous hospitality extended to all travellers over the Great and Little St Bernard, so called in honour of the founder of these charitable institutions. At all seasons of the year but especially during heavy snow-storms, the heroic monks accompanied by their well-trained dogs, go out in search of victims who may have succumbed to the severity of the weather. They offer food, clothing, and shelter to the unfortunate travellers and take care of the dead. They depend on gifts and collections for sustenance. At present, the order consists of about forty members, the majority of whom live at the hospice while some have charge of neighbouring parishes.
St Bernard spent 42 years as a priest serving the people of this region. In addition to serving travellers, he founded schools and reformed parishes throughout the area. He lived to be 85 years old and died on this date in 1081.
The last act of St Bernard’s life was the reconciliation of two noblemen whose strife threatened a fatal issue. He was interred in the cloister of St Lawrence. Venerated as a saint from the twelfth century in many places of Piedmont (Aosta, Novara, Brescia), he was not canonised until 1681, by Innocent XI. His feast is celebrated on the 15th of June.
It seems that the dogs originally used by the religious belonged to a race that is now extinct. A stuffed specimen of the original breed is visible at the hospice. The St Bernard breed was first reported to the hospice of St Bernard in 1709 by the prior Ballalu.
St Bernard of Menthon, you saved pilgrims in the Alps from avalanches and robbers–pray for us!
St Abraham of Saint-Cyriacus
St Achaicus of Corinth
Bl Albertina Berkenbrock
St Barbara Cui Lianshi
St Benildis of Córdoba
St Bernard of Montjoux/Menthon C.R.S.A (c 1020-1081)
St Constantine of Beauvais
St Domitian of Lobbes
St Edburgh of Winchester
St Eigil
St Eutropia of Palmyra
St Fortunatus of Corinth
St Germaine Cousin
St Hadelinus of Lobbes
St Hesychius of Durostorum
St Hilarion of Espalion
Bl Juan Rodriguez
St Julius of Durostorum
St Landelin of Crespin
St Leonides of Palmyra
St Libya of Palmyra
St Lotharius of Séez
St Melan of Viviers
St Orsisius
Bl Pedro da Teruel
Bl Peter Snow
St Pierre de Cervis
Bl Ralph Grimston
St Tatian of Cilicia
Bl Thomas Scryven
St Trillo of Wales
St Vaughe of Ireland
St Vitus
St Vouga of Lesneven
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Martyr of Lucania – 11 saints: Eleven Christians martyred together. We known nothing else about them but the names – Anteon, Candidus, Cantianilla, Cantianus, Chrysogonus, Jocundus, Nivitus, Protus, Quintianus, Silvius, Theodolus in Lucania (modern Basilicata), Italy, date unknown.
AnaStpaul 
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