Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on CHARITY, QUOTES on JUSTICE, QUOTES on PEACE, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY

Quote/s of the Day – – 24 March – The Memorial of Bl Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (1917–1980) to be Canonised this year, 2018.

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Quote/s of the Day – – 24 March – The Memorial of Blessed Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (1917–1980) to be Canonised this year, 2018.

“Peace is not the product of terror or fear.
Peace is not the silence of cemeteries.
Peace is not the silent result of violent repression.
Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all.
Peace is dynamism.
Peace is generosity.
It is right and it is duty.”peace is not - bl oscar romero - 24 march 2018

“I don’t want to be an anti, against anybody.
I simply want to be the builder of a great affirmation:
the affirmation of God,
who loves us and who wants to save us.”

“If we are worth anything,
it is not because we have more money or more talent,
or more human qualities. Insofar as we are worth anything,
it is because we are grafted onto Christ’s life,
His cross and resurrection.
That is a person’s measure.”i don't want to be an anti - bl oscar romero - 24 march 2018

“There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”

Blessed Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (1917–1980)there are many things - bl oscar romero - 24 march 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PAPAL MESSAGES, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – – 24 March – The Memorial of Bl ÓSCAR ROMERO (1917-1980) Martyr

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One Minute Reflection – – 24 March – The Memorial of Bl ÓSCAR ROMERO (1917-1980) Martyr

“anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant and anyone who wants to be first among you, must be your slave, just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”… Matthew 20:26-28

REFLECTION – “Archbishop Romero invites us to good sense and reflection, to respect for life and harmony.   It is necessary to renounce “the violence of the sword, of hate” and to live “the violence of love, that left Christ nailed to the Cross, that makes each one of us overcome selfishness and so that there be no more such cruel inequality between us”.   He knew how to see and experienced in his own flesh “the selfishness that hides itself in those who do not wish to give up what is theirs for the benefit of others”. And, with the heart of a father, he would worry about the “poor majority”, asking the powerful to convert “weapons into sickles for work”.
May those who hold Archbishop Romero as a friend of faith, those who invoke him as protector and intercessor, those who admire his image, find in him the strength and courage to build the Kingdom of God, to commit to a more equal and dignified social order.”…Pope Francis 23 May 2015 (Letter of Pope Francis on the Beatification of Bl Óscar Romero)archbishop romero invites us to good sense - pope francis - 24 march 2018

PRAYER – Almighty and everlasting God, You gave Blessed Óscar Romero, grace to fight to the death for the true faith.   Let his prayer enable us to endure every trial for love of You and to make all haste on our way to You, in whom alone is life.   We make our prayer, through our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever, amen.bl oscar romero - pray for us -no 2. - 24 march 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 24 March – The Memorial of Bl Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (1917–1980) Martyr – Every now and then it helps us to take a step back and to see things from a distance.

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Thought for the Day – 24 March – The Memorial of Bl Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (1917–1980) Martyr – Every now and then it helps us to take a step back and to see things from a distance.

Every now and then it helps us to take a step back
and to see things from a distance.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is also beyond our visions.
In our lives, we manage to achieve only a small part
of the marvellous plan that is God’s work.
Nothing that we do is complete,
which is to say that the Kingdom is greater than ourselves.
No statement says everything that can be said.
No prayer completely expresses the faith.
No Creed brings perfection.
No pastoral visit solves every problem.
No programme fully accomplishes the mission of the Church.
No goal or purpose ever reaches completion.
This is what it is about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that others will watch over them.
We lay the foundations of something that will develop.
We add the yeast which will multiply our possibilities.
We cannot do everything,
yet it is liberating to begin.
This gives us the strength to do something and to do it well.
It may remain incomplete but it is a beginning, a step along the way.
It is an opportunity for the grace of God to enter and to do the rest.
It may be that we will never see its completion
but that is the difference between the master and the labourer.
We are labourers, not master builders,
servants, not the Messiah.
We are prophets of a future that does not belong to us.

Blessed Óscar Romero (1917–1980) Martyr, Pray for us!bl oscar romero - pray for us - 24 march 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 24 March – The Memorial of Bl ÓSCAR ROMERO (1917-1980) Martyr

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Our Morning Offering – 24 March – The Memorial of Bl ÓSCAR ROMERO (1917-1980) Martyr

Your Soldiers
Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)

O Lion of the Tribe of Judah,
the Root of David,
Who fights the good fight
and has called on all ment to join You,
give Your courage and strength
to all Your soldiers over the whole earth,
who are fighting under the standard of Your Cross.
Be with Your missionaries in pagan lands,
put right words into their mouths,
prosper their labours
and sustain them under their sufferings
with Your consolations
and carry them on,
even through torments
and blood (if it be necessary)
to their reward in Heaven.
Ameno lion of the tribe of judah - your soldiers - bl john henry newman - prayer for martyrs - 28 aug 2018 and 24 march 2018

 

 

 

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 24 March – Blessed Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (1917–1980) Martyr

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Saint of the Day – 24 March – Blessed Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (1917–1980) Martyr (soon to be Canonised) Bishop, Martyr, Apostle of the Poor and suppressed, Social Justice campaigner, Preacher, radio broadcaster – born on 15 August 1917 in Ciudad Barrios, San Miguel, El Salvador – martyred by being shot by a government-affiliated death squad on the morning of 24 March 1980 in the chapel of La Divina Providencia Hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador while celebrating Mass.   Bl Oscar was Beatified on 23 May 2015 by Pope Francis.   Recognition celebrated at Plaza Divino Salvador del Mundo, San Salvador, El Salvador, Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Causes of the Saints, chief celebrant.   On 6 March 2018, Pope Francis promulgated a decree of a miracle obtained through the intercession of Blessed Oscar, making way for his Canonisation later this year.   Patronages – Christian communicators, El Salvador, The Americas, Archdiocese of San Salvador, Persecuted Christians, Caritas International (co-patron).

Romero_building-canvas_800x500-720x380bl oscar romero - large

Early life
Oscar Romero was born into a large family on 15 August 1917 in El Salvador.
Although they had more money than many of their neighbours, Oscar’s family had
neither electricity nor running water in their small home and the children slept on the
floor.  Oscar’s parents could not afford to send him to school after the age of twelve, so he went to work as an apprentice carpenter.   He quickly showed great skills but Oscar was already determined to become a priest.   He entered the seminary at the age of
fourteen and was ordained a priest when he was 25 in 1942.

Recognising the power of radio to reach the people, he convinced five radio stations
to broadcast his Sunday sermons to peasant farmers who believed they were
unwelcome in the churches.

In 1970, he became Auxiliary Bishop in San Salvador.   In 1974 he became Bishop of Santiago de Maria.    At this time, Oscar Romero was described as a conservative, not wanting to break from tradition.   He supported the hierarchy who encouraged conformity.   He was uncomfortable with social action that challenged political leaders.
Growing awareness during his two years as Bishop of Santiago de Maria, Romero was horrified to find that children were dying because their parents could not pay for simple medicines.   He began using the resources of the diocese and his own personal resources to help the poor but he knew that simple charity was not enough.   He wrote in his diary that people who are poor should not just receive handouts from the Church or the government but participate in changing their lives for the future.

In 1977, Romero became Archbishop of San Salvador, the capital city.   The situation in El Salvador was becoming worse and he couldn’t remain silent any longer.   The military were killing the Salvadorian people – especially those demanding justice such as teachers, nuns and priests – including Romero’s good friend, Fr Rutilio Grande.
Thousands of people began to go missing.   Romero demanded that the President of El Salvador thoroughly investigate the killings but he failed to do so.

Voice of the voiceless
In his actions and words, Oscar demanded a peace that could only be found by ensuring people had access to basic needs and their rights upheld.   He raised awareness globally about the people in his country who had been killed or “disappeared”.   When he visited the Vatican in 1979, Oscar Romero presented the Pope with seven detailed reports of murder, torture, and kidnapping throughout El Salvador.   In 1979, the number of people being killed rose to more than 3000 per month.   Oscar Romero had nothing left to offer his people except faith and hope.   He continued to use the radio broadcast of his Sunday sermons to tell people what was happening throughout the country, to talk about the role of the Church and to offer his listeners hope that they would not suffer and die in vain.

Martyrdom
On March 23, 1980, after reporting the previous week’s deaths and disappearances, Oscar Romero began to speak directly to soldiers and policemen:  “I beg you, I implore you, I order you… in the name of God, stop the repression!”   The following evening, while saying Mass in the chapel of Divine Providence Hospital, Archbishop Oscar Romero was shot by a paid assassin.
Only moments before his death, Romero spoke these prophetic words: “Those who surrender to the service of the poor through love of Christ will live like the grain of wheat that dies… The harvest comes because of the grain that dies.”   Like many great leaders who have fought for truth, Oscar Romero was killed and became a martyr but his voice could not be silenced.   He is a symbol of hope in a country that has suffered poverty, injustice and violence.

To date, no one has ever been prosecuted for the assassination, or confessed to it.   The gunman has not been identified.oscar romero - bio -my snip.JPG

Funeral
Romero was buried in the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Salvador (Catedral Metropolitana de San Salvador).   The Funeral Mass on 30 March 1980 in San Salvador was attended by more than 250,000 mourners from all over the world.   Viewing this attendance as a protest, Jesuit priest John Dear has said, “Romero’s funeral was the largest demonstration in Salvadoran history, some say in the history of Latin America.”

At the funeral, Cardinal Ernesto Corripio y Ahumada, speaking as the personal delegate of St Pope John Paul II, eulogised Romero as a “beloved, peacemaking man of God,” and stated that “his blood will give fruit to brotherhood, love and peace.”

Massacre at Romero’s funeral
During the ceremony, smoke bombs exploded on the streets near the cathedral and subsequently there were rifle shots that came from surrounding buildings, including the National Palace.   Many people were killed by gunfire and in the stampede of people running away from the explosions and gunfire;  official sources reported 31 overall casualties, while journalists recorded that between 30 and 50 died.   Some witnesses claimed it was government security forces that threw bombs into the crowd and army sharpshooters, dressed as civilians, that fired into the chaos from the balcony or roof of the National Palace.   However, there are contradictory accounts as to the course of the events and “probably, one will never know the truth about the interrupted funeral.”

As the gunfire continued, Romero’s body was buried in a crypt beneath the sanctuary. Even after the burial, people continued to line up to pay homage to their martyred prelate.

Spiritual life
Bl Oscar Romero noted in his diary on 4 February 1943:  “In recent days the Lord has inspired in me a great desire for holiness.   I have been thinking of how far a soul can ascend if it lets itself be possessed entirely by God.”   Commenting on this passage, James R Brockman, S.J., Romero’s biographer and author of Romero:  A Life, said that “All the evidence available indicates that he continued on his quest for holiness until the end of his life.   But he also matured in that quest.”
According to Brockman, Romero’s spiritual journey had some of these characteristics:

  1. love for the Church of Rome, shown by his episcopal motto, “to be of one mind with the Church,” a phrase he took from St Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises;
  2. a tendency to make a very deep examination of conscience;
  3. an emphasis on sincere piety;
  4. mortification and penance through his duties;
  5. providing protection for his chastity;
  6. spiritual direction;
  7. “being one with the Church incarnated in this people which stands in need of liberation”;
    eagerness for contemplative prayer and finding God in others;
  8. fidelity to the will of God;
  9. self-offering to Jesus Christ.
  10. Romero was a strong advocate of the spiritual charism of Opus Dei.   He received weekly spiritual direction from a priest of the Opus Dei movement.   In 1975 he wrote in support of the cause of Canonisation of Opus Dei’s founder, St Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975), “Personally, I owe deep gratitude to the priests involved with the Work, to whom I have entrusted with much satisfaction the spiritual direction of my own life and that of other priests.”

    oscar romero - protesto-ROMERO-facebook

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Memorials of the Saints – 24 March

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St Agapitus of Synnada
St Aldemar the Wise
St Bernulf of Mondovi
Bl Bertha de’Alberti of Cavriglia
Bl Bertrada of Laon
Bl Brian O’Carolan
St Caimin of Lough Derg
St Cairlon of Cashel
St Catherine of Sweden
Bl Diego José of Cádiz
St Domangard of Maghera
St Epicharis of Rome
St Epigmenius of Rome
St Hildelith of Barking
Bl John del Bastone
St Latinus of Brescia
St Macartan of Clogher
Bl Maria Serafina of the Sacred Heart
St Mark of Rome
Bl Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (1917–1980) to be Canonised this year, 2018.

St Pigmenius of Rome
St Romulus of North Africa
St Secundus of North Africa
St Seleucus of Syria
St Severo of Catania
St Timothy of Rome
—
Martyrs of Africa – 9 saints: A group of Christians murdered for their faith in Africa, date unknown. The only details about their that survive are the names – Aprilis, Autus, Catula, Coliondola, Joseph, Rogatus, Salitor, Saturninus and Victorinus.

Martyrs of Caesarea – 6 saints: A group of Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. We know little else but six of their names – Agapius, Alexander, Dionysius, Pausis, Romulus and Timolaus. They were martyred by beheading in 303 at Caesarea, Palestine.

Posted in DOMINICAN OP, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day – 23 March – The Memorial of St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606)

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Thought for the Day – 23 March – The Memorial of St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606)

Nothing gave our saint so much pleasure as the greatest labours and dangers, to procure the least spiritual advantage to one soul.   Burning with the most vehement desire of laying down his life for his flock and of suffering all things for Him who died for us, he feared no dangers.   When he heard that poor Indians wandered in the mountains and deserts, he sought them out;  and to comfort, instruct, or gain one of them he often suffered incredible fatigues and dangers in the wildernesses and boldly travelled through the haunts of wild animals.
The ardour of his faith, his hope, his love of his Creator and Redeemer, his resignation and perfect sacrifice of himself, gathered strength in the fervent exercises and aspirations which he repeated almost without ceasing in his illness.   By his last will he ordered what he had about him to be distributed among his servants and whatever else he otherwise possessed to be given to the poor.
His body when translated the year after his death to Lima, was found incorrupt, the joints flexible, and the skin soft.
The Lord indeed writes straight with crooked lines.   Against his will and from the unlikely springboard of an Inquisition tribunal, this man became the Christlike shepherd of a poor and oppressed people.   God gave him the gift of loving others as they needed it. St Turibius, pray for us!st turibius pray for us - 23 march 2018-no 2

“Remember that you will derive strength
by reflecting that the saints
yearn for you
to join their ranks;
desire to see you fight bravely,
and behave like a true knight
in your encounters
with the same adversities
which they had to conquer,
and that breathtaking joy
is their eternal reward
for having endured a few years
of temporal pain.
Every drop of earthly bitterness
will be changed into
an ocean of heavenly sweetness.”

Blessed Henry Suso O.P. (1290-1365)remember that you will - bl henry suso - 23 march 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Quote of the Day – 23 March – The Memorial of St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606)

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Quote of the Day – 23 March – The Memorial of St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606)

Christ said “I am the Truth”, He did not say “I am the custom”‘.

St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606)christ said i am the truth - st turibius of mogrovejo - 23 march 2018

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES - J R R Tolkien and MORE, QUOTES on PERSECUTION, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The HOLY CROSS, The WORD, Thomas a Kempis

One Minute Reflection – 23 March – Friday of the 5th Week of Lent 2018 and the Memorial of St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606) – Today’s Gospel John 10:31-42

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One Minute Reflection – 23 March – Friday of the 5th Week of Lent 2018 and the Memorial of St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606) – Today’s Gospel John 10:31-42

The Jews took up stones again to stone him...John 10:31

REFLECTION – “If all goes well with you on earth, how can you expect to be crowned in heaven for a patience you never practised? How can you be Christ’s friend if you will not be opposed? Therefore, you must suffer with Christ and for Christ, if you want to reign with Him.”…Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) The Imitation of Christ, Book 2if all goes well with you on earth - thomas a kempis - 23 march 2018

PRAYER – Lord, through the pastoral care, suffering and zeal of St Turibius, You built up Your Church in Peru. Grant that the people of God may continually grow in faith and holiness. Accept his prayers on our behalf, that we may always be willing to stand at Your Cross. Through our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever amen.st turibius pray for us - 23 march 2018

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Friday of the 5th Week of Lent 2018

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Our Morning Offering – 23 March – Friday of the 5th Week of Lent 2018

Go to dark Gethsemane
James Montgomery (1771-1854)

Go to dark Gethsemane,
you that feel the tempter’s power,
your Redeemer’s conflict see,
watch with Him one bitter hour.
Turn not from His griefs away,
learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

Follow to the judgement hall,
view the Lord of life arraigned,
O the wormwood and the gall!
O the pangs His soul sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame or loss,
learn from Christ to bear the Cross.

Calvary’s mournful mountain climb,
there adoring at His feet.
Mark the miracle of time,
God’s own sacrifice complete,
“It is finished” hear Him cry,
learn from Jesus Christ to die..go to dark gethsamane - james montgomery - 23 march 2018

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Saint of the Day – 23 March – St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606)

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Saint of the Day – 23 March – St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606) ArchBishop, Lawyer,  Missionary, Preacher, Reformer, Professor, – born Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo in 1538 at Mayorga de Campos, Leon, Spain and died on 23 March 1606 at Santa, Peru of natural causes.   Patronages – Peru, Lima, Latin American Bishops, Native rights, Scouts, Valladolid.   St Turibius predicted the exact date and hour he would die, which would come to pass. His reputation for holiness and learning was never forgotten for it led to calls for his Canonisation. Pope Innocent XI Beatified and Pope Benedict XIII Canonise him  on 10 December 1726.SOD-0323-SaintTuribioofMogrovejo-790x480

Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo was born on 16 November 1538 in the Valladolid province in Habsburg Spain to the nobles Luis Alfonso de Mogrovejo (1510–1568) and Ana de Roblès i Morán (1515–???);   He was named in honour of Saint Toribio.

He was noted as a pious child with a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin who fasted once a week in her honour and recited rosaries often.   He received an education befitting for a noble at the time;  he entered the college at Valladolid in 1550 where he studied humanities.   He became a professor teaching law to students at the reputed college in Salamanca.   His uncle Juan de Mogrovejo served as a professor there as well as at the San Salvador High School in Oviedo before King Juan III invited him to teach at the college in Coimbra.   Toribio accompanied his uncle there and studied at the college in Coimbra before returning to Salamanca sometime later.   His uncle died not long after he returned to Salamanca for his studies.   His learning and virtuous reputation led to King Philip II appointing him as the Grand Inquisitor on the Inquisition Court stationed at Granada in February 1571.   He remained in that position until 1576 but not without impressing the king with his work.

During this time Philip II nominated him for the vacant Lima archbishopric despite his strong protests.   He used his knowledge of canon law to remind him and the pope that priests alone could be designated with ecclesial dignities but the pope overruled him. Preparations were made for him to be ordained before the formal announcement could be made.    He was ordained to the priesthood in 1578 in Granada (after four consecutive weeks of receiving the minor orders) and Pope Gregory XIII named him on 16 May 1579 as the Archbishop of Lima;  he received his episcopal consecration in August 1580 from the Archbishop of Seville Cristóbal Rojas Sandoval.   In September 1580 he departed for Peru alongside his sister and her husband.

St.-Turibius-of-Mongrovejo

The new archbishop first arrived in Paita on 12 May 1581 which was 600 miles – or 970 kilometers – from Lima.   He began his new mission travelling to Lima on foot while he baptised and taught the natives.   He was enthroned in his new see a week later.   His favourite topic was:  “Time is not our own and we must give a strict account of it”. He traversed his entire archdiocese three times on foot and alone; exposed to tempests and torrents as well as the wild beasts and tropical heat.   He also had to deal with fevers and often threats from hostile tribes.   He countered these all the while baptising and confirming almost one half million people which included the future Saint Rose and Saint Martin de Porres and also Saint Francis Solano (who later became a close friend) and Blessed Juan Masías.

He built roads and schoolhouses as well as chapels and hospitals;  he never forgot about the religious and established convents for them to live in.   In 1591 founded the first seminary in the western hemisphere and mandated that learning indigenous languages was a prerequisite in their formation.   He inaugurated the first part of the third Lima Cathedral on 2 February 1604.   He also assembled thirteen diocesan synods and three provincial councils during his tenure.   He was seen as a champion of the rights of the natives against the Spanish masters.   He learnt the local dialects for better communication with the native people and his own flock and was seen as a champion for rights and liberties despite Peruvian governors voicing opposition to him since he challenged their power and control.

Mogrovejo sought the reformation of diocesan priests and found that some of their behaviour had grown too scandalous to be continued.   There were those priests who came to resent him for this though Francisco de Toledo supported his reform efforts and rendered assistance to the archbishop in that regard.   He also oversaw the Third Provincial Council from 1582 to 1583 which Philip II had requested he oversee.   He served as the council’s president but guided it rather than lead it;  he involved himself in drafting important concilliar documents.   Mogrovejo also worked to implement the decrees from the Council of Trent and made evangelisation a core theme in his episcopal career.   He produced a trilingual catechism in Spanish as well as in the native languages Quechua and Aymara in 1584 while the council mandated confessional manuals to aid confessors while calling for preaching in indigenous languages.  The council issued a decree from the council – one he endorsed – that proscribed excommunication to those clerics who engaged in business ventures since it was known that there were some clerics who exploited the natives for work and profit.

The council ended and Pope Sixtus V confirmed its decrees in 1588.   He held two more provincial councils in 1591 and in 1601.   Mogrovejo made three pastoral visitations that were all extensive in time.   He visited each parish and would first inspect all objects for divine worship (he expected them to be in good condition) before talking to the parish priest about the life of the parish.   He would then check the parish registers and then checked to see if the priest had the missal that Pope Pius V had mandated over a decade prior.

His prediction of the exact date and hour of his death, would soon come to pass.   It was in Pacasmayo during a pastoral visit that he contracted a fever but continued labouring to the last and arrived at Saña in a critical condition.   He dragged himself to receive the Viaticum and died not long after this on 23 March 1606 (Holy Thursday) at 3:30pm at the Saint Augustine convent.   His final words were those of Jesus Christ on the Cross:  “Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit”.   His remains are interred in the archdiocesan cathedral.toribio

His beatification was celebrated under Pope Innocent XI in 1679 (ratified in the papal bull “Laudeamus”) and Pope Benedict XIII later canonised him as a saint on 10 December 1726 through the papal bull “Quoniam Spiritus”.   His liturgical feast was once celebrated on 27 April but is now celebrated on 23 March.   His cult was once confined for the most part to South America but is now universal because of his pioneering reforms.   He became the patron saint for the Latin American episcopate after Pope John Paul II proclaimed him as such in 1983.

Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani Thorne spoke on Mogrovejo as a tireless pastor who never tired “being close to God” whose “love for the poor manifested itself in the innumerable gestures” that marked his episcopal life.   Thorne further elaborated that “in Saint Toribio we reinforce our conviction that the time devoted to God is a guarantee of a faithful dedication to the fulfillment of our duties and to the service of our brothers”.st turibius at prayer

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Memorials of the Saints – 23 March

Posted on by AnaStpaul

St Turibius of Mogrovejo (1538-1606) (Optional Memorial)
—
Bl Álvaro del Portillo Díez de Sollano
Bl Annunciata Asteria Cocchetti
St Benedict of Campagna
St Crescentius of Carthage
Bl Edmund Sykes
St Ethelwald of Farne
St Felix the Martyr
St Felix of Monte Cassino
St Fergus of Duleek
St Fidelis the Martyr
St Frumentius of Hadrumetum
St Gwinear
St Joseph Oriol
St Julian the Confessor
St Liberatus of Carthage
St Maidoc of Fiddown
Bl Metod Dominik Trcka
St Nicon of Sicily
St Ottone Frangipane
Bl Peter Higgins
Bl Pietro of Gubbio
St Rafqa
St Theodolus of Antioch
St Victorian of Hadrumetum
St Walter of Pontnoise
—
Daughters of Feradhach: They are mentioned in early calendars and martyrologies, but no information about them has survived.

Martyrs of Caesarea – 5 saints: A group of five Christians who protested public games which were dedicated to pagan gods. Martyred in the persecutions Julian the Apostate. The only details we know about them are their names – Aquila, Domitius, Eparchius, Pelagia and Theodosia. They were martyred in 361 in Caesarea, Palestine.

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Thought for the Day- 22 March – The Memorial of St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606) Martyr – “The Priest Hole Maker”

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Thought for the Day- 22 March – The Memorial of St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606) Martyr – “The Priest Hole Maker”

Saint Nicholas Owen possessed great faith and courage and he is highly respected for this, for he is a Saint.   However, what also makes him memorable, is how he used a rather obscure skill and talent for the good of God.   His ability to make hiding places ultimately became a tool of God for protecting the Church.

Saint Nicholas reminds us that any of our talents, regardless of how seemingly unusual or unimportant, can be put to good use for the good of God and our neighbour.   What are your talents and how can you use them for good?

Prayer
Dear God, please use me to do Your will.    St Nicholas Owen, pray for us!st nicholas owen - pray for us no 2 - 22 march 2018

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, FATHERS of the Church, LENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on HUMILITY, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day 22 March 2018 – Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606) Martyr “Speaking of Humility”

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Quote/s of the Day 22 March 2018 – Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606) Martyr

“Speaking of Humility”

“The uncreated Wisdom and of all wisdom the Principle, has borne the shame and mockery due to a fool.
The Holy of Holies and Sanctity in Essence, suffered Himself to be reputed a villain and a malefactor.
He, whom the countless hosts of the blessed in heaven adore, willed to die a disgraceful death upon a cross.
And lastly, He who by nature, is the Sovereign Good, endured every kind of human misery.

Then, after such an example of humility, what ought we not to do – we who are dust and ashes?
And what humiliation should ever appear hard to us, who are not only worms of earth but miserable sinners?”

Pope Leo XIII (1810-1903)the uncreated wisdom - 22 march 2018 speaking of humility

“Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues,
hence, in the soul in which this virtue does NOT exist,
there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.”

“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending.
You plan a tower, that will pierce the clouds?
Lay first, the foundation of humility.”

” There never can have been
and never can be
and there never shall be,
any sin without pride.”

St Augustine (354-430) Doctor of the Churchst augustine - 22 march 2018 - speaking of humility -humility is the foundation, do you wish to rise, there never can be

“Humility, makes our lives acceptable to God,
meekness, makes us acceptable to men.”

St Francis De Sales (1567-1622) Doctor of the Churchhumility makes our lives - st francis de sales - 22 march 2018 speaking of humility

“The most powerful weapon, to conquer the devil is humility.
For, as he does not know at all, how to employ it,
neither does he know, how to defend himself from it.”

St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)the most powerful weapon - st vincent de paul - speaking of humility - 22 march 2018

 

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, LENT, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, QUOTES on SUFFERING, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 22 March 2018 – Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606) Martyr

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One Minute Reflection – 22 March 2018 – Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606) Martyr

Rejoice … in the measure that you share Christ’s sufferings. When his glory is revealed, you will rejoice exultantly...1 Peter 4:13

REFLECTION – “Let us strive to face suffering with Christian courage. Then all difficulties will vanish and pain itself will become transformed into joy.”…St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) Doctor of the Churchlet us strive to face suffering - st teresa of avila - 22 march 2018

PRAYER – Jesus, Man of Sorrows, in every suffering keep my eyes fixed on You. Let me keep ever before my mind the glory to come and so face the suffering with true Christian courage.   Lord our God please grant that by the intercession of St Nicholas Owen, who suffered beyond all our understanding, for love of You, we may learn to suffer in silence and with true courage, amen.st nicholas owen - opray for us - 22 march 2018

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY

Our Morning Offering – 22 March 2018 – Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent

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Our Morning Offering – 22 March 2018 – Thursday of the 5th Week of Lent and the Memorial of St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606) Martyr

Transform me into Yourself
By St John Gabriel Perboyre (1802-1840) Martyr

O my Divine Saviour,
Transform me into Yourself.
May my hands be the hands of Jesus.
Grant that every faculty of my body
May serve only to glorify You.

Above all,
Transform my soul and all its powers
So that my memory, will and affection
May be the memory, will and affections
Of Jesus.

I pray You
To destroy in me all that is not of You.
Grant that I may live
but in You, by You and for You,
So that I may truly say, with Saint Paul,
“I live – now not I – But Christ lives in me.”transform me into yourself - st john gabriel perboyre - 22 march for the memorial of st nicholas owen sj

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY

Saint of the Day – 22 March – St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606) The Priest-Hole Builder – Martyr

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Saint of the Day – 22 March – St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606) The Priest-Hole Builde, Martyr , Lay Brother of the Society of Jesus, Assistant to St Edmund Campion- born in the 16th century in Oxford, England and was tortured to death on 2 March 1606 in London, England.  Also known as • John Owen and • Little John.   St Nicholas was a Jesuit lay brother who was the principal designer and builder of priest holes during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I of England.   He was Canonised on 25 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI.

header - st nicholas owen

St Nicholas was born in Oxford, England, around 1562 into a devoutly Catholic family and grew up during the Penal Laws.   His father, Walter Owen, was a carpenter and Nicholas was apprenticed as a joiner in February 1577 where he acquired skills that he was to use in building hiding places.   Two of his older brothers became priests.   St Nicholas served as St Edmund Campion’s (1540-1381) assistant and was arrested for protesting Campion’s innocence.   Upon his release, he entered the service of Henry Garnet S.J. around 1588 and for the next 18 years built hiding places for priests in the homes of Catholic families.   He frequently travelled from one house to another, under the name of “Little John”, accepting only the necessities of life as payment before starting off for a new project.   He also used the aliases “Little Michael”, “Andrewes”, and “Draper”.   During the daytime he would work as a travelling carpenter to deflect suspicion.

Owen was only slightly taller than a dwarf and suffered from a hernia, as well as a crippled leg from a horse falling on him.   Nevertheless, his work often involved breaking through thick stonework and to minimise the likelihood of betrayal he often worked at night and always alone.   Sometimes he built an easily discovered outer hiding place which concealed an inner hiding place.   The location of the secret room was known only to himself and the owner of the house.   Examples of his work survive at Sawston Hall (Cambs),[Oxborough] [Norfolk] Huddington Court (Worcestershire) and Coughton Hall (Warwickshire).   Harvington Hall in Worcestershire has seven “priest holes”.   Due to the ingenuity of his craftsmanship, some may still be undiscovered.  Below are 3 at Harvington Hall, the first 2 pics are the entrance and inside the hole.   The third is another in the staircase.

For many years, St Nicholas worked in the service of the Jesuit priest Henry Garnet and was admitted into the Society of Jesus as a lay brother.   He was arrested in 1594 and was tortured at the Poultry Compter but revealed nothing.   He was released after a wealthy Catholic family paid a fine on his behalf, the jailers believing that he was merely the insignificant friend of some priests.   He resumed his work and is believed to have masterminded the famous escape of Father John Gerard from the Tower of London in 1597.

San Nicolas Owen

Early in 1606, St Nicholas was arrested a final time at Hindlip Hall in Worcestershire, giving himself up voluntarily in hope of distracting attention from his master Fr Garnet who was hiding nearby with another priest.   Realising just whom they had caught and his value, Secretary of State Robert Cecil exulted:  “It is incredible, how great was the joy caused by his arrest… knowing the great skill of Owen in constructing hiding places and the innumerable quantity of dark holes which he had schemed for hiding priests all through England.”

After being committed to the Marshalsea, a prison on the southern bank of the Thames, St Nicholas was then removed to the Tower of London.   He was submitted to terrible “examinations” on the Topcliffe rack, dangling from a wall with both wrists held fast in iron gauntlets and his body hanging.   As his hernia allowed his intestines to bulge out during this procedure, the rackmaster strapped a circular plate of iron to his stomach. When he remained stubborn, it is believed that he was transferred to the rack, where the greater power of the windlass forced out his hernia which was then slashed by the plate, resulting in his death.   He revealed nothing to his inquisitors and died in the night between 1 and 2 March 1606.   Father Gerard wrote of him:

I verily think no man can be said to have done more good of all those who laboured in the English vineyard.   He was the immediate occasion of saving the lives of many hundreds of persons, both ecclesiastical and secular.

Martyrdom of st nicholas owen

St Nicholas was canonised as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales by Pope Paul VI on 25 October 1970.   Catholic stage magicians who practice Gospel Magic consider St Nicholas Owen the patron saint of Illusionists and Escapologists, due to his facility at using “trompe l’oeil” when creating his hideouts and the fact that he engineered an escape from the Tower of London.

There is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Nicholas Owen in Little Thornton, Lancashire.

Posted in JESUIT SJ, MARIAN TITLES, SAINT of the DAY

Nostra Signora dei Sette Veli / Our Lady of the Seven Veils, Foggia, Italy and Memorials of the Saints – 22 March

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Nostra Signora dei Sette Veli / Our Lady of the Seven Veils, Foggia, Italy (11th Century) – 22 March:

In the Cathedral of Foggia one can find an ancient and mysterious image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This icon, called “Our Lady of the Seven Veils,” once caused Saint Alphonsus to go into ecstasy, which I will describe below. As a young priest, St Pio of Pietreclina would make a visit to this image everyday.
In the eleventh century Foggia, Italy was a tiny town perched around the Tavern of the Owl.   One day some local farmers saw three flames over a small pond or bog.   Intrigued, they dug where the miraculous fire had been and discovered a large “table” buried in the mud.   They realised that this “table” was actually a Byzantine icon that had remained somewhat preserved despite being soaked in water and mud.   The image was cleaned and then cloaked with new veils.   I assume there were seven veils and hence the name but I cannot verify this.   The icon was then placed in the local Tavern of the Owl for veneration.   Soon the tavern became a place of pilgrimage.   In 1080 Robert Guiscard built a church to honour the sacred image.   In 1172 the church was expanded by William II “the Good” of Sicily.   The “face hole” is all that one can now see of the original wooden icon.   It is black and the face is now indiscernible.   However, on Maundy Thursday of 1731, the Virgin Mary’s white face appeared in this portal, which was usually black and dark.
Saint Alphonsus Liguori heard about apparition and went to Foggia to venerate the Immaculate Mother of the Saviour.   He also received an apparition of the Virgin’s face in the small black portal.   He described the Blessed Virgin’s face on that occasion as a girl of 13-14 with a white veil.   The apparitions of the Virgin’s face on the icon continued until about 1745.
As the city grew larger, the church was decorated and enriched.   The Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, Spaniards and Bourbons considered the church to be one of the most important in Italy.  It has served as the site for several royal weddings. Today, the image is said to be covered in seven layers of precious metal and embroidered material – hence the name Madonna of the Seven Veils.

St Avitus of Périgord
St Basil of Ancyra
St Basilissa of Galatia
St Benevenuto Scotivoli of Osimo
Bl Bronislaw Komorowski
St Callinica of Galatia
Bl Clemens August von Galen
St Darerca of Ireland
St Deghitche
St Epaphroditus of Terracina
St Failbhe of Iona
Bl François-Louis Chartier
St Harlindis of Arland
Bl Hugolinus Zefferini
St Lea of Rome
Bl Marian Górecki
St Nicholas Owen S.J. (1562-1606)

St Octavian of Carthage
St Paul of Narbonne
St Saturninus the Martyr
St Trien of Killelga

Posted in LENT, MORNING Prayers, ON the SAINTS, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, The PASSION

Thought for the Day – 21 March – The Memorial of St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

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Thought for the Day – 21 March – The Memorial of St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487) and Wednesday of the 5th Week of Lent 2018  (this reflection includes our Lenten Reflection for today.)

Although our minds are limited in their ability to attain God in this life, we are capable of “greater desire and love, and pleasure in knowing divine matters” than we are able to find in “the perfect knowledge of the lowest things.”   Thus far Aquinas, who taught as one who knew.   Saint Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487) was in perfect agreement.   “God,” he once said, “gives us such a taste for prayer that we yearn for it as if we were waiting to go to a dance.”

The likeness was more than a bit incongruous, for the speaker was a true hermit, a man who had given up not only dances but nearly everything else that bound him to this world, even food.   Born to a pious, upstanding peasant family, young Nicholas stood out for his goodness, simplicity and mortification.   While still a young man, labouring in the fields and meadows of the valleys south of Lucerne, he fasted four times per week, explaining himself, when pressed, by saying, “Such is the will of God.”   Until his fiftieth year, his life was that of an exemplary Swiss free man.   Like many of his fellow countrymen, he served his canton both under arms and by holding civic office.   And this pillar of the community raised up five sons and five daughters with the help of his exemplary wife Dorothy.   Yet God persisted in calling him to a life beyond that of the domestic holiness he had already embraced and sent visions to him in his late-night prayer vigils and his moments of afternoon solitude in the fields, visions that beckoned him to leave all.

As the eminent Swiss theologian Charles Cardinal Journet (1891-1975) explained in his biography of the hermit-saint, “it no longer sufficed for him to walk along the roads of the world with God in his heart;  he had to take the path set aside for him, that he might be taken by the hand and led to where he knew not.”   What praise of Dorothy of Flue could be lovelier, Journet asked, than to admire her magnanimity in being able to    They parted friends, just thirteen weeks after the birth of their youngest child and remained so.   Several years later, a pilgrim visitor to Nicholas’ hermitage saw the saint, with joyous mien, lean out of the window of his tiny cell after the morning Mass to greet his family with a blessing:  “May God give you a blessed day, dear friends and good people!”  One is glad to know that his wife and children attended his deathbed.   After all, she had never lost her husband completely.   Honoured by Swiss Protestants, venerated by Swiss Catholics, Nicholas’s cult, uninterrupted since his death, was officially sanctioned by Clement IX (1667-9).  In 1947 he was canonised by Pope Pius XII.

What lesson might Nicholas of Flue hold out for our generation?   Were he alive today this simple Swiss peasant would doubtless be startled by our wealth.   The recession of recent years seems to have done little to dull the edge of our consumption.   The adjective “worldly” is now being used as a term of approbation, to signify the savoir-faire of the person who knows the latest fashions and ways of thinking.   It is a telling linguistic development.   Nicholas of Flue spent the last twenty years of his life in a tiny room with two windows.   Through one of them, he could see something of the beauty of his native land, a beauty that nourished his reflection and piety:  “O man, think of the sun so high in the sky and consider its splendour:  but your soul has received the splendour of the eternal God.”   Through the other, he saw the altar, whence came the very food of his soul.   “We should carry the Passion of God in our hearts, for this is the greatest consolation to a man at the hour of his death.”   The one thing needful indeed.st nicholas of flue pray for us - 21 march 2018-no 2

Posted in DOCTORS of the Church, JESUIT SJ, MORNING Prayers, PRACTISING CATHOLIC, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SPEAKING of .....

Quote/s of the Day – 21 March “Speaking of Sanctity”

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Quote/s of the Day – 21 March
“Speaking of Sanctity”

“The secret of being always with God
and of assuring His continual presence
in our hearts is constant prayer.”

St Isidore of Seville (560-636) Doctor of the Churchthe secret of being always with god - st isidore - 21 march 2018 - speaking of sanctity

“The shortest, yes, the only way,
to reach sanctity, is to conceive a horror
for all that the world loves and values.”

St Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)the shortest, yes, - st ignatius - speaking of sanctity - 21 march 2018

“Sanctity consists in the accomplishment
of the duties God lays upon us.
In this way, one who fulfills well the duties of his station
and, much more, one who fulfills them well for God,
will become a real saint – nothing more is needed.”

Blessed Louis-Édouard Cestac (1801-1868)sanctity consists in the accomplishment - bl louis-edouard cestac - 21 march 2018 speaking of sanctity

“If God does not desire me to be a saint,
He would not have created me a reasonable being.”

St Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)if god does not - st peter julian eymard - speaking of sanctity - 21 march 2018

“Our Lord has created persons for all states in life
and in all of them, we see people,
who achieved sanctity
by fulfilling their obligations well.”

St Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870)our lord has created - sdt anthony mary claret - speaking of sanctity - 21 march 2018

“Great’ holiness consists in carrying out
the ‘little duties’ of each moment.”

St Josemaria Escriva, (1902-1975) The Way, 81great holiness - st josemaria - speaking of sanctity - 21 march 2018

“We must have a real living determination to reach holiness.
I will be a saint means, I will despoil myself of all, that is not God;
I will strip my heart of all created things;
I will live in poverty and detachment;
I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims and fancies
and make myself a willing slave to the will of God.”

St Mother Teresa (1910-1997)we must have a ral living - st mother teresa - speaking of sanctity - 21 march 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, QUOTES on SANCTITY, SAINT of the DAY, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 21 March – The Memorial of St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

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One Minute Reflection – 21 March – The Memorial of St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him…Colossians 3:17

REFLECTION – “Each state of life has its special duties; by their accomplishments one may find happiness.”…St Nicholas of Flueeach state of life - st nicholas of flue - 21 march 2018

PRAYER – Holy Father, teach us to offer all we do to You and thus make it a perfect gift. By giving our best efforts to every aspect of our daily lives, we may be offer You our gratitude.   Grant that by the prayers of St Nicholas of Flue, we may attain holiness and happiness as we continue our journey to our eternal home.   Through our Lord Jesus Christ, in union with the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever, amen.st nicholas of flue pray for us - 21 march 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, PRAYERS of the SAINTS

Our Morning Offering – 21 March – The Memorial of St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

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Our Morning Offering – 21 March – The Memorial of St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

My Lord and my God
St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

My Lord and my God,
take from me everything
that distances me from You.
My Lord and my God,
give me everything
that brings me closer to You.
My Lord and my God,
detach me from myself
to give my all to You.
Amen

The above prayer of St Nicholas, is cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph #226.
CCC 226 – It means making good use of created things: faith in God, the only One, leads us to use everything that is not God only insofar as it brings us closer to Him and to detach ourselves from it insofar as it turns us away from Him.

prayer of st nicholas of flue no 226 - my lord and my god, take from me everything - 21 march 2018

 

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Saint of the Day – 21 March – St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

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Saint of the Day – 21 March – St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487) – born on 21 March 1417 at Sachseln, Canton Unterwalden, Lake Lucerne, Switzerland and died on  21 March 1487 at Ranft, Aargau, Switzerland of natural causes;  his wife and children were at his side
His relics reside in the church of Sachseln, Switzerland.   He is affectionately known as Brother Klause.   Patronages – Switzerland, Pontifical Swiss Guards, Councillors, large families.   St Nicholas was a Swiss hermit and ascetic who is the patron saint of Switzerland.   He is sometimes invoked as Brother Klaus.   A husband and father, a Mystic, a writer, farmer, military leader, member of the assembly, councillor, judge, he was respected as a man of complete moral integrity.  Brother Klaus’s counsel to the Diet of Stans (1481) helped to prevent war between the Swiss cantons.HEADER - ST NICHOLAS OF FLUE

The Swiss affectionately call St.Nicholas of Flue “Brother Klaus.”   They revere him as a great holy man and political Councillors, who contributed significantly to the formation of their peace-loving nation.

 

From his youth in Unterwalden, Switzerland, Nicholas was a member of a Catholic lay association called the Friends of God.   Scattered throughout Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany, members sought closeness to Christ through a disciplined life, especially by meditation on his passion.

Though totally dedicated to peace, twice patriotism led Nicholas to fight in wars to defend Unterwalden.   At age thirty he married Dorothy Wissling and during twenty happy years she bore him ten children.

At age fifty, however, Nicholas sensed God’s call to live a contemplative life as a hermit. Dorothy, also a member of the Friends of God, would not be opposed to such a desire.   She believed that Nicholas had a divine commission and she and the children released him.   So Nicholas left his family and spent the next twenty years in a remote cottage at Ranft.   He prayed most of the night but in afternoons he welcomed visitors.   It is reported but not confirmed, that during these years he took no food or drink, only Holy Communion.

In 1481, Nicholas played a major role in solidifying the unity of Switzerland.   After the cantons secured independence by defeating the German king, Charles the Bold, a dispute threatened to divide the cantons.   Representatives meeting at Stans disagreed over admitting Fribourg and Soleure to the confederation.   However, at an impasse they consulted Brother Klaus.   Within an hour after obtaining his advice, they agreed to include the territories.

A document from that period preserved Nicholas’s fundamental political wisdom.

“Always put God first and do not extend too widely the country’s frontiers that you may live more easily in peace, union and faithfulness to your dearly attained liberties.   Do not mix in the affairs of others or ally yourself with a powerful stranger.   Protect your country and do not hold yourself distant from it.   Do not let grow among you self-interest, jealousy, hatred, envy and factions, or these will work against you.   Dear friends, don’t let innovations and roguery seduce you.   Hold on to the good, all of you together.   Stay on the road in the footprints of your pious ancestors.   Guard faithfully that which has been assigned to you.   If you do that, neither storm nor tempest can harm you and you will overcome much evil.

Six years after the Stans meeting, on December 21, 1487, Nicholas died at Ranft after an illness of eight days.

St Nicholas was beatified in 1669.   After his beatification, the municipality of Sachseln built a church in his honour, where his body was interred.   He was canonised in 1947 by Pope Pius XII.

As a layman with family responsibilities who took his civic duties as an ancestral landowner seriously, Brother Klaus is a model of heroic manhood for many concerned with the flourishing of local communities and sustainable use of open land.   He is the patron saint of the German-language association KLB (Katholischen Landvolkbewegung), the Catholic Rural Communities Movement.st nicholas - statue

Posted in SAINT of the DAY

Memorials of the Saints – 21 March

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Bl Alfonso de Rojas
St Augustine Tchao
St Benedicta Cambiagio Frassinello
St Birillus of Catania
St Christian of Cologne
St Domninus of Rome
St Enda of Arran
St Isenger of Verdun
St James the Confessor
Bl John of Valence
Bl Lucia of Verona
St Lupicinus of Condat
Bl Mark Gjani
Bl Matthew Flathers
St Nicholas of Flue (1417-1487)

St Philemon of Rome
Bl Santuccia Terrebotti
St Serapion the Scholastic
Bl Thomas Pilcher
Bl William Pike
—
Martyrs of Alexandria: A large but unknown number of Catholics massacred in several churches during Good Friday services in Alexandria, Egypt by Arian heretics during the persecutions of Constantius and Philagrio. They were martyred on Good Friday in 342 in Alexandria, Egypt.

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, DEVOTIO, LENT, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, The PASSION

Our Morning Offering – 20 March 2018 – Tuesday of the 5th Week of Lent

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Our Morning Offering – 20 March 2018 – Tuesday of the 4th Week of Lent

Prayer In Honour of the Holy Cross
Third Prayer from the Seven Penitential Psalms Devotion

Almighty God,
Lord Jesus Christ,
who, for our sake, stretched out
Your pure hands on the Cross
and redeemed us with
Your precious Blood,
grant me to feel and understand
that I may have true repentance
and great perseverance,
all the days of my life.
Your reign is a reign for all ages.
Amenprayer in honour of the holy cross - 3rd prayer from the 7 penitential psalms devotion - 20 march 2018

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Saint of the Day – 20 March – St Martin of Braga (c 520–580)

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Saint of the Day – 20 March – St Martin of Braga (c 520–580) Archbishop, Monk, Missionary, Monastic Founder, prolific Ecclesiastical Writer.   He was born in Pannonia, Central Europe and died in 580 at Braga, Portugal of natural causes.

header - st martin of braga

About 550, St Martin arrived in Galicia, now northern Portugal, aboard a ship transporting pilgrims from the Holy Land.   We know little about Martin’s background, except that he had received a Greek education in the East and training as a monk in the tradition of the Egyptian desert.   The young monk seems to have come to Galicia as a missionary to a church infected with heresy.

The Suevi, a Germanic tribe that controlled Galicia, had adopted Priscillianism, a version of gnosticism that denied Christ’s humanity.   Martin took a strategic approach to winning the Suevi to the Catholic Church.   First he became the friend of King Theodomir and won the admiration of the royal family.   Then, building on his personal relationships, Martin converted the king and his court.

Martin founded a monastery at Dumium, which served as his missionary base.  Out of respect for him, the Suevian monarchs made him bishop of Dumium.   Later they appointed Martin as Archbishop of Braga, which established him as the pre-eminent leader of the Galician church.   In that position he held several councils that condemned Priscillianism and he promulgated teaching that restored its adherents to the church.

St Gregory of Tours (538-594) declared Martin the greatest scholar of his age.  His writings included a guide to the Christian life, a description of superstitious peasant customs, a set of moral maxims and a version of the sayings of the Egyptian fathers.   He died at his monastery at Dumium in 579.  st-martin-of-braga

 

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Memorials of the Saints – 20 March

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Bl Ambrose Sansedoni of Siena
Anastasius XVI
Archippus of Colossi
St Benignus of Flay
St Cathcan of Rath-derthaighe
St Clement of Ireland
St Cuthbert of Lindisfarne
Bl Francis Palau y Quer
St Guillermo de Peñacorada
St Herbert of Derwenwater
Bl Hippolytus Galantini
Bl Jeanne Veron
Bl John Baptist Spagnuolo
St John Nepomucene
St John Sergius
St Jósef Bilczewski
St Maria Josefa Sancho de Guerra
St Martin of Braga (c 520–580)
St Nicetas of Apollonias
St Remigius of Strasbourg
St Tertricus of Langres
St Urbitius of Metz
St Wulfram of Sens
—
Martyrs of Amisus – 8 saints: A group of Christian women martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. The only details we have are eight of their names – Alexandra, Caldia, Derphuta, Euphemia, Euphrasia, Juliana, Matrona and Theodosia. They were burned to death c 300 in Amisus, Paphlagonia (modern Samsun, Turkey).

Martyrs of Rome – 9+ saints: A group of Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Nero. We know nothing else about them but the names Anatolius, Cyriaca, Joseph, Parasceve, Photis, Photius, Sebastian and Victor.

Martyrs of San Saba – 20 saints: Twenty monks who were martyred together in their monastery by invading Saracens.
They were martyred in 797 when they were burned inside the San Sabas monastery in Palestine.

Martyrs of Syria – 3+ saints: A group of Christians who were martyred together in Syria. We know nothing else about them but the names Cyril, Eugene and Paul.

Posted in FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, SAINT of the DAY, St JOSEPH

Thought for the Day 19 March – The Solemnity of the Feast of St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church Go to Joseph

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Thought for the Day 19 March – The Solemnity of the Feast of St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church

Go to Joseph

J O S E P H
By Fr Francis Peffley

J
Joseph the Just Man

St John Paul in his apostolic exhortation “The Guardian of the Redeemer” calls Joseph the just man.   What does that mean?   It means that he was a holy man.   A righteous man.  A man of honesty, integrity, and virtue.    St Joseph is the greatest and holiest saint after the Blessed Mother herself.   In fact, some of the Doctors of the Church said that there was no grace ever given to any of the Saints (except Mary) that was not given to St Joseph as well.

St. Thomas Aquinas says that God gives grace proportionate to our office and to our state in life.   So if you are a husband and father, you will be given the grace to be a holy husband and father.   When someone has been ordained a priest he will be given the grace to be a priest.   Think how much grace St Joseph received to be the foster father of the Son of God and the virginal spouse of the Immaculate Conception.   So St Joseph is that just man.   He is the greatest of Saints because he was the closest one to Jesus and to the Blessed Mother.

As fathers and husbands you are called to holiness ‑ an obligation of every member of the Church.   It is not just the priests and nuns but everyone who is called to holiness. Every single person has this vocation ‑ the universal call to holiness.   We should ask ourselves, “Am I developing the virtues that St. Joseph has? Am I developing the integrity and character of St. Joseph?”

O
Joseph the Obedient one.

Joseph was truly obedient to the will of God in his life.   The Angel said, “Have no fear about taking Mary to be your wife.”   As soon as Joseph knew God’s will for him, he obeyed.   When the angel told Joseph that Herod was planning to destroy the child, Joseph immediately got up and began the flight to Egypt.

Some people ask if St Joseph was old.   This is due to the apocryphal writings of the early church, ancient writings which were not divinely inspired, or approved by the Church as Sacred Scripture.   These ancient writings say that when Joseph married the Blessed Mother he was 89 years old and that he died at the age of 111.   There is nothing in the Bible to suggest that St Joseph was so old.   We can be assured that Mary didn’t have to push St Joseph in a wheel chair through the desert.   Actually, I believe that Joseph was young and strong.   Obviously older than the Blessed Mother;  perhaps in his 20s or 30s. He was her guardian and protector. Scripture speaks about Mary’s betrothal to a man named Joseph.   It does not say he was an old man, as Simeon or Zachary.   So Joseph wasn’t as old as some would like to claim him to be.   Even in the ancient catacomb of Priscilla, Joseph was drawn without a beard showing him to be a young man.

But Joseph was an obedient man.   Whenever he was warned in a dream he always obeyed the will of God.   He never questioned Divine Providence.   Even though Mary was 8 3/4 months pregnant, Joseph had to believe it was God’s will for them to leave Nazareth and go down to Bethlehem.   This was to fulfil the prophecy of Micah that the Saviour would be born in Bethlehem.   Joseph abandoned himself to the will of God.   Ask yourself these questions:   “Am I obedient to the will of God?   Am I obedient to the Ten Commandments?   Am I obedient to the teaching of Christ and the teachings of the Church on marriage and family life?”   Go to St. Joseph to become obedient sons of the Church.

S
Joseph the Silent One.

There are no recorded words of St Joseph in the entire Bible.   There are words in the Old Testament for the great patriarch that we can apply to St Joseph.   But in the New Testament there are no recorded words for St Joseph.   He’s always there, though, as a silent presence.   In fact, even his death is wrapped in silence.   There is no account as to how Joseph was buried.   He’s a man of silence.   A strong man.   A man with a deep interior life.   Silence in our life helps us develop a life of prayer.   Joseph was a man of prayer who listened to the word of God.   He was not distracted by the many exterior things ‑ he was always a man of interior life.   Why?   Because God lived in his very house.

We picture St Joseph as a silent worker, as a craftsman, who suffered in silence as well. He did not complain and he did not grow angry at God and say, “Why are you doing this, why do we have to flee to Egypt?”   He was a man who accepted these things in silence. We should ask ourselves, “Do I have enough silence in my life?   Do I spend enough time in prayer with Jesus?   Do I listen to Jesus when he speaks to me during the Sunday readings?   Do I spend time in the Blessed Sacrament chapel listening to Jesus who is truly present?   Do I use my speech for lying, gossiping or backbiting?   Or, do I truly follow St. Joseph by being a man of integrity and silence?”

E
Joseph the Example.

Imagine the kind of man Joseph was.   God the Father picked Joseph out of the whole human race to be the man to raise his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.   When you get a babysitter you don’t just pick anyone, even if it is for only a few hours.   Imagine entrusting your only son to the care of another person.   That is why adoption agencies have to be careful in selecting to whom they entrust other people’s children.   That is why God chose the very best.   He chose St Joseph to be a great example.

St Joseph was an example to Jesus in his words and in his actions.   He has been called the World’s Greatest Father.   Joseph was truly a father to Jesus in every way except for physical generation.   He was the father who taught Jesus how to speak, how to read and how to make doors and ploughs.   Note the example that St Joseph gave the Christ child and remember the saying, “Your example shouts so loudly I cannot hear what you say.” Isn’t that the way children look at their parents?   What was the example that St. Joseph gave to the Christ child?   He was the perfect example, the world’s greatest father, the educator of Jesus.

Joseph homeschooled Jesus and taught him the virtues.   This was the Son of God who always had the beatific vision but (as the catechism says) He had to grow in the experiential and had to develop as a boy develops.   Jesus looked up to St Joseph, even imitating his mannerisms.   Let us ask ourselves, “What examples are we giving? What example do you give to your wife? To your children?   Do you teach your children the faith? Do you study your own Catholic Faith by reading at least 10 ‑ 20 minutes every day?   Do you make good use of your travel time to deepen your faith, so you can be a good example to your wife and children?   Do you go on retreats?   Are you living out your vocation as leader of your family?”

P
Joseph the Protector and Patron.

St Joseph is our benefactor who prays for us.   Joseph is the patron Saint of fathers, husbands and workers.   We should always pray that we will have the same kind of death that St Joseph had, dying in the arms of Jesus and Mary.   He is the patron Saint of a happy death, which means dying in the arms of Jesus and Mary and Holy Mother Church.   Go to St. Joseph for the grace of a happy death.

He is also the patron Saint of the universal Church.   Everything that St Joseph did for Jesus he now does for the Church.   Why?   Because the Catholic Church is the mystical body of Christ himself.   The Blessed Mother is the mother of the Church and St Joseph is the foster father and guardian of the Church.

St Joseph lately has become the patron Saint of selling houses.   I have to wonder about Aunt Selma selling her house by burying a statue of St Joseph facing east.   I have to wonder if that is what God really wants us to do.   If you want to sell your house, place a statue of St. Joseph on your mantle and do a nine-day novena to him.   You don’t have to suffocate the guy!   Keep him there and ask his intercession.   He will help you sell your house or keep your job in every way.   Remember that Joseph is the protector and the guardian of the whole Church, as well as ourselves as individuals.   Ask yourself the question, “Do I pray to St. Joseph every day?   Do I pray to him for a happy death?”   Pray to him for your whole family that you will have a happy death.   And ask St. Joseph to help you protect your family from all the immorality on TV or in the media.

H
St Joseph the Helper of the Blessed Mother.

St Joseph was the virginal spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.   In God’s plan of salvation he was a loving husband, kind, considerate, affectionate and self-sacrificing.   St Joseph had an awesome responsibility with the Blessed Virgin.   They worked as a team.   St Joseph had the responsibility for spiritual leadership since he was the head of the family. God’s message from the angel was revealed to him even though the Blessed Mother was much holier through her Immaculate Conception.   Obviously, Jesus as the Son of God and creator was far greater but St. Joseph was chosen because he was the head of that family, just as every one of you is the spiritual head of your family.

Joseph and Mary worked as a team.   Remember TEAM spells “Together Everyone Achieves More.”   Develop teamwork with your wife.   I love the story that Zig Zigler tells of courtship after marriage using the example of Belgian horses.   These huge Belgian horses could only pull 8,000 pounds individually.   But when they are harnessed together, two horses working together can pull 32,000 pounds of weight.   Isn’t that amazing?   It almost defies every law of mathematics.   So when you are joined with your spouse in an effort to move your family towards God, you will accomplish much more than if you were to do it individually.   Ask yourself this question, “Am I a helper to my spouse?” Your vocation is really to get your spouse and your children to Heaven.   This is your ultimate vocation in life.

Let us reflect on St Joseph:  that Just man, that loving leader, that Obedient man;   let us reflect on his Silence, his Example and his Patronage of our own lives and of the Church, and let us to try to imitate St Joseph the Helper of Mary.

God bless you.

Happy and Blessed Solemnity of the Great St Joseph!blessed solemnity of st joseph - 19 march 2018

Fr Francis Peffley currently serves as parochial vicar at Saint John the Apostle in Leesburg, Virginia.

 

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, DOCTORS of the Church, FEASTS and SOLEMNITIES, MORNING Prayers, QUOTES of the SAINTS, SAINT of the DAY, St JOSEPH, The WORD

One Minute Reflection – 19 March – The Solemnity of the Feast of St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church

Posted on by AnaStpaul

One Minute Reflection – 19 March – The Solemnity of the Feast of St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church

Joseph, her husband, was an upright man...Matthew 1:19joseph her husband - matthew 1 19

REFLECTION – Saint Joseph was the just man by his constant fidelity, an effect of justice; by his perfect discretion, a sister to prudence; by his upright conduct, a mark of strength and by his inviolable chastity, a flower of temperance…St Albert the Great (1200-1280) Doctor of the Churchst joseph was the just man - st albert the great - 19 march 2018

PRAYER – Almighty God, at the beginning of our salvation, when Mary conceived Your Son and brought Him forth into the world, You placed them under Joseph’s watchful care. May his prayer still guide us and help Your Church, to be an equally faithful guardian of Your Mysteries and a sign of Christ to mankind. Through Your Son, our Saviour, in unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever, amen.st joseph pray for us - 19 march 2018

Posted in BREVIARY Prayers, CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, HYMNS, MORNING Prayers, POETRY, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, SAINT of the DAY, St JOSEPH

Our Morning Offering – 19 March – The Solemnity of the Feast of St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Patron of the Universal Church, Patron of Fathers, Patron of the Dying

Posted on by AnaStpaul

Our Morning Offering – 19 March – The Solemnity of the Feast of St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Guardian of Jesus and Patron of the Universal Church, Patron of Fathers, Patron of the Dying, Patron of Workers. et al

Joseph, wise ruler of God’s earthly household

Joseph, wise ruler of God’s earthly household,
nearest of all men to the heart of Jesus,
be still a father, lovingly providing
for us, His brethren.

Saint strong and manly, chosen by the Father,
as trusted guardian of the Son eternal,
guide us as once you guided Wisdom’s footsteps
with sure direction.

Husband of Mary, loving and beloved,
teach us the joy of love so pure and holy,
warming our hearts with love
for God’s own Mother by your example.

Saint of the dying, blest with Mary’s presence,
in death you rested in the arms of Jesus;
so at our ending, Jesus, Mary, Joseph,
come to assist us!joseph wise ruler of god's earthly household - 19 march 2018