St Vitalis of Ravenna (Died c 171) Martyr, Layman, Husband and father. The Roman Martyrology states of him today: “At Ravenna, the birthday of St Vitalis, Martyr, father of the Saint Gervasius and Protasius. When he had taken up and reverently buried the body of blessed Ursicinus, he was arrested by the ex-consul Paulinus and after being racked and thrown nto a deep pit, was overwhelmed with earth and stones and by this kind of martyrdom, went to Christ.” His Life and Death: https://anastpaul.com/2021/04/28/saint-of-the-day-28-april-saint-vitalis-of-ravenna-died-c-171-martyr/
Quote/s of the Day – 28 April – The Memorial of St Paul of the Cross CP (1604-1775), St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) and St Peter Chanel SM (1803-1841)
“The world lives, unmindful of the sufferings of Jesus, which are the Miracle of Miracles, of the Love of God!”
“The Passion of Jesus, is a sea of sorrows but, it is also, an ocean of love. Ask the Lord to teach you to fish in this ocean. Dive into its depths. No matter how deep you go, you will never reach the bottom.”
“Entrust yourself entirely to God. He is a Father and a most loving Father at that, Who would rather let Heaven and earth collapse, than abandon anyone who trusted in Him.”
St Paul of the Cross (1604-1775)
“The ‘Our Father’ contains, all the duties we owe to God, the acts of all the virtues and the petitions for all our spiritual and corporal needs.”
“Both Saint Bernard and Saint Bonaventure say, that the Queen of Heaven is certainly no less grateful and conscientious, than gracious and well-mannered people of this world. Just as she excels in all other perfections, she surpasses us all in the virtue of gratitude – therefore, she would never let us honour her, with love and respect, without repaying us one hundred fold. Saint Bonaventure says, that Mary will greet us with grace, if we greet her with the Hail Mary.”
St Benedict of the Bridge St Cronan of Roscrea St Cyril of Turov Bl Gerard of Bourgogne Bl Hanna Helena Chrzanowska OSB (1902-1973) Bl Józef Cebula Blessed Luchesius TOSF (c1180 – 1260) Layman – The first Franciscan Tertiary
Nuestra Señora del / Our Lady of Quito, Ecuador (1534) – 28 April:
This miraculous image of Our Lady of Quito currently in the Capital City of Ecuador ,is said to date from the first Spanish settlement there in the year 1534. At the very least, it has certainly been venerated there for a long time and is popularly called ,by the people of Quito, Our Lady of the Earthquake. The painting represents the Sorrowful Mother and in the early years of the twentieth century, devotion to Mary under the title of Our Lady of Quito was introduced into England ,by the Servite Friars in London. Saint Pius X accorded them an indulgence for those who should pray before her picture, and the devotion was greatly promoted in England by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, Mother Cornelia Connelly’s congregation. The original image at Quito was solemnly crowned in 1918. On 20 April 1906, thirty-six boys attending the boarding school of the Jesuit Fathers at Quito, Ecuador, together with Father Andrew Roesch, witnessed a miracle of this famous picture of Our Lady. While in the refectory they all saw the Blessed Mother slowly open and shut her eyes. The same miracle occurred no less than seven times after that, in favour of the boys at the school but this time, in the Chapel to which the picture had been taken.
Ecclesiastical authorities soon investigated these incidents and finally concluded by ordering the picture to be transferred, in procession from the college to the Church of the Jesuit Fathers. Once at the Church, the miracle was repeated several times before large crowds and many, many conversions took place because of these miracles. At one time, the wonder continued for three consecutive days. At Riobamba, before a faithful reproduction of Our Lady of Quito, the same wonder was seen by more than 20 persons, including the president of the City. In Quito this picture is known as the Dolorosa del Colegio.
A Conceptionist Sister, named Mother Mariana de Jesús Torres received Marian apparitions under this title from 2 February 1594 to 2 February 1634. In 1611, the local Bishop gave his approval to the apparitions.
Mother Mariana de Jesús Torres
Our Lady appeared to Mother Mariana and predicted many things about our own times. This following, is part of what she told her. We can see for ourselves how it relates directly to our own time. “…. I make it known to you, that from the end of the 19th century and shortly after the middle of the 20th century…. the passions will erupt and there will be a total corruption of customs (morals)…. “They will focus principally on the children, in order to sustain this general corruption. Woe to the children of these times! It will be difficult to receive the Sacrament of Baptism and also, that of Confirmation… “As for the Sacrament of Matrimony… it will be attacked and deeply profaned… The Catholic spirit will rapidly decay; the precious light of the Faith will gradually be extinguished… Added to this, will be the effects of secular education, which will be one reason for the dearth of priestly and religious vocations. “The Sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed and despised… The Devil will try to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every possible way; he will labour with cruel and subtle astuteness, to deviate them from the spirit of their vocation and will corrupt many of them. These depraved priests, who will scandalise the Christian people, will make the hatred of bad Catholics and the enemies of the Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church ,fall upon all priests… “Further, in these unhappy times, there will be unbridled luxury, which will ensnare the rest ,into sin and conquer innumerable frivolous souls, who will be lost. Innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women. In this supreme moment of need of the Church, the one who should speak will fall silent.” In a subsequent apparition, Our Lady told Mother Mariana that these apparitions were not to become generally known until the twentieth century.
On 8 December 1634, the apparition predicted that Papal Infallibility “will be declared a Dogma of the Faith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the Dogma of the Mystery of My Immaculate Conception.” In 1854, Blessed Pope Pius IX defined the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception and in 1870, he declared the Dogma of Papal Infallibility as defined by the First Vatican Council.
Mother Mariana died on 16 January 1635, shortly after the last apparition. When her tomb was reopened in 1906, her body was found to be perfectly incorrupt, after nearly 300 years in an ordinary, unprotected, wooden coffin. The Archdiocese of Quito opened her cause for Canonisation in 1986 and finished the Diocesan stage of the process ,in 1997.
Quote/s of the Day – 28 May – Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter and the Memorial of St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716), St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Priest and Martyr, St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962), Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament OCD (1925-1959)
“God alone!”
“Chosen soul, how will you bring this about? What steps will you take to reach the high level to which God is calling you? The means of holiness and salvation, are known to everybody, since they are found in the Gospel, the masters of the spiritual life have explained them, the Saints have practised them… These means are – sincere Humility, unceasing Prayer, complete Self-denial, abandonment to Divine Providence and obedience to the Will of God.”
“Since grace enhances our human nature and glory adds a still greater perfection to grace, it is certain, that our Lord remains in heaven, just as much the Son of Mary as He was on earth. Consequently, He has retained the submissiveness and obedience of the most Perfect of all Children, towards the Best of all Mothers.”
True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, #27
“The greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue, will be the most assiduous in praying to the most Blessed Virgin, looking up to her, as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them. “
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“It does not matter, whether or not I am killed, the religion has taken root on the island, it will not be destroyed by my death, since it comes not from men but from God.”
St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Priest and Martyr
“The stillness of prayer is the most essential condition for fruitful action. Before all else, the disciple kneels down.”
“Our body is a cenacle, a monstrance – through its crystal, the world should see God.”
St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)
“Father, for Your glory, accept the total surrender of my being, in union with the perfect sacrifice of Your divine Son. In Him, through Him and with Him, I live, love, believe, suffer and die….”
Blessed María Felicia of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament (1925-1959)
Low Sunday the Octave Day of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday *2019
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) (Optional Memorial) St Louis’s story: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/28/saint-of-the-day-28-april-st-louis-marie-grignion-de-montfort-1673-1716/
St Peter Chanel SM (1803-1841) Martyred aged 37 (Optional Memorial) Biography: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/saint-of-the-day-28-april-st-peter-chanel/
St Adalbero of Augsburg
St Agapio of Cirtha
St Artemius of Sens Bl Itala Mela ObSB (1904–1957)
St Benedict of the Bridge
St Cronan of Roscrea
St Cyril of Turov
Bl Gerard of Bourgogne St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)
Bl Józef Cebula
Bl Luchesius
St Pamphilus of Sulmona
St Prudentius of Tarazona
—
St Alexander
St Aphrodisius of Beziers
St Berthold
St Buonadonna
Carino Peter of Balsamo
St Firmiano
St Germaine
St Guido Spada
St Luchtighern of Ennistymon
St Marie Louise Trichet Jesus
St Mark of Galilee
St Peter of Bearn
St Primianus
St Probe
St Tellurium
Quote/s of the Day – 28 April – The Memorial of St Pope Pius V (1504-1572), St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716), St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Martyr and St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)
“All the evils of the world, are due to lukewarm Catholics.”
St Pope Pius V
“God Alone”
“Take advantage of little sufferings even more than of great ones. God considers not so much what we suffer, as how we suffer. . . Turn everything to profit as the grocer does in his shop.”
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716)
“It does not matter, whether or not I am killed, the religion has taken root on the island, it will not be destroyed by my death, since it comes not from men but from God.”
St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Martyr
“Our body is a cenacle, a monstrance: through its crystal the world should see God.”
“Love and sacrifice are closely linked, like the sun and the light. We cannot love without suffering and we cannot suffer without love.”
St Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) (Optional Memorial)
St Peter Chanel (1803-1841) Martyr (Optional Memorial)
—
St Adalbero of Augsburg
St Agapio of Cirtha
St Artemius of Sens
St Benedict of the Bridge
St Cronan of Roscrea
St Cyril of Turov
Bl Gerard of Bourgogne
St Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)
Bl Józef Cebula
Bl Luchesius
St Pamphilus of Sulmona
St Prudentius of Tarazona
—
St Alexander
St Aphrodisius of Beziers
St Berthold
St Buonadonna
Carino Peter of Balsamo
St Firmiano
St Germaine
St Guido Spada
St Luchtighern of Ennistymon
St Marie Louise Trichet Jesus
St Mark of Galilee
St Peter of Bearn
St Primianus
St Probe
St Tellurium
Martyrs of Alexandia:
Didymus
Theodora
Martyrs of Durostorum:
Dada
Maximus
Quintilian
Martyrs of Languedoc:
Agapius
Aphrodisius
Caralippus
Eusebius
Martyrs of Nicomedia:
Caralampo
Eusebius
Martyrs of Prusa:
Acacius
Menander
Patritius
Polyenus
Martyrs of Ravenna:
Ursicinus
Valeria
Vitalis
Martyrs of Vietnam:
Gioan Baotixta Ðinh Van Thành
Phaolô Pham Khac Khoan
Phêrô Nguyen Van Hien
Pilgrims of Gallinaro:
Arduin
Bernhard
Gerard
Hugh
Success or failure is often not completely in our hands and sometimes, we have to face what seems almost certain failure. But success is not required of us, only fidelity. St Peter Chanel’s work ended in his own death in the face of what seemed total failure. Out of that ‘failure’, God brought about the success Peter was seeking AND brought Peter himself to sainthood and eternal joy and sublime success!
Saint of the Day – 28 April – St Peter Chanel SM- Protomartyr of Oceania – Priest, Missionary, Martyr (1803-1841 (martyred aged 37). Born on 12 July 1803 at Cuet, Ain, France as Peter Louis Mary Chanel and died by being beaten to death with clubs on 28 April 1841 at Poi, Uvea, Fortuna Island, New Hebrides. Patronage – of Oceania.
Born on July 12th 1803 in the hamlet of La Botiere near Montrevel (Ain) of a small-farming family, Peter Chanel spent part of his schooling at Cras and there was noticed by the parish priest, Fr Trompier who took him and a companion into the presbytery and began to teach them Latin.
When in 1815 he moved to Monsols the boys went with him and returned with him again a year later to Cras. From here Peter went on to study at the minor seminary of Meximieux in 1819 and in 1824 after some months at the college in Belley entered the major seminary of the Diocese at Brou, being Ordained Priest on 15 July 1827.
His first posting was as curate to Amberieu where the seminarian Claude Bret, his later friend, fellow Marist and companion on the voyage to Oceania was active in the school.
Since the age of 14, Chanel had been intent on the foreign missions and his intention was strengthened by the letters that arrived at Amberieux from a former curate, now a missionary in India.
The following year he applied to the Bishop of Belley for permission to go to the missions but was instead appointed parish priest of Crozet, where he found scope for missionary work. The previous Priest had alienated his parishioners and he had a hard struggle to win back their confidence and goodwill.
Having learnt of the Marists in the meanwhile, then the only alternative in the diocese to the Diocesan clergy, he received permission in 1831 to join them at Belley and in September that year took with them a vow to work for the establishment of the Society of Mary.
In November of that year his sister Francoise who had been his housekeeper at Crozet joined the Marist Sisters at Bon-Repos. In 1832 Peter became spiritual director of the college, in 1833 accompanied Fathers Colin and Bourdin on their journey to Rome to promote the Society’s cause and after his return in 1834 became vice-superior and effective head of the college. In this position he was not exactly a success, a fact of which he was himself painfully aware.
With the offer of the Oceania mission in 1836, he offered his name and was one of the first group of Marists who met for the retreat which culminated in the election of Jean-Claude Colin as General and the first professions on September 24th.
Having visited his family and slipped away in the early morning, he made for Lyons and on October 15th with his companions took part in a service of consecration to Mary before her statue in the shrine of Fourviere. Finally, after a long wait in Le Havre, the band set forth on Christmas eve.
The journey took almost a year, round the Horn and up to Valparaiso on the Pacific coast of South America. In March 1837, Peter’s friend Bret died off the Canary Isles and was buried at sea.
Having left Fr. Bataillon and Brother Joseph on the island of Wallis, Pompallier sailed 140 miles further to Futuna and there deposited Chanel and Brother Marie-Nizier (Jean-Marie Delorme, aged 21), trained like all the Brothers at that period by Father Champagnat.
The party was well received by the king of one of the two factions into which the islanders were split and they were allowed to stay. Pompallier left, promising to return with another missionary in six months, a promise he proved unable to keep and which seriously undermined the missionaries’ position in the eyes of the islanders.
On the island were also some white English traders and they had the assistance of Thomas Boag an English Protestant and widower of a Futunan woman. Progress was painfully slow and uncertain being mainly a running battle against sickness and malnutrition and later petty persecution. They tried to help the islanders with primitive medicine, to discourage tribal warfare, such practices as abortion and to seize whatever opportunities arose for giving instruction and administering baptism.
Some progress was registered however but the news that the king’s son had been won over proved Chanel’s death warrant and the king consented to his murder.
Brother Marie-Nizier escaped to bring the news to Pompallier who hastened from New Zealand with his schooner and a French frigate. There they confronted the terrified islanders. In the meantime, however, the atmosphere had changed, for the king and some others had died of a dreadful disease and in hindsight many recognised their debt to the murdered priest. The whole island was converted.
St Peter was Beatified on 17 November 1889, Rome by Pope Leo XIII and Canonised on 12 June 1954, Rome by Pope Pius XII.
AnaStpaul 
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