Bl Alda of Siena St Antoninus of Rome St Basileus of Amasea St Clarence of Venice St Claudius of Rome St Cyrinus of Rome St Exuerantia of Troyes Bl Gregory of Besians Bl Juli Junyer Padern St Lucidius of Verona
One Minute Reflection – 13 July – “The Month of the Precious Blood” – The Memorial of St Anacletus (c25-c89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and Martyr – 1 Petet 5:1-4; 5:10-11, Matthew 16:13-19
“Upon this rock I will build my church” – – Matthew 16:18
REFLECTION – “Although the earth and all who dwell in it quake, I have set firm its pillars” (Ps 74[75],40). All the Apostles are pillars of the earth but, at their head, the two whose Feast we are celebrating. They are the two pillars who support the Church with their teaching, their prayer and the example of their steadfastness. The Lord Himself strengthened these pillars. For at first they were weak, completely incapable of supporting either themselves or others. And in this the Lord’s great design appears: it they had always been strong, people could have thought their strength came from themselves. That is why the Lord wanted to show what they were capable of, before strengthening them, so that all might know, that their strength came from God… Peter was thrown to the ground by the voice of a mere servant… and the other pillar was very weak too: “I was once a blasphemer and persecutor and an arrogant man” (1Tm 1,13)…
Hence we ought to praise these Saints with all our heart: our Fathers who bore such trials for the Lord’s sake and who persevered, with such determination. It is nothing to persevere in joy, happiness and peace. But this is what is great – to be stoned, scourged, struck for Christ (2 Cor 11,25) and in all this, to persevere with Christ. With Paul it is a great thing to be cursed and to bless, to be persecuted and to endure, to be slandered and to console, to be like the world’s rubbish and to draw glory from it (1 Cor 4,12-13)… And what shall we say of Peter? Even if he had undergone nothing for Christ, it would be sufficient to celebrate him today in that he was crucified for Him… He well knew where He Whom he loved, He Whom he longed for was…: his cross has been his road to Heaven.” – St Aelred of Rielvaux (1110-1167) Cistercian Monk Sermon 18, for the feast of S (ints Peter and Paul ; PL 195, 298).
PRAYER – Look forgivingly on thy flock, Eternal Shepherd, and keep it in thy constant protection, by the intercession of blessed Anacletus thy Martyr and Sovereign Pontiff, whom thou didst constitute Shepherd of the whole Church.Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen (Collect).
Bl Anne-Andrée Minutte St Arno of Würzburg Bl Berthold of Scheide St Dogfan Bl Élisabeth Verchière St Esdras the Prophet St Eugene of Carthage St Giustina of Arzano
St Henry (972-1024) Holy Roman Emperor ,Henry was well known for his Missionary spirit and for his protection of the Pope in times of trouble. Henry ruled with a spirit of great humility and always sought to give the glory to God. He used his position to promote the work of the Church and the peace and happiness of the people. Biography: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/07/13/saint-of-the-day-13-july-st-henry-ii-holy-roman-emperor/
St Iosephus Wang Kuiju
Blessed James of Voragine OP (c 1226 – 3 or 16 July 1298) Italian Archbishop of Genoa, Author of the ‘Golden Legend’ (a collection of lives of Saints and treatises on Christian festivals, one of the most popular religious works of the Middle Ages and is still published and referred to today – completed 1265), Priest and Friar of the Order of Preachers of St Dominic, Writer, Scholar of great genius, Prior and Provincial General of the Order. Blessed James was Beatified on 11 May 1816 by Pope Pius VII. Biography: https://anastpaul.com/2021/07/13/saint-of-the-day-13-july-blessed-james-of-voragine-op-c-1226-1298-author-of-the-golden-legend/
Bl Jean of France St Joel the Prophet Bl Marie-Anastasie de Roquard Bl Marie-Anne Depeyre Bl Marie-Anne Lambert St Mildred of Thanet OSB (Died c 700) English Benedictine Nun and Abbess.
St Muritta of Carthage St Myrope St Salutaris of Carthage St Sarra of Egypt St Serapion of Alexandria Serapion of Macedonia Bl Thérèse-Henriette Faurie Bl Thomas Tunstal St Turian
Martyrs of Cyprus – 300 Saints: 300 Christians who retired to Cyprus to live as cave Hermits, devoting themselves to prayer and an ascetic life devoted to God. Tortured and Martyred for their faith and their bodies thrown into the various caves in which they had lived. We know the names of five of them but no other details even about them – Ammon, Choulélaios, Epaphroditus, Eusthénios and Héliophotos. They were beheaded in the 12th century on Cyprus and their bodies dumped in the cave where they had lived and only rediscovered long afterwards.
Martyrs of Philomelio – 31 Saints: 31 soldiers Martyred for their faith in the persecutions of prefect Magno, date unknown. The only name that has come down to us is Alexander. In Philomelio, Phrygia (in modern Turkey).
Our Lady of Genazzano (1467) / Our Lady of Good Counsel (Memorial) – 26 April:
George Kastrioti Skanderbeg (1405–1467), also known as Iskander, or by his more colourful title, the Dragon of Albania. He was a great warrior and leader of the people of Albania who fought against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into his Kingdom. An invincible opponent of Islam, the reason for his successes, was no secret – he “loved the sanctuary of Mary with a devoted, enthusiastic love and Mary in return, not only made him a model of Christian perfection but also gave him, an invincible power, which preserved not only Albania but also Christendom during his reign.” There was at this time, a miraculous painting located in the town of Scutari, which was the Capital City of Albania. Our Lady of Scutari, now known as Our Lady of Good Counsel and Our Lady of Genazzano, is an image of Our Lady holding her Divine Son which had been painted on a thin sheet of plaster by an unknown hand. This portrait, reputed to date from the time of the Apostles of Christ, was greatly venerated and beloved by the faithful Albanian people. It was Our Lady of Scutari who had consoled and preserved Iskander through all his trials. After his victories, Iskander went to kneel before the image of Our Lady of Scutari, thanking and publicly praising her for his success. “He was a hero formed in the same school as all those who derive their strength from their devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Like a new Saint Fernando III, King of Castile, Scanderbeg was, under the guidance of Mary, as gentle in peace as he was terrible in war. The good Christian Prince was often seen at her feet to beg the protection of his Lady in his greatest afflictions.” Pope Nicholas V called Iskander “the champion and shield of Christendom,” which was true, although it was the Blessed Virgin Mary who protected her champion and granted him his victories. The Prince and unvanquished warrior, whose strength of soul gave his compatriots fortitude to throw off their lethargy, courage to rise up against the oppressive infidels, daring to despise death and thus expel them from their country, moved his subjects not only by example but also by his unbreakable faith, his ardent charity and his unshakable hope. Scanderbeg was God’s sword against the enemies of the holy Catholic Faith, the impregnable defensive wall protecting His realm. At the end of his life, physically exhausted from his labours, Iskander sensed that his death was near. He went one last time to visit Our Lady of Scutari at her Shrine and then retired to the City of Lesh to die. There he won a final battle against the Turks before he laid down and gave up his soul to God. He had ended his life heroically as a powerful defender of the Catholic faith and of Christendom. Shortly after Iskander’s death, the Ottoman army invaded Albania again. Without their invincible champion, it was only a matter of time before the Capital was taken. The Blessed Virgin revealed to two pious men that her image would not be desecrated and told them to prepare themselves for a long journey to follow the fresco when it left Albania. The picture then moved away from the wall, seemingly of its own accord and floated into the air. As the pair followed the image of Jesus and Mary, it was hidden in a cloud and went out over the waters of the Adriatic sea. Full of confidence in Our Lady, the men stepped upon the water, which miraculously supported them and so they continued to follow the image until they made land along the coast of Italy. At that point they lost sight of the cloud. It was not long before they learned where the image had gone. The cloud was seen again by the people of Genazzano, when they looked up into the sky to find the source of the heavenly music, that suddenly reached their ears. They watched dumbfounded as the little cloud descended and came to rest where it can still be seen today, floating before a wall of the Church of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano. The image indeed floats before the wall, for it is not attached or supported in any way.
A hundred years later Pope Paul III had the picture studied and authenticated; Innocent IX had it crowned; many other Popes have granted favours to the Shrine. As late as 1936 a commission formed to study the picture, reported, if struck a slight blow, it reacts as if it were hollow; if set in motion, it oscillates visibly. Pope Leo XIII raised the Sanctuary to the dignity of a Basilica and had the invocation, “Mother of Good Counsel” added to the Litany of Loretto. Blessed Pope Pius IX had a great devotion to Our Lady under this title – he offered his first Mass before its image; in 1864 he made a pilgrimage to Genazzano to have counsel of her who is “Seat of Wisdom.” He kept her image in his study and fostered a cult to Mary under this title; thus he exemplified the filial confidence of all true sons of Mary.*
Our Lady of Good Counsel by Pasquale Sarullo, 19th century.
The Augustinian Order contributed to the spread of this devotion internationally. In 1753, Pope Benedict XIV established the Pious Union of Our Lady of Good Counsel. Leo XIII, who was himself a member of the pious union, was deeply attached to this devotion.
Among her noted clients have been St Aloysius Gonzaga, St Alphonsus Liguori, St John Bosco and Blessed Stephen Bellesini.
There have been numerous miracles at the shrine where Mary took refuge after the death of her champion in Albania. Through this image of Our Lady of Genazzano and throughout many long ages, she has been caring for her children on earth. As the Mother of God, she has the ability to truly help us. Indeed, it is her ardent desire to support us and counsel us in our need. Pope Leo XIII instructed us to “follow her counsels!” and, like so many saints and Catholic heroes, we would profit greatly if we did so!
Bl Alda of Siena St Antoninus of Rome St Basileus of Amasea St Clarence of Venice St Claudius of Rome
Bl Alda of Siena
St Antoninus of Rome
St Basileus of Amasea
St Clarence of Venice
St Claudius of Rome St Pope Cletus (c 25-c 89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and Martyr Biography: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/saint-of-the-day-26-april-st-pope-cletus/
St Cyrinus of Rome
St Exuerantia of Troyes
Bl Gregory of Besians
Bl Juli Junyer Padern
St Lucidius of Verona
St Pope Marcellinus (Died 304) Martyr
Bl Alda of Siena
St Antoninus of Rome
St Basileus of Amasea
St Clarence of Venice
St Claudius of Rome St Pope Cletus (c 25-c 89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and Martyr
Biography: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2017/04/26/saint-of-the-day-26-april-st-pope-cletus/
St Cyrinus of Rome
St Exuerantia of Troyes
Bl Gregory of Besians
Bl Juli Junyer Padern
St Lucidius of Verona
St Pope Marcellinus St Paschasius Radbertus (785–865)
St Pelligrino of Foggia
St Peter of Braga
St Primitive of Gabi St Rafael Arnáiz Barón (1911-1938)
About this memorable Saint: https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/04/26/saint-of-the-day-26-april-st-rafael-arnaiz-baron-o-c-s-o-1911-1938/
St Richarius of Celles
Bl Stanislaw Kubista
St Trudpert of Munstertal
St William of Foggia
Bl Wladyslaw Goral
Through (Jesus) let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is,
the fruit of lips which acknowledge his name……………Hebrews 13:15
REFLECTION – “The hour has sounded for joyful chants – Alleluia!
Let us praise God with our life,
with our voice, with our heart
and with our deeds.”………….St Augustine
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to give You constant praise in my heart At the same time, let this attitude bear fruit in my life – producing truly Christ-like deeds. Help me to always be a witness to Your Son, truly risen. St Pope Cletus, ordained by St Peter and martyred for Christ, pray for us, amen.
Saint of the Day – 26 April – St Pope Anadletus (c25-c89) 3rd Bishop of Rome and MARTYR – Also known as – Cletus and Celto – Relics reside in relics in Saint Linus Church, Vatican City
St Pope Analetus led the fledgling Church during the reign of Emperors Vespasian and Domitian. The name Cletus, in ancient Greek, means “one who has been called.” Pope Saint Anacletus is remembered as having been converted by St Peter and ordained by the first Pope as well. His name is included in the Roman Canon of the Mass. Saint Cletus/Anacletus is traditionally said to have been born and raised a Roman, and following his ordination and ascension, served the Church for twelve years as the third Pope. During that time, he is said to have divided Rome into twenty-five parishes, as well as ordained a significant number of priests to serve the growing Church. He is also the first pope to build a shrine over the relics of Saint Peter, which would eventually become the basilica that stands today.
The canon of the Roman mass, St Bede, St Augustine and other Martyrologists, style him a Martyr, although the direct events of his death for the faith have been lost to history. He was Martyred in the persecutions of Domitian.
AnaStpaul 
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