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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171110
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171111
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T191906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T191906Z
UID:5603-1510272000-1510358399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Leo the Great
DESCRIPTION:Image: The Meeting between Leo the Great (painted as a portrait of Leo X) and Attila | Raphael | photo by Art Renewal Center\nSaint Leo the Great\nSaint of the Day for November 10\n(d. November 10\, 461)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Leo the Great’s Story\nWith apparent strong conviction of the importance of the Bishop of Rome in the Church\, and of the Church as the ongoing sign of Christ’s presence in the world\, Leo the Great displayed endless dedication as pope. Elected in 440\, he worked tirelessly as “Peter’s successor\,” guiding his fellow bishops as “equals in the episcopacy and infirmities.” \nLeo is known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. His work branched into four main areas\, indicative of his notion of the pope’s total responsibility for the flock of Christ. He worked at length to control the heresies of Pelagianism (overemphasizing human freedom)\, Manichaeism (seeing everything material as evil) and others\, placing demands on their followers so as to secure true Christian beliefs. \nA second major area of his concern was doctrinal controversy in the Church in the East\, to which he responded with a classic letter setting down the Church’s teaching on the two natures of Christ. With strong faith\, he also led the defense of Rome against barbarian attack\, taking the role of peacemaker. \nIn these three areas\, Leo’s work has been highly regarded. His growth to sainthood has its basis in the spiritual depth with which he approached the pastoral care of his people\, which was the fourth focus of his work. He is known for his spiritually profound sermons. An instrument of the call to holiness\, well-versed in Scripture and ecclesiastical awareness\, Leo had the ability to reach the everyday needs and interests of his people. One of his sermons is used in the Office of Readings on Christmas. \nIt is said of Leo that his true significance rests in his doctrinal insistence on the mysteries of Christ and the Church and in the supernatural charisms of the spiritual life given to humanity in Christ and in his Body\, the Church. Thus Leo held firmly that everything he did and said as pope for the administration of the Church represented Christ\, the head of the Mystical Body\, and Saint Peter\, in whose place Leo acted. \n\nReflection\nAt a time when there is widespread criticism of Church structures\, we also hear criticism that bishops and priests—indeed\, all of us—are too preoccupied with administration of temporal matters. Pope Leo is an example of a great administrator who used his talents in areas where spirit and structure are inseparably combined: doctrine\, peace\, and pastoral care. He avoided an “angelism” that tries to live without the body\, as well as the “practicality” that deals only in externals.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-leo-the-great/2017-11-10/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171111
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171112
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T192018Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192018Z
UID:5606-1510358400-1510444799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Martin of Tours
DESCRIPTION:Image: Statue of Saint Martin of Tours on the dome of the Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours | photo by ZohaStel\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Martin of Tours\nSaint of the Day for November 11\n(c. 316 – November 8\, 397)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Martin of Tours’ Story\nA conscientious objector who wanted to be a monk; a monk who was maneuvered into being a bishop; a bishop who fought paganism as well as pleaded for mercy to heretics—such was Martin of Tours\, one of the most popular of saints and one of the first not to be a martyr. \nBorn of pagan parents in what is now Hungary and raised in Italy\, this son of a veteran was forced at the age of 15 to serve in the army. He became a Christian catechumen and was baptized at 18. It was said that he lived more like a monk than a soldier. At 23\, he refused a war bonus and told his commander: “I have served you as a soldier; now let me serve Christ. Give the bounty to those who are going to fight. But I am a soldier of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight.” After great difficulties\, he was discharged and went to be a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers. \nHe was ordained an exorcist and worked with great zeal against the Arians. He became a monk\, living first at Milan and later on a small island. When Hilary was restored to his see after exile\, Martin returned to France and established what may have been the first French monastery near Poitiers. He lived there for 10 years\, forming his disciples and preaching throughout the countryside. \nThe people of Tours demanded that he become their bishop. He was drawn to that city by a ruse—the need of a sick person—and was brought to the church\, where he reluctantly allowed himself to be consecrated bishop. Some of the consecrating bishops thought his rumpled appearance and unkempt hair indicated that he was not dignified enough for the office. \nAlong with Saint Ambrose\, Martin rejected Bishop Ithacius’s principle of putting heretics to death—as well as the intrusion of the emperor into such matters. He prevailed upon the emperor to spare the life of the heretic Priscillian. For his efforts\, Martin was accused of the same heresy\, and Priscillian was executed after all. Martin then pleaded for a cessation of the persecution of Priscillian’s followers in Spain. He still felt he could cooperate with Ithacius in other areas\, but afterwards his conscience troubled him about this decision. \nAs death approached\, his followers begged him not to leave them. He prayed\, “Lord\, if your people still need me\, I do not refuse the work. Your will be done.” \n\nReflection\nMartin’s worry about cooperation with evil reminds us that almost nothing is either all black or all white. The saints are not creatures of another world: They face the same perplexing decisions that we do. Any decision of conscience always involves some risk. If we choose to go north\, we may never know what would have happened had we gone east\, west or south. A hyper-cautious withdrawal from all perplexing situations is not the virtue of prudence; it is\, in fact\, a bad decision\, for “not to decide is to decide.” \n\nSaint Martin of Tours is the Patron Saint of:\nHorses\nSoldiers\nSouth Africa
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-martin-of-tours/2017-11-11/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171112
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171113
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T192132Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192132Z
UID:5609-1510444800-1510531199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Josaphat
DESCRIPTION:Image: Icon of St. martyr Josaphat Kutsevych\, Archbishop of Polotsk | photo by Mykola Swarnyk\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Josaphat\nSaint of the Day for November 12\n(c. 1580 –  November 12\, 1623)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Josaphat’s Story\nIn 1964\, newspaper photos of Pope Paul VI embracing Athenagoras I\, the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople\, marked a significant step toward the healing of a division in Christendom that has spanned more than nine centuries. \nIn 1595\, when today’s saint was a boy\, the Orthodox bishop of Brest-Litovsk in present-day Belarus and five other bishops representing millions of Ruthenians\, sought reunion with Rome. John Kunsevich (who took the name Josaphat in religious life) was to dedicate his life and die for the same cause. Born in what is now Ukraine\, he went to work in Wilno and was influenced by clergy adhering to the Union of Brest (1596). He became a Basilian monk\, then a priest\, and soon was well known as a preacher and as an ascetic. \nHe became bishop of Vitebsk at a relatively young age\, and faced a difficult situation. Most monks\, fearing interference in liturgy and customs\, did not want union with Rome. By synods\, catechetical instruction\, reform of the clergy\, and personal example\, however\, Josaphat was successful in winning the greater part of the Orthodox in that area to the union. \nBut the next year a dissident hierarchy was set up\, and his opposite number spread the accusation that Josaphat had “gone Latin” and that all his people would have to do the same. He was not enthusiastically supported by the Latin bishops of Poland. \nDespite warnings\, he went to Vitebsk\, still a hotbed of trouble. Attempts were made to foment trouble and drive him from the diocese: A priest was sent to shout insults to him from his own courtyard. When Josaphat had him removed and shut up in his house\, the opposition rang the town hall bell\, and a mob assembled. The priest was released\, but members of the mob broke into the bishop’s home. Josaphat was struck with a halberd\, then shot\, and his body thrown into the river. It was later recovered and is now buried in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He was the first saint of the Eastern Church to be canonized by Rome. \nHis death brought a movement toward Catholicism and unity\, but the controversy continued\, and the dissidents\, too\, had their martyr. After the partition of Poland\, the Russians forced most Ruthenians to join the Russian Orthodox Church. \n\nReflection\nThe seeds of separation were sown in the fourth century when the Roman Empire was divided into East and West. The actual split came over customs such as using unleavened bread\, Saturday fasting and celibacy. No doubt the political involvement of religious leaders on both sides was a large factor\, and doctrinal disagreement was present. But no reason was enough to justify the present tragic division in Christendom\, which is 64 percent Roman Catholic\, 13 percent Eastern Churches (mostly Orthodox) and 23 percent Protestant\, and this when the 71 percent of the world that is not Christian should be experiencing unity and Christ-like charity from Christians!
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-josaphat/2017-11-12/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171113
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171114
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T192247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192247Z
UID:5612-1510531200-1510617599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
DESCRIPTION:Image: Statue of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini in the portico of the sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary in Pompei | photo by Dario Crespi\nSaint Frances Xavier Cabrini\nSaint of the Day for November 13\n(July 15\, 1850 – December 22\, 1917)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Frances Xavier Cabrini’s Story\nFrances Xavier Cabrini was the first United States citizen to be canonized. Her deep trust in the loving care of her God gave her the strength to be a valiant woman doing the work of Christ. \nRefused admission to the religious order which had educated her to be a teacher\, she began charitable work at the House of Providence Orphanage in Cadogno\, Italy. In September 1877\, she made her vows there and took the religious habit. \nWhen the bishop closed the orphanage in 1880\, he named Frances prioress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Seven young women from the orphanage joined her. \nSince her early childhood in Italy\, Frances had wanted to be a missionary in China but\, at the urging of Pope Leo XIII\, Frances went west instead of east. She traveled with six sisters to New York City to work with the thousands of Italian immigrants living there. \nShe found disappointment and difficulties with every step. When she arrived in New York\, the house intended to be her first orphanage in the United States was not available. The archbishop advised her to return to Italy. But Frances\, truly a valiant woman\, departed from the archbishop’s residence all the more determined to establish that orphanage. And she did. \nIn 35 years\, Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor\, the abandoned\, the uneducated and the sick. Seeing great need among Italian immigrants who were losing their faith\, she organized schools and adult education classes. \nAs a child\, she was always frightened of water\, unable to overcome her fear of drowning. Yet\, despite this fear\, she traveled across the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times. She died of malaria in her own Columbus Hospital in Chicago. \n\nReflection\nThe compassion and dedication of Mother Cabrini is still seen in hundreds of thousands of her fellow citizens who care for the sick in hospitals\, nursing homes\, and state institutions. We complain of increased medical costs in an affluent society\, but the daily news shows us millions who have little or no medical care\, and who are calling for new Mother Cabrinis to become citizen-servants of their land. \n\nSaint Frances Xavier Cabrini is the Patron Saint of:\nHospital Administrators\nImmigrants\nImpossible Causes\nIndia
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-frances-xavier-cabrini/2017-11-13/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171115
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T192406Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192407Z
UID:5615-1510617600-1510703999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Gertrude the Great
DESCRIPTION:Image: The high altar statue of Saint Gertrude the Great with a mouse on the distaff| Grafenbach\, Austria | photo by Rollroboter\nSaint Gertrude the Great\nSaint of the Day for November 14\n(January 6\, 1256 – November 17\, 1302)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Gertrude the Great’s Story\nGertrude\, a Benedictine nun in Helfta\, Saxony\, was one of the great mystics of the 13th century. Together with her friend and teacher Saint Mechtild\, she practiced a spirituality called “nuptial mysticism\,” that is\, she came to see herself as the bride of Christ. Her spiritual life was a deeply personal union with Jesus and his Sacred Heart\, leading her into the very life of the Trinity. \nBut this was no individualistic piety. Gertrude lived the rhythm of the liturgy\, where she found Christ. In the liturgy and in Scripture she found the themes and images to enrich and express her piety. There was no clash between her personal prayer life and the liturgy. \n\nReflection\nSaint Gertrude’s life is another reminder that the heart of the Christian life is prayer: private and liturgical\, ordinary or mystical\, but always personal. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Gertrude the Great is November 16.\n\nSaint Gertrude the Great is the Patron Saint of:\nWest Indies
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-gertrude-the-great/2017-11-14/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171115
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171116
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T192522Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192522Z
UID:5618-1510704000-1510790399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Albert the Great
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Albert the Great | Vincenzo Onofri | photo by sailko\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Albert the Great\nSaint of the Day for November 15\n(1206 – November 15\, 1280)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Albert the Great’s Story\nAlbert the Great was a 13th-century German Dominican who decisively influenced the Church’s stance toward Aristotelian philosophy brought to Europe by the spread of Islam. \nStudents of philosophy know him as the master of Thomas Aquinas. Albert’s attempt to understand Aristotle’s writings established the climate in which Thomas Aquinas developed his synthesis of Greek wisdom and Christian theology. But Albert deserves recognition on his own merits as a curious\, honest\, and diligent scholar. \nHe was the eldest son of a powerful and wealthy German lord of military rank. He was educated in the liberal arts. Despite fierce family opposition\, he entered the Dominican novitiate. \nHis boundless interests prompted him to write a compendium of all knowledge: natural science\, logic\, rhetoric\, mathematics\, astronomy\, ethics\, economics\, politics\, and metaphysics. His explanation of learning took 20 years to complete. “Our intention\,” he said\, “is to make all the aforesaid parts of knowledge intelligible to the Latins.” \nHe achieved his goal while serving as an educator at Paris and Cologne\, as Dominican provincial\, and even as bishop of Regensburg for a short time. He defended the mendicant orders and preached the Crusade in Germany and Bohemia. \nAlbert\, a Doctor of the Church\, is the patron of scientists and philosophers. \n\nReflection\nAn information glut faces us Christians today in all branches of learning. One needs only to read current Catholic periodicals to experience the varied reactions to the findings of the social sciences\, for example\, in regard to Christian institutions\, Christian life-styles\, and Christian theology. Ultimately\, in canonizing Albert\, the Church seems to point to his openness to truth\, wherever it may be found\, as his claim to holiness. His characteristic curiosity prompted Albert to mine deeply for wisdom within a philosophy his Church warmed to with great difficulty. \n\nSaint Albert the Great is the Patron Saint of:\nMedical Technicians\nPhilosophers\nScientists \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for November 15 is Blessed Mary of the Passion.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-albert-the-great/2017-11-15/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171116
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171117
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T192649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192649Z
UID:5621-1510790400-1510876799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Margaret of Scotland
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Margaret of Scotland | François Augustin Caunois | photo by BastienM\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Margaret of Scotland\nSaint of the Day for November 16\n(1045 – November 16\, 1093)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Margaret of Scotland’s Story\nMargaret of Scotland was a truly liberated woman in the sense that she was free to be herself. For her\, that meant freedom to love God and serve others. \nNot Scottish by birth\, Margaret was the daughter of Princess Agatha of Hungary and the Anglo-Saxon Prince Edward Atheling. She spent much of her youth in the court of her great-uncle\, the English king\, Edward the Confessor. Her family fled from William the Conqueror and was shipwrecked off the coast of Scotland. King Malcolm befriended them and was captivated by the beautiful\, gracious Margaret. They were married at the castle of Dunfermline in 1070. \nMalcolm was good-hearted\, but rough and uncultured\, as was his country. Because of Malcolm’s love for Margaret\, she was able to soften his temper\, polish his manners\, and help him become a virtuous king. He left all domestic affairs to her\, and often consulted her in state matters. \nMargaret tried to improve her adopted country by promoting the arts and education. For religious reform she encouraged synods and was present for the discussions which tried to correct religious abuses common among priests and laypeople\, such as simony\, usury\, and incestuous marriages. With her husband\, she founded several churches. \nMargaret was not only a queen\, but a mother. She and Malcolm had six sons and two daughters. Margaret personally supervised their religious instruction and other studies. \nAlthough she was very much caught up in the affairs of the household and country\, she remained detached from the world. Her private life was austere. She had certain times for prayer and reading Scripture. She ate sparingly and slept little in order to have time for devotions. She and Malcolm kept two Lents\, one before Easter and one before Christmas. During these times she always rose at midnight for Mass. On the way home she would wash the feet of six poor persons and give them alms. She was always surrounded by beggars in public and never refused them. It is recorded that she never sat down to eat without first feeding nine orphans and 24 adults. \nIn 1093\, King William Rufus made a surprise attack on Alnwick castle. King Malcolm and his oldest son\, Edward\, were killed. Margaret\, already on her deathbed\, died four days after her husband. \n\nReflection\nThere are two ways to be charitable: the “clean way” and the “messy way.” The “clean way” is to give money or clothing to organizations that serve the poor. The “messy way” is dirtying your own hands in personal service to the poor. Margaret’s outstanding virtue was her love of the poor. Although very generous with material gifts\, Margaret also visited the sick and nursed them with her own hands. She and her husband served orphans and the poor on their knees during Advent and Lent. Like Christ\, she was charitable the “messy way.”
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-margaret-of-scotland/2017-11-16/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171117
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171118
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T192819Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192819Z
UID:5624-1510876800-1510963199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
DESCRIPTION:Image: Detail | Saint Elizabeth of Hungary | Series of frescoes with scenes from the life of St. Martin of tours in the Lower Church of Saint Francis of Assisi | Simone Martini\n\nSaint Elizabeth of Hungary\nSaint of the Day for November 17\n(1207 – November 17\, 1231)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Elizabeth of Hungary’s Story\nIn her short life\, Elizabeth manifested such great love for the poor and suffering that she has become the patroness of Catholic charities and of the Secular Franciscan Order. The daughter of the King of Hungary\, Elizabeth chose a life of penance and asceticism when a life of leisure and luxury could easily have been hers. This choice endeared her in the hearts of the common people throughout Europe. \nAt the age of 14\, Elizabeth was married to Louis of Thuringia\, whom she deeply loved. She bore three children. Under the spiritual direction of a Franciscan friar\, she led a life of prayer\, sacrifice\, and service to the poor and sick. Seeking to become one with the poor\, she wore simple clothing. Daily she would take bread to hundreds of the poorest in the land who came to her gate. \nAfter six years of marriage\, her husband died in the Crusades\, and Elizabeth was grief-stricken. Her husband’s family looked upon her as squandering the royal purse\, and mistreated her\, finally throwing her out of the palace. The return of her husband’s allies from the Crusades resulted in her being reinstated\, since her son was legal heir to the throne. \nIn 1228\, Elizabeth joined the Secular Franciscan Order\, spending the remaining few years of her life caring for the poor in a hospital which she founded in honor of Saint Francis. Elizabeth’s health declined\, and she died before her 24th birthday in 1231. Her great popularity resulted in her canonization four years later. \n\nReflection\nElizabeth understood well the lesson Jesus taught when he washed his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper: The Christian must be one who serves the humblest needs of others\, even if one serves from an exalted position. Of royal blood\, Elizabeth could have lorded it over her subjects. Yet she served them with such a loving heart that her brief life won for her a special place in the hearts of many. Elizabeth is also an example to us in her following the guidance of a spiritual director. Growth in the spiritual life is a difficult process. We can play games very easily if we don’t have someone to challenge us. \n\nSaint Elizabeth of Hungary is the Patron Saint of:\nBakers\nCatholic Charities\nSecular Franciscan Order
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-elizabeth-of-hungary/2017-11-17/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171119
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T193004Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193004Z
UID:5627-1510963200-1511049599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Dedication of Churches of Saints Peter and Paul
DESCRIPTION:Image: The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican | photo by Fczarnowski / Image: Statue of Saint Paul in front of the facade of the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Wall\, Rome | photo by Berthold Werner\n\nDedication of Churches of Saints Peter and Paul\nSaint of the Day for November 18\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of the Dedication of the Churches of Saints Peter and Paul\nSt. Peter’s is probably the most famous church in Christendom. Massive in scale and a veritable museum of art and architecture\, it began on a much humbler scale. Vatican Hill was a simple cemetery where believers gathered at Saint Peter’s tomb to pray. In 319\, Constantine built a basilica on the site that stood for more than a thousand years until\, despite numerous restorations\, it threatened to collapse. In 1506\, Pope Julius II ordered it razed and reconstructed\, but the new basilica was not completed and dedicated for more than two centuries. \nSt. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls stands near the Abaazia delle Tre Fontane\, where Saint Paul is believed to have been beheaded. The largest church in Rome until St. Peter’s was rebuilt\, the basilica also rises over the traditional site of its namesake’s grave. The most recent edifice was constructed after a fire in 1823. The first basilica was also Constantine’s doing. \nConstantine’s building projects enticed the first of a centuries-long parade of pilgrims to Rome. From the time the basilicas were first built until the empire crumbled under “barbarian” invasions\, the two churches\, although miles apart\, were linked by a roofed colonnade of marble columns. \n\nReflection\nPeter\, the rough fisherman whom Jesus named the rock on which the Church is built\, and the educated Paul\, reformed persecutor of Christians\, Roman citizen\, and missionary to the gentiles\, are the original odd couple. The major similarity in their faith-journeys is the journey’s end: both\, according to tradition\, died a martyr’s death in Rome—Peter on a cross and Paul beneath the sword. Their combined gifts shaped the early Church and believers have prayed at their tombs from the earliest days.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/dedication-of-churches-of-saints-peter-and-paul/2017-11-18/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171119
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171120
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T193121Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193121Z
UID:5630-1511049600-1511135999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Agnes of Assisi
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Agnes of Assisi | France | gift of E. Royall Tyler\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Agnes of Assisi\nSaint of the Day for November 19\n(c. 1197 –  November 16\, 1253)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Agnes of Assisi’s Story\nAgnes was the sister of Saint Clare and her first follower. When Agnes left home two weeks after Clare’s departure\, their family attempted to bring Agnes back by force. They tried to drag her out of the monastery\, but all of a sudden her body became so heavy that several knights could not budge it. Her uncle Monaldo tried to strike her but was temporarily paralyzed. The knights then left Agnes and Clare in peace. \nAgnes matched her sister in devotion to prayer and in willingness to endure the strict penances which characterized their lives at San Damiano. In 1221 a group of Benedictine nuns in Monticelli (near Florence) asked to become Poor Clares. Saint Clare sent Agnes to become abbess of that monastery. Agnes soon wrote a rather sad letter about how much she missed Clare and the other nuns at San Damiano. After establishing other Poor Clare monasteries in northern Italy\, Agnes was recalled to San Damiano in 1253 when Clare was dying. \nAgnes followed Clare in death three months later\, and was canonized in 1753. \n\nReflection\nGod must love irony; the world is so full of it. In 1212\, many in Assisi surely felt that Clare and Agnes were wasting their lives and were turning their backs on the world. In reality\, their lives were tremendously life-giving\, and the world has been enriched by the example of these poor contemplatives.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-agnes-of-assisi/2017-11-19/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171120
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171121
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T193231Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193231Z
UID:5633-1511136000-1511222399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne
DESCRIPTION:Image: Mosaic of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne in the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis\, MO | photo by Andrew Balet\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Rose Philippine Duchesne\nSaint of the Day for November 20\n(August 29\, 1769 – November 18\, 1852)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Rose Philippine Duchesne’s Story\nBorn in Grenoble\, France\, of a family that was among the new rich\, Philippine learned political skills from her father and a love of the poor from her mother. The dominant feature of her temperament was a strong and dauntless will\, which became the material—and the battlefield—of her holiness. She entered the convent at 19 and remained despite family opposition. As the French Revolution broke\, the convent was closed\, and she began taking care of the poor and sick\, opened a school for homeless children\, and risked her life helping priests in the underground. \nWhen the situation cooled\, she personally rented her old convent\, now a shambles\, and tried to revive its religious life. The spirit was gone\, and soon there were only four nuns left. They joined the infant Society of the Sacred Heart\, whose young superior\, Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat\, would be her lifelong friend. \nIn a short time\, Philippine was a superior and supervisor of the novitiate and a school. But her ambition\, since hearing tales of missionary work in Louisiana as a little girl\, was to go to America and work among the Indians. At 49\, she thought this would be her work. With four nuns\, she spent 11 weeks at sea en route to New Orleans\, and seven weeks more on the Mississippi to St. Louis. She then met one of the many disappointments of her life. The bishop had no place for them to live and work among Native Americans. Instead\, he sent her to what she sadly called “the remotest village in the U.S.\,” St. Charles\, Missouri. With characteristic drive and courage\, she founded the first free school for girls west of the Mississippi. \nIt was a mistake. Though she was as hardy as any of the pioneer women in the wagons rolling west\, cold and hunger drove them out—to Florissant\, Missouri\, where she founded the first Catholic Indian school\, adding others in the territory. \n“In her first decade in America\, Mother Duchesne suffered practically every hardship the frontier had to offer\, except the threat of Indian massacre—poor lodging\, shortages of food\, drinking water\, fuel and money\, forest fires and blazing chimneys\, the vagaries of the Missouri climate\, cramped living quarters and the privation of all privacy\, and the crude manners of children reared in rough surroundings and with only the slightest training in courtesy” (Louise Callan\, R.S.C.J.\, Philippine Duchesne). \nFinally\, at 72\, in poor health and retired\, Philippine got her lifelong wish. A mission was founded at Sugar Creek\, Kansas\, among the Potawatomi. She was taken along. Though she could not learn their language\, they soon named her “Woman-Who-Prays-Always.” While others taught\, she prayed. Legend has it that Native American children sneaked behind her as she knelt and sprinkled bits of paper on her habit\, and came back hours later to find them undisturbed. She died in 1852 at the age of 83 and was canonized in 1988. \n\nReflection\nDivine grace channeled her iron will and determination into humility and selflessness\, and to a desire not to be made superior. Still\, even saints can get involved in silly situations. In an argument with her over a minor change in the sanctuary\, a priest threatened to remove the tabernacle. She patiently let herself be criticized by younger nuns for not being progressive enough. For 31 years\, she hewed to the line of a dauntless love and an unshakable observance of her religious vows. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne is November 18.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-rose-philippine-duchesne/2017-11-20/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171122
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T193346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193346Z
UID:5636-1511222400-1511308799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
DESCRIPTION:Image: Presentation of Mary in the Temple | Alfonso Boschi | photo by sailko\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPresentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary\nSaint of the Day for November 21\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary\nMary’s presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem in the sixth century. A church was built there in honor of this mystery. The Eastern Church was more interested in the feast\, but it does appear in the West in the 11th century. Although the feast at times disappeared from the calendar\, in the 16th century it became a feast of the universal Church. \nAs with Mary’s birth\, we read of Mary’s presentation in the temple only in apocryphal literature. In what is recognized as an unhistorical account\, the Protoevangelium of James tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was 3 years old. This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless. \nThough it cannot be proven historically\, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond. \n\nReflection\nIt is sometimes difficult for modern Westerners to appreciate a feast like this. The Eastern Church\, however\, was quite open to this feast and even somewhat insistent about celebrating it. Even though the feast has no basis in history\, it stresses an important truth about Mary: From the beginning of her life\, she was dedicated to God. She herself became a greater temple than any made by hands. God came to dwell in her in a marvelous manner and sanctified her for her unique role in God’s saving work. At the same time\, the magnificence of Mary enriches her
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/presentation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/2017-11-21/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171122
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171123
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T193521Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193521Z
UID:5639-1511308800-1511395199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Cecilia
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Cecilia | photo by Jill Watson | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Cecilia\nSaint of the Day for November 22\n(d. 230?)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Cecilia’s Story\nAlthough Cecilia is one of the most famous of the Roman martyrs\, the familiar stories about her are apparently not founded on authentic material. There is no trace of honor being paid her in early times. A fragmentary inscription of the late fourth century refers to a church named after her\, and her feast was celebrated at least in 545. \nAccording to legend\, Cecilia was a young Christian of high rank betrothed to a Roman named Valerian. Through her influence\, Valerian was converted\, and was martyred along with his brother. The legend about Cecilia’s death says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword\, she lived for three days\, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church. \nSince the time of the Renaissance she has usually been portrayed with a viola or a small organ. \n\nReflection\nLike any good Christian\, Cecilia sang in her heart\, and sometimes with her voice. She has become a symbol of the Church’s conviction that good music is an integral part of the liturgy\, of greater value to the Church than any other art. \n\nSaint Cecilia is the Patron Saint of:\nMusicians
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-cecilia/2017-11-22/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171123
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171124
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T194100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T194100Z
UID:5642-1511395200-1511481599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro
DESCRIPTION:Image: The blessed Miguel Agustin Pro\, Mexican Jesuit | photo by Grentidez\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBlessed Miguel Agustín Pro\nSaint of the Day for November 23\n(January 13\, 1891 – November 23\, 1927)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nBlessed Miguel Agustín Pro’s Story\n¡Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King!) were the last words Pro uttered before he was executed for being a Catholic priest and serving his flock. \nBorn into a prosperous\, devout family in Guadalupe de Zacatecas\, Mexico\, he entered the Jesuits in 1911\, but three years later fled to Granada\, Spain\, because of religious persecution in Mexico. He was ordained in Belgium in 1925. \nFr. Pro immediately returned to Mexico\, where he served a Church forced to go “underground.” He celebrated the Eucharist clandestinely and ministered the other sacraments to small groups of Catholics. \nHe and his brother Roberto were arrested on trumped-up charges of attempting to assassinate Mexico’s president. Roberto was spared but Miguel was sentenced to face a firing squad on November 23\, 1927. His funeral became a public demonstration of faith. He was beatified in 1988. \n\nReflection\nWhen Fr. Miguel Pro was executed in 1927\, no one could have predicted that 52 years later the bishop of Rome would visit Mexico\, be welcomed by its president and celebrate open-air Masses before thousands of people. Pope John Paul II made additional trips to Mexico in 1990\, 1993\, 1999 and 2002. Those who outlawed the Catholic Church in Mexico did not count on the deeply rooted faith of its people and the willingness of many of them\, like Miguel Pro\, to die as martyrs.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-miguel-agustin-pro/2017-11-23/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171124
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171125
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T194210Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T194210Z
UID:5645-1511481600-1511567999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions
DESCRIPTION:Image: St Andrew Dung-Lac and Companion Martyrs | photo by Lawrence OP | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions\nSaint of the Day for November 24\n(d. 1820 – 1862)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions’ Story\nAndrew Dung-Lac was one of 117 people martyred in Vietnam between 1820 and 1862. Members of this group were beatified on four different occasions between 1900 and 1951. All were canonized by Pope John Paul II. \nChristianity came to Vietnam through the Portuguese. Jesuits opened the first permanent mission at Da Nang in 1615. They ministered to Japanese Catholics who had been driven from Japan. \nThe king of one of the kingdoms banned all foreign missionaries and tried to make all Vietnamese deny their faith by trampling on a crucifix. Like the priest-holes in Ireland during English persecution\, many hiding places were offered in homes of the faithful. \nSevere persecutions were again launched three times in the 19th century. During the six decades after 1820\, between 100\,000 and 300\,000 Catholics were killed or subjected to great hardship. Foreign missionaries martyred in the first wave included priests of the Paris Mission Society\, and Spanish Dominican priests and tertiaries. \nPersecution broke out again in 1847 when the emperor suspected foreign missionaries and Vietnamese Christians of sympathizing with a rebellion led by of one of his sons. \nThe last of the martyrs were 17 laypersons\, one of them a 9-year-old\, executed in 1862. That year a treaty with France guaranteed religious freedom to Catholics\, but it did not stop all persecution. \nBy 1954 there were over a million Catholics—about seven percent of the population—in the north. Buddhists represented about 60 percent. Persistent persecution forced some 670\,000 Catholics to abandon lands\, homes and possessions and flee to the south. In 1964\, there were still 833\,000 Catholics in the north\, but many were in prison. In the south\, Catholics were enjoying the first decade of religious freedom in centuries\, their numbers swelled by refugees. \nDuring the Vietnamese war\, Catholics again suffered in the north\, and again moved to the south in great numbers. Now the whole country is under Communist rule. \n\nReflection\nIt may help a people who associate Vietnam only with a 20th-century war to realize that the cross has long been a part of the lives of the people of that country. Even as some people ask again the unanswered questions about United States involvement and disengagement\, the faith rooted in Vietnam’s soil proves hardier than the forces that willed to destroy it.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-andrew-dung-lac-and-companions/2017-11-24/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171125
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171126
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T194324Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T194324Z
UID:5648-1511568000-1511654399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Catherine of Alexandria
DESCRIPTION:Image: St Catherine with Angels | photo by Lawrence OP | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Catherine of Alexandria\nSaint of the Day for November 25\n(d. c. 310)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Catherine of Alexandria’s Story\nAccording to the Legend of St. Catherine\, this young woman converted to Christianity after receiving a vision. At the age of 18\, she debated 50 pagan philosophers. Amazed at her wisdom and debating skills\, they became Christians—as did about 200 soldiers and members of the emperor’s family. All of them were martyred. \nSentenced to be executed on a spiked wheel\, Catherine touched the wheel and it shattered. She was beheaded. Centuries later\, angels are said to have carried the body of Saint Catherine to a monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai. \nDevotion to her spread as a result of the Crusades. She was invoked as the patroness of students\, teachers\, librarians and lawyers. Catherine is one of the 14 Holy Helpers\, venerated especially in Germany and Hungary. \n\nReflection\nThe pursuit of God’s wisdom may not lead to riches or earthly honors. In Catherine’s case\, this pursuit contributed to her martyrdom. She was not\, however\, foolish in preferring to die for Jesus rather than live only by denying him. All the rewards that her tormentors offered her would rust\, lose their beauty\, or in some other way become a poor exchange for Catherine’s honesty and integrity in following Jesus Christ. \n\nSaint Catherine of Alexandria is the Patron Saint of:\nLawyers\nLibrarians\nPhilosophers\nStudents\nTeachers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-catherine-of-alexandria/2017-11-25/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171126
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171127
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T194433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T194433Z
UID:5651-1511654400-1511740799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Columban
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Columba | photo by Lawrence | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Columban\nSaint of the Day for November 26\n(543 – November 21\, 615)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Columban’s Story\nColumban was the greatest of the Irish missionaries who worked on the European continent. As a young man who was greatly tormented by temptations of the flesh\, he sought the advice of a religious woman who had lived a hermit’s life for years. He saw in her answer a call to leave the world. He went first to a monk on an island in Lough Erne\, then to the great monastic seat of learning at Bangor. \nAfter many years of seclusion and prayer\, he traveled to Gaul with 12 companion missionaries. They won wide respect for the rigor of their discipline\, their preaching\, and their commitment to charity and religious life in a time characterized by clerical laxity and civil strife. Columban established several monasteries in Europe which became centers of religion and culture. \nLike all saints\, he met opposition. Ultimately he had to appeal to the pope against complaints of Frankish bishops\, for vindication of his orthodoxy and approval of Irish customs. He reproved the king for his licentious life\, insisting that he marry. Since this threatened the power of the queen mother\, Columban was deported to Ireland. His ship ran aground in a storm\, and he continued his work in Europe\, ultimately arriving in Italy\, where he found favor with the king of the Lombards. In his last years he established the famous monastery of Bobbio\, where he died. His writings include a treatise on penance and against Arianism\, sermons\, poetry\, and his monastic rule. \n\nReflection\nNow that public sexual license is becoming extreme\, we need the Church’s memory of a young man as concerned about chastity as Columban. And now that the comfort-captured Western world stands in tragic contrast to starving millions\, we need the challenge to austerity and discipline of a group of Irish monks. They were too strict\, we say; they went too far. How far shall we go? \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Columban is November 23.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-columban/2017-11-26/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171127
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171128
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T194534Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T194534Z
UID:5654-1511740800-1511827199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Francesco Antonio Fasani
DESCRIPTION:Image: Man of Prayer | Lawrence OP | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Francesco Antonio Fasani\nSaint of the Day for November 27\n(August 6\, 1681 – November 29\, 1742)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Francesco Antonio Fasani’s Story\nBorn in Lucera\, Francesco entered the Conventual Franciscans in 1695. After his ordination 10 years later\, he taught philosophy to younger friars\, served as guardian of his friary and later became provincial. When his term of office ended\, Francesco became master of novices and finally pastor in his hometown. \nIn his various ministries\, he was loving\, devout\, and penitential. He was a sought-after confessor and preacher. One witness at the canonical hearings regarding Francesco’s holiness testified\, “In his preaching he spoke in a familiar way\, filled as he was with the love of God and neighbor; fired by the Spirit\, he made use of the words and deed of holy Scripture\, stirring his listeners and moving them to do penance.” Francesco showed himself a loyal friend of the poor\, never hesitating to seek from benefactors what was needed. \nAt his death in Lucera\, children ran through the streets and cried out\, “The saint is dead! The saint is dead!” Francesco was canonized in 1986. \n\nReflection\nEventually we become what we choose. If we choose stinginess\, we become stingy. If we choose compassion\, we become compassionate. The holiness of Francesco Antonio Fasani resulted from his many small decisions to cooperate with God’s grace.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-francesco-antonio-fasani/2017-11-27/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171128
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171129
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T194641Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T194641Z
UID:5657-1511827200-1511913599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint James of the Marche
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint James of the Marches | Francisco de Zurbarán | photo by Galería online\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint James of the Marche\nSaint of the Day for November 28\n(1394 – November 28\, 1476)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint James of the Marche’s Story\nMeet one of the fathers of the modern pawnshop! \nJames was born in the Marche of Ancona\, in central Italy along the Adriatic Sea. After earning doctorates in canon and civil law at the University of Perugia\, he joined the Friars Minor and began a very austere life. He fasted nine months of the year; he slept three hours a night. Saint Bernardine of Siena told him to moderate his penances. \nJames studied theology with Saint John of Capistrano. Ordained in 1420\, James began a preaching career that took him all over Italy and through 13 Central and Eastern European countries. This extremely popular preacher converted many people (250\,000 at one estimate) and helped spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. His sermons prompted numerous Catholics to reform their lives and many men joined the Franciscans under his influence. \nWith John of Capistrano\, Albert of Sarteano\, and Bernardine of Siena\, James is considered one of the “four pillars” of the Observant movement among the Franciscans. These friars became known especially for their preaching. \nTo combat extremely high interest rates\, James established montes pietatis (literally\, mountains of charity)—nonprofit credit organizations that lent money at very low rates on pawned objects. \nNot everyone was happy with the work James did. Twice assassins lost their nerve when they came face to face with him. James died in 1476 and was canonized in 1726. \n\nReflection\nJames wanted the word of God to take root in the hearts of his listeners. His preaching was directed to preparing the soil\, so to speak\, by removing any rocks and softening up lives hardened by sin. God’s intention is that his word take root in our lives\, but for that we need both prayerful preachers and cooperative listeners.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-james-of-the-marche/2017-11-28/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171129
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171130
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T194751Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T194751Z
UID:5660-1511913600-1511999999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Clement
DESCRIPTION:Image: Pope Saint Clement I | photo by Lawrence | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Clement\nSaint of the Day for November 29\n(d. 101)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Clement’s Story\nClement of Rome was the third successor of Saint Peter\, reigning as pope during the last decade of the first century. He’s known as one of the Church’s five “Apostolic Fathers\,” those who provided a direct link between the Apostles and later generations of Church Fathers. \nHis First Epistle to the Corinthians was preserved and widely read in the early Church. This letter from the bishop of Rome to the Church in Corinth concerns a split that alienated a large number of the laity from the clergy. Deploring the unauthorized and unjustifiable division in the Corinthian community\, Clement urged charity to heal the rift. \n\nReflection\nToday many in the Church experience polarization regarding worship\, how we speak of God\, and other issues. We’d do well to take to heart the exhortation from Clement’s Epistle: “Charity unites us to God. It knows no schism\, does not rebel\, does all things in concord. In charity all the elect of God have been made perfect.” \nRome’s Basilica of St. Clement\, one of the city’s earliest parish churches\, is probably built on the site of Clement’s home. History tells us that Pope Clement was martyred in either the year 99 or 101. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Clement is November 23.\n\nSaint Clement is the Patron Saint of:\nMarble Workers\nMariners\nTanners
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-clement/2017-11-29/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171130
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171201
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170801T194853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T132650Z
UID:5663-1512000000-1512086399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Andrew
DESCRIPTION:  \nSaint Andrew\nSaint of the Day for November 30\n(d. 60?)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Andrew’s Story\nAndrew was St. Peter’s brother\, and was called with him. “As [Jesus] was walking by the sea of Galilee\, he saw two brothers\, Simon who is now called Peter\, and his brother Andrew\, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them\, ‘Come after me\, and I will make you fishers of men.’ At once they left their nets and followed him” (Matthew 4:18-20). \nJohn the Evangelist presents Andrew as a disciple of John the Baptist. When Jesus walked by one day\, John said\, “Behold\, the Lamb of God.” Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus. “Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them\, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him\, ‘Rabbi (which translated means Teacher)\, where are you staying?’ He said to them\, ‘Come\, and you will see.’ So they went and saw where he was staying\, and they stayed with him that day” (John 1:38-39a). \nLittle else is said about Andrew in the Gospels. Before the multiplication of the loaves\, it was Andrew who spoke up about the boy who had the barley loaves and fishes. When the Gentiles went to see Jesus\, they came to Philip\, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew. \nLegend has it that Andrew preached the Good News in what is now modern Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras. \n\nReflection\nAs in the case of all the apostles except Peter and John\, the Gospels give us little about the holiness of Andrew. He was an apostle. That is enough. He was called personally by Jesus to proclaim the Good News\, to heal with Jesus’ power and to share his life and death. Holiness today is no different. It is a gift that includes a call to be concerned about the Kingdom\, an outgoing attitude that wants nothing more than to share the riches of Christ with all people. \n\nSaint Andrew is the Patron Saint of:\nFishermen\nGreece\nRussia\nScotland
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-andrew/2017-11-30/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171201
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171202
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170824T132712Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T132712Z
UID:6010-1512086400-1512172799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Charles de Foucauld
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Charles de Foucauld\nSaint of the Day for December 1\n(September 15\, 1858 – December 1\, 1916)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nBlessed Charles de Foucauld’s Story\nBorn into an aristocratic family in Strasbourg\, France\, Charles was orphaned at the age of 6\, raised by his devout grandfather\, rejected the Catholic faith as a teenager\, and joined the French army. Inheriting a great deal of money from his grandfather\, Charles went to Algeria with his regiment\, but not without his mistress\, Mimi. \nWhen he declined to give her up\, he was dismissed from the army. Still in Algeria when he left Mimi\, Charles reenlisted in the army. Refused permission to make a scientific exploration of nearby Morocco\, he resigned from the service. With the help of a Jewish rabbi\, Charles disguised himself as a Jew and in 1883 began a one-year exploration that he recorded in a book that was well received. \nInspired by the Jews and Muslims whom he met\, Charles resumed the practice of his Catholic faith when he returned to France in 1886. He joined a Trappist monastery in Ardeche\, France\, and later transferred to one in Akbes\, Syria. Leaving the monastery in 1897\, Charles worked as gardener and sacristan for the Poor Clare nuns in Nazareth and later in Jerusalem. In 1901 he returned to France and was ordained a priest. \nLater that year\, Charles journeyed to Beni-Abbes\, Morocco\, intending to found a monastic religious community in North Africa that offered hospitality to Christians\, Muslims\, Jews\, or people with no religion. He lived a peaceful\, hidden life but attracted no companions. \nA former army comrade invited him to live among the Tuareg people in Algeria. Charles learned their language enough to write a Tuareg-French and French-Tuareg dictionary\, and to translate the Gospels into Tuareg. In 1905 he came to Tamanrasset\, where he lived the rest of his life. A two-volume collection of Charles’ Tuareg poetry was published after his death. \nIn early 1909 he visited France and established an association of laypeople who pledged to live by the Gospels. His return to Tamanrasset was welcomed by the Tuareg. In 1915 Charles wrote to Louis Massignon: “The love of God\, the love for one’s neighbor…All religion is found there…How to get to that point? Not in a day since it is perfection itself: it is the goal we must always aim for\, which we must unceasingly try to reach and that we will only attain in heaven.” \nThe outbreak of World War I led to attacks on the French in Algeria. Seized in a raid by another tribe\, Charles and two French soldiers coming to visit him were shot to death on December 1\, 1916. \nFive religious congregations\, associations\, and spiritual institutes (Little Brothers of Jesus\, Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart\, Little Sisters of Jesus\, Little Brothers of the Gospel\, and Little Sisters of the Gospel) draw inspiration from the peaceful\, largely hidden\, yet hospitable life that characterized Charles. He was beatified on November 13\, 2005. \n\nReflection\nThe life of Charles de Foucauld was eventually centered on God and was animated by prayer and humble service\, which he hoped would draw Muslims to Christ. Those who are inspired by his example\, no matter where they live\, seek to live their faith humbly yet with deep religious conviction.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-charles-de-foucauld/2017-12-01/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171202
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171203
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170824T134349Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T192323Z
UID:6013-1512172800-1512259199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Rafal Chylinski
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Rafal Chylinski\nSaint of the Day December 2\n(January 8\, 1694 – December 2\, 1741)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nBlessed Rafal Chylinski’s Story\nBorn near Buk in the Poznan region of Poland\, Melchior showed early signs of religious devotion; family members nicknamed him “the little monk.” After completing his studies at the Jesuit college in Poznan\, Melchior joined the cavalry and was promoted to officer rank within three years. \nIn 1715\, against the urgings of his military comrades\, Melchior joined the Conventual Franciscans in Krakow. Receiving the name Rafal\, he was ordained two years later. After pastoral assignments in nine cities\, he came to Lagiewniki\, where he spent the last 13 years of his life\, except for 20 months ministering to flood and epidemic victims in Warsaw. In all these places\, Rafal was known for his simple and candid sermons\, for his generosity\, as well as his ministry in the confessional. People of all levels of society were drawn to the self-sacrificing way he lived out his religious profession and priestly ministry. \nRafal played the harp\, lute\, and mandolin to accompany liturgical hymns. In Lagiewniki he distributed food\, supplies\, and clothing to the poor. After his death\, the Conventual church in that city became a place of pilgrimage for people throughout Poland. He was beatified in Warsaw in 1991. \n\nReflection\nThe sermons preached by Rafal were powerfully reinforced by the living sermon of his life. The Sacrament of Reconciliation can help us bring our daily choices into harmony with our words about Jesus’ influence in our life.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-rafal-chylinski/2017-12-02/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171203
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171204
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170824T134551Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T192022Z
UID:6016-1512259200-1512345599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Francis Xavier
DESCRIPTION:  \n \nSaint Francis Xavier\nSaint of the Day for December 3\n(April 7\, 1506 – December 3\, 1552)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Francis Xavier’s Story\nJesus asked\, “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Matthew 16:26a). The words were repeated to a young teacher of philosophy who had a highly promising career in academics\, with success and a life of prestige and honor before him. \nFrancis Xavier\, 24 at the time\, and living and teaching in Paris\, did not heed these words at once. They came from a good friend\, Ignatius of Loyola\, whose tireless persuasion finally won the young man to Christ. Francis then made the spiritual exercises under the direction of Ignatius\, and in 1534 joined his little community\, the infant Society of Jesus. Together at Montmartre they vowed poverty\, chastity\, and apostolic service according to the directions of the pope. \nFrom Venice\, where he was ordained a priest in 1537\, Francis Xavier went on to Lisbon and from there sailed to the East Indies\, landing at Goa\, on the west coast of India. For the next 10 years he labored to bring the faith to such widely scattered peoples as the Hindus\, the Malayans\, and the Japanese. He spent much of that time in India\, and served as provincial of the newly established Jesuit province of India. \nWherever he went\, he lived with the poorest people\, sharing their food and rough accommodations. He spent countless hours ministering to the sick and the poor\, particularly to lepers. Very often he had no time to sleep or even to say his breviary but\, as we know from his letters\, he was filled always with joy. \nFrancis went through the islands of Malaysia\, then up to Japan. He learned enough Japanese to preach to simple folk\, to instruct\, and to baptize\, and to establish missions for those who were to follow him. From Japan he had dreams of going to China\, but this plan was never realized. Before reaching the mainland\, he died. His remains are enshrined in the Church of Good Jesus in Goa. He and Saint Therese of Lisieux were declared co-patrons of the missions in 1925. \n\nReflection\nAll of us are called to “go and preach to all nations” (see Matthew 28:19). Our preaching is not necessarily on distant shores but to our families\, our children\, our husband or wife\, our coworkers. And we are called to preach not with words\, but by our everyday lives. Only by sacrifice\, the giving up of all selfish gain\, could Francis Xavier be free to bear the Good News to the world. Sacrifice is leaving yourself behind at times for a greater good\, the good of prayer\, the good of helping someone in need\, the good of just listening to another. The greatest gift we have is our time. Francis gave his to others. \n\nSaint Francis Xavier is the Patron Saint of:\nJapan\nJewelers\nMissions\nSailors
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-francis-xavier/2017-12-03/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171204
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171205
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170824T134807Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T192018Z
UID:6019-1512345600-1512431999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John Damascene
DESCRIPTION:Saint John Damascene\nSaint of the Day for December 4\n(c. 676 -749)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint John Damascene’s Story\nJohn spent most of his life in the monastery of Saint Sabas\, near Jerusalem\, and all of his life under Muslim rule\, indeed\, protected by it. \nHe was born in Damascus\, received a classical and theological education\, and followed his father in a government position under the Arabs. After a few years\, he resigned and went to the monastery of Saint Sabas. \nHe is famous in three areas: \nFirst\, he is known for his writings against the iconoclasts\, who opposed the veneration of images. Paradoxically\, it was the Eastern Christian emperor Leo who forbade the practice\, and it was because John lived in Muslim territory that his enemies could not silence him. \nSecond\, he is famous for his treatise\, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith\, a summary of the Greek Fathers (of which he became the last). It is said that this book is for Eastern schools what the Summa of Aquinas became for the West. \nThird\, he is known as a poet\, one of the two greatest of the Eastern Church\, the other being Romanus the Melodist. His devotion to the Blessed Mother and his sermons on her feasts are well known. \n\nReflection\nJohn defended the Church’s understanding of the veneration of images and explained the faith of the Church in several other controversies. For over 30 years\, he combined a life of prayer with these defenses and his other writings. His holiness expressed itself in putting his literary and preaching talents at the service of the Lord.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-john-damascene/2017-12-04/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171205
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171206
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170824T135007Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T192015Z
UID:6022-1512432000-1512518399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Sabas
DESCRIPTION:  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nSaint Sabas\nSaint of the Day for December 5\n(439 – December 5\, 532)\n\n\n\n Click to hear audio clip ►\n\n\n\nSaint Sabas’ Story\nBorn in Cappadocia\, Sabas is one of the most highly regarded patriarchs among the monks of Palestine\, and is considered one of the founders of Eastern monasticism. \nAfter an unhappy childhood in which he was abused and ran away several times\, Sabas finally sought refuge in a monastery. While family members tried to persuade him to return home\, the young boy felt drawn to monastic life. Although the youngest monk in the house\, he excelled in virtue. \nAt age 18 he traveled to Jerusalem\, seeking to learn more about living in solitude. Soon he asked to be accepted as a disciple of a well-known local solitary\, though initially he was regarded as too young to live completely as a hermit. Initially\, Sabas lived in a monastery\, where he worked during the day and spent much of the night in prayer. At the age of 30 he was given permission to spend five days each week in a nearby remote cave\, engaging in prayer and manual labor in the form of weaving baskets. Following the death of his mentor\, Saint Euthymius\, Sabas moved farther into the desert near Jericho. There he lived for several years in a cave near the brook Cedron. A rope was his means of access. Wild herbs among the rocks were his food. Occasionally men brought him other food and items\, while he had to go a distance for his water. \nSome of these men came to him desiring to join him in his solitude. At first he refused. But not long after relenting\, his followers swelled to more than 150\, all of them living in individual huts grouped around a church\, called a laura. \nThe bishop persuaded a reluctant Sabas\, then in his early 50s\, to prepare for the priesthood so that he could better serve his monastic community in leadership. While functioning as abbot among a large community of monks\, he felt ever called to live the life of a hermit. Throughout each year—consistently in Lent—he left his monks for long periods of time\, often to their distress. A group of 60 men left the monastery\, settling at a nearby ruined facility. When Sabas learned of the difficulties they were facing\, he generously gave them supplies and assisted in the repair of their church. \nOver the years Sabas traveled throughout Palestine\, preaching the true faith and successfully bringing back many to the Church. At the age of 91\, in response to a plea from the Patriarch of Jerusalem\, Sabas undertook a journey to Constantinople in conjunction with the Samaritan revolt and its violent repression. He fell ill and soon after his return\, died at the monastery at Mar Saba. Today the monastery is still inhabited by monks of the Eastern Orthodox Church\, and Saint Sabas is regarded as one of the most noteworthy figures of early monasticism. \n\nReflection\nFew of us share Sabas’ yearning for a cave in the desert\, but most of us sometimes resent the demands others place on our time. Sabas understands that. When at last he gained the solitude for which he yearned\, a community immediately began to gather around him and he was forced into a leadership role. He stands as a model of patient generosity for anyone whose time and energy are required by others—that is\, for all of us.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-sabas/2017-12-05/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171207
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170824T135215Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T192011Z
UID:6025-1512518400-1512604799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Nicholas
DESCRIPTION:Saint Nicholas\nSaint of the Day for December 6\n(March 15\, 270 – December 6\, 343)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Nicholas’ Story\nThe absence of the “hard facts” of history is not necessarily an obstacle to the popularity of saints\, as the devotion to Saint Nicholas shows. Both the Eastern and Western Churches honor him\, and it is claimed that after the Blessed Virgin\, he is the saint most pictured by Christian artists. And yet\, historically\, we can pinpoint only the fact that Nicholas was the fourth-century bishop of Myra\, a city in Lycia\, a province of Asia Minor. \nAs with many of the saints\, however\, we are able to capture the relationship which Nicholas had with God through the admiration which Christians have had for him—an admiration expressed in the colorful stories which have been told and retold through the centuries. \nPerhaps the best-known story about Nicholas concerns his charity toward a poor man who was unable to provide dowries for his three daughters of marriageable age. Rather than see them forced into prostitution\, Nicholas secretly tossed a bag of gold through the poor man’s window on three separate occasions\, thus enabling the daughters to be married. Over the centuries\, this particular legend evolved into the custom of gift-giving on the saint’s feast. In the English-speaking countries\, Saint Nicholas became\, by a twist of the tongue\, Santa Claus—further expanding the example of generosity portrayed by this holy bishop. \n\nReflection\nThe critical eye of modern history makes us take a deeper look at the legends surrounding Saint Nicholas. But perhaps we can utilize the lesson taught by his legendary charity\, look deeper at our approach to material goods in the Christmas season and seek ways to extend our sharing to those in real need. \n\nSaint Nicholas is the Patron Saint of:\nBaker\nBrides\nChildren\nGreece\nGrooms\nPawnbrokers\nTravelers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/6025/2017-12-06/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171207
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171208
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170824T135347Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T192008Z
UID:6028-1512604800-1512691199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Ambrose
DESCRIPTION:Saint Ambrose\nSaint of the Day for December 7\n(337 – April 4\, 397)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Ambrose’ Story\nOne of Ambrose’s biographers observed that at the Last Judgment\, people would still be divided between those who admired Ambrose and those who heartily disliked him. He emerges as the man of action who cut a furrow through the lives of his contemporaries. Even royal personages were numbered among those who were to suffer crushing divine punishments for standing in Ambrose’s way. \nWhen the Empress Justina attempted to wrest two basilicas from Ambrose’s Catholics and give them to the Arians\, he dared the eunuchs of the court to execute him. His own people rallied behind him in the face of imperial troops. In the midst of riots\, he both spurred and calmed his people with bewitching new hymns set to exciting Eastern melodies. \nIn his disputes with the Emperor Auxentius\, he coined the principle: “The emperor is in the Church\, not above the Church.” He publicly admonished Emperor Theodosius for the massacre of 7\,000 innocent people. The emperor did public penance for his crime. This was Ambrose\, the fighter\, sent to Milan as Roman governor and chosen while yet a catechumen to be the people’s bishop. \nThere is yet another side of Ambrose—one which influenced Augustine of Hippo\, whom Ambrose converted. Ambrose was a passionate little man with a high forehead\, a long melancholy face\, and great eyes. We can picture him as a frail figure clasping the codex of sacred Scripture. This was the Ambrose of aristocratic heritage and learning. \nAugustine found the oratory of Ambrose less soothing and entertaining but far more learned than that of other contemporaries. Ambrose’s sermons were often modeled on Cicero\, and his ideas betrayed the influence of contemporary thinkers and philosophers. He had no scruples in borrowing at length from pagan authors. He gloried in the pulpit in his ability to parade his spoils—“gold of the Egyptians”—taken over from the pagan philosophers. \nHis sermons\, his writings\, and his personal life reveal him as an otherworldly man involved in the great issues of his day. Humanity\, for Ambrose\, was\, above all\, spirit. In order to think rightly of God and the human soul\, the closest thing to God\, no material reality at all was to be dwelt upon. He was an enthusiastic champion of consecrated virginity. \nThe influence of Ambrose on Augustine will always be open for discussion. The Confessions reveal some manly\, brusque encounters between Ambrose and Augustine\, but there can be no doubt of Augustine’s profound esteem for the learned bishop. \nNeither is there any doubt that St. Monica loved Ambrose as an angel of God who uprooted her son from his former ways and led him to his convictions about Christ. It was Ambrose\, after all\, who placed his hands on the shoulders of the naked Augustine as he descended into the baptismal fountain to put on Christ. \n\nReflection\nAmbrose exemplifies for us the truly catholic character of Christianity. He is a man steeped in the learning\, law\, and culture of the ancients and of his contemporaries. Yet\, in the midst of active involvement in this world\, this thought runs through Ambrose’ life and preaching: The hidden meaning of the Scriptures calls our spirit to rise to another world. \n\nSaint Ambrose is the Patron Saint of:\nBee keepers\nBeggars\nLearning\nMilan
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/6028/2017-12-07/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171208
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171209
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170824T135644Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T192004Z
UID:6031-1512691200-1512777599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
DESCRIPTION:Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception\nSaint of the Day for December 8\n\n\nClick to hear audio clip ►\n\n\nThe Story of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception\nA feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the 11th century it received its present name\, the Immaculate Conception. In the 18th century it became a feast of the universal Church. It is now recognized as a solemnity. \nIn 1854\, Pius IX solemnly proclaimed: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary\, in the first instant of her conception\, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God\, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ\, the savior of the human race\, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” \nIt took a long time for this doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the saints\, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the insights of brilliant theologians. Even such champions of Mary as Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Aquinas could not see theological justification for this teaching. \nTwo Franciscans\, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus\, helped develop the theology. They pointed out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin after birth. In Mary\, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset. \n\nReflection\nIn Luke 1:28 the angel Gabriel\, speaking on God’s behalf\, addresses Mary as “full of grace” (or “highly favored”). In that context\, this phrase means that Mary is receiving all the special divine help necessary for the task ahead. However\, the Church grows in understanding with the help of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led the Church\, especially non-theologians\, to the insight that Mary had to be the most perfect work of God next to the Incarnation. Or rather\, Mary’s intimate association with the Incarnation called for the special involvement of God in Mary’s whole life. \nThe logic of piety helped God’s people to believe that Mary was full of grace and free of sin from the first moment of her existence. Moreover\, this great privilege of Mary is the highlight of all that God has done in Jesus. Rightly understood\, the incomparable holiness of Mary shows forth the incomparable goodness of God. \n\nMary as the Immaculate Conception is the Patron Saint of:\nBrazil\nUnited States
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/solemnity-of-the-immaculate-conception/2017-12-08/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171209
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171210
DTSTAMP:20260404T194801
CREATED:20170824T135841Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T192000Z
UID:6034-1512777600-1512863999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Juan Diego
DESCRIPTION:Saint Juan Diego\nSaint of the Day for December 9\n(1474 – May 30\, 1548)\n\n\n Click to hear audio clip ►\n\n\nSaint Juan Diego’s Story\nThousands of people gathered in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe July 31\, 2002\, for the canonization of Juan Diego\, to whom the Blessed Mother appeared in the 16th century. Pope John Paul II celebrated the ceremony at which the poor Indian peasant became the Church’s first saint indigenous to the Americas. \nThe Holy Father called the new saint “a simple\, humble Indian” who accepted Christianity without giving up his identity as an Indian. “In praising the Indian Juan Diego\, I want to express to all of you the closeness of the Church and the pope\, embracing you with love and encouraging you to overcome with hope the difficult times you are going through\,” John Paul said. Among the thousands present for the event were members of Mexico’s 64 indigenous groups. \nFirst called Cuauhtlatohuac (“The eagle who speaks”)\, Juan Diego’s name is forever linked with Our Lady of Guadalupe because it was to him that she first appeared at Tepeyac hill on December 9\, 1531. The most famous part of his story is told in connection with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. After the roses gathered in his tilma were transformed into the miraculous image of Our Lady\, however\, little more is said about Juan Diego. \nIn time he lived near the shrine constructed at Tepeyac\, revered as a holy\, unselfish. and compassionate catechist who taught by word and especially by example. \nDuring his 1990 pastoral visit to Mexico\, Pope John Paul II confirmed the long-standing liturgical cult in honor of Juan Diego\, beatifying him. Twelve years later he was proclaimed a saint. \n\nReflection\nGod counted on Juan Diego to play a humble\, yet huge role in bringing the Good News to the peoples of Mexico. Overcoming his own fear and the doubts of Bishop Juan de Zumarraga\, Juan Diego cooperated with God’s grace in showing his people that the Good News of Jesus is for everyone. Pope John Paul II used the occasion of this beatification to urge Mexican laymen and laywomen to assume their responsibilities for passing on the Good News and witnessing to it.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/6034/2017-12-09/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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