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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171219
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171220
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T150031Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T191928Z
UID:6065-1513641600-1513727999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Pope Urban V
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Pope Urban V\nSaint of the Day for December 19\n(1310 – December 19\, 1370)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nBlessed Pope Urban V’s Story\nIn 1362\, the man elected pope declined the office. When the cardinals could not find another person among them for that important office\, they turned to a relative stranger: the holy person we honor today. \nThe new Pope Urban V proved a wise choice. A Benedictine monk and canon lawyer\, he was deeply spiritual and brilliant. He lived simply and modestly\, which did not always earn him friends among clergymen who had become used to comfort and privilege. Still\, he pressed for reform and saw to the restoration of churches and monasteries. Except for a brief period he spent most of his eight years as pope living away from Rome at Avignon\, seat of the papacy from 1309 until shortly after his death. \nHe came close but was not able to achieve one of his biggest goals—reuniting the Eastern and Western churches. \nAs pope\, Urban continued to follow the Benedictine Rule. Shortly before his death in 1370\, he asked to be moved from the papal palace to the nearby home of his brother so he could say goodbye to the ordinary people he had so often helped. \n\nReflection\nSimplicity in the midst of power and grandeur seems to define this saint as he reluctantly accepted the papacy but remained\, at heart\, a Benedictine monk. Surroundings need not negatively influence a person.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/6065/2017-12-19/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171220
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171221
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T150219Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T191924Z
UID:6068-1513728000-1513814399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Dominic of Silos
DESCRIPTION:Saint Dominic of Silos\nSaint of the Day for December 20\n(c. 1000 – December 20\, 1073)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Dominic of Silos’ Story\nIt’s not the founder of the Dominicans we honor today\, but there’s a poignant story that connects both Dominics. \nOur saint today\, Dominic of Silos\, was born in Spain around the year 1000 into a peasant family. As a young boy he spent time in the fields\, where he welcomed the solitude. He became a Benedictine priest and served in numerous leadership positions. Following a dispute with the king over property\, Dominic and two other monks were exiled. They established a new monastery in what at first seemed an unpromising location. Under Dominic’s leadership\, however\, it became one of the most famous houses in Spain. Many healings were reported there. \nAbout 100 years after Dominic’s death\, a young woman made a pilgrimage to his tomb. There Dominic of Silos appeared to her and assured her that she would bear another son. The woman was Joan of Aza\, and the son she bore grew up to be the “other” Dominic—the one who founded the Dominicans. \nFor many years thereafter\, the staff used by Saint Dominic of Silos was brought to the royal palace whenever a queen of Spain was in labor. That practice ended in 1931. \n\nReflection\nSaint Dominic of Silos’ connection with the Saint Dominic who founded the Dominican Order brings to mind the film Six Degrees of Separation: we are all connected it seems. God’s providential care can bring people together in mysterious ways\, but it all points to his love for each of us.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-dominic-of-silos/2017-12-20/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171221
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171222
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T150349Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T150349Z
UID:6071-1513814400-1513900799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Peter Canisius
DESCRIPTION:Saint Peter Canisius\nSaint of the Day for December 21\n(May 8\,1521 – December 21\, 1597)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Peter Canisius’ Story\nThe energetic life of Peter Canisius should demolish any stereotypes we may have of the life of a saint as dull or routine. Peter lived his 76 years at a pace which must be considered heroic\, even in our time of rapid change. A man blessed with many talents\, Peter is an excellent example of the scriptural man who develops his talents for the sake of the Lord’s work. \nHe was one of the most important figures in the Catholic Reformation in Germany. His played such a key role that he has often been called the “second apostle of Germany” in that his life parallels the earlier work of Boniface. \nAlthough Peter once accused himself of idleness in his youth\, he could not have been idle too long\, for at the age of 19 he received a master’s degree from the university at Cologne. Soon afterwards he met Peter Faber\, the first disciple of Ignatius Loyola\, who influenced Peter so much that he joined the recently formed Society of Jesus. \nAt this early age Peter had already taken up a practice he continued throughout his life—a process of study\, reflection\, prayer and writing. After his ordination in 1546\, he became widely known for his editions of the writings of Saint Cyril of Alexandria and St. Leo the Great. Besides this reflective literary bent\, Peter had a zeal for the apostolate. He could often be found visiting the sick or prisoners\, even when his assigned duties in other areas were more than enough to keep most people fully occupied. \nIn 1547 Peter attended several sessions of the Council of Trent\, whose decrees he was later assigned to implement. After a brief teaching assignment at the Jesuit college at Messina\, Peter was entrusted with the mission to Germany—from that point on his life’s work. He taught in several universities and was instrumental in establishing many colleges and seminaries. He wrote a catechism that explained the Catholic faith in a way which common people could understand—a great need of that age. \nRenowned as a popular preacher\, Peter packed churches with those eager to hear his eloquent proclamation of the gospel. He had great diplomatic ability\, often serving as a reconciler between disputing factions. In his letters (filling eight volumes) one finds words of wisdom and counsel to people in all walks of life. At times he wrote unprecedented letters of criticism to leaders of the Church—yet always in the context of a loving\, sympathetic concern. \nAt 70\, Peter suffered a paralytic seizure\, but he continued to preach and write with the aid of a secretary until his death in his hometown (Nijmegen\, Netherlands) on December 21\, 1597. \n\nReflection\nPeter’s untiring efforts are an apt example for those involved in the renewal of the Church or the growth of moral consciousness in business or government. He is regarded as one of the creators of the Catholic press\, and can easily be a model for the Christian author or journalist. Teachers can see in his life a passion for the transmission of truth. Whether we have much to give\, as Peter Canisius did\, or whether we have only a little to give\, as did the poor widow in the Gospel (see Luke 21:1–4)\, the important thing is to give our all. It is in this way that Peter is so exemplary for Christians in an age of rapid change when we are called to be in the world but not of the world. \n\nSaint Peter Canisius is the Patron Saint of:\nGermany
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-peter-canisius/2017-12-21/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171222
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171223
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T162101Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170914T191921Z
UID:6074-1513900800-1513987199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Jacopone da Todi
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Jacopone da Todi\nSaint of the Day for December 22\n(c. 1230 – December 25\, 1306)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nBlessed Jacopone da Todi’s Story\nJacomo\, or James\, was born a noble member of the Benedetti family in the northern Italian city of Todi. He became a successful lawyer and married a pious\, generous lady named Vanna. \nHis young wife took it upon herself to do penance for the worldly excesses of her husband. One day Vanna\, at the insistence of Jacomo\, attended a public tournament. She was sitting in the stands with the other noble ladies when the stands collapsed. Vanna was killed. Her shaken husband was even more disturbed when he realized that the penitential girdle she wore was for his sinfulness. On the spot\, he vowed to radically change his life. \nHe divided his possessions among the poor and entered the Secular Franciscan Order. Often dressed in penitential rags\, he was mocked as a fool and called Jacopone\, or “Crazy Jim\,” by his former associates. The name became dear to him. \nAfter 10 years of such humiliation\, Jacopone asked to be a member of the Order of Friars Minor. Because of his reputation\, his request was initially refused. He composed a beautiful poem on the vanities of the world\, an act that eventually led to his admission into the Order in 1278. He continued to lead a life of strict penance\, declining to be ordained a priest. Meanwhile\, he was writing popular hymns in the vernacular. \nJacopone suddenly found himself a leader in a disturbing religious movement among the Franciscans. The Spirituals\, as they were called\, wanted a return to the strict poverty of Francis. They had on their side two cardinals of the Church and Pope Celestine V. These two cardinals\, though\, opposed Celestine’s successor\, Boniface VIII. At the age of 68\, Jacopone was excommunicated and imprisoned. Although he acknowledged his mistake\, Jacopone was not absolved and released until Benedict XI became pope five years later. He had accepted his imprisonment as penance. He spent the final three years of his life more spiritual than ever\, weeping “because Love is not loved.” During this time he wrote the famous Latin hymn\, Stabat Mater. \nOn Christmas Eve in 1306 Jacopone felt that his end was near. He was in a convent of the Poor Clares with his friend\, Blessed John of La Verna. Like Francis\, Jacopone welcomed “Sister Death” with one of his favorite songs. It is said that he finished the song and died as the priest intoned the “Gloria” from the midnight Mass at Christmas. From the time of his death\, Brother Jacopone has been venerated as a saint. \n\nReflection\nHis contemporaries called Jacopone\, “Crazy Jim.” We might well echo their taunt\, for what else can you say about a man who broke into song in the midst of all his troubles? We still sing Jacopone’s saddest song\, the Stabat Mater\, but we Christians claim another song as our own\, even when the daily headlines resound with discordant notes. Jacopone’s whole life rang our song out: “Alleluia!” May he inspire us to keep singing.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-jacopone-da-todi/2017-12-22/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171223
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171224
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T165833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T165833Z
UID:6077-1513987200-1514073599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John of Kanty
DESCRIPTION:Saint John of Kanty\nSaint of the Day for December 23\n(June 24\, 1390 – December 24\, 1473)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint John of Kanty’s Story\nJohn was a country lad who made good in the big city and the big university of Kraków\, Poland. After brilliant studies he was ordained a priest and became a professor of theology. The inevitable opposition which saints encounter led to his being ousted by rivals and sent to be a parish priest at Olkusz. An extremely humble man\, he did his best\, but his best was not to the liking of his parishioners. Besides\, he was afraid of the responsibilities of his position. But in the end he won his people’s hearts. After some time he returned to Kraków and taught Scripture for the remainder of his life. \nHe was a serious man\, and humble\, but known to all the poor of Kraków for his kindness. His goods and his money were always at their disposal\, and time and again they took advantage of him. He kept only the money and clothes absolutely needed to support himself. He slept little\, ate sparingly\, and took no meat. He made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem\, hoping to be martyred by the Turks. He made four pilgrimages to Rome\, carrying his luggage on his back. When he was warned to look after his health\, he was quick to point out that\, for all their austerity\, the fathers of the desert lived remarkably long lives. \n\nReflection\nJohn of Kanty is a typical saint: He was kind\, humble and generous\, he suffered opposition and led an austere\, penitential life. Most Christians in an affluent society can understand all the ingredients except the last: Anything more than mild self-discipline seems reserved for athletes and ballet dancers. Christmas is a good time at least to reject self-indulgence.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-john-of-kanty/2017-12-23/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171224
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171225
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T170512Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T170512Z
UID:6081-1514073600-1514159999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Christmas at Greccio
DESCRIPTION:Christmas at Greccio\nSaint of the Day for December 24\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of Christmas at Greccio\nWhat better way to prepare for the arrival of the Christ Child than to take a brief journey to Greccio\, the spot in central Italy where Saint Francis of Assisi created the first Christmas crib in the year 1223. \nFrancis\, recalling a visit he had made years before to Bethlehem\, resolved to create the manger he had seen there. The ideal spot was a cave in nearby Greccio. He would find a baby (we’re not sure if it was a live infant or the carved image of a baby)\, hay upon which to lay him\, an ox and an ass to stand beside the manger. Word went out to the people of the town. At the appointed time\, they arrived carrying torches and candles. \nOne of the friars began celebrating Mass. Francis himself gave the sermon. His biographer\, Thomas of Celano\, recalls that Francis “stood before the manger…overcome with love and filled with a wonderful happiness… \n” For Francis\, the simple celebration was meant to recall the hardships Jesus suffered even as an infant\, a savior who chose to become poor for our sake\, a truly human Jesus. \nTonight\, as we pray around the Christmas cribs in our homes\, we welcome into our hearts that same Savior. \n\nReflection\nGod’s choice to give human beings free will was\, from the beginning\, a decision to be helpless in human hands. With the birth of Jesus\, God made the divine helplessness very clear to us\, for a human infant is totally dependent on the loving response of other people. Our natural response to a baby is to open our arms\, as Francis did\, to the infant of Bethlehem and to the God who made us all.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/christmas-at-greccio/2017-12-24/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171225
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171226
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T170643Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T170643Z
UID:6084-1514160000-1514246399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
DESCRIPTION:Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord\nSaint of the Day for December 25\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord\nOn this day\, the Church focuses especially on the newborn Child\, God become human\, who embodies for us all the hope and peace we seek. We need no other special saint today to lead us to Christ in the manger\, although his mother Mary and Joseph\, caring for his foster-son\, help round out the scene. \nBut if we were to select a patron for today\, perhaps it might be appropriate for us to imagine an anonymous shepherd\, summoned to the birthplace by a wondrous and even disturbing vision in the night\, a summons from an angelic choir\, promising peace and goodwill. A shepherd willing to seek out something that might just be too unbelievable to chase after\, and yet compelling enough to leave behind the flocks in the field and search for a mystery. \nOn the day of the Lord’s birth\, let’s let an unnamed\, “non-celebrity” at the edge of the crowd model for us the way to discover Christ in our own hearts—somewhere between skepticism and wonder\, between mystery and faith. And\, like Mary and the shepherds\, let us treasure that discovery in our hearts. \n\nReflection\nThe precise dating in this passage sounds like a textbook on creationism. If we focus on the time frame\, however\, we miss the point. It lays out the story of a love affair: creation\, the deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt\, the rise of Israel under David. It climaxes with the birth of Jesus. From the beginning\, some scholars insist\, God intended to enter the world as one of us\, the beloved people. Praise God!
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-the-lord/2017-12-25/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171226
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171227
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T170827Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T170827Z
UID:6087-1514246400-1514332799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Stephen
DESCRIPTION:Saint Stephen\nSaint of the Day for December 26\n(d. c. 36 )\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Stephen’s Story\nAs the number of disciples continued to grow\, the Greek-speaking Christians complained about the Hebrew-speaking Christians\, saying that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said\, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers\, select from among you seven reputable men\, filled with the Spirit and wisdom\, whom we shall appoint to this task\, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the whole community\, so they chose Stephen\, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit… (Acts 6:1-5). \nActs says that Stephen was a man filled with grace and power\, who worked great wonders among the people. Certain Jews\, members of the Synagogue of Roman Freedmen\, debated with Stephen but proved no match for the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke. They persuaded others to make the charge of blasphemy against him. He was seized and carried before the Sanhedrin. \nIn his speech\, Stephen recalled God’s guidance through Israel’s history\, as well as Israel’s idolatry and disobedience. He then claimed that his persecutors were showing this same spirit. “[Y]ou always oppose the holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors” (Acts 7:51b). \nHis speech brought anger from the crowd. “But [Stephen]\, filled with the holy Spirit\, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God\, and he said\, ‘Behold\, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God….’ They threw him out of the city\, and began to stone him…. As they were stoning Stephen\, he called out\, ‘Lord Jesus\, receive my spirit…. Lord\, do not hold this sin against them’” (Acts 7:55-56\, 58a\, 59\, 60b). \n\nReflection\nStephen died as Jesus did: falsely accused\, brought to unjust condemnation because he spoke the truth fearlessly. He died with his eyes trustfully fixed on God\, and with a prayer of forgiveness on his lips. A “happy” death is one that finds us in the same spirit\, whether our dying is as quiet as Joseph’s or as violent as Stephen’s: dying with courage\, total trust and forgiving love. \n\nSaint Stephen is the Patron Saint of:\nDeacons
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-stephen/2017-12-26/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171227
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171228
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T170938Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T171010Z
UID:6090-1514332800-1514419199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John the Apostle
DESCRIPTION:Saint John the Apostle\nSaint of the Day for December 27\n(6 – 100)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint John the Apostle’s Story\nIt is God who calls; human beings answer. The vocation of John and his brother James is stated very simply in the Gospels\, along with that of Peter and his brother Andrew: Jesus called them; they followed. The absoluteness of their response is indicated by the account. James and John “were in a boat\, with their father Zebedee\, mending their nets. He called them\, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him” (Matthew 4:21b-22). \nFor the three former fishermen—Peter\, James and John—that faith was to be rewarded by a special friendship with Jesus. They alone were privileged to be present at the Transfiguration\, the raising of the daughter of Jairus and the agony in Gethsemane. But John’s friendship was even more special. Tradition assigns to him the Fourth Gospel\, although most modern Scripture scholars think it unlikely that the apostle and the evangelist are the same person. \nJohn’s own Gospel refers to him as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2)\, the one who reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper\, and the one to whom he gave the exquisite honor\, as he stood beneath the cross\, of caring for his mother. “Woman\, behold your son…. Behold\, your mother” (John 19:26b\, 27b). \nBecause of the depth of his Gospel\, John is usually thought of as the eagle of theology\, soaring in high regions that other writers did not enter. But the ever-frank Gospels reveal some very human traits. Jesus gave James and John the nickname\, “sons of thunder.” While it is difficult to know exactly what this meant\, a clue is given in two incidents. \nIn the first\, as Matthew tells it\, their mother asked that they might sit in the places of honor in Jesus’ kingdom—one on his right hand\, one on his left. When Jesus asked them if they could drink the cup he would drink and be baptized with his baptism of pain\, they blithely answered\, “We can!” Jesus said that they would indeed share his cup\, but that sitting at his right hand was not his to give. It was for those to whom it had been reserved by the Father. The other apostles were indignant at the mistaken ambition of the brothers\, and Jesus took the occasion to teach them the true nature of authority: “…[W]hoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so\, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:27-28). \nOn another occasion\, the “sons of thunder” asked Jesus if they should not call down fire from heaven upon the inhospitable Samaritans\, who would not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. But Jesus “turned and rebuked them” (see Luke 9:51-55). \nOn the first Easter\, Mary Magdalene “ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved\, and told them\, ‘They have taken the Lord from the tomb\, and we don’t know where they put him’” (John 20:2). John recalls\, perhaps with a smile\, that he and Peter ran side by side\, but then “the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first” (John 20:4b). He did not enter\, but waited for Peter and let him go in first. “Then the other disciple also went in\, the one who had arrived at the tomb first\, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8). \nJohn was with Peter when the first great miracle after the Resurrection took place—the cure of the man crippled from birth—which led to their spending the night in jail together. The mysterious experience of the Resurrection is perhaps best contained in the words of Acts: “Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated\, ordinary men\, they [the questioners] were amazed\, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus” (Acts 4:13). \nThe Apostle John is traditionally considered the author of the Fourth Gospel\, three New Testament letters and the Book of Revelation. His Gospel is a very personal account. He sees the glorious and divine Jesus already in the incidents of his mortal life. At the Last Supper\, John’s Jesus speaks as if he were already in heaven. It is the Gospel of Jesus’ glory. \n\nReflection\nIt is a long way from being eager to sit on a throne of power or to call down fire from heaven to becoming the man who could write: “The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (1 John 3:16). \n\nSaint John the Apostle is the Patron Saint of:\nTurkey
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-john-the-apostle/2017-12-27/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171228
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171229
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T171147Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T171147Z
UID:6093-1514419200-1514505599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Holy Innocents
DESCRIPTION:Holy Innocents\nSaint of the Day for December 28\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of the Holy Innocents\nHerod “the Great\,” king of Judea\, was unpopular with his people because of his connections with the Romans and his religious indifference. Hence he was insecure and fearful of any threat to his throne. He was a master politician and a tyrant capable of extreme brutality. He killed his wife\, his brother and his sister’s two husbands\, to name only a few. \nMatthew 2:1-18 tells this story: Herod was “greatly troubled” when astrologers from the east came asking the whereabouts of “the newborn king of the Jews\,” whose star they had seen. They were told that the Jewish Scriptures named Bethlehem as the place where the Messiah would be born. Herod cunningly told them to report back to him so that he could also “do him homage.” They found Jesus\, offered him their gifts and\, warned by an angel\, avoided Herod on their way home. Jesus escaped to Egypt. \nHerod became furious and “ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under.” The horror of the massacre and the devastation of the mothers and fathers led Matthew to quote Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah\, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children…” (Matthew 2:18). Rachel was the wife of Jacob/Israel. She is pictured as weeping at the place where the Israelites were herded together by the conquering Assyrians for their march into captivity. \n\nReflection\nThe Holy Innocents are few\, in comparison to the genocide and abortion of our day. But even if there had been only one\, we recognize the greatest treasure God put on the earth—a human person\, destined for eternity and graced by Jesus’ death and resurrection. \n\nThe Holy Innocents are the Patron Saints of:\nBabies \n 
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/holy-innocents/2017-12-28/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171229
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171230
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T171248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T195251Z
UID:6096-1514505600-1514591999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Thomas Becket
DESCRIPTION:Saint Thomas Becket\nSaint of the Day for December 29\n(December 21\, 1118 – December 29\, 1170)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Thomas Becket’s Story\nA strong man who wavered for a moment\, but then learned one cannot come to terms with evil and so became a strong churchman\, a martyr and a saint—that was Thomas Becket\, archbishop of Canterbury\, murdered in his cathedral on December 29\, 1170. \nHis career had been a stormy one. While archdeacon of Canterbury\, he was made chancellor of England at the age of 36 by his friend King Henry II. When Henry felt it advantageous to make his chancellor the archbishop of Canterbury\, Thomas gave him fair warning: he might not accept all of Henry’s intrusions into Church affairs. Nevertheless\, in 1162 he was made archbishop\, resigned his chancellorship\, and reformed his whole way of life! \nTroubles began. Henry insisted upon usurping Church rights. At one time\, supposing some conciliatory action possible\, Thomas came close to compromise. He momentarily approved the Constitutions of Clarendon\, which would have denied the clergy the right of trial by a Church court and prevented them from making direct appeal to Rome. But Thomas rejected the Constitutions\, fled to France for safety and remained in exile for seven years. When he returned to England\, he suspected it would mean certain death. Because Thomas refused to remit censures he had placed upon bishops favored by the king\, Henry cried out in a rage\, “Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest!” Four knights\, taking his words as his wish\, slew Thomas in the Canterbury cathedral. \nThomas Becket remains a hero-saint down to our own times. \n\nReflection\nNo one becomes a saint without struggle\, especially with himself. Thomas knew he must stand firm in defense of truth and right\, even at the cost of his life. We also must take a stand in the face of pressures—against dishonesty\, deceit\, destruction of life—at the cost of popularity\, convenience\, promotion and even greater goods. \n\nSaint Thomas Becket is the Patron Saint of:\nRoman Catholic Secular Clergy
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-thomas-becket/2017-12-29/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171230
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171231
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T171443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T170851Z
UID:6097-1514592000-1514678399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Egwin
DESCRIPTION:Saint Egwin\nSaint of the Day for December 30\n(d. c. 720)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Egwin’s Story\nYou say you’re not familiar with today’s saint? Chances are you aren’t—unless you’re especially informed about Benedictine bishops who established monasteries in medieval England. \nBorn of royal blood in the 7th century\, Egwin entered a monastery and was enthusiastically received by royalty\, clergy and the people as the bishop of Worcester\, England. As a bishop he was known as a protector of orphans and the widowed and a fair judge. Who could argue with that? \nHis popularity didn’t hold up among members of the clergy\, however. They saw him as overly strict\, while he felt he was simply trying to correct abuses and impose appropriate disciplines. Bitter resentments arose\, and Egwin made his way to Rome to present his case to Pope Constantine. The case against Egwin was examined and annulled. \nUpon his return to England\, he founded Evesham Abbey\, which became one of the great Benedictine houses of medieval England. It was dedicated to Mary\, who had reportedly made it known to Egwin just where a church should be built in her honor. \nHe died at the abbey on December 30\, in the year 717. Following his burial many miracles were attributed to him: The blind could see\, the deaf could hear\, the sick were healed. \n\nReflection\nCorrecting abuses and faults is never an easy job\, not even for a bishop. Egwin attempted to correct and build up the clergy in his diocese and it earned him the wrath of his priests. When we are called to correct someone or some group\, plan on opposition\, but also know that it might be the right thing to do.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-egwin/2017-12-30/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171231
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180101
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T172045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T172045Z
UID:6100-1514678400-1514764799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Sylvester I
DESCRIPTION:Saint Sylvester I\nSaint of the Day for December 31\n(d. 335)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Sylvester I’s Story\nWhen you think of this pope\, you think of the Edict of Milan\, the emergence of the Church from the catacombs\, the building of the great basilicas\, Saint John Lateran\, Saint Peter’s and others\, the Council of Nicaea and other critical events. But for the most part\, these events were planned or brought about by Emperor Constantine. \nA great store of legends has grown up around the man who was pope at this most important time\, but very little can be established historically. We know for sure that his papacy lasted from 314 until his death in 335. Reading between the lines of history\, we are assured that only a very strong and wise man could have preserved the essential independence of the Church in the face of the overpowering figure of the Emperor Constantine. The bishops in general remained loyal to the Holy See and at times expressed apologies to Sylvester for undertaking important ecclesiastical projects at the urging of Constantine. \n\nReflection\nIt takes deep humility and courage in the face of criticism for a leader to stand aside and let events take their course\, when asserting one’s authority would only lead to useless tension and strife. Sylvester teaches a valuable lesson for Church leaders\, politicians\, parents and others in authority.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-sylvester-i/2017-12-31/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180101
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180102
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T172925Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T173215Z
UID:6103-1514764800-1514851199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Mary\, Mother of God
DESCRIPTION:Mary\, Mother of God\nSaint of the Day for January 1\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of Mary\, Mother of God\nMary’s divine motherhood broadens the Christmas spotlight. Mary has an important role to play in the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. She consents to God’s invitation conveyed by the angel (Luke 1:26-38). Elizabeth proclaims: “Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me\, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43\, emphasis added). Mary’s role as mother of God places her in a unique position in God’s redemptive plan. \nWithout naming Mary\, Paul asserts that “God sent his Son\, born of a woman\, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4). Paul’s further statement that “God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts\, crying out ‘Abba\, Father!’“ helps us realize that Mary is mother to all the brothers and sisters of Jesus. \nSome theologians also insist that Mary’s motherhood of Jesus is an important element in God’s creative plan. God’s “first” thought in creating was Jesus. Jesus\, the incarnate Word\, is the one who could give God perfect love and worship on behalf of all creation. As Jesus was “first” in God’s mind\, Mary was “second” insofar as she was chosen from all eternity to be his mother. \nThe precise title “Mother of God” goes back at least to the third or fourth century. In the Greek form Theotokos (God-bearer)\, it became the touchstone of the Church’s teaching about the Incarnation. The Council of Ephesus in 431 insisted that the holy Fathers were right in calling the holy virgin Theotokos. At the end of this particular session\, crowds of people marched through the street shouting: “Praised be the Theotokos!” The tradition reaches to our own day. In its chapter on Mary’s role in the Church\, Vatican II’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church calls Mary “Mother of God” 12 times. \n\nReflections\nOther themes come together at today’s celebration. It is the Octave of Christmas: Our remembrance of Mary’s divine motherhood injects a further note of Christmas joy. It is a day of prayer for world peace: Mary is the mother of the Prince of Peace. It is the first day of a new year: Mary continues to bring new life to her children—who are also God’s children. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for January 1 is Blessed Waldo.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/mary-mother-of-god/2018-01-01/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180102
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180103
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T173328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T173328Z
UID:6104-1514851200-1514937599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Basil the Great
DESCRIPTION:Saint Basil the Great\nSaint of the Day for January 2\n(329 – January 1\, 379)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Basil the Great’s Story\nBasil was on his way to becoming a famous teacher when he decided to begin a religious life of gospel poverty. After studying various modes of religious life\, he founded what was probably the first monastery in Asia Minor. He is to monks of the East what Saint Benedict is to the West\, and Basil’s principles influence Eastern monasticism today. \nHe was ordained a priest\, assisted the archbishop of Caesarea (now southeastern Turkey)\, and ultimately became archbishop himself\, in spite of opposition from some of the bishops under him\, probably because they foresaw coming reforms. \nOne of the most damaging heresies in the history of the Church\, Arianism\, which denied the divinity of Christ\, was at its height. Emperor Valens persecuted orthodox believers\, and put great pressure on Basil to remain silent and admit the heretics to communion. Basil remained firm\, and Valens backed down. But trouble remained. When the great Saint Athanasius died\, the mantle of defender of the faith against Arianism fell upon Basil. He strove mightily to unite and rally his fellow Catholics who were crushed by tyranny and torn by internal dissension. He was misunderstood\, misrepresented\, accused of heresy and ambition. Even appeals to the pope brought no response. “For my sins I seem to be unsuccessful in everything.” \nHe was tireless in pastoral care. He preached twice a day to huge crowds\, built a hospital that was called a wonder of the world (as a youth he had organized famine relief and worked in a soup kitchen himself) and fought the prostitution business. \nBasil was best known as an orator. Though not recognized greatly in his lifetime\, his writings rightly place him among the great teachers of the Church. Seventy-two years after his death\, the Council of Chalcedon described him as “the great Basil\, minister of grace who has expounded the truth to the whole earth.” \n\nReflection\nAs the French say\, “The more things change\, the more they remain the same.” Basil faced the same problems as modern Christians. Sainthood meant trying to preserve the spirit of Christ in such perplexing and painful problems as reform\, organization\, fighting for the poor\, maintaining balance and peace in misunderstanding. \n\nSaint Basil the Great is the Patron Saint of:\nRussia
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-basil-the-great/2018-01-02/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180103
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180104
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T174504Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T174504Z
UID:6109-1514937600-1515023999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Most Holy Name of Jesus
DESCRIPTION:Most Holy Name of Jesus\nSaint of the Day for January 3\n\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of the Most Holy Name of Jesus\nAlthough Saint Paul might claim credit for promoting devotion to the Holy Name because Paul wrote in Philippians that God the Father gave Christ Jesus “that name that is above every name” (see 2:9)\, this devotion became popular because of 12th-century Cistercian monks and nuns but especially through the preaching of Saint Bernardine of Siena\, a 15th-century Franciscan. \nBernardine used devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus as a way of overcoming bitter and often bloody class struggles and family rivalries or vendettas in Italian city-states. The devotion grew\, partly because of Franciscan and Dominican preachers. It spread even more widely after the Jesuits began promoting it in the 16th century. \nIn 1530\, Pope Clement V approved an Office of the Holy Name for the Franciscans. In 1721\, Pope Innocent XIII extended this feast to the entire Church. \n\nReflection\nJesus died and rose for the sake of all people. No one can trademark or copyright Jesus’ name. Jesus is the Son of God and son of Mary. Everything that exists was created in and through the Son of God (see Colossians 1:15-20). The name of Jesus is debased if any Christian uses it as justification for berating non-Christians. Jesus reminds us that because we are all related to him we are\, therefore\, all related to one another.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/most-holy-name-of-jesus/2018-01-03/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180104
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180105
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T193444Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T193444Z
UID:6112-1515024000-1515110399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
DESCRIPTION:Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton\nSaint of the Day for January 4\n(August 28\, 1774 – January 4\, 1821)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Elizabeth Ann Seton’s Story\nMother Seton is one of the keystones of the American Catholic Church. She founded the first American religious community for women\, the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. All this she did in the span of 46 years while raising her five children. \nElizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is a true daughter of the American Revolution\, born August 28\, 1774\, just two years before the Declaration of Independence. By birth and marriage\, she was linked to the first families of New York and enjoyed the fruits of high society. Reared a staunch Episcopalian\, she learned the value of prayer\, Scripture and a nightly examination of conscience. Her father\, Dr. Richard Bayley\, did not have much use for churches but was a great humanitarian\, teaching his daughter to love and serve others. \nThe early deaths of her mother in 1777 and her baby sister in 1778 gave Elizabeth a feel for eternity and the temporariness of the pilgrim life on earth. Far from being brooding and sullen\, she faced each new “holocaust\,” as she put it\, with hopeful cheerfulness. \nAt 19\, Elizabeth was the belle of New York and married a handsome\, wealthy businessman\, William Magee Seton. They had five children before his business failed and he died of tuberculosis. At 30\, Elizabeth was widowed\, penniless\, with five small children to support. \nWhile in Italy with her dying husband\, Elizabeth witnessed Catholicity in action through family friends. Three basic points led her to become a Catholic: belief in the Real Presence\, devotion to the Blessed Mother and conviction that the Catholic Church led back to the apostles and to Christ. Many of her family and friends rejected her when she became a Catholic in March 1805. \nTo support her children\, she opened a school in Baltimore. From the beginning\, her group followed the lines of a religious community\, which was officially founded in 1809. \nThe thousand or more letters of Mother Seton reveal the development of her spiritual life from ordinary goodness to heroic sanctity. She suffered great trials of sickness\, misunderstanding\, the death of loved ones (her husband and two young daughters) and the heartache of a wayward son. She died January 4\, 1821\, and became the first American-born citizen to be beatified (1963) and then canonized (1975). She is buried in Emmitsburg\, Maryland. \n\nReflection\nElizabeth Seton had no extraordinary gifts. She was not a mystic or stigmatic. She did not prophesy or speak in tongues. She had two great devotions: abandonment to the will of God and an ardent love for the Blessed Sacrament. She wrote to a friend\, Julia Scott\, that she would prefer to exchange the world for a “cave or a desert.” “But God has given me a great deal to do\, and I have always and hope always to prefer his will to every wish of my own.” Her brand of sanctity is open to everyone if we love God and do his will. \n\nSaint Elizabeth Ann Seton is the Patron Saint of:\nCatholic School\nLoss of Parents
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-elizabeth-ann-seton/2018-01-04/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180105
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180106
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T193744Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T171315Z
UID:6115-1515110400-1515196799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John Neumann
DESCRIPTION:Saint John Neumann\nSaint of the Day for January 5\n(March 28\, 1811 – January 5\, 1860)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint John Neumann’s Story\nPerhaps because the United States got a later start in the history of the world\, it has relatively few canonized saints\, but their number is increasing. \nJohn Neumann was born in what is now the Czech Republic. After studying in Prague\, he came to New York at 25 and was ordained a priest. He did missionary work in New York until he was 29\, when he joined the Redemptorists and became its first member to profess vows in the United States. He continued missionary work in Maryland\, Virginia and Ohio\, where he became popular with the Germans. \nAt 41\, as bishop of Philadelphia\, he organized the parochial school system into a diocesan one\, increasing the number of pupils almost twentyfold within a short time. \nGifted with outstanding organizing ability\, he drew into the city many teaching communities of sisters and the Christian Brothers. During his brief assignment as vice provincial for the Redemptorists\, he placed them in the forefront of the parochial movement. \nWell-known for his holiness and learning\, spiritual writing and preaching\, on October 13\, 1963\, John Neumann became the first American bishop to be beatified. Canonized in 1977\, he is buried in St. Peter the Apostle Church in Philadelphia. \n\nReflection\nNeumann took seriously our Lord’s words\, “Go and teach all nations.” From Christ he received his instructions and the power to carry them out. For Christ does not give a mission without supplying the means to accomplish it. The Father’s gift in Christ to John Neumann was his exceptional organizing ability\, which he used to spread the Good News. Today the Church is in dire need of men and women to continue in our times the teaching of the Good News. The obstacles and inconveniences are real and costly. Yet when Christians approach Christ\, he supplies the necessary talents to answer today’s needs. The Spirit of Christ continues his work through the instrumentality of generous Christians.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-john-neumann/2018-01-05/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180106
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180107
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T193903Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T193935Z
UID:6116-1515196800-1515283199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint André Bessette
DESCRIPTION:Saint André Bessette\nSaint of the Day for January 6\n( August 9\, 1845 – January 6\, 1937)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint André Bessette’s Story\nBrother André expressed a saint’s faith by a lifelong devotion to Saint Joseph. \nSickness and weakness dogged André from birth. He was the eighth of 12 children born to a French Canadian couple near Montreal. Adopted at 12\, when both parents had died\, he became a farmhand. Various trades followed: shoemaker\, baker\, blacksmith—all failures. He was a factory worker in the United States during the boom times of the Civil War. \nAt 25\, André applied for entrance into the Congregation of Holy Cross. After a year’s novitiate\, he was not admitted because of his weak health. But with an extension and the urging of Bishop Bourget\, he was finally received. He was given the humble job of doorkeeper at Notre Dame College in Montreal\, with additional duties as sacristan\, laundry worker and messenger. “When I joined this community\, the superiors showed me the door\, and I remained 40 years\,” he said. \nIn his little room near the door\, he spent much of the night on his knees. On his windowsill\, facing Mount Royal\, was a small statue of Saint Joseph\, to whom he had been devoted since childhood. When asked about it he said\, “Some day\, Saint Joseph is going to be honored in a very special way on Mount Royal!” \nWhen he heard someone was ill\, he visited to bring cheer and to pray with the sick person. He would rub the sick person lightly with oil taken from a lamp burning in the college chapel. Word of healing powers began to spread. \nWhen an epidemic broke out at a nearby college\, André volunteered to nurse. Not one person died. The trickle of sick people to his door became a flood. His superiors were uneasy; diocesan authorities were suspicious; doctors called him a quack. “I do not cure\,” he said again and again. “Saint Joseph cures.” In the end he needed four secretaries to handle the 80\,000 letters he received each year. \nFor many years the Holy Cross authorities had tried to buy land on Mount Royal. Brother André and others climbed the steep hill and planted medals of Saint Joseph. Suddenly\, the owners yielded. André collected $200 to build a small chapel and began receiving visitors there—smiling through long hours of listening\, applying Saint Joseph’s oil. Some were cured\, some not. The pile of crutches\, canes and braces grew. \nThe chapel also grew. By 1931\, there were gleaming walls\, but money ran out. “Put a statue of Saint Joseph in the middle. If he wants a roof over his head\, he’ll get it.” The magnificent Oratory on Mount Royal took 50 years to build. The sickly boy who could not hold a job died at 92. \nHe is buried at the Oratory. He was beatified in 1982 and canonized in 2010. At his canonization in October 2010\, Pope Benedict XVI said that Saint Andre “lived the beatitude of the pure of heart.” \n\nReflection\nRubbing ailing limbs with oil or a medal? Planting a medal to buy land? Isn’t this superstition? Aren’t we long past that? Superstitious people rely only on the “magic” of a word or action. Brother André’s oil and medals were authentic sacramentals of a simple\, total faith in the Father who lets his saints help him bless his children.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-andre-bessette/2018-01-06/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180107
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180108
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T194417Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T171135Z
UID:6119-1515283200-1515369599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Raymond of Peñafort
DESCRIPTION:Saint Raymond of Peñafort\nSaint of the Day for January 7\n(1175 – January 6\, 1275)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Raymond of Peñafort’s Story\nSince Raymond lived into his hundredth year\, he had a chance to do many things. As a member of the Spanish nobility\, he had the resources and the education to get a good start in life. \nBy the time he was 20\, he was teaching philosophy. In his early 30s he earned a doctorate in both canon and civil law. At 41 he became a Dominican. Pope Gregory IX called him to Rome to work for him and to be his confessor. One of the things the pope asked him to do was to gather together all the decrees of popes and councils that had been made in 80 years since a similar collection by Gratian. Raymond compiled five books called the Decretals. They were looked upon as one of the best organized collections of Church law until the 1917 codification of canon law. \nEarlier\, Raymond had written for confessors a book of cases. It was called Summa de Casibus Poenitentiae. More than simply a list of sins and penances\, it discussed pertinent doctrines and laws of the Church that pertained to the problem or case brought to the confessor. \nAt the age of 60\, Raymond was appointed archbishop of Tarragona\, the capital of Aragon. He didn’t like the honor at all and ended up getting sick and resigning in two years. \nHe didn’t get to enjoy his peace long\, however\, because when he was 63 he was elected by his fellow Dominicans to be the head of the whole Order\, the successor of Saint Dominic. Raymond worked hard\, visited on foot all the Dominicans\, reorganized their constitutions and managed to put through a provision that a master general be allowed to resign. When the new constitutions were accepted\, Raymond\, then 65\, resigned. \nHe still had 35 years to oppose heresy and work for the conversion of the Moors in Spain. He convinced Saint Thomas Aquinas to write his work Against the Gentiles. \nIn his 100th year\, the Lord let Raymond retire. \n\nReflection\nRaymond was a lawyer\, a canonist. Legalism can suck the life out of genuine religion if it becomes too great a preoccupation with the letter of the law to the neglect of the spirit and purpose of the law. The law can become an end in itself\, so that the value the law was intended to promote is overlooked. But we must guard against going to the opposite extreme and seeing law as useless or something to be lightly regarded. Laws ideally state those things that are for the best interests of everyone and make sure the rights of all are safeguarded. From Raymond\, we can learn a respect for law as a means of serving the common good. \n\nSaint Raymond of Peñafort is the Patron Saint of:\nLawyers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-raymond-of-penafort/2018-01-07/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180108
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180109
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T194558Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T171956Z
UID:6122-1515369600-1515455999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Angela of Foligno
DESCRIPTION:Saint Angela of Foligno\nSaint of the Day for January 8\n(1248 – January 4\, 1309)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Angela of Foligno’s story\nSome saints show marks of holiness very early. Not Angela! Born of a leading family in Foligno\, Italy\, she became immersed in the quest for wealth and social position. As a wife and mother\, she continued this life of distraction. \nAround the age of 40\, she recognized the emptiness of her life and sought God’s help in the Sacrament of Penance. Her Franciscan confessor helped Angela to seek God’s pardon for her previous life and to dedicate herself to prayer and the works of charity. \nShortly after her conversion\, her husband and children died. Selling most of her possessions\, she entered the Secular Franciscan Order. She was alternately absorbed by meditating on the crucified Christ and by serving the poor of Foligno as a nurse and beggar for their needs. Other women joined her in a religious community. \nAt her confessor’s advice\, Angela wrote her Book of Visions and Instructions. In it she recalls some of the temptations she suffered after her conversion; she also expresses her thanks to God for the Incarnation of Jesus. This book and her life earned for Angela the title “Teacher of Theologians.” She was beatified in 1693\, and canonized in 2013. \n\nReflection\nPeople who live in the United States today can understand Saint Angela’s temptation to increase her sense of self-worth by accumulating money\, fame or power. Striving to possess more and more\, she became more and more self-centered. When she realized she was priceless because she was created and loved by God\, she became very penitential and very charitable to the poor. What had seemed foolish early in her life now became very important. The path of self-emptying she followed is the path all holy men and women must follow. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Angela of Foligno is January 7.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-angela-of-foligno/2018-01-08/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180109
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180110
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T195136Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T195231Z
UID:6125-1515456000-1515542399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Adrian of Canterbury
DESCRIPTION:Saint Adrian of Canterbury\nSaint of the Day for January 9\n(d. January 9\, 710)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Adrian of Canterbury’s Story\nThough Saint Adrian turned down a papal request to become Archbishop of Canterbury\, England\, Pope Saint Vitalian accepted the rejection on the condition that Adrian serve as the Holy Father’s assistant and adviser. Adrian accepted\, but ended up spending most of his life and doing most of his work in Canterbury. \nBorn in Africa\, Adrian was serving as an abbot in Italy when the new Archbishop of Canterbury appointed him abbot of the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul in Canterbury. Thanks to his leadership skills\, the facility became one of the most important centers of learning. The school attracted many outstanding scholars from far and wide and produced numerous future bishops and archbishops. Students reportedly learned Greek and Latin and spoke Latin as well as their own native languages. \nAdrian taught at the school for 40 years. He died there\, probably in the year 710\, and was buried in the monastery. Several hundred years later\, when reconstruction was being done\, Adrian’s body was discovered in an incorrupt state. As word spread\, people flocked to his tomb\, which became famous for miracles. Rumor had it that young schoolboys in trouble with their masters made regular visits there. \n\nReflection\nSaint Adrian spent most of his time in Canterbury not as bishop\, but as abbot and teacher. Often the Lord has plans for us that are obvious only on hindsight. How often have we said no to something or someone only to end up in much the same place anyway. The Lord knows what’s good for us. Can we trust Him? \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for January 9 is Blessed Pica Bernardone.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-adrian-of-canterbury/2018-01-09/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180110
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180111
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T195459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T195459Z
UID:6130-1515542400-1515628799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Gregory of Nyssa
DESCRIPTION:Saint Gregory of Nyssa\nSaint of the Day for January 10\n(c. 335 – 395)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Gregory of Nyssa’s Story\nThe son of two saints\, Basil and Emmilia\, young Gregory was raised by his older brother\, Saint Basil the Great\, and his sister\, Macrina\, in modern-day Turkey. Gregory’s success in his studies suggested great things were ahead for him. After becoming a professor of rhetoric\, he was persuaded to devote his learning and efforts to the Church. By then married\, Gregory went on to study for the priesthood and become ordained (this at a time when celibacy was not a matter of law for priests). \nHe was elected Bishop of Nyssa in 372\, a period of great tension over the Arian heresy\, which denied the divinity of Christ. Briefly arrested after being falsely accused of embezzling Church funds\, Gregory was restored to his see in 378\, an act met with great joy by his people. \nIt was after the death of his beloved brother\, Basil\, that Gregory really came into his own. He wrote with great effectiveness against Arianism and other questionable doctrines\, gaining a reputation as a defender of orthodoxy. He was sent on missions to counter other heresies and held a position of prominence at the Council of Constantinople. His fine reputation stayed with him for the remainder of his life\, but over the centuries it gradually declined as the authorship of his writings became less and less certain. But\, thanks to the work of scholars in the 20th century\, his stature is once again appreciated. Indeed\, Saint Gregory of Nyssa is seen not simply as a pillar of orthodoxy but as one of the great contributors to the mystical tradition in Christian spirituality and to monasticism itself. \n\nReflection\nOrthodoxy is a word that can raise red flags in our minds. To some people it may connote rigid attitudes that make no room for honest differences of opinion. But it might just as well suggest something else: faith that has settled deep in one’s bones. Gregory’s faith was like that. So deeply embedded was his faith in Jesus that he knew the divinity that Arianism denied. When we resist something offered as truth without knowing exactly why\, it may be because our faith has settled in our bones. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for January 10 is Servant of God Vico Necchi.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-gregory-of-nyssa/2018-01-10/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180111
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180112
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T195705Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T195705Z
UID:6133-1515628800-1515715199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed William Carter
DESCRIPTION:Blessed William Carter\nSaint of the Day for January 11\n(c. 1548 – January 11\, 1584)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nBlessed William Carter’s Story\nBorn in London\, William Carter entered the printing business at an early age. For many years he served as apprentice to well-known Catholic printers\, one of whom served a prison sentence for persisting in the Catholic faith. William himself served time in prison following his arrest for “printing lewd [i.e.\, Catholic] pamphlets” as well as possessing books upholding Catholicism. \nBut even more\, he offended public officials by publishing works that aimed to keep Catholics firm in their faith. Officials who searched his house found various vestments and suspect books\, and even managed to extract information from William’s distraught wife. Over the next 18 months\, William remained in prison\, suffering torture and learning of his wife’s death. \nHe was eventually charged with printing and publishing the Treatise of Schisme\, which allegedly incited violence by Catholics and which was said to have been written by a traitor and addressed to traitors. While William calmly placed his trust in God\, the jury met for only 15 minutes before reaching a verdict of guilty. William\, who made his final confession to a priest who was being tried alongside him\, was hanged\, drawn\, and quartered the following day: January 11\, 1584. \nHe was beatified in 1987. \n\nReflection\nIt didn’t pay to be Catholic in Elizabeth I’s realm. In an age when religious diversity did not yet seem possible\, it was high treason\, and practicing the faith was dangerous. William gave his life for his efforts to encourage his brothers and sisters to keep up the struggle. These days\, our brothers and sisters also need encouragement—not because their lives are at risk\, but because many other factors besiege their faith. They look to us.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-william-carter/2018-01-11/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180112
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180113
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T195813Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T195845Z
UID:6136-1515715200-1515801599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys
DESCRIPTION:Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys\nSaint of the Day for January 12\n(April 17\, 1620 – January 12\, 1700)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Marguerite Bourgeoys’ Story\n“God closes a door and then opens a window\,” people sometimes say when dealing with their own disappointment or someone else’s. That was certainly true in Marguerite’s case. Children from European as well as Native American backgrounds in seventeenth-century Canada benefited from her great zeal and unshakable trust in God’s providence. \nBorn the sixth of 12 children in Troyes\, France\, Marguerite at the age of 20 believed that she was called to religious life. Her applications to the Carmelites and Poor Clares were unsuccessful. A priest friend suggested that perhaps God had other plans for her. \nIn 1654\, the governor of the French settlement in Canada visited his sister\, an Augustinian canoness in Troyes. Marguerite belonged to a sodality connected to that convent. The governor invited her to come to Canada and start a school in Ville-Marie (eventually the city of Montreal). When she arrived\, the colony numbered 200 people with a hospital and a Jesuit mission chapel. \nSoon after starting a school\, she realized her need for coworkers. Returning to Troyes\, she recruited a friend\, Catherine Crolo\, and two other young women. In 1667\, they added classes at their school for Indian children. A second trip to France three years later resulted in six more young women and a letter from King Louis XIV\, authorizing the school. The Congregation of Notre Dame was established in 1676 but its members did not make formal religious profession until 1698 when their Rule and constitutions were approved. \nMarguerite established a school for Indian girls in Montreal. At the age of 69\, she walked from Montreal to Quebec in response to the bishop’s request to establish a community of her sisters in that city. By the time she died\, she was referred to as the “Mother of the Colony.” Marguerite was canonized in 1982. \n\nReflection\nIt’s easy to become discouraged when plans that we think that God must endorse are frustrated. Marguerite was called not to be a cloistered nun but to be a foundress and an educator. God had not ignored her after all.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-marguerite-bourgeoys/2018-01-12/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180113
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180114
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170824T200038Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T200038Z
UID:6139-1515801600-1515887999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Hilary of Poitiers
DESCRIPTION:Saint Hilary of Poitiers\nSaint of the Day for January 13\n(c. 315 – c. 368)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Hilary of Poitiers’ Story\nThis staunch defender of the divinity of Christ was a gentle and courteous man\, devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity\, and was like his Master in being labeled a “disturber of the peace.” In a very troubled period in the Church\, his holiness was lived out in both scholarship and controversy. He was bishop of Poitiers in France. \nRaised a pagan\, he was converted to Christianity when he met his God of nature in the Scriptures. His wife was still living when he was chosen\, against his will\, to be the bishop of Poitiers in France. He was soon taken up with battling what became the scourge of the fourth century\, Arianism\, which denied the divinity of Christ. \nThe heresy spread rapidly. Saint Jerome said “The world groaned and marveled to find that it was Arian.” When Emperor Constantius ordered all the bishops of the West to sign a condemnation of Athanasius\, the great defender of the faith in the East\, Hilary refused and was banished from France to far off Phrygia. Eventually he was called the “Athanasius of the West.” \nWhile writing in exile\, he was invited by some semi-Arians (hoping for reconciliation) to a council the emperor called to counteract the Council of Nicea. But Hilary predictably defended the Church\, and when he sought public debate with the heretical bishop who had exiled him\, the Arians\, dreading the meeting and its outcome\, pleaded with the emperor to send this troublemaker back home. Hilary was welcomed by his people. \n\nReflection\nChrist said his coming would bring not peace but a sword (see Matthew 10:34). The Gospels offer no support for us if we fantasize about a sunlit holiness that knows no problems. Christ did notescape at the last moment\, though he did live happily ever after—after a life of controversy\, problems\, pain and frustration. Hilary\, like all saints\, simply had more of the same.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-hilary-of-poitiers/2018-01-13/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180115
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170825T155044Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155044Z
UID:6170-1515888000-1515974399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Gregory Nazianzen
DESCRIPTION:Saint Gregory Nazianzen\nSaint of the Day for January 14\n(c. 325 – c. 390)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Gregory Nazianzen’s Story\nAfter his baptism at 30\, Gregory gladly accepted his friend Basil’s invitation to join him in a newly founded monastery. The solitude was broken when Gregory’s father\, a bishop\, needed help in his diocese and estate. It seems that Gregory was ordained a priest practically by force\, and only reluctantly accepted the responsibility. He skillfully avoided a schism that threatened when his own father made compromises with Arianism. At 41\, Gregory was chosen suffragan bishop of Caesarea and at once came into conflict with Valens\, the emperor\, who supported the Arians. \nAn unfortunate by-product of the battle was the cooling of the friendship of two saints. Basil\, his archbishop\, sent him to a miserable and unhealthy town on the border of unjustly created divisions in his diocese. Basil reproached Gregory for not going to his see. \nWhen protection for Arianism ended with the death of Valens\, Gregory was called to rebuild the faith in the great see of Constantinople\, which had been under Arian teachers for three decades. Retiring and sensitive\, he dreaded being drawn into the whirlpool of corruption and violence. He first stayed at a friend’s home\, which became the only orthodox church in the city. In such surroundings\, he began giving the great sermons on the Trinity for which he is famous. In time\, Gregory did rebuild the faith in the city\, but at the cost of great suffering\, slander\, insults\, and even personal violence. An interloper even tried to take over his bishopric. \nHis last days were spent in solitude and austerity. He wrote religious poetry\, some of it autobiographical\, of great depth and beauty. He was acclaimed simply as “the Theologian.” \n\nReflection\nIt may be small comfort\, but post-Vatican II turmoil in the Church is a mild storm compared to the devastation caused by the Arian heresy\, a trauma the Church has never forgotten. Christ did not promise the kind of peace we would love to have—no problems\, no opposition\, no pain. In one way or another\, holiness is always the way of the cross.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-gregory-nazianzen/2018-01-14/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180115
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180116
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170825T155301Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155301Z
UID:6173-1515974400-1516060799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Paul the Hermit
DESCRIPTION:Saint Paul the Hermit\nSaint of the Day for January 15\n(c. 233 – c. 345)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint  Paul the Hermit’s Story\nIt is unclear what we really know of Paul’s life\, how much is fable\, how much fact. \nPaul was reportedly born in Egypt\, where he was orphaned by age 15. He was also a learned and devout young man. During the persecution of Decius in Egypt in the year 250\, Paul was forced to hide in the home of a friend. Fearing a brother-in-law would betray him\, he fled in a cave in the desert. His plan was to return once the persecution ended\, but the sweetness of solitude and heavenly contemplation convinced him to stay. \nHe went on to live in that cave for the next 90 years. A nearby spring gave him drink\, a palm tree furnished him clothing and nourishment. After 21 years of solitude\, a bird began bringing him half of a loaf of bread each day. Without knowing what was happening in the world\, Paul prayed that the world would become a better place. \nSaint Anthony of Egypt attests to his holy life and death. Tempted by the thought that no one had served God in the wilderness longer than he\, Anthony was led by God to find Paul and acknowledge him as a man more perfect than himself. The raven that day brought a whole loaf of bread instead of the usual half. As Paul predicted\, Anthony would return to bury his new friend. \nThought to have been about 112 when he died\, Paul is known as the “First Hermit.” His feast day is celebrated in the East; he is also commemorated in the Coptic and Armenian rites of the Mass. \n\nReflection\nThe will and direction of God are seen in the circumstances of our lives. Led by the grace of God\, we are free to respond with choices that bring us closer to and make us more dependent upon the God who created us. Those choices might at times seem to lead us away from our neighbor. But ultimately they lead us back both in prayer and in fellowship to one another.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-paul-the-hermit/2018-01-15/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180116
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180117
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170825T155413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155413Z
UID:6176-1516060800-1516147199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Berard and Companions
DESCRIPTION:Saint Berard and Companions\nSaint of the Day for January 16\n(d. January 16\, 1220)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Berard and Companions’ Story\nPreaching the gospel is often dangerous work. Leaving one’s homeland and adjusting to new cultures\, governments and languages is difficult enough; but martyrdom caps all the other sacrifices. \nIn 1219\, with the blessing of Saint Francis\, Berard left Italy with Peter\, Adjute\, Accurs\, Odo and Vitalis to preach in Morocco. En route in Spain\, Vitalis became sick and commanded the other friars to continue their mission without him. \nThey tried preaching in Seville\, then in Muslim hands\, but made no converts. They went on to Morocco where they preached in the marketplace. The friars were immediately apprehended and ordered to leave the country; they refused. When they began preaching again\, an exasperated sultan ordered them executed. After enduring severe beatings and declining various bribes to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ\, the friars were beheaded by the sultan himself on January 16\, 1220. \nThese were the first Franciscan martyrs. When Francis heard of their deaths\, he exclaimed\, “Now I can truly say that I have five Friars Minor!” Their relics were brought to Portugal where they prompted a young Augustinian canon to join the Franciscans and set off for Morocco the next year. That young man was Anthony of Padua. These five martyrs were canonized in 1481. \n\nReflection\nThe deaths of Berard and his companions sparked a missionary vocation in Anthony of Padua and others. There have been many\, many Franciscans who have responded to Francis’ challenge. Proclaiming the gospel can be fatal\, but that has not stopped the Franciscan men and women who even today risk their lives in many countries throughout the world.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-berard-and-companions/2018-01-16/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180117
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180118
DTSTAMP:20260404T164555
CREATED:20170825T155527Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155527Z
UID:6179-1516147200-1516233599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Anthony of Egypt
DESCRIPTION:Saint Anthony of Egypt (Saint Anthony the Abbot)\nSaint of the Day for January 17\n(251 – 356)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Anthony of Egypt’s Story\nThe life of Anthony will remind many people of St. Francis of Assisi. At 20\, Anthony was so moved by the Gospel message\, “Go\, sell what you have\, and give to [the] poor” (Mark 10:21b)\, that he actually did just that with his large inheritance. He is different from Francis in that most of Anthony’s life was spent in solitude. He saw the world completely covered with snares\, and gave the Church and the world the witness of solitary asceticism\, great personal mortification and prayer. But no saint is antisocial\, and Anthony drew many people to himself for spiritual healing and guidance. \nAt 54\, he responded to many requests and founded a sort of monastery of scattered cells. Again like Francis\, he had great fear of “stately buildings and well-laden tables.” \nAt 60\, he hoped to be a martyr in the renewed Roman persecution of 311\, fearlessly exposing himself to danger while giving moral and material support to those in prison. At 88\, he was fighting the Arian heresy\, that massive trauma from which it took the Church centuries to recover. “The mule kicking over the altar” denied the divinity of Christ. \nAnthony is associated in art with a T-shaped cross\, a pig and a book. The pig and the cross are symbols of his valiant warfare with the devil—the cross his constant means of power over evil spirits\, the pig a symbol of the devil himself. The book recalls his preference for “the book of nature” over the printed word. Anthony died in solitude at age 105. \nReflection\nIn an age that smiles at the notion of devils and angels\, a person known for having power over evil spirits must at least make us pause. And in a day when people speak of life as a “rat race\,” one who devotes a whole life to solitude and prayer points to an essential of the Christian life in all ages. Anthony’s hermit life reminds us of the absoluteness of our break with sin and the totality of our commitment to Christ. Even in God’s good world\, there is another world whose false values constantly tempt us. \n\nSaint Anthony of Egypt is the Patron Saint of:\nButchers\nGravediggers\nSkin Diseases
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-anthony-of-egypt/2018-01-17/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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