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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180228
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180301
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170825T165423Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T165423Z
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SUMMARY:Blessed Daniel Brottier
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Daniel Brottier\nSaint of the Day for February 28\n(September 7\, 1876 – February 28\, 1936)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nBlessed Daniel Brottier’s Story\nDaniel spent most of his life in the trenches—one way or another. \nBorn in France in 1876\, Daniel was ordained in 1899 and began a teaching career. That didn’t satisfy him long. He wanted to use his zeal for the gospel far beyond the classroom. He joined the missionary Congregation of the Holy Spirit\, which sent him to Senegal\, West Africa. After eight years there\, his health was suffering. He was forced to return to France\, where he helped raise funds for the construction of a new cathedral in Senegal. \nAt the outbreak of World War I\, Daniel became a volunteer chaplain and spent four years at the front. He did not shrink from his duties. Indeed\, he risked his life time and again in ministering to the suffering and dying. It was miraculous that he did not suffer a single wound during his 52 months in the heart of battle. \nAfter the war he was invited to help establish a project for orphaned and abandoned children in a Paris suburb. He spent the final 13 years of his life there. He died in 1936 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Paris only 48 years later. \n\nReflection\nBlessed Daniel might be called “Teflon Dan” since nothing seemed to harm him while in the midst of war. God intended to use him in some pretty wonderful ways for the good of the Church and he willingly served. He is a good example for all of us.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-daniel-brottier/2018-02-28/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180301
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180302
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T142925Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170828T142925Z
UID:6388-1519862400-1519948799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint David of Wales
DESCRIPTION:Saint David of Wales\nSaint of the Day for March 1\n(d. March 1\, 589)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar01.mp3\nSaint David of Wales’ Story\nDavid is the patron saint of Wales and perhaps the most famous of British saints. Ironically\, we have little reliable information about him. \nIt is known that he became a priest\, engaged in missionary work\, and founded many monasteries\, including his principal abbey in southwestern Wales. Many stories and legends sprang up about David and his Welsh monks. Their austerity was extreme. They worked in silence without the help of animals to till the soil. Their food was limited to bread\, vegetables and water. \nIn about the year 550\, David attended a synod where his eloquence impressed his fellow monks to such a degree that he was elected primate of the region. The episcopal see was moved to Mynyw\, where he had his monastery\, now called St. David’s. He ruled his diocese until he had reached a very old age. His last words to his monks and subjects were: “Be joyful\, brothers and sisters. Keep your faith\, and do the little things that you have seen and heard with me.” \nSaint David is pictured standing on a mound with a dove on his shoulder. The legend is that once while he was preaching a dove descended to his shoulder and the earth rose to lift him high above the people so that he could be heard. Over 50 churches in South Wales were dedicated to him in pre-Reformation days. \n\nReflection\nWere we restricted to hard manual labor and a diet of bread\, vegetables and water\, most of us would find little reason to rejoice. Yet joy is what David urged on his brothers as he lay dying. Perhaps he could say that to them—and to us—because he lived in and nurtured a constant awareness of God’s nearness. For\, as someone once said\, “Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence.” May his intercession bless us with the same awareness! \n\nSaint David of Wales is the Patron Saint of:\nWales
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-david-of-wales/2018-03-01/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180302
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180303
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T152829Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170828T152829Z
UID:6392-1519948800-1520035199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Agnes of Bohemia
DESCRIPTION:Saint Agnes of Bohemia\nSaint of the Day for March 2\n(1205 – March 6\, 1282)\n\n\n\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar02.mp3\n  \n\nSaint Agnes of Bohemia’s Story\nAgnes had no children of her own but was certainly life-giving for all who knew her. \nAgnes was the daughter of Queen Constance and King Ottokar I of Bohemia. She was betrothed to the Duke of Silesia\, who died three years later. As she grew up\, she decided she wanted to enter the religious life. \nAfter declining marriages to King Henry VII of Germany and King Henry III of England\, Agnes was faced with a proposal from Frederick II\, the Holy Roman Emperor. She appealed to Pope Gregory IX for help. The pope was persuasive; Frederick magnanimously said that he could not be offended if Agnes preferred the King of Heaven to him. \nAfter Agnes built a hospital for the poor and a residence for the friars\, she financed the construction of a Poor Clare monastery in Prague. In 1236\, she and seven other noblewomen entered this monastery. Saint Clare sent five sisters from San Damiano to join them\, and wrote Agnes four letters advising her on the beauty of her vocation and her duties as abbess. \nAgnes became known for prayer\, obedience and mortification. Papal pressure forced her to accept her election as abbess\, nevertheless\, the title she preferred was “senior sister.” Her position did not prevent her from cooking for the other sisters and mending the clothes of lepers. The sisters found her kind but very strict regarding the observance of poverty; she declined her royal brother’s offer to set up an endowment for the monastery. \nDevotion to Agnes arose soon after her death on March 6\, 1282. She was canonized in 1989. \n\nReflection\nAgnes spent at least 45 years in a Poor Clare monastery. Such a life requires a great deal of patience and charity. The temptation to selfishness certainly didn’t vanish when Agnes walked into the monastery. It is perhaps easy for us to think that cloistered nuns “have it made” regarding holiness. Their route is the same as ours: gradual exchange of our standards–inclinations to selfishness–for God’s standard of generosity.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-agnes-of-bohemia/2018-03-02/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180303
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180304
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T153200Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170828T153826Z
UID:6395-1520035200-1520121599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Katharine Drexel
DESCRIPTION: \nSaint Katharine Drexel\nSaint of the Day for March 3\n(November 26\, 1858 -March 3\, 1955 )\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar03.mp3\n\nKatharine Drexel’s Story\nIf your father is an international banker and you ride in a private railroad car\, you are not likely to be drawn into a life of voluntary poverty. But if your mother opens your home to the poor three days each week and your father spends half an hour each evening in prayer\, it is not impossible that you will devote your life to the poor and give away millions of dollars. Katharine Drexel did that. \nBorn in Philadelphia in 1858\, she had an excellent education and traveled widely. As a rich girl\, Katharine also had a grand debut into society. But when she nursed her stepmother through a three-year terminal illness\, she saw that all the Drexel money could not buy safety from pain or death\, and her life took a profound turn. \nKatharine had always been interested in the plight of the Indians\, having been appalled by what she read in Helen Hunt Jackson’s A Century of Dishonor. While on a European tour\, she met Pope Leo XIII and asked him to send more missionaries to Wyoming for her friend Bishop James O’Connor. The pope replied\, “Why don’t you become a missionary?” His answer shocked her into considering new possibilities. \nBack home\, Katharine visited the Dakotas\, met the Sioux leader Red Cloud and began her systematic aid to Indian missions. \nKatharine Drexel could easily have married. But after much discussion with Bishop O’Connor\, she wrote in 1889\, “The feast of St. Joseph brought me the grace to give the remainder of my life to the Indians and the Colored.” Newspaper headlines screamed “Gives Up Seven Million!” \nAfter three and a half years of training\, Mother Drexel and her first band of nuns–Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored–opened a boarding school in Santa Fe. A string of foundations followed. By 1942\, she had a system of black Catholic schools in 13 states\, plus 40 mission centers and 23 rural schools. Segregationists harassed her work\, even burning a school in Pennsylvania. In all\, she established 50 missions for Indians in 16 states. \nTwo saints met when Mother Drexel was advised by Mother Cabrini about the “politics” of getting her order’s Rule approved in Rome. Her crowning achievement was the founding of Xavier University in New Orleans\, the first Catholic university in the United States for African Americans. \nAt 77\, Mother Drexel suffered a heart attack and was forced to retire. Apparently her life was over. But now came almost 20 years of quiet\, intense prayer from a small room overlooking the sanctuary. Small notebooks and slips of paper record her various prayers\, ceaseless aspirations and meditation. She died at 96 and was canonized in 2000. \n\nReflection\nSaints have always said the same thing: Pray\, be humble\, accept the cross\, love and forgive. But it is good to hear these things in the American idiom from one who\, for instance\, had her ears pierced as a teenager\, who resolved to have “no cake\, no preserves\,” who wore a watch\, was interviewed by the press\, traveled by train\, and could concern herself with the proper size of pipe for a new mission. These are obvious reminders that holiness can be lived in today’s culture as well as in that of Jerusalem or Rome. \n\nAnother Sant of the Day for March 3 is Blessed Innocent of Berzo.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/6395/2018-03-03/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180304
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180305
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T154559Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170828T154559Z
UID:6401-1520121600-1520207999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Casimir
DESCRIPTION:Saint Casimir\nSaint of the Day for March 4\n(1458 – 1483)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar04.mp3\n\nSaint Casimir’s Story\nCasimir\, born of kings and in line to be a king himself\, was filled with exceptional values and learning by a great teacher\, John Dlugosz. Even his critics could not say that his conscientious objection indicated softness. As a teenager\, Casimir lived a highly disciplined\, even severe life\, sleeping on the ground\, spending a great part of the night in prayer and dedicating himself to lifelong celibacy. \nWhen nobles in Hungary became dissatisfied with their king\, they prevailed upon Casimir’s father\, the king of Poland\, to send his son to take over the country. Casimir obeyed his father\, as many young men over the centuries have obeyed their governments. The army he was supposed to lead was clearly outnumbered by the “enemy”; some of his troops were deserting because they were not paid. At the advice of his officers\, Casimir decided to return home. \nHis father was irked at the failure of his plans\, and confined his 15-year-old son for three months. The lad made up his mind never again to become involved in the wars of his day\, and no amount of persuasion could change his mind. He returned to prayer and study\, maintaining his decision to remain celibate even under pressure to marry the emperor’s daughter. \nHe reigned briefly as king of Poland during his father’s absence. He died of lung trouble at 25 while visiting Lithuania\, of which he was also Grand Duke. He was buried in Vilnius\, Lithuania. \n\nReflection\nFor many years\, Poland and Lithuania faded into the gray prison on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Despite repression\, the Poles and Lithuanians remained firm in the faith which has become synonymous with their name. Their youthful patron reminds us: Peace is not won by war; sometimes a comfortable peace is not even won by virtue\, but Christ’s peace can penetrate every government repression of religion. \n\nSaint Casimir is the Patron Saint of:\nLithuania\nPoland\nRussia \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 4 is Servant of God Sylvester of Assisi.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-casimir/2018-03-04/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180305
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180306
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T174106Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170828T174106Z
UID:6405-1520208000-1520294399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John Joseph of the Cross
DESCRIPTION:Saint John Joseph of the Cross\nSaint of the Day for March 5\n(August 15\, 1654 – March 5\, 1734)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar05.mp3\nSaint John Joseph of the Cross’ Story\nSelf-denial is never an end in itself but is only a help toward greater charity—as the life of Saint John Joseph shows. \nJohn Joseph was very ascetic even as a young man. At 16\, he joined the Franciscans in Naples; he was the first Italian to follow the reform movement of Saint Peter Alcantara. John Joseph’s reputation for holiness prompted his superiors to put him in charge of establishing a new friary even before he was ordained. \nObedience moved John Joseph to accept appointments as novice master\, guardian and\, finally\, provincial. His years of mortification enabled him to offer these services to the friars with great charity. As guardian he was not above working in the kitchen or carrying the wood and water needed by the friars. \nWhen his term as provincial expired\, John Joseph dedicated himself to hearing confessions and practicing mortification\, two concerns contrary to the spirit of the dawning Age of Enlightenment. John Joseph of the Cross was canonized in 1839. \n\nReflection\nJohn Joseph’s mortification allowed him to be the kind of forgiving superior intended by Saint Francis. Self-denial should lead us to charity—not to bitterness; it should help us clarify our priorities and make us more loving. John Joseph is living proof of Chesterton’s observation: “It is always easy to let the age have its head; the difficult thing is to keep one’s own” (G. K. Chesterton\, Orthodoxy\, page 101).
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-john-joseph-of-the-cross/2018-03-05/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180306
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180307
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T174254Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170828T174254Z
UID:6412-1520294400-1520380799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes
DESCRIPTION:Saint Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes\nSaint of the Day for March 6\n(October 31\, 1618 – May 26\, 1645)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar06.mp3\nSaint Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes’ Story\nMary Ann grew close to God and his people during her short life. \nThe youngest of eight\, Mary Ann was born in Quito\, Ecuador\, which had been brought under Spanish control in 1534. She joined the Secular Franciscans and led a life of prayer and penance at home\, leaving her parents’ house only to go to church and to perform some work of charity. She established in Quito a clinic and a school for Africans and indigenous Americans. When a plague broke out\, she nursed the sick and died shortly thereafter. \nShe was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950. \n\nReflection\nFrancis of Assisi overcame himself and his upbringing when he kissed the man afflicted with leprosy. If our self-denial does not lead to charity\, the penance is being practiced for the wrong reason. The penances of Mary Ann made her more sensitive to the needs of others and more courageous in trying to serve those needs. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast Day of Saint Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes is May 28.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-mary-ann-of-jesus-of-paredes/2018-03-06/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180307
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180308
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T174548Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170828T174548Z
UID:6415-1520380800-1520467199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saints Perpetua and Felicity
DESCRIPTION:Saints Perpetua and Felicity\nSaint of the Day for March 7\n(d. 203)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar07.mp3\n\nSaints Perpetua and Felicity’s Story\n“When my father in his affection for me was trying to turn me from my purpose by arguments and thus weaken my faith\, I said to him\, ‘Do you see this vessel—waterpot or whatever it may be? Can it be called by any other name than what it is?’ ‘No\,’ he replied. ‘So also I cannot call myself by any other name than what I am—a Christian.’” \nSo writes Perpetua: young\, beautiful\, well-educated\, a noblewoman of Carthage in North Africa\, mother of an infant son and chronicler of the persecution of the Christians by Emperor Septimius Severus. \nPerpetua’s mother was a Christian and her father a pagan. He continually pleaded with her to deny her faith. She refused and was imprisoned at 22. \nIn her diary\, Perpetua describes her period of captivity: “What a day of horror! Terrible heat\, owing to the crowds! Rough treatment by the soldiers! To crown all\, I was tormented with anxiety for my baby…. Such anxieties I suffered for many days\, but I obtained leave for my baby to remain in the prison with me\, and being relieved of my trouble and anxiety for him\, I at once recovered my health\, and my prison became a palace to me and I would rather have been there than anywhere else.” \nDespite threats of persecution and death\, Perpetua\, Felicity–a slavewoman and expectant mother–and three companions\, Revocatus\, Secundulus and Saturninus\, refused to renounce their Christian faith. For their unwillingness\, all were sent to the public games in the amphitheater. There Perpetua and Felicity were beheaded\, and the others killed by beasts. \nFelicity gave birth to a girl a few days before the games commenced. \nPerpetua’s record of her trial and imprisonment ends the day before the games. “Of what was done in the games themselves\, let him write who will.” The diary was finished by an eyewitness. \n\nReflection\nPersecution for religious beliefs is not confined to Christians in ancient times. Consider Anne Frank\, the Jewish girl who with her family\, was forced into hiding and later died in Bergen-Belsen\, one of Hitler’s death camps during World War II. Anne\, like Perpetua and Felicity\, endured hardship and suffering and finally death because she committed herself to God. In her diary\, Anne writes\, “It’s twice as hard for us young ones to hold our ground\, and maintain our opinions\, in a time when all ideals are being shattered and destroyed\, when people are showing their worst side\, and do not know whether to believe in truth and right and God.” \n\nSaint Felicity is the Patron Saint of:\nWidows\nMothers of Deceased Sons
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saints-perpetua-and-felicity/2018-03-07/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180308
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180309
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T174840Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T161700Z
UID:6418-1520467200-1520553599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John of God
DESCRIPTION:Saint John of God\nSaint of the Day for March 8\n( March 8\, 1495 – March 8\, 1550)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar08.mp3\n  \nSaint John of God’s Story\nHaving given up active Christian belief while a soldier\, John was 40 before the depth of his sinfulness began to dawn on him. He decided to give the rest of his life to God’s service\, and headed at once for Africa where he hoped to free captive Christians and\, possibly\, be martyred. \nHe was soon advised that his desire for martyrdom was not spiritually well based\, and returned to Spain and the relatively prosaic activity of a religious goods store. Yet he was still not settled. Moved initially by a sermon of Saint John of Avila\, he one day engaged in a public beating of himself\, begging mercy and wildly repenting for his past life. \nCommitted to a mental hospital for these actions\, John was visited by Saint John\, who advised him to be more actively involved in tending to the needs of others rather than in enduring personal hardships. John gained peace of heart\, and shortly after left the hospital to begin work among the poor. \nHe established a house where he wisely tended to the needs of the sick poor\, at first doing his own begging. But\, excited by the saint’s great work and inspired by his devotion\, many people began to back him up with money and provisions. Among them were the archbishop and marquis of Tarifa. \nBehind John’s outward acts of total concern and love for Christ’s sick poor was a deep interior prayer life which was reflected in his spirit of humility. These qualities attracted helpers who\, 20 years after John’s death\, formed the Brothers Hospitallers\, now a worldwide religious order. \nJohn became ill after 10 years of service\, but tried to disguise his ill health. He began to put the hospital’s administrative work into order and appointed a leader for his helpers. He died under the care of a spiritual friend and admirer\, Lady Ana Ossorio. \n\nReflection\nThe utter humility of John of God\, which led to a totally selfless dedication to others\, is most impressive. Here is a man who realized his nothingness in the face of God. The Lord blessed him with the gifts of prudence\, patience\, courage\, enthusiasm\, and the ability to influence and inspire others. He saw that in his early life he had turned away from the Lord\, and\, moved to receive his mercy\, John began his new commitment to love others in openness to God’s love. \n\nSaint John of God is the Patron Saint of:\nBooksellers\nFirefighters\nHeart Patients\nHospitals\nNurses\nPrinters\nSick
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/6418/2018-03-08/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180309
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180310
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T175115Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170828T175115Z
UID:6421-1520553600-1520639999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Frances of Rome
DESCRIPTION:Saint Frances of Rome\nSaint of the Day for March 9\n(1384 – March 9\, 1440)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar09.mp3\n  \nSaint Frances of Rome’s Story\nFrances’ life combines aspects of secular and religious life. A devoted and loving wife\, she longed for a lifestyle of prayer and service\, so she organized a group of women to minister to the needs of Rome’s poor. \nBorn of wealthy parents\, Frances found herself attracted to the religious life during her youth. But her parents objected and a young nobleman was selected to be her husband. \nAs she became acquainted with her new relatives\, Frances soon discovered that the wife of her husband’s brother also wished to live a life of service and prayer. So the two\, Frances and Vannozza\, set out together—with their husbands’ blessings—to help the poor. \nFrances fell ill for a time\, but this apparently only deepened her commitment to the suffering people she met. The years passed\, and Frances gave birth to two sons and a daughter. With the new responsibilities of family life\, the young mother turned her attention more to the needs of her own household. \nThe family flourished under Frances’ care\, but within a few years a great plague began to sweep across Italy. It struck Rome with devastating cruelty and left Frances’ second son dead. In an effort to help alleviate some of the suffering\, Frances used all her money and sold her possessions to buy whatever the sick might possibly need. When all the resources had been exhausted\, Frances and Vannozza went door to door begging. Later\, Frances’ daughter died\, and the saint opened a section of her house as a hospital. \nFrances became more and more convinced that this way of life was so necessary for the world\, and it was not long before she requested and was given permission to found a society of women bound by no vows. They simply offered themselves to God and to the service of the poor. Once the society was established\, Frances chose not to live at the community residence\, but rather at home with her husband. She did this for seven years\, until her husband passed away\, and then came to live the remainder of her life with the society—serving the poorest of the poor. \n\nReflection\nLooking at the exemplary life of fidelity to God and devotion to her fellow human beings which Frances of Rome was blessed to lead\, one cannot help but be reminded of Saint Teresa of Calcutta\, who loved Jesus Christ in prayer and also in the poor. The life of Frances of Rome calls each of us not only to look deeply for God in prayer\, but also to carry our devotion to Jesus living in the suffering of our world. Frances shows us that this life need not be restricted to those bound by vows. \n\nSaint Frances of Rome is the Patron Saint of:\nMotorists\nWidows
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-frances-of-rome/2018-03-09/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180310
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180311
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T175432Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170828T175432Z
UID:6424-1520640000-1520726399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Dominic Savio
DESCRIPTION:Saint Dominic Savio\nSaint of the Day for March 10\n(April 2\, 1842 – March 9\, 1857)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar10.mp3\nSaint Dominic Savio’s Story\nSo many holy persons seem to die young. Among them was Dominic Savio\, the patron of choirboys. \nBorn into a peasant family at Riva\, Italy\, young Dominic joined Saint John Bosco as a student at the Oratory in Turin at the age of 12. He impressed Don Bosco with his desire to be a priest and to help him in his work with neglected boys. A peacemaker and an organizer\, young Dominic founded a group he called the Company of the Immaculate Conception which\, besides being devotional\, aided John Bosco with the boys and with manual work. All the members save one\, Dominic\, would\, in 1859\, join Don Bosco in the beginnings of his Salesian congregation. By that time\, Dominic had been called home to heaven. \nAs a youth\, Dominic spent hours rapt in prayer. His raptures he called “my distractions.” Even in play\, he said that at times “It seems heaven is opening just above me. I am afraid I may say or do something that will make the other boys laugh.” Dominic would say\, “I can’t do big things. But I want all I do\, even the smallest thing\, to be for the greater glory of God.” \nDominic’s health\, always frail\, led to lung problems and he was sent home to recuperate. As was the custom of the day\, he was bled in the thought that this would help\, but it only worsened his condition. He died on March 9\, 1857\, after receiving the Last Sacraments. Saint John Bosco himself wrote the account of his life. \nSome thought that Dominic was too young to be considered a saint. Saint Pius X declared that just the opposite was true\, and went ahead with his cause. Dominic was canonized in 1954. \n\nReflection\nLike many a youngster\, Dominic was painfully aware that he was different from his peers. He tried to keep his piety from his friends lest he have to endure their laughter. Even after his death\, his youth marked him as a misfit among the saints and some argued that he was too young to be canonized. Pope Pius X wisely disagreed. For no one is too young—or too old or too anything else—to achieve the holiness to which we all are called. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Dominic Savio is October 9.\n\nSaint Dominic Savio is the Patron Saint of:\nChoirboys\nJuvenile delinquents
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-dominic-savio/2018-03-10/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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CREATED:20170828T175635Z
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UID:6427-1520726400-1520812799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John Ogilvie
DESCRIPTION:Saint John Ogilvie\nSaint of the Day for March 11\n(1579 –  March 10\, 1615)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar11.mp3\nSaint John Ogilvie’s Story\nJohn Ogilvie’s noble Scottish family was partly Catholic and partly Presbyterian. His father raised him as a Calvinist\, sending him to the continent to be educated. There\, John became interested in the popular debates going on between Catholic and Calvinist scholars. Confused by the arguments of Catholic scholars whom he sought out\, he turned to Scripture. Two texts particularly struck him: “God wills all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth\,” and “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome\, and I will refresh you.” \nSlowly\, John came to see that the Catholic Church could embrace all kinds of people. Among these\, he noted\, were many martyrs. He decided to become Catholic and was received into the Church at Louvain\, Belgium\, in 1596 at the age of 17. \nJohn continued his studies\, first with the Benedictines\, then as a student at the Jesuit College at Olmutz. He joined the Jesuits and for the next 10 years underwent their rigorous intellectual and spiritual training. At his ordination to the priesthood in France in 1610\, John met two Jesuits who had just returned from Scotland after suffering arrest and imprisonment. They saw little hope for any successful work there in view of the tightening of the penal laws. But a fire had been lit within John. For the next two and a half years he pleaded to be placed there as a missionary. \nSent by his superiors\, he secretly entered Scotland posing as a horse trader or a soldier returning from the wars in Europe. Unable to do significant work among the relatively few Catholics in Scotland\, John made his way back to Paris to consult his superiors. Rebuked for having left his assignment in Scotland\, he was sent back. He warmed to the task before him and had some success in making converts and in secretly serving Scottish Catholics. But he was soon betrayed\, arrested and brought before the court. \nHis trial dragged on until he had been without food for 26 hours. He was imprisoned and deprived of sleep. For eight days and nights he was dragged around\, prodded with sharp sticks\, his hair pulled out. Still\, he refused to reveal the names of Catholics or to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the king in spiritual affairs. He underwent a second and third trial but held firm. \nAt his final trial\, he assured his judges: “In all that concerns the king\, I will be slavishly obedient; if any attack his temporal power\, I will shed my last drop of blood for him. But in the things of spiritual jurisdiction which a king unjustly seizes I cannot and must not obey.” \nCondemned to death as a traitor\, he was faithful to the end\, even when on the scaffold he was offered his freedom and a fine living if he would deny his faith. His courage in prison and in his martyrdom was reported throughout Scotland. \nJohn Ogilvie was canonized in 1976\, becoming the first Scottish saint since 1250. \n\nReflection\nJohn came of age when neither Catholics nor Protestants were willing to tolerate one another. Turning to Scripture\, he found words that enlarged his vision. Although he became a Catholic and died for his faith\, he understood the meaning of “small-c catholic\,” the wide range of believers who embrace Christianity. Even now he undoubtedly rejoices in the ecumenical spirit fostered by the Second Vatican Council and joins us in our prayer for unity with all believers. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint John Ogilvie is March 10.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-john-ogilvie/2018-03-11/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180312
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180313
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T175809Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T153433Z
UID:6430-1520812800-1520899199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Angela Salawa
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Angela Salawa\nSaint of the Day for March 12\n(September 9\, 1881 – March 12\, 1922)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar12.mp3\nBlessed Angela Salawa’s Story\nAngela served Christ and Christ’s little ones with all her strength. \nBorn in Siepraw\, near Kraków\, Poland\, she was the 11th child of Bartlomiej and Ewa Salawa. In 1897\, she moved to Kraków where her older sister Therese lived. Angela immediately began to gather together and instruct young women domestic workers. During World War I\, she helped prisoners of war without regard for their nationality or religion. The writings of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross were a great comfort to her. \nAngela gave great service in caring for soldiers wounded in World War I. After 1918\, her health did not permit her to exercise her customary apostolate. Addressing herself to Christ\, she wrote in her diary\, “I want you to be adored as much as you were destroyed.” In another place\, she wrote\, “Lord\, I live by your will. I shall die when you desire; save me because you can.” \nAt her 1991 beatification in Kraków\, Pope John Paul II said: “It is in this city that she worked\, that she suffered and that her holiness came to maturity. While connected to the spirituality of St. Francis\, she showed an extraordinary responsiveness to the action of the Holy Spirit” (L’Osservatore Romano\, volume 34\, number 4\, 1991). \n\nReflection\nHumility should never be mistaken for lack of conviction\, insight or energy. Angela brought the Good News and material assistance to some of Christ’s “least ones.” Her self-sacrifice inspired others to do the same.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-angela-salawa/2018-03-12/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180313
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180314
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170828T180106Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T161906Z
UID:6431-1520899200-1520985599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Leander of Seville
DESCRIPTION:Saint Leander of Seville\nSaint of the Day for March 13\n(c. 534 – March 13\, 600 or 601)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar13.mp3\nSaint Leander of Seville’s Story\nThe next time you recite the Nicene Creed at Mass\, think of today’s saint. For it was Leander of Seville who\, as bishop\, introduced the practice in the sixth century. He saw it as a way to help reinforce the faith of his people and as an antidote against the heresy of Arianism\, which denied the divinity of Christ. By the end of his life\, Leander had helped Christianity flourish in Spain at a time of political and religious upheaval. \nLeander’s own family was heavily influenced by Arianism\, but he himself grew up to be a fervent Christian. He entered a monastery as a young man and spent three years in prayer and study. At the end of that tranquil period he was made a bishop. For the rest of his life he worked strenuously to fight against heresy. The death of the anti-Christian king in 586 helped Leander’s cause. He and the new king worked hand in hand to restore orthodoxy and a renewed sense of morality. Leander succeeded in persuading many Arian bishops to change their loyalties. \nLeander died around 600. In Spain\, he is honored as a Doctor of the Church. \n\nReflection\nAs we pray the Nicene Creed every Sunday\, we might reflect on the fact that that same prayer is not only being prayed by every Catholic throughout the world\, but by many other Christians as well. Saint Leander introduced its recitation as a means of uniting the faithful. Let’s pray that the recitation may enhance that unity today.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-leander-of-seville/2018-03-13/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180314
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180315
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170829T162534Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T162534Z
UID:6432-1520985600-1521071999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Maximilian
DESCRIPTION:Saint Maximilian\nSaint of the Day for March 14\n(274 – March 12\, 295)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar14.mp3\nSaint Maximilian’s Story\nWe have an early\, precious\, almost unembellished account of the martyrdom of Saint Maximilian in modern-day Algeria. \nBrought before the proconsul Dion\, Maximilian refused enlistment in the Roman army saying\, “I cannot serve\, I cannot do evil. I am a Christian.” \nDion replied: “You must serve or die.” \nMaximilian: “I will never serve. You can cut off my head\, but I will not be a soldier of this world\, for I am a soldier of Christ. My army is the army of God\, and I cannot fight for this world. I tell you I am a Christian.” \nDion: “There are Christian soldiers serving our rulers Diocletian and Maximian\, Constantius and Galerius.” \nMaximilian: “That is their business. I also am a Christian\, and I cannot serve.” \nDion: “But what harm do soldiers do?” \nMaximilian: “You know well enough.” \nDion: “If you will not do your service I shall condemn you to death for contempt of the army.” \nMaximilian: “I shall not die. If I go from this earth\, my soul will live with Christ my Lord.” \nMaximilian was 21 years old when he gladly offered his life to God. His father went home from the execution site joyful\, thanking God that he had been able to offer heaven such a gift. \n\nReflection\nIn this celebration we find one inspirational son and one incredible father. Both men were filled with strong faith and hope. Let’s ask them to help us in our struggle to remain faithful.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-maximilian/2018-03-14/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180315
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180316
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170829T162731Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T162731Z
UID:6448-1521072000-1521158399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Louise de Marillac
DESCRIPTION:Saint Louise de Marillac\nSaint of the Day for March 15\n(August 12\, 1591 – March 15\, 1660)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar15.mp3\nSaint Louise de Marillac’s Story\nBorn near Meux\, France\, Louise lost her mother when she was still a child\, her beloved father when she was but 15. Her desire to become a nun was discouraged by her confessor\, and a marriage was arranged. One son was born of this union. But Louise soon found herself nursing her beloved husband through a long illness that finally led to his death. \nLouise was fortunate to have a wise and sympathetic counselor\, Francis de Sales\, and then his friend\, the bishop of Belley\, France. Both of these men were available to her only periodically. But from an interior illumination she understood that she was to undertake a great work under the guidance of another person she had not yet met. This was the holy priest Monsieur Vincent\, later to be known as Saint Vincent de Paul. \nAt first\, he was reluctant to be her confessor\, busy as he was with his “Confraternities of Charity.” Members were aristocratic ladies of charity who were helping him nurse the poor and look after neglected children\, a real need of the day. But the ladies were busy with many of their own concerns and duties. His work needed many more helpers\, especially ones who were peasants themselves and therefore\, close to the poor and able to win their hearts. He also needed someone who could teach them and organize them. \nOnly over a long period of time\, as Vincent de Paul became more acquainted with Louise\, did he come to realize that she was the answer to his prayers. She was intelligent\, self-effacing\, and had physical strength and endurance that belied her continuing feeble health. The missions he sent her on eventually led to four simple young women joining her. Her rented home in Paris became the training center for those accepted for the service of the sick and poor. Growth was rapid and soon there was the need for a so-called “rule of life\,” which Louise herself\, under the guidance of Vincent\, drew up for the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. \nMonsieur Vincent had always been slow and prudent in his dealings with Louise and the new group. He said that he had never had any idea of starting a new community\, that it was God who did everything. “Your convent\,” he said\, “will be the house of the sick; your cell\, a hired room; your chapel\, the parish church; your cloister\, the streets of the city or the wards of the hospital.” Their dress was to be that of the peasant women. It was not until years later that Vincent de Paul would finally permit four of the women to take annual vows of poverty\, chastity and obedience. It was still more years before the company would be formally approved by Rome and placed under the direction of Vincent’s own congregation of priests. \nMany of the young women were illiterate. Still it was with reluctance that the new community undertook the care of neglected children. Louise was busy helping wherever needed despite her poor health. She traveled throughout France\, establishing her community members in hospitals\, orphanages and other institutions. At her death on March 15\, 1660\, the congregation had more than 40 houses in France. Six months later Vincent de Paul followed her in death. \nLouise de Marillac was canonized in 1934 and declared patroness of social workers in 1960. \n\nReflection\nIn Louise’s day\, serving the needs of the poor was usually a luxury only fine ladies could afford. Her mentor\, Saint Vincent de Paul\, wisely realized that women of peasant stock could reach poor people more effectively\, and the Daughters of Charity were born under her leadership. Today\, that order–along with the Sisters of Charity–continues to nurse the sick and aging and provide refuge for orphans. Many of its members are social workers toiling under Louise’s patronage. The rest of us must share her concern for the disadvantaged. \n\nSaint Louise de Marillac is the Patron Saint of:\nSocial workers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-louise-de-marillac/2018-03-15/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180316
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180317
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170829T162955Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T162955Z
UID:6451-1521158400-1521244799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer
DESCRIPTION:Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer\nSaint of the Day for March 16\n(December 26\, 1751 – March 15\, 1820)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar16.mp3\nSaint Clement Mary Hofbauer’s Story\nClement might be called the second founder of the Redemptorists\, as it was he who carried the congregation of Saint Alphonsus Liguori to the people north of the Alps. \nJohn\, the name given him at Baptism\, was born in Moravia into a poor family\, the ninth of 12 children. Although he longed to be a priest\, there was no money for studies\, and he was apprenticed to a baker. But God guided the young man’s fortunes. He found work in the bakery of a monastery where he was allowed to attend classes in its Latin school. After the abbot there died\, John tried the life of a hermit\, but when Emperor Joseph II abolished hermitages\, John again returned to Vienna and to baking. \nOne day after serving Mass at the Cathedral of St. Stephen\, he called a carriage for two ladies waiting there in the rain. In their conversation they learned that he could not pursue his priestly studies because of a lack of funds. They generously offered to support both John and his friend Thaddeus\, in their seminary studies. The two went to Rome\, where they were drawn to Saint Alphonsus’ vision of religious life and to the Redemptorists. The two young men were ordained together in 1785. \nNewly professed at age 34\, Clement Mary\, as he was now called\, and Thaddeus were sent back to Vienna. But the religious difficulties there caused them to leave and continue north to Warsaw\, Poland. There they encountered numerous German-speaking Catholics who had been left priestless by the suppression of the Jesuits. At first they had to live in great poverty and preach outdoor sermons. Eventually they were given the church of St. Benno\, and for the next nine years they preached five sermons a day\, two in German and three in Polish\, converting many to the faith. They were active in social work among the poor\, founding an orphanage and then a school for boys. \nDrawing candidates to the congregation\, they were able to send missionaries to Poland\, Germany\, and Switzerland. All of these foundations eventually had to be abandoned because of the political and religious tensions of the times. After 20 years of difficult work\, Clement Mary himself was imprisoned and expelled from the country. Only after another arrest was he able to reach Vienna\, where he was to live and work the final 12 years of his life. He quickly became “the apostle of Vienna\,” hearing the confessions of the rich and the poor\, visiting the sick\, acting as a counselor to the powerful\, sharing his holiness with all in the city. His crowning work was the establishment of a Catholic college in his beloved city. \nPersecution followed Clement Mary\, and there were those in authority who were able for a while to stop him from preaching. An attempt was made at the highest levels to have him banished. But his holiness and fame protected him and prompted the growth of the Redemptorists. Due to his efforts\, the congregation was firmly established north of the Alps by the time of his death in 1820. \nClement Mary Hofbauer was canonized in 1909. \n\nReflection\nClement Mary saw his life’s work meet with disaster. Religious and political tensions forced him and his brothers to abandon their ministries in Germany\, Poland\, and Switzerland. Clement Mary himself was exiled from Poland and had to start all over again. Someone once pointed out that the followers of the crucified Jesus should see only new possibilities opening up whenever they meet failure. Clement Mary encourages us to follow his example\, trusting in the Lord to guide us. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast Day of Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer is March 15.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-clement-mary-hofbauer/2018-03-16/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180317
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180318
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170829T164209Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T164209Z
UID:6454-1521244800-1521331199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Patrick
DESCRIPTION:Saint Patrick\nSaint of the Day for March 17\n(c. 386 – 461)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar02.mp3\nSaint Patrick’s Story\nLegends about Patrick abound; but truth is best served by our seeing two solid qualities in him: He was humble and he was courageous. The determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for Christ. \nDetails of his life are uncertain. Current research places his dates of birth and death a little later than earlier accounts. Patrick may have been born in Dunbarton\, Scotland\, Cumberland\, England\, or in northern Wales. He called himself both a Roman and a Briton. At 16\, he and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd\, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold. \nAfter six years Patrick escaped\, probably to France\, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. He may have studied at Lerins\, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre\, France\, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. His great desire was to proclaim the good news to the Irish. \nIn a dream vision it seemed “all the children of Ireland from their mothers’ wombs were stretching out their hands” to him. He understood the vision to be a call to do mission work in pagan Ireland. Despite opposition from those who felt his education had been defective\, he was sent to carry out the task. He went to the west and north–where the faith had never been preached–obtained the protection of local kings\, and made numerous converts. \nBecause of the island’s pagan background\, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests\, divided the country into dioceses\, held Church councils\, founded several monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ. \nHe suffered much opposition from pagan druids and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission. \nIn a relatively short time\, the island had experienced deeply the Christian spirit\, and was prepared to send out missionaries whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe. \nPatrick was a man of action\, with little inclination toward learning. He had a rocklike belief in his vocation\, in the cause he had espoused. \nOne of the few certainly authentic writings is his Confessio\, above all an act of homage to God for having called Patrick\, unworthy sinner\, to the apostolate. \nThere is hope rather than irony in the fact that his burial place is said to be in County Down in Northern Ireland\, long the scene of strife and violence. \n\nReflection\nWhat distinguishes Patrick is the durability of his efforts. When one considers the state of Ireland when he began his mission work\, the vast extent of his labors\, and how the seeds he planted continued to grow and flourish\, one can only admire the kind of man Patrick must have been. The holiness of a person is known only by the fruits of his or her work. \n\nSaint Patrick is the Patron Saint of:\nEngineers\nIreland\nNigeria
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-patrick/2018-03-17/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180318
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180319
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170829T173216Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T173216Z
UID:6458-1521331200-1521417599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Cyril of Jerusalem
DESCRIPTION:Saint Cyril of Jerusalem\nSaint of the Day for March 18\n(c. 315 – March 18\, 386)\nSaint Cyril of Jerusalem’s Story\nThe crises that the Church faces today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy\, which denied the divinity of Christ and almost overcame Christianity in the fourth century. Cyril was to be caught up in the controversy\, accused of Arianism by Saint Jerome\, and ultimately vindicated both by the men of his own time and by being declared a Doctor of the Church in 1822. \nRaised in Jerusalem and well-educated\, especially in the Scriptures\, he was ordained a priest by the bishop of Jerusalem and given the task during Lent of catechizing those preparing for Baptism and catechizing the newly baptized during the Easter season. His Catecheses remain valuable as examples of the ritual and theology of the Church in the mid-fourth century. \nThere are conflicting reports about the circumstances of his becoming bishop of Jerusalem. It is certain that he was validly consecrated by bishops of the province. Since one of them was an Arian\, Acacius\, it may have been expected that his “cooperation” would follow. Conflict soon rose between Cyril and Acacius\, bishop of the rival nearby see of Caesarea. Cyril was summoned to a council\, accused of insubordination and of selling Church property to relieve the poor. Probably\, however\, a theological difference was also involved. He was condemned\, driven from Jerusalem\, and later vindicated\, not without some association with and help from Semi-Arians. Half his episcopate was spent in exile; his first experience was repeated twice. He finally returned to find Jerusalem torn with heresy\, schism and strife\, and wracked with crime. Even Saint Gregory of Nyssa\, who was sent to help\, left in despair. \nThey both went to the Council of Constantinople\, where the amended form of the Nicene Creed was promulgated in 381. Cyril accepted the word consubstantial–that is\, Christ is of the same substance or nature as the Father. Some said it was an act of repentance\, but the bishops of the Council praised him as a champion of orthodoxy against the Arians. Though not friendly with the greatest defender of orthodoxy against the Arians\, Cyril may be counted among those whom Athanasius called “brothers\, who mean what we mean\, and differ only about the word consubstantial.” \n\nReflection\nThose who imagine that the lives of saints are simple and placid\, untouched by the vulgar breath of controversy\, are rudely shocked by history. Yet\, it should be no surprise that saints\, indeed all Christians\, will experience the same difficulties as their Master. The definition of truth is an endless\, complex pursuit\, and good men and women have suffered the pain of both controversy and error. Intellectual\, emotional\, and political roadblocks may slow up people like Cyril for a time. But their lives taken as a whole are monuments to honesty and courage. \nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar18.mp3
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-cyril-of-jerusalem/2018-03-18/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180319
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180320
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T143752Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T143752Z
UID:6481-1521417600-1521503999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Joseph\, Husband of Mary
DESCRIPTION:Saint Joseph\, Husband of Mary\nSaint of the Day for March 19\n(c. 100–c. 1)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar19.mp3\nSaint Joseph’s Story\nThe Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts. \nWhen the Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone\, it means that God\, the all-holy or “righteous” one\, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness\, and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or her. In other words\, God is not playing games\, acting as if we were lovable when we are not. \nBy saying Joseph was “just\,” the Bible means that he was one who was completely open to all that God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to God. \nThe rest we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won Mary\, and the depth of the love they shared during their marriage. \nIt is no contradiction of Joseph’s manly holiness that he decided to divorce Mary when she was found to be with child. The important words of the Bible are that he planned to do this “quietly” because he was “a righteous man\, yet unwilling to expose her to shame” (Matthew 1:19). \nThe just man was simply\, joyfully\, wholeheartedly obedient to God—in marrying Mary\, in naming Jesus\, in shepherding the precious pair to Egypt\, in bringing them to Nazareth\, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage. \n\nReflection\nThe Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41–51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other family\, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those of every family\, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature began to appear\, people couldn’t believe that he came from such humble beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary…?” (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46b). \n\nSaint Joseph is the Patron Saint of:\nBelgium\nCanada\nCarpenters\nChina\nFathers\nHappy death\nPeru\nRussia\nSocial Justice\nTravelers\nUniversal Church\nVietnam\nWorkers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-joseph-husband-of-mary/2018-03-19/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T144208Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T144208Z
UID:6484-1521504000-1521590399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Salvator of Horta
DESCRIPTION:Saint Salvator of Horta\nSaint of the Day for March 20\n(1520 – March 18\, 1567)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar20.mp3\nSaint Salvator of Horta’s Story\nA reputation for holiness does have some drawbacks. Public recognition can be a nuisance at times—as the confreres of Salvator found out. \nSalvator was born during Spain’s Golden Age. Art\, politics\, and wealth were flourishing. So was religion. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in 1540. \nSalvator’s parents were poor. At the age of 21\, he entered the Franciscans as a brother and was soon known for his asceticism\, humility\, and simplicity. As cook\, porter\, and later the official beggar for the friars in Tortosa\, he became well known for his charity. He healed the sick with the Sign of the Cross. When crowds of sick people began coming to the friary to see Salvator\, the friars transferred him to Horta. Again\, the sick flocked to ask his intercession; one person estimated that 2\,000 people a week came to see Salvator. He told them to examine their consciences\, go to confession\, and to receive Holy Communion worthily. He refused to pray for those who would not receive those sacraments. \nThe public attention given to Salvator was relentless. The crowds would sometimes tear off pieces of his habit as relics. Two years before his death\, Salvator was moved again\, this time to Cagliari on the island of Sardinia. He died at Cagliari saying\, “Into your hands\, O Lord\, I commend my spirit.” He was canonized in 1938. \n\nReflection\nMedical science is now seeing more clearly the relation of some diseases to one’s emotional and spiritual life. In Healing Life’s Hurts\, Matthew and Dennis Linn report that sometimes people experience relief from illness only when they have decided to forgive others. Salvator prayed that people might be healed\, and many were. Surely not all diseases can be treated this way; medical help should not be abandoned. But notice that Salvator urged his petitioners to reestablish their priorities in life before they asked for healing. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Salvator of Horta is October 18.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-salvator-of-horta/2018-03-20/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180321T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180321T170000
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T144402Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T144402Z
UID:6487-1521619200-1521651600@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed John of Parma
DESCRIPTION:Blessed John of Parma\nSaint of the Day for March 21\n(1209–1289)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar21.mp3\nBlessed John of Parma’s Story\nThe seventh general minister of the Franciscan Order\, John was known for his attempts to bring back the earlier spirit of the Order after the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. \nHe was born in Parma\, Italy\, in 1209. It was when he was a young philosophy professor known for his piety and learning that God called him to bid good-bye to the world he was used to and enter the new world of the Franciscan Order. After his profession\, John was sent to Paris to complete his theological studies. Ordained to the priesthood\, he was appointed to teach theology at Bologna\, then Naples\, and finally Rome. \nIn 1245\, Pope Innocent IV called a general council in the city of Lyons\, France. Crescentius\, the Franciscan minister general at the time\, was ailing and unable to attend. In his place he sent Friar John\, who made a deep impression on the Church leaders gathered there. Two years later\, when the same pope presided at the election of a minister general of the Franciscans\, he remembered Friar John well and held him up as the man best qualified for the office. \nAnd so in 1247\, John of Parma was elected to be minister general. The surviving disciples of St. Francis rejoiced in his election\, expecting a return to the spirit of poverty and humility of the early days of the Order. And they were not disappointed. As general of the Order\, John traveled on foot\, accompanied by one or two companions\, to practically all of the Franciscan convents in existence. Sometimes he would arrive and not be recognized\, remaining there for a number of days to test the true spirit of the brothers. \nThe pope called on John to serve as legate to Constantinople\, where he was most successful in winning back the schismatic Greeks. Upon his return\, he asked that someone else take his place to govern the Order. At John’s urging\, Saint Bonaventure was chosen to succeed him. John took up a life of prayer in the hermitage at Greccio. \nMany years later\, John learned that the Greeks who had been reconciled with the Church for a time\, had relapsed into schism. Though 80 years old by then\, John received permission from Pope Nicholas IV to return to the East in an effort to restore unity once again. On his way\, John fell sick and died. \nHe was beatified in 1781. \n\nReflection\nIn the 13th century\, people in their 30s were middle-aged; hardly anyone lived to the ripe old age of 80. John did\, but he didn’t ease into retirement. Instead he was on his way to try to heal a schism in the Church when he died. Our society today boasts a lot of folks in their later decades. Like John\, many of them lead active lives. But some aren’t so fortunate. Weakness or ill health keeps them confined and lonely—waiting to hear from us. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast Day for Blessed John of Parma is March 20.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-john-of-parma/2018-03-21/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180323
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T145558Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T153305Z
UID:6493-1521676800-1521763199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Nicholas Owen
DESCRIPTION:Saint Nicholas Owen\nSaint of the Day for March 22\n(? – 1606)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar22.mp3\nSaint Nicholas Owen’s Story\nNicholas\, familiarly known as “Little John\,” was small in stature but big in the esteem of his fellow Jesuits. \nBorn at Oxford\, this humble artisan saved the lives of many priests and laypersons in England during the penal times (1559-1829)\, when a series of statutes punished Catholics for the practice of their faith. Over a period of about 20 years\, Nicholas used his skills to build secret hiding places for priests throughout the country. \nHis work\, which he did completely by himself as both architect and builder\, was so good that time and time again priests in hiding were undetected by raiding parties. Nicholas was a genius at finding and creating places of safety: subterranean passages\, small spaces between walls\, impenetrable recesses. \nAt one point he was even able to mastermind the escape of two Jesuits from the Tower of London. Whenever Nicholas set out to design such hiding places\, he began by receiving the holy Eucharist\, and he would turn to God in prayer throughout the long\, dangerous construction process. \nAfter many years at his unusual task\, Nicholas entered the Society of Jesus and served as a lay brother\, although—for very good reasons—his connection with the Jesuits was kept secret. \nAfter a number of narrow escapes\, he himself was finally caught in 1594. Despite protracted torture\, Nicholas refused to disclose the names of other Catholics. After being released following the payment of a ransom\, “Little John” went back to his work. He was arrested again in 1606. This time he was subjected to horrible tortures\, suffering an agonizing death. The jailers tried suggesting that he had confessed and committed suicide\, but his heroism and sufferings soon were widely known. \nNicholas Owen was canonized in 1970 as one of the 40 Martyrs of England and Wales. \n\nReflection\nNicholas was a clever builder and architect who used his skills to protect endangered priests. Without his help\, hundreds of English Catholics would have been deprived of the sacraments. His gift for spotting unlikely places to hide priests was impressive\, but more impressive was his habit of seeking support for his work in prayer and the Eucharist. If we follow his example\, we may also discover surprising ways to put our skills to God’s service.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-nicholas-owen/2018-03-22/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180323
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180324
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T150048Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150149Z
UID:6496-1521763200-1521849599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo
DESCRIPTION:Saint Turibius of Mogrovejo\nSaint of the Day for March 23\n(November 16\, 1538 – March 23\, 1606)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar23.mp3\nSaint Turibius of Mogrovejo’s Story\nTogether with Rose of Lima\, Turibius is the first known saint of the New World\, serving the Lord in Peru\, South America\, for 26 years. \nBorn in Spain and educated for the law\, he became so brilliant a scholar that he was made professor of law at the University of Salamanca and eventually became chief judge of the Inquisition at Granada. He succeeded too well. But he was not sharp enough a lawyer to prevent a surprising sequence of events. \nWhen the archdiocese of Lima in Peru required a new leader\, Turibius was chosen to fill the post: He was the one person with the strength of character and holiness of spirit to heal the scandals that had infected that area. \nHe cited all the canons that forbade giving laymen ecclesiastical dignities\, but he was overruled. Turibius was ordained priest and bishop and sent to Peru\, where he found colonialism at its worst. The Spanish conquerors were guilty of every sort of oppression of the native population. Abuses among the clergy were flagrant\, and he devoted his energies and suffering to this area first. \nHe began the long and arduous visitation of an immense archdiocese\, studying the language\, staying two or three days in each place\, often with neither bed nor food. Turibius confessed every morning to his chaplain\, and celebrated Mass with intense fervor. Among those to whom he gave the Sacrament of Confirmation was the future Saint Rose of Lima\, and possibly the future Saint Martin de Porres. After 1590\, he had the help of another great missionary\, Francis Solanus\, now also a saint. \nThough very poor his people were sensitive\, dreading to accept public charity from others. Turibius solved the problem by helping them anonymously. \n\nReflection\nThe Lord indeed writes straight with crooked lines. Against his will\, and from the unlikely springboard of an Inquisition tribunal\, this man became the Christlike shepherd of a poor and oppressed people. God gave him the gift of loving others as they needed it.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/6496/2018-03-23/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180324
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180325
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T150327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150327Z
UID:6499-1521849600-1521935999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero\nSaint of the Day for March 24\n(August 15\, 1917  – March 24\, 1980)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar24.mp3\nBlessed Oscar Romero’s Story\nThe night before he was murdered while celebrating Mass\, Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador said on the radio: “I would like to appeal in a special way to the men of the army\, and in particular to the troops of the National Guard\, the police\, and the garrisons. Brothers\, you belong to our own people. You kill your own brother peasants; and in the face of an order to kill that is given by a man\, the law of God that says ‘Do not kill!’ should prevail. \n“No soldier is obliged to obey an order counter to the law of God. No one has to comply with an immoral law. It is the time now that you recover your conscience and obey its dictates rather than the command of sin. . . . Therefore\, in the name of God\, and in the name of this long-suffering people\, whose laments rise to heaven every day more tumultuous\, I beseech you\, I beg you\, I command you! In the name of God: ‘Cease the repression!’” \nSimultaneously\, Romero had eloquently upheld the gospel and effectively signed his own death warrant. \nWhen he was appointed archbishop of San Salvador in 1977\, Bishop Romero was considered a very “safe” choice. He had served as auxiliary bishop there for four years before his three years as bishop of Santiago de Maria. \nOscar’s father wanted him to be a carpenter—a trade for which he demonstrated some talent. Seminary classes in El Salvador preceded his studies at Rome’s Gregorian University and his ordination in 1942. After earning a doctorate in ascetical theology\, he returned home and became a parish priest and later rector of an interdiocesan seminary. \nThree weeks after his appointment as archbishop\, Romero was shaken by the murder of his good friend Jesuit Father Rutilio Grande\, a vigorous defender of the rights of the poor. Five more priests were assassinated in the Archdiocese of San Salvador during Romero’s years as its shepherd. \nWhen a military junta seized control of the national government in 1979\, Archbishop Romero publicly criticized the U.S. government for backing the junta. His weekly radio sermons\, broadcast throughout the country\, were regarded by many as the most trustworthy source of news available. \nRomero’s funeral was celebrated in the plaza outside the cathedral and drew an estimated 250\,000 mourners. \nHis tomb in the cathedral crypt soon drew thousands of visitors each year. On February 3\, 2015\, Pope Francis authorized a decree recognizing Oscar Romero as a martyr for the faith. His beatification took place in San Salvador on May 23\, 2015. \n\nReflection\nArchbishop Oscar Romero and many other Latin American martyrs for the faith were falsely accused of advocating a Marxist-inspired “theology of liberation.” Following Jesus always requires choices. Romero’s fiercest critics conveniently dismissed his choices as politically inspired. An incarnational faith must be expressed publicly. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 24 is Blessed Didacus Joseph of Cadiz.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-oscar-arnulfo-romero/2018-03-24/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180325
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180326
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T150509Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150509Z
UID:6502-1521936000-1522022399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Annunciation of the Lord
DESCRIPTION:Annunciation of the Lord\nSaint of the Day for March 25\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar25.mp3\nThe Story of the Annunciation of the Lord\nThe feast of the Annunciation\, now recognized as a solemnity\, was first celebrated in the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now\, as Luke1:26-38 tells us\, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity\, indeed all creation\, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God\, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this\, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). \nMary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity\, God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. Because Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation\, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity. \nMary is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38). \nTogether with Jesus\, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best\, after Jesus\, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us. \n\nReflection\nSometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby\, discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace\, the wonder of God’s freely given love. The marvel of Mary—even in the midst of her very ordinary life—is God’s shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 25 is Saint Dismas.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/annunciation-of-the-lord/2018-03-25/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180326
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180327
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T150741Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150741Z
UID:6505-1522022400-1522108799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Catherine of Genoa
DESCRIPTION:Saint Catherine of Genoa\nSaint of the Day for March 26\n(1447 – September 15\, 1510)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar26.mp3\nSaint Catherine of Genoa’s story\nGoing to confession one day was the turning point of Catherine’s life. \nWhen Catherine was born\, many Italian nobles were supporting Renaissance artists and writers. The needs of the poor and the sick were often overshadowed by a hunger for luxury and self-indulgence. Catherine’s parents were members of the nobility in Genoa. At 13\, she attempted to become a nun but failed because of her age. At 16\, she married Julian\, a nobleman who turned out to be selfish and unfaithful. For a while she tried to numb her disappointment by a life of selfish pleasure. \nOne day in confession she had a new sense of her own sins and how much God loved her. She reformed her life and gave good example to Julian\, who soon turned from his self-centered life of distraction. Julian’s spending\, however\, had ruined them financially. He and Catherine decided to live in the Pammatone\, a large hospital in Genoa\, and to dedicate themselves to works of charity there. After Julian’s death in 1497\, Catherine took over management of the hospital. \nShe wrote about purgatory which\, she said\, begins on earth for souls open to God. Life with God in heaven is a continuation and perfection of the life with God begun on earth. \nExhausted by her life of self-sacrifice\, Catherine died September 15\, 1510\, and was canonized in 1737. \n\nReflection\nRegular confession and frequent Communion can help us see the direction–or drift–of our life with God. People who have a realistic sense of their own sinfulness and of the greatness of God are often the ones who are most ready to meet the needs of their neighbors. Saint Catherine began her hospital work with enthusiasm and was faithful to it through difficult times because she was inspired by the love of God\, a love which was renewed in her by the Scriptures and the sacraments. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast Day for Saint Catherine of Genoa is September 15.\n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 26 is Saint Margaret Clitherow.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-catherine-of-genoa/2018-03-26/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180327
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180328
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T151409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T151409Z
UID:6508-1522108800-1522195199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Lazarus
DESCRIPTION:Lazarus\nSaint of the Day for March 27\n(first century)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar27.mp3\nLazarus’ Story\nLazarus\, the friend of Jesus\, the brother of Martha and Mary\, was the one of whom the Jews said\, “See how much he loved him.” In their sight\, Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. \nLegends abound about the life of Lazarus after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is supposed to have left a written account of what he saw in the next world before he was called back to life. Some say he followed Peter into Syria. Another story is that despite being put into a leaking boat by the Jews at Jaffa\, he\, his sisters\, and others landed safely in Cyprus. There he died peacefully after serving as bishop for 30 years. \nA church was built in his honor in Constantinople and some of his reputed relics were transferred there in 890. A Western legend has the oarless boat arriving in Gaul. There he was bishop of Marseilles\, was martyred after making a number of converts\, and was buried in a cave. His relics were transferred to the new cathedral in Autun in 1146. \nIt is certain there was early devotion to the saint. Around the year 390\, the pilgrim lady Etheria talks of the procession that took place on the Saturday before Palm Sunday at the tomb where Lazarus had been raised from the dead. In the West\, Passion Sunday was called Dominica de Lazaro\, and Augustine tells us that in Africa the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus was read at the office of Palm Sunday. \n\nReflection\nMany people who have had a near-death experience report losing all fear of death. When Lazarus died a second time\, perhaps he was without fear. He must have been sure that Jesus\, the friend with whom he had shared many meals and conversations\, would be waiting to raise him again. We don’t share Lazarus’ firsthand knowledge of returning from the grave. Nevertheless\, we too have shared meals and conversations with Jesus\, who waits to raise us\, too. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 27 is Blessed Francis Faà di Bruno.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/lazarus/2018-03-27/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180328
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180329
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T151557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T153531Z
UID:6511-1522195200-1522281599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Catharine of Bologna
DESCRIPTION:Saint Catharine of Bologna\nSaint of the Day for March 28\n(September 8\, 1413 -March 9\, 1463 )\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar28.mp3\nSaint Catharine of Bologna’s Story\n\nSome Franciscan saints led fairly public lives; Catharine represents the saints who served the Lord in obscurity. \nBorn in Bologna\, Catharine was related to the nobility in Ferrara\, and was educated at court there. She received a liberal education at the court and developed some interest and talent in painting. In later years as a Poor Clare\, Catharine sometimes did manuscript illumination and also painted miniatures. \nAt the age of 17\, she joined a group of religious women in Ferrara. Four years later the whole group joined the Poor Clares in that city. Jobs as convent baker and portress preceded her selection as novice mistress. \nIn 1456\, she and 15 other sisters were sent to establish a Poor Clare monastery in Florence. As abbess\, Catharine worked to preserve the peace of the new community. Her reputation for holiness drew many young women to the Poor Clare life. She was canonized in 1712. \n\nReflection\nAppreciating Catharine’s life in a Poor Clare monastery may be hard for us. “It seems like such a waste\,” we may be tempted to say. Through prayer\, penance\, and charity to her sisters\, Catharine drew close to God. Our goal is the same as hers\, even if our paths are different. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Catharine of Bologna is May 9.\n\nSaint Catharine of Bologna is the Patron Saint of:\nArt\nArtists
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-catharine-of-bologna/2018-03-28/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180329
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180330
DTSTAMP:20260405T162757
CREATED:20170830T151732Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T151732Z
UID:6512-1522281600-1522367999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Ludovico of Casoria
DESCRIPTION:Saint Ludovico of Casoria\nSaint of the Day for March 29\n(March 11\, 1814 – March 30\, 1885)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar29.mp3\nSaint Ludovico of Casoria’s Story\nBorn in Casoria\, near Naples\, Arcangelo Palmentieri was a cabinet-maker before entering the Friars Minor in 1832\, taking the name Ludovico. After his ordination five years later\, he taught chemistry\, physics\, and mathematics to younger members of his province for several years. \nIn 1847\, he had a mystical experience which he later described as a cleansing. After that\, he dedicated his life to the poor and the infirm\, establishing a dispensary for the poor\, two schools for African children\, an institute for the children of nobility\, as well as an institution for orphans\, the deaf\, and the speechless\, and other institutes for the blind\, elderly\, and for travelers. In addition to an infirmary for friars of his province\, he began charitable institutes in Naples\, Florence\, and Assisi. He once said\, “Christ’s love has wounded my heart.” This love prompted him to great acts of charity. \nTo help continue these works of mercy\, in 1859 he established the Gray Brothers\, a religious community composed of men who formerly belonged to the Secular Franciscan Order. Three years later\, he founded the Gray Sisters of St. Elizabeth for the same purpose. \nToward the beginning of his final\, nine-year illness\, Ludovico wrote a spiritual testament which described faith as “light in the darkness\, help in sickness\, blessing in tribulations\, paradise in the crucifixion\, and life amid death.” The local work for his beatification began within five months of Ludovico’s death. He was beatified in 1993 and canonized in 2014. \n\nReflection\nSaintly people are not protected from suffering\, but with God’s help they learn how to develop compassion from it. In the face of great suffering\, we move either toward compassion or indifference. Saintly men and women show us the path toward compassion.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-ludovico-of-casoria/2018-03-29/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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