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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260831
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260901
DTSTAMP:20170727T180935Z
CREATED:20170727T180935Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170727T180935Z
UID:50894-1788134400-1788220799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus
DESCRIPTION:Image: Monastery Church: Altar of the crucifixion\, Mecklenburg | Gaston Lenthe | (Longinus\, Joseph of Arimathea\, and Nicodemus)\nSaint Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus\nSaint of the Day for August 31\n(1st century)\nSaint Joseph of Arimathea’s and Nicodemus’ Story\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nThe actions of these two influential Jewish leaders give insight into the charismatic power of Jesus and his teachings—and the risks that could be involved in following him. \nJoseph was a respected\, wealthy civic leader who had become a disciple of Jesus. Following the death of Jesus\, Joseph obtained Jesus’ body from Pilate\, wrapped it in fine linen and buried it. For these reasons\, Joseph is considered the patron saint of funeral directors and pallbearers. More important is the courage Joseph showed in asking Pilate for Jesus’ body. Jesus was a condemned criminal who had been publicly executed. According to some legends\, Joseph was punished and imprisoned for such a bold act. \nNicodemus was a Pharisee and\, like Joseph\, an important first-century Jew. We know from John’s Gospel that Nicodemus went to Jesus at night—secretly—to better understand his teachings about the kingdom. Later\, he spoke up for Jesus at the time of his arrest and assisted in Jesus’ burial. We know little else about Nicodemus. \n\nReflection\nCelebrating these two contemporaries of Jesus who played significant roles in Jesus’ life\, reminds us of the humanity of Jesus and how he related to his fellow men and women. His gentleness to these two and his acceptance of their help remind us that he treats us in the same gentle way. \n\nSaint Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are the Patron Saints of:\nFuneral Directors\nPallbearers \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for August 31 is Saint Raymond Nonnatus.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saints-joseph-of-arimathea-and-nicodemus/2026-08-31/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260901
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260902
DTSTAMP:20170728T180904Z
CREATED:20170728T180904Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180904Z
UID:50898-1788220800-1788307199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Giles
DESCRIPTION:Saint Giles\nSaint of the Day for September 1\n(c. 650 – 710)\n Saint Giles’ Story   \nClick to hear audio clip ►\n\nDespite the fact that much about Saint Giles is shrouded in mystery\, we can say that he was one of the most popular saints in the Middle Ages. Likely\, he was born in the first half of the seventh century in southeastern France. That is where he built a monastery that became a popular stopping-off point for pilgrims making their way to Compostela in Spain and the Holy Land. \nIn England\, many ancient churches and hospitals were dedicated to Giles. One of the sections of the city of Brussels is named after him. In Germany\, Giles was included among the so-called 14 Holy Helpers\, a popular group of saints to whom people prayed\, especially for recovery from disease and for strength at the hour of death. Also among the 14 were Saints Christopher\, Barbara\, and Blaise. Interestingly\, Giles was the only non-martyr among them. Devotion to the “Holy Helpers” was especially strong in parts of Germany and in Hungary and Sweden. Such devotion made his popularity spread. Giles was soon invoked as the patron of the poor and the disabled. \nThe pilgrimage center that once drew so many fell into disrepair some centuries after Giles’ death. \n\nReflection\nSaint Giles may not have been a martyr but\, as the word martyr means\, he was a true witness to the faith. This is attested to by the faith of the People of God in the Middle Ages. He became one of the “holy helpers” and can still function in that role for us today. \n\nSaint Giles is the Patron Saint of:\nBeggars\nThe Disabled\nDisasters\nThe Poor
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-giles/2026-09-01/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260902
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260903
DTSTAMP:20170728T180907Z
CREATED:20170728T180907Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180907Z
UID:50906-1788307200-1788393599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed John Francis Burté and Companions
DESCRIPTION:Image: Massacre à la Salpêtrière\, 3 septembre 1792 | anonymous (Unrelated\, but similar incident during the French Revolution.)\nBlessed John Francis Burté and Companions\nSaint of the Day for September 2\n(d. September 2\, 1792 and January 21\, 1794)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nBlessed John Francis Burté and Companions’ Story\nThese priests were victims of the French Revolution. Though their martyrdom spans a period of several years\, they stand together in the Church’s memory because they all gave their lives for the same principle. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1791) required all priests to take an oath which amounted to a denial of the faith. Each of these men refused and was executed. \nJohn Francis Burté became a Franciscan at 16 and after ordination taught theology to the young friars. Later he was guardian of the large Conventual friary in Paris until he was arrested and held in the convent of the Carmelites. \nAppolinaris of Posat was born in 1739 in Switzerland. He joined the Capuchins and acquired a reputation as an excellent preacher\, confessor\, and instructor of clerics. Preparing for his assignment to the East as a missionary\, he was in Paris studying Oriental languages when the French Revolution began. Refusing the oath\, he was swiftly arrested and detained in the Carmelite convent. \nSeverin Girault\, a member of the Third Order Regular\, was a chaplain for a group of sisters in Paris. Imprisoned with the others\, he was the first to die in the slaughter at the convent. \nThese three plus 182 others—including several bishops and many religious and diocesan priests—were massacred at the Carmelite house in Paris on September 2\, 1792. They were beatified in 1926. \nJohn Baptist Triquerie\, born in 1737\, entered the Conventual Franciscans. He was chaplain and confessor of Poor Clare monasteries in three cities before he was arrested for refusing to take the oath. He and 13 diocesan priests were martyred in Laval on January 21\, 1794. He was beatified in 1955. \n\nReflection\n“Liberty\, Equality\, Fraternity” was the motto of the French Revolution. If individuals have “inalienable rights\,” as the Declaration of Independence states\, these must come not from the agreement of society (which can be very fragile) but directly from God. Do we believe that? Do we act on it?
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-john-francis-burte-and-companions/2026-09-02/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260903
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260904
DTSTAMP:20170728T180909Z
CREATED:20170728T180909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180909Z
UID:50908-1788393600-1788479999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Gregory the Great
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Gregory the Great | Jusepe de Ribera\, also known as José de Ribera\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Gregory the Great\nSaint of the Day for September 3\n(c. 540 – March 12\, 604)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Gregory the Great’s Story\nGregory was the prefect of Rome before he was 30. After five years in office he resigned\, founded six monasteries on his Sicilian estate and became a Benedictine monk in his own home at Rome. \nOrdained a priest\, he became one of the pope’s seven deacons\, and also served six years in the East as papal representative in Constantinople. He was recalled to become abbot\, and at the age of 50 was elected pope by the clergy and people of Rome. \nHe was direct and firm. He removed unworthy priests from office\, forbade taking money for many services\, emptied the papal treasury to ransom prisoners of the Lombards and to care for persecuted Jews and the victims of plague and famine. He was very concerned about the conversion of England\, sending 40 monks from his own monastery. He is known for his reform of the liturgy\, and for strengthening respect for doctrine. Whether he was largely responsible for the revision of “Gregorian” chant is disputed. \nGregory lived in a time of perpetual strife with invading Lombards and difficult relations with the East. When Rome itself was under attack\, he interviewed the Lombard king. \nAn Anglican historian has written: “It is impossible to conceive what would have been the confusion\, the lawlessness\, the chaotic state of the Middle Ages without the medieval papacy; and of the medieval papacy\, the real father is Gregory the Great.” \nHis book\, Pastoral Care\, on the duties and qualities of a bishop\, was read for centuries after his death. He described bishops mainly as physicians whose main duties were preaching and the enforcement of discipline. In his own down-to-earth preaching\, Gregory was skilled at applying the daily Gospel to the needs of his listeners. Called “the Great\,” Gregory has been given a place with Augustine\, Ambrose\, and Jerome as one of the four key doctors of the Western Church. \n\nReflection\nGregory was content to be a monk\, but he willingly served the Church in other ways when asked. He sacrificed his own preferences in many ways\, especially when he was called to be Bishop of Rome. Once he was called to public service\, Gregory gave his considerable energies completely to this work. Gregory’s description of bishops as physicians fits in well with Pope Francis’ description of the Church as a “field hospital.” \n\nSaint Gregory the Gregory the Great is the Patron Saint of:\nEngland\nEpilepsy\nMusicians\nTeachers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-gregory-the-great/2026-09-03/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260904
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260905
DTSTAMP:20170728T180910Z
CREATED:20170728T180910Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180910Z
UID:50910-1788480000-1788566399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Rose of Viterbo
DESCRIPTION:Image: Santa Rosa e San Donnino | fresco\, Duomo di Ivrea | photo by Laurom\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Rose of Viterbo\nSaint of the Day for September 4\n(1233 – March 6\, 1251)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Rose of Viterbo’s Story\nEven as a child\, Rose had a great desire to pray and to aid the poor. While still very young\, she began a life of penance in her parents’ house. She was as generous to the poor as she was strict with herself. At the age of 10\, she became a Secular Franciscan and soon began preaching in the streets about sin and the sufferings of Jesus. \nViterbo\, her native city\, was then in revolt against the pope. When Rose took the pope’s side against the emperor\, she and her family were exiled from the city. When the pope’s side won in Viterbo\, Rose was allowed to return. Her attempt at age 15 to found a religious community failed\, and she returned to a life of prayer and penance in her father’s home\, where she died in 1251. Rose was canonized in 1457. \n\nReflection\nThe list of Franciscan saints seems to have quite a few men and women who accomplished nothing very extraordinary. Rose is one of them. She did not influence popes and kings\, did not multiply bread for the hungry and never established the religious order of her dreams. But she made a place in her life for God’s grace\, and like Saint Francis before her\, saw death as the gateway to new life. \n\nSaint Rose of Viterbo is the Patron Saint of:\nFlorists\nFlower Growers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-rose-of-viterbo/2026-09-04/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260905
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260906
DTSTAMP:20170728T180912Z
CREATED:20170728T180912Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180912Z
UID:50914-1788566400-1788652799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Teresa of Calcutta
DESCRIPTION:Image: Mother Teresa accompanies Pope John Paul II as he visits people at the Home For the Dying in Kolkata\, India\, in 1986. (CNS photo/Arturo Mari\, L’Osservatore Romano)\nSaint Teresa of Calcutta\nSaint of the Day for September 5\n(August 26\, 1910 – September 5\, 1997)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Teresa of Calcutta’s Story\nMother Teresa of Calcutta\, the tiny woman recognized throughout the world for her work among the poorest of the poor\, was beatified October 19\, 2003. Among those present were hundreds of Missionaries of Charity\, the order she founded in 1950 as a diocesan religious community. Today the congregation also includes contemplative sisters and brothers and an order of priests. \nBorn to Albanian parents in what is now Skopje\, Macedonia\, Gonxha (Agnes) Bojaxhiu was the youngest of the three children who survived. For a time\, the family lived comfortably\, and her father’s construction business thrived. But life changed overnight following his unexpected death. \nDuring her years in public school\, Agnes participated in a Catholic sodality and showed a strong interest in the foreign missions. At age 18\, she entered the Loreto Sisters of Dublin. It was 1928 when she said goodbye to her mother for the final time and made her way to a new land and a new life. The following year she was sent to the Loreto novitiate in Darjeeling\, India. There she chose the name Teresa and prepared for a life of service. She was assigned to a high school for girls in Calcutta\, where she taught history and geography to the daughters of the wealthy. But she could not escape the realities around her—the poverty\, the suffering\, the overwhelming numbers of destitute people. \nIn 1946\, while riding a train to Darjeeling to make a retreat\, Sister Teresa heard what she later explained as “a call within a call. The message was clear. I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them.” She also heard a call to give up her life with the Sisters of Loreto and\, instead\, to “follow Christ into the slums to serve him among the poorest of the poor.” \nAfter receiving permission to leave Loreto\, establish a new religious community\, and undertake her new work\, she took a nursing course for several months. She returned to Calcutta\, where she lived in the slums and opened a school for poor children. Dressed in a white sari and sandals (the ordinary dress of an Indian woman) she soon began getting to know her neighbors—especially the poor and sick—and getting to know their needs through visits. \nThe work was exhausting\, but she was not alone for long. Volunteers who came to join her in the work\, some of them former students\, became the core of the Missionaries of Charity. Others helped by donating food\, clothing\, supplies\, and the use of buildings. In 1952\, the city of Calcutta gave Mother Teresa a former hostel\, which became a home for the dying and the destitute. As the order expanded\, services were also offered to orphans\, abandoned children\, alcoholics\, the aging\, and street people. \nFor the next four decades\, Mother Teresa worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor. Her love knew no bounds. Nor did her energy\, as she crisscrossed the globe pleading for support and inviting others to see the face of Jesus in the poorest of the poor. In 1979\, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On September 5\, 1997\, God called her home. She was canonized by Pope Francis on September 4\, 2016. \n\nReflection\nMother Teresa’s beatification\, just over six years after her death\, was part of an expedited process put into effect by Pope John Paul II. Like so many others around the world\, he found her love for the Eucharist\, for prayer\, and for the poor a model for all to emulate.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-teresa-of-calcutta/2026-09-05/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260906
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260907
DTSTAMP:20170728T180914Z
CREATED:20170728T180914Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180914Z
UID:50916-1788652800-1788739199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Claudio Granzotto
DESCRIPTION:Image: Blessed Claudio Granzotto | photo by Infovalli It | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBlessed Claudio Granzotto\nSaint of the Day for September 6\n(August 23\, 1900 – August 15\, 1947)\n\n\n\n\nClick to hear audio clip ►\n\n\n\n\nBlessed Claudio Granzotto’s Story\nBorn in Santa Lucia del Piave near Venice\, Claudio was the youngest of nine children and was accustomed to hard work in the fields. At the age of 9\, he lost his father. Six years later\, he was drafted into the Italian army\, where he served more than three years. \nHis artistic abilities\, especially in sculpture\, led to studies at Venice’s Academy of Fine Arts\, which awarded him a diploma with the highest marks in 1929. Even then he was especially interested in religious art. When Claudio entered the Friars Minor four years later\, his parish priest wrote\, “The Order is receiving not only an artist but a saint.” Prayer\, charity to the poor\, and artistic work characterized his life which was cut short by a brain tumor. He died on the feast of the Assumption\, August 15\, 1947 and was beatified in 1994. \n\nReflection\nClaudio developed into such an excellent sculptor that his work still turns people toward God. No stranger to adversity\, he met every obstacle courageously\, reflecting the generosity\, faith\, and joy that he learned from Francis of Assisi. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Blessed Claudio Granzotto is March 23.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-claudio-granzotto/2026-09-06/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260907
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260908
DTSTAMP:20170728T180915Z
CREATED:20170728T180915Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180915Z
UID:50917-1788739200-1788825599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Frédéric Ozanam
DESCRIPTION:Image: Blessed Frédéric Ozanam. Frontispiece from Complete Works of Frederic Ozanam\, Lecoffre editions\, Paris \, 1862 ( second edition ).\nBlessed Frédéric Ozanam\nSaint of the Day for September 7\n(April 23\, 1813 – September 8\, 1853)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nBlessed Frédéric Ozanam’s Story\nA man convinced of the inestimable worth of each human being\, Frédéric served the poor of Paris well and drew others into serving the poor of the world. Through the Saint Vincent de Paul Society\, which he founded\, his work continues to the present day. \nFrédéric was the fifth of Jean and Marie Ozanam’s 14 children\, one of only three to reach adulthood. As a teenager he began having doubts about his religion. Reading and prayer did not seem to help\, but long walking discussions with Father Noirot of the Lyons College clarified matters a great deal. \nFrédéric wanted to study literature\, although his father\, a doctor\, wanted him to become a lawyer. Frédéric yielded to his father’s wishes and in 1831 arrived in Paris to study law at the University of the Sorbonne. When certain professors there mocked Catholic teachings in their lectures\, Frédéric defended the Church. \nA discussion club which Frédéric organized sparked the turning point in his life. In this club\, Catholics\, atheists\, and agnostics debated the issues of the day. Once\, after Frédéric spoke about Christianity’s role in civilization\, a club member said: “Let us be frank\, Mr. Ozanam; let us also be very particular. What do you do besides talk to prove the faith you claim is in you?” \nFrédéric was stung by the question. He soon decided that his words needed a grounding in action. He and a friend began visiting Paris tenements and offering assistance as best they could. Soon a group dedicated to helping individuals in need under the patronage of Saint Vincent de Paul formed around Frédéric. \nFeeling that the Catholic faith needed an excellent speaker to explain its teachings\, Frédéric convinced the Archbishop of Paris to appoint Father Lacordaire\, the greatest preacher then in France\, to preach a Lenten series in Notre Dame Cathedral. It was well attended and became an annual tradition in Paris. \nAfter Frédéric earned his law degree at the Sorbonne\, he taught law at the University of Lyons. He also earned a doctorate in literature. Soon after marrying Amelie Soulacroix on June 23\, 1841\, he returned to the Sorbonne to teach literature. A well-respected lecturer\, Frédéric worked to bring out the best in each student. Meanwhile\, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society was growing throughout Europe. Paris alone counted 25 conferences. \nIn 1846\, Frédéric\, Amelie\, and their daughter Marie went to Italy; there he hoped to restore his poor health. They returned the next year. The revolution of 1848 left many Parisians in need of the services of the Saint Vincent de Paul conferences. The unemployed numbered 275\,000. The government asked Frédéric and his coworkers to supervise the government aid to the poor. Vincentians throughout Europe came to the aid of Paris. \nFrédéric then started a newspaper\, The New Era\, dedicated to securing justice for the poor and the working classes. Fellow Catholics were often unhappy with what Frédéric wrote. Referring to the poor man as “the nation’s priest\,” Frédéric said that the hunger and sweat of the poor formed a sacrifice that could redeem the people’s humanity \nIn 1852\, poor health again forced Frédéric to return to Italy with his wife and daughter. He died on September 8\, 1853. In his sermon at Frédéric’s funeral\, Lacordaire described his friend as “one of those privileged creatures who came direct from the hand of God in whom God joins tenderness to genius in order to enkindle the world.” \nFrédéric was beatified in 1997. Since Frédéric wrote an excellent book entitled Franciscan Poets of the Thirteenth Century and since his sense of the dignity of each poor person was so close to the thinking of Saint Francis\, it seemed appropriate to include him among Franciscan “greats.” \n\nReflection\nFrédéric Ozanam always respected the poor while offering whatever service he could. Each man\, woman\, and child was too precious to live in poverty. Serving the poor taught Frédéric something about God that he could not have learned elsewhere. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam is September 9.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-frederic-ozanam/2026-09-07/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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