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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260830
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260831
DTSTAMP:20170727T180932Z
CREATED:20170727T180932Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170727T180932Z
UID:50893-1788048000-1788134399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Jeanne Jugan
DESCRIPTION:Image: Statue of Saint Jeanne Jugan at the Sisters of the Poor in Valladolid | photo by Rodelar\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Jeanne Jugan\nSaint of the Day for August 30\n(October 25\, 1792 – August 29\, 1879)\nSaint Jeanne Jugan’s Story\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nBorn in northern France during the French Revolution—a time when congregations of women and men religious were being suppressed by the national government\, Jeanne would eventually be highly praised in the French academy for her community’s compassionate care of elderly poor people. \nWhen Jeanne was three and a half years old\, her father\, a fisherman\, was lost at sea. Her widowed mother was hard pressed to raise her eight children alone; four died young. At the age of 15 or 16\, Jeanne became a kitchen maid for a family that not only cared for its own members\, but also served poor\, elderly people nearby. Ten years later\, Jeanne became a nurse at the hospital in Le Rosais. Soon thereafter\, she joined a third order group founded by Saint John Eudes. \nAfter six years she became a servant and friend of a woman she met through the third order. They prayed\, visited the poor\, and taught catechism to children. After her friend’s death\, Jeanne and two other women continued a similar life in the city of Saint-Sevran. In 1839\, they brought in their first permanent guest. They began an association\, received more members\, and more guests. Mère Marie of the Cross\, as Jeanne was now known\, founded six more houses for the elderly by the end of 1849\, all staffed by members of her association—the Little Sisters of the Poor. By 1853\, the association numbered 500 and had houses as far away as England. \nAbbé Le Pailleur\, a chaplain\, had prevented Jeanne’s reelection as superior in 1843; nine years later\, he had her assigned to duties within the congregation\, but would not allow her to be recognized as its founder. In 1890\, the Holy See removed him from office. \nBy the time Pope Leo XIII gave her final approval to the community’s constitutions in 1879\, there were 2\,400 Little Sisters of the Poor. Jeanne died later that same year\, on August 30. Her cause was introduced in Rome in 1970. She was beatified in 1982\, and canonized in 2009. \n\nReflection\nJeanne Jugan saw Christ in what Saint Teresa of Calcutta would describe as his “distressing disguises.” With great confidence in God’s providence and the intercession of Saint Joseph\, she begged willingly for the many homes that she opened\, relying on the good example of the Sisters and the generosity of benefactors who knew the good that the Sisters were doing. They now work in 30 countries. “With the eye of faith\, we must see Jesus in our old people—for they are God’s mouthpiece\,” Jeanne once said. No matter what the difficulties\, she was always able to praise God and move ahead.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-jeanne-jugan/2026-08-30/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
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
END:VEVENT
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260908
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260909
DTSTAMP:20170728T180917Z
CREATED:20170728T180917Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180917Z
UID:50920-1788825600-1788911999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
DESCRIPTION:Image: The Birth of the Virgin | fresco by Giotto\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary\nSaint of the Day for September 8\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nThe Story of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary\nThe Church has celebrated Mary’s birth since at least the sixth century. A September birth was chosen because the Eastern Church begins its Church year with September. The September 8 date helped determine the date for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. \nScripture does not give an account of Mary’s birth. However\, the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James fills in the gap. This work has no historical value\, but it does reflect the development of Christian piety. According to this account\, Anna and Joachim are infertile but pray for a child. They receive the promise of a child that will advance God’s plan of salvation for the world. Such a story\, like many biblical counterparts\, stresses the special presence of God in Mary’s life from the beginning. \nSaint Augustine connects Mary’s birth with Jesus’ saving work. He tells the earth to rejoice and shine forth in the light of her birth. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley. Through her birth the nature inherited from our first parents is changed.” The opening prayer at Mass speaks of the birth of Mary’s Son as the dawn of our salvation and asks for an increase of peace. \n\nReflection\nWe can see every human birth as a call for new hope in the world. The love of two human beings has joined with God in his creative work. The loving parents have shown hope in a world filled with travail. The new child has the potential to be a channel of God’s love and peace to the world. \nThis is all true in a magnificent way in Mary. If Jesus is the perfect expression of God’s love\, Mary is the foreshadowing of that love. If Jesus has brought the fullness of salvation\, Mary is its dawning. \nBirthday celebrations bring happiness to the celebrant as well as to family and friends. Next to the birth of Jesus\, Mary’s birth offers the greatest possible happiness to the world. Each time we celebrate her birth\, we can confidently hope for an increase of peace in our hearts and in the world at large.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/nativity-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/2026-09-08/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260909
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260910
DTSTAMP:20170728T180919Z
CREATED:20170728T180919Z
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UID:50924-1788912000-1788998399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Peter Claver
DESCRIPTION:Image: Stained glass window in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and St. Andrew in Dormagen in Rhein-Kreis Neuss (Nordrhein-Westfalen) | photo by GFreihalter\n\nSaint Peter Claver\nSaint of the Day for September 9\n(June 26\, 1581 – September 8\, 1654)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Peter Claver’s Story\nA native of Spain\, young Jesuit Peter Claver left his homeland forever in 1610 to be a missionary in the colonies of the New World. He sailed into Cartagena\, a rich port city washed by the Caribbean. He was ordained there in 1615. \nBy this time the slave trade had been established in the Americas for nearly 100 years\, and Cartagena was a chief center for it. Ten thousand slaves poured into the port each year after crossing the Atlantic from West Africa under conditions so foul and inhuman that an estimated one-third of the passengers died in transit. Although the practice of slave-trading was condemned by Pope Paul III and later labeled “supreme villainy” by Pius IX\, it continued to flourish. \nPeter Claver’s predecessor\, Jesuit Father Alfonso de Sandoval\, had devoted himself to the service of the slaves for 40 years before Claver arrived to continue his work\, declaring himself “the slave of the Negroes forever.” \nAs soon as a slave ship entered the port\, Peter Claver moved into its infested hold to minister to the ill-treated and exhausted passengers. After the slaves were herded out of the ship like chained animals and shut up in nearby yards to be gazed at by the crowds\, Claver plunged in among them with medicines\, food\, bread\, brandy\, lemons\, and tobacco. With the help of interpreters he gave basic instructions and assured his brothers and sisters of their human dignity and God’s love. During the 40 years of his ministry\, Claver instructed and baptized an estimated 300\,000 slaves. \nHis apostolate extended beyond his care for slaves. He became a moral force\, indeed\, the apostle of Cartagena. He preached in the city square\, gave missions to sailors and traders as well as country missions\, during which he avoided\, when possible\, the hospitality of the planters and owners and lodged in the slave quarters instead. \nAfter four years of sickness\, which forced the saint to remain inactive and largely neglected\, he died on September 8\, 1654. The city magistrates\, who had previously frowned at his solicitude for the black outcasts\, ordered that he should be buried at public expense and with great pomp. \nHe was canonized in 1888\, and Pope Leo XIII declared him the worldwide patron of missionary work among black slaves. \n\nReflection\nThe Holy Spirit’s might and power are manifested in the striking decisions and bold actions of Peter Claver. A decision to leave one’s homeland never to return reveals a gigantic act of will difficult for us to imagine. Peter’s determination to serve forever the most abused\, rejected\, and lowly of all people is stunningly heroic. When we measure our lives against such a man’s\, we become aware of our own barely used potential and of our need to open ourselves more to the jolting power of Jesus’ Spirit. \n\nSaint Peter Claver is the Patron Saint of:\nAfrican Americans\nAfrican Missions\nColombia\nComedians\nCommunication Workers\nInterracial Justice
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-peter-claver/2026-09-09/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260910
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260911
DTSTAMP:20170728T180921Z
CREATED:20170728T180921Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180921Z
UID:50927-1788998400-1789084799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Thomas of Villanova
DESCRIPTION:Image: Santo Tomás de Villanueva | Francisco Camilo\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Thomas of Villanova\nSaint of the Day for September 10\n(1488 – September 8\, 1555)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Thomas of Villanova’s Story\nSaint Thomas was from Castile in Spain and received his surname from the town where he was raised. He received a superior education at the University of Alcala and became a popular professor of philosophy there. \nAfter joining the Augustinian friars at Salamanca\, he was ordained and resumed his teaching–despite a continuing absentmindedness and poor memory. He became prior and then provincial of the friars\, sending the first Augustinians to the New World. He was nominated by the emperor to the archbishopric of Granada\, but refused. When the see again became vacant he was pressured to accept. The money his cathedral chapter gave him to furnish his house was given to a hospital instead. His explanation to them was that “our Lord will be better served by your money being spent on the poor in the hospital. What does a poor friar like myself want with furniture?” \nHe wore the same habit that he had received in the novitiate\, mending it himself. The canons and domestics were ashamed of him\, but they could not convince him to change. Several hundred poor came to Thomas’s door each morning and received a meal\, wine\, and money. When criticized because he was at times being taken advantage of\, he replied\, “If there are people who refuse to work\, that is for the governor and the police to deal with. My duty is to assist and relieve those who come to my door.” He took in orphans and paid his servants for every deserted child they brought to him. He encouraged the wealthy to imitate his example and be richer in mercy and charity than they were in earthly possessions. \nCriticized because he refused to be harsh or swift in correcting sinners\, he said\, “Let him (the complainer) inquire whether Saint Augustine and Saint John Chrysostom used anathemas and excommunication to stop the drunkenness and blasphemy which were so common among the people under their care.” \nAs he lay dying\, Thomas commanded that all the money he possessed be distributed to the poor. His material goods were to be given to the rector of his college. Mass was being celebrated in his presence when after Communion he breathed his last\, reciting the words: “Into your hands\, O Lord\, I commend my spirit.” \nThomas of Villanova was already called in his lifetime “the almsgiver” and “the father of the poor.” He was canonized in 1658. \n\nReflection\nThe absent-minded professor is a stock comic figure. Thomas of Villanova earned even more derisive laughs with his determined shabbiness and his willingness to let the poor who flocked to his door take advantage of him. He embarrassed his peers\, but Jesus was enormously pleased with him. We are often tempted to tend our image in others’ eyes without paying sufficient attention to how we look to Christ. Thomas still urges us to rethink our priorities. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Thomas of Villanova is September 22.\n\nOther Saints of the Day for September 10 are Saint Pedro de Corpa and Companions.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-thomas-of-villanova/2026-09-10/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260911
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260912
DTSTAMP:20170728T180923Z
CREATED:20170728T180923Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180923Z
UID:50931-1789084800-1789171199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Cyprian
DESCRIPTION:Image: Head Reliquary of Saint Cyprian in the St. Kornelius chapel of the abbey church of Kornelimünster Abbey in Kornelimünster | photo by ACBahn\nSaint Cyprian\nSaint of the Day for September 11\n(d. 258)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Cyprian’s Story\nCyprian is important in the development of Christian thought and practice in the third century\, especially in northern Africa. \nHighly educated\, a famous orator\, he became a Christian as an adult. He distributed his goods to the poor\, and amazed his fellow citizens by making a vow of chastity before his baptism. Within two years he had been ordained a priest and was chosen\, against his will\, as Bishop of Carthage. \nCyprian complained that the peace the Church had enjoyed had weakened the spirit of many Christians and had opened the door to converts who did not have the true spirit of faith. When the Decian persecution began\, many Christians easily abandoned the Church. It was their reinstatement that caused the great controversies of the third century\, and helped the Church progress in its understanding of the Sacrament of Penance. \nNovatus\, a priest who had opposed Cyprian’s election\, set himself up in Cyprian’s absence (he had fled to a hiding place from which to direct the Church—bringing criticism on himself) and received back all apostates without imposing any canonical penance. Ultimately he was condemned. Cyprian held a middle course\, holding that those who had actually sacrificed to idols could receive Communion only at death\, whereas those who had only bought certificates saying they had sacrificed could be admitted after a more or less lengthy period of penance. Even this was relaxed during a new persecution. \nDuring a plague in Carthage\, Cyprian urged Christians to help everyone\, including their enemies and persecutors. \nA friend of Pope Cornelius\, Cyprian opposed the following pope\, Stephen. He and the other African bishops would not recognize the validity of baptism conferred by heretics and schismatics. This was not the universal view of the Church\, but Cyprian was not intimidated even by Stephen’s threat of excommunication. \nHe was exiled by the emperor and then recalled for trial. He refused to leave the city\, insisting that his people should have the witness of his martyrdom. \nCyprian was a mixture of kindness and courage\, vigor and steadiness. He was cheerful and serious\, so that people did not know whether to love or respect him more. He waxed warm during the baptismal controversy; his feelings must have concerned him\, for it was at this time that he wrote his treatise on patience. Saint Augustine remarks that Cyprian atoned for his anger by his glorious martyrdom. \n\nReflection\nThe controversies about Baptism and Penance in the third century remind us that the early Church had no ready-made solutions from the Holy Spirit. The leaders and members of the Church of that day had to move painfully through the best series of judgments they could make in an attempt to follow the entire teaching of Christ and not be diverted by exaggerations to right or left. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Cyprian is September 16.\n\nSaint Cyprian is the Patron Saint of:\nNorth Africa \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for September 11 is Saint Jean-Gabriel Perboyre.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-cyprian/2026-09-11/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260912
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260913
DTSTAMP:20170728T180924Z
CREATED:20170728T180924Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180924Z
UID:50933-1789171200-1789257599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary
DESCRIPTION:Image: The Virgin and Child (The Madonna of the Rose) | Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMost Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary\nSaint of the Day for September 12\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nThe Story of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary\nThis feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus; both have the possibility of uniting people easily divided on other matters. \nThe feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary began in Spain in 1513 and in 1671 was extended to all of Spain and the Kingdom of Naples. In 1683\, John Sobieski\, king of Poland\, brought an army to the outskirts of Vienna to stop the advance of Muslim armies loyal to Mohammed IV of Constantinople. After Sobieski entrusted himself to the Blessed Virgin Mary\, he and his soldiers thoroughly defeated the Muslims. Pope Innocent XI extended this feast to the entire Church. \n\nReflection\nMary always points us to God\, reminding us of God’s infinite goodness. She helps us to open our hearts to God’s ways\, wherever those may lead us. Honored under the title “Queen of Peace\,” Mary encourages us to cooperate with Jesus in building a peace based on justice\, a peace that respects the fundamental human rights of all peoples.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/most-holy-name-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/2026-09-12/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260913
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260914
DTSTAMP:20170728T180926Z
CREATED:20170728T180926Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180926Z
UID:50934-1789257600-1789343999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John Chrysostom
DESCRIPTION:Image: Chrysostemos | Carl Christian Peters\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint John Chrysostom\nSaint of the Day for September 13\n(c. 349 – September 14\, 407)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint John Chrysostom’s Story\nThe ambiguity and intrigue surrounding John\, the great preacher (his name means “golden-mouthed”) from Antioch\, are characteristic of the life of any great man in a capital city. Brought to Constantinople after a dozen years of priestly service in Syria\, John found himself the reluctant victim of an imperial ruse to make him bishop in the greatest city of the empire. Ascetic\, unimposing but dignified\, and troubled by stomach ailments from his desert days as a monk\, John became a bishop under the cloud of imperial politics. \nIf his body was weak\, his tongue was powerful. The content of his sermons\, his exegesis of Scripture\, were never without a point. Sometimes the point stung the high and mighty. Some sermons lasted up to two hours. \nHis lifestyle at the imperial court was not appreciated by many courtiers. He offered a modest table to episcopal sycophants hanging around for imperial and ecclesiastical favors. John deplored the court protocol that accorded him precedence before the highest state officials. He would not be a kept man. \nHis zeal led him to decisive action. Bishops who bribed their way into office were deposed. Many of his sermons called for concrete steps to share wealth with the poor. The rich did not appreciate hearing from John that private property existed because of Adam’s fall from grace any more than married men liked to hear that they were bound to marital fidelity just as much as their wives were. When it came to justice and charity\, John acknowledged no double standards. \nAloof\, energetic\, outspoken\, especially when he became excited in the pulpit\, John was a sure target for criticism and personal trouble. He was accused of gorging himself secretly on rich wines and fine foods. His faithfulness as spiritual director to the rich widow\, Olympia\, provoked much gossip attempting to prove him a hypocrite where wealth and chastity were concerned. His actions taken against unworthy bishops in Asia Minor were viewed by other ecclesiastics as a greedy\, uncanonical extension of his authority. \nTheophilus\, archbishop of Alexandria\, and Empress Eudoxia were determined to discredit John. Theophilus feared the growth in importance of the Bishop of Constantinople and took occasion to charge John with fostering heresy. Theophilus and other angered bishops were supported by Eudoxia. The empress resented his sermons contrasting gospel values with the excesses of imperial court life. Whether intended or not\, sermons mentioning the lurid Jezebel and impious Herodias were associated with the empress\, who finally did manage to have John exiled. He died in exile in 407. \n\nReflection\nJohn Chrysostom’s preaching\, by word and example\, exemplifies the role of the prophet to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. For his honesty and courage\, he paid the price of a turbulent ministry as bishop\, personal vilification\, and exile. \n\nSaint John Chrysostom is the Patron Saint of:\nOrators\nPreachers\nSpeakers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-john-chrysostom/2026-09-13/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260914
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260915
DTSTAMP:20170728T180928Z
CREATED:20170728T180928Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180928Z
UID:50935-1789344000-1789430399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Exaltation of the Holy Cross
DESCRIPTION:Image: The Exaltation of the True Cross | anonymous Russian icon painter\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nExaltation of the Holy Cross\nSaint of the Day for September 14\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nThe Story of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross\nEarly in the fourth century\, Saint Helena\, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine\, went to Jerusalem in search of the holy places of Christ’s life. She razed the second-century Temple of Aphrodite\, which tradition held was built over the Savior’s tomb\, and her son built the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher on that spot. During the excavation\, workers found three crosses. Legend has it that the one on which Jesus died was identified when its touch healed a dying woman. \nThe cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century\, according to an eyewitness\, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus’ head: Then “all the people pass through one by one; all of them bow down\, touching the cross and the inscription\, first with their foreheads\, then with their eyes; and\, after kissing the cross\, they move on.” \nTo this day the Eastern Churches\, Catholic and Orthodox alike\, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica’s dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians\, who had carried it off in 614\, 15 years earlier. According to the story\, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself\, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim. \n\nReflection\nThe cross is today the universal image of Christian belief. Countless generations of artists have turned it into a thing of beauty to be carried in procession or worn as jewelry. To the eyes of the first Christians\, it had no beauty. It stood outside too many city walls\, decorated only with decaying corpses\, as a threat to anyone who defied Rome’s authority—including Christians who refused sacrifice to Roman gods. Although believers spoke of the cross as the instrument of salvation\, it seldom appeared in Christian art unless disguised as an anchor or the Chi-Rho until after Constantine’s edict of toleration.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/exaltation-of-the-holy-cross/2026-09-14/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260915
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260916
DTSTAMP:20170728T180929Z
CREATED:20170728T180929Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180929Z
UID:50938-1789430400-1789516799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Our Lady of Sorrows
DESCRIPTION:Image: Our Lady of Sorrows statue in Golgotha\, Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem | photo by creisor\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOur Lady of Sorrows\nSaint of the Day for September 15\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nThe Story of Our Lady of Sorrows\nFor a while there were two feasts in honor of the Sorrowful Mother: one going back to the 15th century\, the other to the 17th century. For a while both were celebrated by the universal Church: one on the Friday before Palm Sunday\, the other in September. \nThe principal biblical references to Mary’s sorrows are in Luke 2:35 and John 19:26-27. The Lucan passage is Simeon’s prediction about a sword piercing Mary’s soul; the Johannine passage relates Jesus’ words from the cross to Mary and to the beloved disciple. \nMany early Church writers interpret the sword as Mary’s sorrows\, especially as she saw Jesus die on the cross. Thus\, the two passages are brought together as prediction and fulfillment. \nSaint Ambrose in particular sees Mary as a sorrowful yet powerful figure at the cross. Mary stood fearlessly at the cross while others fled. Mary looked on her Son’s wounds with pity\, but saw in them the salvation of the world. As Jesus hung on the cross\, Mary did not fear to be killed\, but offered herself to her persecutors. \n\nReflection\nJohn’s account of Jesus’ death is highly symbolic. When Jesus gives the beloved disciple to Mary\, we are invited to appreciate Mary’s role in the Church: She symbolizes the Church; the beloved disciple represents all believers. As Mary mothered Jesus\, she is now mother to all his followers. Furthermore\, as Jesus died\, he handed over his Spirit. Mary and the Spirit cooperate in begetting new children of God—almost an echo of Luke’s account of Jesus’ conception. Christians can trust that they will continue to experience the caring presence of Mary and Jesus’ Spirit throughout their lives and throughout history.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/our-lady-of-sorrows/2026-09-15/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260916
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260917
DTSTAMP:20170728T180931Z
CREATED:20170728T180931Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170728T180931Z
UID:50940-1789516800-1789603199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Cornelius
DESCRIPTION:Image: Stained glass window in Catholic Church of Saint-Corneille | photo by GFreihalter\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Cornelius\nSaint of the Day for September 16\n(d. 253)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Cornelius’ Story\nThere was no pope for 14 months after the martyrdom of Saint Fabian because of the intensity of the persecution of the Church. During the interval\, the Church was governed by a college of priests. Saint Cyprian\, a friend of Cornelius\, writes that Cornelius was elected pope “by the judgment of God and of Christ\, by the testimony of most of the clergy\, by the vote of the people\, with the consent of aged priests and of good men.” \nThe greatest problem of Cornelius’s two-year term as pope had to do with the Sacrament of Penance and centered on the readmission of Christians who had denied their faith during the time of persecution. Two extremes were finally both condemned. Cyprian\, primate of North Africa\, appealed to the pope to confirm his stand that the relapsed could be reconciled only by the decision of the bishop. \nIn Rome\, however\, Cornelius met with the opposite view. After his election\, a priest named Novatian (one of those who had governed the Church) had himself consecrated a rival bishop of Rome—one of the first antipopes. He denied that the Church had any power to reconcile not only the apostates\, but also those guilty of murder\, adultery\, fornication\, or second marriage! Cornelius had the support of most of the Church (especially of Cyprian of Africa) in condemning Novatianism\, though the sect persisted for several centuries. Cornelius held a synod at Rome in 251 and ordered the “relapsed” to be restored to the Church with the usual “medicines of repentance.” \nThe friendship of Cornelius and Cyprian was strained for a time when one of Cyprian’s rivals made accusations about him. But the problem was cleared up. \nA document from Cornelius shows the extent of organization in the Church of Rome in the mid-third century: 46 priests\, seven deacons\, seven subdeacons. It is estimated that the number of Christians totaled about 50\,000. \nCornelius died as a result of the hardships of his exile in what is now Civitavecchia. \n\nReflection\nIt seems fairly true to say that almost every possible false doctrine has been proposed at some time or other in the history of the Church. The third century saw the resolution of a problem we scarcely consider—the penance to be done before reconciliation with the Church after mortal sin. Men like Cornelius and Cyprian were God’s instruments in helping the Church find a prudent path between extremes of rigorism and laxity. They are part of the Church’s ever-living stream of tradition\, ensuring the continuance of what was begun by Christ\, and evaluating new experiences through the wisdom and experience of those who have gone before.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-cornelius/2026-09-16/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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