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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171124
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171125
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T194210Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T194210Z
UID:5645-1511481600-1511567999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions
DESCRIPTION:Image: St Andrew Dung-Lac and Companion Martyrs | photo by Lawrence OP | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions\nSaint of the Day for November 24\n(d. 1820 – 1862)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions’ Story\nAndrew Dung-Lac was one of 117 people martyred in Vietnam between 1820 and 1862. Members of this group were beatified on four different occasions between 1900 and 1951. All were canonized by Pope John Paul II. \nChristianity came to Vietnam through the Portuguese. Jesuits opened the first permanent mission at Da Nang in 1615. They ministered to Japanese Catholics who had been driven from Japan. \nThe king of one of the kingdoms banned all foreign missionaries and tried to make all Vietnamese deny their faith by trampling on a crucifix. Like the priest-holes in Ireland during English persecution\, many hiding places were offered in homes of the faithful. \nSevere persecutions were again launched three times in the 19th century. During the six decades after 1820\, between 100\,000 and 300\,000 Catholics were killed or subjected to great hardship. Foreign missionaries martyred in the first wave included priests of the Paris Mission Society\, and Spanish Dominican priests and tertiaries. \nPersecution broke out again in 1847 when the emperor suspected foreign missionaries and Vietnamese Christians of sympathizing with a rebellion led by of one of his sons. \nThe last of the martyrs were 17 laypersons\, one of them a 9-year-old\, executed in 1862. That year a treaty with France guaranteed religious freedom to Catholics\, but it did not stop all persecution. \nBy 1954 there were over a million Catholics—about seven percent of the population—in the north. Buddhists represented about 60 percent. Persistent persecution forced some 670\,000 Catholics to abandon lands\, homes and possessions and flee to the south. In 1964\, there were still 833\,000 Catholics in the north\, but many were in prison. In the south\, Catholics were enjoying the first decade of religious freedom in centuries\, their numbers swelled by refugees. \nDuring the Vietnamese war\, Catholics again suffered in the north\, and again moved to the south in great numbers. Now the whole country is under Communist rule. \n\nReflection\nIt may help a people who associate Vietnam only with a 20th-century war to realize that the cross has long been a part of the lives of the people of that country. Even as some people ask again the unanswered questions about United States involvement and disengagement\, the faith rooted in Vietnam’s soil proves hardier than the forces that willed to destroy it.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-andrew-dung-lac-and-companions/2017-11-24/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171123
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171124
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T194100Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T194100Z
UID:5642-1511395200-1511481599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro
DESCRIPTION:Image: The blessed Miguel Agustin Pro\, Mexican Jesuit | photo by Grentidez\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBlessed Miguel Agustín Pro\nSaint of the Day for November 23\n(January 13\, 1891 – November 23\, 1927)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nBlessed Miguel Agustín Pro’s Story\n¡Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King!) were the last words Pro uttered before he was executed for being a Catholic priest and serving his flock. \nBorn into a prosperous\, devout family in Guadalupe de Zacatecas\, Mexico\, he entered the Jesuits in 1911\, but three years later fled to Granada\, Spain\, because of religious persecution in Mexico. He was ordained in Belgium in 1925. \nFr. Pro immediately returned to Mexico\, where he served a Church forced to go “underground.” He celebrated the Eucharist clandestinely and ministered the other sacraments to small groups of Catholics. \nHe and his brother Roberto were arrested on trumped-up charges of attempting to assassinate Mexico’s president. Roberto was spared but Miguel was sentenced to face a firing squad on November 23\, 1927. His funeral became a public demonstration of faith. He was beatified in 1988. \n\nReflection\nWhen Fr. Miguel Pro was executed in 1927\, no one could have predicted that 52 years later the bishop of Rome would visit Mexico\, be welcomed by its president and celebrate open-air Masses before thousands of people. Pope John Paul II made additional trips to Mexico in 1990\, 1993\, 1999 and 2002. Those who outlawed the Catholic Church in Mexico did not count on the deeply rooted faith of its people and the willingness of many of them\, like Miguel Pro\, to die as martyrs.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-miguel-agustin-pro/2017-11-23/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171122
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171123
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T193521Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193521Z
UID:5639-1511308800-1511395199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Cecilia
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Cecilia | photo by Jill Watson | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Cecilia\nSaint of the Day for November 22\n(d. 230?)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Cecilia’s Story\nAlthough Cecilia is one of the most famous of the Roman martyrs\, the familiar stories about her are apparently not founded on authentic material. There is no trace of honor being paid her in early times. A fragmentary inscription of the late fourth century refers to a church named after her\, and her feast was celebrated at least in 545. \nAccording to legend\, Cecilia was a young Christian of high rank betrothed to a Roman named Valerian. Through her influence\, Valerian was converted\, and was martyred along with his brother. The legend about Cecilia’s death says that after being struck three times on the neck with a sword\, she lived for three days\, and asked the pope to convert her home into a church. \nSince the time of the Renaissance she has usually been portrayed with a viola or a small organ. \n\nReflection\nLike any good Christian\, Cecilia sang in her heart\, and sometimes with her voice. She has become a symbol of the Church’s conviction that good music is an integral part of the liturgy\, of greater value to the Church than any other art. \n\nSaint Cecilia is the Patron Saint of:\nMusicians
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-cecilia/2017-11-22/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171122
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T193346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193346Z
UID:5636-1511222400-1511308799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
DESCRIPTION:Image: Presentation of Mary in the Temple | Alfonso Boschi | photo by sailko\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPresentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary\nSaint of the Day for November 21\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary\nMary’s presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem in the sixth century. A church was built there in honor of this mystery. The Eastern Church was more interested in the feast\, but it does appear in the West in the 11th century. Although the feast at times disappeared from the calendar\, in the 16th century it became a feast of the universal Church. \nAs with Mary’s birth\, we read of Mary’s presentation in the temple only in apocryphal literature. In what is recognized as an unhistorical account\, the Protoevangelium of James tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was 3 years old. This was to carry out a promise made to God when Anna was still childless. \nThough it cannot be proven historically\, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond. \n\nReflection\nIt is sometimes difficult for modern Westerners to appreciate a feast like this. The Eastern Church\, however\, was quite open to this feast and even somewhat insistent about celebrating it. Even though the feast has no basis in history\, it stresses an important truth about Mary: From the beginning of her life\, she was dedicated to God. She herself became a greater temple than any made by hands. God came to dwell in her in a marvelous manner and sanctified her for her unique role in God’s saving work. At the same time\, the magnificence of Mary enriches her
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/presentation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/2017-11-21/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171120
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171121
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T193231Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193231Z
UID:5633-1511136000-1511222399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne
DESCRIPTION:Image: Mosaic of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne in the Cathedral Basilica in St. Louis\, MO | photo by Andrew Balet\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Rose Philippine Duchesne\nSaint of the Day for November 20\n(August 29\, 1769 – November 18\, 1852)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Rose Philippine Duchesne’s Story\nBorn in Grenoble\, France\, of a family that was among the new rich\, Philippine learned political skills from her father and a love of the poor from her mother. The dominant feature of her temperament was a strong and dauntless will\, which became the material—and the battlefield—of her holiness. She entered the convent at 19 and remained despite family opposition. As the French Revolution broke\, the convent was closed\, and she began taking care of the poor and sick\, opened a school for homeless children\, and risked her life helping priests in the underground. \nWhen the situation cooled\, she personally rented her old convent\, now a shambles\, and tried to revive its religious life. The spirit was gone\, and soon there were only four nuns left. They joined the infant Society of the Sacred Heart\, whose young superior\, Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat\, would be her lifelong friend. \nIn a short time\, Philippine was a superior and supervisor of the novitiate and a school. But her ambition\, since hearing tales of missionary work in Louisiana as a little girl\, was to go to America and work among the Indians. At 49\, she thought this would be her work. With four nuns\, she spent 11 weeks at sea en route to New Orleans\, and seven weeks more on the Mississippi to St. Louis. She then met one of the many disappointments of her life. The bishop had no place for them to live and work among Native Americans. Instead\, he sent her to what she sadly called “the remotest village in the U.S.\,” St. Charles\, Missouri. With characteristic drive and courage\, she founded the first free school for girls west of the Mississippi. \nIt was a mistake. Though she was as hardy as any of the pioneer women in the wagons rolling west\, cold and hunger drove them out—to Florissant\, Missouri\, where she founded the first Catholic Indian school\, adding others in the territory. \n“In her first decade in America\, Mother Duchesne suffered practically every hardship the frontier had to offer\, except the threat of Indian massacre—poor lodging\, shortages of food\, drinking water\, fuel and money\, forest fires and blazing chimneys\, the vagaries of the Missouri climate\, cramped living quarters and the privation of all privacy\, and the crude manners of children reared in rough surroundings and with only the slightest training in courtesy” (Louise Callan\, R.S.C.J.\, Philippine Duchesne). \nFinally\, at 72\, in poor health and retired\, Philippine got her lifelong wish. A mission was founded at Sugar Creek\, Kansas\, among the Potawatomi. She was taken along. Though she could not learn their language\, they soon named her “Woman-Who-Prays-Always.” While others taught\, she prayed. Legend has it that Native American children sneaked behind her as she knelt and sprinkled bits of paper on her habit\, and came back hours later to find them undisturbed. She died in 1852 at the age of 83 and was canonized in 1988. \n\nReflection\nDivine grace channeled her iron will and determination into humility and selflessness\, and to a desire not to be made superior. Still\, even saints can get involved in silly situations. In an argument with her over a minor change in the sanctuary\, a priest threatened to remove the tabernacle. She patiently let herself be criticized by younger nuns for not being progressive enough. For 31 years\, she hewed to the line of a dauntless love and an unshakable observance of her religious vows. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne is November 18.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-rose-philippine-duchesne/2017-11-20/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171119
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171120
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T193121Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193121Z
UID:5630-1511049600-1511135999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Agnes of Assisi
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Agnes of Assisi | France | gift of E. Royall Tyler\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Agnes of Assisi\nSaint of the Day for November 19\n(c. 1197 –  November 16\, 1253)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Agnes of Assisi’s Story\nAgnes was the sister of Saint Clare and her first follower. When Agnes left home two weeks after Clare’s departure\, their family attempted to bring Agnes back by force. They tried to drag her out of the monastery\, but all of a sudden her body became so heavy that several knights could not budge it. Her uncle Monaldo tried to strike her but was temporarily paralyzed. The knights then left Agnes and Clare in peace. \nAgnes matched her sister in devotion to prayer and in willingness to endure the strict penances which characterized their lives at San Damiano. In 1221 a group of Benedictine nuns in Monticelli (near Florence) asked to become Poor Clares. Saint Clare sent Agnes to become abbess of that monastery. Agnes soon wrote a rather sad letter about how much she missed Clare and the other nuns at San Damiano. After establishing other Poor Clare monasteries in northern Italy\, Agnes was recalled to San Damiano in 1253 when Clare was dying. \nAgnes followed Clare in death three months later\, and was canonized in 1753. \n\nReflection\nGod must love irony; the world is so full of it. In 1212\, many in Assisi surely felt that Clare and Agnes were wasting their lives and were turning their backs on the world. In reality\, their lives were tremendously life-giving\, and the world has been enriched by the example of these poor contemplatives.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-agnes-of-assisi/2017-11-19/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171119
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T193004Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T193004Z
UID:5627-1510963200-1511049599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Dedication of Churches of Saints Peter and Paul
DESCRIPTION:Image: The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican | photo by Fczarnowski / Image: Statue of Saint Paul in front of the facade of the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Wall\, Rome | photo by Berthold Werner\n\nDedication of Churches of Saints Peter and Paul\nSaint of the Day for November 18\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of the Dedication of the Churches of Saints Peter and Paul\nSt. Peter’s is probably the most famous church in Christendom. Massive in scale and a veritable museum of art and architecture\, it began on a much humbler scale. Vatican Hill was a simple cemetery where believers gathered at Saint Peter’s tomb to pray. In 319\, Constantine built a basilica on the site that stood for more than a thousand years until\, despite numerous restorations\, it threatened to collapse. In 1506\, Pope Julius II ordered it razed and reconstructed\, but the new basilica was not completed and dedicated for more than two centuries. \nSt. Paul’s Outside-the-Walls stands near the Abaazia delle Tre Fontane\, where Saint Paul is believed to have been beheaded. The largest church in Rome until St. Peter’s was rebuilt\, the basilica also rises over the traditional site of its namesake’s grave. The most recent edifice was constructed after a fire in 1823. The first basilica was also Constantine’s doing. \nConstantine’s building projects enticed the first of a centuries-long parade of pilgrims to Rome. From the time the basilicas were first built until the empire crumbled under “barbarian” invasions\, the two churches\, although miles apart\, were linked by a roofed colonnade of marble columns. \n\nReflection\nPeter\, the rough fisherman whom Jesus named the rock on which the Church is built\, and the educated Paul\, reformed persecutor of Christians\, Roman citizen\, and missionary to the gentiles\, are the original odd couple. The major similarity in their faith-journeys is the journey’s end: both\, according to tradition\, died a martyr’s death in Rome—Peter on a cross and Paul beneath the sword. Their combined gifts shaped the early Church and believers have prayed at their tombs from the earliest days.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/dedication-of-churches-of-saints-peter-and-paul/2017-11-18/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171117
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171118
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T192819Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192819Z
UID:5624-1510876800-1510963199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Elizabeth of Hungary
DESCRIPTION:Image: Detail | Saint Elizabeth of Hungary | Series of frescoes with scenes from the life of St. Martin of tours in the Lower Church of Saint Francis of Assisi | Simone Martini\n\nSaint Elizabeth of Hungary\nSaint of the Day for November 17\n(1207 – November 17\, 1231)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Elizabeth of Hungary’s Story\nIn her short life\, Elizabeth manifested such great love for the poor and suffering that she has become the patroness of Catholic charities and of the Secular Franciscan Order. The daughter of the King of Hungary\, Elizabeth chose a life of penance and asceticism when a life of leisure and luxury could easily have been hers. This choice endeared her in the hearts of the common people throughout Europe. \nAt the age of 14\, Elizabeth was married to Louis of Thuringia\, whom she deeply loved. She bore three children. Under the spiritual direction of a Franciscan friar\, she led a life of prayer\, sacrifice\, and service to the poor and sick. Seeking to become one with the poor\, she wore simple clothing. Daily she would take bread to hundreds of the poorest in the land who came to her gate. \nAfter six years of marriage\, her husband died in the Crusades\, and Elizabeth was grief-stricken. Her husband’s family looked upon her as squandering the royal purse\, and mistreated her\, finally throwing her out of the palace. The return of her husband’s allies from the Crusades resulted in her being reinstated\, since her son was legal heir to the throne. \nIn 1228\, Elizabeth joined the Secular Franciscan Order\, spending the remaining few years of her life caring for the poor in a hospital which she founded in honor of Saint Francis. Elizabeth’s health declined\, and she died before her 24th birthday in 1231. Her great popularity resulted in her canonization four years later. \n\nReflection\nElizabeth understood well the lesson Jesus taught when he washed his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper: The Christian must be one who serves the humblest needs of others\, even if one serves from an exalted position. Of royal blood\, Elizabeth could have lorded it over her subjects. Yet she served them with such a loving heart that her brief life won for her a special place in the hearts of many. Elizabeth is also an example to us in her following the guidance of a spiritual director. Growth in the spiritual life is a difficult process. We can play games very easily if we don’t have someone to challenge us. \n\nSaint Elizabeth of Hungary is the Patron Saint of:\nBakers\nCatholic Charities\nSecular Franciscan Order
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-elizabeth-of-hungary/2017-11-17/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171116
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171117
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T192649Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192649Z
UID:5621-1510790400-1510876799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Margaret of Scotland
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Margaret of Scotland | François Augustin Caunois | photo by BastienM\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Margaret of Scotland\nSaint of the Day for November 16\n(1045 – November 16\, 1093)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Margaret of Scotland’s Story\nMargaret of Scotland was a truly liberated woman in the sense that she was free to be herself. For her\, that meant freedom to love God and serve others. \nNot Scottish by birth\, Margaret was the daughter of Princess Agatha of Hungary and the Anglo-Saxon Prince Edward Atheling. She spent much of her youth in the court of her great-uncle\, the English king\, Edward the Confessor. Her family fled from William the Conqueror and was shipwrecked off the coast of Scotland. King Malcolm befriended them and was captivated by the beautiful\, gracious Margaret. They were married at the castle of Dunfermline in 1070. \nMalcolm was good-hearted\, but rough and uncultured\, as was his country. Because of Malcolm’s love for Margaret\, she was able to soften his temper\, polish his manners\, and help him become a virtuous king. He left all domestic affairs to her\, and often consulted her in state matters. \nMargaret tried to improve her adopted country by promoting the arts and education. For religious reform she encouraged synods and was present for the discussions which tried to correct religious abuses common among priests and laypeople\, such as simony\, usury\, and incestuous marriages. With her husband\, she founded several churches. \nMargaret was not only a queen\, but a mother. She and Malcolm had six sons and two daughters. Margaret personally supervised their religious instruction and other studies. \nAlthough she was very much caught up in the affairs of the household and country\, she remained detached from the world. Her private life was austere. She had certain times for prayer and reading Scripture. She ate sparingly and slept little in order to have time for devotions. She and Malcolm kept two Lents\, one before Easter and one before Christmas. During these times she always rose at midnight for Mass. On the way home she would wash the feet of six poor persons and give them alms. She was always surrounded by beggars in public and never refused them. It is recorded that she never sat down to eat without first feeding nine orphans and 24 adults. \nIn 1093\, King William Rufus made a surprise attack on Alnwick castle. King Malcolm and his oldest son\, Edward\, were killed. Margaret\, already on her deathbed\, died four days after her husband. \n\nReflection\nThere are two ways to be charitable: the “clean way” and the “messy way.” The “clean way” is to give money or clothing to organizations that serve the poor. The “messy way” is dirtying your own hands in personal service to the poor. Margaret’s outstanding virtue was her love of the poor. Although very generous with material gifts\, Margaret also visited the sick and nursed them with her own hands. She and her husband served orphans and the poor on their knees during Advent and Lent. Like Christ\, she was charitable the “messy way.”
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-margaret-of-scotland/2017-11-16/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171115
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171116
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T192522Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192522Z
UID:5618-1510704000-1510790399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Albert the Great
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Albert the Great | Vincenzo Onofri | photo by sailko\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Albert the Great\nSaint of the Day for November 15\n(1206 – November 15\, 1280)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Albert the Great’s Story\nAlbert the Great was a 13th-century German Dominican who decisively influenced the Church’s stance toward Aristotelian philosophy brought to Europe by the spread of Islam. \nStudents of philosophy know him as the master of Thomas Aquinas. Albert’s attempt to understand Aristotle’s writings established the climate in which Thomas Aquinas developed his synthesis of Greek wisdom and Christian theology. But Albert deserves recognition on his own merits as a curious\, honest\, and diligent scholar. \nHe was the eldest son of a powerful and wealthy German lord of military rank. He was educated in the liberal arts. Despite fierce family opposition\, he entered the Dominican novitiate. \nHis boundless interests prompted him to write a compendium of all knowledge: natural science\, logic\, rhetoric\, mathematics\, astronomy\, ethics\, economics\, politics\, and metaphysics. His explanation of learning took 20 years to complete. “Our intention\,” he said\, “is to make all the aforesaid parts of knowledge intelligible to the Latins.” \nHe achieved his goal while serving as an educator at Paris and Cologne\, as Dominican provincial\, and even as bishop of Regensburg for a short time. He defended the mendicant orders and preached the Crusade in Germany and Bohemia. \nAlbert\, a Doctor of the Church\, is the patron of scientists and philosophers. \n\nReflection\nAn information glut faces us Christians today in all branches of learning. One needs only to read current Catholic periodicals to experience the varied reactions to the findings of the social sciences\, for example\, in regard to Christian institutions\, Christian life-styles\, and Christian theology. Ultimately\, in canonizing Albert\, the Church seems to point to his openness to truth\, wherever it may be found\, as his claim to holiness. His characteristic curiosity prompted Albert to mine deeply for wisdom within a philosophy his Church warmed to with great difficulty. \n\nSaint Albert the Great is the Patron Saint of:\nMedical Technicians\nPhilosophers\nScientists \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for November 15 is Blessed Mary of the Passion.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-albert-the-great/2017-11-15/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171115
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T192406Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192407Z
UID:5615-1510617600-1510703999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Gertrude the Great
DESCRIPTION:Image: The high altar statue of Saint Gertrude the Great with a mouse on the distaff| Grafenbach\, Austria | photo by Rollroboter\nSaint Gertrude the Great\nSaint of the Day for November 14\n(January 6\, 1256 – November 17\, 1302)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Gertrude the Great’s Story\nGertrude\, a Benedictine nun in Helfta\, Saxony\, was one of the great mystics of the 13th century. Together with her friend and teacher Saint Mechtild\, she practiced a spirituality called “nuptial mysticism\,” that is\, she came to see herself as the bride of Christ. Her spiritual life was a deeply personal union with Jesus and his Sacred Heart\, leading her into the very life of the Trinity. \nBut this was no individualistic piety. Gertrude lived the rhythm of the liturgy\, where she found Christ. In the liturgy and in Scripture she found the themes and images to enrich and express her piety. There was no clash between her personal prayer life and the liturgy. \n\nReflection\nSaint Gertrude’s life is another reminder that the heart of the Christian life is prayer: private and liturgical\, ordinary or mystical\, but always personal. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Gertrude the Great is November 16.\n\nSaint Gertrude the Great is the Patron Saint of:\nWest Indies
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-gertrude-the-great/2017-11-14/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171113
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171114
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T192247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192247Z
UID:5612-1510531200-1510617599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
DESCRIPTION:Image: Statue of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini in the portico of the sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary in Pompei | photo by Dario Crespi\nSaint Frances Xavier Cabrini\nSaint of the Day for November 13\n(July 15\, 1850 – December 22\, 1917)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Frances Xavier Cabrini’s Story\nFrances Xavier Cabrini was the first United States citizen to be canonized. Her deep trust in the loving care of her God gave her the strength to be a valiant woman doing the work of Christ. \nRefused admission to the religious order which had educated her to be a teacher\, she began charitable work at the House of Providence Orphanage in Cadogno\, Italy. In September 1877\, she made her vows there and took the religious habit. \nWhen the bishop closed the orphanage in 1880\, he named Frances prioress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Seven young women from the orphanage joined her. \nSince her early childhood in Italy\, Frances had wanted to be a missionary in China but\, at the urging of Pope Leo XIII\, Frances went west instead of east. She traveled with six sisters to New York City to work with the thousands of Italian immigrants living there. \nShe found disappointment and difficulties with every step. When she arrived in New York\, the house intended to be her first orphanage in the United States was not available. The archbishop advised her to return to Italy. But Frances\, truly a valiant woman\, departed from the archbishop’s residence all the more determined to establish that orphanage. And she did. \nIn 35 years\, Frances Xavier Cabrini founded 67 institutions dedicated to caring for the poor\, the abandoned\, the uneducated and the sick. Seeing great need among Italian immigrants who were losing their faith\, she organized schools and adult education classes. \nAs a child\, she was always frightened of water\, unable to overcome her fear of drowning. Yet\, despite this fear\, she traveled across the Atlantic Ocean more than 30 times. She died of malaria in her own Columbus Hospital in Chicago. \n\nReflection\nThe compassion and dedication of Mother Cabrini is still seen in hundreds of thousands of her fellow citizens who care for the sick in hospitals\, nursing homes\, and state institutions. We complain of increased medical costs in an affluent society\, but the daily news shows us millions who have little or no medical care\, and who are calling for new Mother Cabrinis to become citizen-servants of their land. \n\nSaint Frances Xavier Cabrini is the Patron Saint of:\nHospital Administrators\nImmigrants\nImpossible Causes\nIndia
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-frances-xavier-cabrini/2017-11-13/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171112
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171113
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T192132Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192132Z
UID:5609-1510444800-1510531199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Josaphat
DESCRIPTION:Image: Icon of St. martyr Josaphat Kutsevych\, Archbishop of Polotsk | photo by Mykola Swarnyk\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Josaphat\nSaint of the Day for November 12\n(c. 1580 –  November 12\, 1623)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Josaphat’s Story\nIn 1964\, newspaper photos of Pope Paul VI embracing Athenagoras I\, the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople\, marked a significant step toward the healing of a division in Christendom that has spanned more than nine centuries. \nIn 1595\, when today’s saint was a boy\, the Orthodox bishop of Brest-Litovsk in present-day Belarus and five other bishops representing millions of Ruthenians\, sought reunion with Rome. John Kunsevich (who took the name Josaphat in religious life) was to dedicate his life and die for the same cause. Born in what is now Ukraine\, he went to work in Wilno and was influenced by clergy adhering to the Union of Brest (1596). He became a Basilian monk\, then a priest\, and soon was well known as a preacher and as an ascetic. \nHe became bishop of Vitebsk at a relatively young age\, and faced a difficult situation. Most monks\, fearing interference in liturgy and customs\, did not want union with Rome. By synods\, catechetical instruction\, reform of the clergy\, and personal example\, however\, Josaphat was successful in winning the greater part of the Orthodox in that area to the union. \nBut the next year a dissident hierarchy was set up\, and his opposite number spread the accusation that Josaphat had “gone Latin” and that all his people would have to do the same. He was not enthusiastically supported by the Latin bishops of Poland. \nDespite warnings\, he went to Vitebsk\, still a hotbed of trouble. Attempts were made to foment trouble and drive him from the diocese: A priest was sent to shout insults to him from his own courtyard. When Josaphat had him removed and shut up in his house\, the opposition rang the town hall bell\, and a mob assembled. The priest was released\, but members of the mob broke into the bishop’s home. Josaphat was struck with a halberd\, then shot\, and his body thrown into the river. It was later recovered and is now buried in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He was the first saint of the Eastern Church to be canonized by Rome. \nHis death brought a movement toward Catholicism and unity\, but the controversy continued\, and the dissidents\, too\, had their martyr. After the partition of Poland\, the Russians forced most Ruthenians to join the Russian Orthodox Church. \n\nReflection\nThe seeds of separation were sown in the fourth century when the Roman Empire was divided into East and West. The actual split came over customs such as using unleavened bread\, Saturday fasting and celibacy. No doubt the political involvement of religious leaders on both sides was a large factor\, and doctrinal disagreement was present. But no reason was enough to justify the present tragic division in Christendom\, which is 64 percent Roman Catholic\, 13 percent Eastern Churches (mostly Orthodox) and 23 percent Protestant\, and this when the 71 percent of the world that is not Christian should be experiencing unity and Christ-like charity from Christians!
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-josaphat/2017-11-12/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171111
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171112
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T192018Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T192018Z
UID:5606-1510358400-1510444799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Martin of Tours
DESCRIPTION:Image: Statue of Saint Martin of Tours on the dome of the Basilica of Saint Martin of Tours | photo by ZohaStel\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Martin of Tours\nSaint of the Day for November 11\n(c. 316 – November 8\, 397)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Martin of Tours’ Story\nA conscientious objector who wanted to be a monk; a monk who was maneuvered into being a bishop; a bishop who fought paganism as well as pleaded for mercy to heretics—such was Martin of Tours\, one of the most popular of saints and one of the first not to be a martyr. \nBorn of pagan parents in what is now Hungary and raised in Italy\, this son of a veteran was forced at the age of 15 to serve in the army. He became a Christian catechumen and was baptized at 18. It was said that he lived more like a monk than a soldier. At 23\, he refused a war bonus and told his commander: “I have served you as a soldier; now let me serve Christ. Give the bounty to those who are going to fight. But I am a soldier of Christ and it is not lawful for me to fight.” After great difficulties\, he was discharged and went to be a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers. \nHe was ordained an exorcist and worked with great zeal against the Arians. He became a monk\, living first at Milan and later on a small island. When Hilary was restored to his see after exile\, Martin returned to France and established what may have been the first French monastery near Poitiers. He lived there for 10 years\, forming his disciples and preaching throughout the countryside. \nThe people of Tours demanded that he become their bishop. He was drawn to that city by a ruse—the need of a sick person—and was brought to the church\, where he reluctantly allowed himself to be consecrated bishop. Some of the consecrating bishops thought his rumpled appearance and unkempt hair indicated that he was not dignified enough for the office. \nAlong with Saint Ambrose\, Martin rejected Bishop Ithacius’s principle of putting heretics to death—as well as the intrusion of the emperor into such matters. He prevailed upon the emperor to spare the life of the heretic Priscillian. For his efforts\, Martin was accused of the same heresy\, and Priscillian was executed after all. Martin then pleaded for a cessation of the persecution of Priscillian’s followers in Spain. He still felt he could cooperate with Ithacius in other areas\, but afterwards his conscience troubled him about this decision. \nAs death approached\, his followers begged him not to leave them. He prayed\, “Lord\, if your people still need me\, I do not refuse the work. Your will be done.” \n\nReflection\nMartin’s worry about cooperation with evil reminds us that almost nothing is either all black or all white. The saints are not creatures of another world: They face the same perplexing decisions that we do. Any decision of conscience always involves some risk. If we choose to go north\, we may never know what would have happened had we gone east\, west or south. A hyper-cautious withdrawal from all perplexing situations is not the virtue of prudence; it is\, in fact\, a bad decision\, for “not to decide is to decide.” \n\nSaint Martin of Tours is the Patron Saint of:\nHorses\nSoldiers\nSouth Africa
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-martin-of-tours/2017-11-11/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171110
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171111
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T191906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T191906Z
UID:5603-1510272000-1510358399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Leo the Great
DESCRIPTION:Image: The Meeting between Leo the Great (painted as a portrait of Leo X) and Attila | Raphael | photo by Art Renewal Center\nSaint Leo the Great\nSaint of the Day for November 10\n(d. November 10\, 461)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Leo the Great’s Story\nWith apparent strong conviction of the importance of the Bishop of Rome in the Church\, and of the Church as the ongoing sign of Christ’s presence in the world\, Leo the Great displayed endless dedication as pope. Elected in 440\, he worked tirelessly as “Peter’s successor\,” guiding his fellow bishops as “equals in the episcopacy and infirmities.” \nLeo is known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. His work branched into four main areas\, indicative of his notion of the pope’s total responsibility for the flock of Christ. He worked at length to control the heresies of Pelagianism (overemphasizing human freedom)\, Manichaeism (seeing everything material as evil) and others\, placing demands on their followers so as to secure true Christian beliefs. \nA second major area of his concern was doctrinal controversy in the Church in the East\, to which he responded with a classic letter setting down the Church’s teaching on the two natures of Christ. With strong faith\, he also led the defense of Rome against barbarian attack\, taking the role of peacemaker. \nIn these three areas\, Leo’s work has been highly regarded. His growth to sainthood has its basis in the spiritual depth with which he approached the pastoral care of his people\, which was the fourth focus of his work. He is known for his spiritually profound sermons. An instrument of the call to holiness\, well-versed in Scripture and ecclesiastical awareness\, Leo had the ability to reach the everyday needs and interests of his people. One of his sermons is used in the Office of Readings on Christmas. \nIt is said of Leo that his true significance rests in his doctrinal insistence on the mysteries of Christ and the Church and in the supernatural charisms of the spiritual life given to humanity in Christ and in his Body\, the Church. Thus Leo held firmly that everything he did and said as pope for the administration of the Church represented Christ\, the head of the Mystical Body\, and Saint Peter\, in whose place Leo acted. \n\nReflection\nAt a time when there is widespread criticism of Church structures\, we also hear criticism that bishops and priests—indeed\, all of us—are too preoccupied with administration of temporal matters. Pope Leo is an example of a great administrator who used his talents in areas where spirit and structure are inseparably combined: doctrine\, peace\, and pastoral care. He avoided an “angelism” that tries to live without the body\, as well as the “practicality” that deals only in externals.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-leo-the-great/2017-11-10/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171109
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171110
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T191741Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T191741Z
UID:5600-1510185600-1510271999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Dedication of St. John Lateran
DESCRIPTION:Image: Archbasilica of St John Lateran\, Rome | photo by Livioandronico2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDedication of St. John Lateran\nSaint of the Day for November 9\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nStory of the Dedication of St. John Lateran\nMost Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church\, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s church\, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides. \nThe first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire\, earthquake\, and the ravages of war\, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated until the popes returned from Avignon in the 14th century to find the church and the adjoining palace in ruins. \nPope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches\, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ\, John the Baptist\, John the Evangelist\, and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds Saint Peter himself celebrated Mass. \n\nReflection\nUnlike the commemorations of other Roman churches\, this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense\, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics\, because it is the pope’s cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/dedication-of-st-john-lateran/2017-11-09/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171108
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171109
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T191614Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T191614Z
UID:5597-1510099200-1510185599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed John Duns Scotus
DESCRIPTION:Image: Detail | Stained glass in Franciscan Convent Chapel in Paris | Saints Bonaventure\, John Duns Scotus\, Anthony of Padua\, and Paschal Baylon | André Pierre and P. Villette | photo by GFreihalter\nBlessed John Duns Scotus\nSaint of the Day for November 8\n(c. 1266 – November 8\, 1308)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nBlessed John Duns Scotus’ Story\nA humble man\, John Duns Scotus has been one of the most influential Franciscans through the centuries. Born at Duns in the county of Berwick\, Scotland\, John was descended from a wealthy farming family. In later years\, he was identified as John Duns Scotus to indicate the land of his birth; Scotia is the Latin name for Scotland. \nJohn received the habit of the Friars Minor at Dumfries\, where his uncle Elias Duns was superior. After novitiate\, John studied at Oxford and Paris and was ordained in 1291. More studies in Paris followed until 1297\, when he returned to lecture at Oxford and Cambridge. Four years later\, he returned to Paris to teach and complete the requirements for the doctorate. \nIn an age when many people adopted whole systems of thought without qualification\, John pointed out the richness of the Augustinian-Franciscan tradition\, appreciated the wisdom of Aquinas\, Aristotle and the Muslim philosophers—and still managed to be an independent thinker. That quality was proven in 1303 when King Philip the Fair tried to enlist the University of Paris on his side in a dispute with Pope Boniface VIII. John Duns Scotus dissented and was given three days to leave France. \nIn Scotus’s time\, some philosophers held that people are basically determined by forces outside themselves. Free will is an illusion\, they argued. An ever-practical man\, Scotus said that if he started beating someone who denied free will\, the person would immediately tell him to stop. But if Scotus didn’t really have a free will\, how could he stop? John had a knack for finding illustrations his students could remember! \nAfter a short stay in Oxford\, he returned to Paris\, where he received the doctorate in 1305. He continued teaching there and in 1307 so ably defended the Immaculate Conception of Mary that the university officially adopted his position. That same year the minister general assigned him to the Franciscan school in Cologne where John died in 1308. He is buried in the Franciscan church near the famous Cologne cathedral. \nDrawing on the work of John Duns Scotus\, Pope Pius IX solemnly defined the Immaculate Conception of Mary in 1854. John Duns Scotus\, the “Subtle Doctor\,” was beatified in 1993. \n\nReflection\nFather Charles Balic\, O.F.M.\, the foremost 20th-century authority on Scotus\, has written: “The whole of Scotus’s theology is dominated by the notion of love. The characteristic note of this love is its absolute freedom. As love becomes more perfect and intense\, freedom becomes more noble and integral both in God and in man” (New Catholic Encyclopedia\, Vol. 4\, p. 1105).
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-john-duns-scotus/2017-11-08/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171107
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171108
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T191450Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T191450Z
UID:5594-1510012800-1510099199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Didacus
DESCRIPTION:Image: San Diego (Didacus) de Alcalá | Francisco de Zurbarán\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Didacus\nSaint of the Day for November 7\n(c. 1400 – November 12\, 1463)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nDidacus is living proof that God “chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong.” \nAs a young man in Spain\, Didacus joined the Secular Franciscan Order and lived for some time as a hermit. After Didacus became a Franciscan brother\, he developed a reputation for great insight into God’s ways. His penances were heroic. He was so generous with the poor that the friars sometimes grew uneasy about his charity. \nDidacus volunteered for the missions in the Canary Islands and labored there energetically and profitably. He was also the superior of a friary there. \nIn 1450\, he was sent to Rome to attend the canonization of Saint Bernardine of Siena. When many friars gathered for that celebration fell sick\, Didacus stayed in Rome for three months to nurse them. After he returned to Spain\, he pursued a life of contemplation full-time. He showed the friars the wisdom of God’s ways. \nAs he was dying\, Didacus looked at a crucifix and said: “O faithful wood\, O precious nails! You have borne an exceedingly sweet burden\, for you have been judged worthy to bear the Lord and King of heaven” (Marion A. Habig\, O.F.M.\, The Franciscan Book of Saints\, p. 834). \nSan Diego\, California\, is named for this Franciscan\, who was canonized in 1588. \n\nReflection\nWe cannot be neutral about genuinely holy people. We either admire them or we consider them foolish. Didacus is a saint because he used his life to serve God and God’s people. Can we say the same for ourselves? \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for November 7 is Saint Willibrord.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-didacus/2017-11-07/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171106
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171107
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T191326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T191326Z
UID:5591-1509926400-1510012799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Nicholas Tavelic and Companions
DESCRIPTION:Image: Altar of Saint Nikola Tavelić in church of St. Francis of Assisi\, Šibenik\, Croatia | photo by ignot\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Nicholas Tavelic and Companions\nSaint of the Day for November 6\n(1340 – November 14\, 1391)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Nicholas Tavelic and Companions’ Story\nNicholas and his three companions are among the 158 Franciscans who have been martyred in the Holy Land since the friars became custodians of the shrines in 1335. \nNicholas was born in 1340 to a wealthy and noble family in Croatia. He joined the Franciscans and was sent with Deodat of Rodez to preach in Bosnia. In 1384\, they volunteered for the Holy Land missions and were sent there. They looked after the holy places\, cared for the Christian pilgrims\, and studied Arabic. \nIn 1391\, Nicholas\, Deodat\, Peter of Narbonne and Stephen of Cuneo decided to take a direct approach to converting the Muslims. On November 11\, 1391\, they went to the huge Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem and asked to see the Qadi (Muslim official). Reading from a prepared statement\, they said that all people must accept the Gospel of Jesus. When they were ordered to retract their statement\, they refused. After beatings and imprisonment\, they were beheaded before a large crowd. \nNicholas and his companions were canonized in 1970. They are the only Franciscans martyred in the Holy Land to be canonized. \n\nReflection\nFrancis presented two missionary approaches for his friars. Nicholas and his companions followed the first approach (live quietly and give witness to Christ) for several years. Then they felt called to take the second approach of preaching openly. Their Franciscan confreres in the Holy Land are still working by example to make Jesus better known. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of  Saint Nicholas Tavelic and Companions is November 14.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-nicholas-tavelic-and-companions/2017-11-06/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171105
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171106
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T191211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T191211Z
UID:5588-1509840000-1509926399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Venerable Solanus Casey
DESCRIPTION:Image: Venerable Solanus Casey Shrine | Saint Mary Magdalen Church\, Brighton\, Michigan | photo by Nheyob\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVenerable Solanus Casey\nSaint of the Day for November 5\n(November 25\, 1875 – July 31\, 1957)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nVenerable Solanus Casey’s Story\nBarney Casey became one of Detroit’s best-known priests even though he was not allowed to preach formally or to hear confessions! \nBarney came from a large family in Oak Grove\, Wisconsin. At the age of 21\, and after he had worked as a logger\, a hospital orderly\, a streetcar operator\, and a prison guard\, he entered St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee—where he found the studies difficult. He left there and\, in 1896\, joined the Capuchins in Detroit\, taking the name Solanus. His studies for the priesthood were again arduous. \nOn July 24\, 1904\, he was ordained\, but because his knowledge of theology was judged to be weak\, Solanus was not given permission to hear confessions or to preach. A Franciscan Capuchin who knew him well said this annoying restriction “brought forth in him a greatness and a holiness that might never have been realized in any other way.” \nDuring his 14 years as porter and sacristan in Yonkers\, New York\, the people there recognized him as a fine speaker. “For\, though he was forbidden to deliver doctrinal sermons\,” writes his biographer\, James Derum\, “he could give inspirational talks\, or feverinos\, as the Capuchins termed them.” His spiritual fire deeply impressed his listeners. \nFr. Solanus served at parishes in Manhattan and Harlem before returning to Detroit\, where he was porter and sacristan for 20 years at St. Bonaventure Monastery. Every Wednesday afternoon he conducted well-attended services for the sick. A coworker estimates that on the average day 150 to 200 people came to see Fr. Solanus in the front office. Most of them came to receive his blessing; 40 to 50 came for consultation. Many people considered him instrumental in cures and other blessings they received. \nFather Solanus’ sense of God’s providence inspired many of his visitors. “Blessed be God in all his designs” was one of his favorite expressions. \nThe many friends of Father Solanus helped the Capuchins begin a soup kitchen during the Depression. Capuchins are still feeding the hungry there today. \nIn 1946\, in failing health\, he was transferred to the Capuchin novitiate in Huntington\, Indiana\, where he lived until 1956 when he was hospitalized in Detroit. He died on July 31\, 1957. An estimated 20\,000 people passed by his coffin before his burial in St. Bonaventure Church in Detroit. \nAt the funeral Mass\, the provincial Father Gerald said: “His was a life of service and love for people like me and you. When he was not himself sick\, he nevertheless suffered with and for you that were sick. When he was not physically hungry\, he hungered with people like you. He had a divine love for people. He loved people for what he could do for them—and for God\, through them.” \nIn 1960\, a Father Solanus Guild was formed in Detroit to aid Capuchin seminarians. By 1967\, the guild had 5\,000 members—many of them grateful recipients of his practical advice and his comforting assurance that God would not abandon them in their trials. He was declared Venerable in 1995. \n\nReflection\nJames Patrick Derum\, his biographer\, writes that eventually Father Solanus was weary from bearing the burdens of the people who visited him. “Long since\, he had come to know the Christ-taught truth that pure love of God and one’s fellowmen as children of God are in the final event all that matter. Living this truth ardently and continuously had made him\, spiritually\, a free man—free from slavery to passions\, from self-seeking\, from self-indulgence\, from self-pity—free to serve wholly both God and man” (The Porter of St. Bonaventure’s\, page 199). \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Venerable Solanus Casey is November 3.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/venerable-solanus-casey/2017-11-05/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171104
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171105
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T191043Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T191043Z
UID:5585-1509753600-1509839999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Charles Borromeo
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Carlo Borromeo\, cardinal of Milan | Wellcome Images\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Charles Borromeo\nSaint of the Day for November 4\n(October 2\, 1538 – November 3\, 1584)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Charles Borromeo’s Story\nThe name of Saint Charles Borromeo is associated with reform. He lived during the time of the Protestant Reformation\, and had a hand in the reform of the whole Church during the final years of the Council of Trent. \nAlthough he belonged to Milanese nobility and was related to the powerful Medici family\, he desired to devote himself to the Church. When his uncle\, Cardinal de Medici\, was elected pope in 1559 as Pius IV\, he made Charles cardinal-deacon and administrator of the Archdiocese of Milan while he was still a layman and a young student. Because of his intellectual qualities he was entrusted with several important offices connected with the Vatican and later appointed secretary of state with responsibility for the papal states. The untimely death of his elder brother brought Charles to a definite decision to be ordained a priest\, despite relatives’ insistence that he marry. Soon after he was ordained a priest at the age of 25\, he was consecrated bishop of Milan. \nBecause of his work at the Council of Trent\, he was not allowed to take up residence in Milan until the Council was over. Charles had encouraged the pope to renew the Council in 1562 after it had been suspended for 10 years. Working behind the scenes\, Saint Charles deserves the credit for keeping the Council in session when at several points it was on the verge of breaking up. He took upon himself the task of the entire correspondence during the final phase. \nEventually\, Charles was allowed to devote his time to the Archdiocese of Milan\, where the religious and moral picture was far from bright. The reform needed in every phase of Catholic life among both clergy and laity was initiated at a provincial council of all the bishops under him. Specific regulations were drawn up for bishops and other clergy: If the people were to be converted to a better life\, he had to be the first to give a good example and renew their apostolic spirit. \nCharles took the initiative in giving a good example. He allotted most of his income to charity\, forbade himself all luxury and imposed severe penances upon himself. He sacrificed wealth\, high honors\, esteem\, and influence to become poor. During the plague and famine of 1576\, he tried to feed 60\,000 to 70\,000 people daily. To do this he borrowed large sums of money that required years to repay. Whereas the civil authorities fled at the height of the plague\, he stayed in the city\, where he ministered to the sick and the dying\, helping those in want. \nWork and the heavy burdens of his high office began to affect his health. He died at the age of 46. \n\nReflection\nSaint Charles made his own the words of Christ: “…I was hungry and you gave me food\, I was thirsty and you gave me drink\, a stranger and you welcomed me\, naked and you clothed me\, ill and you cared for me\, in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:35-36). Charles saw Christ in his neighbor and knew that charity done for the least of his flock was charity done for Christ. \n\nSaint Charles Borromeo is the Patron Saint of:\nCatechists\nCatechumens\nSeminarians
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-charles-borromeo/2017-11-04/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171103
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171104
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T183310Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T190724Z
UID:5582-1509667200-1509753599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Martin de Porres
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Martin de Porres | St Dominic’s priory church in London | photo by Lawrence OP\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Martin de Porres\nSaint of the Day for November 3\n(December 9\, 1579 – November 3\, 1639)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Martin de Porres’ Story\n“Father unknown” is the cold legal phrase sometimes used on baptismal records. “Half-breed” or “war souvenir” is the cruel name inflicted by those of “pure” blood. Like many others\, Martin might have grown to be a bitter man\, but he did not. It was said that even as a child he gave his heart and his goods to the poor and despised. \nHe was the son of a freed woman of Panama\, probably black but also possibly of Native American stock\, and a Spanish grandee of Lima\, Peru. His parents never married each other. Martin inherited the features and dark complexion of his mother. That irked his father\, who finally acknowledged his son after eight years. After the birth of a sister\, the father abandoned the family. Martin was reared in poverty\, locked into a low level of Lima’s society. \nWhen he was 12\, his mother apprenticed him to a barber-surgeon. He learned how to cut hair and also how to draw blood (a standard medical treatment then)\, care for wounds\, and prepare and administer medicines. \nAfter a few years in this medical apostolate\, Martin applied to the Dominicans to be a “lay helper\,” not feeling himself worthy to be a religious brother. After nine years\, the example of his prayer and penance\, charity and humility led the community to request him to make full religious profession. Many of his nights were spent in prayer and penitential practices; his days were filled with nursing the sick and caring for the poor. It was particularly impressive that he treated all people regardless of their color\, race or status. He was instrumental in founding an orphanage\, took care of slaves brought from Africa and managed the daily alms of the priory with practicality\, as well as generosity. He became the procurator for both priory and city\, whether it was a matter of “blankets\, shirts\, candles\, candy\, miracles or prayers!” When his priory was in debt\, he said\, “I am only a poor mulatto. Sell me. I am the property of the order. Sell me.” \nSide by side with his daily work in the kitchen\, laundry\, and infirmary\, Martin’s life reflected God’s extraordinary gifts: ecstasies that lifted him into the air\, light filling the room where he prayed\, bilocation\, miraculous knowledge\, instantaneous cures\, and a remarkable rapport with animals. His charity extended to beasts of the field and even to the vermin of the kitchen. He would excuse the raids of mice and rats on the grounds that they were underfed; he kept stray cats and dogs at his sister’s house. \nHe became a formidable fundraiser\, obtaining thousands of dollars for dowries for poor girls so that they could marry or enter a convent. \nMany of his fellow religious took him as their spiritual director\, but he continued to call himself a “poor slave.” He was a good friend of another Dominican saint of Peru\, Rose of Lima. \n\nReflection\nRacism is a sin almost nobody confesses. Like pollution\, it is a “sin of the world” that is everybody’s responsibility but apparently nobody’s fault. One could hardly imagine a more fitting patron of Christian forgiveness (on the part of those discriminated against) and Christian justice (on the part of reformed racists) than Martin de Porres. \n\nSaint Martin de Porres is the Patron Saint of:\nAfrican Americans\nBarbers\nHairdressers\nRace Relations\nRadio\nSocial Justice \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for November 3 is Saint Hubert.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/5582/2017-11-03/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171102
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171103
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T170724Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T170724Z
UID:5579-1509580800-1509667199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
DESCRIPTION:Image: Orthodox service for the Faithful Departed | Vasily Vereshchagin\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCommemoration of All the Faithful Departed\nSaint of the Day for November 2\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed\nThe Church has encouraged prayer for the dead from the earliest times as an act of Christian charity. “If we had no care for the dead\,” Augustine noted\, “we would not be in the habit of praying for them.” Yet pre-Christian rites for the deceased retained such a strong hold on the superstitious imagination that a liturgical commemoration was not observed until the early Middle Ages\, when monastic communities began to mark an annual day of prayer for the departed members. \nIn the middle of the 11th century\, Saint Odilo\, abbot of Cluny\, France\, decreed that all Cluniac monasteries offer special prayers and sing the Office for the Dead on November 2\, the day after the feast of All Saints. The custom spread from Cluny and was finally adopted throughout the Roman Church. \nThe theological underpinning of the feast is the acknowledgment of human frailty. Since few people achieve perfection in this life but\, rather\, go to the grave still scarred with traces of sinfulness\, some period of purification seems necessary before a soul comes face-to-face with God. The Council of Trent affirmed this purgatory state and insisted that the prayers of the living can speed the process of purification. \nSuperstition easily clung to the observance. Medieval popular belief held that the souls in purgatory could appear on this day in the form of witches\, toads or will-o’-the-wisps. Graveside food offerings supposedly eased the rest of the dead. \nObservances of a more religious nature have survived. These include public processions or private visits to cemeteries and decorating graves with flowers and lights. This feast is observed with great fervor in Mexico. \n\nReflection\nWhether or not one should pray for the dead is one of the great arguments which divide Christians. Appalled by the abuse of indulgences in the Church of his day\, Martin Luther rejected the concept of purgatory. Yet prayer for a loved one is\, for the believer\, a way of erasing any distance\, even death. In prayer we stand in God’s presence in the company of someone we love\, even if that person has gone before us into death.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/commemoration-of-all-the-faithful-departed/2017-11-02/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171101
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171102
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T170609Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T170609Z
UID:5576-1509494400-1509580799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Solemnity of All Saints
DESCRIPTION:Image: Evening of All Saints’ Day at Malmi Cemetery\, Helsinki\, Finland | photo by Jori Samonen | flickr\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSolemnity of All Saints\nSaint of the Day for November 1\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nThe Story of the Solemnity of All Saints\nThe earliest certain observance of a feast in honor of all the saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of “all the martyrs.” In the early seventh century\, after successive waves of invaders plundered the catacombs\, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagonloads of bones and reinterred them beneath the Pantheon\, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church. According to Venerable Bede\, the pope intended “that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons” (On the Calculation of Time). \nBut the rededication of the Pantheon\, like the earlier commemoration of all the martyrs\, occurred in May. Many Eastern Churches still honor all the saints in the spring\, either during the Easter season or immediately after Pentecost. \nHow the Western Church came to celebrate this feast\, now recognized as a solemnity\, in November is a puzzle to historians. The Anglo-Saxon theologian Alcuin observed the feast on November 1 in 800\, as did his friend Arno\, Bishop of Salzburg. Rome finally adopted that date in the ninth century. \n\nReflection\nThis feast first honored martyrs. Later\, when Christians were free to worship according to their consciences\, the Church acknowledged other paths to sanctity. In the early centuries the only criterion was popular acclaim\, even when the bishop’s approval became the final step in placing a commemoration on the calendar. The first papal canonization occurred in 993; the lengthy process now required to prove extraordinary sanctity took form in the last 500 years. Today’s feast honors the obscure as well as the famous—the saints each of us have known.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/solemnity-of-all-saints/2017-11-01/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171031
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171101
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T160536Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T160536Z
UID:5573-1509408000-1509494399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg
DESCRIPTION:Image: Statue of Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg | main altar\, Parish church in Metnitz | Raul de Chissota\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Wolfgang of Regensburg\nSaint of the Day for October 31\n(c. 924 – August 31\, 994)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Wolfgang of Regensburg’s Story\nWolfgang was born in Swabia\, Germany\, and was educated at a school located at the abbey of Reichenau. There he encountered Henry\, a young noble who went on to become Archbishop of Trier. Meanwhile\, Wolfgang remained in close contact with the archbishop\, teaching in his cathedral school and supporting his efforts to reform the clergy. \nAt the death of the archbishop\, Wolfgang chose to become a Benedictine monk and moved to an abbey in Einsiedeln\, now part of Switzerland. Ordained a priest\, he was appointed director of the monastery school there. Later he was sent to Hungary as a missionary\, though his zeal and good will yielded limited results. \nEmperor Otto II appointed him Bishop of Regensburg\, near Munich. He immediately initiated reform of the clergy and of religious life\, preaching with vigor and effectiveness and always demonstrating special concern for the poor. He wore the habit of a monk and lived an austere life. \nThe draw to monastic life never left him\, including the desire for a life of solitude. At one point he left his diocese so that he could devote himself to prayer\, but his responsibilities as bishop called him back. In 994\, Wolfgang became ill while on a journey; he died in Puppingen near Linz\, Austria. He was canonized in 1052. His feast day is celebrated widely in much of central Europe. \n\nReflection\nWolfgang could be depicted as a man with rolled-up sleeves. He even tried retiring to solitary prayer\, but taking his responsibilities seriously led him back into the service of his diocese. Doing what had to be done was his path to holiness—and ours. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for October 31 is Blessed Thomas of Florence.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-wolfgang-of-regensburg/2017-10-31/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171030
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171031
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T160430Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T160430Z
UID:5570-1509321600-1509407999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez
DESCRIPTION:Image: Detail | Vision of Alphonsus Rodriguez | Francisco de Zurbarán\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n  \nSaint Alphonsus Rodriguez\nSaint of the Day for October 30\n(1533 – October 30\, 1617)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Alphonsus Rodriguez’ Story\nTragedy and challenge beset today’s saint early in life\, but Alphonsus Rodriguez found happiness and contentment through simple service and prayer. \nBorn in Spain in 1533\, Alphonsus inherited the family textile business at 23. Within the space of three years\, his wife\, daughter\, and mother died; meanwhile\, business was poor. Alphonsus stepped back and reassessed his life. He sold the business and\, with his young son\, moved into his sister’s home. There he learned the discipline of prayer and meditation. \nYears later\, at the death of his son\, Alphonsus\, almost 40 by then\, sought to join the Jesuits. He was not helped by his poor education. He applied twice before being admitted. For 45 years he served as doorkeeper at the Jesuits’ college in Majorca. When not at his post\, he was almost always at prayer\, though he often encountered difficulties and temptations. \nHis holiness and prayerfulness attracted many to him\, including Saint Peter Claver\, then a Jesuit seminarian. Alphonsus’ life as doorkeeper may have been humdrum\, but he caught the attention of poet and fellow-Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins\, who made him the subject of one of his poems. \nAlphonsus died in 1617. He is the patron saint of Majorca. \n\nReflection\nWe like to think that God rewards the good\, even in this life. But Alphonsus knew business losses\, painful bereavement\, and periods when God seemed very distant. None of his suffering made him withdraw into a shell of self-pity or bitterness. Rather\, he reached out to others who lived with pain\, including enslaved blacks. Among the many notables at his funeral were the sick and poor people whose lives he had touched. May they find such a friend in us! \n\nSaint Alphonsus Rodriguez is the Patron Saint of:\nMajorca.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-alphonsus-rodriguez/2017-10-30/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171029
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171030
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T160239Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T160239Z
UID:5567-1509235200-1509321599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY: Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Narcissus of Jerusalem | in Caractâeristiques des saints dans l’art populaire | photo by Internet Archive Book Images\nSaint Narcissus of Jerusalem\nSaint of the Day for October 29\n(d. c. 216)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Narcissus of Jerusalem’s Story\nLife in second- and third-century Jerusalem couldn’t have been easy\, but Saint Narcissus managed to live well beyond 100. Some even speculate he lived to 160. \nDetails of his life are sketchy\, but there are many reports of his miracles. The miracle for which he is most remembered was turning water into oil for use in the church lamps on Holy Saturday when the deacons had forgotten to provide any. \nWe do know that Narcissus became bishop of Jerusalem in the late second century. He was known for his holiness\, but there are hints that many people found him harsh and rigid in his efforts to impose Church discipline. One of his many detractors accused Narcissus of a serious crime at one point. Though the charges against him did not hold up\, he used the occasion to retire from his role as bishop and live in solitude. His disappearance was so sudden and convincing that many people assumed he had actually died. \nSeveral successors were appointed during his years in isolation. Finally\, Narcissus reappeared in Jerusalem and was persuaded to resume his duties. By then\, he had reached an advanced age\, so a younger bishop was brought in to assist him until his death. \n\nReflection\nAs our life spans increase and we face the bodily problems of aging\, we might keep Saint Narcissus in mind and ask him to help us face our developing issues.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-narcissus-of-jerusalem/2017-10-29/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171028
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171029
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T160121Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T160121Z
UID:5564-1509148800-1509235199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saints Simon and Jude
DESCRIPTION:Image: San Simón | Jusepe de Ribera / Image: Saint Jude Thaddeus | Georges de La Tour\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  \n  \nSaints Simon and Jude\nSaint of the Day for October 28\n(1st Century)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaints Simon and Jude’s Story\nJude is so named by Luke and Acts. Matthew and Mark call him Thaddeus. He is not mentioned elsewhere in the Gospels\, except\, of course\, where all the apostles are mentioned. Scholars hold that he is not the author of the Letter of Jude. Actually\, Jude had the same name as Judas Iscariot. Evidently because of the disgrace of that name\, it was shortened to “Jude” in English. \nSimon is mentioned on all four lists of the apostles. On two of them he is called “the Zealot.” The Zealots were a Jewish sect that represented an extreme of Jewish nationalism. For them\, the messianic promise of the Old Testament meant that the Jews were to be a free and independent nation. God alone was their king\, and any payment of taxes to the Romans—the very domination of the Romans—was a blasphemy against God. No doubt some of the Zealots were the spiritual heirs of the Maccabees\, carrying on their ideals of religion and independence. But many were the counterparts of modern terrorists. They raided and killed\, attacking both foreigners and “collaborating” Jews. They were chiefly responsible for the rebellion against Rome which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. \n\nReflection\nAs in the case of all the apostles except for Peter\, James and John\, we are faced with men who are really unknown\, and we are struck by the fact that their holiness is simply taken to be a gift of Christ. He chose some unlikely people: a former Zealot\, a former (crooked) tax collector\, an impetuous fisherman\, two “sons of thunder\,” and a man named Judas Iscariot. \nIt is a reminder that we cannot receive too often. Holiness does not depend on human merit\, culture\, personality\, effort\, or achievement. It is entirely God’s creation and gift. God needs no Zealots to bring about the kingdom by force. Jude\, like all the saints\, is the saint of the impossible: Only God can create his divine life in human beings. And God wills to do so\, for all of us. \n\nSaint Jude is the Patron Saint of:\nDesperate Situations
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saints-simon-and-jude/2017-10-28/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171027
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171028
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T155959Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T155959Z
UID:5561-1509062400-1509148799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY: Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza
DESCRIPTION:Image: Statue of Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza | Monastery of Saint Bartholomew-Saint Anthony\, Vicenza\, Italy | photo by Claudio Gioseffi\nBlessed Bartholomew of Vicenza\nSaint of the Day for October 27\n(c. 1200 – 1271)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nBlessed Bartholomew of Vicenza’s Story\nDominicans honor one of their own today\, Blessed Bartholomew of Vicenza. This was a man who used his skills as a preacher to challenge the heresies of his day. \nBartholomew was born in Vicenza around 1200. At 20\, he entered the Dominicans. Following his ordination\, he served in various leadership positions. As a young priest\, he founded a military order whose purpose was to keep civil peace in towns throughout Italy. \nIn 1248\, Bartholomew was appointed a bishop. For most men\, such an appointment is an honor and a tribute to their holiness and their demonstrated leadership skills. But for Bartholomew\, it was a form of exile that had been urged by an antipapal group that was only too happy to see him leave for Cyprus. Not many years later\, however\, Bartholomew was transferred back to Vicenza. Despite the antipapal feelings that were still evident\, he worked diligently—especially through his preaching—to rebuild his diocese and strengthen the people’s loyalty to Rome. \nDuring his years as bishop in Cyprus\, Bartholomew befriended King Louis IX of France\, who is said to have given the holy bishop a relic of Christ’s Crown of Thorns. \nBartholomew died in 1271. He was beatified in 1793. \n\nReflection\nDespite oppositions and obstacles\, Bartholomew remained faithful to his ministry to God’s People. We face daily challenges to our faithfulness and duties as well. Perhaps Bartholomew could serve as an inspiration in our darker moments.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-bartholomew-of-vicenza/2017-10-27/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20171026
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20171027
DTSTAMP:20260403T171833
CREATED:20170801T155827Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170801T155827Z
UID:5558-1508976000-1509062399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Peter of Alcantara
DESCRIPTION:Image: Saint Peter of Alcántara | Luis Tristán\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSaint Peter of Alcantara\nSaint of the Day for October 26\n(1499 – October 18\, 1562)\n\n\nClick to hear audio clip ►\n\n\nSaint Peter of Alcantara’s Story\nPeter was a contemporary of well-known 16th-century Spanish saints\, including Ignatius of Loyola and John of the Cross. He served as confessor to Saint Teresa of Avila. Church reform was a major issue in Peter’s day\, and he directed most of his energies toward that end. His death came one year before the Council of Trent ended. \nBorn into a noble family (his father was the governor of Alcantara in Spain)\, Peter studied law at Salamanca University and\, at 16\, joined the so-called Observant Franciscans (also known as the discalced friars). While he practiced many penances\, he also demonstrated abilities which were soon recognized. He was named the superior of a new house even before his ordination as a priest\, he was elected provincial at the age of 39\, and he was a very successful preacher. Still\, he was not above washing dishes and cutting wood for the friars. He did not seek attention; indeed\, he preferred solitude. \nPeter’s penitential side was evident when it came to food and clothing. It is said that he slept only 90 minutes each night. While others talked about Church reform\, Peter’s reform began with himself. His patience was so great that a proverb arose: “To bear such an insult one must have the patience of Peter of Alcantara.” \nIn 1554\, Peter\, having received permission\, formed a group of Franciscans who followed the Rule of St. Francis with even greater rigor. These friars were known as Alcantarines. Some of the Spanish friars who came to North and South America in the 16th\, 17th and 18th centuries were members of this group. At the end of the 19th century\, the Alcantarines were joined with other Observant friars to form the Order of Friars Minor. \nAs spiritual director to Saint Teresa\, Peter encouraged her in promoting the Carmelite reform. His preaching brought many people to religious life\, especially to the Secular Franciscan Order\, the friars and the Poor Clares. \nHe was canonized in 1669. \n\nReflection\nPoverty was a means and not an end for Peter. The goal was following Christ in ever greater purity of heart. Whatever obstructed that path could be eliminated with no real loss. The philosophy of our consumer age—you are worth what you own—may find Peter of Alcantara’s approach severe. Ultimately\, his approach is life-giving while consumerism is deadly. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Peter Alcantara is September 22.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-peter-of-alcantara/2017-10-26/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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