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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180211
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180212
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T163326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T163326Z
UID:6254-1518307200-1518393599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Our Lady of Lourdes
DESCRIPTION:Our Lady of Lourdes\n Saint of the Day for February 11\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nThe Story of Our Lady of Lourdes\nOn December 8\, 1854\, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus. A little more than three years later\, on February 11\, 1858\, a young lady appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This began a series of visions. During the apparition on March 25\, the lady identified herself with the words: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” \nBernadette was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father\, the Hail Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: “O Mary conceived without sin.” \nDuring interrogations Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was “something white in the shape of a girl.” She used the word aquero\, a dialect term meaning “this thing.” It was “a pretty young girl with a rosary over her arm.” Her white robe was encircled by a blue girdle. She wore a white veil. There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand. Bernadette was also impressed by the fact that the lady did not use the informal form of address (tu)\, but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin appeared to a humble girl and treated her with dignity. \nThrough that humble girl\, Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and from all over the world. In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became worldwide in 1907. \n\nReflection\nLourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and healing\, but even more of faith. Church authorities have recognized over 60 miraculous cures\, although there have probably been many more. To people of faith this is not surprising. It is a continuation of Jesus’ healing miracles—now performed at the intercession of his mother. Some would say that the greater miracles are hidden. Many who visit Lourdes return home with renewed faith and a readiness to serve God in their needy brothers and sisters. \nThere still may be people who doubt the apparitions of Lourdes. Perhaps the best that can be said to them are the words that introduce the film The Song of Bernadette: “For those who believe in God\, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe\, no explanation is possible.” \n\nOur Lady of Lourdes if the Patron Saint of:\nBodily Ills
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/our-lady-of-lourdes/2018-02-11/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180210
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180211
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T163038Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T163038Z
UID:6251-1518220800-1518307199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Scholastica
DESCRIPTION:Saint Scholastica\nSaint of the Day for February 10\n(c. 480 – February 10\, 542)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Scholastica’s Story\nTwins often share the same interests and ideas with an equal intensity. Therefore\, it is no surprise that Scholastica and her twin brother\, Benedict\, established religious communities within a few miles from each other. \nBorn in 480 of wealthy parents\, Scholastica and Benedict were brought up together until he left central Italy for Rome to continue his studies. \nLittle is known of Scholastica’s early life. She founded a religious community for women near Monte Cassino at Plombariola\, five miles from where her brother governed a monastery. \nThe twins visited each other once a year in a farmhouse because Benedict was not permitted inside the monastery. They spent these times discussing spiritual matters. \nAccording to the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great\, the brother and sister spent their last day together in prayer and conversation. Scholastica sensed her death was close at hand and she begged Benedict to stay with her until the next day. \nHe refused her request because he did not want to spend a night outside the monastery\, thus breaking his own Rule. Scholastica asked God to let her brother remain and a severe thunderstorm broke out\, preventing Benedict and his monks from returning to the abbey. \nBenedict cried out\, “God forgive you\, Sister. What have you done?” Scholastica replied\, “I asked a favor of you and you refused. I asked it of God and he granted it.” \nBrother and sister parted the next morning after their long discussion. Three days later\, Benedict was praying in his monastery and saw the soul of his sister rising heavenward in the form of a white dove. Benedict then announced the death of his sister to the monks and later buried her in the tomb he had prepared for himself. \n\nReflection\nScholastica and Benedict gave themselves totally to God and gave top priority to deepening their friendship with him through prayer. They sacrificed some of the opportunities they would have had to be together as brother and sister in order better to fulfill their vocation to the religious life. In coming closer to Christ\, however\, they found they were also closer to each other. In joining a religious community\, they did not forget or forsake their family but rather found more brothers and sisters. \n\nSaint Scholastica is the Patron Saint of:\nNuns
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-scholastica/2018-02-10/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180209
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180210
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T162927Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T162927Z
UID:6248-1518134400-1518220799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Jerome Emiliani
DESCRIPTION:Saint Jerome Emiliani\nSaint of the Day for February 9\n(1486 – February 8\, 1537)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Jerome Emiliani’s Story\nA careless and irreligious soldier for the city-state of Venice\, Jerome was captured in a skirmish at an outpost town and chained in a dungeon. In prison Jerome had a lot of time to think\, and he gradually learned how to pray. When he escaped\, he returned to Venice where he took charge of the education of his nephews—and began his own studies for the priesthood. \nIn the years after his ordination\, events again called Jerome to a decision and a new lifestyle. Plague and famine swept northern Italy. Jerome began caring for the sick and feeding the hungry at his own expense. While serving the sick and the poor\, he soon resolved to devote himself and his property solely to others\, particularly to abandoned children. He founded three orphanages\, a shelter for penitent prostitutes and a hospital. \nAround 1532\, Jerome and two other priests established a congregation\, the Clerks Regular of Somasca\, dedicated to the care of orphans and the education of youth. Jerome died in 1537 from a disease he caught while tending the sick. He was canonized in 1767. In 1928\, Pius Xl named him the patron of orphans and abandoned children. \n\nReflection\nVery often in our lives it seems to take some kind of “imprisonment” to free us from the shackles of our self-centeredness. When we’re “caught” in some situation we don’t want to be in\, we finally come to know the liberating power of Another. Only then can we become another for “the imprisoned” and “the orphaned” all around us. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Jerome Emiliani is February 8.\n\nSaint Jerome Emiliani is the Patron Saint of :\nOrphans\nAbandoned Children
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-jerome-emiliani/2018-02-09/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180208
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180209
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T162819Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T171417Z
UID:6245-1518048000-1518134399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Josephine Bakhita
DESCRIPTION:Saint Josephine Bakhita\nSaint of the Day for February 8\n(c. 1869 – February 8\, 1947)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Josephine Bakhita’s Story\nFor many years\, Josephine Bakhita was a slave but her spirit was always free and eventually that spirit prevailed. \nBorn in Olgossa in the Darfur region of southern Sudan\, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of 7\, sold into slavery and given the name Bakhita\, which means fortunate. She was resold several times\, finally in 1883 to Callisto Legnani\, Italian consul in Khartoum\, Sudan. \nTwo years later\, he took Josephine to Italy and gave her to his friend Augusto Michieli. Bakhita became babysitter to Mimmina Michieli\, whom she accompanied to Venice’s Institute of the Catechumens\, run by the Canossian Sisters. While Mimmina was being instructed\, Josephine felt drawn to the Catholic Church. She was baptized and confirmed in 1890\, taking the name Josephine. \nWhen the Michielis returned from Africa and wanted to take Mimmina and Josephine back with them\, the future saint refused to go. During the ensuing court case\, the Canossian Sisters and the patriarch of Venice intervened on Josephine’s behalf. The judge concluded that since slavery was illegal in Italy\, she had actually been free since 1885. \nJosephine entered the Institute of St. Magdalene of Canossa in 1893 and made her profession three years later. In 1902\, she was transferred to the city of Schio (northeast of Verona)\, where she assisted her religious community through cooking\, sewing\, embroidery\, and welcoming visitors at the door. She soon became well loved by the children attending the sisters’ school and the local citizens. She once said\, “Be good\, love the Lord\, pray for those who do not know Him. What a great grace it is to know God!” \nThe first steps toward her beatification began in 1959. She was beatified in 1992 and canonized eight years later. \n\nReflection\nJosephine’s body was mutilated by those who enslaved her\, but they could not touch her spirit. Her Baptism set her on an eventual path toward asserting her civic freedom and then service to God’s people as a Canossian Sister. \nShe who worked under many “masters” was finally happy to address God as “master” and carry out everything that she believed to be God’s will for her.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-josephine-bakhita/2018-02-08/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180207
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180208
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T162716Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T162716Z
UID:6242-1517961600-1518047999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Colette
DESCRIPTION:Saint Colette\nSaint of the Day for February 7\n(January 13\, 1381 – March 6\, 1447)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Colette’s Story\nColette did not seek the limelight\, but in doing God’s will she certainly attracted a lot of attention. Colette was born in Corbie\, France. At 21\, she began to follow the Third Order Rule and became an anchoress\, a woman walled into a room whose only opening was a window into a church. \nAfter four years of prayer and penance in this cell\, she left it. With the approval and encouragement of the pope\, she joined the Poor Clares and reintroduced the primitive Rule of St. Clare in the 17 monasteries she established. Her sisters were known for their poverty—they rejected any fixed income—and for their perpetual fast. Colette’s reform movement spread to other countries and is still thriving today. Colette was canonized in 1807. \n\nReflection\nColette began her reform during the time of the Great Western Schism (1378-1417) when three men claimed to be pope and thus divided Western Christianity. The 15th century in general was a very difficult one for the Western Church. Abuses long neglected cost the Church dearly in the following century. Colette’s reform indicated the entire Church’s need to follow Christ more closely.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-colette/2018-02-07/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180207
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T162608Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T162608Z
UID:6239-1517875200-1517961599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Paul Miki and Companions
DESCRIPTION:Saint Paul Miki and Companions\nSaint of the Day for February 6\n(d. 1597)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Paul Miki and Companions’ Story\nNagasaki\, Japan\, is familiar to Americans as the city on which the second atomic bomb was dropped\, immediately killing over 37\,000 people. Three and a half centuries before\, 26 martyrs of Japan were crucified on a hill\, now known as the Holy Mountain\, overlooking Nagasaki. Among them were priests\, brothers\, and laymen\, Franciscans\, Jesuits\, and members of the Secular Franciscan Order; there were catechists\, doctors\, simple artisans\, and servants\, old men and innocent children—all united in a common faith and love for Jesus and his Church. \nBrother Paul Miki\, a Jesuit and a native of Japan\, has become the best known among the martyrs of Japan. While hanging upon a cross\, Paul Miki preached to the people gathered for the execution: “The sentence of judgment says these men came to Japan from the Philippines\, but I did not come from any other country. I am a true Japanese. The only reason for my being killed is that I have taught the doctrine of Christ. I certainly did teach the doctrine of Christ. I thank God it is for this reason I die. I believe that I am telling only the truth before I die. I know you believe me and I want to say to you all once again: Ask Christ to help you to become happy. I obey Christ. After Christ’s example I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all\, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men as a fruitful rain.” \nWhen missionaries returned to Japan in the 1860s\, at first they found no trace of Christianity. But after establishing themselves they found that thousands of Christians lived around Nagasaki and that they had secretly preserved the faith. Beatified in 1627\, the martyrs of Japan were finally canonized in 1862. \n\nReflection\nToday\, a new era has come for the Church in Japan. Although the number of Catholics is not large\, the Church is respected and has total religious freedom. The spread of Christianity in the Far East is slow and difficult. Faith such as that of the 26 martyrs is needed today as much as in 1597.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-paul-miki-and-companions/2018-02-06/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180205
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180206
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T162457Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T162457Z
UID:6236-1517788800-1517875199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Agatha
DESCRIPTION:Saint Agatha\nSaint of the Day for February 5\n(c. 230 – 251)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Agatha’s Story\nAs in the case of Agnes\, another virgin-martyr of the early Church\, almost nothing is historically certain about this saint except that she was martyred in Sicily during the persecution of Emperor Decius in 251. \nLegend has it that Agatha\, like Agnes\, was arrested as a Christian\, tortured and sent to a house of prostitution to be mistreated. She was preserved from being violated\, and was later put to death. \nShe is claimed as the patroness of both Palermo and Catania. The year after her death\, the stilling of an eruption of Mt. Etna was attributed to her intercession. As a result\, apparently\, people continued to ask her prayers for protection against fire. \n\nReflection\nThe scientific modern mind winces at the thought of a volcano’s might being contained by God because of the prayers of a Sicilian girl. Still less welcome\, probably\, is the notion of that saint being the patroness of such varied professions as those of foundry workers\, nurses\, miners and Alpine guides. Yet\, in our historical precision\, have we lost an essential human quality of wonder and poetry\, and even our belief that we come to God by helping each other\, both in action and prayer? \n\nSaint Agatha is the Patron Saint of:\nDiseases of the Breast\nNurses
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-agatha/2018-02-05/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180204
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180205
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T162339Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T162339Z
UID:6233-1517702400-1517788799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Joseph of Leonissa
DESCRIPTION:Saint Joseph of Leonissa\nSaint of the Day for February 4\n(January 8\, 1556  – February 4\, 1612)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Joseph of Leonissa’s Story\nJoseph was born at Leonissa in the Kingdom of Naples. As a boy and as a student in early adulthood\, Joseph drew attention for his energy and virtue. Offered a nobleman’s daughter in marriage\, Joseph refused and joined the Capuchins in his hometown in 1573 instead. Avoiding the safe compromises by which people sometimes undercut the gospel\, Joseph denied himself hearty meals and comfortable quarters as he prepared for ordination and a life of preaching. \nIn 1587\, he went to Constantinople to take care of the Christian galley slaves working under Turkish masters. Imprisoned for this work\, he was warned not to resume it on his release. He did and was again imprisoned and then condemned to death. Miraculously freed\, he returned to Italy where he preached to the poor and reconciled feuding families as well as warring cities which had been at odds for years. He was canonized in 1745. \n\nReflection\nSaints often jar us because they challenge our ideas about what we need for “the good life.” “I’ll be happy when. . . \,” we may say\, wasting an incredible amount of time on the periphery of life. People like Joseph of Leonissa challenge us to face life courageously and get to the heart of it: life with God. Joseph was a compelling preacher because his life was as convincing as his words.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-joseph-of-leonissa/2018-02-04/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180203
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180204
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T162230Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T162230Z
UID:6230-1517616000-1517702399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Blaise
DESCRIPTION:Saint Blaise\nSaint of the Day for February 3\n(d. c. 316)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Blaise’s Story\nWe know more about the devotion to Saint Blaise by Christians around the world than we know about the saint himself. His feast is observed as a holy day in some Eastern Churches. In 1222\, the Council of Oxford prohibited servile labor in England on Blaise’s feast day. The Germans and Slavs hold him in special honor\, and for decades many United States Catholics have sought the annual Saint Blaise blessing for their throats. \nWe know that Bishop Blaise was martyred in his episcopal city of Sebastea\, Armenia\, in 316. The legendary Acts of St. Blaise were written 400 years later. According to them Blaise was a good bishop\, working hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. Although the Edict of Toleration (311)\, granting freedom of worship in the Roman Empire\, was already five years old\, persecution still raged in Armenia. Blaise was apparently forced to flee to the back country. There he lived as a hermit in solitude and prayer\, but he made friends with the wild animals. One day a group of hunters seeking wild animals for the amphitheater stumbled upon Blaise’s cave. They were first surprised and then frightened. The bishop was kneeling in prayer surrounded by patiently waiting wolves\, lions and bears. \nThe legend has it that as the hunters hauled Blaise off to prison\, a mother came with her young son who had a fish bone lodged in his throat. At Blaise’s command the child was able to cough up the bone. \nAgricolaus\, governor of Cappadocia\, tried to persuade Blaise to sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blaise refused\, he was beaten. The next time he was suspended from a tree and his flesh torn with iron combs or rakes. Finally\, he was beheaded. \n\nReflection\nFour centuries give ample opportunity for fiction to creep in with fact. Who can be sure how accurate Blaise’s biographer was? But biographical details are not essential. Blaise is seen as one more example of the power those have who give themselves entirely to Jesus. As Jesus told his apostles at the Last Supper\, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you\, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). With faith we can follow the lead of the Church in asking for Blaise’s protection. \n\nSaint Blaise is the Patron Saint of:\nThroat Ailments\nEnglish Wool Combers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-blaise/2018-02-03/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180202
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180203
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T162120Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T162120Z
UID:6227-1517529600-1517615999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Presentation of the Lord
DESCRIPTION:Presentation of the Lord\nSaint of the Day for February 2\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nThe Story of the Presentation of the Lord\nAt the end of the fourth century\, a woman named Etheria made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Her journal\, discovered in 1887\, gives an unprecedented glimpse of liturgical life there. Among the celebrations she describes is the Epiphany\, the observance of Christ’s birth\, and the gala procession in honor of his Presentation in the Temple 40 days later. (Under the Mosaic Law\, a woman was ritually “unclean” for 40 days after childbirth\, when she was to present herself to the priests and offer sacrifice—her “purification.” Contact with anyone who had brushed against mystery—birth or death—excluded a person from Jewish worship.) This feast emphasizes Jesus’ first appearance in the Temple more than Mary’s purification. \nThe observance spread throughout the Western Church in the fifth and sixth centuries. Because the Church in the West celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25\, the Presentation was moved to February 2\, 40 days after Christmas. \nAt the beginning of the eighth century\, Pope Sergius inaugurated a candlelight procession; at the end of the same century the blessing and distribution of candles which continues to this day became part of the celebration\, giving the feast its popular name: Candlemas. \n\nReflection\nIn Luke’s account\, Jesus was welcomed in the temple by two elderly people\, Simeon and the widow Anna. They embody Israel in their patient expectation; they acknowledge the infant Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah. Early references to the Roman feast dub it the feast of Saint Simeon\, the old man who burst into a song of joy which the Church still sings at day’s end.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/presentation-of-the-lord/2018-02-02/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180201
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180202
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T162014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T162014Z
UID:6224-1517443200-1517529599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Ansgar
DESCRIPTION:Saint Ansgar\nSaint of the Day for February 1\n(801 – February 3\, 865)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Ansgar’s Story\nThe “apostle of the north” (Scandinavia) had enough frustrations to become a saint—and he did. He became a Benedictine at Corbie\, France\, where he had been educated. Three years later\, when the king of Denmark became a convert\, Ansgar went to that country for three years of missionary work\, without noticeable success. Sweden asked for Christian missionaries\, and he went there\, suffering capture by pirates and other hardships on the way. Fewer than two years later\, he was recalled\, to become abbot of New Corbie (Corvey) and bishop of Hamburg. The pope made him legate for the Scandinavian missions. Funds for the northern apostolate stopped with Emperor Louis’s death. After 13 years’ work in Hamburg\, Ansgar saw it burned to the ground by invading Northmen; Sweden and Denmark returned to paganism. \nHe directed new apostolic activities in the North\, traveling to Denmark and being instrumental in the conversion of another king. By the strange device of casting lots\, the king of Sweden allowed the Christian missionaries to return. \nAnsgar’s biographers remark that he was an extraordinary preacher\, a humble and ascetical priest. He was devoted to the poor and the sick\, imitating the Lord in washing their feet and waiting on them at table. He died peacefully at Bremen\, Germany\, without achieving his wish to be a martyr. \nSweden became pagan again after his death\, and remained so until the coming of missionaries two centuries later. \n\nReflection\nHistory records what people do\, rather than what they are. Yet the courage and perseverance of men and women like Ansgar can only come from a solid base of union with the original courageous and persevering Missionary. Ansgar’s life is another reminder that God writes straight with crooked lines. Christ takes care of the effects of the apostolate in his own way; he is first concerned about the purity of the apostles themselves. \n\nSaint Ansgar is the Patron Saint of:\nDenmark
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-ansgar/2018-02-01/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180131
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180201
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T161909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T161909Z
UID:6221-1517356800-1517443199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John Bosco
DESCRIPTION:Saint John Bosco\nSaint of the Day for January 31\n(August 16\, 1815 – January 31\, 1888)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint John Bosco’s Story\nJohn Bosco’s theory of education could well be used in today’s schools. It was a preventive system\, rejecting corporal punishment and placing students in surroundings removed from the likelihood of committing sin. He advocated frequent reception of the sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion. He combined catechetical training and fatherly guidance\, seeking to unite the spiritual life with one’s work\, study and play. \nEncouraged during his youth to become a priest so he could work with young boys\, John was ordained in 1841. His service to young people started when he met a poor orphan and instructed him in preparation for receiving Holy Communion. He then gathered young apprentices and taught them catechism. \nAfter serving as chaplain in a hospice for working girls\, John opened the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales for boys. Several wealthy and powerful patrons contributed money\, enabling him to provide two workshops for the boys\, shoemaking and tailoring. \nBy 1856\, the institution had grown to 150 boys and had added a printing press for publication of religious and catechetical pamphlets. His interest in vocational education and publishing justify him as patron of young apprentices and Catholic publishers. \nJohn’s preaching fame spread and by 1850 he had trained his own helpers because of difficulties in retaining young priests. In 1854\, he and his followers informally banded together\, inspired by Saint Francis de Sales. \nWith Pope Pius IX’s encouragement\, John gathered 17 men and founded the Salesians in 1859. Their activity concentrated on education and mission work. Later\, he organized a group of Salesian Sisters to assist girls. \n\nReflection\nJohn Bosco educated the whole person—body and soul united. He believed that Christ’s love and our faith in that love should pervade everything we do—work\, study\, play. For John Bosco\, being a Christian was a full-time effort\, not a once-a-week\, Mass-on-Sunday experience. It is searching and finding God and Jesus in everything we do\, letting their love lead us. Yet\, because John realized the importance of job-training and the self-worth and pride that come with talent and ability\, he trained his students in the trade crafts\, too. \n\nSaint John Bosco is the Patron Saint of:\nBoys\nEditors\nYouth
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-john-bosco/2018-01-31/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180130
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180131
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T161804Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T161804Z
UID:6218-1517270400-1517356799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska\nSaint of the Day for January 30\n(May 16\, 1825 – October 10\, 1899)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nBlessed Mary Angela Truszkowska’s Story\nToday we honor a woman who submitted to God’s will throughout her life—a life filled with pain and suffering. \nBorn in 1825 in central Poland and baptized Sophia\, she contracted tuberculosis as a young girl. The forced period of convalescence gave her ample time for reflection. Sophia felt called to serve God by working with the poor\, including street children and the elderly homeless in Warsaw’s slums. In time\, her cousin joined her in the work. \nIn 1855\, the two women made private vows and consecrated themselves to the Blessed Mother. New followers joined them. Within two years\, they formed a new congregation\, which came to be known as the Felician Sisters. As their numbers grew\, so did their work\, and so did the pressures on Mother Angela (the new name Sophia took in religious life). \nMother Angela served as superior for many years until ill health forced her to resign at the age of 44. She watched the order grow and expand\, including missions to the United States among the sons and daughters of Polish immigrants. \nPope John Paul II beatified her in 1993. \n\nReflection\nLike Saints Francis of Assisi and Ignatius of Antioch\, Blessed Mary Angela experienced a conversion while convalescing from an illness. The Lord can use sickness as well as other situations to speak to the heart of an individual. This does not imply that God caused the illness; just that he used the opportunity to speak to Blessed Angela’s heart. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Blessed Mary Angela Truszkowska is October 10.\n\nAnother Saint of the Day for January 30 is Saint Hyacinth of Mariscotti.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-mary-angela-truszkowska/2018-01-30/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180129
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180130
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T161703Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T161703Z
UID:6215-1517184000-1517270399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Servant of God Brother Juniper
DESCRIPTION:Servant of God Brother Juniper\nSaint of the Day for January 29\n(d. 1258)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nServant of God Brother Juniper’s Story\n“Would to God\, my brothers\, I had a whole forest of such Junipers\,” said Francis of this holy friar. \nWe don’t know much about Juniper before he joined the friars in 1210. Francis sent him to establish “places” for the friars in Gualdo Tadino and Viterbo. When Saint Clare was dying\, Juniper consoled her. He was devoted to the passion of Jesus and was known for his simplicity. \nSeveral stories about Juniper in the Little Flowers of St. Francis illustrate his exasperating generosity. Once Juniper was taking care of a sick man who had a craving to eat pig’s feet. This helpful friar went to a nearby field\, captured a pig and cut off one foot\, and then served this meal to the sick man. The owner of the pig was furious and immediately went to Juniper’s superior. When Juniper saw his mistake\, he apologized profusely. He also ended up talking this angry man into donating the rest of the pig to the friars! \nAnother time Juniper had been commanded to quit giving part of his clothing to the half-naked people he met on the road. Desiring to obey his superior\, Juniper once told a man in need that he couldn’t give the man his tunic\, but he wouldn’t prevent the man from taking it either. In time\, the friars learned not to leave anything lying around\, for Juniper would probably give it away. \nHe died in 1258 and is buried at Ara Coeli Church in Rome. \n\nReflection\nWhat can we make of Juniper? He certainly seems to be the first of many Franciscan “characters.” No doubt some of the stories about him have improved considerably in the retelling. Although the stories about Juniper may seem a little quaint\, his virtues were not. He was humble because he knew the truth about God\, himself\, and others. He was patient because he was willing to suffer in his following of Jesus.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/servant-of-god-brother-juniper/2018-01-29/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180128
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180129
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T161558Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T161558Z
UID:6212-1517097600-1517183999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Thomas Aquinas
DESCRIPTION:Saint Thomas Aquinas\nSaint of the Day for January 28\n( 1225 – March 7\, 1274)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Thomas Aquinas’ Story\nBy universal consent\, Thomas Aquinas is the preeminent spokesman of the Catholic tradition of reason and of divine revelation. He is one of the great teachers of the medieval Catholic Church\, honored with the titles Doctor of the Church and Angelic Doctor. \nAt five he was given to the Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino in his parents’ hopes that he would choose that way of life and eventually became abbot. In 1239\, he was sent to Naples to complete his studies. It was here that he was first attracted to Aristotle’s philosophy. \nBy 1243\, Thomas abandoned his family’s plans for him and joined the Dominicans\, much to his mother’s dismay. On her order\, Thomas was captured by his brother and kept at home for over a year. \nOnce free\, he went to Paris and then to Cologne\, where he finished his studies with Albert the Great. He held two professorships at Paris\, lived at the court of Pope Urban IV\, directed the Dominican schools at Rome and Viterbo\, combated adversaries of the mendicants\, as well as the Averroists\, and argued with some Franciscans about Aristotelianism. \nHis greatest contribution to the Catholic Church is his writings. The unity\, harmony and continuity of faith and reason\, of revealed and natural human knowledge\, pervades his writings. One might expect Thomas\, as a man of the gospel\, to be an ardent defender of revealed truth. But he was broad enough\, deep enough\, to see the whole natural order as coming from God the Creator\, and to see reason as a divine gift to be highly cherished. \nThe Summa Theologiae\, his last and\, unfortunately\, uncompleted work\, deals with the whole of Catholic theology. He stopped work on it after celebrating Mass on December 6\, 1273. When asked why he stopped writing\, he replied\, “I cannot go on…. All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.” He died March 7\, 1274. \n\nReflection\nWe can look to Thomas Aquinas as a towering example of Catholicism in the sense of broadness\, universality\, and inclusiveness. We should be determined anew to exercise the divine gift of reason in us\, our power to know\, learn\, and understand. At the same time we should thank God for the gift of his revelation\, especially in Jesus Christ. \n\nSaint Thomas Aquinas is the Patron Saint of:\nCatholic Schools\nColleges\nSchools\nStudents
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-thomas-aquinas/2018-01-28/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180127
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180128
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T161442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T161442Z
UID:6207-1517011200-1517097599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Angela Merici
DESCRIPTION:Saint Angela Merici\nSaint of the Day for January 27\n(March 21\, 1474 – January 27\, 1540)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Angela Merici’s story\nAngela has the double distinction of founding the first teaching congregation of women in the Church and what is now called a “secular institute” of religious women. \nAs a young woman\, she became a member of the Third Order of Saint Francis\, and lived a life of great austerity\, wishing\, like Saint Francis\, to own nothing\, not even a bed. Early in life she was appalled at the ignorance among poorer children\, whose parents could not or would not teach them the elements of religion. Angela’s charming manner and good looks complemented her natural qualities of leadership. Others joined her in giving regular instruction to the little girls of their neighborhood. \nShe was invited to live with a family in Brescia (where\, she had been told in a vision\, she would one day found a religious community). Her work continued and became well known. She became the center of a group of people with similar ideals. \nShe eagerly took the opportunity for a trip to the Holy Land. When they had gotten as far as Crete\, she was struck with blindness. Her friends wanted to return home\, but she insisted on going through with the pilgrimage\, and visited the sacred shrines with as much devotion and enthusiasm as if she had her sight. On the way back\, while praying before a crucifix\, her sight was restored at the same place where it had been lost. \nAt 57\, she organized a group of 12 girls to help her in catechetical work. Four years later the group had increased to 28. She formed them into the Company of Saint Ursula (patroness of medieval universities and venerated as a leader of women) for the purpose of re-Christianizing family life through solid Christian education of future wives and mothers. The members continued to live at home\, had no special habit and took no formal vows\, though the early Rule prescribed the practice of virginity\, poverty\, and obedience. The idea of a teaching congregation of women was new and took time to develop. The community thus existed as a “secular institute” until some years after Angela’s death. \n\nReflection\nAs with so many saints\, history is mostly concerned with their activities. But we must always presume deep Christian faith and love in one whose courage lasts a lifetime\, and who can take bold new steps when human need demands.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-angela-merici/2018-01-27/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180126
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180127
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T161248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T161248Z
UID:6206-1516924800-1517011199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saints Timothy and Titus
DESCRIPTION:Saints Timothy and Titus\nSaint of the Day for January 26\n(d. c. 95)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaints Timothy and Titus’ Story\nWhat we know from the New Testament of Timothy’s life makes it sound like that of a modern harried bishop. He had the honor of being a fellow apostle with Paul\, both sharing the privilege of preaching the gospel and suffering for it. \nTimothy had a Greek father and a Jewish mother named Eunice. Being the product of a “mixed” marriage\, he was considered illegitimate by the Jews. It was his grandmother\, Lois\, who first became Christian. Timothy was a convert of Paul around the year 47 and later joined him in his apostolic work. He was with Paul at the founding of the Church in Corinth. During the 15 years he worked with Paul\, he became one of his most faithful and trusted friends. He was sent on difficult missions by Paul—often in the face of great disturbance in local churches which Paul had founded. \nTimothy was with Paul in Rome during the latter’s house arrest. At some period Timothy himself was in prison (Hebrews 13:23). Paul installed him as his representative at the Church of Ephesus. \nTimothy was comparatively young for the work he was doing. Several references seem to indicate that he was timid. And one of Paul’s most frequently quoted lines was addressed to him: “Stop drinking only water\, but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). \nTitus has the distinction of being a close friend and disciple of Paul as well as a fellow missionary. He was Greek\, apparently from Antioch. Even though Titus was a Gentile\, Paul would not let him be forced to undergo circumcision at Jerusalem. Titus is seen as a peacemaker\, administrator\, great friend. Paul’s second letter to Corinth affords an insight into the depth of his friendship with Titus\, and the great fellowship they had in preaching the gospel. \nWhen Paul was having trouble with the community at Corinth\, Titus was the bearer of Paul’s severe letter and was successful in smoothing things out. Paul writes he was strengthened not only by the arrival of Titus but also “by the encouragement with which he was encouraged in regard to you\, as he told us of your yearning\, your lament\, your zeal for me\, so that I rejoiced even more…. And his heart goes out to you all the more\, as he remembers the obedience of all of you\, when you received him with fear and trembling” (2 Corinthians 7:7a\, 15). \nThe Letter to Titus addresses him as the administrator of the Christian community on the island of Crete\, charged with organizing it\, correcting abuses\, and appointing presbyter-bishops. \n\nReflection\nIn Titus we get another glimpse of life in the early Church: great zeal in the apostolate\, great communion in Christ\, great friendship. Yet always there is the problem of human nature and the unglamorous details of daily life: the need for charity and patience in “quarrels with others\, fears within myself\,” as Paul says. Through it all\, the love of Christ sustained them. At the end of the Letter to Titus\, Paul says that when the temporary substitute comes\, “hurry to me.” \n\nSaints Timothy and Titus are the Patron Saints of:\nStomach Disorders
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saints-timothy-and-titus/2018-01-26/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180125
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180126
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T161103Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T161103Z
UID:6203-1516838400-1516924799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Conversion of Saint Paul
DESCRIPTION:Saint of the Day for January 25\nConversion of Saint Paul\n1600 \nClick to hear audio clip ►\nThe Story of the Conversion of Saint Paul\nPaul’s entire life can be explained in terms of one experience—his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. In an instant\, he saw that all the zeal of his dynamic personality was being wasted\, like the strength of a boxer swinging wildly. Perhaps he had never seen Jesus\, who was only a few years older. But he had acquired a zealot’s hatred of all Jesus stood for\, as he began to harass the Church: “…entering house after house and dragging out men and women\, he handed them over for imprisonment” (Acts 8:3b). Now he himself was “entered\,” possessed\, all his energy harnessed to one goal—being a slave of Christ in the ministry of reconciliation\, an instrument to help others experience the one Savior. \nOne sentence determined his theology: “I am Jesus\, whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5b). Jesus was mysteriously identified with people—the loving group of people Saul had been running down like criminals. Jesus\, he saw\, was the mysterious fulfillment of all he had been blindly pursuing. \nFrom then on\, his only work was to “present everyone perfect in Christ. For this I labor and struggle\, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me” (Colossians 1:28b-29). “For our gospel did not come to you in word alone\, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and [with] much conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5a). \nPaul’s life became a tireless proclaiming and living out of the message of the cross: Christians die baptismally to sin and are buried with Christ; they are dead to all that is sinful and unredeemed in the world. They are made into a new creation\, already sharing Christ’s victory and someday to rise from the dead like him. Through this risen Christ the Father pours out the Spirit on them\, making them completely new. \nSo Paul’s great message to the world was: You are saved entirely by God\, not by anything you can do. Saving faith is the gift of total\, free\, personal and loving commitment to Christ\, a commitment that then bears fruit in more “works” than the Law could ever contemplate. \n\nReflection\nPaul is undoubtedly hard to understand. His style often reflects the rabbinical style of argument of his day\, and often his thought skips on mountaintops while we plod below. But perhaps our problems are accentuated by the fact that so many beautiful jewels have become part of the everyday coin in our Christian language.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/conversion-of-saint-paul/2018-01-25/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180124
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180125
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T160723Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T160723Z
UID:6200-1516752000-1516838399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Francis de Sales
DESCRIPTION:Saint Francis de Sales\nSaint of the Day for January 24\n(August 21\, 1567 – December 28\, 1622)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Francis de Sales’ Story\nFrancis was destined by his father to be a lawyer so that the young man could eventually take his elder’s place as a senator from the province of Savoy in France. For this reason Francis was sent to Padua to study law. After receiving his doctorate\, he returned home and\, in due time\, told his parents he wished to enter the priesthood. His father strongly opposed Francis in this\, and only after much patient persuasiveness on the part of the gentle Francis did his father finally consent. Francis was ordained and elected provost of the Diocese of Geneva\, then a center for the Calvinists. Francis set out to convert them\, especially in the district of Chablais. By preaching and distributing the little pamphlets he wrote to explain true Catholic doctrine\, he had remarkable success. \nAt 35\, he became bishop of Geneva. While administering his diocese he continued to preach\, hear confessions\, and catechize the children. His gentle character was a great asset in winning souls. He practiced his own axiom\, “A spoonful of honey attracts more flies than a barrelful of vinegar.” \nBesides his two well-known books\, the Introduction to the Devout Life and A Treatise on the Love of God\, he wrote many pamphlets and carried on a vast correspondence. For his writings\, he has been named patron of the Catholic Press. His writings\, filled with his characteristic gentle spirit\, are addressed to lay people. He wants to make them understand that they too are called to be saints. As he wrote in The Introduction to the Devout Life: “It is an error\, or rather a heresy\, to say devotion is incompatible with the life of a soldier\, a tradesman\, a prince\, or a married woman…. It has happened that many have lost perfection in the desert who had preserved it in the world. ” \nIn spite of his busy and comparatively short life\, he had time to collaborate with another saint\, Jane Frances de Chantal\, in the work of establishing the Sisters of the Visitation. These women were to practice the virtues exemplified in Mary’s visit to Elizabeth: humility\, piety\, and mutual charity. They at first engaged to a limited degree in works of mercy for the poor and the sick. Today\, while some communities conduct schools\, others live a strictly contemplative life. \n\nReflection\nFrancis de Sales took seriously the words of Christ\, “Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart.” As he said himself\, it took him 20 years to conquer his quick temper\, but no one ever suspected he had such a problem\, so overflowing with good nature and kindness was his usual manner of acting. His perennial meekness and sunny disposition won for him the title of “Gentleman Saint.” \n\nSaint Francis de Sales is the Patron Saint of:\nAuthors\nDeafness\nJournalists\nWriters
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-francis-de-sales/2018-01-24/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180123
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180124
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T160604Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T160604Z
UID:6197-1516665600-1516751999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Marianne Cope
DESCRIPTION:Saint Marianne Cope\nSaint of the Day for January 23\n(January 23\, 1838 – August 9\, 1918)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Marianne Cope’s Story\nThough leprosy scared off most people in 19th-century Hawaii\, that disease sparked great generosity in the woman who came to be known as Mother Marianne of Molokai. Her courage helped tremendously to improve the lives of its victims in Hawaii\, a territory annexed to the United States during her lifetime (1898). \nMother Marianne’s generosity and courage were celebrated at her May 14\, 2005\, beatification in Rome. She was a woman who spoke “the language of truth and love” to the world\, said Cardinal José Saraiva Martins\, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. Cardinal Martins\, who presided at the beatification Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica\, called her life “a wonderful work of divine grace.” Speaking of her special love for persons suffering from leprosy\, he said\, “She saw in them the suffering face of Jesus. Like the Good Samaritan\, she became their mother.” \nOn January 23\, 1838\, a daughter was born to Peter and Barbara Cope of Hessen-Darmstadt\, Germany. The girl was named after her mother. Two years later the Cope family emigrated to the United States and settled in Utica\, New York. Young Barbara worked in a factory until August 1862\, when she went to the Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis in Syracuse\, New York. After profession in November of the next year\, she began teaching at Assumption parish school. \nMarianne held the post of superior in several places and was twice the novice mistress of her congregation. A natural leader\, three different times she was superior of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse\, where she learned much that would be useful during her years in Hawaii. \nElected provincial in 1877\, Mother Marianne was unanimously re-elected in 1881. Two years later the Hawaiian government was searching for someone to run the Kakaako Receiving Station for people suspected of having leprosy. More than 50 religious communities in the United States and Canada were asked. When the request was put to the Syracuse sisters\, 35 of them volunteered immediately. On October 22\, 1883\, Mother Marianne and six other sisters left for Hawaii where they took charge of the Kakaako Receiving Station outside Honolulu; on the island of Maui they also opened a hospital and a school for girls. \nIn 1888\, Mother Marianne and two sisters went to Molokai to open a home for “unprotected women and girls” there. The Hawaiian government was quite hesitant to send women for this difficult assignment; they need not have worried about Mother Marianne! On Molokai she took charge of the home that Saint Damien de Veuster had established for men and boys. Mother Marianne changed life on Molokai by introducing cleanliness\, pride\, and fun to the colony. Bright scarves and pretty dresses for the women were part of her approach. \nAwarded the Royal Order of Kapiolani by the Hawaiian government and celebrated in a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson\, Mother Marianne continued her work faithfully. Her sisters have attracted vocations among the Hawaiian people and still work on Molokai. \nMother Marianne died on August 9\, 1918 and was beatified in 2005 and canonized seven years later. \n\nReflection\nThe government authorities were reluctant to allow Mother Marianne to be a mother on Molokai. Thirty years of dedication proved their fears unfounded. God grants gifts regardless of human short-sightedness and allows those gifts to flower for the sake of the kingdom.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-marianne-cope/2018-01-23/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180122
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180123
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T160448Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T160448Z
UID:6194-1516579200-1516665599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Vincent of Zaragossa
DESCRIPTION:Saint Vincent of Zaragossa\nSaint of the Day for January 22\n(d. c. 304)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\n\nSaint Vincent of Zaragossa’s Story\nMost of what we know about this saint comes from the poet Prudentius. His Acts have been rather freely colored by the imagination of their compiler. But Saint Augustine\, in one of his sermons on Saint Vincent\, speaks of having the Acts of his martyrdom before him. We are at least sure of his name\, his being a deacon\, the place of his death and burial. \nAccording to the story we have\, the unusual devotion he inspired must have had a basis in a very heroic life. Vincent was ordained deacon by his friend Saint Valerius of Zaragossa in Spain. The Roman emperors had published their edicts against the clergy in 303\, and the following year against the laity. Vincent and his bishop were imprisoned in Valencia. Hunger and torture failed to break them. Like the youths in the fiery furnace\, they seemed to thrive on suffering. \nValerius was sent into exile\, and Dacian\, the Roman governor\, now turned the full force of his fury on Vincent. Tortures that sound very modern were tried. But their main effect was the progressive disintegration of Dacian himself. He had the torturers beaten because they failed. \nFinally he suggested a compromise: Would Vincent at least give up the sacred books to be burned according to the emperor’s edict? He would not. Torture on the gridiron continued\, the prisoner remaining courageous\, the torturer losing control of himself. Vincent was thrown into a filthy prison cell—and converted the jailer. Dacian wept with rage\, but strangely enough\, ordered the prisoner to be given some rest. \nFriends among the faithful came to visit him\, but he was to have no earthly rest. When they finally settled him on a comfortable bed\, he went to his eternal rest. \n\nReflection\nThe martyrs are heroic examples of what God’s power can do. It is humanly impossible\, we realize\, for someone to go through tortures such as Vincent had and remain faithful. But it is equally true that by human power alone no one can remain faithful even without torture or suffering. God does not come to our rescue at isolated\, “special” moments. God is supporting the super-cruisers as well as children’s toy boats.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-vincent-of-zaragossa/2018-01-22/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180122
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T160323Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T160323Z
UID:6191-1516492800-1516579199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Agnes
DESCRIPTION:Saint Agnes\nSaint of the Day for January 21\n(d. c. 258)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Agnes’ Story\nAlmost nothing is known of this saint except that she was very young—12 or 13—when she was martyred in the last half of the third century. Various modes of death have been suggested—beheading\, burning\, strangling. \nLegend has it that Agnes was a beautiful girl whom many young men wanted to marry. Among those she refused\, one reported her to the authorities for being a Christian. She was arrested and confined to a house of prostitution. The legend continues that a man who looked upon her lustfully lost his sight and had it restored by her prayer. Agnes was condemned\, executed\, and buried near Rome in a catacomb that eventually was named after her. The daughter of Constantine built a basilica in her honor. \n\nReflection\nLike that of Maria Goretti in the 20th century\, the martyrdom of a virginal young girl made a deep impression on a society enslaved to a materialistic outlook. Also like Agatha\, who died in similar circumstances\, Agnes is a symbol that holiness does not depend on length of years\, experience\, or human effort. It is a gift God offers to all. \n\nSaint Agnes is the Patron Saint of:\nGirls\nGirl Scouts \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for January 21 is Servant of God Juan Padilla.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-agnes/2018-01-21/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180120
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180121
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T155907Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155907Z
UID:6186-1516406400-1516492799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Sebastian
DESCRIPTION:Saint Sebastian\nSaint of the Day for January 20\n(c. 256 –  January 20\, 287)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Sebastian’s Story\nAlmost nothing is historically certain about Sebastian except that he was a Roman martyr\, was venerated in Milan even in the time of Saint Ambrose and was buried on the Appian Way\, probably near the present Basilica of St. Sebastian. Devotion to him spread rapidly\, and he is mentioned in several martyrologies as early as 350. \nThe legend of Saint Sebastian is important in art\, and there is a vast iconography. Scholars now agree that a pious fable has Sebastian entering the Roman army because only there could he assist the martyrs without arousing suspicion. Finally he was found out\, brought before Emperor Diocletian and delivered to Mauritanian archers to be shot to death. His body was pierced with arrows\, and he was left for dead. But he was found still alive by those who came to bury him. He recovered\, but refused to flee. \nOne day he took up a position near where the emperor was to pass. He accosted the emperor\, denouncing him for his cruelty to Christians. This time the sentence of death was carried out. Sebastian was beaten to death with clubs. He was buried on the Appian Way\, close to the catacombs that bear his name. \n\nReflection\nThe fact that many of the early saints made such a tremendous impression on the Church—awakening widespread devotion and great praise from the greatest writers of the Church—is proof of the heroism of their lives. As has been said\, legends may not be literally true. Yet they may express the very substance of the faith and courage evident in the lives of these heroes and heroines of Christ. \n\nSaint Sebastian is the Patron Saint of:\nAthletes
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-sebastian/2018-01-20/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180119
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180120
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T155813Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155813Z
UID:6185-1516320000-1516406399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Fabian
DESCRIPTION:Saint Fabian\nSaint of the Day for January 19\n(c. 200 – January 20\, 250)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Fabian’s Story\nFabian was a Roman layman who came into the city from his farm one day as clergy and people were preparing to elect a new pope. Eusebius\, a Church historian\, says a dove flew in and settled on the head of Fabian. This sign united the votes of clergy and laity\, and he was chosen unanimously. \nHe led the Church for 14 years and died a martyr’s death during the persecution of Decius in 250 A.D. Saint Cyprian wrote to his successor that Fabian was an “incomparable” man whose glory in death matched the holiness and purity of his life. \nIn the catacombs of Saint Callistus\, the stone that covered Fabian’s grave may still be seen\, broken into four pieces\, bearing the Greek words\, “Fabian\, bishop\, martyr.” \n\nReflection\nWe can go confidently into the future and accept the change that growth demands only if we have firm roots in the past\, in a living tradition. A few pieces of stone in Rome are a reminder to us that we are bearers of more than 20 centuries of a living tradition of faith and courage in living the life of Christ and showing it to the world. We have brothers and sisters who have “gone before us with the sign of faith\,” as the First Eucharistic Prayer puts it\, to light the way for us. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Fabian is January 20.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-fabian/2018-01-19/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180118
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180119
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T155658Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155658Z
UID:6182-1516233600-1516319999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Charles of Sezze
DESCRIPTION:Saint Charles of Sezze\nSaint of the Day for January 18\n(October 19\, 1613 – January 6\, 1670)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Charles of Sezze’s Story\nCharles thought that God was calling him to be a missionary in India\, but he never got there. God had something better for this 17th-century successor to Brother Juniper. \nBorn in Sezze\, southeast of Rome\, Charles was inspired by the lives of Salvator Horta and Paschal Baylon to become a Franciscan; he did that in 1635. Charles tells us in his autobiography\, “Our Lord put in my heart a determination to become a lay brother with a great desire to be poor and to beg alms for his love.” \nCharles served as cook\, porter\, sacristan\, gardener and beggar at various friaries in Italy. In some ways\, he was “an accident waiting to happen.” He once started a huge fire in the kitchen when the oil in which he was frying onions burst into flames. \nOne story shows how thoroughly Charles adopted the spirit of Saint Francis. The superior ordered Charles—then porter—to give food only to traveling friars who came to the door. Charles obeyed this direction; simultaneously the alms to the friars decreased. Charles convinced the superior the two facts were related. When the friars resumed giving goods to all who asked at the door\, alms to the friars increased also. \nAt the direction of his confessor\, Charles wrote his autobiography\, The Grandeurs of the Mercies of God. He also wrote several other spiritual books. He made good use of his various spiritual directors throughout the years; they helped him discern which of Charles’ ideas or ambitions were from God. Charles himself was sought out for spiritual advice. The dying Pope Clement IX called Charles to his bedside for a blessing. \nCharles had a firm sense of God’s providence. Father Severino Gori has said\, “By word and example he recalled in all the need of pursuing only that which is eternal” (Leonard Perotti\, St. Charles of Sezze: An Autobiography\, page 215). \nHe died at San Francesco a Ripa in Rome and was buried there. Pope John XXIII canonized him in 1959. \n\nReflection\nThe drama in the lives of the saints is mostly interior. Charles’ life was spectacular only in his cooperation with God’s grace. He was captivated by God’s majesty and great mercy to all of us.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-charles-of-sezze/2018-01-18/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180117
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180118
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T155527Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155527Z
UID:6179-1516147200-1516233599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Anthony of Egypt
DESCRIPTION:Saint Anthony of Egypt (Saint Anthony the Abbot)\nSaint of the Day for January 17\n(251 – 356)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Anthony of Egypt’s Story\nThe life of Anthony will remind many people of St. Francis of Assisi. At 20\, Anthony was so moved by the Gospel message\, “Go\, sell what you have\, and give to [the] poor” (Mark 10:21b)\, that he actually did just that with his large inheritance. He is different from Francis in that most of Anthony’s life was spent in solitude. He saw the world completely covered with snares\, and gave the Church and the world the witness of solitary asceticism\, great personal mortification and prayer. But no saint is antisocial\, and Anthony drew many people to himself for spiritual healing and guidance. \nAt 54\, he responded to many requests and founded a sort of monastery of scattered cells. Again like Francis\, he had great fear of “stately buildings and well-laden tables.” \nAt 60\, he hoped to be a martyr in the renewed Roman persecution of 311\, fearlessly exposing himself to danger while giving moral and material support to those in prison. At 88\, he was fighting the Arian heresy\, that massive trauma from which it took the Church centuries to recover. “The mule kicking over the altar” denied the divinity of Christ. \nAnthony is associated in art with a T-shaped cross\, a pig and a book. The pig and the cross are symbols of his valiant warfare with the devil—the cross his constant means of power over evil spirits\, the pig a symbol of the devil himself. The book recalls his preference for “the book of nature” over the printed word. Anthony died in solitude at age 105. \nReflection\nIn an age that smiles at the notion of devils and angels\, a person known for having power over evil spirits must at least make us pause. And in a day when people speak of life as a “rat race\,” one who devotes a whole life to solitude and prayer points to an essential of the Christian life in all ages. Anthony’s hermit life reminds us of the absoluteness of our break with sin and the totality of our commitment to Christ. Even in God’s good world\, there is another world whose false values constantly tempt us. \n\nSaint Anthony of Egypt is the Patron Saint of:\nButchers\nGravediggers\nSkin Diseases
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-anthony-of-egypt/2018-01-17/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180116
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180117
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T155413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155413Z
UID:6176-1516060800-1516147199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Berard and Companions
DESCRIPTION:Saint Berard and Companions\nSaint of the Day for January 16\n(d. January 16\, 1220)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Berard and Companions’ Story\nPreaching the gospel is often dangerous work. Leaving one’s homeland and adjusting to new cultures\, governments and languages is difficult enough; but martyrdom caps all the other sacrifices. \nIn 1219\, with the blessing of Saint Francis\, Berard left Italy with Peter\, Adjute\, Accurs\, Odo and Vitalis to preach in Morocco. En route in Spain\, Vitalis became sick and commanded the other friars to continue their mission without him. \nThey tried preaching in Seville\, then in Muslim hands\, but made no converts. They went on to Morocco where they preached in the marketplace. The friars were immediately apprehended and ordered to leave the country; they refused. When they began preaching again\, an exasperated sultan ordered them executed. After enduring severe beatings and declining various bribes to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ\, the friars were beheaded by the sultan himself on January 16\, 1220. \nThese were the first Franciscan martyrs. When Francis heard of their deaths\, he exclaimed\, “Now I can truly say that I have five Friars Minor!” Their relics were brought to Portugal where they prompted a young Augustinian canon to join the Franciscans and set off for Morocco the next year. That young man was Anthony of Padua. These five martyrs were canonized in 1481. \n\nReflection\nThe deaths of Berard and his companions sparked a missionary vocation in Anthony of Padua and others. There have been many\, many Franciscans who have responded to Francis’ challenge. Proclaiming the gospel can be fatal\, but that has not stopped the Franciscan men and women who even today risk their lives in many countries throughout the world.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-berard-and-companions/2018-01-16/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180115
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180116
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T155301Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155301Z
UID:6173-1515974400-1516060799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Paul the Hermit
DESCRIPTION:Saint Paul the Hermit\nSaint of the Day for January 15\n(c. 233 – c. 345)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint  Paul the Hermit’s Story\nIt is unclear what we really know of Paul’s life\, how much is fable\, how much fact. \nPaul was reportedly born in Egypt\, where he was orphaned by age 15. He was also a learned and devout young man. During the persecution of Decius in Egypt in the year 250\, Paul was forced to hide in the home of a friend. Fearing a brother-in-law would betray him\, he fled in a cave in the desert. His plan was to return once the persecution ended\, but the sweetness of solitude and heavenly contemplation convinced him to stay. \nHe went on to live in that cave for the next 90 years. A nearby spring gave him drink\, a palm tree furnished him clothing and nourishment. After 21 years of solitude\, a bird began bringing him half of a loaf of bread each day. Without knowing what was happening in the world\, Paul prayed that the world would become a better place. \nSaint Anthony of Egypt attests to his holy life and death. Tempted by the thought that no one had served God in the wilderness longer than he\, Anthony was led by God to find Paul and acknowledge him as a man more perfect than himself. The raven that day brought a whole loaf of bread instead of the usual half. As Paul predicted\, Anthony would return to bury his new friend. \nThought to have been about 112 when he died\, Paul is known as the “First Hermit.” His feast day is celebrated in the East; he is also commemorated in the Coptic and Armenian rites of the Mass. \n\nReflection\nThe will and direction of God are seen in the circumstances of our lives. Led by the grace of God\, we are free to respond with choices that bring us closer to and make us more dependent upon the God who created us. Those choices might at times seem to lead us away from our neighbor. But ultimately they lead us back both in prayer and in fellowship to one another.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-paul-the-hermit/2018-01-15/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180114
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180115
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170825T155044Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170825T155044Z
UID:6170-1515888000-1515974399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Gregory Nazianzen
DESCRIPTION:Saint Gregory Nazianzen\nSaint of the Day for January 14\n(c. 325 – c. 390)\nClick to hear audio clip ►\nSaint Gregory Nazianzen’s Story\nAfter his baptism at 30\, Gregory gladly accepted his friend Basil’s invitation to join him in a newly founded monastery. The solitude was broken when Gregory’s father\, a bishop\, needed help in his diocese and estate. It seems that Gregory was ordained a priest practically by force\, and only reluctantly accepted the responsibility. He skillfully avoided a schism that threatened when his own father made compromises with Arianism. At 41\, Gregory was chosen suffragan bishop of Caesarea and at once came into conflict with Valens\, the emperor\, who supported the Arians. \nAn unfortunate by-product of the battle was the cooling of the friendship of two saints. Basil\, his archbishop\, sent him to a miserable and unhealthy town on the border of unjustly created divisions in his diocese. Basil reproached Gregory for not going to his see. \nWhen protection for Arianism ended with the death of Valens\, Gregory was called to rebuild the faith in the great see of Constantinople\, which had been under Arian teachers for three decades. Retiring and sensitive\, he dreaded being drawn into the whirlpool of corruption and violence. He first stayed at a friend’s home\, which became the only orthodox church in the city. In such surroundings\, he began giving the great sermons on the Trinity for which he is famous. In time\, Gregory did rebuild the faith in the city\, but at the cost of great suffering\, slander\, insults\, and even personal violence. An interloper even tried to take over his bishopric. \nHis last days were spent in solitude and austerity. He wrote religious poetry\, some of it autobiographical\, of great depth and beauty. He was acclaimed simply as “the Theologian.” \n\nReflection\nIt may be small comfort\, but post-Vatican II turmoil in the Church is a mild storm compared to the devastation caused by the Arian heresy\, a trauma the Church has never forgotten. Christ did not promise the kind of peace we would love to have—no problems\, no opposition\, no pain. In one way or another\, holiness is always the way of the cross.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-gregory-nazianzen/2018-01-14/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180113
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180114
DTSTAMP:20260403T134644
CREATED:20170824T200038Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170824T200038Z
UID:6139-1515801600-1515887999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Hilary of Poitiers
DESCRIPTION:Saint Hilary of Poitiers\nSaint of the Day for January 13\n(c. 315 – c. 368)\nClick to hear audio clip ► \nSaint Hilary of Poitiers’ Story\nThis staunch defender of the divinity of Christ was a gentle and courteous man\, devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity\, and was like his Master in being labeled a “disturber of the peace.” In a very troubled period in the Church\, his holiness was lived out in both scholarship and controversy. He was bishop of Poitiers in France. \nRaised a pagan\, he was converted to Christianity when he met his God of nature in the Scriptures. His wife was still living when he was chosen\, against his will\, to be the bishop of Poitiers in France. He was soon taken up with battling what became the scourge of the fourth century\, Arianism\, which denied the divinity of Christ. \nThe heresy spread rapidly. Saint Jerome said “The world groaned and marveled to find that it was Arian.” When Emperor Constantius ordered all the bishops of the West to sign a condemnation of Athanasius\, the great defender of the faith in the East\, Hilary refused and was banished from France to far off Phrygia. Eventually he was called the “Athanasius of the West.” \nWhile writing in exile\, he was invited by some semi-Arians (hoping for reconciliation) to a council the emperor called to counteract the Council of Nicea. But Hilary predictably defended the Church\, and when he sought public debate with the heretical bishop who had exiled him\, the Arians\, dreading the meeting and its outcome\, pleaded with the emperor to send this troublemaker back home. Hilary was welcomed by his people. \n\nReflection\nChrist said his coming would bring not peace but a sword (see Matthew 10:34). The Gospels offer no support for us if we fantasize about a sunlit holiness that knows no problems. Christ did notescape at the last moment\, though he did live happily ever after—after a life of controversy\, problems\, pain and frustration. Hilary\, like all saints\, simply had more of the same.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-hilary-of-poitiers/2018-01-13/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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