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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180502
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180503
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170831T114303Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170831T114303Z
UID:6661-1525219200-1525305599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Athanasius
DESCRIPTION:Saint Athanasius\nSaint of the Day for May 2\n(c. 296 – May 2\, 373)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMay02.mp3\nSaint Athanasius’ Story\nAthanasius led a tumultuous but dedicated life of service to the Church. He was the great champion of the faith against the widespread heresy of Arianism\, the teaching by Arius that Jesus was not truly divine. The vigor of his writings earned him the title of doctor of the Church. \nBorn of a Christian family in Alexandria\, Egypt\, and given a classical education\, Athanasius became secretary to Alexander\, the bishop of Alexandria\, entered the priesthood and was eventually named bishop himself. His predecessor\, Alexander\, had been an outspoken critic of a new movement growing in the East—Arianism. \nWhen Athanasius assumed his role as bishop of Alexandria\, he continued the fight against Arianism. At first\, it seemed that the battle would be easily won and that Arianism would be condemned. Such\, however\, did not prove to be the case. The Council of Tyre was called and for several reasons that are still unclear\, the Emperor Constantine exiled Athanasius to northern Gaul. This was to be the first in a series of travels and exiles reminiscent of the life of Saint Paul. \nAfter Constantine died\, his son restored Athanasius as bishop. This lasted only a year\, however\, for he was deposed once again by a coalition of Arian bishops. Athanasius took his case to Rome\, and Pope Julius I called a synod to review the case and other related matters. \nFive times Athanasius was exiled for his defense of the doctrine of Christ’s divinity. During one period of his life\, he enjoyed 10 years of relative peace—reading\, writing\, and promoting the Christian life along the lines of the monastic ideal to which he was greatly devoted. His dogmatic and historical writings are almost all polemic\, directed against every aspect of Arianism. \nAmong his ascetical writings\, his Life of St. Anthony achieved astonishing popularity and contributed greatly to the establishment of monastic life throughout the Western Christian world. \n\nReflection\nAthanasius suffered many trials while he was bishop of Alexandria. He was given the grace to remain strong against what probably seemed at times to be insurmountable opposition. Athanasius lived his office as bishop completely. He defended the true faith for his flock\, regardless of the cost to himself. In today’s world we are experiencing this same call to remain true to our faith\, no matter what.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-athanasius/2018-05-02/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180501
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180502
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170831T114120Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170831T114120Z
UID:6658-1525132800-1525219199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Joseph the Worker
DESCRIPTION:Saint Joseph the Worker\nSaint of the Day for May 1\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMay01.mp3\nThe Story of Saint Joseph the Worker\nTo foster deep devotion to Saint Joseph among Catholics\, and in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists\, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955. This feast extends the long relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers in both Catholic faith and devotion. Beginning in the Book of Genesis\, the dignity of human work has long been celebrated as a participation in the creative work of God. By work\, humankind both fulfills the command found in Genesis to care for the earth (Gn 2:15) and to be productive in their labors. Saint Joseph\, the carpenter and foster father of Jesus\, is but one example of the holiness of human labor. \nJesus\, too\, was a carpenter. He learned the trade from Saint Joseph and spent his early adult years working side-by-side in Joseph’s carpentry shop before leaving to pursue his ministry as preacher and healer. In his encyclical Laborem Exercens\, Pope John Paul II stated: “the Church considers it her task always to call attention to the dignity and rights of those who work\, to condemn situations in which that dignity and those rights are violated\, and to help to guide [social] changes so as to ensure authentic progress by man and society.” \nSaint Joseph is held up as a model of such work. Pius XII emphasized this when he said\, “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man\, Savior of the world\, but certainly\, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus\, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work.” \n\nReflection\nTo capture the devotion to Saint Joseph within the Catholic liturgy\, in 1870\, Pope Pius IX declared Saint Joseph the patron of the universal Church. In 1955\, Pope Pius XII added the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. This silent saint\, who was given the noble task of caring and watching over the Virgin Mary and Jesus\, now cares for and watches over the Church and models for all the dignity of human work.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-joseph-the-worker/2018-05-01/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180430
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180501
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T191316Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T191316Z
UID:6646-1525046400-1525132799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Pius V
DESCRIPTION:Saint Pius V\nSaint of the Day for April 30\n(January 17\, 1504 – May 1\, 1572)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr30.mp3\nSaint Pius V’s Story\nThis is the pope whose job it was to implement the historic Council of Trent. If we think popes had difficulties in implementing Vatican Council II\, Pius V had even greater problems after Trent four centuries earlier. \nDuring his papacy (1566-1572)\, Pius V was faced with the almost overwhelming responsibility of getting a shattered and scattered Church back on its feet. The family of God had been shaken by corruption\, by the Reformation\, by the constant threat of Turkish invasion\, and by the bloody bickering of the young nation-states. In 1545\, a previous pope convened the Council of Trent in an attempt to deal with all these pressing problems. Off and on over 18 years\, the Fathers of the Church discussed\, condemned\, affirmed\, and decided upon a course of action. The Council closed in 1563. \nPius V was elected in 1566 and charged with the task of implementing the sweeping reforms called for by the Council. He ordered the founding of seminaries for the proper training of priests. He published a new missal\, a new breviary\, a new catechism and established the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes for the young. Pius zealously enforced legislation against abuses in the Church. He patiently served the sick and the poor by building hospitals\, providing food for the hungry\, and giving money customarily used for the papal banquets to poor Roman converts. His decision to keep wearing his Dominican habit led to the custom–to this day–of the pope wearing a white cassock. \nIn striving to reform both Church and state\, Pius encountered vehement opposition from England’s Queen Elizabeth and the Roman Emperor Maximilian II. Problems in France and in the Netherlands also hindered Pius’s hopes for a Europe united against the Turks. Only at the last minute was he able to organize a fleet which won a decisive victory in the Gulf of Lepanto\, off Greece\, on October 7\, 1571. \nPius’s ceaseless papal quest for a renewal of the Church was grounded in his personal life as a Dominican friar. He spent long hours with his God in prayer\, fasted rigorously\, deprived himself of many customary papal luxuries\, and faithfully observed the spirit of the Dominican Rule that he had professed. \n\nReflection\nIn their personal lives and in their actions as popes\, Saint Pius V and Blessed Paul VI both led the family of God in the process of interiorizing and implementing the new birth called for by the Spirit in major Councils. With zeal and patience\, Pius and Paul pursued the changes urged by the Council Fathers. Like Pius and Paul\, we too are called to constant change of heart and life.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-pius-v/2018-04-30/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180429
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180430
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T191048Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T191048Z
UID:6643-1524960000-1525046399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Catherine of Siena
DESCRIPTION:Saint Catherine of Siena\nSaint of the Day for April 29\n(March 25\, 1347 – April 29\, 1380)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr29.mp3\nSaint Catherine of Siena’s Story\nThe value Catherine makes central in her short life and which sounds clearly and consistently through her experience is complete surrender to Christ. What is most impressive about her is that she learns to view her surrender to her Lord as a goal to be reached through time. \nShe was the 23rd child of Jacopo and Lapa Benincasa and grew up as an intelligent\, cheerful\, and intensely religious person. Catherine disappointed her mother by cutting off her hair as a protest against being overly encouraged to improve her appearance in order to attract a husband. Her father ordered her to be left in peace\, and she was given a room of her own for prayer and meditation. \nShe entered the Dominican Third Order at 18 and spent the next three years in seclusion\, prayer\, and austerity. Gradually\, a group of followers gathered around her—men and women\, priests and religious. An active public apostolate grew out of her contemplative life. Her letters\, mostly for spiritual instruction and encouragement of her followers\, began to take more and more note of public affairs. Opposition and slander resulted from her mixing fearlessly with the world and speaking with the candor and authority of one completely committed to Christ. She was cleared of all charges at the Dominican General Chapter of 1374. \nHer public influence reached great heights because of her evident holiness\, her membership in the Dominican Third Order\, and the deep impression she made on the pope. She worked tirelessly for the crusade against the Turks and for peace between Florence and the pope. \nIn 1378\, the Great Schism began\, splitting the allegiance of Christendom between two\, then three\, popes and putting even saints on opposing sides. Catherine spent the last two years of her life in Rome\, in prayer and pleading on behalf of the cause of Pope Urban VI and the unity of the Church. She offered herself as a victim for the Church in its agony. She died surrounded by her “children” and was canonized in 1461. \nCatherine ranks high among the mystics and spiritual writers of the Church. In 1939\, she and Francis of Assisi were declared co-patrons of Italy. Pope Paul VI named her and Teresa of Avila doctors of the Church in 1970. Her spiritual testament is found in The Dialogue. \n\nReflection\nThough she lived her life in a faith experience and spirituality far different from that of our own time\, Catherine of Siena stands as a companion with us on the Christian journey in her undivided effort to invite the Lord to take flesh in her own life. Events which might make us wince or chuckle or even yawn fill her biographies: a mystical experience at six\, childhood betrothal to Christ\, stories of harsh asceticism\, her frequent ecstatic visions. Still\, Catherine lived in an age which did not know the rapid change of 21st-century mobile America. The value of her life for us today lies in her recognition of holiness as a goal to be sought over the course of a lifetime. \n\nSaint Catherine of Siena is the Patron Saint of:\nEurope\nFire Prevention\nItaly
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-catherine-of-siena/2018-04-29/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180428
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180429
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T190144Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T190144Z
UID:6626-1524873600-1524959999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Peter Chanel
DESCRIPTION:Saint Peter Chanel\nSaint of the Day for April 28\n(1803 – April 28\, 1841)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr28.mp3\nSaint Peter Chanel’s Story\nAnyone who has worked in loneliness\, with great adaptation required and with little apparent success\, will find a kindred spirit in Peter Chanel. \nBorn in France\, Peter’s interest in the missions began in school\, when he read letters missionaries to America sent back home. As a young priest\, Peter revived a parish in a “bad” district by the simple method of showing great devotion to the sick. Wanting to be a missionary\, he joined the Society of Mary\, the Marists\, at 28. Obediently\, he taught in the seminary for five years. Then\, as superior of seven Marists\, he traveled to Western Oceania. The bishop accompanying the missionaries left Peter and a brother on Futuna Island northeast of Fiji\, promising to return in six months. He was gone five years. \nMeanwhile\, Peter struggled with this new language and mastered it\, making the difficult adjustment to life with whalers\, traders\, and warring natives. Despite little apparent success and severe want\, he maintained a serene and gentle spirit\, plus endless patience and courage. A few natives had been baptized\, a few more were being instructed. When the chieftain’s son asked to be baptized\, persecution by the chieftain reached a climax. Father Chanel was clubbed to death. \nWithin two years after his death\, the whole island became Catholic and has remained so. He was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1954. Peter Chanel is the first martyr of Oceania and its patron. \n\nReflection\nSuffering for Christ means suffering because we are like Christ. Very often the opposition we meet is the result of our own selfishness or imprudence. We are not martyrs when we are “persecuted” by those who merely treat us as we treat them. A Christian martyr is one who\, like Christ\, is simply a witness to God’s love\, and brings out of human hearts the good or evil that is already there. \n\nSaint Peter Chanel is the Patron Saint of:\nOceania
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-peter-chanel/2018-04-28/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180427
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180428
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T190010Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T190757Z
UID:6617-1524787200-1524873599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort
DESCRIPTION:Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort\nSaint of the Day for April 27\n(January 31\, 1673 – April 28\, 1716)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr27.mp3\nSaint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort’s Story\nLouis’s life is inseparable from his efforts to promote genuine devotion to Mary\, the mother of Jesus and mother of the Church. Totus tuus (“completely yours”) was Louis’s personal motto; Pope John Paul II chose it as his episcopal motto. \nBorn in the Breton village of Montfort\, close to Rennes\, France\, as an adult Louis identified himself by the place of his Baptism instead of his family name\, Grignion. After being educated by the Jesuits and the Sulpicians\, he was ordained a diocesan priest in 1700. \nSoon he began preaching parish missions throughout western France. His years of ministering to the poor prompted him to travel and live very simply\, sometimes getting him into trouble with Church authorities. In his preaching\, which attracted thousands of people back to the faith\, Father Louis recommended frequent\, even daily\, Holy Communion–not the custom then!–and imitation of the Virgin Mary’s ongoing acceptance of God’s will for her life. \nLouis founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary\, for priests and brothers\, and the Daughters of Wisdom\, who cared especially for the sick. His book True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin has become a classic explanation of Marian devotion. \nLouis died in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre\, where a basilica has been erected in his honor. He was canonized in 1947. \n\nReflection\nLike Mary\, Louis experienced challenges in his efforts to follow Jesus. Opposed at times in his preaching and in his other ministries\, Louis knew with Saint Paul\, “Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything\, but only God\, who causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). Any attempt to succeed by worldly standards runs the risk of betraying the Good News of Jesus. Mary is “the first and most perfect disciple\,” as the late Sulpician Father Raymond Brown described her. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort is April 28.\n\nAnother Saint of the Day for April 27 is Saint Zita of Lucca.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-pedro-de-san-jose-betancurs-story-central-america-claimed-its-first-saint-with-the-canonization-of-pedro-de-san-jose-betancur-known-as-the-st-francis-of-the-americas/2018-04-27/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180426
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180427
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T183516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T183516Z
UID:6611-1524700800-1524787199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Pedro de San José Betancur
DESCRIPTION:Saint Pedro de San José Betancur\nSaint of the Day for April 26\n(March 19\, 1626 – April 25\, 1667)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr26.mp3\nSaint Pedro de San José Betancur’s Story\nCentral America claimed its first saint with the canonization of Pedro de San José Betancur. Known as the “St. Francis of the Americas\,” Pedro de Betancur is the first saint to have worked and died in Guatemala. \nPedro very much wanted to become a priest\, but God had other plans for the young man born into a poor family on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Pedro was a shepherd until age 24\, when he began to make his way to Guatemala\, hoping to connect with a relative engaged in government service there. By the time he reached Havana\, he was out of money. After working there to earn more\, he got to Guatemala City the following year. When he arrived\, he was so destitute that he joined the breadline that the Franciscans had established. \nSoon\, Pedro enrolled in the local Jesuit college in hopes of studying for the priesthood. No matter how hard he tried\, however\, he could not master the material; he withdrew from school. In 1655\, he joined the Secular Franciscan Order. Three years later\, he opened a hospital for the convalescent poor; a shelter for the homeless\, and a school for the poor soon followed. Not wanting to neglect the rich of Guatemala City\, Pedro began walking through their part of town ringing a bell and inviting them to repent. \nOther men came to share in Pedro’s work. Out of this group came the Bethlehemite Congregation\, which won papal approval after Pedro’s death. A Bethlehemite sisters’ community\, similarly founded after Pedro’s death\, was inspired by his life of prayer and compassion. \nHe is sometimes credited with originating the Christmas Eve posadas procession in which people representing Mary and Joseph seek a night’s lodging from their neighbors. The custom soon spread to Mexico and other Central American countries. \nPedro died in 1667\, and was canonized by Pope John Paul II in Guatemala City on July 30\, 2002. \nCalling the new saint an “outstanding example” of Christian mercy\, the Holy Father noted that Saint Pedro practiced mercy “heroically with the lowliest and the most deprived.” Speaking to the estimated 500\,000 Guatemalans in attendance\, the Holy Father spoke of the social ills that plague the country today and of the need for change. \n“Let us think of the children and young people who are homeless or deprived of an education; of abandoned women with their many needs; of the hordes of social outcasts who live in the cities; of the victims of organized crime\, of prostitution or of drugs; of the sick who are neglected and the elderly who live in loneliness\,” he said in his homily during the three-hour liturgy. \n  \n\nReflection\nAs humans\, we often pride ourselves on our ability to reason. But as Pedro’s life shows\, other skills may be an even more crucial element of our humanity than a clever mind: compassion\, imagination\, love. Unable to master studies for the priesthood despite his efforts\, Pedro responded to the needs of homeless and sick people; he provided education to the poor and salvation to the rich. He became holy—as fully human as any of us can ever be.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-pedro-de-san-jose-betancur/2018-04-26/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180425
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180426
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T183336Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T183336Z
UID:6608-1524614400-1524700799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Mark
DESCRIPTION:Saint Mark\nSaint of the Day for April 25\n(? – c. April 25\, 68)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr25.mp3\nSaint Mark’s Story\nMost of what we know about Mark comes directly from the New Testament. He is usually identified with the Mark of Acts 12:12. When St. Peter escaped from prison\, he went to the home of Mark’s mother. \nPaul and Barnabas took him along on the first missionary journey\, but for some reason Mark returned alone to Jerusalem. It is evident\, from Paul’s refusal to let Mark accompany him on the second journey despite Barnabas’s insistence\, that Mark had displeased Paul. Because Paul later asks Mark to visit him in prison\, we may assume the trouble did not last long. \nThe oldest and the shortest of the four Gospels\, the Gospel of Mark emphasizes Jesus’s rejection by humanity while being God’s triumphant envoy. Probably written for gentile converts in Rome—after the death of Peter and Paul sometime between A.D. 60 and 70—Mark’s Gospel is the gradual manifestation of a “scandal”: a crucified Messiah. \nEvidently a friend of Mark–calling him “my son”–Peter is only one of this Gospel‘s sources\, others being the Church in Jerusalem (Jewish roots)\, and the Church at Antioch (largely gentile). \nLike another Gospel writer Luke\, Mark was not one of the 12 apostles. We cannot be certain whether he knew Jesus personally. Some scholars feel that the evangelist is speaking of himself when describing the arrest of Jesus in Gethsemane: “Now a young man followed him wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him\, but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked” (Mark 14:51-52). \nOthers hold Mark to be the first bishop of Alexandria\, Egypt. Venice\, famous for the Piazza San Marco\, claims Mark as its patron saint; the large basilica there is believed to contain his remains. \nA winged lion is Mark’s symbol. The lion derives from Mark’s description of John the Baptist as a “voice of one crying out in the desert” (Mark 1:3)\, which artists compared to a roaring lion. The wings come from the application of Ezekiel’s vision of four winged creatures to the evangelists. \n\nReflection\nMark fulfilled in his life what every Christian is called to do: proclaim to all people the Good News that is the source of salvation. In particular\, Mark’s way was by writing. Others may proclaim the Good News by music\, drama\, poetry\, or by teaching children around a family table. \n\nSaint Mark is the Patron Saint of:\nNotaries
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-mark/2018-04-25/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180424
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180425
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T183147Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T190911Z
UID:6607-1524528000-1524614399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen
DESCRIPTION:Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen\nSaint of the Day for April 24\n(1577 – April 24\, 1622)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr24.mp3\nSaint Fidelis of Sigmaringen’s Story\nIf a poor man needed some clothing\, Fidelis would often give the man the clothes right off his back. Complete generosity to others characterized this saint’s life. \nBorn in 1577\, Mark Rey became a lawyer who constantly upheld the causes of the poor and oppressed people. Nicknamed “the poor man’s lawyer\,” Rey soon grew disgusted with the corruption and injustice he saw among his colleagues. He left his law career to become a priest\, joining his brother George as a member of the Capuchin Order. Fidelis was his religious name. His wealth was divided between needy seminarians and the poor. \nAs a follower of Francis\, Fidelis continued his devotion to the weak and needy. During a severe epidemic in a city where he was guardian of a friary\, Fidelis cared for and cured many sick soldiers. \nHe was appointed head of a group of Capuchins sent to preach against the Calvinists and Zwinglians in Switzerland. Almost certain violence threatened. Those who observed the mission felt that success was more attributable to the prayer of Fidelis during the night than to his sermons and instructions. \nHe was accused of opposing the peasants’ national aspirations for independence from Austria. While he was preaching at Seewis\, to which he had gone against the advice of his friends\, a gun was fired at him\, but he escaped unharmed. A Protestant offered to shelter Fidelis\, but he declined\, saying his life was in God’s hands. On the road back\, he was set upon by a group of armed men and killed. \nFidelis was canonized in 1746. Fifteen years later he was recognized as a martyr. \n\nReflection\nFidelis’ constant prayer was that he be kept completely faithful to God and not give in to any lukewarmness or apathy. He was often heard to exclaim\, “Woe to me if I should prove myself but a halfhearted soldier in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain.” His prayer against apathy\, and his concern for the poor and weak make him a saint whose example is valuable today. The modern Church is calling us to follow the example of “the poor man’s lawyer” by sharing ourselves and our talents with those less fortunate and by working for justice in the world.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-fidelis-of-sigmaringen/2018-04-24/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180423
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180424
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T183027Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T183027Z
UID:6604-1524441600-1524527999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint George
DESCRIPTION:Saint George\nSaint of the Day for April 23\n(c. 280 –  April 23\, 303)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr23.mp3\nSaint George’s Story\nSaint George is the object of a vast amount of imagination. There is every reason to believe that he was a real martyr who suffered at Lydda in Palestine\, probably before the time of Constantine. The Church adheres to his memory\, but not to the legends surrounding his life. That he was willing to pay the supreme price to follow Christ is what the Church believes. And it is enough. \nThe story of George’s slaying the dragon\, rescuing the king’s daughter and converting Libya is a 12th-century Italian fable. George was a favorite patron saint of crusaders\, as well as of Eastern soldiers in earlier times. He is a patron saint of England\, Portugal\, Germany\, Aragon\, Catalonia\, Genoa\, and Venice. \n\nReflection\nHuman nature seems to crave more than cold historical data. Americans have Washington and Lincoln\, but we somehow need Paul Bunyan\, too. The life of Saint Francis of Assisi is inspiring enough\, but for centuries the Italians have found his spirit in the legends of the Fioretti\, too. Santa Claus is the popular extension of the spirit of Saint Nicholas. The legends about Saint George are part of this yearning. Both fact and legend are human ways of illumining the mysterious truth about the One who alone is holy. \n\nSaint George is the Patron Saint of:\nBoy Scouts\nEngland\nPortugal\nSoldiers\nGermany
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-george/2018-04-23/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180422
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180423
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T182905Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T182905Z
UID:6599-1524355200-1524441599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Adalbert of Prague
DESCRIPTION:Saint Adalbert of Prague\nSaint of the Day for April 22\n(956 – April 23\, 997)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr22.mp3\nSaint Adalbert of Prague’s Story\nOpposition to the Good News of Jesus did not discourage Adalbert\, who is now remembered with great honor in the Czech Republic\, Poland\, Hungary\, and Germany. \nBorn to a noble family in Bohemia\, he received part of his education from Saint Adalbert of Magdeburg. At the age of 27\, he was chosen as bishop of Prague. Those who resisted his program of clerical reform forced him into exile eight years later. \nIn time\, the people of Prague requested his return as their bishop. Within a short time\, however\, he was exiled again after excommunicating those who violated the right of sanctuary by dragging a woman accused of adultery from a church and murdering her. \nAfter a short ministry in Hungary\, he went to preach the Good News to people living near the Baltic Sea. He and two companions were martyred by pagan priests in that region. Adalbert’s body was immediately ransomed and buried in the Gniezno\, Poland\, cathedral. In the mid-11th century his relics were moved to Saint Vitus Cathedral in Prague. \n\nReflection\nPreaching the Good News can be dangerous work whether the audience is already baptized or not. Adalbert fearlessly preached Jesus’ gospel and received a martyr’s crown for his efforts. Similar zeal has created modern martyrs in many places\, especially in Central and South America. Some of those martyrs grew up in areas once evangelized by Adalbert. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Adalbert of Prague is April 23.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-adalbert-of-prague/2018-04-22/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180421
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180422
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T182712Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T182712Z
UID:6595-1524268800-1524355199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Anselm
DESCRIPTION:Saint Anselm\nSaint of the Day for April 21\n(1033 – April 21\, 1109)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr21.mp3\nSaint Anselm’s Story\nIndifferent toward religion as a young man\, Anselm became one of the Church’s greatest theologians and leaders. He received the title “Father of Scholasticism” for his attempt to analyze and illumine the truths of faith through the aid of reason. \nAt 15\, Anselm wanted to enter a monastery\, but was refused acceptance because of his father’s opposition. Twelve years later\, after careless disinterest in religion and years of worldly living\, he finally fulfilled his desire to be a monk. He entered the monastery of Bec in Normandy\, was elected prior three years later\, and 15 years later\, was unanimously chosen abbot. \nConsidered an original and independent thinker\, Anselm was admired for his patience\, gentleness\, and teaching skill. Under his leadership\, the Abbey of Bec became a monastic school\, influential in philosophical and theological studies. \nDuring these years\, at the community’s request\, Anselm began publishing his theological works\, comparable to those of Saint Augustine. His best-known work is the book Cur Deus Homo (“Why God Became Man”). \nAgainst his will\, Anselm was appointed archbishop of Canterbury in 1093\, at age 60. His appointment was opposed at first by England’s King William Rufus and later accepted. Rufus persistently refused to cooperate with efforts to reform the Church. \nAnselm finally went into voluntary exile until Rufus died in 1100. He was then recalled to England by Rufus’ brother and successor\, Henry I. Disagreeing fearlessly with Henry over the king’s insistence on investing England’s bishops\, Anselm spent another three years in exile in Rome. \nHis care and concern extended to the very poorest people. Opposing the slave trade\, Anselm obtained from the national council at Westminster the passage of a resolution prohibiting the sale of human beings. \n\nReflection\nLike every true follower of Christ\, Anselm had to carry his cross\, especially in the form of opposition and conflict with those in political control. Though personally a mild and gentle man and a lover of peace\, he would not back off from conflict and persecution when principles were at stake.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-anselm/2018-04-21/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180420
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180421
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T182424Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T182424Z
UID:6592-1524182400-1524268799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Conrad of Parzham
DESCRIPTION:Saint Conrad of Parzham\nSaint of the Day for April 20\n(December 22\, 1818 – April 21\, 1894)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr20.mp3\nSaint Conrad of Parzham’s Story\nConrad spent most of his life as porter in Altoetting\, Bavaria\, letting people into the friary and indirectly encouraging them to let God into their lives. \nHis parents\, Bartholomew and Gertrude Birndorfer\, lived near Parzham\, Bavaria. In those days\, this region was recovering from the Napoleonic wars. A lover of solitary prayer and a peacemaker as a young man\, Conrad joined the Capuchins as a brother. He made his profession in 1852 and was assigned to the friary in Altoetting. That city’s shrine to Mary was very popular; at the nearby Capuchin friary there was a lot of work for the porter\, a job Conrad held for 41 years. \nAt first\, some of the other friars were jealous that such a young friar held this important job. Conrad’s patience and holy life overcame their doubts. As porter\, he dealt with many people\, obtaining many of the friary supplies and generously providing for the poor who came to the door. He treated them all with the courtesy Francis expected of his followers. \nConrad’s helpfulness was sometimes unnerving. Once Father Vincent\, seeking quiet to prepare a sermon\, went up the belltower of the church. Conrad tracked him down when someone wanting to go to confession specifically requested Father Vincent. \nConrad also developed a special rapport with the children of the area. He enthusiastically promoted the Seraphic Work of Charity\, which aided neglected children. \nConrad spent hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. He regularly asked the Blessed Mother to intercede for him and for the many people he included in his prayers. The ever-patient Conrad was canonized in 1934. \n\nReflection\nAs we can see from his life as well as his words\, Conrad of Parzham lived a life that attracted others because of a special quality\, something Chesterton alluded to when he wrote\, “The moment we have a fixed heart we have a free hand.” If we want to understand Conrad\, we have to know where he fixed his heart. Because he was united to God in prayer\, everyone felt at ease in Conrad’s presence. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Conrad of Parzham is April 21.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-conrad-of-parzham/2018-04-20/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180419
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180420
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T182306Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T190628Z
UID:6591-1524096000-1524182399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
DESCRIPTION:Saint Gianna Beretta Molla\nSaint of the Day for April 19\n(October 4\, 1922 – April 28\, 1962)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr19.mp3\nSaint Gianna Beretta Molla’s Story\nIn less than 40 years\, Gianna Beretta Molla became a pediatric physician\, a wife\, a mother and a saint! \nShe was born in Magenta near Milano\, the 10th of Alberto and Maria Beretta’s 13 children. An active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a leader in the Catholic Action movement\, Gianna also enjoyed skiing and mountain climbing. She earned degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Pavia\, eventually specializing in pediatrics. In 1952\, Gianna opened a clinic in the small town of Mesero\, where she met engineer Pietro Molla. \nShortly before their 1955 marriage\, Gianna wrote to Pietro: “Love is the most beautiful sentiment that the Lord has put into the soul of men and women.” In the next four years the Mollas had three children: Pierluigi\, Mariolina\, and Laura. Two pregnancies following ended in miscarriage. \nEarly in her sixth pregnancy\, doctors discovered that Gianna had both a child and a tumor in her uterus. She allowed the surgeons to remove the tumor but not to perform the complete hysterectomy that they recommended\, which would have killed the child. Seven months later in April 1962\, Gianna Emanuela Molla was born at the hospital in Monza\, but post-operative complications resulted in an infection for her mother. The following week\, Gianna Molla died at home in Mesero\, where she was buried. \nGianna Emanuela went on to become a physician herself. Gianna Beretta Molla was beatified in 1994 and canonized 10 years later. \n\nReflection\nWith great faith and courage\, Gianna Molla made the choice that enabled her daughter to be born. We can often wish that we were in different circumstances\, but holiness frequently comes from making difficult choices in bad situations. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla is April 28.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-gianna-beretta-molla/2018-04-19/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180418
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180419
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T182134Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T190530Z
UID:6590-1524009600-1524095999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed James Oldo
DESCRIPTION:Blessed James Oldo\nSaint of the Day for April 18\n(1364 – April 18\, 1404)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr18.mp3\nBlessed James Oldo’s Story\nYou’ve heard rags-to-riches stories. Today\, we celebrate the reverse. \nJames of Oldo was born into a well-to-do family near Milan in 1364. He married a woman who like him\, appreciated the comforts that came with wealth. But an outbreak of the plague drove James\, his wife\, and their three children out of their home and into the countryside. Despite those precautions\, two of his daughters died from the plague. James determined to use whatever time he had left to build up treasures in heaven and to build God’s realm on earth. \nHe and his wife became Secular Franciscans. James gave up his old lifestyle and did penance for his sins. He cared for a sick priest\, who taught him Latin. Upon the death of his wife\, James himself became a priest. His house was transformed into a chapel where small groups of people\, many of them fellow Secular Franciscans\, came for prayer and support. James focused on caring for the sick and for prisoners of war. He died in 1404 after contracting a disease from one of his patients. \nJames Oldo was beatified in 1933. \n\nReflection\nThe death of those we love brings a troubling awareness of our own mortality. James had that experience when he gazed into a friend’s grave\, and it brought him to his senses. He determined to use whatever time he had left to build up treasures in heaven and to build God’s realm on earth. Our time is limited\, too. We can use it well or foolishly: The choice is ours.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-james-oldo/2018-04-18/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180417
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180418
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T181901Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T190309Z
UID:6586-1523923200-1524009599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Benedict Joseph Labre
DESCRIPTION:Saint Benedict Joseph Labre\nSaint of the Day for April 17\n(March 25\, 1748 – April 17\, 1783)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr17.mp3\nSaint Benedict Joseph Labre’s Story\nBenedict Joseph Labre was truly eccentric\, one of God’s special little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children\, he studied under his uncle\, a parish priest. Because of poor health and a lack of suitable academic preparation he was unsuccessful in his attempts to enter the religious life. Then\, at age 16\, a profound change took place. Benedict lost his desire to study and gave up all thoughts of the priesthood\, much to the consternation of his relatives. \nHe became a pilgrim\, traveling from one great shrine to another\, living off alms. He wore the rags of a beggar and shared his food with the poor. Filled with the love of God and neighbor\, Benedict had special devotion to the Blessed Mother and to the Blessed Sacrament. In Rome\, where he lived in the Colosseum for a time\, he was called “the poor man of the Forty Hours devotion” and “the beggar of Rome.” The people accepted his ragged appearance better than he did. His excuse to himself was that “our comfort is not in this world.” \nOn April 16\, 1783\, the last day of his life\, Benedict dragged himself to a church in Rome and prayed there for two hours before he collapsed\, dying peacefully in a nearby house. Immediately after his death\, the people proclaimed him a saint. \nBenedict Joseph Labre was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1881. \n\nReflection\nIn a modern inner city\, one local character kneels for hours on the sidewalk and prays. Swathed in his entire wardrobe winter and summer\, he greets passersby with a blessing. Where he sleeps no one knows\, but he is surely a direct spiritual descendant of Benedict\, the ragged man who slept in the ruins of Rome’s Colosseum. These days we ascribe such behavior to mental illness; Benedict’s contemporaries called him holy. Holiness is always a bit mad by earthly standards. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Benedict Joseph Labre is April 16.\n\nSaint Benedict Joseph Labre is the Patron Saint of:\nHomeless
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-benedict-joseph-labre/2018-04-17/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180416
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180417
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T175501Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T175501Z
UID:6583-1523836800-1523923199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Bernadette Soubirous
DESCRIPTION:Saint Bernadette Soubirous\nSaint of the Day for April 16\n(January 7\, 1844 – April 16\, 1879)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr16.mp3\nSaint Bernadette Soubirous’s Story\nBernadette Soubirous was born in 1844\, the first child of an extremely poor miller in the town of Lourdes in southern France. The family was living in the basement of a dilapidated building when on February 11\, 1858\, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette in a cave above the banks of the Gave River near Lourdes. Bernadette\, 14 years old\, was known as a virtuous girl though a dull student who had not even made her first Holy Communion. In poor health\, she had suffered from asthma from an early age. \nThere were 18 appearances in all\, the final one occurring on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel\, July 16. Although Bernadette’s initial reports provoked skepticism\, her daily visions of “the Lady” brought great crowds of the curious. The Lady\, Bernadette explained\, had instructed her to have a chapel built on the spot of the visions. There\, the people were to come to wash in and drink of the water of the spring that had welled up from the very spot where Bernadette had been instructed to dig. \nAccording to Bernadette\, the Lady of her visions was a girl of 16 or 17 who wore a white robe with a blue sash. Yellow roses covered her feet\, a large rosary was on her right arm. In the vision on March 25 she told Bernadette\, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” It was only when the words were explained to her that Bernadette came to realize who the Lady was. \nFew visions have ever undergone the scrutiny that these appearances of the Immaculate Virgin were subject to. Lourdes became one of the most popular Marian shrines in the world\, attracting millions of visitors. Miracles were reported at the shrine and in the waters of the spring. After thorough investigation\, Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions in 1862. \nDuring her life\, Bernadette suffered much. She was hounded by the public as well as by civic officials until at last she was protected in a convent of nuns. Five years later\, she petitioned to enter the Sisters of Notre Dame. After a period of illness she was able to make the journey from Lourdes and enter the novitiate. But within four months of her arrival she was given the last rites of the Church and allowed to profess her vows. She recovered enough to become infirmarian and then sacristan\, but chronic health problems persisted. She died on April 16\, 1879\, at the age of 35. \nBernadette Soubirous was canonized in 1933. \n\nReflection\nMillions of people have come to the spring Bernadette uncovered for healing of body and spirit\, but she found no relief from ill health there. Bernadette moved through life\, guided only by blind faith in things she did not understand—as we all must do from time to time. \n 
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-bernadette-soubirous/2018-04-16/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180415
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180416
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T175139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T175139Z
UID:6580-1523750400-1523836799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Caesar de Bus
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Caesar de Bus\nSaint of the Day for April 15\n(February 3\, 1544 – April 15\, 1607)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr15.mp3\n  \nBlessed Caesar de Bus’ Story\nLike so many of us\, Caesar de Bus struggled with the decision about what to do with his life. After completing his Jesuit education he had difficulty settling between a military and a literary career. He wrote some plays but ultimately settled for life in the army and at court. \nFor a time\, life was going rather smoothly for the engaging\, well-to-do young Frenchman. He was confident he had made the right choice. That was until he saw firsthand the realities of battle\, including the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacres of French Protestants in 1572. \nHe fell seriously ill and found himself reviewing his priorities\, including his spiritual life. By the time he had recovered\, Caesar had resolved to become a priest. Following his ordination in 1582\, he undertook special pastoral work: teaching the catechism to ordinary people living in neglected\, rural\, out-of-the-way places. His efforts were badly needed and well received. \nWorking with his cousin\, Caesar developed a program of family catechesis. The goal—to ward off heresy among the people—met the approval of local bishops. Out of these efforts grew a new religious congregation: the Fathers of Christian Doctrine. \nOne of Caesar’s works\, Instructions for the Family on the Four Parts of the Roman Catechism\, was published 60 years after his death. \nHe was beatified in 1975. \n\nReflection\n“Family catechesis” is a familiar term in parish life today. Grounded in the certainty that children learn their faith first from their parents\, programs that deepen parental involvement in religious education multiply everywhere. There were no such programs in Caesar’s day until he saw a need and created them. Other needs abound in our parishes\, and it’s up to us to respond by finding ways to fill them or by joining in already established efforts.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-caesar-de-bus/2018-04-15/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180414
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180415
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T174939Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T174939Z
UID:6574-1523664000-1523750399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Peter Gonzalez
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Peter Gonzalez\nSaint of the Day for April 14\n(1190 – April 15\, 1246)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr14.mp3\nBlessed Peter Gonzalez’s Story\nSaint Paul had a conversion experience on the road to Damascus. Many years later\, the same proved true for Peter Gonzalez\, who triumphantly rode his horse into the Spanish city of Astorga in the 13th century to take up an important post at the cathedral. The animal stumbled and fell\, leaving Peter in the mud and onlookers amused. \nHumbled\, Peter reevaluated his motivations–his bishop-uncle had secured the cathedral post for him– and started down a new path. He became a Dominican priest and proved to be a most effective preacher. He spent much of his time as court chaplain\, and attempted to exert positive influence on the behavior of members of the court. After King Ferdinand III and his troops defeated the Moors at Cordoba\, Peter was successful in restraining the soldiers from pillaging\, and persuaded the king to treat the defeated Moors with compassion. \nAfter retiring from the court\, Peter devoted the remainder of his life to preaching in northwest Spain. Having developed a special mission to Spanish and Portuguese seamen\, he is considered their patron. \nPeter Gonzalez died in 1246 and was beatified in 1741. \n\nReflection\nHow often we have heard stories about some misfortune or disaster only to hear later on that it was now seen as a good thing. Not every “disaster” is truly bad in its consequences for the Lord can bring good out of what appears to be a misfortune. Such was the case for Blessed Peter. His being dumped in the mud by a falling horse turned out to be a good thing in his life. \n\nBlessed Peter Gonzalez is the Patron of:\nSpanish and Portuguese sailors
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-peter-gonzalez/2018-04-14/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180413
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180414
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T173832Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T173832Z
UID:6571-1523577600-1523663999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Martin I
DESCRIPTION:Saint Martin I\nSaint of the Day for April 13\n(d. September 16\, 655)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr13.mp3\nSaint Martin I’s Story\nWhen Martin I became pope in 649\, Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine empire and the patriarch of Constantinople was the most influential Church leader in the eastern Christian world. The struggles that existed within the Church at that time were magnified by the close cooperation of emperor and patriarch. \nA teaching\, strongly supported in the East\, held that Christ had no human will. Twice\, emperors had officially favored this position: Heraclius by publishing a formula of faith\, and Constans II by silencing the issue of one or two wills in Christ. \nShortly after assuming the office of the papacy–which he did without first being confirmed by the emperor–Martin held a council at the Lateran in which the imperial documents were censured\, and in which the patriarch of Constantinople and two of his predecessors were condemned. In response\, Constans II first tried to turn bishops and people against the pope. \nFailing in this and in an attempt to kill the pope\, the emperor sent troops to Rome to seize Martin and to bring him back to Constantinople. Already in poor health\, Martin offered no resistance\, returned with Calliopas\, the exarch of Constantinople\, and was then submitted to various imprisonments\, tortures\, and hardships. Although condemned to death and with some of the imposed torture already carried out\, Martin was saved from execution by the pleas of a repentant Paul\, patriarch of Constantinople\, who was himself gravely ill. \nTortures and cruel treatment having taken their toll\, Martin died shortly thereafter. He is the last of the early popes to be venerated as a martyr. \n\nReflection\nThe real significance of the word martyr comes not from the dying but from the witnessing\, which the word means in its derivation. People who are willing to give up everything\, their most precious possessions\, their very lives\, put a supreme value on the cause or belief for which they sacrifice. Martyrdom\, dying for the faith\, is an incidental extreme to which some have had to go to manifest their belief in Christ. A living faith\, a life that exemplifies Christ’s teaching throughout\, and that in spite of difficulties\, is required of all Christians. Martin refused to cut corners as a way of easing his lot\, to make some accommodations with the civil rulers.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-martin-i/2018-04-13/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180412
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180413
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T173606Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T173606Z
UID:6568-1523491200-1523577599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Teresa of Los Andes
DESCRIPTION:Saint Teresa of Los Andes\nSaint of the Day for April 12\n(July 13\, 1900 – April 12\, 1920)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr12.mp3\nSaint Teresa of Los Andes’ Story\nOne needn’t live a long life to leave a deep imprint. Teresa of Los Andes is proof of that. \nAs a young girl growing up in the early 1900’s in Santiago\, Chile\, Juana Fernandez read an autobiography of a French-born saint—Thérèse\, popularly known as the Little Flower. The experience deepened her desire to serve God and clarified the path she would follow. At age 19 Juana became a Carmelite nun\, taking the name of Teresa. \nThe convent offered the simple lifestyle Teresa desired and the joy of living in a community of women completely devoted to God. She focused her days on prayer and sacrifice. “I am God’s\,” she wrote in her diary. “He created me and is my beginning and my end.” \nToward the end of her short life\, Teresa began an apostolate of letter-writing\, sharing her thoughts on the spiritual life with many people. At age 20 she contracted typhus and quickly took her final vows. She died a short time later\, during Holy Week. \nKnown as the “Flower of the Andes\,” Teresa remains popular with the estimated 100\,000 pilgrims who visit her shrine in Los Andes each year. Canonized in 1993 by Pope John Paul II\, she is Chile’s first saint. \n\nReflection\nThe special graces given Saint Teresa reflect the mysterious wisdom of God at work in individuals whether young or old. It appears God has his own logic when it comes to who gets what in the realm of grace. All we can say is; “Praised be the Lord.” \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for April 12 is Saint Gregory of Narek.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-teresa-of-los-andes/2018-04-12/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180411
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180412
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T173247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T175310Z
UID:6565-1523404800-1523491199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Stanislaus
DESCRIPTION:Saint Stanislaus\nSaint of the Day for April 11\n(July 26\, 1030 – April 11\, 1079)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr11.mp3\nSaint Stanislaus’ Story\nAnyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus\, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków\, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket for vigorous opposition to the evils of an unjust government. \nBorn in Szczepanow near Kraków on July 26\, 1030\, he was ordained a priest after being educated in the cathedral schools of Gniezno\, then capital of Poland\, and at Paris. He was appointed preacher and archdeacon to the bishop of Kraków\, where his eloquence and example brought about real conversion in many of his penitents\, both clergy and laity. He became bishop of Kraków in 1072. \nDuring an expedition against the Grand Duchy of Kiev\, Stanislaus became involved in the political situation of Poland. Known for his outspokenness\, he aimed his attacks at the evils of the peasantry and the king\, especially the unjust wars and immoral acts of King Boleslaus II. \nThe king first excused himself\, then made a show of penance\, then relapsed into his old ways. Stanislaus continued his open opposition in spite of charges of treason and threats of death\, finally excommunicating the king. Enraged\, the latter ordered soldiers to kill the bishop. When they refused\, the king killed Stanislaus with his own hands. \nForced to flee to Hungary\, Boleslaus supposedly spent the rest of his life as a penitent in the Benedictine abbey in Osiak. \n\nReflection\nSaints John the Baptist\, Thomas Becket\, Thomas More\, and Stanislaus are a few of the prophets who dared to denounce corruption in high places. They followed in the footsteps of Jesus himself\, who pointed out the moral corruption in the religious leadership of his day. It is a risky business. \n\nSaint Stanislaus is the Patron Saint of:\nPoland
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-magdalen-of-canossas-story-wealth-and-privilege-did-nothing-to-prevent-todays-saint-from-following-her-calling-to-serve-christ-in-the-poor-nor-did-the-protests-of-her-relativ/2018-04-11/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180410
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180411
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T173107Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T173107Z
UID:6562-1523318400-1523404799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Magdalen of Canossa
DESCRIPTION:Saint Magdalen of Canossa\nSaint of the Day for April 10\n(March 1\, 1774 – April 10\, 1835)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr10.mp3\nSaint Magdalen of Canossa’s Story\nWealth and privilege did nothing to prevent today’s saint from following her calling to serve Christ in the poor. Nor did the protests of her relatives\, concerned that such work was beneath her. \nBorn in northern Italy in 1774\, Magdalen knew her mind—and spoke it. At age 15 she announced she wished to become a nun. After trying out her vocation with the cloistered Carmelites\, she realized her desire was to serve the needy without restriction. For years she worked among the poor and sick in hospitals and in their homes\, and also among delinquent and abandoned girls. \nIn her mid-twenties Magdalen began offering lodging to poor girls in her own home. In time she opened a school\, which offered practical training and religious instruction. As other women joined her in the work\, the new Congregation of the Canossian Daughters of Charity–or Canossian Sisters–emerged. Over time\, houses were opened throughout Italy. \nMembers of the new religious congregation focused on the educational and spiritual needs of women. Magdalen also founded a smaller congregation for priests and brothers. Both groups continue to this day. \nMagdalen died in 1835. Pope John Paul II canonized her in 1988. \n\nReflection\nLet us pray to Saint Magdalen for the many young women who are caught up in the sex trafficking epidemic of our day.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-magdalen-of-canossa/2018-04-10/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180409
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180410
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T172736Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T172736Z
UID:6559-1523232000-1523318399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Casilda
DESCRIPTION:Saint Casilda\nSaint of the Day for April 9\n(d. c. 1050)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr09.mp3\nSaint Casilda’s Story\nSome saints’ names are far more familiar to us than others\, but even the lives of obscure holy persons teach us something. \nAnd so it is with Saint Casilda. Her father was a Muslim leader in Toledo\, Spain\, in the 10th century. Casilda was a devout Muslim but was kind to Christian prisoners. She became ill as a young woman but did not trust that any of the local Arab doctors could cure her. So she made a pilgrimage to the shrine of San Vicenzo in northern Spain. Like so many other people who made their way there—many of them suffering from hemorrhages—Casilda sought the healing waters of the shrine. We’re uncertain what brought her to the shrine\, but we do know that she left it relieved of illness. \nIn response\, she became a Christian and lived a life of solitude and penance not far from the miraculous spring. It’s said that she lived to be 100 years old. Her death likely occurred around the year 1050. \n\nReflection\nTensions between Muslims and Christians have often existed throughout history\, sometimes resulting in bloody conflict. Through her quiet\, simple life Casilda served her Creator—first in one faith\, then in another.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-casilda/2018-04-09/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180408
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180409
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T160751Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T160751Z
UID:6551-1523145600-1523231999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Julie Billiart
DESCRIPTION:Saint Julie Billiart\nSaint of the Day for April 8\n(July 12\, 1751 – April 8\, 1816)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr08.mp3\nSaint Julie Billiart’s Story\nBorn in Cuvilly\, France\, into a family of well-to-do farmers\, young Marie Rose Julie Billiart showed an early interest in religion and in helping the sick and poor. Though the first years of her life were relatively peaceful and uncomplicated\, Julie had to take up manual work as a young teen when her family lost its money. However\, she spent her spare time teaching catechism to young people and to the farm laborers. \nA mysterious illness overtook her when she was about 30. Witnessing an attempt to wound or even kill her father\, Julie was paralyzed and became a complete invalid. For the next two decades\, she continued to teach catechism lessons from her bed\, offered spiritual advice\, and attracted visitors who had heard of her holiness. \nWhen the French Revolution broke out in 1789\, revolutionary forces became aware of her allegiance to fugitive priests. With the help of friends\, she was smuggled out of Cuvilly in a haycart. She then spent several years hiding in Compiegne\, being moved from house to house despite her growing physical pain. She even lost the power of speech for a time. \nBut this period also proved to be a fruitful spiritual time for Julie. It was at this time she had a vision in which she saw Calvary surrounded by women in religious habits and heard a voice saying\, “Behold these spiritual daughters whom I give you in an institute marked by the cross.” \nAs time passed and Julie continued her mobile life\, she made the acquaintance of an aristocratic woman\, Françoise Blin de Bourdon\, who shared Julie’s interest in teaching the faith. In 1803\, the two women began the Institute of Notre Dame\, which was dedicated to the education of the poor\, young Christian girls\, and the training of catechists. The following year\, the first Sisters of Notre Dame made their vows. That was the same year that Julie recovered from the illness: She was able to walk for the first time in 22 years. \nThough Julie had always been attentive to the special needs of the poor and that always remained her priority\, she also became aware that other classes in society needed Christian instruction. From the founding of the Sisters of Notre Dame until her death\, Julie was on the road\, opening a variety of schools in France and Belgium that served the poor and the wealthy\, vocational groups\, teachers. Ultimately\, Julie and Françoise moved the motherhouse to Namur\, Belgium. \nJulie died there in 1816. She was canonized in 1969. \n\nReflection\nJulie’s immobility in no way impeded her activities. In spite of her suffering\, she managed to co-found a teaching order that tended to the needs of both the poor and the well-to-do. Each of us has limitations\, but the worst malady any of us can suffer is the spiritual paralysis that keeps us from doing God’s work on earth.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-julie-billiart/2018-04-08/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180407
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180408
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T160349Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T160349Z
UID:6548-1523059200-1523145599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint John Baptist de la Salle
DESCRIPTION:Saint John Baptist de la Salle\nSaint of the Day for April 7\n(April 30\, 1651 – April 7\, 1719)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr07.mp3\nSaint John Baptist de la Salle’s Story\nComplete dedication to what he saw as God’s will for him dominated the life of John Baptist de la Salle. In 1950\, Pope Pius XII named him patron of schoolteachers for his efforts in upgrading school instruction. As a young 17th-century Frenchman\, John had everything going for him: scholarly bent\, good looks\, noble family background\, money\, refined upbringing. At the early age of 11\, he received the tonsure and started preparation for the priesthood\, to which he was ordained at 27. He seemed assured then of a life of dignified ease and a high position in the Church. \nBut God had other plans for John\, which were gradually revealed to him in the next several years. During a chance meeting with Monsieur Nyel\, he became interested in the creation of schools for poor boys in Raven\, where he was stationed. Though the work was extremely distasteful to him at first\, he became more involved in working with the deprived youths. \nOnce convinced that this was his divinely appointed mission\, John threw himself wholeheartedly into the work\, left home and family\, abandoned his position as canon at Rheims\, gave away his fortune\, and reduced himself to the level of the poor to whom he devoted his entire life. \nThe remainder of his life was closely entwined with the community of religious men he founded\, the Brothers of the Christian School (Christian Brothers\, or De La Salle Brothers). This community grew rapidly and was successful in educating boys of poor families\, using methods designed by John. It prepared teachers in the first training college for teachers and also set up homes and schools for young delinquents of wealthy families. The motivating element in all these endeavors was the desire to become a good Christian. \nYet even in his success\, John did not escape experiencing many trials: heart-rending disappointment and defections among his disciples\, bitter opposition from the secular schoolmasters who resented his new and fruitful methods\, and persistent opposition from the Jansenists of his time\, whose moral rigidity and pessimism about the human condition John resisted vehemently all his life. \nAfflicted with asthma and rheumatism in his last years\, he died at 68 on Good Friday\, and was canonized in 1900. \n\nReflection\nComplete dedication to one’s calling by God\, whatever it may be\, is a rare quality. Jesus asks us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart\, with all your soul\, with all your mind\, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30b\, emphasis added). Paul gives similar advice: “Whatever you do\, do from the heart…” (Colossians 3:23). \n\nSaint John Baptist de la Salle is the Patron Saint of:\nTeachers \n 
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-john-baptist-de-la-salle/2018-04-07/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180406
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180407
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T154952Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T154952Z
UID:6545-1522972800-1523059199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Crescentia Hoess
DESCRIPTION:Saint Crescentia Hoess\nSaint of the Day for April 6\n(October 20\, 1682 – April 5\, 1744)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr06.mp3\nSaint Crescentia Hoess’ Story\nCrescentia was born in 1682\, the daughter of a poor weaver\, in a little town near Augsburg. She spent play time praying in the parish church\, assisted those even poorer than herself and had so mastered the truths of her religion that she was permitted to make her first Holy Communion at the then unusually early age of 7. In the town she was called “the little angel.” \nAs she grew older\, she desired to enter the convent of the Tertiaries of St. Francis. But the convent was poor\, and because Crescentia had no dowry\, the superiors refused her admission. Her case was then pleaded by the Protestant mayor of the town to whom the convent owed a favor. The community felt it was forced into receiving her\, and her new life was made miserable. She was considered a burden and assigned nothing other than menial tasks. Even her cheerful spirit was misinterpreted as flattery or hypocrisy. \nConditions improved four years later when a new superior was elected who realized her virtue. Crescentia herself was appointed mistress of novices. She so won the love and respect of the sisters that\, upon the death of the superior\, Crescentia was unanimously elected to that position. Under her\, the financial state of the convent improved and her reputation in spiritual matters spread. She was soon being consulted by princes and princesses; bishops and cardinals too sought her advice. And yet\, a true daughter of Francis\, she remained ever humble. \nBodily afflictions and pain were always with her. First it was headaches and toothaches. Then she lost the ability to walk\, her hands and feet gradually becoming so crippled that her body curled up into a fetal position. In the spirit of Francis she cried out\, “Oh\, you bodily members\, praise God that he has given you the capacity to suffer.” Despite her sufferings she was filled with peace and joy as she died on Easter Sunday in 1744. \nShe was beatified in 1900 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2001. \n\nReflection\nAlthough she grew up in poverty and willingly embraced it in her vocation\, Crescentia had a good head for business. Under her able administration\, her convent regained financial stability. Too often\, we think of good money management as\, at best\, a less-than-holy gift. But Crescentia was wise enough to balance her worldly skills with such acumen in spiritual matters that heads of State and Church both sought her advice. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast Day for Saint Crescentia Hoess is April 5.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-crescentia-hoess/2018-04-06/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180405
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180406
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T154826Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T154826Z
UID:6542-1522886400-1522972799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Vincent Ferrer
DESCRIPTION:Saint Vincent Ferrer\nSaint of the Day for April 5\n(January 23\, 1350 – April 5\,1419)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr05.mp3\nSaint Vincent Ferrer’s Story\nThe polarization in the Church today is a mild breeze compared with the tornado that ripped the Church apart during the lifetime of this saint. If any saint is a patron of reconciliation\, Vincent Ferrer is. \nDespite parental opposition\, he entered the Dominican Order in his native Spain at 19. After brilliant studies\, he was ordained a priest by Cardinal Peter de Luna—who would figure tragically in his life. \nOf a very ardent nature\, Vincent practiced the austerities of his Order with great energy. He was chosen prior of the Dominican house in Valencia shortly after his ordination. \nThe Western schism divided Christianity first between two\, then three\, popes. Clement VII lived at Avignon in France\, Urban VI in Rome. Vincent was convinced the election of Urban was invalid\, though Catherine of Siena was just as devoted a supporter of the Roman pope. In the service of Cardinal de Luna\, Vincent worked to persuade Spaniards to follow Clement. When Clement died\, Cardinal de Luna was elected at Avignon and became Benedict XIII. \nVincent worked for him as apostolic penitentiary and Master of the Sacred Palace. But the new pope did not resign as all candidates in the conclave had sworn to do. He remained stubborn\, despite being deserted by the French king and nearly all of the cardinals. \nVincent became disillusioned and very ill\, but finally took up the work of simply “going through the world preaching Christ\,” though he felt that any renewal in the Church depended on healing the schism. An eloquent and fiery preacher\, he spent the last 20 years of his life spreading the Good News in Spain\, France\, Switzerland\, the Low Countries and Lombardy\, stressing the need of repentance and the fear of coming judgment. He became known as the “Angel of the Judgment.” \nVincent tried unsuccessfully\, in 1408 and 1415\, to persuade his former friend to resign. He finally concluded that Benedict was not the true pope. Though very ill\, he mounted the pulpit before an assembly over which Benedict himself was presiding\, and thundered his denunciation of the man who had ordained him a priest. Benedict fled for his life\, abandoned by those who had formerly supported him. Strangely\, Vincent had no part in the Council of Constance\, which ended the schism. \n\nReflection\nThe split in the Church at the time of Vincent Ferrer should have been fatal—36 long years of having two “heads.” We cannot imagine what condition the Church today would be in if\, for that length of time\, half the world had followed a succession of popes in Rome\, and half an equally “official” number of popes in say\, Rio de Janeiro. It is an ongoing miracle that the Church has not long since been shipwrecked on the rocks of pride and ignorance\, greed and ambition. Contrary to Lowell’s words\, “Truth forever on the scaffold\, wrong forever on the throne\,” we believe that “truth is mighty\, and it shall prevail”—but it sometimes takes a long time. \n\nSaint Vincent Ferrer is the Patron Saint of:\nBuilders\nBusinessmen\nReconciliation
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-vincent-ferrer/2018-04-05/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180404
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180405
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T154610Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T154610Z
UID:6536-1522800000-1522886399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Isidore of Seville
DESCRIPTION:Saint Isidore of Seville\nSaint of the Day for April 4\n(c. 560 – April 4\, 636)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr04.mp3\nSaint Isidore of Seville’s Story\nThe 76 years of Isidore’s life were a time of conflict and growth for the Church in Spain. The Visigoths had invaded the land a century and a half earlier\, and shortly before Isidore’s birth they set up their own capital. They were Arians—Christians who said Christ was not God. Thus\, Spain was split in two: One people (Catholic Romans) struggled with another (Arian Goths). \nIsidore reunited Spain\, making it a center of culture and learning. The country served as a teacher and guide for other European countries whose culture was also threatened by barbarian invaders. \nBorn in Cartagena of a family that included three other sibling saints–Leander\, Fulgentius and Florentina–he was educated by his elder brother\, whom he succeeded as bishop of Seville. \nAn amazingly learned man\, he was sometimes called “The Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages” because the encyclopedia he wrote was used as a textbook for nine centuries. He required seminaries to be built in every diocese\, wrote a Rule for religious orders\, and founded schools that taught every branch of learning. Isidore wrote numerous books\, including a dictionary\, an encyclopedia\, a history of Goths\, and a history of the world—beginning with creation! He completed the Mozarabic liturgy\, which is still in use in Toledo\, Spain. For all these reasons\, Isidore has been suggested as patron of the Internet. Several others–including Anthony of Padua–also have been suggested. \nHe continued his austerities even as he approached age 80. During the last six months of his life\, he increased his charities so much that his house was crowded from morning till night with the poor of the countryside. \n\nReflection\nOur society can well use Isidore’s spirit of combining learning and holiness. Loving\, understanding and knowledge can heal and bring a broken people back together. We are not barbarians like the invaders of Isidore’s Spain. But people who are swamped by riches and overwhelmed by scientific and technological advances can lose much of their understanding love for one another. \n\nSaint Isidore of Seville is the Patron Saint of:\nInternet\nComputers
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-isidore-of-seville/2018-04-04/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180403
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180404
DTSTAMP:20260404T141706
CREATED:20170830T154355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T154652Z
UID:6532-1522713600-1522799999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Benedict the African
DESCRIPTION:Saint Benedict the African\nSaint of the Day for April 3\n(1526 – 1589)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr03.mp3\nSaint Benedict the African’s Story\nBenedict held important posts in the Franciscan Order and gracefully adjusted to other work when his terms of office were up. \nHis parents were slaves brought from Africa to Messina\, Sicily. Freed at 18\, Benedict did farm work for a wage and soon saved enough to buy a pair of oxen. He was very proud of those animals. In time\, he joined a group of hermits around Palermo and was eventually recognized as their leader. Because these hermits followed the Rule of Saint Francis\, Pope Pius IV ordered them to join the First Order. \nBenedict was eventually novice master and then guardian of the friars in Palermo—positions rarely held in those days by a brother. In fact\, Benedict was forced to accept his election as guardian. And when his term ended\, he happily returned to his work in the friary kitchen. \nBenedict corrected the friars with humility and charity. Once he corrected a novice and assigned him a penance only to learn that the novice was not the guilty party. Benedict immediately knelt down before the novice and asked his pardon. \nIn later life\, Benedict was not possessive of the few things he used. He never referred to them as “mine\,” but always called them “ours.” His gifts for prayer and the guidance of souls earned him throughout Sicily a reputation for holiness. Following the example of Saint Francis\, Benedict kept seven 40-day fasts throughout the year; he also slept only a few hours each night. \nAfter Benedict’s death\, King Philip III of Spain paid for a special tomb for this holy friar. Canonized in 1807\, he is honored as a patron saint by African Americans. \n\nReflection\nAmong Franciscans\, a position of leadership is limited in time. When the time expires\, former leaders sometimes have trouble adjusting to their new position. The Church needs men and women ready to put their best energies into leadership—but also men and women who are gracefully willing to go on to other work when their time of leadership is over. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Benedict the African is April 4.\n\nSaint Benedict the African is the Patron Saint of:\nAfrican Americans
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-benedict-the-african/2018-04-03/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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