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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180422
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180423
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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:20260404T021751
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180409
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180410
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180408
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180409
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180407
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180408
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180406
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180407
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180405
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180406
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180404
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180405
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180403
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180404
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
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
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180402
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180403
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T153736Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T153736Z
UID:6529-1522627200-1522713599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Francis of Paola
DESCRIPTION:Saint Francis of Paola\nSaint of the Day for April 2\n(March 27\, 1416 – April 2\, 1507)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr02.mp3\nSaint Francis of Paola’s Story\nFrancis of Paola was a man who deeply loved contemplative solitude and wished only to be the “least in the household of God.” Yet\, when the Church called him to active service in the world\, he became a miracle-worker and influenced the course of nations. \nAfter accompanying his parents on a pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi\, he began to live as a contemplative hermit in a remote cave near Paola\, on Italy’s southern seacoast. Before he was 20\, he received the first followers who had come to imitate his way of life. Seventeen years later\, when his disciples had grown in number\, Francis established a Rule for his austere community and sought Church approval. This was the founding of the Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi\, who were approved by the Holy See in 1474. \nIn 1492\, Francis changed the name of his community to “Minims” because he wanted them to be known as the least (minimi) in the household of God. Humility was to be the hallmark of the brothers as it had been in Francis’s personal life. Besides the vows of poverty\, chastity and obedience\, Francis enjoined upon his followers the fourth obligation of a perpetual Lenten fast. He felt that heroic mortification was necessary as a means for spiritual growth. \nIt was Francis’s desire to be a contemplative hermit\, yet he believed that God was calling him to the apostolic life. He began to use the gifts he had received\, such as the gifts of miracles and prophecy\, to minister to the people of God. A defender of the poor and oppressed\, Francis incurred the wrath of King Ferdinand of Naples for the admonitions he directed toward the king and his sons. \nFollowing the request of Pope Sixtus IV\, Francis traveled to Paris to help Louis XI of France prepare for his death. While ministering to the king\, Francis was able to influence the course of national politics. He helped to restore peace between France and Brittany by advising a marriage between the ruling families\, and between France and Spain by persuading Louis XI to return some disputed land. \nFrancis died while at the French court. \n\nReflection\nThe life of Francis of Paola speaks plainly to an overactive world. He was a contemplative man called to active ministry and must have felt keenly the tension between prayer and service. Yet\, in Francis’s life it was a productive tension\, for he clearly utilized the fruits of contemplation in his ministry\, which came to involve the workings of nations. He responded so readily and so well to the call of the Church from a solid foundation in prayer and mortification. When he went out to the world\, it was not he who worked but Christ working through him—“the least in the household of God.” \n\nSaint Francis of Paola is the Patron Saint  of:\nSailors \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for April 2 is Blessed Elisabetta Vendramini.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-francis-of-paola/2018-04-02/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180401
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180402
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T153016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T153016Z
UID:6521-1522540800-1522627199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Hugh of Grenoble
DESCRIPTION:Saint Hugh of Grenoble\nSaint of the Day for April 1\n(1053 – April 1\, 1132)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr01.mp3\nSaint Hugh of Grenoble’s Story\nToday’s saint could be a patron for those of us who feel so overwhelmed by all the problems in the world that we don’t know where to begin. \nHugh\, who served as a bishop in France for 52 years\, had his work cut out for him from the start. Corruption seemed to loom in every direction: the buying and selling of Church offices\, violations of clerical celibacy\, lay control of Church property\, religious indifference and/or ignorance. After serving as bishop for two years\, he’d had his fill. He tried disappearing to a monastery\, but the pope called him back to continue the work of reform. \nIronically\, Hugh was reasonably effective in the role of reformer—surely because of his devotion to the Church but also because of his strong character. In conflicts between Church and state he was an unflinching defender of the Church. He fearlessly supported the papacy. He was eloquent as a preacher. He restored his own cathedral\, made civic improvements in the town\, and weathered a brief exile. \nHugh may be best known as patron and benefactor of Saint Bruno\, founder of the Carthusian Order. He died in 1132. He was canonized only two years later. \n\nReflection\nIn the midst of our confusing life these days\, let us pray for the ability to rise above the fray and to see things in the light of faith as did Saint Hugh. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for April 1 is Blessed Anaclete Gonzales Flores.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-hugh-of-grenoble/2018-04-01/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180331
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180401
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T152711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T152711Z
UID:6518-1522454400-1522540799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Stephen of Mar Saba
DESCRIPTION:Saint Stephen of Mar Saba\nSaint of the Day for March 31\n(725 – 794)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar31.mp3\nSaint Stephen of Mar Saba’s Story\nA “do not disturb” sign helped today’s saint find holiness and peace. \nStephen of Mar Saba was the nephew of Saint John Damascene\, who introduced the young boy to monastic life beginning at age 10. When he reached 24\, Stephen served the community in a variety of ways\, including guest master. After some time he asked permission to live a hermit’s life. The answer from the abbot was yes and no: Stephen could follow his preferred lifestyle during the week\, but on weekends he was to offer his skills as a counselor. Stephen placed a note on the door of his cell: “Forgive me\, Fathers\, in the name of the Lord\, but please do not disturb me except on Saturdays and Sundays.” \nDespite his calling to prayer and quiet\, Stephen displayed uncanny skills with people and was a valued spiritual guide. \nHis biographer and disciple wrote about Stephen: “Whatever help\, spiritual or material\, he was asked to give\, he gave. He received and honored all with the same kindness. He possessed nothing and lacked nothing. In total poverty he possessed all things.” \nStephen died in 794. \n\nReflection\nSaint Stephen of Mar Saba knew the value of solitude. Even though he was generous and served whoever came to him\, he relished his time alone. Maybe we can learn from him the value of solitude and seek it out a little more in our lives.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-stephen-of-mar-saba/2018-03-31/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180330
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180331
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T152529Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T152529Z
UID:6515-1522368000-1522454399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Peter Regalado
DESCRIPTION:Saint Peter Regalado\nSaint of the Day for March 30\n(1390 – March 30\, 1456)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar30.mp3\nSaint Peter Regalado’s Story\nPeter lived at a very busy time in history. The Great Western Schism (1378-1417) was settled at the Council of Constance (1414-1418). France and England were fighting the Hundred Years’ War\, and in 1453\, the Byzantine Empire was completely wiped out by the loss of Constantinople to the Turks. At Peter’s death\, the age of printing had just begun in Germany\, and Columbus’s arrival in the New World was less than 40 years away. \nPeter came from a wealthy and pious family in Valladolid\, Spain. At the age of 13\, he was allowed to enter the Conventual Franciscans. Shortly after his ordination\, he was made superior of the friary in Aguilar. He became part of a group of friars who wanted to lead a life of greater poverty and penance. In 1442\, he was appointed head of all the Spanish Franciscans in his reform group. \nPeter led the friars by his example. A special love of the poor and the sick characterized Peter. Miraculous stories are told about his charity to the poor. For example\, the bread never seemed to run out as long as Peter had hungry people to feed. Throughout most of his life\, Peter went hungry; he lived only on bread and water. \nImmediately after his death on March 31\, 1456\, his grave became a place of pilgrimage. Peter was canonized in 1746. \n\nReflection\nPeter was an effective leader of the friars because he did not become ensnared in anger over the sins of others. Peter helped sinning friars rearrange the priorities in their lives and dedicate themselves to living the gospel of Jesus Christ as they had vowed. This patient correction is an act of charity available to all Franciscans\, not just to superiors.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-peter-regalado/2018-03-30/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180329
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180330
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T151732Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T151732Z
UID:6512-1522281600-1522367999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Ludovico of Casoria
DESCRIPTION:Saint Ludovico of Casoria\nSaint of the Day for March 29\n(March 11\, 1814 – March 30\, 1885)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar29.mp3\nSaint Ludovico of Casoria’s Story\nBorn in Casoria\, near Naples\, Arcangelo Palmentieri was a cabinet-maker before entering the Friars Minor in 1832\, taking the name Ludovico. After his ordination five years later\, he taught chemistry\, physics\, and mathematics to younger members of his province for several years. \nIn 1847\, he had a mystical experience which he later described as a cleansing. After that\, he dedicated his life to the poor and the infirm\, establishing a dispensary for the poor\, two schools for African children\, an institute for the children of nobility\, as well as an institution for orphans\, the deaf\, and the speechless\, and other institutes for the blind\, elderly\, and for travelers. In addition to an infirmary for friars of his province\, he began charitable institutes in Naples\, Florence\, and Assisi. He once said\, “Christ’s love has wounded my heart.” This love prompted him to great acts of charity. \nTo help continue these works of mercy\, in 1859 he established the Gray Brothers\, a religious community composed of men who formerly belonged to the Secular Franciscan Order. Three years later\, he founded the Gray Sisters of St. Elizabeth for the same purpose. \nToward the beginning of his final\, nine-year illness\, Ludovico wrote a spiritual testament which described faith as “light in the darkness\, help in sickness\, blessing in tribulations\, paradise in the crucifixion\, and life amid death.” The local work for his beatification began within five months of Ludovico’s death. He was beatified in 1993 and canonized in 2014. \n\nReflection\nSaintly people are not protected from suffering\, but with God’s help they learn how to develop compassion from it. In the face of great suffering\, we move either toward compassion or indifference. Saintly men and women show us the path toward compassion.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-ludovico-of-casoria/2018-03-29/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180328
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180329
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T151557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T153531Z
UID:6511-1522195200-1522281599@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Catharine of Bologna
DESCRIPTION:Saint Catharine of Bologna\nSaint of the Day for March 28\n(September 8\, 1413 -March 9\, 1463 )\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar28.mp3\nSaint Catharine of Bologna’s Story\n\nSome Franciscan saints led fairly public lives; Catharine represents the saints who served the Lord in obscurity. \nBorn in Bologna\, Catharine was related to the nobility in Ferrara\, and was educated at court there. She received a liberal education at the court and developed some interest and talent in painting. In later years as a Poor Clare\, Catharine sometimes did manuscript illumination and also painted miniatures. \nAt the age of 17\, she joined a group of religious women in Ferrara. Four years later the whole group joined the Poor Clares in that city. Jobs as convent baker and portress preceded her selection as novice mistress. \nIn 1456\, she and 15 other sisters were sent to establish a Poor Clare monastery in Florence. As abbess\, Catharine worked to preserve the peace of the new community. Her reputation for holiness drew many young women to the Poor Clare life. She was canonized in 1712. \n\nReflection\nAppreciating Catharine’s life in a Poor Clare monastery may be hard for us. “It seems like such a waste\,” we may be tempted to say. Through prayer\, penance\, and charity to her sisters\, Catharine drew close to God. Our goal is the same as hers\, even if our paths are different. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast of Saint Catharine of Bologna is May 9.\n\nSaint Catharine of Bologna is the Patron Saint of:\nArt\nArtists
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-catharine-of-bologna/2018-03-28/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180327
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180328
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T151409Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T151409Z
UID:6508-1522108800-1522195199@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Lazarus
DESCRIPTION:Lazarus\nSaint of the Day for March 27\n(first century)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar27.mp3\nLazarus’ Story\nLazarus\, the friend of Jesus\, the brother of Martha and Mary\, was the one of whom the Jews said\, “See how much he loved him.” In their sight\, Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead. \nLegends abound about the life of Lazarus after the death and resurrection of Jesus. He is supposed to have left a written account of what he saw in the next world before he was called back to life. Some say he followed Peter into Syria. Another story is that despite being put into a leaking boat by the Jews at Jaffa\, he\, his sisters\, and others landed safely in Cyprus. There he died peacefully after serving as bishop for 30 years. \nA church was built in his honor in Constantinople and some of his reputed relics were transferred there in 890. A Western legend has the oarless boat arriving in Gaul. There he was bishop of Marseilles\, was martyred after making a number of converts\, and was buried in a cave. His relics were transferred to the new cathedral in Autun in 1146. \nIt is certain there was early devotion to the saint. Around the year 390\, the pilgrim lady Etheria talks of the procession that took place on the Saturday before Palm Sunday at the tomb where Lazarus had been raised from the dead. In the West\, Passion Sunday was called Dominica de Lazaro\, and Augustine tells us that in Africa the Gospel of the raising of Lazarus was read at the office of Palm Sunday. \n\nReflection\nMany people who have had a near-death experience report losing all fear of death. When Lazarus died a second time\, perhaps he was without fear. He must have been sure that Jesus\, the friend with whom he had shared many meals and conversations\, would be waiting to raise him again. We don’t share Lazarus’ firsthand knowledge of returning from the grave. Nevertheless\, we too have shared meals and conversations with Jesus\, who waits to raise us\, too. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 27 is Blessed Francis Faà di Bruno.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/lazarus/2018-03-27/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180326
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180327
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T150741Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150741Z
UID:6505-1522022400-1522108799@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Saint Catherine of Genoa
DESCRIPTION:Saint Catherine of Genoa\nSaint of the Day for March 26\n(1447 – September 15\, 1510)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar26.mp3\nSaint Catherine of Genoa’s story\nGoing to confession one day was the turning point of Catherine’s life. \nWhen Catherine was born\, many Italian nobles were supporting Renaissance artists and writers. The needs of the poor and the sick were often overshadowed by a hunger for luxury and self-indulgence. Catherine’s parents were members of the nobility in Genoa. At 13\, she attempted to become a nun but failed because of her age. At 16\, she married Julian\, a nobleman who turned out to be selfish and unfaithful. For a while she tried to numb her disappointment by a life of selfish pleasure. \nOne day in confession she had a new sense of her own sins and how much God loved her. She reformed her life and gave good example to Julian\, who soon turned from his self-centered life of distraction. Julian’s spending\, however\, had ruined them financially. He and Catherine decided to live in the Pammatone\, a large hospital in Genoa\, and to dedicate themselves to works of charity there. After Julian’s death in 1497\, Catherine took over management of the hospital. \nShe wrote about purgatory which\, she said\, begins on earth for souls open to God. Life with God in heaven is a continuation and perfection of the life with God begun on earth. \nExhausted by her life of self-sacrifice\, Catherine died September 15\, 1510\, and was canonized in 1737. \n\nReflection\nRegular confession and frequent Communion can help us see the direction–or drift–of our life with God. People who have a realistic sense of their own sinfulness and of the greatness of God are often the ones who are most ready to meet the needs of their neighbors. Saint Catherine began her hospital work with enthusiasm and was faithful to it through difficult times because she was inspired by the love of God\, a love which was renewed in her by the Scriptures and the sacraments. \n\nThe Liturgical Feast Day for Saint Catherine of Genoa is September 15.\n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 26 is Saint Margaret Clitherow.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/saint-catherine-of-genoa/2018-03-26/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180325
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180326
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T150509Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150509Z
UID:6502-1521936000-1522022399@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Annunciation of the Lord
DESCRIPTION:Annunciation of the Lord\nSaint of the Day for March 25\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar25.mp3\nThe Story of the Annunciation of the Lord\nThe feast of the Annunciation\, now recognized as a solemnity\, was first celebrated in the fourth or fifth century. Its central focus is the Incarnation: God has become one of us. From all eternity God had decided that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity should become human. Now\, as Luke1:26-38 tells us\, the decision is being realized. The God-Man embraces all humanity\, indeed all creation\, to bring it to God in one great act of love. Because human beings have rejected God\, Jesus will accept a life of suffering and an agonizing death: “No one has greater love than this\, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). \nMary has an important role to play in God’s plan. From all eternity\, God destined her to be the mother of Jesus and closely related to him in the creation and redemption of the world. We could say that God’s decrees of creation and redemption are joined in the decree of Incarnation. Because Mary is God’s instrument in the Incarnation\, she has a role to play with Jesus in creation and redemption. It is a God-given role. It is God’s grace from beginning to end. Mary becomes the eminent figure she is only by God’s grace. She is the empty space where God could act. Everything she is she owes to the Trinity. \nMary is the virgin-mother who fulfills Isaiah 7:14 in a way that Isaiah could not have imagined. She is united with her son in carrying out the will of God (Psalm 40:8-9; Hebrews 10:7-9; Luke 1:38). \nTogether with Jesus\, the privileged and graced Mary is the link between heaven and earth. She is the human being who best\, after Jesus\, exemplifies the possibilities of human existence. She received into her lowliness the infinite love of God. She shows how an ordinary human being can reflect God in the ordinary circumstances of life. She exemplifies what the Church and every member of the Church is meant to become. She is the ultimate product of the creative and redemptive power of God. She manifests what the Incarnation is meant to accomplish for all of us. \n\nReflection\nSometimes spiritual writers are accused of putting Mary on a pedestal and thereby\, discouraging ordinary humans from imitating her. Perhaps such an observation is misguided. God did put Mary on a pedestal and has put all human beings on a pedestal. We have scarcely begun to realize the magnificence of divine grace\, the wonder of God’s freely given love. The marvel of Mary—even in the midst of her very ordinary life—is God’s shout to us to wake up to the marvelous creatures that we all are by divine design. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 25 is Saint Dismas.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/annunciation-of-the-lord/2018-03-25/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180324
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180325
DTSTAMP:20260404T021751
CREATED:20170830T150327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170830T150327Z
UID:6499-1521849600-1521935999@www.thefranciscanfriars.org
SUMMARY:Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero
DESCRIPTION:Blessed Oscar Arnulfo Romero\nSaint of the Day for March 24\n(August 15\, 1917  – March 24\, 1980)\nhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMar24.mp3\nBlessed Oscar Romero’s Story\nThe night before he was murdered while celebrating Mass\, Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador said on the radio: “I would like to appeal in a special way to the men of the army\, and in particular to the troops of the National Guard\, the police\, and the garrisons. Brothers\, you belong to our own people. You kill your own brother peasants; and in the face of an order to kill that is given by a man\, the law of God that says ‘Do not kill!’ should prevail. \n“No soldier is obliged to obey an order counter to the law of God. No one has to comply with an immoral law. It is the time now that you recover your conscience and obey its dictates rather than the command of sin. . . . Therefore\, in the name of God\, and in the name of this long-suffering people\, whose laments rise to heaven every day more tumultuous\, I beseech you\, I beg you\, I command you! In the name of God: ‘Cease the repression!’” \nSimultaneously\, Romero had eloquently upheld the gospel and effectively signed his own death warrant. \nWhen he was appointed archbishop of San Salvador in 1977\, Bishop Romero was considered a very “safe” choice. He had served as auxiliary bishop there for four years before his three years as bishop of Santiago de Maria. \nOscar’s father wanted him to be a carpenter—a trade for which he demonstrated some talent. Seminary classes in El Salvador preceded his studies at Rome’s Gregorian University and his ordination in 1942. After earning a doctorate in ascetical theology\, he returned home and became a parish priest and later rector of an interdiocesan seminary. \nThree weeks after his appointment as archbishop\, Romero was shaken by the murder of his good friend Jesuit Father Rutilio Grande\, a vigorous defender of the rights of the poor. Five more priests were assassinated in the Archdiocese of San Salvador during Romero’s years as its shepherd. \nWhen a military junta seized control of the national government in 1979\, Archbishop Romero publicly criticized the U.S. government for backing the junta. His weekly radio sermons\, broadcast throughout the country\, were regarded by many as the most trustworthy source of news available. \nRomero’s funeral was celebrated in the plaza outside the cathedral and drew an estimated 250\,000 mourners. \nHis tomb in the cathedral crypt soon drew thousands of visitors each year. On February 3\, 2015\, Pope Francis authorized a decree recognizing Oscar Romero as a martyr for the faith. His beatification took place in San Salvador on May 23\, 2015. \n\nReflection\nArchbishop Oscar Romero and many other Latin American martyrs for the faith were falsely accused of advocating a Marxist-inspired “theology of liberation.” Following Jesus always requires choices. Romero’s fiercest critics conveniently dismissed his choices as politically inspired. An incarnational faith must be expressed publicly. \n\nAnother Saint of the Day for March 24 is Blessed Didacus Joseph of Cadiz.
URL:https://www.thefranciscanfriars.org/event/blessed-oscar-arnulfo-romero/2018-03-24/
CATEGORIES:Saint of the Day
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