Saint of the day and Feast days-Part 2

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St Innocent I
Pope.

Innocent was born at Albano, Italy. He served as a deacon under Pope Saint Anastasius I. When the later died in December 401, Innocent was unanimously elected to succeed him.
During Innocent’s pontificate, he emphasized papal supremacy, stating that “all ecclesiastical matters throughout the world are, by divine right, to be referred to the Holy See”. Simply stated, the Pope preferred that all matters of importance be referred to Rome for settlement.
When, in 416, the bishops of Africa referred to the Pope for confirmation, the decrees of their councils at Carthage and Millevis which condemned Pelagianism, the Pope commended them. It was his confirmation of these decrees that caused Saint Augustine to declare: “Roma locuta, causa finitata est” (Rome has spoken, the matter is ended).
Innocent was noted as a capable and energetic leader. He is remembered most for his role in condemning Pelagianism, his support of deposed patriarch of Constantinople, John Chrysostom, and his unsuccessful attempt to negotiate an end to the siege of Rome by the Visigoth leader Alaric.
In the case of Saint John Chrysostom,who had been illegally deposed in 403 by Patriarch Theophilus of Alexandria, the Pope ordered a synod in 404 to reinstate him as Patriarch of Constantinople. The synod never convened because Innocent’s envoys were imprisoned at Constantinople. John was, nevertheless, posthumously restored in 407.
The pillaging of Rome by the Goths overshadowed his reign. In an attempt to prevent them storming the City, the Pope went to Ravenna to seek help from Emperor Honorius. While he was away, the Goths, under Alaric, captured and ransacked Rome.
Innocent died in Rome on March 12, 417.
Pope Saint Innocent I
pray for us!
 
July 29
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Martha of Bethany
Among many other saints.
 
Saint Martha of Bethany
Martha was the sister of Mary. The two were the sisters of Lazarus and they all lived together in Bethany. Martha was older than Mary and was in charge of running the house. She was a deeply pious and generous, hardworking woman. The three were close friends of Jesus who used to stay at their home at times and it was with them that he spent the last few days before the Passion.
At those times when Jesus was visiting them, Martha used to be very concerned about His welfare. There is this well known incidence in Luke 10: 38-42 where she asked Jesus to tell her sister Mary to help her with the work of preparing and welcoming their guests. Mary had been sitting at the Lord’s feet, absorbed in everything the Lord said, listening to Him intently. Jesus responded by chiding Martha gently for bustling about so. He told her, “It is Mary who has chosen the better part.”
Thus, Mary has become the prototype of the activist Christian while Mary is the symbol of the contemplative life.
After the death of Lazurus when Jesus belatedly came to mourn His friend, it was Martha who went out to meet him when he was still some distance from the home but Mary remained at home waiting for Him there. It was to Martha that Jesus declared: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die”.
According to an ancient legend , Martha, Mary and Lazarus went to France after the death of Jesus and evangelized Provence.
Martha died in 80 of natural causes.
She is the patron of cooks, butlers, ( if they still exist, that is :D) and other domestic servants among other patronages.

Saint Martha,
Pray for us!
 
July 30
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Peter Chrysologus
Among many other saints.
 
Saint Peter Chrysologus
Bishop of Ravenna.
Doctor of the Church.

Peter was born about the year 406 at Imola in the region of Emilia, Italy. He studied under the watchful eyes of Bishop Cornelius of Imola. He was an excellent student, always first among his schoolmates. He studied theology among his subjects and, in time, he was ordained deacon by Bishop Cornelius.
When Cornelius died, Pope Saint Sixtus III named Peter Bishop of Ravenna in 433 in place of another clergy who had been elected by the people. Legend has it that the Pope acted this way in response to a vision which he had, telling him to do so.
Little reliable information about St. Peter’s life survived. What we know is that he began his reign at a time when there was a strong pagan influence in Ravenna and many of the faithful had elapsed. He at once embarked on measures to eradicate paganism from his diocese and to bring people back to the Church. This he did through pastoral care and very practical yet passionate preaching. His sermons were always said to be brief but so inspiring that he was given the title “Chrysologus” (Greek for "Golden-worded or, of golden words).
( Compare with Saint John Chrysostom for “ golden-mouthed”)
Through this efforts, many people returned to the faith and paganism was eradicated in Ravenna.
Peter died at Imola on July 31 450, during the reign of Pope Leo the Great.
He was declared a “Doctor of the Church” by Pope Bendict XIII in 1729.

Saint Peter Chrysologus,
Pray for us!
 
“Clothe yourself with the garment of sanctity, gird yourself with the cincture of chastity; let Christ be the covering of your head; let the Cross of Christ be the protection for your face; instill in your breast the Sacrament of divine wisdom; let the odour of your prayers always ascend upon high”
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Saint Peter Chrysologus
 
July 31
Today is the Feast day of
** Saint Ignatius de Loyola**
Among many other saints.
 
Saint Ignatius de Loyola
Founder of the Society of Jesus.

Ignatius was born in 1491.He was of noble birth. Born the son of Don Beltran Yanez de Loyola and Maria Saenz de Licona y Balda. He was born in the family castle in the Basque province, Spain. He was the youngest of thirteen children ( others talk of twelve, and still others, eleven). His given name was Inigo Lopez de Loyola.
In keeping with the family tradition, Ignatius became a soldier joining the military service of the Duke of Nagara. In 1521, during the siege of Pamplona, Ignatius was wounded in the right leg by a cannonball which left him partially disabled for life.
During the long convalescence that followed this injury, Ignatius passed the time reading about the life of Christ as well as the biographies of assorted saints. He was so impressed by what he read that by 1522, Ignatius was determined that he too would become a saint. He therefore decided he would henceforth devote himself to Jusus.Once he had recovered, he left the family castle and went on a pilgrimage to the Benedictine monastery of Montserrat, Here, Ignatius confessed his sins, dressed in sackcloth and hung up his sword at Our Lord’s altar.( According to Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints, Ignatius “placed his sword on the alter of the Blessed Virgin to whom he dedicated himself as a knight.”).
For about one year, Ignatius lived in retreat in a cave in Manresa. Here, alone with his God, Ignatius grew spiritually and began work on his masterpiece, the famed Spiritual Exercises. He left Manresa in 1523 and went to Rome, then on to Jerusalem where he lived entirely on alms and worked to convert the local Moslems.
The Years 1524-1535, Ignatius spent studying at Barcelona, Alcala, Salamanca( where he was accused and then exonerated of preaching heresy), and Paris. On March 14, 1534, when he was 43 years old, Ignatius received his masters of arts degree. In this same year, he founded the society of Jesus, the Jesuits, with fellow students: Francis Xavier, Peter Favre, Diego Laynez, Alfonso Salmeron, Simon Rodriguez and Nicholas Bobadilla in Paris. On August 15, 1534, in the chapel of the Benedictine monastery of Paris, they each took the vows of poverty and chastity, with special hope of missionary pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and with particular obedience to the Holy See. Thus, the Society of Jesus was born although this formal title was not adopted until 1537 when they were ordained.
The group went to Italy and were ordained in Venice in 1537 as mentioned. The pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as was part of their vow, proved impossible. The group instead, went to Rome and offered their services to the Pope.
It was on the way to Rome that Ignatius had the famous vision of La Storta, in which Christ promised all would go well in Rome. The Society was approved by Pope Paul III
in 1540 and the group took their final vow in 1541 and Ignatius was named Superior General. Jesuits were sent at once to missionary areas. Soon Jesuit houses, schools, colleges and missionries were founded all over Europe. The Order became renown for their achievments in the intellectual sphere and in the field of education.

Ignatius died on 31 July 1556 at Rome, Italy of fever.
He was beatified on 27 July 1609 by Pope Paul V and canonized on 12 March 1622 by Pope Gregory XV.
He was declared the patron of all spiritual exercises on 22 March 1622,by Pope Pius XI.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Pray for us!

Taken from:
1: Our Sunday Visitor Encyclopedia Of Saints.
By Matthew Bunson, Stephen Bunson, Margaret Bunson:

2: Dictionary of Saints by John J. Delaney.
 
**
“The more desperate, things seem, the more we must hope in God. When man’s aid fails, God’s is close at hand”
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**

St Ignatius de Loyola.
 
August:
The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
August 1

Today is the Feast day of
Saint Alphonsus de Liguori
Among many other saints.
 
Saint Alphonsus de Liguori
Bishop
Doctor of the Church
Founder of the Congregation of Redemptorist.

Alphonsus was born on 27 September 1696 at Marianelli near Naples, Italy. His given name was,( brace yourself for the lengh of this name), Alphonsus Marie Antony Cosmos Damien Michael Gaspard de Liguori ( did you ever?). He was the eldest of seven children of Giuseppe de Liguori (Don Joseph) and Anna Cavalieri,
His father was an officer in the Royal Navy. The child was raised piously by a devout mother. In fact the family was noted for its piety. Of the seven children in the family, three became priests and two became nuns. As a boy, Alphonsus made a retreat each year in the company of his father in some religious house. He was extraordinarily brilliant and gifted,
He was educated at the University of Naples, receiving his doctorate in both canon and civil law at the age of just 16. By the age of 19, he was practicing law and had his own legal practice which was very successful. He did this job for nearly ten years. One day Alphonsus found out that one of the cases he was defending was not based on justice at all but on political intrigue.
He abandoned the practice of law and dedicated himself to God, seeking to discover His will in prayer and works of charity. He finally decided to become a priest and was ordained in 1726. .
Next, he joined a group of secular priests dedicated to missionary activities. He served as a missionary around Naples.
Alphonsus was a great preacher, noted for his simple and clear, manner of preaching, and also for his gentle and understanding way in the confessional.
In 1732, he founded the Redemptorists, a congregation of priests and brothers, to work especially among the country people of Italy who often lacked the opportunity for missions, religious instruction, and spiritual retreats. He sent his Redemptorists into the countryside and the market towns and villages to preach the Word of God.
The Redemptorists were approved by Pope Benedict XIV in 1749, and Alphonsus was elected superior general.
In 1762, he was appointed bishop of Saint Agatha of the Goths near Naples. As bishop he corrected abuses, restored churches, reformed seminaries, and promoted missions throughout his diocese.
In May 1768, Alphonsus suffered an attack of rheumatic fever which left him paralysed. He resigned his bishopric in 1775.
During the last years of his life, the saint was betrayed by members of his own congregation. He was tricked into signing a form that altered the original rule of the Congregation. Consequent to this occurrence, he was denied any authority among the Redemptorists. He was thus effectively deposed and excluded from his own congragation. This was a source of great anguish for him.
He was, however able to overcome this betrayal by his very own. He died peacefully on 1 August 1787 at Nocera di Pagani, near Naples, Italy of natural causes. He is said to have died as the Angelus Bell was ringing.
He was beatified on 15 September 1816 by Pope Pius VII and canonized on 26 May 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI.
He was declared Doctor of the Church in 1871 by Blessed Pope Pius IX.

Saint Alphonsus de Liguori
Pray for us!
 
**
“Whoever desires the fruit must go to the tree; whoever desires Jesus must go to Mary: and whoever finds Mary will most certainly find Jesus”
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**

St Alphonsus de Liguori.
 
From Divine Office (dot org):

Aug 01, Office of Readings – Memorial for Alphonsus Liguori, B & D

Father,
you constantly build up your Church
by the lives of your saints.
Give us grace to follow Saint Alphonsus
in his loving concern for the salvation of men,
and so come to share his reward in heaven.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
– Amen.
 
August 2

Today is the Feast of
Saint Eusebius of Vercelli
Among many other saints
 
Saint Eusebius.
Bishop of Vercelli
Eusebius was born of a noble family on the island of Sardinia, Italy, around the year 283. His father died a martyr for the faith in prison in Sardinia. While still an infant, his mother brought him to Rome where he grew up. He studied in Vercelli, a city of Piedmont and was ordained a priest there. When the See of Vercelli became vacant,
he was unanimously elected Bishop, by both clergy and lay Christians.
In 354, Eusebius, together with Bishop Lucifer of Cagliari, was sent by Pope Liberius to the Emperor Constantius, to ask him to call a council to settle the differences between Catholics and Arians.
The following year when a Council was held in Italy, under the influence of the Emperor Constansius and the Arian heretics, with the intention of condemning Saint Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, Saint Eusebius courageously declined, demanding instead, that all bishops present sign the Nicene Creed before considering the Athanisius’ case. With Saint Dionysus of Milan, as well as Lucifer of Cagliari, he adamantly refused to sign the condemnation of Athanasius.
The Emperor was livid. He banished Eusebius, to Scythopolis in Palestine in the custody of Arian Bishop Patrophilus. There, Eusebius was persecuted and subjected to numerous humiliations by the Arians. He was moved first to Cappadocia, and then to Upper Thebaid in Egypt, where he continued his uncompromising opposition to Arianism.
In 361, Emperor Constansius died. His successor Emperor Julian the Apostate, permitted the exiled bishops to return to their sees. Eusebius returned from exile in time to attend a council at Alexandria in 362 that marked his return to active ministry. He returned to Vercelli, where he continued to combat Arianism, concertedly with Saint Hilarion of Poitiers.
Eusebius died on 1 August 371 in Vercelli, Italy. He was one of the authors of the Athanasian Creed. A manuscript copy of the Latin Gospels he is reputed to have copied, Codex Vercellensis, is said to be the oldest such manuscript in existance.
Saint Eusebius of Vercelli,
Pray for us!
Ref:
Dictunary of Saints by John J. Delaney.
 
August 3

Today is the feast day of
** Saint Waltheof of Melrose**
Among many other Saints
 
Saint Waltheof of Melrose.
Also known as Walthen.
Waltheof was born in 1100 in England. He was the 2nd son of Simon, Earl of Huntingdon. His mother was Matilda or Maud, niece of William the Conqueror.
Following the death of his father, his mother was given in marriage by King Henry I to St David I, King of Scotland. In the court of King David, Waltheof came under the influence of Aelred, master of the royal household.
Even as a boy, Waltheof had an inclination to religion. He would build churches and monasteries with stones while his brother, Simon, would build castles and play with toy soldiers. Not surprisingly, therefore, when Waltheof grew up, he chose the religious life.
He left Scotland and became an Augustinian canon at Nostelle Monastery in Yorkshire England in 1130. Four years later in 1134, he was named Abbot of Kirkham,
when he experienced a vision of Christ and saw the Christ Child in his hand instead of the Host while saying Mass.
Hungry for a stricter rule, Waltheof became a Cistercian monk at Wardon, Bedforshire. Four years later, he was named Abbot of Melrose abbey which had just been founded by King David.
The Saint became known for his austerities, his kindness to the poor, and was credited with performing miracles.
In 1154, Waltheof was named archbishop of Saint Andrews but he refused that honor.

St Walteof died of natural causes, at an old age, on 3 August 1160.
In liturgical art, Saint Waltheof is depicted as a Cistercian kneeling by a block of stone at sunrise, sometime as one restoring sight to a blind man.

Saint Waltheof,
Pray for us!
 
odhiambo said:
August:
The month of August is dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
August 1

Today is the Feast day of
Saint Alphonsus de Liguori
Among many other saints.
Click to expand...
Were you to ask what are the means of overcoming temptations, I would answer: The first means is prayer; the second is prayer: the third is prayer; and should you ask me a thousand times, I would repeat the same.
St. Alphonsus Liguori
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That is so true Kelvin. We must all be people of prayer to overcome the very many temptations we are bombarded with on a daily basis :yup:
 
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