O
odhiambo
Guest
St. Vincent Ferrer, Patron Saint of the Catholic Church.
Pray for us!
Pray for us!
- Status
O
odhiambo
Guest
Wow!
You could treat ley us know more about him on May 25 when his feast day comes around,
Saint Urban,
Pray for us!
O
odhiambo
Guest
What I meant was: You could tell us more about him on his feast day which is next month.Wow!
You could treat ley us know more about him on May 25 when his feast day comes around,
Saint Urban,
Pray for us!
O
odhiambo
Guest
6 April
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Crescentia Hoess
Among many other saints.
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Crescentia Hoess
Among many other saints.
O
odhiambo
Guest
Crescentia Hoess.
Crescentia was born in1682 in Bavaria. Her given name was Anna Hoess (Höss). Her parents were Matthias Hoess and Lucia Hoermann. She was raised devoutly, and knew at an early age that she wanted to become a nun at the local convent, the Franciscan Tertiary nuns of Mayerhoff. It is said that young Anna was once kneeling in the chapel of the local Franciscan nuns when she heard a voice from the crucifix: “This shall be your dwelling place.”
Her father was not a rich man; he was a poor woolweaver and did not have enough money to pay the necessary “dowry”, or entry fee. Dowries were customary at the time in most convents.
.She was refused admission. Anna took it all in her stride. She simply waited patiently, working in her father’s weaving business until she was 21. Then that patience was rewarded in a singular manner. This is how it was:
Next door to the convent was a very noisy inn. The sisters had at one time tried to buy it in an attempt to rid themselves of the noise but the landowner was asking too high a price for it and the nuns could not afford it.
The local mayor, a Protestant who was sympathetic towards the convent, got possession of the Inn and deeded the site to the sisters. He asked for nothing other than that the nuns receive Anna without a dowry. The Franciscans could hardly refuse, so, in 1704, Anna Hoess became a nun taking the name of Sister Maria Crescentia.
Sadly, the sisters were not kind to Anna at first. She was subjected to a prolonged persecution by the unfriendly superior and some of the other sisters. The basic reason seems to have been her lack of a dowry. They called her a beggar and, and assigned to her the most menial tasks to perform.
Her tribulations ended when a more friendly nun was elected superior. Gradually all the other sisters began to recognize, that Crescentia was a pious and indeed, a very holy religious. She was eventually chosen as mistress of novices and finally as Mother Superior.
Despite her poor health, Saint Crescentia remained the convent’s superior until her death on Easter of 1744.
She was canonized on November 25, 2001, by Pope John Paul II, along with three others. Her convent was renamed Crescentiakloster in her honor.
Saint Crescentia
Pray for us!
Crescentia was born in1682 in Bavaria. Her given name was Anna Hoess (Höss). Her parents were Matthias Hoess and Lucia Hoermann. She was raised devoutly, and knew at an early age that she wanted to become a nun at the local convent, the Franciscan Tertiary nuns of Mayerhoff. It is said that young Anna was once kneeling in the chapel of the local Franciscan nuns when she heard a voice from the crucifix: “This shall be your dwelling place.”
Her father was not a rich man; he was a poor woolweaver and did not have enough money to pay the necessary “dowry”, or entry fee. Dowries were customary at the time in most convents.
.She was refused admission. Anna took it all in her stride. She simply waited patiently, working in her father’s weaving business until she was 21. Then that patience was rewarded in a singular manner. This is how it was:
Next door to the convent was a very noisy inn. The sisters had at one time tried to buy it in an attempt to rid themselves of the noise but the landowner was asking too high a price for it and the nuns could not afford it.
The local mayor, a Protestant who was sympathetic towards the convent, got possession of the Inn and deeded the site to the sisters. He asked for nothing other than that the nuns receive Anna without a dowry. The Franciscans could hardly refuse, so, in 1704, Anna Hoess became a nun taking the name of Sister Maria Crescentia.
Sadly, the sisters were not kind to Anna at first. She was subjected to a prolonged persecution by the unfriendly superior and some of the other sisters. The basic reason seems to have been her lack of a dowry. They called her a beggar and, and assigned to her the most menial tasks to perform.
Her tribulations ended when a more friendly nun was elected superior. Gradually all the other sisters began to recognize, that Crescentia was a pious and indeed, a very holy religious. She was eventually chosen as mistress of novices and finally as Mother Superior.
Despite her poor health, Saint Crescentia remained the convent’s superior until her death on Easter of 1744.
She was canonized on November 25, 2001, by Pope John Paul II, along with three others. Her convent was renamed Crescentiakloster in her honor.
Saint Crescentia
Pray for us!
O
odhiambo
Guest
7 April
Today is the Feast day of
Saint John Baptist de La Salle
Among many other saints.
Today is the Feast day of
Saint John Baptist de La Salle
Among many other saints.
O
odhiambo
Guest
Saint John Baptist de La Salle (1651-1719)
Founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
Patron of Christian Teachers.
John was born in Reims, France on April 30, 1651. He was the eldest of ten children of noble and wealthy parents.
John wanted to become a priest while still very young, dedicating himself to the religious life at the age of eleven. He became canon of Reims Cathedral when only sixteen years old. He was finally ordained a priest on April 9, 1678. By then he was twenty seven years old.
Two years after his ordination, John received his doctorate in theology.
Meanwhile, he started helping a group of teachers who were looking after poor children in the city.
At that time only few people lived in luxury. Most of the people were extremely poor: peasants in the country, and slum dwellers in the towns. Only a few could send their children to school and most children had little hope for the future.
John was moved by the plight of these poor people. He determined to put his own talents and advanced education at the service of the children who were often left to themselves and were badly brought up.
To answer to this call which he saw as coming from God, he gave up everything; abandoning his family home, he moved in with the teachers. He renounced his position as Canon and his wealth and inheritance, becoming as poor as the children attending his schools. The schools depended for survival on God’s Providence.
This was the beginning of the community that became known as the Brothers of the Christian Schools. From this beginning,
the Institute of the “Brothers of the Christian Schools” gradually evolved.
This congregation was unique in that its members, though belonging to a religious order, were laymen, who spent all their energy and the whole of their lives in educating children, especially those who were very poor.
As always, difficulties arose. Certain priests began to interfere in his work in the schools, not really comprehending the Saints purpose.
Teachers in rival establishments took him to court because their
students had moved over to John Baptist’s Christian schools, where studies were free of charge. Despite all the opposition to his work, John
resolutely kept his vision on just one goal: the Will of God
His method of teaching revolutionized the teaching technique of the time, including the use of the vernacular instead of Latin and he became famous across much of Europe. King James II asked him to go to England and teach the young boys in the royal court. In 1698, he opened a college for Irish teachers.
Due to opposition to his work, John was deposed in 1702 at the instigation of the Archbishop of Paris. The members of his congregation however saved him with their support. He remained in active control of the congregation until 1717 when he resigned.
John died at Saint Yon near Rouen early in 1719 on Good Friday, only weeks before his sixty-eighth birthday.
delasalle.ie/st_john_baptist_de_la_salle_biography.html
God’s Will was indeed accomplished in the end, for at the time Our Lord called John Baptist to himself, the Brothers’ Institute had spread throughout France, and the schools were performing excellent work.
• John Baptist’s last words were:
" I adore in everything God’s Will in my regard"
John was beatified on February 19, 1888. He was
canonized on May 24, 1900 and
proclaimed Patron of Christian Teachers May 15, 1950 by
Pope Pius XII.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle.
Pray for us!
Founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
Patron of Christian Teachers.
John was born in Reims, France on April 30, 1651. He was the eldest of ten children of noble and wealthy parents.
John wanted to become a priest while still very young, dedicating himself to the religious life at the age of eleven. He became canon of Reims Cathedral when only sixteen years old. He was finally ordained a priest on April 9, 1678. By then he was twenty seven years old.
Two years after his ordination, John received his doctorate in theology.
Meanwhile, he started helping a group of teachers who were looking after poor children in the city.
At that time only few people lived in luxury. Most of the people were extremely poor: peasants in the country, and slum dwellers in the towns. Only a few could send their children to school and most children had little hope for the future.
John was moved by the plight of these poor people. He determined to put his own talents and advanced education at the service of the children who were often left to themselves and were badly brought up.
To answer to this call which he saw as coming from God, he gave up everything; abandoning his family home, he moved in with the teachers. He renounced his position as Canon and his wealth and inheritance, becoming as poor as the children attending his schools. The schools depended for survival on God’s Providence.
This was the beginning of the community that became known as the Brothers of the Christian Schools. From this beginning,
the Institute of the “Brothers of the Christian Schools” gradually evolved.
This congregation was unique in that its members, though belonging to a religious order, were laymen, who spent all their energy and the whole of their lives in educating children, especially those who were very poor.
As always, difficulties arose. Certain priests began to interfere in his work in the schools, not really comprehending the Saints purpose.
Teachers in rival establishments took him to court because their
students had moved over to John Baptist’s Christian schools, where studies were free of charge. Despite all the opposition to his work, John
resolutely kept his vision on just one goal: the Will of God
His method of teaching revolutionized the teaching technique of the time, including the use of the vernacular instead of Latin and he became famous across much of Europe. King James II asked him to go to England and teach the young boys in the royal court. In 1698, he opened a college for Irish teachers.
Due to opposition to his work, John was deposed in 1702 at the instigation of the Archbishop of Paris. The members of his congregation however saved him with their support. He remained in active control of the congregation until 1717 when he resigned.
John died at Saint Yon near Rouen early in 1719 on Good Friday, only weeks before his sixty-eighth birthday.
delasalle.ie/st_john_baptist_de_la_salle_biography.html
God’s Will was indeed accomplished in the end, for at the time Our Lord called John Baptist to himself, the Brothers’ Institute had spread throughout France, and the schools were performing excellent work.
• John Baptist’s last words were:
" I adore in everything God’s Will in my regard"
John was beatified on February 19, 1888. He was
canonized on May 24, 1900 and
proclaimed Patron of Christian Teachers May 15, 1950 by
Pope Pius XII.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle.
Pray for us!
O
odhiambo
Guest
“I will always look upon the work of my salvation, and the foundation and government of our community, as the work of God; hence I will abandon the care of both to him, acting only through his orders.”
St. John Baptist de la Salle
St. John Baptist de la Salle
O
odhiambo
Guest
8 April
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Julie Billiart
Among many other saints.
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Julie Billiart
Among many other saints.
O
odhiambo
Guest
Saint Julie Billiart
Also known as Saint Julia Billiart.
Julia of Billiart.
Maria Rose Julia Billiart was born in Cuvilly, France, on July 12, 1751.
She was the sixth of seven children born to Jean-François Billiart and his wife, Marie-Louise-Antoinette Debraine. Her childhood was quite remarkable in that by the time she was seven years old, she had memorized the catechism! She used to gather her little companions around her to hear them recite it and to explain it to them.
Julia went to the local village school taught by her uncle, Thibault Guilbert. She received her First Holy Communion earlier than was the practice because she knew the catechism well and understood the significance of Holy Communion. At 9 years of age, she was confirmed and she also made a vow of Chastity.
When Julie was 16, she went to work to help support her family. At the age of 23 she became paralyzed by the trauma of a shooting that was aimed at her father. The next twenty years were to see her confined to her bed. She used the time to draw closer to God, receiving daily Communion and spending several hours daily in prayers. When she was not praying, she was either making laces for the Church or teaching catechism to the village children whom she gathered around her bed.
At the time of the French Revolution, Julie fled from Paris to the city of Amiens where she was given refuge by Countess Baudoin. It was here in Amiens, Julie met Françoise Blin de Bourdon, a woman she was to work closely with in future.
At first, she took no notice of Julia, but by degrees grew to love and admire her. They met frequently.
In 1804, Juliet, with the aid of Françiose Blin de Bourdon, founded the Sisters of Notre Dame. The aim of the society was to offer christian education to girls, thus making known God’s goodness and to bring His salvation, especially to the poor and abandoned children.
On the feast of the Sacred Heart, 1 June, 1804, Mother Julie, after a novena made in obedience to her confessor, was miraculously cured of paralysis.
Saint Julie died on 8 April, 1816, at her institute in Namur, Belgium. By the time of her death, there were 15 convents in operation.
She was canonized by Pope Paul VI on June 22, 1969.
Saint Julie,
Pray for us!
Also known as Saint Julia Billiart.
Julia of Billiart.
Maria Rose Julia Billiart was born in Cuvilly, France, on July 12, 1751.
She was the sixth of seven children born to Jean-François Billiart and his wife, Marie-Louise-Antoinette Debraine. Her childhood was quite remarkable in that by the time she was seven years old, she had memorized the catechism! She used to gather her little companions around her to hear them recite it and to explain it to them.
Julia went to the local village school taught by her uncle, Thibault Guilbert. She received her First Holy Communion earlier than was the practice because she knew the catechism well and understood the significance of Holy Communion. At 9 years of age, she was confirmed and she also made a vow of Chastity.
When Julie was 16, she went to work to help support her family. At the age of 23 she became paralyzed by the trauma of a shooting that was aimed at her father. The next twenty years were to see her confined to her bed. She used the time to draw closer to God, receiving daily Communion and spending several hours daily in prayers. When she was not praying, she was either making laces for the Church or teaching catechism to the village children whom she gathered around her bed.
At the time of the French Revolution, Julie fled from Paris to the city of Amiens where she was given refuge by Countess Baudoin. It was here in Amiens, Julie met Françoise Blin de Bourdon, a woman she was to work closely with in future.
At first, she took no notice of Julia, but by degrees grew to love and admire her. They met frequently.
In 1804, Juliet, with the aid of Françiose Blin de Bourdon, founded the Sisters of Notre Dame. The aim of the society was to offer christian education to girls, thus making known God’s goodness and to bring His salvation, especially to the poor and abandoned children.
On the feast of the Sacred Heart, 1 June, 1804, Mother Julie, after a novena made in obedience to her confessor, was miraculously cured of paralysis.
Saint Julie died on 8 April, 1816, at her institute in Namur, Belgium. By the time of her death, there were 15 convents in operation.
She was canonized by Pope Paul VI on June 22, 1969.
Saint Julie,
Pray for us!
S
Shin
Guest
The childhood of Julie was remarkable; at the age of seven, she knew the catechism by heart, and used to gather her little companions around her to hear them recite it and to explain it to them.
. . . When twenty-two years old, a nervous shock, occasioned by a pistol-shot fired at her father by some unknown enemy, brought on a paralysis of the lower limbs, which in a few years confined her to her bed* a helpless cripple, **and thus she remained for twenty-two years. *
During this time, when she received Holy Communion daily, Julie exercised an uncommon gift of prayer, spending four or five hours a day in contemplation.
The rest of her time was occupied in making linens and laces for the alter and in catechizing the village children whom she gathered around her bed, giving special attention to those who were preparing for their First Communion.
At Amiens, where Julie Billiart had been compelled to take refuge with Countess Baudoin during the troublesome times of the French Revolution, she met Françoise Blin de Bourdon, Viscountess of Gizaincourt, who was destined to be her co-laborer in the great work as yet unknown to either of them.
The Viscountess Blin de Bourdon was thirty-eight years old at the time of her meeting with Julie, and had spent her youth in piety and good works; *she had been imprisoned with all of her family during the Reign of Terror, and had escaped death only by the fall of Robespierre. *
She was not at first attracted by the almost speechless paralytic, but by degrees grew to love and admire the invalid for her wonderful gifts of soul.
A little company of young and high-born ladies, friends of the viscountess, was formed around the couch of “the saint”. Julie taught them how to lead the interior life, while they devoted themselves generously to the cause of God and His poor.
Though they attempted all the exercises of an active community life, some of the elements of stability must have been wanting, for these first disciples dropped off until none was left but Françoise Blin de Bourdon. She was never to be separated from Julie, and with her in 1803, in obedience to Father Varin, superior of the Fathers of the Faith, and under the auspices of the Bishop of Amiens, the foundation was laid of the Institute of the Sisters of Notre Dame,* a society which had for its primary object the salvation of poor children. *
Several young persons offered themselves to assist the two superiors. The first pupils were eight orphans. On the feast of the Sacred Heart, 1 June, 1804, Mother Julie, *after a novena made in obedience to her confessor, was cured of paralysis. *
The first vows of religion were made on 15 October, 1804 by Julie Billiart, Françoise Blin de Bourdon, Victoire Leleu, and Justine Garson, *and their family names were changed to names of saints. *
They proposed for their lifework the Christian education of girls, and the training of religious teachers who should go wherever their services were asked for.
- from an encyclopedia article
"Oh, how good is the good God.”
“You will not doubt this: Friendship in God lasts forever.”
St. Julia Billiart
. . . When twenty-two years old, a nervous shock, occasioned by a pistol-shot fired at her father by some unknown enemy, brought on a paralysis of the lower limbs, which in a few years confined her to her bed* a helpless cripple, **and thus she remained for twenty-two years. *
During this time, when she received Holy Communion daily, Julie exercised an uncommon gift of prayer, spending four or five hours a day in contemplation.
The rest of her time was occupied in making linens and laces for the alter and in catechizing the village children whom she gathered around her bed, giving special attention to those who were preparing for their First Communion.
At Amiens, where Julie Billiart had been compelled to take refuge with Countess Baudoin during the troublesome times of the French Revolution, she met Françoise Blin de Bourdon, Viscountess of Gizaincourt, who was destined to be her co-laborer in the great work as yet unknown to either of them.
The Viscountess Blin de Bourdon was thirty-eight years old at the time of her meeting with Julie, and had spent her youth in piety and good works; *she had been imprisoned with all of her family during the Reign of Terror, and had escaped death only by the fall of Robespierre. *
She was not at first attracted by the almost speechless paralytic, but by degrees grew to love and admire the invalid for her wonderful gifts of soul.
A little company of young and high-born ladies, friends of the viscountess, was formed around the couch of “the saint”. Julie taught them how to lead the interior life, while they devoted themselves generously to the cause of God and His poor.
Though they attempted all the exercises of an active community life, some of the elements of stability must have been wanting, for these first disciples dropped off until none was left but Françoise Blin de Bourdon. She was never to be separated from Julie, and with her in 1803, in obedience to Father Varin, superior of the Fathers of the Faith, and under the auspices of the Bishop of Amiens, the foundation was laid of the Institute of the Sisters of Notre Dame,* a society which had for its primary object the salvation of poor children. *
Several young persons offered themselves to assist the two superiors. The first pupils were eight orphans. On the feast of the Sacred Heart, 1 June, 1804, Mother Julie, *after a novena made in obedience to her confessor, was cured of paralysis. *
The first vows of religion were made on 15 October, 1804 by Julie Billiart, Françoise Blin de Bourdon, Victoire Leleu, and Justine Garson, *and their family names were changed to names of saints. *
They proposed for their lifework the Christian education of girls, and the training of religious teachers who should go wherever their services were asked for.
- from an encyclopedia article
"Oh, how good is the good God.”
“You will not doubt this: Friendship in God lasts forever.”
St. Julia Billiart
O
odhiambo
Guest
9 April
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Casilda
Among many other saints.
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Casilda
Among many other saints.
O
odhiambo
Guest
Saint Casilda.
Also known as:
Saint Casilda of Toledo
Saint Casilda is not familiar to many of us. It is in fact the first time I am learning of her. I am however thankful to God for granting me this opportunity to get to know some of His less well known saints however fleetingly.
According to legend, Casilda lived in the 10th Century in Spain. She
was a daughter of a Muslim king (called Almacrin or Almamun), of Toledo, Spain. She was herself raised as a Muslim as was only to be expected.
Casilda is noted to have showed special kindness to Christian prisoners. She used to carry bread hidden in her clothes to feed them. Once she was stopped by Muslim soldiers and asked to reveal what she was carrying in her skirt. When she began to show them, the bread turned into a bouquet of roses.
One day Casilda, a young woman by then, fell ill. She, however had no confidence in the local doctors and believe they would not be able to cure her.
She, instead, made a pilgrimage to the shrine of San Vicenzo in northern Spain. At the time, many people suffering various ailments, traveled to the shrine seeking healing. It is recorded that Casilda left it relieved of her illness.( we do not know what the sickness was).
After her miraculous cure, Casilda became a Christian and lived a life of solitude and penance not far from the miraculous spring.
It is said that she lived to be 100 years old. Her death was likely to have occurred around the year 1050.
Saint Casilda,
Pray for us!
Also known as:
Saint Casilda of Toledo
Saint Casilda is not familiar to many of us. It is in fact the first time I am learning of her. I am however thankful to God for granting me this opportunity to get to know some of His less well known saints however fleetingly.
According to legend, Casilda lived in the 10th Century in Spain. She
was a daughter of a Muslim king (called Almacrin or Almamun), of Toledo, Spain. She was herself raised as a Muslim as was only to be expected.
Casilda is noted to have showed special kindness to Christian prisoners. She used to carry bread hidden in her clothes to feed them. Once she was stopped by Muslim soldiers and asked to reveal what she was carrying in her skirt. When she began to show them, the bread turned into a bouquet of roses.
One day Casilda, a young woman by then, fell ill. She, however had no confidence in the local doctors and believe they would not be able to cure her.
She, instead, made a pilgrimage to the shrine of San Vicenzo in northern Spain. At the time, many people suffering various ailments, traveled to the shrine seeking healing. It is recorded that Casilda left it relieved of her illness.( we do not know what the sickness was).
After her miraculous cure, Casilda became a Christian and lived a life of solitude and penance not far from the miraculous spring.
It is said that she lived to be 100 years old. Her death was likely to have occurred around the year 1050.
Saint Casilda,
Pray for us!
O
odhiambo
Guest
10 April
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Magdalene of Canossa
Among many other saints.
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Magdalene of Canossa
Among many other saints.
O
odhiambo
Guest
Saint Magdalene of Canossa (1774-1835)
Magdalene was born on March 1st 1774 in Verona, Italy. She was born in one of the grandest palaces of the city, being of rich and noble parentage. She was the third child of the Marquis Ottavio and Coutess Teresa Szluha.
When Magdalene was five years old, her father died suddenly. Two years after, her mother remarried, leaving the Canossa Palace and her children behind in the care of a French governess. In her loneliness, Magdalen turned to Mary for consolation.
Magdalen was 15 years old when the French revolution broke out and shook the whole of Europe.
When she was 17 years old’ she spent some time in a Carmelite cloister but decided this was not the vocation for her. She returned to her family where she took up the task of heading and guiding the household during a time of extreme difficulty. This was the time, about 7 years later, when the real consequences of the French Revolution were felt in Verona. On June 10, 1796, General Napoleon entered the city as a conqueror. The following year Napoleon was a guest at Canossa Palace and Magdalen, being the lady of the house, had to do the honours to the General.
Verona was occupied successively by the French and the Austrians and the Canossa Palace hosted famous generals and emperors.
Amidst all that was happening, Magdalene withdrew herself gradually. Each day, was her union with God intensified.
Magdalene then contracted small pox. After recovering from this illness, she felt a calling to help the poor and the sick.
In 1808 Magdalen left the Canossa Palace indefinitely and with some companions, established herself in the poverty-stricken district of San Zeno and started their work among the poor. Magdalen called her companions “Daughters of Charity” because their task was to reveal God’s love to humanity.
Today the Daughters of Charity are present in many countries around the world.
Magdalen died in Verona on April 10, 1835. She was beatified in Rome on December 8, 1941. Then she was canonized on Octopber 2, 1988 and became St. Magdalen of Canossa.
Saint Magdalene
Pray for us!
Magdalene was born on March 1st 1774 in Verona, Italy. She was born in one of the grandest palaces of the city, being of rich and noble parentage. She was the third child of the Marquis Ottavio and Coutess Teresa Szluha.
When Magdalene was five years old, her father died suddenly. Two years after, her mother remarried, leaving the Canossa Palace and her children behind in the care of a French governess. In her loneliness, Magdalen turned to Mary for consolation.
Magdalen was 15 years old when the French revolution broke out and shook the whole of Europe.
When she was 17 years old’ she spent some time in a Carmelite cloister but decided this was not the vocation for her. She returned to her family where she took up the task of heading and guiding the household during a time of extreme difficulty. This was the time, about 7 years later, when the real consequences of the French Revolution were felt in Verona. On June 10, 1796, General Napoleon entered the city as a conqueror. The following year Napoleon was a guest at Canossa Palace and Magdalen, being the lady of the house, had to do the honours to the General.
Verona was occupied successively by the French and the Austrians and the Canossa Palace hosted famous generals and emperors.
Amidst all that was happening, Magdalene withdrew herself gradually. Each day, was her union with God intensified.
Magdalene then contracted small pox. After recovering from this illness, she felt a calling to help the poor and the sick.
In 1808 Magdalen left the Canossa Palace indefinitely and with some companions, established herself in the poverty-stricken district of San Zeno and started their work among the poor. Magdalen called her companions “Daughters of Charity” because their task was to reveal God’s love to humanity.
Today the Daughters of Charity are present in many countries around the world.
Magdalen died in Verona on April 10, 1835. She was beatified in Rome on December 8, 1941. Then she was canonized on Octopber 2, 1988 and became St. Magdalen of Canossa.
Saint Magdalene
Pray for us!
S
Shin
Guest
‘St. Bernard says that poverty was not to be found in heaven, it existed only on earth; but that man, not knowing its value, did not seek after it. Therefore the Son of God came down from heaven to this earth, and chose it for his companion throughout his whole life, that by his example he might also render it precious and desirable to us: “Poverty was not found in heaven, but she was well known on earth, and men knew not her excellence. So the Son of God loved her, and came down from heaven to take her to himself, that we might learn to value her when we see how he regards her.”’
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
O
odhiambo
Guest
So true !
Mother Teresa sure knew the value of poverty. Here is her take on the subject
“We must have a real living determination to reach holiness.
‘‘I will be a saint’’ means I will despoil myself of all that is not God;
I will strip my heart of all created things;
I will live in poverty and detachment;
I will renounce my will, my inclinations, my whims and fancies, and make myself a willing slave to the will of God.”
Mother Teresa (1910-1997) Albanian-born missionary.
If only we would heed her words.
Living in poverty without a coin to your name is so scary to contemplate. Faith in God has to be really strong to overcome the fear of poverty.
O
odhiambo
Guest
11 April
Today is the Feast day of
**Saint Gemma Galgani **
Amomg many other Saints.
Today is the Feast day of
**Saint Gemma Galgani **
Amomg many other Saints.
S
Shin
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'Remember daughter, that whoever truly loves Jesus speaks little and bears all things. I command thee, on behalf of Jesus, to always refrain from giving your own opinion, unless it is asked; always to prefer silence to upholding your own views. Whenever you have committed a fault, accuse yourself of it at once, and do not wait for others to accuse thee. Give full obedience to your confessor, and to those whom he commands thee to obey; and be always sincere with them.
Remember to guard your eyes, and be assured that the eyes that are mortified, shall behold the beauties of heaven.’
‘Poor child! How imperfect you are! How much you need others to keep a constant guard over thee. Oh, how much patience I must have with thee.’
St. Gemma Galgani’s Guardian Angel
Remember to guard your eyes, and be assured that the eyes that are mortified, shall behold the beauties of heaven.’
‘Poor child! How imperfect you are! How much you need others to keep a constant guard over thee. Oh, how much patience I must have with thee.’
St. Gemma Galgani’s Guardian Angel
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Saint Gemma Galgani
Gemma Galgani was born on March 12, 1878, in a small Italian town near Lucca.
Her parents were poor people.
Gemma developed a love for prayers at an early age.
She received her First Holy Communion on June 17, 1887. She attended a school run by the Sisters of St. Zita.
Gemma was loved by all her teachers and her fellow pupils.
Unfortunately, Gemma suffered from chronic ill health and had to quit school before completing her course of study.
When she was seven years old, her mother died; her father also died at a later date. At nineteen, Gemma was forced to work as a maid so as to be able to care for her seven brothers and sisters for whom she now had responsibility following the death of both their parents.
Her hope was to be a Passionist nun but her poor health prevented her from being accepted.(she took several vows in private).
She apparently suffered from spinal tuberculosis. She was later cured from this illness, through the intercession of Saint Gabriel Possenti .
Passionataly religious, the saint was the subject of various extraordinary supernatural phenomena such as visions, ecstasies, revelations, supernatural knowledge, conversations with her visible Guardian Angel, prophecy and miracles. These experiences were investigated by her confessor, Father Germano di San Stanislao Ruappolo.
Between 1899 and 1901, she intermittantly received the stigmata and marks of scourging on her body. It seems also that she exhibited occasional erratic behaviour that she attributed to diabolical possession.
She died quietly in the company of the parish priest, on Holy Saturday, April 11, 1903. She was twenty-five years old.
She was soon considered for canonization. This was opposed by some because of those erratic episodes of her life. She was however accepted as the holiness of her life was unquestionable.
She was beatified in 1933 and canonized on May 2, 1940, by Pope Pius XII, only thirty-seven years after her death.
Saint Gemma,
Pray for us!
Gemma Galgani was born on March 12, 1878, in a small Italian town near Lucca.
Her parents were poor people.
Gemma developed a love for prayers at an early age.
She received her First Holy Communion on June 17, 1887. She attended a school run by the Sisters of St. Zita.
Gemma was loved by all her teachers and her fellow pupils.
Unfortunately, Gemma suffered from chronic ill health and had to quit school before completing her course of study.
When she was seven years old, her mother died; her father also died at a later date. At nineteen, Gemma was forced to work as a maid so as to be able to care for her seven brothers and sisters for whom she now had responsibility following the death of both their parents.
Her hope was to be a Passionist nun but her poor health prevented her from being accepted.(she took several vows in private).
She apparently suffered from spinal tuberculosis. She was later cured from this illness, through the intercession of Saint Gabriel Possenti .
Passionataly religious, the saint was the subject of various extraordinary supernatural phenomena such as visions, ecstasies, revelations, supernatural knowledge, conversations with her visible Guardian Angel, prophecy and miracles. These experiences were investigated by her confessor, Father Germano di San Stanislao Ruappolo.
Between 1899 and 1901, she intermittantly received the stigmata and marks of scourging on her body. It seems also that she exhibited occasional erratic behaviour that she attributed to diabolical possession.
She died quietly in the company of the parish priest, on Holy Saturday, April 11, 1903. She was twenty-five years old.
She was soon considered for canonization. This was opposed by some because of those erratic episodes of her life. She was however accepted as the holiness of her life was unquestionable.
She was beatified in 1933 and canonized on May 2, 1940, by Pope Pius XII, only thirty-seven years after her death.
Saint Gemma,
Pray for us!
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