O
odhiambo
Guest
October 6
Today let us remember
Saint Mary Frances
of the 5 wounds of Jesus
Among many other Saints.
Today let us remember
Saint Mary Frances
of the 5 wounds of Jesus
Among many other Saints.
- Status
O
odhiambo
Guest
Saint Mary Frances
of the 5 wounds of Jesus.
Franciscan Tertiary
Stigmatic.
Saint Mary Frances was born on 25 March 1715 at Naples, Italy. Before her birth St.John Joseph of the Cross, who lived in Naples at the time, and St. Francis de Geronimo, are said to have predicted that the child was destined to attain great holiness.
The baby was baptized Mary Rose Nicolette (Anna Maria according to other sources.) Her father was Francesco Gallo, said to be a hard, hot-tempered and greedy man who abused his wife. Her mother was Barbara Basinsi, a devout and gentle woman who put up with her husband’s ill treatment of her. From a very young age, Mary started to spend hours in prayer. She was allowed to receive her First Holy Communion at the age of seven because she was very advanced in her knowledge of the Faith and also because of her ardent desire to begin receiving Holy Communion. When she became sixteen, a rich young man sought her hand in mariage but she refused. Her father, in an attempt to force her to accept this marriage, whipped her mercilessly. When her mother intervened to protect her from the punishment, she too became the recipient of of his wrath.
Mary Frances was not deterred by his ill treatment of her , she instead asked permission to enter the Third Order of St. Francis. Eventually Francesco did grant his daughter her wish. She became a Franciscan tertiary on 8 September 1731 at Naples, taking the name Mary Frances of the Five Wounds. She remained at home living a life of great piety and austerity; bady scorned by her family until 1753 when she became a house keeper for a priest.
Mary Frances experienced visions, she suffered the agony of Christ’s Passion, received the stigmata, and several times was reported to have received the Host miraculously. She practiced extreme mortification. She was also a known prophetess. Among her predictions was the coming of the French Revolution in 1789.
Read some more here
Saint Mary Frances
of the 5 wounds of Jesus
Pray for us!
of the 5 wounds of Jesus.
Franciscan Tertiary
Stigmatic.
Saint Mary Frances was born on 25 March 1715 at Naples, Italy. Before her birth St.John Joseph of the Cross, who lived in Naples at the time, and St. Francis de Geronimo, are said to have predicted that the child was destined to attain great holiness.
The baby was baptized Mary Rose Nicolette (Anna Maria according to other sources.) Her father was Francesco Gallo, said to be a hard, hot-tempered and greedy man who abused his wife. Her mother was Barbara Basinsi, a devout and gentle woman who put up with her husband’s ill treatment of her. From a very young age, Mary started to spend hours in prayer. She was allowed to receive her First Holy Communion at the age of seven because she was very advanced in her knowledge of the Faith and also because of her ardent desire to begin receiving Holy Communion. When she became sixteen, a rich young man sought her hand in mariage but she refused. Her father, in an attempt to force her to accept this marriage, whipped her mercilessly. When her mother intervened to protect her from the punishment, she too became the recipient of of his wrath.
Mary Frances was not deterred by his ill treatment of her , she instead asked permission to enter the Third Order of St. Francis. Eventually Francesco did grant his daughter her wish. She became a Franciscan tertiary on 8 September 1731 at Naples, taking the name Mary Frances of the Five Wounds. She remained at home living a life of great piety and austerity; bady scorned by her family until 1753 when she became a house keeper for a priest.
Mary Frances experienced visions, she suffered the agony of Christ’s Passion, received the stigmata, and several times was reported to have received the Host miraculously. She practiced extreme mortification. She was also a known prophetess. Among her predictions was the coming of the French Revolution in 1789.
Read some more here
Saint Mary Frances
of the 5 wounds of Jesus
Pray for us!
K
kelvinf
Guest
S
Shin
Guest
A very special day for me, St. Bruno’s Feast Day. 
Thank you odhiambo.
'The Lord created all mortals in the light, offering the supreme joys of heaven according to their merits.
Blessed is the one who without straying directs his soul toward those heights and is vigilant to preserve himself from all evil.
Blessed again is the one who repents after sinning and often weeps because of his fault.
Alas! People live as though death did not follow life, as if hell were only an unfounded fable, though burning embrace.
Mortals, have a care that you live, all of you, in such a way that you do not have to fear the lake of hell.’
St. Bruno
'He hath a demon within him who persists in any grave sin.
And because of this the Apostle admonishes us, where he says: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body (Rom. 8:12). For as long as sin remains in a man, for so long is he bound and captive and possessed by the devil. Such a man, blind and dumb, if he be offered to the Lord, if he be converted to penance, the Lord shall straightaway heal him; so that the evil spirit being driven out of him he may speak and see.’
St. Bruno
‘Knowing that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father, [Bruno] called his brothers together, reviewed all the stages of his life since infancy, and recalled the special events of his lifetime. Then, in a profound, detailed discourse he expressed his faith in the Trinity, concluding with these words: “I believe also in the sacraments that the Church believes and holds in reverence, and particularly that the bread and wine which are consecrated on the altar are, after the Consecration, the true Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, his true Flesh and his real Blood, which we receive for the forgiveness of our sins and in the hope of eternal life.” The following Sunday, the evening before the ninth of October in the year of our Lord 1101, his holy soul left his body.’
Letter describing the death of St. Bruno
Thank you odhiambo.
'The Lord created all mortals in the light, offering the supreme joys of heaven according to their merits.
Blessed is the one who without straying directs his soul toward those heights and is vigilant to preserve himself from all evil.
Blessed again is the one who repents after sinning and often weeps because of his fault.
Alas! People live as though death did not follow life, as if hell were only an unfounded fable, though burning embrace.
Mortals, have a care that you live, all of you, in such a way that you do not have to fear the lake of hell.’
St. Bruno
'He hath a demon within him who persists in any grave sin.
And because of this the Apostle admonishes us, where he says: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body (Rom. 8:12). For as long as sin remains in a man, for so long is he bound and captive and possessed by the devil. Such a man, blind and dumb, if he be offered to the Lord, if he be converted to penance, the Lord shall straightaway heal him; so that the evil spirit being driven out of him he may speak and see.’
St. Bruno
‘Knowing that the hour had come for him to pass from this world to the Father, [Bruno] called his brothers together, reviewed all the stages of his life since infancy, and recalled the special events of his lifetime. Then, in a profound, detailed discourse he expressed his faith in the Trinity, concluding with these words: “I believe also in the sacraments that the Church believes and holds in reverence, and particularly that the bread and wine which are consecrated on the altar are, after the Consecration, the true Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, his true Flesh and his real Blood, which we receive for the forgiveness of our sins and in the hope of eternal life.” The following Sunday, the evening before the ninth of October in the year of our Lord 1101, his holy soul left his body.’
Letter describing the death of St. Bruno
The_Reginator
Active member
May we be helped by the intercession of St. Bruno, Thy Confessor, O Lord, we beseech Thee, so that we who by our evil deeds have grievously offended Thy Majesty, may by his merits and prayers obtain forgiveness of our sins. Through our Lord.
Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal
Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal
O
odhiambo
Guest
Amen!
O
odhiambo
Guest
October 7
Today is the Memorial of
Blessed Chiara Badano
Among many other Saints and Blesseds.
Today is the Memorial of
Blessed Chiara Badano
Among many other Saints and Blesseds.
O
odhiambo
Guest
**Blessed Chiara Badano
**
Chiara Badano who is also known as Luce Badano, was born on 29 October 1971 in the small village of Sassello, in northern Italy. She was the only child of Ruggero Badano, a truck driver, and his wife Maria Teresa Caviglia Badano. She was born following eleven long years of her parents’ marriage and childlessness. She was a lovely baby, her parents believed she was conceived and born as a direct answer to prayers offered the Our Lady of the Rocche. At the age of nine Chiara joined the Focolare Movement, curtesy of a friend called Chicca who invited her to be part of the GEN (New Generation) movement.This is a movement that was founded by
Chiara Lubich In 1943 in Trent, Italy. It is now an international organization that promotes the ideals of unity and brotherhood for all people. It is also called the “Opera di Maria,” or “Work of Mary”. The Movement is recognized by the Pope and is today pesent in over 182 countries.
As a young girl, Chiara loved to sing, dance, play tennis and skate. She loved the mountains and the sea but above all, she love God and I read about her that she tried to go to Mass every day. At the age 16, Chiara began to feel drawn to religious life.
One day, when she was seventeen years old, she felt a sudden excruciating pain in her left shoulder. This was the beginning of the end for her. When the pain did not subside but got worse, she was taken to hospital and after examinations and tests, a diagnosis was mede. It was osteosarcome, a malignant bone cancer. She still wanted to become a missionary despite everything, but the cancer spread quickly. Her spine was affected and soon, she was no longer able to walk.
Chiara died from the cancer on 7 October 1990 in Sassello, Savona, Italy.
She was proclaimed venerable on 3 July 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI. She was beatified on 25 September 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Canonization is pending,
If you have information relevant to the canonization of Venerable Chiara, contact
Fra Florio Tessari, OFMCAP
Associazione Chiara Badano
c/o Curia Vescovile P.zza Duomo, 9
15011 Acqui Terme, ITALY
Read more about Blessed Chiara here.
Blessed Chiara Badano,
Pray for us!
**
Chiara Badano who is also known as Luce Badano, was born on 29 October 1971 in the small village of Sassello, in northern Italy. She was the only child of Ruggero Badano, a truck driver, and his wife Maria Teresa Caviglia Badano. She was born following eleven long years of her parents’ marriage and childlessness. She was a lovely baby, her parents believed she was conceived and born as a direct answer to prayers offered the Our Lady of the Rocche. At the age of nine Chiara joined the Focolare Movement, curtesy of a friend called Chicca who invited her to be part of the GEN (New Generation) movement.This is a movement that was founded by
Chiara Lubich In 1943 in Trent, Italy. It is now an international organization that promotes the ideals of unity and brotherhood for all people. It is also called the “Opera di Maria,” or “Work of Mary”. The Movement is recognized by the Pope and is today pesent in over 182 countries.
As a young girl, Chiara loved to sing, dance, play tennis and skate. She loved the mountains and the sea but above all, she love God and I read about her that she tried to go to Mass every day. At the age 16, Chiara began to feel drawn to religious life.
One day, when she was seventeen years old, she felt a sudden excruciating pain in her left shoulder. This was the beginning of the end for her. When the pain did not subside but got worse, she was taken to hospital and after examinations and tests, a diagnosis was mede. It was osteosarcome, a malignant bone cancer. She still wanted to become a missionary despite everything, but the cancer spread quickly. Her spine was affected and soon, she was no longer able to walk.
Chiara died from the cancer on 7 October 1990 in Sassello, Savona, Italy.
She was proclaimed venerable on 3 July 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI. She was beatified on 25 September 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Canonization is pending,
If you have information relevant to the canonization of Venerable Chiara, contact
Fra Florio Tessari, OFMCAP
Associazione Chiara Badano
c/o Curia Vescovile P.zza Duomo, 9
15011 Acqui Terme, ITALY
Read more about Blessed Chiara here.
Blessed Chiara Badano,
Pray for us!
O
odhiambo
Guest
Blessed Chiara during a medical crisis near the end
of her life
The_Reginator
Active member
O
odhiambo
Guest
Our Lady of the Rosary,
Pray for us!
O
odhiambo
Guest
October 8
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Mary McKillop
Among many other Saints.
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Mary McKillop
Among many other Saints.
O
odhiambo
Guest
Saint Mary McKillop
Mary was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia, on 15 January 1842. She was the eldest child of Alexander and Flora MacKillop. Her parents were poor immigrants from Scotland. Mary was given the name of Maria Ellen MacKillop at birth.
The family ended up large as Mary had seven siblings. On one hand they were very poor and depended on relatives for shelter and support, on the other hand, they were rich in faith. Her father, Alexander, had actually studied for the priesthood, although he was never ordained.
At the age of 16, Mary became the main bread winner for the family. She worked first as a nursery governess and then as a store clerk, a tutor in Melbourne and finally as a school teacher in Portland, Victoria. Mary loved teaching but she also felt a call to religious life. To support her family, she decided to continue to teach. She was forced to leave the school due to a scandal of which she was innocent.
She left Portland, Victoria and went to work in Penola, a small town in South Australia. She worked as a governess cum teacher for children from the local area. Here at Penola, Mary met Father Julian Tennison Woods and together the two started a school for poor children. In 1866, they became co-founders of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. It was reportedly, the first religious order to be established by an Australian.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph were dedicated to the education of poor children. Because their work was with the poor, they, of necessity had to live with the poor. They were consequently found with farmers, miners, and railway workers in isolated outback areas of the country. Whatever hardships these poor people suffered, the sisters suffered with them.
The order rapidly spread to other parts of Australia and even the membership grew rapidly.
Mary was a very compassionate and strong willed woman. She stood firmly for what she believed in. These admirable qualities brought her into conflict with some Church leaders. Because of the vow of poverty she took, the sisters had to beg for money from well wishers and this did not go down well in some Church quarters. Mary however refused to change her ways. Then, some other issues to do with educational matters also came up which made a bad situation worse. Mary was ordered to surrender control of the schools and of her Order. She refused, and was promptly excommunicated by Bishop Shiel for insubordination. The year was in 1871. The Bishop accused her of encouraging disobedience and defiance in her schools. Six months later, however, the excommunication placed on her was lifted and the Bishop admitted he had been wrong in his action.
After these rather depressing events in her life, Mary traveled to Rome by sea in 1873/74 to have the rule of her Order approved by the Blessed Pope Pius IX. She also travelled through England, Ireland and Scotland to seek funds for her schools.
In 1875, she became the Superior-general of her Order and the rest of her life was spent visiting her various houses, working for the poor and to improve the general conditions for the Aborigines.
Mary died after a stroke on 8 August 1909 at Sydney, Australia. She was proclaimed venerable on 13 June 1992 by Pope John Paul II, was beatified on 19 January 1995 by Pope John Paul II and canonized on 17 October 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. She is reportedly the first native-born Australian saint.
She is the Patron Saint of Australia
Saint Mary McKillop,
Pray for us!
Mary was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia, on 15 January 1842. She was the eldest child of Alexander and Flora MacKillop. Her parents were poor immigrants from Scotland. Mary was given the name of Maria Ellen MacKillop at birth.
The family ended up large as Mary had seven siblings. On one hand they were very poor and depended on relatives for shelter and support, on the other hand, they were rich in faith. Her father, Alexander, had actually studied for the priesthood, although he was never ordained.
At the age of 16, Mary became the main bread winner for the family. She worked first as a nursery governess and then as a store clerk, a tutor in Melbourne and finally as a school teacher in Portland, Victoria. Mary loved teaching but she also felt a call to religious life. To support her family, she decided to continue to teach. She was forced to leave the school due to a scandal of which she was innocent.
She left Portland, Victoria and went to work in Penola, a small town in South Australia. She worked as a governess cum teacher for children from the local area. Here at Penola, Mary met Father Julian Tennison Woods and together the two started a school for poor children. In 1866, they became co-founders of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. It was reportedly, the first religious order to be established by an Australian.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph were dedicated to the education of poor children. Because their work was with the poor, they, of necessity had to live with the poor. They were consequently found with farmers, miners, and railway workers in isolated outback areas of the country. Whatever hardships these poor people suffered, the sisters suffered with them.
The order rapidly spread to other parts of Australia and even the membership grew rapidly.
Mary was a very compassionate and strong willed woman. She stood firmly for what she believed in. These admirable qualities brought her into conflict with some Church leaders. Because of the vow of poverty she took, the sisters had to beg for money from well wishers and this did not go down well in some Church quarters. Mary however refused to change her ways. Then, some other issues to do with educational matters also came up which made a bad situation worse. Mary was ordered to surrender control of the schools and of her Order. She refused, and was promptly excommunicated by Bishop Shiel for insubordination. The year was in 1871. The Bishop accused her of encouraging disobedience and defiance in her schools. Six months later, however, the excommunication placed on her was lifted and the Bishop admitted he had been wrong in his action.
After these rather depressing events in her life, Mary traveled to Rome by sea in 1873/74 to have the rule of her Order approved by the Blessed Pope Pius IX. She also travelled through England, Ireland and Scotland to seek funds for her schools.
In 1875, she became the Superior-general of her Order and the rest of her life was spent visiting her various houses, working for the poor and to improve the general conditions for the Aborigines.
Mary died after a stroke on 8 August 1909 at Sydney, Australia. She was proclaimed venerable on 13 June 1992 by Pope John Paul II, was beatified on 19 January 1995 by Pope John Paul II and canonized on 17 October 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. She is reportedly the first native-born Australian saint.
She is the Patron Saint of Australia
Saint Mary McKillop,
Pray for us!
O
odhiambo
Guest
October 9
Today we remember the
Nine Martyrs of Astoria
Among many other Saints
http://saints.sqpn.com/martyr15.jpg
Today we remember the
Nine Martyrs of Astoria
Among many other Saints
http://saints.sqpn.com/martyr15.jpg
O
odhiambo
Guest
Nine Martyrs of Astoria also known as
Martyrs of Turon.
These Christians were martyred during the the Spanish Civil War. They were Cirilo Bertrán and eight companilons Brothers of the Christian Schools. The Christians Schools, as you recall, were institutes founded around 1680 by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle. Along with the nine Brothers, there was also a Passionist priest, making ten martyrs.
Eight of the brothers and the priest were excecuted in 1934 in the town of Turon. A nineth brother, Jaime Hilario Barbel was murdered in 1937 near Tarragona. Cirilo Bertrán and his companions: Marciano José, Victoriano Pío, Julián Alfredo, Benjamín Julián, Benito de Jesús, Aniceto Adolfo and Augusto Andrés belonged to a community of brothers who ran a school in the mining region of Astoria ( Asturias) in northeastern Spain. At that time, as part of the Spanish Civil War, there was a severe campaign of oppression and terror against the Church. At dawn on October 5 1934, the Communist rebels who had taken over Turon, rounded up the brothers along with Father Inocencio de la Immaculada, a Passionist priest who had come to the town to hear the confessions of the children.
After a mock trial by a revolutionary comittee, the brothers were driven to a ditch on the morning of October 9 and shot.
Jaime Hilario Barbel, another brother of the Christian School had initially wanted to become a priest. Because of a hearing problem he had, he was not admitted into the seminary. He became a brother instead and taught first in France and then in Spain. He was arrested at Mollerusa in December 1936, incarcerated on the prison ship Mahon, given a mock trial then excecuted in early 1937. The firing squad reportedly missed him repeatedly giving him an opportunity to utter his last words said to be the following:
**" My friends, to die for Christ is to reign!" **He was then shot in the temple by the squad leader.
The martyrs were beatified on 29 April 1990 by Pope John Paul II and canonized on 21 November 1999 by Pope John Paul II.
Holy Martyrs of Turon,
Pray for us!
For more, please read here.
Ref
1:SQPN
2: Our Sunday Visitor Encyclopedia Of Saints.
By Matthew Bunson, Stephen Bunson, Margaret Bunson:
Martyrs of Turon.
These Christians were martyred during the the Spanish Civil War. They were Cirilo Bertrán and eight companilons Brothers of the Christian Schools. The Christians Schools, as you recall, were institutes founded around 1680 by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle. Along with the nine Brothers, there was also a Passionist priest, making ten martyrs.
Eight of the brothers and the priest were excecuted in 1934 in the town of Turon. A nineth brother, Jaime Hilario Barbel was murdered in 1937 near Tarragona. Cirilo Bertrán and his companions: Marciano José, Victoriano Pío, Julián Alfredo, Benjamín Julián, Benito de Jesús, Aniceto Adolfo and Augusto Andrés belonged to a community of brothers who ran a school in the mining region of Astoria ( Asturias) in northeastern Spain. At that time, as part of the Spanish Civil War, there was a severe campaign of oppression and terror against the Church. At dawn on October 5 1934, the Communist rebels who had taken over Turon, rounded up the brothers along with Father Inocencio de la Immaculada, a Passionist priest who had come to the town to hear the confessions of the children.
After a mock trial by a revolutionary comittee, the brothers were driven to a ditch on the morning of October 9 and shot.
Jaime Hilario Barbel, another brother of the Christian School had initially wanted to become a priest. Because of a hearing problem he had, he was not admitted into the seminary. He became a brother instead and taught first in France and then in Spain. He was arrested at Mollerusa in December 1936, incarcerated on the prison ship Mahon, given a mock trial then excecuted in early 1937. The firing squad reportedly missed him repeatedly giving him an opportunity to utter his last words said to be the following:
**" My friends, to die for Christ is to reign!" **He was then shot in the temple by the squad leader.
The martyrs were beatified on 29 April 1990 by Pope John Paul II and canonized on 21 November 1999 by Pope John Paul II.
Holy Martyrs of Turon,
Pray for us!
For more, please read here.
Ref
1:SQPN
2: Our Sunday Visitor Encyclopedia Of Saints.
By Matthew Bunson, Stephen Bunson, Margaret Bunson:
K
kelvinf
Guest
I always ask myself why there are mostly European saints. At least Australia also has a saint. I remember seeing (part of ) her canonization on secular TV last year. Hope more and more saints emerge from other continents.
O
odhiambo
Guest
Hope so too!I always ask myself why there are mostly European saints. At least Australia also has a saint. I remember seeing (part of ) her canonization on secular TV last year. Hope more and more saints emerge from other continents.
O
odhiambo
Guest
October 10
Today is the Memorial of
Saint Daniel Comboni
Among many other Saints
Today is the Memorial of
Saint Daniel Comboni
Among many other Saints
O
odhiambo
Guest
Saint Daniel Comboni
Missionary
Saint Daniel Comboni, from whom the Comboni Missionaries take their name, had a life marked by a passion for Africa.
He was born on March 15, 1831 in Limone, a small town on Lake Garda in northern Italy. He grew up poor. His father worked locally as a gardener while his mother was a housewife, looking after the family at home. The couple had eight children. Six of these children died young. The eldest child died at the age of twenty one. Daniel was the only child to survive.
He attended local schools for his primary education till he was eleven years old. He was a gifted child academically and his parents wanted him to progress with his studies but they were poor and could not afford to pay for his further education. Fortunately, a priest from Verona, Father Nicholas Mazza, had set up a school for gifted children whose family could not afford to pay for their education. In February, 1843, Daniel was accepted here as a student.
Daniel first felt the desire to become a missionary at the age of fifteen. He read an account of the martyrs of Japan and he felt very strongly that he wanted to be a missionary. Around this same time, a Father Angelo Vinco, who had spent some time in Sudan and was in Verona looking for help, gave a talk at the Mazza College about the conditions in Africa and how much missionary work was needed there.
This was the beginning of his passion for Africa. In an outline of his life and work written in 1876, Father Comboni linked the birth of his missionary vocation with the arrival of Father Vinco in Verona. As a student of seventeen, he consecrated his life for work in Africa.
Daniel began to study for the priesthood, .learning not only theology but languages and medicine as well, the better to prepare himself for life in Africa.
He was ordained a priest on 31 December 1854 in the diocese of Verona by Blessed John Nepomuk von Tschiderer.
After his ordination, Daniel spent three years in Italy before he got a chance to travel to Africa. In 1857, at the height of the slave trade, Mazza decided to send an expedition to open a mission along the Nile and Father Comboni was chosen as one of the six priests making up the members of the expedition. At this point, he was wrecked with worries for his elderly parents. He would be leaving them completely on their own. To decide the matter, he took a few days retreat to pray about it. His retreat director helped him to understand that for this first journey at least, he was only going to survey the possibility of later work in Africa. And so the matter was settled.
The six sailed from Triesta for Egypt on September 1857. After months of travel, the group finally reached Khartoum and from there the group traveled to Holy Cross Mission, deep in the region of Southern Sudan. They settled down to making the place habitable…
Please continue at the next post.
Missionary
Saint Daniel Comboni, from whom the Comboni Missionaries take their name, had a life marked by a passion for Africa.
He was born on March 15, 1831 in Limone, a small town on Lake Garda in northern Italy. He grew up poor. His father worked locally as a gardener while his mother was a housewife, looking after the family at home. The couple had eight children. Six of these children died young. The eldest child died at the age of twenty one. Daniel was the only child to survive.
He attended local schools for his primary education till he was eleven years old. He was a gifted child academically and his parents wanted him to progress with his studies but they were poor and could not afford to pay for his further education. Fortunately, a priest from Verona, Father Nicholas Mazza, had set up a school for gifted children whose family could not afford to pay for their education. In February, 1843, Daniel was accepted here as a student.
Daniel first felt the desire to become a missionary at the age of fifteen. He read an account of the martyrs of Japan and he felt very strongly that he wanted to be a missionary. Around this same time, a Father Angelo Vinco, who had spent some time in Sudan and was in Verona looking for help, gave a talk at the Mazza College about the conditions in Africa and how much missionary work was needed there.
This was the beginning of his passion for Africa. In an outline of his life and work written in 1876, Father Comboni linked the birth of his missionary vocation with the arrival of Father Vinco in Verona. As a student of seventeen, he consecrated his life for work in Africa.
Daniel began to study for the priesthood, .learning not only theology but languages and medicine as well, the better to prepare himself for life in Africa.
He was ordained a priest on 31 December 1854 in the diocese of Verona by Blessed John Nepomuk von Tschiderer.
After his ordination, Daniel spent three years in Italy before he got a chance to travel to Africa. In 1857, at the height of the slave trade, Mazza decided to send an expedition to open a mission along the Nile and Father Comboni was chosen as one of the six priests making up the members of the expedition. At this point, he was wrecked with worries for his elderly parents. He would be leaving them completely on their own. To decide the matter, he took a few days retreat to pray about it. His retreat director helped him to understand that for this first journey at least, he was only going to survey the possibility of later work in Africa. And so the matter was settled.
The six sailed from Triesta for Egypt on September 1857. After months of travel, the group finally reached Khartoum and from there the group traveled to Holy Cross Mission, deep in the region of Southern Sudan. They settled down to making the place habitable…
Please continue at the next post.
O
odhiambo
Guest
Saint Daniel Comboni……
One priest who did carpentry made things like chairs, tables, etc; another did laundry, another cooking, etc. Father Comboni worked as a tailor. They all spoke Arabic but also started to learn the local language of the Dinka people.
Then the rains came and all the missionaries became ill. They had been there just six weeks when one of them contracted a fever and died. There was also news that Daniel’s mother had died. He was saddened by the news and in a letter to his cousin wrote: “After all that I had left behind, did God have to ask this as well? But it is God’s Will. Blessed be God……”
Father Comboni tried to persevere despite the difficulties and the extremely harsh conditions of day to day life. Because of the poor health of all the remaining priests, it was decided that the White Nile Mission be abandoned and to return to Italy which they did in 1859.
He needed to rest and to spend time with his father. He was so exhausted that Mazza doubted if he would ever be able to return to Africa. After recovering some of his strength, however, Father Comboni was given the responsibility of the African students in Mazza’s college.
Father Nicholas Mazza had a plan. While Africans were looked on as slaves and servants, Father Mazza wanted to give them the best education possible. Since it was very difficult for Europeans to survive in the harsh African climate, the development of a local African clergy and the education of young African men and women in Europe so that they can return home and pass on what they have learnt. This was the plan and Father Comboni supported it wholeheartedly. In spite of this new job, Daniel was not at ease in his heart. He wanted to go back to Africa.
In 1865 he wrote to a friend: “Bear in mind that I cannot live except for Africa and what concerns Africa”
Shortly after Father Comboni had begun working with the African students, news arrived that a group of African slaves had been rescued by a British warship in the Indian Ocean and were in Aden. He was sent to bring some of them back to Mazza. In Aden, he selected seven of the slaves to bring back with him to Verona but because of laws related to slave trade, Father Comboni was stopped by custom officials as he was leaving Alexandria and was held in custody for two days. He eventually managed to bluff his way out of the situation by fibbing the officials. Many of the slaves had been taken prisoners and enslaved when they were very young; they had no recollection of where their homes were or indeed what tribe they belonged to. In later years, Father Comboni was able to take many freed slaves back to the Sudan and some were fortunate enough to find their families again.
During the years from 1861 to 1864, Father Comboni started to develop his own ideas about evangelizing Africa. He could see that the education of Africans in Europe was not really bearing fruit. The cold climate of Verona did not suite them and he felt that something different needed to be done. In September 1864, he saw clearly, what that “something different that needed to be done” was. He later wrote:
“On 15 September 1864, while I was in Saint Peter’s Basilica, attending the beatification of Margaret Mary Alacoque, the thought came to me like a flash of lightening of making a new plan for the Regeneration of Africa.”
The main points of his plan were was the idea that all Africans would receive basic religious and secular education.
Technical colleges would be constructed where Africans could live without changing climate and Europeans could live without succumbing to the climate.
These centers of learning would be set up all over Africa and would be in areas where both Africans and Europeans can live and work.
The centers of learning would train men and women to work as catechists, teachers, carpenters, tailors, doctors, etc.
He envisioned seminaries in Europe for the training of missionaries and steps taken to allow for acclimatization as they go to Africa. From these centers, there would then be a gradual movement to the interior where Christian villages and local churches would then be established.
All these ideas came to him as he was at prayer at Saint Peter’s Basilica. Afterward, and for the next three days, Daniel worked on his Plan. Within a short time, he was able to present a copy to the Pope, Pius IX, as well as to Cardinal Barnabo, head of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Both expressed support for the Plan and encouraged him. He traveled widely to European cities to make his Plan known.
In 1865, Daniel was sent to Africa once more by the Mazza Institute. He remained in Sudan and Egypt for an extra two months before returning to Rome. He was looking for suitable sites to set up the centers of learning of his Plan……
Please continue at the next post.
One priest who did carpentry made things like chairs, tables, etc; another did laundry, another cooking, etc. Father Comboni worked as a tailor. They all spoke Arabic but also started to learn the local language of the Dinka people.
Then the rains came and all the missionaries became ill. They had been there just six weeks when one of them contracted a fever and died. There was also news that Daniel’s mother had died. He was saddened by the news and in a letter to his cousin wrote: “After all that I had left behind, did God have to ask this as well? But it is God’s Will. Blessed be God……”
Father Comboni tried to persevere despite the difficulties and the extremely harsh conditions of day to day life. Because of the poor health of all the remaining priests, it was decided that the White Nile Mission be abandoned and to return to Italy which they did in 1859.
He needed to rest and to spend time with his father. He was so exhausted that Mazza doubted if he would ever be able to return to Africa. After recovering some of his strength, however, Father Comboni was given the responsibility of the African students in Mazza’s college.
Father Nicholas Mazza had a plan. While Africans were looked on as slaves and servants, Father Mazza wanted to give them the best education possible. Since it was very difficult for Europeans to survive in the harsh African climate, the development of a local African clergy and the education of young African men and women in Europe so that they can return home and pass on what they have learnt. This was the plan and Father Comboni supported it wholeheartedly. In spite of this new job, Daniel was not at ease in his heart. He wanted to go back to Africa.
In 1865 he wrote to a friend: “Bear in mind that I cannot live except for Africa and what concerns Africa”
Shortly after Father Comboni had begun working with the African students, news arrived that a group of African slaves had been rescued by a British warship in the Indian Ocean and were in Aden. He was sent to bring some of them back to Mazza. In Aden, he selected seven of the slaves to bring back with him to Verona but because of laws related to slave trade, Father Comboni was stopped by custom officials as he was leaving Alexandria and was held in custody for two days. He eventually managed to bluff his way out of the situation by fibbing the officials. Many of the slaves had been taken prisoners and enslaved when they were very young; they had no recollection of where their homes were or indeed what tribe they belonged to. In later years, Father Comboni was able to take many freed slaves back to the Sudan and some were fortunate enough to find their families again.
During the years from 1861 to 1864, Father Comboni started to develop his own ideas about evangelizing Africa. He could see that the education of Africans in Europe was not really bearing fruit. The cold climate of Verona did not suite them and he felt that something different needed to be done. In September 1864, he saw clearly, what that “something different that needed to be done” was. He later wrote:
“On 15 September 1864, while I was in Saint Peter’s Basilica, attending the beatification of Margaret Mary Alacoque, the thought came to me like a flash of lightening of making a new plan for the Regeneration of Africa.”
The main points of his plan were was the idea that all Africans would receive basic religious and secular education.
Technical colleges would be constructed where Africans could live without changing climate and Europeans could live without succumbing to the climate.
These centers of learning would be set up all over Africa and would be in areas where both Africans and Europeans can live and work.
The centers of learning would train men and women to work as catechists, teachers, carpenters, tailors, doctors, etc.
He envisioned seminaries in Europe for the training of missionaries and steps taken to allow for acclimatization as they go to Africa. From these centers, there would then be a gradual movement to the interior where Christian villages and local churches would then be established.
All these ideas came to him as he was at prayer at Saint Peter’s Basilica. Afterward, and for the next three days, Daniel worked on his Plan. Within a short time, he was able to present a copy to the Pope, Pius IX, as well as to Cardinal Barnabo, head of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith. Both expressed support for the Plan and encouraged him. He traveled widely to European cities to make his Plan known.
In 1865, Daniel was sent to Africa once more by the Mazza Institute. He remained in Sudan and Egypt for an extra two months before returning to Rome. He was looking for suitable sites to set up the centers of learning of his Plan……
Please continue at the next post.
- Status