Dearest karoleck, Thank you and God bless you for understanding and I do Pray that even though the link is a good article on St. Dismas people will not go to the original home page as this may be confusing to some Catholics. Hopefully, you and others understand what I’m talking about.
If you like here is an English version of Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira (the author of the article on St. Dismas)
pliniocorreadeoliveira.info/ENGLISH.asp
A thread on Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=256554
St. Dismas gives me hope.
Lord Jesus, help us to be merciful as You are merciful. Let us see that all are Your children and remember that we are not to judge. When we look on one such as Dismas, let us see an opportunity to offer hope and salvation. Let us witness the good news of salvation to the sinner and never judge anyone as unworthy or hopeless. Just as Dismas repented at the last moments of his life on earth, let us see that this is great hope for all and grant that we never grow weary in our efforts to bring the light of salvation to all. Amen.
salemcatholic.org/?p=2885
Thank you and God bless,
goforgoal
Thank you for all that:thumbsup:
Since this thread is about less known saints I still need to pass on my special favorite— everyone knows about St.Maximilian Kolbe!!(our friendship goes back to 1972 when this saint interceded for me) However not everyone knows that there are** three St.Maximilians!**
(1) St.Maximilian of Lorch
October 12
Died: 288
Martyred bishop of Lorch. He was born at Cilli, modem Steiermark, in Styria, Austria, and disposed of his wealth to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Pope Sixtus II sent him to Lorch, near Passau, where he served two decades as a missionary bishop. He was then beheaded by command of the Roman Prefect Numerian at the gate of Cilli for refusing to sacrifice to the gods
**(2)**Here is the short St.Maximilian story-
12th.March-third century
We have an early, precious, account of the martyrdom of St. Maximilian in modern-day Algeria.
Brought before the proconsul Dion, Maximilian refused enlistment in the Roman army saying, “I cannot serve, I cannot do evil. I am a Christian.”
Dion replied: “You must serve or die.”
Maximilian: “I will never serve. You can cut off my head, but I will not be a soldier of this world, for I am a soldier of Christ. My army is the army of God, and I cannot fight for this world. I tell you I am a Christian.”
Dion: “There are Christian soldiers serving our rulers Diocletian and Maximian, Constantius and Galerius.”
Maximilian: “That is their business. I also am a Christian, and I cannot serve.”
Dion: “But what harm do soldiers do?”
Maximilian: “You know well enough.”
Dion: “If you will not do your service I shall condemn you to death for contempt of the army.”
Maximilian: “I shall not die. If I go from this earth, my soul will live with Christ my Lord.”
Maximilian was 21 years old when he gladly offered his life to God. His father went home from the execution site joyful, thanking God that he had been able to offer heaven such a gift.
(3) St.Maximilian Kolbe
August 14
Died: 1941
Canonized By: Pope John Paul II
Maximilian was born in 1894 in Poland and became a Franciscan. He contracted tuberculosis and, though he recovered, he remained frail all his life. Before his ordination as a priest, Maximilian founded the Immaculata Movement devoted to Our Lady. After receiving a doctorate in theology, he spread the Movement through a magazine entitled “The Knight of the Immaculata” and helped form a community of 800 men, the largest in the world.
Maximilian went to Japan where he built a comparable monastery and then on to India where he furthered the Movement. In 1936 he returned home because of ill health. After the Nazi invasion in 1939, he was imprisoned and released for a time. But in 1941 he was arrested again and sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz.
On July 31, 1941, in reprisal for one prisoner’s escape, ten men were chosen to die. Father Kolbe offered himself in place of a young husband and father. And he was the last to die, enduring two weeks of starvation, thirst, and neglect. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1982. His feast day is August 14th.
I found this quote about St. Dismas to be very touching.
)
