From Season to Season : The Birth of Jesus from the Gospels of Matthew and Luke 9781504000192

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From Season to Season A Book of Saintly Wisdom

Silas Henderson, O.S.B.

INTRODUCTION In a conference given to her religious community on October 31, 1848, Saint Theodora Guerin, speaking of the saints, told the sisters: “They will be happy to pray for you, for like us they have been feeble, they have been tempted, they have been miserable. But they had recourse to God. God pardoned their offences and today they sing his mercies.” These words, from the émigré foundress of Indiana’s Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, offers us a valuable insight into the lives of those men and women who have been honored by countless Christians throughout the ages. Representing every time and place, vocation and way of life, those whom we honor with the title of Saint or Blessed were men, women, and children, living lives comparable to our own. The witness of their faith, courage, perseverance, and dedication, however, offer us an invitation, and sometimes a challenge, to recognize that each of us is called to the same union with God that they enjoyed. As Thomas Merton once said, “The only thing necessary to be a saint is to want to be one.” This small book of quotations and reflections grew out of a collaboration with Abbey Press Publications, a “perpetual calendar” called From Season to Season: A Year of Saintly Wisdom. That booklet in calendar-form remains the core of this volume. To these saintly thoughts and prayers (some of which have been replaced or corrected) have been added original reflections on the Solemnities and Feasts of the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church which fall on set days each year. I have also included meditations on a broad assortment of saints representing various backgrounds and vocations. My hope is that these extended meditations will complement and expand the words of the saints themselves. Because the quotations contained here were assembled over the course of many years, and represent a wide variety of books, articles, reflections, and church documents, it has not been possible to construct any comprehensive list of sources. In the new, original reflections contained in this volume, outside sources have been credited within the texts themselves. Extended quotations from recent popes, particularly Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI, have been drawn from the cited document or address as found on the Vatican website (www.vatican.va). Care has been taken in arranging the quotations contained in this book that a wide variety of saints/beati have been represented. Although there are frequent quotations from writers like Augustine of Hippo, Gregory the Great, and Bernard of Clairvaux, the words of other, lesser known individuals have also been included. Men and women from six continents, spanning nearly 2,000 years of Christian thought and prayer are represented here. It is my hope that these words of inspiration and wisdom will serve as a starting point for your own prayer and reflection on various aspects of the Christian vocation. Although these quotations are drawn from men and women representing the Roman Catholic tradition, I believe that all people of faith will recognize the truth in their words and can benefit from

their admonitions, advice, and prayer. May God’s saints continue to watch over us and intercede for us all as we patiently and lovingly continue in His service. Br. Silas Henderson, O.S.B. Saint Meinrad Archabbey

TABLE OF CONTENTS Mary, the Holy Mother of God Epiphany of the Lord Saint Aelred if Rieuaulx Saint Meinrad The Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle The Presentation of the Lord Saint Josephine Balchita The Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle Saint John of God Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Annunciation of the Lord Saint Teresa De Los Andes Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Saint Mark, Evangelist Saints Philip and James, Apostles Saint Matthias, Apostle Saint Cristóbal Magellanes and Companions The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Saint Norbert of Xanten Saint Aloysius Gonzaga The Birth of Saint John the Baptist Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles Saint Thomas, Apostle Saint Camillus deLellis Saint James, Apostle The Transfiguration of the Lord Saint Lawrence The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Saint Bartholomew, Apostle The Martyrs of September The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist Saint Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels Saint Ignatius of Antioch Saint Luke, Evangelist Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles All Saints’ Day Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed Dedication of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini Blesseds Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi Saint Andrew, Apostle The Immaculate Conception Our Lady of Guadalupe Advent/The “O” Antiphons Christmas—The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Saint Stephen, The First Martyr Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist Holy Innocents

JANUARY 1 MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD Mother of God, we salute you. Precious vessel, worthy of the whole world’s reverence, you are an ever-shining light, the crown of virginity, the symbol of orthodoxy, an indestructible temple, the place that held him whom no place can contain, virgin and mother. Cyril of Alexandria On January 1, the Octave Day of Christmas, we celebrate the oldest of the feasts in honor of the Virgin Mary in the Roman Church. Today, we solemnly recall the mystery of Mary’s divine maternity, celebrating the part she played in God’s plan of salvation. Beyond this, however, we also recall the circumcision and naming of Jesus on the eighth day after His birth (cf. Luke 2:21). Mindful that Mary treasured all these “Christmas” events, pondering them in her heart, it is fitting that on the Octave Day of Christmas and the World Day of Peace, we honor that “holy Mother… through whom we were found worthy to receive the Author of life. It is likewise a fitting occasion for renewed adoration of the newborn Prince of Peace, listening again to the tidings of the angels, and for imploring from God, through the Queen of Peace, the supreme gift of peace” (Pope Paul VI, Marialis Cultus, 5). Mary, by the grace of God, accomplished a goodness, nobility, and integrity, second only to her divine Son. This was the reason for her Immaculate Conception, so that from the moment she began to grow in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne, she had no contact, no influence, no result of original sin. This dignity, nobility, and integrity were God’s gift to her for the function she was to perform—to be the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God. This title, Mother of God, speaks to us both of her closeness to the Lord in life and of her closeness to Him now in heaven. This intimacy should make us confident of her intercession. “She is the Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and so too she is our mother, your mother, and mine, and she should play a special part in the lives of each one of us” (Cardinal Basil Hume, O.S.B.).

JANUARY 2 We cannot yet behold Him as the only Son, abiding forever in His Father, so let us recall His coming forth like a bridegroom from his chamber. We are not yet ready for the banquet of our Father, so let us contemplate the manger of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Augustine of Hippo

JANUARY 3 Look upon us, eternal Son of God, who took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary! All humanity, with its burden of trials and troubles, stands in need of You. John Paul II

JANUARY 4 By taking our nature and offering it in sacrifice, the Word was to destroy it completely and then invest it with His own nature. Athanasius of Alexandria

JANUARY 5 The Word of God, born once in the flesh, is always willing to be born spiritually in those who desire Him. In them He is born as an infant as He fashions Himself in them by means of their virtues. Maximus the Confessor

JANUARY 6 EPIPHANY OF THE LORD(TRADITIONAL) Christ appeared in the world, and, bringing beauty out of disarray, gave it luster and joy… Into the fabric of miracles He interwove ever greater miracles. Proclus of Constantinople The ancient celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord is one of the most ancient feasts of the Church. Although it has traditionally been celebrated on the sixth day of January, it is now celebrated in many places on the Sunday between January 2 and 8. In the ancient world, an “epiphany” meant a visible manifestation of a god or the solemn visit of a king (who was venerated as a god) to one of the cities of his realm. Today’s feast celebrates the three-fold Epiphany of the Redeemer in connection with the coming of the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus by Saint John the Baptist, and the miracle of the wedding feast at Cana. A feast of the Incarnation, the Solemnity of the Epiphany stands apart from the celebrations of the birth of Jesus at Christmas in that “at Christmas we consider chiefly the coming down of the Son of God who became one of the poor children of men, while on Epiphany we direct our attention to this Child’s divine dignity which already is beginning to manifest itself in the world” (J.A. Jungmann, Public Worship: A Survey, Collegeville, MN, 1957. 208). The Gospel proclaimed at Mass highlights the truth that Jesus is the King of the entire world. The coming of the Magi, the “Wise Men,” marks the first step in God’s fulfilling the promises made through the prophets: “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3). As Pope Saint Leo the Great recalled, “It was important to all humankind that the Mediator between God and men should be made known to the whole world, even while He was still a child and living in a small town” (Sermon 31, 1). The Incarnation of Christ has renewed our souls and every Christian is called to be a “wise man” in their own time and place, seeking the Light and being guided by it in their life of faith. Our offerings of bread and wine in the Mass replace the gifts of the Magi, perpetuating the gift of Christ Himself. We pray, “Look with favor, Lord, we pray, / on these gifts of your Church, / in which are offered now not gold or frankincense.”

JANUARY 7 There is but one thing necessary, that is, Jesus Christ. Let us meditate unceasingly upon this subject, for it is inexhaustible.

Jean-Gabriel Perboyre

JANUARY 8 A true Christian cannot live any life but the life of Our Savior Jesus. William Joseph Chaminade

JANUARY 9 Be sincerely kind to every one according to the words of our Lord: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” Angela Merici

JANUARY 10 Jesus Christ is my kingdom. If He is all I have, I shall have everything. If I do not have Him, I lose everything. Louis of Anjou

JANUARY 11 The sanctity and perfection of a soul consists in loving Jesus Christ, our God, our Sovereign Good, and our Redeemer. “Whoever loves me,” says Jesus Christ, “will be loved by my Eternal Father” (cf. John14:21). Alphonsus Liguori

JANUARY 12 Be what Christ wished you to be when He called you from all eternity; share His poverty, so that you may be rich with Him forever.

Adalhard of Corbie

SAINT AELRED OF RIEVAULX Aelred was born in Hexham, England, in 1110. As a young man, he spent several years serving in the court of King David I of Scotland, a somewhat controversial figure who is also honored as a saint. Aelred left court and entered the Cistercian abbey of Rievaulx in Yorkshire in 1134. (The Cistercians, monks who follow of the Rule of Saint Benedict, were established by Sts. Robert, Alberic, and Stephen in the middle of the 11th century.) Nine years later, in 1142, he was appointed to serve as abbot of the monastic community at Revesby; he was appointed abbot of Rievaulx in 1147. Under his wise rule, the abbey flourished. Loved by his monks and celebrated by his Order, Saint Aelred died on January 12, 1167. The monastery at Rievaulx continued to prosper until it was suppressed during the “Dissolution of the Monasteries,” ordered by King Henry VIII in 1535. The feast of Saint Aelred is celebrated on January 12. Saint Aelred was a powerful preacher and effective spiritual leader. In addition to a large number of sermons and letters, Saint Aelred left behind a biography of Saint Edward ‘the Confessor’ and two significant works on monastic spirituality: The Mirror of Charity, which seems to have been written at the request of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, and On Spiritual Friendship. Although the words “monk” and “friend” do not seem to go together, Saint Aelred understood that true, spiritual friendship is an expression of God’s love for us, in and through Christ. He wrote: “A friend is called a guardian of love or as some would have it, a guardian of the spirit itself.” He recognized that there was no greater consolation in this life than the gift of a true friend: “Nothing more useful is sought after, nothing more difficult is discovered, nothing more sweet experienced and nothing more profitable possessed. For friendship bears fruit in this life and the next.”

JANUARY 13 Would that you alone, good Jesus, sweet Master, might possess my heart! Peter Canisius

JANUARY 14 I want to live in you, Jesus. I want to pray with You. For Your sake I want to give all my strength and all my time, in all the circumstances of my life.

Marcel Callo

JANUARY 15 Let all our love be directed to Christ, all our energies channeled into serving Him so that interiorly we may be consoled by Him who suffered for us and will never leave us to ourselves. Braulio of Zaragoza

JANUARY 16 Sing to the Lord with understanding: what a man repeats with his mouth, that let him feel in his soul. Edmund of Abingdon

JANUARY 17 Whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, do it according to the testimony of the holy Scriptures. Anthony the Abbot

JANUARY 18 Jesus Christ is my comfort. There is only one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to whom homage and praise are due. Martial of Cordoba

SAINT MEINRAD Meinrad, the “Martyr of Hospitality,” was born of a free peasant family near what is modernday Würtemberg, Germany. As a youth, he became a monk in the Benedictine abbey of Reichenau, Switzerland, where he was eventually ordained a priest and became a teacher in the monastery school. Seeking a life of solitude, he received permission to become a hermit and settled in a nearby forest around the year 829. He acquired a reputation for holiness and many came to him seeking his advice and prayers. Desiring greater solitude, he moved to a remote spot in the Black Forest. After living in this new hermitage, the site of which would eventually come to be known as Einsiedeln (the “Hermitage”), he courteously received two visitors, who turned out to be thieves who believed Meinrad was hoarding treasure. Finding none, they clubbed the holy man to death. His body was later recovered by the monks of Reichenau and a new abbey grew up on the site of Meinrad’s hermitage: the great abbey of Maria Einsiedeln. Today this monastery, with its famed “Black Madonna,” is one of the most popular destinations for pilgrims in Europe. Although Saint Meinrad is one of the Church’s lesser-known saints, his life and death, particularly his willingness to offer hospitality to all who came to him (including those whom, according to tradition, he knew would take his life), reminds us that hospitality is an essential facet of our life in Christ. Realizing that all that we have has been given to us as a gift entrusted to us by God, we are empowered, like Meinrad, to share those gifts freely with others: “Even now go in, ask God and his saints to be gentle with you, and afterwards return to me, so that I may share for the love of God whatever blessing I can offer you that he bestows” (Saint Meinrad). The feast of Saint Meinrad is celebrated on January 21.

JANUARY 19 My God and my Savior Jesus, what return can I make to You for all the benefits which You have conferred upon me? Jean de Brébeuf

JANUARY 20 Christ’s love is overflowing upon us, unworthy as we are.

Theodosius Pechersky

JANUARY 21 Your way of acting should be different from the world’s way; the love of Christ must come before all else. Benedict of Nursia

JANUARY 22 The Lord will always be among you, and will be your comfort and your help in need. Wandregisilus

JANUARY 23 My God, Jesus my Love, Uncreated Goodness, what would have become of me if You had not drawn me to Yourself? Gemma Galgani

JANUARY 24 True happiness consists only in our conformity with our Savior. Francis Xavier Seelos

JANUARY 25 THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL THE APOSTLE Paul, more than anyone else, has shown us what man really is, and in what our nobility consists, and of what virtue this particular animal is capable. John Chrysostom The importance of Paul’s conversion from Judaism to “the Way” of Jesus is evident from the three accounts contained in the Acts of the Apostles (9:1-30; 22:3-21; 26:9-20). The account of his encounter with the Risen Christ on the road to Damascus describes a radical change that took place in his life, a change that shaped the future of Christianity as a faith movement distinct from its Jewish heritage. Paul himself understood this experience as being directly related to his life and mission prior to his conversion: “In legal observance I was a Pharisee, and so zealous that I persecuted the Church. I was above reproach when it came to justice based on the law. But those things I used to consider gain I have now reappraised as loss in the light of Christ” (Philippians 3:5-7). This persecuting fervor was transformed into zeal for Christ and the spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles. This feast, however, invites us to reflect on more than the historical event of Saint Paul’s conversion. Paul’s encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus was not only a transforming experience, it became the primary point of reference for all of his apostolic ministry. This is because Paul’s conversion was not the result of some sort of psychological process or an intellectual awakening. Instead, it was the fruit of his meeting with Jesus. Ultimately, as Pope Benedict XVI has observed, Christianity “is not a new philosophy or a new form of morality. We are only Christians if we encounter Christ, even if He does not reveal Himself to us as clearly and irresistibly as He did to Paul in making the Apostles of the Gentiles.” Our call is to be aware of the ways we encounter Christ in reading Sacred Scripture, in prayer, and in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, to “touch Christ’s heart and feel that Christ touches ours. And it is only in this personal relationship with Christ, in this meeting with the Risen One, that we are truly Christian” (General Audience, September 3, 2008).

JANUARY 26 Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours… yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now. Teresa of Avilla

JANUARY 27 Let all things be done with love. Vincent de Paul

JANUARY 28 Our least action, when done for God, is precious to Him. Elizabeth Ann Seton

JANUARY 29 Our obligation is to do God’s will and not our own. Cyprian of Carthage

JANUARY 30 The first end I propose in our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner He wills it; and thirdly, to do it because it is His Will. Elizabeth Ann Seton

JANUARY 31 Always renew your determination of becoming a saint, saying, “My Jesus, I desire to be all Yours, and You must be all mine.” Alphonsus Liguori

FEBRUARY 1

Let us establish a permanent Spring season in our heart through a “yes” often repeated to all that God grants and desires. Frances Salesia Aviat

FEBRUARY 2 THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD The Mother of God, the most pure Virgin, carried the True Light in her arms and brought Him to those who lay in darkness. We too should carry a light for all to see and reflect the radiance of true light as we hasten to meet Him. Sophronius Mary and Joseph, in obedience to Mosaic Law, presented the child, Jesus, to God in the Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after His birth; this would also have been the time for Mary’s ritual purification following the birth of her child. The couple offered the sacrifice of the poor: a pair of turtledoves or young pigeons. Simeon and Anna, elderly prophets, received the grace of seeing the long-awaited Messiah. All of these events are commemorated in this “feast of light,” a sort of “little Christmas,” marking the end of the Church’s celebrations of the Nativity and Epiphany of the Lord. In the East, this feast of “the meeting of Jesus and Simeon,” was marked by a procession of lights to celebrate “the light of revelation to the nations” (cf. Luke 2:22-40). The tradition of blessing candles remains an important part of the rituals for this day. The Canticle of Simeon, which we hear proclaimed in the Gospel of today’s Mass, and which is at the heart of the liturgies for today’s feast, has become one of the classic texts of the Church’s daily cycle of prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. In this hymn, the old man, Simeon, recognized the Messiah in the infant he held in his arms: this is the One who would bring freedom to Israel. Ultimately, in the mystery of the Presentation of the Lord, we reflect on the unique way God chose to free the world from sin and death. By sending His Son and bidding Him to share our human condition, God has given His new Chosen People (i.e. the Church) a High Priest who is able to complete and fulfill the sacrifice of the Old Covenant by offering Himself and taking away the sins of the world (cf. Hebrews 2:14-18). Today, the Church celebrates the entrance of Christ, the new High Priest, into His Temple. Unlike the sacrifices of the priests of old, however, His will be offered on a Cross and the oblation, the gifts to be offered, are His very own flesh and blood.

FEBRUARY 3 The quality of holiness is shown not by what we say but by what we do in life. Gregory of Nyssa

FEBRUARY 4 Let your soul be attentive to His word; follow carefully the path God tells you to take. Ambrose of Milan

FEBRUARY 5 Oh my God, I want to love You and serve You all my life. I give You my soul, my heart, my whole self. Laura Vicuña

FEBRUARY 6 Whenever the divine favor chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfill the task at hand. Bernardine of Siena

FEBRUARY 7 You are one with Jesus as the body is one with the head. You must, then, have one breath with Him, one soul, one life, one will, one mind, one heart. And He must be your breath, heart, love, life, your all. John Eudes

FEBRUARY 8 Do not waver in your purpose, because even if all the saints and every single creature should abandon you, He will always be near you, whatever your needs. Cajetan Thienne

FEBRUARY 9 As soon as I believed in God, I understood that I could not do otherwise than to live for God alone. Charles de Foucauld

FEBRUARY 10 Live by God’s commandments day by day… Never lose hope in God’s mercy. Benedict of Nursia

FEBRUARY 11 “The Word was made flesh,” and dwells now among us. He dwells in our memory; He dwells in our thought, because He has deigned to enter into the limits of our imaginations. Bernard of Clairvaux

FEBRUARY 12 Our obedience to God’s Will, must be total, without reserve, and constant. Dominic Iturrate Zubero

FEBRUARY 13 Do not be dismayed by toil or suffering, nor by the meager fruit of your labors. Remember that God rewards not according to results but efforts. Zeferino Agostini

FEBRUARY 14 Resignation to God’s will brings me peace. I let everything flow over me like water flowing into the sea. Joanna Maria Bonomo

SAINT JOSEPHINE BAKHITA Born to the Daju people in Western Sudan around the year 1869, Josephine Bakhita was kidnapped and sold into slavery when she was between the ages of seven and nine. Eventually purchased by an Italian consul, she was taken to Italy where she was converted to Catholicism through her contact with the Canossian Daughters of Charity at Venice. She rarely spoke of her years of enslavement, but her sufferings were so extreme that she was plagued by horrific nightmares for the rest of her life and the trauma caused her to forget the name she had received from her parents. Her adopted name, Bakhita, means “Lucky.” In 1893, having been baptized Giuseppina, she entered the Cannosian Sisters, earning a reputation for her piety and charity. She spent the remaining 54 years of her life serving the community and its students in a number of assignments, including cook, sacristan, and housekeeper. Known for her gentleness, especially her smile, she was commonly referred to as the “Little Brown Sister” or “Black Mother” by people in the local community. Josephine Bakhita died after an extended illness on February 8, 1947. Canonized in 2000, she is honored as the patron of Sudan and of enslaved peoples. At her beatification in Khartoum, Sudan, in 1993, Blessed John Paul II proclaimed: “Rejoice, all of Africa! Bakhita has come back to you. The daughter of Sudan, sold into slavery as a living piece of property, is free, free with the freedom of the saints.” Despite her extreme sufferings, Josephine Bakhita expressed gratitude for her experiences, because it was through them that she encountered Christ and began to have hope. Not simply hope of a kind master, but, what Pope Benedict XVI has called, the “great hope.” She was able to declare, “I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me—I am awaited by this Love. And so my life is good.” The hope that was born in her redeemed her and gave her the strength to fight for her freedom as a child of God, who could pass this hope on to others. The feast of Saint Josephine is celebrated on February 8.

FEBRUARY 15 I can’t do big things, but I want all I do, even the smallest thing, to be for the greater glory of God. Dominic Savio

FEBRUARY 16

Let us will what God wills, as God wills it and as far as He wills it. Maria Enrica Dominici

FEBRUARY 17 Even in the midst of the world, one can listen to God in the silence of a heart that wants only to be His. Elizabeth of the Trinity

FEBRUARY 18 No desires, no resolutions. The grace of my God will accomplish in me whatever He wills. Louise de Marillac

February 19 I believe in God. I hope in God. I love. I want to live and die for God. Henriette Delille

FEBRUARY 20 Our clear duty is to conform ourselves in every way to the will of God. Junipero Serra

FEBRUARY 21 Whatever you do, think not of yourself, but of God.

Vincent Ferrer

FEBRUARY 22 THE CHAIR OF SAINT PETER THE APOSTLE Out of the whole world one man, Peter, is chosen to preside at the calling of all nations, and to be set over all the apostles and all the fathers of the Church… Beloved, how great and wonderful is this sharing in His power that God in His goodness has given to this man. Leo the Great The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, a uniquely Catholic feast, focuses not on a piece of furniture (namely, the relic claimed to be the actual bishop’s throne used by Saint Peter which is kept in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome), but on the role the Apostle Peter and his successors, the Popes, in the life of the Church. The Collect (Opening Prayer) for the Mass of today’s feast portrays a central characteristic of Peter: “Grant, we pray, almighty God, / that no tempests may disturb us, / for you have set us fast / on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith” (cf. Matthew 16:18). Peter is that rock of the community of the Church. Because of Peter’s statement of faith “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), and not by any personal strength or quality Peter possessed, Peter becomes the solid “point of reference for our apostolic faith and serves as a motive for fidelity to the Word of God” (Enzo Lodi, Saints of the Roman Calendar, Alba House, New York, NY, 1992). In reflecting on the significance of the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Blessed John Paul II observed, “It sheds light on the special ministry of strengthening and guiding the Church in the unity of faith which the Lord entrusted to the Head of the Apostles. It consists in this ministerium petrinum (Petrine ministry), the particular service that the Bishop of Rome is called to render to the entire Christian people. It is an indispensable mission that is not built on human prerogatives but on Christ himself, the cornerstone of the Ecclesial Community… Let us pray that the Church in the different cultures, languages, and traditions will be unanimous in believing and professing the truths of faith and morals passed down by the Apostles” (General Audience, February 22, 2004; italics in the original).

FEBRUARY 23 Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to His work and to be faithful to Him, and not to spoil His work by our shortcomings. Isaac Jogues

FEBRUARY 24 You cannot please both God and the world at the same time. They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions. John Vianney

FEBRUARY 25 It is not the actual physical exertion that counts toward one’s progress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken. Francis Xavier

FEBRUARY 26 God gave Himself to you; Give yourself to God. Robert Southwell

FEBRUARY 27 Courage! In the spiritual life, whoever doesn’t go forward goes backwards. Pio of Pietrelcina

FEBRUARY 28 So you have failed? You have not failed; you have gained experience. Forward! Josemaria Escrivá

FEBRUARY 29

What is not possible to us by nature, let us ask the Lord to supply by the help of His grace. Benedict of Nursia

MARCH 1 If created things are so full of loveliness, how resplendent with beauty must be the One who made them! Anthony of Padua

MARCH 2 As Your will is immediately done in heaven, may it be done on earth by all creatures, especially by me and in me. Elizabeth of Hungary

March 3 Let your heart delight in the love your God has for you, personally, individually. Katharine Drexel

MARCH 4 All our sanctity and perfection consists in conforming ourselves to the will of God, which is the sole and supreme rule of perfection and holiness. Alfons Maria Mazurek

MARCH 5

God created us for His glory, designing us to know Him, love Him, adore Him, and serve Him, solely to please Him and for His glory alone. Joan Antida Thouret

MARCH 6 Our life itself isn’t so important, but it is important how we spend it for Him. Maria Elena Bettini

SAINT JOHN OF GOD The playwright, Oscar Wilde, might easily have been referring to someone like John of God when he wrote, “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” John was born in Portugal in 1495. As a child he travelled to Spain (whether he was kidnapped or had run away is unclear, but this set the course for a life of dissolution and debauchery that would mark him for the rest of his life. At the age of 22 he enlisted in the army. Although he had abandoned the faith of his childhood long ago, memories of his once innocent life remained with him. Filled with regret, he left the army at the age of 40 and made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James at Compostela, Spain. Having no education or trade, John also had no prospects. A chance meeting with Saint John of Avila inspired him to live a life of penance and charity, mindful especially of those whose needs were greater than his own. Ex-prisoners, prostitutes, the physically disabled, those with mental and developmental disabilities, and the dying, all became the recipients of John’s charity. Given the name “John of God” by the local bishop, he was clothed in the religious habit and many of the same men whom he had saved from sickness, both physical and spiritual, joined him in his work; this group became known as the Hospitaller Brothers. John divided his days and nights between serving the poor and his brothers and prayer and contemplation. Reflecting on the life and legacy of Saint John of God, Blessed John Paul II noted that, “The poor, the sick and others who came to his door were treated with humanity and sensitivity and, he offered them, at the same time, the salvation of Jesus Christ” (Letter to Fra’ Pascual Piles, March 8, 1995). John himself had written to his brothers, “If we look forward to receiving God’s mercy, we can never fail to do good long as we have the strength. For if we share with the poor, out of love for God, whatever he has given to us, we shall receive according to his promise a hundredfold in eternal happiness” (De las cartas…, ffo 23v-24r). Known and loved for his care of the sick and poor, and always ready to sacrifice himself for the good of those who needed his love, John of God died, kneeling before a crucifix, on March 8, 1550.

MARCH 7 We are created to share in God’s love and life for eternity. Ignatius Loyola

MARCH 8 Fasting and almsgiving have never failed to move God to mercy. Eugenius of Carthage

MARCH 9 The Word calls us to repentance, crying out: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened and I will refresh you.” There is, then, a way to salvation if we are willing to follow it. Basil the Great

MARCH 10 God’s most earnest desire is to give us His grace, since He wishes the salvation of all, but He gives it under certain conditions… Now, what are the conditions under which God gives grace and strength? I can answer in one word: “Prayer.” Francis Xavier Seelos

MARCH 11 We must pray without ceasing, in every occurrence and employment of our lives —that prayer which is rather a habit of lifting up the heart to God as in a constant communication with Him. Elizabeth Ann Seton

MARCH 12 You just have to weep. All round us we see trees and grass and flowers and plants germinating, growing, producing their fruit, and dying back again as their Maker’s laws demand, but human beings, to whom God has given a reasoning mind and the

promise of eternal reward, are always doing the opposite of what He wants. John of Rieti

MARCH 13 There is nothing left to do but thank God, who has spared us in our weakness and who has given us enough reason to believe that He will always save us; and to pray that His mercy toward us might continue. Giovanni Mazzucconi

MARCH 14 Thanks be to God, who in His generosity has mercifully enriched us with His gifts. Meinrad

MARCH 15 This is the glorious duty of man: to pray and to love. If you pray and love, that is where man’s happiness lies. John Vianney

MARCH 16 Repent of your sins and failings; take resolutions to do better and, after that, be quiet. [The more we stir up a dunghill, the more it exhales bad odors.] Theodora Guerin

MARCH 17

Today I bind myself in unity to the faith of the Trinity. Patrick (attr.)

MARCH 18 God does not command us to live in hair shirts and chains, or to chastise our flesh with scourges, but to love Him above all things and our neighbor as ourselves. Charles of Sezze

MARCH 19 SAINT JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Joseph was as humble as he was sinless. He never thought of himself, but always of the Infant Savior, whom he carried in his arms. John Henry Newman One of the Church’s most beloved saints, Saint Joseph is a figure shrouded in relative obscurity and legend. The geneaologies of Saint Joseph given in the gospels of Matthew (1:1-16) and Luke (3:23-38) tell us that he was of the family of King David; and Matthew, in offering his account of the birth of Jesus, states simply “he was a righteous man” (1:19). A tradesman, traditionally believed to have been a carpenter, he most likely taught Jesus his trade. On several occasions, such as during Mary’s pregnancy, the flight into Egypt, and the return to Palestine, he was guided by an angel. On account of the special care he showed to Mary, his wife, and to her child, Joseph was proclaimed as patron of the Universal Church by Blessed Pius IX in 1870. Because it is believed that Joseph died in the arms of Jesus and Mary, he is also honored as the patron of a happy death. As universal patron of the Church, Saint Joseph exercises a spiritual fatherhood to all the Church’s members. His fidelity to God’s will and in fulfilling his duties as a husband and father invite us to reflect on Joseph’s spirit of humble obedience, his attentive listening to the promptings of God, and of his own heart. This sense of duty sprang from his commitment to his God and to his family and was sustained, in the face of supernatural and even dangerous realities, by a faith that was nothing short of extraordinary. Although we have no record of any words spoken by Joseph, Saint Matthew simply relates that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord directed him” (1:24). This silence of Joseph, who bore within himself the heritage of the Old Covenant, even as he was brought into the “beginning of the New and Eternal Covenant in Jesus Christ,” is more eloquent than words (cf. John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, 32).

MARCH 20 We need crosses in order to enter heaven. Marguerite d’Youville

MARCH 21

You are walking now by faith, still on pilgrimage in a mortal body away from the Lord; but He to whom your steps are directed is Himself the sure and certain way for you: Jesus Christ, who for our sake became a man. Augustine of Hippo

MARCH 22 In books we seek God, in prayer we find Him. Prayer is the key which open’s God’s heart. Pio of Pietrelcina

MARCH 23 It is prayer that re-establishes our relationship with God. Marie-Eugénie Milleret

MARCH 24 Is it not by grace that we are here? Bernard of Clairvaux

MARCH 25 THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD Let us rejoice! Mary hears the word of the angel, and replies in her own wonderful words: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Alphonsus Liguori The story of the Annunciation is a simple one: There is God’s choice, the intervention of the Holy Spirit, Mary’s faith-inspired acceptance, and the conception of God’s Son by a teenage girl. (cf. Adrian No-cent, O.S.B., The Liturgical Year: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, 154). In the Annunciation, however, Mary did not understand everything that was happening to her. She had to accept God’s mysterious ways. But she trusted. “The Annunciation exemplifies the dynamics of Mary’s faith… She is conscious that what is growing within her womb is somehow divine. She does not doubt this interior illumination that has been granted to her; she asks only how it will come about. She accepts unseen realities, and believes, because nothing is impossible for God” (Leonardo Boff in The Maternal Face of God: The Feminine and Its Religious Expressions). On this great feast, the Solemnity of the Incarnation, the mystery of the Word of God taking on a human nature in the womb of a teenage girl, we begin looking towards the Solemnity of Christmas, nine months from today. Mary’s humble acceptance speaks to us of the readiness to accept the will of God, in whatever way it is manifested, that each of us must have if Christ is to be born in us. Mary makes her commitment without knowing much about what it will entail or where it will lead. In reflecting on this truth, Kathleen Norris has written: “I treasure the story because it forces me to ask: When the mystery of God’s love breaks through into my consciousness, do I run from it? Do I ask of it what it cannot answer? Shrugging, do I retreat into facile clichés, the popular but false wisdom of what ‘we all know’? Or am I virgin enough to respond from my deepest truest self, and say something new, a ‘yes’ that will change me forever?” (“The Annunciation” from Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, New York, NY, Riverhead Books, 1998).

MARCH 26 You think you make sacrifices. Look at the sacrifice of Calvary and compare yours with it. Elizabeth Ann Seton

MARCH 27 You must die to yourselves, that is, you must destroy all the movements and powers of your soul and body which would put obstacles in the way of the workings of divine love. Louise de Marillac

MARCH 28 What saint has ever won his crown without first fighting for it? Jerome

MARCH 29 We Christians must be strictly dedicated to holiness. John Calabria

MARCH 30 The Cross strengthens the weak and makes gentle the strong. Vilmos Apor

MARCH 31 If you would have all, you must give all. Catherine of Bologna

APRIL 1

Love with your whole heart the One who offered Himself with His whole heart for you. Clare of Assisi

APRIL 2 Let all our love be directed to Christ, all our energies channeled into serving Him so that interiorly we may be consoled by Him who suffered for us and will never leave us to ourselves. Braulio of Zaragoza

APRIL 3 Giving oneself to God means surrendering oneself to a higher activity, which carries one along to God like a rushing wave. Francis Faà di Bruno

APRIL 4 God is sweet to those who seek Him. Jordan of Saxony

APRIL 5 The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, but the culmination of wisdom is the love of God. The beginning is in fear, the perfection in love. Here is toil, there reward. Aelred of Rievaulx

APRIL 6 We must cling to God alone, look to and hope in only God. Madeleine Sophie Barat

SAINT TERESA DE LOS ANDES Born in Santiago, Chile, in 1900, Juana Fernández Solar, exhibited a unique religious fervor in her childhood. As a teenager, she recognized that God was calling her to a life of penance and prayer and, inspired by her reading of the autobiography of Saint Thèrése of Liseux, she became a Discalced Carmelite nun in the impoverished Carmel of Los Andes, in 1919. Out of devotion for Saint Teresa of Avila, she took as her religious name Teresa of Jesus. Teresa experienced many mystical graces and in her prayer she sought to unite herself to Christ, the Divine Victim. Soon after, her health was ravaged by a virulent form of typhus. In the midst of intense suffering, she offered herself as a victim-soul, praying for the sanctification of priests and the conversion of sinners. Sister Teresa professed the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience shortly before her death on April 12, 1920. She was 19 years old and had entered Carmel less than a year before. She was canonized by Blessed John Paul II in 1993. The feast of Saint Teresa de Los Andes is April 12. Although she was no stranger to suffering and sickness, Teresa was a woman of joy—indeed, it could be said that joy was the defining characteristic of her brief life. Teresa once described God as “infinite joy” and she understood that to live a life in and for God was to live Joy itself: “When one loves, everything is joy. The cross does not weigh down. Martyrdom is not felt. One lives more in heaven than on earth… This is our occupation” (Letter—May, 1919). Ultimately, satisfaction, happiness, in anyone’s life is the fruit of fidelity to God’s Will. This truth, born of a spirit of gratitude, was the guiding principle in the life of Teresa de Los Andes, and countless believers through the ages. I will bless you while I live; Lifting up my hands I will call upon your name. As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. That you are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy. My soul clings to you; Your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:5-6, 8-9

APRIL 7 We are not amongst those doom-sayers who think that the world will end tomorrow. Corruption and evil are indeed rampant, but I still maintain that God will triumph in the end. Luigi Orione

APRIL 8 God comes to us in the things we know best and can verify most easily, the things of our everyday life, apart from which we cannot understand ourselves. John Paul II

APRIL 9 He loves, He hopes, He waits. Our Lord prefers to wait for the sinner for years rather than keep us waiting for a moment. Maria Goretti

APRIL 10 God speaks to us every day through our fellow creatures, and through the world around us. God speaks to us through the Gospel, from which we learn what we ought to do both for ourselves and for others. Marcian of Constantinople

APRIL 11 God withholds Himself from none who persevere. Teresa of Avila

APRIL 12 Carry the cross cheerfully and remember that Jesus loves you very much. Frances Xavier Cabrini

APRIL 13 The virtue of patience is, to my mind, greater than the power of working miracles. Gregory the Great

APRIL 14 Patience is the companion of wisdom. Augustine of Hippo

APRIL 15 Providence gives us strength proportionate to our sufferings so that we might bear them worthily, and it is even better when we are where God wants us to be. Alberic Crescitelli

APRIL 16 Contradiction, sickness, scruples, spiritual aridity, and all the inner and outward torments are the chisel with which God carves His statues for paradise. Alphonsus Liguori

APRIL 17 Though perseverance does not come from our power, it is within our power. Francis de Sales

APRIL 18

The woman who stayed behind at the Lord’s tomb was the only one who saw Him. Perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the Voice of truth tells us: “Whoever perseveres to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 10:22). Gregory the Great

SAINT BENEDICT JOSEPH LABRE Born in Amettes, France, in 1748, Benedict Joseph decided to dedicate himself to the service of God at a young age. Rejected by the Trappists, Carthusians, and Cistercians, on account of his young age and personal eccentricities, he took up the pilgrim’s staff and set out on a way of self-denial, prayer, and penance that would make him one of the most beloved saints of his age. Inspired by the words of the gospel, “The foxes have their dens and the birds have their nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20), he lived a life of perpetual wandering that took him to all the major shrines of Western Europe. Over the years, he travelled to the great shrines of Loreto and Assisi, Italy; Compostela, Spain; Paray-laMonial, France; and Einsiedeln, Switzerland. Ever devoted to the Blessed Sacrament, he eventually made his way to Rome where he finally died on the Wednesday of Holy Week, April 16, 1783, at the age of 35. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre was canonized in 1883 and is honored as the patron of the homeless and of pilgrims. His feastday is celebrated on April 16. Benedict Joseph Labre was a vagabond, a western European version of one of Eastern Church’s “Holy Fools,”—a holy person who forsakes all worldly ties for the sake of the Kingdom of God. A social outcast who was often harassed and chased out of towns, he doesn’t fit comfortably into a white-washed, middle-class Christianity. His unkempt exterior hid the heart and soul of a saint who simply described himself as “a poor, ignorant beggar.” This simple man, who was being celebrated across Europe within a year of his death, endeared himself to those who risked getting close to him. Remembered for his honesty, humility, candor, and generosity, he is a saint for all those who are never able to quite find their place in the world, and particularly for those who suffer from emotional or psychological difficulties which take them away from their families and communities.

APRIL 19 Divine love takes its sword to the hidden recesses of our inmost soul and divides us from ourselves. Jane Frances de Chantal

APRIL 20 Given up to love, the soul has nothing of its own, lives no longer for itself, but entirely for its Well-Beloved.

Columba Marmion

APRIL 21 Peace is harmony among those who are divided. When we end that civil war within our nature and cultivate peace within ourselves, we become peace. Gregory of Nyssa

APRIL 22 Your Son went down from the heights of His divinity to the depths of our humanity. Can anyone’s heart remain closed and hardened after this? Catherine of Siena

APRIL 23 If we truly think of Christ as our source of holiness, we shall refrain from anything wicked or impure in thought or act and thus show ourselves to be worthy bearers of His name. Gregory of Nyssa

APRIL 24 Different men have different names, which they owe to their parents or to themselves… but our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians. Gregory Nazianzen

APRIL 25 SAINT MARK, EVANGELIST The man who is kindly, modest, merciful and just will not keep his good works to himself but will see to it that these admirable fountains send out their streams for the good of others. John Chrysostom The Acts of the Apostles and ancient tradition tell us about Saint Mark, who is often identified with John Mark, the companion of Paul and Barnabas. Originally a disciple of Saint Peter (cf. Acts 12:12), Mark became a collaborator of Saint Paul in his mission to the Gentiles and seems to have been with Paul during his imprisonment in Rome (cf. Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11). Eusebius, the famed Church historian, tells us that Mark spent his last years serving as the bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. Mark is most especially celebrated as the author of the Gospel that bears his name. While he himself was not an eyewitness to the works of Jesus, he is traditionally regarded to have been the “interpreter and mouthpiece” of Saint Peter. We can be sure, however, that Mark did not write his Gospel only to serve as an historical summary of Jesus’ life and ministry for his Gentile Christian community, but as a testimony to the One who is Truth, urging all his fellow Christians to be faithful and united in their commitment to follow Christ. As Saint Irenaeus of Lyons has written, “The Church, which has spread everywhere, even to the ends of the earth, received the faith from the apostles and their disciples… Having one soul and one heart, the Church holds this faith, preaches and teaches it consistently as though by a single voice” (Treatise Against Heresies I. 10).

APRIL 26 Do not say: it is impossible for me to influence others. If you are a Christian, it is impossible for this not to happen… The light of a Christian cannot escape notice. So bright a lamp cannot be hidden. John Chrysostom

APRIL 27 We are all members of one another, but with different gifts according to the grace

God gives us. Basil the Great

APRIL 28 You know, of course, that we are pilgrims in this world, on a journey to our true home in heaven. Cajetan Thienne

APRIL 29 Be humble in this life, that God may raise you up in the next. Stephen of Hungary

APRIL 30 Now even though we may have faith, hope and love, none of us can attain to the state of blessedness by ourselves. Bruno

MAY 1 Whenever we want to ask some favor of a powerful man, we do it humbly and respectfully, for fear of presumption. How much more important, then, to lay our petitions before the Lord God of all things with utmost humility and sincere devotion. Benedict of Nursia

MAY 2

It is because of faith that we exchange the present for the future. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

MAY 3 SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES,APOSTLES The grace of salvation can come only from the loving heart of the chief Shepherd, who gathered the apostles and promised grace and blessings to all their successors who remain faithful in union with him who is the foundation rock, the Pope. Frances Xavier Cabrini The Apostle, Philip, was born in Bethsaida (cf. John 1:44), and is mentioned several times in the Gospel of John. Called to follow Jesus the day after Peter and Andrew, he responded immediately, convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. Philip is also credited with telling the Apostle Nathanael/Bartholomew about Jesus (cf. John 1:45-51). At the Last Supper, it was to Philip that Jesus spoke the words: “He who sees me sees the Father” (cf. John 14:8-11). According to tradition, Philip preached the Gospel in Phrygia and Greece. James “the Just,” or “the Less,” is usually identified with James, the Son of Alphaeus, a close kinsman of Jesus (cf. Mark 15:40) and head of the church in Jerusalem after Pentecost. He was so successful in winning converts to the Christian Faith that the Jewish leaders plotted his death. According to one account he was thrown from the roof of the Temple in Jerusalem and then stoned to death. His martyrdom took place around the year 62. The relics of Saint James “the Less” are enshrined with those of Saint Philip in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Rome. Pope Saint Clement I wrote that, “The Apostles have preached the Gospel to us from Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ was sent by God. Christ, therefore, was sent forth by God, and the Apostles by Christ” (Ad Corinthios, 42). The Apostles’ mandate to establish and form the Church has continued until today through the successors of the Apostles, particularly as the Church exercises a service that is pastoral, liturgical, and prophetic. Through this apostolic ministry of the Church, Christ Himself remains really present among us “and gives us the Truth, He gives us the light that makes us live and find the way towards the future” (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, May 3, 2006).

MAY 4 I trust in my Lord ‘Jesu’, that He will give me strength to bear all troubles and torments which shall be laid upon me for His sake. Margaret Clitherow

MAY 5 In this world we are all in a valley of tears. Our happiness is not here; we shall have it eternally in Paradise, if we suffer tribulation on earth. Benedict Joseph Labre

MAY 6 The good and upright person will certainly have their patience tried, but they will never be overcome. Innocent I

MAY 7 Whoever loves God does not need to achieve exceptionally elevated actions; it is enough to love. Blandina Merten

MAY 8 Everything passes. In the evening of life, nothing but love remains. Elizabeth of the Trinity

MAY 9 Nothing will seem difficult when we realize that the Loved One wants only love for love. Teresa Margaret Redi

MAY 10 There is God, the soul, eternity: the rest is nothing. Maria Josepha Rossello

MAY 11 I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. Roger Filcock

MAY 12 There is no greater misfortune than to live and die without knowing God. Claudine Thèvenet

MAY 13 I am happy to be and do what Jesus wishes. Happy with the infinite goodness of God. If there were not this inexhaustible source of happiness and peace, the evil seen all around would lead to sadness. Charles de Foucauld

MAY 14 SAINT MATTHIAS, APOSTLE We should not seek from others for the truth that can easily be received from the Church. There the apostles, like one making a deposit, fully bestowed on her all that belongs to the truth. Irenaeus of Lyons In the days between the Lord’s Ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, Peter urged the followers of Jesus to select from among their number someone to take the place of Judas Iscariot as one of the Twelve. Inspired by the Psalmist, “Let another take his office” (Psalm 109:8), those present nominated two men: Joseph Barasbbas and Matthias. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Matthias was chosen (cf. Acts 1:15-17, 20-26). According to tradition, Matthias preached the Gospel in Cappadocia and the area around the Caspian Sea. Honored as a martyr, his relics were brought from Jerusalem to Rome by Saint Helen. In reflecting on the significance of the number of Apostles, Saint Augustine notes that Jesus himself recognized that the Apostles themselves would sit on twelve thrones, “judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:30). Augustine goes on to say that these twelve seats are “a sign of a certain universality, for the Church was to be spread throughout the whole world, from whence, then, this edifice is called to union with Christ” (Commentary on Psalm 86). The Feast of Saint Matthias invites us to reflect both on the unique call that we have each received, but also on the call to apostolic unity and authority that has been granted to the Church’s bishops, the successors of the Apostles. However, this authority finds its origin in that universal call to holiness that has been extended to each one of us by Jesus himself: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love… It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name He may give you” (John 15:10, 16).

MAY 15 If we wish to acquire perfect love, let us often have recourse to Jesus, because He is the source of all graces. Everything comes from Him and we can have nothing but through Him. Jean-Gabriel Perboyre

MAY 16 You will always dwell protected in the adorable Heart of Jesus; let it be your perpetual home; live outside the bounds of the world, hidden with Christ in God. Frances Xavier Cabrini

MAY 17 Christ made love the stairway that would enable all Christians to climb to heaven. Hold fast to it, give one another practical proof of it, and by your progress in it, make your ascent together. Fulgentius of Ruspe

MAY 18 It is impossible to serve God without love. Catherine of Bologna

MAY 19 I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the Heart of Jesus. Margaret Mary Alocoque

MAY 20 Bury yourselves in the Heart of Jesus crucified, desiring nothing else but to lead all to follow His Will in all things. Paul of the Cross

MAY 21 Love cannot be outweighed by any treasure. Leander of Seville

SAINT CRISTÓBAL MAGALLANES AND THE MARTYRS OF THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION The group of saints honored as the Martyrs of the Mexican Revolution includes 22 Mexican priests and three laymen who were murdered between 1915 and 1937. As the Mexican government came to adopt anti-clerical attitudes, which were to become law in the Constitution of 1917, the Church officially denounced any armed uprisings or resistance. Many priests in rural areas, however, remained dedicated to providing the Sacraments for their people, and were involved in the movement for religious freedom to some degree. These martyrs represent a cross-section of the many Mexican priests and religious who gave their lives during the persecution. Among them is the pastor of the parish of Totalice, Cristóbal Magallanes Jara, who was killed by Revolutionary soldiers on May 25, 1921, as he traveled to say Mass at a local ranch. Before his execution he declared, “I am innocent and I die innocent. I forgive with all my heart those responsible for my death, and I ask God that the shedding of my blood may bring peace to divided Mexicans.” During the homily at canonization of these martyrs on May 21, 2000, Blessed John Paul II reflected: “Most belonged to the secular clergy and the three laymen were seriously committed to helping priests. They did not abandon the brave work of ministry when religious persecution raged, unleashing a hatred of Catholicism in their beloved land of Mexico. All freely and calmly accepted martyrdom as a witness to their faith, explicitly forgiving their persecutors. Faithful to God and the Catholic Faith, deeply rooted in the ecclesial communities which they served, they are today an example for the whole Church and the Mexican society in particular… May the shining example of Cristóbal Magallanes and his companion martyrs help you to a renewed commitment of fidelity to God, a commitment able to continue to transform Mexican society in the reign of justice, fraternity and harmony among all.” The feast of Saint Cristóbal and his companions is celebrated on May 21.

MAY 22 Whatever you possess must not possess you; whatever you own must be under the power of your soul. Gregory the Great

MAY 23 Place your mind before the mirror of eternity. Clare of Assisi

MAY 24 It is better to be a child of God than king of the whole world. Aloysius Gonzaga

MAY 25 Abandon yourself entirely to the love of God, and in this way you will become truly happy. Henry Suso

MAY 26 It is because of faith that we exchange the present for the future. Fidelis of Sigmaringen

MAY 27 Happiness is found only in the home where God is loved and honored, where each one loves, and helps, and cares for others. Theophane Vénard

MAY 28

A sad saint is a sorry saint. Francis de Sales

MAY 29 Leave sadness to the world. We who are of God should be lighthearted. Leonard of Port Maurice

MAY 30 Give me a sense of humor Lord, and something to laugh about. Thomas More

MAY 31 THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Let Mary’s soul be in each of you to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Ambrose of Milan In his Gospel, Saint Luke records that after the Annunciation, Mary “went in haste” to see her kinswoman, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (cf. Luke 1:39-56). This is the event that is at the heart of this feast. And yet, as with so many of the Church’s festive celebrations, the significance of the Feast of the Visitation extends well beyond a simple remembering of past events. As we reflect on the prayers and readings from Scripture proclaimed on this day, we soon realize that we are honoring the spirit of service, diakonia, of Mary toward her aged, pregnant relative. This act anticipates the same spirit of service that enlivens the Church, which is sent especially to the poor. Just as in Mary, the Lord goes forth to visit His people (cf. Zephaniah 3:14-18), the Church brings Christ to the poor and forgotten, sharing with them the truth of God’s abiding love and presence. This is the over-arching theme of Mary’s great hymn of praise, the Magnificat, which she sings in response to Elizabeth’s greeting: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior… He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry He has filled with good things; the rich He has sent away empty…” (cf. Luke 1:46-55). It is in this great hymn, which the Church sings every day at the time of Evening Prayer, that Mary “first acknowledges the special gifts she has been given. Then she recalls God’s universal favors, bestowed unceasingly on the human race” (Saint Bede the Venerable). Although we may have a tendency to “sentimentalize” the visit of Mary to Elizabeth, we should keep in mind the great mystery of salvation that is at the heart of today’s celebration: “The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear” (Zephaniah 3:15b).

JUNE 1 Have patience with all the world, but with yourself first. Francis de Sales

JUNE 2 A man is simply that which he is before God, and nothing more. Francis of Assisi

JUNE 3 No one is suddenly made perfect. Bede the Venerable

JUNE 4 Make up your mind to become a saint. Mary Mazzarello

JUNE 5 Today, parishes, families, the nation, are in need of saints. Andrea Giacinto Longhin

JUNE 6 To be a saint, you must be beside yourself. You must lose your head. John Vianney

JUNE 7 Faith furnishes prayer with wings, without which it cannot soar to heaven.

John Climacus

SAINT NOBERT OF XANTEN Saint Norbert was born near Cleves around the year 1080. A canon of the Church at Xanten, he converted from a worldly life, embracing the religious ideal, and was ordained to the priesthood in 1115. Feeling called to a more austere way of life, Norbert gave away all his possessions and moved to the valley of Premontré in northern France. He was soon joined by more than 40 companions and, together with them, he pronounced religious vows on Christmas Day, 1121, establishing what would become the Order of Canons of Premontré (the Norbertines). Norbert was elected Archbishop of Magdeburg in 1126. Tradition relates that upon his arrival at Magdeburg he was denied entrance to the episcopal palace by the porter who mistook him for a beggar. As bishop he worked for clerical reform, enforcing celibacy and attacking corruption and absenteeism. Together with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, he worked to heal the wounds caused by the schism of the anti-pope Anacletus. Saint Norbert died in 1134. Canonized in 1582, his feast is celebrated on June 6. In the Collect (the Opening Prayer) for the Mass of the Commemoration of Saint Norbert, we pray that “by the help of his intercession, the flock of the faithful may always find shepherds after [God’s] own heart.” Noting the “pastoral zeal and preaching” of Saint Norbert, the Church reflects on the way this holy bishop reconciled the call he felt to a life of prayer and contemplation with the call to serve as a bishop. Called the “angel of peace” because of his work to promote peace within his diocese and the entire Church, he also promoted a spirit of prayer, which must be the foundation for any good work done in Christ’s name.

JUNE 8 In every way that the soul can desire to feed, she will find in the Most Holy Sacrament all sweetness and consolation. Teresa of Avilla

JUNE 9 There is nothing so great, my children, as the Eucharist. John Vianney

JUNE 10 The Eucharist is the work of a measureless love that has at its service an infinite power, the omnipotence of God. Peter Julian Eymard

JUNE 11 Jesus said over the elements, “This is my body.” You say, “No, it is not His body.” Whom am I to believe? I prefer to believe Jesus Christ. Dominic Barberi

JUNE 12 Holy communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven. Pius X

JUNE 13 Christ said, “I am the Truth;” he did not say, “I am the custom.” Turibius of Mongrovejo

SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA Born in 1568, Aloysius was the son and heir of the powerful Gonzaga family of Castiglione and a prince of the Holy Roman Empire. At an early age he manifested habits of prayer and virtue which formed a strong spiritual foundation for his later life. Sometimes given to excess in his penance, he was nonetheless unrelenting in his desires to please God and seek His will above all things. Feeling called to religious life, he entered into a battle of wills with his father, who refused to allow his son to abdicate his title and the right of succession. However, after years of prayer, sacrifice, and struggle, Aloysius was given the necessary permission by his family to enter the Society of Jesus at Rome. Well-liked by his superiors and confreres, he was an outstanding student and desired to serve in the Society’s Asian missions. In the spring of 1591, he contracted the plague after carrying a dying man from the street to a hospital. Aloysius died during the night of June 20-21, 1591, after a long and painful illness. He was 23 years old at the time of his death. The feast of Saint Aloysius is celebrated on June 21. Long honored as a model of virtue, particularly purity, for the young, he was canonized in 1726. In 1729, and again in 1926, Aloysius was proclaimed patron of Youth and he is also invoked as patron of those suffering with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers. Known for his spirit of prayer, simplicity, and humility, Aloysius recognized that God was calling him to a particular way of life while he was still quite young. This desire to serve God and the Church as a priest of the Society of Jesus was the driving force in his life. Although he is often dismissed in our day, largely on account of the overly-sentimentalized portraits of him, he remains a model for those seeking their place in the Church and the world. Aloysius recognized that God calls each person into a special relationship with Himself, entrusting each of us with a unique vocation. To give ourselves wholeheartedly to this vocation is essential. As he reflected: “The pillars of heaven have fallen; who can promise me that I shall persevere? The world is now full of iniquity; who shall appease the wrath of the Almighty? Very many priests and religious think but little of their vocation… Such thoughts ought to rouse us from our lethargy and renew our resolution to do penance and serve God with constancy and sincerity.”

JUNE 14 The great truth that God is all, and the rest is nothing… upon this, one can lean securely amid the incomprehensible mysteries of this world. Marie-Thérèse de Soubiran

JUNE 15 The ways of the Lord are all beautiful, provided the end is the same: to save our soul and succeed in taking many others to heaven to give glory to God. Gianna Beretta Molla

JUNE 16 Everything for the beauty of heaven. Isidore de Loor

JUNE 17 Love can never be idle. John Ruysbroek

JUNE 18 If I can succeed in saving only a single soul, I can be sure that my own will be saved. Dominic Savio

JUNE 19 To believe firmly and to keep silent is impossible. Pedro Poveda Castroverde

JUNE 20 It is not priests alone, but all the faithful without exception, who must concern

themselves with the interests of God and souls. Pius X

JUNE 21 The one who does nothing, knows nothing. Rise to work! If your knowledge is real, employ it; wrestle with nature; test the strength of your ideas; see if they will support the trial; act! Aloysius Gonzaga

JUNE 22 Charity is always ready to spend itself in the interest of others and is the surest remedy against worldly pride and immoderate self-esteem. John XXIII

JUNE 23 To use this life well is the pathway through death to everlasting life. John Almond

JUNE 24 THE BIRTH OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST As the forerunner of our Lord’s birth, preaching and death, the blessed John showed in his struggle a goodness worthy of the sight of heaven. In the words of Scripture: “Though in the sight of men he suffered torments, his hope is full of immortality” (cf. Wisdom 3:4). Bede the Venerable It is fitting that the feast of the birth of John the Baptist falls at the time of the summer solstice, the turning point in the year at which the days begin to grow shorter. John, who would decrease, even as Christ increased (cf. John 3:30), was chosen to be the one who would prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. He was the prophet who not only preached a message of repentance and conversion, but he was able to actually point out Christ, the Lamb of God, to those seeking the Messiah (cf. John 1:29-31). John was also given the privilege to baptize in the waters of the River Jordan the One who is the “Author of baptism.” As Saint Augustine observed, “John was a voice that lasted only for a time; Christ, the Word in the beginning, is eternal.” And yet, Jesus said of him that, “among those born of women, there is none greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11; Luke 7:28). This man, the “voice crying in the wilderness,” living on locusts and wild honey, was an authentic prophet. As Pope Benedict XVI has observed, “John bore witness to the truth without compromise. He denounced transgressions of God’s commandments, even when it was the powerful who were responsible for them. Thus, when he accused Herod and Herodias of adultery, he paid with his life (cf. Mark 6:17-29), sealing with martyrdom his service to Christ who is Truth in person” (General Audience, June 24, 2007).

JUNE 25 If we look forward to receiving God’s mercy, we can never fail to do good so long as we have the strength. John of God

JUNE 26

Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak. Anthony of Padua

JUNE 27 To support one another in the things of the Spirit is the true sign of goodwill between brothers, of loving kinship and sincere affection. John Chrysostom

JUNE 28 In loving your neighbor and caring for him you are on a journey. Where are you traveling, if not to the Lord God, to Him whom we should love with our whole heart, and our soul, our whole mind? Augustine of Hippo

JUNE 29 SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES We celebrate this day made holy for us by the Apostles’ blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching and their confession of faith. Augustine of Hippo The great Apostles, Peter and Paul, so different in temperament and mission, have been honored with a common feast since the first half of the fourth century. Peter, the first among the Apostles, and Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, were martyred in Rome, probably around the year 67, during the persecution of the emperor Nero. The Collect (Opening Prayer) for the Mass for this Solemnity reminds us that it was first through the preaching of Peter and Paul, and indeed all the Apostles, that the Church first received the Faith. This Apostolic Faith is manifested in our own day in the celebration of the Church’s Sacraments, in the communion of prayer and faith in charity, and in the ministry and teaching of the Pope and the bishops. Reflecting on the place that Peter and Paul hold within the Church, Blessed John Paul II observed, “If the witness of faith and the arduous struggle which the Apostles Peter and Paul had to undertake for the cause of the Gospel are considered in merely human terms, they ended in defeat. In this too, they faithfully followed Christ’s example. Indeed, humanly speaking, the mission of Christ, who was condemned to death and crucified, ended in defeat. However, both the Apostles, with their gaze fixed on the Paschal Mystery, did not doubt that precisely what to the eyes of the world seemed a defeat, was in fact the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s plan. It was the victory over the forces of evil won first by Christ and then by His disciples through faith. The entire community of believers relies on the firm foundation of the apostolic faith and gives thanks to Christ for the solid rock on which its life and mission are built” (Homily, June 29, 1997).

JUNE 30 Love one another, respect one another, bear with one another. Philip Benizi

JULY l Love is the only language everyone understands. Joseph Freinademetz

JULY 2 Remember that the Christian life is one of action, not of speech and daydreams. Let there be few words and many deeds, and let them be done well. Vincent Pallotti

JULY 3 SAINT THOMAS, APOSTLE Seeing, he believed; looking at One who was true man, he cried out that this was God, the God he could not see. Gregory the Great The Apostle Thomas, who is also called “Didymus” (“Twin”) in the Gospel of John (11:15, 20-24), is best-known as “doubting Thomas.” When Jesus appeared to the Apostles after the Resurrection, Thomas was not with the group and refused to believe what was later reported to him by the others. Later, the Risen Lord appeared to the Apostles when Thomas was with the others, prompting him to make his profound profession of faith: “My Lord and my God!” Ancient traditions relate that he worked as a missionary in Persia, making his way to India. There is some evidence that these legends are, in fact, true, and there are Christians today who are known as “St. Thomas Christians,” who are believed to be the descendents of those first brought to the Faith by this Apostle. In 1972, Pope Paul VI proclaimed him patron of India. The prayers and Readings for today’s feast all focus on the story of Thomas’ postsResurrection encounters with Jesus and his faith. Our individual faith in the truth of the Resurrection is founded on the preaching of the Apostles and, as Saint Gregory the Great observes, “The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the belief of the other disciples.” When our faith and trust in the Lord are tested, we can find inspiration in the doubt and belief of Saint Thomas: “Let us ask God for strong faith and courage. Let us love Jesus as Saint Thomas did. Let us offer him our lives day after day, so that we may live with him forever” (Blessed John Paul II, Address in Madras, India, February 5, 1986).

JULY 4 INDEPENDENCE DAY—UNITED STATES Lord, give concord and peace to us and all the inhabitants of earth, as You gave it to our fathers, when they invoked You reverently in faith and truth, so that we may be saved, and grant that we may be obedient to your almighty and excellent name, and to our rulers and governors on earth. Clement I

JULY 5 Do not be satisfied with loving God by yourselves alone; make all those around you love Him also, and pray that everyone will love Him. Frances Xavier Cabrini

JULY 6 Speak to Him of your business, your plans, of your sorrows, of your fears, and all that concerns you. Alphonsus Liguori

JULY 7 Nothing wins hearts like cheerfulness. Dwynwen

JULY 8 Consider the shortness of time, the length of eternity, and reflect how everything here below comes to an end and passes by.

Gerard Majella

JULY 9 Bear with the defects of others. Endeavor not to cause others to suffer, and you yourself try to endure the little annoyances which are unavoidable in the necessary relations with others. Theodora Guerin

JULY 10 Humility, simplicity, charity… but above all charity. Emilie Gamelin

JULY 11 God showed me how to have faith in Him for ever, as one who is never to be doubted. Patrick

JULY 12 Woe betide me if I should ever prove myself but a half-hearted soldier in the service of my thorn-crowned Captain! Fidelis of Sigmaringen

JULY 13 Live in such a way that you bear outwardly as well as inwardly the image of Christ crucified, the model of all gentleness and mercy.

Paul of the Cross

SAINT CAMILLUS DE LELLIS Camillus was born in the Abruzzi region of Italy in 1550 and was a successful soldier. Remembered for his large size (he was 6´6˝ tall) and for his quick temper, he also had a gambling addiction that ultimately left him completely destitute. Afflicted with a painful ulcer on his right leg that never healed, he was jobless and totally impoverished when he came into contact with a Capuchin Friar who helped bring about his conversion. Camillus eventually decided to dedicate his life to serving Christ in the sick-poor and, after being ordained to the priesthood, gathered around him a group of disciples who became known as the Order of the Servants of the Sick. A gifted nurse, Camillus demanded not only charity toward the sick suffering, but cleanliness and technical competence as well. Celebrated for a spirituality that was informed by his own understanding of sin and illness, he had a deep love for Jesus Crucified. The distinctive red cross that he ordered to be placed on the habit of his order reminded him and his followers that their only motivation could be to follow Christ by spending their lives in serving the sick. Saint Camillus de Lellis died in 1614 and was canonized in 1746. Camillus de Lellis is remembered for the absolute selflessness he showed in his care of the sick. Inspired by his love of Christ in the poor (cf. Matthew 25:34-40), he wanted to make the hospitals staffed by his religious community into places of hospitality, where the body could be healed and spirit nurtured. His zeal for the service of the sick and the poor was inspired by his own experiences of illness and familiarity with suffering. It is for this, that he is honored as the patron of the sick and those who care for them. His feast is celebrated on July 18 in the United States.

JULY 14 I would like to be sufficiently good that people would say, “If such is the servant, what must the Master be like?” Charles de Foucauld

JULY 15 As a lover of Wisdom, the Will of the Lord your God must be your only concern. Robert Bellarmine

JULY 16 Be driven by the love of God, because Jesus Christ died for all, that those who live may live not for themselves but for Him who died and rose for them. John Baptist de la Salle

JULY 17 If one’s deeds are not in harmony with their prayer, their deeds are done in vain. Moses “the Black”

JULY 18 Be constant in prayer, and try to perform all your actions in a spirit of prayer. The more faithful you are in prayer, the more God will bless you. John Baptist de la Salle

JULY 19 Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance, it suppresses anger, and prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to heaven. Ephrem of Syria

JULY 20 Virtue demands courage, constant effort, and, above all, help from on high. John Vianney

JULY 21 Charity is the form, mover, mother, and root of all virtues. Thomas Aquinas

JULY 22 If we wish to reach eternal life, even as we avoid the torments of hell, then—while there is still time, while we are in this body and have time to accomplish all these things by the light of life—we must run and do now what will profit us forever. Benedict of Nursia

JULY 23 Heaven is filled with converted sinners of all kinds, and there is room for more. Joseph Cafasso

JULY 24 Nothing is far from God. Monica

JULY 25 SAINT JAMES, APOSTLE We always find that those who walked closest to Christ were those who had to bear the greatest trials. Teresa of Avilla Western Christians have celebrated the feast of Saint James, the “Greater,” the son of Zebedee and brother of the Apostle John, on this day since the middle of the eighth century. James was one of the “privileged” Apostles and, together with Peter and John, he witnessed the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 1:29-31), the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37-43), the Transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:2-8), and the Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:37). James was also the first of the Apostles to give his life for Christ; he was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I in the year 42/44 (cf. Acts 12:2-3). He was buried in Jerusalem, but his relics were later transferred to Compostela, Spain, and the site of his tomb became one of the most beloved places of pilgrimage in history. James stands before us as an eloquent example of generous adherence to Christ. But, like Saint James, who asked Jesus for a high place in the kingdom (cf. Mark 10:35-45), we sometimes ask the Lord for more than we are ready to receive. Although we must be strong and steadfast in our profession of faith, we must also be willing to accept the gift of the Kingdom of Heaven with a childlike spirit of simplicity and gratitude.

JULY 26 You must relieve the lot of the poor, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and bury the dead. Go to help the troubled and console the sorrowing. Benedict of Nursia

JULY 27 Love your neighbor, then, and see within yourself the power by which you love your neighbor; there you will see God, as far as you are able. Augustine of Hippo

JULY 28 If we are able to implore God day and night to hear our prayers, how careful we should be to hear and grant the petitions of our neighbor in need. John the Almoner

JULY 29 Remember to consider only Christ in the person of the poor. Serve them always as you would serve Christ Himself. Joan Antida Thouret

JULY 30 One must see God in everyone. Catherine Labouré

JULY 31 Always remember to love your neighbor; always prefer the one who tries your patience, who tests your virtue, because with them you can always win merit. Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy

AUGUST 1 Peace among brothers is the Will of God, it is the joy of Christ, the perfection of holiness, the rule of justice, the teacher of wisdom, the guardian of morality, and a way of life praiseworthy in all things. Peter Chrysologus

AUGUST 2 You should never go to Holy Communion without first uniting and reconciling yourself with your brother, nor should he delay to do the same thing. Catherine Dei Ricci

AUGUST 3 If we wish our piety to resemble that of the saints, let us be determined to help our neighbor when he is in need. John Bosco

AUGUST 4 It is love which perfects our heavenly crown. Melania the Younger

AUGUST 5 People lose everything they leave behind in the world; but they carry with them the rewards of charity and the alms which they gave, for which they have a reward and suitable compensation from the Lord. Francis of Assisi

AUGUST 6 THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD Jesus Christ, our Salvation, the High Priest of our offerings, the Protector and Helper of our weakness. Through Him we fix our gaze on the heights of heaven. In Him we see mirrored God’s pure and transcendent Face. Clement I According to the bishop, Athanasius of Sinai, Jesus revealed a heavenly mystery to His disciples on Mount Tabor (cf. Matthew 17:1-9). He wrote, “While living among them He had spoken of the Kingdom and of His second coming in glory, but to banish from their hearts any possible doubt concerning the kingdom and to confirm their faith in what lay in the future by its prefiguration in the present, He gave them on Mount Tabor a wonderful vision of His glory, a foreshadowing of the kingdom of heaven.” In the Transfiguration of Jesus, time and eternity were brought together with Jesus, Himself, as the connecting point. When Jesus shone “with splendor on the mountain, His face like the sun and His clothes white as snow, He offered Peter, James, and John a mysterious glimpse of the glory and light that would be fully revealed in the Resurrection. Although Christ is the center of the Transfiguration, we are also aware of the presence of the Father, whose voice was heard by the Apostles, and the Spirit, who filled Jesus so that His words would be “spirit and life” (cf. John 6:63). This feast invites us to climb up the mountain in order to be immersed in the mystery of God’s light. As Blessed John Paul II said, “Tabor represents all the mountains that lead us to God… In the Transfiguration we not only contemplate the mystery of God, passing from light to light, but we are also invited to listen to the divine word that is addressed to us” (General Audience, April 26, 2000).

AUGUST 7 Above all else, if your actions are to be well done, strive to have motives of faith. John Baptist de la Salle

AUGUST 8

We are all flowers planted on this earth which God collects in His own time, some earlier, some later. The crimson rose is one thing, the virginal lily another, the humble violet another. Theophane Vénard

AUGUST 9 I want to be a warrior, a priest, a doctor of the Church, a martyr. I want to go to the ends of the earth to preach Your name, to plant Your glorious Cross on pagan shores. Thérèse of Liseux

AUGUST 10 SAINT LAWRENCE Let us carefully observe the manner of life of all the apostles, martyrs, ascetics, and just ones who announced the coming of the Lord. John Damascene Saint Lawrence, who was one of many Christians who lost their lives during the persecution of the Emperor Valerian in the year 257, is one of the most venerated saints in the city of Rome (where he ranks immediately after the Apostles, Peter and Paul). He remains one of the Church’s most celebrated saints. As Saint Augustine of Hippo said, “Lawrence was a deacon of the Church of Rome. There he ministered the sacred blood of Christ; there for the sake of Christ’s name he poured out his own blood” (Sermon 304). Loved because of his generosity to the poor, this holy deacon reminds us that love of Christ and fraternal charity should prompt us to assist those in need. In reflecting on Saint Lawrence’s witness, Pope Benedict XVI declared: “He repeats to us that holiness, that is, going to meet Christ who comes ceaselessly to visit us, does not go out of fashion, on the contrary as time passes it shines brightly and expresses the perennial striving for God of humankind” (General Audience, November 30, 2008).

AUGUST 11 Love the simplicity that is the fruit of the peace of that soul that seeks only God, and that desires to please only Him. Maria Elena Bettini

AUGUST 12 The eyes of the world see no further than this life, but the eyes of Faith see deep into eternity. John Vianney

AUGUST 13 Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart? Gerard Majella

AUGUST 14 The day you learn to surrender yourself totally to God, you will discover a new world… you will enjoy a peace and a calm unknown, surpassing even the happiest days of your life. Jaime Hilario Barbal

AUGUST 15 THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Because she had proved to be the most humble among angels and men, Mary was raised above all that was created, and is most beautiful of all and more like God than any other can be. Bridget of Sweden The uninterrupted Tradition of the Church, as upheld by Saint Gregory of Tours (d. 549) and other Fathers of the Church, is the basis for the celebration of the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pope Pius XII officially promulgated the Dogma of the Assumption in 1950. An ancient prayer for this feast relates the Assumption of Mary with her divine maternity. It reads: “God, turning your gaze to the humility of the Virgin, You raised her to the sublime dignity of Mother of Your Son and crowned her with incomparable glory” (Gelasian Sacramentary). When Mary’s earthly life came to an end, God preserved from decay the body that had carried the Son within it and brought the Author of Life into our world. Recognizing in Mary a perfect image of what we are to become, the Church places herself under the protection of God’s Mother, who is now in heaven. Mary sustains our hope along our pilgrim way, lifting our hearts to things that are above. Ultimately, in the mystery of the Assumption, we celebrate the very special relationship between the Mother and Son, but we are also invited to reflect on the promise of salvation that is extended to each of us who carry Christ within our hearts.

AUGUST 16 God makes the Church itself a sacrifice pleasing in His sight by preserving within it the love which His Holy Spirit has poured out. Thus the grace of that spiritual love is always available to us, enabling us continually to offer ourselves to God as a loving sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him forever. Fulgentius of Ruspe

AUGUST 17

Do not destroy the whole Christ by separating head from body, for Christ is not complete without the Church, nor is the Church complete without Christ. Isaac of Stella

AUGUST 18 Let your charity and zeal show how you love the Church. John Baptist de la Salle

AUGUST 19 The purpose of the prayer to gain vocations must concern all the faithful, every Christian who has at heart the good of souls. Hannibal Di Francia

AUGUST 20 We need Catholics who are alert to the present moment… modern Catholics who know how to nourish themselves in the past and whose eyes are fixed on the future. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez Santiago

AUGUST 21 Solidly Catholic education and instruction is the most suitable, simple, and practical means of reforming the family and society. Joseph Manyanet y Vivès

AUGUST 22

The brilliant lamp which was lit for the sake of our salvation should always shine in us. For we have the lamp of heavenly commandment and spiritual grace, to which David referred: “Your law is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Chromatius of Aquilea

AUGUST 23 They who want to win the world for Christ must have the courage to come into conflict with it. Titus Brandsma

AUGUST 24 SAINT BARTHOLOMEW, APOSTLE The Apostles stand out among those defenders of the Church as its first founders; after the Son of God, they built her by their preaching. Hildegard of Bingen The Twelve Apostles are those men whose names are inscribed on the foundation stones of the heavenly Jerusalem (cf. Revelation 21:14). The African writer, Tertullian (d. ca. 220), reminds us that, “After bearing witness to the faith in Jesus Christ throughout Judea and founding churches, they next went forth into the world and preached the same doctrine of the same faith to the nations. They then, in like manner, founded churches in every city, from which all the other churches, one after another, derived the tradition of one faith and the seeds of doctrine” (De præscriptione hæreticorum, 20). Bartholomew-Nathanael is most especially celebrated for his simple, yet profound profession of faith: “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49). While we know next to nothing about the life and ministry of this apostle, his memory reminds us that our relationship with Jesus can be lived out and witnessed to without performing any exceptional deeds, because “Jesus himself, to whom each one of us is called to dedicate his or her own life and death, is and remains extraordinary” (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, October 4, 2006).

AUGUST 25 The example of a life of practical, unwavering faith, expressing itself in deeds of Christian charity, does far more good than the most learned arguments. Clement Mary Hofbauer

AUGUST 26 Raise up the downcast here and now…leading others towards the best rather than following someone else towards what is not right. (cf. Titus 1:11) Basil the Great

AUGUST 27 Let us run like fools not only to God, but also to our neighbor, who is the one to whom we give what we cannot give to God. Anthony Mary Zaccaria

AUGUST 28 Guard your conscience toward your neighbor and you shall be saved. Pambo

AUGUST 29 The law of Christ is Charity… we, therefore, fulfill by imitation the law of Christ, when we kindly bestow good things on others, and piously endure evil things for the sake of our neighbor. Gregory the Great

AUGUST 30 Charity unites us to God… Charity knows no schism, does not rebel, does things in concord. In charity all the elect of God have been made perfect. Clement I

AUGUST 31 Charity must be manifest not so much by words as by deeds. Pius X

THE MARTYRS OF SEPTEMBER On September 2, the Church commemorates 191 martyrs, commonly known as the “Martyrs of September,” who were killed in four prisons at Paris, France, between September 2 and 3, 1792. Following the promulgation of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy by the National Constituent Assembly (the government of the first stages of the French Revolution) in 1790, any cleric who refused to deny Papal authority and affiliate with the state-sponsored church in France was imprisoned as a traitor. All religious communities were dissolved by the government on August 15, 1792. Later that month, the citizens of Paris heard rumors of a possible invasion of the city by Duke of Brunswick and a mass breakout of those in its prisons, where the hundreds of clerics who had refused to take the oath of allegiance were being housed alongside common criminals. Enflamed by revolutionary zeal, and unchecked by government authority, mobs massacred more than fourteen hundred men and women in the space of only a few hours. Eyewitnesses reported that the imprisoned bishops, priests, and seminarians were the focus of particular aggression and treated with extraordinary cruelty. Among those killed was Jean-Marie du Lau, archbishop of Arles, François de la Rochefoucald, bishop of Beauvais, Ambrose Chevreux, the last Superior General of the Maurist Benedictines, and priests of several dioceses along with members of the Jesuits, Vincentians, Sulpician Fathers, Eudists, Christian Brothers, and a number of other religious orders. Honored as martyrs and beatified in 1926, this group of priests, religious, and seminarians, along with Blessed Charles-Regis de la Calmette, a layman, remind us that we, as members of the Church, are each called to defend the Church’s freedom from those powers which would deny her freedom to teach, worship, and serve those in need, in the spirit of Christ. Their commitment to the Church and their willingness to offer their lives rather than deny her freedom testifies to their faith: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? As Scripture says: ‘For your sake we are being slain all the day long; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.’ Yet in all this we are more than conquerors because of him who has loved us” (Romans 8:35-37).

SEPTEMBER 1 To love God is something greater than to know Him. Thomas Aquinas

SEPTEMBER 2 You will always dwell protected in the adorable Heart of Jesus; let it be your perpetual home; live outside the bounds of the world, hidden with Christ in God. Frances Xavier Cabrini

SEPTEMBER 3 The all-powerful Creator and Redeemer of mankind can give me, in spite of my weakness, a higher life and effective speech; because I love Him, I do not spare myself in speaking of Him. Gregory the Great

SEPTEMBER 4 One must always be ready, for death comes when and where God wills it. John Neumann

SEPTEMBER 5 Let us take courage; the Cross, it is true, awaits us at every turn, but it is the way to heaven. Theodora Guerin

SEPTEMBER 6 Life and death are both in the hands of God: not a leaf drops that God does not will. Alberic Crescitelli

SEPTEMBER 7 If we have any sense, we shall yearn for these open arms of God. Can anyone but a man in whom all desire is dead fail to desire Him who is wholly lovable, wholly desirable? John of Avila

SEPTEMBER 8 THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Today the Virgin is born, tended and formed, and prepared for her role as Mother of God, who is the universal King of the ages. Andrew of Crete The French novelist, Georges Bernanos, wrote of Mary: “She is our Mother—the mother of all flesh, a new Eve. But she is also our daughter. The ancient world of sorrow, the world before the access of grace, cradled her to its heavy heart for many centuries, dimly awaiting the Virgo Genitrix [the Virgin Mother]. For centuries and centuries those ancient hands, so full of sin, cherished the wondrous girl-child whose name even was unknown” (Diary of a Country Priest, New York, NY, Carrol and Graf, 2002. 210). In celebrating Mary’s birthday, the Church pauses to honor her who was a star “sprung forth from Jacob, whose ray brightens the whole world, whose splendors shine in heaven and penetrate into hell… a glorious and most wonderful star, of necessity raised above this great and broad sea, glittering with her merit, and giving light by her example” (Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, 2nd Homily on Missus est). Jesus, the one whose “origin is from ancient times” (Micah 5:1), was descended from that ancient people of God, to whom was made the promise of a Savior (cf. Matthew 1:1-16). The Church’s celebration of this feast brings together and forms a bridge between the promises and expectation of the Old Covenant and the coming of the Messiah who is Himself the New Covenant. Mary, the daughter of Israel, is the morning star that announces the approaching light of the “Sun of Justice,” who is Jesus (cf. Malachi 3:20).

SEPTEMBER 9 We daily embrace You in Your Sacrament and receive You into our bodies; make us worthy to experience the resurrection for which we hope. Ephrem of Syria

SEPTEMBER 10 Jesus Christ becomes our nourishment! And further marvel—the nourishment does not change into ourselves, but changes us into Itself; and we become, in some

manner, other Christs. Theodora Guerin

SEPTEMBER 11 Jesus comes to visit me each morning in Holy Communion. I return His visit to Him in the poor. Pier-Giorgio Frassati

SEPTEMBER 12 The Church is like a great ship, pounded by the waves of the different stresses of life. Our duty is not to abandon this ship, but to keep her on her course. Boniface of Mainz

SEPTEMBER 13 God makes the Church itself a sacrifice pleasing in His sight by preserving within it the love which His Holy Spirit has poured out. Thus the grace of that spiritual love is always available to us, enabling us continually to offer ourselves to God as a loving sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Him forever. Fulgentius of Ruspe

SEPTEMBER 14 THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS It is by uniting his own sufferings for the sake of truth and freedom to the sufferings of Christ on the Cross that man is able to accomplish the miracle of peace. John Paul II In 1937, on the eve of the Second World War, Pope Pius XI wrote to the people of Germany: “The Cross of Christ, though it has become to many a stumbling block and foolishness, remains for the believer the holy sign of his redemption, the emblem of moral strength and greatness. We live in its shadow and die in its embrace. It will stand on our grave as a pledge of our faith and hope in the eternal light” (Mit Brennender Sorge, 26). The Cross is for us who believe much more than an expendable instrument of torture and death: it is the sign of salvation and victory. As Saint Theodore the Studite said, “By the cross death was slain and Adam was restored to life. The Cross is the glory of all the apostles, the crown of the martyrs, the sanctification of the saints. By the cross we put on Christ and cast aside our former self” (from Oratio in adorationem cruces). The Preface of the Mass for today’s feast reminds us, the Father “placed the salvation of the human race on the wood of the Cross, so that, where death arose, life might again spring forth and the evil one, who conquered on a tree, might likewise on a tree be conquered, through Christ our Lord.” The themes, images, and language used by the Church on this feast, remind us of the somber tones of Good Friday. Recognizing that Jesus is the Father’s gift of perfect love to humanity, we are called to believe ever more deeply in the One who has been lifted up, “so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life” (John 3:15).

SEPTEMBER 15 Jesus, the Lord, expects us to have the simplicity of a dove. Vincent de Paul

SEPTEMBER 16 The majority of great enterprises result from daily fulfillment of one’s duty in small,

everyday things. What is valuable in the doing is our special love for the poor and the sick. Nikolaus Gross

SEPTEMBER 17 My penance is to live an ordinary life. John Berchmans

SEPTEMBER 18 Let us follow then Christ’s paths which He has revealed to us, above all the path of humility, which He Himself became for us. Augustine of Hippo

SEPTEMBER 19 With outstretched arms He begs us to turn toward Him, to weep for our sins, and to become the servants of love, first for ourselves, then for our neighbors. John of God SEPTEMBER 20 Present glory is fleeting and meaningless, while it is possessed, unless in it we can glimpse something of heaven’s eternity. Henry

SEPTEMBER 21 SAINT MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST Jesus called to Matthew: “Follow me.” And following meant imitating the pattern of His life—not just walking after Him. Bede the Venerable While we know little about Matthew, tax-collector turned apostle, tradition has long attributed to him the message of the first of the Canonical Gospels. From the New Testament we learn that he was also called Levi, the son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:41), and that he was from Capernaum. Later accounts of his life say that after the Lord’s Ascension Matthew preached the Gospel in Persia and Ethiopia, where he eventually suffered martyrdom. In reflecting on Matthew’s life, we find a man who lived out the grace of conversion fully. Jesus, who came to call sinners to Himself, touched Matthew in a way that left him permanently changed. In response, he didn’t simply leave behind his former way of life (cf. Matthew 9:9-13), but Matthew set out on a new way. As Saint Jerome so eloquently stated, “If it is declared that in a magnet-stone and in amber rods there is such strength that they draw to themselves rings, straw, and splinters, how much more could the Lord of all creatures draw to Himself those whom He called” (The Commentaries on Matthew, Book I,9). The same Jesus who called Matthew constantly calls us to a new and better way, inviting us to follow Him just as Matthew and the other apostles did. Ultimately, Matthew presents us with a paradox: it is those who seem to be farthest from holiness who can become the most effective witnesses of the power of God’s forgiveness, offering us a glimpse of its effects in their own lives (cf. Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, August 30, 2006).

SEPTEMBER 22 I truly have nothing and no one but God, but that is enough—indeed, it is more than enough. Rupert Mayer

SEPTEMBER 23

Let the world fall apart if the Lord wishes. We must keep ourselves in peace and trust in His kindness. Madeleine Sophie Barat

SEPTEMBER 24 Heaven and earth seem to merge, far away, on the horizon. But don’t forget that where they really meet is in your heart as a child of God. Josemaria Escrivá

SEPTEMBER 25 Go patiently, go prudently, and be as happy as you can. Vincent de Paul

SEPTEMBER 26 Be humble. Trust always and a great deal in Divine Providence; never, never must you let yourselves be discouraged… trust in God and Mary Immaculate; be faithful and forge ahead! Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus

SEPTEMBER 27 It is in secrecy and silence that the work of Redemption is accomplished. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

SEPTEMBER 28

Through humility the saints obtained the rewards of future blessedness, observing the Lord’s words: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Martin of Braga

SEPTEMBER 29 SAINTS MICHAEL, GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL, ARCHANGELS Make yourself familiar with the angels, and behold them frequently in spirit. Without being seen, they are present to you. Francis de Sales The tradition of honoring the Archangel Michael on the 29th day of September dates back to the early part of the fifth century, when a basilica was dedicated in his honor on the Via Salaria in Rome. Since 1969, this day has been celebrated as a common feast honoring Michael and the Archangels Gabriel and Raphael (who had formerly been commemorated on March 24 and October 24, respectively). These three Archangels, and indeed all the hosts of heaven, are a “great multitude of very bright living lamps; they are the vast army of heavenly spirits, shining in the blessed life and living in great beauty and adornment, because when they were created by God they did not grasp at proud exaltation but strongly persisted in divine love” (Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias I.2.1). Honoring God with their whole beings, the Angels are the servants and messengers of God, forever looking upon the face of the Father in heaven (cf. Matthew 18:10). More than this, however, it was the Angels who first proclaimed the Good News of the Incarnation and Resurrection and they will be present at Christ’s return, which they will also announce. Even as the Church joins her voice to the Angels’ song of praise in her liturgies, the Angels continue to watch over us, protecting and guiding us along life’s way. Saint Aloysius Gonzaga reminds us, “Even as He has granted to them abundant gifts of grace, He will grant to you grace to be able to imitate better, through their prayers, their humility, charity, and purity, so that you may be worthy to be like the Angels and rejoice with them in their longedfor and beatific vision” (Meditation on the Holy Angels).

SEPTEMBER 30 The Lord calls Himself the vine and those united with Him the branches in order to teach us how much we shall benefit from our union with Him, and how important it is for us to remain in His love. Cyril of Alexandria

OCTOBER 1 Christ is, indeed, your Bridegroom, He is also your brother, He is likewise your friend, He is your inheritance, He is your reward, He is God and the Lord. Leander of Seville

OCTOBER 2 He who reads much and understands much, receives his fill. He who is full, refreshes others. Ambrose of Milan

OCTOBER 3 How can the intimacy with Our Lord be enjoyed, the effects of His love experienced, if love for Him is lacking the whole day through? Columba Marmion

OCTOBER 4 We should make a dwelling-place within ourselves where He can stay, He who is the Lord God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Francis of Assisi

OCTOBER 5 Through the Spirit, He gave us the power to become sons and daughters of God, so that all those He has chosen might be taught by the Firstborn among many brothers to say: “Our Father, who art in heaven.” Isaac of Stella

OCTOBER 6 The word of God is a light to the mind and a fire to the will. It enables us to know God and to love Him. Lawrence of Brindisi

OCTOBER 7 Remove all obstacles and stumbling blocks so that you will be able to go straight along the road to eternal life. Cyril of Jerusalem

OCTOBER 8 If one wants to be always in God’s company, he must pray regularly and read regularly. When we pray, we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us. Isidore of Seville

OCTOBER 9 No one can attain knowledge of God except by humility. To mount high is to descend. Giles of Assisi

OCTOBER 10 We can’t have all knowledge at once, we must begin by believing; then, afterwards, we may be led on to master the evidence for ourselves. Thomas Aquinas

OCTOBER 11 On the last day, when the general examination takes place, there will be no question at all on the texts of Aristotle, the aphorisms of Hippocrates, or the paragraphs of Justinian. Charity will be the whole syllabus. Robert Bellarmine

OCTOBER 12 It is not how much we do, but how much love we put into doing it. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving it. Teresa of Calcutta

SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH Ignatius was born sometime around the year 37 and, according to tradition, he was converted to the Christian Faith by the Apostle John. Saint John Chrysostom tells us that it was Saint Peter, himself, who appointed Ignatius bishop of Antioch. In the year 107, Ignatius was arrested and brought before the Emperor Trajan, who was then visiting Antioch. Having confessed Christ, the bishop was condemned to be taken to Rome for execution. During the journey, he wrote seven letters to churches in Asia Minor and to the Christians at Rome. These letters show Ignatius to have been a deeply spiritual and learned man, with a strong desire for martyrdom. In his teachings, he stressed the true humanity and divinity of Jesus and the recognition that Jesus’ death and resurrection is the source of the Christian’s new life. When Ignatius approached Rome, he was met by the city’s Christians and with them, he prayed for the Church, for an end to persecution, and for love and unity among the faithful. He was then hurried off to the Colosseum, thrown to the lions, and died almost immediately. The feast of Saint Ignatius of Antioch has been celebrated on October 17 since the 4th century. One of the earliest saints to be honored universally, Ignatius of Antioch provides an invaluable link to the Apostles and the earliest Christians. The story of the life and death of Saint Ignatius has inspired countless Christians through the centuries, particularly those persecuted for their belief in Jesus. He understood that life and death do not belong to human beings, rather, teaching that we are “not only to be called Christians, but to be Christians.” This means conforming our lives to the perfect model of obedience, meekness, and humility, that is Jesus Himself (cf. Philippians 2:5-8).

OCTOBER 13 There is no rest except in the inheritance of the saints, of which it is written, “This is my resting place forever” (Psalm 34:14). Peter Martyr

OCTOBER 14 When we are what we are called to be, we will set the world ablaze.

Catherine of Siena

OCTOBER 15 You and I must be what we ought to be; then we shall have cured what concerns ourselves. Let every one do the same, and all shall be well. The trouble is that we all talk of reforming others without reforming ourselves. Peter of Alcántara

OCTOBER 16 Nature lives by the breath of God’s omnipotence, smiles in its joy of Him, hides from His wrath—yet greets Him, eternally young, with the smile of its own youth. Contardo Ferrini

OCTOBER 17 That we may be helped by the patronage of so many saints, let us come and pray with full confidence and earnestness, that by their intercession we may deserve to obtain everything we ask and glorify the Lord. Gaudentius of Brescia

OCTOBER 18 SAINT LUKE, EVANGELIST We make a way for Him who rises above the sunset when we preach His glory to you, so that when He Himself follows after us, He may illumine you with His love. Gregory the Great Ancient tradition relates that Saint Luke was from Syria and that he was a physician (cf. Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24). He was a companion of Paul and Silas during Paul’s second missionary journey and also seems to have been with him at Rome near the end of his life (cf. 2 Timothy 4:11). It seems likely that after Paul’s martyrdom, Luke left Rome and went to Greece, where he composed his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, which serves as a kind of epilogue to his account of Jesus’ life. It is commonly held that he died at Boeoteia, Greece. Luke is honored as one of the patrons of physicians and, because of a legend that he painted the first image of the Madonna and Child, of artists. In his writings, Luke highlighted the reality that the Word of God mysteriously grows up and spreads throughout the world, even in the midst of suffering, opposition, and persecution (cf. Acts 4:1-31; 5:17-42 passim). As a minster of God’s Word, “Luke leads us to knowledge of the discreet yet penetrating light that radiates from it, while illustrating the reality and events of history. The theme of the Word of God, the golden thread woven through the two works that comprise Luke’s writing, also unites the two periods treated by him: the time of Jesus and that of the Church… The journey proposed by the third Gospel is profoundly marked by listening to this Word which, like a seed, must be received with goodness and promptness of heart, overcoming the obstacles that prevent it from taking root and bearing fruit (cf. Luke 8:4-15)” (Blessed John Paul II, Letter to the Bishop of Padua, October 17, 2000). Luke presents the mysteries of Christ’s life as a fulfillment of God’s plan that opens a new era in history. Our call is to be constantly attentive to the divine plan, dedicating ourselves to constant prayer and good works, living as disciples who listen to the Word with sincerity and openness.

OCTOBER 19 The divine goodness is a fathomless and shoreless ocean. Aloysius Gonzaga

OCTOBER 20 Life in man is the glory of God; the life of man is the vision of God. Irenaeus of Lyons

OCTOBER 21 O God, let me know You and love You so that I may find my joy in You; and if I cannot do so fully in this life, let me at least make some progress every day, until at last that knowledge, love, and joy come to me in all their plentitude. Anselm of Canterbury

OCTOBER 22 You are a mystery as deep as the sea: the more I search, the more I find; and the more I find, the more I search for You. Catherine of Siena

OCTOBER 23 O God, I not only want to be all Yours, I wish to be a saint. And since I do not know whether my life will be long or short, I tell You that I want to be a saint soon. John Bosco

OCTOBER 24 Think constantly on eternal life, and on this truth, that they who are the humblest and poorest in spirit, and count themselves the least, shall enjoy the highest glory in God. John of the Cross

OCTOBER 25 As Christ is life unto me, so I account death a most happy and glorious gain to me. Philip Howard

OCTOBER 26 Death is certain; life is short and vanishes like smoke. Fix your minds, then, on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Francis of Paola

OCTOBER 27 In whatever way we live—whether we wake or sleep, we eat or drink, we mourn or sing— all the while we are dying. Thomas More

OCTOBER 28 SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, APOSTLES Christ left His peace to His disciples, and through them to the Church. This peace is to live according to what is good. John Damascene The Apostles, Simon and Jude Thaddeus, have been honored with a common feast since before the time of Saint Jerome (d. 420), who recorded their names and the date of their liturgical commemoration in his list of saints. Simon, a native of Cana, who is most commonly known as “the Zealot,” is said to have preached the Gospel in Egypt. Aside from his being included in the lists of the Apostles found in the New Testament, nothing more is known of his life. Jude, the celebrated patron of “impossible cases,” is credited with having written the New Testament letter that bears his name. Sitting near the Lord at the Last Supper, he asked Jesus why he manifested himself only to the disciples, and not to the whole world. Jude’s question prompted Jesus to offer a reply that is as mysterious as it is profound: “If a man loves Me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:22-23). Celebrated for having traveled to Egypt and Mauritania, he was martyred in Persia with Saint Simon, who is said to have joined him in his labors. Because we do not know many details of the lives of Simon and Jude, we are left to reflect simply on what it means to be an Apostle, sent by Christ into the world, just as He Himself was sent by the Father. Saint Cyril of Alexandria wrote of this mystery: “Accordingly, in affirming that they are sent by Him just as He was sent by the Father, Christ sums up in a few words the approach they themselves should take to their ministry. From what He said they would gather that it was their vocation to call sinners to repentance, to heal those who were sick in body and spirit, to seek in all their dealings never to do their own will but the will of Him who sent them, and, as far as possible, to save the world by their teaching” (Commentary on the Gospel of John 12, 1).

OCTOBER 29 Don’t you know that only the thoughtless and insane consider the Faithful Departed to be dead. John Eudes

OCTOBER 30 If I saw the gates of hell open and I stood on the brink of the abyss, I would not despair, I would not lose hope of mercy, because I would trust in You, my God. Gemma Galgani

OCTOBER 31 All Hallows’ Eve Let all our people fix their minds not on death but rather on immortality. Cyprian of Carthage

NOVEMBER 1 ALL SAINTS’ DAY They will be happy to pray for you, for like us they have been feeble, they have been tempted, they have been miserable. But they had recourse to God. God pardoned their offenses and today they sing His mercies. Theodora Guerin Saint Theophane Venard wrote, “We are all flowers planted on this earth, which God collects in His own time, some earlier, some later. The crimson rose is one thing, the virginal lily another, the humble violet another.” The annual celebration of the Solemnity of All the Saints is a time to honor not only those canonized saints, but all those souls that are in glory. Every person in heaven is a saint because each one has reached the perfection of charity. The great diversity of saints, men, women, and children, of every time and place, reminds us that there is no set formula for holiness. The union with God, that the saints sought during their time on earth, and now experience fully in heaven, flowed from their commitment to living out the mystery and mandate of the Beatitudes (cf. Matthew 5:1-12), the way to blessedness. In reflecting on the Church’s tradition of celebrating the memory of the saints, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux said, “Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this feastday mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful promise of the Son? What does our commendation mean to them?… Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed by a tremendous yearning. Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all else, a longing to enjoy their company, so desirable in itself. We long to share in the citizenship of heaven, to dwell with the spirits of the blessed, to join the assembly of the patriarchs, the rank of the prophets, the council of apostles, the great host of martyrs, the noble company of confessors, and the choir of virgins. In short, we long to be united in happiness with all the saints” (Sermon 2).

NOVEMBER 2 COMMEMORATION OF ALL THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED—ALL SOULS’ DAY We look upon paradise as our true land and we see a great crowd of loved ones awaits us there, a countless throng of parents, brothers, and children longs for us to join them. Assured though they are of their own salvation, they are still concerned about ours. Cyprian of Carthage The custom of celebrating the memory of all the Faithful Departed on a given day each year dates back to the seventh century. It was Saint Odilo, abbot of the great Benedictine abbey of Cluny, who chose November 2 as the date for this commemoration. Over the next few centuries, the custom of celebrating “All Souls’ Day” on this date spread throughout the Church. This celebration is primarily one of hope. Jesus’ words to the dying thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), dispel the shadows of fear and doubt, because death itself has become a way of hope. It is important that we, as Christians, view death and the afterlife in the light of the Divine Truth: we cannot grieve as “others who do not have hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). On this special day, we renew our hope in eternal life. Because our lives are profoundly linked, one to another, we share a common hope and a common promise. “Hence, the prayer of a pilgrim soul in the world can help another soul that is being purified after death. This is why the Church invites us today to pray for our beloved dead, and to pause at their tombs in the cemeteries” (Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, November 2, 2008). Enlightened by faith, we look upon death with serenity and hope. Inspired by charity, we remember those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith, commending their souls to God and looking forward to that day when “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing, or pain” (Revelation 21:4).

NOVEMBER 3 As the Lord is our witness, we are certain that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the saints of God are alive.

Pacian of Barcelona

NOVEMBER 4 If you remain constant in faith in the face of trial, the Lord will give you peace and rest for a time in this world, and forever in the next. Jerome Emiliani

NOVEMBER 5 I will pray to You that You may give me holiness, and to all the living and dead, pardon, that some day we may all be together with You, our dearest God. John Neumann

NOVEMBER 6 Here we have no abiding home, but look for one from above. Thomas Becket

NOVEMBER 7 The Creator and Lord of all so loved the world that He sent His Son for its salvation, the Prince and Savior of the faithful. Hildegard of Bingen

NOVEMBER 8 Here learn the science of the saints: All is to be found in the passion of Jesus. Paul of the Cross

NOVEMBER 9 DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINT JOHN LATERAN There is one Christ the Lord and His Church, a holy possession, is throughout the world. Leander of Seville The anniversary of the dedication of the Roman Basilica of St. John Lateran, which was built by the Emperor Constantine in the year 324, has been observed universally on this day since the 12th century. Although this feast, which celebrates that church which Pope Clement XII called “the Mother and Head of all the churches in the City and the world,” was once limited to the city of Rome, the celebration was extended to the whole Latin Church in 1565. Originally dedicated to the Most Holy Redeemer, the church’s title later came to include the names of both Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist. Because the Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of Rome, and the principal church of the Holy Father, our celebration of this feast reminds us that each local church is ultimately tied to the motherchurch of Rome. As members of a local church, we should look beyond the limits of geography, striving to have a dynamic sense of the universality of the Church. As Saint Caesarius of Arles said, “Although the universal Church of God is constituted of distinct orders of members, still, in spite of the many parts of its holy body, the Church subsists in an integral whole, just as the Apostle says, ‘We are all one in Christ,’ nor is anyone separated from the office of another in such a way as that the lower group has no connection with the head” (Sermon 229).

NOVEMBER 10 They are true and genuine Catholics who loves the Truth of God, the Church, and the Body of Christ. Vincent of Lerins

NOVEMBER 11 You are God’s garden, and you should therefore welcome the laborer who does the visible work of planting and watering the seed, even though the growth comes from

One who works invisibly within you. Augustine of Hippo

NOVEMBER 12 Be good, love the Lord, pray for those who still do not know Him. Josephine Bakhita

NOVEMBER 13 Our life and our death is with our neighbor. If we gain our brother, we have gained God, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ. Anthony the Abbot

NOVEMBER 14 From the fullness of our Creator we have received not some, but all the good we have. Bede the Venerable

NOVEMBER 15 Let me get through today, and I shall not fear tomorrow. Philip Neri

NOVEMBER 16 Dismiss all anger and look into yourself a little. Remember that the ones of whom you speak are your brothers and sisters and are on the way of salvation; God can

make them a saint, in spite of their present weakness. Thomas of Villanova

SAINT FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI Frances Cabrini was born in Lombardy, Italy, in 1850. Having been refused admittance to two local convents on account of poor health, she became a schoolteacher and took a private vow of virginity. In 1880, when asked by the local bishop to become a missionary, she founded a small community of sisters whom she called the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. After receiving Papal approval for the new community in 1887, she was asked by Pope Leo XIII to serve Italian immigrants in the United States. Frances arrived in New York in 1889. Despite her Papal commission, she received little support from the local clergy. Nevertheless, she began to work among the immigrants, teaching their children, visiting the sick, and feeding the hungry. Remembered for her fierce sense of determination and her natural charm, Mother Cabrini eventually made several foundations throughout the United States and in several Latin and South American countries. In 1907, Rome granted approval for the Rule of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and Frances became a naturalized citizen of the United States. On December 21, 1917, Mother Cabrini collapsed while wrapping Christmas gifts for immigrant children; she died the next day. Canonized in 1946, she became the first American citizen to receive that honor. She is invoked as the patron of immigrants and her feast is celebrated on November 13 in the United States. In an age marked by ongoing debates over immigration policies and the rights of migrant and refugee peoples, Frances Cabrini stands before us witnessing to one of the greatest Christian truths: the protection and care of the poor and defenseless must be the concern of every Christian (cf. Matthew 25:31-46). “Armed with remarkable boldness, she started schools, hospitals, and orphanages from nothing for the masses of the poor who ventured into the new world in search of work. Not knowing the language and lacking the wherewithal to find a respectable place in American society, they were often victims of the unscrupulous. Her motherly heart, which gave her no peace, reached out to them everywhere: in hovels, prisons and mines… this little woman who, by defending the dignity of those forced to live far from their country, had become an indomitable peacemaker” (Blessed John Paul II, Message to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, May 31, 2000).

NOVEMBER 17 The recollection of an injury is a rusty arrow and poison for the soul. Francis of Paola

NOVEMBER 18 The Church of the Lord is built upon the rock of the apostles among so many dangers in the world; it, therefore, remains unmoved. Ambrose of Milan

NOVEMBER 19 None of the damned was ever lost because his sin was too great, but because his trust was too small! Francis Xavier Seelos

NOVEMBER 20 We must not fear fear. Francis de Sales

NOVEMBER 21 The Gospel is addressed to weak, poor, meek and humble men, peacemakers and the merciful, but at the same time, it contains a constant appeal to fortitude. It often repeats: “Fear not” (Matthew 14:27). John Paul II

NOVEMBER 22 Sufferings endured with the Lord are His sufferings, and bear great fruit in the context of His great work of redemption. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

NOVEMBER 23 Prize little things most of all. John Berchmans

BLESSEDS LUIGI AND MARIA BELTRAME QUATTROCCHI Born in Catania in 1880, Luigi Quattrochi married Maria Corsini (who was born in 1881) on November 25, 1905. Although Maria was initially the more devout of the two, she soon convinced her husband to accompany her to daily Mass. The couple eventually had four children, with one son becoming a diocesan priest and the other a Trappist monk, while their elder daughter became a Benedictine nun. Luigi was a successful lawyer and he served as Deputy Attorney General of Italy. Maria, who was remembered for her love of education and music, volunteered with the Red Cross during the First World War and was a prominent member of Women’s Catholic Action. During the Second World War, the couple opened their apartment to refugee families. Luigi died on November 9, 1951, and Maria followed on August 26, 1965. The couple had been married for 43 years. As devotion to the couple began to spread among the faithful, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints decided that their causes would be considered jointly because, “It was impossible to distinguish their experience of sanctity, lived together so intimately.” Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrochi were beatified together in 2001. Of their children, three were present for the ceremony, with their two sons concelebrating the Mass. Their shared feast is celebrated on November 25. In his homily at the beatification of Blesseds Luigi and Maria, Blessed John Paul II declared: “Drawing on the word of God and the witness of the saints, the blessed couple lived an ordinary life in an extraordinary way. Among the joys and anxieties of a normal family, they knew how to live an extraordinarily rich spiritual life. At the center of their life was the daily Eucharist as well as devotion to the Virgin Mary, to whom they prayed every evening with the Rosary, and consultation with wise spiritual directors… The riches of faith and love of the husband and wife, Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, are a living proof of what the Second Vatican Council said about the call of all the faithful to holiness, indicating that spouses should pursue this goal, ‘following their own way’ (Lumen gentium, n. 41). Today the aspiration of the Council is fulfilled with the first beatification of a married couple: their fidelity to the Gospel and their heroic virtues were verified in their life as spouses and parents” (Homily, October 21, 2001).

NOVEMBER 24 I only know one thing: that God is good and that He loves me immensely. All the rest, calm and storm, danger and security, life and death are nothing more than momentary and changing expressions of the eternal and unchanging Love.

Giovanni Mazzucconi

NOVEMBER 25 How great are the blessings of His goodness which He reserves for those who fear Him and shows to those who hope in Him! Augustine of Hippo

NOVEMBER 26 Let us thank God and ask for pardon because He has allowed our misery to come into contact with the treasures of His grace! Leopold Mandić

NOVEMBER 27 Let us seek the fountain of light and life and the living water by despising what we see, by leaving the world and by dwelling in the highest heavens. Columban

NOVEMBER 28 All holiness and perfection of soul lies in our love for Jesus Christ our God, who is our Redeemer and our Supreme Good. It is part of the love of God to acquire and to nurture all the virtues which make a man perfect. Alphonsus Liguori

NOVEMBER 29 First and foremost, let us surrender totally to the friendship of the Lord Jesus, our

Brother. Maria Kaupas

NOVEMBER 30 SAINT ANDREW, APOSTLE After Andrew had stayed with Jesus and had learned much from Him, he did not keep this treasure to himself, but hastened to share it with his brother. John Chrysostom As with many of the other Apostles, Andrew is a somewhat obscure figure whose life is shrouded in legend. A disciple of John the Baptist, he is honored as the “Protoclete,” the “First-Called.” The Gospel of John tells us that Andrew heard John proclaim Jesus to be “the Lamb of God;” Andrew was inspired to seek out Jesus and became his follower, eventually introducing his brother Simon (Peter) to Jesus (cf. John 1:36-40). The other gospels relate that, “As Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men’” (cf. Matthew 4:18-19; Mark 1:1617). Regardless of the details of Andrew’s call by Christ, he is undoubtedly a man of faith and hope who experienced a uniquely significant bond with Jesus. This faith and hope were manifested in a profound way by his willingness to leave behind his profession and way of life to follow Jesus. This same faith was revealed in a particular way when Andrew brought to Jesus a young boy with five barley loaves and two fish, food elements which Jesus transformed into food for the vast multitude (cf. John 6:8-9). Tradition relates that Andrew suffered martyrdom at Patras, Greece, by being crucified on a cross in the form of an X. Today he is honored as a significant figure in the work of reconciliation between the Eastern and Western Churches. When Andrew heard John’s inspired declaration about Jesus, he did not wait for signs and wonders. He recognized the truth in the Baptist’s words and sought out Jesus, allowing his life to be forever transformed.

DECEMBER 1 Jesus Christ is at once the Beginning, the Way, and the Immortal End which we must strive to gain, but above all in Holy Communion He is the Life of our souls. Matt Talbot

DECEMBER 2 This Divine Heart is an ocean full of all good things, wherein poor souls can cast all their needs… an ocean of love in which to submerge our poverty. Margaret Mary Alocoque

DECEMBER 3 Time passes, and it passes quickly: we shall soon know the reason of so many things that surprise and shock our feeble, short-sighted reason. Marie-Thérèse de Soubiran

DECEMBER 4 I can’t do big things, but I want all I do, even the smallest thing, to be for the greater glory of God. Dominic Savio

DECEMBER 5 To know the Lord is the principle of good. Abide in this knowledge and you will draw close to God. Stephen of Mar Saba

DECEMBER 6 I should be the saddest creature in the world if I knew I were not in His graces. Joan of Arc

DECEMBER 7 What will be the crown of those who, humble within and humiliated without, have experienced the humility of our Savior in all its fullness? Bernadette Soubirous

DECEMBER 8 THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION That the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception… was preserved free from all stain of original sin… is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful. Pius IX The fundamental teaching that is the basis for this feast can be found in the Collect (Opening Prayer) for the Mass of the day: “O God, / who by the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin / prepared a worthy dwelling for Your Son… as You preserved her from every stain / by virtue of the Death of Your Son, / which You foresaw, / so, through her intercession, / we, too, may be cleansed and admitted to Your presence.” Although the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was only formally promulgated by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854, this teaching is, in fact, quite ancient and has been the subject of the Church’s prayer and teaching since the early Middle Ages. Reflecting on this great mystery, Saint Louise de Marillac, foundress of the Daughters of Charity, wrote, “The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin leads us to realize and to adore the omnipotence of God because grace totally vanquished nature in her. She was saved without ever having been lost, not only through mercy but also through justice, since this was essential for the Incarnation of the Son of God in the eternal plan for the Redemption of humankind. We must, therefore, honor this Holy Conception that made her so precious in the eyes of God and believe that it depends only on us to receive the assistance of the Blessed Virgin in all our needs” (Spiritual Writings A, 31b).

DECEMBER 9 Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. Teresa of Calcutta

DECEMBER 10 Think well. Speak well. Do well. These three things, through the mercy of God, will make one go to heaven.

Camillus de Lellis

DECEMBER 11 It is in You alone, my God and my Lord, that I place all my trust and my perfect hope. Whoever hopes in You will not be put to shame. Joan Antida Thouret

DECEMBER 12 OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE By her words and her silence the Virgin Mary stands before us as a model for our pilgrim way. John Paul II Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title “Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe” centers around her shrine in Mexico City. One of the most celebrated pilgrimage centers in the world, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, “Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas” (Pope Pius XII), houses the miraculous tilma, the cactus-fiber cloak worn by Saint Juan Diego, with its image of the Blessed Virgin as a young American Indian woman. Tradition relates that in December 1531, Juan Diego, a Native American convert, experienced a series of visions of the Virgin Mary at Mount Tepeyac. During the final vision, on December 12, Juan asked the Virgin for a sign that could be given to the local bishop. Mary instructed him to go to the top of the hill and gather the roses he found there. Although it was not the time for roses, Juan found them nonetheless and filled his tilma with the fresh flowers. When he later appeared before the bishop, he opened his cloak and let the roses fall, revealing the miraculous image that has come to be known as “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” The Collect (Opening Prayer) of the Mass for today’s feast asks God to grant that all those who invoke the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe “may seek with ever more lively faith the progress of peoples in the ways of justice and peace.” In a time when religious, ethnic, economic, and political ideologies and tensions divide nations, communities, and families, the Blessed Virgin stands before us as a sign of unity and peace, fulfilling the words of Genesis: “All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in You” (cf. 12:1-3b).

DECEMBER 13 Would we want our hidden sins laid bare? Then we should be silent about the hidden sins of others. John Baptist de la Salle

DECEMBER 14

If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Teresa of Calcutta

DECEMBER 15 Gentleness is followed by peace and tranquility, and animates the soul to love God. Gerard Majella

DECEMBER 16 In the school of the saints, every baptized person is called to follow Jesus more closely. John Paul II

ADVENT THE “O” ANTIPHONS We live in a time between the comings, the Advents, of Christ. In the first Advent, Christ came into the world, bringing the good news of salvation; in the next Advent, Christ the Lord comes as Judge of the world, to establish the reign of the Word of God. This is the truth, which the world hates, which we bear in our minds and hearts and “by which we live in the world in the time between the two Advents” (William Stringfellow). In this time between the two Advents, although the world may be filled with the noise of destruction, shouts of self-assurance, and the weeping of despair and helplessness, there is, just beyond the horizon the first light of a new day. “There shines on us the first mild light of the radiant fulfillment to come… It is all far off still, and only just announced and foretold. But it is happening. This is today. And tomorrow the angels will tell what has happened with loud rejoicing voices, and we shall know it and be glad, if we have believed and trusted in Advent” (Alfed Delp, S. J., written shortly before his execution by the Nazis in 1945). From the December 17 to 23, the Church begins to look forward to the celebrations of Christmas in a more intensive and intentional way with the singing of a series of chants most commonly known as the “O” Antiphons. The singing of these ancient chants, invocations addressed to Christ using images drawn from the prophetic and wisdom writings of the Old Testament, was a solemn act in cathedrals and monasteries.

DECEMBER 17 O SAPIENTIA O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation.

DECEMBER 18 O ADONAI O sacred Lord of ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out your mighty hand to

set us free.

DECEMBER 19 O RADIX JESSE O Flower of Jesse’s stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid.

DECEMBER 20 O CLAVIS DAVID O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, controlling at your will the gate of heaven; come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and lead your captive people into freedom.

DECEMBER 21 O ORIENS O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice; come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.

DECEMBER 22 O REX GENTIUM

O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

DECEMBER 23 O EMMANUEL O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our God.

DECEMBER 24 If you reverence the truth, give thanks to the Virgin since from the ground of her virgin flesh has arisen the Truth which you worship. Bernard of Clairvaux

DECEMBER 25 CHRISTMAS—THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST Beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Creator of all things, today became our Savior by being born of a mother. Of His own will He was born for us today, in time, so that He could lead us to His Father’s eternity. Augustine of Hippo Nearly everyone has a favorite image or memory associated with the celebration of Christmas. Poems, songs, sweet and tender paintings and prints all tell the Christmas story in their own way. And the truth of Christmas can be reduced to being just that—a story. But the real meaning of the feast is captured in the first two readings of Midnight Mass (Isaiah 9:1-6 and Titus 2:11-14): God’s grace has been revealed for the salvation of all humankind. The whole earth sings a new song to the Lord; His glory must be proclaimed to all nations and peoples, “for He comes to rule the earth” (Psalm 96:13). Christmas is more than just a celebration for children. The truth of Christmas is that we encounter Christ in person; our God is no far-off deity who has no experience of our lives. Our God is truly God, but He is also a man who is all that we are. The fact of the Incarnation has changed our lives: The Lord has come to free us from sin and death. Experiencing Christ’s presence through the Church and her signs, “we recognize in Him God made visible” (Christmas Preface I). “The prophets teach us not so much to recall the Lord’s birth, in which He became flesh, as though it were past, but to gaze upon it as present to us… We retain in the ears of our hearts, as though they were spoken as today’s celebration, the words of the angel: ‘I bring you news of great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day, in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’” (Saint Leo the Great, Sermon 29, 1).

DECEMBER 26 SAINT STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR The love that brought Christ from heaven to earth raised Stephen from earth to heaven; shown first in the King, it later shone forth in His soldier. Love was Stephen’s weapon by which he gained every battle, and so won the crown. Fulgentius of Ruspe The oldest liturgical calendars include a series of saints’ feasts immediately following the celebration of Christmas. Medieval people saw these saints as a sort of cortege of honor for the new-born King, calling them the Comites Christi (“Companions of Christ”). Those honored on these days, Saint Stephen (December 26), Saint John the Evangelist (December 27), and the Holy Innocents (December 28), were considered to represent the three ways one can give their life for Christ: voluntary and martyred (Stephen), voluntary and not martyred (John), and not voluntary but martyred (the Innocents). Stephen was one of the Church’s first seven deacons. A man “full of grace and fortitude,” he worked great wonders and signs among the people (cf. Acts 6:8). Accused of blasphemy against Moses and against God, he was condemned by the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, to be cast out of the city and stoned to death. Kneeling before his murderers, he cried out with a loud voice, “Behold, I see heaven thrown open, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56). Stephen was martyred around the year 34. He is among the Church’s most celebrated saints and is honored as the patron of deacons and stonemasons. While today’s celebration of Saint Stephen, with its red vestments and theme of martyrdom, stands in stark contrast to yesterday’s celebrations of Jesus’ birth, we recall that the Incarnation brought the gift of love to humanity, a love that enables us to share in the Lord’s Divinity. The prayers offered by the Church today testify that Stephen was a model of this love and a fearless witness to the Faith.

DECEMBER 27 SAINT JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST The Disciple of Love, after having rested his head on the Heart of Jesus, says that no ear can hear, nor can the mind of man conceive the happiness of the elect. Frances Xavier Cabrini On December 27, the Church honors Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, the second of the Comites Christi, the “Companions of Christ,” who witness to us the ways we can offer our lives for the new-born King. Unlike the martyrs, Saint Stephen, whom the Church celebrated yesterday, and the Holy Innocents, who will be celebrated tomorrow, Saint John represented a way of witnessing to our Christian faith in giving ourselves wholeheartedly to Christ without suffering a martyr’s death. According to biblical accounts, John was the son of Zebedee, a fisherman from Bethsaida. He, along with the Apostle Andrew, had been a disciple of John the Baptist, before following Jesus (cf. John 1:39). Most commonly known as the “Beloved Disciple,” and honored as the author of the fourth Gospel and three New Testament letters, he often shared in some of the most significant events in Jesus’ life. As the Gospel proclaimed at today’s Mass observes, John was a witness to the truth of the Resurrection. After Pentecost, he preached the gospel in Samaria with Peter and, according to legend, he travelled to Antioch and Ephesus. Exiled to the island of Patmos, where he is traditionally believed to have written the Book of Revelation, he died there toward the end of the first century. Admittedly, today’s feast, with its retelling of the discovery of the empty tomb on Easter Sunday, might seem out of place during these days of Christmas. And yet, the vocation of the Apostles, to tell the story of Jesus, witnesses to the great truth of Christmas: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. As the First Reading for this feast, from one of the letters attributed to John, declares: “What was in the beginning, / what we have heard, / what we have seen with our eyes, / what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life, / for the life was made visible; / we have seen it and testify to it” (1 John 1:12a).

DECEMBER 28 HOLY INNOCENTS These could not speak, yet they bore witness to Christ. They could not use their limbs to engage in battle, yet they won the palm of victory. Quodvultdeus On the 28th day of December, we celebrate the last of the Comites Christi (“Companions of Chirst”). In these days after Christmas, the Holy Innocents, those infant boys of Bethlehem murdered by order of King Herod following the visit of the Magi (cf. Matthew 2:13-18), stand alongside the protomartyr, Saint Stephen, and Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, witnessing to Christ’s victory over sin and death by the power of His Incarnation. These innocent victims of Herod’s jealousy and rage gave testimony to the Messiah and Redeemer, not by any words they spoke, but by shedding their blood. Honored as martyrs by the Fathers of the Church, the Innocents have been celebrated in the Church’s liturgy since the sixth century. In his Hymn for Epiphany, the poet Prudentius praises the Innocents as “sweet flowers of martyrdom/cut down in life’s bright dawning hour,” and as playing, in their simplicity, by God’s altar with the crowns and martyrs’ palms that are their heavenly reward.

DECEMBER 29 He who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised up. John Chrysostom

DECEMBER 30 The birth of Christ is the origin of the Christian people; and the birthday of the Head is also the birthday of the body. Leo the Great

DECEMBER 31 Everything comes to an end; therefore, take heart, for we pass from one thing to another until at last we arrive at eternity. Even seeing how things of this world end so quickly ought to console us, because we are approaching more closely and more quickly that end towards which all our activities should tend. Teresa Margaret Redi

APPENDIX: BIOGRAPHIES Saint Adalhard of Corbie (ca. 751-827)—Benedictine monk and co-founder of the abbey of New Corbie near modern-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Saint Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167)—English Cistercian abbot of Revensby and Rievaulx. Saint Aelred is especially celebrated for sermons and prayers, particularly his treatise On Spiritual Friendship. He was canonized in 1191. Saint Alberic Crescetielli (1863-1900)—Italian priest and member of the Pontificial Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). Martyred in Shanxi, China, on July 21, 1900, he was canonized in 2000. Blessed Alfons Maria Mazurek (1891-1944)—Polish Discalced Carmelite priest murdered by the Nazis for being a significant leader within the Catholic Church on August 28, 1944. Mazurek was one of the 108 Polish Martyrs of World War II beatified in 1999. Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591)—Heir of the powerful Gonzaga family of Castiglione and prince of the Holy Roman Empire, he renounced his title and inheritance to become a Jesuit. Aloysius died as a result of tending plague victims at the age of 23, on June 21, 1591. Canonized in 1726, he is honored as the patron of youth and of those suffering from HIV/AIDS and their caregivers. Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787)—Italian bishop of Sant’ Agata de’ Goti, he is the founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (the Redemptorists) and is especially honored as one of the most significant spiritual writers in the Church’s history. Canonized in 1839, he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church 1871. Liguori is honored as the patron of moral theologians and confessors and of those suffering from arthritis. Blessed Amadeus of Lausanne (1110-1159)—A courtier of King Henry V of Savoy and Burgundy, Amadeus became a Cistercian monk at Clairvaux. Appointed abbot of Ilautecombe Abbey, he was named bishop of Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1144. Devotion to Blessed Amadeus was confirmed in 1903. Saint Ambrose of Milan (ca. 340-397)—Roman scholar elected bishop of Milan in 374, Ambrose wrote extensively against various heresies. One of the most significant of the Fathers of the Church, he died on April 4, 397. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1298, he is honored as the patron of beekeepers, candlemakers, and students. Blessed Andrea Giacinto Longhin (1863-1936)—Italian Capuchin Franciscan who was appointed bishop of Treviso, Italy, in 1904. Known as a reformer and promoter of peace, Bishop Longhin was a strong opponent to the Fascist government. Andrea Longhin died on

June 26, 1936, and was beatified in 2002. Saint Andrew of Crete (ca. 660-ca.740)—A noted preacher and author of a number of Greek liturgical texts and poems, he was appointed archbishop of Gortyna, Crete, around the year 700. Saint Angela Merici (1474-1540)—Italian Franciscan Tertiary and foundress of the Company of Saint Ursula (the Ursuline Sisters). Canonized in 1807, she is honored as a patron of those with physical disabilities and of orphans. Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)—Benedictine Abbot of Bec who was elected archbishop of Canterbury in 1092. A strong defender of the Catholic Faith and the rights of the Church, Anselm was a great theologian and philosopher, especially remembered for his Prosologion. Anselm died at Canterbury on April 21, 1109, and was canonized in 1492. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1720. Saint Anthony the Abbot (251-356)—Egyptian mystic and monastic founder. A strong opponent of the Arian heresy, Anthony was venerated as a saint immediately following his death in 356. He is honored as the patron of farm animals (especially pigs and pig farmers), basket makers, grave diggers, and monks, and he is invoked against various illnesses, especially diseases of the skin. Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231)—Portuguese Franciscan who became a widely celebrated preacher and teacher of theology in France and Italy. One of the Church’s most beloved saints, Anthony died on June 13, 1231, and was canonized in 1232. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1946,he is honored as a patron of the poor. Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539)—Italian priest and founder of the Clerks Regular of Saint Paul (the Barnabites) and the Angelics of Saint Paul, a community of uncloistered nuns. Greatly devoted to the mystery of the Lord’s Passion and the Blessed Sacrament, he dedicated his life to preaching and serving the poor. Anthony Zaccaria died on July 5, 1539, and was canonized in 1897. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (ca. 295-373)—Egyptian deacon of Saint Alexander of Alexandria, whom he succeeded as bishop around the year 328. Known for his defense of the divinity of Jesus against the Arians, Athanasius died on May 2, 373. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1568. Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430)—Bishop of Hippo, North Africa, Augustine is honored as one the most significant theologians in Church history. Acclaimed for his City of God, Confessions, and numerous sermons, letters, and treatises on Scripture and other topics, Augustine died on August 28, 430. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1298, he is the patron of theologians.

Saint Austerius of Amasea (d. ca. 400)—Little is known of this 5th century bishop and coworker of Saints Basil the Great, Gregory Nazianzen, and Gregory of Nyssa. Sixteen of his sermons and an account of the martyrdom of Saint Euphemia have survived. Saint Basil the Great (329-379)—Archbishop of Caesarea who is honored for his strong opposition to the Arian heresy and as a father of Christian monasticism. Basil the Great was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1568. Saint Bede the Venerable (672-735)—English Benedictine monk and priest of Ss. Peter and Paul Abbey at Wearmouth-Jarrow. A prolific writer, who is especially remembered for his numerous commentaries on Scripture and his Ecclesiastical History of the English People, and honored as one of the most learned men of his day, Bede “the Venerable” was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1899. Saint Benedict of Nursia (ca. 480-547)—Italian abbot and “Father of Western Monasticism.” Especially honored for his Rule, Benedict died on March 21, 547, and is invoked against a variety of illnesses and during times of temptation and as a patron of monks, and of Europe. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre (1748-1783)—French pilgrim and penitent, most especially remembered for his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and charity, despite his own absolute poverty. Saint Benedict Joseph Labre was canonized in 1881 and is the patron of the homeless and of pilgrims. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)—French abbot and monastic reformer who is especially remembered for his commitment to the Cistercian monastic ideal and his work as a preacher and promoter of reform within the Church. Canonized in 1170, Bernard of Clairvaux was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1830. Saint Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879)—French peasant girl who witnessed the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Lourdes, France, in 1858. Ending her short life as a Sister of Charity of Nevers, she died on April 16, 1879, and was canonized in 1933. Saint Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444)—Franciscan priest and missionary, especially known for his charismatic preaching and devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus. Saint Bernardine is honored as the patron of those who work in advertising, communications, and public relations on account of the many conversions that came about because of his preaching. Blessed Blandina Merten (1883-1918)—German Ursuline Sister who, after a brief career as a teacher, was stricken with tuberculosis and who devoted the remainder of her life to prayer, offering her illness for the salvation of others. Blessed Blandina was beatified in 1997.

Saint Boniface of Mainz (ca. 673-754)—English Benedictine monk and missionary. Honored as the “Apostle of Germany,” Boniface established several dioceses and monasteries before being martyred by pagan opponents of Christianity. He is honored as the patron of Germany. Saint Braulio of Zaragoza (ca. 590-ca. 651)—A monk of the monastery of Santa Engratia in Zaragoza, Spain, Braulio was ordained bishop of that city in 624. Known for his opposition to heresy, he is remembered as a writer and supporter of the work of Saint Isidore of Seville. Saint Bridget of Sweden (1302/3-1373)—Swedish mystic and foundress of the Order of the Most Holy Savior (the Brigittines). Canonized in 1391, Saint Bridget is honored as the patron of Sweden and as one of the patrons of Europe. Saint Bruno of Cologne (ca.1030-1101)—German priest and founder of the Carthusian Order. Revered for his spirit of prayer, extreme mortification, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin, Saint Bruno was canonized in 1623. Saint Cajetan Thienne (1480-1547)—Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of Clerks Regular (the Theatines). Honored for his charity for the poor, work to renew the clergy, and missionary zeal, Cajetan was canonized in 1671. He is honored as the patron of those seeking employment. Saint Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614)—Italian priest and founder of the Order of the Servants of the Sick (the Camillians). Remembered for his tireless work on behalf of the sick-poor and his love of Christ present in those whom he served, Camillus was canonized in 1746 and is honored as the patron of the sick, of hospitals, and of those who care for the sick. Blessed Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago (1918-1962)—Puerto Rican layman. As a lay minister, Blessed Carlos promoted liturgical renewal among both clergy and laity, publishing the magazines Liturgy and Christian Culture, and he was especially devoted to the Easter Vigil. He was beatified in 2001. Saint Catherine of Bologna (1413-1463)—Italian Poor Clare Abbess and patron saint of artists, Catherine was honored as a mystic and miracle worker during her life. A gifted painter and illuminator of manuscripts, she was canonized in 1712. Saint Catherine of Siena (1347-1380)—Italian Dominican Tertiary, mystic, and promoter of Church reform, Catherine of Siena is especially remembered for her Spiritual Dialogue. Canonized in 1461, she was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970. She is honored as patron of nurses and firefighters, and as one of the patrons of Europe. Saint Catherine dei Ricci (1522-1590)—Italian Dominican nun and mystic. Devoted to the Passion of Christ and known for the prayers and penance she offered for the souls in

Purgatory, Catherine dei Ricci was canonized in 1746 and is honored as one of the patrons of the sick. Saint Catherine Labouré (1806-1876)—French Daughter of Charity who witnessed the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the Rue du Bac in Paris in 1830. Promoter of the Miraculous Medal, which she had created at Mary’s request, Catherine Labouré was canonized in 1947. Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916)—French priest and Founder of the Union of Brothers and Sisters of the Sacred Heart. After his conversion from a life of excess and pleasure, de Foucauld dedicated his life to evangelizing society by living a hidden life of prayer and service, eventually settling among the Tuareg people of Algeria, where he was killed in the crossfire between French soldiers and local insurrectionists. He was beatified in 2001. Saint Charles of Sezze (1613-1670)—Italian Franciscan lay brother and writer, especially remembered for his spirit of prayer and devotion to the Eucharist and the Passion of the Lord. A noted mystic, stigmatic, and counselor of the rich and poor, he was canonized in 1959. Saint Chromatius of Aquilea (d. 406-407)—Bishop of Aquilea, Italy. A strong opponent of the Arian heresy, Chromatius was the author of several commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew; 38 previously unknown sermons by Saint Chromatius were discovered in 1969. Saint Clare of Assisi (1194-1253)—Italian foundress of the Poor Clares, Clare was a noted mystic and supporter of the work of her fellow townsman and saint, Francis. Canonized in 1255, she is honored as the patron of television, embroiderers, and needle workers. Blessed Claudine Thívenet (1774-1837)—French foundress of the Religious of Jesus and Mary (Sisters of Jesus-Marie). A dedicated teacher and faithful religious, she was canonized in 2004. Saint Clement I (d. ca. 101)—Traditionally believed to have been one of the 70 disciples sent out by Jesus (cf.Luke 10:1-24), he became the fourth pope around the year 88. The author of at least one letter to the church at Corinth, and honored as one of the Apostolic Fathers, Pope Saint Clement was exiled to modern-day Ukraine and martyred around the year 101. He is honored as one of the patrons of sailors and of stone and marble workers. Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer (1751-1820)—Born in Moravia (in the modern Czech Republic), Clement Hofbauer was a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Honored as the “Apostle of Vienna” and the “second founder” of the Redemptorists, he was a noted preacher who worked to revitalize the Catholic Faith in Germany and Austria. Clement Mary Hofbauer was canonized in 1909.

Blessed Columba Marmion (1858-1923)—Irish-born Benedictine abbot of Maredsous Abbey, Denée, Namur, Belgium. A noted spiritual writer and retreat master, Marmion was beatified in 2000. Saint Columban (543-615)—Irish monk and missionary who founded an abbey near Bobbio, Italy, which became a center of evangelization for centuries. Blessed Contardo Ferreni (1859-1902)—Italian layman of the Archdiocese of Milan, Franciscan Tertiary, Society of Saint Vincent De Paul member, and canon lawyer. Blessed Contardo Ferreni, a professor at the Universities of Pavia and Paris, is one of the patrons of colleges and universities and was beatified in 1947. Saint Cyprian of Carthage (190-258)—North African bishop and spiritual writer. After being exiled during the reign of the emperor Valerian, he was martyred in 258. Saint Cyprian is honored as the patron of Algeria and all of North Africa. Saint Cyril of Alexandria (376-444)—Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, and noted spiritual writer. Especially honored for his defense of Mary’s title of “Mother of God,” Saint Cyril of Alexandria was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1883. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386)—Bishop of Jerusalem and opponent of the Arian Heresy, Saint Cyril was a famed spiritual writer acclaimed for his Jerusalem Catecheses. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1883. Blessed Dominic Barberi (1792-1849)—Italian Passionist priest and acclaimed teacher and spiritual director. A tireless preacher and missionary, Dominic established the first Passionist house outside of Italy and, having received Blessed John Henry Newman into the Church, he dedicated the last years of his life to bringing the people of England to the Catholic Faith. Blessed Dominic Barberi was beatified in 1963. Blessed Dominic Iturrate Zubero (1901-1927)—Spanish priest of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity (the Trinitarians). Known for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Blessed Dominic Zubero was beatified in 1983. Saint Dominic Savio (1842-1857)—Spiritual son of Saint John Bosco. Saint Dominic Savio, honored for his simple spirit and piety, was canonized in 1954. Saint Dwynwen (d. ca. 460)—Welsh princess who became a nun on Llanddwyn Island on the coast of Anglesey. Her well became a popular place for pilgrims and those seeking love. Saint Dwynwen is honored as the patron of lovers (in Wales) and of sick animals. Saint Edmund of Abingdon (1175-1240)—English Benedictine monk who became a professor of art, mathematics, philosophy, and theology at Oxford University before being

consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury in 1234. Known as a reformer and supporter of the rights of the Church, he died in Burgundy in 1240 while on his way to Rome to seek papal support against King Henry III. He was canonized in 1274. Saint Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231)—The daughter of King Andrew of Hungary, Elizabeth married Prince Louis of Thuringia when she was 13. Known for her care for the poor, this mother of four became a Franciscan Tertiary following her husband’s death. Elizabeth of Hungary died in 1231 and was canonized in 1235. She is honored as the patron of hospitals, bakers, brides, and the Franciscan Third Order. Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity (1880-1906)—French Carmelite nun. Remembered especially for her numerous letters and the spiritual guidance she offered to those who sought her counsel, Elizabeth of the Trinity was beatified in 1984. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821)—American mother, widow, and foundress of the Sisters of Charity, the first American religious community. Mother Seton, a convert from Anglicanism, is credited with establishing the parochial school system in the United States. The first American-born saint, she was canonized in 1975. Blessed Emilie Gamelin (1800-1851)—Canadian foundress of the Sisters of Providence in Montreal. Remembered for her untiring care for the poor and indefatigable faith, Blessed Emilie Gamelin was beatified in 2001. Saint Ephrem of Syria (306-373)—Syrian monk and deacon, Ephrem is especially honored for his many homilies, poems, and hymns, which he used to battle the heresies of Gnosticism and Arianism. Saint Ephrem, known for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1920. Saint Eugenius of Carthage (d. 505)—North African bishop of Carthage and opponent of the Arian heresy. Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen (1477-1622)—German Franciscan Capuchin preacher and missionary who was martyred by Swiss Calvinists. Honored as the “Hammer of Heretics,” Saint Fidelis was canonized in 1746. Saint Frances Salesia Aviat (1844-1914)—French foundress of the Sister Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales. Remembered for her commitment to improving the lives of poor girls exploited in the factories of the Industrial Revolution, Saint Frances Aviat was canonized in 2001. Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917)—Italian-born foundress of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Committed to serving the needs of Italian immigrants in the United States, Mother Cabrini extended her missionary work to South America and parts

of Europe. The first American citizen to be recognized as a saint, she was canonized in 1937 and is honored as the patron of immigrants. Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)—Italian deacon, mystic, and founder of the Order of Friars Minor (the Franciscans). One of the most beloved saints of all time, Francis of Assisi is especially remembered for his care for the poor, dedication to reform, and his intense spirit of prayer. He was canonized in 1228 and is honored as patron of those working to protect the environment and animals. Saint Francis of Paola (1416-1507)—Italian founder of the Order of Minims. Recognized for many miracles and for his dedication to the heremitical life, Saint Francis of Paola was canonized in 1519. He is honored as a patron of sailors. Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)—French bishop of Geneva, Switzerland, and founder of the Nuns of the Order of the Visitation. De Sales is most especially honored for his Introduction to the Devout Life and his many letters and sermons advocating a simple, balanced approach to spirituality and doctrine. Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1877, he is honored as the patron of Catholic writers and publishers and of journalists. Blessed Francis Faà di Bruno (1825-1888)—Italian priest and professor of mathematics at the University of Turin. Although he is most especially remembered for his numerous and important contributions to mathematics (especially the Faà di Bruno Formula), he also left behind certain spiritual treatises and compositions of sacred music. Francis Faà di Bruno was beatified in 1988. Saint Francis Xavier (1506-1552)—Portuguese Jesuit missionary to the Far East. Honored as the patron of missionaries, Francis Xavier was among the first companions of Saint Ignatius Loyola and is renowned for his tireless efforts for the spread of the Gospel. He was canonized in 1622 and is honored as the patron of Australia, Borneo, China, India, Japan, and New Zealand. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos (1819-1867)—Bavarian-born Redemptorist priest. After immigrating to the United States, Seelos served as superior of the American Redemptorists and as a mission-preacher in 10 states. He died while serving as a pastor in New Orleans, Louisiana. Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos was beatified in 2000. Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe (ca. 465-533)—Born in modern-day Tunis, Tunisia, Fulgentius was a monk before being elected bishop of Ruspe (modern Kudiat Rosfa, Tunisia), where he proved himself to be a powerful preacher and strong opponent of the Arian heresy. Saint Gaudentius of Brescia (d. 410)—Bishop of Brescia, Italy, and author of numerous pastoral letters and sermons.

Saint Gemma Galgani (1878-1903)—Italian mystic and lay Passionist. An acclaimed visionary and stigmatic, Saint Gemma was canonized in 1940 and is honored as one of the patrons of students and of pharmacists. Saint Gerard Majella (1725-1755)—Italian Redemptorist lay brother, honored for his humility and the many miracles attributed to his intercession. Saint Gerard Majella was canonized in 1904 and is honored as the patron of expectant mothers, unborn children, and as one of the patrons of lay brothers. Saint Gianna Beretta Molla (1922-1962)—Italian physician and mother of four. She refused to abort her child to save her own life after being diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and died one week after the child’s birth. Saint Gianna Molla was canonized in 2004. Blessed Giles of Assisi (d. 1262)—A friend and the third follower of Saint Francis of Assisi, he died while living as a hermit in Fabriano, Italy. A highly acclaimed spiritual advisor, he is especially celebrated for the collection of Sayings attributed to him. Blessed Giovanni Mazzucconi (1826-1855)—Italian priest and member of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME). Blessed Giovanni suffered martyrdom while serving as a missionary in Papua New Guinea and was beatified in 1984. Saint Gregory the Great (ca. 540-604)—Roman nobleman who became a monk before being elected Pope. A faithful pastor, styling himself “Servant of the Servants of God,” he sent the first missionaries to evangelize England and supported the growth of the Church in France, Spain, and Africa. This noted theologian and spiritual writer was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1298. Saint Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 333-ca. 398)—Cappadocian monk and bishop of Nyssa, Lower Armenia, later elected Archbishop of Sebaste. A strong opponent of Arianism and the Meletian heresy, he is honored for his theology of the Trinity and his Life of Moses. Saint Gregory Nazianzen ( 330-390)—Close friend of Saint Basil the Great and Bishop Constantinople. A staunch opponent of the Arians and a prolific spiritual writer and poet, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1568. Saint Hannibal di Francia (1851-1927)—Italian priest and founder of the Daughters of Divine Zeal and the Rogationist Fathers and Brothers. Dedicated to praying for vocations and for his care for orphans, the deaf, and the aged, Hannibal di Francia was canonized in 2004. Saint Hedwig (1174-1243)—Bavarian-born wife of Prince Henry I of Silesia and Poland, Hedwig entered the Cistercian monastery of Trebnitz following the death of her husband. Especially honored for her concern for the poor, Hedwig is often invoked by those in difficult marriages and is a patron of widows.

Venerable Henriette Delille (1813-1862)—New Orleans-born foundress of the Sisters of the Holy Family, a religious community comprised of African-American women. Known for her love of the sick and of children, she was declared Venerable in 2010. Saint Henry (972-1024)—Holy Roman Emperor. Husband of Saint Cunegunda and staunch defender of the rights of the Church, Saint Henry was canonized in 1146 and is honored as the patron of Benedictine Oblates and of the physically challenged. Blessed Henry Suso (ca. 1300-1366)—Dominican priest and mystic. A student of Meister Eckhart, Henry Suso was a noted spiritual writer and is especially remembered for his Little Book of Wisdom and Little Book of Eternal Truth and was beatified in 1831. Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)—German Benedictine abbess and noted mystic. Hildegard is especially honored for her charismatic leadership, musical compositions, and prolific writings, including the Scivias, the Play of the Virtues, and Book of Life’s Merits. Saint Hippolytus (170-235)—Roman priest and martyr. Hippolytus, who is considered to have been the first antipope, was an important theologian of the Early Church, remembered especially for his Refutation of Heresies and Scriptural commentaries. He is honored as the patron of those who work in prisons. Saint Ignatius of Antioch (ca. 35-ca. 107)—Apostolic Father and bishop of Antioch. Ignatius is especially honored as a martyr and for the series of letters he composed as he was being taken to Rome for execution. Saint Ignatius Loyola (1491-1546)—Spanish priest and founder of the Society of Jesus. Author of the Spiritual Exercises and an autobiography, he is one of the most significant spiritual writers in the Church’s history. Saint Ignatius Loyola was canonized in 1622. Saint Innocent I (d. 417)—Pope and martyr who worked to extend the authority of the Papacy and defend orthodox teaching against the heresy of Pelagius. Saint Irenaeus of Lyons (d. ca. 202)—Bishop of Lyons, France, and martyr. Honored as one of the great Fathers of the Church, his writings, particularly his Treatise Against Heresies and The Scandal of the Incarnation, had a profound impact on the development of Christian theology. Blessed Isaac of Stella (ca. 1100-ca.1169)—English Cistercian monk, theologian, and philosopher. A contemporary of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, he was renowned for his holiness and teachings. Saint Isaac Jogues (1607-1646)—French-born Jesuit priest and missionary. Honored as one of the North American Martyrs, Saint Isaac Jogues was murdered by an Iroquois chief near

modern-day Auriesville, New York. The North American Martyrs were canonized in 1930. Saint Isidore of Seville (ca. 560-636)—Spanish bishop and Doctor of the Church. Honored as the most learned man of his day, Isidore was a prolific author and is especially remembered for his History of the Goths and Encyclopedia, he is credited with instituting the Mozarabic Liturgy. Saint Isidore was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1722 and he is popularly honored as patron of the Internet. Blessed Isidore de Loor (1881-1916)—Belgian Passionist lay brother renowned for his intense prayer life, simplicity, and charity. Blessed Isidore was beatified in 1914. Blessed Jaime Hilario Barbel (1898-1937)—Spanish de La Salle Christian Brother and martyr. Saint Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)—French widow and co-foundress of the Nuns of the Order of the Visitation. A close friend and directee of Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Jane de Chantal served as a wise religious superior who oversaw the establishment of 69 convents. She was canonized in 1767 and is honored as the patron of widows. Saint Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649)—French Jesuit priest and martyr. Honored as one of the North American Martyrs, he was tortured to death by the Iroquois in 1649. The North American Martyrs were canonized in 1930. Saint Jean-Gabriel Perboyre (1802-1840)—French Vincentian priest and martyr. A highlyregarded missionary in China, Saint Jean Gabriel Perboyre was canonized in 1996. Saint Jerome (347-419)—Roman priest and monk. Jerome is most especially remembered for his translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate) and for his many commentaries and letters. Patron of Bible scholars, librarians, students, and translators, he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1298. Saint Jerome Emiliani (1481-1537)—Italian priest and founder of the Clerks Regular of Somasca (the Somascan Fathers). Dedicated to the care of orphans, the sick, and destitute women (especially prostitutes), Jerome Emiliani was canonized in 1767. He is honored as the patron of orphans and foster children. Saint Joan of Arc (1412-1431)—French patriot and mystic. Saint Joan of Arc was canonized in 1920 and is the patron of France and of soldiers. Saint Joan Antida Thouret (1765-1828)—French-born foundress of the Institute of the Daughters of Saint Vincent de Paul (the Sisters of Charist of St. Joan Antida Thouret). Acclaimed for her work as a foundress of schools and hospitals in France, Switzerland, and Italy, she was canonized in 1934.

Blessed Joanna Maria Bonomo (1606-1670)—Italian Benedictine abbess. Honored as a mystic, Blessed Joanna Maria was beatified in 1783. Blessed John XXIII (1881-1963)—Pope and reformer. Especially remembered for having convoked the Second Vatican Council (1962) and the Encyclical Pacem in Terris, Pope John was beatified in 2000. Saint John the Almoner (ca. 550-ca.616)—Cyprus-born nobleman who later became Patriarch of Alexandria. Known as “the Almoner” because of charity toward the poor and refugees, he was honored as the principle patron of the Knights Hospitallers. Saint John of Avila (1499-1569)—Spanish diocesan priest and spiritual writer, most especially honored for his Audi, Filia. Named patron of the Spanish clergy, he was a close collaborator of Saint Ignatius Loyola and Saint Teresa of Avila, among others. Saint John of Avila was canonized in 1970. Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591)—Spanish Discalced Carmelite priest and mystic. John of the Cross is best-known for his close ties to Saint Teresa of Avila, with whom he reformed the Carmelite Order, and for his many writings on the spiritual life, especially The Dark Night of the Soul and The Spiritual Canticle. Saint John of the Cross was canonized in 1726 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1926. Blessed John of Ford (ca. 1140-1214)—English Cistercian abbot. A noted preacher, John of Ford is known for his biography of Wulfric of Haselbery and his work of completing the series of sermons on the Song of Songs begun by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Saint John of God (1495-1550)—Spanish priest and founder of the Order of Hospitallers (the Hospitaller Brothers of Saint John of God). Honored as patron of the sick, hospitals, nurses, and booksellers, John of God was canonized in 1690. Blessed John of Rieti (d. ca. 1350)—Italian Augustinian friar. Celebrated for his spirit of hospitality and care for the poor and travelers, John of Rieti was beatified in 1832. Saint John Almond (ca. 1577-1612)—English priest and martyr honored as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Saint John Almond was canonized in 1970. Saint John Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719)—French priest and educator. Especially honored for his On the Conduct of Christian Schools and as the founder of the Brothers of Christian Schools, John Baptist de la Salle was canonized in 1900 and is honored as the patron of teachers. Saint John Berchmans (1599-1621)—Belgian Jesuit scholastic. John Berchmans died at the age of 23 while studying in Rome. Canonized in 1888, he is honored as the patron of altar

servers. Saint John Bosco (1815-1888)—Italian priest and founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. Canonized in 1929, Saint John Bosco is honored as the patron of editors, students, and circus performers and magicians. Saint John Calabria (1873-1954)—Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Divine Providence. Honored for his care for abandoned youth, John Calabria was canonized in 1999. Saint John Chrysostom (ca. 347-407)—Patriarch of Constantinople and one of the most revered of the Fathers of the Church. Saint John Chrysostom, noted preacher and theologian, was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1568 and is honored as the patron of preachers. Saint John Climacus (ca. 525-606)—Syrian monk and hermit. John Climacus is most celebrated for his writings on monastic spirituality. Saint John Damascene (676-749)—Syrian priest and monk. Known for his Fountain of Wisdom and other works defending the Faith (particularly the use of icons), John Damascene was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1890. Saint John Eudes (1601-1680)—French priest and founder of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (the Eudist Fathers) and the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity. A staunch promoter of devotion to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary and his work for the formation of the clergy, John Eudes was canonized in 1925. Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890)—English Cardinal and member of the Congregation of the Oratory. A convert from Anglicanism, Cardinal Newman was a prolific author and is renowned for his thoughtful, comprehensive writings in theology and philosophy. He was beatified in 2010. Saint John Neumann (1811-1860)—Bohemian (Czech)-born Redemptorist bishop of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. An esteemed pastor and founder of parishes, schools, and religious communities, John Neumann was canonized in 1977. Blessed John Paul II (1920-2005)—Polish pope. One of the most significant figures of the 20th century, John Paul II is especially remembered for his Theology of the Body and for being a Pope “for the world.” Strongly devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and a tireless promoter of the dignity of the human person, he was beatified in 2011. Blessed John Ruysbroek (1295-1381)—Belgian Augustinian canon and spiritual writer. Honored as a great contemplative and as the greatest Flemish mystic, Blessed John was beatified in 1908.

Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)—French priest of Ars, France. Known for his simplicity, straightforward spirituality, and generosity, John Marie Vianney was canonized in 1925. He is honored as the patron of priests. Blessed Jordan of Saxony (ca. 1190-1237)—Saxon Dominican priest. Blessed Jordan, who succeeded Saint Dominic as Master-General of the Dominican Order, was a noted preacher and is credited with the spread of the Dominicans in Germany and Denmark. Pope Leo XII confirmed devotion to Blessed Jordan in 1825. Saint Josemaria Escrivá (1902-1975)—Spanish priest and founder of Opus Dei as a way for the faithful to sanctify themselves in the midst of the world through their work and fulfillment of their personal and familial duties. Saint Josemaria Escrivá was canonized in 2002. Saint Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860)—Italian priest, revered as a confessor and for his work in prisons and with the condemned. Joseph Cafasso was canonized in 1947 and he is the patron of those in prison. Saint Joseph Frienademetz (1852-1908)—Italian priest and Divine Word Missionary to China. Canonized in 2003, Saint Joseph Frienademetz is especially remembered for his courage and dedication to his mission in the face of persecution by China’s anti-Christian government. Saint Joseph Manyanet y Vivès (1833-1901)—Spanish founder of the Sons and Daughters of the Holy Family. A zealous educator and pastor of youth, he was canonized in 2004. Saint Josephine Bakhita (1868-1947)—Sudanese slave who later joined the Canossian Daughters of Charity. Celebrated for her spirit of forgiveness toward her former captors, her simplicity, and her generosity, Josephine Bakhita was canonized in 2000. Blessed Julian of Norwich (ca. 1342-ca. 1423)—English recluse and mystic, most especially remembered for her book, Revelations of Divine Love. Never formally beatified, she is honored with the title of “Blessed” due to popular devotion. Blessed Junipero Serra (1713-1784)—Franciscan priest, born in Spanish Majorca, who dedicated his life and ministry to missionary work among Native Americans. Junipero Serra, the “Apostle of California,” was beatified in 1985, and is largely responsible for the establishment of Catholicism along the Western coast of the United States. Saint Katharine Drexel (1858-1955)—Philadelphia-born foundress of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People. Mother Drexel is most honored for her tireless work of founding schools and mission centers for the advancement of Native and African Americans. She was canonized in 2000.

Blessed Laura Vicuña (1891-1904)—Blessed Laura was born in Santiago, Chile. Remembered as a pious, happy child, she died in Junín de los Andes, Argentina, of complications of pulmonary tuberculosis, after being beaten by her stepfather. Laura offered her life for the salvation of her mother. Beatified in 1988, she is the patron of victims of abuse. Saint Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619)—Italian Capuchin Franciscan priest. Saint Lawrence of Brindisi was a noted author of catechisms and a missionary. Remembered for his many sermons and letters, he was canonized in 1881 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1959. Saint Lawrence Justiniani (1381-1455)—Italian Augustinian Canon and Patriarch of Venice. A noted author on prayer and contemplation, Saint Lawrence is honored as a great miracle-worker. He was canonized in 1690. Saint Leander of Seville (ca. 534-ca. 600)—Honored as a “Doctor of the Faith” in his native Spain. Saint Leander, the elder brother of Saint Isidore of Seville and Saint Florentina, is remembered for ending the Arian heresy in Spain, for introducing the Nicene Creed into the Mass, and for his influential Rule for nuns. Saint Leo the Great (ca. 400-461)—Pope. Saint Leo I (the Great), especially celebrated for his many sermons and letters defending the mystery of the Incarnation and orthodox Christianity. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1574. Saint Leonard of Port Maurice (1676-1751)—Italian Franciscan priest and preacher. A staunch promoter of devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, the Sacred Heart, the Immaculate Conception, and the Stations of the Cross. He was canonized in 1876 and is honored as the patron of parish missions. Saint Leopold Mandić ( 1866-1942)—Croatian Franciscan priest. Saint Leopold Mandić is especially honored for the many years he spent as a confessor in Padua, Italy. He was canonized in 1983. Saint Louis of Anjou (1274-1297)—Franciscan bishop. The son of the King of Naples, Louis (also known as Louis of Toulouse) renounced his inheritance and entered the Franciscan Order. He was reluctantly ordained bishop of Toulouse shortly before his death; he was canonized in 1317. Saint Louise de Marillac (1591-1660)—French widow and co-foundress of the Daughters of Charity. A co-worker of Saint Vincent de Paul, Louise de Marillac is especially remembered for her balanced approach to spirituality and the religious life. She was canonized in 1934 and is honored as the patron of social workers.

Saint Luigi Orione (1872-1940)—Italian priest and founder of the Sons of Divine Providence and the Congregation of Little Missionary Sisters of Charity. Remembered for his unhesitating love for the poor, Luigi Orione was canonized in 2004. Saint Madeline Sophie Barat (1779-1865)—French foundress of the Religious of the Sacred Heart. During her life, Mother Barat founded more than 105 convents and schools for the education of young women. She was canonized in 1925. Blessed Marcel Callo (1921-1945)—French layman martyred by the Nazis. Marcel Callo was beatified in 1987. Saint Marcian of Constantinople (d. ca. 480)—Priest from Constantinople, especially revered for his selfless generosity. Saint Marcian, revered as a miracle-worker, is also remembered for his many hymns. Saint Margaret Clitherow (1556-1586)—English wife and mother, martyred during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Condemned for her adherence to the Catholic Faith and for sheltering priests, Saint Margaret is honored as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales canonized in 1970. Saint Margaret Mary Alocoque (1647-1690)—French nun of the Order of the Visitation. Saint Margaret Mary is especially honored for the visions of Christ she received and for spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was canonized in 1920 and is invoked by those suffering from polio. Saint Marguerite d’Youville (1701-1771)—Canadian widow and foundress of the Sisters of Charity of Montreal (the “Grey Nuns”). Honored for her care of the sick and her support of the growth of the Church in Canada, she was canonized in 1990. She is invoked as one of the patrons of those suffering difficult marriages and victims of adultery. Venerable Maria Elena Bettini (1814-1894)—Italian foundress of the Daughters of Divine Providence. Mother Bettini was declared Venerable in 1994. Blessed Maria Enrica Dominici (1829-1894)—Italian member of the Sisters of Saint Anne. Having served as superior of her congregation for 33 years, Blessed Maria Enrica was beatified in 1978. Saint Maria Josepha Rosello (1811-1888)—Italian foundress of the Institute of the Daughters of Mercy. Remembered for her dedication to the education of young women and missionary spirit, she was canonized in 1949. Saint Marie-Eugénie Milleret (1817-1898)—French foundress of the Religious of the Assumption. An honored social reformer and promoter of equality and justice, Saint Marie-

Eugénie was canonized in 2007. Saint Maria Goretti (1890-1902)—Italian girl who died as a result of being stabbed repeatedly after refusing the sexual advances of a family acquaintance. Saint Maria Goretti was canonized in 1950. Venerable Maria Kaupas (1880-1940)—Lithuanian foundress of the Sisters of Saint Casimir. Mother Maria founded her Chicago-based religious community to serve the educational needs of Lithuanian immigrants in the United States. She was declared Venerable in 2010. Blessed Marianne Cope (1838-1918)—German-born Sister of St. Francis of Syracuse, New York. Mother Marianne dedicated herself to serving the victims of Hansen’s Disease along with Saint Damien de Veuster on the island of Moloka` i, Hawaii. Beatified in 2005, Mother Marianne will be canonized in 2012. Blessed Marie-Thérèse de Soubiran (1834-1889)—French foundress of the Society of Marie-Auxiliatrice. Honored for her commitment to her faith and religious vocation despite fierce persecution from within her own community, she was beatified in 1946. Saint Martin of Braga (ca. 515-580)—Bishop of Braga, Portugal, and noted preacher. His homilies on morality, liturgy, and asceticism make him a notable author of the 6th century. Blessed Mary of the Angels Ginard Martí (1894-1936)— Spanish religious of the Congregation of Sisters, Zealous of Eucharistic Devotion. Blessed Mary of the Angels was martyred during the persecutions of the Spanish Civil War. She was beatified in 2005. Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified Baouardy (1846-1878)— Palestinian-born religious Carmelite missionary. After establishing a Carmelite monastery in Mangalore, India, she founded a Carmel in Bethlehem in 1875. Known for her devotion to the Holy Spirit, Blessed Mary of Jesus Crucified was beatified in 1983. Saint Mary Mazzarello (1837-1881)—Italian co-foundress of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. A close collaborator of Saint John Bosco, Saint Mary Mazzarello was canonized in 1951. Saint Martial of Cordoba (d. ca. 850)—One of a group of martyrs killed in Córdoba, Spain, during the Muslim conquest. Venerable Matt Talbot (1856-1925)—Irish layman. An unskilled laborer, Matt Talbot is venerated for his piety, charity, and spirit of mortification. Honored as the patron of alcoholics, he was declared Venerable in 1975.

Saint Maximus the Confessor (ca. 580-662)—Monk. A collaborator of Pope Saint Martin I, Maximus died in exile after enduring inhuman tortures at the hands of his Persian captors. He is best remembered for his mystical and theological writings. Saint Meinrad (d. 861)—Swiss Benedictine monk and hermit, honored as the “Martyr of Hospitality” because he graciously offered hospitality to two thieves whom he knew would murder him. The great abbey of Maria Einsiedeln was built over the site of Meinrad’s hermitage. Saint Melania the Younger (ca. 383-439)—A Roman noblewoman and granddaughter of Saint Melania the Elder, she became superior of a community of nuns on the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem, during the final years of her life. Saint Monica (322-387)—Born in modern-day Algeria, Monica was the mother of the great Augustine of Hippo. After praying for her son’s conversion for years, she was rewarded for her perseverance when her son was baptized by Saint Ambrose of Milan. She is honored as the patron of mothers. Saint Moses the Black (330-405)—Ethiopian slave who became a hermit among the monks at Petra in the desert of Skete, Egypt. He was murdered when his monastery was attacked by Berber raiders. He is honored as one of the patrons of Africa. Blessed Nikolaus Gross (1898-1945)—German newspaper editor and opponent of the Nazis. Blessed Nikolaus, who was martyred by the Nazis for his adherence to Catholic principles, was beatified in 2001. Saint Odo of Cluny (ca. 879-942)—French Benedictine abbot of Cluny. Honored for his superior leadership of the great abbey, he is best-remembered for creating the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls’ Day). Saint Pacian of Barcelona (d. ca. 390)—Spanish bishop. Praised by Saint Jerome for his learning and holiness, only three letters and a short treatise remain of his prolific writings. Saint Pambo (d. ca. 375)—A disciple of Saint Anthony the Abbot, founded monasteries in the Nitrian Desert in Egypt. Renowned for his wisdom, Pambo is one of the most honored of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Saint Patrick (397/390-461/464)—British-born bishop, honored as the “Apostle of Ireland.” Celebrated for his work as a missionary, he is the author of the autobiographical Confessions and the Letter to Coroticus. Saint Patrick is the patron of Ireland and Nigeria and is invoked against snakes. Saint Paul of the Cross (1694-1775)—Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the

Passion (the Passionists). Remembered for his dedication to missionary work and devotion to the Passion of Jesus, Paul of the Cross was canonized in 1867. Saint Pauline of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (1865-1942)— Brazilian foundress of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. Especially dedicated to caring for slaves and their children and the sick, Pauline was canonized in 2002. She is invoked as the patron of diabetics. Saint Pedro Poveda Castroverde (1874-1936)—Spanish priest and martyr. The founder of the Institución Teresiana, he was dedicated to promoting education. Blessed Pedro, who was murdered during the religious persecutions of the Spanish Civil War, was canonized in 2003. Saint Peter of Alcántara (1499-1562)—Spanish Franciscan priest and reformer. Founder of the Franciscans of the Strictest Observance, he was a friend and confessor of Saint Teresa of Avila. Peter of Alcántara was canonized in 1669 and is honored as patron of Brazil. Saint Peter Canisius (1521-1597)—Dutch-born Jesuit priest and missionary in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Bohemia, best known for his Catechism. Peter was canonized and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1925 and is honored as the patron of the Catholic Press. Saint Peter Chrysologus (406-450)—Italian bishop of Ravenna and opponent of paganism and the Monophysite heresy. Renowned for his theological contributions and preaching (“Chrysologus” means “Golden Word”), he was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1729. Saint Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868)—French priest and founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament. A staunch promoter of devotion to the Eucharist, Saint Peter Julian was canonized in 1962. Saint Peter Martyr (1205-1252)— Italian Dominican priest and missionary, martyred by Catharists near Milan. Also known as “Peter of Verona,” Peter was canonized in 1253, he is the patron of inquisitors and midwives. Saint Philip Benizi (1233-1285)—Italian Servite priest. Elected Prior-General of his order, he is remembered as having been a promoter of peace and for helping Saint Juliana of Cornillion establish a lay branch of the Servite Order. Saint Philip Benizi was canonized in 1671. Saint Philip Howard (1557-1595)—English nobleman and martyr. Once a courtier of Queen Elizabeth I, he was martyred for his Catholic Faith after enduring extreme privations and abuse. Canonized as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, he is the grandfather of another martyr, Blessed William Howard.

Saint Philip Neri (1515-1595)—Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory. Revered as a preacher and teacher, and well-loved for his quick wit and sense of irony, Philip Neri was canonized in 1622. He is honored as the patron of the city of Rome and of the United States Army Special Forces. Blessed Pier-Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925)—Italian Dominican tertiary, member of Catholic Action and strong opponent of Fascism. Blessed Pier-Giorgio, the “Saint with a cigar,” was loved by the poor, and spent his fortune on the needy. He died from an illness he contracted while visiting the sick and was beatified in 1990. Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (1887-1968)—Italian Capuchin Franciscan priest. “Padre Pio” is among the most-beloved of the contemporary saints. An acclaimed mystic and stigmatic, honored for his care for the poor (especially through his House for the Relief of Suffering), he was canonized in 2002. Blessed Pius IX (1792-1878)—Pope. Pius IX is best-remembered for proclaiming the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, convoking the First Vatican Council, and promoting the missionary efforts of the Church. The longest ruling Pope in history, he was beatified in 2000. Saint Pius X (1835-1914)—Pope. Pius X was a staunch opponent of the spread of Communism and Modernism. Remembered for his liturgical reforms, promotion of catechesis among the young, reorganizing the Roman Curia, and promoting the use of Scripture by the faithful, he was canonized in 1954. Saint Proclus of Constantinople (ca. d. 446)—Patriarch of Constantinople and honored for his defense of orthodoxy and the teaching that Mary is the Mother of God. Saint Quodvultdeus (d. ca. 450)—Bishop of Carthage, North Africa. Quodvultdeus was a strong opponent of Arianism and died in exile in Naples, Italy. Saint Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621)—Italian Jesuit cardinal. Honored as a reformer and for his voluminous writings, particularly his Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian Faith and The Art of Dying Well, Saint Robert Bellarmine was canonized in 1930 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1931. He is honored as the patron of canon lawyers and catechists. Saint Robert Southwell (1561-1595)—English Jesuit priest, martyr, and missionary to England. Honored among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales, Robert Southwell is most especially celebrated as a poet and for his writings in defense of the Catholic Faith, particularly his Humble Supplication to Queen Elizabeth. Blessed Roger Filcock (ca. 1570-1601)—English Jesuit and martyr. He served as a

missionary to England’s underground Catholics and was condemned and executed for being a priest. He was martyred with Saint Anne Line and Blessed Mark Barkworth, and was beatified in 1987. Blessed Rupert Mayer (1876-1945)—German Jesuit priest. Blessed Rupert, a wounded veteran-chaplain of World War I and staunch opponent of the Nazis (he was imprisoned in the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp for a time), died while celebrating Mass in a parish in Munich. He was beatified in 1987. Saint Sophronius (d. 639)—Syrian writer, poet, and Patriarch of Jerusalem. He used his literary gifts to combat the Monothelite heresy. Saint Stephen of Hungary (969-1038)—King of Hungary. Stephen is credited with spreading the Christian Faith among the Magyars, and uniting them into a single nation. Remembered for his work to foster the growth of the Church in his land, he was canonized in 1038 and is honored as the patron of Hungary. Saint Stephen of Mar-Saba (725-794)—Palestinian monk of the monastery of St. Sabas. Saint Stephen is honored as a mystic and for his commitment to prayer. Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)—Spanish nun and foundress of the Discalced Carmelites. Revered for her writings, particularly her Autobiography and The Interior Castle, she was canonized in 1622 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1970. She is the patron of those suffering from migraines and of Spain. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)—Albanian-born nun and foundress of the Missionaries of Charity. Loved the world over for her selfless care for the poor and the least, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. This staunch defender of human life and dignity was beatified in 2003. Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (1891-1942)—German Discalced Carmelite nun and martyr. Commonly known as Edith Stein, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a noted Jewish philosopher, converted to Catholicism after reading the Autobiography of Saint Teresa of Avila. She dedicated the remainder of her life to writing, study, and prayer, as a Carmelite nun, and was murdered by the Nazis at Auschwitz. She was canonized in 1988 and is honored as one of the patrons of Europe. Saint Teresa Margaret Redi (1747-1770)—Italian Discalced Carmelite Nun and mystic. Known for her gift of healing, Teresa Margaret Redi was canonized in 1934. Saint Theodora Guerin (1798-1856)—French-born foundress of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in Indiana. Mother Theodore is celebrated for her missionary spirit and tireless work of educating and serving the poor in the American wilderness. She

was canonized in 2006. Saint Theodosius Pechersky (d. 1074)—Russian monk known for his reform and renewal of monastic life in the East. Saint Theodosius was canonized in 1108. Saint Theophane Vénard (1829-1861)—French missionary priest of the Paris Foreign Mission Society, martyred at Ô Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam. Saint Theophane was canonized with other Vietnamese martyrs in 1988. Saint Thérèse of Liseux (1873-1897)—French Discalced Carmelite nun. Celebrated for her “Little Way” and for her autobiographical story Story of a Soul, Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face, the “Little Flower,” was canonized in 1925 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 2005. She is honored as patron of missionaries and of France. Saint Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)—Spanish Augustine archbishop of Valencia, Spain. Known for his social outreach and dedication to the catechesis of the laity and reform of the clergy, he was canonized in 1658. Saint Thomas Aquinas (ca. 1225-1274)—Italian Dominican priest. Renowned for his philosophical and theological writings, particularly the Summa Theologiae, he was canonized in 1323 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1567. He is invoked as the patron of philosophers, schools, and universities. Saint Thomas Becket (ca. 1118-1170)—English martyr and archbishop of Canterbury. Especially honored for his defense of the Church against King Henry II, Becket was one of the most honored saints of the Middle Ages. He was canonized in 1173. Saint Thomas More (1478-1535)—English layman and martyr. Thomas More, after serving as Chancellor of England under King Henry VIII, was martyred for his refusal to deny Papal supremacy and recognize a secular ruler as head of the Church. He was canonized with Saint John Fisher in 1935 and is the patron of adopted children, lawyers, politicians, and stepparents. Blessed Titus Brandsma (1881-1942)—Dutch Discalced Carmelite priest. Remembered for his work as a journalist and his criticism of Nazi treatment of the Jews, he was arrested and subsequently martyred by lethal injection at Dachau. Blessed Titus Brandsma was beatified in 1985. Saint Turibius of Mongrovejo (1538-1606)—Spanish archbishop of Lima, Peru. Saint Turibius distinguished himself for his tireless missionary work, for founding the first seminary in the New World, and for his strong defense of the rights of the indigenous peoples against the Spanish. He was canonized in 1726 and is honored as one of the patrons of Peru.

Blessed Vilmos Apor (1892-1945)—Hungarian bishop and martyr. Remembered for his care for the poor and particularly Jews and weak, especially women vulnerable to being raped by invading Russian soldiers, he was shot to death on Good Friday as he tried to protect a woman being attacked by a soldier. Blessed Vilmos Apor was beatified in 1997. Saint Vincent of Lerins (d. ca. 445)—French monk and author of the Commitorium. Especially remembered for his maxim for distinguishing between true and false traditions, “what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all,” he was greatly involved in many of the great theological controversies of his age. Saint Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)—French priest and founder of the Congregation of the Missions (the Vincentians) and the Daughters of Charity. Known for his charity and care for the poor, Saint Vincent de Paul was equally devoted to the proper formation of the clergy. Canonized in 1737,he is the patron of hospitals, charitable organizations, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Saint Vincent Ferrer (1350-1499)—Spanish Dominican priest. A renowned preacher, Saint Vincent was known as a miracle-worker during his life and his missionary travels took him to Spain, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and Ireland. Canonized in 1455, he is honored as the patron of builders. Saint Vincent Pallotti (1795-1850)—Italian priest and social reformer. Vincent Pallotti founded both men’s and women’s branches of the Pious Society of Missions (the Pallotines) for urban mission work. He was canonized in 1963. Saint Wandregisilus (ca. 600-668)—French abbot, also known as Wandrille. Blessed William Joseph Chaminade (1761-1850)—French priest and founder of the Society of Mary (the Marianists) and the Daughters of Mary Immaculate. Revered for his dedication to education and promoting the role of the laity within the Church, Blessed Chaminade was beatified in 2000. Blessed Zeferino Agostini (1813-1896)—Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of Ursulines, Daughters of Mary Immaculate for the education of poor girls. Blessed Zeferino was beatified in 1998.

About the Author: Br. Silas Henderson, O.S.B., is a monk of Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana. A member of the staff at Abbey Press Publications, he is the author of a number of books, articles, and reflections on Mary and the saints.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. The Illustrations used throughout this book are adapted from elementstaken from Medieval Illuminations and ceramic tiles. Cover and book design by Br. Martin Erspamer, O.S.B. and Mary E. Bolin Cover photograph by Br. Martin Erspamer, O.S.B. Detail from a Medieval stained glass window in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Troyes, France. Copyright © 2012 by Saint Meinrad Archabbey ISBN: 978-1-5040-0019-2

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