Feasts of Sts. Clare and Philomena

St. Clare of Assisi

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Friend of a very popular saint, St. Francis of Assisi.

Prayer to St. Clare of Assisi - Patroness of Television Workers

Dear St. Clare,
inspired by St. Francis,
you became a poor nun for the sake of Jesus,
and established the "Poor Clares."

We are told how greatly you cherished Christ
present in the sacrament of the Altar.
Is the Mass not a kind of television
of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross?

Help all television workers to broadcast the truth
and draw away from falsehood and evil.

New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

St. Philomena

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St. John Marie Vianney and St. Damien of Molokai both had big devotion to this little saint.

Novena Prayer to St. Philomena

Illustrious Virgin and Martyr, St. Philomena,
behold me prostrate before the throne whereon it has pleased
the Most Holy Trinity to set thee.
Full of confidence in thy protection,
I entreat thee to intercede for me with God.

Ah! From the heights of Heaven deign to cast a glance
upon thy humble client.
Spouse of Christ, sustain me in suffering, fortify me in the
temptation , protect me in the dangers surrounding me,
obtain for me the graces necessary to me, and in particular...
Above all, assist me at the hour of my death. Amen.
St. Philomena, powerful with God- Pray for us.

Saint Philomena - Powerful with God by Sister Marie Helen Mohr, S.C.

St. Josephine Bakhita

"Mary protected me even before I knew her!"

St. Josephine Bakhita is in the center of the group photo

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“Bakhita has left us a witness of evangelical reconciliation and forgiveness, which will surely bring consolation to the Christians of her homeland, the Sudan, so sorely tried by a conflict that has lasted many years and reaped so many victims. Sister Bakhita has been given to us by the Lord as a universal sister….” - Venerable Pope John Paul II at her canonization

Canossian Daughters of Charity
Saint Mother Josephine Margaret Fortunata Bakhita
c. 1869 - 1947
Southern Sudan - Italy
Died Age 78

According to Catholic author Ann Ball*, no one knows the exact date of Josephine Bakhita's birth because she was stolen away from her family and her country by Arab slave traders as a young girl.

*Modern Saints: Book Two by Ann Ball

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"If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not happen, I would not be a Christian and Religious today…"

Quote source: The National Black Catholic Congress

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Vatican's Josephine Bakhita

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Other quotes by St. Josephine Bakhita also from the NBCC.

I have given everything to my Master: He will take care of me… The best thing for us is not what we consider best, but what the Lord wants of us!

I received the Sacrament of Baptism with such joy that only angels could describe…

O Lord, if I could fly to my people and tell them of your Goodness at the top of my voice: oh, how many souls would be won!

The Lord has loved me so much: we must love everyone… we must be compassionate!

I can truly say that it was a miracle I did not die, because the Lord has destined me for greater things…

When a person loves another dearly, he desires strongly to be close to the other: therefore, why be afraid to die? Death brings us to God!

O Holy Trinity,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

we thank you for the gifts

of humility and charity

which you bestowed on

Saint Josephine Bakhita

Deign to glorify her

for her singular virtues

and grant the prayers

of those who invoke her,

St. Josephine Bakhita, pray for the Sudan!

Joan's Birthday

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As I posted yesterday, today would have been Joan of Arc's 599th birthday.

Check out how the author of Maid of Heaven will be celebrating St. Joan's birthday Ben D. Kennedy's Joan's Birthday

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Paterson, NJ

Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton was the first native American born to be canonized a saint in the Catholic Church.

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The following prayer was composed by Elizabeth Ann Seton before her conversion to Catholicism:

My Father and my God, who by the consoling voice of his word builds up the Soul in hope so as to free it even for hours of its incumbrance, confirming and strengthening it by the constant experience of his indulgent goodness; giving it a new life in him even while in the midst of pain and sorrows--sustaining, directing, consoling and blessing thro' every changing scene of its pilgrimage, making his Will its guide to temporal comfort and eternal glory--how shall the most unwearied diligence, the most cheerful compliance, the most humble resignation ever enough express my love, my joy, Thanksgiving and praise!

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Mother Seton had a great reverence for the priesthood. She wrote the following to a seminarian undecided about his vocation:

To be engaged in the Service of our adored creator, to be set apart to that service,...to plead for Him, to be allowed the exalted privilege of serving H im continually, to be his Instrument in calling Home the wandering soul, and sustaining, comforting and blessing your fellow creatures-- are considerations which bear no comparison with any other and should lead you to consider the very possibility of your realizing the hope they present as the most precious and valued gift life can afford...A man may be a very good man in the pursuit of any other profession- but certainly that of a clergyman is the easiest, surest road to God, and the first, the highest, and most blessed that can adorn a Human Being.

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On leaving the Protestant Church and entering the Catholic Church, Elizabeth Seton wrote to her good friend Amabilia:

I WILL GO PEACEABLY & FIRMLY TO THE CATHOLICK (sic) CHURCH for if faith is so important o our salvation I will seek it where true Faith first began, seek it among those who received it from GOD HIMSELF. The controversies on it I am quite incapable of deciding, and as the strictest Protestant allows salvation to a good Catholic, to the Catholicks (sic) I will go, and try to be a good one. May God accept my intention and pity me.

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On conformity to God's Will she wrote:

Our misery is not conform ourselves to the intentions of God as to the manner in which he will be gloried-- What pleases Him does not please us. He wills us to enter in the way of suffering, and we desire to enter in action. We desire to give rather than receive--and do not purely seek his Will.

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One of her favorite things to say was:

I am the happiest of creatures in the thought that not the least thing can happen but by His will or permission; and all for the best.

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The following is from a letter she wrote to Archbishop John Carroll during her trials and tribulations as Superior:

I have had a great many very hard trials, my Father,... but you will of course congratulate me on them as this fire of tribulation is no doubt meant to consume the many imperfections and bad dispositions our Lord finds in me. Indeed it has at times burnt so deep that the anguish could not be concealed, but by degrees custom reconciles pain itself, and I determine, dry and hard as my daily bread is, to take it with as good grace as possible. When I carry it before Our Lord sometimes he makes me laugh at myself and asks me what other kind I would choose in the valley of tears than that which himself and all his followers made us of.

From Elizabeth Seton Selected Writings, edited by Ellin Kelly and Annabelle Melville, Paulist Press, Inc.

The Tears of St. Monica

Does God really answer our prayers? If He is eternal and unchanging, as the orthodox Christian tradition has always confessed, what’s the point in praying if we can’t actually change His mind?

Medieval theology would develop sophisticated accounts of the way in which human freedom genuinely participates in the execution of God’s sovereign, inviolable will. We do well to pray as we need, for God has ordained that we be given certain blessings, only having prayed for them.

Centuries earlier, St. Augustine had laid the foundations for such insight: “In prayer, there occurs a turning of the heart to Him who is always ready to give if we will but take what He gives.”

Furthermore, in his mother, the Doctor of Grace had a living icon of the way in which our petitions cooperate with the providence of the Creator. While tears are a natural outflow of sorrow for sin, in St. Monica, we see the meritorious power of weeping. Through St. Augustine’s narration in The Confessions, we receive a basic catechesis about what to keep in mind when praying for others who seem beyond all hope.

Read the rest here.

Thanks to Sue Cifelli for sharing.

Feast of St. Monica

Painting by Lucas Jordan

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The end of the autobiography. Augustine tells of his resigning from his professorship and of the days at Cassiciacum in preparation for baptism. He is baptized together with Adeodatus and Alypius. Shortly thereafter, they start back for Africa. Augustine recalls the ecstasy he and his mother shared in Ostia and then reports her death and burial and his grief. The book closes with a moving prayer for the souls of Monica, Patricius, and all his fellow citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem.

St. Augustine on the Death of his mother St. Monica

Feast of St. Philomena

Both St. John Vianney and St. Damien had a great devotion to St. Philomena whose traditional feast day is today August 11th.

Saint Philomena, Virgin and Martyr!

In these days, when so many are suffering, does not Our Lady say to her Daughter, as she once said to her Divine Son, "They have no wine! They have nothing to make glad their hearts!"

It is written of Divine Providence, that not only does it arrange the means, but it reaches the goal. Gentleness is remarkable in the former and strength of character in the latter. St. Philomena received from Jesus Christ in the heights of Heaven, her mission. It seems the King of Kings to Whom all power is given from the Father, distinguished her in the midst of the assembly of Saints by a particular satisfaction and preferential love. "Go, I have chosen you and wish to place you in the fields of My Church like a new sowing, destined to make It productive. You will bring to Me the fruits which My Hand prepares for you; may your firmness augment for Me, your savor."

Ah, Christ Our Savior wishes to use the glorious St. Philomena to console us, to instruct us and to encourage us. She will be our Anchor of Hope in this Age of Darkness. We need her in these unhappy times to which the words of St. John apply so well: "My dear children, we have come to the last hour. You have been told that the anti-Christ is nigh, or there are a great number of anti-Christs in the world. This is why we affirm that the last hour has tolled. Preserve your doctrine, my children, which was taught to you from the beginning. It will keep you constantly united with the Father and the Son." The anti-Christs will conspire with such malice, audacity and slander that, not only in the cities but even in the hamlets, his reign will infest you with a disgusting poison and impious vomit. False prophets will spring up, God's laws will fall to scorn, souls will be gorged with silver and gold, sanctuaries will be profaned. Fathers and mothers will be insulted by their children, marriages torn asunder and incest will stain all classes.

Divine Wisdom cries out: "Have Faith! It is I Who permit these fearful winds and storms. Have Confidence! It is I Who permit the tides to rise. I will come at the moment you need Me. If I must move the heavens and the earth to make you triumph over your enemies, I will do it! Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will enter into My glory." In falling under the tyrant's sword, Philomena was victorious. She received an immortal crown and was placed upon a throne in eternity. Her reign will have no end!


Prayer to St. Philomena

O great St. Philomena, glorious Virgin and Martyr, wonder-worker of our age, I return most fervent thanks to God for the miraculous gifts bestowed on thee, and beseech thee to impart to me a share in the graces and blessings of which thou hast been the channel to so many souls. Through the heroic fortitude with which thou didst confront the fury of tyrants and brave the frowns of the mighty rather than swerve from thy allegiance to the King of Heaven, obtain for me purity of body and soul, purity of heart and desire, purity of thought and affection.

Through thy patience under multiplied sufferings, obtain for me a submissive acceptance of all the afflictions it may please God to send me and as thou didst miraculously escape unhurt from the waters of the Tiber, into which thou wert cast by order of thy persecutor, so may I pass through the waters of tribulation without detriment to my soul. In addition to these favors, obtain for me, O faithful spouse of Jesus, the particular intention I earnestly recommend to thee at this moment. O pure Virgin and holy Martyr, deign to cast a look of pity from Heaven on thy devoted servant, comfort me in affliction, assist me in danger, above all come to my aid in the hour of death. Watch over the interests of the Church of God, pray for its exaltation and prosperity, the extension of the faith, for the Sovereign Pontiff, for the clergy, for the perseverance of the just, the conversion of sinners, and the relief of the souls in purgatory, especially those dear to me. O great Saint, whose triumph we celebrate on earth, intercede for me, that I may one day behold the crown of glory bestowed on thee in Heaven, and eternally bless Him who so liberally rewards for all eternity the sufferings endured for His love during this short life. Amen.

Prayer
(for those who wear her cord)


O most pure Virgin, glorious Martyr, St. Philomena, whom God in His eternal power has revealed to the world in these unhappy days in order to revive the faith, sustain the hope and enkindle the charity of Christian souls, behold me prostate at thy feet. Deign, O Virgin, full of goodness and kindness, to receive my humble prayers and to obtain for me that purity for which thou didst sacrifice the most alluring pleasures of the world, that strength of soul which made thee resist the most terrible attacks and that ardent love for our Lord Jesus Christ, which the most frightful torments could not extinguish in thee. So, that wearing thy holy cord and imitating thee in this life, I may one day be crowned with thee in heaven. Amen.

Thanks to Madalena for sharing this.

Feast of St. Rita of Cascia

Please take a moment to see all the beautiful pictures of St. Rita over at Caput Mundi.

St. Gianna Molla's Son

I thought this was the most awesome thing I have seen in a long time. A saint's actual child being interviewed by Father Benedict Groeschel. Wow!

Quote by St. Clare - On the Soul of the Faithful Person

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Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could always be mindful of the value and dignity of every individual soul we encounter!

Indeed, it is now clear that the soul of the faithful person, the most worthy of all creatures because of the grace of God, is greater than heaven itself, since the heavens and the rest of creation cannot contain their creator, only a faithful soul is His dwelling place and throne, and this only through the charity that the wicked lack. The Truth says: Whoever loves me will be loved by My Father, and I too shall love him, and We shall come to him and make Our dwelling place with him.

-St. Clare of Assisi, The Third Letter to St. Agnes of Prague.

Add this to the fact that Jesus died for the individual soul. How can we not dedicate ourselves to the salvation of souls? - Padre

Thanks Padre Vince!

Feast of St. Agnes

While searching for a picture of St. Agnes, I came across the following article on a John Keats poem The Eve of Saint Agnes:

Looking for a husband? Pray to St Agnes...

John Keats's poem, The Eve of St Agnes, immortalised the patron saint of young girls. Today, on the eve of her feast day, we explore the legend surrounding the young martyr.

Read the article HERE

FEAST DAY OF SANTA TERESA DE JESÚS

by Peter Paul Rubens Picture Source
St. Teresa's Cell Picture Source


To Saint Teresa of Avila

O Saint Teresa, seraphic virgin, beloved spouse of thy crucified Lord, thou who on earth didst burn with a love so intense toward thy God and my God, and now dost glow with a brighter and purer flame in paradise: obtain for me also, I beseech thee, a spark of that same holy fire, which shall cause me to forget the world, all things created, and even myself; for thou didst ever greatly desire to see Him loved by all men. Grant that my every thought and desire and affection may be continually employed in doing the will of God, the supreme Good, whether I am in joy or in pain, for He is worthy to be loved and obeyed everlastingly. Obtain for me this grace, thou who art so powerful with God; may I be all on fire, like thee, with the holy love of God. Amen.

- Indulgence of 300 days; plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, if this prayer is said devoutly every day for a month.

The Prayer Book, The Catholic Press, Inc.

Feast Day of St. Therese of the Child Jesus

"Ah! my Jesus, pardon me if I am unreasonable in wishing to express my desires and longings which reach even unto infinity. Pardon me and heal my soul by giving her what she longs for so much!

To be your Spouse, to be a Carmelite, and by my union with you to be the Mother of souls, should not this suffice me? And yet it is not so. No doubt, these three privileges sum up my true vocation: Carmelite, Spouse, Mother, and yet I feel within me other vocations. I feel the vocation of THE WARRIOR, THE PRIEST, THE APOSTLE, THE DOCTOR, THE MARTYR. Finally, I feel the need and the desire of carrying out the most heroic deeds for you, O Jesus. I feel within my soul the courage of the Crusader, the Papal Guard, and I want to die on the field of battle in defense of the Church.

I feel in me the vocation of the Priest. With what love, O Jesus, I would carry you in my hands when, at my voice, you would come down from heaven. And with what love would I give you to souls! But alas! while desiring to be a Priest, I admire and envy the humility of Saint Francis of Assisi and I feel the vocation of imitating him in refusing the sublime dignity of the Priesthood.

O Jesus, my Love, my Life, how can I combine these contrasts?

How can I realize the desires of my poor little soul?

Ah! in spite of my littleness, I would like to enlighten souls as did the Prophets and the Doctors. I have the vocation of the Apostle, I would like to travel over the whole earth to preach your name and to plant your glorious cross on infidel soil. But O my Beloved, one mission alone would not be sufficient for me, I would want to preach the Gospel on all the five continents simultaneously and even to the most remote isles. I would be a missionary, not for a few years only but from the beginning of creation until the consummation of the ages. But above all, O my Beloved Savior, I would shed my blood for you even to the very last drop.

Saint Therese of Lisieux

October 2009 issue of Magnificat

Feast of St. Monica

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Patroness of Mothers

Prayer to St. Monica

Exemplary Mother of the great Augustine,
you perseveringly pursued your wayward son
not with wild threats
but with prayerful cries to heaven.
Intercede for all mothers in our day
so that they may learn to draw their children to God.
Teach them how to remain close to their children,
even the prodigal sons and daughters
who have sadly gone astray.

New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book, Catholic Book Publishing

Feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Nazi concentration camps are the result of forgetting God, says Benedict XVI

Feast of St. Maria Goretti

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Official Prayer to St. Maria Goretti

Oh Saint Maria Goretti who, strengthened by God's grace, did not hesitate even at the age of twelve to shed your blood and sacrifice life itself to defend your virginal purity, look graciously on the unhappy human race which has strayed far from the path of eternal salvation. Teach us all, and especially youth, with what courage and promptitude we should flee for the love of Jesus anything that could offend Him or stain our souls with sin. Obtain for us from our Lord victory in temptation, comfort in the sorrows of life, and the grace which we earnestly beg of thee (here insert intention), and may we one day enjoy with thee the imperishable glory of Heaven. Amen.

Prayer Source Sue

Feast of St. Therese, the Little Flower - Story of a Soul

In honor of this young saint's feast day, it would be wonderful for those of you who haven't read her autobiography, to do so today. You can read it online at the following:

PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF A SOUL

St. Gianna : A Model for Mothers

Like most Catholic mothers, I really admire this saint. Not only was she a true hero in the prolife movement by her unselfish sacrifice, but she was also a loving wife and mother.

Recently, in an Ignatius Press e-newsletter, there appeared an article on a book written on St. Gianna by another woman I admire greatly, Helen Hull Hitchcock, the editor of Voices and director of Women for Faith and Family, and excerpt follows:

In canonizing Gianna Beretta Molla this spring, the Church officially recognized the extraordinary sanctity of a woman who chose to live an ordinary life-as a professional and, later, as a wife and mother. Though she had once considered entering a religious order, instead she practiced medicine (receiving her medical degree in 1949, and her specialty in pediatrics in 1952). She devoted herself to caring for her patients, and her selflessness and dedication as a physician endeared her to the people. But it was not only her practice of medicine that influenced them. She regarded her profession as a mission through which she could aid and nurture both bodies and souls. The young doctor's devotion to her Catholic faith was well known in her community, and especially her instruction of young Catholic girls in their faith.

Click HERE for the rest of the article.

I would also recommend the book: Blessed Gianna Beretta Molla: Love Letters to My Husband, edited by Elio Guerriro and published by Pauline Books and Media. As you can ascertain from the title, it is a collection of letters Gianna, now St. Gianna, wrote to her husband before and during their marriage.