List of Saints of the Holy Eucharist - Updated

The list has been updated on September 26, 2009.

The following list is from Saintly Guides for the Eucharistic Year compled by Holy Family Cenacle Little Falls, New Jersey. Can you think of any other saints that fit this category? Just leave a comment and I will add them to the list.

Also, try checking out the links for each saint. I have tried to find the best short bio for them.

1. St. Canute

2. St. John Bosco

3. St. Juliana Falconieri

4. St. Miguel Febres

5. St. Melchtilde

6. St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

7. St. Stanislaus

8. St. Gemma Galgani

9. St. Benedict Joseph Labre

10. St. Mary Magdalene Dei Pazzi

12. St. Frances Caracciolo

13. St. John Francis Regis

14. Gorcum Martyrs

17. St. Frederick

18. St. Alphonsus De Liguori

19. St. John Mary Vianney

20. St. John Eudes

21. St. Clare of Assisi

22. St. Rose of Lima

23. St. Nicholas of Tolentino

24. St. Catherine of Genoa

25. St. Eleasar de Sabran

26. St. Wenceslaus

27. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

28. St. Ignatius of Antioch

29. Bl. Timothy Giaccardo

30. St. Gertrude the Great

31. St. Leonard of Port Maurice

32. St. Catherine Laboure

33. St. John of Sahagun

34. St. Germaine Cousin

35. St. Gerard Majella

36. St.Peter Julian Eymard (Thanks to the ever-vigilant reader!)

A big mahalo to Diana the Faithful Traveler, for the following:

37. St. Tarcisius

38. Blessed Imelda Lambortini

39. St. Juliana of Liege

Muchas gracias to my mother for pointing out I forgot:

40. St. Pascal Baylon.

In Spanish - Padre Pío de Pietrelcina

Message from Pope Benedict XVI: Love the Church without ever betraying her

Leprosy patients from Hawaii to see canonization of Fr. Damien

Eleven elderly leprosy patients from Hawaii will travel to the Vatican for the canonization ceremony of Fr. Damien de Veuster, the heroic priest who cared for leprosy patients in Hawaii and died of the disease. The patients’ attending doctor called Fr. Damien their “personal saint.”

Read the rest here.

Vatican Museums mark 500 years of Raphael masterpiece

Catholics Come Home - Movie

Blessed Seelos - Joey’s fight: Family attributes to clean scan to faith

A big mahalo to Mary Jane for sharing the following story with us.

It might sound like a plot line from a movie, but after his family visited a Catholic shrine in New Orleans, Joey Schwartz’s latest CT scan showed he’s cancer free just two months after being told terminal cancer had returned...

Article

Archbishop Timothy Dolan - The Archbishop of Charm

Read this interesting article here

More on Becoming a Spiritual Child of St. Padre Pio

If you remember I recently shared about becoming a spiritual child of St. Padre Pio here.

There is another way you can apply to become his spiritual child:

How to become Padre Pio's spiritual child

Padre Pio, during his lifetime, accepted many people as his spiritual children. When assured of their goodwill, he always told them: "I accept you, but don't make me lose face." Today many of his devotees still want to become his spiritual children. What are they to do?

They must comply with the following conditions:
1. Live intensely a life of divine grace
2. Prove their faith by words and actions
3. Desire to remain under the protection of the Servant of God, Padre Pio
4. Imitate the venerable Padre in his love for Jesus Crucified, for the Most Blessed Sacrament, for our Lady, the Pope and the entire Church
5. Practice sincere charity towards all

Application should be made in writing.
Postulation for Padre Pio's Cause
Our Lady of Grace Capuchin Friary
71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, FG, ITALY
Voice Office: (0882) 417294
English Office: (0882) 417214 - Fax: (0882) 417241
Friary: (0882) 4171 - Fax: (0882) 417252

Perpetual Mass remembrance
A Mass is offered daily for all enrolled, both living and dead. The usual offering is $6. Enrollment may be made individually or by family.

Please visit St. Monica's Kneeler for more information.

H/T Sue

Prayer for Fathers

God our Father, we give you thanks and praise for fathers young and old.
We pray for young fathers, newly embracing their vocation;
may they find the courage and perseverance to balance work, family, and faith in joy and sacrifice.
We pray for our own fathers who have supported and challenged us;
may they continue to lead in strong and gentle ways.
We remember fathers around the world whose children are lost or suffering;
may they know that the God of compassion walks with them in their sorrow.
We pray for men who are not fathers but still mentor and guide us with fatherly love and advice.

We remember fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who are no longer with us,
but who live forever in our memory and nourish us with their Love.
AMEN.

Thanks to Sue

Father Damien Documentary - “The Story of Saint Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest”

Father Damien portrait - St. Ann's Church Kaneohe, Hawaii

Venny Villapando, Exec. Producer, V.V.Visions, Inc. graciously invited Easter, my visiting mom and I to a special screening of a new Father Damien documentary. This documentary is scheduled to be shown on local television channels just prior to the live canonization coverage by EWTN. More details here

Updated New Dates:

"The Story of Saint Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest" will also be shown on primetime Sunday, October 11, 8-9pm on KALO-TV38 (Oceanic Cable Chan. 25).

Saturday, October 10, 9pm, Oceanic Cable OC 16
Sunday, October 11, 1pm, " " " "
Sunday, October 11, 4:30pm, KWHE-TV14 (Oceanic Cable Channel 11)
Sunday, October 11, 8pm, KALO-TV38 (Oceanic Cable Channel 25)

The special screening was held at beautiful St. Ann's Church in Kaneohe this morning.

The documentary began with a message from Bishop Larry Silva of the Diocese of Honolulu.

It then proceeded to give a brief history of the founding of The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SSCC). Amazingly, it was founded in Poitiers in France, in 1800, by Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie and Pierre Coudrin during the time of the French Revolution!

It was to this particular order that Joseph de Veuster, of Belgium was drawn to and eventually joined.

Then there was a little coverage about Father Damien's family background back in Belgium. He came from a very devout Catholic family of farmers. He had a brother and two sisters who became Ursuline nuns. His brother as most everyone knows was a priest.

The documentary continued with a little history of the Catholic Church in Hawaii. It was really good that this history was included because even though Catholics are presently in the majority in Hawaii, at one time Hawaii was anti-Catholic. It really is impressive that the persistence of the first missionaries from France, were able to establish parishes. Yet with God's help and guidance, that is exactly what they did.

It was to these Hawaiian Islands that Father Damien came as a seminarian. He was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace. His first assignment was on the Big Island in Puna.

The Bishop at the time, Maigret, needed to send a priest to the leper colony on the island of Molokai. Four priests volunteered and Father Damien was the first to go. He was supposed to go for a few months and then another priest would replace him. As you all may know, that did not happened.

The documentary makes it quite clear the love that Father Damien had for the Hawaiians, especially those on Kalawao on Molokai. They loved him too. This documentary also makes it clear that not everyone liked Father Damien.

What I liked about this particular documentary is that it tried to stay true to the whole story of Father Damien. He was a real man with real feelings and emotions; he was a real priest, not one wearing a halo and he was a real saint in that he gave his life for his friends.

The documentary also shows the interview with Audrey Toguichi and her doctor. It is because of divine providence as Bishop Silva pointed out, that a woman from Hawaii's cure is what has made the upcoming canonization of beloved Kamiano, possible.

After the documentary, we were fortunate to have Father Herman Gomes, SSCC, an expert on the life of Father Damien, have a question and answer session. I learned from Fr. Gomes that even though Father Damien was a poor student, he was able to speak five languages: Flemish, French, Ecclesiastical Latin, English and conversational Hawaiian.

So a big mahalo to Venny for the invitation and to Fr. Gomes for a very interesting morning. I look forward to his talk at Sacred Heart Church next week.

Our Lady in Padre Pio's Life

Picture source here.

Mahalo to Fr. Vince Inghilterra for sharing the article below.

Our Lady in Padre Pio's Life
Bro. Francis Mary F.I.

Every canonized Saint bears witness to an important fact: holiness is intimately connected with devotion to Mary, the Spouse of the Holy Ghost who is the Sanctifier. How could it be otherwise considering all graces come to us through the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church. According to St. Louis Mary De Montfort in his classic Marian work, True Devotion to Mary, assaults by Satan will be most fierce and intense in the latter times.

In speaking of the great saints and apostles of the latter times who will eventually triumph over Satan and his followers he gives what seems to be a pen sketch of Padre Pio, "They shall be true disciples of Jesus Christ, walking in the footsteps of His poverty, humility, and contempt of the world. . . . They shall carry on their shoulders the bloody standard of the cross, the crucifix in their right hand and the rosary in their left and the sacred names of Jesus and Mary in their hearts . . . " (these were the last words on the lips of the dying Padre Pio).

Padre Pio’s Marian devotion was a profound part of him from infancy to old age. He related later in life how as a boy he went to the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, near Naples, without permission, knowing that his mother would not give him the permission. He visited her shrine frequently when he was stationed in Naples as a soldier. Nothing could stand in his way when inspired to give Mary his love. The particular area of Italy where Padre Pio was born, Pietrelcina, had as a special patroness, Our Lady of Liberty. However, his devotion to her was expressed more in action than in words.

Though he wrote a brief meditation on her Immaculate Conception, and there are scattered references to her in his early letters (later on he was forbidden to write letters by the Holy See and as a result his written testimonies on Mary are few), yet, throughout his priestly life the most beautiful and effective "sermon" in her honor, was the Rosary which he prayed constantly. It was this chain of hope that linked him with heaven and the supernatural, that world which is unexplainable to the rationalist, and materialist.

Similar to another great Franciscan Marian Saint of our times, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Our Lady appeared to Padre Pio as well. Upon being asked twenty years later why he had kept this and other supernatural visits a secret he replied in all sincerity that he thought everyone saw our Lady. His spiritual director, Padre Agostino of San Marco, relates: "One day he ingenuously asked me ‘Don’t you see our Lady?’ At my negative reply he answered, ‘You are just saying that out of holy humility!’..." read the rest here.


- Brother Francis Mary is a member of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. He is the editor of numerous books under Saints and Shrines Series published by the Academy of the Immaculate. This article was taken from the recent book he edited entitled: Padre Pio- The Wonder Worker. The above article is taken from Padre Pio- The Wonder Worker edited by Brother Francis Mary, FI and published by The Academy of the Immaculate.

Saint Padre Pio and His Devotion to the Eucharist and Mary

Statue of Padre Pio - Blessed Sacrament Church, Paterson, NJ

Padre Pio and the Eucharist

Padre Pio was truly a servant of God. He had a lifelong love affair with Our Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. To him, the Eucharist was the center of all spiritual benefits. It was the life breath of the soul. We believe the Lord gave him an insight as to the power and the magnitude of the Eucharist, from a very early age. As a young man, before he entered the priesthood, he spent hours in the church, adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. After his ordination, he took a long time for the Consecration of the Mass, to the point where parishioners complained about all the time he spent, in ecstasy, before the bread and wine as they became the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus. He had to control himself, to break out of his ecstasy, and force himself back to the Mass, at the orders of his superiors...

Padre Pio and Mary

We can track Padre Pio's love and relationship with Mary, the Mother of God, back to age 5. It continued all his life. He mentioned at various times in his life that he received apparitions from Mary on a regular basis. He derived a great deal of his strength from these apparitions, especially when he suffered the onslaught of demons, and grotesque monsters, sent from hell to torture him...

You can read the rest of both parts of Bob and Penny Lord's article here

H/T to Sue

Documentary - “THE STORY OF SAINT DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI, SACRED HEARTS PRIEST”

The video premiers on Oceanic Cable OC 16 Friday, October 10 at 9 pm, an hour before the live coverage of the Damien canonization on EWTN Channel 408 at 10pm; both are replayed on OC 16 Sunday, Oct. 11 from 1-4pm. EWTN, a global Catholic station and CatholicTV will also show the Damien special The broadcast dates are as follows:

The following are the broadcast dates for the Damien canonization-related event:

Sat. Oct.10, 9pm - premier showing of "The Story of Saint Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest" on Oceanic Cable, OC 16;

Sat. Oct. 10, 10pm - live coverage of the Damien canonization in Rome on EWTN Digital Channel 408

Sun. Oct. 11, 7:30am - replay of Damien canonization in Rome on EWTN Digital Channel 408

Sun. Oct. 11, 1pm - replay of "The Story of Saint Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest" on Oceanic Cable, OC 16;

Sun. Oct. 11, 2pm - replay of Damien canonization in Rome on Oceanic Cable, OC 16;

Sun. Oct. 11, 4:30-5:30pm - "The Story of Saint Damien of Molokai, Sacred Hearts Priest" on KWHE-TV14 (Oceanic Cable Chan. 11)

You will also learn a brief history about the valiant dedication of the first Catholic missionaries in Hawaii who, like Father Damien belonged to the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Their untold sacrifices, sufferings and triumphs served as the cornerstone of what we know today as the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu.

As Bishop Larry Silva remarked on the video: “We hope the story of Father Damien will enlighten all of us to follow in his footsteps. We do not canonize saints so they can be in some Catholic Hall of Fame. They’re canonized so they can inspire us to do what they did, to love God will all our hearts and to reach out to the poor, the outcasts, the dispossessed. We thank God for Father Damien, that God chose him to be a special evangelizer of our islands…”

For those who helped in this video project, a very special mahalo go to: Father Herman Gomes, SS.CC. who did an excellent job as the documentary’s “storyteller;” veteran broadcaster Jim Manke of Hawaii Public Radio for his inspiring voice as narrator; Father Stephen Van den Eynde , SS.CC., a retired Belgian Sacred Hearts priest for his Damien “voice;” and Sacred Hearts Provincial, the Very Reverend Chris Keahi, SS.CC. and Bishop Larry Silva for their unconditional support in helping make this video a reality.

“THE STORY OF SAINT DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI, SACRED HEARTS PRIEST” was produced for the Father Damien/Mother Marianne Commission of the Diocese of Honolulu, by Venny and Jessica Villapando, 20-year veterans in Hawaii’s local television broadcast industry. Venny is also a member of the Father Damien/Mother Marianne Commission.

Rest in Peace Father Raymond!

Picture source Franciscan Friars Holy Province

It was deep sadness that I learned today that family friend Fr. Raymond Beach passed away. He had been one of my sister's really good friend and spiritual director for over 20 years.

I am glad I had a chance to visit with him when I was in New Jersey a few months ago. My sister and I had a nice chat with Father as he recuperated from an accidental fall.

A bittersweet thought I had when learning of Fr. Raymond's passing is that it was too bad that my brother in law was not able to have the family of boxer Jim Braddock (Cinderella Man)contact Fr. Raymond. He really would have liked that. Fr. Raymond had been the altar server at Jim Braddock's wedding. In my brother in law's defense, it was not for lack of trying. But I am sure Fr. Raymond and Jim Braddock will meet up in Heaven. He was a good and faithful priest.

Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord,
and may Your perpetual light shine upon him.
May Father Raymond rest in peace.

Amen.

E Komo Mai Father Frank Pavone!

Fr. Pavone during Holy Communion. Celebrant, Father Nagai is behind him.

Father Pavone holding the Sunday Bulletin containing information to help pregnant women in need
Father Pavone's homily
Deacon Ron Nelson
These photos were taken at the 7am Mass at Sacred Heart Church, Honolulu. Deacon Ronald Nelson of Hope Alive, is responsible for Father Pavone coming and speaking to the parishioners of Sacred Heart.

I found Father Pavone to be a very approachable and friendly priest. I introduced myself and he graciously went with me to meet my family.

Father Pavone gave a strong homily on today's Gospel. He called us to care for one another. He emphasized the pro-life movement, Priests for Life in specific, not only cares about the unborn and defenseless baby, but also the mother and the father. He encouraged us to reach out to these women in need who may not be aware that help (financially, spiritually, emotionally, etc.) is available to women.

It is a real blessing that Father Pavone came to speak to all in Hawaii. He has a few more engagements coming up like a open-forum this afternoon at 1:30 pm at Sacred Heart Church and then a Hawaii Right to Life fundraiser dinner and talk at the Hale Koa this evening. Father is also the guest speaker at the 40 Days for Life Honolulu on Tuesday.

Please try to attend these upcoming events and bring your friends and family.