St. Pio of Pietrelcina

23/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Pio of Pietrelcina

-Born in Pietrelcina, Italy
-Prayerful from childhood
-Got inspired by a capuchin friar and his simplicity
-Joined capuchin friars when he was old enough
-Became priest and ministered in his own parish due to bad health
-Got the gift of stigmata and it remained for fifty years
-Moved to Foggia and started hearing confessions for hours
-Went to San Giovanni Rotondo and ministered there
-Performed many miracles to increase faith of people in Jesus
-Started a big hospital for poor

Francisco Forgione was born on May 25, 1887 near Naples, Italy. His parents were poor and hardworking. From childhood, Francisco had a deep love for prayer and a strong desire to be holy.  When Francisco was ten years old, a Capuchin Franciscan friar came to Pietrelcina. Francisco was impressed by his simplicity and humility. He decided that he would one day be a Capuchin priest. To help make his son’s dream a reality, Francisco’s father traveled to the United States to find work and earn the money needed to give Francis an education.  On January 6, 1903, Francisco entered the Capuchin community in Morcone. He was given the name Brother Pio. He was ordained a priest in 1910. Because of poor health, his superiors thought it would be better for him to spend some time in his hometown. He was assigned to his own parish church to assist his pastor. It was during this time that Padre Pio received a special grace. In order to be more like the suffering Jesus, he began to feel the nail marks of the crucifixion in his hands and feet, and the spear wound in his side. After a while they became permanent, but were invisible. On September 20, 1918, this stigmata would become visible and last for fifty years until his death.  After seven years in Pietrelcina, Padre Pio was sent to the Capuchin friary in Foggia. He was happy to be among his Franciscan brothers at last. And his community was happy to have him with them too, because he was always cheerful and witty. He began hearing confessions and soon crowds of people were coming to him for advice.  In July of 1916, Padre Pio’s superiors sent him to San Giovanni Rotondo, a remote village where they hoped he would have some peace and quiet. Here his health improved. But he also was experiencing extraordinary gifts from God. He could read souls, and was even able to help people in confession by reminding them of details he could only have learned from God himself. He also had the gift of bilocation (the ability to be in two places at the same time), and his stigmata gave off a fragrance of roses and violets.  Padre Pio’s superiors questioned whether or not these special gifts were real. In case they were a hoax, Padre Pio was forbidden to celebrate Mass in public and to hear confessions. This was a heavy cross for him, but he accepted it as another opportunity to be like Jesus. After a while, he was again permitted to administer the sacraments, and once again vast numbers of people crowded the church for his Mass and lined up to go to confession to him. Often, he heard over 100 confessions in one day!  Padre Pio spent most of his priesthood hearing confessions and giving hope and encouragement to countless people from all around the world. He did this right up to his death on September 21, 1968. He was declared a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002.  

  Do we believe that in the Sacrament of Recon-ciliation we meet the Lord himself, who knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us more than we ever could? Let’s ask St. Pio to enlighten us so we can see the things in our life that keep us from following Jesus more closely. Then we can celebrate Reconciliation more fruitfully.

St. Thomas of Villanova

22/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Thomas of Villanova

-Born in Spain
-His parents taught him to be charitable
-Studied philosophy and started teaching it
-Joined Augustinians monks and became priest
-Raised as bishop
-Known for his kindness towards poor
-Gave away everything he had
-Fed the poor everyday
-Simple in his ways and preached gospel

Thomas was born in Spain in 1488. From his kind parents, he learned to be very charitable with the poor. He did well in school and became a teacher of philosophy when he finished his studies. Next he joined the Augustinian Order. After he became a priest, he was given many important responsibilities. Finally, he was made archbishop of the city of Valencia. His priests tried to convince him to change his old, mended habit for more dignified robes. How-ever, St. Thomas told them his old clothes had nothing to do with his duty. He would take good care of the spiritual needs of his people. Every day he fed hundreds of poor people. When he received a large sum of money to buy furniture for his house, he gave it to a hospital, saying, “What does a poor monk like me want with furniture?” No wonder he was called the “father of the poor”! St. Thomas was very gentle with sinners at a time when most people were not. Once when he tried to encourage one man to change his sinful ways, the man angrily insulted him and stormed out of the room. “It was my fault,” said the humble archbishop. “I told him a little too roughly.” Never would he permit anyone to criticize someone who wasn’t there. “He may have had a good reason for doing what he did,” the saint would say. “I, for one, believe he did.” Before he died, St. Thomas of Villanova gave to the poor everything he had. He even directed that his bed be sent to the jail for prisoners to use. St. Thomas died in 1555. He was proclaimed a saint by Pope Alexander VII in 1658.

We can remember St. Thomas of Villanova’s words when we need to be more generous. He used to say: “If you want God to hear your prayers, you should help those who are in need."

St. Matthew the Apostle

21/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Matthew the Apostle

Matthew was a tax collector in the city of Caper-naum, where Jesus was living. He was a Jew, but he was working for the Romans, who had conquered the Jews. For this reason, his countrymen disliked him. They would not have anything to do with these “public sinners,” as tax collectors like Matthew were called. But Jesus did not feel that way. One day, Jesus saw Matthew sitting in his booth and said, “Follow me.” At once, Matthew left his money and his position to follow Jesus, becoming one of the twelve apostles. Matthew gave a big supper for Jesus. He invited other friends like himself to meet Jesus and listen to him teach. Some people found fault with Jesus for sharing a meal with those whom they considered sinners. However, Jesus had a ready answer: “Those who are well do not need a doctor; sick people do. I have not come to call the just, but sinners to repentance.” After Jesus ascended into heaven, St. Matthew stayed in Palestine. He remained there for some time, preaching about the Lord. We are familiar with the Gospel according to Matthew, which is the story of Jesus and what he taught. This Gospel was inspired by and named after St. Matthew, but we are not sure if he was actually involved in writing it. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is presented to his own Jewish people as the Messiah who the prophets had said would come to save us. After preaching the Gospel to many people, St. Matthew ended his life as a martyr for the faith.

Do we sometimes label people as “bad” or as “sinners”? Then we should pray to St. Matthew. We can ask him to help us avoid labels. We don’t want to imitate the wrong things people might do, but we shouldn’t look down on them either. We should just say “no” to sin and treat the person who committed the sin with compassion and understanding.

St. Andrew Kim Daegeon and St. Paul Cho˘ng Hasang

20/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Andrew Kim Daegeon and St. Paul Cho˘ng Hasang

-Native Korean martyrs
-Andrew was a priest and Paul a layperson
-Korea was first preached with gospel in seventh century
-Believers flourished and grew in numbers
-Many missionaries from france arrived in Korea to preach
-Many became martyrs when local king started persecution
-Andrew and Paul were native believers who died for Jesus

St. Andrew Kim Daegeon was a priest and St. Paul Cho˘ng Hasang was a layperson. These two martyrs represent the many Catholics who died for their faith in Korea. They were proclaimed saints by Pope John Paul II during his visit to Korea in 1984. Christianity was brought to Korea by lay people in the seventeenth century. Believers quietly grew and flourished, nourishing their faith on the Word of God. Missionary priests arrived in Korea from France and introduced the Korean people to the sacramental life of the Church. Off and on throughout the nineteenth century the Christian faith came under attack by the Korean government. A total of 103 Korean Catholics were killed between 1839 and 1867. Ten members of the Foreign Mission Society of Paris were martyred too: three bishops and seven priests. This brought the total number of martyrs to 113. St. Andrew Kim Daegeon and St. Paul Cho˘ng Hasang represent the courageous Korean Catholics who paid with their lives for their love for Christ. St. Andrew Kim Daegeon, the first Korean priest, was martyred on September 16, 1846, just a year after his ordination. Andrew’s father had been martyred in 1821. St. Paul Cho˘ng Hasang was a heroic lay catechist. He was martyred on September 22, 1846. The Church continues to grow rapidly in Korea. The gift of faith is received and nurtured because of the sacrifices of the martyrs who paved the way.

Every martyr preaches a lesson without ever saying a single word. When we consider the death of a martyr, we hear the message. Let’s ask the Korean martyrs to help us love Jesus and his Church as much as they did.

St. Januarius

19/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Januarius

-Born in Italy
-Lived around 4th century
-Became priest and then bishop of Benevento
-He heard about some deacons were put in prison for their faith
-Visited them in prison
-Soldiers captured him there
-Became martyr of faith
-His blood is still preserved and shows miracle of liquefaction

Januarius lived in the fourth century. He was born either in Benevento or Naples, Italy. He was the bishop of Benevento when Diocletian’s persecution began. St. Januarius is popularly called “San Gennaro.” According to common belief, San Gennaro learned that some Christian deacons had been put in prison for their faith. The bishop was a gentle, compassionate man. He truly cared about his people and went to the prison to visit them. The jailer reported him to the governor, who sent soldiers to find San Gennaro. The bishop was arrested along with a deacon and a lector. They joined the other prisoners. San Gennaro and six others were martyred for their faith. Their deaths took place near Naples around 305. The people of Naples have claimed a special love for and devotion to “San Gennaro.” In fact, he is considered their patron saint. The people of Naples remember San Gennaro for another special reason: his martyr’s blood was preserved centuries ago in a vial. The blood has become dark and dry. But at certain times of the year the blood liquefies. It becomes red, sometimes bright red. At times, it even bubbles. The special case containing the vial of blood is honored publicly on the first Saturday of May, on September 19 (the feast of San Gennaro), within the octave (or eight days after the feast), and at times on December 16. The liquefied blood has been seen and honored since the thirteenth century.

We can ask San Gennaro to give us loving, compassionate hearts so that we can bring joy and comfort to the people around us as he did.

St. Joseph of Cupertino

18/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Joseph of Cupertino

-Born in an Italian village
-Very unhappy and absent minded in childhood
-Even his parents were sad about him
-Tried to join many congregations and got rejected
-He was admitted in Francisan monastery as helper
-His behaviour started changing
-Later allowed to study for priesthood
-Used to fly up during prayer and mass
-Performed miracles and still he was humble
-Spend time in deep sleep

Joseph was born on June 17, 1603, in a small Italian village to poor parents. He was very unhappy as a boy and a teenager. His mother considered him a nuisance and treated him harshly. Joseph soon became very slow and absentminded. He would wander around as if he were going nowhere. But he had a temper, too, and so he was not very popular. He tried to learn the trade of shoemaking, but failed. He asked to become a Conventual Franciscan, but they would not accept him. Next, he joined the Capuchin Order, but eight months later he was advised to leave. He could not seem to do anything right. He dropped piles of dishes and was very forgetful. His mother was not at all pleased to have the eighteen-year-old Joseph back home again. She finally got him accepted as a servant at a Franciscan monastery. He was given the Franciscan habit to wear and was assigned to care for the horses.  About this time, Joseph began to change. He grew more humble and gentle. He became more careful and successful at his work. He also began to do more penance. It was decided that he could become a member of the Order and could start studying to become a priest. Although he was very good, he still had a hard time with studies. But Joseph trusted in God’s help and he was ordained a priest. God began to work miracles through Father Joseph. Over seventy times, people saw him rise from the ground while celebrating Mass or praying. He would be suspended near the ceiling like a star at the top of a Christmas tree. Often he went into ecstasy and would be completely wrapped up in talking with God. He became very holy. Everything he saw made him think of God.  Father Joseph became so famous for his miracles that he was sent to Assisi to avoid unwanted publi-city. This made him happy for the chance to be alone with his beloved Lord. Jesus was always in his heart, and one day came to bring him to heaven. Joseph died in 1663 at the age of sixty. He was proclaimed a saint in 1767 by Pope Clement XIII.  

  Maybe we feel that we are not very special. We might even put ourselves down. That’s when we can pray to St. Joseph of Cupertino. He’ll help us have confidence in ourselves. He’ll remind us that Jesus lives in our hearts and that we’re very special to him.

St. Robert Bellarmine

17/09/15

Today's Saint:

St. Robert Bellarmine

-Born in Italy
-From childhood, he was very holy in his ways
-He was keen in the faith and its explanations
-Zealous to teach catechism for children in neighbourhood
-Joined Jesuits and studied to became priest
-Very good in preaching and leading people spiritually
-Spend hours in prayer everyday
-Wrote many spiritual books
-He became cardinal

Robert was born in Italy in 1542. As a boy, he was not interested in playing games. He liked to spend his time repeating to his younger brothers and sisters the sermons he had heard. He also liked to explain the lessons of the catechism to the little farm children of the neighborhood. Once he had made his first Holy Communion, he used to receive Jesus every Sunday.  It was his great desire to become a Jesuit priest, but his father had different plans for him. Robert’s father hoped to make a famous gentleman out of his son. For this reason, he wanted him to study many subjects and music and art, too. For a whole year, Robert worked to persuade his father. At last, when he was eighteen, he was permitted to join the Jesuits. As a young Jesuit, he did very well in his studies. He was sent to preach even before he became a priest. When one good woman first saw such a young man, not even a priest yet, going up into the pulpit to preach, she knelt down to pray. She asked the Lord to help him not to become frightened and stop in the middle. When he finished his sermon, she stayed kneeling. This time, however, she was thanking God for the magnificent sermon.  St. Robert Bellarmine became a famous writer, preacher, and teacher. He wrote thirty-one important books. He spent three hours every day in prayer. He had a deep knowledge of sacred matters. Yet even when he had become a cardinal, he considered the catechism so important that he himself taught it to his household and to the people.  Cardinal Bellarmine died on September 17, 1621. He was proclaimed a saint in 1930 by Pope Pius XI. In 1931, Pius XI declared St. Robert Bellarmine a Doctor of the Church.  

  We can ask St. Robert to help us realize how important our religious instruction classes are. We should make an effort to be on time for classes, to pay attention and complete our assignments, and to take the study of our faith seriously.