¤ Saint Of The Day ¤

A note before we begin — this saint is definetly a ‘lesser known’. I cannot find a picture of him.

St. Gaucherius was born in Meulan-sur-Seine, France. He recived a solid classical education.
At the age of 18, he gave up the world and retired to Aureil to lead a sloitary life.
Gradually a community grew up around him and he gave them the rule of St. Augustine.

Many hole men were trained in the order started by this saint, including St. Lambert and St.  Stephen of Grammont.

St. Gaucherius died in the year 1140.

LORD, amid the things of this world, let us be wholeheartedly committed to heavenly things in imitation of the example of evangelical perfection You have given us in St. Gaucherius the Abbot.
Amen.

St. Julia (Julie) Billiart was born in 1751. Julie was the fifth of seven children. She attended a little one room school in Cuvilly. She enjoyed all of her studies, but she was particularly attracted to her religion lessons, taught by the local priest. Recognizing something “special” in Julia, the priest allowed her to make herFirst Communion at the age of nine, though the usual age was thirteen.

As a child, playing school was St. Julia’s favorite game. When she was sixteen, to help support her family, she took up teaching in the real world.  She sat on a haystack during the noon recess and told stories from the bible to the children. St. Julia continued teaching throughout her life, which founded her Congregation.

A murder attempt on her father shocked her nervous system badly. A period of extremely poor heath for the saint began, which lasted for thirty years. For twenty-two of these years she was completely paralyzed. All of her sufferings and pain she offered up to God.

Durning the French Revolution, St. Julia offered her home as a hiding place for loyal priests, making her hunted prey. Five times in three years she was forced to flee to avoid compromising her friends who were hiding her.

While in hiding, she was privileged to receive a vision. She saw our crucified LORD surrounded by a large group of religious women dressed in a habit that she had never seen before. An inner voice told her that these would be her daughters and that she would begin an institute for the young girls. St. Julia and another young woman later founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

In 1803, the two women and a few companions began living a religious life at Amiens.
In 1804, St. Julia was divinely cured of her illness and walked for the first time in twenty-two years.
In 1805, St. Julia and three companions made their profession and took their final vows. She was elected as Mother General of the young Congregation.

In 1815, Mother taxed her ever poor health by nursing the wounded and feeding the starving left from the battle of Waterloo. For the last three months of her life, she suffered much.

She died peacefully on April 8, 1816 at 64 years of age. St. Julia was beatified on May 13, 1906, and was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1969.

LORD, out God, grant that Your faithful spouse, St. Julia, may kindle in us the flame of Divine love which she enkindled in other virgins for the everlasting glory of your church.
Amen.

As a young seventeenth-century Frenchman, St. John Baptist de la Salle had everything going for him: he was smart, handsome, had a noble family background, and money.
At the age of 11, he started preparation for the priesthood. He was ordained at 27. He seemed assured then of a life of dignified ease and a high position in the Church.

But God had other plans for John, which were revealed to him in the next several years. He became interested in the creation of schools for poor boys in the area where he was stationed. The work was extremely distasteful to him at first, but he soon became more involved in working with the deprived youths.

Once convinced that this was his divinely appointed mission, St. John threw himself wholeheartedly into the work, left home and family, abandoned his position as canon at Rheims, gave away his fortune and reduced himself to the level of the poor to whom he devoted his entire life.

The remainder of his life was closely entwined with the community of religious men he founded, the Brothers of the Christian School (Christian Brothers, or De La Salle Brothers). This community grew rapidly and was successful in educating boys of poor families using methods designed by John, preparing teachers in the first training college for teachers and also setting up homes and schools for young delinquents of wealthy families. The motivating element in all these endeavors was the desire to become a good Christian.

Yet even in his success, John did not escape experiencing many trials: heartrending disappointment and defections among his disciples, bitter opposition from the secular schoolmasters who resented his new and fruitful methods and persistent opposition from the Jansenists of his time, whose heretical doctrines John resisted vehemently all his life.

St. John Baptist de la Salle died on Good Friday at 68. He was canonized in 1900.
In the year 1950, Pope Pius XII named him patron of schoolteachers.

Today’s prayer:

Blessed Jesus, Saint John Baptist was the “Father of Modern Education” and the founder of Christian Brothers schools. He made good academic education available to all, not just nobility, and he supported the schools by draining his own wealth. I ask him to pray for all the Catholic, private, and public schools that are in my town, and for our children to be given teachers who have good ethics. O God, purge harmful teachings from our classrooms, and bless the faculty and administrators as they make decisions on how their schools and classes should be run. Saint John Baptist, pray for us. Amen.

Today’s post is taken from www.degrandisssj.com. It’s a lovely site –check it out!

St. Marcellinus of Carthage lived during the fourth century and was a friend of St. Augustine. This friendship was so close that St. Augustine dedicated his work “City of God” to Marcellinus. At the beginning of the fifth century, Marcellinus was asked by the Emperor Honorius to act as the Secretary of State for the Empire.

In 409 the Emperor granted freedom of worship to a heretical group called the Donatists and was met with strong dissent from many of the Catholic citizens of the Empire. Soon after this decision, St. Marcellinus was sent to settle disputes between the Catholics and the Donatists. After learning the details of the situation, he asked the Donatists to return the churches they had claimed to the Catholics. Furthermore, he believed that the Donatists were in error and he told them to return to communion with the Church.

Two years after this decision Marcellinus was the victim of political intrigue worked by Donatist sympathizers. He was accused of involvement in a rebellion. The truth of these accusations were never discovered and Marcellinus was executed for treason in 413.

Today’s prayer:

Almighty, ever-living God, You enabled St. Marcellinus to fight to the death for justice. Throuh his intercession enable us to bear all adversity and with all our strength to hasten to You Who alone are life.
Amen.

St. Vincent Ferrer was born on January 23rd, 1357, to Saint Dominic and his wife. Before his birth, his vocation was announced to his parents in a miraculous way.
In the year 1374, at the age of 18, he entered the Order of Saint Dominic in a monestary near his home.
Soon after he entered the order, he began delivering lectures on philosophy. He was known all over France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Flanders, England Scotland, and Ireland.

On being sent to Barcelona, he continued his scholastic duties and at the same time devoted himself to preaching. At Lerida, the famous university city of Catalonia, he received his doctorate. After this he labored six years in Valencia, during which time he perfected himself in the Christian life. In 1390, he was obliged to accompany Cardinal Pedro de Luna to France, but he soon returned home. When, in 1394, de Luna himself had become Pope at Avignon he summoned he and made him Master of the sacred palace. In this capacity he made unsuccessful efforts to put an end to the great schism. He refused all ecclesiastical dignities, even the cardinal’s hat, and only craved to be appointed apostolical missionary. Now began those labors that made him the famous missionary of the fourteenth century.

Numerous conversions followed his preaching, which God Himself assisted by the gift of miracles. Though the Church was then divided by the great schism, the saint was honorably received in the districts subject to the two claimants to the Papacy. He was even invited to Mohammedan Granada, where he preached the gospel with much success. He lived to behold the end of the great scheim and the election of Pope Martain V. 
Crowned with labors, he died April 5, 1419.

This saint is the patron of builders, because of his work to ”build up” the Church.

God, You raised up St. Vincent Your Priest for a ministry of evangelical preaching. Grant that we may see him reigning in heaven who while on earth prclaimed the future judgment.
Amen.

Links:
http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/FERRER.htm
http://saints.sqpn.com/saintv03.htm
http://www.secondexodus.com/html/patronsaints/stvincentferrer.htm

P.S. — Happy Palm Sunday!

St. Isidore was born in Cartagena, Spain, in the year 560 AD.
His parents, Severinus and Theodora, were both very virtues. For this reason, perhaps, they raised four saints – his brothers, St. Leander and St. Fulgentius (both bishops), and his sister, Florentina.

From his youth, St. Isidore consecrated himself to the service of the Churhc, and prepared himself for his future ministry by virtue and learning. He assisted his brother (St. Leander, who was Archbishop of Seville) in the conversion of many, and on his brother’s death, around the year 600, St. Isidore took his place in the seeing of Seville.

St, Isidore was a wonderful writer. He composed a work containing the whole circle of science, which shows his vast range of knowledge. He wrote the earliest encyclopedias!
The saint was versed in Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He governed his church for 37 years, continuing his labors into an advanced age.

Perciving his death approching, he went to church, recived Holy Communion, remitted all debts owed to him, and distributed his money to the poor.
He then returned to his home, and peacefully passed onto our LORD four days later, in the year 636.

This saint is the patron of many things, including computers, computer users, and students.

LORD, hear our prayers, which we offer on the commemoration of St. Isisdore. May Your Church be instructed by his teaching.
Amen.

Links You’ll Like:
http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-isidore-of-seville/
http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saintofday/default.asp?id=1343
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08186a.htm

Today’s saint, who is also known as Richardof Chichester, was born at Wyche, Worcestershire, England. He was orphaned when he was quite young, and found great comfort in the LORD, spending hours in prayer.
Richard refused marriage and went to Oxford, where he spent hours at a time studying, and met Edmund Rich, his lifelong companion and friend. Richard pursued his studies at Paris, received his Master’s Degree from Oxford, and then continued his studies at Bologna, where he received his Doctor’s in Canon Law. After seven years at Bologna, he returned to Oxford, was appointed chancellor of the university in 1235, and then became chancellor to Edmund Rich, now archbishopof Canterbury, whom he accompanied to the Cistercian monastery at Pontigny when the archbishop retired there.
After Rich died at Pontigny, Richard taught at the Dominican House of Studies at Orleans and was ordained there in 1243. After a time as a parish priest at Deal, he became chancellor of Boniface of Savoy, the new archbishop of Canterbury, and when King Henry III named Ralph Neville bishop of Chichester in 1244, Boniface declared his selection invalid and named Richard to the See. Eventually, the matter was brought to Rome and in 1245, Pope Innocent IV declared in Richard’s favor and consecrated him.

When he returned to England, he was still opposed by Henry and was refused admittance to the bishop’s palace; eventually Henry gave in when threatened with excommunication by the Pope. The remaining eight years of Richard’s life were spend in ministering to his flock. He denounced nepotism, insisted on strict clerical discipline, and was ever generous to the poor and the needy. He died at a house for poor priests in Dover, England, while preaching a crusade, and was canonized in 1262.

Saint Richard (From wilsonsalminac)

God, ou made St’ Richard an outstanding examplar of Divine love and the Faith that conquers the world, and dded him to the role of saintly pastors. Grant by his intercession that we may persevere in Faith and love and become sharers of his glory.
Amen.

Saint Francis was born around the year 1415 in Paola. Paola is a small neighborhood in Calabria, Italy.
His parents, though poor, were faithful and virtuous. Below is a little bit of amazing history, taken from the website http://www.wf-f.org/StFrancisPaola.html.

His parents were remarkable for the holiness of their lives. Remaining childless for some years after their marriage they had recourse to prayer, especially commending themselves to the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis was the eldest of three children. He suffered from a swelling which endangered the sight of one of his eyes. His parents again had recourse to Francis of Assisi, and made a vow that their son should pass an entire year in the “little habit” of St Francis in one of the convents of his order, a not uncommon practice in the Middle Ages. The child was immediately cured. From his early years Francis showed signs of extraordinary sanctity, and at the age of thirteen, being admonished by a vision of a Franciscan friar, he entered a convent of the Franciscan Order in order to fulfil the vow made by his parents. Here he gave great edification by his love of prayer and mortification, his profound humility, and his prompt obedience. At the completion of the year he went with his parents on a pilgrimage to Assisi, Rome, and other places of devotion. Returning to Paula he selected a retired spot on his father’s estate, and there lived in solitude; but later on he found a more retired dwelling in a cave on the sea coast. Here he remained alone for about six years giving himself to prayer and mortification.

Francis learned to read in the Franciscan convent at St. Mark’s, a town close to his home. After spending a year with the Franciscans, the young man took up living in solitude – about half a mile from Paola – in the year 1432.

      
(I’ve included two pictures today –
I couldn’t decide which I liked better! )

Before he was twenty, two other men joined him to share in his devout exercises. A group of locals built the them three cells and a chapel.
This was the beginning of the Order of Minims, the foundation of which is placed in 1436.
In 1474, the order was confirmed, and Francis named the Superior General. The first monastery was built in 1454, and many others followed.

When his life of penance drew near it’s close, St. Francis spent the last three months in his cell, preparing for death and eternity.
On Palm Sunday, 1508, he fell sick, and died shortly thereafter at the age of 91.

God, the exultation of the humble, You raised St. Francis to the glory ofYour saints. Through his merits and example, grant that we may happily obtain the rewards promised to the humble.
Amen.

Links I like:
http://www.wf-f.org/StFrancisPaola.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06231a.htm
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1341

Today’s post is taken from the book, “Lives of the Saints:, by Alban Butler, published in the late 1800s.
Enjoy!

(A Note – There are two “Saint Hugh, Bishops”s. Today’s saint is Bishop of Grenoble, not Bishop of Lincoln.)

It was the happiness of this Saint to receive from his cradle the strongest impressions of piety by the example and care of his illustrious and holy parents. He was born at Chateau-neuf, in the territory of Valence in Dauphiné, in 1053. His father, Odilo, who served his country in an honorable post in the army, labored by all the means in his power to make his soldiers faithful servants of their Creator, and by severe punishments to restrain vice. By the advice of his son, St. Hugh, he afterwards became a Carthusian monk, and died at the age of a hundred, having received Extreme Unction and Viaticum from the hands of his son. Our Saint likewise assisted, in her last moments, his mother, who had for many years, under his direction, served God in her own house, by prayer, fasting, and plenteous alms-deeds. Hugh, from the cradle, appeared to be a child of benediction. He went through his studies with great applause, and having chosen to serve God in an ecclesiastical state, he accepted a canonry in the cathedral of Valence. His great sanctity and learning rendered him an ornament of that church, and he was finally made Bishop of Grenoble. He set himself at once to reprove vice and to reform abuses, and so plentiful was the benediction of Heaven upon his labors that he had the comfort to see the face of his diocese in a short time exceedingly changed. After two years he privately resigned his bishopric, presuming on the tacit consent of the Holy See, and, putting on the habit of St. Bennet, he entered upon a novitiate in the austere abbey of Casa-Dei in Auvergne. There he lived a year, a perfect model of all virtues to that house of Saints, till Pope Gregory VII. commanded him, in virtue of holy obedience, to resume his pastoral charge.

He earnestly solicited Pope Innocent II. for leave to resign his bishopric, that he might die in solitude, but was never able to obtain his request. God was pleased to purify his soul by a lingering illness before He called him to Himself. Some time before his death he lost his memory for everything but his prayers. He closed his penitential course on the 1st of April in 1132, wanting only two months of being Eighty years old, of which he had been fifty-two years bishop. Miracles attested the sanctity of his happy death, and he was canonized by Innocent II. in 1134.

Reflection—Let us learn from the example of the Saints to shun the tumult of the world as much as our circumstances will allow, and give ourselves up to the exercises of holy solitude, prayer, and pious reading.

The Christians in Persia had been blessed with twelve years of peace during the reign of Isdegerd, son of Sapor III, when in 420 it was disturbed by the zeal of Abdas, a Christian Bishop who burned the Temple of Fire, the great sanctuary of the Persians. King Isdegerd threatened to destroy all the churches of the Christians unless the Bishop would rebuild it.

As Abdas refused to comply, the threat was executed; the churches were demolished. Abdas himself was put to death, and a general persecution began which lasted forty years. Isdegerd died in 421, but his son and successor, Varanes, carried on the persecution with great fury. The Christians were submitted to the most cruel tortures.

Among those who suffered was St. Benjamin, a Deacon, who had been imprisoned a year for his Faith. At the end of this period, an ambassador of the Emperor of Constantinople obtained his release on condition that he would never speak to any of the courtiers about religion.

St. Benjamin, however, declared it was his duty to preach Christ and that he could not be silent. Although he had been liberated on the agreement made with the ambassador and the Persian authorities, he would not acquiesce in it, and neglected no opportunity of preaching. He was again apprehended and brought before the king. 
The Saintlymartyr died from the tortures applied to him in the year 424.

Alimighty, ever-living God, You enabled St. Benjamin to fight for justice even uno deah. Trough his help, grant that we may tolerate all adversity and hasten with all our might to You Who adversity and hasten with all our might to You Who alone are life.
Amen.

Links:
http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/BENJAMIN.HTM
http://saints.sqpn.com/saintb81.htm