On the Center’s Feast Day Website, March is the month with the least number of feast days, 11 in total. But, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t a range of saints and life experiences represented this month. Two of the saints in March are perhaps some of the most well-known saints: St. Patrick and St. Joseph. Also this month, we will celebrate a famous American saint, St. Katharine Drexel, an influential Peruvian, St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, and one of my favorite saints, the Salvadoran St. Oscar Romero. St. Katharine Drexel St. Katharine Drexel was born in 1858 in Philadelphia. She was born into a wealthy family and inherited a large sum of money after her father died. Katharine and her sisters wanted to help Native Americans and African Americans with the money they inherited. In a private meeting with the pope, he recommended that Katharine become a sister to carry out the work she wanted to do. Doing this, however, would require Katharine to leave the affluent social circles of Philadelphia. She decided that she was being called to religious life and founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. To this day, the Sisters founded by Katharine continue to work for the education of Native Americans and African Americans across the United States. I find St. Katharine Drexel’s life particularly admirable because of the courage it must have taken to step into the unknown of founding a religious community even though she had such security in the wealth of her inheritance. St. Turibius of Mogrovejo The feast of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo is celebrated on the day of his death, March 23rd. He became archbishop of Lima, Peru in 1580, moving from his native Spain to Peru to be the archbishop. While he was archbishop, he focused on evangelization throughout his diocese. This included many, many baptisms, including baptizing eventual saints Rose of Lima and Martin de Porres. Turibius also focused on incorporating the indigenous languages into the work of the priests throughout the diocese. Personally, I think St. Turibius’ wisdom and understanding carries many lessons for us today. His ability to go into an unknown place and work with the local community can be a model for our efforts in the New Evangelization. Let us not forget the local community and culture of where we might minister, but collaborate with the culture and community. St. Oscar Romero One of my favorite saints is St. Oscar Romero. I did not know much about the life of St. Oscar Romero until I visited El Salvador in 2019. While I was in El Salvador, I got to visit his tomb as well as the chapel where he was celebrating Mass when he was killed. Romero was named the archbishop of San Salvador in 1977 because he was considered a safe, non-divisive choice in the country that had extreme political unrest. However, Romero saw the extreme suffering of the people of El Salvador and devoted himself as archbishop to speak out against the injustices faced by Salvadorans. He knew that doing this put his own life in extreme danger, but he was willing to do so to help Salvadorans. In 1980, after only 3 years as archbishop, Romero was shot and killed while celebrating Mass. Today, Romero is one of the most well-known and respected Salvadorans. Whether you know a lot or nothing at all about St. Oscar Romero, I encourage you to read more about his life, especially the homilies and speeches he gave to all of the people of El Salvador. This March, let us learn more about the lives of St. Katharine Drexel, St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, and St. Oscar Romero and ask for their intercession in our lives and in the life of the Church. To learn more about the saints, visit our Catholic Feast Days Website by clicking here. To view a calendar of the feast days in March, and each month, click here.
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“For he knows our frailty, He remembers we are only dust”--St. Thérèse of Lisieux Since Lent of 2022 is already upon us, I would like to pause and reflect on how Lent is a deeply penitential season that can bring us closer to Christ through our love of Him and those around us. I want to consider this by examining St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower, and the concept of Merciful Love. St. Thérèse of Lisieux was deeply attuned to Jesus’s love and mercy for all mankind, especially when it came to little souls who had a repentant heart. St. Thérèse expresses her devotion to the Divine Mercy across her many writings, and her insights shaped her “Little Way” into Jesus’s merciful heart as it is poured out to sinners. However, many reject Christ’s mercy, not believing it to be the free gift it is. In my opinion, this is one of the hardest realities to accept in the spiritual life because of its ubiquitous nature. As humans, we are constantly anxious that we are offending God, inadvertently hurting those around us, and making mistakes in our day-to-day lives at work or in school. But no matter the situation, anxiety, or fault, Christ’s mercy enters that space and works to heal us, even if we do not acknowledge it or if we reject it outright. Jesus comes to us and can live in us no matter what. St. Thérèse points to Jesus’s Infinite love and mercy as a model for our own love. In Story of a Soul, she writes, “How good is the Lord, his mercy endures forever! It seems to me that if all creatures had received the same graces I received, God would be feared by none but would be loved to the point of folly; and through love, not through fear, no one would ever consent to causing Him any pain.” Lent is a time of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving that is focused on love of God and love of neighbor. The three core pillars of Lent are not ends in themselves; they are a means to grow closer in relationship to Jesus, the Church, and those who live in our communities. Christ offers us his love and mercy so that we can extend them to those around us, and once we accept His gifts, we are changed forever. Nevertheless, one must trust God in His love, and we must see ourselves as reflections of His love. Much of St. Thérèse’s writings and spirituality revolve around being a small child before God. Our littleness allows the Lord to love and minister to us as He intended since we cannot attain the heights of the Christian life on our own. Instead, Jesus and the Holy Spirit draw near to illuminate the darkness in our lives with their love. Yet, despite the presence of Christ in our lives, we turn away from Him, and this then allows us to run back to Him as the Prodigal Son did. This turning back to God fosters deeper trust in God within our hearts. St. Thérèse enunciates that we have to receive and accept our brokenness and the reality that we will never be perfect. Once this occurs, we gain a relationship with Jesus. Through His love for us, we see ourselves as a vessel for His love. We value our own selves as well as helping those around us. We Christians move outward to love the world as Jesus called us to do through God the Infinite Love and Infinite Mercy. To learn more about the saints, visit our Catholic Feast Days Website by clicking here.
On this day in the Church, we celebrate the life of St. Blaise who was a healer, evangelist, and a martyr. In churches worldwide, we come forward at Mass on Feb. 3rd for a blessing from St. Blaise to be healed of any throat ailments and other illnesses. He lived his life in devoted service to the Lord and suffered a martyr’s death because he refused to denounce God and abandon his faith. He was willing to die rather than forsake all that was important to him. As we reflect on this saint and the impact of his life in the history of our Church, it is a perfect time to examine our own lives. As we come out of celebrating Christmas, the beautiful season of light, and walk in Ordinary Time, it is a great time to examine our level of commitment to discipleship and keeping Christ at the center of our lives. Are we totally and completely invested in following our Lord and Savior in every aspect of our life – no matter the cost? We have the remarkable example of holy men and women who are now saints to remind us that we are purposed to love, serve, and glorify the Lord in all we do, think, and say. In a recent Sunday’s Gospel, Mary instructs the servants at the wedding feast to “do whatever He tells you.” These are the last recorded words the Blessed Mother speaks in the holy Scriptures. This is significant and her instruction is relevant to us today. If we live each day asking God what He wants of us, we will be fulfilled beyond all our imagining. When we follow the path God sets before us, we gain more freedom, not less. When we die to ourselves and our wants, we become more whole, more alive. When we love extravagantly, we become more energized, not worn out. When we are more generous with our time, our talents and resources, we amazingly gain more time to do more things for the Lord. When we cooperate with His plan – everything good is multiplied in our lives. God calls each of us to become saints, one day at a time, in the grind and messiness of life. We just need to be intentional about listening to His voice prompting us in all the opportunities He provides. This will sanctify us and bring us true joy. It’s important to hear this because the world screams the opposite message. As I write this, I am in the midst of adjusting to grown children leaving our home and repurposing bedrooms and discovering more time to focus on other activities. I am tempted to enjoy more things that are fun, which is good within reason. I can conjure up endless projects that I never had the time to pursue while raising six kids, working, and administering a household, but I have to ask – is this what God wants me to do? Since Christmas, I have been reflecting on all these life changes in my heart and asking for clarity in my purpose in this season of my life. And as always, God does not disappoint. He has been drawing me to more prayer time and daily Mass – and bringing to mind all those I can bring to the altar to pray for. He has clearly shown me how important it is to share more time with my husband – recreating together, talking, and sharing our ideas of what we can do as a couple in this stage of our life to build up the Body of Christ. He has brought to mind the vows I spoke 42 years ago and how I can more deeply live them out today. He specifically reminds me to always choose the most loving thing as I continue to live my vocation as wife and mother. He shows me so many ways to be available to my family and those around me. I am drinking deeply from the well of God’s love, grace, and mercy, finding that opportunities abound for me to live out my discipleship in new and exciting ways. And he gives me refreshment and joy that settles deep in my soul. I encourage you all, in these Ordinary days of the liturgical year, to take some quiet time to search your heart, mind, and spirit to see how you are doing in the Lord’s service. Are you 100% on board with practicing your faith in your relationships, in your encounters with others, in your thought life, and in all your behavior? Making an honest assessment, then asking the Lord and all the saints to help bolster your courage, strengthen your efforts, and fortify your energy to be the disciple you were called to be will lead you to become transformed into someone extraordinary for God! “This is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, for the glory and praise of God.” Phil 1: 10-11 As we continue into the second month of 2022, let us learn from the saints we celebrate this February. While this is a shortened month, there are three instances this month where we get to celebrate two saints on the same day. On February 8th, we will celebrate both St. Jerome Emiliani and St. Josephine Bakhita. Then, two days later, we celebrate both St. Scholastica and St. Jose Sanchez del Rio. Finally, on February 21st, we celebrate both St. Peter Damian and Bl. Richard Henkes. May their witness of the faith inspire us to follow in their footsteps and grow in our faith throughout the month. February 8th One of the saints who we will celebrate on February 8th is St. Jerome Emiliani. After his conversion of heart as a prisoner of war, he worked tirelessly for orphans and the poor in his community. He founded the Somaschi Fathers who, even today are committed to helping orphans, the poor, and the sick. He became well known for his zeal and his work has continued now almost 500 years later. On the same day, we will also celebrate St. Josephine Bakhita. She was born in 1869 in Sudan. As a child, Bakhita was forced into slavery. Eventually she ended up in Italy where she was freed and converted to Catholicism. She then became a Canossian Sister and devoted the rest of her life to her faith. Throughout her life, she was known as a role model for forgiveness and continuing to grow in her faith. February 10th One of the saints whose feast is on February 10th is St. Scholastica. St. Scholastica is known as the twin sister of St. Benedict, the founder of the Benedictines. Once a year, St. Scholastica and her brother would meet and discuss many aspects of the faith to help each other and the other Benedictines in their care. Their strong relationship continued until St. Scholastica’s death, just three days after her annual visit with Benedict. Because of her work with her brother, St. Scholastica is now the patron saint of Benedictine nuns. Living almost a century and a half later was St. Jose Sanchez del Rio. During the Cristero War in Mexico, Jose was captured and tortured to try and get him to renounce his Catholic faith. However, Jose remained committed to his faith and was martyred at the age of 14. I find it incredibly inspiring that both St. Scholastica and St. Jose Sanchez del Rio became saints even though their lives were so different. Their examples show that God calls each of us to sanctity in a unique way. February 21st St. Peter Damian lived in the 11th century and came from very humble beginnings. He was orphaned at a young age and spent most of his childhood uneducated and underfed. Eventually, one of his brothers took him in to be educated. Peter proved incredibly gifted in theological matters. He spent his life as a monk engaged in theological disputes during a challenging period in the Church. Today, St. Peter Damian is recognized as a Doctor of the Church, showing that his initial lack of education did not define the rest of his life – skilled theologians can come from anywhere. Also celebrated on February 21st is Bl. Richard Henkes. Bl. Richard Henkes was a Pallottine priest who was initially arrested by the S.S. in 1938 for speaking out against Nazism. Even after he was released in 1939, he continued preaching against the Nazi regime. After being arrested a second time and sent to the Dachau concentration camp, he volunteered to care for the sick there. Father Henkes ultimately became ill, dying from the disease. He is remembered for his unending selflessness. As we continue in 2022, let us reflect on the lives of these saints from these three days as role models we can continue to look to throughout this month. To learn more about the saints, visit our Catholic Feast Days Website by clicking here. To view a calendar of the feast days in February, and each month, click here.
As we start 2022, the lives of the saints can be an inspiration for us in our faith journey this year. Today we celebrate St. André Bessette and tomorrow we celebrate St. Raymond of Penyafort. While they lived two very different lives, they help show us that there is a unique path to holiness for each of us. On January 17th we will celebrate St. Anthony who is known as the founder of modern-day monasticism in the 4th century. Then, at the end of the month we will celebrate St. Marianne Cope and St. Angela Merici, both female religious whose lives we can look to this new year.
Saints We Celebrate Today and Tomorrow Today, January 6th, we celebrate the feast of St. André Bessette. Brother André was a brother in the Congregation of the Holy Cross in the 19th and 20th century in Canada. He had a great devotion to St. Joseph which led him to recommend devotion to St. Joseph to those who were sick. This led to Brother André’s reputation as a miracle worker. Even as his reputation grew, he remained devoted to St. Joseph and made sure he was the center of his ministry. Tomorrow we will celebrate the feast of St. Raymond of Penyafort. St. Raymond is known for his work compiling canon laws and he is known as the patron saint of canon lawyers. Both of these saints came to know Christ in radically different ways and had very different life paths, but they both lived their lives for Christ. I find their feast days back-to-back particularly inspirational that Christ has a unique path to holiness for each of us. St. Anthony the Great St. Anthony the Great lived in Egypt in the 3rd and 4th centuries and is known as the father of monasticism. Last year, I had to read the Life of Anthony written by St. Athanasius. It is the source for most of what we know about St. Anthony and helped spread St. Anthony’s life to other monks. Even though I had to read it for class, I found my own faith being strengthen by this ancient text. What particularly stood out to me in the text was that even though St. Anthony wanted to be a monk and removed from earthly distractions, he recognized where God was calling him and followed His will. Many of the stories for the Life of Anthony have helped me grow in my own faith and realize that even when I sometimes want to be far removed from a situation, we ultimately need to listen for God’s will for us. I encourage you to prayerfully read through the Life of Anthony this new year. Inspirational Female Religious On January 23rd we will celebrate the feast of St. Marianne Cope. She is known for working with St. Damien in the leper colony at Molokai. Even though working with leprosy suffers could be dangerous, St. Marianne Cope led her religious community to helping the king of Hawaii with Molokai. She took on the challenge and devoted her life to caring for leprosy sufferers, recognizing that they were not defined by their illness. Her courage and dedication can be an inspiration to us this new year. Then, on January 27th we will celebrate St. Angela Merici. She founded the Company of St. Ursula which became a religious community that was focused on the education of young girls. Like St. Marianne Cope many centuries after her, St. Angela Merici had the courage and dedication to found this community and focus on girls’ education even at a time when this was not very common. Let us pray for the intercession of both of these saints for the same courage and dedication they showed throughout their lives. In the beginning of this new year, let us pray for the intercession of these and all the saints to help us grow in our relationship with God and to follow His will. To learn more about the saints, visit our Catholic Feast Days Website by clicking here. To view a calendar of the feast days in January, and each month, click here.
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