TODAY'S SAINTS (Andrew the Apostle)

ANDREW THE APOSTLE

(d. 60)

One of Jesus' Twelve Disciples or Apostles

Name meaning: Strong, manly, valorous

Also known as: Andreas; Endres

Andrew was born at Bethsaida on Lake Genesareth (the Sea of Galilee). He was the brother of St. Peter and in adulthood lived with him in a house at Capharnaum, on Lake Genesareth. The brothers were prosperous fisherman. They were also followers of St. John the Baptist, through whom they came into contact with Jesus. Andrew was the first to meet Jesus; immediately recognizing him as the Christ, he introduced him to Peter. They followed Jesus on an evangelizing tour and later were called by him to be among his twelve regular disciplis or apostles.

Not much is known about Andrew's subsequent career. Together with St. Philip, he presented the Gentiles to Christ (as described in John 12: 20-22). When as a result of the persecutions of Herod Agrippa I (r. 24-44) the apostles were forced to flee Galilee, Andrew is believed to have preached in many regions. By tradition, he spent some time in Byzantium, where he appointed St. Stachys as the First bishop. There is another unfounded tradition that he preached in Russia, reaching as far as Kiev in the Ukraine, whence the conversion of the Slavs spread in the 11th century.

The exact whereabouts and circumstances of Andrew's death are not known. According to a early account now know to be a forgery intended to counter Rome's claim to the relics of SS. Peter and Paul, Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross (today called a St. Andrew's Cross) at Patras (Patrae) in Achaia. This tradition has it that the Roman governor, Aegeas or Aegates, had him tied rather than nailed to the cross to extend his suffering, but that he used the opportunity to preach to all who came to view his execution. In any event, his martyrdom came during the reign of Nero, perhaps on November 30, A.D. 60.

Andrew's relics were translated to Constantinople, where they were deposited in the Church of the Apostles, about the year 357. Tradition has it that some were conveyed to Scotland in the fourth century, in response to a dream of St. Rule (Regulus) in which he was guided by an angel to a place called St. Andrew's where he built a church to house the relics. Rule became the first bishop of St. Andrews and spent the next three decades evangelizing the Scots. When the French Lombards took Constantinople at the start of the 13th century, Cardinal Peter of Capua carried the remaining relics to Italy and placed them in the cathedral of Amalfi, where most are to be found today. Andrew's head, however, was returned to Constantinople by Pope Paul VI (r. 1963-78).

Andrew's feast has been universal in the West since the sixth century.

Andrew is represented as an old man with a book and an x-shaped cross; a man bound to a cross; a man sitting in a boat; a preacher holding some fish. His symbols include a fishing net, an x-shaped cross (saltire) and fish. In the oldest images, he is depicted with a normal Latin cross. The saltire became associated with Andrew beginning in the 10th century, becoming common only in the 14th.

PRAYER

Lord, You raised up St. Andrew, Your Apostle, to preach and rule

in Your Church. Grant that we may allways expereience the bene-

fit of his intercession with You. Amen.

Feast: November 30

Patronage: anglers; fisshmongers; fishermen; against gout; maidens;

old maids; singers; against sore throats; spinsters; against stiff-

neck; unmarried women; women who wish to become mothers;

Achaia; Amalfi, Italy; Avranches; brabant; Brunswick; burgundy;

Greece; Holstein; Luxembourg; Minden; Patras, Greece; Pesaro;

Russia; Scotland; University of Patras

TODAY'S SAINT (Saturninus)

SATURNINUS

Bishop and Martyr

The life of St. Saturninus is shrouded in mystery. However, a late tradition says that he was sent from Rome to Gaul by Pope Fabian, about the year 245, to preach the Faith to the people of that country. In the year 250, during the consulate of Decius and Gratus, he fixed his See at Toulouse, and converted a number of idolaters by his preaching and miracles.

One day, as he was passing the principal temple in the city, the priests seized him and dragged him into it, declaring that he should either appease the offended deities by offering sacrifices to them or die. On his positive refusal, they abused him and finally tied his feet to a wild bull which had been brought there for sacrifice. They then drove the beast from the temple and the martyr was dragged after it. He soon expired, but his body was literally torn to pieces. This probably happened under Valerian, in 257.

PRAYER

God, You gave splendor to Your Church by ganting St. Saturninus

the victor of martyrdom. Grannt that, as he imitated the Lord's Pas-

sion, so we may follow in his footsteps and attain everlasting joys.

Amen.

Feast: November 29

Patron of Toulouse

TODAY'S SAINT (James of the March)

JAMES OF THE MARCH

Priest

James Gangala was born in 1391 in the March of Ancona, Italy, and was therefore surname "of the March." Though of humble origin he was able to attend the University of Perugia and won the laurels of Doctor of Laws. However, after a short stint at teaching, he renounced the world to become a Franciscan friar. He was ordained and for fifty years preached the Faith to thousands in season and out of season. Together with St. John of Capistrano heretical sects known as the Fraticelli, and helped reconcile the moderate Hussites to the Church at the Council of Basle.

Everywhere he went James stood as a luminous figure of sanctity and the Fanciscan apostolate. Such was the fervor and power of his preaching that he is said to have converted fifty thousand heretics and countles sinners, including thirty-six harlots through a single sermon on St. Mary Magdalene. He traveled all over Europe as the Ambassador of Popes and rulers, sleeping little and praying much.

His love for the poor led him to establish pawnshops where they might borrow money at low rates, a work which was made very popular by his protege, St. Bernardine of Feltre. Despite a vigorous life schedule, rigorous penances, and never-ending activity, St. James died at the age of eighty-five on November 28, 1476.

PRAYER

God, You made St. James an illustrious preeacher of the Gospel

to save souls and to bring back sinners from thfe mire of sin to

the pathway of virtue. Through his intercession may we be cle-

ansed from all sin and obtain eternal life. Amen.

Feast: November 28

TODAY'S SAINT (Maximus)

MAXIMUS

Bishop

St. Maximus was born in Provence, France. From his earliest years he gave evidence of more than ordinary virtue. After living a ssintly life in the world for some years, he finally retired to the famous monastery of Lerins, where he was kindly receiveed by St. Honoratus, by whom it was governed. When the latter had become Archbishop of Aries in 426, St Maximus was chosen second abbot of Lerins.

The reputation of his sactity drew crowds to the island; the monastery prospered under his benevolent administration. He had governed it about seven years when the See of Riez in Provence became vacant. Finding that he was wanted to fill it, he fled to the coadt of Italy; buy he was overtaken, brought back, and forced to accept the new dignity. In this position, he continued to wear a hair shirt and to observe the monastic rule insofar as his duties allowed.

He assisted at the Council of Riez in 439, the first held on Orange in 441, and at that of Arles in 454. He died before the year 462.

PRAYER

Almighty and ever-living God, You willed to make Bishop

St. Maximus rule over Your people. Grant by his interceding

merits that we may receive the grace of Your mercy. Amen.

Feast: November 27

TODAY'S SAINT (Conrad)

CONRAD

(d. 975)

Bishop and companion of Emperor Otto I

Also known as: Conrad of Constance

Conrad was born into the famous Guelph family and was the son of Count Henry of Altdorf. He was educated at the cathedral school of Constance, Switerland, and was ordained. In 934 he was made provost of the cathedral and was elected bishop of Constance , a post he held for 42 years. He avoided all secular matters.

Conrad gave all of his wealth to the Church and to the poor, built three grand churches and renovated many more in his see. In 862 he accompanied Emperor Otto I to Italy. He also is said to have take three pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

According to lore, Conrad was saying mass one Easter when a large spider dropped into the chalice. It was commonly believed at the time that most spiders were poisonous, but the plucky saint wallowed the spider, anyway, and suffered no harm.

Conrad is best known for his grand vision, experienced in 948 when he was asked to dedicate the Chapel of Our Lady of the Hermits at Einsiedeln, Switzerland, the spot where the murdered St. Meinrad once had his hermit's hut and Chapel. Conrad arrived in the Dark. Wood on September 13 with a party of knights, princes and the bishop of Augsburg. Near midnight, he and several others went into the chapel to pray. Conrad prayed to Mary to accept the shrine and help it to become a place of pilgrimage.

At midnight, Conrad aand the others heard a beautiful chanting. The chapel was filled with dazzling light, and the altar was illuminated. A procession of angels came down from heaven, led by michael the Archangel. Some of the angels sang and others swung censers. Then came St. Peter with a crozier, and the apostles SS. Mark, Luke, Matthew and John, followed by three of the greatest Doctors of the Church, SS. Ambrose, Augustine and Gregory the Great. Then came the martyred SS. Lawrence and Stephen, and finally Jesus Christ, clothed magnificently as high priest. Mary, attended by angels, installed herself over the altar. Jesus conducted Mass in minute detail and dedicated the chapel to his mother. The vision lasted for more than an hour. Conrad remained in ecstatic meditation for hours.

The next day, Conrad proclaimed to the crowd gathered that God had already dedicated the chapel, but he was pressed to continue with the service by others who did not believe his story. As he began, a booming voice heard by everyone said three times, "Stop! Stop, Brother. The chapel has been divinely consecrated."

In 864, Pope Leo VIII (r. 963-964) issued a bull confirming the miraculous dedication.

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Hermits is one of the most poular pilgrimage sites in Europe, attracting up to 200,000 people a year; many mirracles are reported there. A basilica and monastery were built in the first part of the 18th century.

In art Conrad usually is represented with a chalice and a spider.

Canonized: 1123 by Pope Callistus II

Feast: November 26

Patronage: hernia sufferers

TODAY'S SAINT (Catherine Laboure)

CATHERINE LABOURE

Vigin

St. Catherine Laboure was born on May 2, 1806. At an early age she entered the community of the Daughters of Charity, in Paris, France. There times in 1830 the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Laboure, who then was a 24-year-old movice.

On July 18, the first apparition occurred in the community's motherhouse. St. Catherine beheld a lady seated on the left side of the sanctuary. When St. Catherine approached her, the heavenly visitor told her how to act in time of trial and pointed to the altar as the source of all consolation. Promising to entrust St. Catherine with a mission which would cause her great suffering, the lady also predicted the anticlerical revolt which occurred at Paris in 1870.

On Immacuuulate Conception, Now universalluyy known as "Thfe Maraculous Medal." She commissioned St. Catherine to havve one made, and to spread devotion to theis medal.

At that time, only her spirituaal director, Father Aladel, knew of the apparitions. Forty-five years oater, St. Cathereine spoke fully of the apparritions to one of her superiors. She died on December 31, 1876, and was canonized on July 27, 1947.

PRAYER

O Lord Jesus Christ, You were pleased to gladden the holy

Virgin Catherine by the wonderful apparition of Your Imm-

aculate Mother. Grant that we may follow the example of

the same saint in honoring Your most holy Mother with

filial devotion and obtain the joy of eterenal life. Amen

Feast: November 25

TODAY'S SAINTS (Flora and Mary)

FLORA AND MARY

Virgins and Martyrs

The daughter of a Mohammedan father, St. Flora was secretly instructed in the Christian Faith by her mother during the rule of the Moors in 9th century Spain. She was brought to the attention of the authorities by her Mohammedan brother, brutally tortured, and then returned to her brother so that her resolution in the Faith might be broken. However, she escaped and hid with one of her sisters for some time.

Such was the steadfastness of her Faith that she then returned to Cordova and prayed publicly in the Church of St. Acisclus the Martyr. Here she made the acquaintance of Mary, whose deacon-brother had just been martyred. They decided to give themselves up to the authorities and were imprisoned with some loose women.

St. Eulogius, who was himself in another prison, wrote to exhort them to martyrdoom and to bolster their Faith and courage. In 851, Sts. Flora and Mary were beheaded together for their heavently Spouse after pledging to intercede for the release of St. Eulogius and the other imprisoned Christians. One week after the death of these heroic girls, all were set free.

PRAYER

Lord God, You showered heavenly gifts on Sts. Flora and

Mary. Help us to imitate virtues during our earthly life and

enjoy happiness with hher in heaven. Amen.

Feast: November 24

TODAY'S SAINT (Clement I)

CLEMENT I

(d. 99)

Pope and martyr

Also known as: Clemens Romanus

The identity of Clement is uncertain, though prrobably he was a freedman or the soon of a freedman of Emperor Nero's household. It is also possible that he was of Jewish descent. He is said to have been bapitzed--and ordained a priest--by St. Peter and is accepted by most authorities as the Fourth pope, following SS. Peter, Linus and Anaclitus.

Clement is best known from an apostolic letter he wrote to the Church of Corinth when it faced an internal crisis. The letter is important not only as a homily on Christian life, but also for the example it gives of the bishop of Rome intervening authoritatively in the affairs of another apostolic church. On the basis of this letter, Clement is considered the first of the Apostolic Fathers.

It appears that Clement may have been forced into exile from Rome, thus ending his reign. Tradition has it that he converted Theodora, wife of Sisinnius, a courtier of Nerva, and then--after miracles--Sisinnius himself, together with 423 other persons of rank. Emperor Trajan then banished him to the Crimea, where he was made to work in the quarries. The nearrest dinking water was six miles away, but--assisted by a miracle--Celement discovered a spring close by. Soon he had brought in so many new converts that 75 churches were needed to serve them. His success so enraged Trajan that he orded him thrown into the Black Sea with an iron anchor around his neck. Angels came and built him a tomb under the water, but every year, the tide receded far enough to reveal it.

This acount is no older than the Fourth century, and there is no way of knowing how much of the truth it represents. About 868, St. Cyril, in the Crimea, dug up some bones and an anchor from a burial mound said to be Clement's, and carried them to Rome. The relics were deposited by Pope Adrian (r. 867-872) with those of St. Ignatius of Antioch in the high altar of the basilica of St. Clemens Church. However, they may or may not be Clement's in fact.

In art, Clement is represented as a pope with an anchor and fish. Sometimes he is shown lying in a temple in the sea. He may also be shown with a millstone; keys; a fountain that has sprung forth at his prayers; or a book.

Feast: November 23

Patronage: Guild, Fraternity, and Brotherhood of the

Most Glorious and Undivided Trinity of London

(responsible for lighthouses and lightships); mar-

ble workers

TODAY'S SAINT (Cecilia)

CECILIA

(second century?)

Roman virgin and marytr

The story of Cecilia, a popular saint, is thought to be fiction built upon fact. Cecilia is said to have been born in Rome to a patrician family and was brought up Christian. Dates of her life vary; by some accounts, she is believed to have lived in the seconnd century and died about 177, and by other accounts she lived in the third century.

She decided at a young age that she would remain a virgin for the love of God. Her father, however, pledged her to marry a young patrician man named Valerian. On the day of her marriage, Cecila wore sackclloth next to here skin, fasted, and invoked the saints and angels to help her guard her virginity. She told her husband, "I have a secret to tell you. You must know that I have an angel of God watching over me. If you touch me in the way of marriage he will be angry and you will suffer; but if you respect my maidenhood he'll love you as he loves me." Valerian said, "Show me this angel. If he be of God, I will refrain as you wish." Cecilia answered, "If you believe in the living and one true God and receive the water of baptism, then you shall see the angel." Valerian agreed.

Cecilia sent him to Urban (destined to be pope from 223 to 230), who baptized him. When he returned, he found Cecilia praying in her chamber. Standing beside her was an angel with flaming wings, holding two crowns of roses and liles. The angel placed the crowns on their heads and vanished. Shortly after, Tibertius, the brother of Valerian, entered the chamber and marveled at the fragrance and beauty of the flowers at that season of the year. He also consented to be baptized.

Valerian and Tibertius devoted themselves to burying the martyrs slain daily by the prefect of the city, Turcius Almachius. [Note: There is no record of a prefect by that name.] They were arrested and brought before the prefect, and when they refused to sacrifice to the gods they were beheaded. Dying with them was a man named Maximus, who declared himself a Christian after witnessing their courage.

Cecilia was called upon to renounce her faith. Instead she began preaching and converting others. She summoned 400 persons to her home, where Urban baptized them all. Cecilia was arrested and was condemned to be suffocated in the bathroom of her own house. She was shut in for a night and a day. The furnace was stoked with seven times the amount of normal fuel, but Cecilia was not harmed. When Almachius heard this he sent a soldier to cut off her head in the bath. The man struck three times without being able to sever her head. He left her bleeding. Cecilia lived three days. Crowds came and collected her bloood with napkins and sponges while she preached to them or prayed. After she died, she was buried by Urban and his deacons in the catacomb of St. callistus.

Pope Paschal I (r. 817-824) wished to transfer the saint's body to a place of honor but could not locate it. In a dream, she told him where to find it. He translated the relics, along with the bones of Valerian, Tibertius and Maximus, to the Church of St. Cecilia, an old and decayed church dedicated to the saint, and believed to be built on the site of her family home. He founded a monastery in their honor.

In 1599 Cardinal Paul Emilius Sfondrati, nephew of Pope Gregory XIV (r. 1590-91), rebuilt the church of St. Cecilia. The sarcophagus of Cecilia was opened and her body and colthing were found intact. The cypress casket was put on display for a month until November 22, the feast of Cecilia. A sweet fragrance issued from it. The relic was then placed in a silver coffin and interred behind the main altar.

The story of Cecilia may have arisen along with other stories that glorified virginity and were popular at the time. A Greek religious romance on the "Loves of Cecilia and Valerian" appeared in the fourth century, apparently intended to replace more sensual romances. The Roman calendar of the fourth century, and the Carthaginian calendar of the fifth century make no mention of Cecilia, which surely would have been the case had her story been true.

Additionally, Christians were not persecuted and condemned by Emperor Alexander Severus, who reigned when urban was pope, though it is possible some may have suffered. As for the prefect, Urbanus served in that capacity during the time of Pope Urban. Other versions of the story of Cecilia say events took place under the reigns of the emperors Commodus or Marcus.

Reportedely a church was dedicated to Cecilia in Rome in the fifth century, in which Pope Symmachus (r. 498-514) held a counccil in 500. But Symmachus held no council in that year, and subsequent councils were held elsewhere. Cecilia does not appear to have been known or venerated in Rome until about the time when pope St. Gelasius (r. 492-496) Introduced her name into his Sacramentary. Her name was entered into the Eucharistic prayer.

Cecilia is regarded as the patron of music because on the day of her marriage she heard heavenly music and sang to God in her heart. In art she is represented with an organ or organ-pipes in her hand.

Feast: November 22

Patronage: composeres; music; musicians; organ builderes; singers

TODAY'S SAINT (Gelasius I)

GELASIUS I

(d. 496)

Pope

Gelasius, the son of an African named Valerius, was born in Rome. He served as secretary to Pope St. Simplicius (r. 468-483) and Pope St. Fellix III (r. 483-492), holding the position of archdeacon under the latter. He was elected Felix's successor in the Chair of St. Peter on March 1, 492.

Durning his pontificate, Gelasius made little attempt to breach the schism between the Western and Eastern Churches that had arisen at the end of Simplicius's reign. His more modest aim was to assert papal authoritty over the Church of Constantinople, which had emerged as a see second only to Rome and as leader of the Easteren Church. Although he meet with little success in this regard, he did exercise a deep influence on the development of Catholic ecleesiastical discipline and liturgy. A considerable number of his decrees were incorporated into canonn law. He also composed many hymns, prefaces and collects, and aranged a standard missal, although the Sacramentarium Gelasianum actually belongs to the next century and it is not known how much of Gelasius's work it contains.

In his private life, Gelasius was much devoted to prayer, penance and study. He delighted in the company of monks and gave freely to the poor, dying penniless as a result of his lavish charity.

Gelasius died in Rome on November 19, 496, and was buried in St. Peter's on November 21.

Feast: November 21

TODAY'S SAINT (Bernward)

BERNWARD

Bishop of Hildesheim

A Saxon by bith and an orphan at an early age, St. Bernward was brought up under the care of his uncle, Bishop Volkmar of Utrecht. Sent first to the Cathedral school of Heidlburg, he completed his studies a Mainz and was ordained a priest. After the death of his grandfather in 987, St. Bernward became an imperial chaplain and tutor of the child-emperor Otto III.

In 1003, he was elected Bishop of Hildesheim and remained in that position for thirty years. He built the church and monastery dedicated to St. Michael and administered his diocese with the utmost wisdom and understanding. He also dabbled in ecclesiastical art and he is especially remembered in connection with metal-work of every kind, He himself spent much time exercising the arts of painting and metal-working and several very beautiful pieces of work at Hildeshheim are attributed directly to him.

In an ecclesiastical dispute with St. Willigis, Archbishop of Mainz, Bernward conducted himself in a manner beyond reproach and lived to see his opponent publicly submit to the Holy See's decision in favor of the Bishop of Hildesheim. He died on November 20, 1193.

PRAYER

God, Light and Sheppherd of souls, You established

St. Berenward as Bishop in Your Church to feed Your

flock by his word and form it by his example. Help us

through his iinterecession to keep the Faith he taught

by his word and follow the way he showed by his

example. Amen.

Feast: November 20

TODAY'S SAINT (Mechtilde)

MECHTILDE

(ca. 1240-1298)

Abbot, mmystic and Father of the Church

Also know as: Mechtilde of Helfta

Little is known about Mechtilde's life. She was born in Helfta, Saxony, to a noble family; according to some accounts she was a countess and cousin of the emperor. At age seven she was placed in a Benedictine convent at Rodalsdorf. She was an excellent student and learned to write fluidly in Latin. In 1261, she took charge of the five-year-old Gertrude and became her confidante and mentor.

Gertrude recorded Mechtilde's revelations and ecstasies in the Liber Specialis Gratiae (Book of special grace) of St. Mechtilde, and Legatus Divinae Pietatis (Herald of divine love), the story of Gertrude's life.

Mechtilde rreceived the heart of Jesus. When she asked Him how to greet Mary, He told here to hail Mary's "virginal heart." Mary appeared numerous times to the saint, including one time when she revealed her heart inscribed with letters of gold, "Hail Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with thee!"

Mechtilde died on November 19, 1298, with Gertrude in attendance. As she lay dying, she prayed earnestly to Mary for the nuns of her convent. Mary and Jesus are said to have appeared to her, and Jesus placed about her neck a necklace of sparkling gems.

Feast: November 19

TODAY'S SAINT (Dedication of Peter and Paul Basilica)

THE DEDICATION OF PETER AND PAUL BASILICA

Apostles

Among the sacred places venerated by Christians from ancient times, one of the most celebrated has always been the tomb of St. Peter, at Rome. The Empperor Constantine erected a splendid basilica over this tomb and another basilica on the Ostian Way at the place where St. Paul suffered martyrdom. Both were consecrated by St. Sylvester.

When the basilica of St. Peter was destroyed, it was rebuilt in a more imposing style and newly consecrated in 1626. The basillica of St. Paul, also destroyed by fire, was in turn rebuilt and newly consecrated by Pius IX in 1854, before an assemblage of Cardinals and Bishops who were in Rome to attend the ceremonies connected with the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The anniversaries of both dedicattions are united and form the object of today's feast.

PRAYER

God, give apostolic protection to Your Chhurch, so that as she

received the first revelation about You from the Apostles she

may also receive through them an increase of heavenly grace

until the end of time. Amen.

Feast: November 19

TODAYS SAINT (Elizabeth of Hungary)

ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY

Religious

St. Elizabeth was born in Hungary in 1207, the daughter of Alexander II, King of Hungary. At the age of four she was sent for her education to the court of the Landgrave of Thuringia, to whose infant son she was betrothed. As she grew in age, her piety also increased by leaps and bounds. In 1221, she married Louis of Thuringia and in spite of her position at court began to lead and austerely simple life, practiced penance, and devoted herself to works of charity.

Her husband was himself much inclined to religion and highly esteemed her virtue, encouraging her in her esemplary life. They had three children when tragedy struck--Louis was killed while fighting with the Crusaders. After his death, Elizabeth left the court, made arrangements for the care of her children, and in 1228 renounced the world, becoming a tertiary of St. Francis. She built the Franciscan hosppital at Margurg and devoted herself to the care of the sick until her death at the age of twenty-four in 1231.

PRAYER

God, You taught St. Elizabeth to recognize and serve Christ in

the poor. Grant, through hefr intercession, that we may always

lovingly serve the needy and the oppressed. Amen.

TODAY'S SAINT (Gertrude the Great)

GERTRUDE THE GREAT

(ca. 1256-1302)

Benedictine mystic

Name meaning: Spear-strength

Gertrude was born on January 6, 1256, Near Eisleben in Saxony, Geremany. Nothing is known of her parents, except that they were well-to-do. Gertrude was orphaned and at age five was placed in the Benedictine convent at Rodalsdorf, where she became a student of St. Mechtilde. She became a nun in the same monastery, and was elected abbess in 1251. The following year she took charge of the monastery at helfta, to which she moved with her nuns.
Gertrude was such a devoted student that later she repented for neglecting her prrayers in order to study more. She wrote and composed in Latin. She was especially devoted to the Sacred Heart, and wrote prayers with Mechtilde.

On January 27, 1281, Gertrude had her first vision of Christ, who apperaed to her as a 16-year-old youth. The vision appeared as she raised her head from prayer at twilight. Christ told her that her salvation was near at hand, and he would welcome her tenderly. Thereafter for 20 years, Gertrude had at least one vision of Christ a day. He often urged her to come to him through his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, who would be her protector. Only once did the visions cease--during an 11-day period when he punished Gertrude for a "worldly" conversation.

Gertrude was so humble that she wished no outward manifestation of these visions, as she did not want to appear special.

After Mechtilde's death in 1298, one of the nuns received this revelation from Jesus: "I have done great things in Mechtilde, but I will accomplish still greater things in Gertrude."

Jesus bestowed seven graces upon her, and confirmed his promises by revealing his heart and telling her to extend her hands. When she withdrew them, she saw on one hand seven gold ringlets, one on each finger and three on the signet finger.

In visions, Gertrude saw Jesus also give his mother his Sacred Heart, and also kneel down before her. She also had numereous visions of Mary. Once Gertrude prayed to Mary, asking her to fill her heart with virues. In a vision, Mary came and planted in Gertrude's heart symbolic flowers: the rose of chastity, the lily of purity, the violet of humility, the sunflower of obedience, and others.

Gertrude also saw Mary appear in the presence of the Holy Trinity. In another vision on the Feast of the Assumption, she saw Mary invite her to take her place on the heavenly throne, explaining that she coulld offer Gertrude's merits to God for the privilege. Mary ascended to heaven, conducted by Jesus and amidst rejoicing saints and angels.

Gertrude died in hefta on November 17,1302. According to lore, Mary came and supported her during her dying, and helped her soul to heaven. She was buried alongside Mechtilde. In 1342, the monastery was transferred to New Helfta inside the city walls of Eisleben, but there is no record of any translation of the relics and remains of the two saints.

Many of Gertrude's writings are lost. Extant are Legatus Divinae Pietatis (Herald of divine love), Exercises of St. Gertrude, and the Liber Specialis Gratiae (Book of special grace) of St. Mechtilde, all written in Latin. Her mysticism is that of all the great contemplative workers of the Benedictine Order.

Legatus divinae Pietatis comprises five books containing her life story and accounts of many of the favors granted her by God. Only book two of the five is her work, with the remainder being compiled by members of the Helfta community. The seven "Exercises" range from the work of the reception of baptismal grace to the preparation for death. Gertrude exhibits a profound knowledge and understanding of liturgy and Scripture, and uses rich symbolism and allegory to convey her message. Central to her work is her devotion to the Sacred Heart.

The superiors of Helfta appointed renowned Dominican and Franciscan theologians to examine the works of Gertrude. Her writings were approved and propagated. St. Teresa of Avila chose Gertrude as her mentor and guide, and Gertrude's works were favorably viewed and recomended by SS John of the Cross and Francis de Sales.

Gertrude never was coanonized, but in 1677 her name was inscribed in the Roman Martyrology, and Pope Clement XII (r. 1730-40) dereed that her feast should be observed by the entire Church. In art she is depicted as an abbess, sometimes with a mouse and sometimes holding a flaming heart. She is considered to be the forerunner of St. Martaret Mary Alacoque in devotion to the Sacred Heart and is the only woman saint to be called "Great."

The seven mystical rings are commemorated by the Church in St. Gertrude's office, in the third antiphon at Lauds: "My Lord Jesus has espoused me to Him with seven rings, and crowned me as a bride."

Gertrude is especially invoked for living sinners and souls in purgatory. In a vision, Jesus had told her that a certain prayer would release 1,000 souls from purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well:

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of thy divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

Feast: November 16

Patronage: against rats; West Indies

FURTHER READING

Brown, Raphael. Saints Who Saw Mary. Rockford, Ill.: TAN Books, 1955.

Gertrude of Helfta: The Herald of Divine Love. Margaret Winkworth, ed.

Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press, 1993

TODAY'S SAINT (Albert theGreat)

ALBERT THE GREAT

(ca. 1206-1280)

Doctor of the Church, theologian, bishop and philospher

Name meaning: noble; brilliant

Also known as: Albertus Magnus, Doctor Universalis, Doctor Expertus,

Albert the German, Universal Doctor

The eldest son of Count Bollstadt, a military nobleman in the service of Emperor Frederick II, Albert was born ca. 1206 at the castle of Lauingen in Swabia, a southern German province along the Danube River. Nothing is known of his early childhood or eduction, but as a young man he studied at University of Padua. At age 16 he became impressed with the Order of Preaching Friars, or Brothers, Founded by St. Dominic, and became a postulant in 1222 under Blessed Jordan of Saxony, second master general of the Friars Preachers and immediate successor to Dominic. Rumors circulated that Albert's father, angry at his son's renunciation of title and wealth, would try to retrieve him by force, but they came to nnothing when the Brothers, commonly called Dominicans, discreetly sent the young Albert to the friary in Cologne. There he completed his studies and taught others, as well as teaching at Hildesheim, Frreiburg-im-Breisgau, Regensburg and Strasbourg.

Learning and thinking in 13th-century Europe were undergoing radical changes, and Albert's approach to these changes was intelligent, scientific and commonsensical. As a member of one of the new mendicant orders, Albert was not tied to a parish church or monastery, leaving him free to teach and preach anywhere, and, like the other friars, able to assume a key position in the new universities. Up until the 12th century, traditional education in the Latin-based world was based on the Scriptures and commentaries on them. Meanwhile, Islamic scholars had assimilated the logic and philosophy of Aristotle and other Greek works of mathematics and science. In the 12 century, Latin translations of these works became available, presenting Christian scholars with a challenge: how to use this valuable knowledge, reconcile it with earlier Christian thinking, and remove the heresy associtted with Islam.

Albert's answer to this challenge was to learn all he could of the newly revealed information, try to understand it, examine it critically and accept what he could and adapt it to established Church dogma. He was interpreting Peter Lombard's Book of the Sentences in 1245 when he was sent to the university in Paris, gennerally acknowledged as the greatest school of theology. There he encountered the Summa Theologia of Alexander of Hales, the first book writen after all the works of Aristotle had become known in Paris. He received his doctorate.

Among Albert's students accompanying him to Paris from Cologne was a young friar named Thomas Aquinas, who took his master's teachings and became the Greatest philosopher of his day. Thomas returned to Cologne when Albert was selected regent of the new Studium Generale there in 1248 and became second professor under Albert and master of students. In 1250 Albert drew up the rules for direction of study and graduation from Dominican universities and institutions. Thomas remained with Albert until 1252. What Albert began, and Thomas perfected, became known as the Scholastic system or Scholasticism: the application of Aristotelian methods and principles to the study of revealed doctrine, or the reconciliation of reason and orthodoxy. Albert did not believe the works of Aristotle should be banned or totally subsumed to early Christian teaching , nor did he accept all of Aristotle's philosophy without question, but he showed that sense and experience were the basis of all human knowledge.

In 1254, Albert was named prior provincial of the Dominican Order in Germanny. In 1256, he traveled to Rome to defend the mendicant orders against the attacks of William of St. Amourin the book De Novissimis Temporum Periculis, or "The Dangers of These Present Times." Pope Alexander IV (r. 1254-61) agreed with Albert and his peers, condemning William's book on October 5, 1256. While in Rome Albert served as master of the sacred palace, the position as the pope's personal theologian and canonist always filled by a Dominican. Albert returned to Cologne and resigned the office of prior provincial in 1257 to allow him more time for study and teaching. Three years later, in 1260, Alexandder IV named the reluctant Albert bishop of Regensburg, a post that he resigned in 1262 to return to his beloved Studium in cologne.

In 1270 Albert wrote a treatise against Siger de Brabant and the Muslim philopher Averroes in defense of his former student Thomas. In 1274, Pope Gregory X called Albert to attend the 14th General Council at Lyons. While en route he learned that Thomas had died at Fossa Nuova, and Albert lamented that "the light of the Church" had been extinguished. Albert journeyed from Cologne once more, in 1277, again to defend himself and St. Thomas against Church conservatives--specifically, Stephen Tempier, bishop of Paris, who accused Albert and Thomas of being too favorable to the unbelieving philosophers. Albert hotly defended himself and Thomas, challenging his detractors to examine his theological record, but the so-called ape of Aristotle could not win on all points.

A prodigious writer, thinker and experimenter, Albert fearlessly tested previously accepted facts and made ken observations about science and nature. In one famous episode, Albert had himself lowered over a cliffedge so he could check firsthand whether eagles had one egg and offspring per season, as was thought at the time. For centuries, his works were the accepted authorities on physics, geography, astronomy, mineralogy, chemistry and biology. He was renowned as an alchemist and said to practice the magical arts; he reportedly carried a magic cup that cured the ill. He traced the chief mountain ranges of Europe, explained the influence of latitude on climate and proved the earth was a spher he preformed grounbreaking studies on insects. Albert also wrote works of theology and logic and composed the Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi. All in all, Albert wrote 38 quarto volumes of scientific and theological literature.

By 1278, however, Albert was in poor health. His memory failed during a lectureee that year, and his strength and mind continued to deteriorate. He died peacefully, sitting in a chair among his brethren at cologne, on Novembe 15,1280, and is buried at St. Andrrea's church His tomb became a pilgrimage site. Some of his remains were translated to lauingen and Regensburg.

In art, Albert is shown in his Dominican habit.

PRAYER

God, You made St. Albert great by enabling him to combine human

wisdom and Divine Faith. Help us so to adhere to his teaching that

we may progress in the sciences and at the sammme time come to a

deeper understanding and love of You. Amen.

Beatified: 1622 by Pope Gregory XV

Canonized: 1931 by Pope Pius XI

Feast: November 15

Patronage: all students and researchers of the natural sciences;

medical technicians; minnes; naturalists; schoolchildren;

scientists; students; theology students; Cologne University

TODAY'S SAINT (Callistus I)

CALLISTUS I

(d. 222)

Pope and martyr

Also known as: Callixtus

Callistus, the son of Domitius, was a Roman. As a young Christian slave, he was put in charge of a bank by his master, Carpophorus, but somehow lost the money that had been entrusted to him. He fled Rome but was discovered on a ship off Portus (Proto); he jumped overboard but was caught and carried back to Carpophorus. Later he was arrested for fighting in a synagogue when he tried to borrow (or collect debts) from some Jews deounced as a Christian, he was sentenced to work in the mines of Sardinia. He was released after the interecession of Empperor Commodus's mistress, Marcia, but was in such poor health that he was sent to Antium to recuperate.

Callistus lived in Antium with the help of a pension from Pope St. Victor I (r. 189-199). About the year 199 he was called back to Rome and made a deacon by Pope St. Zephyrinus (r. 199-217), who put him in charge of a cemetery (later named the San Callistus in his honor) on the Via Appia. He was well known for his kindnness, and when Zephyrinus died about 217, was elected his successor by popular vote of the Roman people and clergy.

He was not without enemies, however. Critics denounced him for admitting to Communion people who had repented of fornication, adultery, and murder. They were upset also with his teaching that the commission of a mortal sin was not enough to depose a bishop; that men who had been married more than once could be admitted to the clegy; and that marriages between free women and Christian slaves were legitimate.

One of the biggest critics was St. Hippollytus, his rival for the papal seat. Hippolytus was an opponent also of the Monarchianists, who denied the Trinity and held that Jesus was no more than a man who had received supernatural abilities at his baptism. Callistus excommunicated Sabellius, then the leader of the Monarchianists, but this was not enouugh for Hippolytus, who withdrew from the Church of Rome and had himself consecrated bishop (and antipope), producing a schism that was to last for decades.

Callistus died about October 14, 222, perhaps during a popular uprising, although the legend that he was thrown down a well has no basis in fact. He was buried on the Via Aurelia rather than in the cemetery on the Via Appia, where most other popes of his time were interred.

In art, Callistus is shown wearing a red robe with a tiara (the sign of a pope); as being thrown into a well with a millstone around his neck; or simply with a millstone around his neck. Often there is a fountain near him.

Feast: October 14

TODAY'S SAINT (Frances Xavier Cabrini)

FRRANCES XAVIER CABRINI

(1850-1917)

First US citizen to be canonized

Also known as: Francesca Saverio Cabrini

Frances Xavier Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850, in the village of Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, in the diocese of Lodi, in the Lombardy region of Itaaly. She was the 13th child of Augustine Cabrini, a farmer, and his wife, Stella Oldini. Stella was then 52, and Frances seemed so fragile that she was carried to the church and baptized at once. She was given the name Maria Francesca Saverio, after the missionary St. Francis Xavier.

On the day of Frances's birth, a flock of white doves flew by her father's farm and circled the house, one of them dropping down to alight in the vines that covered the walls. Flocks of white birds were to appearr several more times in her life. She compared them to angels or souls she would help save, or to new sisters who would join the religious community she founded.

In 1863, at the age of 13, Frances entered the convent of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart at Arluna, where she made a vow of virginity, and took courses that led to a teacher's certificate. When she graduated with honors in 1868, she was fully qualified as a teacher. She applied for admission to the convent, hoping that she might be sent as a missionary teacher to china. Her health was not good, however, and she was turned down.

Two years later, she lost both parents and 10 of her siblings to smallpox. She herself was stricken the following year, but an older sister nursed her back to health, and in 1872 she began to teach in a public school. After reapplying and once more being rejected by the Daughters of the Sacred Heart, she was offered the job of managing a small orphanage at Codogno in the Lodi diocese, then encouraged to turn it into a religious community. She took her first vows there in 1877 and was made the superior by the bishop of Lodi. When he colsed the institution three years later, the bishop counseled her to found a congregation to missionary nuns, since he knew of none. Frances then moved to an abandoned Francisaan friary in Codogno and drew up the rules for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, whose object was to be the education of girls in Catholic schismatic or pagan countries. The Missionary Sisters recived episcopal approval at the end of 1880 and the decree of papal approbation in 1888.

Bishop Scalabrina of Piaceza, who had established the Society of Saint Charles to work among Italian immigrants in the United States, suggested that Frances go there to support his priests. Arcchbishop Corrigan of New York sent her a formal invitation; Pope Leo XIII (r. 1878-1903) gave his blessing to the enterprise, and she arrived in New York on March 31, 1889, with six of her nuns. Although Frances was to return to Italy annually in search of new missionary sisters, she was to make the United States her home from then on eventually, in 1909, taking U.S. citizenship.

Besides schools and charitable institutions, she founded four great hospitals, with nurses' homes attached, one each in Neew York and Seattle, and two in Chicago. Her Columbus Hospital in New York was opened in 1892, the 400th annivesary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World. The work of the Missionary Sisters was by no means confined to the United States, however. Frances traveled to, and established orphanages, schools and hospitals, in Nicaraggua, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Italy, Spain, France and England as well. By the time of her death, her order had grown to include 67 houses with over 4,000 nuns.

Frances's health, which had always been precarious, began to decline in 1911. She was visiting one of her schools in Chicago when, on December 21, 1918, she died of a heart attack, at age 67. At first her relics were placed at the Sacred Heart Orphanage in West Park, New York, her official home, but they have since been moved to a chapel in the Mother Cabrini High School in the Bronx.

PRAYER

God, though the work of St. Frances Cabrini you brought comfort

and love to the immigrants and those in need. May her example and

work be continued in thfe lives of those dedicated to you. Amen.

Beatified: August 6, 1938, by Pope Pius XI
Canonnized: July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII

Feast: November 13 (formerly December 22)

Patronage: displaced persons, emigrants and immigrants

FURTHER READING

"Frances Xavier Cabrini." Catholic Information Network

URL: http://www.cin.org/kc87-2.html

"Frances Xavier Cabrini 1850-1917." Catholic Information Network

URL: http://www.cin.org/cabrinsd.html

"Santa Francisca Javifer Cabrini." Church Forum

URL: http://www.churchforum.org.mx/santoral/Febrero/2002.htm

TODAY'S SAINT (Josaphat)

JOSAPHAT

Bishop and Martyr

Josaphat Kuncewicz was born in Poland of noble parents in 1580 and went on to become the first great leader of the Ruthenian Catholics, or Uniates, the former schismatics who had returned to the Church through the treaty of Brestlitovsk in 1595. Entering the Order of St. Basil at twenty years of age, he thoroughly reformed it, giving it a more active character.

So well-known did his wisdom and Knowledge become that he was recommended to the Pope by his own people to rule over them as Archbishop of Polotsk in 1617. In this office, he cammpaigned intensively for the conversion of schismatics and for the reform of his own clergy, who were commonly ignorant and venal. Through his boundless charity and powerful preaching, he established the ascendency of the Uniate Church, but was soon marked for destruction by the Schismatics. He was slain by Orthodox fanatics in 1623, at Vitebsk.

PRAYER

God, stir up in Your Church the Spirt which strengthened

St. Josaphat to be able to lay down his life for his sheep. May

we be strengthened by the same Spirit sothat through Josap-

hat's intercession we may be ready to lay down our lives for

our brothers. Amen.

Feast: November 12

TODAY'S SAINT (Martin of Tours)

MARTIN OF TOURS

(ca. 316-ca. 397)

Bishop and pioneer of Western monasticism

Martin of Tours was born around 316 in Sabaria, Pannonia (now Hungary), to pagan parents. His father was a miltary tribune. The family was transferred to Pavia, Italy, when Martin was a child. At age 10, he went to church and begged to become a catechumen. Aat age 12, he would have retired to live as a hermit had he been old enough to do so. When he was 15, however, he was drafted in to the Roman army. Though not formally a Christian, Martin was attracted to Christian ways and lived more as a monk than a soldier.

The most famous incident of his early life occurred in 337. Martin was in Amiens, Gaul, with his unit. One extremely cold day, he met a half-naked beggarman shivering and begging for alms at the city gates. Moved, Martin took off his cloak, cut it in half with his sword, and gave one piece to the man. That night he had a dream in which Jesus appeared with a multitude of angels and said, "Martin, yet a catechumen, clothed me with this robe." (Martin's half of the cloak became a relic after his death.) After this, Martin was inspired to be baptized. At the entereaties of his tribune, he remained in the army for nearly two more years.

When barbarians invaded Gaul and Julian Caesar needed an army, Martin declined the soldier's bounty and asked to be released to the service of Christ. Julian Caesar had him imprissoned, but soon released him.

Marrtin went to Poitiers, where he was taken in by the bishop, St. Hilary (later a Doctor of the Church), who ordained him an exorcist. Not long thereafter, Martin was urged in a dream to return home and attend to his parents. He conveted his mother but failed with his father. His opposition to the Arians resulted in his public scourging and banishment. Hilary, meanwhile, was suffering his problems and had been forced from Poitiers. Martin retired with a priest to the island of Gallinaria in the Gulf of Genoa until 360, when Hilary returned to Poitiers.

Hilary gave Martin some land about two miles outside the city, now called Liguge, where Martin became a hermit in a wooden hut. He soon attracted other hermits, thus creating the first monastic community in Gaul. He probably would have stayed there indefinitely had not the bishop of Tour died around 371-372. Asked to take the office, Martin declined. His supporters tricked him into coming to Tours, where he was persuaded to stay as bishop. The mastic community of Liguge grew to a great monastery that continued until 1607 and was revived in 1859 by the Solesmes Benedictines.

As bishop, Martin was loathe to give up his hermit ways. He live first in a cell near the church and then moved to Marmoutier, in a desert-like location enclosed by a steep cliff and a tributary of the Loire. He founded an abbey and was joined by about 80 hermites. Many lived in caves carved out of the cliff. They wore camelhair shirts and spint their time in prayer. Martin preached abbout the countryside, and many miracles were attributed to him. He is credited with converting many persons throughout a wide area surrounding the abbey, and even as far as Chartres and Paris.

One of his most difficult situations occured around 384, when a Gnnnostic-Manichaean sect known as the Priscillianists, in Spain and Gaul, were condemned as heretics and excommunicated. Martin initially persuaded Emperor Maximus not to execute them, but the emperor reneged and had the heretics beheaded. Martin interceded on behalf fo the Spanish Priscillianists, who were threatened with persecution.

Martin went to Rome and then to Candes, where he established a religious center. He fell ill and died theeere on November 9, 397 (some accounts give 400 as the year). His successor, St. Britius, built a chapel over his grave. A basilica was later built, and remains one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe.

Martin's chief biographer was his friend Sulpitius Severus, who wrote his biograpphy about one year before Martin's death. Sulpitius compared Martin to the Apostles and attribbuted numerous miraculous feats to him, including healing, exorcisms, visions of angels and temptations by devils. He is said to have raised the dead on three occasions; a monk who was about to be buried: a slave who had hanged himself: and a child brought to Martin by his moother. Most of these events are dismissed by many historians as fiction or greatly embroidered fact. However, it is lidely that he performed healings and exorcisms, and these skills would have been expected from a religious of his repute. He likely had visionary experiences as well.

PRAYER

God, Your Bishop St. Martin glorified You by both his life and his death.

Renew in us Your grace, so that neither death nor life can sparate us from

Your love. Amen.

Feast: November 11

Patronage: horsemen; the impoverished; soldiers; tailors

FURTHERR READING

Sulpitius Severus on the Life of St. Martin.

ULR: http://www.users.csbsju.edu/~eknuth/npnf2-11/sulpitiu/lifeofst.tx

TODAY'S SAINTS (Leo I)

LEO I

(d. 461)

Pope and Doctor of the Church

Also know as: Leo the Great

Leo was born in Tuscany, or perhaps in Rome of Tuscan parents. He entered the Roman Church and became a deacon under Pope St. Celestine I (r. 422-432). During the pontificate of St. Sixtus III (r. 422-440), Emperor Valentinian III sent him to Gaul to settle a dispute between the chief military commander, Aetius, and the chief magistrate, Albinus, whose quarrels were leaving the province open to attack. While he was with the two men, a deputation arrived to announce the death of Sixtus and his own election to the Chair of St. Peter. Leo returned to Rome and was consectrated on September 29, 440.

He began his pastoral duties with a series of 96 still-exant sermons on faith, encouraging various acts of charity, elaboratting on Christian doctrine, defending papal primacy in the jurisdication of the Church, and strenously opposing the heresies of Manichaceanism, Pelagi-anism, Priscillianism and Nestorianism. Later in his papacy he argued against the teachings of Eutyches, who held that Jesus had but a single nature, his human nature being subsumed by his divine nature; the orthodox view was that Jesus had a dual nature, The Council of Chalcedon in 451 not only agreed with him but also recognized his ruling as "the voice of St. Peter," thus affirming Rome's leading role in the universal Church. However, the council also gave the Church of Constantinople a dignity second only to Rome and thus above those of Alexandria and Antioch (both of which had been founded by apostles of Jesus), something Leo refused to acccept.

After attila the Hun plundered Milan and destroyed Pavia in 452, the emperor sent Leo as part of a delegation to meet him and offer an annual tribute if he would withdraw from Italy; Attila accepted, and so Rome was saved. Unnfortunately, Leo could not stop the North African Vandals from sacking the city in 455, though he did manage to get them to desist before they had burned it and killed its inhabitants. The Vandals took captives, however, and after their departure, Leo dispatched missionary priests with money to minnister to the captives and to purchase their freedom.

Leo died in Rome on November 10, 461, and was buried in the vestibule of St. Peter's in the Vatican. In 688, Pope St. Sergius I (r. 687-701) had his relics translated to the basilica itself and a special altar erected over them.

In art, Leo is depicted as a pope with a dragon near him. He is also shown with SS. Peter and Paul; with St. Peter giving him the pallium; with angels surrounding him; meeting Attila the Hun at the gates of Rome; on horseback, with Attila and his soldiers kneeling before him; and praying at the tomb of St. Peter.

PRAYER

God, You established Your Church on the solid rock of the

Apostles and You wil never allow the powers of hell to dom-

inate her. Grant that she may persevere in Your truth and

enjoy continual peace through the intercession of Pope St.

Leo. Amenn.

Declared Doctor of the Church: 1754 by Pope Benedict XIV

Feast: November 10 (formerly April 11); February 18 (Eastern Church)

Patronage: choristes; musicians

TODAY'S SAINT (John Lateran)

DEDICATION OF JOHN LATERAN

This is the oldest and ranks first amonng the four greate or patriarchal churches of Rome. It was originally the palace of Constantine, adapted and dedicated under the title "Our Savior" to serve as the church of the Pope. The present archbasilica was built later, on the site of the original church, and is known as St. John Lateran, having been dedicated to St, John the Baptist.

The other patriarchal basilicas of Rome are St. Peter's, St. Mary's, Major, and St. Paul's, situated outside of the walls of the ancient city. These four basilicas represent the four great patriarchates, or ecclesiastical provinces, of the world. There are a number of churches in Rome and elsewhere which rank in honor as lesser basilicas, but do not possess the special privileges of the greater basilicas.

PRAYER

God, out of living andd chosen stones You prepare an eternal

dwelling for Yourself. Multiply in Your Church the spirit of

grace which You have given her, so that Your people may ever

grow into that building which is the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.

Feast: November 9

TODAY'S SAINT (Godfrey)

GODFREY

(GEOFFREY)

Bishop of Amines

Born near Soissons, France, in 1065, St. Godfrey became a monk and priest and was chosen Abbot of Nogent in Champagne, a rapidly declining religious house. Its membershhip had been drastically reduceed, its outer appearance was completely dilapidated, and its religious life was floundering in sad disaray. However, such was the force of Godfrey's personality and spirituality that he soon had this same house flourishing in every way.

As a result, he was offered the great abbacy of Saint-Remi at Rheims but turrned it down, in favor of runninig his own house. In 1104, however, he was constrained to acccept the episcopacy of Amiens. Here he showed himself to be a true religious in his conduct as well as in his administration--putting an end to simony, strenuously enforcing celibacy, and endorsing the esstablishment of communes.

In time the unbending, severe, and rigorously exact attitude of this saint provoked the opposition of some and led to his withddrawal to a Carthusian monastery in 1114. Ordered to return to his diocese by a council, he died before he could do so in 1115 at St. Crispin's Abbey, Soissons.

PRAYER

God, You made St. Godfrey an outstanding examplar of divine

love and the Faith that conquere the world, and added him to the

role of saintly pastors. Grant by his intercession that we may pers-

evere in Faith and love and become sharers of his glory. Amen.

Feast: November 8

TODAY'S SAINT (Carina and Her Companions)

CARINA AND HER COMPANIONS

Martyrs

Nothing is known about this saint (also called Cassina) apart from the Acts of her martyrdom. In the year 360, at the time of Emperor Julian the Apostate in the city of Ankara, she and her husband Antonius as well as her thirteen-year-old son Melasippus were arrested on account of their Christian Faith.

The local autorities, as was the custom in such matters, endeavored to sway them from their devotion to the true God by means of cruel and inhuman tortures. But, aided by grace from on high, the three Christians remmained unswerving in their allegiance and steadfast in their Faith. they thus attained the crown of martyrdom and went on to receive their heavenly reward from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whom they had so closely followed on earth.

PRAYER

God, You surround and protect us by the glorious confession of

St. Carina and her Companions. Help us to profit from their exa-

mple and be supported by their prayers. Amen.

Feast: November 7

TODAY'S SAINT (Bertille)

BERTILLE

Religious

St. Bertille was born in the territory of Soissons, France, during the reign of Dagobert I. She embbraced the religious state in 630, in a monastery of nuns at Jouare, four leagues from Meaux. In this abode of virtue her prudence appeared so perfect that though she was still young, the care of entertaining strangers, and the charge of the sick and of the children that were educated in the monastery, were succestion in these various offices that she was chosen Prioress, to assist the Abbess in her administration.

Her example exercised the most salutary influece upon the entire community. St. Bathildis, wife of Clovis II, having refounded the Abbey of Chelles, which St. clotildes had originally established, desired the Abbess of Jouarre to lead the novices in the practice of monastic perfection. St. Bertille was chosen to lead the colony, and she became the first Abbess of Chelles, about the year 646.

Her reputation for sanctity and the good discipline of her monastery drew to it several foreign princesses, among whom was Hereswith, Queen of the East Angles, who had been the wife of the good King Annas. Queen Bathildis herself took the monastic habit in this house in 665, so that St. Bertille became the superior of two Queens. Yet, she seemed the most humble of all her Sisters. She governed her monastery for fortysix years, increasing daily in virtue, and in her old age rather redoubling than diminishing her fevor. Her happy death occurred in the year 692.

PRAYER

God, You showered heavenly gifts on St. Bertille. Help us to

imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy etenal

happiness with her in heaven. Amen.

Feast: November 7

TODAY'S SAINT (Elizabeth)

ELIZABETH

(first century)

Mother of St. John the Baptist and kinswoman of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Name meaning: Worshiper of God

Elizabeth is mentioned in Luke 1. She was a descendant of Aaron and lived with her husband Zachary, a priest of the temple in Jerusalem. She and Zachary prayed for a son, but she was barren.

When the couple was advanced in years, Gabriel the Archangel appeared to Zachary and told him Elizabeth would bear a son who was to be named John. When Elizabbeth was six months pregnant, Gabriel informed Mary that she was to bear a son who was to be named Jesus. Mary, wishing to share her news, visited Elizabeth, who greeted her by saying, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" Elizabeth said that her inffant "leaped for joy" in her womb at the sound of Mary's voice. Mary then delivered the Magnificat ("My soul magnifies the Lord. . .").

The last information about Elizabeth in Luke tells of the infant John's circumcision and naming in the temple of Jerusalem.

Feast: November 5 (with Zachary)

TODAY'S SAINT (Zachary)

ZACHARY

(first century)

Father of St. John the Baptist

Name meaning: Jehovah hath remembered

Also known as: Zacharius; Zechariah

Little is known about Zachary. He is mentioned in Luke 1 in connection with the birth of John. He belonged to the tribe of Abia (Abijah) and was married to Elizabeth, kinswoman of Mary (destined to become the Blessed Virgin Mary). He was a priest in the temple at Jerusalem.

Zachary and Elizabeth were childless and well advanced in years when they were informed by Gabriel the Archangel that Elizabeth would bear a child. Zachary received this news one day while he was performing his assigned rites in the temple and was alone at the altar. Gabriel appeared on his right and said that the couple's prayers would be answered with the birth of a son, who was to be named John. Zachary doubted this because of their ages and so asked for a ssign. Gabriel said he would be stricken dumb and would regain his speech when the prophecy was fulfilled. The angel departed and Zachary could not speak.

Elizabeth did conceive and she bore a son. After eight days, the parents took him to the temple to be circumcised. Elizabeth said the child's name was John, but the priests did not believe her, saying no one in here family was named thus. Zachary, still dumb, wrote on a tablet for the priest, "His name is John." At that momment his speech was restored and he began to praise the Lord.

According to ex-canonical sources, Zachary was killed when he refused to tell King Herod the location of his son.

Feast: November 5 (with Elizabeth

TODAY'S SAINT (Charles Borromeo)

CHARLES BORROMEO

(1538-1584)

Cardinal and principal figure in the Catholic Reformation

Charles Borromeo was born on October 2, 1538, to a noble family, Count Gilber Borromeo and Margaret de' Medici, sister of Pope Pius VI (r. 1559-1565). Charles, heir to a great fortune, had a wealthy and gracious upbringing in the family castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore. At age 12 he was sent to the Benedictine abbey of SS. Gratian and Felinus, and received his clerical tonsure.

His uncle, Angelo de' Medici, became Pope Pius V in 1558, and in 1559 named Charles his secretary of state and cardinal and administrator of the see of Milan--even though he was not yet a priest.

With his access to the pope, Charles became influential in church politics and reform efforts. He persuaded the pope to reconvene the Counil of Trent, which had been suspended in 1552. Charles took an active role in the council and its deliberations, and directed the writing of its decrees in the third and last group of sesions. In 1556, Charles began a program of radical reforms to improve the morals of both clerics and laity. He established seminaries, founded a Confraternity of Christine Doctrine, increased aid to the poor, aided the English college at Douai, and held six provincial councils and six diocesan synods. His reform efforts made him many enemies, one of whom wounded him in an assassination attempt in 1559. After the deaths of his father and older brother, Charles declined to become the head of his family. He took ordination as a priest in 1563 and was made bishop of Milan. When famine and the plague struck inn 1576, he worked to aid the starving and the ill, using his own resources and even going into debt. He had a vision that told him when the plague would end. In 1578 he founded the oblates of St. Ambrose, now called the Oblates of St. Charles.

Charles died in Millan on the night of November 3-4, 1584. He was buried in a double coffin beneath the pavement in the middle of the cathedral of Milan, of which he was archbishop. Throngs of pilgrims came to his tommb over the years. By 1610, pilgrims had left 10,891 silver votive offerings and 9,618 precious gifts, such as jewelry, gems and lamps of gold and silver.

In 1605, during the cause for his beatification, his body was exhumed. Moisture had corroded the cover of both lead and wood coffins, and had penetrated to the body. His remains, however, were found intact. An oratory was constructed, and in 1607 the remains, revested and placed in new wood and lead coffins, were buried there.

In 1880, the body was exhumed again and was found to have been embalmed. It was determined that the embalming could not account for the remarkable preseration of his body 300 years after his death.

Over the years, the oratory has been improved, and a jewel-like reliquary was made of rock crystal set in silver and adorned with miniature angels and religious figures.

When Pope Paul VI (r. 1963-78) was still archbishop of Milan, he had the face of Charles covered in silver. The body is clothed in pontifical garments studded with gems.

PRAYER

God, maintain in Your people that spirit with which You inspired

Your Bishop, St. Charles, so that Your Church may be constantly

renewed, conforming itself to Christ and manifesting Christ to the

world. Amen.

Canonization: 1610 by Pope Paul V

Feast: November 4

Patronage: Apple orchards; boarding schools; catechists; against colic; learning

and the arts; public libraries; secular clergy; seminarians; spirtual directors;

against stomach deseases; against ulces; dioceses of Lugano and Basel, Swit-

zerland; Salzbuurg University, Austria

http://catholic.org/saints/stindex.php