Saint of the day and Feast days.

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Saint Joan of Arc.
Joan was born  to a peasant family on January 6, 1412, in Domremy , a small town in France. She was the youngest of five children.  Her father was  Jacques d’Arc and her mother was  Isabelle Romee. Her given  name was Jeannette.   Earlier on in her life, Joan was like any other young peasant girl in her village except that she was said to be extremely pious, so much so that her playmates teased her about it. She was a kind and obedient child. She was also a remarkably courageous girl, both mentally and physically and had a keen mind.
In 1424, when she was twelve, Joan had a vision in which she saw light and heard the voices of  Saint Margaret of Antioch, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and Saint  Michael, the Archangel as well as others who commanded her to save France. Joan’s visions told her to find the true king of France and help him reclaim his throne. This was just the first of many such visions.
Recall that the crown of France at the time was in dispute between the Dauphin Charles (later Charles VII), son and heir of the Valois  King Charles VI, and the Lancastrian English king Henry VI. This was towards the tail end of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. (1337 to 1453)
Henry's armies were in alliance with those of Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy. At the end of 1427, things were not looking good at all for the Dauphin of France given the fact that, five years after his father's death, he still had not been crowned.
For years, Joan did nothing about the visions and the messages. At first the 'Voices' came to her two or three times a week. After about five years,
they visited her daily telling her to 'Go into France' to raise the siege of Orleans, conduct the Dauphin Charles to Reims for his crowning and to drive the English from the land.
 In 1428, Joan went to the neighboring town of Vaucouleurs to see the commanding Officer stationed there, a man by the name of Sir Robert de Baudricourt, and to explain about the visions and the messages that are now repeated with a sense of urgency. She was not , however, able to convince him of her sincerety. Then something happened that helped her gain audience with the powers that was.
She  foretold the defeat of France in battle in 1429. With her prophecy fulfilled, she was admitted to the royal court of the uncrowned King, Charles V11 of  France.
She was sent to the dauphin who at the time was living at the castle of Chinon. , she amazed the disguised dauphin by picking him out of a crowd where he had hidden himself. Soon after this, Joan won the approval of theologians at Poitiers in March 1429.
In April 1429
Joan was given command of an army with the mission to free the besieged city of Orleans
Donning white armour,Joan led the French to a glorious victory and her relief of the city, permitted  Charles to be crowned  king at Reims on July 17 , 1429. The victory was also a major turning point in the Hundred Years’ war which was eventually won by France.
Joan continued other military operations, but as she had predicted, she was captured by Burgundians near Compiegne and sold to the English.
She was tried before a tribunal at Rouen under Bishop Pierre Cauchon. She was condemned for heresy and witchcraft.  On May 30 1431,she was burnt at the stake.
In 1456, Pope Callistus III ordered her trial to be reopened. She was declared innocent of all charges.
 
She was beatified on 11 April 1905 by Pope Saint Pius X and canonized on 16 May 1920 by Pope Benedict XV. Two years later she was declared a patron saint of France.
In liturgical art, she is represented as a bareheaded girl in armour with sword, lance or banner.
 
Saint Joan of Arc,
Pray for us!

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May 31
This day May 31 marks the end of May , the month traditionally dedicated to the BVM.
On this day too, we celebrate the Feast day of :
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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May 31, 2011
Today we celebrate the
Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

We learn from the Bible that at the time of the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel told Mary that her relative, Elizabeth, who up till then, had not been able to have children, was already in her sixth month of pregnancy despite her advanced age because there is nothing that God cannot do.
Soon after this divine enlightenment, Mary, always thoughtful of others, got ready and traveled from Galilee to Judea to visit Elizabeth and offer the much needed help at this time in her confinement. On reaching Judea, Mary went into Zachariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greetings, we are told that the baby in her womb leaped for joy. Elizabeth was then filled with the Holy Spirit and greeted Mary thus: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb...."
Mary, in her turn, filled with the Holy Spirit, burst out with the song of praise we call the Magnificat or The Canticle of Mary.

The Magnificat
My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
And his mercy is from generation to generation
on those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,
He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of his mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

There is a lot going on in this meeting than meets the eye. We have two women side by side. One is old, well beyond the age of child bearing, but destined to bring into this world the last prophet of the Old Covenant, of the age that was about to end. The other woman is young and seemingly not yet ready for motherhood but destined to bring into this same world the One Who was the beginning of the New Covenant, which would mark the end of the Old Covenant.
This is the meeting we are celebrating today
Happy Feast Day!

[odhiambo]

More of the significance of the Visitation

The visitation:
“reveals the plan of salvation of God and the special role that Mary, full of the Spirit, plays as she brings the word of life to her cousin. Mary becomes the image of the missionary Church, filled with the Spirit and eager to bring Christ to all peoples of the world.”
Saints of the Liturgical Year; a Paulines Publication.

During this important event, when Elizabeth heard Our Lady's greeting, John the Baptist, the child she carried in her womb; was sanctified; he was subsequently born without original sin.
Elizabeth too, filled with the Holy Spirit was inspired to proclaim Mary as "Blessed among women”. She was even aware Our Lady was with child. “and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
There was no way she could have known this save by divine revellation. Lastly, Elizabeth asked this question:
“And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
Collegeville Bible Commentary ( Jerome Kodell) tells us that this “recalls the words of King David when the ark of the covenant was being brought back to Jerusalem after having been captured by the Philistines: “ How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” (Sam 6:9). The ark symbolized the presence of Yahweh, the God of Israel. Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, sanctified her home with the presence of the Lord”
Lastly, we have the Magnificat. Our Lady spontaneously broke out into a hymn of praise of the Lord. She also prophesized she would be venereted throughout the generations to come.
Blessed Mother Mary,
Pray for us!
Mother of Divine grace,
pray for us!

[odhiambo]

AVE MARIA,
gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.

[Brigid]

Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus

[Shin]

Sts. Joan of Arc and Philip Neri orate pro nobis!

Great to read about the Visitation odhiambo!

'Happy that house which the mother of God visits, wrote Engelgrave. This was experienced by the house of the Baptist, wherein scarcely had Mary entered, when she filled all that family with celestial graces and benedictions; and for this reason, the present feast of the Visitation is commonly called the feast of our Lady of graces.'

St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

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June 1

The month of June is traditionally dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

From the depth of my nothingness, I prostrate myself before Thee, O Most Sacred, Divine and Adorable Heart of Jesus, to pay Thee all the homage of love, praise and adoration in my power.
Amen.
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

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June 1

Today is the Feast day of
Saint Justin.
Among many other saints.

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Saint Justin
Martyr
The Philosopher.

Justin was born around the year 100 at Flavia Neopolis in Palestine .

He was born and raised a pagan. He was well educated and had studied philosophy. In 130, Justin became a Christian.

He then traveled from place to place proclaiming his Christian faith and debating other pagan philosophers , using his great knowledge and oratorical skills to win them over to the Faith.
Eventually Justine went to Rome. In Rome, he opened a school of public debate. He spent some years in Rome. One day, however, after debating with a man called Crescens, Justin was denounced to the Roman prefect as subversive. The man Crescens was described as “the Cynic” and had no love for Christians. Justine was tried together with Charita, Chariton, Euelpistus, Hierox, Libenianus and Paeon.
They were scourged, and then beheaded . The year was 165 and the place was Rome, Italy
His relics are in the Capuchin church, Rome
His canonization was Pre-Congregation.

Justin is the patron of apologists, lecturers, orators, and philosophers among others.
The authentic records of Justin’s trial are said to have survived.
Justin was the first lay man to serve as an apologist.

His works include:
1: Apologies for the Christian Religion.
2: Dialogue with the Jew Trypho.

Saint Justin,
Pray for us!

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June 2
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Marcellinus and Saint Peter
Among many other saints.

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Saints Marcellinus and Peter
Martyrs.

Marcellinus and Peter were Romans who lived in the beginning of the 4th century.  They were both Christians. Marcellinus was a priest and Peter was his exorcist. The two worked together. Notice that one apparently did not have to be a priest in order to be an exorcist in those days.
Marcellinus and Peter were arrested during the persecution of the Church ordered by the Emperor Diocletian at this time in the history of the Church. The two were imprisoned. While in custody, Marcellinus and Peter not only strengthened the faith of other Christians imprisoned with them, they also made new converts, including the jailer Arthemius, his wife and his daughter. Along with the other Christians, Marcellinus and Peter were condemned to death about the year 304. They were taken to a wood outside Rome named Silva Nigra where they were secretly beheaded by orders of the magistrate Serenus. The idea behind the secrecy was to hide the burial places of these two faithful Christians in an attempt to erase the memory of their courage and faith and to deny other Christians the chance to bury and venerate their bodies. The bodies were, however, found by two women, Lucilla and Firmina and the saints were properly buried.
Their bodies is now buried in the Saints Marcellinus and Peter cemetery on the Lavican Road
Pope Saint Damasus I wrote the epitaph for their tombs, and Emperor Constantine the Great, erected a basilica in their honour.   Refer to Eucharistic Prayer1. Towards the end of that Prayer, you find the names Saints Marcellinus and Peter; the two martyrs the Church honors today.
Their canonization was Pre-Congregation.
 
Saint Marcellinus,
Pray for us!
Saint  Peter,
Pray for us!

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June 3

Today is the Feast day of
Martyrs of Uganda
Among many other saints.

This feast day is also referred to as
Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions,
The Uganda Martyrs or the Holy Martyrs of Uganda.

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Charles Lwanga is the patron saint of African Catholic Youth Action

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June 4

Today is the Feast day of
Saint Francis Caracciolo
Among many other saints.

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Saint Francis Caracciolo
Also known as
Ascanio Pisquizio.
Francis was born on 13 October in Naples, Italy. He belonged to the princely family of Caracciolo. He was baptized on the same day he was born and given the name of Ascanio. Francis was related to Saint Thomas Aquinas and to the princes of Naples.
In his youth, Francis suffered a terrible skin infection akin to leprosy.
At the age of 22, however, when he dedicated his life to God, he was suddenly cured of this infection. He then went on to study theology in Naples. He became a priest in 1587.On his ordination he joined the confraternity of The White Robes of Justice, a group devoted to helping condemned criminals to die a holy death, reconciled with God. He also took the name of "Francis" in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi

In 1589, together with Saint John Augustine Adorno, he founded the Congregation of the Minor Clerks Regular , a religious congregation which:
1:Prohibited its members from aspiring to ecclesiastical dignities.
2: Called for perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in rotation.
3: Called for continuous mortification.
These were of course in addition to the three usual vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Saint Francis was chosen superior of the Congregation at Naples on 9 March 1593. He established Congregation houses in Rome, Madrid, Valladolid, and Alcala.
Saint Francis was noted for his work for the poor, and also as a miracle worker. He was a popular preacher. He used to cure the sick by blessing them with the Sign of the Cross. Near the end of his life he resigned his duties and spent his remaining time in prayer.
He died on 4 June 1608 at Agnone, Italy from a febrile illness.His
relics are at Naples, Italy and San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome.
He was beatified on 4 June 1769 by Pope Clement XIV and canonized on 24 May 1807 by Pope Pius VII.

Saint Francis Caracciolo'
Pray for us!