Saint of the day and Feast days.

[odhiambo]

Television. When I hear about that the first word that comes to my mind is: television. It's this society.. its views.. its media.. it has to be kept out . . .

A wonderful achievement if it did happen; a humongous task achieving that state of affairs 

[odhiambo]

Saint Nicholas Pieck.
Martyr.
Also known as Saint Nicholas Pick.

Nicholas was born on August 29, 1534 at Gorkum, Holland. He was born in a good Catholic home. His parents, John Pieck and Henrica Clavia, were both deeply religious and pious.Nicholas was sent to college at Bois le Duc and, as soon as he had completed his classical studies, he joined the Franciscans to study for the priesthood. He was ordained a priest in 1558 and from that time, Nicholas devoted himself to converting Calvinist to the Catholic Faith.
He evangelized throughout Holland and Belgium, preaching against heresy and encouraging Catholics to stand by their faith.
Nicholas was known to be a friendly, modest and happy man, endlessly working to bring people to God. He was
appointed guardian of convent in Gorkum where he preached against Calvinism and in support of the Real Presence in the Eucharist.
On April 1 1572, a gang of pirates, the Watergeuzen, who used to loot ships and coastal villages as well as make raids on land, seized the convent in Gorkum.
The priests and religious were detained. They were confined in a dark , foul smelling dungeon. They were tortured mercilessly, with Nicholas bearing the brunt of the cruelty meted out.
He and his fellow prisoners were offered their freedom if they would renounce the authority of Rome. They declined. They were all taken to Briel where they were martyred by hanging on 9 July 1572. They were 19 martyrs in all, Saint Nicholas being one of them. they are the Gorkum Martyrs.
Of the 19 priests and religious who were hanged by Calvinists in Gorkum because of their faith,
12 were hanged specifically because of their belief in the Eucharist and the primacy of the Pope. They are:

Nicholas Pieck,
Jerome Weerden,
Leonard Vechel,
Nicholas Jansen
Godfrey van Duynen,
John van Oosterwyk,
John van Hoornaer,
Adrian van Hilverenbeck,
James Lacops,
Andrew Wontera,
Antony van Willehad (90 years old) and
Nicasius van Heeze.

After their death, their bodies were cast into 2 ditches where they lay till 1616. when, they were translated to the Franciscan church in Brussels, Belgium.
They were beatified on 24 November 1675 by Pope Clement X.
Pope Pius IX canonized them on 29 June 1867.

Nicholas Pieck,
Pray for us!
Martyrs of Gorkum,
Pray for us!

Ref:
The Original Catholic Encyclopedia

[odhiambo]

" Let us contend with all earnestness, knowing that we are all called to combat. Let us run in the straight road the race that is incorruptible”

St Clement

Taken from Feast of All Saints

[odhiambo]

Saint Felicity and her Seven Sons
Martyrs.

According to Dictionary of Saints by John J. Delaney, a woman named Felicity was indeed martyred in Rome in 165, during the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius and was buried in the cemetery of Maximus on the Salarian Way. All else about her, however are derived from various legends. According to these legends, Felicity had seven children: Januarius, Felix, Philip, Silvanus, Alexander, Vitalis, and Martialis.

When her husband died, she devoted herself to prayers and works of charity. She was so effective in her examples and works of mercy that many pagans converted, abandoning their practices of idolatry. This so provoked the pagan priests that they lodged a complaint to the Emperor against her. They further advised that, in order to appease the gods, who were considered the guardians and protectors of the empire, it was necessary to compel Felicity and her children to sacrifice to them.
Felicity was thus brought before Publius, the prefect of Rome. He at first pleaded with her to sacrifice to the gods, asking her to “take pity on her children”. When these pleas proved unsuccessful, he turned to threats, threatening to kill her sons one by one if she did not do as she was told. The threats too fell on deaf ears. Exasperated, Publius, remanded the case to the Emperor who then decreed that they be sent to different judges and be condemned to different forms of death.

Accordingly, Fecicity was beheaded together with her three youngest children: Alexander, Vitalis and Martialis.
Januarius was scourged to death with whips loaded with pieces of lead. The next two Felix and Philip were beated to death with clubs.
Sylvanus was flung headlong to his death , drowning in the Tiber.

Dictionary of Saints cited earlier, concludes that seven martyrs with these names were indeed buried in Roman cemeteries. One of the them Salvanus was buried near Felicity’s tomb. The proximity gave rise to the legend that they were brothers ( The Seven Brothers) and her sons, but there is no evidence that they were her sons nor that they were brothers.

Whether we commemorate Saint Felicity and her sons or just the Seven Holy Brothers, today, July 10 is their feast day.

Saint Felicity.
Pray for us!

The Seven Holy Brothers,
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

“ Life passes so quickly that we ought to think more of how to die than how to live”
St. Theresa of Avila.

From Feast of all Saints

[Shin]

A very important truth.

[odhiambo]

July 11

Today is the Feast day of
Saint Benedict of Nursia
Among many other saints

[odhiambo]

Saint Benedict of Nursia.

Benedict was born in a small town called Nursia in Central Italy, around the year 480. His family belonged to the aristocracy.
He went to Rome for his studies. He was, however, repelled by the vices he saw in the city. In the year 500, he gave up everything and fled to Enfide, a small community of students thirty miles outside of Rome. From there he became a hermit living in a hidden cave in mountainous Subiaco now known as Sacro Speco
He lived there for three years being cared for by a monk named Romanus.
Despite Benedict's desire for solitude, his holiness and austerities became known and he was asked by a community of monks at Vicovaro, to be their abbot. He accepted. The strictness of his rule, however, led to an attempt on his life.
Some monks tried to poison him, but he blessed the cup and the poison was rendered harmless. Benedict returned to Subiaco and soon attracted great numbers of disciples. He organised them into twelve monasteries each comprising 12 monks with its own superior. He made manual work, part of the programme and soon, Subiaco became a centre of spirituality and learning. Then, a neighboring monk named Florentius attempted to undermine Benedict's work. The Saint left Subiaco suddenly, after about 28 years in this place. In 525, he settled at Monte Cassino. He destroyed a pagan temple to Apollo on its crest, brought the people of the neighbouring areas back to Christianity and in about 530, he began to build the monastery that was to be "the birthplace of Western monasticism". It became the mother house of the Benedictine Order.
As his reputation for holiness, wisdom and miracles spread far and wide, disciples again flocked to him. He organized the monks into a single monastic community and wrote for them regulations called "the Holy Rule", a system comprising of prayers, study, work, moderate asceticism, community life under one superior and common sense. It stressed obedience, stability and zeal. The Divine Office, the daily liturgical prayer of the Church, was made the core of the monastic routine.
While performing his duties as abbot, Saint Benedict counceled popes and secular rulers, he ministered to the poor and destitute, and still managed to engage in scholarly persuits.
St Benedict is traditionally believed to have died on 21 March 547 in his abbey church, his hands raised heavenward in prayer, after having received Holy Communion before the high altar.
He was buried next to his twin sister, Saint Scholastica, in the Oratory of St John the Baptist at Cassino.
Saint benedict was proclaimed “Father of Europe” by Pope Pius XII and “Patron Saint of all Europe on 24 October 1964 by Pope Paul VI.
His motto was:
“Ora et labora” – “Pray and work”

Saint Benedict of Nursia,
Pray for us!

[Shin]

'Let a man consider that God always seeth him from Heaven, that the eye of God beholdeth his works everywhere, and that the angels report them to Him every hour.'

St. Benedict

'Above all, let not the evil of murmuring appear in the least word or sign for any reason whatever. If anyone be found guilty herein, let him be placed under very severe discipline.'

St. Benedict

'Idleness is the enemy of the soul; and therefore the brethren ought to be employed in manual labor at certain times, at others, in devout reading.'

St. Benedict

'Whatsoever good work you undertake, pray earnestly to God that He will enable you to bring it to a successful termination.'

St. Benedict

[odhiambo]

He who labors as he prays lifts his heart to God with his hands.

St. Benedict of Nursia

[Shin]

That's a memorable one! 

[odhiambo]

July 12.
Today is the Feast day of
Saint John Gualbert
Among many other saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint John Gualbert
Also known as
Giovanni Gualberto or John Gualberto.

John was born in 985, into a rich pagan family, the Visdomini family in Florence, Italy. His given name was Giovanni Gualberto. He led a worldly life until his only brother Hugh, was murdered. The murderer was known to the family as he had been a friend of Hugh. With the blessings of his father, John decided to track down the killer and revenge his brother's death.
It was not until the year 1013, that his search for his brother's killer came to an end, and what an end that was! It was Good Friday of that year. He was walking in a narrow passageway and there, right in front of him and completely unarmed was the man he had been searching for. John drew his sword and walked purposely towards the man. Just as he was about to run him through with his sword, the latter fell to his knees at John’s feet and with his arms crossed on his chest he begged for forgiveness and commended his soul to God.
With a great effort, John dropped his sword, embraced his enemy and continued down the road. He noticed a monastery church, the Benedictine church of Saint Miniato. He went in and knelt before the crucifix. Then a miracle happened! Jesus bowed his head upon the cross as if in recognition of John’s noble act.
Overcome by all that had occurred, he converted and asked to join the monks at San Miniato.
He became a Benedictine monk at the San Miniato del Monte Monastery in Florence. He was an exemplary monk and when about to be elected abbot but he requessted to be allowed to leave the monastery to seek  greater solitude.
While at the hermitage of Camaldoli, John decided to found a monastery of his own, which he did in 1038 at Vallombrosa ( Vallis Umbrosa), near Fiesole. Following the rule of Saint Bededict, the Vallumbrosans, as his followers came to be called, stressed charity and poverty and admitted lay brothers.
John became known for his aid to the poor, his fierce opposition to simony, his miracles, gifts of prophecy and spiritual wisdom. Great crowds were attracted to him seeking his advice. The Vallumbrosans soon spread all through Italy particularly in Tuscany and Lombardy.
John died of natural causes in 1073 at Passignano near Florence, Italy.
He was canonized in 1193 by Pope Celestine III.

Saint John Gualbert,
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

This biography really touched me.
Once he found the man he had searched for all those years, instead of slaying him as he had intended to, he embrassed him and walked away. Wow! That was the first miracle.

[Shin]

It is very touching isn't it? I know I've heard this story before too. It's great to have it refreshed in my memory. One can just picture it!

[Patricia]

Yes, true grace indeed