Saint of the day and Feast days.

[odhiambo]

July 13

Today is the Feast day of
Saint Henry II
Among many other saints

[odhiambo]

Saint Henry II
Duke of Bavaria
King of Germany
Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

Henry was born on 6 May 972 at Albach, Hildesheim, Bavaria, Germany. He was the son of Duke Henry II of Bavaria,( also known as Henry the Quarelsome)
and of Gisella, daughter of Conrad, King of Burgundy. He was educated at the cathedral school in Hildesheim. His teacher was bishop Wolfgang of Regensburg. While still growing up, Henry had wanted to become a priest. It never came to pass, however because when his father died in 992, he succeeded him as Duke of Bavaria. He then married a gentle and loving woman named Cunegund (or Kunigunda) around 998. (She too, has been proclaimed a saint.).
The couple remained childless. Some sources in fact claim that the two were celibate, but there is no proof of this.
In 1002, following the death of his cousin, Emperor Otto III, Henry was elected Emperor.
In the early years of his reign, Henry was involved in constant warfare as he strove for peace and unity in Germany. In 1014, He was crowned as Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Benedict VIII. Henry was also miraculously cured of an illness by the intercession of Saint Benedict of Nursia.
Known as Henry the Good, loved the poor. He and his wife Cunegunda spent a great deal of time and resources caring for these unfortunate people.
Some of Henry’s accomplishments during his years as Emperor include founding of schools, and quelling several rebellions.
He protected the frontiers and worked to establish a stable peace in Europe, and to reform the Church.
Saint Henry died of natural causes in his palace of Grona, near Göttingen, Germany on 13 July 1024.
He was canonized in 1146 by Pope Blessed Eugene III
He is patron saint of the physically challanged.
He is also invoked agaist sterility.

Saint Henry II,
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

July 14

Today is the Feast day of
Saint Camillus De Lellis
Among many other saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint Camillus De Lellis
Founder of the Camellians.

Camillus was born on 25 May 1550 at Bocchiavico, Italy. He was born in a respectable family. His father, John de Lellis was a solder as was his own father before him.
One might say he was a solder for hire, a soldier of fortune because he used to fight for whoever would pay him. Consequently, Camillus served in the armies of various monarchs.
He was said to be a spendthrift and a compulsive gambler who was seldom at home.
His mother, Camilla, on the other hand, was a gentle and God fearing woman. The responsibility of brining up their son was hers alone, her husband gave her no help.
As for Camillus, he showed early signs of taking after his father. He was said to be unusually tall for his age, lazy by nature and hated being taught. He was rebellious, disobedient, and obstinate; to cap it all, he had a violent temper. For the sake of peace in the house, the mother tended to let him have his way.
When Camillus was twelve years old, his mother died.
After his mother died, Camillus went to live with relatives who , unfortunately, left him pretty much to himself on account of his difficult personality. He was sent to school but he hated school and only longed for the day when he would leave it all behind him. When not in school, he associated with people of questionable morals. From them, he learnt to gamble and was soon addicted to the vice. All was not, however lost. Camilla had instilled in her son a deep respect for religion. He believed in prayer and he believed in the sacraments, though he seldom prayed nor received the sacraments.
When Camillus was seventeen, he enlisted as a soldier and went to fight for Venice against the Turks. He gradually lost all his inheritance through gambling.
In the course of the battle against the Turks, Camillus contracted a terrible skin disease that caused multiple, apparently incurable, abscesses to develop on his feet. He was compelled to give up soldiering. He sought employment at a hospital. After nine months, however, he was dismissed because of his quarrelsome disposition and uncontrollable passion for gambling.
It was only after several years that he genuinely reformed. He was a sober and penitent young man of 26 when he offered his services to the San Giacomo Hospital for Incurables in Rome. Here he quickly won everyone’s admiration by his selfless nursing of the sick and the dying. Soon, because of his obvious piety, he was made director of the Hospital. His confessor and spiritual director at the time was Saint Philip Neri, from whom he received permission to be ordained. He was ordained priest by the Welsh Bishop Thomas Goldwell of Saint Asaph of England who was at the time living in Rome.
After his ordination, Camillus, together with two companions, decided to found a congregation to nurture the sick. This developed into what came to be variously called Ministers of the Sick, or the Fathers of the Good Death, or, simply, the Camilians.
Camillus and his men cared for men aboard plague-stricken ships in the harbour of Rome. In 1591, Pope Gregory XIV approved the congregation, and Camillus sent members to Hungary and Croatia, There they worked in the first field medical units to care for troops wounded in battle.
He resigned as superior of the congregation in 1607.

He died on 14 July 1614 at Genoa, (Rome according to other sources), Italy of natural causes. He was beatified on 7 April 1742 by Pope Benedict XIV and canonized on 29 June 1746 by Pope Benedict XIV.
He was declared patron of the sick with Saint John of God, by Pope Leo XIII,
He is also patron of nurses and hospital workers.
His relics are in Rome.

Saint Camillus De Lellis
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

“O Lord, I confess I am the most wretched of sinners, most undeserving of your favors; but save me by your infinite mercy”

St Camillus de Lellis.

From Feast of all Saints

[martin]

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.

Odhiambo I read the story you posted a few days ago on the life of Saint John Gualbert and the above extract is indeed a very moving account.
Shin posted a sermon from Audio Sancto a few weeks ago on the topic of forgiveness and how refusal to forgive can lead to spiritual paralisis.
A hard lesson we must all learn. 

[Shin]

It's priceless once learned I am thinking!

[odhiambo]

Odhiambo I read the story you posted a few days ago on the life of Saint John Gualbert and the above extract is indeed a very moving account.
Shin posted a sermon from Audio Sancto a few weeks ago on the topic of forgiveness and how refusal to forgive can lead to spiritual paralisis.
A hard lesson we must all learn. 

Very true martin. True forgiveness is a very difficult thing to do, a real struggle, but the rewards are great, I believe 

[odhiambo]

A hard lesson we must all learn. 

Very true martin. True forgiveness is a very difficult thing to do, a real struggle, but the rewards are great, I believe 

I think I am going to disagree with myself a little and amend that true forgiveness is really God given. We cannot do it on our own. The best way to achieve it is 1: To want to forgive the wrong done to us and 2: To ask God for the grace to actually forgive. 

[odhiambo]

July 15
Today is the Feast day of
Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio
Among many other saints

[odhiambo]

Saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio.
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church.
 Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor
. Doctor of the Universal Church
Writer.
 Biographer of Saint Francis.
 
Bonaventure was born Giovanno di Fidanza in1221 at Bagnoregio,  (Bagnorea), Italy . He was the son of Giovanni di Fidanza , and  Maria la Ritalla but was apparently called  John of Fidanza.
When he was still a boy, he became seriously sick and there was no hope that he would survive. His own father, a doctor, had also given up hope. His mother, however, continued to hope that her son would get well. She appealed to Saint Francis of Assisi, who had been canonized not so long before and to everyone’s joy, John got cured.
John went to Paris for his studies and was lucky to study under Alexander of Hales, the first Franciscan professor of theology. After completing his studies, he lectured at the University for seven years.
John became a Franciscan in 1243 and took the name “Bonaventure” which variably means “good venture”, “good attempt” or “happy arrival”
He now embarked on the study of theology and sacred Scriptures at the University of Paris. His graduation was however delayed for several years due to the serious disagreement that took place at the University of Paris between the secular professors and the mendicant orders to which he belonged.  Finally in 1257 he received his doctorate together with St Thomas Aquinas who was a close friend of his.
In 1260, at a general chapter of the Franciscans at Narbonne, France, Bonaventure promulgated the constitutions of the Franciscan Order and was elected Minister General of his Order.
In 1263, Bonaventure wrote a new biography of Saint Francis of Assisi. This became the approved, official biography of this great saint and in 1266 it was declared to replace all previous biographies.
In 1273, Blessed Pope Gregory X made Bonaventure a cardinal. He sent several legates to him with the red hat. When the legates arrived with this symbol of great honor, they found our Saint washing dishes. He asked them to hang the red hat on a nearby tree as his hands were wet and dirty. 
In 1274, he attending the Council of Lyons, France, and took an active part in the negotiations with the Eastern Church on reunion. He died of natural causes during the proceedings, on 15 July 1274.  Saint Bonaventure is called “ the Seraphic Doctor” He is considered one of the great intellect of his era.
Some of his works include the following:
1: Perfection of Life.
2: Soliliquy.
3: Threefold Way.
It is said that he wrote 500 sermons. His biography of Saint Francis of Assisi has been described as beautiful and touching.
He was canonized on14 April 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV
and declared Doctor of the Church in 1588.
He is invoked against intestinal problems., the patron saint
Bagnoregio, Italy, and Saint Bonaventure University, New York.
 
Saint Bonaventure,
Pray for us!

Ref: Our Sunday Visitor Encyclopedia Of Saints.
By Matthew Bunson, Stephen Bunson, Margaret Bunson:

[odhiambo]

“The best perfection of a religious man is to do common things in a perfect manner”
St Bonaventure.

From Feast of all Saints

[Shin]

There's so much truth to that. It may sound ordinary and unexciting but it's the real way to make progress.

Doing every little thing with a pure intention and perfect virtue like Christ.

[odhiambo]

I read that Archbishop Sheen once said, “…It does not take much time to make us saints—it only takes much love.”

[odhiambo]

July 16

Today is the Feast of
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Patroness of the Carmelite Order.

[odhiambo]

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel in Israel is mentioned in the Bible as a holy place. It is there that the great prophet Elijah defended the One True God against the prophets of Baal. Today, there is a statue near Mount Carmel commemorating this Biblical victory.
During the Crusades, holy hermits lived on Mount Carmel, praying and fasting, and contemplating God.
About the year 1150, encouraged by the crusader Berthold, a group of hermits living on Mount Carmel became organized and called their order the Carmelite Order, deriving their name from the Holy Mountain on which they lived
The Order promoted a life of contemplation and dedication to Our Lady.
Because of constant oppression by the Saracens, however, the monks gradually emigrated to Europe. In fact it appears that the Carmelites were driven off of Mount Carmel in 1247.
Simon Stock, the Sixth master general of the Order, said to have become a hermit at the age of twelve, and living in the hollow of a tree trunk, was one of the first Englishmen to join the Order when it came to England.
In 1247, he was elected master general of the Carmelites. He established Carmelite houses in the university centers of Europe and won papal approval to change the Order’s Rule and to abandon the hermitic lifestyle.The Order came under harsh opposition and constant harassment from other clergy. Simon prayed to the Virgin Mary for guidance , pleading with her for some special sign of her protection of the Order.
On July 16, 1251, The Blessed Virgin appeared to him with the scapular of the order in her hand. This scapular she gave him with the words:

"Hoc erit tibi et cunctis Carmelitis privilegium, in hoc habitu moriens salvabitur" (This shall be the privilege for you and for all the Carmelites, that anyone dying in this habit shall be saved).

This is why today’s feast is also known as the feast of the Scapular.
Mary also told him to appeal to Pope Innocent IV. He did just that and the Pope issued a papal letter of protection for the Order.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
Pray for us?