Saint of the day and Feast days.

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September 24

Today is the feast of .
Our Lady of Ransom ( Our Lady of Mercy )

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Our Lady of Ransom.
   or
Our Lady of Mercy
On 1st August 1218 in Barcelona, Spain, The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three men.
1: Saint Peter Nolasco, from Languedoc, France. From the age of 25, this Saint had taken a vow of chastity and had signed over all his vast estates to the Church . At the time The Virgin Mary appeared, he was the  tutor to King James of Aragon.
2: Raymund of Pennafort, who was the confessor of Saint Peter Nolasco.
3: King James of Aragon.
The Virgin Mary appeared first to Saint Peter Nolasco, saying that She desired the establishment of a religious Order bearing the name of Her mercy. Its members would seek to free Christian captives and offer themselves if necessary , as an exchange.
Remember that Muslims from around the region of North West Africa ruled Spain until the 11th century , after which the area fell under Christian rule.
On 17th January 1235 the Mercedarian Religious Order was legally constituted at Barcelona by King James of Aragon. The complete name of the Order is: Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the Ransom of Captives. ( OdeM ).
The name mercedarian, derives from the Spanish word for mercy—merced. The Order was established in Spain. Later it was approved by Pope Gregory 1X under the name of Our Lady of Mercy.Members of the Order are called Mercedarians
Saint Peter was the first superior and his title was Superior General. He also filled the office of Ransomer, a title given to the monk sent into the lands under Muslim rule to arrange for the ransom of Christians who were taken prisoners. It is recorded that twice, Saint Peter came to Africa to serve as a captive and it was reported that during one journey to Granada and Valencia, he won the release from Moorish jails of some four thousand captive Christians.
The feast day of Our Lady of Ransom was instituted on 4th April 1615 and observed on 24th September, first in the Mercedarian Order, then everywhere in Spain and France.
Our Lady of Mercy
Pray for us!

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Prayer to Our Lady of Mercy---Saint Augustine of Hippo

Blessed Virgin Mary,
Who can worthily repay you with praise?
And thanks for having rescued a fallen world.
By your generous consent!
Receive our gratitude,
And by your prayers obtain the pardon of our sins
Take our prayers into the sanctuary of heaven
And enable them to make our peace with God.

Holy Mary, help the miserable,
Strengthen the discouraged,
Comfort the sorrowful,
Pray for your people,
Plead for the clergy,
Intercede for all women consecrated to God.
May all who venerate you,
Feel now your help and protection.
Be ready to help us when we pray,
And bring back to us the answers to our prayers.
Make it your continual concern
To pray for the people of God,
For you were blessed by God
And were made worthy to bear the Redeemer of the world,
Who lives and reigns forever.
Amen.

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September 25
Today We remember
These Two Saints
Among Many Others.

1: Saint Vincent Strambi

2: Saint Firmin

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Saint Vincent Strambi

 Vincent Strambi was born Vincent Dominic Salvatore at Civitavecchia, Italy on New Year's Day 1745. He was the youngest of four children. His father was a pharmacist. As a boy, Vincent was full of life and fun, but as he grew older, he became more devout.
He entered the seminary of Bagnoregio. Before his ordination to priesthood, Vincent made a retreat at the monastery of Vetralla. The monastery belonged to the Passionist Congregation., that is The Congregation of the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was here that Vincent met Saint Paul of the Cross, founder of this Congregation.
Vincent was very impressed by the devotion of the Passionists and ask Paul to be admitted to the Order. Paul however, refused, feeling that Vincent was not suited for The Congregation's way of life.
Vincent was ordained priest in December of 1767, after which he returned to Rome to further his theological studies. He still felt the Passionist Call and made several trips to see Paul to beg to be admitted into the Congregation. In 1768, Paul finally consented and Vincent became a novice taking the name Vincent Mary of Saint Paul.
He quickly became a leading figure in the Passionist Community.First he was sent out to preach in parish missions. He did this very successfully, drawing large crowds by his preaching.Vincent is reported to have preached before cardinals and bishops on several occasions
In 1773, He was appointed Professor of Theology at the Passoinist house in Rome and it was here that he was present at the death of Paul of the Cross.
Thereafter, Vincent was appointed to several high offices in the Congregation.
In 1801, Pope Pius VII named father Strambi, Bishop of the combined sees of Macerata and Tolentino.
At this time, Italy became engulfed in the French Revolution. In 1809, Napoleon issued a decree annexing Macerata as part of the French Empire. The French ordered that this decree was to be read in churches. Vincent did not comply; he refused. He also refused to provide the French with a list of all the men in his diocese that would be suitable for military servise.
In 1808, Vincent was arrested for refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the French invaders and was exiled to Mantua. He was eventually imprisoned , first at Novara, then at Milan. One year after Napoleon’s fall, Vincent was able to go back home. The year was 1814.
His return was marked by jubilant crowds who lined the route of his journey. The people clearly loved their Bishop and had missed him. It is said that Pope Pius VII himself, returning from his own exile, visited Vincent and remarked: “ this holy man overwhelms me”
The French had left a lot of destruction in their wake, not just the buildings and churches, but also in lax morality. Vincent worked very hard to rebuild all these.His troubles, however, were not yet over. In 1817 The French returned to Macerata where they set up their headquarters from where they would attack the Austrians.The people turned to Vincent for fear of what the French would do.Vincent called together priests and seminarians in his private chapel to pray. After one and half hour in prayer he declared that Macerata would be saved through the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
The French were defeated by the Austrians. The local people feared what they would do during their retreat. Vincent asked to meet with the leader of the French army. He begged him not to enter the town. King Joachim Murat, for that was his name, agreed. Vincent then secured the assurance of the Austrian generals that they would not slaughter the French soldiers.
In 1823, the Pope appointed Vincent as his personal adviser. He took up residence at the Quirinal Palace. Then the Pope fell critically ill. Vincent prayed, asking God to spare the Pope’s life and take his own life in exchange.
His prayer was answered because the Pope recovered and Vincent died suddenly a few days later. It was his 79th birthday January 1 1824.
Saint Vincent Strambi had given his all to the Church.
Saint Vincent Strambi
Pray for us!

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Saint Firmin
The First Bishop of Amiens
Martyr
Saint Firmin was born in 272 at Pamplona, Spain.
He was initiated into the Christian faith by Honestus, a disciple of Saint Saturninus, the bishop of Toulouse, who was the disciple of none other than Saint Peter the Apostle himself.
Saint Firmin used to accompany Honestus, his teacher, on his apostolic journeys.
He was ordained bishop by Saint Honoratus, who succeeded Saint Saturninus at Toulouse. He was said to preach the Gospel in the remote parts of Gaul, such as Angers and Beauvais. He was able to convert idolaters.
It is said that Saint Firmin, desired martyrdom. With this in mind, he went to the then centre of paganism in the north, present day Normandy. He was arrested by the pagans and imprisoned for a time then released. He continued with his preaching, going wherever he felt he was needed.
The Roman authorities got to hear of him and they too had him arrested and released after a short time.He confessed Jesus in their presence without fear.
Saint Firmin finally went to a place called Amiens where he reportedly preached fearlessly beside a temple of Jupiter.
He put up residence here in Amiens and founded a large church of faithful disciples. Many conversions were made even among city authorities.He continued his preaching in that region for a number of years during which pagan temples became literally deserted.
Inevitably, Roman officials came calling.The pagan priests accused Saint Firmin of not offering incense and honour to the gods as was the imperial edicts.
Saint Firmin found himself yet again in jail. On 25 September, 303, some soldiers came to his prison in the thick of night and decapitated him.
Thus, Saint Firmin died a martyr as he had most ardently desired.
Saint Firmin
Pray for us!

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September 26

Today is the Memorial of the following
 Saints Among Many Others.

1: The Holy North American Martyrs.
2: Saint Cyprian
3: Saint Justina

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The Holy North American Martyrs
 They were eight. They were all members of the The Society of Jesus.
The Society of Jesus was founded in 1553 by Ignatius Loyola at the troubled period following the The Protestant Reformation.The Jesuits soon became one of the dominant forces to counter the Reformation. They were renowned as zealous missionaries and ardent defenders of the Catholic Faith.
Members of the Society took the traditional vows of chastity, poverty and obedience; they were also sworn to go wherever the Pope might send them.
The eight martyrs were killed between 1642 and 1649.
These men dedicated themselves to the conversion of the American Indians. They traveled from France to North America to preach and baptize against all odds. The task would seem insurmountable to any observer, but not to our saints.
First and foremost there was the language barrier. There were no books to learn from and the Indians had no written language.
Then there were such evil practices as superstitions, sorcery, promiscuity, wars and last but by no means least, cannibalism! These and more were what the saints were up against.
They had one thing in their favor however, and that was the ‘Apostolic Spirit’ that each and every one of them had. It is recorded that Saint John de Brebeuf, after pouring baptismal water on a dying Indian child exclaimed in joy:  “ For this single occasion, I would travel all the way from France; I would cross the great ocean to win one little soul for Our Lord”
Such was their spirit.
These are their names.
1: Saint John de Brebeuf
2: Saint Isaac Jogues
3: Saint Anthony Daniel
4: Saint Gabriel Lalemant
5: Saint Charles Garnier
6: Saint Noel Chabanel
7: Saint Rene Goupil
8: Saint John Lalande.
Saints Rene and Saint John Lalande were still Oblates.
The Holy North American Martyrs
Pray for us!
Now if you will bear with me, I will remember them individually.

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Saint John de Brebeuf
Martyr
John was born on the feast of the Annunciation on 25th March 1593 in Normandy. In his youth, John was a strong outdoor loving boy. He worked hard in his family’s extensive farm. He grew up to be a giant of a man blessed with a pious nature. God called him and he responded to that call by joining the Society of Jesus in 1617.
Soon after joining John became very ill and it was feared that he would die. In 1622 following his ordination, however his health miraculously improved. John had always wanted to be a missionary and this wish was realized when he was assigned to the Canadian mission with two other Jesuits.
In June 1625, John arrived in Canada. He preached among the Huron Indians for many years. In 1648, he was joined by Saint Gabriel Lalemant.
One day they were attacked by Iroquois( ? Mohawks) Indians. The two priests were captured and taken to what is now the village of Saint Ignace in Ontario. They were tortured horribly. Father Brebeuf survived only a few hours. He died on 16th March 1649
Saint John de Brebeuf
Pray for us!

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Saint Gabriel Lalemant
Martyr
Gabriel was born in Paris in 1610. He joined the Jesuit Society in 1630, but because of poor, health he was not sent to Canada until 1646. After two years in Quebec, he joined Father de Brebeuf on the Huron Mission in 1648, only to be captured during a tribal attack by the Iroquois. They were savagely tortured. Gabriel lived through the night and died the following morning. Someone who saw the body wrote: "There was no part of his body that was not burnt, even his eyes for the villains had forced burning embers into the sockets”
Saint Gabriel Lalemant
Pray for us!

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Antony Daniel
Martyr
Antony Daniel was born at Dieppe, France in 1601. He joined the Jesuits and was sent to Canada. He was stationed in the Huron Village of Teanaistaye, near Hillsdale, Ontario. As you may have guessed, village was attacked by Iroquois. He was said to be offering mass at the time of the attack. When he realized what was happening, he reportedly ran around baptizing everyone in sight, not attempting to escape, his aim to baptize as many as possible. He was finally brought down with arrows but did not die immediately. All the people were huddled into the church, the church was set on fire and the pierced body of Saint Daniel, still breathing, was thrown into the church where he had been offering Mass.
Thus Antony Daniel was martyred,
Saint Antony Daniel
Pray for us!

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Saint Charles Garnier
Martyr
Charles was born in Paris in 1606. He joined the Jesuits and was sent to Quebec in 1636.
In 1649, the Huron village of Saint Jean, Quebec, where he was stationed, was attacked by, yes, you guessed it, Iroquois, (they never tired of these unprovoked attacks!) Charles was shot while assisting the Hurons to escape. He struggled up in an attempt to reach a dying Huron convert so he could give absolution, but he was struck dead by an Iroquoius using a tomahawk.
He died on 7th December 1649
Saint Charles Garnier
Pray for us!

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Noel Chabanel.
Martyr
Noel was born in France in 1613. He joined the Jesuits and was sent to Quebec in 1643 to work with Father Charles Garnier. Life was especially hard for him. He found it very difficult to learn the Huron language, he found the Huron way of life distasteful and he became depressed but was determined to continue on at the Mission. As a precaution against temptation to quit, he took a vow not to leave his post.
At the time when Saint Garnier was killed, Noel had gone to another village to preach. He was never heard of again. He was ambushed and killed by a former convert who had become hostile to Christianity. He too died on 7th December 1649
Saint Noel Chabanel.
Pray for us!

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Saint Isaac Jogues.
Saint Rene Goupil
Saint John Lalande
Martyrs

Isaac Jogues was born in Orleans in 1607. He became a Jesuit in 1624 and was sent to Canada in 1636. He worked among the Mowhawks. There were two Oblates assisting him. Rene Goupil and John Lalande, who was a native of Dieppe just like Father Danier. Goupi was a surgeon. He had not been able to enroll as a Jesuit because of ill health. He went to Canada at his own expense and there he volunteered to help at the Mission.
In 1642, Jogues and Groupil were captured by the Iroquois and kept prisoners at a place called Ossernenon, now Auriesville, New York. During the captivity, the two were tortured and Jogues lost the use of his hands which had the fingers reportedly chewed off.
Goupil was tomahawked for making the Sign of the Cross on the forehead of an Indian child. He died 29th September 1642
After one year of captivity among the Iroquois, Jogues escaped with the help of some Dutchmen from Fort Orange. Three years later he was back at Ossernenon.
Then there was an outbreak of sickness, and a failure of crops and Father Jogues was blamed for it all and accused of witchcraft( of all things!)
He and Lalande were seized, beaten and slashed with knives. The evening 18th 1646, Jogues was tomahawked. Lalande was tomahawked the next day.
Thus these brave solders of Christ were martyred!
Saint Isaac Jogues.
Pray for us!
Saint Rene Goupil
Pray for us!
Saint John Lalande
Pray for us!

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Saint Cyprian
Bishop.
Martyr
Cyprian was a pagan magician. He was attracted to a Christian convert named Justina.
He used his magic to try and seduce her, but the magic did not work,
on the contrary he himself, through the efforts of Justina, became a Christian.
He became a priest, then the bishop of Antioch.
He was martyed in the persecution of Diocletian
He died on 26th September 304
Saint Cyprian
Pray for us!

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Justina
Martyr
Justina had consecrated herself to God.
When  Cyprian attempted to seduce her, she ended up
converting him!.She too was martyred together with  Cyprian in the persecution of Emperor Dioclatian
Saint Justina
Pray for us!