Saint of the day and Feast days - Part 2

[Shin]

I may make do with a little Rosemary tree again this year, I am not sure.

I love those little trees.

'SING ye to our Lord a new song: sing to our Lord all the earth.
Sing ye to our Lord, and bless his name: show forth his salvation from day to day.
Show forth his Glory among the Gentiles, his marvelous works in all peoples.
Because our Lord is great, and exceeding laudable: he is terrible above all gods.
Because all the gods of the Gentiles are Devils, but our Lord made the heavens.
Confession, and beauty in his sight: holiness, and magnificence in his sanctification.
Bring to our Lord ye families of Gentiles, bring ye to our Lord Glory and honor: bring to our Lord Glory unto his name.
Take up hosts, and enter into his courts: adore ye our Lord in his holy court.
Let all the earth be moved before his face: say ye among the Gentiles that our Lord hath reigned.'

Psalm 95:2-10

[odhiambo]

October 17
Today is the Memorial of
Saint John the Dwarf
Among many other Saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint John
Hermit and
Miracle Worker.
John was born around the year 339 in Egypt, in a region known as Basta, situated in Lower Egypt. His family was poor but pious. Because of his small stature, John was nicknamed "Kolobos" which I understand, is Greek for 'dwarf". When still a young man of 18, John retired to the desert of Skeet in Upper Egypt. He dug for himself an underground cave where he lived a solitary life before becoming a disciple of Saint Poemen. Apart from his short stature, John was, reportedly, also short tempered and conceited; that is, at first. As he grew in holiness, however, he became gentle and humble. From SQPN, we read that
"As a test of his new humble obedience, his director ordered him to water a walking staff stuck in the sand; John did so. It later blossomed, and John referred to it as the "tree of obedience".
Around the year 395, John fled the desert because of invading Berbers. He lived for years as a hermit on Mount Queolzum ( Qulazum)
near the current city of Suez. He died there.
Saint John,
Pray for us!

[Shin]

What a favorite of mine to read of St. John the Dwarf is!

 

[Shin]

We seem to be on the subject of trees! 

[odhiambo]

October 18
Today is the Memorial of
Blessed Daudi Okelo and
Jildo Irwa
Among many other Saints and Blesseds

[odhiambo]

Blesseds Daudi Okelo and
Jildo Irwa
Martyrs.
Daudi Okelo and Jildo Irwa were two young catechists from Uganda at the beginning of the 20th century. They belonged to the Acholi tribe, a subdivision of the larger Luo grouping whose members today live mostly in the North of Uganda, but they are also present in Southern Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Congo.
These two young men were martyred in the years immediately following the foundation of the mission of Kitgum by the Comboni Missionaries in 1915.

[odhiambo]

Blessed Daudi Okelo
Also known as David Okelo.
David was born around the year 1902 at Payira, a village between Gulu and Kitgum in Northern Uganda, East Africa. His parents were pagans as was the bulk of the community. From the age of 14-16, David was a catechumen, receiving the instructions necessary before baptism. On June 1, 1916, David was baptized by Father Cesare Gambaretto, receiving his First Holy Communion on the same day. He was confirmed on 15 October 1916. After some time, David was enrolled as a catechist.
At the beginning of 1917, Antonio, the catechist in charge of a village called Paimol, died. David went to Father Cesare, then superior at the mission of Kitgum, offering to take Antonio's place. He was duly appointed and it was decided that he needed to go with an assistant to help him with the mission ahead. A young man named Jildo Irwa was chosen for this role. Paimol was some 80 kilometers away and security in the area was not good as there were sporadic instances of slave traders and gangs of raiders visiting the area. When warned about these incidences, David reportedly answered: "I am not afraid to die. Jesus, too, died for us!” Thus, towards the end of 1917, the two were in Paimol rearing to go.
David immediately began his work by assembling children who were willing to take religious instruction. First thing early mornings, he would beat the drum to summon the catechumens to prayers. He taught them simple prayers and the question and answer catechism which was repeated over and over in a sing song manner, the better to memorize the lessons. In this way, the basics; the A,B,Cs of the Faith was taught to the children. After the morning sessions, David would go out to the villages from which his charges were coming and he would offer to help their parents to look after the cattle or work in the fields.
At sunset, there were evening prayers which included the Rosary. To close the evening prayers, a hymn to Our Lady was always sung. Sundays, being a Holy Day, the service was longer and other catechumens and catechists from around the area would all come and join in the service. Unfortunataly, there were people who were not happy with what David was doing and they decided to put an end to it all. There had been some unease but nothing happened until 18 October 1918.
On that day, in the thick of night, some raiders, said to be a mix of Moslems and witchdoctors, went to the hut which David shared with his assistant. They entered the building and demanded that he gave up teaching catechism to the children. He refused. He was dragged out of the hut and fatally speared. He was not even 20 years old yet. The place of his death has been called "Wi Polo", which means " Heaven".
His body which had been left where he had died , was disposed of later by unknown people. Some years later, his remains were collected and placed in the mission church at Kitgum, at the foot of the altar of the Sacred Heart.
David was pronounced venerable on 23 April 2002 by Pope John Paul II. He was beatified on 20 October 2002 by Pope John Paul II
Canonization is pending.

[odhiambo]

Blessed Jildo Irwa
Jildo Irwa was born around 1906 in the village of Bar Kitoba, Kitgum in northern Uganda. He belonged to the Acholi tribe same as Blessed David Okelo. His mother was called Ato and his father, Okeny. Both were pagans but would later convert to Christianity. Jildo was said to be a very gentle person.
He was baptized on 6 June 1916, at the age of eleven by Father Cesare Gambaretto. He received his First Holy Communion on the same day and was confirmed on 15 October 1916.
In 1917, when an assistant chatechist was needed to accompany Blessed David Okelo to a new location, Jildo had spontaneously and very willingly offered to be that assistant.
On the morning of their martyrdom Jildo reportedly had this to say to David who was warning him about a possible attack, "Why should we be afraid? We have done nothing wrong to anyone; we are here only because Father Cesare sent us to teach the word of God. Do not fear!"
He repeated the same words to their killers. They were telling him to stop teaching the catechism.
"We have done nothing wrong", he told them in tears. He too was speared and knifed to death at the same place now known as " Wi Polo" or "  Heaven" He was beatified on 20 October 2002 by Pope John Paul II
Canonization is pending .
Blessed Jildo Irwa,
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

October 19
Today we remember
Blessed Jerzy Popie?uszko
Among many other Saints and Blesseds.

[odhiambo]

Blessed Jerzy Popie?uszko.
Priest and Martyr
Jerzy was born on 14 September 1947 in the village of Okopy in Poland. It was the feast of Holy Cross Day. His parents Marianna and Wladyslaw Popie?uszko, were farmers. He was their fourth child. (From other accounts, he was their third child, out of five children). He was baptized in his parish church in Suchowola, two days following his birth. He was given the baptismal name of Alfons. Although the family was poor, they were devout Catholics and raised all their children with profound love of God and the Church. In 1954, Alfons started elementary school in Suchowola, and continued his education in the local high school.
He was reportedly an avarage, rather shy student but likeable. He served as an alter boy, getting up at 5 am every morning irrespective of the weather, and going to serve at Mass. After his First Holy Communion, he was confirmed in 1956.
Even as a high school student, Jerzy knew that he wanted to become a priest but kept this to himself because of the prevailing political conditions which was definitely against the Catholic Church.
After his graduation from high school in 1965, he entered the Seminary of Warsaw and changed his name to Jerzy.
After just one year of study in the seminary, he was drafted into the army.
Drafting seminarians was part of the government’s campaign against the Church. He served in a unit where the recruits were indoctrinated against the Church. He boldly defied the army and rallied colleagues, urging them to resist the attempts to turn them from their faith. For this, he was severely punished. The savage punishments metet out to him and which he bravely endured, took a toll on his health; He suffered ill health the rest of his life as a direct consequence.
In1968, Jerzy resumed his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained with many other deacons on May 28, 1972 by Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski.
For about six years after his ordination, Father Jerzy served as a curate or rather, parish priest, in a number of parishes. One day, in 1978, while saying Mass, he collapsed. To help him recover faster, he was assigned a seemingly less strenuous ministry, the chaplaincy at the student University Church of Saint Anne in Warsaw. He was to be in charge mainly of medical students. He dedicated himself fully to this ministry with the students.
The position of a chaplain of medical personnel in Warsaw was officially entrusted to him in February 1979.
In May 1980, Father Popieluszko was given new assignment to Saint Stanislaus Kostka Church in Warsaw as a resident priest, in theory only required to assist in parish duties.
August of that same year saw the birth of Solidarity, an anti-Communist trade union movement. The movement was for peaceful social change.
One Sunday, of 31 August 1980, when the entire country was on strike, workers from the Warsaw Steel plant, who were on strike in support of the shipyards in Gdansk, sent a delegation to Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski requesting that a priest say Mass for them. The only priest who was available was Father Popieluszko. He went and said Mass at the plant.
This was the beginning of his ministry among workers. He worked closely with them, celebrated Mass, heard their confessions and preached the Word of God to them.
Later he was chosen by the workers as their chaplain at the plant.
Most of the common people were solidly behind the trade union movement which saw a steady rise in membership to some 10 million strong.....
Please continue at the next post.

[odhiambo]

Blessed Jerzy Popie?uszko.
…..In February 1982, marshal law was declared in Poland to suppress opposition.
Father Popieluszko started to celebrate Mass on the last Sunday of every month for freedom of Poland. He called it:
“Mass for Poland and for those suffering for her”
These Masses were attended by tens of thousands of people coming from far and near.
The communist leaders did not like this. They started to intimidate him: his home was broken into, not once but twice; he was constantly being followed by the secret police, stopped or questioned and even arrested on trumped up charges. Complaints were also made to the Bishop that his sermons were political. The priest was clear in his message that people of faith have a moral duty to resist evil, asking, “Whose side will you take? The side of good or the side of evil? Truth or falsehood? Love or hatred?.
Father Jerzy preached against revenge and the use of violence. He told his listeners about the importance of praying not only for those who are oppressed but also for those who oppress the people. He referred to the Solidarity movement as the ‘patriotic struggle to reinstate human dignity.
Among the tens of thousands of Poles listening to the voice of this brave, young priest were government agents. The secret police threatened and pressured him to stop, but he ignored them.
From 1983 the persecution of Father Popieluszko became a matter of course.
He was frequently called to police headquarters for interrogations, spent many nights in prison, his car was vandalized, his apartment was broken into again and the authorities even planted subversive literature and bomb making materials in his apartment.
On October 13, 1984, an unsuccessful attempt was made on his life. Father Popieluszko understood the danger he was in. He told his colleagues he was convinced that what he was doing was just and he was ready for everything.
One week later, on October 19, 1984, he was due to celebrate Mass at the northern town of Bydgoszcz. He was warned that doing so would have “serious consequences” He went anyway. He celebrated Mass after which he led the people in meditation on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary. His conclusion to the reflections was reportedly his last public words:
"In order to defeat evil with good, in order to preserve the dignity of man, one must not use violence. It is the person who has failed to win on the strength of his heart and his reason who tries to win by force… Let us pray that we may be free from fear and intimidation, but above all from lust for revenge and violence."
Government security agents who were in that congregation followed the priest and his driver on their way back. On a lonely stretch of road they stopped the car, arrested, gagged and bound the driver and put him in the unmarked police car. They savagely beat up Father Popieluszko with clubs and fists until he was senseless. Then they gagged him; secured his mouth and nose with tape; tied him with ropes around his neck and ankles such that if he attempted to moved his feet, the rope would tighten around his neck. Stones were tied to his feet. The priest was put in the boot of the car and driven to a reservoir on the Vistula River. He was removed from the boot and hurled into the Reservoir.
Meanwhile the driver managed to escape and reported the incident to the local priest and to church authorities.
The body of Father Popieluszko was retrieved ten days later from the Wloclawek Reservoir. It was covered with deep cut wounds. His face was unrecognizable, his jaw, nose, mouth and skull were reportedly smashed. He was identified by his brother from a birthmark on the side of his chest. One of the doctors who performed the post mortem said that he had never seen such violent injuries. There was reportedly blood in his lungs and his kidneys and intestines were all messed up as a result of the savage beating he got.
Father Popieluszko was buried at Saint Kostka’s Church, Warsaw, Poland
His funeral was attended by a million people. Pope John Paul II and leaders from throughout the world have prayed at his grave.
He was beatified on 6 June 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. His canonization is pending.
Blessed Jerzy Popie?uszko,
Pray for us!

[Patricia]

Blessed Jerzy, pray for us! A brave soul. His life also is proof of the horrors of Communism and the warnings of Our Lady of Fatima about it!

[Patricia]

Blessed Daudi Okelo, pray for us, that we may bear the same courage and faith that you had !

[Patricia]

"As a test of his new humble obedience, his director ordered him to water a walking staff stuck in the sand; John did so. It later blossomed, and John referred to it as the "tree of obedience".

I love this story! Will read it to my Rel Ed kids.

[Shin]

Obedience is the sanctity of children!

As I learned reading the life of young Ven. Anne de Guigne! The beautiful virtue of obedience -- It can make the little children holy, it can make them saints!