Saint of the day and Feast days - Part 2

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June 12
Today we remember
Pope Saint Leo III
Among many other Saints

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Pope Saint Leo III
Pope Leo III, reportedly, is sometimes called Charlemagne‘s Pope. He was born in Rome, Italy, the son of Atypius and Elizabeth. Leo was the papal treasurer when he was elected pope on 26 December 795, the day his predecessor, Pope Hadrian I (Adrian) was buried.
On 25 April 799, Pope Leo was the victim of a plot by relatives of Pope Hadrian I to oust him from the papacy. He was attacked by armed men who tried to gouge out his eyes and cut out his tongue! He managed to escape to Saint Erasmus Monastery where he recovered very quickly. There were many who termed his recovery miraculous. The Pope fled to Charlemagne‘s protection at Paderborn, Germany. He was escorted back to Rome a few months later by a contingent of Charlemagne‘s men.
In 800, Charlemagne came to Rome. There were accusations brought against the Pope. At a synod, Charlemagne completely exonerated Leo of all false charges by his enemies.
On Christmas day in 800, Leo crowned Charlemagne emperor, marking the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire.
Leo and Charlemagne worked harmoniously for the next several years. When Charlemagne died in 814, Leo’s protection died with him. His enemies again rose against him but he was able to crush these revolts.
Leo died on 12 June 816. His relics are at Saint Peter’s, Rome, Italy.
He was canonized in 1673 by Pope Clement X.
Pope Saint Leo III
Pray for us!

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June 13
Let us remember today
Blessed Gerard of Clairvaux
Among many other Saints and Blesseds

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Blessed Gerard of Clairvaux
Gerard was the brother of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. He was a soldier when Bernard entered Citeaux, the first Cistercian monastery which observed a strict interpretation of the Benedictine rule. Recall that Bernard, after his mother died, left school and convinced 31 of his friends and relatives, including four of his brothers, to come to this monastery for spiritual growth.
Meanwhile, Gerard got wounded in combat at the siege of Grancy. He followed his brother to Citeaux and became the Cellarer or bursar for the community. He was a close confidant and assistant of Saint Bernard. He was also noted for his holiness.
He died in 1138,
Blessed Gerard of Clairvaux
Pray for us!

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June 14
Today we remember
Saint Joseph the Hymnographer
Among many other Saints

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Saint Joseph the Hymnographer
Joseph was born in 810 in Sicily . In 830, he fled his home land in the wake of the Arab invasion. He went to Thessalonica where he became a monk. Later he moved to Constantinople, where he joined a monastery. Yet again, in 841, Joseph was forced to flee Constantinople  to escape the severe  iconoclast persecution. He was on his way to Rome when he was captured by pirates and spent several years as a slave in Crete. When he finally escaped, he returned to Constantinople and founded a monastery. Trouble still dogged him however, as he was sent into exile to the Chersonese by Emperor Theophilus for his ardent defense of the icons.
Joseph is credited with composition of about one thousand canons
He died in 886
Saint Joseph,
Pray for us!

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June 15
Today is the Memorial of
Saint Vitus
Among many other Saints

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Saint Vitus
Martyr.
Patron Saint against epilepsy.
Reportedly one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages.
Vitus  is also known as Guy, Veit and Vito,
According to legend, Vitus was the only son of  a pagan Sicilian senator named Hylas. When he was twelve years old, he became a Christian through the efforts of his tutor, Saint Modestus, the husband of  his nurse Saint Crescentia..
He proved to be such a dedicated Christian that he was taken to the governor of Sicily who tried unsuccessfully to compel him to abandon the faith. Vitus fled to Lucania with Saint Modestus and Saint Crescentia and then to Rome.
In Rome, they were captured and subjected to various tortures. The legend goes that during a storm in which temples were destroyed, they were  freed by an angel who guided them back to Lucania where they were eventually martyred in 303 by being boiled in oil.
According to Dictionary of Saints by John J. Delaney, a great devotion to Saint Vitus developed in Germany when his relics were translated to Saxony in 836.  He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and is the patron of those suffering from epilepsy, those afflicted with "Saint Vitus dance", an ailment which was named after him, dancers and actors. He is also a protector against storms.
Saint Vitus
Pray for us!

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June 16
Today we remember
Saint Berthaldus
Among many other Saints

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June 16
Today we remember
Saint Berthaldus
Among many other Saints

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Saint Berthaldus
Saint Berthaldus, who is also known as Bertaud and Berthold, was a hermit in the Ardennes region of France.
He was ordained by Saint Remigius of Rheims.
He died in 540 and miracles were reported at his death.
Saint Berthaldus
Pray for us!

[Shin]

St. Berthaldus, pray for us!

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

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June 17
Today is the Memorial of
Saint Emily de Vialar
Among many other Saints

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Saint Emily de Vialar
Emily, also known as Anne Marguerite Adelaide Emily de Vialar, Emilie de Vialar and Emilie de Vialard, was an aristocratic. She was the eldest of three children, and the only daughter of Baron James Augustine de Vialar and Antoinette de Portal. She was born on 12 September 1797 at Gaillac, Languedoc, in southern France. Her given name  was Anne Marguerite Adelaide Emily de Vialar. From the age of seven, Emily was sent to Paris for her education. When she was 15, her mother died. Her father wanted her to marry but she refused. This caused some strains in their relationship. She further antagonized her father when she began to teach abandoned and poor children and to treat and help the sick and the destitute in his house.
In 1832, Emily’s grandmother died and left her a fortune. She bought a house at Gaillac, and with the help of her spiritual director, Abbe Mercier, and three other women, founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition on Christmas Day in 1832. It was dedicated to the care of the sick and needy and the education of young children in France and abroad. She travelled a lot and the congregation soon spread. Due to problems the organization was having in Gaillac, Emily moved the mother house to Toulouse and in 1854, to Marseilles. By the time of her death on 24 August 1856 at Marseilles, there were some forty houses all over the world.
She was canonized on 24 June 1951 by Pope Pius XII.
Saint Emily de Vialar
Pray for us!

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Today in Our Parish, the Consolata Shrine, Westlands, Nairobi, we celebrated the solemnity of the Virgin Consolata,

Prayer to Our Lady Consolata

Lord Jesus Christ,
who by marvellous providence
wish us to obtain all things
through Mary Your Mother,
graciously grant that we,
who venerate Her
with the sweet title of Consolata
may always rejoice in Her help and protection.
You who live and reign for ever and ever.
Amen.
 

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Our Lady Consolata, pray for us!