Saint of the day and Feast days - Part 2

[odhiambo]

Saints Ewalds, also known as Hewald
 Martyrs.
There were two Ewalds of Hewalds as they are also known. They were brothers born in Northumbria, England. Because they bore the same name, they were distinguished as Ewald the Black and Ewald the Fair, from the difference in the colour of their hair as well as their complexions. The two brothers were educated in Ireland, spending several years as students in schools there. Ewald the Black was the more learned of the two, but both were equally renowned for their holiness. The brothers were said to be acquaintances of Saint Willibrord, who, like them was also born in Northumbria and went to Ireland for further studies. Like Him, they were called to do missionary work. According to Catholic on Line, they were actually companions of St. Willibrord.
The two brothers went as missionaries to Westphalia, Germany around the year 690 (Catholic Encyclopedia; 694 according to dictionary of Saints). In Wesphalia, the brothers stayed with a local chieftain.The priests prayed and celebrated Mass. When the local pagans realized that these two were not just Christian missionaries  priests as well, they were filled with rage, fearing that their friendship with the chieftain would end in his conversion and in the destruction of their temples and religion. The pagans resolved to murder the Ewalds. They soon carried out their evil resolved. On 3 October 695, at a place called Aplerbeck, Westphalia. Ewald the Fair was killed with a sword. Ewald the Black, on his part, was subjected to torture. He was torn limb from limb. The two bodies were cast into the Rhine.
According to SQPN, the bodies were recovered miraculously. Their relics were translated to the church of Saint Cunibert, Cologne, Germany by Duke Pepin of Austrasia.
Saints Ewalds
Pray for us!

[Shin]

St. Ewald the Fair and St. Ewald the Black, St. Cunibert, and St. Willibrord, pray for us.

One of the small things I also enjoy about learning about the saints is I pick up a little more geographical knowledge too.

[odhiambo]

St. Ewald the Fair and St. Ewald the Black, St. Cunibert, and St. Willibrord, pray for us.
One of the small things I also enjoy about learning about the saints is I pick up a little more geographical knowledge too.

Same with me; seeing that Saints come from all over the world.

[odhiambo]

October 4
Today is the Memorial of
Saint Ammon the Great
Among many other Saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint Ammon
He is also known as Amon, Amun or Amus, was born around the year 350 in Egypt. He was born to wealthy parents near Alexandria. When his parents died, his uncle forced him to marry when he was twenty two years old. On the wedding day, however, Ammon persuaded his bride to take a vow of celibacy. For eighteen years, the couple lived chastely as brother and sister.
After this long period, and still with her consent, Ammon withdrew to the desolate swampland of Nitria, seventy miles from Alexandria. Here he lived as a hermit. He soon attracted disciples with his holiness, austerities, mortifications and miracles. On the advice of Saint Anthony of Egypt, who was his contemporary and is said to have visited him, he organized a monastery for them.
Ammon was one of the earliest and greatest desert monks.
According to Catholic Encyclopedia, when Ammon died at about the age of 62, Anthony, though miles and miles away, saw his soul entering heaven.
Saint Ammon,
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

October 5
Today is the Memorial  of
Saint Flora of Beaulieu
Among many other Saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint Flora of Beaulieu
Flora of Beaulieu also known as Saint Fleur was born in 1309 at Auvergne, France. She was born of a good family. She was a devout child and when her parents tried to arrange a marriage for her she pleaded with them, resisting all attempts  to be married off. She told them she wanted to become a nun.
They finally agreed when she turned 13.  She joined the sisters of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (The Hospitallers), at Beaulieu.
Flora underwent many trials as a nun. The other nuns mercilessly made fun of her; ridiculed her. She became depressed. She, however loved God and had a special devotion to Christ Crucified, Our Lady of the Annunciation and St. John the Baptist. She experienced various supernatural phenomena among them, visions, ecstasies and levitations.
Flora died in 1347 and miracles were reported at her tomb.
Saint Flora of Beaulieu,
Pray for us!

[Shin]

Saints Flora and Ammon pray for us!

Another floral saint! A happy day, no, odhiambo?

The tombs of the saints.. sacred places!

[odhiambo]

Saints Flora and Ammon pray for us!

Another floral saint! A happy day, no, odhiambo?
The tombs of the saints.. sacred places!

A very happy day Shin, glad you noticed.

[odhiambo]

October 6
Today let us remember
Saint Mary Frances
of the 5 wounds of Jesus
Among many other Saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint Mary Frances
of the 5 wounds of Jesus.
Franciscan Tertiary
Stigmatic.
Saint Mary Frances was born on 25 March 1715 at Naples, Italy. Before her birth St.John Joseph of the Cross, who lived in Naples at the time, and St. Francis de Geronimo, are said to have predicted that the child was destined to attain great holiness.
The baby was baptized Mary Rose Nicolette (Anna Maria according to other sources.) Her father was Francesco Gallo, said to be a hard, hot-tempered and greedy man who abused his wife. Her mother was Barbara Basinsi, a devout and gentle woman who put up with her husband's ill treatment of her. From a very young age, Mary started to spend hours in prayer. She was allowed to receive her First Holy Communion at the age of seven because she was very advanced in her knowledge of the Faith and also because of her ardent desire to begin receiving Holy Communion. When she became sixteen, a rich young man sought her hand in marriage but she refused. Her father, in an attempt to force her to accept this marriage, whipped her mercilessly. When her mother intervened to protect her from the punishment, she too became the recipient of of his wrath.
Mary Frances was not deterred by this ill treatment. She just requested for permission to enter the Third Order of St. Francis. Eventually Francesco did grant his daughter her wish. She became a Franciscan tertiary on 8 September 1731 at Naples, taking the name Mary Frances of the Five Wounds. She remained at home living a life of great piety and austerity; badly scorned by her family until 1753 when she became a house keeper for a priest.
Mary Frances experienced visions, she suffered the agony of Christ's Passion, received the stigmata, and several times was reported to have received the Host miraculously. She practiced extreme mortification. She was also a known prophetess. Among her predictions was the coming of the French Revolution in 1789.
Saint Mary Frances
of the 5 wounds of Jesus
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

October 7
Today is the Memorial of
Blessed Chiara Badano
Among many other Saints and Blesseds.

[odhiambo]

Blessed Chiara Badano
Chiara Badano who is also known as Luce Badano, was born on 29 October 1971 in the small village of Sassello, in northern Italy. She was the only child of Ruggero Badano, a truck driver, and his wife Maria Teresa Caviglia Badano. She was born following eleven long years of her parents' marriage and childlessness. She was a lovely baby, her parents believed she was conceived and born as a direct answer to prayers offered the Our Lady of the Rocche. At the age of nine Chiara joined the Focolare Movement, curtesy of a friend called Chicca who invited her to be part of the GEN (New Generation) movement.This is a movement that was founded by Chiara Lubich In 1943 in Trent, Italy. It is now an international organization that promotes the ideals of unity and brotherhood for all people. It is also called the "Opera di Maria," or "Work of Mary". The Movement is recognized by the Pope and is today present in over 182 countries.
As a young girl, Chiara loved to sing, dance, play tennis and skate. She loved the mountains and the sea but above all, she love God and tried to go to Mass every day. At the age 16, Chiara began to feel drawn to religious life.
One day, when she was seventeen years old, she felt a sudden excruciating pain in her left shoulder. This was the beginning of the end for her. When the pain did not subside , she was taken to hospital and after examinations and tests, a diagnosis was made. It was osteosarcome, a malignant bone cancer. She still wanted to become a missionary despite everything, but the cancer spread quickly. Her spine was affected and soon, she was no longer able to walk.
Chiara died from the cancer on 7 October 1990 in Sassello, Savona, Italy.
She was proclaimed venerable on 3 July 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI. She was beatified on 25 September 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.
Canonization is pending,
Blessed Chiara Badano,
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

October 8
Today is the Memorial of
Saint Mary McKillop
Among many other Saints.

[odhiambo]

Saint Mary McKillop
Mary was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia, on 15 January 1842. She was the eldest child of Alexander and Flora MacKillop. Her parents were poor immigrants from Scotland. Mary was given the name of Maria Ellen MacKillop at birth.
The family ended up large as Mary had seven siblings. On one hand they were very poor and depended on relatives for shelter and support, on the other hand, they were rich in faith. Her father, Alexander, had actually studied for the priesthood, although he was never ordained.
At the age of 16, Mary became the main bread winner for the family. She worked first as a nursery governess and then as a store clerk, a tutor in Melbourne and finally as a school teacher in Portland, Victoria. Mary loved teaching but she also felt a call to religious life. To support her family, she decided to continue to teach. She was forced to leave the school due to a scandal of which she was innocent.
She left Portland, Victoria and went to work in Penola, a small town in South Australia. She worked as a governess cum teacher for children from the local area. Here at Penola, Mary met Father Julian Tennison Woods and together the two started a school for poor children. In 1866, they became co-founders of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. It was reportedly, the first religious order to be established by an Australian.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph were dedicated to the education of poor children. Because their work was with the poor, they, of necessity had to live with the poor. They were consequently found with farmers, miners, and railway workers in isolated outback areas of the country. Whatever hardships these poor people suffered, the sisters suffered with them.
The order rapidly spread to other parts of Australia and even the membership grew rapidly.
Mary was a very compassionate and strong willed woman. She stood firmly for what she believed in. These admirable qualities brought her into conflict with some Church leaders. Because of the vow of poverty she took, the sisters had to beg for money from well wishers and this did not go down well in some Church quarters. Mary however refused to change her ways. Then, some other issues to do with educational matters also came up which made a bad situation worse. Mary was ordered to surrender control of the schools and of her Order. She refused, and was promptly excommunicated by Bishop Shiel for insubordination. The year was in 1871. The Bishop accused her of encouraging disobedience and defiance in her schools. Six months later, however, the excommunication placed on her was lifted and the Bishop admitted he had been wrong in his action.
After these rather depressing events in her life, Mary traveled to Rome by sea in 1873/74 to have the rule of her Order approved by the Blessed Pope Pius IX. She also travelled through England, Ireland and Scotland to seek funds for her schools.
In 1875, she became the Superior-general of her Order and the rest of her life was spent visiting her various houses, working for the poor and to improve the general conditions for the Aborigines.
Mary died after a stroke on 8 August 1909 at Sydney, Australia. She was proclaimed venerable on 13 June 1992 by Pope John Paul II, was beatified on 19 January 1995 by Pope John Paul II and canonized on 17 October 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI. She is reportedly the first native-born Australian saint.
She is the Patron Saint of Australia
Saint Mary McKillop,
Pray for us!

[odhiambo]

October 9
Today we remember the
Nine Martyrs of Astoria
Among many other Saints