Saint Zephyrinus (Pope and Martyr)
by VP
Posted on Tuesday August 26, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"God has always raised up holy pastors, zealous to maintain the sacred deposit of the faith of His Church inviolable, and to watch over the purity of its moral, and the sanctity of its discipline. How many conflicts did they sustain! with what constancy, watchfulness, and courage, did they stand their ground against idolatry, heresy, and the corruption of the World!
We enjoy the greatest advantages of the divine grace through their labors; and we owe to God a tribute of perpetual thanksgiving and immortal praise for all those mercies which He has afforded His Church on earth. We are bound also to recommend most earnestly to Him His own work, praying that He exalt the glory of His divine name, by propagating His holy faith on earth: that He continually raise up in His Church shining examples of all virtue, pastors filled with His spirit, and a people disposed to captivate their understandings to His revealed truths, and subject their hearts to the sweet yoke of His holy love and divine law; watchful to abhor and oppose every profane innovation of doctrine, and all assaults and artifices of vice."
Source: The Lives of the Primitive Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints, Butler"THIS saint was bishop of Rome in the time of the Emperor Severus; and under the cruel persecution raised by him against the Church, this holy pastor was the support and consolation of the distressed flock of Christ. He filled the pontifical chair seventeen years, and was put to death by the Emperor Antonius Caracalla, in the year 219.
Pray for the present bishop of that holy see. His charge is great; and as all the faithful have a concern in his conduct, so he ought to have a daily share
in their prayers, Pray for all in persecution and trouble, that by
patience and perseverance they may work out their salvation. Let the difficulty which you experience in yourself in all manner of suffering, move you to have compassion on others, and oblige you to be in earnest in soliciting heaven in their behalf. Be ever watchful against all the attempts of impatience and anger; that so your temporal evils may be a means of obtaining
eternal goods. How much might you have advanced towards heaven, by a
Christian submission to your troubles now past! But you have lost the opportunity. Make a better use of such occasions as are yet to come. Be careful not to permit your heart to be seized with prejudice or passion. These are evils which indispose your mind against all the force of reason, truth, justice, religion, and even against the evidence of miracles; and who must answer for all the train of ill consequences which follow upon them? Be upon your guard against ill temper. To be always on the fret, and make all unhappy who live under the same roof with you, is a temper scarcely tolerable in a Christian. It is too apt to make those under you careless of everything
that is said to them, and to judge all reproof to be nothing but
humour; it is not consistent with discretion, and therefore ought to be amended. Few are exempt from some degree of this ill temper: observe yourself, and while you honour the martyrs, doing good to all by their patience, pray for grace to follow their example." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother.
Prayer to St. Louis, KING AND CONFESSOR, A.D. 1270.
by VP
Posted on Monday August 25, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
St. Louis, Sacred Heart Dunn, NC
Prayer: O Saint Louis IX, inspire our bishop and
priests to preach the Faith with courage, constancy, and love.
Strengthen them to combat every evil. Pray that God will raise up
courageous and honorable civil leaders who will enact laws respecting
the dignity of human life and enforce them with justice, truth, and
charity.
Pray for all faithful men and women that they will live
virtuous and peaceful lives as they journey toward their final goal of
Heaven.
Pray that all children may keep their baptismal innocence and be spared from every evil.
Pray
that the sanctity of human life will be forever respected. Pray for an
increase in holy vocations to the priesthood and religious life and
Saint Louis, as you have left your earthly throne to assume your
heavenly throne, pray that we will one day share with you the eternal
crown of salvation after our earthly lives are ended. Amen. Source: CAPG
KING AND CONFESSOR, A.D. 1270.
"ST. LOUIS was king of Francis, and the ninth of that name. He was brought up in great piety by his holy mother St. Blanche; whose first care it was to instill into his tender soul the highest esteem and awe for every thing that regarded the divine worship, the strongest sentiments of religion and virtue, and a particular love of holy chastity. She used often to say to him, when he was a child: "I love you, my dear son, with all the tenderness a mother is capable of; but I would infinitely rather see you fall down dead at my feet, than that you should ever commit a mortal sin." In the court, he observed the discipline of the cloister, being moderate in apparel, rigorous in fasting, charitable to the poor and the sick, not only in visiting but relieving and helping them with his own hands. His zeal for Christianity made him bewail the Holy Land being in the possession of Infidels, and think of recovering it. For this end, having transported himself and a great army into those parts, and attempted its relief with success in his first battle with the Saracens, he was afterwards taken prisoner. Being ransomed, he resolved to make a second attempt upon them, but was seized with sickness in his camp, in Africa, and died there, at the head of his army, in the year 1270.
Pray for all Christian princes, and beseech God to give them a zeal for
virtue and truth, that being in a rank above all, they may be examples
to all. Be zealous in promoting what is good: but if you are sometimes
disappointed, in not meeting with success, let not this deject you. For though you propose, yet you must leave it to God to dispose of all,
as seems best to him. Is not his wisdom infinite? Depend therefore upon
his wisdom, and call not in question what he does. Join with this pious
prince in recovering the Holy Land. Ought not your heart to be the seat of God, and your soul the temple of the Holy Ghost? And are not they both subject to the tyranny of infidelity
and sinful passions? Arm yourself against this usurpation, and strive
to regain that liberty which Christ has purchased for you." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
St. Bartholomew, Apostle
by VP
Posted on Sunday August 24, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Bartolomeo Manfredi: The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew
"ST. BARTHOLOMEW was called by Jesus Christ to be His apostle: pray that all who undertake this sacred function, may be called to it, and chosen by Christ.
Having followed Christ, he preached the Gospel to barbarous nations, and planted the faith among them. Pray that the same blessing may attend all those who are engaged in this employment. So few heretofore and so plentiful a harvest; so many now, and so little fruit!
His labours were rewarded with the crown of martyrdom, he being seized by the enemies of his faith, and flayed alive. Pray for all who labour in the Gospel, that they may be ready to give their lives for Christ, and employ them in his service.
This festival of an apostle calls upon all Christians to give thanks to God for His mercy in calling them to the faith of Christ; and for the means which he has appointed to deliver them from all doubts, and secure them in His truths. They are called upon to thank Him for not leaving them to the weakness and uncertainty of their own private judgment, but appointing apostles, and sending them to deliver His faith to all nations; commanding all to hear and believe them under pain of eternal condemnation: He that believeth not, shall be condemned. Christ teaches His apostles, and the apostles teach the people. Thus the people when they hear the apostles, hear Christ: He that heareth you, heareth me. This was the method which Christ himself appointed for converting the whole world to his faith; and by this method the whole world was converted.
Now who dares presume to change the method ordained by Christ? Who can pretend to find a better? If an angel should have come, and taught any other, we ought not to have received it. How then can any justify themselves in following another recommended only by men? If we had lived in the days of the apostles, we should have observed this method, and been instructed in the Christian faith, by hearing the apostles. And why must we not follow the same method now? The same spirit of truth, which was promised to the apostles, was promised to abide with them and their successors, to the end of the world: Behold I am with you all days, even to the end of the world. He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you for ever. The Spirit of truth. Are not these Christ's own words? Is not He the eternal truth? Though heaven and earth pass away, yet His words cannot pass away.
Are we not therefore to believe Him? And can we profess to believe Him,
if we believe not His words? To disown these, is to deny Christ. Since
therefore He has promised that the Spirit of truth shall abide with the apostles for ever, and lead them into all truth to the end of the world, we must believe that this spirit abides with their successors, the pastors of His Church, in all ages, and must depend upon the guidance of this spirit in His Church, as much now, as if we had lived in the days of the apostles. If we had lived then, we should have had nothing more to depend on, than Christ's promise made to His apostles. We have the same now: and as Christ is the same now as he was then, so we have the same to depend upon. Our dependence is not to be more limited than His promise. His promise extended to all ages: and therefore the dependence of Christians upon it must be in all ages. Therefore did Christ say that His Church was built upon a rock, and that the gates of hell should not prevail against it. Therefore is the profession of believing the Catholic Church, inserted in the creed, as an article of faith, not for the time of the apostles only, but for all ages. Whoever proceeds by this method has his faith built on Christ Himself, on His word and promise, on the conduct of His Holy Spirit. Divine faith can stand only on divine authority. This is in Christ's Church, which is led into all truth by God's spirit; and therefore the Christian assents to what is delivered by this Church, because it carries with it the authority of God himself, who has promised to abide with her for ever." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
St. Philip Benizi and the Servites, CONFESSOR, A.D. 1285.
by VP
Posted on Saturday August 23, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"ST. PHILIP was born at
Florence, and practiced medicine some time at Paris. But returning home
he applied himself to solicitude and prayer in a religious house which
he entered, and was afterwards ordained priest. He spent his life in
seeking the lost sheep, laboring every
where to reclaim wicked Christians from their evil ways, and those that
were seduced, from their errors, as likewise to make peace wherever he
found differences, whether public or private. In this method he lived, till God called him to the reward of his labors, in 1285.
Follow the same method: whatever your employment be, you are to find time for prayer and recollection of spirit.
If you seem not to have this time, be faithful and sincere in examining
how far this is true; for sloth, tepidity, and indifference have many
hindrances, which industry, resolution, and contrivance would find ways
to remove. It is not a Christian's part to conclude that things cannot
be done, because they cannot be done easily. Be helpful to others, in making them sensible of their
evil ways. Be charitable in composing differences: sweetness and
moderation are effectual for this end. Give no occasion to any
misunderstanding between neighbors. For this end, never inform any one
what you have heard another say of him.
For this cannot be done, without betraying a trust reposed in you, in
being a witness to such a discourse. It is seldom done without prejudice
to truth, in making the affair worse than it was; and it cannot be done without the hazard of injustice; since the person who said it may have spoken inconsiderately, and may have repented of his rashness. Nor can it be done without a breach of charity,
in doing otherwise than you would have others do by you. This informing
temper ought to be avoided by all who love peace or hope for the reward of charity. Silence is far better than such tale bearing, by which Christians forget their profession, and make themselves the agents of the devil. Consider this well: pray and watch against this pernicious evil; and never encourage those who are given to it." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
"One of the most illustrious members of the Order of Servites was St. Philip Benizi, who exercised the office of General after St. Benedict de Lantella, and who was elected in 1267. St. Philip sent his religious to Poland, Hungary, and even the Indies. He arranged the first constitutions of the order, or rather gathered into one the regulations of his predecessors, and decreed that they should be read in the refectory every Saturday.
About this time, the institution of the Servites was threatened with destruction. In 1215, the Council of Lateran had forbidden the establishment of new religious orders, and this had been confirmed by that of Lyons in 1274. Innocent V, who had become Pope in 1274, took it for granted that the Servites were included in this prohibition, and therefore determined to suppress them. He drew the attention of Cardinal Otthoboni, Protector of the order, to the decree, and having cited St. Philip Benizi to Rome, he forbade him to receive novices or to sell any of the goods of the order, which he confiscated in favor of the Holy See. He at the same time forbade the Servites to hear confessions.
Fortunately for these religious, the Pope lived but a short time, and his successor John XXII, did not press the affair. It was agitated under Nicholas III, Martin IV, and Honorius IV, during which time the Servites had much to suffer on the side of some of the Bishops. Finally, after much deliberation, it was settled in favor of the Servites by Honorius IV, in 1286." [Source: History of Religious Orders, by Rev. Charles Warren Currier 1896 Page 323.]
"Philip
Benizi was about to die, and Julianna was but fifteen years of age.
Nevertheless, enlightened from on high, the Saint hesitated not: he
confided the Order to Juliana's hands, and so slept in the peace of our
Lord.
(...)
Benedict XI, in 1304, gave to the Servites the definitive sanction of the Church.
Queenship of Mary
by VP
Posted on Friday August 22, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Our Lady, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Front Royal, VA
"Queen of heaven, thy immense love for God maketh thee likewise love His Church. We pray thee, come to its help amidst the ills under which it is now suffering, rent asunder as she is by her own children. Thy prayers, being a mother’s, can obtain all from that God Who loveth Thee so well.
Pray then, pray for the Church; ask for enlightenment for so many unbelievers who are persecuting it, and obtain for faithful souls the necessary strength to resist being caught in the snares of the unbelievers who would drag them down into their own ruin.
Encyclical of Pope Pius XII on Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary to the Venerable Brethren, the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, and Other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Holy See.
"47. Since we are convinced, after long and serious reflection, that great good will accrue to the Church if this solidly established truth shines forth more clearly to all, like a luminous lamp raised aloft, by Our Apostolic authority We decree and establish the feast of Mary's Queenship, which is to be celebrated every year in the whole world on the 31st of May. We likewise ordain that on the same day the consecration of the human race to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary be renewed, cherishing the hope that through such consecration a new era may begin, joyous in Christian peace and in the triumph of religion.
48. Let all, therefore, try to approach with greater trust the throne of grace and mercy of our Queen and Mother, and beg for strength in adversity, light in darkness, consolation in sorrow; above all let them strive to free themselves from the slavery of sin and offer an unceasing homage, filled with filial loyalty, to their Queenly Mother. Let her churches be thronged by the faithful, her feast-days honored; may the beads of the Rosary be in the hands of all; may Christians gather, in small numbers and large, to sing her praises in churches, in homes, in hospitals, in prisons. May Mary's name be held in highest reverence, a name sweeter than honey and more precious than jewels; may none utter blasphemous words, the sign of a defiled soul, against that name graced with such dignity and revered for its motherly goodness; let no one be so bold as to speak a syllable which lacks the respect due to her name."
(...)
52. Earnestly desiring that the Queen and Mother of Christendom may hear these Our prayers, and by her peace make happy a world shaken by hate, and may, after this exile show unto us all Jesus, Who will be our eternal peace and joy, to you, Venerable Brothers, and to your flocks, as a promise of God's divine help and a pledge of Our love, from Our heart We impart the Apostolic Benediction."
Source: Ad Caeli Reginam
St. Jane Frances, WIDOW, A.D. 1641.
by VP
Posted on Thursday August 21, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"The father of St. Jane Frances was left a widower whilst his children were in their infancy: but he took care to train them to every religious duty, and this saint profited by this holy education above all the rest. She was married at twenty years of age to the Baron de Chantal, an officer of distinction in the French army. She made it her first care to establish regularity in her family. She scarcely ever admitted any company, and never stirred abroad; knowing it to be the delight of a good wife to watch over her servants, children, and domestic concerns, and to shun the snares of dissipation, levity, vanity, love of trifling, and much loss of time. She employed all her leisure hours, either at her work, or in daily exercises of prayer and pious reading.
At twenty-eight years of age she was left a widow. She bore the loss of her husband with heroic constancy and resignation. She offered herself to suffer whatever crosses God should be pleased to lay upon her, and made a vow to live thenceforth in perpetual chastity. She spent a considerable part of the nights in prayer and tears of compunction; she redoubled her alms, wore plain clothes, fasted much, lived retired, and divided her time between the care of her children, her prayers, and her work.
Under the direction of St. Francis of Sales, she laid the foundation of the Order of the Visitation of the B. Virgin Mary, for the basis of which, St. Francis would have the sister virtues of humility and meekness. He inculcated to his spiritual children the necessity of mortifying the senses; for these, being the avenues of the soul, are the encouragement of the passions, which can never be governed, unless the senses are strictly guarded and curbed. St. Jane Frances taught her nuns to love and receive well reprimands and correction, which is the greatest mark of true humility. She was afflicted with frequent painful sicknesses, and met with grievous trials and persecutions, but under all these God afforded her strength and consolation.
The saint being seized with her last illness, received the holy sacraments, gave her last instructions to her nuns, and with wonderful tranquillity died the death of the saints on the 13th of December, 1641, being sixty-nine years old.
Strive to imitate the eminent virtues, which this saint ever practiced and inculcated. Bear one another's burdens, and suffer nothing to cool your charity towards any one. Let mildness be the natural and constant frame of your soul, which no provocation must ever disturb. Temper corrections and reproofs with such tenderness and charity, as to give no one uneasiness: conceal and bear all personal injuries, and repay affronts with blessings and favors."
Novena and prayers to St. Jane Frances de Chantal: O Glorious saint, blessed Jane Frances, who, by thy fervent prayer, attention to the divine Presence, and purity of intention in thy actions, didst attain on earth an intimate union with God, be now our advocate, our mother, our guide in the path of virtue and perfection. Plead our cause near Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, to whom thou wast so tenderly devoted, and whose holy virtues thou didst so closely imitate.
Obtain for us, O amiable and compassionate saint, the virtues thou seest most necessary for us; and ardent love of Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament, a tender and filial confidence in His blessed Mother, and, like thee, a constant remembrance of His sacred passion and death. Obtain also, we pray thee, that our particular intention in this novena may be fulfilled.
v. St. Jane Frances, pray for us
r. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray: Almighty and merciful God, Who didst grant Blessed St. Jane Frances, so inflamed with the love of Thee, a wonderful degree of fortitude through all the paths of life, and wast pleased through her adorn Thy Church with a new Religious order; grant, by her merits and prayers, that we, who, sensible of our weakness, confide in Thy strength, may overcome all adversities with the help of Thy heavenly grace, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
Prayer to Implore Fidelity to Divine Grace: O Great St. Jane Frances! who, to follow the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, when thou west called to the religious state, didst despise all the ties of nature and of blood; obtain for us also the grace to correspond faithfully with all divine impulses, and to sacrifice to God whatever is most dear and precious to us.
For Perfect Conformity: O great St. Jane France, who didst execute, with the utmost exactness, thy singular and difficult vow to do always what thou didst recognize as most perfect; obtain for us the grace always to aspire to the acquisition of the most sublime sanctity, and never to omit any means which we know may conduce to this end.
Source: Blessed Sacrament Book By Fr. Francis Xavier Lasance
St. Bernard, ABBOT, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, A.D. 1153.
by VP
Posted on Wednesday August 20, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Conversion of the Duke of Aquitaine
Memorare, O piissima Virgo Maria, non esse auditum a saeculo, quemquam ad tua currentem praesidia, tua implorantem auxilia, tua petentem suffragia, esse derelictum. Ego tali animatus confidentia, ad te, Virgo Virginum, Mater, curro, ad te venio, coram te gemens peccator assisto. Noli, Mater Verbi, verba mea despicere; sed audi propitia et exaudi. Amen. By Saint Bernard
Remember O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
"ST. BERNARD was born in Burgundy, and finding great difficulties in living up to the rules of the Gospel in the world, at the age of two-and-twenty entered into a religious house of the Cistercian monks. Here he applied himself wholly to the exercises of humility,
piety, watching, and prayer; and was so rigorous in fasting, that at
length eating became a greater mortification to him than abstinence. He
refused great dignities, several times offered to him. He labored very
much in composing many differences among Christian princes, and settling
all ecclesiastical affairs, particularly here in England, under King
Henry II., to whom he wrote many letters. He has left great proofs of his wonderful piety and learning in his writings. He died at the age of sixty-three, in the year 1153.
Pray for all the religious of his order, who from him are called Bernardines.From the pious resolution of this saint, who, the better to secure his salvation, withdrew from the world, reflect seriously on the world,
and considering its common method, see how far you are obliged to
forsake it, for securing your eternal good. Do you not observe that it
goes contrary to the gospel, and not only approves, but encourages those very things, which are condemned by Christ? It promotes all manner of vanity, pride, and intemperance: it recommends pleasures, sensuality, idleness, and ease. It puts you upon all manner of curiosities, detraction, and revenge. It sets a value on all
that is temporal, and disesteems whatever is for your eternal
advantage. What, in these unhappy circumstances, can you do? If you
follow the world, you are miserable; if you do not follow it, you appear ridiculous. This is the condition of those who live in the world. Can you then wonder at those who retire from it? Do you not see that they choose the much
better part, in avoiding both its snares and its censures? If you are
not called to this, you are obliged to come as near it as you can, in
not being one of the world, while you
live in it. live in it. And how can this be, but by taking in all things
that way which it most disapproves, and forsaking that which it
admires? It passes very wrong judgments upon every thing: therefore,
how can you go right, but by letting its censures direct you in what you
are to choose? This it will call folly: but is not the folly of the world the wisdom of Christ? If you have not courage to pursue this method, you have not the courage necessary to secure you from those dangers in which you live. For if you cannot stand against the torrent, you must be carried down by it: if you cannot overcome the world, you must be overcome by it. And if that perishes, what will become of you? These circumstances are very hard; watch then and, pray, and let your daily endeavors be answerable to the dangers in which you live." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Saint John Eudes, Priest: Bad Confessor
by VP
Posted on Tuesday August 19, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Painting with St. John Eudes with fathers and sisters of the congregations founded by himself.
Painted for the ceremony of beatification of Eudes, 1909
"(...) The bad or careless confessor, who is ignorant, imprudent, lazy, and negligent, is a plague in Christ's Holy Church. He is not an emissary of God, but an agent of the devil. He is not a doctor of heaven but of hell, for as God has his patriarchs so the devil has heresiarchs. As God has His prophets, apostles and martyrs, so, too the devil has his prophets, apostles and martyrs.
The unworthy confessor is not a divine judge, but another Pilate, pronouncing sentence upon Christ and the souls that the Son of God died to redeem. He is not a mediator for God, but for the devil, not a dispenser of heavenly blessings but a profaner of divine mysteries and sacraments. In a word, instead of being another Christ, he is a very devil.
No tongue can tell the evil the bad confessor commits. He does great harm to the Church, persecuting it more cruelly than Nero, Diocletian, and the tyrants of history. Would to God that all priests who administer the Sacrament of Penance might meditate seriously on these truths! Would to God that they might consider the inestimable good that they would accomplish if they were animated with the same spirit and if they followed the same maxims! They would completely overthrow the devil's tyranny and snatch souls from perdition. Would they might open their ears to the words of the Holy Spirit: "Take heed what you do; for you exercise not the judgment of man, but of the Lord." (2 Par. 19,6) Take heed in very truth for what you do is not temporary, but eternal. What you perform does not concern an earthly kingdom, but the kingdom of God. You handle the treasure of heaven; you are responsible for the salvation or the damnation of souls. Remember to bring to your task the care and application demanded; have the necessary qualifications. Otherwise, the absolution you give may become so many damnations for you. Never forget that when you say the words: Ego to Absolvo, the eternal judge may reply, if you are unworthy, Ego te condemno."
Source: The Priest his dignities and obligations, St. John Eudes
Prayer for Priest before Confession
In asking of Thee, O my God, the graces of which I am in need, can I,
without ingratitude, forget before thee him whom thou hast chosen from
among thy ministers to reconcile me to thee by the sacrament of penance,
justly called the second plank after shipwreck?
Deign, I
beseech thee, O my God, to adorn his soul with the virtues befitting the
functions of the awful ministry with which you have invested him.
Grant
him the faith of St. Peter, and the charity of St. Paul, the firmness
of St. Chrysostom, the evangelic liberty of St. Ambrose, the lights of
St. Augustine, the piety of St. Bernard, the zeal of St. Charles
Borromeo, the mildness of St. Francis de Sales, and the humility of St.
Vincent de Paul.
Guide him thyself, O Lord, in all his actions,
that, after having been here below a prudent and faithful dispenser of
thy mysteries, he may hereafter receive from thy bountiful hands the
BRIGHT CROWN thou hast promised in a blessed eternity to the priests who
shall have consecrated their lives to bring back their fellow-creatures
from the ways of error, and conduct them in the paths of justice and
peace. Amen
St. Joseph's Manual By Rev. James Fitton, (1877)
Prayer for Priest After Confession
A Prayer for a Priest after Confession
O Lord Jesus Christ, bless, I beseech
Thee,Thy servant who has now ministered to me in Thy name. Help me to
remember his good counsel and advice, and to perform duly what he has
rightly laid upon me. And grant him the abundance of Thy grace and
favor, that his own soul may be refreshed and strengthened for Thy
perfect service, and that he may come at last to the joy of Thy heavenly
kingdom. Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost,
ever one God, world without end. Amen.
A Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity 1896, p 293
St. Helen, Mother of Constantine the Great.
by VP
Posted on Monday August 18, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"O his accession to the imperial throne, Constantine the Great declared himself in favor of Christianity. It was not, however, until after his miraculous victory over Maxentius that he actually embraced the faith and induced his mother Helen to do likewise. Helen was then far advanced in years, but the precious seed fell upon good soil, and the august princess set to work with inconceivable ardor. She was nearly eighty years old when she journeyed to the Holy Land, sought and discovered the Cross of our Redeemer; and there erected monuments worthy of God and the empire. She founded churches, monasteries, and hospitals, and lent aid to every enterprise favorable to the interests of religion. Humble as fervent, she mingled unobtrusively with the crowds assisting at the public services, and afforded a salutary example to all the faithful. St. Helen died in 328, bequeathing to her imperial son the precious legacy of a mother's wise counsels.
When our souls shall leave this dwelling,
The glory of one fair and virtuous action
Is above all the 'scutcheons on our tomb,
Or silken banners over us.
JAMES SHIRLEY.
Favorite Practice: Devotion to the Passion and the Holy Cross of our Lord
Source: Short Lives of the Saints By Eleanor Cecilia Donnelly
St. Hyacinth, Dominican CONFESSOR, A.D. 1257.
by VP
Posted on Sunday August 17, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
PRAYER TO ST. HYACINTH, CONFESSOR.
ANT. O, Hyacinth,
most fair flower of the order of preachers, who among the white lilies
of virgins, and the fragrant violets of doctors shinest refulgent with
thy double crown; whilst with glad voices we greet thee, do thou, we
beseech thee, imbue us with the sweetness of thy odor. LET US PRAY. O God, who hast made blessed Hyacinth thy confessor, renowned amongst nations by the sanctity of his works, and by the glory of his miracles, grant in prosperity we may be reformed by his example, and in adversity we may be protected by his aid, through Christ our Lord. Amen. The Methode of Saying the Holy Rosary, 1848
"ST. HYACINTH was born in Poland; and his parents diligently cultivated his natural disposition to virtue. He preserved an unspotted innocence of manners through the dangerous paths of youth. Being employed by his bishop as his assistant in the administration of his diocese, he shewed great prudence, capacity, and zeal. After some time, he was admitted into the Order of the Dominicans by the holy founder himself; where his sole occupation was the study and practice of humility,
patience, abstinence, and piety. His austerity was great, in giving
little rest to his body. His prayer was what St. Paul advises, without
ceasing. His charity was extraordinary, in endeavoring to reclaim all
from vice, both by word and example. Having lived in this method nearly
forty years, he made a happy end in the year 1257.
Pray for some degrees of his
holy spirit. Examine into your present method, as to eating, sleeping,
and praying. Consider your excesses, and beg pardon. Pray for the gift of temperance and moderation. If you cannot approve of rigors,
yet see that you flatter not yourself in all your inclinations. Endeavor to be easily pleased, and avoid niceness, for it is the effect of self love, and self-love has no title to heaven. If your temper be,to be out of humor and displeased, if every thing be not according to your will, see that you be as exact in doing the will of God, as you expect others should be in doing yours: otherwise, the exactness you demand from others, will be the condemnation of your neglects in regard of God. Give good example to all. It is a kind of spiritual alms, of which
all are capable. For this, it is not enough not to scandalize your neighbor by what is sinful, but you are to suppress all your passions
and ill-humors. For these being contagious, are so far from edifying,
that they may easily injure those, who are witnesses of them. Pray that you may be exact in all duties, and endeavor to be so. Such a life is the best preparation for a happy death." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
