St. Thérèse de Lisieux, Carmelite
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 01, 2025 at 11:57AM in Saints
St. Therese, Our Lady of Lourdes, Raleigh NC
"Now it is in the Host that I can see you carry your annihilation in full. How humble you are , oh Divine King of Glory in submitting Yourself to all your priests without making any distinction between those who love you and those who, alas, are lukewarm or cold in your service! You descend from Heaven to their call. They can anticipate or delay the time of your Holy Sacrifice. You are always ready! (Proverb 20)"-- St. Therese of Lisieux
St. Thérèse is the advocate of priests; indeed one of the intentions of the Carmelite Order is to pray for priests.
"The second piece of knowledge I acquired concerned God's Priests. Up to this time I could not understand the chief aim of the Carmelite Reform. The thought of praying for sinners afforded me the utmost delight, but I was surprised at the idea of praying for priests, whose souls I deemed purer than crystal. In Italy, I understood my vocation, and the long journey was well worth undertaking to gain such useful knowledge.
During that month I met many holy priests. Yet I saw that despite the sublime dignity of the Priesthood, which raises them above the Angels, they still remain men, and subject to human frailty. Now if those whom Our Lord in the Gospel calls "the salt of the earth' -if holy priests have need of our prayers, what must be the needs of the lukewarm? Has not Our Lord said also: "If the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?" (Matt. V. 13)" A Compendious Critical Life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: The Little Flower By Andrew Edward Breen 1928
- From Therese to Celine, July 14 1889"
"Celine, during the short moments that remain to us, let us not lose our time...Let us save souls...souls are being lost like flakes of snow, and Jesus weeps, and we...we are thinking of our sorrow without consoling our Fiance...Oh,Celine, let us live for souls... let us be apostles...let us save especially the souls of priests; these souls should be more transparent than crystal...Alas, how many bad priests, priests who are not holy enough...Let us pray, let us suffer for them, and on the last day, Jesus will be grateful. We shall give Him souls!
Celine, do you understand the cry of my soul? "
- From Celine to Sister Agnes of Jesus, Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart, and Therese, July 1880.:
"Oh! how necessary it is to pray for priests! I find they have a great responsibility; there is so much to do, and in my opinion, they don't do all that is within their power. Never any sermons, never any paternal instructions, never any visits to their flocks. Most of them don't know their parishioners. I would say, without judging the priests in particular, that I find the people much more excusable than the priests. They don't know their duties, how then would they carry them out? I don't think God expects anything from them.
It's true that in these parts there are only old priests, very aged and infirm, and they no longer have the zeal and strength of youth to lift up the crowds.
However, I will resume once again the chapter of my impressions of all that is around me... I don't understand how they can seek to build up a human family when there is scarcely anyone who devotes himself to forming these people in spiritual matters. Earthly marriages form bodies, the soul produces souls, but how many souls without wings! Who, then, will engender souls for heaven? Oh, little sisters, this will be ourselves through our mystical union with Jesus and our soul... And this union will not stop at tens but at a thousand million! The world doesn't understand us, that thinks us selfish, says we are living a useless life; it will see later on the ones who worked the most. People will compare with astonishment the variety of Vocations."
- From Therese to Celine, October 1890
"Dear Celine, I always have the same thing to say to you. Ah! Let us pray for priests; each day shows how few the friends of Jesus are...It seems to me this what He must feel the most, ingratitude, especially when seeing souls who are consecrated to Him giving others a hear that belongs to Him in so absolute a way.
- St. Therese of Lisieux Spiritual Maxims
"Our vocation is not to go and reap in the Father's fields: Jesus does
not say to us: " Cast down your eyes and reap the harvest"; our mission
is still more sublime. Here are the words of the Divine Master: "Lift up
your eyes and see..." see that in Heaven there are empty places; yours
it is to fill them...you are as Moses praying on the mountain; ask of Me
laborers and I will send them; I await but a prayer, a sigh from out
your heart!"
St. Remigius, Arbishop of Rheims, Confessor, A.D. 533.
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 01, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"He was the great apostle of the French nation. Prayer, meditation on the Holy Scriptures, the instruction of the people, and the conversion of infidels, heretics, and sinners, were the constant employment of this holy pastor. Clovis, the king of the French, was converted after gaining a great victory, in consequence of calling on Christ to assist him. St. Remigius prepared him for Baptism by the usual practices of fasting, penance, and prayer, and solemnly baptized him at Rheims. Under the protection of this great monarch, St. Remigius wonderfully propagated the gospel of Christ by the conversion of a great part of the French nation; in which work, God endowed him with an extraordinary gift of miracles. Having been bishop above seventy years, St. Remigius died in the year 533. Pray for all the pastors in God's Church, that they may be as eminent in virtue, as in dignity; that they may be watchful over their flocks, and teach the gospel by their example. Pray for all princes throughout the world, who as yet live in darkness, and know not Christ or his truths; that God would powerfully draw them to himself, and raise up some apostolic men in these our days, who may be instruments of this great work, for the good of innumerable souls. Pray that all Christians may live up to what they profess. What a melancholy sight it must be, when looking on ourselves, we discover the general method of our lives to have so very little regard to what Christ teaches, and so often to depart quite from him, as if we had no faith in his ways, or no interest in walking in them? The gospel charges us to be humble, meek, temperate, just, clean of heart, and not to love the world or ourselves; and we too often live as if we believed not in the gospel, and had no faith in its promises.
On this first day of the month, recommend yourself and all yours to the protection of Heaven, and consider upon the means for the amendment of past failings, that you may not be always the same." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Prayer: Almighty, eternal God, who didst establish the empire of the Franks to be, throughout the world, the instrument of thy divine will, and the sword and bulwark of thy holy Church: ever and in all places prevent, we beseech thee, with thy heavenly lifth, the suppliant sons of the Franks; so that they may both see what they ought to do to promote thy kingdom in this world, and, in order to fulfill what they have seen, may continually increase in charity and in valor. Amen (The Liturgical Year: The time after Pentecost, v. 5-6. 1903 By Dom Prosper Guéranger)
Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church A.D. 420
by VP
Posted on Tuesday September 30, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"Jerome (...) wrote (...) a famous letter in which he enumerated the austere duties of the sacerdotal life. Amongst many other lessons to be found in it is the following, which applies to all preachers, and which Fenelon has inserted in his third " Dialogue upon Eloquence": "When teaching in the church do not excite the applause but rather the lamentations of the people; let the tears of your auditors be your commendation. The sermons of a priest should overflow with Holy Scripture. Be not an orator, but a sincere expounder of the mysteries of your God." [Source: Saint Jerome by Father Largent, translated by Hester Davenport 1913]
"An eminent Doctor and Father in God's Church, born in Dalmatia, under the Emperor Constantius. He was brought up to learning, and improved it by the assistance of St. Gregory Nazianzen, and other great men of that age, and by four years' study of the Holy Scriptures in a desert of Syria. He was made priest by Paulinus, bishop of Antioch; and going to Rome, for composing some differences of the Eastern bishops, was chosen secretary to the pope, St. Damasus. But tired with the distractions of that
employment, he returned to his solitude; where, in continual
abstinence, prayer, and contemplation, he led an angelical life. He was
perplexed indeed with great temptations and want of health, but never discouraged; nor did he permit these to give interruption to his prayers or studies. He was there consulted both by St. Damasus and St. Augustin about difficulties of holy writ. He there translated the Old Testament out of Hebrew; and at the request of St. Damasus, corrected the New. He there vigorously opposed the errors of his time, and illustrated the Catholic faith by his learned volumes. In this method of sanctity, he lived to a great age, and died at length under Honorius, in the year 420.
Pray for all who apply to learning, that they may take virtue along with them. Learn from this saint to read the Scriptures with a diligent and humble mind. Presume not on your own sense. Solid virtue and many years' study qualified St. Jerome for an expositor; without these your expositions may be subject to great errors.
Reflect on your
own circumstances: if they engage you in great distractions, deliver
yourself, as far as you are able; and let no preferment or interest take place of your soul. But if idleness, vanity, and the earnest desire of gratifying yourself prove your distraction, your obligation to quit all this is still greater.
Pray for the whole Church and its pastors.
Pray for yourself, that the industrious, laborious, and holy spirit of this saint may be your portion, and secure you against all the mischief of sloth and self-love.
It being the last day of the month, give thanks for all blessings received, and beg hearty pardon for all your sins." [The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER]
Saint Wenceslas, Martyr
by VP
Posted on Sunday September 28, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"Wenceslas was the son of a Christian Duke of Bohemia but his mother was a hard and cruel pagan. Through the care of his holy grandmother, Ludmilla, herself a martyr, Wenceslas was educated in the true faith, and imbibed a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. On the death of his father, his mother, Drahomira, usurped the government and passed a series of persecuting laws. In the interests of the faith, Wenceslas claimed and obtained, through the support of the people, a large portion of the country as his own kingdom. His mother secured the apostasy and alliance of her second son, Boleslas, who became henceforth her ally against the Christians. Wenceslas meanwhile ruled as a brave and pious king, provided for all the needs of his people, and when his kingdom was attacked, overcame in single combat, but the sign of the Cross, the leader of an invading army. In the service of God, he was most constant, and planted with his own hands the wheat and grapes for the Holy Mass, at which he never failed daily to assist. His piety was the occasion of his death. Once, after a banquet at his brother's palace, to which he had been treacherously invited, he went, as was his wont at night, to pray before the tabernacle. There, at midnight on the feast of the Angels, A.D. 938, he received his crown of martyrdom, his brother dealing him the death-blow.
Reflection: St. Wenceslas teaches us that the safest place to meet the trials of life, or to prepare for the stroke of death, is before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament."
Pictorial Lives of the Saints, by Rev. Fr. John G. Shea.
Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
by VP
Posted on Saturday September 27, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane Denys Calvaert (circa 1540–1619)
" Devotion and piety towards God and the Blessed Sacrament- Imitation of Jesus Christ.
When before the Holy Tabernacle, he always maintained himself on both knees, and in a posture so humble that he seemed, the more to testify his respect, to wish to abase himself to the center of the earth, and with such faith manifested in his countenance, one would say that he saw Jesus with his eyes; with such devotion, he would have inspired the most incredulous, with faith and the most insensible with piety; in such modesty and silence, that he had not a single glance for the greatest. magnificence, nor a word for the most august personages.
There he loved to remain all the time that his duties left at his disposal, and there he forgot himself for hours together. There he went, like Moses of old, to consult the Divine oracle in all his difficulties." (...)
Profanations, committed by heretics, or by the military, grieved him mortally. Tears, extraordinary penances, fervent prayers, all were offered in reparation and atonement He went himself or sent some of his community in pilgrimage to the profaned churches; the priests said mass and the others received Holy Communion there in reparation. He made good the material loss caused by sacrilegious thefts of sacred vessels and ornaments; and by means of missions he repaired the injury done the honor of God and souls by impiety and heresy.
He said to them with regard to the celebration of Mass: "It is not enough to celebrate mass, we must, moreover, offer this sacrifice with the greatest possible devotion, according to the will of God Himself; conforming ourselves, with His grace, as much as we can, to Jesus offering Himself, when on earth, to His eternal Father. Let us use all endeavor, then, gentlemen, to offer our sacrifices to God in the same spirit, in which our Lord offered His, and as perfectly as our poor and miserable nature will permit.”
He prescribed the greatest respect in the church and in the ceremonies. Precipitation, genuflections half-made, the least negligences in the Divine service were a torment to
his exalted idea of religion, and an alarm to his soul ever trembling
before the possibility of scandal. Hence, he took care to correct in
private, and, if necessary, in public, all the faults that he observed.
If one of his members passed before the altar, making a genuflection carelessly
and thoughtlessly, he immediately called him back, and showed him in
what manner and how far he should bend before God. On these occasions he
would say: "We should never conduct ourselves as mere puppets, which
are made to move quickly, and the salutations of which are without
reverence or soul." And, after his humble habit of accounting himself
responsible for all faults. he added: Who is guilty, my brethren! It is
this miserable person who is speaking to you, and who would cast himself
on his knees if he could. Excuse my infirmities." And in fact, it was a
cruel privation to him, and one that he attributed to his sins, when he
could no longer kneel, and he publicly asked pardon for it, and
besought them not to be scandalized.
Nevertheless," he added, "if I see the congregation relax I will force myself on my knees, cost what it will, and rise as best I may, with the aid of some of you, or in making use of my hands, so that I may thus give the example that I ought to give. For, the faults committed in a community are imputed to the superior, and the faults of the congregation in this point are always serious, as much because there is question of a duty of religion and of an exterior reverence that marks the interior respect we show God, as because, if we be the first to fail, those preparing for ordination, and the clergy who come here, will believe themselves under no obligation to do better; and those who will succeed us in the congregation and who will model themselves after us, will do still less, and thus everything will tend to decay; for if the original be defective what will the copies be? I beg you, then, gentlemen and my brothers, to pay great attention to this, and to comport yourselves in this action in such a manner that interior reverence may suggest and always accompany the exterior. God desires to be adored in spirit and in truth, and al' good Christians should do so in imitation of the Son of God, who, prostrate on the earth in the Garden of Olives, united to this devout posture a profound interior humility, out of respect for the Sovereign Majesty of His Father."
What he said of the genuflection he applied to all the ceremonies. They are, in truth, only the shadow, but the shadow of the greatest things, and this is the reason we should perform them with ll possible attention, in a religious silence, and with great modesty and gravity. How will these gentlemen who come here carry them out if we ourselves do not perform them well? The singing must be grave, without being hurried, the psalms recited with an air of devotion. Alas! if these ceremonies are not properly performed, how will we answer when God will demand an account." Virtues and Spiritual Doctrine of St. Vincent de Paul by Rev. Fr. Michel Ulysse Maynard
The Litany of St. Vincent de Paul
Lord,
have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Jesus, hear us.
Jesus, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy
Ghost, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Holy Mary, Mother of Christ, the Sovereign Priest, pray for us.
St. Vincent,
who, from your infancy, walked in the presence of God, pray for us.
St. Vincent, most benevolent to all, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, chaste and pure, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, watchful shepherd of the flocks entrusted to your
care, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, who so faithfully preached the gospel to the poor,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, who brought your disciples to the practice of all
good works,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, the glory of the priesthood,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, humble amidst the honors of the world, Pray for us.
St.
Vincent, careful imitator of Jesus Christ,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, alleviator of human misery, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, refuge and comforter of the afflicted, Pray for us.
St.
Vincent, feeder of the hungry,
Pray for us.
St. Vincent, friend of the sick, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, father of orphans, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, refuge of purity, and security of innocence, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, zealous seeker of wandering
souls, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, restorer of the beauty of ecclesiastical discipline,Pray for us.
St. Vincent, like an Angel at the altar, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, strong in holy obedience and faith, Pray for us.
St. Vincent, burning with zeal for the glory of God, Pray for us.
Lamb of
God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Spare us O Lord.
Lamb of
God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us O Lord.
Lamb of
God, Who takest away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.
V. He made himself all to all.
B. Let us walk in his footsteps.
LET US PRAY.
JESUS, meek and humble of heart! since
only hum dwelling of thy glory will be for ever shut against me,
unless I become truly humble: grant me humility, which alone can
merit thy grace, and secure me a place in the eternal kingdom. Pardon
me, O my God! the manifold sins, which I have committed through
pride; and grant me a contempt for myself, proportioned to the pride
which has so far enslaved me, but which I now detest so sincerely. I
beg this favor through the intercession of our holy Father St.
Vincent, who was truly meek and humble. Amen. St. Vincent's Manual: Containing a Selection of Prayers and Devotional Exercises By Sisters of Charity
Ss. Comas and Damian, Martyrs, A.D. about 303
by VP
Posted on Saturday September 27, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
.
Dosso Dossi, 1534
"These saints were brothers, and physicians, born in Arabia in the reign of Diocletian. Being Christians, and full of that holy temper of charity, in which the spirit of our
divine religion consists, they practiced their profession with great
assiduity and wonderful success; but never took any fee. The people bore them great love and respect, on account of their charity; and they took every opportunity which their profession gave them, to propagate the Christian faith. When the persecution of Diocletian
began to rage; they were apprehended. Being commanded to sacrifice to
idols, they professed their faith in Christ, and that sacrifice was to
be offered to no other but the living God. Upon this, they were bound and thrown into the sea; but they came forth without hurt. Their deliverance was attributed to magic; and they were forthwith ordered to be burnt. The flames, however, did. not touch them; and after many cruel torments, they were at length beheaded, about the year 303.
Pray for all under whatever kind of persecution, oppression, or trouble. Courage and patience are as necessary as our daily food: without these supports, there is no preserving the Christian life. Pray for a large share of them, and a daily supply, both for yourself and others. Beg the divine assistance against all dangers of spiritual colds and heats; that no violence of passion or sensuality may overcome you; and that no sort of coldness or dryness in devotion may discourage you. There is danger from all extremes, and no security but from the blessing of God upon your diligence and good endeavors. Consider the great charity of these holy brothers; and resolve to imitate it as far as your circumstances will permit. There are not wanting objects that require your compassion and help; there is on every side poverty, sickness, and misery: to visit, comfort, and relieve those who suffer under these, is the greatest charity to them, and even to yourself, for by so doing, you shall not lose your reward." The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER
"In you, O illustrious brethren, was fulfilled this saying of the Wise Man: “The skill of the physician will lift up his head, and in the sight of great men he will be praised” (Ecclesiasticus xxxviii. 3). The great ones, in whose sight you are exalted, are the princes of the heavenly hierarchies, witnessing today the homage paid to you by the Church Militant. The glory that surrounds your heads is the glory of God Himself, of that bountiful King who rewards your former disinterestedness by bestowing on you His own blessed life. In the bosom of divine love, your charity cannot wax cold. Help us, then, and heal the sick who confidently implore your assistance. Preserve the health of God’s children so that they may fulfill their obligations in the world, and may courageously bear the light yoke of the Church’s precepts. Bless those physicians who are faithful to their baptism, and who seek your aid, and increase the number of such. See how the study of medicine now so often leads astray into the paths of materialism and fatalism to the great detriment of science and humanity. It is false to assert that simple nature is the explanation of suffering and death, and unfortunate are those whose physicians regard them as mere flesh and blood. Even the pagan school took a loftier view than that, and it was surely a higher ideal that inspired you to exercise your art with such religious reverence. By the virtue of your glorious death, O witnesses to the Lord, obtain for our sickly society a return to the faith, to the remembrance of God, and to that piety which is profitable to all things and to all men, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come (1 Timothy iv. 8)." Dom Prosper Guéranger
SS. Cyprian and Justina, Martyrs ad.304
by VP
Posted on Friday September 26, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"ST. CYPRIAN had been a magician, and was brought up in all the impious mysteries of idolatry, and the pretended sciences of judicial astrology and the black art. He tried every secret with which he was acquainted to conquer the virtuous resolution of a Christian virgin named Justina: but she defeated and put to flight the devils, by the sign of the cross. Suppliantly beseeching the Blessed Virgin Mary that she would succor a virgin in danger, she fortified herself with fasting, tears, and prayers. Cyprian finding all his arts ineffectual, and being informed that her faith in Christ made her proof against all such attempts, he upon this began to consider the power of Christianity as superior to that of the devil; and being instructed in the faith, he abandoned his former ways, and gave himself wholly to Christ. Upon this, being apprehended, together with Justina, they were first scourged, afterwards thrown into a cauldron of boiling pitch, and at length beheaded at Nicomedia.
Have compassion on those who follow unlawful ways, and pray for them. Had they the like degree of grace that you have, it may be that they would be more faithful in corresponding with it than you are. Adore your God, acknowledge your whole dependence to be on him, and leave all to the order of his providence.
In consequence, avoid all fortune-tellers and conjurors, as pretenders to an unlawful art. Never admit of charms, as not having their power from God. Renounce all superstitious observations, either of signs, or lucky and unlucky days. These are all the remains of ignorance and heathenism; and since they have nothing real in them, it is strange that Christians should be at all moved or disturbed by them. Had they a true faith in God and his divine providence, they would not imagine that their good or bad fortune depended on such accidents. Detest then all superstition as irreligious, as a breach of the first commandment, and betraying a want of faith and confidence in God. It is severely condemned by the holy Fathers; and if your faith be sincerely in God, do not contradict it by such unchristian folly."
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St John de Brebeuf S.J., priest and martyr AD 1649
by VP
Posted on Friday September 26, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Pere Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant stand ready for boiling water/fire "Baptism" and flaying by the Iroquois in 1649.
- Huron Carol written by Fr. De Brebeuf, sang by Fr. Kevin Vogel
- PDF music
"Fathers Brebeuf and Lallemant and a few Huron warriors were made prisoners. The town was fired. Immediately after their capture the Fathers were stripped of their clothes, and their finger-nails torn out by the roots, and were borne in wild triumph to the village of St. Ignatius, which had been taken the same morning. On entering its gates they both received a share of blows on their shoulders, loins, and stomach, no part of their exposed bodies escaping contumely. In the midst of this cruelty the unconquerable De Brebeuf thought only of others. his eye kindling with fire, he addressed the Christian Hurons who were his fellow-captives: "My children! Let us lift up our eyes to heaven in the midst of our sufferings; let us remember that God is a witness of our torments, and that He will soon be our reward exceedingly great. Let us die in this faith, and trust in his goodness for the fulfillment of His promises. I feel more for you than for myself; but bear with courage the few torments which yet remain. They will terminate with our lives. The glory which will follow them will have no end! "Echon" they replied, " Our hope shall be in heaven, while our bodies are suffering on earth. Pray to God for us, that He will grant us mercy. We will invoke Him even unto death."
Enraged at these words of the heroic Jesuit, the Iroquois led him apart and bound him to a stake. These fiendish savages scorched him from head to foot to silence him, whereupon, in the tone of a master, he threatened them with everlasting flames for persecuting the worshipers of God. As he continued to speak with voice and countenance unchanged, they cut away his lower lip, and thrust a red-hot iron down his throat. He still held his lofty form erect and defiant, with no sign or sound of pain, and they tried another means to overcome him.
They led our Lallemant that De Brebeuf might see him tortured. They had tied strips of bark smeared with pitch about his naked body. When Lallemant saw the condition of his superior he could not hide his agitation, and called out to him, with a broken voice, in the words of St. Paul "We are made a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men." Then he threw himself at De Brebeuf's feet, upon which the Iroquois seized him, made him fast to a stake, and set fire to the bark that enveloped him. As the flames rose he threw his arms upward with a shriek of supplication to heaven. Next they hung around De Brebeuf's neck a collar made of hatchets heated red-hot, but the indomitable priest stood it like a rock. A Huron in the crowd, who had been a convert of the mission, but was now an Iroquois by adoption, called out, with the malice of a renegade, to pour hot water on their heads, since they poured so much cold water on those of others, The kettle was accordingly slung, and the water boiled and poured slowly on the heads of the two missionaries.
"We baptize you," they cried, "that you may be happy in heaven, for nobody can be saved without a good baptism." De Brebeuf did not flinch, and in a rage they cut strips of flesh from his limbs, and devoured them before his eyes. Other renegade Hurons called out to him, "You told us that the more one suffers on earth the happier he is in heaven. We wish to make you happy. We torment you because we love you, and you ought to thank us for it." After a succession of other revolting tortures, they scalped him, when seeing him nearly dead, they laid open his breast, and came in a crowd to drink the blood of so valiant an enemy, thinking to imbibe with it some portion of his marvelous courage. A chief then tore out his heart and devoured it.
Thus died John De Brebeuf, the founder of the Huron mission, its truest hero and its greatest martyr. (...)
Source: The Catholic Record, Volume 14
Prayer of Saint John de Brebeuf
Jesus, my Lord and Savior, what can I give you in return for all the favors you have first conferred on me? I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name. I vow before your eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, before your most holy Mother and her most chaste spouse, before the angels, apostles and martyrs, before my blessed fathers Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier–in truth, I vow to you, Jesus my Savior, that as far as I have the strength, I will never fail to accept the grace of martyrdom, if someday you in your infinite mercy should offer it to me, your most unworthy servant...My beloved Jesus, here and now I offer my body and blood and life. May I die only for you, if you will grant me this grace, since you willingly died for me. Let me so live that you may grant me the gift of such a happy death. In this way, my God and Savior, I will take from your hand the cup of your sufferings and call on your name: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Amen.
Source: Catholicity
St. Firminus, Bishop and Martyr, abt. 303
by VP
Posted on Thursday September 25, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
"He was a native of Pampeluna in Spain, initiated in the Christian faith by Honestus, a disciple of St. Saturninus. After a holy youth, he was ordained priest and bishop by St. Honoratus, bishop of Toulouse. A charitable zeal pressed him to preach the gospel to such as were yet in darkness, and he visited many towns in France, and every where with great fruit. He went to Beauvais to comfort the Christians, who were under severe persecution; where, though he suffered much, yet his life was spared. Going afterwards to Amiens, he there chose his residence, having founded there a numerous Church of faithful disciples. He converted there in a short time three thousand souls to the faith of Christ. Upon this, the officers of Dioclesian being exasperated, they beheaded him in prison, to prevent the tumult of the people; and cut his body into pieces, that his relics might not be preserved by the faithful. This is a spirit, which you ought to beseech God to pour forth on all pastors; that they may be zealous for the good of the flock; that they may not think of rest, but of labor; and by daily spending themselves in their duty, sacrifice their lives, without the hand of the executioner.
Learn to be industrious in whatever state you are: be ashamed to be found idle. If you are not obliged to work for bread, work at least for heaven. This is not to be gained but by labor. If a lazy humor ties up your hands from other work, it is to be feared that the same will hinder you from working for heaven. Accustom yourself to be ever employed, that so you may not lay yourself open to the temptations of idleness. Thus you will be in a good way of taking pains in the affairs of your soul. Habitual idleness and intemperance are too common among Christians. Must not you forsake these to be a Christian in earnest? You are not to be invited by the greater number; but to follow the gospel, though the greater number be against you?"The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Fr. John Gother
Our Blessed Lady of Mercy. (Our Lady of Ransom)
by VP
Posted on Wednesday September 24, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
Maria de Mercede, fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio (c. 1472)
"The religious Order of our Blessed Lady of Mercy for the redemption of captives, was projected by St. Peter Nolasco, in the thirteenth century, for a constant supply of men and means for carrying on so charitable an undertaking. The design met with great obstacles in its execution; but the Blessed Virgin, the true mother of mercy, appearing to St. Peter Nolasco, to James, king of Arragon, and to St. Raymund of Pennafort, in distinct visions on the same night, encouraged them to prosecute the holy scheme, under the assurance of her patronage and protection. St. Raymund was the spiritual director both of St. Peter and of the king, and a zealous promoter of this charitable work. The king declared himself the protector of the Order, and assigned them a large quarter of his own palace for their abode. When St. Raymund went to Rome, he obtained from Pope Gregory IX., in the year 1225, the confirmation of this Order, and of its rules and constitutions. Almighty God was pleased to extend this Order greatly through the Blessed Virgin Mary. It flourished by the influence of many holy men, distinguished for their piety and charity, who collected alms of the faithful, and applied them to redeem poor captives out of the hands of infidels,
often even giving themselves up to procure liberty for others.
In order
that due thanks may be given to God, and his Holy Mother for the great benefit of this holy institution, the holy see has appointed this festival to be observed throughout the Church, Comply with the order of the Church, in returning thanks to God, and his Holy Mother; and heartily pray his infinite Majesty to have compassion on all those unhappy Christians who are in captivity.
Remember likewise all those who are slaves to sin and the world; and though you can bring no relief to those wretched souls, who by death have consummated their slavery, and are past all redemption; still look upon them in their state of despair, and from the sight of their misery, learn to fear all that would lead to it." The Catholic Year by Fr. Gother
"Blessed be thou, O Mary, the honor and
the joy of your people! On the day of your glorious Assumption you took
possession of your queenly dignity for our sake, and the annals of the
human race are a record of your merciful interventions. The captives
whose chains you have broken, and whom you have set free from the
degrading yoke of the Saracens, may be reckoned by millions. We are
still rejoicing in the recollection of your dear birthday, and your
smile is sufficient to dry our tears and chase away the clouds of grief.
And yet, what sorrows there are still upon the Earth where you yourself
drank such long draughts from the cup of suffering! Sorrows are
sanctifying and beneficial to some, but there are other and unprofitable
griefs springing from social injustice: the drudgery of the factory, or
the tyranny of the strong over the weak, may be worse than slavery in
Algiers or Tunis. You alone, O Mary, can break the inextricable chains
in which the cunning prince of darkness entangles the dupes he has
deceived by the high-sounding names of equality and liberty. Show
yourself a Queen by coming to the rescue. The whole Earth, the entire
human race, cries out to you, in the words of Mardochai: “Speak to the
king for us, and deliver us from death!” (Esther xv. 3)." Dom Gueranger
