St. Isidore the Farmer, confessor
by VP
Posted on Friday October 25, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
Saint Isidor Farmer
Prayer in Honor of Saint Isidore the Farmer
O God, who taught Adam the simple art of tilling the soil, and who
through Jesus Christ, the true vine, revealed yourself the husbandman of
our souls, deign, we pray, through the merits of blessed Isidore, to
instill into our hearts a horror of sin and a love of prayer, so that,
working the soil in the sweat of our brow, we may enjoy eternal
happiness in heaven, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. (St. Isidore's Garden)
AN ODE TO ST. ISIDORE.
(St. Isidore, Patron of Madrid, was an humble laborer who sanctified himself in the midst of his daily toils. While his hand guided the plough, his heart communed with God and His holy Angels. The various aspects of nature gave him continual food for divine contemplation.)
Wake not the golden stringed lyres,
Let their rich music sleep;
Be still, be still, ye human choirs,
Ye lutes a silence keep;
For birds snowy wing and breast,
And scented winds among the trees,
And wells that in deep valleys rest,
And sunlit streams that gild the leas,
Will claim their right for evermore
To sing pure-soul'd Isidore,
There comes a voice from hidden lakes,
Softer than Summer's breeze,
There swells a hum by lonely brakes,
Like music on the seas.
The tempest-breath shakes mountain-peak,
And 'mong the rocks makes melody;
The birds through all the forests speak
In tones of richest harmony;
And all in measured numbers pour
The praises of St. Isidore.
Teach us, meek Saint, we humbly pray,
The Lord in all to view,
His steps to trace in meadows gay,
And in the heavens blue;
To read His Beauty in each flower
That we espy in cultured dell,
To know what is the awful power
That bound the vale by rocky fell;
May all in Nature we explore
Lead us to God and Isidore.
(Irish Scholars of the Penal Days: Glimpses of Their Labors on the Continent by Rev. William P. Treacy, 1889)
#12 Acts of Adoration Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament in reparation for all the offenses committed against Him by mankind
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 24, 2024 at 01:00AM in Thursday Reparation
12. We adore Thee, O amiable Jesus, and revere the sacred mystery of the Blessed Eucharist, revealed by Thy divine word, taught by the Church, and proved by miracles; And to repair the doubts which men have had of Thy real presence in the Holy Sacrament, we offer up to Thee the due submission shown by the Prophets to Thy divine oracles. Eternal praise and thanksgiving be to the Most Holy and Most Divine Sacrament.
O Queen of heaven and earth, hope of mankind, who adores thy Divine
Son incessantly! We entreat thee, that, since we have the honor to be of
the number of thy children, thou would interest thyself in our behalf
and make satisfaction for us, and in our name, to our Eternal Judge, by
rendering to Him the Duties which we ourselves are incapable of
performing. Amen.
Saint Raphael, Archangel
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 24, 2024 at 01:00AM in Tradition
"AMONG the holy archangels, three are particularly distinguished in the Scriptures, SS. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. This day is appointed in honor of St. Raphael, whose name signifies the Healing of God. The archangel Raphael was sent to conduct the younger Tobias on his journey to Rages, and carefully directed and guarded him on his way, appearing as an Israelite, under the name of Azarias. He conducted the young man to the house of his virtuous kinsman, and procured for him the person, who by a special providence had been reserved for his wife. The holy angel brought them both home in safety to the aged parents of Tobias; and by his direction the young man anointed the eyes of his father who was blind, and he was immediately restored to sight. For all these valuable services, the father and son were anxious to reward the faithful Azarias, and begged him to accept of half of all things that they had brought. Then the heavenly messenger discovered to them who he really was; and invited them to bless the God of heaven, because he had shewn mercy to them. For," said he, "I am Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the Lord." And when they had heard these things, they were troubled, and being seized with fear, they fell upon the ground on their face. And the angel said to them: Peace be to you, fear not. For when I was with you, I was there by the will of God: bless ye Him, and sing praises to Him. It is time therefore that I return to Him that sent me: but bless ye God, and publish all His wonderful works. And when he had said these things, he was taken from their sight, and they could see him no more." (Tob. xii.) See, says St. Augustin, how great is the merit of alms-deeds, for which Tobias was so remarkable, and which brought down an archangel from heaven to serve him.
St. Raphael is also considered to have been that angel of the Lord, who went down at certain times into the pond at Jerusalem, called Probatica, and so moved the water, as to impart to it virtue to heal the first person who entered the pond after the motion of the water; as we read in the fifth chapter of St. John.
Pray on this day with the Church, that this most glorious prince of the heavenly host would be mindful of you, and ever beseech the Son of God in your behalf. Pray that St. Raphael would accompany you, and be your guide in every way, and your protector in every danger, as he was to Tobias. And beseech the Almighty to let his holy angels minister to you, and by their assistance defend you, and help you forward in the way of salvation." Source: The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John GOTHER, 1865
Prayer to Saint Raphael
Glorious Archangel, St. Raphael, great prince of the heavenly court, illustrious by thy gifts of wisdom and grace, guide of travelers by land and sea, consoler of the unfortunate and refuge of sinners, I entreat thee to help me in all my needs and in all the trials of my life, as thou didst once assist the young Tobias in his journeying And since thou art the "physician of God," I humbly pray thee to heal my soul of its many infirmities and my body of the ills that afflict it, if this favor is for my greater good. I ask, especially, for angelic purity, that I may be made fit to be the living temple of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Pope Leo XIII, June 21, 1890 Source: My Prayer Book, Fr. Lasance
Tibi, Christe, Splendor Patris by Gloriae Dei Cantores (St. Raphael, October 24th)
Jesu, brightness of the Father!
Life and strength of all who live!
In the presence of the Angels,
Glory to Thy name we give,
And Thy wondrous praise rehearse,
Singing in alternate verse.
Hail, too ye angelic powers!
Hail ye thrones celestial!
Hail, Physician of salvation,
Guide of life, blest Raphael!
Who the foe of all mankind
didst in kinks of iron bind.
O may Christ, by the protection,
Shelter us from harm this day;
Keep us pure in flesh and spirit,
Save us from the enemy;
And vouchsafe us, of His grace,
In His paradise a place.
Glory to Th' Almighty Father
Sing we now in anthems sweet;
Glory to the great Redeemer,
Glory to the Paraclete;
Three in one, and one in three,
Throughout all eternity, Amen.
Source: Manual of Prayers for the Use of the Catholic Laity, The Official Prayer Book of the Catholic Church, 1916 Prepared and published by the order of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore.
Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop and Confessor
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 24, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Tabernacle and Purgatory, Benedictine Nuns April 1959
Founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Quotes:
- The faith I have when I am in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament is so strong that I find it impossible to express what I feel… When the time comes to leave I must force myself to overcome the inclination to prolong my stay with Jesus.
- Although the sinner does not believe in Hell, he shall nevertheless go there if he has the misfortune to die in mortal sin.
- A multitude of souls fall into the depths of Hell, and it is of the faith that all who die in mortal sin are condemned for ever and ever. According to statistics, approximately 80,000 persons die every day. How many of these will die in mortal sin, and how many will be condemned! For, as their lives have been, so also will be their end.
"In his studies at the seminary of Vich, Anthony Claret distinguished himself so notably by the steadfastness of his character that the bishop ordained him on his name-day, June 13, 1835, some time before his fellow-students. On the feast of St. Aloysius he celebrated his first Mass and began his first labors as assistant to the old pastor of his native town. He soon won the confidence of his neighbors. No one could resist the power of his words and in all the surrounding country he was venerated as a saint. But this field of activity was too small for the zeal of the young priest and he longed for the foreign missions. He went to Rome, made the Spiritual Exercises and applied for admission into the Society of Jesus. But he had hardly begun his novitiate when he was attacked by a disease of the foot, which forced him to leave the Order after a few months. Following the advice of his former superiors, he returned to Spain. After a brief employment in parish work, he devoted himself entirely to giving missions for the people, principally in Catalonia. What he accomplished there is almost incredible. He made his long journeys always on foot, preached three or four times a day, and was indefatigable in the confessional.
His activity brought upon him the hatred and persecutions of the impious, but it won at the same time the repute of a true apostle from the good. To have able co-laborers in his mission work, he founded in 1849 a Congregation called the Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which developed into a flourishing establishment. In 1900 it numbered sixteen hundred and seventy members distributed among fifty-six residences.17 By command of the papal Nuncio at Madrid, Anthony Claret accepted, in 1850, his appointment as archbishop of Santiago de Cuba. Accompanied by several priests and religious women he set out for his distant diocese. On the voyage he preached every day and brought the whole crew of the vessel, without an exception, to confession.
Sad, indeed, was the decay of religion in Cuba. But the new bishop did not despair. He went from place to place through his diocese and gave missions everywhere. The results were truly wonderful. At the end of the mission in Santiago, which lasted during the whole of Lent, the distribution of Holy Communion covered six hours. During a mission in another city he brought to their duty about four hundred couples living in concubinage. He did not forget to take precautions that these beginnings might be lasting in effect. He erected schools, provided for religious houses, and opened a seminary for the training of priests. Pius IX, who had heard of this new Spring of spiritual regeneration in Cuba, sent a letter of special approbation to Archbishop Claret, praising him for his apostolic zeal.
The enemy, however, did not lay down his arms. It was especially Claret's successful effort against concubinage that excited the degenerate to make an attempt on the archbishop's life. A secret plot was concocted, and an attack was made upon him which resulted in his being dangerously wounded. Prevented from efficient activity by the constant peril to his life, he asked the Pope to remove him from his archbishopric. The honorable appointment of confessor to Queen Isabella was given to him in 1860. Obedience alone prevailed on him to accept this office, but he remained the same apostle as before, full of zeal for souls. He withdrew as much as possible from life at the court and instead gave missions in the churches of Madrid, soon becoming the most beloved confessor in the city. His influence with the queen, which was very great, he used only for the benefit of the poor. Whenever he was traveling with the court, he preached and taught the catechism wherever they stopped. Seeing the evil caused by bad literature, he wrote and distributed very many good pamphlets, and founded the academic society of St. Michael for the spreading of good books.
"From the very beginning of his apostolate, St. Anthony Mary Claret was known throughout the whole countryside for the many cures he performed. Primarily, his apostolic zeal was expended in the cure of souls, as fitted his priestly vocation; but his compassionate and fatherly heart beat with tender pity at the sight of bodily infirmities as well, and his boundless charity moved him to pray with great fervor for the relief of the sufferers.
As a missionary, the saint was once asked his secret of obtaining the wonderful graces and cures granted to his prayers. He answered: “I pray to Our Lady and demand results of her.” The questioner continued, “But suppose she does not give them?”—“Then I take hold of the hem of her robe and refuse to let go until she has granted what I want,” the saint replied. St. Anthony Mary Claret loved Mary devotedly and put boundless trust in her intercession. Moreover, he was wont to put first things first, for his healing powers were first applied to the soul, by administration of the sacraments. Then he would concern himself with the needs of the afflicted body.
Those who call on St. Anthony Claret do well to follow this example and put things in their proper order, the soul before the body. And from him, too, may they learn to cling tenaciously to Mary, whose Immaculate Heart he so loved to honor.
Prayer to Saint Anthony Mary Claret
(For the cure of cancer or other serious ailments.)
O Saint Anthony Mary Claret, who during thy life on earth wert often a solace to the afflicted, and didst love and tenderly compassionate the sick: interecede for me, as thou rejoicest in the reward of thy virtues: cast a glance of pity on me and grant my petition (mention it) if such be the will of God. Make my troubles your own. Speak a word to the Immaculate Heart of Mary to obtain by her powerful intercession the grace I yearn for so ardently, and a blessing that may strengthen me during life, assist me at the hour of death, and lead me on to a happy eternity. Amen. (One Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory.)
Saint Anthony Mary Claret, Tabernacle and Purgatory, Benedictine Nuns April 1959
Saint Magloire, Abbot of Dol in Brittany († 586)
by VP
Posted on Thursday October 24, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
Saint Magloire of Dol, oil painting by Eugène Goyet (1798–1846), Church Saint-Jacques-du-Haut-Pas in Paris
"THE APOSTOLATE OF MONKS.-The religious orders, whose appearance dates from the earliest ages of the Church, contributed greatly to the spread of the Gospel, as well by preaching as by the edification and good example they afforded. Vast populations have been converted to true religion by the agency of monks, such for instance as those of Brittany and England. St. Magloire, having been consecrated as a missionary bishop, or, as then termed, "regionary bishop," in succession to St. Samson, who had founded the monastery of Dol, and converted a portion of Brittany, continued his apostolic labours, leading the same humble, poor, and mortified life as before. He passed over to the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, where he signalized his arrival by a miracle. Count Loiesco, having been cured by him of the leprosy, made him a grant of land whereon he founded a monastery, so that the monks might complete the work which had been begun. In times of famine and epidemic these monasteries became a very providence to the surrounding districts. St. Magloire died on Easter-eve in 575.
MORAL REFLECTION.-" Be mindful of them that have rule over you, who have spoken to you the word of God, whose faith follow, considering the end."-(Heb. xiii. 7.)" Pictorial half hours with the saints. By Rev. Fr. Auguste François Lecanu
Feast of Our Most Holy Redeemer
by VP
Posted on Wednesday October 23, 2024 at 01:00AM in Tradition
St. Joseph Catholic Church, Raleigh NC
All mankind lying under the guilt of sin, were by this rendered enemies to God, and incapable of doing
anything, whereby to make peace with Him; and therefore, had man not
been redeemed, he must have been lost for ever. But would God have been
less happy, if man had been for ever miserable? Or, if God had left man, as he did the fallen angels, under the eternal guilt of his sin, would this have lessened that infinite bliss, which God essentially enjoys within himself? Nothing of all this. Therefore, as leaving the fallen angels in their sin was the effect of his justice; so redeeming man from sin was the sole effect of his mercy. But then, to deliver up his Son to redeem a slave, is the excess of so infinite a mercy, that it is to be feared that we celebrate the memory of it without serious thought, or returning the least part of that adoration and gratitude which we are bound to pay.
Our hearts indeed should be impressed with a lasting sense of love and gratitude, sufficient to preserve us in perpetual fidelity to so merciful a God, and so loving a Redeemer. For this end the Church has appointed this day, to encourage all her children to make our redemption through Christ the serious entertainment of our hearts. The same ought to be renewed every day, and as often as we bow at the holy name of Jesus, to express our love and adoration for the mercies of our divine Redeemer." Source: The Catholic Year; Or Daily Lessons on the Feasts of the Church by Rev. Fr. John Gother
St. Philip of Heraclea and companions, Bishop and Martyr 3rd Century
by VP
Posted on Tuesday October 22, 2024 at 09:39AM in Saints
CONSTANCY.-St. Philip, bishop of Heraclea, having been denounced to the satellites of the emperor Dioclesian, was arrested together with the priest Severus and the deacon Hermes. The three confessors refused, as might have been anticipated, to deliver up the holy books and to burn incense in honor of the idols. They underwent repeated examinations, were beaten, or rather so torn with rods, that their entrails were laid bare; they were then cast into a frightful dungeon, where they were to remain seven months; Philip and Hermes being bound in heavy fetters, and Severus having his feet passed through a number of planks, so contrived as not to allow the slightest movement. As their prison had a secret communication with the public theater, the preaching of the Gospel was scarcely interrupted, for numerous Christians profited by the occasion to come to them, seeking for consolation and strength to confess, even as they had done, the faith of Jesus Christ. At length, after seven months of rude trials, they were condemned to the flames; it was found necessary to carry Hermes to the stake, as he had lost the use of his limbs.
MORAL REFLECTION. -The true Christian ranks not among "those who shrink back in the hour of temptation;" temptation, on the contrary, strengthens them in the faith.-(Luke viii. 13.) Pictorial Half Hour with the Saints by Fr. Lecanu 1865
For Zealous Priests:
Sanctify to Thyself, O my Lord, the
hearts of Thy priests, that, by the merits of Thy sacred humanity, they
may become living images of Thee, children of Mary, and full of the fire
of the Holy Ghost, that they may guard Thy house, and defend Thy glory,
and that through their ministry the face of the earth may be renewed,
and they may save those souls which have costs Thee all Thy blood. Amen
Queen of the Apostles, pray thy Son, the Lord of the Harvest, to send laborers into His harvest, and to spare His people.
(The Prayer Book. Imprimatur Samuel Cardinal Stritch Archbishop of Chicago, May 10, 1954.)
Saint John Paul II, Pope
by VP
Posted on Tuesday October 22, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
"The Eucharist: offering the Mass, communion, adoration
8. The two Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist remain closely linked. Without a continually renewed conversion and reception of the sacramental grace of forgiveness, participation in the Eucharist would not reach its full redemptive efficacy.(12) Just as Christ began his ministry with the words "Repent and believe in the gospel,"(13) so the Cure of Ars generally begins each of his days with the ministry of forgiveness. But he was happy to direct his reconciled penitents to the Eucharist. The Eucharist was at the very center of his spiritual life and pastoral work. He said: "All good works put together are not equivalent to the Sacrifice of the Mass, because they are the works of men and the Holy Mass is the work of God."(14)
It is in the Mass that the sacrifice of Calvary is made present for the Redemption of the world. Clearly, the priest must unite the daily gift of himself to the offering of the Mass: "How well a priest does, therefore, to offer himself to God in sacrifice every morning!"(15) "Holy Communion and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are the two most efficacious actions for obtaining the conversion of hearts."(16) Thus the Mass was for John Mary Vianney the great joy and comfort of his priestly life. He took great care, despite the crowds of penitents, to spend more than a quarter of an hour in silent preparation. He celebrated with recollection, clearly expressing his adoration at the consecration and communion.
He accurately remarked: "The cause of priestly laxity is not paying attention to the Mass!"(17) The Cure of Ars was particularly mindful of the permanence of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist. It was generally before the tabernacle that he spent long hours in adoration, before daybreak or in the evening; it was towards the tabernacle that he often turned during his homilies, saying with emotion: "He is there!" It was also for this reason that he, so poor in his presbytery, did not hesitate to spend large sums on embellishing his Church. The appreciable result was that his parishioners quickly took up the habit of coming to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, discovering, through the attitude of their pastor, the grandeur of the mystery of faith.
(...)
The Eucharist is the source and summit of all the Christian life."(19) Dear brother priests, the example of the Cure of Ars invites us to a serious examination of conscience: what place do we give the Mass in our daily lives? Is it, as on the day of our Ordination - it was our first act as priests! - the principle of our apostolic work and personal sanctification? What care do we take in preparing for it? And in celebrating it? In praying before the Blessed Sacrament? In encouraging our faithful people to do the same? In making our Churches the House of God to which the divine presence attracts the people of our time who too often have the impression of a world empty of God?"
Source: Catholic Culture. From the Vatican, 16 March 1986, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, in the eighth year of my Pontificate. Joannes Paulus PP. II
St. Ursula and her Companions, VIRGINS AND MARTYRS.
by VP
Posted on Monday October 21, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
Vittore Carpaccio: Apotheosis of St Ursula
"THE names of St Ursula and her companions have been illustrious throughout the whole Church of Christ for many centuries. Yet it has happened to them, as to many others of the most eminent saints, and even to several of the apostles themselves, that we know at present little or nothing of their history. They are generally allowed to have been natives of Britain. It is probable that their martyrdom happened in the fifth century. They seem to have left Britain about that time, when the Pagan Saxons laid waste our isle, and many of its inhabitants fled into Gaul. Others made a settlement at the mouth of the Rhine. St. Ursula and her companions were most likely among those, who, flying from the fury of the Saxons, passed over the seas. Either by choice, or stress of weather, being carried to the coast of Lower Germany, they appear to have gone further up the country, and there fallen in with an army of Huns, who about that time ravaged those provinces, and were by them put to death in defence of their faith and purity. They were buried at Cologne, where a great church was built over their tombs. They have been honoured by the faithful for many ages, with extraordinary devotion in this part of Christendom. St. Ursula, who was the mistress and guide to heaven to so many holy maidens, whom she animated to the heroic practice of virtue, conducted to the glorious crown of martyrdom, and presented spotless to Christ, is regarded as the model and patroness of those who undertake to train up youth in the sentiments and practice of piety and religion.A Prayer to ST. URSULA:
O GLORIOUS St Ursula!
blessed Martyr of Jesus Christ! who didst despise the riches and
dignities of this world for the love of God, and wert so happy as to lay
down even thy life for his sake, take me under thy powerful
protection-shield me by thy prayers from the dangers of the world, and
teach me by thy example how to triumph over its temptations. I am not
worthy to lay down my life for him who died for me; yet, as I know that I
may have many temptations to suffer from the world and my own corrupt
inclinations, I have recourse to thee with confidence, to implore,
through thy intercession, the strength to resist and overcome them all;
and to remember, on all occasions, that the life of a Christian, if not
laid down for Christ by martyrdom, should at least be sacrificed to his
glory by penance and self-denial. Thou art, O great Saint! my special
Patroness, therefore I humbly recommend to thee all my undertakings, and
beg of thee, as thou wert so particularly gifted by God with the power
of persuading others to the practice of virtue, to obtain for me the
grace to love and fulfil the duties of a Christian, and to endeavour by
good example to engage others in the service of God. O glorious Martyr!
whose death was an act of the most perfect charity, be thou my
protectress in my last moments, and intercede for me now, that I may
prepare for them by the fervent practice of those solid virtues, which
alone will furnish ground for confidence in the mercy of God on the bed
of death. (The Ursuline manual; or, A collection of prayers, spiritual exercises, &c By Ursuline manual 1830)
Saint John Cantius, Priest and Confessor
by VP
Posted on Sunday October 20, 2024 at 01:00AM in Saints
"St. John Cantius born at Kenty, a market-town in the diocese of Cracow, he was raised up by Providence to keep alight the torch of faith and the flame of Christian charity during the 15th century in Poland. He obtained all the academical degrees at the University of Cracow, where he taught for several years.
Ordained a priest, he offered every day the Holy Sacrifice to appease heavenly justice, for he was deeply afflicted by the offenses of men against God."
Source: Daily Missal with Vespers for Sundays and Feasts, by Rev. Fr. Gaspar Lefebvre, 1925
"He was born at Kenti in Poland, of a consular family, and of pious parents. From his very infancy he gave promise of great virtue by the sweetness of his temper, his innocence, and the seriousness of his behavior. After going through regular courses of philosophy and theology, he received the degree of doctor. In his lectures, he not only enlightened the minds of his hearers, but inflamed them with devotion, thus at the same time teaching and doing. He was eminent both for learning and piety; and frequently favored with the gift of miracles. Being ordained priest, he remitted nothing of his studies, while his desire of Christian perfection increased. Always grieving deeply to see God offended, he was solicitous to appease his divine majesty by daily offering up the holy sacrifice of the Mass, with many tears.
A fire having broken out in the town of Cracow, he announced that it would immediately cease; but that it was a chastisement for the sins of the people, and that if they did not amend their lives it would break out again, and make great devastation. Both events followed his predictions. Whatever time the saint could spare from his studies, while he taught in the university, he gave partly to benefit the souls of his neighbors, particularly by holy conferences,—but especially to prayer, in which he is recorded to have been favored with heavenly visions and communications. He was so devout to the Passion of our Savior, that he sometimes spent whole nights in meditating upon it. To avoid the honors intended for him, he absented himself more than once from the scene of his labors. With this view, he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, in the dress of a poor man, where, burning with the desire of martyrdom, he would even preach Christ crucified to the infidels. He also made four pilgrimages to Rome. In one of these journeys he was robbed, and being asked by the robbers, if he had any more money, he said he had not; but afterwards recollecting that he had some more sewed up in his cloak, he called after the robbers, and offered it to them. But they not only refused it, but restored what they had already taken from him.
He was severe to himself, and indulgent to others. He often parted with his own clothes and shoes for the relief of the poor. He slept but little, and lay upon the ground: and preserved the purity of his
soul by wearing rough sackcloth, by disciplines, and severe fasting.
After a holy preparation for death, and distributing all he had to the poor, he died in the year 1473, in the seventieth year of his age: and many miracles were wrought by his intercession." The Catholic Year by Fr. John Gother
Prayer to God to save the Church by Sanctifying His priests who have fallen away
O God, our Lord, we obey without delay
to Thy gracious invitation to pray. Encouraged by Thy desire, we worship
at your sacred feet, crying out to Thee for our guilty priests. Deign
to be reminded, Lord, that Thy priestly Body is Thy crown of
predilection, the splendor of Thy glory, the chosen part of Thy
heritage.
We implore Thee to arm Thyself with holy indignation
against Satan, who dared to plant the banner of sin in Thy own
sanctuary, and to chase him away in shame from Thy solemnly dedicated
domain.
What would it cost Thee, O Lord, to turn the most
hardened hearts into penitents? Only one simple glance at Peter was
enough to retrieve him from the abyss of a three times apostasy; would
it cost Thee more to touch and convert those who have had the misfortune
to imitate his weakness?
O Jesus, our King and Pontiff, we
beseech Thee on behalf of Mary, Thy Mother and ours, save the Church,
save Thy faithful, save Thy blessed honor, by saving priests! Amen.
Saint John Cantius, pray for our Bishop and priests!
