St. Faustina

Being an eighties baby, (as well as Polish on my mother’s side) John Paul II was THE pope for my generation. While we love and adore Benedict, the magnitude of love that JPII professed in his vocation was without a doubt one of the best examples of how to love as Christ loved. But instead of talking about the wonderful Karol Wojtyła, today I want to talk about the quiet saint through whom John Paul II brought us the wonderful Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Sr. Maria Faustina Kowalska.

Divine Mercy Sunday is the second Sunday of Easter, a holiday the late John Paul II established in 2000 in honor of St. Faustina’s mystic visions of Christ in the 1930s in her native Poland.

Called to be a nun at an early age, Sr. Faustina was visited by Christ multiple times, asked to spread to mercy of God to the people around her. One of the visions we know quite well is the painting of our Lord with His right hand raised, a stream of blood and water coming from His heart, and the words “Jesus, I trust in You” written underneath. Sr. Faustina instructed an artist to paint for her the portrait of Christ, but I remember reading (and I can’t find the source right now) any artist’s rendition was never quite as magnificent as her vision.

From the diary of Sr. Faustina (which, in of itself is quite remarkable, considering her limited knowledge of writing due to not many years of education), we learn about the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, a prayer said using Rosary beads, the words of which Christ promised will grant mercy to those at the hour of their death. According to Sr. Faustina’s diary, the Chaplet prayers are threefold: obtaining mercy, trusting in Christ’s mercy, and showing mercy to others.

Thank you to this wonderful saint for bringing us the words of God in such a beautiful prayer!

(To say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, start with the Sign of the Cross, then say the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Apostles’ Creed. On the Our Father beads of the Rosary, say the first part of the prayer. On the ten Hail Mary beads that follow, say the second part of the prayer. After five decades, say the third and fourth part of the prayer three times.)

“1. Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, of your dearly beloved Son Our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world.

2. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

3. Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One,

4. Have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Amen.”

The Mother of Simple Love

Perhaps the most well known "saint" of the 20th century, although she's only beatified at this point, is Blessed Mother Theresa. This tiny nun touched the world with her wit, her strength, but more than anything with Christ's love. To me, the most inspirational aspect of her ministry, is that she didn't dream of impacting the world, her goal was to "do small things with great love."

Mother Theresa went about her life, LOVING. She loved the poor, the hungry, the sick, the unlovable, in the eyes of so many. She did this despite a dark night of the soul where she did not feel God's love or joy, yet she filled so many with the love and joy of Christ because she persevered in letting her actions show it. There is so much to learn and take from her example, particularly when we live in a country that is so rich in physical means, but so poor in spirit. Let us remember her words:

"We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do."

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked, and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."

"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person."

"Each one of them is Jesus in disguise."

"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." (this quote was what inspired my devotion to Blessed Mother Theresa)

Her words are so simple, yet drenched in wisdom. I encourage you to keep her in mind this lent, and try to remember to smile at everyone you encounter throughout your day. If you have nothing nice to say, smile, and if you feel sad, do an act of charity. Do not just give alms, give of yourself.

St. Radegonde

The last time I saw my sister's Mother Superior, she said to me "When you go back to the States, you must spread word of St. Radegonde. No one knows about her."

Realizing "Hey - you know this great saint, St. Radegonde..." wasn't the best conversation starter, I immediately thought that I would have to name a child after her. Funny that it didn't occur to me that Radegonde doesn't make for the best child's name either.

But six years later, I find myself explaining who Radegonde is, how to pronounce her name correctly, and yes, that my daughter's middle name is after a dragon slayer.

A dear friend of mine visited my sister's convent for a while and would send out Europe Updates. Of all the descriptions of St. Radegonde's life, I still love her's the best. So below is my friend's Life of St. Radegonde...

"I guess you need some background on St. Radegonde before you can really appreciate this story. Radegonde was the queen of the Franks in the middle of the sixth century, but she was not happy about it. If you remember from your history class, the first Christian king of the Franks was Clovis. He had two sons who became kings after his death. Unfortunately, these sons did not appreciate the whole "God is Love" aspect of the gospels, and they went about burning and pillaging lands bordering their kingdom. They invaded Thuringia (now in Germany), killed the king, and captured his two young children, ten-year-old Radegonde and her little brother. Many years passed. When King Clotaire's wife died, he decided that he wanted to marry Radegonde. After being caught trying to run away, Radegonde eventually was forced to marry the king. (Side note: Would YOU want to marry the guy who killed your father? I don't think I would find that kind of guy attractive, personally.) Anyway, Radegonde used her position and wealth to feed the local poor, tend the local sick, and plead for poor souls who were unjustly imprisoned. She would also spend her nights kneeling on the cold stone floor of her bedroom and doing penances.
This went on for a while until the already unattractive King Clotaire cold-bloodedly assassinated his beloved wife's only surviving relative, her little brother. Hint to all men: This is NOT a good way to keep your wife from running away from you, as Clotaire found out. Radegonde ran to the local bishop and gained his permission to leave her husband and join the monastic life. Clotaire was forced to agree to this after one day, after the newly planted oat stalks in the field through which Radegonde was fleeing grew to be over five feet tall, hiding Radegonde from the view of the king.
After this all happened, Radegonde settled in Poitiers, where the king gave her the land to found a monastery, L'Abbaye de Saint-Croix, which I think was on the same piece of land that the convent I am at right now is on, but it was bigger. Now, the part of the original abbey that is left is a curious rock formation that is just off one of the main streets here. Radegonde spent her days praying, taking care of the local sick, and bringing stability to the kingdom by making peace between her two stepsons, who had become kings after their father died. When she died, she was buried in a church named Sainte-Marie-hors-les-murs, which eventually became called St. Radegonde's because so many people went to visit her tomb there. You can actually still go visit her sarcophagus, which is right underneath the altar.
Back to the legend, the story has it that there was a dragon named la Grande Goule that lived in the area around the monastery. This dragon was especially villified because it would eat all the young nuns who ventured out alone after dark. Not good. So, one day, St. Radegonde left the monastery in search of the evil dragon and killed it, thereby winning the admiration of her fellow nuns and of the townspeople.
Side note: The skeptics among you might be thinking "This story is stupid. There are no such things as dragons." Well, have you ever seen the movie Dragonheart? I remember being forced to watch it in the bus taking us to the fateful honors retreat my freshman year of college. I was sitting next to my new buddy Clare, and we were both appalled by the film's lack of, well, anything that makes a movie good. Anyway, the movie puts out the theory that dragons did exist, and that the last dragon was actually a selfless creature who just wanted to help out humanity. The point is: Some weird people do think that dragons existed.
Actually, the real point is that whether or not the story is literally true really makes no difference. It just means that if God would give anyone the strength to kill a nun-eating dragon, he would give it to St. Radegonde because she was so holy.
These days, the Grande Goule is that local den of debauchery, the discothèque, which is found right across the street from the Church of St. Radegonde. I personally would feel very satisfied if the body of St. Radegonde rose up, walked across the street, and put the fear of God into the proprietors of the discothèque, but it probably won't happen."

St. Monica

I first read about St. Monica going into my first year of university and was absolutely blown away by her story. She was the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, who’s also an inspiring saint for me (but that’s another blog post). Funny enough, the name “Monica” runs in my family; my sister was named Monica (my dad named her), and my paternal grandmother’s middle name was also Monica.

What’s inspirational about St. Monica is her devotion to prayer, and her incredible patience while waiting for God to change the heart of her (then) pagan son, Augustine. The wife of Patritius, an official in present-day Algeria, and also a pagan, Monica endured a rather lonely Christian life. She made use of it by devoting her time to prayer for the conversion of her husband and son. God’s will was definitely to see those two men become spiritual leaders in the family: Patritius converted to Christianity before his death, and her son went to be a scholar for the Church and then a saint. (The story of St. Augustine is a wonderful story that always lifts me, knowing that there’s always hope for people we think might be beyond hopeless. We can’t forget that!)

As someone who struggles with patience almost daily, St. Monica is a good saint to celebrate and learn about. Imagine, years of praying for the same person to change his or her ways, to find Christ, when after years and years it seems to be getting more and more hopeless. I know true love knows no boundaries, but I truly can’t imagine the doubt she would have been up against throughout those trying years. Compounded with her unhappy marriage to Patritius (abuse and adultery in tow), it would have been quite the difficult life, and years of looking at someone without change would have been daunting.

Now imagine her celebration and joy when those men in her lonely Christian life found refuge in God.

Incredible!

Thank you, St. Monica, for praying for your husband and son!

The Mother of the Mother of God

A saint who, to me, defines Beauty is the mother of the most beautiful woman to ever exist. Not only did Mary likely resemble her own mother physically, but she was the one who formed her, taught her, and nurtured her. As a wife and mother, I look to St. Anne because she had a holy marriage, as her husband is also a saint, and she raised a saint. When I think of my personal spiritual goals, that's it: for my husband, my children and I to all become the saints God wants us to be. The best way to achieve that, is for me to be a saint...no pressure ;-)

St. Anne participated in the immaculate conception, although she herself, was not conceived without sin. God saw her as a worthy vessel for the most perfect human being ever created. She housed Mary in her womb, and then housed her in her home, preparing her for that fiat that brought our Savior into the world. St. Anne was just like us. We are just as capable as she was of raising saints, of building holy marriages, and of personal sanctity. She was beautiful because she was the woman God wanted her to be, and I bet, considering how beautiful Mary has been reported to be, by those she's appeared to, St. Anne was physically beautiful as well.

So if you are a wife & mother, don't forget this beautiful woman who lived her vocation to the fullest. And if you are a Grandma, remember to pray to St. Anne all the more, because she's Jesus's Grandma!

St. Pelagia

"Who?"
That's what the bishop who confirmed me said as I approached him and he asked me what name I was taking.

There are actually many accounts of a St. Pelagia it turns out, and many possible feast days. Here's the story of my St. Pelagia (apparently also known as Margaret):

Pelagia was a beautiful and wealthy pagan actress who gave up all of her wealth when she was walking by a church and heard a homily about the Judgement Day given by St. Nonnus. She instantly repented and begged St. Nonnus for baptism. He said the only way for her to be baptized was for her to renounce her profession (during the 5th centtury in Antioch actors were not allowed to be a part of the Church because...well let's just say it was a very dirty profession) and start catechism classes with Blessed Romana, who would later become her godmother. Very soon afterwords she desired to do penance for the horrible life she had led and received a brown habit from St. Nonnus. Then she visited the Holy Sepulcher and all the places where Jesus visited during the passion. She built herself a house on Mount Olive and became a hermittess. People called her "the beardless monk" and it was only after her death that they realized she was a woman. A little tomb was built for her and centuries later people started making pilgrimages there. Stories say that whoever visited her tomb was held there by invisible bonds stronger than any human could ever make until they confessed every sin they'd committed.

Her feast day is October 8.

St. Pelagia, pray for us!

Confirmation Saint - Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha 1656 – 1680 (died at 24)

I was confirmed in June of ’98 along with my classmates at St. Clement Roman Catholic Elementary School. Growing up in a Catholic household, and seeing the older students ahead of me going through the rite of Confirmation, I had been thinking about which saint to choose as my patron and representation when the time came. Initially, I was taken by the story of St. Joan of Arc, being strong and faithful to God when the mores of society were against her, her young life, her martyrdom, her strength and her place in a period of European history, which fascinated me as a girl.

But my father had a different idea. I was his first-born, so none of his other daughters had gone through Confirmation just yet. We were alike in many ways, which included a strong fascination of our own Canadian history, especially from the Southern Ontario region. This area is well-known for its First Nations Peoples (“Native Americans” as they'd be known in the States), the Ojibwa and the Mohawk tribes’ histories prominent in local storytelling and art. Not being of First Nations descent, this culture fascinated both of us, and we shared this passion by visiting Martyr Shrine in Midland, Ontario, where there is an adjacent First Nations fort kept intact for history buffs and tourists. We also vacationed yearly to Lake Huron, on the outskirts of First Nations reservations, and would take long walks on the beach together towards the limits of our land.

I don’t remember how it came about, but it was my dad who recommended I take Blessed Kateri’s name as my confirmation name, and the saint as my patron. Since her name was the Mohawk translation of my own, it worked well, and it would mean a lot to him and me, considering our shared passion.

And so I did. I learned about Blessed Kateri and her patronage for the environment, which seemed appropriate, my dad being the gardener he was. I was happy and honored to announce to the bishop on the day of my confirmation that I would take the name Kateri as an adult in the Church, and so I was baptized with the Holy Spirit as Kateri.

The strange – or wonderful – thing about this very meaningful decision is that well after my dad passed away at age 50, I discovered another one of Blessed Kateri’s patronages: Patron of those who have lost parents.

It’s unlikely my dad knew about that patronage.

But thank God for that gift of this beautiful saint praying for me from the time I chose her at age thirteen to today, five and a half years after the passing of my dad, who felt called to suggest her for me. 

Please pray for this wonderful woman's canonization!

St. Jane Frances de Chantal

I cannot say that I am completely proud of how I chose my confirmation Saint.  At the time, I saw it as another "homework" assignment to check-off my to-do list.  There was nothing prayerful about it at all.  I literally googled "St. Chantal", and despite discovering that no St. Chantals have been canonized (yet), I ended up finding St. Jane Frances de Chantal.  From there I quickly filled out the information on my worksheet, turned it in, and did not think much of it for quite some time.


College was when I began to dig deeper into my belief in Catholicism, and it was then that I started look to the Saints for their example and their prayers.  I quickly learned that God had provided with an amazing spiritual companion for my faith journey. 


One of my favorite things about St. Jane Frances de Chantal is that she was a wife to a Baron and mother of six (two of her children died in infancy).  Knowing that she experienced the marriage vocation encourages me to turn to her in prayer often, especially when I am struggling with day-to-day challenges.  Like many other Saints, St. Jane also had a great love for the poor, and was known around her community for her generosity.


St. Jane's husband was killed during a tragic hunting accident when she was only twenty-eight.  Although her husband forgave the man who killed him minutes before he died, Jane was very heartbroken and struggled with forgiveness for a long time.  She took small steps daily, until she reached true forgiveness.  She ended up loving the hunter so completely, that she became godmother to his child!  If you ever struggle with forgiving someone, St. Jane is a wonderful saint to pray to for strength.


Saint Frances de Sales became Jane's spiritual director.  She greatly desired to become a nun, but he convinced her to defer this until her responsibilities as a mother had been met.  Eventually, with Frances de Sales' support Jane founded the Visitation order for women who were rejected by other orders due to advanced age, poor health, or being widowed.  Soon after she underwent much suffering during a plague in France, as her children and St. Francis de Sales died, but she cared for the sick and continued to follow God's will for her life.


By the time Saint Jane Frances de Chantal died in 1641, at the age of 69, there were 86 convent houses in her order.  When she died, St. Vincent de Paul saw her soul rise up, like a ball of fire, to heaven.


"Should you fall even fifty times a day, never on any account should that surprise or worry you. Instead, ever so gently set your heart back in the right direction and practice the opposite virtue, all the timespeaking words of love and trust to our Lord after you have committed a thousand faults, as much as if you had committed only one. Once we have humbled ourselves for the faults God allows us to become aware of in ourselves, we must forget them and go forward."- Saint Jane Frances de Chantal


Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, Pray for us!

St. Elizabeth of Hungary - A Real Princess

While I was completely unformed when I chose my confirmation saint, and admittedly, just liked the name Elizabeth, God knew what He was doing when He sent St. Elizabeth of Hungary to be my patroness. I had no desire then to become a nurse, but 6 years later, when I decided I was going to apply to nursing school, and was looking up the patron saint of nurses, low and behold, there she was!

She has an inspiring story, as most saints do, and is particularly appealing to young girls, because she was a princess. She was betrothed at a young age and sent to live with her future in-laws to be raised alongside her future husband. He actually died before they were married, so she was married to his younger brother. She grew up a very pious child, as her husband's family was also very religious. They had a happy, holy marriage, and he very much supported her desire to serve the poor. It is said that he often held her hands while she prayed at his bedside. They had 3 children. She gave generously, and spent much of her time serving the poor, and ill. One year, while her husband was off fighting in a war, she built a 28 bed hospital to care for the sick, and fed 900 people daily.

Sadly, when she was only 20, 6 years after she was married, and 3 weeks after her 3rd child was born, she received the news that her husband had been killed in battle. She cried out, "The world with all its joys is now dead to me." While devastated, she remained faithful, and became a 3rd order of St. Francis. She continued to serve the poor, and as her children were sent to be raised by other family members (given some strain in the royal family), she devoted herself completely to the care of the sick. She died at the young age of just 24, and was canonized within 3 years of her death.

The thing that struck me most while reading her biography recently, was her uniformity with God's will, in her daily life, and her desire to be a saint. She was about little mortifications, faithful prayer, and detachment from material goods. This aided her in accepting great tragedies, and the smaller moments that didn't go her way. She also accepted the leadership of her husband and spiritual directors humbly. She had one spiritual director who was said the be so harsh, he would at times inflict physical penance, but he was the biggest propagator of her cause for canonization after her death, and said she had such a desire to grow in holiness. This struck me in particular because when the leaders in our lives are trying to lead us, our job is to ask ourselves, "Is what they're saying true?" Even if we don't like the way it feels, is it going to lead us to greater sanctity? St. Elizabeth of Hungary is one beautiful example of this humble love for Christ and fervor for sanctity.

For full bio, click here: St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Confirmation Saint-St. Victoria

When choosing my confirmation saint I didn't really know what I was doing. I was going through RCIA and the deacon told my class to pick a saint....that was it. I didn't really know anything about saints so I borrowed a book of saints from a friend and found a saint name that I liked....St. Victoria.

St. Victoria lived in the 3rd century. She was engaged to marry pagan nobleman, Eugenius. Her sister, Anatolia, was also engaged to be married to Titus Anrelius but refused to marry him because she had experienced a vision where she was told "Virginity is an immense treasure of the King of kings." Victoria saw the example Anatolia showed of the spiritual advantages to consecrated virginity and broke her engagement to Eugenius in order to consecrate herself to God. Both girls were imprisoned and martyred for their faith by their suitors. One guard, seeing the girls' unfailing faith, was converted and martyred also. St. Victoria's feast day is December 23rd.

I am so happy to learn about these amazing women, their constant desire to serve our Lord and their sacrifice. I am hoping that this Lenten Season can be a time of sacrifice and prayer for me. There is not much known about St. Victoria but I am glad that I chose her for my confirmation saint and got to do the research on her for my post this week!

A Neat Guide for Lent

GUIDE TO MAKING A SPIRITUALLY PROFITABLE LENT IN
PREPARATION FOR THE PROPER CELEBRATION OF EASTER
http://www.catholictradition.org/Passion/lent2.htm

The Lenten discipline consists of three separate parts:

1. Corporal or External Fast, including the abstinence from certain
foods, drinks, and amusements, i.e. music, and parties during Lent.

These points of fast should be stressed today especially with the
mania for entertainment besetting our society;

2. Spiritual or Internal Fast which consists of abstinence from all evil----sin.

Saint John Chrysostom taught that the "value of fasting consists not
so much in abstinence from food but rather in withdrawal from sinful
practices."

And Saint Basil the Great explains: "Turning away from all wickedness
means keeping our tongue in check, restraining our anger, suppressing
evil desires, and avoiding all gossiping and swearing. To abstain from
these things----herein lies the true value of fast!"

3. Spiritual Change achieved by the practice of virtues and good works
must be the main
objective of our fasting.

The Fathers of the Church insisted that during Lent the faithful
attend the Lenten church services and daily Mass.

In the course of the centuries, our fasting discipline has undergone
numerous and radical changes. Today, unfortunately, the observance of
Lent is but mere formalism, reduced to abstinence on certain days and
without any stress on one's spiritual growth or the amending of one's
life style.

It is urgent that we return to the pristine spirit of the Great Fast
which is so badly needed in our materialistic world.

Listed below are suggested practices that may be used along with your
usual Lenten family traditions of sacrifices and penances.

Corporal or External Practices:

* Take less of what you like and more of what you dislike at meals today.

* Take nothing to drink between meals.

* Do not use seasoning on your food today.

* Do not use any sweeteners with your food or drinks today.

* Avoid listening to the radio at all today.

* Take nothing to eat between meals today.

* Avoid any TV or videos; instead read the Passion of Christ in
your Bible or Missal.

* Take on!y one helping of each item at meals today.

* Say an extra Rosary.

Spiritual or Internal Fast Practices:

* Don't do any unnecessary talking; instead, say little aspirations

throughout the day.

* Exercise your patience today in all things.

* Don't make any complaints today.

* Restrain any anger, and go out of your way to be kind to the person
* who caused your anger.

* Don't be distracted with someone else's business.

* Avoid any gossip today. Instead say an extra Rosary to overcome
this great fault.

When asked to do something extra do so with a joyful and pleasant
attitude today.

* Speak in a pleasant tone to everyone today.

* Avoid using the phone today.

* Tell the truth in all your dealings today.

* Avoid any vanity or self-seeking today.

Spiritual Practices: [virtues and good works]

* Practice humility today in all your actions.

* Be generous today; help someone in need.

* Look for ways to be helpful throughout the day.

* Do a job that needs to be done without being asked.

* Be courageous; walk away from any impure situations today.

* Don't be at all idle today. Always be doing something for others
or for your spiritual growth.

* Go out of your way today to help or talk to someone who is
usually difficult.

* Volunteer for an extra job today.

* Say an extra Rosary today for the conversion of a sinner.

* Visit someone who is sick or lonesome today. Offer to say the
Rosary with them.

Starting next week... Six Weeks of Saints

To bring inspiration to our daily lives during this season of Lent, we’ll be posting on Catholic saints over the next six weeks, starting next week.

Stop by on Monday, as we celebrate Six Weeks of Saints:


Week 1: Our Confirmation Saints and why we love them

Week 2: Favorite Female Saints who Define Beauty

Week 3: 20^th and 21^st century Saints

Week 4: Saints who have inspired us

Week 5: Inspirational Martyrs

Week 6: For Holy Week, Saints that played a part in the Passion

Have a wonderful Lent!