Our Lady

 Thank you for following my Saint posts this November. I will be taking the rest of the month off to spend time with family, so this will be my last post for this month. 

In the 10+ years that I have been posting my "Saintly November" posts, I have not showcased Our Blessed Mother. On the one hand, she seems like "low hanging fruit" since most Catholics know much about her from Scripture and Church Teaching. She seems to be so easily accessible. On the other hand, what most of think we know about Our Lady barely scratches the surface. Can we hope to understand those things that she treasured and contemplated in the depths of her heart? She has appeared to many people over the centuries in all parts of the world and is honored under more titles that I can list. But, since I am cutting you short on this month's posts, today I will give you a brief taste of the Virgin Mother that I met on my pilgrimage to Rome.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Pontifical North American College

The Immaculate Conception - Pontifical North American College

Our Lady of Humility - Pontifical North American College

Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church) - St. Peter's Square

Mater Peregrinorum (Mother of Pilgrims) - St. Peter's Basilica

Apse Mosaic in St. Mary Major - Mary being crowned by Jesus

Salus Populi Romani (Protectress of the Roman People) - St. Mary Major

Madonna and Child - St. Mary Major

Queen of Peace - St. Mary Major

Maria Madre Della Chiesa (Mary Mother of the Church) - St. John Lateran

Rosary Procession - St. Peter's Square

Madonna and Child fresco - Basilica of San Clemente

Piccolomini Altarpiece - Siena Duomo

Nativity - Sacristy of the Basilica of St. Dominic, Siena

The Immaculate Conception - The Vatican Museum

Mary as a child with St. Ann - Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore

Our Lady, Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Church, Pray for us.

St. Dominic

 All this month I have been trying to use the pictures of statues, mosaics and pictures that I took in Rome as a starting point for my posts. I'm finding that I may have not taken enough pictures (shocker!). The picture for today is not a statue, mosaic or painting. It is a church - specifically the Basilica of St. Dominic in Siena.

St. Dominic was born in Caleruega, Spain in 1170. His parents were members of the Spanish Nobility. A common legend says that his mother had a dream while she was pregnant with him, she dreamt that a dog leapt from her womb with a torch in its mouth. The animal "seemed to set the earth on fire." His parents then named him Dominic - a play on the words Domini and canis, "the Lord's Dog" in Latin.

Dominic was educated in Palencia with a concentration on theology and the arts. He was an exemplary student. In 1191, a famine spread across Spain leaving many desolate and homeless. Dominic sold all he had, including the manuscripts he needed for his studies, to buy food for the poor. 

Dominic joined a Benedictine order in 1194. By 1201, he had become their prior. In 1203, he joined his Bishop, Diego de Acebo, on a trip to Denmark to find a bride for Crown Prince Ferdinand. The young woman in question died before she could return with them to Spain. This left the pair free to travel where they would. They went to Rome. Bishop Diego wanted to petition the pope to be permitted to resign his office and pursue a mission to convert unbelievers. Pope Innocent III did not want them to travel to distant lands filled with unbelievers but to go to Southern France where the Albigensian heresy was flourishing. He sent the pair to preach to the heretics and return them to the true faith.

The austerity and personal self-discipline of Dominic and Diego appealed to many of the heretics and their preaching started to have an impact. Dominic recognized the need for a physical institution to preserve the gains he made. The nobility needed a place to educate their children, and Catholic women needed a safe place. He established a convent at Prouille in 1206, which would become the first Dominican house. According to legend, St. Dominic received the Rosary during a period of prayer at the Abbey of Prouille in an apparition of the Virgin Mary.

Although several prominent people of the time petitioned for Dominic to be made a Bishop, he refused every attempt at promotion. Instead, he remained steadfast to establish an order dedicated to promoting morality and the expulsion of heresy. His order was established in 1215 with six followers. They established a rule of life including discipline, prayer and penance. They founded schools and traveled the countryside preaching. The order was confirmed in 1216 and Pope Honorius III dubbed it "The Order of Preachers."

After a life of prayer, preaching and spreading his order across Europe, Dominic died at the age of 51. His feast day is August 8. St. Dominic, pray for us.

St. Tabitha

 I was with my sewing buddies this evening working on a little project for the parish, and we ran into some "sticky" issues. So of course we needed the intercession of a special patron saint. There are many Saints who are patrons of the needle arts, but there is one that stood out to me today.

St. Tabitha was a member of the early Christian church in Joppa, a port city in modern-day Israel. Her name means "female gazelle" in Aramaic (the Greek form of the name is Dorcas). In Chapter 9 of the Acts of the Apostles, she is described as a beloved member of the Christian community. She was known for her good works and acts of mercy, specifically by sewing clothes for the poor.

When she died, the widows of the community mourned her and sent urgently for the Leader of the Christians, St. Peter, who was in nearby Lydda. As evidence of her charity, they showed him the clothes Tabitha had made for them. Peter prayed for her, and she was brought back to life.

Tabitha did eventually pass on again at the house of Simon the tanner in Joppa. She was buried in what are now the gardens of an Orthodox Church in Jaffa, where her tomb can still be visited. Her feast day is October 25.

St. Tabitha, pray for us.

Pope Saint Paul VI

Saint Paul VI was the pope at the time that I was born, so he was my first pope, although I don't remember being aware of anything to do with the papacy until the conclave that elected John Paul I. 

Born Giovanni Battista Montini in 1897 in Northern Italy, he was educated primarily at hoe because of poor health. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1920 and was then sent by his bishop to Rome for advanced studies. He was eventually recruited for the Vatican diplomatic service. He was assigned to the staff of the apostolic nunciature in Warsaw, but ill health brought him back to Rome, where he worked at the Vatican Secretariate of State. He remained there in posts of increasing importance for more than 30 years. He never had an assignment as a parish priest.

Montini was named a Cardinal by Pope John XXIII in 1958. As a Cardinal, he took part in the first part of the Second Vatican Council, though he did not engage much in the floor debates. The first period of the council adjourned in December 1962, having made little progress. When John XXIII died the following June, Cardinal Montini was chosen to succeed him. He chose the name Paul VI in honor of Paul the Apostle. The day after his election he announced that the council would continue under his pontificate and that it would be his "chief work."

Pope Paul VI was the last pope to have a coronation (Pope John Paul I substituted an inauguration). He was the first to visit six continents, the first to travel by airplane, visit the Holy Land on pilgrimage and the first in a century to travel outside of Italy. He earned the nickname "the Pilgrim Pope."

Paul VI enacted many reforms of the papacy and the Church, developed Catholic theology and wrote many encyclicals. He may be best remembered for the encyclical Humanae vitae (Of human life), which was prophetic in many ways.

On Sunday, August 6, 1978, the pope, having been experiencing breathing problems, participated in Sunday Mass for the Feast of the Transfiguration from his bed. After receiving communion, he suffered a massive heart attack. He lived for three more hours before entering into his final rest. He had been pope for 15 years. His feast day is May 29.

Pope Saint Paul VI, pray for us.

St. Francis of Paola

 Back to my time in Rome tonight with another Saint that I found lurking in the background of one of my pictures. I'm trying to keep with the Rome theme, but I'm running short on Saints that I got pictures of. 

Francis of Paola was born in 1416 in Paola, Kingdom of Naples, to parents who were poor, pious and hardworking people. They prayed to St. Francis of Assisi for his intercession to have a son and so named their son after him. At 13, he was placed in a convent of Franciscan Friars where he learned to read. From that time, he abstained from wearing linen and eating meat. After a year, he opted to withdraw and live in solitude. He remained alone for about 6 years, devoting himself to prayer and self-mortification. 

When he was 20, Francis was joined by two other devoutly inclined persons. This marked the beginning of the religious order The Hermits of St. Francis of Assisi. The rule was formally approved by Pope Alexander VI in 1474, who also changed the name of the order to Minims (i.e. the "least of all the faithful.")

When King Louis XI of France was terminally ill, he sent to beg Francis to visit him. Francis travelled to the king's side and was with him as he died. He then became a tutor of the heir, Charles VIII, who retained him at court. The regard that Charles VIII held for Francis was shared by his successor, Louis XII. Francis was now eager to return to Italy, but the kings of France insisted that he remain there. He never left France.

Francis' life was marked by many miracles and acts of wonder. On one occasion, when there was a house fire with the occupants trapped inside, Francis walked into the blaze. Moments later, to everyone's amazement, he emerged with every single occupant safe and unharmed. Despite being surrounded by fire, his robes remained untouched and his body unscathed. He is sometimes known as "Francis the Fire Handler."

On Holy Thursday in 1507, he gathered his community around himself and exhorted them to have mutual charity and not to relax the rigor of their life. The next day, Good Friday, he again assembled them all, gave them his last instructions and passed away at the age of 91. His feast day is April 2.

St. Francis of Paola, pray for us.

St. David

 I am going to move away from Rome for a day and do a post for our newest family member, my new-born nephew, David. I did see a statue of King David in the Basilica of St. Mary Major, but St. David is Welsh, and so is not a prominent figure in Rome.

St. David's birthdate is uncertain, but it was probably around the year 500. He was the grandson of Ceredig ap Cunedda, King of Ceredigion, and the son of St. Non. Legend says that he was born on a clifftop during a fierce storm. The spot is marked by the ruins of Non's Chapel.

There are many legends about St. David, crediting him with many miracles and touting him as a renowned preacher and teacher. He also founded several monasteries, including Glastonbury Abbey. He was known to be a vegetarian and taught his monks to live similarly, drinking only water and eating only bread with salt, herbs and vegetables. His symbol, also the symbol of Wales, is the leek in memory of this teaching.

David died in the presence of his monks, and it is said that the monastery was "filled with angels as Christ received his soul." David is the patron saint of Wales, where his feast day is still celebrated by many people. His feast on March 1 is celebrated by Catholics, Episcopalians and the Church of England. 

St. David, pray for us.

St. Joseph

 All that we know about St. Joseph comes from the Scriptures. He was from the village of Nazareth, a carpenter or builder and was not wealthy (for Jesus' circumcision he offered a pair of turtle doves rather than the required lamb). In spite of the appearance of these humble circumstances, Joseph was of royal linage, being a descendant of King David. 

In Matthew's Gospel, Joseph is seen contemplating sending Mary away quietly after he learns of her pregnancy. He is told by an angel in a dream not to "be afraid" to take Mary into his home. My favorite interpretation of this passage is that Joseph knew that this was not an ordinary pregnancy. He resolves to send Mary away, not because he suspects her of adultery, but because he feels himself unworthy to be in the presence of this pure Temple who carried the living God in her womb. His dream of the Angel reassures him that he has been chosen to be the protector and guardian of this Shrine. 

The last time we see Joseph in the scriptures is at the finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple, where Jesus was sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Luke tells us that Jesus returned to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph and was obedient to them. Joseph is believed to have died in the presence of Jesus and Mary before Jesus began his public ministry. Because of this, he is the patron saint of the dying, particularly of a happy death, because isn't that the way we would all like to end our life.

Joseph is also patron saint of the Universal Church, fathers, workers, carpenters and married people. March 19 is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin; May 1 is the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. St. Joseph, pray for us.