St. Tudwal

Thanks to everyone who has stuck by me through 28 days of Saints (sorry I missed a couple). Your patience and perseverance is appreciated. To give credit where it is due, most of my information is courtesy of Wikipedia and Catholic.org.

For our final Saint of the Month, I have chosen a Saint whose Feast Day is today - St. Tudwal (also known as Tual, Tudgual, Tugdual, Tugual, Pabu, Papu, or Tugdualus (Latin) - so lots of options to give your baby an unusual Saint's name). Tidwal was a sixth century Welsh monk and bishop. He journeyed to Brittany, France, with his mother, sisters and other relatives. The Celtic language of Brittany was easily understood by Welsh speakers. He established a large monastery under the patronage of his cousin, King Deroch of Domnonée. He is considered to be one of the seven founder saints of Brittany.

St. Genevieve

As we approach the end of the month, I'm finding it more difficult to decide how to choose my last few featured Saints. Today, I went to the Catholic Online website and just looked at the popular Saints. I think I found a good one for you.

St. Genevieve was a peasant girl born about 422 in Nanterre, France. When she was seven, St. Germanus, Bishop of Auxerre visited her hometown on his way to Britain. The young girl stood among a crowd of people flocking around the holy man to receive his blessing when the Bishop singled her out and predicted her future of sanctity. Encouraged by Germanus, Genevieve devoted herself to a life of prayer, devotional practices and acts of penance. At the age of 15, she became a nun.

After the death of her parents, Genevieve moved to Paris to live with her grandmother. There she became admired for her piety, devotion and acts of charity. Geneviève had frequent visions of heavenly saints and angels. She reported her visions and prophecies, until her enemies conspired to drown her in a lake of fire. Bishop Germanus intervened on her behalf and their animosity was overcome.

The Bishop of Paris appointed her to oversee the welfare of the consecrated virgins. By her instruction and example she led them to a high degree of sanctity. When Attila and his army of Huns came upon Paris, the Parisian Christians were prepared to run, but Genevieve spoke to them and convinced them to stay within their homes, fast and pray to the Lord. She assured them they would have the protection of Heaven. Her prediction came true as Attila suddenly changed his path and turned away from Paris.

Genevieve died at the age of 89. Her feast day is January 3 and she is one of the Patron Saints of Paris.

Priscilla and Aquila

On my drive home from a late meeting tonight, I was trying to think of a Saint whose story would be meaningful, but brief as it is already late. St. Priscilla came to mind - which actually gives us a two-fer as her husband, Aquila, is also recognized as a Saint.

Aquila and Priscilla (or Prisca) were a first century Jewish married couple. They were living in Rome, but fled that city when Emperor Claudius forbade Jews to live there. They relocated to Corinth, where they met and befriended St. Paul the Apostle. The couple were tent makers, as was St. Paul, and he lived and worked with them during his stay in Corinth. They are among the earliest converts to Christianity, but it is unclear whether they were converted by Paul or were already Christians when he met them.

Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned six times in four different books of the New Testament. They are always named together as a couple - 3 times with Aquila mentioned first and 3 with Priscilla's name first. They are credited with providing a presence that strengthened the early Christian Churches. They even started out to accompany Paul when he proceeded to Syria, but stopped at Ephesus in the Roman province of Asia, now part of modern Turkey.

According to the Roman Martyrology, the couple suffered martyrdom in Asia Minor. Their Feast day is July 8.

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

On my drive home today, the speaker on the radio made reference to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, so I thought she would be a good Saint to feature today.

Margaret was born in Burgundy, France, in 1647. She was sent to the Poor Claires school upon the death of her father when she was eight years old. As a child she was confined to bed for several years with rheumatic fever, Having made a vow to the Blessed Virgin to consecrate herself to religious life, she was healed - it was at this time that she added "Mary" to her given name in recognition of this favor.

Margaret had visions of Jesus from a young age, which she thought was a normal part of the human experience. As a young woman, her family encouraged her to socialize in hopes that she would find a suitable husband. Out of obedience, and believing her youthful vow was not binding, she started to attend balls and social functions. One night, she received another vision of Christ and then renewed her vow.

At the age of 24, she entered a Visitation Convent. In the Monastery she received several private revelations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The visions revealed to her the form of the devotion, the chief features being reception of Holy Communion on the first Friday of each month, Eucharistic adoration during a "Holy hour" on Thursdays, and the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. She was initially discouraged from following the instructions she received in her visions, she was eventually able to convince her Mother Superior. She was unable, however, to convince theologians of the validity of her visions - nor many of her own community. The convent's confessor did find her visions to be genuine and supported her - and eventually the opposition ended when a new superior was elected and devotion to the sacred heart was observed in the monastery. The practice was not officially recognized until 75 years after Margaret Mary's death.

St. Margaret Mary is known as one of the "Saints of the Sacred Heart" along with St. John Eudes, and Blessed Claude La Colombiere (her confessor). Her feast day is October 17.

St. Mateo Correa Magallanes

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe - more commonly known as the Feast of Christ the King. Although the recognition of Christ as King goes back to the Gospels themselves, this feast is a relatively recent addition to the Church's liturgical calendar. Pope Pius XI instituted the feast in response to growing secularism - such as the anti-clerical laws that led to the Cristero War in Mexico. The rallying cry of the Cristeros was "Viva Christo Rey!" (Long live Christ the King!).

With that in mind, today I want to share a little about the Cristero War Martyrs. On May 21, 2000, Pope St. John Paul II canonized a group of 25 saints and martyrs who had died in this conflict. The majority are Priests who were executed for carrying out their ministry despite the suppression under the anti-clerical laws. They share the feast day of May 21.

One of these priests was named Mateo Correa Magallanes. St. Mateo was a member of the Knights of Columbus and was ordained to the priesthood in 1893. As a young priest, he gave First Communion to Miguel Pro, who also became a priest and was later martyred himself.

Fr. Mateo was arrested in 1927 while taking the Blessed Sacrament to a dying woman. Accused of being part of the armed Cristero rebellion, he was imprisoned. On February 5, 1927, Fr. Mateo was asked by General Ortiz to hear the confessions of some of the imprisoned Cristeros. After Fr. Mateo administered the sacrament, General Ortiz demanded to know what the prisoners had confessed. Fr. Mateo refused to violate the seal of the confessional. A gun was put to his head and he was threatened with immediate death if he did not comply. He continued to refuse. The next morning, he was taken to the cemetery and shot through the head.

St. Joseph of Cupertino

Tonya Meyer asked for a post on St. Joseph of Cupertino, so this unique saint is our feature guest today.

Joseph's father died before he was born and left the family in debt, forcing Joseph's mother to give birth to Him in a stable. He was apprenticed to his uncle, a shoe maker, at a young age. He felt called to the religious life, but was rejected by two different religious orders because of his lack of education. He then petitioned to be allowed to work for the Friars in t...he stables. The Friars were impressed with their stable hand's piety, so they eventually let him join the order and, in time, he was ordained a priest.

Joseph had been receiving visions since his childhood. As a priest, he would go into extacies during times of deep prayer and actually levitate. The sight of an image of the Blessed Mother or the Blessed Sacrament could cause him to leave the ground and remain suspended for several minutes. Seventy of these episodes were recorded in the last 17 years of his life.

Joseph of Cupertino is the patron Saint of astronauts, aviators, paratroopers and students taking tests. His feast day is September 18.

St. Catherine of Alexandria

Tomorrow is the feast day of St. Catherine of Alexandria. Her relics are kept in a golden sarcophagus in a sixth century monastery built on the supposed site where Moses saw the burning bush.

St. Catherine was blessed with great intellect as well as great beauty. Once, while studying in the great Library of Alexandria, she nodded off and dreamt of a beautiful woman holding a little boy on her lap. The lady asked her son if he would like to marry Catherine. He replied that she was too ugly. Catherine awoke from the dream weeping. A man came to her and asked what was wrong, so she told him her dream. He interpreted that the lady in her dream was the Virgin Mary and the boy was Jesus. He said that Jesus found her ugly because she was unbaptized and her soul was stained with sin.

Catherine proceeded to take instruction in the faith and was baptized. After her baptism, she dreamt of the lady and her son again. In this dream, the Christ Child placed a ring on Catherine's finger as a sigh that she belonged to Him.

In 305, Catherine fell victim to Diocletian's persecution of Christians. She was urged to renounce her faith and countered by offering to defend Christianity in a public debate. She not only confounded her opponents, she converted them. Enraged, the emperor's delegate had Catherine put to death.
She is the patron Saint of libraries and librarians among other things.

St. Gregory Thaumaturgus

I have been asked for the Patron Saint against flooding. I found a few and have chosen to feature St. Gregory Thaumaturgus.

Gregory was born around AD 213 to a wealthy pagan family in Neocaesarea in what is now Turkey (appropriately for a Thanksgiving post). Little is known of his pastoral work and his theological writings are incomplete, but his immemorial title Thaumaturgus, "the wonder-worker" in Latinized Greek, casts an air of legend about him.

Gregory first learned about Christianity around the age of 14 from the legendary scholar Origen. After many years of study under Origen, he returned home with the intention of practicing law, but his plans were interrupted when he was consecrated Bishop of his native Ceasarea. He began his episcopate with only seventeen souls in his flock.Through his missionary zeal, by the time of his death 13 years later, there were reputed to be only seventeen pagans left in the whole town.

As mentioned before, although Gregory was known as "the Wonder-worker", details of the wonders attributed to him are scarce. It is said that he had the charism of healing, he could dry up streams and move tremendous boulders by the commands of his word. Because of this he is patron against earthquakes, desperate causes, floods, forgotten causes, impossible causes, lost causes. His feast day is November 17.

St. Xanthippe and St. Polyxene

So tonight I was struggling with how to choose my next Saint. I started browsing Saints & Angels at Catholic Online trolling for some inspiration and decided to check if any Saints' names begin with the letter 'X', there are two - one I will feature today with her sister.

St. Xanthippe and St. Polyxene were sisters who lived in Spain at the time of the holy Apostles. Legend says they heard the teaching of the Gospel from St. Paul when he preached near their home. Xanthippe and her husband accepted the faith, but Polyxene was still a pagan when a man who was entranced by her beauty forcibly carried her off to Greece. On the ship, she is said to have heard the preaching of St. Peter and come to faith in Christ. Upon her arrival in Greece, she sought protection from the local Christian community. While in hiding among the Christians, she was baptized by the Apostle Andrew and was a witness to his miracles, sufferings and death by crucifixion. After Andrew's martyrdom, Polyxene returned to Spain where she and Xanthippe preached the Good New and converted many pagans to Christianity. Feast day of these first century women is September 23.

St. Mariana de Jesus de Perede

Continuing our travels, we move today to South America - specifically Ecuador.

St. Mariana de Jesus de Perede was born in Quito in 1618, the daughter of Spanish nobility. She was the youngest of eight children and was orphaned at a very young age. She was raised by an older sister and brother-in-law. She was drawn to the spiritual life, but refusing entry into a convent, Mariana was allowed by her sister to live in seclusion in their home, centering her spiritual life on the nearby Jesuit church, where she participated in a number of sodalities.

The Franciscans claimed Mariana as a holy person as she did wear the Franciscan scapulary and sash, but the Jesuits also had a strong influence on her spiritual life as her religious name "de Jesus" indicates. She kept a very strict fast, only taking only about an ounce of dry bread every eight to ten days. The food which miraculously sustained her, according to many witnesses, was the Eucharist alone, which she received every morning. She is said to have been able to predict the future, see distant events, read hearts and cure diseases. During the 1645 earthquakes and subsequent epidemics in Quito, she publicly offered herself as a victim for the city and died shortly thereafter.

St. Mariana's feast day is May 26. She is known as the Lily of Quito and is one of the Patron Saints of Ecuador.

St. Pedro Calungsod

Although many of the best known and most popular Saints are European and many of us in the U.S. love our American Saints, we must not forget that Catholicism is a universal faith and there are Saints from every place that Christianity has taken a hold. To that end, I present a Saint from Asia today.

Saint Pedro Calungsod (spelled Calonsor in Spanish records) was born in the Philippines in 1654. Little is known of his early life - even his actual birthdate and birth place are in dispute. He received basic education at a Jesuit boarding school, mastering the Catechism and learning to communicate in Spanish. In 1668, around the age of 14, Pedro was among the exemplary young catechists that were chosen to accompany Spanish Jesuit Missionaries to the Mariana Islands. Pedro went with the priest Diego San Vitores to Guam to catechize the native people there. Missionary life on the island was difficult, but the mission persevered and many locals were baptized into the faith.

A criminal who was exiled to Guam from Manila started spreading rumors that the water used for baptism was poisonous. As some sickly infants who had been baptized had died, many people believed the rumors and held the missionaries responsible. Searching for a runaway companion, Pedro and Fr. San Vitores came to the village of Tumon, where they learned that the wife of the village chief had given birth to a daughter. The chief, influenced by the rumors, strongly opposed the baptism. Determined to kill the missionaries, the chief left to enlist the help of another villager. While he was away, the two missionaries baptized the baby girl with the consent of her Christian mother. When the chief learned of the baptism, he became even more furious and attacked the missionaries with spears. Witnesses claim that Calungsod could have escaped the attack, but did not desert San Vitores, and both were killed. Pedro Calungsod was 17 years old. His feast day is April 2.

St. Patrick

For my sweet friend who went Home yesterday, our Saint for today is St. Patrick.

The dates of Patrick's life are uncertain. His own writings provide no evidence for dating any more precise than the 5th century generally. This most famous patron and Apostle of Ireland, was born in Roman Britain. His father was a Deacon and his grandfather a Catholic Priest (it was not until the fourth century that the Church in the West issued written regulations regarding Clerical celibacy). Patrick, however, was not an active believer.

At the age of 16, Patrick was kidnapped by Irish pirates who took him to Ireland where he was kept in slavery for six years. In The Confession of Saint Patrick, he wrote that this time in slavery was critical to his spiritual development. He worked as a shepherd and strengthened his relationship with God through prayer eventually leading him to convert to Christianity. After six years in captivity, he heard a voice telling him that he would soon go home and that his ship was ready. He escaped from his master, made his way to the coast and talked his way onto a ship.

After returning home, Patrick had a vision of the Irish people calling to him, "We appeal to you, holy servant boy, to come and walk among us." He studied in Europe and received ordination. Acting on the vision, he returned to Ireland as a missionary. He is known for converting the pagan people of Ireland, baptizing thousands and ordaining priests to lead the new Christian communities.

St. Patrick's feast day is March 17. In addition to being Patron of Ireland, he is also patron of many other places, engineers, paralegals, and is invoked against snakes.

St. Lawrence O'Toole

On the anniversary of my uncle's passing, I have been asked once again to do a post on St. Lawrence. Luckily, there are several Saints by this name. I will share a link to my post from last year at the end of this post for those who may have missed it.

Our Lawrence for today is Lawrence O'Toole (also known as Lorcán Ua Tuathail) who was born in Ireland about 1125. At the age of, his father delivered him up as a hostage to the King of Leinster, who treated the child with great inhumanity, until his father obliged the tyrant to put him in the hands of the Bishop of Glendalough, in the county of Wicklow. Upon the death of the Bishop, who was also the Abbot of the Monastery, Lawrence was made Abbot - He was 26 at the time. A great famine raged during the first four months of his administration. He was well regarded by both the community in Glendalough and its secular neighbours for sanctity and charity to the poor.

Just a few years later, Lawrence was unanimously elected Archbishop of Dublin. In this capacity he was obliged to travel to England to see King Henry II. While approaching the Altar to say mass at the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury, a maniac, who had heard much of his sanctity, and who was led on by the idea of making so holy a man another St. Thomas, struck him a violent blow on the head. Those present thought that Lawrence was mortally wounded, but he soon came to. He asked for some water, blessed it and washed his wound with the Holy Water. The bleeding immediately dried up and he continued with the Mass.

His final journey was to Normandy, again meaning to speak to King Henry. He landed at Le Tréport, Normandy, at a cove named after him, Saint-Laurent. He fell ill and was advised to make his will, to which he replied: "God knows, I have not a penny under the sun to leave anyone." He dies on November 14, 1180 - Nov. 14 is his Feast Day.

Bl. Stanley Rother

For all American Catholic geeks, such as myself, tomorrow is a banner day - the Beatification of Solanus Casey (featured earlier this month). This is stated in the media as the second U.S. born male to be named 'Blessed.' However, I dispute that as Bl. Carlos Manuel Rodríguez Santiago (born in Puerto Rico, 1918 - I did a post on him last year) was beatified by John Paul II in 2001. In case you have forgotten, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and anyone born in PR on or after, April 25, 1898, is a U.S. citizen by birth, making Bl. Carlos the first U.S. born male to be beatified.

(For the record, there is one U.S. born women who is a canonized Saint - St. Kathrine Drexel -- St. Elizabeth Anne Seaton and St. Kateri Tekakwitha were both born in territory that is now part of the U.S., but before the U.S. existed. Another U.S. born woman, Bl. Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, was beatified in 2014).

So, all that being said (sorry for going off track), today I will tell you the story of the actual second U.S. born male to be beatified, Stanley Rother. Stanley was born in 1935 in a small town in Oklahoma. His parents had a farm and he grew up as a typical American farm boy, doing chores and joining the FFA. Upon completing his high school studies, he declared his intention of becoming a priest. He was ordained in 1963 and served as an associate pastor in several parishes around Oklahoma.

In 1968, he requested, and was granted, assignment to a mission in rural Guatemala. At the mission, he went to work to learn Spanish and the Tz’utujil language which was an unwritten and indigenous language. He worked with the locals to teach them how to read and write, supported a radio station on the mission grounds that broadcast lessons in language and mathematics, founded a small hospital, translated the New Testament into Tz'utujil and began the regular celebration of the Mass in Tz'utujil. The Guatemalan civil war reached the area of the mission in 1980 and Fr. Rother witnessed the assassination of several of his parishioners, including his Deacon. He was warned that his life was in danger and he returned to the U.S. in early 1981 to spend time with family and friends. He returned to Guatemala against the advice of his family and Bishop, saying, "Well, a shepherd cannot run from his flock." On the night of July 28, gunmen broke into the rectory and shot the missionary priest. Father Rother was one of 10 priests murdered in Guatemala that year. His feast day is July 28.

St. Macarius the Younger

Tonight it was my turn to bring a sweet treat to Bible Study, so I took Gethsemani fudge and fruitcake - which was quite well received (especially the bourbon fudge). In honor of the Monks at the Abbey of Gethsemani who made these confections, our Saint today will be the patron of Candy Makers - who was himself a monk.

St. Macarius of Alexandria (also known as Macarius the Younger) was born about the year 300 in Alexandria, Egypt. He was a successful merchant of fruits, candies and pastries until his conversion to Christianity around the age of 35. Inspired by stories of St. Anthony of the desert and other holy men, Macarius gave up his candy concession and moved to the desert to live near Anthony in a simple monks cell. The desert monks of Egypt were known for their severe austerity, extreme sanctity and penitential practices. Macarius also followed these practices, living on vegetables, bread and water - adding a little olive oil in celebration for holy days. He once spent 20 days and 20 nights without sleep, burnt by the sun in the day, frozen by bitter desert cold cold at night. “My mind dried up because of lack of sleep, and I had a kind of delirium,” the hermit admitted. “So I gave in to nature and returned to my cell.”

Marcarius never gave up his austere lifestyle, but a century later Sts. Benedict and Scholastica drafted a rule of life for monks and nuns that rejected the extremes practiced by the desert hermits. I think many of the Monks at Getsemani are happy that they follow Benedict's rule rather than that of Marcarius. He died of natural causes around 401. His feast day is January 2. He is the Patron Saint of confectioners, cooks and candy makers.

St. Isidore the Farmer and Bl. Maria de la Cabeza

Because many of my posts this month have featured Saints from the nobility - and because I missed yesterday - today I have chosen to give you a glimpse of St. Isidore the Farmer and his wife, Blessed Maia de la Cabeza.

Isidore and Maria were of humble peasant stock. Isidore was born in Madrid, Spain around 1070 and spent his life in service to a wealthy land owner in the city's vicinity. He shared what he had, even his meals, with the poor. Maria's date of birth is unknown, but she is believed to have been from a little village named Caraquiz. The couple is thought to have had only one son, named Illan. Legend says that as a baby, Illan fell into a deep well. The parents prayed for his rescue and the water miraculously rose to a level where the floating child was easily pulled to safety.

Perhaps a more reliable story is that Maria always kept a pot of stew on the fire in their rural dwelling because her husband often brought home anyone who was hungry. One day, Isidore brought more people that usual home with him. After feeding many of them, Maria reported to her husband that the stew pot was empty. He insisted that she look again, and they found that there was enough stew for everyone.

Maria outlived her husband, who died in 1130. As a widow, she became a hermit, performed miracles and had visions. She dies in 1135.

Isidore's feast day is May 15. He is the patron saint of farmers and day laborers. Maria's feast day is September 9 (but it can also be celebrated on May 15 with her husband).

Bl. Rani Maria

So let's do some traveling for our next saint. Today we will visit India.

Blessed Rani Maria was born Mriam Vattalil in Kerala India in 1954. As a child, she attended the government run primary school and helped her father in the work of the fields and her mother in domestic duties. She joined the Franciscan Clarist Congregation at Kidangoor following the completion of her secondary schooling and assumed the religious name of "Rani Maria" upon joining and entering their novitiate. Her cousin Cicily joined at the same time.

During her time in religious life, Sister Rani Maria spent time teaching, coordinating social activities, meditating and leading a congregation as a superior. She also earned a degree in Sociology from the Rewa University.

On February 25, 1995, she took a bus from her convent in Udaynagar to Indore.She was asked to sit in the back of the bus, which was unusual as the sisters were usually given front seats. Three men were waiting in the back of the bus for her. One of the men started insulting her and then asked the driver to stop the bus. He offered coconut to the other passengers, and when he got to Sister Rani Maria, he would tease her with the coconut, then stab her. The other passengers were too frightened to intervene. The hitman did this several times, then dragged her out of the bus and continued stabbing her. The murder was arranged because some landlords were offended due to her work among the landless poor.

The police contacted the sisters to let them know what happened and told them that their slain sister's remains were still on the side of the road. The sisters contacted the local Bishop who, with some priests, retrieved the bloodied corpse. Sister Rani Maria was 4 November 2017, Indore, India by Cardinal Angelo Amato. Her feast day is February 25 and she is the patron of Aid Workers and Missionaries.

St. Valentine

I've been asked to do a post on St. Valentine. One of the difficulties is that, in the early Roman Martyrologies, there are three St. Valentines mentioned. The historical record is sketchy at best and, as with many of the early Saints, the legends attributed to this mysterious Saint are as inconsistent as the actual identification of the man. What is known is that St. Valentine was martyred and buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome.

This Valentine was a priest (or possibly a Bishop) who lived in or near Rome in the third century. Some of the legends of his life include that he cured a judge's daughter of blindness, thus converting the judge and his whole family; that he was imprisoned for marrying Christian couples and aiding persecuted Christians; that he secretly married couples so that the husbands would not have to go to war and that he healed his jailer's daughter of blindness.

Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14 - probably by beheading. The year of his execution is questionable, some time between 269 and 280. His association with romantic love is often attributed to his practice of performing marriages in opposition to Roman laws. However, it is also likely that this tradition dates from the middle ages when it was believed that birds started to pair up in mid-February, which made it also a good time for humans to pair up.

Whatever the true origins are of the secular feast of love that bears his name, we know that St. Valentine gave witness by his life to the Love that changes the world. This is evidenced by the devotion and veneration that soon followed his martyrdom. Less than 100 years after his death, Pope Julius I (333-356) built a basilica at the site which preserved St. Valentine's tomb. As you are probably aware, his feast day is February 14.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

In honor of all those who have served our country in the armed forces, on this particular day I like to post about a Saint with whom Veterans can, perhaps, identify. Some people may think I'm stretching a little to make that connection . . . but here goes.

St. Ignatius of Loyola (b. 1491) was actually baptized Inigo after St. Enecus, a medieval Basque name which is thought to mean "my little one." It is not clear when he started using the Latin name Ignatius instead of his given name - perhaps he thought that it was a variant of the same name and would be better understood in France and Italy.

As a young man, Inigo had a fascination with military exercises, stories of knights and battle and a great desire for fame. He joined the military at seventeen. He was known as a fancy dresser and womanizer. At eighteen, he took up arms for the Duke of Najera and participated in many battles without injury. But at the Battle of Pamplona in 1521 he was gravely injured. A cannonball hit him in the legs, wounding the right leg and breaking the left in several places. He underwent several operations (without the aid of anesthetics, which were unknown at that time) which left one leg shorter than the other - his military career was over.

During his recovery, Ignatius requested reading material, but the only books available were of a religious nature. While reading the life of Christ and the Saints, he underwent a spiritual conversion. The life of St. Francis, who had also been a soldier, particularly inspired him and he desired to imitate this great Saint. To this end, he gave up his fine clothes and hung his sword and dagger at the Virgin's altar during an overnight vigil at a shrine.

St. Ignatius is known for his 'Spiritual Exercises' and for the founding of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) with Saint Peter Faber and Saint Francis Xavier. He died of malaria in 1556 in Rome. His Feast Day is July 31.

St. Hedwig

Someone was asking about St. Hedwig a few weeks ago, so today we will learn the story of this obscure medieval Saint.

Hedwig (Jadwiga in Polish) was born in 1174 into the Bavarian House of Andechs, a Geman line of feudal princes. She was married at the age of twelve to Henry I (18) the Bearded, heir to the duchy of Silesia in modern day Poland. Early marriage between children of noble families was common at that time to cement family ties.

Hedwig and Henry led very pious lives. They had seven children, most of whom died young. Only one son survived to manhood - and he was killed while resisting the Mongol invasion in 1241.

As a widow, Hedwig moved into a monastery where her daughter, Gertrude, was Abbess. Because she wanted to remain free to perform acts of charity on behalf of the poor and the sick, she never joined the monastery as a religious sister. She survived her husband by 5 years, dying on October 15, 1243, during Vespers. Her feast day is October 16.

Bl. Victoire Rasoamanarivo

For our Saint today, we will stay on the continent of Africa. There are estimated to be over 170 million Catholics in Africa, so it should not surprise anyone that the Catholic Church recognizes thousands of Saints and Blesseds of African origin.

The woman we feature today is a relatively recent Blessed, having been beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1989. Victoire Rasoamanarivo was born on Madagascar in 1848 and was raised by her paternal uncle. She started attending a Catholic School at the age of 13, and converted to Catholicism two years later. Her parents were hostile to this decision and threatened to disown her, but she persisted in her faith.

Victoire felt drawn to the religious life, but her parents arranged for her to marry a cousin in May 1864. Her husband turned out to be a violent and womanizing drunkard. Her friends urged her to divorce him, but Victoire recognized that her marriage was a sacred sacrament and she refused to seek divorce. Instead, she continually prayed for her husband's conversion - he did repent and seek baptism prior to his death.

In 1883, the political situation changed and Catholic churches, gatherings and other institutions were outlawed. Victoire and other faithful Catholics continued to live their faith. Victoire helped to lead the Catholics until peace was restored in 1885. After her husband's death, she spent her remaining years caring for the poor, sick and imprisoned. She died peacefully at the age of 46. Her feast day is August 21.

Sts. Julian and Basilissa

So sorry that I missed posting a Saint story yesterday - but I warned you that this might happen. To make it up to you, today I'll give you a two-fer. I've chosen this pair of Saints because their feast day is on my birthday . . . sometimes you just have to make up a reason.

Sts. Julian and Basilissa lived at the turn of the fourth century in Egypt. As with many of the saints of this early period, little verifiable truth can be known about their lives. Most of what we have is legend - but all legend carries a kernel of truth.

Julian and Basilissa were husband and wife, but they agreed to live in perpetual chastity and sanctified themselves by an ascetical lifestyle. They converted their house into a hospital. Basilissa attended the women and girls in separate lodgings from the men and boys, who were attended by Julian. From this work, Julian was given the surname Hospitalarian or Hospitaller.

After severe persecution, Basilissa died in peace. Julian survived her by several years. He was martyred during the persecution of Diocletian around 304 AD - probably by beheading. Sources differ, but it appears that Julian and several companions were martyred on January 6, but their feast day was set as January 9, because of the Feast of Epiphany on January 6.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga

Today's Saint post is for my nephew, Rai. Sorry, Rai, but there is no Patron Saint of video games. However, I did find a blog post that suggested St. Aloysius Gonzaga as a possible candidate for the office . . . I'll explain why in a minute.

Aloysius was born in 1568 the first of seven children. His family was of the nobility and, as the eldest, Aloysius was to inherit his father's title and status of Marquis -- and the castle, of course. As the son of an aristocratic family, he spent much of his youth in military training and serving at court. Upon returning home, he met Cardinal (Saint) Charles Borromeo (whose feast day is today) and received his First Holy Communion from the Cardinal on July 22, 1580.

In 1585, he gave up all rights of inheritance and joined the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). He struggled with health issues, but he was still able to continue his studies and received minor orders in 1588. While he was studying theology in preparation for ordination, a plague broke out in Rome. The Jesuits opened a hospital to care for the victims and Aloysius volunteered to work there. During his service, he contracted the disease and died on June 21, 1591.

Now for the link to games: There is a story that one time, while Aloysius was playing chess with some seminarians, someone posed the question, "what would you do if you knew that you only had one hour to live?" One seminarian said that he would go to confession, another that he would pray before the Blessed Sacrament. But not St. Aloysius. He reasoned that, since his superiors gave him permission to play the game, and he had no other pressing duties, clearly, this is what God wanted him to do. So, in his final hour, he would finish the game!

Aloysius is actually patron of young students, Christian youth, Jesuit scholastics, the blind and AIDS patients and caregivers. His feast day is June 21.

Bl. Chiara "Luce" Badano

For this first week of Saint posts so far, we have featured only male Saints (except for the two re-posts). Lest anyone think that there is a gender-bias in heaven, today I will feature a female - Blessed Chiara "Luce" Badano.

Chiara's life story reminds me of St. Paul's exhortation to the Romans to " . . . offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, hoy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship." Rm 12:1b. Chiara's parents had struggled with infertility for 11 years before she was born in 1971. They considered her their greatest blessing. She lived her whole life in Sassello, Italy.

Chiara attended her first meeting of the Focolare Movement (a Catholic ecclesial Movement of spiritual social renewal) when she was 9 years old. The group focused on the image of the forsaken Christ to make it through difficult times. At the age of 16, she had a life-changing experience with the movement. She asked the movements founder for a new name as this was going to be the beginning of a new life for her. She was given the name Chiara Luce - in Italian, "Clear Light."

That same summer, while playing tennis, Chiara felt a pain in her shoulder. She was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Throughout the treatment process, she refused any morphine so that she could stay aware and offer up her sufferings to Jesus. During her stays in the hospital, she would take walks with another patient who was suffering from depression even though walking caused her great pain. Friends who visited her to cheer her up found that they were the ones who needed her. When she realized that she would not get better, she started planning her "wedding" (her funeral) with her mother - picking out the songs, flowers and readings for the Mass. She asked to be buried in a white dress because her death would allow her to become the Bride of Christ.

Chiara died in October 1990 short of her 19th birthday. Two thousand people attended her funeral - the mayor of Sassello shut down the town so people would be able to attend. She was beatified ten years later. The head of the Vatican Congregation of the Causes of Saints, said that Chiara was a great example of how the short life of the young could be lived out in great holiness. Chiara Badano's feast day is celebrated on October 29.

St. Charles Borrmeo

So, today's Saint by rights should have been yesterday's post since that was his Feast Day -- but I wanted to answer Rai's question as soon as I could . . . and I was sure that St. Charles would be patient.

Like St. Aloysius, St. Charles Borromeo was of noble birth. When he was not yet 22, his uncle, Pope Pius IV, made him a Cardinal -- this nepotism was typical of the abuses that fueled the Protestant Reformation. Charles was not yet ordained at the time of his appointment, but he took his rank seriously and studied for the priesthood. He was ordained a priest in September 1563 and was consecrated a Bishop just 3 months later. In May 1564, he was appointed Archbishop of Milan - the largest Archdiocese in Italy at the time. He was 25 years old.

Charles devoted himself to reforming his diocese by restoring dignity to divine service, simplifying church interiors, establishing seminaries for the education of candidates for Holy Orders and initiating the first "Sunday School" classes to bring the laity back to church teaching. His reforms were not without opposition and he miraculously survived an assassination attempt by members of a religious order who were not keen on being reformed.

Borromeo inherited a fortune from his family which he used to found seminaries, schools and hospitals. During a famine, he fed thousands of people every day. During a plague, when the Governor and nobility fled the city, the Cardinal stayed to organize the care of those afflicted and minister to the dying. He served as Bishop for about 21 years until he contracted a fever and died at the age of 46.

St. Charles Borromeo has many patronages, including Bishops, Cardinals, catechists, catechumens and spiritual leaders. His Feast Day (as noted above) is November 4.

St. Wendelin

Good evening. Today's Saint was requested by James in reference to a Church in Fostoria, Ohio, dedicated to this heavenly advocate. Thanks, Jim - I enjoy a challenge!

St. Wendelin was born around the middle of the sixth century. His earliest biographies were not written until about 800 years after his death, so it is difficult to know how much of his story is truth and how much is legend. Wendelin is probably not even his real name as the name means "wanderer" or "pilgrim" in Old High German.

Wendelin was the son of a Scottish king and is said to have been a very pious child. As a youth, he ran away from home to go on pilgrimage to Rome. He never returned to Scotland. On his return trip from Rome, he settled as a hermit in the Diocese of Trier in Germany. A wealthy landowner criticized him for his idle lifestyle, so he went into service for the landowner as a herdsman. He often took his flock to a mountain to pray. Upon finding Wendelin praying on the mountain one day, the landowner became angry believing that he did not have time to get the flock home before sunset. However, when the master returned home, he found Wendelin and the flock already there. Recognizing this as a miracle, the master granted Wendelin's wish for his own hermitage in the vicinity of the farm. He then established a company of hermits from which sprang the Benedictine Abbey of Tholey in Saarland.

He died about 617 and was buried in his cell. A chapel was built over his grave. His intercession was sought in times of pestilence and contagious diseases among cattle. He is the patron saint of country people and herdsmen and is still venerated in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and South Africa (and Fostoria, Ohio). His feast day is October 22.