Blessed Nicholas Albergati

Blessed Nicholas Albergati

Nicholas was born in 1632 in Bologna, Italy. His family could afford to send him to the university where he began to study law. But after a few years, he decided not to become a lawyer. At the age of twenty, Nicholas joined the Carthusian Order. In 1417, he was chosen to be bishop of his native diocese. He had not counted on that at all. He could not even believe it could be God’s will. But his superiors assured him it was.  People liked Bishop Nicholas. He lived in a small, plain house. He was like them. He began to visit the people of his diocese. He went to the poorest families first. He talked with them and helped them with their needs. He blessed their homes. The people were very grateful.   Bishop Nicholas became a cardinal in 1426. He was known to be wise and holy. Two popes, Martin V and Eugene IV, consulted him about important Church matters. Nicholas also encouraged learning. In fact, he wrote several books himself.   Bishop Nicholas died on May 9, 1443, while on a visit to Siena, Italy. Pope Eugene IV had his body brought back to Bologna. The pope himself participated in the funeral Mass and burial.

  Do you ever feel upset when you don’t get attention? That’s the time to pray to Blessed Nicholas. He didn’t even want the attention he received. Blessed Nicholas will show us how much better it is to spend our time praising God.

St. Damien Joseph de Veuster of Molokai

St. Damien Joseph de Veuster of Molokai

Joseph de Veuster was born in 1840, the son of Belgian farmers. He and his brother, Pamphile, joined the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. These missionaries were responsible for bringing the Catholic faith to the Hawaiian Islands.  Joseph chose the name “Damien” when he entered the Sacred Hearts Congregation. Brother Damien was tall and strong. His years of helping on the family farm had given him a healthy look. Everybody liked him because he was good-natured and generous.  More missionaries were needed in the kingdom of Hawaii (Hawaii was not a state at that time). In 1864, a group of Sacred Hearts priests and brothers were chosen to go. Pamphile, Damien’s brother, was selected. Just before the departure date, Pamphile came down with typhoid fever. He could no longer consider going to the missions. Brother Damien, still studying to become a priest, asked to take his place. The father general accepted Damien’s offer. Damien went home to his family to say goodbye. Then he took the ship from Belgium to Hawaii. The voyage lasted eighteen weeks. Damien finished his studies and was ordained a priest in Hawaii. He spent nine years among the people of three districts. He traveled on horseback and by canoe.  The people loved this tall, generous priest. He saw that they responded to ceremonies. He used the little money he could raise to build chapels. He and volunteer parishioners built the chapels themselves. But the most incredible part of Damien’s life was soon to begin. The bishop asked for a volunteer priest to go to the island of Molokai. The very name struck the people with fear and dread. They knew that the section of the island called Kalawao was the “living graveyard” of people dying of leprosy. There was so much ignorance about the disease and such great fear of contagion that lepers were mostly abandoned. Many just despaired. There was no priest, no law enforcement agent on Molokai, no doctor or hospital. The Hawaiian government sent some food and medical supplies to the lepers, but it was not enough. And there was no organized way of distributing these goods.  Father Damien volunteered to go to Molokai. Faced with the poverty, corruption and despair, he felt afraid at first. But he made up his mind that for him there was no turning back. The people were desperately in need of help. He went to Honolulu to confront the members of the board of health. They told him that he could not travel back and forth to Molokai for fear of contagion. Their real reason was that they didn’t want him on Molokai. They didn’t want to be reminded that they were responsible for the lepers. So Damien had to make a choice: if he went back to Molokai, he could never leave again. The board of health didn’t know Damien. He chose Molokai.  Father Damien worked hard for eighteen years until his death on Molokai. With the help of the lepers and generous volunteers, Molokai was transformed. The word Molokai took on a whole different meaning. It became an island of Christian love. Father Damien eventually became a leper himself. He died on April 15, 1889, at the age of forty-nine and was buried on the island. He was proclaimed “blessed” by Pope John Paul II in 1994 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

  Let’s ask St. Damien to give us some of his bravery and generosity. There are so many people who need our love and support. St. Damien will help us respond to them with joy and kindness.

St. Ignatius of Laconi

St. Ignatius of Laconi

Ignatius was the son of a poor farmer in Laconi, Italy. He was born on December 17, 1701. When he was about seventeen, he became very ill. He promised to become a Franciscan if he would get better. But when the illness left him, his father convinced him to wait. A couple of years later, Ignatius was almost killed when he lost control of his horse. Suddenly, however, the horse stopped and trotted on quietly. Ignatius was convinced that God had saved his life. He made up his mind to follow his religious vocation at once, and he joined the Franciscans.  Brother Ignatius never held any important position in the Franciscan Order. For fifteen years he worked as a weaver. Then for forty years he carried out the task of asking for donations. He went from house to house requesting food and offerings to support the friars. Ignatius visited families and received their gifts. But the people soon realized that they received a gift in return. Brother Ignatius consoled the sick and cheered up the lonely. He made peace between enemies, converted people hardened by sin, and advised those in trouble. The people began to wait for his visits.  There were some difficult days too. Once in a while, a door was slammed in his face, and often the weather was bad. Always, there were miles and miles to walk. But Ignatius remained kind and faithful. He died at the age of eighty, on May 11, 1781. Ignatius was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1951.

  St. Ignatius was a happy, dedicated Franciscan. He makes us realize that the best gift we can give anyone is our good example.

St. Pancras

St. Pancras

Pancras, a fourteen-year-old orphan, lived in the late third century. He was not a native of Rome. He was brought there by his uncle who looked after him. Pancras became a follower of Jesus and was baptized. Although just a boy, he was arrested for being a Christian during the reign of the emperor Diocletian. Pancras refused to give up his faith. For that, he was sentenced to death and was beheaded. He became a very popular martyr in the early Church. People admired him for being so young and so brave. In 514, a large church was built in Rome to honor him. In 596, the famous missionary, St. Augustine of Canterbury, went to bring the Christian faith to England. He named his first church there after St. Pancras.

  St. Pancras and the other martyrs we remember today remind us of the importance of our Catholic faith. It should mean as much to us as it did to each of them. If we need to grow stronger in our faith, let’s ask St. Pancras to help us.  Today is also the feast day of St. Nereus and St. Achilleus.

St. Matthias

St. Matthias

Matthias was one of the Lord’s seventy-two disciples. He had been a follower of Jesus before the crucifixion. While waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit, 120 of Jesus’ followers gathered to pray. St. Peter asked them to choose an apostle to replace Judas. This was very important because that man would be a bishop, as the other apostles were. Peter said that they should choose someone who had been with Jesus from his baptism in the Jordan River until his resurrection.  The first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles tells us what happened. The group proposed two names. One was Matthias, the other was Joseph, also called Barsabbas. Then everyone prayed and asked the Lord to let them know which of the two men should take the place of Judas. Next they cast lots, and Matthias’ name was chosen. He became one of the twelve apostles.  St. Matthias was a dedicated apostle. He preached the Good News in Judea, Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), and on the Caspian seashore. Many people listened to Matthias. They believed his wonderful message. The enemies of Jesus grew furious when they saw how people listened to Matthias. They decided to stop him by putting him to death. Matthias died a martyr at Colchis.

  The story of St. Matthias reminds us that we are fortunate to be followers of Jesus and members of his Church. Let’s ask St. Matthias to show us how to be more grateful for all that we have received.

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena

Born in 1347, this well-known saint is the patroness of Italy, her country. Catherine was the youngest in a family of twenty-five children. Her mother and father wanted her to be happily married. But Catherine wanted very much to become a nun. To prove her point, she cut off her long, beautiful hair. She wanted to make herself unattractive. Her parents were very upset about this and scolded her frequently. They also gave her the heaviest housework to do. But Catherine did not back down. Finally, her parents stopped opposing her.  Catherine became closer and closer to Jesus. One night, when many people of Siena were out in the streets celebrating, Jesus appeared to Catherine who was praying alone in her room. With Jesus was his Blessed Mother. She took Catherine’s hand and lifted it up to her Son. Jesus put a ring on Catherine’s finger and she became his bride.  In Catherine’s time, the Church had many problems. There were fights going on all over Italy. Catherine wrote letters to kings and queens. She even went to beg rulers to make peace with the pope and to avoid wars. Catherine asked the pope to leave Avignon, France, and return to Rome to guide the Church. She told him it was God’s will. He listened to Catherine and did what she said.  Catherine never forgot that Jesus was in her heart. Through her, Jesus helped the sick people she nursed. Through her Jesus comforted the prisoners she visited in jail.  This great saint died in Rome in 1380. She was just thirty-three years old. She was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius II in 1461. In 1970, Pope Paul VI declared St. Catherine a Doctor of the Church. She received this great honor because she served Jesus’ Church heroically during her brief lifetime.

  Let’s offer our whole hearts to God. Then, like St. Catherine, we’ll discover how wonderful it is to love him! This love of God will also show in the way we treat other people.

St. Peter Chanel

St. Peter Chanel

Peter Chanel was born near Belley, France, in 1803. From the time he was seven, he took care of his father’s sheep. Though poor, he was intelligent and loved his faith, too. One day, a good parish priest met him. He thought so much of Peter that he asked his parents if he could educate the boy. In this priest’s little school, and later in the seminary, Peter studied hard.

When he became a priest in 1827, he was sent to a parish where just a few Catholics still practiced their faith. Father Peter was prayerful. He was kind and patient with everyone. In just three years there was a big improvement in his parish. Many people became full of love for Jesus and his Church again because of Father Peter’s help and example.

Father Peter had a great desire to become a missionary. He joined a religious order called the Marists. He hoped he would be sent to bring the Gospel to people who did not yet know about Jesus. After a few years, his wish came true. He and a group of Marist missionaries were sent to the islands of the South Pacific. Father Peter and one brother were assigned to the island of Futuna. There the people willingly listened to Father Peter preach about Jesus. “This man loves us,” one of the people said. “And he himself practices what he teaches us to do.” Unfortunately, the chief of this tribe was not happy with Father Peter’s preaching. When the chief found out that his own son wanted to be baptized, he was furious. He sent a band of his warriors to kill the missionary. All the priest said as he lay dying was, “It is well with me.” Father Peter Chanel was killed on April 28, 1841. Within a short time after his martyrdom, the whole island became Christian. Peter was declared a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1954.

  We are all called to spread the Gospel of Jesus, each in our own way. The example of St. Peter shows us that practicing kindness and patience is the best way to bring the love of Jesus to others.  We also celebrate the feast of St. Louis Mary de Montfort on this day.