Religion - Top Blogs Philippines
Showing posts with label Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saints. Show all posts

Monday, February 14, 2011

SAN JOSE: Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

SAINT JOSEPH
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary


Saint Joseph is an important figure in Christian belief as the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ (in distinction to God, his "heavenly father").

The earliest Christian records, the epistles of Paul, make no reference to Jesus's father, and nor does Mark, the first of the Gospels.The first appearance of Joseph is therefore in the the gospels of Matthew and Luke, both of which have a genealogy that traces Joseph's lineageback to King David. The two lists are contradictory: Matthew says that Joseph's father was called Jacob,[Mt. 1:16]but Luke says he was the son of Heli.[Lk. 3:23]Matthew and Luke are also the only Gospels to include the Infancy Narratives, the stories of Jesus' birth and infancy. In Luke, Joseph lives in Nazareth, travels to Bethlehem in compliance with the requirements of a non-historical Roman census. Subsequently, Jesus was born there. In Matthew, Joseph was in Bethlehem, the city of David, where Jesus is born, and then moves to Nazareth with his family after the death of Herod. Matthew is the only Gospel to include the narrative of the Massacre of the Innocents and the Flight into Egypt: following the Nativity, Joseph stays in Bethlehem for an unspecified period (perhaps two years) until forced by the evil King Herod to take refuge in Egypt; on the death of Herod he brings his family back to Israel, and settles in Nazareth. After this point there is no further mention of Joseph by name, although the story of Jesus in the Temple, in Jesus's 12th year, includes a reference to "both his parents". Christian tradition represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her son.[Jn. 19:26-27] The gospels describe Joseph as a "tekton" (τέκτων); traditionally the word has been taken to mean "carpenter", though the Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone.Very little other information on Joseph is given in the Gospels, in which he never speaks.

STO. TOMAS KHUONG, Dominican Tertiary

Thomas Khuông belonged to a noble family on Tokin and was a well son of a Mandarin. A Christian since childhood, he became a Dominican Tertiary. He was imprisoned many times because of his faith. When he was in his 80`s in 1859, He was arrested again. The judge triedin vain to make him trample on the crucifix and invited him in vain to prusuade his Christian followers to apostilate but he firmly replied "to redeem mankind, Christ voluntarily suffered death. . .I too, want to give love for love, spilling all may blood for him. While he was genuflecting to adore crucifix his head was cut off, it was the 30th of January 1860.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

L : Santo Tomás Khuông
A : Pray for us

SANTA MAGDALENA DE NAGASAKI: Dominican Tertiary

SANTA MAGDALENA DE NAGASAKI
c. 1610 - 1634
Dominican Tertiary


Sister Magdalena was born in Nagasaki about the year 1610 of Christian parents. 

She was left on her own resources at the age of twenty-two when her parents perished in the great persecution in Japan. 


Left orphan and imbued by a profound religious spirit, she made a vow of perpetual virginity and dedicated herself to prayer and works of apostolate. 

She placed herself under the direction of a Dominican father, Fr. Jordan de San Esteban, OP, and received the habit as a tertiary. 

When her spiritual director was imprisoned, Magdalena presented herself to the authorities confessing her faith and offering herself for martyrdom. 

She was submitted to varied and terrible tortures and finally executed in the torture of the gallows and the pit on the 15th of October 1634. 

Her body was reduced to ashes. 

She was beatified with the illustrious group of San Lorenzo Ruiz de Manila by Pope John Paul II on February 18, 1981 at the Luneta, in the Philippines, the first beatification to be held outside of the Vatican. 

The same Pontiff also approved their canonisation at St. Peter's in Rome on October 18, 1987. 


Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice’s sake; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 


V. Pray for us Blessed Magdalena,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let Us Pray:
O God, fountain and origin of all fatherhood, you made Blessed Magdalena faithful to the Cross of Christ to the point of shedding their blood; grant through their intercession, that, spreading Your love among the brethren, we may be called and become in reality Your Children. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

FEASTDAY: September 28

SAN JUAN DE COLONIA: Priest and Martyr of the Eucharist

SAN JUAN DE COLONIA
c.1550 - 1572
Canonized in 1867 by Pope Pius IX
Feast day: 9 July

Priest
Martyr of the Eucharist


John was born in Germany towards the end 16th century.

He joined the Dominicans in Cologne, Germany, though the persecutions of the time made it impossible for him to wear his habit.

He was sent to work in the Netherlands.

He was the Parish Priest of Horner, the Netherlands.

When he heard of the arrest and abuse of Catholics in Gorkum, the Netherlands, he visited them in prison, smuggling in the Eucharist.

He brought relief to the Catholic cruelly persecuted by the heretical Calvinists.

When he was discovered to be a priest he was arrested, and tortured.

He was offered his freedom if he would deny the pope's authority over the Church; he declined.

He is one of the Gorkum Martyrs.

With 18 other religious of different Orders and secular priests, he was hanged in 9 July 1572 for the defense of the Holy Eucharist and the Primacy of the Pope.

He was beatified in 1675 and was canonized by Pius IX on 29 June 1867.



The souls of the saints who followed Christ in His footsteps now rejoice in heaven, and because they shed their blood for his love will reign with Christ forever.

V. Pray for us Blessed John and Companions,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
O God, You gave us an outstanding example of faith and fortitude in the glorious martyrdom of Blessed John and his companions; grant, we beseech you, that, through their prayers and example we may strongly resist the adversities of this world and be found persevering in the confession of the true faith. This we ask through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

SAN FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ DE CAPILLAS: Priest and Protomartyr of China

SAN FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ DE CAPILLAS
Saint Francis Ferdinand of Capillas
1607 - 1648
Canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II

Feast day: 15 January

Priest
Protomartyr of China


Francis was born in Baquerin de Campos, Palencia, Spain on 14 August 1607.

He entered the Dominican priory of Saint Paul in Valladolid.

He arrived in Manila in February 1632 where he was ordained a priest and said his first mass before the image of the Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario in the Old Santo Domingo Church in Intramuros, of which he has a special devotion.

Thereafter he was assigned to Nueva Segovia or Cagayán until 1641 when he attended the Provincial Chapter held in Manila and asked the new Provincial to give him permission to evangelize China.

In 1642, with his friend Fr. Francisco Díaz, he arrived in Fukien, China. The saint went to all the towns and villages in Fogan and Funing converting huge numbers of Chinese.

He was captured and remained incarcerated for two months. After undergoing much tortured he was eventually beheaded on 15 January 1648.

Pope Benedict XIV proclaimed him the Protomartyr of China on 16 September 1748.

Pope Pius X beatified him on 2 May 1909 and Pope John Paul II canonized him on 1 October 2000.


The souls of the saints who followed Christ in His footsteps now rejoice in heaven, and because they shed their blood for his love will reign with Christ forever.


V. Pray for us Blessed Francis and Companions,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.


Let us pray:
O God, You gave us an outstanding example of faith and fortitude in the glorious martyrdom of Blessed Francis and his companions; grant, we beseech you, that, through their prayers and example we may strongly resist the adversities of this world and be found persevering in the confession of the true faith. This we ask through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.


Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice’s sake; theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

SAN MARTIN DE PORRES: Cooperator Brother


SAN MARTIN DE PORRES
1579-1639
Cooperator Brother


           
Saint Martin was born at Lima in 1579, the son of Juan de Porres, a Spanish nobleman and Anna, a freed Panamanian.  At first the father abandoned his little family and Martin’s earliest years where spent in dire poverty.  Later, Juan de Porres’ conscience smote him and, taking the two children to himself and gave them at least the rudiments of an education.

At the age of 15, Martin presented himself at the Dominican Priory of the Holy Rosary in Lima, and was received as a Donado or Tertiary Servant.  In this capacity, he gave himself to the lowliest duties in the house.  It was only after several years that, seeing his evident goodwill and sanctity, his superiors invited him to make a solemn profession as a Cooperator Brother.  He served in various offices in the convent – barber, infirmarian and wardrobe keeper.  He founded an orphanage and a foundling hospital, was put in charge of the convent’s food distribution to the poor, and ministered to African slaves brought to Peru.

Saint Martin de Porres, who all his life cherished a deep devotion to Jesus crucified and longed to make return in some small manner for the immense blessings of the Redemption, died on November 5, 1639.  He was canonized by Pope John XXIII on May 5, 1962, the first Negro from the New World to attain the rank of Sainthood.


                   O God, you led Blessed Martin through humility to the eternal glory: grant that imitating his glorious examples now, we may deserve to be exalted with him in Heaven.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen


FEASTDAY:  NOVEMBER 3
                        FEAST

SAN JUAN MACIAS: Cooperator Brother

SAN JUAN MACIAS
1585-1645
Cooperator Brother




            Saint John was born at Ribera, Spain , in 1585, of a noble but impoverished family.   In his youth he was a shepherd, but in response to a vision of his patron, Saint John the Evangelist, he abandoned his flock and emigrated to South America.  Unlike most of his contemporaries, he had no desire for gain; rather, he had been told that somewhere in that distant land his true vocation awaited him.

          Employed at first as a cowherd, he gradually worked his way down the Pacific Coast until he reached Lima, where the divine call at last manifested itself clearly.  John became a Cooperator Brother in the Dominican Priory of Saint Mary Magdalene in Lima, where he made profession on January 22, 1623.  Given the office of Porter, he set about at once serving the poor who came to the priory gate for alms.  Like his friend, Saint Martin de Porres, he often begged for them in the city and is said to have fed more than two hundred people daily.  Saint John was distinguished for his great devotion to the Holy Rosary, as well as for his marvelous humility, patience and integrity.

          Saint John Macias died on September 17, 1645 and was canonized by Pope Paul VI on September 28, 1975.


                   O God, make us carry the weight of our daily work by imitating faithfully the example of Blessed John, whom you granted innocence of life and the perfection of charity.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.



FEASTDAY:  SEPTEMBER 18
                        MEMORIAL

SANTA CATALINA DE SENA: Virgin and Doctor of the Church

SANTA CATALINA DE SENA
1347-1380
Virgin and Doctor of the Church



            Acclaimed as the greatest light of the Third Order of Saint Dominic, Catherine was born at Siena, Italy on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 1347, one of the 25 children of Giacomo and Lapa Benincasa.  She began to have the mystical experiences she was to have all her life when she was only 6.  At the age of 7, she offered her virginity to Our Lord and at 17, received the habit of the Mantelate and increasingly experienced visions of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints.  She ministered to the ill in hospitals, devoting herself to caring for patients with particularly distressing illnesses and was famous for her great virtue and remarkable innocence of life.

                        Catherine is known to have delivered many from diabolical possession, to have performed many miracles of healing, to have levitated frequently during prayer, and to have experienced the Mystical Espousal in which Our Lord, in a vision, gave her a golden ring, set with four precious stones around a superb diamond, which was visible only to her.  Strengthened by Christ her spouse in frequent sweet conversation, she merited to become a sharer in His sufferings and wounds.  This sharing culminated in her reception of the Sacred Stigmata at Pies in 1375, invisible during her lifetime but clearly apparent at the time of her death.

                        At once humble and great, Catherine brought peace to hearts, to cities, to the Republic of Italy and to the Church.  As ambassadors of the Florentines, she went to Avignon, and while there persuaded Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy to Rome in 1376.  On her return to Siena, she devoted herself to recording her mystical experiences, which were published as the “Dialogue of Saint Catherine”.  During the Great Schism, she journeyed to Rome to pray, to give counsel and to immolate herself for the Church.  Her love for the Papacy and for the Pope, whom she called “IL DOLCE CHRISTO IN TERRA”, was unbounded.

                        Consumed by love and suffering, Catherine, one of the greatest Christian mystics, died in Rome on April 29, 1380.  Pope Pus II canonized her in 1461.  Saint Catherine was declared Co-Patroness of Rome in 1866.  In 1939, Pope Pius XII declared her and Saint Francis of Assisi, Principal Patrons of Italy.  He also named her Patroness of Italian Nurses on September 15, 1943.   Pope Paul VI declared her and Saint Teresa of Avila Doctors of the Church in 1970.

                                    O God, you made Saint Catherine burn with divine love through the contemplation of the Passion of the Lord and in the service of your Church; grant, through her intercession, that your people, associated to the mystery of Christ, may always rejoice in the contemplation of his glory.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.


FEASTDAY:  APRIL 29
                        FEAST

SANTA ROSA DE LIMA: Virgin and Tertiary


SANTA ROSA DE LIMA
1586-1645
Virgin & Tertiary




            Isabel de Santa Maria de Flores was born at Lima, Peru in 1586 of Spanish Indian parents and took the name of Rose at confirmation.  At a very early age, she made Saint Catherine of Siena her model and was particularly devoted to the Virgin Mary.  Noted for her beauty, she resisted her parents’ efforts to have her marry and at a very early age made a vow of virginity, a resolution in which she persevered until death, despite the misunderstanding and persecution of her family.

She inflicted on herself, terrifying penances and suffered long periods of dryness and desolation, which were, however, balanced by many extraordinary graces culminating in the Mystical Espousals.

                        At the age of 20, Saint Rose became a member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic.  She continued to live at home, assisting her impoverished family by doing needlework and raising flowers for the market.  She likewise cared for the poor and sick of the area in an empty room of their house.  Her garden became the spiritual center of the city.

                   In ill health, she accepted the offer of Don Gonzalo de Massa and his wife to take care of her and she spent the last three years of her life in their home in Lima.  So widespread was her reputation for sanctity that when Saint Rose died, on August 24, 1617, the day which she herself has predicted, the throngs of devotees surrounding her bier made it almost impossible to bury her.

                        Pope Clement X canonized her on April 12, 1671, thus making her the first canonized saint of the Western hemisphere.  Saint Rose of Lima is the sworn patroness of Latin America.

                       
            O God, you made Saint Rose, inflamed in your love, abandon the world and dedicate herself entirely to you through the rigors of penance; grant , through her intercession, that following on the same way she did, we may come to enjoy in Heaven the torrents of your delights. This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.


           
            FEASTDAY:  AUGUST 23
                        MEMORIAL

SANTO PIO V: Pope

SANTO PIO V
1504-1572
Pope



          Antonio Michael Ghislieri or Pius V was born of noble but impoverished parents at Bosco in Piedmont, Italy, in 1504.  At the age of 14, he entered the Order of Preachers at Voghera and, as a young religious, was remarkable for his prudence and solid piety.  He was ordained in 1528 and taught theology and philosophy for sixteen years and was soon given offices of responsibility: as Master of Novices, then Prior of several Dominican houses, Inquisitor and, in 1551, Commissary of the Holy Office.  In 1556, Pope Pius IV appointed him Bishop of Nepi and Sutri and, two years later, he was elevated to the cardinalate.

          Elected Pope in 1566 under the title of Pius V, he at once set about putting into effect the decrees of the Council of Trent, thereby, accomplishing great reforms in the Church, notably among the clergy and in the Roman Missal.  Saint Pius V gave large sums to the poor, lived a life of great austerity and piety, and personally visited the sick in hospitals.  Throughout his entire pontificate, he fought Protestantism.  By his prayers, especially the Holy Rosary, he obtained from God the victory of the Christians over the Moslems in the celebrated battles of La Naval de Lepanto.

          After fulfilling the duty of the Pastor Bonus in a pontificate that was one of the most glorious in the 16th century, he died on May 1, 1572.  Pope Clement XI enrolled him in the catalogue of the saints and canonized him on 1712.
                       
                   Lord, those who have practiced justice will live in your tabernacle and will rest in your holy mountain.  O God, in your providence you sent to your Church, for the defense of the faith and the dignity of worship, the pope Saint Pius; grant us, through his intercession, to participate in your mysteries with living faith and fruitful love.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.


FEASTDAY: APRIL 30
                       MEMORIAL

SAN ANTONIO DE FLORENCIA: Bishop

SAN ANTONIO DE FLORENCIA
1389-1459
Bishop



            Saint Antoninus was born at Florence in 1389 and entered the Order of Preachers in adolescence, after having memorized the entire Decretals to prove his ability.  He was soon promoted to positions of responsibility, becoming successively Prior at Cortona, Naples and Rome (the Minerva).  In these houses, he labored with great wisdom and firmness to raise the standard of regular observance.  While he was Prior in Rome, he had the incorrupt remains of Saint Catherine of Siena enshrined in a golden sarcophagus.

                        Returning to Florence, he founded the celebrated priory of San Marco.  The Saint made the library of this priory accessible to scholars, thus making it a center of  Renaissance spirituality and culture and the first public library in Europe.

                   Likened to Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Alphonsus Liguori because of his writings on Canon Law and moral and ascetical theology, he has also been widely acclaimed as a preacher, reformer, economist, sociologist and historian.

In 1446, Antoninus, although unwilling because of humility, was compelled to become Archbishop of  Florence.  As a bishop, he was noted for his mercy to the poor, as well as for his prudence and good counsel, which justly earned him the title “Antoninus the Counselor”.

                        “The People’s Prelate” and “Father of the Poor” passed to his eternal reward on May 2, 1459, in the seventieth year of his life.  His body within the eight days of his death was found to be very flexible and exuded an intense fragrance.  Perfectly entire, it remains to this day in the Dominican Church of San Marco.  Saint Antoninus was canonized by Pope Clement VII in 1524.


                                                  O God, you made the Bishop Saint Antoninus admirable with the gift of counsel; grant that, while pilgrims through the darkness of this life, we may learn, by the supernatural light given to us through his intercession, what we must do.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen



FEASTDAY:  MAY 10
                        MEMORIAL

SAN JACINTO DE ODROWATZ: Priest


SAN JACINTO DE ODROWATZ
c.1183-1257
Priest



            Born near Wroclaw in upper Silesia, Poland around 1183, Saint Hyacinth came from the noble family of  Odrowatz.  He was ordained to the priesthood, becoming Canon of the Cathedral at Krakow.

                   In the course of a jouirney to Rome in 1221, he was attracted to the Order of Preachers by the holiness and preaching of Saint Dominic and received the habit from his hands.  That same year, the General Chapter held at Bologna commissioned him, along with his kinsman Celsius and two other companions, Henry of Moravia and Herman the Teutonic, to return to Poland, thus beginning the Dominican evangelization of Eastern Europe.

Saint Hyacinth is known to have preached and founded priories in Bohemia, Moravia, Russia and Prussia, at a time when the Tartar invasions were at their height, and when missionaries of other Orders who had arrived there first were jealously striving to protect their rights.  Through it all he maintained a reputation for gentleness, humility and courtesy.  He also had, in common with many other saints of the Order a tender devotion to Our Lady.  On every occasion of his life, the Virgin Mary was to lighten the load for him.

Venerated as an Apostle of Poland and credited with numerous miracles, Saint Hyacinth had a vision of the Mother of God and revealed to him that he would die on the Solemnity of the Assumption the 15th of August, 1257.  Pope Clement VIII canonized him in 1594.

          Almighty and eternal God, you chose Saint Hyacinth so that through the assiduous preaching of your word, the peoples of many nations could be renewed and confirmed in the faith; we beseech that, through his intercession, our faith may be increased and work for the promotion of your glory and the salvation of men.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.


FEASTDAY:  AUGUST 17
                        MEMORIAL

SAN VICENTE FERRER: Priest

SAN VICENTE FERRER
1350-1419
Priest



Saint Vincent was born at Valencia, Spain in 1350 to William Ferrer and Constancia Miguel, both nobles.  He was educated in Valencia and at the age of 17 received the habit of the Order of Preachers.  He was sent to Barcelona for further studies.  Later, he taught philosophy at Lerida and in three years returned once more to Barcelona.  He proceeded to continue his studies at Toulouse.

          In the troubled times in which he lived, he was an Angel of Peace.  After recovering from a serious illness in 1398, during which he had a vision of Christ accompanied by Saint Dominic de Guzman and Saint Francis of Assisi directing him to teach penance, he devoted himself to preaching.  He traveled throughout Spain, France, and Italy, preaching the Word of God with special stress on penance for sin and preparations for the Last Judgement.  Although he preached in his own native tongue to people who spoke different languages, he was clearly understood by all because of his extraordinary Gift of Tongues.  He was also outstanding for the Gift of Prophecy, worked astonishing miracles and brought back thousands, including Jews and Moors, to the faith.  His authority helped to bring the Great Schism to an end.

            The Saint spent the last three years of his life in France and died at Vannes, Brittany on April 5, 1419.  Pope Calixtus III canonized him in 1455.

                   O God, you sent to the world your priest St. Vincent as a minister of the evangelical preaching; grant, we beseech you, that he whom St. Vincent announced to come as judge on earth, we may joyfully contemplate reigning in Heaven.  This we ask through Christ our Lord.  Amen.



FEASTDAY:  APRIL 5
                        MEMORIAL

SANTO TOMAS DE AQUINO: Priest and Doctor of the Church

SANTO TOMAS DE AQUINO
1225-1274
Priest & Doctor of the Church




            Saint Thomas was born in Rocca Secca, Italy in 1225 of the family of the Counts of Aquino.  At the age of 17 he received the habit of the Order of Preachers at Naples.  After overcoming by heroic patience and steadfastness the opposition of his family, he was sent first to Cologne to study under Saint Albert the Great, then afterwards to Paris, where in 1256, he obtained the title of Master of Theology.

            A great Dominican teacher, he spent his entire religious life teaching and writing, deriving, as he said, “more light from the crucifix than from books”.  His magnum opus the Summa Theologiae, the greatest exposition of theological thought ever written and became the accepted basis for modern Catholic theology, is but one of the more than a hundred others he penned, all of which he dedicated to investigating the sublime truth of God in the light of faith and the human intellect.  His Eucharistic hymns, composed at the request of Pope Urban IV for the Solemnity of the Feast of Corpus Christi, are among the greatest treasures of the Church.

            The Angelic Doctor was renowned, even during his lifetime, for humility, for holiness and for learning, and is said to have experienced visions, ecstasies and revelations.  He is known on the testimony of his confessor to have preserved throughout his life the grace of virginity.

            Acclaimed the greatest and undisputed master of Christian scholastic theology, he surrendered to God at the Cistercian Abbey of Fossa Nuova, near Terracina, Italy on March 7, 1274 and was canonized by Pope John XXII in 1323. Pope Saint Pius V declared him Doctor of the Church.  Pope Leo XIII named him Patron of Catholic Schools and Pope Pius XI added to his other titles that of Doctor of the Most Holy Eucharist.

           
O God, you made St. Thomas outstanding by the zeal for sanctity and in the study of the sacred doctrine; grant, we beseech you, that we may understand what he taught and imitate what he did.  This we ask through Christ our Lord.  Amen


FEASTDAY:  JANUARY 28
                        FEAST.

SAN PEDRO DE VERONA: Priest and Dominican Protomartyr

SAN PEDRO DE VERONA
c.1205-1252
Priest & Dominican Protomartyr




            Saint Peter was born at Verona, Italy, between 1205 and 1206 of Manichean parents.  While a student at Bologna, he entered the Order of Preachers, receiving the habit from the hands of Saint Dominic himself.  Full of zeal for the purity of the Faith, he preached the Word of God with great energy, bringing many back to the way of truth.  He soon became a celebrated preacher and engaged in disputes with the heretics all over northern Italy.  He is also known to have preserved his virginity to the end of his life.

          When fatally stabbed by engaged heretics and dying on the road to Milan, he wrote on the ground with his own blood the Catholic doctrine he has so staunchly defended in his life: CREDO IN UNUM DEUM.

            He died on April 6, 1252 and was canonized the following year by Pope Innocent IV in 1253.


                   O God, Author and Protector of faith, you crowned Blessed Peter, who persevered in the profession of the true faith, with the gift of Martyrdom;  grant that, confessing the same faith with words and deeds, we may become successful in the salvation of souls.  This we ask through Christ our Lord.  Amen.



FEASTDAY:  JUNE 4
                        MEMORIAL

SANTA MARGARITA DE UNGRIA: Virgin and Nun

SANTA MARGARITA DE UNGRIA
1242-1270
Virgin & Nun



            Saint Margaret was born in 1242, the daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary and the Greek princess Maria Lascaris, who had vowed to dedicate her to God if granted victory over their enemies, the invading Tartars.  When 4 years old, she was placed in the Monastery of Veszprin for her education.  She received the Dominican habit, and in fulfillment of a vow, her father founded a monastery for her on an island in the Danube near Budapest.

            At the age of 12, she made her profession in the hands of Humbert of Romans, Fifth Master of the Order.  Shortly afterwards, her parents obtained a papal dispensation for her to marry the King of Bohemia, but Margaret refused to compromise her vocation saying, “I esteem infinitely more the King of Heaven… than the crown offered me by the king of Bohemia”.  To prevent further annoyance, she received the Consecration of Virgins with three other sisters at the foot of the altar dedicated to her aunt, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.  This is the only instance of the Consecration of Virgins in the annals if the Nuns of the Order of Preachers.
         
          Margaret distinguished herself in the monastery for her humility and poverty.  Despite her royal rank, she always chose the last place and loved to tend the sick, serving the most loathsome on her knees.

            Saint Margaret died in 1270 at the age of 28.  She was raised to the honors of the altar when Pope Pius XII canonized her in 1943.

                   O God, lover and guardian of virginity, a virtue to which your servant Margaret added to splendor of good works, grant, we beseech you, that by the spirit of a salutary penance we may restore the integrity of our souls.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.


FEASTDAY:  JANUARY 18
                        MEMORIAL

Pages