SANTA INES DE MONTEPULCIANO: Virgin and Nun

SANTA INES DE MONTEPULCIANO

c.1268-1317

Virgin & Nun

           

            Saint Agnes was born around 1268 and embraced the religious life at the tender age of 9.  Because of her precarious wisdom and sanctity, she was soon raised to positions of  responsibility within her community, becoming superior at the age of 15 after a special dispensation was obtained from Pope Martin IV.  Later, due to a divine revelation, she founded a monastery of Dominican nuns in Montepulciano of which she became the first prioress.

Many extraordinary graces were bestowed on Mother Agnes: in a vision she was once permitted to hold the Infant Jesus; several times she was privileged to receive Holy Communion from an angel, and she was often seen in ecstasy levitating from the floor.  One of the most extraordinary occurrences recorded concerning her is the formation of white cross-shaped particles, described as manna, which frequently fell on her and the area where she was kneeling in prayer.  She has the gift of prophecy, performed many miracles and is known to have mysteriously supplied food for the convent.

            Saint Agnes died in 1317, at the age of 49.  Curiously enough the body of the Saint was originally intended to be embalmed but the idea was disregarded when it was found to be in a state of incorruption even after several years.  A precious fluid issues from the extremities of her hands and feet, which was collected in a crystal vial.

          Pope Benedict XIII, a Dominican, canonized his saintly sister in 1726.

                   O God, you adorned your spouse Agnes with the admirable zeal for prayer; grant that, through her imitation, our minds may obtain the abundant fruits of devotion.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  APRIL 20

                        MEMORIAL

SAN ALBERTO MAGNO: Bishop and Doctor of the Church

SAN ALBERTO MAGNO

1203-1280

Bishop

Doctor of the Church

           

            Saint Albert was born at their family castle at Lauingen, Germany, on the banks of the Danube, about 1203 and studied at the University of Padua.  In 1223, the eldest son of the Count of Bollstadt was received into the Dominican Order by Blessed Jordan of Saxony in 1223.  He attributed his vocation to the Virgin Mary to whom he bore a tender devotion.

            Saint Albert was one of the great intellects of the medieval Church.  He was one of the first and among the greatest natural scientists.  His knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, geography (one of his treatises proved the earth to be round) was so encyclopedic.  He wrote profusely on logic, metaphysics, mathematics, the Bible and theology.  He pioneered the Scholastic method, so brilliantly developed by his pupil and disciple, Saint Thomas Aquinas, by applying Aristotelian methods to revealed doctrine.  His brilliance and erudition caused him to be called “The Universal Doctor” by his contemporaries.

            Saint Albert the Great died on November 15, 1280.  Three years after his death, his body was found in a state preservation and exhaling a delightful fragrance.  This condition lasted for over two hundred years.  The relics of the Saint were removed from the damaged Dominican church of Cologne to Saint Andrew’s Church in 1804.

Pope Pius canonized and declared Saint Albert the Great a Doctor of the Church.  In 1941, Pope Pius XII constituted him patron before God of students of the natural sciences.

                        O God, fountain and origin of all wisdom, you made the bishop Blessed Albert great in harmonizing human wisdom with divine faith; grant, we beseech you, that adhering to his magisterial teaching, and through the advance of the sciences, we may come to a deeper knowledge and love of you.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  NOVEMBER 15

                        FEAST

BEATA JUANA DE AZA: Mother of Saint Dominic de Guzman

BEATA JUANA DE AZA

c.           –c.1190

Mother of Saint Dominic de Guzman

            Beata Juana was born of the d’Aza family, which ranked among the highest nobility in Old Castile.  Married to Felix de Guzman, a man “rich and revered among his people”, was said to have prayed for a son when her two eldest boys were grown and dreamed she bore a dog in her womb, while she was bearing Dominic, which would set the world afire with the torch in its mouth.

            She bore at least three sons who were given over to the service of the Church and became priests: Santo Domingo, Beato Mannes and Antonio.  One died a death of heroic charity and two were raised to the honours of the altar.

          According to the earliest and most reliable source, Beata Juana, who was known for her physical and spiritual beauty, was described as being “virtuous, chaste, prudent, most compassionate to the poor and afflicted” and “of all women in that place she was outstanding of her good reputation.”

          A valiant and a saintly mother and woman, Beata Juana died at Caleruega and was buried at the churchyard there.  Her relics were transferred first to San Pedro de Gumiel, then to Penafiel between 1334 and 1340.  Pope Leo XII confirmed her cult in 1828.

FEASTDAY:  AUGUST 2

                       OPTIONAL MEMORIAL

BEATA MARGARITA DE CITTA-DI-CASTELLO: Virgin & Tertiary

BEATA MARGARITA DE CITTA-DI-CASTELLO

1287-1320

Virgin & Tertiary

            Born in Metola on 1287, Margaret was born a dwarf, hunchback, lame and blind.  She was kept hidden by her parents throughout her childhood.  When she was 16, she was taken from Metola to the miraculous shrine at Citta-di-Castello, where a cure was anticipated.  Unfortunately, no miracle occurred, and it is recorded that the child was left abandoned.

            She was cared for by various poor families of the city and earned money for her board by attending to small children.  Her cheerfulness, based on trust and love of God, endeared her to everyone.  Finally, the family of our Father Dominic welcomed her into the Third Order with open arms.  She became, by her radiant charity, a source of hope and consolation for the poor, the outcast, the sick and the imprisoned, to whom she ministered tirelessly.

            At last her heavenly Spouse called her to eternal nuptials on April 13, 1320 at the age of 33.  After her death, more than two hundred miracles occurred in confirmation of her heroic sanctity.

            The preliminary steps toward the cause of her beatification were undertaken by the Dominican Order, but at various times it languished, until it was almost forgotten.  During the sixteenth century, interest in her cause was rekindled after the discovery of her incorrupt and perfectly preserved body.  On June 9, 1558, the bishop authorized the transfer of the Beata’s remains to a new coffin after it was noticed that the original one was rotting away.

Many miracles followed this ceremony, and the cause, which was undertaken with renewed interest, came to a successful conclusion on October 19, 1609, when the Church, led by Pope Paul V officially recognized Margaret’s sanctity, pronouncing her a beata and designating April 13 as her feastday.

            The body of Beata Margarita so miserably deformed in life, remained perfectly intact and incorrupt in death and lies under the High Altar of the Church of San Domenico at Citta-di-Castello, Italy.  The arms of the body are still flexible, the eyelashes are present, and the nails are in place on the hands and feet.  The colour has darkened slightly and the skin is dry and somewhat hardened, but by all standards the preservation can be considered a remarkable condition, having endured for over six hundred seventy years.

FEASTDAY:  APRIL 13

SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA: The Filipino Proto-Martyr

SAN LORENZO RUIZ DE MANILA

c. 1600-1637

The Filipino Proto-Martyr

San Lorenzo was born in Binondo, a suburb of Manila, the Philippines around the beginning of the seventeenth century from a Chinese father and a Filipina mother.  He was an errand boy who did various jobs in the church and convent of San Gabriel in Binondo, and at the same time an altar boy or little sacristan in the church.  Lorenzo acquired a good knowledge of three languages, namely, Tagalog and Chinese from his mother and father and Spanish from the Dominican Fathers with whom he has personal and continuous contact.

Sometime in 1636, Lorenzo became implicated in a crime, the circumstances of which are unclear.  Fearing the death penalty if caught, he fled to the Provincial of the Dominican Order, to whom he was well known , and begged for help.  The Provincial arranged to have him board a Chinese sampan that was leaving secretly for Japan, carrying five chosen missionaries to the aid of the persecuted Christians there.  They set sail on June 10, 1636 and landed in Okinawa a month later.  At this point, Lorenzo, still fearful of being apprehended by Spanish authorities, decided to remain with the priests.  Arrested almost immediately, they were brought to Nagasaki on September  1637 for trial.  Lorenzo, the glory of the Church here in the Philippines, proudly declared:

                        “I am a Christian, and this I profess until the hour of my death; and for God I shall give my life; and although I did not come to Japan to be a martyr but because I could not stay in Manila, however, as a Christian and for God I shall give my life.  And so do with me as you please.”

           

There they staunchly upheld their Christian faith and underwent hideous torments with great constancy and joy.  Lorenzo, offered his life and his freedom in exchange for his faith, once again declared:

                                                “I am Christian, and I shall die for God, and for Him I will give many thousands of lives if I had them.  And so do with me as you please.”

They gave up their souls to God on September 29, 1637.  Pope John Paul II beatified Lorenzo and companion martyrs on February 18, 1981 at the Luneta, the first beatification to be held outside of the Vatican.  He also approved their canonization on October 18, 1987.  San Lorenzo Ruiz is the first Filipino to be raised to the honors of the altar.

                        O God, your ineffable mercy was proclaimed by word and with the shedding of the blood by Saint Lorenzo and his companions; grant, through their intercessions, that we may grow in your wisdom and, abounding in every good work, may we walk in your presence following the teachings of the Gospel.  This we ask you through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  SEPTEMBER 28                    

                       MEMORIAL

SAN VICENTE LIEM DE LA PAZ: Priest, Martyr and First Vietnamese Dominican

SAN VICENTE LIEM DE LA PAZ

1731-1773

Priest & Martyr

First Vietnamese Dominican

            Vicente was born in Tra’Lu, Vietnam in 1731.  He received the Dominican habit in Manila and continued his studies at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Intramuros, Manila.

          Already a priest, the first Vietnamese Dominican asked to return to his land to work among his own people; he labored for fourteen years until he was captured on November 7, 1773.

                  

                   O God, fountain and origin of all fatherhood, you made Blessed Vincent faithful to the Cross of Christ to the  point of shedding his blood; grant through his intercession, that, spreading your love among the brethren, we may be called and become in reality  your children.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  NOVEMBER 24

                    MEMORIAL

SANTA CATALINA DE RICCI: Virgin and Tertiary

SANTA CATALINA DE RICCI

1522-1590

Virgin and Tertiary

            In 1522, Alexandrina was born in Florence from the noble de’ Ricci family.  She received the habit of the Third Order of Saint Dominic in the convent of San Vincenzio at Prato, Italy when she was 13.  She was given the name Catherine at her profession the following year, and with the assumption of this new name she embraced a life of severe penance, but one distinguished also by unusual mystical experiences.  At first she endured many physical afflictions,  which seem to be aggravated by ordinary medical treatment, but her agonies were sanctified by prayer and meditation on the Passion of Our Lord.

            During Holy Week of 1542, when Catherine was 20, she experienced the first of her ecstasies, in which she saw enacted, in sequence, the scenes of Our Lord’s Passion.  The ecstasies, which were repeated every week for twelve years, began at midday every Thursday and ended on Friday at 4:00 p.m.  During these raptures her body would move in conformity with the movements of Our Lord, and she would occasionally address exhortations to those witnessing her sufferings.

            On Easter Sunday of the same year, Our Lord appeared to her, took a ring from His finger and placed it on the forefinger of Catherine’s left hand in commemoration of their Mystical Espousal.  The Prioress described the ring as being gold and set with a large pointed diamond, but others saw it only as a swelling and reddening of the flesh, which various experiments could neither duplicate or erase.

            The wounds of the Sacred Stigmata, located in her hands, feet, and side and those wounds inflicted by the crown of thorns were variously described by people who viewed them.  Some declared that the hands were pierced through and bleeding; others perceived a brilliant light that dazzled their eyes; and still others saw the wounds as being healed but red and swollen.

            After a lengthy illness, Saint Catherine de’ Ricci died on February 2, 1590, at the age of 68, and was canonized by Pope Benedict IV in 1746.

                        O Lord, you were pleased that the Blessed Virgin Catherine be made illustrious by the contemplation of the Passion of your Son; grant that, through her intercession and recalling devotedly the same mysteries, we may deserve to experience their effects. This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  FEBRUARY 4

                       MEMORIAL

SAN LUIS BELTRAN: Patron of All Dominican Novices

 SAN LUIS BELTRAN

1525-1581

Priest

Patron of All Dominican Novices

            Saint Louis was born in Valencia, Spain, on January 1, 1526.  He was exceptionally pious as a child, reciting daily the Office of Our Lady and attending different churches in order to conceal from the knowledge of others his frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist.

            He received the Dominican habit, against the wishes of his parents, at the age of 19 and was ordained before he was 22.  Not many years after, he was appointed Novice Master, which office he fulfilled with so much zeal, prudence, virtue, self-denial and penance.  The Order of Preachers considers him to be the Patron of All its Novitiates and Formation Personnel for furnishing his novices and personnel a perfect model for their imitation.

            On fire with love for the salvation of all men, Saint Louis volunteered for the foreign missions and was eventually sent to Latin America.  There he labored indefatigably for over seven years among the most savage and hostile Indian tribes of Colombia, Venezuela, the West Indies and possibly southern Florida.  Though totally ignorant of the language if these people, he was able to convert numerous numbers through the miraculous gift of tongues.  His preaching was accompanied by many miracles and prophecies.  He once raised a girl to life by the application of a Rosary and often attributed to Our Lady the miraculous powers he manifested.  He returned to Spain and resumed his duties as Novice Master and won the esteem and friendship of Saint Teresa of Avila.  Later, he served as Prior of various houses.

            The celebrated Dominican preacher died on October 9, 1581 after suffering a long and painful illness.  Many prodigies accompanied his passing.  During the process of his beatification, witnesses testified that shortly after his death a heavenly perfume arose from his body, and that a light, which glowed for several minutes, proceeded from his mouth and illuminated his whole cell, and that seraphic music was heard in the church before his funeral.  Saint Louis was canonized by Pope Clement X on the same day as Saint Rose of Lima, April 12, 1671.

                        Almighty and ever living God, you filled the heart of Saint Louis with reverence for your name; inflame our hearts with the same fire that we may serve you faithfully with both awe and love.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  OCTOBER 9

                       MEMORIAL

SAN RAYMUNDO DE PENAFORT: Third Master of the Order of Preachers

SAN RAYMUNDO DE PENAFORT

c. 1175-1275

Priest

Third Master of the Order of Preachers

Of the noble family of Penafort, Saint Raymond was born in Barcelona around 1175.  He completed his university education in Bologna, was ordained to the priesthood and became a celebrated Master of Canon Law.  Sometime later, at the urging of his bishop, he returned to Barcelona where, in 1222, he received the habit of the Order of Preachers.

Within a year of his profession, Saint Raymond together with Saint Peter Nolasco, one of his penitents, founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives.  Called to Rome by Pope Gregory IX, who appointed him papal chaplain and penitentiary, Raymond began at once on a compilation and revision of the papal Decretals, which was to remain the basis of the Church’s Code of Canon Law until 1917.  He was named Archbishop of Tarragona, despite his protests, in 1235, and persuaded the Roman Pontiff to recall the appointment when he became seriously ill.

He composed, at the request of his brethren, the famous SUMA CASUUM, a manual for confessors and preachers is about the correct and fruitful administration of the Sacrament of Penance.

            In 1238, Raymond was elected Master of the Order and drew up a revision of the Dominican constitution (which was to remain in effect until 1924), but he resigned two years later on grounds of ill health.  Retiring to Barcelona, he spent the next thirty-five years preaching, hearing confessions and working for the conversion of Jews.  He established priories at Tunis and Murcia, studied the Koran so as to dialogue with Moslems, introduced the study of Arabic and Hebrew into several Dominicans houses, and was responsible for Saint Thomas Aquinas writing  the SUMMA CONTRA GENTILES.  Saint Raymond died on January 6, 1275 and was canonized by Pope Clement VIII in 1601.

                                    O God, you adorned your illustrious priest Raymond with the virtue of mercy towards sinners; grant through his intercession that, free from the slavery of sin, we may do with free heart what is pleasing to you.  This we ask you through Christ our Lord.  Amen

FEASTDAY:  JANUARY 6

                      MEMORIAL

SANTO DOMINGO DE GUZMAN: Priest and Founder of the Order of Preachers

SANTO DOMINGO DE GUZMAN

c.1170-1221

Priest and Founder of the Order of Preachers

Saint Dominic was born around 1170 at Caleruega in Spain of the noble De Guzman family.  After completing his studies at Palencia, he was ordained to the priesthood and became a Canon Regular in the Cathedral Chapter at Osma.  But soon he was called from his hidden life of liturgy and contemplation to the more active ministry of combating the Albigensian heresy, which at that time was rife in Southern France.  Using as a base the little group of nuns he had established at Prouille, he spent more than ten years ranging the countryside, begging from door to door, preaching indefatigably.  During this time, he became convinced of the need of a special body of trained priests who would spread the truth by preaching and teaching in apostolic poverty.  Out of this conviction the Order of Preachers, formally approved by Pope Honorius III  in 1216, was born.

The Founder was essentially a man of prayer and study, with a burning zeal for the salvation of souls – characteristics which he indelibly impressed upon his Order.  From these qualities stem  others easily  associated with them: his love for silence, his compassion for sinners, his joyous spirit, his singular purity of life and delicacy of conscience.  Dominic was also a leader, an innovator, a founder, and he had traits admirably suited to the dimension of his life: the ability to grip the essence of a problem and its most apt solution, a capacity for organization bordering on genius, a boundless trust in the capability and goodwill of his collaborators.  He had, in addition, a charism for ministering to women and for associating women in his ministry, attested not only by the establishment of three monasteries of nuns during his lifetime, but also in the recollections of many devout lay women who cared for his needs during his years in Southern France.

August 6, 1221, Saint Dominic died in Bologna and was buried, as he wished, beneath the feet of his brethren.  His close friend, Pope Gregory IX canonized him in 1234.

                                    Shining light of the Church, teacher of truth, excelling in patience, pure as whitest ivory, freely you have poured out the water of wisdom: bring us, preacher of grace, into the company of the saints.

                              O God, who has enlightened your church by the eminent virtues and preaching of St. Dominic, your Confessor and our Father, mercifully grant that by his prayers we may be provided against all temporal necessities and daily improve in all spiritual good. This we ask through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

FEASTDAY:  AUGUST 8

SOLEMNITY