St. Augustine

St. Augustine - Patron of Theologians, Printers and Brewers - August 28th

This famous son of St. Monica was born in Africa and spent many years of his life in wicked living and false beliefs. Though he was one of the most intelligent men who ever lived and though he had been brought up a Christian, his sins of impurity and his pride darkened his mind so much that he could not see or understand the divine truth any more.

Through the prayers of his holy mother and the marvelous preaching of St. Ambrose, Augustine finally became convinced that Christianity was the one true religion. Yet he did not become a Christian then, because he thought he could never live a pure life. One day, however, he heard about two men who had suddenly been converted on reading the life of St. Antony, and he felt terribly ashamed of himself. “What are we doing?” he cried to his friend Alipius. “Unlearned people are taking Heaven by force, while we, with all our knowledge, are so cowardly that we keep rolling around in the mud of our sins!”

Full of bitter sorrow, Augustine flung himself out into the garden and cried out to God, “How long more, O Lord? Why does not this hour put an end to my sins?” Just then he heard a child singing, “Take up and read!” Thinking that God intended him to hear those words, he picked up the book of the Letters of St. Paul, and read the first passage his gaze fell on. It was just what Augustine needed for in it St. Paul says to put away all impurity and to live in imitation of Jesus. That did it! From then on, Augustine began a new life.

He was baptized, became a priest, a bishop, a famous Catholic writer, Founder of religious priests, and one of the greatest Saints that ever lived. He became very devout and charitable, too. On the wall of his room he had the following sentence written in large letters: “Here we do not speak evil of anyone.” St. Augustine overcame strong heresies, practiced great poverty and supported the poor, preached very often, and prayed with great fervor right up until his death. “Too late have I loved You!” he once cried to God, but with his holy life he certainly made up for the sins he committed before his conversion.

Thinking over the lives of the Saints, we should tell ourselves, “Can you not do what these men and women did?” Certainly we can, if we pray and strengthen our will.

St. Joseph Calasanctius

St. Joseph Calasanctius - Patron of Schools - August 27th

Joseph was born in his father’s castle in Spain. He went to college and there overcame the temptation to sin offered him by a young women who was a relative of his. After becoming a priest, Joseph was given high positions and he did his work very successfully. Yet he felt that God was calling him to do some special work for poor children in Rome. Obediently he gave up everything he had in Spain and went to Rome.

There his heart was filled with pity for all the orphans and homeless children he saw everywhere. They were ignorant and uncared for, and Joseph began to gather them together to teach them all the regular subjects, but especially their religion. Other priests joined him and soon the humble Saint had to become the Superior of a new Religious Order. But he never let his duties as Founder and Superior stop him from teaching his beloved children. He would even sweep the classrooms himself and lead the little ones to their homes after school was over.

St. Joseph had much to suffer from people who tried to take over his Order and run it the way they wanted. Once he was even led through the streets like a criminal and almost put in jail, although the good priest had done nothing wrong. When he was ninety years old, the Saint received the terrible news that his Order had been forbidden to continue as he had founded it. Yet in all his suffering, Joseph only said: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord. My work has been done simply out of love of God.

Two years later, the Saint died a calm, peaceful death. And several years afterwards, his Order of the Fiarist Fathers was allowed to continue St. Joseph’s wonderful mission.

I will try to be as patient as this Saint. I will never take revenge on those who hurt me with words or deeds.

St. Elizabeth Bichier

St. Elizabeth Bichier - August 26th

As a little girl, Elizabeth’s favorite game was building castles in the sand. Many years later, this holy Frenchwomen had to take charge of building many convents for the Order of nuns she founded. “I guess building was meant to be my business,” she joked, “since I started it so young!”

During the time of the French Revolution, Elizabeth’s family would have lost everything they owned because the republicans were taking property from the nobles. But this daring young lady of nineteen studied law in order to fight their case in court. When she won and saved her family from ruin, the village shoemaker exclaimed: “All you have to do now is marry a good republican!” Elizabeth, however, had no intention of marrying anyone-republican or noble! On the back of a picture of Our Lady, she had written: “I dedicate and consecrate myself to Jesus and Mary forever.”

With the help of St. Andrew Fournet, she started her Order of Sisters called the Daughters of the Cross, to teach children and to take care of the sick. St. Elizabeth would face any danger to help people. Once she found a tramp lying sick in a barn. She brought him to the convent hospital and did all she could for him until he died. The next morning the police chief came to tell her she could be arrested for sheltering a man believed to be a criminal. Elizabeth was unafraid. “I only did what you yourself would have done, sir,” she said. “I found this poor sick man, I took care of him until he died. I am ready to tell the judge just what happened.” Of course, the Saint’s honesty and charity won her so much respect and admiration that no one thought of criticizing what she did.

Let us learn from this Saint to do things for God alone. What people might think of us, should never stop us from doing our duties.

St. Louis of France

St. Louis of France - Patron of Thrid Order Members and of Barbers - August 25th

When this Prince was still small, his good mother, Queen Blanche, hugged him tightly and told him, “I love you, my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child, but I would rather see you dead at my feet than ever have you commit a mortal sin.” Louis never forgot those words so often repeated by his mother and he became one of the holiest rulers the world has ever known.

Once he asked a good friend which he would prefer, to be a leper or to have committed a mortal sin. The man said, “I would rather commit thirty sins than be a leper!” King Louis replied sadly, “This is a wild, foolish answer. When a man dies, all his sicknesses end, but mortal sin is a terrible disease which does not end with death. If you love me, I beg you to choose any suffering rather than give in to mortal sin!”

Busy as he was, the King found time for two daily Masses and for several hours of prayer.

An enemy of all injustice, of all impure entertainments and swearing, St. Louis ruled his people with such wisdom, charity and fairness that even foreign kings asked him to settle their disagreements. To his wife and eleven children he was a good husband and father, and as long as his mother lived, he showed her every respect.

St. Louis was a Crusader, too, who twice led an army against the Turks to protect the Christians in the Holy Land. The first time, he was taken prisoner, but even in jail, he behaved as a true Christian knight, unafraid and noble in all his ways. He was freed and returned to take care of his kingdom in France, yet as soon as he could, he started back to fight the enemies of Faith again. On the way, however, this greatly-loved King fell sick and died. A few hours before he breathed his last, he prayed, “Lord, I will enter into Your house, worship in Your holy temple, and give glory to your name.”

I will think of the many prayers of King St. Louis, and I will promise to offer Our Lord every morning my whole day.

St. Bartholomew, the Apostle

St. Bartholomew, the Apostle - Patron of Plasterers - August 24th

“Bartholomew” was one of the first followers of Jesus. This apostle’s other name was Nathanael. He became a disciple of Jesus when his friend Philip invited him to come and meet Our Lord. Nathanael received high praise from Jesus, who said, as soon as He saw him: “Here is a man in whom there is no guile”. Jesus meant that Nathanael was an honest, sincere man who would never deceive anyone. His one desire was to know the truth.

Nathanael was very surprised to hear those words from Our Lord. “How do You know me?” he asked. “Before Philip called you,” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig-tree.” That was a favorite praying-place, and Nathanael must have realized then that Jesus had read his heart as he prayed. “Master!” he cried, “You are the Son of God, the King of Israel.” And Nathanael became one of Our Lord’s faithful apostles.

Like the other apostles, Nathanael, or Bartholomew, preached the Gospel of Jesus at the risk of his life. He went to India, Armenia and other lands, preaching with great zeal, until he gave his life for the Faith. And so, to the reward of an Apostle, St. Bartholomew added the martyr’s crown.

Jesus likes people who are honest, like St. Bartholomew. Even though Bartholomew had his opinions, he was not stubborn at all. So Jesus praised him, gave him the grace of faith and the vocation to be an apostle.

St. Philip Benizi

St. Philip Benizi - August 23rd

Philip was a noble young doctor in his own city of Florence, Italy. In his spare time, he studied the Holy Bible and prayed that he might know what he was to do in life. At last, he was inspired to join the Order of Servants of Mary, called the Servites. He asked them to accept him as a brother, saying humbly, “I wish to be the servant of the Servants of Mary.”

Philip was made the gardener because no one knew how brilliant this young man was, and he himself wanted to remain hidden and unnoticed. Happily he talked to Our Lord in his heart as he went about his humble work. But one day, on a trip, without realizing it, Philip spoke so intelligently and beautifully that his brothers told the Superior what a brilliant and learned man the brother-gardener was. Soon he became a priest, then Master of Novices, and finally, Superior of the whole Order!

All his life St. Philip worked to make all Christians everywhere love one another. He succeeded in stopping many fights between Christians in Italy. Indeed, he made such an impression on some of the ringleaders that they changed their lives completely and became very holy men.

God gave this Saint the gift of working miracles. Once his monks had no more food at all and seemed about to starve to death. St. Philip urged them to have faith while he prayed to our Blessed Mother. Suddenly there was a knock at the door and when they opened it, there on the monastery steps sat ten great big baskets of bread.

Before he died, St. Philip kept saying to his brother Servites: “Love one another! Have respect for one another! Love one another!”

What a beautiful rule for a happy and holy life, “Love one another! Love one another!”

The Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Immaculate Heart of Mary

- August 22nd

The Heart of Our Blessed Mother was not only one full of love for God and for neighbor.


It was the most humble and pure, the most devout and fervent in prayer.


It was the bravest heart, and even during her Son’s passion she never gave in to discouragement.


It was the most patient and most faithful heart. It was the one which was always united to God in intimate contemplation and at the same time had charity for all. It was the heart of the Mother of Jesus, and because of this, it was in all things like the heart of her Divine Son. Like Jesus and with Him, Mary loved and suffered in her heart for the salvation of all poor sinners.


In the Heart of Our Blessed Mother, as in the Heart of Jesus, there is a most ardent desire to save souls from Hell and from Purgatory. Mary prays continually to her Son for our salvation. She knows that Jesus came on earth especially for sinners. She does not forget that when He was dying, He made her the Mother of us all.


In spite of our sins, let us look up to our Blessed Mother and let us have confidence in her motherly heart. Then, even if we are sad or upset, we will feel peaceful and happy again.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal

St. Jane Frances de Chantal - August 21st

Jane’s father was President of the lawmakers in the section of France. He was a devout man who brought his children up well after the death of his wife. Jane, whom he dearly loved, he married to Christopher, the Baron de Chantal. Jane and Christopher were very happy, for they were very much in love and God blessed them with four children. Jane showed her love for God by loving her husband and children with her whole heart.

Then, suddenly, a great sorrow fell upon that happy home. Baron Christopher was accidentally shot by a friend who had gone hunting with him. When he died, Jane was heart-broken, yet as a good Christian should, she forgave the man who had caused his death and even became his child’s godmother.

Now Jane Frances began to ask Our Lord to send her a holy priest to guide her, so she would know what to do with her life. In the meantime, she prayed and brought up her children in the love of God. She visited the poor and sick and comforted the dying. When she met St. Francis de Sales, she knew this was the holy man God had sent to guide her. Following his plan, she and three other young women started the order of the Sisters of the Visitation. But first Jane Frances had to overcome the objections of her relatives. By now Jane’s oldest daughter was married to St. Francis’ young brother, and she sent her two younger daughters with her to bring up. But her fifteen-year-old son, who was to stay with his grandfather, threw himself to the ground across the doorway, sobbing. Jane knew God wanted her to go and that He Himself would take the best care of her son, so she stepped over the boy and went away with tears spilling down her cheeks.

St. Jane showed this same courage in all the difficulties that faced her as she opened up many convents, and in fighting her own temptations. “Despite all her suffering,” wrote St. Vincent de Paul, “her face never lost its peaceful look. And she was always perfectly faithful to God. So I consider her one of the holiest souls I have ever met.”

Like this Saint, let us always obey the Will of God, even when it costs us great sacrifices. If we do it, we, too, will become saints.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

St. Bernard of Clairvaux - Patron of Candle-Makers and Candle-Sellers - August 20th

Bernard was a handsome young French noble whose heart was broken when his mother died. He was just seventeen then and he might have let sadness get the best of him had it not been for his lively sister Humbeline. She cheered him up and soon Bernard became a very popular man, for he was not only good-looking and brilliant, but also a lover of fun, good-humored and very likeable.

Yet one day, Bernard greatly surprised his friends by telling them he was going to join the very strict Cistercian Order. They did all they could to make him give up the idea, but in the end, it was Bernard who convinced his four brothers, an uncle, and twenty-six of his friends to join him! As Bernard and his brothers left their home, they said to their little brother Nivard, who was playing with other children: “Good-bye, little Nivard! You will now have all the lands and property for yourself!” But the youngster answered: “What! Will you take Heaven and leave me the earth? Do you call that fair?” And not too long after, Nivard, too, joined his brothers in the monastery.

St. Bernard became a very good monk. To keep fervent, he would ask himself every morning: “Why did you come here?” This question spurred him on to become a Saint. After three years, Bernard was sent to start a new Cistercian monastery and to be its Abbot. He and his monks lived such good and heroic lives for God that over a hundred men soon joined them. Although the Saint would have liked to stay working and praying in his monastery, he was called to preach, to make peace between rulers, to advise the Popes, and to write beautiful spiritual books. He became the most famous man of his time, yet Bernard’s great desire was to go to Heaven.

This Saint had a great devotion to the Blessed Mother and often greeted her with a “Hail Mary” when he passed her statue. One day, the Blessed Mother returned his greeting: “Hail, Bernard!” In this way, Our Lady showed how much his love and devotion pleased her.

Let us ask ourselves every day, “Why did God make us?” Then let us say the answer slowly, “God made us o know, love and serve Him in this world, and to share His eternal happiness in Heaven.”

THE NICENE CREED

THE NICENE CREED

On video, in English words, Latin singing (St. Pius V Choir), and pictures

Video created by, Rita-The Saints Administrator

Your Profession of Faith

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