St. Catherine Laboure

St. Catherine Laboure – November 28th

Zoe Laboure was the daughter of a French farmer, and she was the only one of her large family who did not go to school. She could not read or write at all. Her mother died while she was still very young, and Zoe had to run the house when her older sister became a nun.

Zoe, too, would have liked to enter the convent when she was in her early teens, but had to wait until she was twenty-four. She became a Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul and took the name of Catherine.

Shortly after she finished her period of training as a postulant, Sister Catherine began to receive the special privilege of seeing the Blessed Mother. One night, she was awakened from sleep by a “shining child” who led her to the chapel. There Our Lady came to talk to her. The Blessed Mother, in another vision, showed herself standing on a globe with streams of light coming from her hands. Underneath were the words: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to thee!” Sister Catherine was told that a medal was to be made of this picture of Our Lady and that all who wore it would receive many graces from God through His Mother’s prayers.

Sister Catherine told her confessor and he later told the bishop. So it was that the medal which we call the miraculous medal was made, and soon many, many people all over the world were wearing it. Yet no one in the convent knew that humble Sister Catherine was the one to whom Our Lady had appeared! She spent the remaining forty-five years of her life answering the door, looking after the hens that provided the nuns with eggs, and taking care of old and sick people. She was happy to keep her special privilege hidden, for she was only interested in serving God as best she could.

I will wear the Miraculous Medal and often repeat the ejaculation: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who turn to thee!”

St. Catherine of Alexandria

St. Catherine of Alexandria – Patroness of Philosophers, Jurists, Teachers, Students, and Wheel-Makers – November 25th

Catherine was the daughter of a wealthy pagan family of Alexandria, Egypt. She was a very beautiful girl whose great interest was in learning. She loved to study deep questions of philosophy and religion, and one day she began to read about Christianity. Soon she became a Christian herself.

St. Catherine was only eighteen when the Emperor Maxentius began persecuting the Christians. Fearlessly, the lovely young Christian maiden went to tell him what she thought of his cruelty. When he spoke of the pagan gods, she very plainly showed him that they were false. Maxentius could not answer her arguments, so, he sent for fifty of his best pagan philosophers. Once again, it was Catherine who proved the truth of her religion, and all fifty of those philosophers were convinced that she was right! In great fury, Maxentius had them all killed. Next, he himself tried to win her by offering her a queen’s crown. When Catherine absolutely refused it, he had her beaten and thrown into prison.

While Maxentius was away at camp, his wife and an officer were very curious to hear this amazing Christian girl speak. They went to her cell, and the result was that they and two hundred soldiers of the guard were converted. For this, they were all put to death, and Catherine was placed on a wheel full of spikes to be tortured to death. But the wheel snapped in two miraculously and the spikes flew off, killing many pagans.

Finally, St. Catherine was beheaded. She has always been the patroness of Christian philosophers.

To be able to resist the evil around us, we must know our Religion well.

St. Columban

St. Columban – November 23rd

Columban, the greatest of Irish missionary-monks, had a good education as a boy. But when he was a teenager, he was strongly tempted to sins of impurity by certain immodest girls. Columban felt a great inclination to give in, and in this terrible situation, he turned to a holy nun for advice.

“You must run away from this temptation,” she told him. “Turn from the river of impurity into which many fall!”

Columban decided not only to avoid those young women but to go off into the wilderness to become a monk. His mother could not bear the thought of him leaving her, but Columban felt he must serve God in solitude.

After many years as a monk in Ireland, Columban and twelve other monks set sail for France where good priests were badly needed. People saw their penance, devotion and charity, and many young men came to join them. Soon they had to build other monasteries to house all the disciples of St. Columban.

There were some people, however, who gave trouble because they thought the rules of these monks were too strict, and St. Columban also faced danger when he scolded the king for his sins. As a result, he and his Irish monks had to leave France. St. Columban, though fairly old, still tried to preach to unbelievers in Switzerland. When he was seventy, he went into Italy and defended the Faith against the Arian heretics.

In his letter to the Pope, St. Columban proclaims his great devotion to the Holy Father. “All we Irish, living in the furthest parts of the earth,” he says, “are bound to the Chair of St. Peter.” He calls the Pope the “leader of leaders,” and “the only hope, mighty through the honor of Peter the Apostle.”

In his last years, St. Columban built the great monastery of Bobbio in Italy, and after his death, both the Irish and the Italians were very devoted to this wonderful missionary.

If I find someone to be an occasion of sin, I will make sure to avoid that person.

St. Cecilia

St. Cecilia – Patroness of Musicians, Poets, Singers and Organ-Builders – November 22nd

This famous Patroness of music was a Roman noblewoman, who had given her heart to Christ. Beneath the rich clothes worn by women of her class, Cecilia wore a rough shirt that caused her suffering; she wanted to be able to offer this suffering to Jesus, whose bride she intended to be.

But Cecilia’s father gave her in marriage to young pagan nobleman! During the celebration of the wedding, the lovely bride sat apart singing to God in her heart and praying for His help. When she and Valerian, her husband, were alone, she gathered up courage and said to him: “I have a secret to tell you. You must know that I have an angel of God watching over me. If you let me keep my promise to be Christ’s bride only, my angel will love you as he loves me.”

“Show me this angel,” answered Valerian. “If he comes from God, I will do as you wish.”

Cecilia said, “If you believe in the one true God and receive the waters of Baptism, then you shall see the angel.” Valerian went to the Bishop Urban and was received with joy. After he had professed his belief in the Christian religion, he was baptized and returned to St. Cecilia.

There by the Saint’s side, the young man saw the splendid angel! The angel raised his hand and placed a crown of roses and lilies on the heads of the young couple. What joy filled their pure, holy hearts at that moment!

Valerian’s brother, Tiburtius, learned of the Christian faith from Cecilia and she spoke so beautifully of Jesus that before long, he too was baptized. Together the two brothers performed many works of holy charity. When they were arrested for being Christians, they went bravely to death rather than give up their new faith in Jesus.

St. Cecilia lovingly buried their bodies, before she too was arrested. She converted the very officers who tried to make her sacrifice to false gods! When she was put into a fire, it did no harm her. At last, a man was sent to behead her. He struck her at the neck three times, but she did not die right away. She lay on the floor of her own home unable to move. Yet by holding out three fingers of one hand, and one of the other, she still professed her faith in the Blessed Trinity.

Today I will think often that I have a Guardian Angel watching over me.

St. Charles Borromeo

St. Charles Borromeo - November 4th

Charles was the son of a rich and holy Count of Italy. Like other young men of his high position, he went to the University of Pavia, but unlike many of them, he would have nothing to do with sinful activities. He seemed to be a slow student because he was not a good speaker at all, but he really made good progress.

He was only twenty-three when his uncle, Pope Pius IV, gave him many important duties. He managed to handle all his affairs well, but he was always afraid that he might stray from God because of the many temptations there were for the rich. For this reason he was always careful to deny himself many pleasures and to be humble and patient at all times.

As a priest and later the Cardinal Archbishop of Milan, St. Charles was a model Shepherd of souls. He gave away great amounts of money to the poor, and at home had only one shabby cassock to his name. In public, though, he dressed as a Cardinal should and attended with great care to the dignity and proper respect owed to Church ceremonies. In Milan many had practices and much superstition was practiced. By wise laws, by gentle kindness and by his own marvelous example, St. Charles made his diocese a model for the whole Church. He was never a good speaker-people could barely hear him-yet his words took effect.

When a terrible disease caused a great many deaths in Milan, the Cardinal thought of nothing else but caring for his people. He prayed and did penance; he organized crews of attendants and went into dept to feed the hungry. He even had altars set up in the streets so that the sick could assist at Mass from their windows.

This great man was never too busy to help simple people. He once stayed with a poor little shepherd lad until he had taught him the Our Father and the Hail Mary. As he lay dying at the age of forty-six, St. Charles said peacefully, “Behold, I come!”

What a fascinating motto this would be: “To God all the glory, to my neighbor all the joy, to me all the sacrifice”!

Bl. Contardo Ferrini

Bl. Contardo Ferrini – October 27th

Contardo’s father was a teacher of mathematics and physics and he early began teaching his little son his own love for study. As a young man, Contardo could speak many languages besides his own Italian. He did very well in every school and college he went to, and his great love for study and for his Catholic Faith made his friends nickname him their own ‘St. Aloysius’. It was Contardo who first started clubs for college students to help them form themselves into good Christians.

When he was twenty-one, he was offered a chance to study at the University of Berlin in Germany. It was hard for him to leave his home in Italy, but he was happy to meet many devout Catholics at the University of Berlin. He wrote down in a little book what he felt the first time he went to Confession in a foreign land: it thrilled him to realize that the Catholic Church is really the same everywhere a person goes.

By the next year, Contardo was trying to decide whether he should become a priest or a monk, or whether he should marry or just what he should do. As it turned out, he took a vow to give himself only to God, but he never became a priest or a brother. He went on teaching and writing and trying always to become a more perfect Christian. While enjoying his favorite sport of mountain-climbing, he would think of God, the Creator of all the beauty he saw. People noticed that there was something different about Professor Ferrini. Once when he had passed by with his usual warm smile, someone exclaimed “That man is a Saint!”

Today I will offer my prayers for lay apostles, so that they may be able to do much good, by their good example to the people with whom they live and work.

Sts. Varus and Cleopatra

Sts. Varus and Cleopatra – October 19th

Varus was an Egyptian soldier who brought food to seven holy monks who had been put in prison for their Faith. When one of them died, the fearless Christian soldier took his place in prison. St. Varus was cruelly tortured because he would not give up his belief in Christ, and finally he died a martyr.

A saintly Christian woman named Cleopatra secretly obtained the body of the soldier-martyr and hid it in a bundle of wool. In this manner she brought it out of Egypt and back to her home in Palestine. There many people came to visit the Saint’s tomb. Cleopatra had a son named John, and when he was about to go into the army, she decided to have a big church built to honor the relics of St. Varus. At the same time, she asked him to pray for her son.

When the beautiful church was ready, she and John brought the martyr’s remains to the new shrine. But that very night, John became sick and died! Poor mother! She had her dead son carried into the church and laid in front of the altar, sobbing as though her heart would break. She stayed there, begging God to bring her son back to life, until the next night. She even spoke angry words to St. Varus, whom she had honored so much before. At last, she was so tired out by her weeping that she fell fast asleep. And in a dream she saw St. Varus leading John by the hand. They both looked so gloriously happy that St. Cleopatra could not say a word.

“Have I forgotten all the love you showed me?” St. Varus said to her. “You asked for health and success for your son, and look! He is safe forevermore!” The good woman felt contented now. Then she was told to lay John’s body there in the church and to wait awhile until they came for her. She spent seven years in prayer and penance, until at last God called her to share the glory of St. Varus and her son.

Let us pray to these saints to make us brave and patient amid the troubles of life.

St. Callistus

St. Callistus – October 14th

This great Pope and martyr was once a young slave in Rome, who got into serious trouble. His master, a Christian, had put him in charge of a bank, and somehow or other, Callistus lost the money deposited with him by other Christians. In fear, he ran away, escaping from Rome to Porto. But there he was caught, after jumping into the sea to try to get away. His sentence was a terrible one: he was chained and put to endless hard labor in a mill.

From this punishment Callistus was released, only because his creditors hoped he could get some of their money back. But once again he was arrested, this time for having gotten into a fight. He was sent to the mines of Sardinia. When the Emperor freed all the Christians who had been condemned to those mines, Callistus was freed, too, and from that time on things began to go better for the poor young man.

Pope St. Zephrinus came to know and trust the freed slave, and he placed him in charge of the public Christian cemetery. This cemetery is now named after St. Callistus himself and many popes were buried in it. Callistus proved himself worthy of the Pope’s confidence in him, and St. Zephrinus not only ordained him, but also made him his friend and advisor.

Later on, St. Callistus himself became pope. Some people complained because he showed too much mercy to sinners, but the holy Pope ruled that even murderers could be admitted to communion after they had done penance for their sin. This great Pope always defended the true doctrine of Jesus and ended his life with a glorious martyrdom.

Even after many failures, one can succeed in the end. What counts is never to quit, but always to try again.

Sts. Felix and Cyprian

Sts. Felix and Cyprian – October 12th

Felix and Cyprian were African bishops who suffered with over 4,900 martyrs in the terrible persecution by the Vandals. Huneric, the Vandal king, drove these Christians into exile in the Libyan desert. They were treated with great cruelty by the Moors. Some were stoned; others were dragged over stony ground, some forced to run by spear tips, and some torn apart.

A holy Bishop named Victor used to try to help the poor Christians who had been shut up in a horrible prison, packed in without air or light. He wrote the story of their courage and their sufferings, and he says that when they were ordered into exile in the terrible desert, they came out that prison singing hymns. Other Christians burst into tears at the sight and even women and children went with them to exile and death. The Bishop St. Felix was so old and so crippled that someone said to the Vandal King: “You might just as well leave him here to die.” But King Huneric cruelly answered, “If he cannot ride a horse, he can be dragged by oxen!” In the end, they decided to tie the brave old bishop to a donkey and he was carried off to die in the desert.

The bishop St. Cyprian risked his own life to take care of as many prisoners as he could. He spent every minute he could and every ounce of strength he had, plus everything he owned, to assist them. At last, he, too, was arrested and sent into exile. There he also died a martyr from the cruel treatment given to all these strong defenders of the Catholic Faith.

The Martyrs gave up all they had, even life itself, to keep their Faith in God. And I? Do my words and deeds reflect my Faith, even when little difficulties come up?

Blessed Charles of Blois

Blessed Charles of Blois – September 29th

Charles was a French prince who would have liked to be a Franciscan friar, but spent most of his life on the battlefield. He was a nephew of King Philip VI of France, and when he was seventeen, he married Joan of Brittany. But there was another man who claimed he should be Duke of Brittany, instead of Charles. That is how all the fighting began, and it lasted his whole life.

Blessed Charles hated wars, for he saw how much suffering they bring. Once he offered to settle the whole matter by fighting alone against his rival, but the wars went on. The holy prince did all he could to help the wounded after every battle and to take care of the poor people in the towns he conquered. Barefoot he made pilgrimages and he built religious houses where monks and nuns would pray for him and for the soldiers who were killed in battle. Once, he held up a big battle in order to go to Mass first. One of his officers was angry at that, but Blessed Charles answered, “We can always get towns and castles. If we lose them, God will help us get them back again. But we cannot afford to miss Mass.”

Even while in prison for nine years in London, Charles won the admiration of his jailers because of his calm patience and his spirit of prayer. When he was set free, he went back to fight for his land again, and was finally killed on the battlefield. So many miracles took place at his tomb that the people of Brittany began calling him a saint right away.

Do I easily find excuses to miss Mass? How do I assist at Mass? Let us often remember the example of this Saint, who even held up a big battle in order to go to Mass first.

Sts. Cosmos and Damien

Sts. Cosmos and Damien - Patrons of Surgeons, Barbers, Doctors and Druggists - September 27th

These two Saints were twin brothers who were born in Arabia. They were very famous students of science and both became excellent doctors.

Cosmos and Damien saw in every patient a brother in Christ. For this reason, they showed great charity to all and treated their sicknesses to the best of their ability. Yet no matter how much care a patient required, neither Cosmas nor Damien ever accepted any money for their services. For this reason, they were called by a name in Greek which means, “the moneyless ones.”

Every chance they had, the two Saints told their patients about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and because the people all loved these twin doctors, they listened to them willingly. Cosmos and Damien often brought health back to both the bodies and the souls of those who came to them for help.

When the persecution of Christians began in their city, the Saints were arrested at once, for they had never tried to hide their great love for the Christian Faith. They were tortured, but nothing could make them give up their belief in Christ. They had lived for Him and had brought so many souls to His love. So at last, they were put to death. These holy martyrs are named in the Canon, the most solemn part of the Mass.

Let us perform a work of mercy today-either spiritual or material.

St. Clare of Assisi

St. Clare of Assisi - Patroness of Eyes and Television - August 12th

Clare was a beautiful Italian noblewomen who became the Foundress of an Order of nuns now called “Poor Clares.” When she heard St. Francis of Assisi preach, her heart burned with a great desire to imitate Francis and to live a poor humble life for Jesus. So one evening, she ran away from home, and in a little chapel outside Assisi, gave herself to God. St. Francis cut of her hair and gave her a rough brown habit to wear, tied with a plain cord. Her parents tried in every way to make her return home, but Clare would not. And soon her sister, St. Agnes, joined her, as well as other young women who wanted to be brides of Jesus, and live without any money.

St. Clare and her sisters wore no shoes, ate no meat, lived in a poor house, and kept silent most of the time. Yet they were very happy, because Our Lord was close to them all the time. Once, He saved them from a great danger in answer to St. Clare’s prayer. An army of rough soldiers came to attack Assisi and they planned to raid the convent first. Although very sick, St. Clare had herself carried to the wall and right there, where the enemies could see it, she had the Blessed Sacrament placed. Then on her knees, she begged god to save the Sisters. “O Lord, protect these Sisters whom I cannot protect now,” she prayed. And a voice seemed to answer: “I will keep them always in My care.” At the same time a sudden fright struck the attackers and they fled as fast as they could.

St. Clare was sick and suffered great pains for many years, but she said that no pain could trouble her. So great was her joy in serving the Lord that she once exclaimed: “They say that we are too poor, but can a heart which possesses the Infinite God be truly called poor?”

I will remember this miracle of the Blessed Sacrament when I am at church. And then I will pray with great faith to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist: “Save me, O Lord, from every evil-of soul and body.”

St. Cajetan

St. Cajetan - August 7th

Cajetan was the son of a Italian Count. At the University of Padua, where he finished his studies, he spent much time in prayer. That did not make him do poorly in school, however; in fact, his devotion helped him understand things better. Cajetan was made a senator, but after some years, he went to Rome and became a priest. Then he returned to his own city of Vicenza. Although it angered his rich relatives, the Saint joined a group of humble, simple men who devoted themselves to helping the sick and the poor.

St. Cajetan would go all over the city looking for these unfortunate people and serve them himself. He helped at the hospital by waiting on people who had the most disgusting diseases. In other cities he did the same charitable work and also kept encouraging everyone to go to Holy Communion often. “I shall never be happy,” he said, “until I see Christians flocking to feed on the Bread of Life, with eagerness and delight, not with fear and shame.”

Together with these other holy men, St. Cajetan founded an order of religious priests called Theatines. They devoted themselves to preaching, encouraging frequent confession and Communion, helping the sick, and other good works.

Cajetan died at the age of sixty-seven. He had earned for himself the name “hunter of souls.” In his last sickness, he lay on hard boards, even though the doctor advised him to have a mattress. “My Savior died on a cross,” he said. “Let me at least die on wood.”

In imitation of this saint we should make the Holy Eucharist the center of our lives. We will be greatly blessed if we often receive Our Divine Lord in Holy Communion with the proper dispositions.

St. Camillus de Lellis

St. Camillus de Lellis - Patron of Sick and Hospitals - July 18th

This Italian Saint’s life for twenty-five years was not one to be imitated, because he was a rough-and-ready soldier with a terrible love of gambling and temper that got him into trouble all the time.

At last he had gambled away every penny he had, plus his gun, and even the shirt he was wearing. To earn some money, he took a job with builders putting up a new monastery for the Capuchin monks. The Superior there urged Camillus to change his ways, and his words had a good effect. Camillus kept thinking about them until he finally fell to his knees and begged God for mercy. Then he entered the Capuchin monastery, but a bad sore on his leg made it impossible for him to stay.

St. Camillus went to a hospital in Rome, and though his leg pained him all his life, it healed enough to let him work there tending the sick. In each person, Camillus felt he was serving Jesus Himself, and people were amazed to see how gentle and tender this tall, husky man was with his poor patients. In those days, hospitals did not have regular nurses, and very often rough, careless servants made the patients suffer greatly. So St. Camillus founded a congregation of devoted servants of the sick.

Even when he was very sick, the Saint dragged himself out of his bed to ask the patients if they wanted anything. Once, one sick man begged him to make his bed a little more comfortable. “You beg me!” exclaimed Camillus. “Don’t you know yet that you have to give me orders, for I am your servant?”

Let us visit the poor and the sick to help them. One day Jesus will tell us, “I was hungry and you fed Me; I was sick and you visited Me”.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius

Sts. Cyril and Methodius - July 7th

These two brothers were born in Macedonia. Methodius was much older than Cyril, but they both became priests and shared the same holy desires to spread the faith. Cyril was the first to lead a group of missionaries to central Europe to convert a people called Khazars. He learned their language in a short time and succeeded in converting both ruler and his people.

The mission of Methodius, who had become a monk, had a very unusual beginning. He was an excellent artist and was sent to the King Bulgaria to paint a picture for his palace. The king, a pagan, asked the saint to paint a terrifying scene, and St. Methodius painted a tremendous picture of the Last Judgement. When he explained it, it made a great impression on the King. In this wise way, Methodius had a chance to preach the Faith, and the King was converted. At first the people were angry, but before too long, they followed their King’s example.

Saints Cyril and Methodius are called the Apostles of the Southern Slavs, because they brought the Faith to so many of the Slavic people. They also are remembered for having invented an alphabet in which the Slavic language might be written.

After St. Cyril died, his holy brother continued his work for another fifteen years.

Let us always remember that after death, Jesus will judge us for every thought, word and action.

St. Columba of Iona

St. Columba of Iona - Patron of Ireland - June 9th

Columba was an Irishman and sometimes he is called by his Irish name of Columkille. He studied at famous monastery schools and became a good poet. Then he became a pupil of St. Finian and later a priest. Before he was twenty-five, he had had the good fortune to study with a number of great Irish saints.

Columba was a tall, strong man with a loud, beautiful voice that people said could be heard a mile away. For fifteen years, he went all over Ireland preaching and starting monasteries. Yet he never stopped studying and he made every effort to obtain many books.

When he was forty-two, St. Columba left Ireland to try to win pagans in Scotland for Christ. On the island of Iona he built a monastery, many missionaries to Scotland and England were to come. St. Columba began his mission to Scotland by going to the castle of the pagan King. The King had commanded his soldiers not to let the Saint enter. But when Columba lifted his arm to make the sign of the cross, the gates fell open by themselves! The King was so amazed that he listened to his words about the Christian Faith and greatly honored St. Columba from then on. Because of the many converts he made, the Saint is called the Apostle of Scotland.

Columba was once a rather rough, quick-tempered man and, though his name means “dove,” he was not gentle at all. But he changed so much that he became loving with everyone, serene and full of holy joy.

The saints were not born saints. They had to overcome their defects. Let us, too, see what our greatest defect is and then pray and work hard to correct it.

St. Clotilda

St. Clotilda - June 3rd

Clotilda was the daughter of the King of Burgundy. After her father’s death, her uncle became King, and the princess was brought up in his court. Although this court was full of dangers to her soul, she did not let the attractions of pleasures make her sin. When the pagan King of the Franks, Clovis, asked for her as his wife, her uncle gave permission, but said she must be allowed to practice her Christian Faith.

King Clovis of France was a hot-tempered barbarian, but his Queen Clotilda soon won his heart with her beauty, sweetness, and charming ways. Although she spent many hours in prayer and secretly practiced penance, she dressed and acted as a Queen should, to please her husband. The great desire of her heart was to see him become a Christian.

One day, as he was going to battle, she told him to pray to the God of the Christians. During the battle, King Clovis’ soldiers began to go over to the enemy. He saw that he would surely lose, and he vowed that if Clotilda’s God would make him victorious, he would become a Christian. He won the battle, and on Christmas Day, Clovis and over three thousand Franks were baptized. It is easy to see why St. Clotilda is called the Apostle of France.

After her husband’s death, she had to suffer much from the fighting of her sons, and she tried in every way to keep peace among them. When she was dying, she begged them to treat their subjects well, to protect the poor, and to live in peace. Then she turned all her thoughts to God and prepared herself for death by praying with great devotion.

In the midst of many dangers and in the company of very rough people, Clotilda became a saint. We, too, can become saints if we try to imitate her by praying and being kind all the time.

St. Celestine V

St. Celestine V - Patron of Bookbinders - May 19th

When the father of this Italian Saint died, his good mother brought up her twelve children well, even though they were very poor. “Oh, if I could only have the joy of seeing one of you become a saint!” she used to say. Once when she asked as usual, “Which of you is going to become a saint?” little Peter (who was to become Pope Celestine) answered with all his heart, “Me, Mama! I’ll become a saint!” And he did.

When he was twenty, Peter became a hermit and spent his days praying or reading the Holy Bible. If he was not praying or reading, he would copy books or do some hard work so that the devil would not find him doing nothing and tempt him. Because other hermits kept coming to him and begging him to guide them, he started a new Order.

Peter was an old monk, eighty-four years of age, when he was made Pope. It came about in a very unusual way. For two years, there had been no Pope, because the Cardinals could not decide whom to choose. St. Peter sent them a message to decide quickly, for God was not pleased at the long delay. Then and there, they chose the holy old hermit himself! Poor Peter wept when he heard the news, but he sorrowfully accepted and took the name Celestine V.

He was Pope only about five months. Because he was so humble and simple, everyone took advantage of him. He could not say “no” to anyone, and soon matters were in great confusion. At last, the Saint decided that he had better give up his position as Pope. He did so and then threw himself at the feet of the Cardinals to ask forgiveness for not having been capable of governing the Church. What an impression his humility made on all of them!

St. Celestine hoped to live in one of his monasteries in peace. But the new Pope thought it would be safer to keep him where wicked people could not take advantage of him. The Saint was put in a cell and died there. Yet he was cheerful and close to God. “You wanted a cell, Peter,” he would repeat to himself, “and a cell you have.”

St. Celestine loved to live alone, because he wanted to be closely united to Our Lord. Once in a while, let us stop what we are doing for a few seconds and have a heart-to-heart talk with Jesus.

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Catherine of Siena - Patroness of Italy and of Nursing - April 30th

This glorious saint is the Patroness of Italy, her country. She was the youngest child in a family of twenty-five children. Her mother and father wanted her to wear pretty clothes and choose a husband, but Catherine wanted only to become a nun. When she cut off her long, beautiful hair, to make herself unattractive, her family was so angry that they scolded her all day long and made her work like a slave in her own home. At last, however, they let her become a sister.


St. Catherine suffered terrible temptations after, but she always fought the bravely. Once she said to Jesus, “Where were you, Lord, when I had such shameful temptations?” And Jesus answered, “Daughter, I was in your heart and I made you win with my grace.”


Jesus often appeared to St. Catherine and talked with her lovingly. One night, when all people were out on the streets celebrating, He appeared to her praying alone in her room. With Him was His Blessed Mother. She took Catherine’s hand and lifted it up to her Son. Jesus put a ring on the Saint’s finger and so she became His bride.


In St. Catherine’s time, the Church had many troubles, and there were fights going all over Italy. The Saint wrote letters to Kings and Queens and went herself to beg rulers to make their peace with the Pope and to avoid wars.


Catherine never forgot that Jesus was in her heart-no matter how busy she was. And through her, Jesus converted the sick people she lovingly nursed and the prisoners she visited in jail. The Pope himself accepted Catherine’s advice to go back to Rome from France because it was God’s will that he govern the Church from Rome. The Pope listened to St. Catherine and went back, because he knew how close she was to God.


Let us offer our whole heart to God so that like St. Catherine, we will discover how wonderful it is to love the Lord.

St. Catherine's head incorrupted

Sts. Soter and Caius

Sts. Soter and Caius - April 22nd

St. Soter was Pope long ago, in the times of the Roman Emperors. He was a real father to all Christians. He gave much help to those who had been condemned to work in dangerous mines because they would not give up their faith. These brave Christians had little to eat and were not allowed to rest hardly at all. Other Christians were chained in prisons. Good Pope Soter did everything he possibly could to comfort and help them.

St. Soter also helped churches that were far away from Rome. This holy Pope was a great preacher. All the Christians loved to listen to him explain our religion, because he spoke so beautifully. He inspired them with new courage to die for Christ rather than sacrifice to false gods. After ten years as Pope, St. Soter himself gave his life for Jesus.

St. Caius was Pope about one hundred years later. He, too, lived in times of persecution and he did all he could to prepare his good people to keep the Faith at any sacrifice. In order to be of more help to his people, he lived eight years in underground rooms, called catacombs. These were cemeteries where the Christians often met in secret to pray and receive the Sacraments. This was their hiding place from the cruel pagan soldiers, who would kill them if they caught them.

St. Caius was Pope for twelve years. Then, he, too, was put to death for the Faith.

Today people in different parts of the world are persecuted because they are good Christians. Let us offer our prayers and sacrifices that they may keep up their courage.