St. Pamphilus

St. Pamphilus - June 1st

Pamphilus was born in Lebanon and became a famous scholar in his own city. He studied in Egypt and then settled down in Palestine. Here he became a priest and started a school for the study of the Holy Bible.

Pamphilus loved to read and to study religious writings. He collected a wonderful library of them, which was preserved for a long time after he died. He was so anxious to have many people read God’s message in the Bible that he would give away his copies of the holy Book. In those days, when there were no printing presses, books cost a great deal of money, because they had to be copied all by hand. Yet St. Pamphilus was so generous that he gave many away.

This Saint treated everyone, even the poor slaves, as his brothers. He gave all the money he received from his father to his relatives and friends and to poor people. After working hard all his life, he was put in prison for refusing to worship false gods. He kept on writing the two years he was in prison. Then he and other faithful Christians were beheaded and so won the martyr’s crown.

Little by little, let us build up on an inspiring home library. Then let us make use of it. We will be surprised at how good we feel when we read books on our holy Faith!

St. Angela Merici

St. Angela Merici - May 31st

Angela was born in a small Italian town and became an orphan at ten. She and her beloved sister were taken care of by their uncle. When she was thirteen, another big sorrow fell upon Angela. The sister she loved so much died suddenly, even before there was time to give her the last Sacraments. Angela was worried about her, but in His goodness, Jesus let her know that her sister was saved. To thank Him, the Saint gave her heart completely to Him.

When she was about twenty-two, she began to realize how little the poor children in her town knew about religion. Their parents were not teaching them anything about it. Angela asked some of her girlfriends to join her in teaching Catechism to these children. None of the girls had money or important positions, but they were anxious to help Angela do good to the children.

At that time there were no orders of teaching sisters at all. No one had ever thought of such a thing. St. Angela Merici was the first one to gather together a group of women to open schools for children. At first these women lived in their own homes, and because of many difficulties, it was a very long time before they could live together in a convent. The Saint herself died when her Congregation had just started. But she had great trust in God. She knew He would take care of the mission she had begun. And so He did. Her Congregation, called the Ursuline Sisters, spread to many countries and has become famous for its many good works in the Church of God.

The life of this Saint was one of prayer and patience. Let us not be discouraged even if we cannot do all the good we want to do. God will reward us for trying to do what we can.

St. Joan of Arc

St. Joan of Arc - Patroness of France and of Soldiers - May 30th

Joan was born in a village of France. From her gentle, loving mother, she learned to be a good housekeeper. “I can sew and spin as well as any women,” she once said. She loved to pray, especially at the shrines of Our Blessed Mother. This honest, kind little peasant girl was to become a great soldier-saint. One day while she was watching her sheep, St. Michael the Archangel, the patron of her country, told her, “Daughter of God, go save France!” For three years she heard the voices of saints telling her to go, and when she was sixteen, she began her marvelous mission.

At that time there was a war going on between France and England. It was called the Hundred Years’ War. England had won so much land that the King of England called himself King of France, too. The real French King was a weak, fun-loving man who thought the French armies would never be able to save the country.

With his permission, St Joan led an army into the city of Orleans, which the English had almost captured. In her white, shining armor, this young heroine rode with her banner flying above her. On it were the names of Jesus and Mary. She was hit by an arrow in the great battle of Orleans, but she kept on urging her men to victory, and at last they won! St. Joan and her army won more and more battles and the English armies had to retreat. After these glorious victories, Joan’s time of suffering began. She was captured by the enemy, and the ungrateful French king did not even try to save her. She was put in prison and after an unfair trial, was burned at the stake.

Joan was not even twenty, and she had a great horror of fire. Yet she went bravely to her death, and her last word was “Jesus!”

When we meet with difficulties, instead of giving up, let us say this prayer: “By myself I can do nothing, but with God I can do all things.”

St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi

St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi - May 29th

This Italian Saint was the only daughter of very rich parents. When she was fourteen, she became a boarder at a convent school, and there she grew to love life in a religious house. But about a year later, her father took her home and began to think of choosing a rich husband for her. Her heart, however, was set on becoming a nun, and she told her parents that three years before she had already made a vow of chastity. They could not believe it, but finally they let her enter the Carmelite convent. Only fifteen days later, however, they came and took her home, hoping to make her change her mind. After three months of trying, they gave up and let her go back for good, with their blessings.

As a novice, St. Mary Magdalen fell very sick and was permitted to make her profession ahead of time. Since she was suffering greatly, one of the sisters asked her how could she stand the pain without a word. The Saint pointed to the crucifix and said: “See what the great love of God has suffered for my salvation. This same love sees my weakness and gives me strength.”

St. Mary Magdalen had great sufferings her whole life, and she also had very strong temptations to impurity and to greed for food. She overcame everything by her great love of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and for Mary. Often she ate only bread and water, and practiced other mortifications. Moreover, her love for Jesus became so great that she would say, “Lord, let me suffer or let me die.” With tears she would pray and offer her pains for sinners and pagans, right up until she died. She once said: “O my Jesus, if I had a voice loud and strong enough to be heard in every part of the world, I would cry out to make you known and loved by everyone!”

Our love for God and for souls will grow, too, if we look at the crucifix from time and think of how Jesus loved us.

St. Augustine of Canterbury

St. Augustine of Canterbury - Patron of England - May 28th

This Italian missionary to England was the Abbot of a monastery in Rome. Pope St. Gregory the Great chose him and forty other monks to go preach the Gospel to the pagans in England. They started out, but when they reached Southern France, people warned them that the English pagans were very fierce. All the monks felt discouraged and asked Augustine to go back to obtain the Pope’s permission to give up the whole idea. The Pope, however, said: “Go on, in God’s name! The greater your hardships, the greater your crown. May the grace of God protect you!”

In England, the missionaries were well received by King Ethelbert, whose wife was a Christian princess from France. They formed a procession when they landed and walked along singing psalms. At their head they carried a cross and a picture of Our Lord. This little army of Christ soon conquered many souls. King Ethelbert himself was baptized, and on Christmas of the same year, ten thousand of his subjects became Christians. Pope St. Gregory was very happy when he heard this news. He sent more priests to England, three of whom became saints.

In his humility, St. Augustine often wrote to ask the Pope the best thing to do in different matters. And St. Gregory gave him much holy advice, too. Speaking about the many miracles St. Augustine worked, the Pope said: “You must rejoice with fear and fear with joy for that gift.” He meant that Augustine should be happy that through the miracles the English were being converted. But he should be careful not to become proud.

At Canterbury, St. Augustine built a church and a monastery, which became the most important in England. It was there that he was buried.

When we are commanded something by our parents or superiors, let us try our best to do it, even if it seems difficult, because God will help us.

St. Bede the Venerable

St. Bede the Venerable - May 27th

This English priest is famous not only as a Saint, but also as a writer of history. St. Bede loved the Holy Bible very much. He tells us that it was a joy for him to study the Bible, teach it, and write about it.

When sickness forced him to stay in bed, his pupils came to study by his bedside. He kept on teaching them and working on his translation of St. John’s Gospel in English. Many people could now read Latin and he wanted them to be able to read the words of Jesus in their own language. “I do not want my pupils to read false things,” he said.

As he grew worse, St. Bede was happy that he was about to go back to God. His brothers in the monastery wept when he told them that they would not see him again on earth. The Saint kept on working, even though he was dying. At last, the boy who was doing the writing for him said, “There is still one sentence, dear Master, which is not written down.” “Write it quickly,” answered the Saint. When the boy said, “It is finished,” the Saint said, “Good! You are right-it is finished. Now hold my hand so that I may have the happiness to sit facing the place where I used to pray and there call upon my Heavenly Father.” So it was that St. Bede died right after he had sung the “Glory be to the Father.”

Let us not lose time. Our Lord will not reward us for bragging, but for the good deeds we do.

St. Philip Neri

St. Philip Neri - Patron of Rome - May 26th

This Italian Saint was called Pippo buono-”Good little Phil”-when he was a child. He was always so jolly and friendly that everyone he met loved him. He studied in Rome and while still a teenager, gave up a great amount of money he could have received from his uncle. He studied hard and led a pure, good life. Once some evil young men hid two bad women in his room to tempt him to sin. Philip could not go out, but he saved his soul from any impure sin by kneeling down and praying out loud with all his heart. Those women were so struck with shame that they did not even dare to look at the Saint!

When Philip became a priest, he did much good to poor children, to sinners, to sick people, and to all. Because of him, the whole city of Rome became better. He treated himself very strictly, but he was gentle and kind to everyone. He listened to confessions for hours every day. He worked miracles. Knew the future, and read minds. But to avoid the admiration of the people, he played jokes and did funny things, like shaving only one side of his face, so that they would laugh and forget how holy he was.

St. Philip cheered up all who came near him. Often he would say: “I will have no scrupulosity and no melancholy in my house.” He was always ready to comfort and help anyone. At the same time he was very prudent. Once he was called to a sick women’s bed, but when he got there, he found that she was only pretending to be sick. She wanted to tempt the Saint to sin, instead. St. Philip turned right around and left at once. So pure was he that many times one look of his drove temptations away.

To conquer temptations of impurity, we must avoid the occasions of sin. If we cannot avoid these occasions, let us pray and be modest, and then Our Lord will help us.

St. Gregory VII

St. Gregory VII – May 25th

This Pope’s name was Hildebrand and he was born in Italy. His uncle was the superior of a monastery in Rome and there the young boy was sent to be educated. Later, Hildebrand became a Benedictine monk in France, but soon he was called back to Rome. There he held very important positions under several Popes until he himself was made Pope.

For twenty-five years he had refused to let himself be elected. But when Pope Alexandra II died, all the Cardinals made up their minds to elect Hildebrand Pope. With one voice they dried out, "Hildbrand is the elect of St. Peter!" "They carried me to the throne," wrote the Saint afterwards, "and my protests did no good. For filled my heart and darkness was all around me."

These were truly dark times for the Catholic Church, because the kings and emperors were naming the men they wanted to be the Bishops and Cardinals and even Popes. Many of these were not very good men and so they gave bad example. The first thing Pope St. Gregory did was to pray for days. Then he asked others to pray with him, because he knew that without prayer, nothing can be done. Afterwards, he began to act to make the clergy better and to keep the civil rulers out of the affairs of the Church. This was a very difficult work because the rulers were all against any change. However, some gave in. But the Emperor Henry IV of Germany caused Pope Gregory great sufferings. He was a young man, sinful, and greedy for gold. He would not stop trying to run the affairs of the Church, and he even sent his men to capture the Pope. But the people of Rome rescued the Saint from prison, and Gregory put the Emperor out of the Church. Henry set up another man as Pope. Of course this man was not the real Pope, but Henry tired to make people think he was. Then, once again the Emperor sent his armies to capture the Saint. Gregory was obliged to leave Rome. He retired to Salerno, where he died. His last words were, "I have loved justice and hated evil. That is why I am dying in exile."

Let us learn from this great Saint that the first thing to do in our difficulties is to pray.

St. David I of Scotland

St. David I of Scotland – May 24th

David was the youngest son of St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland and her good husband, King Malcolm. He became king himself when he was about forty. Those who knew him well saw how little he wanted to accept the royal crown. But once he was King, he was a very good one.

St. David ruled his kingdom with great justice. He was very charitable to the poor and let all his subjects come to visit him whenever they desired. He gave everyone good example with his own love of prayer. Under this holy king, the people of Scotland united more closely into one nation and became better Christians.

King David established new dioceses and built many new monasteries. He gave much money to the Church during his rule of about twenty years.

Two days before he died, he received the last Sacraments and spent his time praying with those attending him. The next day, they urged his to rest, but he answered: "Let me think about the things of God, instead, so that my soul may be strengthened on his trip from exile to home," he said. "No one will be able to deliver me from His hand." So he kept on praying right up until be died.

When we are tempted to excuse our faults by saying, "Everyone else does it," let us remember that this excuse will not count when we go before God to be judged….

St. Julia

St. Julia - May 23rd

St. Julia was born of noble parents in North Africa. When she was still quite young, her city was conquered by barbarians. Julia was captured and sold as a slave to a pagan merchant. But she did not complain or feel sorry for herself. She accepted everything, and performed the most humble tasks with wonderful cheerfulness. For Julia loved God with her whole heart. In her spare time, she read holy books and prayed fervently.

One day her master decided to take her with him to France. On the way, he stopped at an island to go to a pagan festival. Julia refused even to go near the place where they were celebrating. She did not want to have anything to do with those superstitious ceremonies.

The governor of that region was very angry with her for not joining in the pagan feast. “Who is that women who dares to insult our gods?” he cried. Julia’s owner answered that she was a Christian. He said, too, that although he had not been able to make her give up her religion, still she was such a good, faithful servant that he would not know what to do without her.

“I will give you four of my best women slaves for her,” offered the governor. But her master refused. “No,” he said. "All you own will not buy her. I would willingly lose the most valuable thing in the world rather than lose her.”

When the merchant was asleep, however, the wicked governor tried to make Julia sacrifice to the gods. He promised to have her set free if she would. But she absolutely refused. She said she was as free as she wanted to be as long as she could serve Jesus. Then the pagan ruler, in great anger, had her struck on the face and her hair torn from her head. She was next put on the cross to hang until she died.

We would never look down on anyone if we stopped to think that poor or homely boys or girls may be much closer to God than we are.