Dominican saints & blesseds – Page 3

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Today, the Dominican family rightly rejoices in their brother Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor. Thomas is one of Holy Church’s greatest theological minds. One can speak of all the things Aquinas has given us, and we can speak of the need to have Thomism as a way to begin to come to understand Divine Mystery; we’re not there yet. Aquinas would certainly agree: you can know it all but unless you live the Christian faith you really have nothing.

The opening prayer for Mass today speaks of Aquinas’ zeal for holiness as the first premise; understanding and imitating the accomplishments is secondary. The Prayer after Communion speaks of Christ the teacher, Christ the living bread, truth and the need to express all these things in works of charity.

Works of charity are an expression of the Good News given to us by the Lord.

The priest at Mass today reminded us of a fact that I tend to fall into errors that are all-too-common: on the one hand we can say, “I know it all” and on the other hand we can say, “I don’t know enough, I can never measure up.” One attitude is arrogant, keeping the faith as an idea, with very little attention to the heart. The other attitude is simplistic, silly and rooted in a false humility and laziness. Both are straw, grass clippings as Aquinas would state. What both have in common is a the theological virtue of charity. Charity connects us with the Divine Mystery.

Most certainly, Thomas would tell us to know the faith well, but allow the faith to be a point of encounter with the Lord in a contemporary way. No good Catholic would hold to knowing nothing of the content of Divine Revelation. Jesus, indeed, is contemporary with our daily existence.

What Thomas Aquinas has given us is a map by which we come to understand the Divine Mystery through charity. Charity is key to the Dominican charism for the Church and for our daily living of our Catholic faith. No charity, no real belief in Jesus Christ as Messiah. There is no via media here. The point: don’t confuse the map for the road on which to walk.

A contemporary witness to Christ is Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

I sometimes think we lack good contemporary lay models of holiness among the saints and blesseds of our Church. Certainly, there are more contemporary saints taken from the priests and religious than among the laity. Pope John Paul II felt similarly and asked the Congregation for Saints (and local bishops) to find us more lay saints. They did in Pier Giorgio Frassati (1901-1925). He’s known as “explosion of joy,” “a Man of the Beatitudes,” a natural man. The Church honors Frassati with a liturgical memorial on July 4.

Frassati’s Luciana said, “He represented the finest in Christian youth: pure, happy, enthusiastic about everything that is good and beautiful.” And that “He gave his whole self, both in prayer and in action, in service to Christ.” Frassati’s prayer life consisted but not limited to praying the morning offering, the daily rosary, Eucharistic adoration, lectio divina. His prayer life was made visible in his concern with the poorest people of Turin.

In his following Jesus Christ Blessed Pier Giorgio was a member of the lay Third Order Dominican.

Brandon Vogt’s interview with Seattle’s Archbishop Peter Sartain, “Pier Giorgio Frassati, Man of the Beatitudes: An Interview with Archbishop Peter Sartain” sheds some light on getting to know a blessed of the Church who’s gaining influence.

Pray for grace to adhere to Christ and to live in joy from Blessed Pier Giorgio. I am sure he’ll get the Lord to give you what you need.

Saint Lorenzo Ruiz

Today is the feast of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino saint.

With the Church we pray,

Grant us, we pray, Lord God, the same perseverance shown by your Martyrs Saint Lawrence Ruiz and his companions in serving you and their neighbor, since those persecuted for the sake of righteousness are blessed in your Kingdom.

Lorenzo was a layman, a husband and a father; he was educated by the Dominican friars and a member of the Third Order. He was especially devoted, as you’d expect for someone connected to the Order of Preachers, to the rosary. Because he was unwilling to renounce his faith in Christ, he tortured and later suffered martyred with 14 others for the faith. Lorenzo Ruiz was canonized by John Paul in 1987.

Saint Dominic

In 2016, the Order of Preachers, the Dominicans, will observe 800 years of being an approved form of life in the Church. The Dominican family of nuns, friars, sisters, and laity –indeed, the whole Church, can be grateful to God for the genius of Saint Dominic. The image to the left expresses the Dominican charism as given by God through apostolic imitation of Saints Peter and Paul, and below, there is the narrative of the Order being under the mantle of Our Lady. Without these two bookends, the Order of Preachers is nothing. May we all follow this heavenly guidance.

Dominic was wrapt in spirit unto God. And he saw the Lord with the Blessed Virgin standing on His right hand… And looking about him he saw religious of every Order standing before God, but of his own he did not see one. Then he began to weep bitterly… but our Lady beckoned him with her hand to approach. Nevertheless he did not dare to come until our Lord also in His turn had made him a sign to do so. He came therefore and fell prostrate before them, weeping bitterly. And the Lord commanded him to rise and when he was risen, He said to him, “Why weepest thou thus bitterly?” And he answered, “I weep because I see here religious of all Orders except mine own.” And the Lord said to him, “Wouldst thou see thine own?” And he trembling replied, “Yes, Lord.” Then the Lord placed His hand on the shoulder of the Blessed Virgin and said to the blessed Dominic, “I have given thine Order to My Mother.” …Then the Blessed Virgin opened the mantle in which she seemed to be dressed, and extending it before the eyes of Dominic so that its immensity covered all the space of the heavenly country, he saw under its folds a vast multitude…

Augusta Theodosia Drane
The History of St. Dominic, Founder of the Friars Preachers

Saint Pius V, pope

Antonio Ghislieri (1504-72) was born near Alexandria, a town in Lombardy on the Adriatic. His vocation was with the Dominicans who educated him, had him ordained and missioned him to teach theology. He was elected bishop having served in several places where and he sought to reform the moral and theological, canonical and liturgical laxity of the clergy and laity alike; his concern was the coherence of the Catholic Faith. Sound familiar? Among his many responsibilities was taking up the work of Inquisitor in the Italian region. He was elected to the See of Rome in 1566. As Pope he strenuously promoted the Catholic Reformation outlined by the Council Fathers of Trent (doing of the same work as pope as he did as bishop), oversaw the excommunication of Queen Elizabeth I of England, encouraged missionary work and reformed the brieviary,the sacred Liturgy and the Catechism.

Some are criticizing Pope Francis for his desire for poverty but we ought to recall that Saint Pius V also sought to reduce the spending of the Papal Curia making it more akin to the lifestyle of the Dominicans of his time.

Saint Pius V, Pope, pray for us.

Saint Catherine of Siena

Saint Catherine cut her hair and put aside her elegant clothing as an act of modesty, to shun the worldly attention of potential suitors and devote her life to Christ.

Set the world on fire by being who are meant to be…

Who else but the glory of Siena than Catherine who is so enkindled with the fire of Christ’s love for humanity to have said, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire,” than Saint Catherine of Siena.

Under the patronage of Saint Catherine of Siena we ask her to beseech God for us for: fire prevention, purity, bodily illness, nurses, firefighters, illness, Italy, miscarriages, people ridiculed for their piety, sexual temptation, sick people, sickness, television.

Saint Catherine of Siena

Saint Catherine of Siena writes:

I want your security to be in Christ gentle Jesus. He has clothed us in the sturdiest garment there is, a garment of love….The very first garment we ever had was love, for it was only by love that we were created in God’s image and likeness.

(Letter 185-86)

When I think of Saint Dominic I immediately think of Saint Catherine of Siena. She is an attractive and inviting personality, unique among many of the church’s holy ones.

When in Rome you ought to visit her tomb at Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Among the Dominicans, Catherine was a Dominican Tertiary (a lay person who had permission to wear a distinctive garb).

In 1970, the Servant of God Pope Paul VI honored her with the title “Doctor of the Church,” one of 4 women with the same title. With St Francis of Assisi, Catherine is a patron saint of Italy. Catherine is credited as one of the people to have ended the Western Schism.

A brief video gives a good intro….

Rose Hawthorne’s cause for sainthood advances

The process of becoming a saint, if you are not a John Paul II or a Mother Terese can take some time. When I heard the news of the completion of US side of Rose Hawthorne’s cause for canonization was made, the other day from a Dominican priest friend, a “praise God” rang out! The last significant ecclesial judgement made on the sanctity of Rose Hawthorne was in 2003 when she was declared to be a Servant of God.

Servant of God Rose Hawthorne (1851-1926), was founder of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, led unusual life as a wife, mother, and convert. Rose was born in Lenox, MA, and died in Hawthorne, NY. In religion she is known as Mother Mary Alphonsa, OP. Rose worked to comfort the poor dying of cancer. The diocesan phase for cause of canonization was opened by Cardinal Edward Michael Egan. Rose Hawthorne was declared Servant of God on February 4, 2003. Father Gabriel B. O’Donnell, OP, is the postulator. On 9 April, the necessary documentation signed by the archbishop of New York, Timothy Cardinal Dolan. On 20 April 2013 Father O’Donnell will be delivering this phase concerning Rose’ heroic virtue and the writing of the historical report to Rome’s Congregation of Saints. For more info: www.hawthorne-dominicans.org

The Catholic New York reports the story.

Hawthorne is one 10 people with connections in the State of New York who are being considered for sainthood.

A patron saint for Catholic reverts: Blessed Anthony Neyrot

Leave it to a Capuchin friar to pick up the obvious: we need a patron saint for reverts. To my knowledge, there are no heavenly patrons except for Blessed Anthony Neyrot, who gave up the faith, and came back home. Perhaps now Blessed Anthony’s currency will increase. Special thanks to my friend and fellow Elm City-ite, Friar Charles, who wrote the following post on his blog, A Minor Friar, earlier today:

Today is the feast of Blessed Anthony Neyrot, OP. I think he could make a fine heavenly patron for ‘reverts’ to the faith.

Here’s his entry in the Martyrology today:

At Tunis on the coast of northern Africa, blessed Anthony Neyrot, priest of the Order of Preachers and martyr, who, taken by pirates to Africa, apostatized, but, helped by divine grace, publicly took up again the religious habit on Holy Thursday, which atoned for his crime by covering it with stones.

Some other things I read on the internet said that during his apostasy he had become a fairly devout Muslim and had even made a socially advantageous marriage. Holy Week 1460, however, found him inspired to repent of his apostasy. Having made his confession he was re-invested in the Dominican habit and then, on Holy Thursday, was stoned to death for his re-version to the faith.

Here is the Mass prayer for Blessed Anthony I posted in 2010.

Blessed Anthony, pray for us!