saint – Page 27

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

God our Father, you have promised your kingdom to
those who are willing to become like little children. Help us to follow the way
of
Saint Thérèse with confidence so that by her prayers we may come to know
your eternal glory.

I would recommend reading or listening to the booklet on Saint
Thérèse‘s Little Way. It will bring you closer in understanding the same and
shed light on her fresh approach to knowing the Lord.

Saint Jerome

O God, for the expounding of the Holy Scriptures did raise up in Thy Church the great and holy Doctor Jerome; we beseech Thee, grant that by his intercession and merits we may, by Thy help, be enabled to practice what he taught us both by word and by work.

Don’t miss Pope Benedict XVI on Saint Jerome, part I and part II.

Saints Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, archangels

Bless the Lord, all you his angels, mighty in power, you obey his word and heed the sound of his voice.

God our Father, in a wonderful way you guide the work of angels and men. May those who serve you constantly in heaven keep our lives safe from harm on earth.

In her liturgy, the Church joins with the angels to adore the thrice-holy God. She invokes their assistance (in the funeral liturgy’s In Paradisum deducant te angeli… [“May the angels lead you into Paradise…”]). Moreover, in the ‘Cherubic Hymn’ of the Byzantine liturgy, she celebrates the memory of certain angels more particularly (St. Michael, St Gabriel, St. Raphael and the guardian angels)” (CCC 335).

Read All About Angels or listen to the audio file.

Saint Vincent de Paul

Well done, good and faithful servant; because you have been faithful over a few things, I will place you over many things, enter into the joy of the Lord.

O God, Who did endow blessed Vincent with apostolic power for preaching the Gospel to the poor and for promoting the honor of the priesthood; we beseech You, grant that we who venerate his holy life may be inspired by the example of his virtues.

Vincent was always a favorite saint of mine. His sons, the Vincentian fathers, operated the parish and grammar school (with the CSFN sisters) where I went. His life, his radical conversion to God, his work among the poor and his work in the formation of men for priesthood sets the bar for my own life. The collect that the Church sets on our lips (see above) is a good reminder of how we ought to live our own lives. May his witness continue for years to come. Read about the Vincentians here.

Saint Pio of Pietrelcina

“…the legacy he left is holiness”

God our Father, in Saint Pio of Pietrelcina You gave a light to Your faithful people. You made him a pastor of the Church to feed Your sheep with his word and to teach them by his example. Help us by his prayers to keep the faith he taught and follow the way of life he showed us.

The Vatican biography may be read here.

See more on Saint Pio here.

When thinking about Padre Pio’s influence on the spiritual life it can be noted that he advocated 3 things:

1. Pray. And don’t be overcome.

2. Conform yourself to Christ crucified.

3. Attend to the sacraments, especially the sacrament of Confession.

Saint Matthew, the evangelist

We beseech Thee, O Lord, let the prayers of blessed Matthew, Thine Apostle and Evangelist, assist us, that those things which we cannot obtain by ourselves may be granted us by his intercession.

Adrienne von Speyer says of Saint Matthew: “in prayer, he feels himself drawn toward something mysterious in the Son, toward the Son’s divinity, toward the Father and the Spirit. And he always believes that the turning point in his life will one day bring confirmation of his prayer. He sees too little that he has to bring his life into correspondence with his way of praying already today. His prayer is a bit isolated. He is like a person who might say, “Every morning I pray for an hour. It’s wonderful! It is the highpoint of my day! If I didn’t have this time, I wouldn’t know how to bear the boredom of the rest of the time!” (Book of All Saints)

Saint Gaetano Catanoso –a saint for the Year of the Priest

Many think that Saint John Vianney is the only canonized
parish priest. Vianney is certainly the most known for his extraordinary life.
And it helps that popes and other notable authors have drawn our attention to
him. But there is another saint who has a persuasive personality who is also a
parish priest and worthy of our attention. In this Year of the Priest it fitting to have yet another intercessor before God. Today the Church celebrates the
liturgical memorial of Saint Gaetano Catanoso.

Pope Benedict XVI canonized him on October 23, 2005. In
the homily of the Mass of Canonization said:

Saint Gaetano
Catanoso was a lover and apostle of the Holy Face of Jesus. “The Holy Face,” he
affirmed, “is my life. He is my strength”. With joyful intuition he joined
this devotion to Eucharistic piety.

He would say: “If we wish to adore the real
Face of Jesus…, we can find it in the divine Eucharist, where with the Body
and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Face of Our Lord is hidden under the white veil
of the Host.”

Daily Mass and frequent adoration of the Sacrament of the Altar
were the soul of his priesthood: with ardent and untiring pastoral charity he
dedicated himself to preaching, catechesis, the ministry of confession, and to
the poor, the sick and the care of priestly vocations. To the Congregation of
the Daughters of Saint Veronica, Missionaries of the Holy Face, which he founded,
he transmitted the spirit of charity, humility and sacrifice which enlivened
his entire life.

Saint Francis Mary of Camporosso

Lavishly he gave to the poor; his generosity shall endure forever.

God our Father, you made your lowly servant Saint Francis Mary illustrious through every work of charity. Grant us through his prayers and example always to continue in sincere and humble service of our brothers [and sisters].

Some calendars have Saint Francis Mary’s liturgical memorial on September 19 and others on the 20th.

Know more about Saint Francis Mary

Another version of the saint’s life

Saints Cornelius and Cyprian

We beseech Thee, O Lord, may the feast
of the blessed Martyrs and Bishops Cornelius and Cyprian be a safeguard for us,
and may their intercession commend us unto Thee.

Saint John Chrysostom

O blest teacher, light of holy Church, blessed John Chrysostom, thou lover of God’s law, plead with the Son of God for us.

We beseech Thee, O Lord, may heavenly grace enrich Thy Church which Thou hast willed to enlighten by the glorious merits and teaching of blessed John Chrysostom, Thy bishop and confessor.