St. Colette was born in 1381 to aged and humble parents.  At age 22, her parents died.  She became an anchoress according to the Third Order of St. Francis.  Observance to the order of St. Clare was observed in a modified form at her time.  Colette was inspired to introduce strict observance to this order.  Pope Benedict  XIII entrusted her with the reform and she traveled all over France and Flanders founding and reforming convents.  In 1429, she met St. Joan of Arc.  She surmounted many spiritual and physical obstacles to establish fifteen communities of reformed Poor Clares.  One is still called the Colettines after her.  She died in 1447.

FEAST DAY- March 6

PATRON OF- Loss of parents

CROSSES & CRUCIFIXES

Responsorial Psalm

Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Quiz

Yesterday’s Answer-

(b) despair

Today’s Question-

Mere external performance of prayers or worship can be a form of ____

(a) sacrilege (b) superstition  (c) blasphemy

John Joseph was born in the middle of the 17^th century on the island of Ischia, near Naples.  When he was sixteen, he entered the Franciscan Order of the Strictest Observance of Reform of St. Peter of Alcantara.  Because of his sanctity, he was sent to found a monastery in Piedmont three years after his profession. Out of obedience, he became a priest.  It seems that he had an inspired knowledge of moral theology.  He built another convent and the rules he drew up were confirmed by the Holy See.  He became master of novices and later was made provincial of the province of Naples.  He labored and suffered much and became the victim of many calumnies.  He succeeded in his labors and instilled in the hearts of his subjects the spirit of contemplation and penance.  He possessed gifts in the supernatural order, prophecy and  miracles.  Stricken with apoplexy, he died in March 5, 1734, in his convent in Naples,when in his eighties.

 FEAST DAY- March 5

ILLUMINATED BIBLE

Responsorial Psalm

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Quiz

Yesterday’s Answer-

False

Today’s Question-

What is a sin against the first commandment? (a) lying  (b) despair  (c) cursing

St. Casimir was the third of the thirteen children of King Casimir III, of Poland.  He was born October 5, 1458.  He had a horror of luxury and a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  John Dugloss, a holy canon, had the care of Casimir.  It is said that Casimir composed, or at least frequently recited, the well-known “Hymn of St. Casimir.”  He practiced many mortifications in secret.  He was offered the crown of Hungary when the people wanted to dethrone its king, Matthias Convinus.  Casimir headed  an army of 20,000 men and marched to the frontier, but upon learning that the people and king had settled their differences, he returned home.  He could never be prevailed upon to assume the crown when it was offered to him again.  He was pure of soul and body to the end of his life.  He never married.  At age 24, he died of tuberculosis at Vilna, Lithuania in 1482.

FEAST DAY- March 4

PATRON OF- Lithuania, Poland; the young and bachelors

E-BOOKS

Responsorial Psalm

The Lord has made known his salvation.

Quiz

Yesterday’s Answer-

False

Today’s Question-

We can know from our good works that we are justified and saved by God.  True or False?

Katherine was born in Philadelphia on November 26, 1858.  Her mother died two days later leaving Katherine and her sister, Elizabeth, motherless.  Francis Anthony Drexel, her father, was the millionaire partner of J. P. Morgan.  Her father remarried and later had a baby girl, Louise.  Katherine helped her stepmother work with the poor and donate money to establish orphanages and missions.   Katherine was confirmed at age 12 and was then permitted to receive communion, which she did as often as allowed.  She made her debut in society but was very uneasy about all the money spent on her.  She wanted to be a nun and give everything to God.

The family visited Rome and received the blessing from the Pope.  There she met Fr. Peter Hylebos, a Belgian priest who was a missionary in America’s northwest.  Katherine wanted to become a nun but was unsure about which order she should enter.  Her father died suddenly in 1887 (her stepmother had already died) and the girls inherited the family fortune.  After much deliberation and consultation, Katherine became a nun in the convent of the Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh.  Eventually, she started her own order, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament.  She worked with the Indians in the West, establishing schools and orphanages all the while instructing them in Catholicism.  She also worked for the blacks throughout the United States.  She established Xavier University in New Orleans, still the only black Catholic University in America.  She gave away twenty million dollars.  She suffered a heart attack in her seventies and lived quietly in retirement for twenty years.  She died March 3, 1955 at age ninety-nine.  She was canonized by Pope John Paul II October 1, 2000 AD.

FEAST DAY- March 3

PATRON OF- Philanthropists and racial justice

CLERGY APPAREL

Responsorial Psalm

The Lord will remember his covenant for ever.

Quiz

Yesterday’s Answer-

True

Today’s Question-

Spiritual values may be disregarded in the pursuit of economic goals.  True or false?

St. Canute,  King of Denmark was the father of Charles.  In 1086 when Charles was only five years old, Canute was slain.  His mother took him to the court of Robert, Count of Flanders.  Robert was his maternal grandfather.  He became a knight and went with his uncle, Robert II, on a crusade to the Holy Land.  He distinguished himself at that time.  Charles also fought against the English.  Robert’s son, Baldwin, succeeded  him as Count of Flanders on Robert’s death.   Charles became his aide and confident. Charles was closely associated with Baldwin, who designated Charles as his heir and arranged for Charles’ marriage. Charles became Count of Flanders on Baldwin’s death.  He ruled wisely.   There were other claimants to the throne and while he was praying in St. Damian church, he was murdered.  His cult was confirmed in 1883, March 2.

FEAST DAY- March 2

SAINT BOOKS

Responsorial Psalm

Rest in God alone, my soul.

Quiz

Yesterday’s Answer-

False

Today’s Question-

If we persist in lesser sins long enough, this can lead to serious sin.  True or false?

St. David of Wales was born to the King Sant of South Wales and St. Non.  He became a priest on an unidentified island where he studied for several years.  He then became a missionary and founded many monasteries. He was an inspired preacher, attracting crowds so large that at times he had to preach outdoors because no church could hold them. It is said that once when he was speaking in Llanddewi Brefi, the people at the back began complaining that they could not see or hear him.  Immediately, the ground under his feet rose up so all could see him and his voice became so strong that all could hear him. While he was speaking, it is also said that a dove was perched on his shoulder appearing to be whispering in his ear. He died at Mynyw in his monastery. The dates of his birth and death are uncertain, said to be from 454 to 520 for his birth and 560 to 601 for his death. This  information on St. David is based on legend.

 FEAST DAY: March 1

PATRON OF: Wales and poets

ST. MICHAEL STATUE

Responsorial Psalm

Let my prayer come like incense before you.

Quiz

Yesterday’s Answer-

(a) Conscience

Today’s Question-

A good intention guarantees that an action is morally good.  True or False?

St. Margaret was born in Hungary in 1046 and at the age of 24 married King Malcom III.  Together they had six sons and two daughters. Spiritually influencing her husband, she helped him calm his temper and inspired him with good thoughts.  She formed her own children to share in her strong faith. They acted out in her example by praying and helping the poor.  She died on November  16, 1093.

Born in Germany in 1256 and raised  by the Benedictine nuns, St. Gertrude was an intelligent student.  She eventually joined the Benedictine order and became a nun.   When she was 26 years old, she experienced the first of a series of revelations of Christ.  She recorded these revelations and experiences of God’s grace in her book, Book of Extraordinary Grace.  Right before she died, she said, “I am certain whether my death be sudden or foreseen, that I shall never be without the mercy of God.”  Our Lord told St. Gertrude that the following prayer would release souls from purgatory each time it is said:

“Eternal Father, I offer thee the most precious blood of thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family.  Amen.”

St. Albert was born into a noble family in Swabia, Germany in 1206. At the age of 17 he entered the Dominican Order and received his doctorate from the University of Paris in 1245.  St. Albert was one of the great teachers of his time and was named regent of the studia generalia at cologne in 1248.  St. Thomas Aquinas was a pupil of his.  Known as athe “Universal Doctor” some of his great writings are Summa Theologiae and Summa de Creaturis.  He was appointed provincial of the Dominicans in Germany and later Bishop of Regensburg in Germany.  He assisted at the Council of Lyons in 1274 and defended the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas at the University of Paris against those who accused the great theologian of heresy. He is the patron of those who study the natural sciences.

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