St Therese of Liseaux

Therese belonged to a very holy family.  Her mother and father loved Jesus so much and they taught Therese and her four sisters to love Jesus, too.  Therese was the youngest in the family and everyone loved her very much and took good care of her.  When Therese was only 4 years old, her mother got very sick and died.  Therese’s oldest sister, Pauline, became like a mother to Therese.  Since Therese was the youngest and people felt bad for her because she lost her mother, she was spoiled; everyone did everything for her.  When Pauline decided to leave home to join the convent, Therese was heartbroken because it felt like she was losing her mother all over again.  Therese became very sick and people were very worried about her.  During this time she would pray a lot and, one day, while she was looking at a statue of Mary near her bed, she saw Mary smile at her. Right away Therese was cured from her illness.  Soon after, two more of Therese’s sisters soon joined the convent and Therese was left at home with her sister Celine and her father.  Therese was only 11 years old, but she wanted to join the Carmelite convent, too. However, she had become a very sensitive little girl and her feelings were hurt very easily.  She knew that to join the convent, she had to get stronger and she would have to learn to do things for herself.  On Christmas Eve, when she was 14 years old, God gave her the gift of being stronger and not so sensitive and Therese knew that she was ready to join the convent.  This new gift of strength from God gave Therese the courage to ask to join the convent even though everyone thought she was too young.  When the leader of the convent said no, Therese went to the Bishop; when the Bishop said no, Therese went all the way to Rome to ask the Pope!  The Pope was so amazed by this young girl’s courage and strength that he allowed her to join the convent her sisters were living in, a Carmelite cloistered convent.  Cloistered meant that Therese lived the rest of her life in the convent without leaving and without seeing her father again.  In the convent Therese discovered living the “Little Way”, doing every little thing that she could with great love for Jesus.  Although she never did anything big and wonderful in the eyes of the world, she did every little thing for love of God and this made her Saint.

St Jerome

Jerome was born to Catholic parents who taught him about Jesus.  As a boy, he loved to learn about his faith.  When he was old enough, his father sent him to a pagan school where Jerome lost his love for Jesus.  He loved school and everything he was learning but something was missing.
He started to hang out with friends who were faithful Christians, and he again found his love and faith in Jesus.  He was so afraid that he would fall back into his old ways, that he moved away from his family and friends and lived alone in the desert.  He spend all his time praying with God and doing penance. He was known for having a bad temper but worked hard at controlling himself.
He continued to learn and wrote many books.  He also loved to pray and study the Bible.  He was the first to translate the Bible from Hebrew to Latin so many people could learn about Jesus. He died when he was 73.

Sts Michael, Raphael, Gabriel

St Michael, St. Gabriel and St. Raphael are angels.  An angel is a messenger of God.  Angels who deliver very important messages are called Archangels.  St Michael, St Gabriel, and St Raphael are Archangels and they are our protectors.  Here is why:
St Michael led God’s army  in a heavenly battle against Satan and won.  We pray to him to make our love for Jesus strong and for his protection against the enemy.
St Gabriel is the announcer of the Good News. He visited Mary to proclaim that she would be Jesus’ mother.  St Gabriel also visited Zechariah to tell him that he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son who was John the Baptist. We pray to St Gabriel to help us to be a good communicator like he was.
We can read about St Raphael in the book of Tobit in the Bible.  He protected Tobit on his journey.  Tobit was blind and at the end of the journey, St Raphael, healed him and told Tobit who he was.  We ask St Raphael to protect us when we travel or help us when we are sick.

St Lorenzo Ruiz

Lorenzo was born in Manila in the Philippines.  He is the first Filipino saint and the first Filipino to be martyred for his faith in Jesus.  He and his wife had three children, two sons and a daughter.
He felt called by God to go to Japan to do mission work so he and 15 of his companions made the journey to Japan to teach the Japanese people about Jesus. They had not been in Japan very long when all 16 of them were arrested.  They were asked to deny their faith but none of them did.  They all were tortured in very painful ways but still none of them denied Jesus as their Lord. They were eventually all killed and in 1987, Blessed Pope John Paul II proclaimed them saints.

St Vincent de Paul

Vincent de Paul was born on a farm near the small town of Gascony in Southern France.  His parents were poor but we able to send him to school where he was taught by Franciscan priests. He went to university in Toulouse, France to study about God.  When he was finished, he was ordained a priest.
One day, he was hearing the confession of a poor man who was dying.  God used that experience to open Vincent’s eyes to the needs of the poor.  From that time on, he devoted his life to caring for poor people.
He started many charities to help poor people.  Some included taking care of criminals, opening hospitals for children who did not have parents and for old people, and sending missionaries to many different countries. He also started the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity (Blessed Mother Theresa’s religious order).
Vincent de Paul never took any praise for helping the poor.  He always knew it was God who worked through him to make these good things happen.  He died in Paris on September 27, 1660.

St Isaac and companions

 Isaac, John and their companions (Anthony Daniel, Gabriel Lalement, Charles Gamier, Noel Chabanel, John Lalande and Rene Goupil) were all born in France and were Jesuit priests with the Society of Jesus.  They all volunteered to go to New France (to an area which is now Ontario) as missionaries to bring the Good News to the Huron people of Canada.  For 25 years, they worked hard to care for the Huron people, to build Churches and schools and to share the Gospel.  They learned the language of the Hurons and wrote a catechism book into the Huron language.  Although many of the Huron people came to know Jesus through these missionaries, many still did not trust them.  There were lots of illnesses that came with the people coming from France, England and the Netherlands and because the Aboriginal people never encountered these illnesses they were not able to fight the diseases and many people died.  Many of the Huron people believed that the missionaries brought these diseases and suffering to their people.  Isaac, John and their Companions were also not liked by the Iroquois people who were enemies of the Huron.  Since the missionary priests were helping the Huron people, the Iroquois hated them.  After their many years of mission and service, Isaac, Jogues and their Companions were captured by the Iroquois and killed.  They died as martyrs, because they had never stopped sharing the Good News about Jesus’ love for all of us.

St Sergius

Sergius was born to a wealthy family in Russia.  His parents gave him the name Bartholomew.  When he was still young, his family had to leave their home and flee from enemies.  His family then lost all their money and life was hard.  When his parents died, he and his brother built a small church in the forest and spent their life praying and serving God.  It was during this time that he took the name Sergius.
Sergius’ brother soon left their home for Moscow were he joined a monastery.  Now alone, Sergius really devoted himself to prayer and his holiness grew. Soon, other young men wanted to join him so, he started the Holy Trinity monastery and was ordained a priest. His brother along with some other monks returned from Moscow and joined his monastery.
Brother Sergius was loved and respected not only by his fellow brothers but also by many leaders and people in power.  Many people would often seek his advice.  Brother Sergius loved Jesus with all his heart and helped other to do the same.  He died in 1392.

St Pacifus

Pacifus was born in Italy and given the name Charles Anthony by his parents.  When he was just five, his parents died and he was sent to live with his mean uncle.  His uncle was a very angry man and treated him like a servant.
When he was old enough, he entered the monastery to become a priest and chose the name Pacifus because it means peaceful. Pacifus became a great preacher.  People loved him because he taught about Jesus in a very simple and gentle way.  He could also read peoples’ consciences which made him a great confessor as well.
Father Pacifus had only been preaching for six years when he became sick and lost his sight and hearing.  Even though his public ministry lasted only a short time, he did many great works for God.
Father Pacifus spent the rest of his life praying and doing penance at his monastery. He is remembered for the kind and gentle ways he brought many people to Jesus.

St Thecla

Thecla was born in Iconium, Greece.  Her family was very wealthy and they were not Christians.  They did not know Jesus because they had not heard about Him.  It was St Paul who brought the Good News of Jesus to that area.  When Thecla heard St Paul speak about Jesus, her heart was opened and she came to believe in Him.  Her love for Jesus grew so much that she also became an evangelist, like St Paul.
When her parents found out what she was doing, they were very angry.  They turned their daughter in to the governor who decided she should be burned to death.  The fire was lit and Thecla bravely made the Sign of the Cross.  Instantly, the rain and wind came up and put the fire out.
She was then sentenced to the lions’ den and again she bravely made the Sign of the Cross.  Then lions laid down at her feet and started licking her toes.
The next day, her arms were tied to a bull and soldiers tortured the bull with hot irons so Thecla’s body would be tossed around and hurt but the bull remained quiet and still.  Lastly she was thrown into a pit of poisonous snakes but a fire started and the snakes were destroyed.  Finally, she was asked what kept her safe from all these things and she replied, "I am a daughter of Christ, Son of the living God. He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life; He is the one who protects me. To Him be glory and power for ever and ever." She was then set free and continued her work to teach people about Jesus and his saving love.
Many people began to follow Jesus because of St Thecla’s experiences and her work.  She lived until she was about 80 years old.

St Thomas of Villanova

Thomas was born in Spain to very kind and generous parents.  They taught him that it was important to share what he had with people who did not have as much.  When Thomas was old enough, he became an Augustinian priest. Soon he became the Archbishop of Valencia.  He was a very loving bishop to his people.  He lead them by his good example. Thomas feed hundreds of poor people everyday.  If he was ever given money, he did not keep it for himself but gave it to the poor.  He never said anything mean or bad about anyone.  He truly believed that people were good and he treated everyone that way.
Before he died in 1555, he made sure everything he had went to the poor.  Even his own bed was sent to the local jail for prisoners to use.

St Matthew

Matthew was one of Jesus’ twelve apostles and he wrote the first Gospel.  Before Jesus called him to be His follower, Matthew was a Jewish tax collector.  He worked for the Roman Emperor and collected money from other Jews to give to the Roman ruler.  For this reason, he was not liked by his fellow Jews.  He was considered to be a traitor and sinner.  Most other Jewish people did not want to be seen with him and no one wanted to be his friend.  Jesus was different.  He knew Matthew had not made good choices in his past but he also knew that he was sorry for the wrong he did.  Jesus did not come to save good people, he came to save all people.  Matthew understood this and followed Jesus with all his heart.

Sys Andrew Kim and Korean martyrs

Andrew Kim Taegon was born in Korea to a noble family.  In the early 1800’s, Christians brought the Good News of Jesus to Korea.  Andrew’s parents heard their message and became Christians.  Andrew was baptized when he was 15 years old.  Shortly after that, his father was killed for his belief in Jesus.
Andrew decided to become a priest so he set out on a journey of over 1300 miles to the nearest seminary. He had only been a priest for one year, when he was tortured and killed for his faith.
Paul Chong Hasang was another Korean Catholic who was also killed for his love for Jesus.  Together, these two men and the 111 other Korean Catholics who were killed for their faith were proclaimed saints by Blessed Pope John Paul II when he visited Korea in 1984.

St Januarius

St Januarius was born in Naples, Italy.  He was Bishop of Benevento during the time when Emperor Diocletian was treated Christians very badly (about 305).  Bishop Januarius was a loving and compassionate man who served his people well.  Several deacons from Naples had been arrested and put in jail.  When the Bishop found out, he set out to visit the faithful. He was arrested when he got to the prison and placed together with the deacons. All of them were sentenced to death.  They were thrown to wild beasts but the animals did not attack them.  Then all of the prisoners were beheaded one after the other.  Bishop Januarius and his friends were martyred for their faith in Jesus. St Januarius is the patron saint of Naples.

St Joseph Cupertino

Joseph was born in Cupertino, Italy.  He came from a poor family and was considered a very simple and absent-minded child.  He did not do anything well.  He was clumsy and forgetful. Most people thought he would not do much in his life but they were wrong.  Joseph decided to become a priest.  He first joined the Capuchin order but was asked to leave after a few months.  He then went to a Franciscan monastery to work in the stables.   He became more careful and hard-working and was asked to join the Franciscans and became a priest.
As a priest, he was very prayerful and humble.  God gave him the gift of levitation while he prayed.  This means that Father Joseph would rise off the ground when he prayed.  Sometimes during Mass, he would be lifted to the ceiling and balance there until his prayer was finished. Father Joseph always remained close to Jesus all his life.  He died in 1663 at the age of 60.

St Robert Bellarmine

Robert was the third of ten children born to Vincenzo Bellarmino and his wife Cinzia Cervini. From a young age, Robert loved to pray to Jesus and go to Mass. One of the things he liked to do most was to preach the sermons he had heard at Mass to his younger brothers and sisters. When he turn 18, he entered the Jesuit order.  Robert loved to learn and he did very well in his studies.  He became a great preacher and was an excellent scholar.  He wrote many books and was a great defender of the Church and its teachings.  Father Robert became a cardinal and is considered a Doctor of the Church.  He died on September 17th, 1621.

Sts Cornelius and Cyprian

Today we celebrate the feast day of 2 saints who were friends but lived in different countries of the world.
Cornelius was from Rome and was elected Pope in 251.  The Church did not have a Pope for almost one year because Pope Flavin had been killed by Emperor Decius.  Cornelius accepted his position as pope even though he knew that he would probably be killed.  People around the world admired Pope Cornelius for his courage and for his love for Jesus and His Church.
Cyprian was Bishop of Carthage in Africa.  He was one of the people who admired Pope Cornelius.  He would write letters to help and encourage Pope Cornelius.
Cyprian taught people about unity in the Church.  He wanted people to know that Jesus was the most important.  He was beheaded and martyred for his faith.
Cornelius served as Pope for 2 years and was treated poorly by the Emperor. He was forced to leave Rome and died shortly after.  He is also considered a martyr for how much he suffered.

Our Lady of Sorrows

Today we remember the 7 Sorrows that Mother Mary suffered:
1. At the presentation of Baby Jesus at the temple when Simeon told Mary that a sword would pierce her heart.
2. When Joseph, Mary, and Jesus had to escape to Egypt so that Jesus would not be harmed by Herod’s soldiers.
3. After the Feast of Passover when Mary and Joseph could not find Jesus for 3 days.
4. When Jesus was scourged and crowned with thorns.
5. When Jesus was crucified.
6. When Jesus was taken down from the cross and laid in Mary’s arms.
7. When Jesus was laid in the tomb.
Mary’s pain was a spiritual pain. She suffered for all of us because we are her children and she longs for us to be in Heaven with Jesus.

Cross

Today we celebrate our love for Jesus by remembering His suffering and death on the cross.  The cross was a sign of suffering and shame.  Most criminals in Jesus’ time would have chosen to die by the sword instead of the cross.  Jesus felt all the suffering and all the shame of the cross to pay the price for our sins.  Today and all days we say thank-you to Jesus for His great sacrifice.

St John Chrysostom

John was born in Antioch, Greece.  His father died was he was very little and his mother devoted all her time to her kids.  She was able to get her son a good education.  John was a very smart boy and was respected by many.  He could speak very gracefully which is how he got the name Chrysostom because it means “golden-mouthed”.
John became a priest and was later made bishop and then Archbishop of Constantinople. John served his people very well.  He stood up for what was right and just.  If people were not behaving well, he was not afraid to speak to them and encourage them to follow Jesus.  He even stood up to the Empress of Constantinople.  She did not like what he had to say and sent he away from the city.
During his exile, he suffered sickness and hunger but he was always joyful and peaceful.  He eventually died. On the day he died, Constantinople was hit with a terrible hailstorm. The Empress ended up dying only 4 days after John.  The Empress’ son had John’s body brought back to Constantinople where it was laid in a place of honor.

St Eanswida

Eanswida was from Kent, England.  Her father was the King of Kent and her grandfather was St. Ethelbert, the first Christian King of England.
Eanswida loved Jesus and only wanted to live as His bride.  She kindly refused to marry the pagan Prince of Northumbria as her father had wanted.  He did not become angry with his daughter but rather let her become a nun as she had wanted.
Eanswida started a Benedictine convent and spent her life praying and doing penance.  She is often shown in art as a nun, wearing a crown and holding a church or a fish.

St Louis of Thuringia

Louis of Thuringia was a prince from Germany.  He loved God and loved to serve Him.  When he was 21, he was married to Elizabeth of Hungary, who  became a saint.  She was only 14.  Their parents had arranged for them to be married which was common in those days.
Louis and Elizabeth’s love for Jesus helped them to grow in love with each other.  They were blessed with 3 children, the youngest of whom was Blessed Gertrude.
Elizabeth loved to serve the poor and Louis loved to help his wife with this calling.  Once Elizabeth brought a man with leprosy into their home to care for him.  At first, Louis was very angry but, the sick man then appeared as Christ, himself, and Louis’ heart changed.  The experienced deeply moved him and he built a hospital for lepers.
Louis was on his way to the Holy Land to fight in the Crusades when he became sick with malaria.  He was not able to return home but died peacefully in Italy in 1227.  He was 27 years old.

St Nicholas Tolentino

Nicholas was born in Ancona, Italy.  His parents had prayed for many years to have a child but they were not able.  They decided to make a pilgrimage to the shrine of St Nicholas of Bari and, at last, they became pregnant and had a son.  They called him Nicholas in honor of the saint.
St Nicholas was a prayerful child and longed to serve God by becoming a priest.  He joined the Augustinian Friars and was ordained in 1270.  One day when he was praying he heard God’s voice telling him to go to the city of Tolentino and stay there.  Shortly after, her was sent to Tolentino to pastor there.
Father Nicholas spent much of his time in Tolentino preaching the gospel in the streets.  He cared for the lonely and the poor and brought sacraments to those that were sick or dying.  Many miracles were performed by Father Nicholas during this time.  It is reported that he once touched a sick child and said, “May the good God make you well,” and the child was healed.

St Peter Claver

Peter was born in Spain.  His parents were farmers.  He decided from a very young age that he wanted to become a priest.  When he was old enough, he left his home to study in Barcelona to become a Jesuit.  Before he had finished his schooling, he felt called by God to become a missionary in South America.
He landed in what is now Columbia and that is where his work began.  When the boats from Africa would arrive carrying hundreds of slaves, he would be one of the first people on board handing out food and water.  He would care for the sick and baptize the children and the dying. He would teach them about Jesus and over 300 thousand people were baptized because of his work.
He worked endlessly caring for the African people who were treated very poorly. He did not just serve them on the boats, but he would go out to the plantations and encourage the owners to treat their slaves with respect and love.  He is often called the “Slave of Slaves”.

Birth of Blessed Virgin Mary

Today we celebrate the birthday of our Holy Mother, Mary.  Mary is special to us because she is a great example.  When God asked her to be the mother of Jesus, she said yes with great trust and obedience in God.’s plan.  We also must trust and obey the plans that God has for each of us.
When Jesus was dying on the cross, he gave us his mother so that we could come to Mary knowing she would help us.  Mary wants everyone to know Jesus in a very special way and through her help and prayers, she leads us closer to Him.

Blessed John Duckett and Ralph Corby

John Duckett is thought to have been the grandson of Blessed James Duckett (April 19th).  He studied in France and became a priest.  Once ordained, he went back to England to help bring people back to the Catholic Church.  In England, during this time, it was against the law to be Catholic.  Father John was on his way to baptize some children, when he was arrested and put in jail.
While he was in jail he met a Jesuit priest, Father Ralph Corby.  Father Corby had been in London for twelve years celebrating Mass and helping people become Catholic before he was captured and put in jail. The Jesuit order was able to get Father Corby out of prison but, he would not leave without Father Duckett.
The two priest were killed for their faith in Jesus on September 7th, 1644.

Blessed Bertrand

Bertrand was born in Nimes, France. During this time,  there were many religious wars being fought in the country and there was much confusion about the Church’s teachings.  Despite of all this, Bertrand’s parents were very faithful followers of Jesus and taught Bertrand the true faith.  Bertrand was very holy and prayerful as a young man and decided to become a priest.
As a priest, he felt called to missionary work which is where he met his friend  Dominic. Together the two formed a new religious order called the Order of Preachers or the "Dominicans" as they were often called. Bertrand started the order in the cities of Paris and Bologna.
He spent his days preaching the Good News of the Gospel and drawing many people to Jesus. He died while he was preaching a sermon in 1230 AD.  He was only 35 years old.

St Lawrence Justinian

Lawrence was born in Venice, Italy.  His mother was a faithful follower of Jesus and it was because of  her that his love for Jesus grew.  His uncle was a priest in the community of St George and  Lawrence looked to him for advice.  When he was old enough, he also joined the community and was ordained a priest.
One of his first jobs was to go out and ask others for donations of food or money to support the St George community.  This was hard work but he loved doing it.  Lawrence had a heart for the poor.  Although he lived a very poor life, he would give any thing he could spare to other poor people.
Later in life, he was ordained a bishop.  He served his people with kindness and many people would come to visit him looking for help and guidance.  Lawrence lived a simple life serving Jesus.  Whenever possible he would choose the hardest path to help make things easier for others.

St Rose Viterbo

Rose was born in Viterbo, Italy. From a young age, she had a very strong love for Jesus. She lived during the time when Emperor Frederick had conquered the land and taken it from the church. As a girl of only 13, Rose would go into the streets of her town and preach to the people to stand against the Emperor and to stay faithful to the Pope. The Emperor and his men did not like Rose at all and eventually had her and her family sent out of the city. Rose was not scared because God had revealed to her that the Emperor would soon die. Very shortly after her family left Viterbo, the Emperor died and Rose and her family returned home. Rose died in 1252 at the age of 17. Her preserved body can still be viewed and venerated in Viterbo today.

St Gregory the Great

Gregory the Great was born in Rome. His father was a senator and his mother was St Celia. His family had lots of money. He received a good education and went on to become the governor of Rome. After his parents died, he used the money he had been left to him to build 6 monasteries in Sicily, Italy. He also turned his family home in Rome into a Benedictine monastery and entered the order. Pope Pelagius assigned him as one of the seven deacons of the Church. He was ordained a priest and took the position. When Pope Pelagius died, Gregory became pope. Pope Gregory was a wise pope and was liked by many. He worked hard to care for the people of the Church by ruling with fairness and justice. He referred to himself as “the servant of the servants of God.” He is considered one of the four Fathers of the Western Church. He is the patron saint of teachers.

Blessed John Du Lau

Blessed John Du Lau was the Archbishop of Arles in France. In 1790 a war known as the French Revolution broke out. The French government passed a law that gave the government control over the Catholic Church and removed the Pope as the leader of the Church. The government asked Blessed John, many other priests, and other religious to make a promise to this new law and to deny their faith. If they refused, they were put in jail. The government turned many monasteries and churches into prisons where they kept these people who would not make this promise. Eventually, they killed all the priests and religious who would not give up their faith. Blessed John Du Lau and 191 of his companions are remembered as the September Martyrs for refusing to give up their faith and dying for their belief in Jesus.