St Frances Cabrini

Feastday November 13 1850-1917 Frances was born at Lombardy in Italy. She was one of thirteen children and was raised on a farm. As a child, she dreamed about being a missionary to China. She sailed paper boats down a stream to play her "pretend game." The paper boats were ships taking missionaries to China. And she began giving up candy because in China, she probably wouldn't be able to have any. But when she grew up, Frances was not accepted into the two convents that she asked to join. Her health was not too good, so she taught at girl's school for six years. Then a priest asked her to help out in a small home for orphans. Things were very hard for Frances because of the lady who ran the house. Yet Frances stuck to the work, and some other generous women joined her. Together they took vows. At last the bishop told Frances to begin her own congregation of missionary nuns, which Frances did without hesitation. This congregation is called the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Soon it began to grow, first in Italy and then in many other countries. Frances, whom everyone called Mother Cabrini, had always had her heart set on going to China. But it seemed that God wanted her to come to America. When Pope Leo XIII told her, "Go west, not east," the matter was settled. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini sailed for the United States and became an American citizen. She helped large numbers of Italian immigrants and was like their real mother and friend. Mother Cabrini and her sisters found things very difficult in the beginning. The archbishop of New York even suggested that they go back to Italy. But Mother Cabrini answered, "Your excellency, the pope sent me here and here I must stay." The archbishop admired her pioneer spirit, and so she and her sisters were allowed to begin their great work for God. Schools, hospitals, and homes for children were opened up in different states. As the years passed, Mother Cabrini made many trips to spread her congregation and its works. She founded 67 institutions, and there were always difficulties, but she put all her trust in the Sacred Heart. "It is he who is doing everything, not us," she would say.

St Josaphat

Feast Day: November 12 Born: 1580 :: Died: 1623 Josaphat was born in Lithuania, Ukraine and baptized John in 1580. His father was a municipal counselor and his mother a pious woman. A merchant at Vilna trained him to do business. Later the merchant offered to make John his partner and asked him to marry his daughter. But John felt that God was calling him to serve and he respectfully refused both the offers. He became a monk in the order of St. Basil and chose the name Josaphat. He was a self-sacrificing, brave man and because of his many natural qualities, he was chosen to lead the people. Josaphat became an apostle of ecumenism and preached unity among the Christian churches of the Ukraine. There were three main categories of Christians: the Latin Church united with the pope, the Orthodox Greek Church and the Greek Catholic Church. Josaphat became the bishop of Polotsk in 1617. He spent the next ten years helping the people know and love their Catholic faith better. He organized celebrations of prayer and religion classes. He called clergy meetings and worked with the priests to put into effect rules that helped the people live closer to Jesus. Archbishop Josaphat had a very good influence on people. He was a dynamic leader, which is why some people feared him. People who were against the unity of the Churches formed a big mob and came to attack him. Josaphat tried to make sure his servants were all safe before fleeing himself but was not able to get out in time. He was killed and his body was thrown into a local river. Josaphat died on November 12, 1623.

St Willibrord

Feast Day: November 7 Born: 658 :: Died: 739 Willibrord was born at Northumbria, in England and was the son of St. Hilgis. He did his early studies at the Abbey of Ripon near York, as a disciple of St. Wilfrid and then entered the Benedictine Order. When twenty years old he went to Ireland and spent twelve years in the Abbey of Rathmelsigi under St. Egbert. Willibrord and eleven companions were sent on a mission to Frisia (in the Netherlands) by St. Egbert, at the request of King Pepin. For a long time he had a great desire to go those countries where people did not believe in God and preach the Gospel. At last, his dream came true. With the encouragement of the pope, who made him a bishop, St. Willibrord led many people to accept Jesus as their saviour. When Radbod gained possession of all Frisia and became king, Willibrord was forced to leave. Radbod destroyed most of the churches that Willibrord had helped build and replaced them by temples and shrines to the idols. He also killed many of the missionaries. At one time the missionary's ship was driven onto an island which the pagans (people who did not believe in God) of Denmark and Friesland (a province in the north Netherlands) considered sacred to their god. No one was allowed to kill any animal on it. They were not allowed to eat any vegetable or fruit that grew there, or draw water from its spring, unless in complete silence. To show them that their god did not exist, St. Willibrord killed some wild animals there to provide food for his companions. He also baptized three persons in the spring. Hearing him say the words, "I baptize you" loudly, the pagans felt sure he would drop dead. Of course, nothing happened. King Rodbod was told about this and he ordered that one of the Christians should die to "calm the god's anger." So one missionary became a martyr. After this king died, St. Willibrord eagerly went ahead converting many nonbelievers. Although he was growing very old, nothing could stop this apostle. He was still a fine-looking man, cheerful, wise and holy. He was full of love and concern for people right to the end of his life. Bishop Willibrord died in 739.

St Bertilla

Bertilla was born in Soissons, France. When she was just a teenager, she felt the call to grow closer to God. She realized that if she joined a monastery, she could lead the life of prayer and sacrifice that she wanted. She went to her bishop, St. Ouen, and asked his advice. He encouraged her to follow her calling. So her parents sent her to a monastery of nuns who followed the rule of an Irish monk, St. Columban. When she arrived, she knew that she had found peace. Years passed and Bertilla spent her time praying and doing different tasks. She was very good at offering hospitality to travelers and the sick who came to the monastery. She also cared for the children who were being educated at the monastery. St. Bathildis, the queen and wife of King Clovis II, started a new monastery. She asked the abbess at Soissons to send some nuns to begin the community. Bertilla was among those chosen and she was appointed the abbess. She was very surprised, but decided to do the best she could. She knew that the Lord would help her in every way and the community of nuns grew. Queen Bathildis herself became a nun after her husband died. Then, another queen, Hereswitha, widow of the king of the East Angles, became a nun, too. Abbess Bertilla must have been amazed to have two queens in her community. But everyone lived in peace because the queens were as humble as St. Bertilla. Bertilla lived a long life and ruled the monastery of Chelles for forty-six years. Her heart was open and ready to follow wherever the Spirit led her. She died around the year 705.

St Charles Borromeo

Born 1538 Died 1584 Charles was born at Aron in Italy. He was the son of a rich Italian count and the nephew of Pope Pius IV. Like other wealthy young men, he went to the University of Pavia. But he was different from most of the students there and refused to take part in sinful activities. He seemed to be a slow student because he was not a good speaker, but he really made good progress and became a lawyer at the age of twenty-one. He was only twenty-three when his uncle, Pope Pius IV, gave him many important duties, which Charles managed to handle well. He was afraid that he might stray from God because of the many temptations around him so he denied himself many pleasures. He also made a great effort to be humble and patient. As a priest and later the cardinal archbishop of Milan, St. Charles was a model for his people. He gave away great amounts of money to the poor. He had only one shabby cassock (long black habit) of his own. But in public, he dressed grandly as a cardinal should and took great care to give dignity and respect to Church ceremonies. In Milan, the people followed many bad practices and superstitions (wrong beliefs). By wise laws, gentle kindness and his own wonderful example, St. Charles made his diocese (the Churches under his care) a model for the whole Catholic Church. He was never a good speaker - people could barely hear him but his words reached the hearts of the people. When a terrible disease caused many deaths in Milan, Cardinal Borromeo spent all his time caring for his people. He prayed and did penance. He organized crews of attendants and borrowed money to feed the hungry. He even had altars set up in the streets so that the sick could assist at Mass from their windows. This great man was never too busy to help simple people. He once stayed with a little shepherd boy until he had taught him the Our Father and the Hail Mary. As he lay dying at the age of forty-six, St. Charles said peacefully, "Behold, I come!" He died on November 3, 1584.

St Martin de Porres

Feast Day: November 3 Born: 1579 :: Died: 1639 Martin was born at Lima in Peru. His father was a Spanish knight and his mother was earlier an Indian slave from Panama who had been set free. Because of his dark complexion, his father soon became ashamed of Martin and his mother. When Martin was very young, his father went away, leaving the family to look out for themselves. As they were very poor, his mother could not support Martin or his sister and they were sent to live at a primary school for two years. When he was just ten years old, Martin was placed with a surgeon to learn about the medical field and earn his living. He felt great joy while helping the sick. He also learned how to cure many diseases according to the practices of those days. Even as a young boy, he spent some time every night in prayer. Martin grew up good and holy. Martin's father finally decided to take care of his son's education. But Martin wanted to give himself to God and asked for admission to a Dominican Convent. Brother Martin soon proved to be a wonderful religious. No one was kinder or more obedient or holy. Before long, he began to work miracles, too. He was known to go through locked doors to help the sick. He was even seen in other countries helping the sick although he never left Lima all his life. He cured so many sick people that everyone in the city of Lima would ask for Brother Martin when there was sickness. He would go to them all, whether they were blacks or whites. He loved all people as his brothers and sisters in Christ. When he took in an old beggar who was covered with ulcers and laid him on his own bed, one of the other brothers scolded him. Martin told him that it was better to be kind that to be clean because you only needed soap to wash off dirt. Large amounts of money were given to this good, lovable Brother for his charities. People knew how well he could organize works of charity. His sister offered her house as a hospital for the sick when there was a plague in Lima. This kind-hearted saint was also very good to animals. He excused the comings and goings of rats and mice by saying, "The poor little things don't have enough to eat." In his sister's house, he kept a home for stray cats and dogs too. Although he was so famous in Lima, St. Martin always had a very humble opinion of himself. His name for himself was, in fact, "Brother Broom." When Martin died on November 3, 1639, this beloved saint was carried to his tomb by bishops and noblemen who wanted to honor the humble and holy brother.

All souls

This feast day is one of the most loving celebrations in the Church's liturgy. It is the day that we especially remember all those who have passed from this life into the next. Today we stop to remember all who have died especially our relatives and friends. We pray for those who taught us good things and made sacrifices for us. We pray for those who prayed for us while they were on this earth. We pray for the most forgotten souls. We pray for those who had great responsibilities while they were on earth. We think of those holy souls in purgatory and we realize that they are saved. Now they wait, being purified, until the moment when they can be with God, face to face. We can offer the sacrifice of the Mass and pray for these suffering souls in purgatory to hasten their journey to God. Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.