St Simeon

Feast Day: October 8 Born: (before Christ) :: Died: (soon after Christ was born) In Luke's Gospel, chapter two, Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem. That is where they meet Holy Simeon. The holy man had waited patiently for the Lord to grant him a request: he wanted to live to see the Messiah, the Savior of the world. But he did not know who that would be, or when and if his prayer would be fulfilled. The young couple from Nazareth approached him with their baby. He looked into the eyes of the Child and felt a burst of joy in his heart. His eyes glowed. He lifted Jesus into his arms, then held him up and prayed: "Now, my God, I can die in peace. I have seen with my own eyes the world's salvation. You have prepared this for all your people." Mary and Joseph looked at one another. They were silently amazed. Then the old man turned to Mary. His eyes became sad as he said softly, "Your own soul will be pierced by the sword." Mary did not understand what this meant, and she prayed to God for courage. God had answered the prayer of Holy Simeon and he remained in joyful thanksgiving as the couple and their baby left.

Our Lady of the Rosary

Feast Day: October 7 It was St. Dominic who began encouraging people to say the Holy Rosary around the year 1190. St. Dominic was very saddened and felt great pity for the group of people who went about spreading a terrible heresy (untruth) called Albigensianism. With the priests of his new Order of Preachers (the Dominicans), he did his best to destroy this dangerous heresy as it was doing great harm. He begged the Blessed Virgin for help, and she told him to preach devotion to the Holy Rosary. St. Dominic obeyed and the Dominicans conquered that dangerous heresy with prayer, especially by praying the Holy Rosary. Dominic also encouraged people to be humble and to make sacrifices. The Holy Rosary is a simple devotion which can be said by all people-old and young, learned or unlearned. It can be said anywhere, at any time. While we say the Our Father, ten Hail Marys and Glory to the Father, we think about great moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary. In this way, we grow closer and closer to Jesus and his Blessed Mother. We learn to imitate their holy lives. Mary is very pleased when we say the Holy Rosary often and well. She used to say it with St. Bernadette when she appeared to her at Lourdes. The three little children of Fatima also learned from Mary the power of the Rosary. Mary taught them that the Rosary obtains graces and saves sinners from hell. This feast is celebrated to show our gratitude to Mary for a military victory over the Turks at Lepanto on October 7, 1571.

St Bruno

Feast Day: October 6 Born: 1030 :: Died: 1101 Bruno was born at Cologne in Germany. He studied in France and then joined the priesthood. For eighteen years he was a professor of theology and did his best to bring his students closer to God. Then he was given the important position as President of the cathedral school in the diocese of Rheims. This did not make Bruno proud of the honor or frightened by responsibilities. He made it clear that he was not happy with the love for money and material things that the priests and Archbishop showed. He became aware that his heart was longing to be alone with Jesus. He received a vision from God showing him a hermitage where he should spend his life becoming closer to God. St. Hugh of Grenoble gave Bruno and his friends this hidden desert land called Chartreuse. There they built a church and little huts to live in. This was the beginning of the Carthusian order. They were very happy there, working their fields, fasting and praying, hidden in God. After six years, however, Pope Urban II, who was earlier one of Bruno's students, asked Bruno to make a great sacrifice. He asked him to go to Rome to be his advisor. It broke the saint's heart, but he obeyed and served the Pope well. Then finally he was allowed to live his monk's life nearer to Rome. So with new disciples, Bruno began all over again in Calabria, Italy. St. Bruno was always a cheerful and active man. He did not want to see any of his monks sad and describes their hard life in delightful words. St. Bruno died in 1101 but his order continues today. The followers of St. Bruno keep his loving, self-sacrificing spirit alive. St. Bruno was known to have a special love of silence. How often do I take a few quiet moments to pray during the day?

St Flora

Feast Day: October 5 Born: 1309 :: Died: 1347 Flora was born at Auvergne in France and grew up in a very loving family. When her parents tried to arrange a marriage for her she pleaded with them and said that she would like to join the convent. They finally agreed and at the age of 13, she joined the sisters of St. John of Jerusalem at Beaulieu. She was an innocent, good girl who gave herself to God as his spouse. God rewarded her love by making her strong and helping her resist all kinds of trials and temptations. She spent all her time looking after the poor and the sick in the hospital attached to the convent. She sometimes felt that she was leading too comfortable a life. At other times, when the other sisters often made fun of her, it was too hard and feeling sad she would be tempted to return home to her family. Yet, because she kept trying to love God, Sister Flora grew dearer and dearer to him. At last, he blessed her with wonderful visions and the gift of knowing the future. She also received the gift of suffering the pain of Christ's cross. She seemed to feel it pressing into her, making a wound in her side. She joyfully accepted this suffering out of her great love for Jesus. Soon, people realized that Sister Flora was very holy and special. They came to ask for prayers and advice until she died in 1347.

St Francis of Assisi

Born: (around) 1181 :: Died: 1226 St. Francis was born around 1181 in Assisi, in Italy. As a young man he loved parties and good times. He was handsome and rich, so he bought himself the finest clothes and spent money freely. Francis had no wish to study or to learn his father's business, as he was having too much fun. One day he refused to give alms to a poor beggar but as the man was leaving, he felt sorry for what he had done and ran after him with some money. After he fell ill twice, Francis realized that he was wasting precious time. He realized that he should be serving Jesus and began praying more and making sacrifices to grow strong in spirit. While riding his horse one day he saw a leper and quickly turned his horse to ride away. Then he thought to himself, if Jesus saw a leper he would not turn the other way. So he kissed the horrible-looking leper, and gave him money. Often he gave his clothes and money to the poor. He served the sick in hospitals. Still he felt he must do more. He fasted and began to go around in rags to humble himself. It is not hard to imagine how his rich friends must have looked at him now! His father was so angry that he beat him and locked him up at home. Francis bore all this suffering for love of Jesus. When his father took everything from him in disgust, Francis put all his trust in his Father in heaven. He said that he was married to "Lady Poverty" and he began to live as a beggar. He had no shelter. His food was what kind people gave him. Everywhere he went, he begged people to stop sinning and return to God. Many men began to see how close to God this poor man really was, and they became his followers. Francis followed the example of Jesus closely by living a life of simplicity and teaching the Gospel message with great joy. That is how the great Franciscan order of priests and brothers began. They helped the poor and sick and preached everywhere. Even after the order had spread all over Italy, Francis insisted that they should not own anything. He wanted his priests to love poverty as he did. St. Francis had the power of working miracles. He loved all creatures and the birds and animals happily obeyed his commands! As a reward for his great love, Jesus gave him his own wounds. Two in his hands, two in his feet and one in his side but the humble Francis tried to hide them from people. Toward the end of his life, he became very sick. He was told he would live only a few more weeks and he exclaimed, "Welcome, Sister Death!" He asked to be laid on the ground and covered with an old habit. He advised his brothers to love God, to love being poor, and to obey the Gospel. "I have done my part," he said. "May Jesus teach you to do yours." Francis died on October 3, 1226.

St Gerard Brogne

Feast Day: October 3 Born: (around) 890 :: Died: 959 Gerard was born in Brogne in France and came from a very wealthy family, but Gerard was not proud. In fact, he was known because of his friendly and kind ways. After a hunting trip, he and his friends returned to his estate tired and hungry. After he invited the others inside for refreshments and rest, he left. Gerard went out and slipped into a little chapel that was on his property. He prayed for a long time. His tired body seemed rested and he forgot all about his hunger. The idea struck Gerard that if people only realized the joy of praying, they would be so much more willing to pray. Then he thought about the monks who spend their life praising God. Imagine how lucky they are, he thought. He prayed and asked God to help him lead a life of prayer. Soon he was able to join the monastery of Saint-Denis. Gerard loved the life he had chosen and after studies became a priest. Eleven years later he was given permission to start a monastery on his own property at Brogne. The monastery flourished but Gerard felt there was too much activity and excitement. He built himself a little hermitage next to the church. He lived there quietly and alone. But he was not allowed to stay in peace for very long. His superiors asked Gerard to visit the monasteries in Flanders and Normandy. The monks needed some guidance and help in becoming more holy. This work took Gerard on many journeys for about twenty years. All of his life Gerard lived a life filled with sacrifices. He did this because he wanted to show Jesus that he loved him. He showed that love by willingly offering little acts of self-denial. When he knew his life on earth was nearly over, Gerard asked for permission to return to his little hut back in Brogne and died peacefully on October 3, 959.

Guardian Angels

Feast Day: October 2 Today we celebrate the feast of our Guardian Angels. They are God's messengers who are always by our side to protect us. Angels delivered messages from God, protected people from dangers and rescued them. They are mentioned in many places in the Bible. " The New Testament Acts of the Apostles tells in chapter 12 how St. Peter was led out of prison by an angel. " Psalm 91:10-12 also beautifully tells us how God's Angels care for us. The belief that we each have a guardian angel has been common to Christians for hundreds of years. It is very comforting to know and believe that we each have an angel guarding and protecting us. Our guardian angel is a gift from our loving God. They are given to us to guide our thoughts, words and actions and keep us from all harm and evil. The picture of a guardian angel that we often see is an angel protecting a little child as he or she walks over a small bridge. We can say this brief prayer as often as we would like to throughout the day: Angel of God, my guardian dear to whom God's love, entrusts me here. Ever this day, be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.