"We tend to love saints—provided they are safely dead."  --  Thus begins an article by Mr. William Doino, Jr in "First Things."  Noting that Saints inspire awe and can be intimidating. our culture seems to have tried very hard to domesticate and transform various saints to suit our modern purposes, often contrary to what the saint stood for in his/her own day.  Using Fr. Augustine Thompson's recent best seller, "Francis of Assisi, a New Biography" Doino makes a strong argument for revisiting the lives of many saint to discover anew who they really were.  A very good read.

Saint Antoninus was born at Florence in A.D. 1390. His father, Nicholas Pierozzi, followed the legal profession and filled several important offices in the city. The child received at the font the name of Anthony, but his smallness of stature and extreme gentleness of disposition caused him to be always known by the graceful Italian diminutive of Antonino (little Anthony). His childhood was one of remarkable holiness and almost continual prayer.

He assiduously attended the sermons of the celebrated Friar Preacher, Blessed John Dominici. This holy man was supervising the erection of a new Convent at Fiesole, in the neighborhood of Florence, and Antoninus implored admission into the Community. Alarmed at the extreme delicacy of his appearance, Blessed John was afraid to agree to his desires and sought some plausible excuse for a refusal. He told him, therefore, that it was necessary first for him to make further progress in his studies, but promised to admit him when he should have learned by heart the Book of Decretals. This seemingly impossible condition in no way damped the ardent spirit of the young postulant.

Within a year Antoninus had accomplished the task, and, coming to Blessed John, claimed the fulfillment of Blessed John's promise. It was not refused ; and on the Feast of St. Dominic, A.D. 1504., the holy youth was clothed in the habit of the Friars Preachers. He was sent to Cortona to make his novitiate under Blessed Lawrence of Ripafratta, and had there as his companions Blessed Peter Capucci and Fra Angelico of Fiesole. In such an atmosphere of sanctity, Antoninus made rapid progress in perfection.

During the greater part of his life the Saint filled the office of Prior in one or other of the most important Convents of the Order, and was himself the founder of the celebrated Convent of Saint Mark at Florence. He was an indefatigable student and wrote a Summa of Moral Theology, works on Canon Law, treatises for Confessors and Parish Priests, and a Chronicle of the History of the World. Saint Antoninus possessed in an eminent degree the gift of counsel ; cases of conscience and questions on Canon Law were continually submitted to him for solution, and such was his power of restoring peace to troubled souls, that he was popularly called " the Angel of Counsels."  He assisted in the capacity of theologian at the General Council of Florence, A.D. 1439, where he had the consolation of witnessing the reunion of the Greek and Latin Churches. He organized a vast system of charity, which is still in existence in our own day, for the relief of the bashful poor of Florence, and greatly contributed to the development of Confraternities of Christian Doctrine for the instruction of the young.

In the year 1446 he was raised to the archiepiscopal throne of Florence, a dignity which he only accepted when compelled to do so under penalty of excommunication. As Archbishop he made no change in the poverty and simplicity of his life. His entire household consisted of six persons  His purse and his time were equally the property of his flock. In his government he united a singular sweetness and gentleness with the firmness and intrepidity which were called for by the abuses of the times. It was remarked how, amidst the multiplicity of cares which his extensive and vigorous administration entailed upon him, his countenance never lost its expression of calm serenity. Pre-eminently a man of prayer, never did he suffer the turmoil of business to disturb the inner sanctuary of his soul When Florence was desolated by the plague and subsequently by famine and terrible earthquakes, Saint Antoninus showed himself indeed the father of his people. Night and day he might be seen traversing the city, followed by a few devoted friends and by an ass laden with provisions and remedies.

His miracles were very numerous and bear a striking testimony to the simple and unostentatious life of the great prelate, much of whose time was spent amongst the poorest of his flock. The first miracle recorded of him is typical of the affectionate simplicity of his character. To comfort a little girl who was weeping bitterly over a broken pitcher, he collected the shattered fragments, made the sign of the cross over them, and restored the vessel to her whole and uninjured.  At one time we find him mending the mill of a poor man, ruined by a flood ; at another, his blessing melts the iron which has hardened in the furnace of some obstinate sinners, whose hearts melt also into repentance at the forbearance of the Archbishop.

Saint Antoninus is commonly represented in Christian art holding in his hand a pair of scales. This is in allusion to the following miraculous circumstance. An inhabitant of Florence once brought him as a New Year's gift a beautiful basket of fruit, in the secret hope of receiving a rich reward. When, instead of the expected donation, the Saint dismissed him with merely the words, " May God reward you," he went off in a very discontented frame of mind. On learning this, the Archbishop summoned him once more into his presence, and, calling for scales, placed the basket of fruit in one side of the balance and the written words " May God reward you !" in the other. The slip of paper was found to far outweigh the fruits, and the donor retired covered with confusion.

Pope Nicholas V., who canonized Saint Bernardine of Siena, remarked that Antoninus living deserved canonization as much as Bernardine dead ; and the same Pope forbade any appeals or complaints to be received in Rome against sentences passed by the saintly Archbishop of Florence.

The deathbed of Saint Antoninus was a holy and happy scene. "To serve God is to reign," were the words ever on his lips, together with that salutation of the glorious Virgin which had ever been among his favorite ejaculations : " O Holy and Immaculate Virginity, with what praises to extol thee I know not." He expired on May 2, A.D. 1459, surrounded by the Friars of the Convent of Saint Mark, in whose midst he desired to be interred. A very remarkable testimony of honor was paid to him by the reigning Pontiff, Pius II., who commanded that his funeral should be celebrated with extraordinary splendor, and granted an indulgence to all who should kiss the hands or feet of the deceased Archbishop during the eight days that the body remained exposed before burial. The Bull of Saint Antoninus's canonization was drawn up by Pope Adrian IV., A.D. 1523, but not published until the reign of his successor, Pope Clement VII.

Prayer

May we be assisted, O Lord, by the merits of Your blessed Confessor and Bishop, Saint Antoninus, that, as we confess You wonderful in him, so we may glory in that You are merciful to us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today we celebrate the feast of the Patronage of Mary over the whole Dominican Order.  This feast celebrates Mary more as Mother than of benefactor.  As the Gospel relates, Jesus said to the Apostle John, “Behold your Mother.”  The motherhood of Mary for the whole Church is established in these few words by Jesus.

The special relationship with the order can be traced back to an early tale of St. Dominic.  Deep in prayer, our Holy Father Dominic saw three women, the central woman of great dignity and beauty.  She was carrying an aspergillum and blessing rows of Dominicans kneeling in rows along her path.  This vision disappeared and another one was granted.  Dominic saw our Lord and the Blessed Virgin sitting on thrones in heaven.  The sight was gloriously wonderful and Dominic hesitated to approach, but both Our Lady and Jesus insisted.  In the vision Jesus showed all the religious who were in heaven, yet Dominic did not see a single one of his own order and he began to weep.  Asked why he was weeping, Dominic replied that although he saw many members of religious orders in heaven, he did not see any of the Order of Preachers.  Our Lady instructed Dominic to come closer and as he did Our Lady opened her mantle and under her arms and stretching out to a great distance were tens of thousands of Dominicans.

Ever since then, the already strong devotion to our Lady was strengthened by an act of consecration.  Each year on this festival of her patronage Dominicans join in renewing their devotion to this most clement, most loving and most gracious woman of faith, the Mother of our Savior and our Mother too.

The Angel of Judgment

With zeal and grace, St. Vincent Ferrer brought many to conversion of mind and heart during his 58 years as a Dominican friar.  Read some of that life by clicking on the title of this post.

St. Catherine of Siena was overshadowed by the Fourth Sunday of Easter this year.  She is a most wonderful saint, dedicated in her love of Christ and his Church.  The following article deals with that love and the real need for a continued effort to bring all into one in Christ, especially those who have wandered, or been driven, away.

Please also keep the unity of Christians in your prayers.

Osanna was born in a village in Zeta to a Serbian Orthodox priestly family named Kosić and was baptized Jovana in that tradition.  Her father was priest Pero Kosić and her uncle was Marko Kosić, a monk with the name of "Makarije" who later became Serbian Orthodox Bishop of Zeta. Her grandfather Aleksa Kosić and her great grandfather Đuro Kosić were also Orthodox priests. She was a shepherdess in her youth, and developed the habit of spending her solitary hours in prayer. A story says that one day while watching the flocks, she saw a child lying asleep on the grass. Attracted by its beauty, she went to pick up the baby, but it disappeared, leaving Jovana with a feeling of great loneliness.

Jovana continued to have these apparitions. When she was 14 years old, her visions began to be followed by an odd desire to travel to the coastal Venetian town of Cattaro in Albania Veneta (Bay of Kotor, modern-day Montenegro), where she felt she could pray better. Her mother did not understand, and grudgingly arranged a position for Jovana as a servant to the wealthy Catholic Bucca family, who allowed the girl as much time as she wished for church visits. In Cattaro, Katarina abandoned Serbian Orthodoxy and converted to Roman Catholicism, and took the name Katarina (Catherine Cosie).  Katarina learned to read and write during her free time. She read religious books in both Latin and Italian, especially the Holy Scriptures.

In her late teens, Katarina felt a call to live the life of an anchoress. Though she was considered very young for such a calling, her spiritual director had her walled up in a cell built near Saint Bartholomew's church in Cattaro. It had a window through which Katarina could hear Mass and another window to which people would occasionally come to ask for prayers or give food. Katarina made the customary promises of stability and the door was sealed.

After an earthquake destroyed her first hermitage, she moved to a cell at Saint Paul's church, and became a Dominican tertiary, taking the name Osanna in memory of Blessed Osanna of Mantua. She would follow the Dominican rule for the last 52 years of her life. A group of Dominican sisters took up residence near her, consulting her for guidance, and came to consider her their leader. Osanna soon had so many followers that a convent was founded for them.

In her tiny cell, it is said that Osanna received many visions. These included the Christ as a baby, the Virgin Mary, several saints. Once the Devil appeared to her in the form of the Blessed Virgin and told her to modify her penances. By obedience to her confessor, Osanna managed to penetrate this clever disguise and vanquish this enemy.

A convent of sisters founded at Cattaro regarded her as their foundress because of her prayers, although she never actually saw the place. When the city was attacked on 9 August 1539 by Khair ad-Din Barbarossa, and Cattaro was threatened, the citizens of Cattaro ran to her for help. They credited their deliverance to her prayers and counsel. And yet another time, her prayers were credited to saving them from the plague.

Veneration

The incorrupt body of Blessed Osanna was kept in the Church of St. Paul until 1807, when the French Army converted the church into a warehouse. Her body was then brought to the Church of St. Mary. The people of Kotor venerated her as a saint. In 1905, the process for her beatification began in Kotor and was successfully completed in Rome. In 1927, Pope Pius XI approved her cultus, and in 1934 Pope Pius XI beatified her.

Over the course of her holy life, the people of Kotor came to call her "the trumpet of the Holy Spirit" and the "teacher of mysticism." People from all walks of life came to her for advice, and she interceded particularly for peace in the town and among feuding families. Therefore, she was also called "the Virgin Reconciler" and the "Angel of Peace."

[Wikipedia April 2012]

Saint Agnes of Montepulciano, O.P., (1268–1317) was born into the noble Segni family in Gracciano, a small village near Montepulciano in Tuscany, Italy, where, at the age of nine, she entered the monastery of the Dominican nuns of the Second Order.

In 1281, the lord of the castle of Proceno, a fief of Orvieto, invited the nuns of Montepulciano to send some of their Sisters to Proceno to found a new monastery.  Agnes was among the nuns sent to found this new community.

In 1288 Agnes, despite her youth at only 20 years of age, was elected as prioress. There she gained a reputation for performing miracles: people suffering from mental and physical ailments seemed cured by her presence. She was reported to have "multiplied loaves", creating many from a few on numerous occasions, recalling the Gospel miracle of the loaves and fishes.

Later about 1306, Agnes established a monastery of Dominican nuns in Gracciano. She presided over this monastery until her death. After her death, her body was said to remain incorrupt, rather than decomposing. It was reported that a perfumed liquid flowed from her hands and feet.

The Dominican friar Raymond of Capua, who later served as confessor to St. Catherine of Siena, wrote an account of Agnes some fifty years later. St. Catherine herself referred to her as "Our mother, the glorious Agnes."

Agnes of Montepulciano was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. Her feast day is the 20 April.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Friar and Priest

Born at Fabriano at the beginning of the fifteenth century, Blessed Constantius received the Dominican habit at the age of fifteen.  He was noted for his austere and prayerful life, as well as his efforts in promoting peace.  As prior at Fabriano, at Perugia, and Ascoli he labored to restore regular life.  He died at Ascoli on February 24, 1481.

Friar and Priest

Blessed Christopher was born at Milan about 1410.  He dedicated his whole life to itinerant preaching after the example of Saint Vincent Ferrer, OP.  The austerity of his life and zeal for souls led an ancient chronicler to say of him, "He was truly a Christ-bearer, for he carried Christ not only in name, but in his heart and on his lips."  While master of Novices he wrote a treatise On the Service of God for them.

Prayer:
God of all truth, you made Blessed Christopher a faithful herald of your word to the people.  By his life and ministry may we keep Christ ever in our thoughts and in the love of our hearts.

Blessed Alvarez of Córdoba or Blessed Alvarez of Zamora, was born at Zamora, Spain, towards the middle of the fourteenth century. Bl. Alvarez entered the Order in 1368. He preached throughout Spain and Italy and established the priory of Scala Caeli at Córdoba where he promoted the regular life. By his preaching and contemplation of the Lord's Passion he spread the practice of the Way of the Cross throughout the West. He died on February 19, c. 1430.

Prayer:
God of mercy, you endowed Blessed Alvarez with the gifts of penance and divine love.  With the help of his prayers and example may we always bear the suffering of Christ in our bodies and your love in our hearts.

Guido of Vicchio was born in the region of Tuscany in 1386 or 1387 and studied art in Florence while still a young man. Feeling drawn to religious life he entered the Order at the convent of San Domenico in Fiesole. This convent had recently been established as a house of regular observance by Blessed John Dominic whose name he took when he entered. He served as superior of San Domenico, promoted regular observance and handed on the fruits of his contemplation through his paintings for the altars at Fiesole and for the convent of San Marco in Florence. He was called to Rome by Pope Eugene IV to decorate two chapels, one in the Basilica of St. Peter and one in the Vatican. Pope Nicholas V also commissioned him to decorate his private chapel at the Vatican. His work is also found in the convent of San Domenico in Cortona and the cathedral at Orvieto. Pope Eugene IV wished to appoint him archbishop of Florence, but he declined in favor of Saint Antoninus. On February 18, 1455 he died in Rome at Santa Maria sopra Minerva and was buried there. The special quality of his painting earned him the title “Fra Angelico.”

Supplement to the Liturgy of the Hours for the Dominican Order
1991

Friar and Priest
Optional Memorial of the Order

Blessed Nicholas was born at Giovinazzo, near Bari, Italy, in 1197.  While pursuing studies at Bologna, he was drawn to the Order by a sermon of St. Dominic who personally gave him the habit and made him one of his traveling companions.  He was well-known for his preaching throughout the Roman Province and compiled a concordance of sacred scripture.  He died at Perugia in 1256.

From:
Suplement to the Liturgy of the Hours
for the Order of Preachers
Chicago - 1991

Blessed Jordan was born at Burgberg, Westphalia, around the year 1185.

Blessed Reginald was born near Orleans about the year 1180.

A member of the noble Della Chiesa family, Blessed Anthony was born at San Germano, Italian peninsula, in 1394 and received the Dominican habit at Vercelli in 1417.  He served as prior in several convents of the Order and labored to restore teh regular life.  He was known for his gentle, yet firm treatment of human frailty.  He died on January 22, 1459.

Prayer:
God of mercy and compassion, you gave Blessed Anthony the gift of divine love.  By the help of his prayers may our hearts burn with that sam charity and may our lives, like his, be witnesses to teh faith and to the ministry  of service.

[Supplement to the Liturgy of the Hours
for the Order of Preachers]

Very great interest attaches to the life of St Margaret of Hungary, because by rare good fortune we possess in her case a complete copy of the depositions of the witnesses who gave evidence in the process of beatification begun less than seven years after her death. No doubt the fact that she was the daughter of Bela IV, King of Hungary, a champion of Christendom at a time when central Europe was menaced with utter destruction by the inroads of the Tatars, has emphasized the details of her extraordinary life of self-crucifixion. The Dominican Order, too, which was much befriended by Bela and his consort Queen Mary Lascaris, was necessarily interested in the cause of one of its earliest and most eminent daughters. But no one can read the astounding record of Margaret's asceticism and charity as recounted by some fifty witnesses who were her everyday companions without realizing that even if she had been the child of a beggar, such courage as hers --one is almost tempted to call it the fanaticism of her warfare against the world and the flesh -- could not but have a spiritualizing influence upon all who came in contact with her. Bela IV has been styled "the last man of genius whom the Arpads produced", but there were qualities in his daughter which, if determination counts for anything in human affairs, showed that the stock was not yet effete.  --Read more here:
[http://www.katolikus.hu/hun-saints/margaret.html]

Margaret, the daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary, was offered to God before her birth, in petition that the country would be delivered from the terrible scourge of the Tartars. The prayer having been answered, the king and queen made good their promise by placing the little girl in the Dominican convent at Vesprim. Margaret was three years old. Here, in company with other children of the nobility, she was trained in the arts thought fitting for royalty.

Margaret was not content with simply living in the house of God; she demanded the religious habit and received it at the age of four. Furthermore, she took upon herself the austerities practiced by the other sisters fasting, hairshirts, the discipline, and night vigils. She soon learned the Divine Office by heart and chanted it happily to herself as she went about her play. No one but Margaret seemed to take seriously the idea that she would one day make profession and remain as a sister, for it would be of great advantage to her father if she were to make a wise marriage. --read more here:
[http://curia.op.org/en/index.php/eng/general-curia/93-st-margaret-of-hungary-1242-1271]

click on title for another version

Friar and Priest
Optional Memorial of the Order

Blessed Sebastian, the son of a noble family, was born at Brescia, Italy, in 1414 and entered the Order in 1429. Twice he was Vicar General of the reformed Province of Lombardy and served as prior in several convents. He was severe in his personal life, but kind and patient in his dealings with others. He was one of the notable reformers of Dominican life in the fifteenth century. He died at Genoa at the monastery of Santa Maria di Castello in 1496.

Prayer

God of faithfulness,
you made Blessed Sebastian an outstanding example of evangelical perfection and truth. By following his example may we enter the path to perfect charity and deepen the life of the spirit through penance and so obtain your glory and eternal life.

Friar and Bishop
Optional Memorial of the Order

Blessed James was born at Mantua, Italy in the latter half of the thirteenth century. He entered the Order there and came to the notice of Nicholas Boccassini, Master of the Order, who made him his socius. Blessed James continued as his advisor when Nicholas was created cardinal in 1298 and when Nicholas became Pope as Benedict XI he was named bishop of Mantua in 1304. There he fought against the hatred and division which plagued the city. Because of his devotion to the poor during a time of pestilence and famine he was called “Father of the Poor.” He died on November 19, 1332.

Prayer:
Eternal God, you established Blessed James as a model for your flock and made him renowned for his zeal for peace and for his mercy towards your people.  By his prayers and example may we be united in th e truth of your word and ever ardent in your devine love.

[Supplement to the Liturgy of the House for the Order of Preachers]

Saint Albert the Great
Friar, Bishop, and Doctor of the Church
Feast of the Order
Solemnity of the Priory of St. Albert the Great

Albert, eldest son of the Count of Bollstädt, was born at Lauingen, Swabia, in the year 1205 or 1206, though many historians give it as 1193. Nothing certain is known of his primary or preparatory education, which was received either under the paternal roof or in a school of the neighbourhood. As a youth he was sent to pursue his studies at the University of Padua; that city being chosen either because his uncle resided there, or because Padua was famous for its culture of the liberal arts, for which the young Swabian had a special predilection. The date of this journey to Padua cannot be accurately determined.

In the year 1223 he joined the Order of St. Dominic, being attracted by the preaching of Blessed Jordan of Saxony second Master General of the Order. Historians do not tell us whether Albert's studies were continued at Padua, Bologna, Paris, or Cologne. After completing his studies he taught theology at Hildesheim, Freiburg (Breisgau), Ratisbon, Strasburg, and Cologne

Blessed John Liccio, OP
Friar and Priest
Optional Memorial of the Order

BLESSED JOHN was born at Caccamo, in Sicily, about A.D. 1446. His mother died in giving him birth, and his father, either taking a dislike to the infant from this cause, or impelled by extreme poverty, cruelly ordered him to be reared on scanty and un­wholesome food. The child was nearly killed by this treatment ; but one day, when his father was absent, a charitable woman of the neighbourhood begged his aunt, who had charge of him, to allow her to take him to her house and give him proper nourishment, offering to do so without remuneration. Her charity brought its own reward. Her husband, who had lost the use of his limbs for a long time, was suddenly and completely cured as soon as the infant was laid upon his bed. The father, hearing of the miracle on his return home, took the child back and continued his former cruelties. The infirm man immediately fell ill again, and remained so until his wife had persuaded the in­human parent to let her have the little one once more, and to allow her to give him the care and nourishment which his age required. The father died soon after, and little John was brought up by his aunt, who treated him with great kindness.

Blessed Lucy of Narni, OP
Sister and Virgin
Optional Memorial of the Order

BLESSED LUCY was born at Narni, in Umbria, on the 13th of November, A.D. 1476, of the noble family of the Broccolelli. When she was quite a little child, one of her uncles brought some toys and pious objects from Rome as presents to his nephews and nieces. Lucy immediately made the choice of a rosary and a little statue of the Infant Jesus as her share of the gifts; and this "Christarello," as she called it, became the cherished object of her devotion.

Going one day, when she was seven years old, to visit another uncle, in whose house she remembered to have seen a room, on the ceiling of which was a painting representing the holy angels, she wanted to behold the picture once more. She was un­willing to have any companion who might disturb her devotions, and yet the staircase which led to the room was too steep and difficult for her to climb alone. She therefore had recourse, as usual, to the Infant Jesus, and found herself miraculously transported to the apartment in question. While praying there, she was favored with a heavenly vision of our Divine Lord, accompanied by His Blessed Mother, Saint Dominic, Saint Catharine of Siena, and a glorious troop of angels and of saints. Jesus then espoused her to Himself, placing a precious ring upon her finger; and Saint Dominic and Saint Catharine took her under their special protection, the former bestowing upon her the scapular of his Order, which she continued to wear under her secular attire until she was able to assume it in public. Many other heavenly favours, together with the gift of prophecy, were granted to her during her childhood; and she was thrice miraculously re­stored to health by Saint Catharine of Siena and Saint Peter, Martyr.

As she grew older, her family sought to give her in marriage, but Lucy firmly and courageously resisted; until at length our Blessed Lady revealed to her that it was the will of God that she should accept the betrothal of a certain Count Pietro, and that her betrothed life was to be an imitation of the holiness and purity of the house of Nazareth. Though she now had the manage­ment of a large household, which is said to have been as devout and well-ordered as a religious community, Blessed Lucy relaxed nothing of her customary exer­cises of prayer and practised heroic penance, daily receiving the discipline at the hands of one of her maids. Prompted by a spirit of humility, she would clothe herself in coarse and shabby clothes, and during several hours every day take part with her servants in the domestic work of the house, after which she re­sumed the rich attire which befitted her rank.

Feast of the Order

MARTIN was a native of South America,and was born at Lima, the capital of Peru, A.D. 1569.

His father was a Spanish knight of noble birth, but his mother, though she belonged to one of the richest families of Panama, was despised because her family had been slaves. The child inherited her features and complexion, on which account his father conceived a dislike for him and turned him out of his house, along with his mother and sister.  At the age of ten he was apprentised to be a barber/surgeon.  His study of medicine and surgery would allow him to both make a living and offer charity to others. He always exercised his art gratis to those without means, and God often rewarded his charity by mar­vellous and even miraculous cures. From his tenderest years little Martin was distinguished for his spirit of piety and mortification. By the age of thirteen he already devoted part of the night to prayer and con­templation, gave away to the poor all the money that was bestowed upon him, and even deprived himself of his own food and clothing on their behalf.

When he was still young, Our Lady herself com­manded him to enter the Dominican Order. In obedi­ence to her will, he accordingly begged to be admitted into the Convent of the Holy Rosary in his native city. His birth, his talents, and above all, his repu­tation for sanctity, made the Fathers anxious to give him the habit of a clerical religious, but he steadfastly refused even the lowly position of a lay brother, preferring to serve the Community in the yet hum­bler capacity of a Tertiary. It was not until he was in his thirties that he finnaly took the habit and made profession as a lay brother.  Indeed, humility was ever his most distinguishing virtue, and he sincerely rejoiced when treated with scorn and contempt. He became the Infirmarian of the Convent, and, in fact, of all the poor of the city; and his charity specially displayed itself when a contagious disease struck down at the same time as many as sixty members of the Community. For months he allowed himself neither sleep nor food, his life being miraculously supported by Almighty God, for the sake of the sick whom he so charitably tended.

It was his duty to distribute daily to the poor the leftovers of the community meals. When his stock of food was insufficient for the numbers who presented themselves, he would obtain its miraculous multiplication by his faithful and humble prayers, so that he had enough left for the poor who were ashamed to beg, to whom he sent relief by trusty messengers. His charity extended to every sort of human misery. Through the instrumentality of this humble religi­ous, an immense orphanage was established in Lima containing several hundred children of both sexes; and to this were soon added other buildings to shelter foundlings, the sick poor, the aged, and penitents.

[more]

Lay Dominican and Virgin
Optional Memorial of the Order

BLESSED BENVENUTA was born at Cividale, in the province of Friuli, in the Austrian dominions, about A.D. 1254. The family already consisted of six daughters, and the father earnestly desired a son. Those who were present at the child's birth were, therefore, afraid to tell him that his hopes were again disappointed; but he guessed the truth from their silence, and exclaimed : "She too shall be welcome." Hence the little one received the beautiful Italian name of Benvenuta (welcome).

From her earliest childhood she gave evidence of singular piety. When only seven years old, she was in the habit of daily reciting a hundred Paters and Aves in honour of the adorable Trinity and a thousand Aves in honour of our Blessed Lady. On Saturdays she doubled her devotions, and on the festival of the Annunciation, which was specially dear to her, she was accustomed to salute her Heavenly Mother with as many as three thousand Aves.

A married sister, who was tenderly attached to Benvenuta, strove to induce her to wear costly attire and to accom­pany her to dances and other festivities, but the saintly child would tear the ornaments from her hair, and, wrapping herself in a coarse veil, seek a hiding-place in a wood at the back of the house, from where she could see a church dedicated to our Blessed Lady, which stood on the summit of a neighbouring hill. The grass, which all around grew rank and thick, was here worn away by her continual genuflections and prostrations.

[more]

Shrine of St. Jude, patron of Impossible Causes
St. Dominic Parish - San Francisco, CA

The Novena to St. Jude ended today with a Solemn Mass and veneration of the relics of St. Jude.  Read the description by Fr. Allen Duston, OP of St. Jude in the continuation of this piece that can be accessed by clicking here.

Friar and Bishop
Optional Memorial of the Order

BLESSED BARTHOLOMEW was a native of Vicenza in Northern Italy, and belonged to the noble family of Breganza. He received the habit of the Order from Saint Dominic's own hands on occasion of the holy Patriarch's visit to Vicenza about A.D. 1220. So eminent was his virtue, that, only a few months after his reception, he became Prior, and he successfully governed several Convents with great prudence and fruit of souls. Seven years later he became Master of the Sacred Palace, an office which had been first held by Saint Dominic himself, and which has since been hereditary in the Order. It was while discharging these functions that Blessed Bartholomew composed his learned commentary on the work of Saint Denis: "De calesti hierarchia."

[more]