Saint George was welcomed into Diocletian's army when he had come of age. By his late 20's, George became a Tribunus and served as an imperial guard for the Emperor at Nicomedia. On February 24, 303 A.D., Diocletian, who hated Christians, announced that every Christian the army passed would be arrested and every other soldier should offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods. George refused to abide by the order and told Diocletian, who was angry but greatly valued his friendship with George's father. When George announced his beliefs before his peers, Diocletian was unable to keep the news to himself. In an effort to save George, Diocletian attempted to convert him to believe in the Roman gods, offered him land, money and slaves in exchange for offering a sacrifice to the Roman gods, and made several other offers that George refused. Finally, after exhausting all other options, Diocletian ordered George's execution. In preparation for his death, George gave his money to the poor and was sent for several torture sessions. He was lacerated on a wheel of swords and required resuscitation three times, but still George did not turn from God. On April 23, 303 A.D., George was decapitated before Nicomedia's outer wall. His body was sent to Lydda for burial, and other Christians went to honor George as a martyr.Saint George stands out among other saints and legends because he is known and revered by both Muslims and Christians.In older works, Saint George is depicted wearing armor and holding a lance or fighting a dragon, which represents Christ's enemies.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER St. George,Heroic Catholic soldier and defender of your Faith, you dared to criticize a tyrannical Emperor and were subjected to horrible torture. You could have occupied a high military position but you preferred to die for your Lord. Obtain for us the great grace of heroic Christian courage that should mark soldiers of Christ. Amen
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Saint Adalbert is known with great honor in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Germany. His christian life started when, as a young boy, he became very ill. His parents prayed that if he survived his illness, they would offer him as a priest to the Lord. At the time, his name was Wojtech. Fortunately, he survived and was sent to be mentored by Archbishop Adalbert. His mentor changed Wojtech’s name to his own. After his mentor’s death, Adalbert (Wojtech’s new name) returned to his native land of Bohemia, where he became a priest. He gave money to the poor, fasted, and was always in prayer. Eventually, he tried to unsuccessfully shield a woman who was guilty of adultery from murder. Afterwards he was rejected multiple times by the people. He was made the 1st bishop of Prague. After being rejected, he went to Hungary, Poland, and Germany. But, he didn't follow their ways of worship and was suspected of being a Polish spy. In the end, a Pagan priest captured and martyred Adalbert. In 999, he became canonized as “St. Adalbert of Prague”. His Liturgical Feast Day is April 23.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER O God, who bestowed the crown of martyrdom on the Bishop Saint Adalbert, as he burned with zeal for souls, grant, we pray, by his prayers, that the obedience of the flock may never fail the shepherds, nor the care of the shepherds be ever lacking to the flock. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Saint Anselm, indifferent towards religion as a young man, was born on April 21, 1033. He was educated in a variety of schools in France and his main interests included metaphysics and theology. Anselm was admired for his patience, gentleness, and teaching skill. His profession was done in England as a Monk, Abbott, and Archbishop of Canterbury. Against his will, Anselm was appointed archbishop of Canterbury in 1093, at age 60. He died on his birthday, April 21, 1109.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Dear Lord our God, we your children ask you to bless us and keep us safe from any dangers that may be in our path. Just like St. Anselm said you are the “unmatched supreme being”, help us to continually praise and worship you, our creator. Amen. Today’s Saint of the day is St. Conrad of Parzham. St. Conrad was born Carl Birndorfer on December 22, 1818 in the town of Parzham in the kingdom of Bavaria, Germany. Carl was the second youngest of 12 children 5 of whom, died in infancy. He spent most of his early life working on his family farm. St. Conrad’s mother died when he was 14 years old, and two years later his father died as well. As a young child his faith and devotion was very noticeable. He had a great love for the blessed Virgin Mary and recited the rosary daily. On feast days, he would make a journey on foot to some remote shrine. After attending a parish mission in 1838, he decided to enter religious life. At the age of 31, St. Conrad was accepted as a lay brother among the Capuchin Franciscan friars. St. Conrad was sent to the Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting, and was given the task of assisting the porter. In 1851 Conrad left Altötting to go help a dying priest. Afterwards, he entered the novitiate at Laufen, where he was given the name Conrad in honor of Conrad of Piacenza. He then returned to Altötting as porter. St. Conrad was said have the gift of prophesy and be able to read the hearts of those he met. For his virtues and the miracles, he performed, he was blessed by Pope Pius XI. Four years later, Pope Pius added his name to the list of saints. St. Conrad is the patron saint of the Mid-America Province of Capuchin Friars. St. Conrad is known for his great miracles, his devotion to Mother Mary, his generosity for the poor, and being ready to help strangers. St. Conrad of Parzham died on April 21, 1894 in the friary where he served as a porter for 41 years.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER O dearest St. Conrad, you were known to be hardworking, bountiful to the poor, and eager and ready to receive and help strangers. Like you, help us to work hard at and be sincere in all that we do. Help us to be mindful of those that are less fortunate around us and to be generous towards them. Help us to recognize those around us who are in need of assistance and to be eager and ready to help as best we can. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen Today’s commemorated saint is Saint Gianna Beretta Molla. She was born on October 4, 1922 in Magenta near Milano, and was an active member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and leader in the Catholic Action movement. Gianna had earned degrees in medicine and Gianna opened a clinic in the town of Mesero, where she met her future husband, engineer Pietro Molla. Shortly before their marriage in 1955, Gianna wrote to Pietro: “Love is the most beautiful sentiment that the Lord has put into the soul of men and women”. In the next four years the Mollas had three children: Pierluigi, Mariolina, and Laura. The next two pregnancies following ended in miscarriage. Early in her sixth pregnancy, doctors had discovered that Gianna had both a child and a tumor in her uterus. She allowed the surgeons to remove the tumor but to not perform the complete hysterectomy that they recommend, which would kill the child. Seven months later in April 1962, Ginna Emanuela Molla was born at the hospital in Monza, but post-operative complications resulted in an infection for her mother. The following week, Gianna Molla died at home in Mesero, where she was buried. Gianna Emanuela went on the become a physician herself. Gianna Beretta Molla was beatified in 1994 and canonized 10 years later. Her Liturgical Feast Day is April 28.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER St. Gianna, you are an incredible example of motherhood, selflessness, and devotion to God. Please fill me with your piety, your charity, and your goodness. St. Gianna, you were filled with love for your children. You understand the longing in my heart for children. You understand my desire for a family filled with love and the giggles of babies. Please, St. Gianna, in your compassion, as a mother, as a wife, as a Saint if true Church, intercede in my behalf to your compassion, as a mother, as a wife, as a Saint of the Church, intercede on my behalf to our Lord, Christ Jesus. Blessed St. Gianna, hear my prayers and ask that God, in his mercy, grant me a healthy baby that I will raise her to be a loving child of God. In Jesus’s name. Amen. When Blessed James Oldo was young, his father passed away, leaving him a legacy that allowed him to grow up a rich and self-indulgent youth. The death of a friend brought his mortality to James’ attention, maturing him slightly. Then one day, a traveling reproduction of the Holy Sepulcher came to his home town of Lodi, Italy. As a joke, James laid down on it and began comparing his height to Christ’s. While laying there, he had an almost instantaneous conversion to experience. He became a Franciscan tertiary. His mother and wife were against his conversion until his mother had a vision of being before the judgement seat of God. Both woman then became Franciscan tertiary and converted their mansion into a center of prayer. They spent their later years taking care of the sick and the prisoners from the Civil War that devastated Lodi. Upon his wife’s death, James became a priest in 1397. His acts of penance were so severe that the bishop had to order him to eat at least three times a week. He moved many to enter into religious life and was had the gift of prophecy; he predicted wars and his own death.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Pray for us that we will find the straight path to heaven and remain loyal to Jesus Christ’s teachings throughout our life. Amen Today’s Saint of the Day is Saint Benedict Joseph Labre. Born on the 26th of March, 1748 at Amettes in the Diocese of Boulogne, he was the eldest of fifteen children. Born to the middle class, he was given many opportunities in education as a child. At a young age, he had shown a fondness for the spirit of mortification, fearful for even the smallest sin. At the age of twelve, his education was taken over by his paternal uncle, Francois-Joseph Labre. When Benedict was about eighteen, an epidemic fell upon the city, the uncle and nephew helped with curing the sick. Among the last victims of the epidemic was Labre's uncle, because of the physical contact between him and the sick. After the death of his uncle, Labre set off for La Trappe Abbey to apply to the Order but did not come up to their requirements. He was underage and he didn’t get any recommendations. Labre later joined the Third Order(once he met the requirements) of Saint Francis and settled on a life of poverty and pilgrimage. He lived on what he was given, sometimes nothing and often shared the little he did receive with others. He was known to have talked rarely, prayed often, and got abused often. Labre was following in the role of the mendicant, the "Fool-for-Christ," found more often in the Eastern Church. He would often become emotional when contemplating the crown of thorns, in particular, and, during these states, it is said he would levitate or bi-locate(appear in two different places at the same time). He was also said to have cured the homeless of sickness and also multiplied bread for them. During a visit to the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti, he died there of malnutrition during Holy Week and was buried also in the Church of Santa Maria ai Monti. Benedict was declared Blessed by Blessed Pious IX in 1860, and later canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1881. Benedict is the patron saint of the homeless.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER O dearest St. Benedict Joseph Labre, you who truly understand what it is like to be homeless, I ask your prayers on behalf of all those who are homeless. You were totally reliant upon the generosity and kindness of others. Pray that those who are homeless experience kindness, understanding, and love from others. You know what it felt like to be turned away and scoffed at. Pray that the wounds of their hearts will be healed and that they can openly embrace the charity of others. Amen Saint Bernadette Soubirous was born on January 7th, 1844 in Lourdes, France as the first child of a poor miller. She was brought into this world through a very poor family, and they lived in the basement of a decaying building. On February 11, 1858, the Blessed Virgin Mary made an appearance to Bernadette near the Gave River, when she was 14 years old. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared 18 times in all and the final one occurred on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, which was on July 16th. The Lady had told Bernadette to build a chapel on the spot of the visions. Many people came to this spot to wash in and drink the water of the spring that welled in the spot that Bernadette dug up. On March 25, the Blessed Virgin Mary finally revealed herself when she said, “I am the Immaculate Conception”, which made Bernadette realize who she was talking to. The shrine at Lourdes became one of the most popular shrines in the world, with many tourists drawn to it. The waters in the spring were known to cause miracles. During her life, she went through a lot of pain. She had health problems as well as being hounded by civic officials. She went to the nuns for protection and after 5 years wanted to join the Sisters of Notre Dame. After 4 months of her entrance, she was given the last rites of the Church. She rehabilitated enough to infirmary and then sacristan, but her chronic health problems didn’t let her go further. She died on April 16, 1879, and was only 35. She was canonized in 1933. Today, Saint Bernadette Soubirous is the patron of the ill, the poor, sheep tenders, and those who are humiliated for their piety.
Intercessory Prayer Pray for Saint Bernadette, that like you, we may always be obedient to the will of Our Heavenly Father, and that through our prayers and humility we may bring consolation to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary that have been so grievously wounded by our sins. Holy Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, Pray for us. Caesar de Bus was born in Cavaillon, France on February 3, 1544. He was an ex-military soldier who took part in the French “Wars of Religion” and witnessed the “St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre” of French Protestants. He lived as a wealthy man caring more about worldly possessions than his religion, until he got a serious illness causing him to pay more attention to his spirituality. He became a priest and began traveling around, teaching catechism in neglected places. Caesar believed that the church’s greatest weakness was the poor faith formation of the poor. He created a new religious community called “the Fathers of Christian Doctrine” and created a branch for women called “the Ursaline Sisters of Providence”. He was remembered for his spirit of penance and his struggle to overcome the habits of his earlier and wealthier life.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Oh God, who raised up Blessed Caesar in your church to show others the way of salvation, grant us, by his example, to follow Christ the master so that we may come with our neighbor into your presence. Through Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen Today's Saint of the Day is Saint Peter Gonzalez. He was born into a noble family on Castile, Spain, as Pedro Gonzalez Telmo in the year 1190. In the 13th century, on Christmas Day, Saint Peter Gonzalez triumphantly rode his horse in the Spanish city of Astorga in front of many townspeople. The horse stumbled and fell on to the ground, leaving Saint Peter Gonzalez in the mud and bystanders amused at the sight. Embarrassed, Saint Peter Gonzalez withdrew from society in a period of meditation and prayer. During this time, he was taught by his uncle, the bishop of Astorga, and experienced a conversion and spent the rest of his life, making up for his old ways. He served as the confessor in the king's court and soon left, fearing that the honor and easy life would lead him back to his old ways. Saint Peter Gonzalez spent the rest of his time preaching to sailors. He died in 1246 and is buried in the Cathedral of Tuy. In 1254, Pope Innocent IV beatified him, and in 1741, Pope Benedict XIV canonized him. He is the patron saint of Spanish and Portuguese sailors, since he preached mainly to sailors.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER Through the intercession of Blessed Saint Peter Gonzalez, God, help us to gain the strength to lead our lives in prayer, dedication, and kindness through these times. Amen |