Category — Saint of the Day

Birthplace: Bratislava Hungary
Date of Birth and Death: 1207 - 1231
Feast Day: November 17th

Notable: Patroness of the Homeless, Nursing Services, Charities and others

Life: St. Elizabeth was a Hungarian princess who was betrothed at an early age to a German prince and was married at 14 years old. Although she was surrounded by luxury, she a deep concern for those less fortunate than herself and provided food for hundreds of people at the castle gate every morning and visited the sick twice a day.

Her compassion was renown; once, she allowed a dying leper to rest on the bed she shared with her husband. When her husband heard about this, he tore off the bedcovers but instead of a leper, he saw the vision of the crucified Christ on the bed.

When famine and epidemic swept her land, she organised the relief for those in need through opening up the granaries and selling her jewels to build hospitals. This concern of her for those in need and her apparent boundless charity annoyed her family to no end and she received unending criticism after her husband died on the Crusades.

As a widow, she joined the third order of St. Francis in 1228 and continued her work for the poor for the rest of her life, brief as it was. Upon her death at the age of 24, she directed that all of her worldly good be given to the poor.

Prayer:

Almighty God, by those whose grace your servant Elizabeth of Hungary
recognized and honored Jesus in the poor of this world. Grant that we,
following her example, may with love and gladness serve those in any
need or trouble, in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen

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Birthplace: Poitiers France
Date of Birth and Death: 300-368
Feast Day: January 14th

Notable: Patron of Children with Learning Disabilities
Life:
At the time of St. Hilary’s birth, the Church was just becoming established as Emperor Constantine legalised Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. Born of rich, pagan parents, he was intrigued by the Scriptures and decided to learn more about th Word of the Lord. After much study, he became a believer in Jesus Christ.

Hilary married and had children but his faith was such that he was named Bishop of Poitiers, a position he did not wanted at first. His display of humility increased the people’s admiration for him and he eventually accepted the post.

At this time a heresy called Arianism began to gain hold among many Christians including Emperor Constantius. Their belief was that Christ was not the Son of God but rather a semi-divine semi-human creation. To counter criticism of the Arians, the Emperor summoned his bishops to defend the heresy. Those who refused were banished including Hilary. That did not stop Hilary from defending the concept of the Trinity.

After the death of the Emperor, Hilary, after his return to Poitiers, was able to set the Church in order and his life became dedicated to helping those in his diocese.

Prayer:

Father, keep us from vain strife of words. Grant to us constant
profession of the Truth! Preserve us in a true and undefiled Faith
so that we may hold fst to that which we professed when we
were baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - that we may
have Thee for out Father, that we may abide in Thy Son and in the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

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Birthplace: Italy
Date of Birth and Death: 1225 - 1274
Feast Day: January 28th

Notable: Patron of Catholic Schools and Students

Life:
St. Thomas Aquinas was born in southern Italy around 1225. He was of noble descent and educated at the best schools. At the University of Naples, he showed exceptional ability in speech and logic. Influenced by the Dominicans, he entered the religious life under the disapproval of his family who did not want him to become a poor friar. They even sought to kidnap him and under their power make him revert to former secular life but his virtues proved to much stronger than any temptation laid before him. During his confinement, he studied greatly on religion and philosophy.

Gaining his freedom from his family, St. Thomas went to Cologne and then to Paris to study theology. By now he had gained a reputation as a powerful speaker. It is through his preaching and writings, though, that he gain his renown demonstrating that faith and reason could abide together. It was his Summa Theologica, a key treatise, that helped fashion the theological language of the Catholic Church.

Prayer:

God our Father, You made Thomas Aquinas
known for his holiness and learning
Help us to grow in wisdom by his teaching
And in holiness by imitating his faith
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son Who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Birthplace: Dalmatia (modern day Croatia)
Date of Birth and Death: 345-420
Feast Day: September 30th

Notable: Patron of Libarians and Scholars

Life:
Jerome was born around 345 in Dalmatia. He was an avid student studying Latin and Greek in Rome where he was baptized at the age of 18. From Rome he travelled to Gaul, back to Italy and then onto Antioch in Syria. There he studied theology and enjoyed classical literature.

In Antioch, Jerome experienced a life changing event. Struck with a high fever and delirious, he had a vision of himself standing before Christ Who challenged him saying that he , Jerome was not a true Christian because he studied Roman classics rather than the word of God. Jerome promised to be true to Jesus and gave up his preoccupation with classical literature and devoted himself solely to the study of the Bible.

Still preoccupied with his vision, Jerome went into the wilderness, fasting and wrestling with his earthly desires. At the same time, he studied Hebrew and was able to translate the Bible into Latin, known today as the Vulgate.

He went on to join a monastery in Bethlehem and became a fervent Biblical scholar. His monastery became a refuge for Christians fleeing Roman troubles writing “I can not help them all but I grieve and weep with them … today, we must translate the words of the Scriptures into deeds and instead of speaking saintly words we must act them.”

Prayer:

Show me, O Lord, your mercy and delight my heart with it.
Let me find you whom I so longingly seek. See! here is the man whom
the robbers seized, mishandled, and left half dead on the road to Jericho, O kind hearted Samaritan, come to my aid!

I am the sheep who wandered into the wilderness - seek after me
and bring me home again to your fold. Do with me what you will
that I may stay by you all the days of my life, and praise you
with all those who are with you in heaven for all eternity.

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Birthplace: Siena Italy
Date of Birth and Death: 1347 - 1380
Feast Day: April 29th

Notable: Patroness of Italy and Women Involved in Catholic Action

Life:
Catherine was born in the mid-14th century into a large wealthy family in Siena Italy. From an early age, she chose to devote herself to Christ rather than marry an seek material comforts despite her parents’ strong objections. Once she devoted herself to this path in her life, she experienced numerous divine visions. In one extraordinary experience, she felt she had actually exchanged her heart for Christ’s. In another, she believed that she had received the stigmata, even though she prayed for the marks to remain invisible.

As a sign of her spiritual devotion, St. Catherine ate barely enough to sustain her but it never stopped her in her drive to reach out to everyone. Through dictated letters offering spiritual advice to rich and poor alike. This lead her to become known for her spiritual conviction and wisdom. During the time of the Great Schism, Pope Gregory XI chose Catherine as an ambassador to mediate between Florence and the Papacy and able to convince the Pope to return to Rome.

She continually strived to lead the Church in reforms and to communicate her deepest spiritual thoughts and feelings, dictating prayers and mediations that have become classics of Italian religious literature.

No doubted St. Catherine’s love for God and because of her total committment to the Church, she accepted her positions of ambassador and brought people together to discuss their concerns.

Prayer:

Eternal goodness, you want me to gaze into you and see that you love me,
to see that you me gratuitously, so that I may love everyone with the very same love.
You want me, then, to love and serve my neighbours gratuitously, by helping them spiritually and materially as much as I can, without any expectation of selfish profit or pleasure.
Nor do without any expectation of selfish profit or pleasure. Nor do you
want me to hold back because of their ingratitude or persecution, or for any
abuse I may suffer from them.

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Birthplace: Portugal
Date of Birth and Death: 1185-1231
Feast Day: June 13th

Notable: Patron of the Poor, “Finders of Lost Things”
Life:

Anthony was born in Portugal in 1185. At the age of 15 he entered an Augustine monastery but left for another in Coimbra. There seeing the bones of Franciscan martyrs and was inspired to be like them giving his life to spread the Gospel.

He joined the Friars Minor order and travelled to Morocco but he became ill and had intended to return to Portugal but a storm threw his ship off course to Italy. Arriving in Padua, he lived a quiet and unassuming life but a chance opportunity to speak at an ordination revealed a talent for preaching and his life changed forever.

As a gifted and magnetic speaker, Anthony drew large crowds to hear him preach, crowds so large that the meetings had to be held outdoors. His speeches caused enemies to reconcile,thieves to confess and heretics to convert. He became known as the wonder worker.

The story of how Anthony’s favorite prayer book was stolen by a novice monk and through his prayers, an angel compelled thenovitiatee to return the book have made St. Anthony the Finder of Lost Things to whom people pray to intercede on their behalf to God when they are searching for lost articles.

Prayer:

Dear Saint Anthony,
you are the patron of the poor and the helper of all who seek lost articles.
Help me to find the object I have lost so that I will be able to make
better use of the time I will gain for God’s greater honor and glory.
Grant your gracious aid to all people who seek what they have lost -
especially those who seek to regain God’s grace.

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