BIG C CATHOLICS

Feast Day -  March 10th  (Scotland) March 11th, is the feast of Saint John Ogilvie (1579 – 1615), born in 1579, at Drum, Scotland. Walter Ogilvie was a Scottish noble who raised his son John in the state religion of Scotland, Calvinism. The Ogilvie family was partly Catholic and partly Presbyterian. John eventually converted to Catholicism at the age of 17 in Louvain, Belgium. He initially studied with the Benedictines, but joined the Jesuits in 1597, and was ordained in Paris in 1610. He was then sent to Rouen. Two French Jesuit missionaries returning from Scotland told him of the blatant persecution of Catholics there. He repeatedly requested assignment to Scotland where wholesale massacres of Catholics had taken place, but by this point the oppressors were searching more for priests than for those who attended Mass. The Jesuits were determined to minister to the oppressed Catholic laity. When captured, they were tortured for information, then hanged, drawn, and brutally q

Feast Day - October 3rd Historically it is the feast of Saint Gerard of Brogne who was born in the county of Namur. He trained for the army, as a page of the count of Namur he was sent on a special mission to the French court. He stayed in France and soon entered the Benedictines of St. Denis. After some eleven years he was ordained priest, and left for Belgium in order to found a new abbey on his own estate of Brogne. He was its abbot for twenty-two years, introducing St. Benedict's Rule into numerous houses in Flanders, Lorraine and Champagne. He was noted for his devoutness. St. Gerard entered this world blessed with the advantages of noble birth and a naturally pleasing disposition which made him universally liked, yet he saw through the emptiness of a worldly life. Upon returning from a hunting trip one day, he retreated to a chapel, where he sighed, "How happy are they who have no other obligation but to praise the Lord night and day, and who live always in His

September 25th is historically, and in many Benedictine houses, the feast day of Blessed Herman the Cripple, also known as Hermannus Contractus , (Latin meaning contracted one) or Herman of Reichenau, (1013-1054) a monk, 11th century scholar, composer, musical theorist, mathematician, and astronomer. He composed the Marian prayers Alma Redemptoris Mater , and the Salve Regina ("Hail Holy Queen") which is recited each time the most Holy Rosary is prayed. Despite significant physical limitations and immense suffering, the bright and contemplative mind of Blessed Herman advanced not only our understanding of the physical world, but furthered our devotion to Our Blessed Mother, Mary. His contributions to both science and faith remind us that regardless of appearance or apparent physical abilities, we each possess God-given gifts and talents. Due to Bl. Herman's prodigious achievements, he was called "The Wonder of His Age." He wrote extensively on mathematic

"Francis you are very zealous for the good of souls."  The Portiuncula indulgence can be gained on August 2nd, or in remote areas of the world where Mission Chapels are not open during the week, the first Sunday of August. We owe this indulgence to the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi. In the year 513, four hermits came to Italy and built a small chapel in the vicinity of Assisi. The Benedictines named it the Portiuncula Church and administered it until the 13th century. St. Francis beseeched the Benedictine Abbot to let his Order have the church. Over time, the Portiuncula Church was enlarged and beautified. The miraculous origin of the Portiuncula indulgence is as follows. Jesus, Mary and a host of angels appeared to St. Francis. Jesus said to him, "Francis you are very zealous for the good of souls. Ask me what you want for their salvation." Francis replied "Lord, I a miserable sinner beg You to concede an indulgence to all those who enter this chu

There is very little that we know about this medieval scholar and saint. What information we have comes from the very end of the work for which he is best known, the Ecclesiastical History of the English People.  In its closing paragraphs he notes that, at the age of seven, his family gave him into the care of the Benedictine monastery at Jarrow, England, where he remained for virtually the rest of his life. There, with “great delight,” he lived the life of one of the most extraordinary and devout scholars of his day. Though the study of Scripture was his priority, he also chronicled a history of Christianity in England from its beginnings until his own time.  Not only is his history an important ecclesiastical work, it is also highly prized by prized by scholars of many disciplines, as it is the foundation for much of our knowledge of that period of English history. Bede was also quite well versed in all the sciences of his day, including what was then referred to as natural ph

April 21st, is the optional memorial of Saint Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)., also known as Anselm of Aosta and Anselm of Bec, the 11th century Benedictine abbot, archbishop, theologian and philosopher. He was born in the Italian town of Aosta, the eldest child of a noble family. His mother gave him a careful academic and Christian education. At 15, he sought entry to a monastery, but was refused over his father’s objections. Later, Anselm experienced a period of rebellion and excess, during which he abandoned his studies. He travelled to France in search of greater purpose and eventually reached the Abbey of Bec, drawn by the fame of its prior, Lanfranco of Pavia. There, at the age of 27, he entered monastic life. In time, Anselm’s fellow monks would name him Lanfranco’s successor as abbot. Anselm successfully made the Benedictine monastery of Bec the center of a true reformation in Normandy and England. From this position, he wisely exercised a restraining influence on popes,

St. Francesca Romana , Giovanni Antonio Galli (Lo Spadarino), c 1638.   March 9th, is the optional memorial of St. Frances of Rome. It sometimes seems, when we look at the lives of the saints, that these holy people have been almost exclusively those who were ordained or were vowed members of a religious community. Indeed, many were, but that doesn’t mean that the path to sanctity lies only in this direction. One need only look at the life of St. Frances of Rome to see a powerful example of how Jesus can be “carried to the world” by anyone who follows His will in whatever life circumstances God has set before them. Frances was born into wealth and privilege in the city of Rome, Italy, in 1384. Although she knew by the time she was 11 that she wanted to devote herself to religious life, her father had other ideas. And so, at his bidding, she reluctantly married a nobleman named Lorenzo Ponziani; she was 12 years old. Despite the fact that her husband was a good man who cared de

On February 10th, the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Scholastica (c. 480 – 547), the sixth century nun and twin sister of Saint Benedict of Nursia. In possession of numerous spiritual gifts, as a young girl, she dedicated her life and her virginity to God. What little we know about her comes from Saint Gregory the Great's Dialogues , (Chapters 33 and 34) in passages concerning Benedict. Once a year, she would visit her brother and together, they would spend the day praying, reading Sacred Scripture and discussing issues. She is the foundress of the women's Order of Benedictine Monasticism. The two siblings were born to a wealthy Roman noble family in Nursia, Italy, around the year 480. Their mother Claudia, died at their birth. When Benedict left to pursue his studies in Rome, Scholastica remained behind. It was customary for a young Roman woman of Scholastica's standing to reside with her family until marriage or her entrance into religious life. Accounts diff

The Portiuncula indulgence can be gained on August 2nd, or in remote areas of the world where Mission Chapels are not open during the week, the first Sunday of August. We owe this indulgence to the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi. In the year 513, four hermits came to Italy and built a small chapel in the vicinity of Assisi. The Benedictines named it the Portiuncula Church and administered it until the 13th century. St. Francis beseeched the Benedictine Abbot to let his Order have the church. Over time, the Portiuncula Church was enlarged and beautified. The miraculous origin of the Portiuncula indulgence is as follows. Jesus, Mary and a host of angels appeared to St. Francis. Jesus said to him, "Francis you are very zealous for the good of souls. Ask me what you want for their salvation." Francis replied "Lord, I a miserable sinner beg You to concede an indulgence to all those who enter this church, who are truly contrite and have confessed their sins. And I beg