BIG C CATHOLICS

Many miracles were worked following the martyrdoms of Saints Cosmas and Damian. The Orthodox Church recounts several intercessions owed to them, including this one: There lived in Thereman, near the church of Cosmas and Damian, a man named Malchus. One day, he departed on an extended journey, leaving his wife behind. Before doing so, he prayed to Sts. Cosmas and Damian, entrusting her to their heavenly protection. A demon assumed the appearance of one of Malchus’ friends in an attempt to kill her. The demon called on the woman, saying that Malchus had sent him to bring her to him. Believing him, she went along. The demon brought her to a solitary place with the intention of ending her life. Sensing mortal danger was imminent, the woman prayed to God for help. Suddenly, two fearsome men appeared. The devil let go of the woman, fleeing in such haste, he fell off a cliff. The men accompanied the woman home where she thanked them effusively saying “My deliverers, to whom I shall be gr

Optional Memorial - September 19th Saint Januarius is the 4th century bishop of Beneventum, who together with his companions (his deacons Socius and Festus, and his lector Desiderius), was martyred in the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian in c. 305. Beheaded at Puteoli, their bodies were reverently interred in the neighboring cities. Eventually the remains of St. Januarius became the prized possession of the city of Naples. St. Januarius, Bishop Martyr, and the Miracle of His Blood St. Januarius is known for the miracle of the liquefaction of his blood, which, according to popular piety, was saved by a woman named Eusebia just after the saint’s martyrdom. At least three times a year, on September 19, (St. Januarius’ feast day) December 16, (The celebration of his patronage of the city and the archdiocese) and the Saturday before the first Sunday of May, (the memorial of the reunification of his relics) thousands gather in Naples Cathedral in hopes of witnessing St. Jan

Feast Day - September 4th The life of Saint Rose of Viterbo was brief. Much of what we know about her comes from the documents used in her canonization. Born in the spring of 1233 at Viterbo, capital of the patrimony of Saint Peter, she was a remarkably devout girl, completely devoted to God. At that time, the emperor Frederick II was oppressing the Church, and many were faithless to the Holy See. In response, Rose sought Jesus in His tabernacle, listened to pious sermons, contemplated God's love, fasted and prayed. Strict mortifications were her greatest delight. She is perhaps one of the youngest people ever to be credited with performing a miracle. Several sources testify that she raised her maternal aunt from the dead when she was barely three years old. By the age of seven, Rose’ reputation for sanctity and miraculous aptitudes had spread widely. Her father forbid Rose from making public expressions of her Faith, and she was momentarily consigned to being a recluse, l

Feast - August 26th The image of Our Lady of Częstochowa, also known as the Black Madonna, was traditionally believed to have been painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist on a cypress wood panel from a table used by the Holy Family in Nazareth. It was said to have been brought from Jerusalem by Saint Helen and was enshrined in Constantinople for 500 years. It was given to a Greek princess married to a Ruthenian nobleman and it was housed in the royal palace at Belz in the Ukraine for the next 600 years. Art historians believe it is a Byzantine icon of the Hodigitria type dating from the 6th - 9th Century. The image was brought to Poland in 1382 by Ladislaus of Opole who rescued the painting from Belz while escaping an attack by the Tartars who had damaged the painting with an arrow. On his way to Silesia, Ladislaus stopped to rest in the town of Częstochowa near the church on Jasna Góra (Bright Hill). He believed that it was Our Lady’s desire for her image to remain in Częstochow

The life of William of York could have been taken from the pages of a modern tabloid. All the elements of a scandal were present— bribery, suspected sexual misconduct, undue influence on the part of those in power—but, in the end, William proved himself to be both a gentle and holy man, one who was able to forgive those who had sought to destroy and discredit him. William was born in England in the 10th century, into a family that had at least some connection to the throne itself. A very nasty and protracted dynastic struggle, however, turned many things political on their heads, and William’s own nomination as Archbishop of York came under hostile scrutiny. He was accused of simony and sexual misconduct, and some believed that the only reason for his elevation was due to the influence of the crown. Though eventually cleared of all charges, he was nonetheless deposed and retired to live an austere monastic life. The election of a new pope saw William returned to York as Archbish

Both the world and the Church have changed so much in the past 600 hundred years that many parts of the story of Joan of Arc sound very foreign to us today. Yet, despite the obvious differences in culture, two things regarding this saint remain constant. The first is her willingness to respond to God, and the second is her commitment to persevere in that response no matter how high the cost. Joan was the youngest of five children, born into a comfortable peasant family in the region of Domremy-Greux, France, in 1412. Until the age of 13, there was nothing that set her apart from her peers, nor hinted at the life she would be called to lead. However, it was at this time that Joan began to experience visions and hear the voices of angels and saints, in particular Saint Michael, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and Saint Margaret. Though at first personal and general, their messages became specific and unexpected: Joan was to drive the English from France, and see to it that the French

May 22nd, is the optional memorial of Saint Rita of Cascia. Most Catholics are familiar with Saint Jude as the patron saint of hopeless causes. What they might not know, however, is that there is another patron of the impossible, whose very life reflects faith in God despite difficult circumstances. She is St. Rita of Cascia. Born in Italy in 1381, Rita expressed an interest in religious life at a very early age. In obedience to her parent’s wishes, she married at 18. The union was not a happy one. Her husband was a violent man, who passed his violent nature on to their twin sons. Rita did everything she could to be a model wife and mother. She was dedicated to converting her husband and sons, praying constantly for them. After nearly 20 years of marriage, her husband was stabbed to death by an enemy and her two sons died shortly afterward. Alone, Rita decided to fulfill her lifelong wish to enter a religious order. Denied admittance three times because she was a widow, eventual

Detail,  Saint Paschal Baylon's vision of the Eucharist , Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, c. 1767, London. Saint Paschal Baylon (1540 – 1592) was active during what is known as the Golden Age of the Church in Spain. Some of his contemporaries included Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier, and Saint Teresa of Avila, however it is doubtful that Paschal would have considered himself their equal. One of his most notable qualities was humility, which he lived in a manner that was exemplary, even in the Franciscan community to which he belonged. Great was his devotion. Born in 1540 to poor Spanish parents, the future saint spent the first third of his life tending his father’s sheep, an occupation which gave him ample time to dedicate to prayer and meditation. In 1564, he would join the Friars Minor and, although encouraged to study for the priesthood, preferred instead to act as the community’s cook, gardener and doorkeeper. As the later, he was so generous to the poor in ne

The story of Saint Peregrine Laziosi is actually one of two healings—the first occurring when he was a young man, and the second when he was in his mid-60s. Had the first healing not taken place, the second might not have, either. St. Peregrine was born around the year 1260 in Forli, Italy, the only son of an affluent and politically active family. Forli was part of the Papal States at the time, and was the center of a medieval partisan conflict over who should rule in Italy. The Ghibelline faction, of which the Laziosi family was a part, supported the the Holy Roman Emperor, while the Guelphs supported the popes. Because of its stand, Forli was under interdict and Peregrine himself was strongly anti-Catholic. In an attempt to reconcile their differences, Pope Martin V sent St. Philip Benizi, the head of the Servite Order, to Forli to act as a mediator between that city and the pontiff. Peregrine was 18 and inclined to hotheadedness when St. Philip arrived, to the point where he

Afflicted with cancer, Peregrine turned to God. His faith was rewarded and he was miraculously cured, enabling him over many years to lead others to Christ. As the patron of cancer patients, his intercession is often sought by those suffering from a variety of illnesses for strength, hope and healing. His feast day is May 1st. Prayer to St. Peregrine for Healing O God, who gave to St. Peregrine an Angel for his companion, the Mother of God for his teacher, and Jesus as the Physician of his malady, grant we beseech You through his merits that we may on earth intensely love our Holy Angel, the blessed Virgin Mary, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Grant that we may receive the favour of a complete recovery from our present malady for which we now pray. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. (Say 7 Our Fathers, 7 Hail Marys & 7 Glory be to the Fathers with the invocation "St. Peregrine, pray for us.") Prayer to St. Peregrine for Oneself St. Peregrine, whom Ho

April 26, 2017 Devotion to the Mother of Good Counsel is associated with a miraculous icon. The image [pictured above] is found in a church in Genazzano, a town thirty miles south-east of Rome. The church, dedicated to the Mother of Good Counsel, was built there in the 4th century. In 1356, it was given over to the Augustinians. Restoration started in 1467, when a widow, Petruccia, sold all her belongings to help finance the project. However, funds ran out before the task was completed. That same year, the residents of Genazzano heard a beautiful melody emanating from heaven. As they looked up, they saw a white, shining cloud that descended on the Church of the Mother of Good Counsel. The cloud gradually vanished, revealing a beautiful painting of Our Lady tenderly holding her Divine Son in her arms. Immediately, Mary began to cure the sick and grant countless graces. The news spread throughout the country. Two Albanians from Scutari appeared in the town with the following

December 6th, is the optional memorial of Saint Nicholas, (270-343) also called Nikolaos of Myra, (present day Demre, Turkey) the 4th-century archbishop known for his tireless devotion, generosity and defense of orthodoxy. Due to the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also referred to as Nikolaos the Wonderworker. Greatly revered in the ancient Church, he was held as the archetypal bishop and the archetypal saint. He is without doubt one of the most popular saints in the world; honored in the Latin and Orthodox rites. A Russian proverb states: "If anything happens to God, we have always got St. Nicholas." Nicholas was born in the city of Patara in Lycia, the only son of pious parents, Theophanes and Nonna, who had vowed to dedicate him to God if they were blessed with a son. Nicholas’ formative years were marked by rigorous asceticism, the reading of Scripture and upholding the moral tenets of the Faith. His parents would succumb to a plague when Nicholas

The miracles of Saint Francis Xavier , Peter Paul Rubens, 1617-1618. Once, while traveling through a pagan territory, Francis learned of a woman who had been in labor for three days and was probably near death. Midwives and sorcerers were treating her with superstitious incantations. Xavier went to the woman's home and called on the name of Christ to heal her. “I began with the Creed,” he wrote to Ignatius, “which my companion translated into Tamil. By the mercy of God, the woman came to believe in the articles of faith. I asked whether she desired to become a Christian, and she replied that she would most willingly become one. Then I read excerpts from the Gospels in that house where, I think, they were never heard before. I then baptized the woman.” As soon as Francis baptized the woman, she was healed and gave birth to a healthy baby. The woman's family was so touched by this divine intervention that they invited Francis to instruct and baptize all of them, including

Beheading Of Saint Cosmas And Saint Damian , Fra Angelico, c. 1439. September 26th, is the feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian, 3rd century martyrs, and brothers born in Arabia, who became skilled physicians, greatly revered in both the Orthodox and Latin rites. Little is known about them, but popular piety attests they were twin siblings and medical doctors, never charging a fee for their services. For this they were lauded, "Unmercenaries". By virtue of their charity and altruistic healing, they led many to the Christian faith. The esteem in which they are held and the antiquity of their veneration indicate the memory of early Christians, who after the Diocletian persecution, received a new cult of witnesses. As gifted physicians, Sts. Cosmas and Damian obeyed the words of our Savior: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” (Matthew 10:8) Numerous cures resulted from their interven

September 23rd, is the memorial of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, (1887-1968) better known as Padre Pio, the 20th century Capuchin priest, stigmatic and mystic, who during his lifetime, was a spiritual father to innumerable souls. He is the only priest in the history of the Church to receive the stigma — the divine marks of predilection — from our Lord’s Passion and Death. For much of his priesthood, Padre Pio suffered the spiritual, emotional and physical anguish of Christ’s holy wounds. In addition, he was given the miraculous gifts of bilocation, transverberation, (a divine piercing of the heart indicating union with God) the odor of sanctity, the ability to read souls, the ability to see and communicate with spiritual beings, (i.e. guardian angels, demons, the departed) and the capacity to write and comprehend languages foreign to him. Moreover, his brother Capuchins testified under oath that he levitated, healed by touch, and experienced divine ecstasies while praying, as well as,

Martyrdom of Saint Januarius September 19th, the Church celebrates the optional memorial of Saint Januarius, (Italian: San Gennaro) the 4th century bishop of Beneventum, who, together with his companions, (his deacons Socius and Festus, and his lector Desiderius) was martyred in the persecution of Diocletian at Naples in c. 305. Little is known about Januarius before his episcopate. Later accounts contend he was born in Benevento. The earliest mention of him is found in a 432 letter by Uranius, bishop of Nola, concerning the death of Saint Paulinus. It asserts that the ghosts of Januarius and Saint Martin appeared to Paulinus three days before the later's death. Uranius states that Januarius was a "bishop as well as martyr, an illustrious member of the Neapolitan church." Tradition records his martyrdom as follows: First, he was placed into a fiery furnace, but remained unscathed. Then, he was thrown to the lions, but they refused to attack him. Finally, he was

August 20th, is the Memorial of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, (1090-1153) the 12th century French abbot, gifted spiritual writer, counselor to popes, and Doctor of the Church who reformed the Cistercian Order. His extensive Marian theology marks him not only as a theologian of the highest rank, but also as the "cithara of Mary," (A cithara is a stringed instrument similar to a lyre.) He is especially noted for his development of the Blessed Mother's role as mediator. Pope Pius XII’s encyclical Doctor Mellifluus , issued on the 800th anniversary of St. Bernard’s death, called him "The Last of the Fathers." The Divine Office contains numerous excerpts from his sermons. Like his other works, these are conspicuous for their genuine emotion and spiritual depth. He was born the third of seven children, to a prominent noble family, the son of Lord Tescelin de Fontaine and Alèthe de Montbard near Dijon, France. From an early age, his intellectual gifts, literary prop

August 11th, is the Memorial of Saint Clare of Assisi (1191-1253). The founder of the Order of Poor Ladies, St. Clare was one of the first followers of Saint Francis of Assisi. Born into a world of wealth and privilege enjoyed by the Italian nobility, she was the eldest daughter of Favorino Sciffi, Count of Sasso-Rosso and his wife Blessed Ortolana. From her mother she received her deep faith and sense of religious devotion. Her selfless virtue was evident to all. Forsaking her opulent surroundings, Clare dedicated herself to God, living a life of piety and poverty. Her commitment to the poor was so complete, she would forgo meals to give the food to the needy. Even as a young child, Clare made sacrifices and practiced mortification. When she was 18, Clare listened to Saint Francis of Assisi preach during a Lenten service in the church of San Giorgio. Afterward, she asked him to help her live more perfectly as a disciple of Christ, according to the Gospel. Francis agreed. They de

Question 45 in the Summa theologiae : 1. In St. Matthew's Gospel (chap. 17) we read that our Lord was transfigured in the sight of his apostles Peter, James,and John. "And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as snow." Thus the three apostles had a glimpse of such glory as would come to them after their life of fidelity to God, through hardships and trials. Our Lord had told the apostles of his coming Passion before he gave them this encouraging experience of seeing the Transfiguration. Christ as man had the glory of the beatific vision from the first instant of his existence in Mary's womb. But he was not to have the "overflow of heavenly glory into his body" until his Resurrection from the dead. 2. In the Transfiguration, our Lord showed by way of anticipation the clarity of his bodily glory. This was the essential clarity of true heavenly glory, here manifested in a new mode, that is, as

Tradition holds that Martha’s brother Lazarus fled Jerusalem amid Christian persecution following the martyrdom of St. Stephen. His sisters, Mary and Martha, left Judea to assist him in proclaiming the Gospel in various lands. The three went to Cyprus, where Lazarus became the first Bishop of Kition (modern day Larnaca, a port city on the south coast of Cyprus). All three died in Cyprus. Medieval popular piety presents a fuller picture of the saint. The story of Martha and the dragon comes from the  Golden Legend of Blessed Jacobus de Voragine. According to this legend, Martha and her sister, Mary Magdalene, traveled to Marseilles, France, after the Ascension of Christ. In the town of Tarascon, Martha encountered a dragon referred to as the "Tarasque" in French ( Tarascurus in Latin). The Golden Legend portrays it as a beast from Galicia; a great dragon, half beast and half fish, greater than an ox, longer than an horse, possessing teeth sharp as a sword. Holding a cr