BIG C CATHOLICS

Feast Day – January 30th  Often, the stories of the saints inspire by showing us, not so much the holiness they eventually attained, but the very human obstacles they overcame to get there. Saint Hyacintha of Mariscotti is one such example; although indulging in a luxurious, spoiled existence — even in the midst of convent life — God found a way to soften her heart and reform her ways, so that it was her humility and penitential heart that eventually inspired those who lived with her. Hyacintha was an Italian nun of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis. She was born in 1585 near Viterbo, Italy, and entered the Convent of St. Benardine after her hopes for marriage did not come to pass. For ten years, however, she virtually ignored her vows, using her family’s wealth to provide herself with rich foods and luxurious clothes. It was only when a serious illness forced her confessor to bring Communion to her in her cell that he observed her manner of life; he advised her most stro

Feast Day - November 28th   To call Saint James of the Marches zealous is an understatement. He was born James Gangala into a poor family at Monteprandone, a small town in eastern Italy, in the year 1394. He is called "St. James of the Marches" because he was from the March, or coast of the Adriatic Sea. His personal piety, prayerfulness and powerful sermons in defense of the Faith won innumerable souls to Christ. His lowly origins did not prevent him from studying at the University of Perugia, where he earned doctorates in both civil and canon law. He then went to study theology with Saint John of Capistrano and, at age 22, joined the Franciscans at Assisi. His entry into said Order occurred thusly: When traveling one day near Assisi, James entered the Church of the Portiuncula to pray. Moved by the fervor of the holy men who served God there and by the example of their founder Saint Francis, he petitioned in that very place for the habit of the Order. James soon be

Memorial - September 27th St. Vincent de Paul is a saint whose name is familiar even to those who do not profess the Catholic faith. This is due in large part to the organization that was begun in his name 173 years after his death. The St. Vincent de Paul Society, founded by Blessed Frederic Ozanam in 1833, took its inspiration from the life of the man whom Pope Leo XIII named patron of all charitable organizations. Many parishes continue to carry out charitable works under his spiritual patronage. Vincent was the third child born to a poor family in Gascony, France, in 1580. At the time of his birth, the Church was in the midst of the Counter-Reformation, the period of intense internal reform following the upheaval of the Protestant Reformation. Although he would later be regarded as "the conscience of France," the young Vincent, who was ordained in 1600, was more concerned at first with living a comfortable life than doing the work that God had intended for him.

On June 21st, the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, a 16th century Jesuit seminarian known for his radiant purity and holiness. He was born March 9, 1568, in Castiglione, Italy, to a wealthy and influential family. His father had big plans for his oldest son. He sent Aloysius to serve in the court of King Philip II of Spain. Although destined for the military, unbeknownst to his father, at age 9, Aloysius dedicated himself to religious life, making a vow of perpetual virginity. Saint Charles Borromeo gave him his first Holy Communion. A kidney disease prevented Aloysius from having a full social life. Consequently, he spent his time praying and reading about the lives of the saints. He was drawn to spiritual things more than material wealth. As a teenager, he asked permission to renounce his inheritance and to pursue his religious vocation. At first his father opposed him, but in time relented. When he was 18, Aloysius joined the Jesuits. In 1591, a plagu

May 25th, is the optional memorial of Pope Saint Gregory VII. In the late 10th and early 11th centuries, kings influenced the selection of Church leaders, often appropriating that responsibility completely. Monarchs installed the bishops, and occasionally, even the popes, they wanted in office. The practice, known as “lay investiture”, severely limited the Church's ability to assert Her spiritual authority. The pope who abolished this practice was Pope St. Gregory VII. Born in 1020 in Tuscany, by 1049, he was making his influence felt as a chief advisor to Pope Nicholas II (who had brought the young monk, then known as Hildebrand, to Rome). The future Pope Gregory VII helped write the "Decree of 1059", placing the election of the pontiff in the hands of the cardinals, not temporal leaders. The decree was not enforced in earnest until 1073, when Hildebrand was elected pope. Within a year, he initiated the “Gregorian Reform,” stopping simony (the buying and selling o