Hope has been the sole companion of my life,
the greatest aid in doubts, the strongest assistance in my weakness;
hope, but not the hope in men,
such as is thought to bring greater happiness and instead
brings greater disaster,
but hope in Christ, supported by the celestial promise that
He will strengthen the weakest of men
with a greatness of soul and divine help.
Pope St. Pius X
In
July of the year 64, more than half of Rome was destroyed by a fire
that lasted for nine days. Rumor blamed the tragedy on the Emperor Nero,
who was said to have set flame to the grand city. On the third day of
the fire, dressed in theatrical costume and singing with his lyre, he
surveyed the flaming ruins (“Nero fiddled while Rome burned” is the
often-used phrase).
More
and more people began to blame Nero for the desolation. Alarmed, the
emperor shifted the blame to the Christians, and had them seized and
tortured to death in public. Some were burned as living torches at
evening banquets, some crucified and others were fed to wild animals.
Though
the Romans were hardened to cruelty by the display of the gladiator’s
arena, the brutality toward the Christians caused horror and pity in
many of those who witnessed the scenes. According to the historian
Tacitus, many Christians were put to death even though no one believed
them to be guilty.
The peacemakers are pronounced blessed, they namely
who make peace first within their own hearts, then
between brethren at variance.
For what avails it to make peace between others,
while in your own heart
there are wars of rebellious vices?
St. Thomas Aquinas
Peter,
who was named Simon, was a fisherman from Galilee. Jesus gave him the
name Peter, which means ‘Rock,’ because he was to become the rock upon
which Christ would build His Church. Among the Twelve, Peter was the
first to recognize the divinity of Christ and to publicly profess that
Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. Chosen by Our Lord to shepherd His
flock, he led the Apostles as the first Pope.
Peter and the
apostles James and John were often taken aside by Our Lord and were
witnesses to the more profound mysteries of Christ's divinity: His
Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, His agony in the Garden. Peter's triple
denial of Our Lord during the night after the Last Supper filled him
with intense sorrow.
Peter became head of the Church in Rome and
was martyred in the year 64. He was crucified upside-down at his own
request, because he claimed he was not worthy to die as his Lord. He was
buried on Vatican hill, and St. Peter's Basilica is built over his
tomb.
Paul is known as the Apostle of the Gentiles. Before
receiving the name Paul, he was Saul, a Jewish Pharisee who zealously
persecuted Christians in Jerusalem.
Saul was traveling to
Damascus to persecute Christians when he was surrounded by a light from
heaven. He was blinded and fell from his horse. He then heard a voice
saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He answered: “Who
are you, Lord?” Christ said: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
Saul
continued to Damascus, where he was baptized and his sight was
restored. He took the name Paul and spent the remainder of his life
preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles.
Paul was imprisoned and
taken to Rome, where he was beheaded in the year 67. He is buried in
Rome in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
In speaking
of St. Peter and St. Paul, Augustine of Hippo said of them: “Both
apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even
though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went
first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us
by the apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life,
their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of
faith.”
Second Photo by: Wolfgang Moroder
O Sacred Heart of Jesus, animated with a desire to repair the outrages unceasingly offered to Thee, we prostrate before Thy throne of mercy, and in the name of all mankind, pledge our love and fidelity to Thee.
The more Thy mysteries are blasphemed, the more firmly we shall believe them, O Sacred Heart of Jesus!
The more impiety endeavors to extinguish our hope of immortality, the more we shall trust in Thy Heart, sole Hope of mankind!
The more hearts resist Thy Divine attractions, the more we shall love Thee, O infinitely amiable Heart of Jesus!
The more unbelief attacks Thy Divinity, the more humbly and profoundly we shall adore It, O Divine Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy holy laws are transgressed and ignored, the more we shall delight to observe them, O most holy Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Sacraments are despised and abandoned, the more frequently we shall receive them with love and reverence, O most generous Heart of Jesus!
The more the imitation of Thy virtues is neglected and forgotten, the more we shall endeavor to practice them, O Heart, model of every virtue!
The
more the devil labors to destroy souls, the more we shall be inflamed
with desire to save them, O Heart of Jesus, zealous Lover of souls!
The more sin and impurity destroy the image of God in man, the more we shall try by purity of life to be a living temple of the Holy Spirit, O Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Holy Church is despised, the more we shall endeavor to be her faithful children, O Sweet Heart of Jesus!
The more Thy Vicar on earth is persecuted, the more will we honor him as the infallible head of Thy Holy Church, show our fidelity and pray for him, O kingly Heart of Jesus!
O Sacred Heart, through Thy powerful grace, may we become Thy apostles in the midst of a corrupted world, and be Thy crown in the kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
Blessed the one who continually
humbles himself willingly; he
will be crowned by the One
who willingly humbled himself for our sake.
St. Ephrem the Syrian
Irenaeus
was born around the year 125 in a province in Asia Minor. He was a
brilliant student and well versed in the Holy Scriptures, which led him
to serve as a priest under St. Pothinus, the first bishop of a local
church.
Let us learn to keep a perfectly even temper,
so important to our spiritual life, and
a harmonious state of mind so that
we may face all situations without anxiety.
St. Joseph Marello
Cyril
was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in 376, and was the nephew of
Theophilus, the patriarch of the city. When his uncle died in 412, Cyril
took his position on the see of Alexandria. He soon began a series of
attacks against the Novatians, a religion started by the antipope
Novatian. He closed their churches and drove Jews from the city.
In
428, Cyril discovered that the priest/monk Nestorius, the Archbishop of
Alexandria, was preaching heretical theology. Cyril sent the heretic a
mild expostulation, but to no avail. Both parties then appealed to Pope
St. Clementine, and Cyril was appointed to depose Nestorius. In 431,
Cyril presided over the Third General Council at Ephesus, attended by
some two hundred bishops, which condemned all the tenets of Nestorius
and his followers. However, upon the arrival of Archbishop John of
Antioch and forty-two followers who believed Nestorius to be innocent,
they held a council of their own and deposed Cyril. Emperor Theodosius
II had both Cyril and Nestorius arrested but released Cyril on the
arrival of papal legates who confirmed the council's actions against
Nestorius and declared Cyril innocent of all charges leveled against
him.
Two years later, Archbishop John, representing the moderate
Antiochene bishops, and Cyril reached an agreement and issued a joint
condemnation, and Nestorius was forced into exile.
Cyril died in 444 at Antioch. He was named a Doctor of the Church in 1882.
God is as really present in the consecrated Host
as He is
in the glory of Heaven.
St. Paschal Baylon
Anthelm
was born in 1107 near Chambéry, France. He was a good and generous man,
but more materialistic than a priest ought to be. His eyes being opened
to this spiritual defect while visiting the Charterhouse of Portes, he
underwent an interior conversion. Requesting admission to the order, he
was vested in the habit of St. Bruno in 1137.
Only two years
after joining the order, he became the seventh Prior of the Grande
Chartreuse. His growing reputation for wisdom and holiness attracted
many to the order, including his own father and brother.
The
salutary effect of his influence was also felt during the Schism of 1159
when western Christendom was divided. One group favored the claims of
the true pope, Alexander III, the other supported the antipope, "Victor
IV.” His work for the papal cause gained him the bishopric of Belley,
though the holy man longed for nothing more than a monastic cell. He
fervently, even tearfully, pleaded with the Pope not to appoint him
bishop, but to no avail, and in 1163, he was consecrated bishop over the
diocese of Belley.
Until his death in 1178 at the age of
seventy-two, Anthelm fearlessly reprimanded the clergy for their fallen
standards concerning priestly celibacy and labored tirelessly and
uncompromisingly for the reform of the clergy.
Charity requires us always
to have compassion
on human infirmity.
St. Catherine of Siena
William
was born in 1085 at Vercelli in the Piedmont region of Italy of noble
and wealthy parents. When he was still very young, he determined to
renounce the world and become a hermit.
He built his first
hermitage on Monte Solicoli, and then went to Monte Vergine. Many
disciples came to him there, attracted by the sanctity of his life and
the many miracles he performed. From among this first group of
followers, a community soon formed. William became their Abbot and a
church dedicate to Our Lady was built on the site. For this reason, the
mountain became known as Monte Vergine or the Mount of the Virgin.
After
a while, however, their ardor growing tepid, the monks began to
complain that William’s rule was too strict and life too austere. He
therefore decided to leave Monte Vergine. He traveled south and founded a
new hermitage on Monte Laceno, then others at Basilicata, Conza,
Guglietto, and Salerno. He also became an adviser to King Roger I of
Naples. William died at Guglietto on June 25, 1142.
The first
congregation of Monte Vergine dissolved. The monastery, however,
remained and came into the hands of the religious of Our Lady of Monte
Cassino, who wear the white habit of St. William in commemoration of the
founder of the monastery.
The following extraordinary fact is
recorded about the Monte Vergine monastery, where the monks still lead a
life of penance and austerity. According to the rule, it is not
permitted to eat meat, eggs, milk, or cheese. If someone tried to
violate this regulation, storm clouds would appear in the sky and the
lightning would destroy the illicit foodstuff that had been brought into
the monastery. This happened on many occasions, and always with the
same result. It is the way God chose to show that He desires the
traditions of penance and austerity of the great St. William to be
maintained.
When you have received Him,
stir up your heart to do Him homage; speak to Him
about your spiritual life,
gazing upon Him in your soul where He is present
for your happiness; welcome Him
as warmly as possible, and behave outwardly
in such a way that your actions
may give proof to all of His Presence.
St. Francis de Sales
The
Church usually observes the day of a saint's death as his feast,
because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are
two notable exceptions, the birthdays of Blessed Mary and of St. John
the Baptist, both born free of original sin (as John was cleansed of
original sin in his mother’s womb). “I tell you, among those born of
woman no one is greater than John…” Jesus said.
John’s purpose was to prepare the way for the Redeemer.
Photo by: GFreihalter
Fashions that will greatly offend Our Lord will appear.
People who serve God should not follow fashions.
The Church has no fashions.
Our Lord is always the same.
St. Jacinta Marto
Born
in 1575 in the Southwark section of the City of London, Thomas was the
son of Richard Garnet, a Confessor of the Faith, and nephew of the
famous Jesuit missionary and martyr, Father Henry Garnet.
In his
youth, he was a page to the Count of Arundel. At sixteen, he entered the
College of St. Omer in the Low Countries and, two years later, was sent
to Spain. He continued his studies at the College of St. Alban in
Valladolid and was ordained to the priesthood in 1599. After his
ordination, he returned to England and, under the alias of Thomas
Rokewood, spent nearly six years wandering up and down the country
ministering to the faithful and bringing souls back to the Catholic
Faith.
About 1605, Thomas was arrested and falsely accused of
participating in the Gunpowder Plot, the failed plan to assassinate
James I. He was tortured for information, the authorities hoping to
extract information about his famous uncle, Father Henry Garnet,
Superior of the English Jesuits, who was implicated in the Plot because
he refused to break the Seal of Confession.
After roughly nine
months, he was released and deported to Flanders. There he entered the
Jesuit Order, and just a year after his deportation, he returned to
England. He was arrested after refusing to swear allegiance to the
monarch as head of the Church of England, known as The Oath of
Supremacy. He was hanged at Tyburn in 1608 as a traitor to the crown.
“I
wandered,” he said during his trial, “from place to place to recover
souls which had gone astray and were in error as to the knowledge of the
true Catholic Church.”
Before he died, he publicly reaffirmed
himself as a Jesuit and a priest. He was canonized in 1970 and is
included among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.
Photo by: Quodvultdeus
When the devil again tempts you to sin,
telling you that God is merciful,
remember that
the Lord "showeth mercy to them that fear Him" but
not to them who despise Him.
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
The
lives of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher are very closely linked,
and thus it is quite appropriate that the Church celebrate their feasts
together. They are both renowned Englishmen martyred within two weeks of
each other for the same cause of defending religious liberty, the
sanctity of marriage and Papal authority against State usurpation. They
were both associates of King Henry VIII before his apostasy, and it was
at his hands that they both suffered martyrdom.
Sir
Thomas More was a distinguished statesman in the English Parliament.
First and foremost, however, he was a faithful Catholic, a loving
husband, and a devoted father. More was widely known for his “unfailing
moral integrity, sharpness of mind, his open and humorous character, and
his extraordinary learning." He was a close friend and confidant of
Henry VIII, and the King himself eventually promoted Thomas to the
prominent office of Lord Chancellor. However, the two were alienated
when Thomas refused to compromise his conscience and faith when Henry
openly defied Church teachings and divorced his wife to marry Anne
Boleyn, choosing instead to renounce the King’s friendship, his own
public career, wealth and worldly prestige. Thomas was consequently
imprisoned in the Tower of London and eventually condemned and beheaded
on July 6, 1535. He was named patron saint of statesmen and politicians
by Pope John Paul II.
A
friend of St. Thomas More’s, St. John Fisher also had a close
connection to Henry VIII, having once been his tutor, and was a friend
of the royal family. As the Bishop of Rochester, he was known as a man
of great leaning and deep and unshakable faith. He was supported by the
King and appointed to the lifetime position of Chancellor of the
University of Cambridge. However, he too fell into disfavor with Henry
when he also opposed the King’s unlawful divorce of Queen Catherine of
Aragon. Bishop Fisher courageously warned Parliament of Henry’s
encroaching powers over the Church in England in direct disregard of the
Papal audit, and publicly preached against the divorce from the pulpit
at the same time as Sir Thomas More was resigning his high office. By
thus calling down the King’s fury on himself, the holy Bishop of
Rochester suffered multiple imprisonments in the Tower, during which
time he was made a Cardinal by the authority of Pope Paul III – an
appointment which Henry rejected. Fisher was condemned to be hung, drawn
and quartered; and, although originally sentenced to be killed on June
24, the feast of St. John the Baptist, the King had a superstitious fear
of executing him on that feast because of the strong resemblance of the
deaths of these two saints, and instead had him beheaded – ironically
just like John the Baptist after all – two days earlier, on June 22,
1535.
Thomas More and John Fisher were beatified together by Pope
Leo XIII in 1886, and canonized together by Pius XI in 1935. One a
layman and statesman, the other a priest and bishop – they stand
together as models and heroes of religious freedom against encroaching
government powers.
He who wishes to love God
does not truly love Him
if he has not
an ardent and constant desire
to suffer for His sake.
St. Aloysius Gonzaga
Aloysius
was born in the Italian province of Lombardy in 1568, the first-born
son of a Marquis and the lady of honor to the Queen of Spain. When he
was seven, he experienced a spiritual awakening: he made a vow of
perpetual virginity, keeping his eyes downcast in the presence of women
to safeguard himself from possible temptation, and dedicated most of his
time to prayer, especially the Office of Our Lady.
When he was
just eleven years old he fasted in the manner of a monk, eating only
bread and water three days a week, practiced austerities and taught poor
children the catechism. The next year, he received his First Holy
Communion from the hands of the great saint and cardinal, Charles
Borromeo.
By
age fourteen, Aloysius had resolved to join the Society of Jesus and
become a missionary. He was to suffer much from his family's strenuous
opposition to this decision, particularly from his father, who hoped
Aloysius would join the military. However, he persevered, and his father
finally relented.
In 1585, the seventeen-year-old Aloysius was
admitted into the Jesuit novitiate in Rome where he took the vows of
chastity, poverty, and obedience two years later. While the young
Gonzaga was ordained a deacon at twenty, he was never to realize his
dream of becoming a priest and missionary in this life.
As had
been foretold to him in a vision, Aloysius died on the octave of Corpus
Christi in 1591 after contracting the plague while caring for the sick
in the Jesuit hospital. He was twenty-three years old. He was canonized
in 1726 and his relics remain under the altar dedicated to the Jesuit
founder in the Church of St. Ignatius in Rome. The virtue that had so
marked him in his youth – purity – and which he preached and practiced
to a heroic degree during his short life, became the spiritual crown by
which he will be forever known.
Second Photo by: Philippe Alès
Faith
is to believe what you do not see;
the reward of this faith
is to see what you believe.
St. Augustine of Hippo
Born
in Italy, Silverius was son of Pope Hormisdas, who had been married
before becoming one of the higher clergy. He was only a subdeacon, when,
upon the death of Pope St. Agapetus in 536, the Ostrogoth King
Theodehad of Italy forced him on the Catholic Church. Soon afterwards,
Silverius was formally accepted as pope by the Roman clergy.
Silverius
soon incurred the wrath of the Empress Theodora. He refused to accept
and recognize the heretical Eutychian patriarchs – Anthimus of
Constantinople, Severus of Antioch, and Theodosius of Alexandria – who
had all been excommunicated and deposed from their episcopal sees by the
previous pope. Silverius is said to have remarked that by his signing
the letter of refusal to Theodora's imperial request, he was also
signing his own death warrant. And so it proved to be.
Theodora
had Silverius kidnapped and imprisoned on the island of Ponza, and the
empress nominated her supporter, Archdeacon Vigilius, for the papal
throne. Vigilius was named pope, but upon taking the position, he ceased
to support the Empress’ heresy and became a strong defender of
orthodoxy.
In 537, after a reign of just a year, Silverius died
of neglect during his imprisonment. He is now recognized as the patron
saint of the island of Ponza, where he died.
We should strive to keep our hearts open
to the sufferings and wretchedness of other people,
and pray continually that God may grant us that spirit of compassion
which is truly the spirit of God.
St. Vincent de Paul
Romuald
was born into a noble Italian family in 956. He spent his youth wildly
in comfort and laziness. One day, when he was twenty, he saw his father
kill another man in a duel. He fled to a monastery in disgust, and he
stayed there for three years before deciding to travel, and spending the
next thirty years building monasteries and hermitages in Italy.
On
one occasion, Romuald was falsely accused of a scandalous crime. The
accuser was a young nobleman whom the holy monk had previously rebuked,
and Romuald’s fellow monks believed the young rake. Romuald was severely
reprimanded, forbidden to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass and
excommunicated, an unwarranted sentence which he endured for six months
without complaint.
Of the monasteries established by Romuald, the
most famous was called Camaldoli. There he developed an order he called
“Camaldolese Benedictine,” where he brought together the monastic and
hermitical ways of life.
Romuald died on June 19, 1027 at the
monastery of Valdi-Castro, which he founded. Eventually, his father too
became a monk. He gave up his wealth and followed his son to spend the
rest of his life doing penance for his sins.
Pray for 9 consecutive days - June 19th to June 27th
MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP, you are the dispenser of every grace that God grants us in our misery.
For this reason He has made you so powerful, so rich, and so kind that you might help us in our needs.
You are the advocate of the most wretched and abandoned sinners, if they but come to you.
Come to my aid for I commend myself to you.
In your hands I place my eternal salvation; to you I entrust my soul.
Count me among your most faithful servants. Take me under your protection; that is enough for me.
If you protect me, I shall fear nothing: not my sins, because you will obtain for me their pardon and remission; not the evil spirits, because you are mightier than all the powers of Hell; not even Jesus, my Judge, because He is appeased by a single prayer from you.
I fear only that through my own negligence I may forget to recommend myself to you and so lose my soul.
My dear Lady, obtain for me the forgiveness of my sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace to have recourse to you at all times, Mother of Perpetual Help.
Say Three Hail Marys
O MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP, grant that I may ever invoke your most powerful name, which is the safeguard of the living and the salvation of the dying.
O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary, let your name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on you, for, in all my temptations, in all my needs, I shall never cease to call on you, ever repeating your sacred name, Mary, Mary.
O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what emotion fills my soul when I utter your sacred name, or even only think of you.
I thank God for having given you, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with merely uttering your name; let my hope in you prompt me ever to hail you, Mother of Perpetual Help.
Forget the services
you have rendered to others, but not
those rendered to you.
St. John Bosco
Gregory
Barbarigo was born in 1625, of a very ancient and distinguished
Venetian family. A brilliant student, he embraced a diplomatic career
and accompanied the Venetian Ambassador, Contarini, to the Congress of
Munster in 1648. He was later ordained to the priesthood and became the
first Bishop of Bergamo consecrated by Pope Alexander VII. Eventually he
became a Cardinal with authority over the diocese of Padua. Through his
efforts the seminaries of both Padua and Bergamo were greatly
increased.
Gregory worked unceasingly toward the
Counter-Reformation – the movement by the Council of Trent as a response
to the Protestant Reformation specifying Catholic doctrine on
salvation, the sacraments, and the Biblical canon.
Gregory died at Padua of natural causes in 1697. He was canonized in 1960 and his body is buried in the Cathedral of Padua.
If I had to advise parents, I should tell them
to take great care
about the people with whom their children associate …
Much harm may result from bad company,
and we are inclined by nature to follow what is worse
than what is better.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
Born
on August 20, 1845, Albert belonged to a wealthy, aristocratic Polish
family. Involved in politics from a young age, at eighteen he lost his
leg during an uprising against Czar Alexander III of Russia.
Albert
had a great talent for painting, and eventually became a well-know and
rather popular artist. But he soon became aware of the suffering of the
poor of the city, and felt compelled to help those in need. He abandoned
his art and became a Secular Franciscan to dedicate his life to helping
those in need. In 1887, he founded the Brothers of the Third Order of
Saint Francis, Servants of the Poor, known as the Albertines or the Gray
Brothers. Then, in 1891, he founded a community of Albertine sisters,
known as the Gray Sisters. The Albertines organized food and shelter for
the poor and homeless of any age or religion, dedicating their good
works to God.
Albert died on Christmas Day, 1916. He was canonized on November 12, 1989.
We should blush with shame
to show so much resentment at what is done or said against us,
knowing that so many injuries and affronts
have been offered to our Redeemer and the saints.
St. Teresa of Avila
Born
in the Netherlands in 1182, Lutgardis was sent to a Benedictine convent
at the age of twelve because her merchant father had lost the money
meant for her dowry, and marriage without it seemed unlikely.
She
was fond of worldly things, and had no inclination toward a religious
life. However, one afternoon she had a vision of Our Lord, Who showed
her His sacred wounds and asked her to love Him and Him alone.
Lutgardis
immediately renounced all worldly pleasures and became a religious. She
often saw Christ while engaged in prayer, and was allowed to share in
His sufferings: her forehead and hair were often made wet with drops of
blood when she meditated on The Passion.
Desiring to live under a
stricter rule, Lutgardis later joined a Cistercian convent at Aywieres.
There she spent the final thirty years of her life, becoming known as a
mystic with the gifts of healing and prophecy. During the last eleven
years prior to her death she was totally blind, an affliction which she
treated as an extraordinary gift from God because it reduced the
distractions of the outside world.
Before she died, Our Lord
appeared to her to warn her of her approaching death, and asked her to
prepare for this event in three ways. She was to give praise to God for
what she had received, pray constantly for the conversion of sinners and
rely in all things on God alone. She died soon after the vision on June
16, 1246.
Remember when you leave this earth, you
can take with you nothing that you have received
– only what you have given:
a heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.
St. Francis of Assisi
Germaine
was born in 1579 in Pibrac, a village in southern France. Her mother
died soon after her birth, leaving the child in the care of her husband.
Germaine’s father, who had no love for her on account of her right hand
being paralyzed and deformed, eventually remarried. Her new step-mother
was abusive, forcing her to sleep in the stable or in a cupboard under
the stairs. She gave the sickly girl scraps and isolated her from her
healthier step-siblings.
As soon as she was old enough, she was
charged with the care of the family’s flock of sheep. During this time,
surrounded by nature as she was, Germaine became closer to God, and
attended Mass as often as she could. If she heard the church bells toll
for the beginning of Mass, she would plant her crook and her distaff in
the ground, commend her flock to her guardian angel and hurry to receive
Holy Communion.
When she returned, she would find that though
she had left the flock unattended, not one of the sheep in her flock had
strayed or fallen prey to the wolves that often lurked nearby.
One
winter day, when the ground was still frozen, her step-mother chased
her with a stick, accusing her of concealing stolen bread in her apron.
But when Germaine let her apron fall, summer flowers tumbled onto the
hard ground. Her parents realized the deformed girl had been touched by
God, and showing her kindness at last, invited her to live with them in
the house. Yet she refused, and continued to live as before until one
morning in 1601, she was found dead in the little cupboard under the
stairs. She was twenty-two years old.
Germaine was buried in the
church of Pibrac. Forty-three years after her death, her body was
accidentally exhumed and was found incorrupt and flexible.
The whole essence of a Christian life is
to reject the corruption of the world
and to oppose constantly
any indulgence in it.
Pope Leo XIII
Born
in Sicily in the eighth century, Methodius, well educated and wealthy,
hoped to receive a place in the Court of Constantinople. However,
influenced by a holy monk, he decided to abandon materialism and become a
religious, and built a monastery on the island of Chios.
In
815, during the second outbreak of the iconoclastic persecution, the
movement against the veneration of icons, Methodius was sent to Rome as a
representative of Patriarch Nicephorus, who was exiled by Emperor Leo V
the Armenian for refusing to yield to the imperial decrees on the
destruction of icons. The holy man spoke in favor of the reverence for
holy images, seeking acceptance and approval for the icons, but he
returned to Constantinople unsuccessful.
Methodius returned to
Rome in 821 when a new emperor, Theophilius, sat on the throne, hoping
to convince him to allow the veneration of icons. Instead, he was
scourged and imprisoned for seven years.
In 843 he was
consecrated as Patriarch of Constantinople with the backing of the
Empress Theodora, Theophilius’ widow, and convened a council. Theodora
was an ardent supporter of the veneration of icons and was the reason
icons were restored to Catholic churches.
Methodius died in Constantinople in 847 of dropsy, or what is now called edema.
Jesus wishes to use you in order to make me known and loved.
He wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world.
I promise salvation to those who embrace it; and
these souls will be beloved of God
like flowers arranged by me to adorn His throne.
Our Lady of Fatima to Lucia dos Santos
Preceding the second apparition, the seers, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, once again saw a great brilliance, which they called lightning. Some people in the group of fifty spectators noticed that the light of the sunlight dimmed during the first few minutes of the conversation. Others said that the top of the budding holm oak bent down, as if under the weight of something. During Our Lady's conversation with the seers, some of the bystanders heard a whispering, like the humming of a bee.
Lucia: What does Your Grace wish of me?
Our Lady: I want you to come here on the thirteenth of next month, to pray the rosary every day, and to learn to read. I shall later say what I want.
(Lucia asked for the healing of a sick person.)
Our Lady: If he converts, he will be healed within the year.
Lucia: I would like to ask you to take us to heaven.
Our Lady: Yes, I shall take Jacinta and Francisco soon, but you will remain here for some time yet. Jesus wishes to use you in order to make me known and loved. He wishes to establish devotion to my Immaculate Heart in the world. I promise salvation to those who embrace it; and these souls will be beloved of God like flowers arranged by me to adorn His throne.
Lucia: Will I stay here alone?
Our Lady: No, daughter. Does that make you suffer much? Do not be dismayed. I will never forsake you. My Immaculate Heart shall be your refuge and the road that shall lead you to God.
Lucia writes, ”Upon saying these last words, she opened her hands, and for the second time she communicated to us the reflection of that intense light. We could see ourselves in it, as if immersed in God. Jacinta and Francisco seemed to be in the part of this light that went up toward heaven, and I in the part that was cast toward the ground. In front of Our Lady's right hand there was a heart encircled by thorns that seemed to pierce it. We understood that it was the Immaculate Heart of Mary, insulted by the sins of humanity and which desires reparation."
When this vision ceased, the Lady, still surrounded by the light that she radiated, rose from the little tree and glided toward the east until she disappeared completely. Several persons who were closer noticed that the buds at the top of the holm oak were bent in the same direction, as if they had been drawn by the Lady's clothes. They returned to their usual position only some hours later.
Read: Third Apparition
Anthony
was born Fernando Martins in Lisbon, Portugal, in August, 1195. His
noble and wealthy family arranged for him to be instructed at the
Cathedral school where he was instilled with a deep religious piety. At
fifteen, Fernando entered the Augustinian Order at the Abbey of Saint
Vincent on the outskirts of Lisbon and there studied theology, Latin and
the Holy Scriptures.
It
was after his ordination to the priesthood that Fernando first came
into contact with some Franciscan friars who settled near his monastery.
From the beginning, Fernando was strongly attracted to the simple,
evangelical lifestyle of the friars. However, it was not until the news
came of the first martyrs of their order – five Franciscans beheaded in
Morocco – and Fernando saw their mutilated bodies, which had been
ransomed, being buried in the Abbey of Santa Cruz, that he obtained
permission to leave the Augustinian Order and join the Franciscans,
where he received the new name of Anthony. So inspired was he by the
martyrs’ example that he set out for Morocco himself, with the hope of
becoming a martyr too. However, he fell seriously ill en route and was
forced to return to Portugal to regain his health. According to the
designs of Divine Providence, on the return voyage, the ship was blown
off course and landed in Sicily.
From Sicily he made his way to
Tuscany where he was assigned to a convent of the order, but he was
later assigned to the rural hermitage of San Paolo near Forlì, Romagna, a
choice made after considering his poor health. There he lived in a cell
made by one of the friars in a nearby cave and spent his time in
private prayer and study.
One day, in 1222, in the town of Forli,
on the occasion of an ordination, Anthony was persuaded to be the
homilist. So simple and resounding was his teaching of the Catholic
Faith that even the most unlettered and innocent might understand it and
it made a great impression on all who heard. Not only his rich voice
and arresting manner, but the entire theme and substance of his
discourse and his moving eloquence, held the attention of his hearers.
Everyone was impressed with his knowledge of Scripture, acquired during
his years of solitude at the hermitage of Forli.
Anthony was
known as the “hammer of the heretics” in Italy. His great protection
against their lies and deceits in the matters of Christian doctrine was
to utter, simply and innocently, the Holy Name of Mary. Outstanding
among the stories of his dealings with the heretics – who would not
listen to him as he tried to teach them the truths and joy of the Gospel
– is the one which recounts how he became so frustrated one day by
their stubbornness that he went out and preached to the fishes, who
gathered in droves to listen attentively to his words, poking their
heads up out of the water and refusing to leave until they had received
the saint’s blessing.
Anthony died in 1231, at the age of
thirty-five, and was canonized by Pope Gregory IX less than a year
later. He was declared a Doctor of the Church and is especially invoked
as the patron saint of lost articles.
The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live
has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent
that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is,
whether temporal or above all spiritual,
in the personal life of each one of us, of our families
- that cannot be solved by the Rosary.
There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is,
that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary.
Sister Lucia dos Santos
But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. Luke-2:19
Historically,
devotion to Mary Most Holy in the form of her Immaculate Heart first
occurs in the thirteenth century with St. Mechtilde, St. Gertrude, St.
Bernardine of Siena and others. In the seventeenth century, St. Francis
de Sales was an exponent of this devotion. But it was St. John Eudes the
great apostle of the Immaculate Heart (1601-1680), who gave the
decisive impulse to the practice.
In the same century, the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus came to light through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, and her confessor, St. Claude de La Colombiere. As the devotion to the Sacred Heart spread, so did the devotion to the Immaculate Heart. Both St. Margaret Mary and St. Claude, were deeply dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary as well.
Beginning with Pope Pius VI, several popes incrementally spread the devotion, but in 1944 Pope Pius XII extended it to the whole Church, fixing the celebration on August 22. Today, the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is celebrated on the Saturday following the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is moveable, always observed on a Friday, nineteen days after Pentecost Sunday.
The physical heart, symbol of the spiritual heart
The Fathers of the Church consider that when, from the Cross, Our Lord Jesus made the Blessed Lady the mother of St. John, He also appointed her the mother of all men.
Thus, Mary’s heart is the physical symbol of her boundless love for God and human kind. But Our Lady’s physical heart is also the symbol of her spiritual heart. Thus, in the Immaculate Heart of Mary we also honor her inner life, her virtues, her perfect purity, her boundless humility, her affections and her sorrow.
Poignant in Catholic tradition is the representation of Mary’s heart pierced by a sword, symbol of her immense sorrow at witnessing and willing her Son’s passion and death for the salvation of our souls.
Fatima and the Immaculate Heart of Mary - The Five First Saturdays Devotion
In
the second apparition of Fatima, Our Lady showed the seers, Lucia,
Francisco and Jacinta, her heart encircled by thorns. Later, on December
10, 1925, in a private apparition to Sister Lucia, she asked for the
devotion of reparation of the Five First Saturdays.
The Blessed Mother appeared alongside the Child Jesus who stood over a luminous cloud. Our Lady rested one hand on the Child’s shoulder while she held on the other hand a heart pierced with thorns.
The Child said, "Have pity on the Heart of your Most Holy Mother which is covered with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce it at every moment with no one to extract them with an act of reparation."
Our Lady expressed her request in the following words,
"See, my daughter, My Heart surrounded with thorns with which ungrateful men pierce me at every moment with blasphemies and ingratitude. You, at least, make sure to console me and announce that all those who for five months, on the first Saturdays, go to Confession, receive Communion, say five decades of the Rosary and keep me company for 15 minutes meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary, with the purpose of making reparation to Me, I promise to assist them at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for the salvation of their souls."
Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
O Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of heaven and earth and tender mother of men, in accordance with thy ardent wish made known at Fatima, I consecrate to thee myself, my brethren, my country and the whole human race. Reign over us and teach us how to make the Heart of Jesus reign and triumph in us and around us as It has reigned and triumphed in thee.
Reign over us, dearest Mother, that we may be thine in prosperity and in adversity, in joy and in sorrow, in health and in sickness, in life and in death. O most compassionate Heart of Mary, Queen of Virgins, watch over our minds and hearts and preserve them from the deluge of impurity which thou didst lament so sorrowfully at Fatima. We want to be pure like thee. We want to atone for the many sins committed against Jesus and thee. We want to call down upon our country and the whole world the peace of God in justice and charity.
Therefore, we promise now to imitate thy virtues by the practice of a Christian life without regard to human respect. We resolve to receive Holy Communion on the first Saturday of every month and to offer thee five decades of the Rosary each day together with our sacrifices of reparation and penance. Amen.
Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Immaculate heart of Mary, Pray for our dear country.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Sanctify our clergy.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Make our Catholics more fervent.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Guide and inspire those who govern us.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Cure the sick who confide in thee.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Console the sorrowful who trust in thee.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Help those who invoke thine aid.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Deliver us from all dangers.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Help us to resist temptations.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Obtain for us all we lovingly ask of thee.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Make our family life holy.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Help those who are dear to us.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Bring back to the right road our erring brothers.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Give us back our ancient fervor.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Obtain for us pardon of our manifold sins and offenses.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Bring all men to the feet of thy Divine Child.
Immaculate heart of Mary, Obtain peace for the world.
Note: The above prayers were taken, with permission, from a leaflet at Our Lady of Mercy Church, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
References:
https://www.motherofallpeoples.com/2006/06/the-history-and-nature-of-devotion-to-the-immaculate-heart-of-mary/
https://airmaria.com/2011/08/18/st-john-eudes-on-the-immaculate-heart-of-mary/
Illustrations:
1-Statue of Saint John Eudes, by Silvio Silva
2-Pope Pius XII extended the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the entire Church. Photo credit: Ambrosius007
Also Read:
Paula
Frassinetti was born in Genoa, Italy into a Catholic family. At
nineteen, she left home to live with her brother, who was a priest, to
fulfill the call she felt toward a life of servitude to God.
Paula
often assisted her brother in teaching poor children at his parish, and
soon realized her vocation as an educator. In 1834, she and six other
women began a school for the poor, and became known as the Sisters of
St. Dorothy. The congregation grew quickly, and the schools eventually
spread across Italy, then to Europe and Africa, Asia and onto the
Americas, many of which remain open to this day.
Sister Paula Frassinetti died in 1882 and was canonized in 1984 by Pope John Paul II.
If there is an age whose sole hope lies in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is our own. The evils committed by mankind today can scarcely be exaggerated. To mention just a few, these include blasphemy, the destruction of the family through abortion, divorce, euthanasia, widespread pornography, immoral fashions and lifestyles, homosexuality and so on. As Pope Pius XI once said, the contemporary world is so morally depraved that at any moment it could be plunged into a deeper spiritual misery than that reigning in the world when Our Blessed Redeemer was born. In consideration of so many crimes, the idea of divine vengeance naturally comes to mind. When we view this sinful world, groaning beneath the weight of a thousand crises and a thousand afflictions but nevertheless unrepentant; when we consider the alarming progress of neo-paganism, which is on the verge of conquering humanity; and when, on the other hand, we consider the lack of resolve, foresight, and unity among the so-called remnant, we are understandably terrified at the grim prospects of catastrophes that this generation may be calling upon itself.
There is something liberal in imagining that so many crimes do not
deserve punishment, that such a widespread apostasy of humanity is
merely the fruit of some intellectual error without moral
accountability. The reality is otherwise, for God does not abandon His
creatures. Rather, He continuously assists and supports them with
sufficient grace to aid them in choosing the right path. If they choose
to follow a way other than His, the responsibility is theirs.
Behold
the grim picture of the contemporary world: on one hand, an iniquitous
and sinful civilization and, on the other, the Creator holding high the
divine scourge. Is there nothing left for mankind but fire and
brimstone? As we begin a new millennium, can we hope for a future other
than the scourge foretold by Sacred Scriptures for the final impenitence
of the last days? Were God to act solely according to His justice,
there is no doubt what we should expect. Indeed, could we even have made
it as far as the twentieth century? Nevertheless, since God is not only
just but also merciful, the gates of salvation have not yet been shut
against us. A people unrelenting in its impiety has every reason to
expect God’s rigor. However, He Who is infinitely merciful, does not
want the death of this sinful generation but that it “be converted...and
live” (Ezech.18:23). His grace thus insistently pursues all men,
inviting them to abandon their evil ways and return to the fold of the
Good Shepherd.
If
an impenitent humanity has every reason to fear every catastrophe, a
repentant humanity has every reason to expect every mercy. Indeed, for
God’s mercy to be poured on the contrite sinner, his repentance need not
have run its full course. Even while still in the depths of the pit, if
the sinner but sincerely and earnestly turn to God with a budding
repentance in his heart, he will immediately find help, for God never
disregards him.
The Holy Ghost says in Sacred Scripture: “Can a woman forget her
infant…. And if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee” (Isa.
49:15). That is, even in such extreme cases where even a mother gives
up, God does not. God’s mercy benefits the sinner even while divine
justice cuts him down on the way of iniquity. Modern man cannot lose
sight of these two basic concepts of divine justice and divine
mercy—justice lest we dare presume that we can save ourselves without
merits; mercy, so that we do not despair of our salvation as long as we
repent and start anew.
God
is charity, so the simple mention of the Most Holy Name of Jesus evokes
love. It is the infinite, limitless love that drove the Second Person
of the Most Holy Trinity to become man. It is the love expressed in the
utter humiliation of a God Who comes to us as a poor infant, born in a
cave. It is the love shown in those thirty years of hidden life spent in
the humility of the strictest poverty, in the three grueling years of
evangelization, when the Son of Man traveled highways and country roads,
climbed mountains, crossed valleys, rivers and lakes, visited cities
and villages, walked through deserts and hamlets, spoke to rich and
poor, dispensing love and, for the most part, reaping ingratitude. It is
the love manifested in that supreme moment of the Last Supper when,
after generously washing the feet of His apostles, He instituted the
Holy Eucharist. It is the love of that last kiss taken from Judas, of
that poignant look at Peter, of those insults received and born
patiently and meekly, of those sufferings endured until the last drop of
blood was shed. It is the love in that last pardon of Dismas, which
enabled the dying thief to steal heaven. Finally, it is the love
manifested in the supreme gift of a heavenly mother for a wretched
humanity! Each of these episodes has been painstakingly studied by the
learned, wondrously reproduced by artists, devoutly contemplated by
saints, and, above all, incomparably celebrated in the Divine Liturgy.
In
venerating the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Church specially praises the
infinite love demonstrated by Our Lord Jesus Christ to men. Since His
heart is the symbol of love, by venerating His Heart, the Church
celebrates Love.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Many
and beautiful are the invocations used by Holy Mother Church in
reference to Our Blessed Lady. Yet, every single one of these clearly
underscores her relationship to God’s love. Each celebrates either a
gift of God to her, to which she was perfectly faithful, or some special
power or influence she has with her Divine Son.
Now, what are God’s gifts but a special manifestation of His love?
And what is Our Lady’s power of intercession with God in our favor but a
sublime aspect of God’s special love for us? Thus, it is perfectly
appropriate to call her Speculum Justitiae, “mirror of justice” on one
hand and “omnipotent intercessor” on the other. She is the mirror of
justice because God so loved her that He concentrated in her all
perfections possible to a human creature. In no other creature is He so
well reflected as in her. Thus, she mirrors His justice perfectly. She
is the omnipotent intercessor because no grace is obtained without Our
Lady and there is no grace she cannot obtain for us. Thus, on invoking
Mary as Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, we make a beautiful synthesis of
all the other invocations; we recall the purest reflection of the Divine
Maternity; we simultaneously strike all the chords of love in beautiful
harmony, the same chords we strike when we recite her litany or sing
the Salve Regina.
Yet, there is one other invocation of Our Lady
that I especially wish to recall. It is “Advocate of Sinners.” Our Lord
Jesus Christ is our judge, and as great as is His mercy, He nevertheless
remains our supreme judge and cannot fail to exercise His judicial
duty. But Our Lady is our advocate and does solely what an advocate is
supposed to do—defends the accused. Do we not have in Our Lady of the
Sacred Heart, the Advocate of Sinners, an all-powerful advocate before
the bar of divine justice whose pleas for mercy will not be refused? To
say then, that Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is our advocate is
equivalent to saying that we have an omnipotent advocate in heaven who
holds the golden key to an infinite store of mercy. So, what better
solution for a sinful humanity, a humanity that falls deeper into sin if
justice is not mentioned but despairs of salvation if it is mentioned?
By all means, let justice be mentioned; it is a duty; its omission has
produced only sorry fruits. But right alongside justice, which targets
the sinner, let us never forget mercy. Mercy helps the seriously
repentant sinner to abandon sin and thus be saved as He desires with all
His Heart—the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Also Read:
The field of battle between God and Satan
is the human soul.
This is where it takes place every moment of our lives.
The soul must give free access to our Lord and be completely
fortified by Him with every kind of weapon.
His light must illuminate it to fight the darkness of error.
He must put on Jesus Christ, His truth and justice, the shield of faith,
the word of God to overcome such powerful enemies.
To put on Jesus Christ we must die to ourselves.
St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
Though
Barnabas, a Jew of Cyprus, was not one of the Twelve chosen by Our
Lord, he is still considered an apostle. He was closely involved with
the apostles after Pentecost, and was principally responsible for their
accepting Paul, who was a recent convert, into their midst.
Barnabas
was sent by the disciples to lend a guiding hand to recent
evangelization efforts in Antioch. The success in Antioch led to his
first official mission trip: the holy man traveled all over, preaching
the Gospel to all who would listen, even the Gentiles. Barnabas took
Paul with him, and the two continued to evangelize and preach the Gospel
together for many years.
Later, when the two apostles decided to
revisit their missions, a sharp contention arose between them over
whether John Mark should accompany them, and they parted company going
their separate ways: Paul with Silas to Asia Minor and Barnabas with
John Mark sailing to Cyprus. In the Apostle Paul's First Letter to the
Corinthians he indicates that their friendship was unimpaired by this
disagreement.
It has been said that Barnabas was stoned to death at Salamis, the Greek city-state near Cyprus in about the year 60.
One of the most admirable effects of Holy Communion
is to preserve the soul from sin, and
to help those who fall through weakness to rise again.
It is much more profitable, then, to approach this divine Sacrament
with love, respect, and confidence,
than to remain away
through an excess of fear and scrupulosity.
St. Ignatius Loyola
We
know very little about St. Ithamar, but we do know that he was
consecrated to the see of Rochester after the death of St. Paulinius.
“My Immaculate Heart
will be your refuge
and the way that will lead you to God.”
Our Lady to Sister Lucia dos Santos
Ephrem
was born about the year 306 in Nisibis in Mesopotamia and is the only
Syrian Doctor of the Church. He was a vigorous defender of the Faith,
taking it upon himself to expose and combat many false doctrines of his
time.
In 350, Ephrem and other Christians were forced to flee
their homes when the Persians attacked their city. The holy deacon
retired to a cave in a rocky height overlooking Edessa and lived most
austerely until his death in 373.
Ephrem is known as the “Harp of
the Holy Spirit” because he was a great poet and composer of holy
songs. It has been said that Ephrem prayed to Our Lord to “stop the flow
of inspiration” because he could not work fast enough to pen all the
compositions in his head.
“St. Ephrem’s Prayer” is considered to be the Lenten prayer par excellence in the Byzantine Rite tradition as it succinctly summarizes the true spirit of Great Lent:
O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust for power and idle talk.
But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of chastity (integrity), humility, patience and love.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults and not to judge my brother.
For blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Also
called “the zither of Mary,” Ephrem wrote most of his compositions in
his cave above Edessa, dedicating many of them to Our Lady, to whom he
had a great devotion. He is credited with bringing song into the
offering of the Holy Liturgy of the Mass
Pope Benedict XV proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church in 1920.
“I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart
that my all-powerful love will grant to all those
who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays of nine consecutive months
the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace,
nor without receiving the sacraments.
My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.”
Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
William,
Archbishop of York, is a rather intriguing saint due to the conflicts
surrounding his “on again, off again” reign as archbishop, due in part
to its timing. It was during a period of great civil unrest in England
known as the Anarchy (1135-54) when the armies of the two cousins –
Stephen of Blois and Empress Matilda – were fighting each other for the
English crown. William was the nephew of Stephen of Blois, which
launched his ecclesiastical career right into the middle of the
political conflict.
William was the unusually young treasurer of
York Minster prior to his election as Archbishop of the diocese in 1141;
but, even though he was elected by majority vote and with the support
of Stephen, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald of Bec, who stood
behind Empress Matilda on the other side of the political chasm, refused
to recognize the canonical election and would not consecrate William.
Indignant, Stephen authorized his brother, also William’s uncle,
Archbishop Henry of Winchester, to consecrate him…without waiting for
papal approval. Despite this, the clergy and people of York loved their
new bishop for they saw in him a man of deep and intense piety, personal
austerity, kindheartedness, and devoted generosity, especially towards
the poor.
However,
the Cistercians of Yorkshire, who had supported Henry Murdac, the
Cistercian Abbot of Fountains Abbey, in the election, with the support
and help of the renowned St. Bernard of Clairvaux, succeeded in accusing
him of simony, sins against chastity, and intrusion, resulting in his
deposition by Pope Eugenius III (also a Cistercian) and the
corresponding appointment of Henry Murdac to head the diocese in
William's place. However, the clergy of York refused to admit Murdac
into the city and he was forced to withdraw and retire to Beverley for
the remainder of his days. He died in 1147.
From this time until
1153, William took refuge with his friend the King of Sicily, where he
lived a very austere life as a monk. By this time, the opponents to his
election had died and the civil war in England had ended, and William
appealed to the new pope, Anastasius IV, to restore him to his office.
The Pope concurred and conferred on William the papal pallium. Thus,
Archbishop William reentered his diocese in April, 1154, to the
accompaniment of such a mass of exuberant supporters that the bridge
over the Ouse collapsed under the weight. That no one was killed in the
accident is considered a miracle.
Sadly, he was hardly back in
office a month, before he died on June 8th, 1154, allegedly from his
chalice being poisoned during Mass. He was canonized in 1227, by Pope
Honorius III due to the large number of miracles reported at his tomb.
