Cristy Li

Saint Catherine of Siena
Image: Saint Dominic Priory

(EWTN) Born in Italy Siena in 1347 Catherine appeared to be favored by God with extraordinary graces as soon as she was capable of knowing Him. When Catherine was still very young, she withdrew into seclusion a little ways out of the town to imitate the lives of the Fathers of the desert–returning after sometime to her father’s home, Catherine continued to be guided by the same spirit and consecrated herself with a vow of chastity to God by a private vow.

Catherine’s love for spiritual discipline, prayer and her sentiments of virtue were such as are not usually found in one so tender in age but God was pleased to put her resolution to a great trial.

At 12 yrs of age, Catherine’s parents thought of engaging her in a married state, she found them deaf to her pleas that she might live single. Catherine thereafter redoubled her prayers, watching and discipline, knowing that her protection must be from God alone.

Catherine’s parents found her inclination to solitude as unsuitable to the life for which they designed for her–they endeavored to divert her from it and began to prevent her devotions, depriving her in this view of the little chamber they had until then permitted. They loaded Catherine with the most distracting jobs and laid on her, all of the drudgery of the house as if she was nothing more than a servant girl. The hardest labor, humiliations, contempt and insults from her sisters were to Catherine a subject of joy and as such was her enthusiastic love of Crosses, that she embraced them in all shapes with a holy eagerness and received all ridicule with admirable sweetness and heroic patience.

If anything grieved Catherine the most, it was the loss of her dear solitude but the Holy Spirit, that interior faithful master to whom she had listened, taught her to make another solitude in her heart–where amidst all of her jobs, she considered herself always alone with God to whose presence she kept herself no less attentive, then if she had no menial jobs to perform that would distract her. In that admirable work of God’s Providence which she wrote:

“That our Lord hath taught her to build in her soul a private closet, strongly vaulted with the Divine Providence and to keep herself always close and retired there. He (God) assured her that by this means she should find peace and perpetual repose in her soul, which no storm or tribulation could disturb or interrupt.”

Catherine’s sisters and other friends attempted to persuade her to join with them in the diversions the world offered, claiming that virtue was not  an enemy to neatness in dress or to cheerfulness under which soft names they endeavored to recommend the dangerous liberties of worldly past-times and vanities.

When Catherine was 18 she entered the ‘Dominican Third Order’ according to Franciscan Media and spent the next 3 yrs in seclusion, prayer and austerity (self-discipline) — Gradually a group of followers (Priests, Lay Men and Women) an active public apostolate grew out of her contemplative life.

Catherine’s letters, mostly for spiritual instruction and encouragement of others, began to take more-and-more note of public affairs. Opposition and slander resulted from her mixing fearlessly with the world, speaking with candor and authority of one completely committed to Jesus Christ–Catherine was cleared of all the allegations at the Dominican General Chapter of 1374

Subsequently Catherine’s influenced reached great heights because of her evident holiness, her membership in the ‘Dominican Third Order’ and the deep impression that she made on the Pope. Catherine worked tirelessly for the crusade against the Turks and for peace between Italy Florence and the Pope.

In 1378 the ‘Great Schism’ began splitting the allegiance of Christendom between two, then three Pope’s and putting even Saints on opposing sides.

Catherine spent the final two years of her life in Rome, in prayer and pleading on behalf of the cause of Urban VI and the unity of the Church, offering herself as a victim of the Church in its agony. Catherine passed away at the age of 33  and was Canonized in 1461 by Pope Pius II

More here from Franciscan Media

Saint Peter Chanel (1803-1841)
Image: Catholic Online

(EWTN) Born in France Cuet near Belley, as a young boy Peter worked as a Shepherd until the local Parish Priest recognizing something unusually special in him convinced his parents to let Peter study in a school that he had started. From there, Peter went on to the seminary where it was said of him:

“He had a heart of gold with the simple faith of a child and he led the life of an angel.”

Peter was Ordained a Priest and assigned to a parish at Crozet in SE France, in just three yrs, Fr. Peter had transformed the Parish.

In 1831 Fr. Peter joined the the newly founded ‘Society of Mary’ since he had long dreamed of becoming a missionary but for 5 yrs he was assigned to teach at the seminary in his hometown of Belley. Finally in 1836 Fr. Peter’s dream was realized and he was sent with other Marists (members of the ‘Society of Mary’) to the islands of the Pacific.

Fr. Peter endured great hardships, disappointments, frustrations and almost complete failure as well as the opposition of the Futuna tribe leader (Chieftain) Niuluki — Fr. Peter’s worked seemed hopeless, only a few had been Baptized and the local Chieftain continued to be suspicious and hostile. When the Chieftain Niuluki own son asked for Baptism, Niuluki became so angry that he sent his warriors to kill Fr. Peter, he was killed without uttering a word of complaint.

Martyr for Jesus Christ: Fr. Peter’s violent death on this date in 1841 at the age of 38 brought about the conversion to Christianity many of the people of Futuna living there and many remain Catholic to this day.

Fr. Peter Chanel was Beatified in 1889 by Pope Leo XIII and Canonized in 1954 by Pope Pius XII

Thought of the Day: Success or failure is often not completely in our hands and sometimes we have to face what seems almost certain failure but success is not required of us only fidelity. St. Peter Chanel’s work ended in his own death in the face of what seemed total failure. Out of that failure, God brought about the success that Fr. Peter was seeking.

More here from Franciscan Media

Related: For Today’s Holy Scripture Readings for the Memorial of St. Peter Chanel, Visit: -USCCB

Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716) –Image: Pinterest

(Franciscan Media) Born in France at La-Cane Montfort, Louis from his childhood according to EWTN was tenaciously devoted to prayer before the Blessed Sacrament–When he was 12 Louis was sent as a day pupil to the Jesuit college at Rennes, he never failed to visit the Church before and after class.

When Louis was just 19 yrs old he walked 130 miles to Paris to study theology and gave everything that he had to the poor that he met along the way and made a vow to only live on alms. While Louis was in school, he joined a society of young men who ministered to the poor and sick on school holiday’s.

By the time Louis was just 27 he was Ordained a Priest and soon began ministering in parish missions throughout Western France and as a hospital Chaplain.

In 1705 Fr. Louis found his true calling and thereafter devoted himself with Evangelism. Fr. Louis’ ministry attracted thousands of people back to Christianity but he did meet some resistance, especially from the ‘Jansenists’ (a heretical movement) within the Church that believed in absolute predestination, in which only a chosen few are saved and the rest damned. Much of France was influenced by ‘Jansenism’ including many Bishop’s who forbid Fr. Louis from ministering in their dioceses–Fr. Louis was even poisoned by the ‘Jamsenists’ in La Rochelle but survived, though he suffered ill-health after that.

While Fr. Louis was recuperating from the effects of the poisoning, he wrote the masterpiece ‘True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin’ (available on Amazon) which he became a classic explanation of Maria devotion.

Fr. Louis founded the ‘Missionaries of the Company of Mary’ (for Priests and Brothers) and the ‘Daughters of Wisdom’ who cared especially for the sick.

In 1716 Fr. Louis died at the age of 43  in France at Saint Lauent-sur-Sevre, he was Beatified in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII and Canonized in 1946 by Pope Pius XII