Archive
April 26 – St. Trudpert of Münstethal
St. Trudbert was a seventh century hermit at Münstethal. A local lord was so impressed by his devoutness, he dedicated a portion of his lands on which to build a monastery. Unfortunately, he was not that impressed and set aside the worst of the grounds he owned. He then commanded local serfs to clear the land. It was such miserable work, the workers decided it was easier to kill Trudpert then to finish the job.
April 25 St. Pedro de San Jose Betancur
St. Pedro was born in the Canary Islands, but traveled to Guatemala City as a young man to escape a life surrounded by sheep. Unable to be ordained as a Jesuit due to lack of education, he became a Franciscan lay leader. He opened a hospital for the poor followed by homeless shelters, schools, oratories, chapels and shrines.
St. Pedro is widely recognized as the founder of the tradition of Posadas. The Christmas procession reenacting Mary and Joseph going door to door looking for lodging. The tradition spread throughout Latin America.
April 23 Blessed Maria Gabriella
Patron Saint of Christian Unity
I think the following could be written about the majority of girls between the age of 12 and 18 (from SQPN.com ):
As a child she was described as obstinate, critical, protesting, and rebellious – but loyal, and obedient; she would say no to a request – but act on it at once. At 18 she became gentler, her temper abated, she became involved in prayer and charity, and joined “Azione Cattolic,” a Catholic youth movement.
At 21 she entered the Trappestine monastery of Grottaferrata. When she was accepted, her attitude finally became “Now do what You will.”
After joining the monastery she was asked to pray for Christian Unity. Maria Gabriella felt compelled to offer her young life to the cause. Though she’d never been sick before, she suddenly developed tuberculosis. In a mere 15 months spent in prayer for Unity, it took her to her death.
April 21 Blessed John Saziari
An Italian in the 14th century. What is known about him is that he was a bachelor farmer. Um, do all bachelor farmers become Blessed? If so, the Upper Midwest of the United Staes is quite the holy area.
April 19 – St. Wernher
House servant at Oberwessel, Germany. Kidnapped and murdered at age 14 just after receiving Communion on Maundy Thursday in 1275. Venerated in Trier, Germany.
St. Werner is an example of a saint used for evil purposes. His masters were Jewish. Although they had nothing to do with the kidnapping and killing, the Nazi government laid the blame at their feet and claimed Jews have been trying to annihilate Germans for centuries, starting with St. Wernher.
April 18 Blessed Maria Anna Blondin
Sister Maria Anna was born into a poor family in Terrebonne, Quebec in 1809. She worked as a servant until she entered the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame where she learned to read and write. She became a parochial school teacher in Vaudreuil, Quebec.
As someone from humble beginnings, she had an unusual and radical outlook on life. She realized her own illiteracy into adulthood, and for so many woman around her, was due to the society’s view of woman and education. The widespread illiteracy of girls at the time was due to the fact that girls could only be taught by women, boys by men. Parishes or towns that could only afford one school chose to educate the boys. In 1848 she sought permission to form a congregation that would teach boys and girls under one roof. She had the local government’s support and the bishop agreed to a single test site. The Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Anne was founded in Vaudreuil on 8 September 1850 with Sister Maria Anna as first superior.
The community grew, and the motherhouse transferred to Saint Jacques de l’Achigan in 1853. There the new chaplain, Father Louis Adolphe Marechal, was a nasty, nasty man. He abused his power with mismanagement of funds and generally making the sisters lives miserable. He had a special hatred for Sister Maria Anna. He did all he could to sabotage her work and relationships. He succeeded in having her removed as Superior of the community. In her new position as Directress at Saint Genevieve Convent she continued to be harassed by Marechal. Accused of mismanagement, she was recalled to the Motherhouse in 1858, and was prohibited for her remaining 32 years from an administrative position and the sisters were ordered not to refer to her as “Mother”. Realizing that any fight she could make would only damage the Congregation, she accepted her lot, and worked in the laundry, the ironing room, and other menial positions. Her humility and resignation paid off as the Congregation continued to grow, and universal education became the norm.
It is thanks to Sister Maria Anna that we have coed education in North America.
April 17 Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha
Patron Saint of Environmentalists
Daughter of a Christian Algonquin woman captured by the Iroquois and married to a non-Christian Mohawk chief. She was orphaned during a smallpox epidemic, which left her with a scarred face and impaired eyesight, she was raised by her uncle, an Mohawk chief. Converted and baptized in 1676 by Father Jacques de Lamberville, a Jesuit missionary.
She was shunned and abused by relatives for her faith. Unable to understand her new found religion zeal, members of the tribe often chastised her, which she took as a testament to her faith. Kateri exercised physical mortification as a route to sanctity. She occasionally put thorns upon her sleeping mat and lay on them, while praying for the conversion and forgiveness of her kinsmen. Piercing the body to draw blood was a traditional practice of the Hurons, Iroquois, as well as the Mohawks. Kateri believed that offering her blood was in imitation of Christ’s crucifixion. She changed this practice to stepping on burning coals when her close friend and confessor, Marie Therese, expressed her disapproval.
Because she was persecuted by her Native American kin, which included threats to her life, she fled through 200 miles of wilderness to the established community of Native American Christians in Kahnawake, Quebec. She took a vow of chastity in 1679. On April 17, 1680, Kateri died at the age of 24.
Known for spirituality and austere lifestyle. Her grave became a pilgrimage site and place of miracles for Christian Native Americans and French colonists. First Native American proposed for canonization, her cause was started in 1884. An international association of Native American Catholics and those in ministry with them, was named for her.
April 16 Blessed Joachim Piccolomini
Known mostly because he continuously turned down priesthood to remain an alter server. A humbleness missing in certain churches today.
April 15 St. Ruadhan of Lorrha
The Irish love a good story and a good legend. Some of the legends are bigger than others. St. Ruadman (pronounced roughly Rodan) was part of one of the biggest legends in all of Irish History. As with many legends, there are seeds of truth, some historical facts that start the legend then it grows. So it is with the Curse Of Tara.
The story begins with King Dermont. He was considered a wise a fair ruler, though he made his share of enemies along the way. He held court at Tara – the mystical heart of Ireland. It was the custom at the time for the King’s spear-bearer to make the circuit of the country periodically and to enter every important home with the spear held lengthwise across him.
King Dermont’s spear carrier arrived in the province of Connacht, and made his way to the mansion of Aedh Guaire (Hugh Guaire – henceforth known as Hugh) on Kinelfechin. Hugh, at that time, had round his home a stockade of red oak, and had a new house too, that was just built with a view to his marriage feast. The spear-bearer came accordingly and Hugh bade him welcome. The spear-bearer said that the house must be hewn before him (to make the entrance wide enough). Now Hugh had put a lot of work into his new house and thought the request an insult and idiocy. So he beheaded the spear carrier.
Now at this time the discipline of Ireland was such that whosoever killed a man void of offense, the slayer must be killed, unless it were that the King should order or permit the acceptance of cattle-price. Hugh fled to Saint Ruadhan for protection. Dermont himself comes to Ruadhan to look for him, but Hugh had been put into a hole in the ground by Ruadhan … Dermont asked Ruadhan where he was, for he was sure he would tell him no lie. ‘I know not where he is,’ said Ruadhan, ‘if he be not under yon thatch.’ After that Dermont departs to his house, but he remembered the cleric’s word and returns to the recluse’s cell, and he sees the candle being brought to the hole where Hugh was. Dermont eventually seized Hugh and carried him off to Tara losing two servants to Ruadhan in this round of the contest. One was blinded when searching the Saint’s kitchen, the other had his arm mangled when trying to pull Hughout of the hole. Both remained with Ruadhan.
Ruadhan then called upon his fellow saints to aid him,a brotherhood of saints who had studied at Clonard, rallied together and hastened with him to Tara where they proceeded to “ fast upon the King”. This was an ancient form of hunger strike where the participants sat outside the king’s tent and fasted until they died or the king gave in from shame. But King Dermont would not be shamed and set up a “fast upon the fasters”.
This brotherhood set up camp and continued their fast, their tent exposed to weather and to wet, every other night without food (the slow way to die …), Dermont and the clergy, fasting on each other.
Meantime Brendan the Navigator had landed from one of his expeditions abroad and hearing what was afoot hastened to join his fellow saints. They had by this time established a household of their own on Tara and the bitter contest dragged on for years, while presumably the unfortunate Hugh remained chained in some miserable underground hole. Eventually they asked the King again to grant them custody of Hugh, which he absolutely refused as he did before;
Ruadhan and a bishop that was with him took their bells that they had, which they rung heartily and cursed the king and the place, and prayed God that no king or queen ever after would or could dwell in Tara, and that it should be waste for ever, without court or palace. A hundred and thirty-six pagan and six Christian kings had ruled uninterruptedly at Tara. Dermont was the last of them. His successors deserted the royal hill and lived elsewhere.
dailysaint 