Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the Apostle (Goffine's Devout Instructions)

January 25

The history of this conversion is fully given in the epistle taken from the Acts.

The Introit of the Mass is as follows:

"I know Whom I have believed, and I am certain that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day, being a just judge. Lord, Thou hast proved me and known me, Thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up."

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Prayer

O God, Who didst teach the whole world by the preaching of blessed Paul the apostle, grant us, we beseech Thee, that we, who this day celebrate his conversion, may advance towards Thee by his example. Through Christ our Lord, etc.

Epistle: Acts 9:1-22

In those days: Saul as yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any men and women of this way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus; and suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him. And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? Who said: Who art Thou, Lord? And He said: I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad. And he trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? And the Lord said to him: Arise, and go into the city, and there it shall be told thee what thou must do. Now the men who went in company with him stood amazed, hearing indeed a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. But they leading him by the hands, brought him to Damascus. And he was there three days without sight, and he did neither eat nor drink. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision: Ananias. And he said: Behold I am here, Lord. And the Lord said to him: Arise, and go into the street that is called Strait, and seek in the house of Judas, one named Saul of Tarsus. For behold he prayeth. (And he saw a man named Ananias, coming in and putting his hands upon him, that he might receive his sight.) But Ananias answered: Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to Thy saints in Jerusalem. And here he hath authority from the chief priests, to bind all that invoke Thy name. And the Lord said to him: Go thy way, for this man is to Me a vessel of election, to carry My name before the gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house, and laying his hands upon him, he said: Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus hath sent me, He that appeared to thee in the way as thou camest, that thou mayst receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight and rising up he was baptized. And when he had taken meat he was strengthened. And he was with the disciples that were at Damascus for some days. And immediately he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. And all that heard him were astonished, and said: Is not this he who persecuted in Jerusalem those that called upon this name; and came hither for that intent, that he might carry them bound to the chief priests? But Saul increased much more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt at Damascus, affirming that this is the Christ.

What do we learn from this history?

Not to despise any sinner, nor to despair of his salvation; for, like Paul on the road to Damascus, the greatest sinner may, by the grace of God, be suddenly converted, and become a saint. At the command of God he accepted Ananias as his leader in the way of salvation, and became as zealous for the honor of Christ as he had previously been intent on persecuting Him. In like manner, a convert must shut his eyes to all by which he has heretofore been led astray, and must give heed to that only which God commands.

Gospel: Matthew 19:27-29

At that time Peter said to Jesus: Behold, we have left all things, and have followed Thee; what, therefore, shall we have? And Jesus said to them: Amen I say to you, that you, who have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of His majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. This gospel teaches that he who renounces the world, its pleasures and its riches, shall receive the grace of God, virtues, interior consolation, and eternal happiness, which are a hundredfold, that is, infinitely, more precious than worldly goods.

Prayer

O Saint Paul, great apostle, who, from being an enemy, became the most zealous friend and preacher of Christ, procure for me from Him, I beseech thee, grace at last truly to know Him, Whom I have heretofore so often denied, offended, and, by my sins, crucified anew; to follow Him, and, after thy examples to be henceforth as diligent in doing justice as I have formerly been in practising evil; that I may one day attain to that happiness which thou hast gained. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc. Amen.

-- Goffine's Devout Instructions

Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

  

Virgin And Martyr

Saint Agnes of Rome (also known as Ines; Ines del Campo; Ynez) was a consecrated virgin martyr born in Rome. We have more ancient authority for the story of Saint Agnes than exists in many cases. Saint Jerome wrote of her as being venerated in his day, and her legend is one of the oldeststories of a saint. She had vowed never to marry when very young. At the age of 12 or 13, a young nobleman wanted to marry her, but, she refused since she had consecrated herself to Christ and said that to do so would be an insult to her heavenly Spouse. The young nobleman's father was the Prefect Sempronius, and upon learning Agnes had rejected his son and that she was a Christian, he ordered Agnes to sacrifice to the pagan gods and lose her virginity by rape. She was taken to a Roman temple of Minerva (Athena), and when led to the altar, she made the Sign of the Cross. She was threatened, then tortured when she refused to turn against God. She was tortured by fire, then either decapitated or stabbed in the throat (sources vary) in 254 or 304 (again, sources vary).

Saint Agnes' virginity and heroism are renowned, and her name occurs in the prayer "Nobis quoque peccatoribus," in the Canon of the Mass. The catacombs of Saint Agnes on the Via Nomentana grew up around her crypt there, on a small piece of property owned by her family. The Christians constantly went to pray at her grave. She was the foster-sister of Saint Emerentiana, who was stoned to death by a crowd for praying at her sister's grave, when she admitted the relationship and that she too was a Christian.

As her parents and friends were paying their devotions at her tomb, she appeared to them in a glorified form, and beside her was a lamb whiter than snow. Agnes assured her friends of her perfect happiness, and again vanished, and from that time on, they no longer mourned her.

On Saint Agnes' feast day two lambs are blessed at her church in Rome, and then their wool is woven into the palliums (bands of white wool) which the pope confers on archbishops as symbol of their jurisdiction.

Goffine's Devout Instructions: Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr For Christ

December 26

The epistle of today contains a short account of the life and sufferings of this saint. It only remains to be added that, on account of his virtues, his wisdom, and his zeal for the faith, the apostles thought him worthy to be chosen the first of the seven deacons, whose office it was, in addition to the preaching of the word of God, to serve the poor, and properly to distribute the alms of the faithful.

The Introit says:

"Princes sat and spoke against me, and the wicked persecuted me;
                  help me, O Lord my God, for Thy servant was employed in Thy justifications.
       Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord."

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Prayer

Grant us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, to imitate what we honor, that we also may learn to love our neighbors, as we celebrate the feast of Him Who knew how to beseech even for Hili persecutors, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who, etc. Amen.

Epistle: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59

In those days Stephen full of grace and fortitude did great wonders and signs among the people. Now there arose some of that which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them that were of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke. Now hearing these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him. But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: Behold I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord ran violently npon him. And casting him forth without the city, they stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.

Instruction

Stephen is unjustly persecuted, yet he prays for his persecutors. Can we excuse ourselves if we do not love our enemies? Were not Stephen, and others who have imitated him, men like ourselves? With the grace of God, could not we do what they have done? Could we call ourselves Christians were we not to do this? No; for the love of our neighbor, and of our enemy also, is the chief token of the Christian; since it is only by this love that we become like Christ, and resemble our heavenly Father, Who makes His sun to shine upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rains upon the just and upon the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Let us, therefore, imitate the love of God, of Christ, and of Saint Stephen, and then we may one day be able to give up our souls with calmness into the hands of our Maker.

Gospel: Matthew 23:34-39

At that time Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees: Behold I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them you will put to death aud crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; that upon you may come all the just blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. Amen I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not! Behold your house shall be left to you desolate. For I say to you, you shall not see Me henceforth till you say: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Those in our days who stone and kill the prophets and preachers are those who, by their evil backbiting, defame their pastors, who mock at and despise preachers and sermons; for to the servants of God this is a great torment and source of grief; it destroys their courage and paralyzes their efficiency. On this account it provokes the anger of God, as through the prophets He often told the Jews.

Supplication to Saint Stephen

O Saint Stephen, first of the martyrs, who wast filled with fortitude, grace, and love, whose guiltless face shone like the face of a pure angel, I beseech thee, by the grace which rendered them worthy to see heaven opened and Jesus sitting at the rigbt hand of the Father, that thou wouldst, by thy prayers, procure for me from God a pure conscience, and a holy, meek love, that like thee I may readily forgive those who injure me; may pray for them; may not only desire for them whatever is good, but may do them good indeed, and thereby merit the grace of a happy death. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, etc. Amen.

--  Goffine's Devout Instructions

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles (Goffine's Devout Instructions)

"Saint Jude the Apostle" (left) and "Saint Simon the Apostle" --  by James Tissot

October 28


SAINT SIMON and SAINT JUDE were probably brothers; the former received the surname Canaanite, to distinguish him from Simon Peter, either because he was a native of Cana, or because of his zeal for Christ (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). Judas was surnamed Thaddeus, or Lebbeus, to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot. Both were chosen apostles by Christ, and were constant witnesses of His life and deeds. It is related of them in the Martyrology that the light of faith was communicated to Egypt and other countries of Africa by Simon, and to Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Greater Armenia by Thaddeus. Meeting in Persia, and propagating the Christian faith there by their preaching and miracles, they both gained the crown of martyrdom. There is extant an epistle of Saint Jude which the Church has incorporated into the Holy Scriptures. From these two apostles learn to have zeal for the glory of God, for your own salvation and for that of your neighbor.


Prayer


O God, Who, by means of Thy blessed apostles Simon and Jude, hast granted us to come to the knowledge of Thy name, grant that we may celebrate their eternal glory by making progress in virtue and improve by this celebration. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.


Epistle: Ephesians 4:7-13


Brethren: To everyone of us is given grace according to the measure of the giving of Christ. Wherefore He saith: Ascending on high He led captivity captive; He gave gifts to men. Now that He ascended, what is it, but because He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. And He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and other some evangelists, and other some pastors and doctors, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all meet into the unity of faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ.

Gospel: John 15:17-25

At that time Jesus said to His disciples: These things command you, that you love one another. If the world hate you, know ye that it hath hated Me before you. If you had been of the world, the world would love its own, but because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember My word that I said to you: The servant is not greater than his master. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake; because they know not Him that sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. He that hateth Me, hateth My Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no other man hath done, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father. But that the word may be fulfilled which is written in their law: They hated Me without cause.

Explanation

From the fact that Christ and His disciples were hated and persecuted by the world the greatest consolation and encouragement may be derived by those who are obliged to suffer mockery, contempt, and persecution because they are not of the world; that is, because they do not follow its foolish principles and sinful customs. But they who, to escape the derision and hatred of the world, side with it, rather than with Christ, may learn to be ashamed of their cowardice and baseness. For as it is an honor to the servant to be treated like his master, so it is a great disgrace to him to be treated better than his master; if, then, the master is pleased to submit to the hatred and persecution of the world, why do his servants refuse to do so?

When Christ says that the Jews could not excuse themselves on the ground that they did not know Him, but had hated and persecuted Him when it was easy for them to have known Him by His works, He teaches us that ignorance is not in every case an excuse for sin. Those Christians, therefore, are in the highest degree culpable who, like the Jews, might easily learn what they ought to believe and do, but who fail to do so either through maliciousness or neglect, and accordingly remain in ignorance by their own fault. Acting in this kind of ignorance, they become guilty of sin, and will be justly condemned forever. It is otherwise with men who, without any fault of theirs, hear nothing of Christ or of the true faith, on account of which they are not punishable, but who will be condemned for such sins as they commit against that natural law which is inscribed on the heart of every man.

Goffine's Devout Instructions

Saint Maximilian Kolbe

Priest and Martyr

The name of Maximilian Kolbe is synonymous with courage. When we think of the great heroes who died in the savage holocaust brought on by the rabid hatred of the Nazi's one man stands above the others, and that is the life we will now take a closer look at.

Raymond was born in the year 1894 to very devout but poor parents, Jules and Maria Kolbe in the region of Lodz Poland, his parents made their living by weaving. Times were difficult for the Kolbe family as they felt the weight of Russian oppression. But as the Polish people are renowned for their stoic natures and their long suffering perseverance in the face of adversity, this fact would hold the young Raymond in good stead!

As a young boy Raymond always felt an inclination to prayer in solitude, but this is not to say that he was perfect, in that like many of his age he too could be precocious. But there was one singular difference in the young Raymond when at only 10 years old; he was graced with an appearance of the Blessed Mother. It was during this vision that the Blessed Mother offered Raymond a choice of two crowns one which was white which stood for purity and the other was red which stood for martyrdom. Raymond was never one to hold back so he immediately responded to this most beautiful lady that he chose both!

Raymond would certainly live out what our Lady had offered him in his short but very holy life. This vision made a big difference to the choices Raymond would make in life, for he took our Lady's word seriously and lived to be obedient, from this time forward Raymond had a burning desire to enter the Priesthood. But due to the poverty of the family this was thought to be an impossible dream, as his parents relied on their children to help them survive during this difficult period in Polish history.

But Raymond did not give up hope, and because of his obvious devoutness a business man took Raymond under his wing and helped tutor him, which was also a preparation for his long held dream to become a Priest.

Being that both Jules and Maria had set a good example all three of their sons exhibited a wish to enter Holy Orders. At first the parents were perturbed as to what would become of them once they could no longer provide a living for themselves. But being so very devout they entrusted their futures to God just as they did their son's.

Soon both Francis and Raymond would enter the Seminary run by the Franciscan Order, a few years later they were joined by their youngest brother. But Francis would eventually leave the Order much to the sorrow of his younger brother Raymond. Being that all their children had entered the Seminary, both Jules and Maria Kolbe decided that they too would embrace the Religious life.

And as Raymond completed his studies in physics and mathematics, he was then accepted into the novitiate of Conventual Franciscans in the year 1910 and upon taking his first Vows he then took the name Maximilian, and proceeded to study philosophy in Krakow, which he then completed in Rome.

It was while he was in Rome that Maximilian had the honour of attending a public audience with another future Saint, Pope Pius X. Maximilian then gained his degrees in both philosophy and theology, it would be four years later that Maximilian would be ordained into the Priesthood, whereupon he added the name Maria as part of his Religious name. For despite all the study Maximilian had a strong devotion to our Lady and also kept a strong prayer life in the solitude of his soul.

Maximilian and Pope Pius X also had another thing in common as both showed concerns towards the acceptance of 'modernism' within the Church; this was anathema to both of these holy men of God!

And it would be this trend towards modernism that fired the heart of Fr. Maximilian to combat it with all his might. It was here that the thought of beginning an army of fellow Priests to spread love and devotion to our most Holy Mother began to take affect. So began the Militia of the Immaculata, for Fr. Maximilian was not one to sit and do nothing, he was a man of fierce courage and conviction which showed in all he did as an obedient son of the Church.

Maximilian was never timid it was simply not in his nature and so he faced up to the challenges of those who were trying to erode the faithful by lies and deceit. Those who wished to join him in this crusade against heresies were asked to consecrate themselves to the Virgin Mary and to always wear the Miraculous Medal, it would not take long before this movement became world wide and lasts to the present day!

Due to Fr. Maximilian many duties and his total commitment to serving our Lady would soon take a heavy toll on the young Priests health and he was to spend time recuperating in hospitals. This was a difficult time for one so spiritually robust and with such a definite purpose in life.

So though Fr. Maximilian was recovering his health in hospital this did not stop him from sharing his ideals as a printing press was brought forth in order to print out his mission and make true his pledge to the Blessed Mother. To be her vigilant soldiers of the Faith so was born the periodical 'Knights of the Immaculate Mother', which soon gathered speed amongst the faithful.

One is amazed at the strength exhibited by this one man, his vision which was enormous but never grandiose. For all the work he did was in order to serve the Church and to make known the love of the Blessed Mother to all her children. His iron will and determination to forge ahead seemed indomitable to all those he came in contact with. Maximilian had always been a zealous soul, from a precious young lad to a determined and strong willed individual, he lived to do the Will of the Father just as Mary had done.

To further the cause of the Knights of the Immaculata, Maximilian would travel to Japan and India to raise awareness of the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ and the love of the Blessed Mother. In Japan Fr. Maximilian began a monastery of men who would devote their lives to serving God. But once again Fr. Maximilian was also beginning to feel the affects of an illness that had plagued him for many years and so in 1936 he had to return to his native Poland.

He returned to a Poland where rumours of war were beginning to gather speed. And so in 1939 war enveloped Poland and its people which would bring untold suffering and tragedy to an enormous amount of people. And as the Nazi's made their presence known the shadow of the red crown would follow Fr. Maximilian for the rest of his remaining days.

Soon Fr. Maximilian and his fellow friars would be hiding Jews and others on the run from the ever evil tentacles of the Nazi's whose blood lust knew no boundaries. When the Nazi's tried to make Fr. Maximilian print Pro-Nazi propaganda he adamantly refused to obey this directive! The Nazi officials took this to be a sign of further troubles they may have with this courageous man who had no fear of them or what they could do to him!

The Nazi's were incensed that they could not intimidate this fiercely loyal son of the Church, and so they arrested him and four other friars for hiding Jews and resistance fighters. Fr. Maximilian would be deported to the infamous concentration camp at Auschwitz in 1941.

Throughout this terrible ordeal Maximilian never lost hope nor became discouraged but instead faced true evil with complete love and self abandonment as he tried to help his fellow man. And though Fr. Maximilian's health was always frail still he would help out others as they struggled with the heavy workload. Once again we witness the enormous strength and will of this spiritual giant!

But in July a group of men had escaped this tomb of death that was Auschwitz, the Nazi's for retaliation then ordered the massacre of a group of men, and it was here that one man cried, "My wife, my children, I shall never see them again!" Father Maximilian upon hearing this piteous cry then stepped out and addressed the SS officer and asked to be exchanged so that the man with the children could live. What courage and what character, as Fr. Maximilian embraced the Red Crown of Martyrdom.

After suffering terrible torments in cell block 18, where the men who were chosen to die were consoled by this remarkable Priest as he read out prayers and encouraged the others to take heart and not to allow fear to override them. The voices of the tortured men soon turned from fear into love as they sang hymns and recited the Rosary as this brave Priest led them soon they all died as peacefully as possible surrounded by the loving voice of this remarkable Saint. Father Maximilian would be the last to die where upon the Nazi's who had grown frustrated with the waiting finally entered his cell and with a needle full of acid they injected this deadly poison into the veins of the gently smiling Priest.

Father Maximilian Maria Kolbe died in 1941.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe was canonized in 1982 by Pope John Paul II.

Some Quotes

"Courage, my sons, Don't you see that we are leaving on a mission? They pay our fare in the bargain. What a piece of good luck! The thing to do now is to pray well in order to win as many souls as possible. Let us, then, tell the Blessed Virgin that we are content, and that she can do with us anything she wishes."

"The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers."

"No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the hecatombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?"

"For Jesus Christ I am prepared to suffer still more." 

Franciszek Gajowniczek the man who was saved.

Saint Edith Stein- Martyr

Saint Edith Stein

Edith Stein lived the true meaning of her chosen name Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, for just as Jesus embraced The Cross so did Sister Teresa Benedicta. But let us take a closer and more intimate look at this great Saint and one of the great minds of The Catholic Church.

Edith was born into a very Traditional Jewish family she was the youngest of eleven children, unfortunately for her family Ediths Father died when she was not yet two years old, which left her Mother as the sole provider for the entire family. As Edith grew and matured she had a deep admiration and love for her Mother who struggled to support her large family and even though Edith herself had turned her back on God, Mrs Stein remained a staunch and Devout Jew, teaching her children the Traditions of the Jewish Faith.

One of the great blessings that Edith was born with was a curious mind and a thirst for knowledge, which led her to study Philosophy, and to become one of the first women to study this subject at University, she was accepted at University of Breslau before transferring to the University of Gottingen in order to study with Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology. It was while studying this course and observing the Faith of those around her which led Edith on a course that would change her life forever and from which would also come The Way of The Cross, for herself.
 

It was whilst she was vacationing with friends that Edith happened by chance to see the book written by St. Teresa of Avila, her curiosity was aroused and so Edith began to read St Teresa's autobiography and was unable to put it down until she had read the last sentence, it was Edith's Epiphany moment. There was no turning back for Edith, for she believed without doubt what she had read within that most profound book, it also brought untold pain and anguish knowing in her heart that she must embrace Catholicism and leave behind her rich Jewish heritage, in the knowledge of what this news would bring to her beloved Mother. So in the end God answered Mrs. Steins prayer that would bring her daughter back to the Faith, but as always God answers prayer in the most unexpected of ways, in this case Mrs Steins beloved daughter, Edith.

A double blow would then strike Ediths mother when she found that her daughter not only would become a Catholic but also a Religious in The Order of Carmel, this was a troubling and most painful of times for both Mother and daughter, but Edith could not resist the Call of God. On October 15, just after her forty-second birthday, Edith Stein entered the Carmel of Cologne, taking the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

Upon the death of her Mother, Edith would be joined by her sister Rosa who also converted and was Baptized into the Catholic Church. When the Nazi tyranny turned to untold violence in the infamous 'Kristillnacht', Edith's Superiors decided to transer Sister Teresa Benedicta to the Carmel in Echt, the Netherlands. Her sister Rosa later joined her there as a Third Order Carmelite, in which Rosa helped serve the Community there.

But unfortunately this was not enough to safeguard either Edith or her sister Rosa and both were arrested on August 2, 1942. When her sister reached a state of confusion Edith with much compassion and courage took her sister Rosa and led her with these words, "Come, Rosa. We go for our people." The sisters were deported to Auschwitz and executed just a week later. Edith Stein was fifty years old.

She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on May 1,1987.

Quotes from St. Edith Stein

"I have no other desire than that the will of God be accomplished in me and through me".
"One cannot desire freedom from the Cross when one is especially chosen for the Cross".
"Charity liberates the will from everything, imposing as a duty to love God above all else. This however is possible only when anxious desire for creatures is removed".

Copyright © 2005 Marie Smith. All rights reserved.

Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

Saint Boniface (also known as Winfrid; Wynfrith; Apostle of Germany) was born at Crediton, Devonshire, England in 675 A.D. He was educated at the Benedictine monastery at Exeter, England, and he joined the Benedictine Order at Nutshalling, and was ordained in 705.

In 716 he attempted a missionary journey to Friesland but had to abandon the effort due to political disturbances. He was offered the abbacy at Nutshalling, but declined and was sent to Germany east of the Rhine as missionary by Pope Gregory II in 719. There he was assisted by Saint Albinus, Saint Abel, and Saint Agatha. He destroyed pagan idols and temples and built churches on the temple sites.

He was called to Rome by Gregory II who consecrated him regional bishop in 722. Upon returning Boniface encountered a group worshipping at the sacred oak of the Norse thunder god, Thor, at Geismar. Boniface walked up to the tree, removed his shirt, took up an axe, and he hacked down the six foot wide wooden god. Boniface stood on the trunk, and asked, "How stands your mighty god? My God is stronger than he."

In 732 Pope Gregory III made Boniface Archbishop with no definite province. He founded or restored the dioceses of Bavaria, Thuringia, and Franconia. In 741 he was commissioned by Pope Zacharias to reform the whole Frankish church, after which success he was made Archbishop of Mainz in 748.

In 754 Saint Boniface resigned his see to accomplish his dream of missionary work in Friesland. He built a number of churches there, but, he was attacked by pagans, and he along with 52 of his converts were martyred at Friesland, Holland.

Saint Boniface is buried in the cathedral at Fulda.

Saint Boniface is the Patron Saint of brewers, file cutters, tailors, the diocese of Fulda, Germany, and the archdiocese of Saint-Boniface, Manitoba, Canada.

Saint Saturninus of Toulouse

Saint Saturninus of Toulouse ( also known as Sernin; Saturnin) was a third century missionary from Rome to Gaul, the Pyrenees ( mountain range in southwestern Europe, forming a natural boundary between France and Spain), and the Iberian peninsula (peninsula in southwestern Europe, divided into Spain and Portugal, together with Gibraltar).

He made many converts including the farmer now known as Saint Honestus who joined him in the missions. Saint Saturninus and two companions were imprisoned at Carcassone by the prefect Rufinus, but they were freed by an angel. He was the first bishop of Toulouse, where he performed miraculous healings. He converted and baptized Saint Firminus who was later bishop of Amiens.

When Saturninus began his work in Toulouse, the local pagan priests stopped receiving oracles from their “gods”. The devils were struck dumb by the presence of the saint as he passed that way. One day in 257, when the priests were hopelessly frustrated, Saturninus passed by in the street. The priests blamed the bishop, and ordered the crowd of heathens to seize him and force him to offer sacrifice to their gods. The idols fell to pieces in front of the bishop. The crowds abused him, then tied his feet to a wild bull which was to be sacrificed, and then drove the bull out of the temple. He was dragged to death.

The martyrdom of this saint probably happened in the reign of Valerian, around 257 A.D.  

Quotation:

 "I adore one only God, and to him I am ready to offer a sacrifice of praise. Your gods are devils, and are more delighted with the sacrifice of your souls than with those of your bullocks. How can I fear them who, as you acknowledge, tremble before a Christian?" -- Saint Saturninus

Feast of Saint Matthias the Apostle (From Goffine's Devout Instructions)

May 14

Of this apostle nothing certain is known beyond what is contained in the epistle. In the Introit of the Mass the Church sings: “To me Thy friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable; their principality is exceedingly strengthened. Lord, Thou hast proved me and known me; Thou hast known my sitting down and my rising up. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”

Prayer

O God, Who didst associate blessed Matthias to the company of the apostles, grant, we beseech Thee, that, by his intercession, we may ever experience Thy tender mercy towards us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc. Amen.

Epistle: Acts 1:15-26

In those days Peter rising up in the midst of the brethren said (now the number of persons together was about an hundred and twenty): Men, brethren, the Scripture must needs be fulfilled which the Holy Ghost spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who was the leader of them that apprehended Jesus: who was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry. And he indeed hath possessed a field of the reward of iniquity, and being hanged burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem: so that the same field was called in their tongue, Haceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. For it is written in the book of Psalms: Let their habitation become desolate, and let there be none to dwell therein. And his bishopric let another take. Wherefore of these men who have companied with us, all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day wherein He was taken up from us, one of these must be made a witness with us of His resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph, called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And praying, they said: Thou, Lord, Who knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two Thou hast chosen to take the place of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas hath by transgression fallen, that he might go to his own place. And they gave them lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30

At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, Father: for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight. All things are delivered to Me by My Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father, neither doth anyone know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you that labor and are burdened, and I will refresh you. Take up My yoke upon you, and learn of Me, because I am meek, and humble of heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is sweet and My burden light.

The wise and prudent referred to in this gospel are the proud scribes and Pharisees, who, in their imaginary wisdom, would not receive the incarnate and suffering Son of God, but despised and rejected Him; in general, they represent also all who in their pride would measure everything by their own understanding, and to whom, consequently, the mysteries of faith seem foolishness. The little ones are the apostles, who, although taken from a low condition of life, without a learned education, but rather ignorant, were enlightened by God to know the deepest mysteries, because they had docile and humble hearts, desirous of salvation. Thus God gives grace to the humble, while the proud go away empty.

To those who bear His yoke, and follow Him, Christ promises peace of mind, temporal and eternal happiness; and, indeed, we must confess that as often as we are disquieted and discontented the cause of it is our selfishness and want of submission to the will of God, our pride and vanity. Learn, then, to love to be meek and humble, if you would enjoy peace, here or hereafter.

Prayer to Saint Matthias

O Saint Matthias, glorious apostle and martyr of Jesus Christ, who, by the special providence of God, wast added to the eleven apostles in the room of the traitor, I humbly beseech thee to obtain for us the grace of Him Who chose thee from all eternity, that, assisted thereby, we may, after thy example, keep the commandments of God, practice good works, and thus merit to be numbered with the elect. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc. Amen.

– Goffine’s Devout Instructions

The Veneration And The Invocation of the Saints (From Goffine's Devout Instructions)

THE VENERATION OF THE SAINTS

What is it to venerate the saints?

To venerate the saints is to show veneration, love, and confidence towards these friends of God and coheirs with Christ who, out of love for Him, have gone through the fight, are now honored by Him (Psalms 138: 17), and reign with Him in eternal happiness.

Does not the veneration of the saints infringe upon the honor due to God?

No ; it is rather a confirmation of it, since it refers only to God, and, in the saints, honors only Him.

Are we permitted, then, to venerate the saints?

Yes ; and not only permitted, but it is good and useful to do so if we would honor God.

Is it also lawful to venerate the relics of the saints that is, their bones, and articles that belonged to them?

Without doubt it is. This, indeed, has been the unbroken practice, both under the Old Law and the New, from the earliest times; and God has sanctioned it by the most remarkable miracles. Thus He brought a dead man to life by the bones of Eliseus (2 Kings 13: 21). The woman troubled with an issue of blood was made whole by barely touching the garments of Christ (Matthew 9: 22 ; Mark 5: 29 ; Luke 8: 47). By the shadow of St. Peter (Acts 5: 15), and the handkerchiefs and aprons of St. Paul (Acts 19: 12), different diseases were cured, and evil spirits expelled.

Why ought we to venerate the relics of the saints?

The reason is well given by the Council of Trent (Sess. 16.). They are precious remains of those bodies which, in their life time, were members of Christ and temples of the Holy Ghost, and which shall one day be raised up and glorified.

THE INVOCATION OF THE SAINTS

Is it lawful to call upon the saints for their intercession?

If a man may call upon his brothers and sisters for help, and upon pious people yet living for their prayers to God in his behalf, as God advised the friends of Job to do (Job 42: 8), as St. Paul did (1 Thessalonians 5: 25), as non-Catholics themselves do, why should not a man invoke the intercession of the saints in the presence of God, who are our brethren?

But is not the invocation of the saints opposed to trust in God, and to the mediatorship of Christ ?

No; for we do not address ourselves to the saints in any such sense as we would address ourselves to God ; but, confessing ourselves to be sinners, and unworthy to appear before God, we betake ourselves to these friends of God and glorified brethren of ours, that through their intercession, which prevails much before Him, He may be gracious to us, and bestow upon us His favors. Christ is and remains our only mediator through Whom we have access to the Father (Ephesians 2: 18) ; the saints are only intercessors who must pray to God for us through Jesus Christ.

Do the saints know of our prayers ?

If the holy angels rejoice over the conversion of the sinner (Luke 25: 10), and offer up the prayers of the saints as pleasing incense before the face of God (Revelation 8: 3), ought not the same privilege be allowed to the saints, as being the friends of God and of Jesus Christ, and as being partakers of the same glory as the angels? (John 15: 14, 15.) Did not Onias and Jeremiah, after their death, know of the sad condition of the Jewish people, and zealously pray for them ? (2 Maccabees 15: 12 - 16) God has a thousand ways of making known to them our prayers.

-- Goffine's Devout Instructions

Saint Lucy of Syracuse, Virgin and Martyr

Saint Lucy of Syracuse (also known as Lucia of Syracuse; Lucia de Syracuse), virgin and martyr, was a rich, young Christian of Greek ancestry born in Syracuse, Sicily, around 283. She was of a noble Greek family, brought up as a Christian by her mother, Eutychia. Her Roman father died when she was young. Her mother had arranged a marriage for her. For three years she managed to keep the marriage on hold. To change the mother's mind about the girl's faith, Lucy prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha, and her mother's long hemorrhagic illness was cured. After her mother's miraculous cure Lucy was allowed to make a vow of virginity and to distribute a great part of her riches among the poor, and Lucy became known as a patron of those with illnesses like her mother's.

This charitableness stirred the greed of Paschasius, the unworthy young man to whom Lucy had been unwillingly betrothed, and he denounced her to the Governor of Sicily as a Christian. The governor sentenced her to forced prostitution, but when guards went to fetch her, they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. The governor ordered her killed instead. After torture that included having her eyes torn out, she was surrounded by bundles of wood which were set afire, but again God saved her, and the fire went out. She prophesied against her persecutors, and was executed by being stabbed in the throat with a dagger or sword . Her name is listed in the prayer "Nobis quoque peccatoribus" in the Canon of the Mass.

Legend says her eyesight was restored before her death. This and the meaning of her name (Light; Bringer of Light) led to her connection with eyes, the blind, eye trouble, and epidemic diseases.

Saint Lucy of Syracuse died in Syracuse, Sicily around 304, her relics are honored in churches throughout Europe.

Feast of Saint Matthew the Apostle (Goffine"s Devout Instructions)

MATTHEW, also called Levi, a son of Alpheus, and brother of the holy apostle James the Less, was a receiver in the Roman custom-house on Lake Tiberias. Such officers were hated by the Jews for their injustice, and were called publicans, or public sinners. While he was sitting at the receipt of custom he was called by Christ to be one of His disciples, and immediately leaving his lucrative office and all that he had, followed Him. On account of his distinguished zeal he was afterwards received into the number of the apostles. After the descent of the Holy Ghost he remained in Judea, preached the Gospel, wrote the passion of Our Lord as coutained in his gospel, and lived strictly in the fear of God. At a later day he travelled through Persia, Ethiopia, and other countries. At last he was killed at the altar, by command of King Hutacus, for opposing his marriage with the Princess Iphigenia, who, by Saint Matthew's direction, had vowed to God perpetual virginity. His holy remains were brought to Salermo in the tenth century. Thus may great sinners become great saints by following faithfully, like Saint Matthew, the voice of God.

At the Introit of the Mass the Church sings:

"The mouth of the just shall meditate wisdom, and his tongue shall speak judgment; the law of God is in his heart."

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Prayer

May we be assisted, O Lord, by the prayers of the blessed apostle Matthew, that what of ourselves we are unable to obtain may be given to us by his intercession. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Epistle: Ezechiel 1:10-14

The likeness of the face of the four living creatures: the face of a man, and the face of a lion on the right side of all the four, and the face of an ox on the left side of all the four, and the face of an eagle over all the four. And their faces, and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of everyone were joined, and two covered their bodies, and everyone of them went straight forward; whither the impulse of the spirit was to go, thither they went, and they turned not when they went. And as for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like that of burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps. This was the vision running to and fro in the midst of the living creatures, a bright fire, and lightning going forth from the fire. And the living creatures ran and returned like flashes of lightning.

Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13

At that time Jesus saw a man sitting in the custom-house, named Matthew; and He saith to him: Follow Me. And he rose up and followed Him. And it came to pass as He was sitting at meat in the house, behold many publicans and sinners came, and sat down with Jesus and His disciples. And the Pharisees seeing it, said to His disciples: Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners? But Jesus hearing it, said: They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill. Go then and learn what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice. For I am not come to call the just, but sinners.

Explanation

This gospel teaches us:

1. 
   

   That when God calls we should obey at once, lest, by not giving heed to His voice, He should cease to call us, or withdraw from us His grace.

2. 
   

   To forsake the occasions of sin; as Saint Matthew not only left the place where he sinned, but abandoned entirely the very house and office which had led him into sin.

3. 
   

   That we should not only cease to sin, but, like Saint Matthew, should follow Christ in poverty, humility; meekness, patience, if we would enter the kingdom of God.

Prayer

O holy apostle, who hast made ready for us a glorious feast in thy gospel, pray for me that thy gospel may be in truth food for my soul; pray that in it I may devoutly consider the life, virtues, passion and death of Jesus Christ, that I may faithfully follow, in all things, thy words, written by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and by the operation of the same Spirit may be able to exclaim: "How sweet are thy words to my palate I more than honey to my month."

-- Goffine's Devout Instructions

Saint Bartholomew the Apostle

Saint Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles, and probably a close friend of the Apostle Saint Philip. He was brought to Jesus by Philip, and Bartholomew’s name is usually mentioned in the Gospels in association with Philip.

He is called Bartholomew in the Gospels of Saints Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Most scholars believe that Bartholomew is called Nathaniel in the Gospel of John, and that Bartholomew was actually his last name. The name Bartholomaios means “son of Talmai” (Tolomai or Tholmai), an ancient Hebrew name. (The King of Gessur, whose daughter was a wife of David, bore the name; see 2 Samuel 3:3.) So, in this article, I will refer to him as Saint Nathaniel bar Tolomai (this would amount to him being known as Nathaniel son of Tolomai, just as Peter was called Simon bar Jonah, which would mean Simon son of Jonah.)

We see Saint Nathaniel bar Tolomai mentioned sixth in order as follows in the synoptic (this refers to the first 3 Gospels being similar in content, order, and statement) Gospels:

Matthew 10:3. James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus

Mark 3:18. And Andrew and Philip, and Bartholomew and Matthew, and Thomas and James of Alpheus, and Thaddeus and Simon the Cananean:

Luke 6:14. Simon, whom he surnamed Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

And then again in the Gospel of Saint John:

John 1:45. Philip findeth Nathanael and saith to him: We have found him of whom Moses, in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth.
1:46. And Nathanael said to him: Can any thing of good come from Nazareth? Philip saith to him: Come and see.
1:47. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.
1:48. Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
1:49. Nathanael answered him and said: Rabbi: Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.
1:50. Jesus answered and said to him: Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, thou believest: greater things than these shalt thou see.
1:51. And he saith to him: Amen, amen, I say to you, you shall see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

Once more in John:
John 21:2. There were together: Simon Peter and Thomas, who is called Didymus, and Nathanael, who was of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee and two others of his disciples.

The last time that Saint Nathaniel bar Tolomai is mentioned in the New Testament is in The Acts of the Apostles:

Acts 1:13. And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James of Alpheus and Simon Zelotes and Jude the brother of James.

Outside the references mentioned, there are no other instances of the name of Saint Nathaniel bar Tolomai being mentioned in the New Testament. What we know of him after the New Testament is not certain. There is no mention of him in ecclesiastical literature before Eusebius, who mentions that Pantaenus who was the master of Origen, was evangelizing in India, and was told that Saint Nathaniel bar Tolomai had preached there before him, and had given them a copy of the Gospel of Saint Matthew written in Hebrew. This was treasured by the Church there. India, was the name given to a vast area, and was not limited to the geographical area we know as India today. Other traditions indicate that Saint Nathaniel bar Tolomai also preached and evangelized in Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Armenia, Lycaonia, Phrygia, and on the shores of the Black Sea.

There are conflicting traditions regarding his death. According to one, he was beheaded at Albanopolis in Armenia. According to another he was flayed (skinned alive) alive and crucified head down by order of Astyages, for having converted his brother, Polymius, King of Armenia. Because of the latter legend, he is often represented as a man holding his skin. His relics are at Saint Bartholomew-on-the-Tiber Church, in Rome, and in the cathedral in Canterbury, England.

Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

Saint Agatha has been honored since ancient times, and her name is included in the canon of the Mass. We have little reliable information about her, except that she was a martyr. The following is according to her Latin Acts which is from around the sixth century.

Saint Agatha was a young, wealthy and beautiful woman who lived a life consecrated to God. When the Roman Emperor Decius (Caius Messius Quintus Trajanus Decius 249-251) announced his edicts against Christians, the Roman magistrate Quinctianus tried to profit by Agatha's sanctity; he planned to blackmail her into sex in exchange for not charging her. 

Saint Agatha was handed over to a brothel, but she refused to accept customers. After rejecting Quinctianus' advances, she was beaten, imprisoned, tortured, her breasts were crushed and cut off. One version says that Saint Peter appeared to her and healed her. She was imprisoned further and rolled onto live coals. She was near death when an earthquake struck. In the earthquake the magistrate's friend was crushed, and the magistrate fled. Agatha thanked God for an end to her pain, and died. Her death occurred around 250 A.D.

Legend says that carrying her veil, taken from her tomb in Catania, in procession has averted eruptions of Mount Etna. Her intercession is also reported to have saved Malta from Turkish invasion in 1551. Her popular veneration is of a very early date; her name occurs in the prayer, "Nobis quoque peccatoribus," in the Canon of the Mass, and in some places bread is blessed after the Consecration of the Mass on her feast and called Agatha bread.

Saint Lucy of Syracuse

Saint Lucy of Syracuse (also known as Lucia of Syracuse; Lucia de Syracuse), virgin and martyr, was a rich, young Christian of Greek ancestry born in Syracuse, Sicily, around 283. She was of a noble Greek family, brought up as a Christian by her mother, Eutychia. Her Roman father died when she was young. Her mother had arranged a marriage for her. For three years she managed to keep the marriage on hold. To change the mother's mind about the girl's faith, Lucy prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha, and her mother's long hemorrhagic illness was cured. After her mother's miraculous cure Lucy was allowed to make a vow of virginity and to distribute a great part of her riches among the poor, and Lucy became known as a patron of those with illnesses like her mother's.

This charitableness stirred the greed of Paschasius, the unworthy young man to whom Lucy had been unwillingly betrothed, and he denounced her to the Governor of Sicily as a Christian. The governor sentenced her to forced prostitution, but when guards went to fetch her, they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. The governor ordered her killed instead. After torture that included having her eyes torn out, she was surrounded by bundles of wood which were set afire, but again God saved her, and the fire went out. She prophesied against her persecutors, and was executed by being stabbed in the throat with a dagger or sword . Her name is listed in the prayer "Nobis quoque peccatoribus" in the Canon of the Mass.

Legend says her eyesight was restored before her death. This and the meaning of her name led to her connection with eyes, the blind, eye trouble, and epidemic diseases.

Saint Lucy of Syracuse died in Syracuse, Sicily around 304, her relics are honored in churches throughout Europe.

Saint Josaphat Kuncevyc, Bishop and Martyr

Saint Josaphat Kuncevyc (also known as John Kunsevich; Josaphat of Polotsk; Jozofat Kuncewicz) was born in 1580 at Volodymyr, Lithuania as John Kuncevyc. His father was a municipal counselor and his mother was known for her piety. John was raised in the Orthodox Ruthenian Church. On November 23, 1595, in the Union of Brest, the Ruthenian Orthodox Church united with the Church of Rome. John trained as a merchant's apprentice at Vilna, was offered partnership in the business, and marriage to his partner's daughter. He felt a call to the religious life, and declined both. He became a monk in the Ukrainian Order of Saint Basil (Basilians) in Vilna at the age of 20 in 1604, taking the name brother Josaphat. He was a deacon and then was ordained a Byzantine rite priest in 1609.

Josaphat's superior never accepted unity with Rome, and looked for a way to fight against Roman Catholicism and the Uniats, the name given to those who brought about and accepted the union of the Churches. Learning of his superior's work, and fearing the physical and spiritual damage it could cause, Josaphat brought it to the attention of his archbishop. The archbishop of Kiev removed the superior from his post, replacing him with Josaphat.

Josaphat was a famous preacher who worked to bring unity among the faithful, and bring strayed Christians back to the Church. He was appointed Bishop of Vitebsk in 1617. Most religious fearing interference with the natively developed liturgy and customs, did not want union with Rome. Josaphat believed unity to be in the best interests of the Church. By his teaching, clerical reform, and personal example he won the greater part of the Orthodox in Lithuania to the union. His actions were never suitable to either side, and Roman authorities sometimes raised objection to Josaphat's Orthodox actions. He was still made Archbishop of Polotsk, Lithuania in 1618.

While attending the Diet of Warsaw in 1620, a dissident group, supported by Cossacks, set up an anti-Uniat bishop for each Uniat one. They spread the accusation that Josaphat had "gone Latin," and that his followers would be forced to do the same. Then they placed a usurper on the archbishop's chair. Despite warnings, John went to Vitebsk to try to correct the misunderstandings, and settle disturbances. The army was loyal to the king, who was loyal to the Union, and so the army tried to protect Josaphat and his clergy.

Saint Josaphat went to Vitebsk, Belarus, where an anti-Uniat priest shouted insults at Josaphat from his own courtyard, and tried to force his way into the residence. When he was removed, a mob assembled and forced his release. The mob then invaded the residence. Josaphat tried to insure the safety of his servants before fleeing himself, but did not get out in time.

Saint Josaphat Kuncevyc died when he was struck in the head with an axe, shot and beaten with staves on November 12, 1623 at Vitebsk, Belarus. His body was thrown into the Dvina River but later recovered. He is buried at Biala, Poland, and his body found incorrupt five years after his death.

Saint John Gabriel Perboyre, Priest and Martyr

Saint John Gabriel Perboyre, also known as Jean-Gabriel Perboyre, was born on January 6, 1802 at Le Puech, near Mongesty, Cahors diocese, southern France. He was the eldest son of Pierre Perboyre and his wife Marie. John’s parents were farmers, and had eight children, five of whom entered the religious life. Three sons became priests in the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), and two daughters entered the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

In 1816, John accompanied a younger brother, Louis, to a high school started by their uncle, Father Jacques Perboyre, C.M. (Congregation of the Mission; Fathers of the Company of Mary; Vincentians; Lazarists), to prepare young men for the seminary. John began to feel a call to the priesthood himself while there, and on June 16, 1817 he made the decision to prepare for the priesthood. Being an obedient son, he had written his parents to tell them of his decision, but told them he would return home to the farm if they objected. They did not, and on December 27, 1818, John entered the Vincentian community.

 On December 28, 1820, John took his vows and then went to Paris in January of 1821 to start his study of theology. In October 1823, he was sent to Montdidier, between Paris and Amiens. The Congregation had a boys' boarding school there, and John Gabriel was given charge of a class, with eight boys. In April 1824, he went back to Paris to be ordained sub-deacon, and returned to Montdidier to teach philosophy. In May 1825, he went back to Paris to be ordained deacon. On September 23, 1826, John was ordained a priest in the Rue de Bac by Bishop Louis Dubourg, the former Bishop of New Orleans, on the anniversary of St. Vincent de Paul’s priestly ordination date. In September of 1826 after his ordination, he was appointed professor at the major seminary of Saint Flour, and in September 1827, he was appointed superior at the minor seminary of Saint Flour.

John and his brother Louis exchanged many letters apparently, of which 13 survive today. In one of those, Louis told John that he wanted to go to China after ordination. Louis undertook the voyage to China, but never arrived there, dying at sea on May 2, 1831.  John began to seek permission to replace his brother on the mission to China but his Superior General and Council insisted that his health was not good enough. At John’s persistence, they finally asked the doctor, and he gave permission. In February 1835, he wrote to his uncle:

I’ve great news for you. God has just granted me a very precious favor which I certainly don't deserve. When he was pleased to give me a vocation to the priesthood the main reason which made me answer his call was the hope of being able to preach to pagans the good news of salvation. Since then I've never really lost sight of this target, and above all the idea of the Chinese mission always made my heart beat faster.

In March of 1835, John set sail from Le Havre with two confreres, Joseph Gabet and Joseph Perry, arriving at the Portuguese colony of Macao at the end of August. While at Macao, he became ill and while there he studied Chinese.

Just before Christmas, he began the journey to the interior of China, a distance of 600 miles by sea, and another equally great distance by land. He arrived at Ho-nan Province in mid-August of 1836. He wrote several letters upon his arrival there, among them one to his father, the first in over two years:

If we have to suffer martyrdom it would be a great grace given to us by God; it's something to be desired, not feared.

In December of 1836, John preached his first sermon in the Chinese language and then went on his first mission. After he had been in China for over a year he wrote that experienced confreres should be involved in the administration decisions from Macao and Paris, as those who had not experienced the life there, could not understand the problems faced by the missionary.

From September of 1838 until Pentecost of 1839, John gave 17 missions. He was then to go on a round of visits to the mission stations but was replaced by another confrere due to his having leg problems. This meant that John was in Kou-tchen when a band of soldiers arrived in September of 1839. He having breakfast with Giuseppe Rizzolati OFM and Jean-Henri Baldus CM. Rizzolati and Baldus ran off in one direction, John Gabriel in the opposite. John hid in a bamboo “forest“, where he was found the next day after being betrayed by a catechumen.

There are two conflicting stories on John’s being betrayed by the catechumen. One account says that the catechumen met the soldiers, who explained that they were looking for the priest. In that account  the catechumen was said to have asked what they would pay for information and they said "thirty taels". However, Baldus in letters he wrote in 1841 after the first account was published, disputes this. Baldus (who was there) said the man who had written the first account was no where near there, contained many errors, and "romantic and, at a minimum, very exaggerated". In a second letter written later by Baldus, he says:

Secondly, the handing over, or betrayal, was brought about not by money but by fear, for Father Perboyre's supposed guide had been beaten up, according to the messengers from Hou-pé.

Initially, during the early time of his imprisonment, John was treated fairly well by orders of the mandarin (former high ranking Chinese official). This changed however under a different mandarin, and John was beaten, hung by his thumbs, made to kneel on iron chains, on pieces of broken crockery, and flogged with bamboo rods. One account says that he was tortured so severely, that his flesh hung in strips.

André Yang C.M., successfully passed himself off as a merchant who was studying the prison system and was able to visit John, bringing him food and hearing his confession. Many of the prison guards assured Yang that John Gabriel would be well treated. However, John suffered his tortures for over a year.

Saint John Gabriel Perboyre was charged with the crimes that he had entered China illegally to preach Christianity "and to deceive and seduce the people". He was found guilty and on September 11, 1840, he was martyred by being strangled on a cross-shaped gibbet, the strangulation being carried out in three stages, and then a kick in the lower abdomen (or side, sources vary) that put an end to his sufferings.

Saint John Gabriel Perboyre was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on November 10, 1889, and he was canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 2, 1996. He is the first saint associated with China. His relics now rest in the chapel of the Vincentian Motherhouse in Paris, France.