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Home , Amator, Elizabeth Ann Seton

The Lives of the According to the Liturgical Calendar

Text Victor Hoagland, C.P.

Illustrations George Angelini

an imprint of Catholic Book Publishing Corp. CONTENTS FOREWORD xiv JANUARY

1 Mary, the Mother of God 3 2 St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen 6 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 9 5 St. John Nepomucene Neumann 13 7 St. Raymond of Peñafort 16 13 St. Hilary 18 17 St. Anthony 19 20 St. Fabian and St. Sebastian 21 21 St. Agnes 22 22 St. Vincent 23 24 St. 24 25 The Conversion of St. Paul 26 26 St. Timothy and St. Titus 28 27 St. Angela Merici 29 28 St. 31 31 St. John Bosco 34

FEBRUARY

2 Presentation of 40 3 St. Blaise 41 St. Ansgar 42 5 St. Agatha 43 6 St. Paul Miki and Companions 44 v CONTENTS vi 8 St. Emiliani 46 10 St. Scholastica 47 11 Our Lady of Lourdes 48 14 St. Cyril and St. Methodius 49 17 Seven Founders of the Order of Servites 51 21 St. 51 22 Chair of St. Peter 53 23 St. 53

MARCH 4 St. Casimir 56 7 St. Perpetua and St. Felicity 57 8 St. John of God 59 9 St. Frances of 60 17 St. Patrick 62 18 St. 65 19 St. 66 23 St. Turibius of Mongrovejo 68 25 The Annunciation 69

APRIL 2 St. Francis of Paola 74 4 St. Isidore 75 5 St. Vincent Ferrer 76 7 St. John Baptist de la Salle 77 11 St. Stanislaus 80 13 St. Martin I 81 16 St. Marie 82 21 St. Anselm 83 vii CONTENTS 23 St. George 84 24 St. Fidelis of Sigmaringen 85 25 St. Mark 86 28 St. 87 29 St. 89 30 St. Pius V 92

MAY

1 St. Joseph the Worker 96 2 St. Athanasius 97 3 St. Philip and St. James 99 12 St. Nereus and St. Archilleus 100 12 St. Pancras 101 14 St. Matthias 102 15 St. Isidore the Farmer 102 18 St. John I 103 20 St. Bernardine of Siena 104 25 Venerable 106 25 St. Gregory VII 107 25 St. de Pazzi 109 26 St. Philip Neri 110 27 St. 112 31 The Visitation of Mary 113

JUNE 1 St. Justin 116 2 St. Marcellinus and St. Peter 118 3 St. Charles Lwanga and Companions 118 5 St. Boniface 121 CONTENTS viii 6 St. Norbert 123 9 St. Ephrem 124 11 St. 125 13 St. 127 19 St. Romuald 128 21 St. Aloysius Gonzaga 129 22 St. Paulinus of Nola 131 22 St. 132 22 St. 134 24 The Birth of 136 27 St. 138 28 St. 139 29 St. Peter and St. Paul 140 30 First of the Church of Rome 144

JULY

3 St. Thomas 146 4 St. Elizabeth of 147 5 St. Anthony Zaccaria 148 6 St. 149 11 St. Benedict 150 13 St. Henry II 152 15 St. 153 16 Our Lady of Mount Carmel 155 18 St. Camillus de Lellis 156 21 St. 157 22 St. Mary Magdalene 159 23 St. Bridget of Sweden 161 25 St. James 163 26 Sts. Joachim and Ann 164 ix CONTENTS 29 St. 165 30 St. 166 31 St. Ignatius Loyola 167

AUGUST

1 St. 172 2 St. Eusebius of Vercelli 174 4 St. John Vianney 175 5 Dedication of St. Mary Major 177 6 The Transfiguration of Jesus 177 7 St. Sixtus II and Companions 178 7 St. Cajetan 179 8 St. Dominic 180 10 St. Lawrence 182 11 St. Clare 183 13 St. Pontian and St. Hippolytus 185 15 The Assumption of The Blessed Mary 186 16 St. Stephen of Hungary 187 19 St. John Eudes 189 20 St. Bernard 190 21 St. Pius X 192 22 The Queenship of Mary 193 23 St. 194 24 St. Bartholomew 195 25 St. Louis of 196 25 St. Joseph Calasanz 197 27 St. Monica 198 28 St. Augustine 201 29 The Beheading of St. John the Baptist 203 CONTENTS x SEPTEMBER

3 St. Gregory the Great 206 8 The Birth of Mary 209 9 St. 210 13 St. 211 14 The Triumph of the Holy Cross 213 15 Our Lady of Sorrows 213 16 St. Cornelius St. 214 17 St. 216 19 St. Januarius 217 21 St. Matthew 218 26 St. Cosmas and St. Damian 219 27 St. 220 28 St. Wenceslaus 222 29 Sts. , and 224 30 St. Jerome 224

OCTOBER

1 St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus 228 2 Guardian 231 4 St. 231 6 St. Bruno 235 7 Our Lady of the Rosary 236 9 St. Denis and Companions 237 9 St. John Leonardi 237 14 St. Callistus I 239 15 St. Teresa of Avila 240 16 St. Hedwig 242 16 St. Margaret Mary Alacoque 243 xi CONTENTS 17 St. 245 18 St. Luke 246 19 St. Jogues and St. John de Brébeuf and Companions 248 19 St. Paul of the Cross 250 23 St. John of Capistrano 252 24 St. Anthony Claret 253 28 St. Simon and St. Jude 255

NOVEMBER

1 All Saints 258 2 All Souls 259 3 St. Martin de Porres 260 4 St. Charles Borromeo 261 9 Dedication of the Church of St. John Lateran 263 10 St. Leo the Great 264 11 St. Martin of Tours 265 12 St. Josaphat 267 13 St. 268 15 St. Albert the Great 270 16 St. Margaret of Scotland 271 16 St. Gertrude 272 17 St. Elizabeth of Hungary 273 18 Dedication of the Churches of Sts. Peter and Paul 276 21 Presentation of Mary 277 22 St. Cecilia 278 23 St. Clement I 279 23 St. Columban 280 30 St. Andrew 281 CONTENTS xii DECEMBER

3 St. 284 4 St. John Damascene 287 6 St. Nicholas 288 7 St. 290 8 The of Mary 293 11 St. Damasus I 294 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe 296 13 St. Lucy 297 13 St. Odilia 298 14 St. 299 21 St. 301 23 St. John of Kanti 303 26 St. Stephen 304 27 St. 307 28 Holy Innocents 308 29 St. 310 31 St. Sylvester I 311

INDEX 313 9 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton JAN. 4

(1774-1821) ST. ELIZABETH January 4 ANN SETON

BORN IN on , 1774, of a prominent Episcopalian family, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton lived during the early years of the American republic and became a foundress of the young, American . Her father, Richard Bailey, was a distinguished New York physician. From the time of her mother’s death when she was three years old, she experi- enced an uneasy childhood, as shortly afterwards her father remarried and Elizabeth felt neglected by her stepmother. On January 25, 1794, at the age of nineteen, she married William Seton, a successful New York busi- nessman. Their life together was lively and happy. Five children, two boys and three girls, were born of their union. Elizabeth, friendly and widely pop- ular, enjoyed a busy social life. She was also a fer- vent member of Trinity Church in New York City, devoting herself to the church’s religious and social activities, especially to the care of the poor. Upon losing his fortune, her husband’s health began to fail towards the winter of 1803. Elizabeth sailed with him and her young daughter, Anna, for the warmer climate of to stay with the Filic- chi family, with whom they had become friendly through their business affairs. Her husband’s con- dition worsened during the voyage. Unfortunately, when they docked at the port of Leghorn, Italy, JAN. 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 10 they were immediately quarantined in damp, iso- lated quarters because of a threat of plague. On De- cember 27, 1803, William Seton died there. The young widow and her daughter were released and found a home with the devotedly Catholic Filic- chis. “The patience of these dear Filicchis,” Eliz- abeth wrote in her journal. “You would think it was our Savior himself they received in his poor and sick strangers.” As she experienced the faith of this family and the Catholic faith and practices of the people, es- pecially their devotion to the Blessed , Elizabeth was drawn to the Catholic Church. Eliz- abeth returned to New York in May of 1804. On March 14, 1805, she became a Catholic after endur- ing much struggle within herself and opposition from family and friends. As a new convert, she enthusiastically embraced her new faith and became a zealous member of a church which then had few members and little so- cial prestige. With the encouragement of other pioneer Catholic leaders, like Archbishop Carroll of Baltimore, she opened the first American Catho- lic school in Baltimore in 1808 and established a religious community of women, the Sisters of Char- ity, in Emmitsburg, , in 1809. Her small community grew and opened schools and orphan- ages in New York and Philadelphia. Mother Seton has been called the foundress of the Catholic school system in the . Today her followers minister throughout the Church in the

JAN. 4 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 12 United States in schools, hospitals, and various works of charity. Mother Seton remained a devoted mother to her children and to those women who joined her. Loyal to the Church she loved, she said to her sisters as she lay dying: “Be children of the Church; be children of the Church.” Her death occurred on January 4, 1821, and she is buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland. A few months after she died, her friend and ad- visor, Father Bruté, wrote to her old friend, Antonio Filicchi: “Near home we deposited her precious re- mains on the day following her death. In this little wood she rests with about fifteen sisters and novices who had come to join her. She leaves more than fifty sisters to survive her, to regret her and to follow in her footsteps . . . She lived only for her sisters and for the per- formance of her holy duties. Her distinguishing characteristic was com- passion and indulgence for poor sinners. Her charity made her watchful never to speak evil of others . . . Her special virtues were her at- tachment to her friends and her gratitude . . . Her heart was compassionate, religious, lavish of every good in her possession, disinterested in regard to all things.” Elizabeth Ann Seton was beatified on March 17, 1963, and was canonized on , 1975. 13 St. John Nepomucene Neumann JAN. 5 She is the first native born North American to be so honored. O God, As a little child relies On a care beyond his own, Let me thus with thee abide As my father, guard and guide. A prayer of Mother Seton

(1811-1860) ST. JOHN January 5 NEPOMUCENE NEUMANN

ST. JOHN NEPOMUCENE NEUMANN was born in Bo- hemia on March 20, 1811, into a devout Catholic family. He was gifted with a quick mind for study and a rare ability for languages. Desiring to become a , he entered his native seminary in 1831. There he heard reports of the desperate situation of the Church in the New World and began to yearn to serve God as a priest in the new American mis- sion. He applied for ordination to various American dioceses, but received no answer from them. Final- ly, trusting that God wished him to leave his own land for another, he left his family and with about forty dollars in his pocket sailed for New York. He arrived in New York on May 28, 1836. Bishop James Dubois of New York welcomed him and ordained him on June 25, 1836, at old St. Patrick’s Cathedral. MAR. 17 St. Patrick 62 Merciful Father, help us to serve you faithfully in all the situations of our life.

March 17 ST. PATRICK (385-461) bishop

ST. PATRICK was born about 385 in either Dumbar- ton on the Clyde or Cumberland to the south of Hadrian’s Wall. He was of Roman-British heritage and his father, Calpurnius, was a deacon and a mu- nicipal official. He was seized from his father’s farm at age sixteen by Irish raiders who sold him into slavery in pagan Ireland. Six years later, he escaped and returned to his home. His captivity, however, had a deep religious effect on him and he longed to bring his Christian faith to the Irish people. In a dream, he heard “the voice of the Irish” calling him back. Patrick studied at the monastery of Lérins, off the coast of France from 412 to 415. He spent his next fifteen years at Auxerre, France and was prob- ably ordained about 417 by St. Amator. About 432, Patrick was appointed bishop by Ger- manus and went to Ireland to succeed Bishop Palladius. He went to the north and west of Ireland where the local Irish leaders welcomed him. Soon he established churches throughout the country and, though opposed fiercely by the pagan Druids,

MAR. 17 St. Patrick 64 converted many. In 444, after visiting Rome, Patrick established his episcopal see in Armagh, which became the focal point of the Catholic Church’s ministry in Ireland. Patrick’s own account of his conversion and mis- sionary life is known as the Confessio . In it he saw himself as a humble instrument in God’s hands, given gifts of wisdom and strength to bring an alien people to the true faith. “I am ready to give my life most willingly; to spend myself even to death in this country . . . Among this people I want to wait for the promise made by Christ in the , ‘They shall come from the east and the west, and sit down with , Isaac and .’ ” Patrick died in 461 at Saul on Strangford Lough. He is the patron of Ireland.

I arise today Through God’s strength to pilot me, God’s might to uphold me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s eye to look before me, God’s ear to hear me, God’s word to speak for me, God’s hand to guard me, God’s way to lie before me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s host to save me From snares of devils, From temptations of vices, From every one who shall wish me ill, 65 St. Cyril of Jerusalem MAR. 18 Afar and anear, Alone and in a multitude. . . . St. Patrick

(315-386) ST. CYRIL March 18 OF JERUSALEM bishop and doctor

ST. CYRIL was born in 315, raised and educated in Jerusalem. He was ordained by Maximus, Bishop of Jerusalem. He instructed the catechumens for several years and was made Bishop of Jerusalem in 349. At the time, the Church was confronted with the Arian heresy and Cyril staunchly defended the divinity of Christ. Because of his beliefs, Cyril was expelled from Jerusalem in 357 by Acacius, the Arian Bishop of Caesarea. Cyril went to Tarsus and was reinstated by the Council of Seleucia in 359. In 360, he was again exiled by Acacius, through the intervention of Emperor Constantius, but reinstated by his suc- cessor, Emperor Julian, in 361. Cyril was expelled for a third time in 367 by the Arian Emperor, Valens. He returned to Jerusalem in 378 and remained there for the rest of his life. Cyril and attended the General Council of Constantinople in 381. At this Council, Cyril accepted the amended version of the Nicene Creed. His great sermons on the Nicene Creed and the , which survive even today, reveal his deep faith and an ability to teach the mysteries