St. Gerard Majella, October 16



St. Gerard Majella, Miracle at the Well.

Bl. Gerard Majella, of the Congregation of the Redemptorists
One of his ecstasies before the image of the Most Holy Virgin.


In Macedonia, in the House of the Cappucines, St. Gerard before an image of the Madonna, shouting: Behold how beautiful, goes into ecstasy in the presence of many priests and lords.


St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, May 25

 A Powerful Prayer to be said before praying:
"Almighty Father,
I place the Precious Blood of Jesus before my lips before I pray, that my prayers may be purified before they ascend to Your divine altar."
~St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi. Carmelite

Sts. Joachim and Anne, July 26

Queen of All Saints
St. Benedict's Summer Feast Day July 11

Winter Feast Day
March 21

St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, October 16


"Behold this Heart that has so loved men."
Bouasse Lebel

Upon her canonization, October 17 (the day of her death) was set as the memorial of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. Following Vatican ll, in 1969 that date was assigned to St. Ignatius of Antioch, and the memorial of St. Margaret Mary was moved to Oct.16. Many continue to commemorate St. Margaret Mary on October 17.





St. Martha: Feast Day, July 29


Martha, Martha,
one thing only is needful.
St. Augustine's sermon
on Martha and Mary

Feast of St. Martha

Santo Hermano Pedro, April 25

St. Hermano Pedro
"The St. Francis of the Americas"
Saint Hermano Pedro de San José de Betancurt is Guatemala's and Central America's first saint.

Sts. Cyril and Methodius: Feast Day, February 14

By you O Mother and Virgin, heaven trembles with elation and the angels and the archangels rejoice. ~St Cyril
Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Co- Patrons (with St Benedict, St Edith Stein, and St Bridget of Sweden) of Europe
"...the funeral Mass was held in all three liturgical languages: Latin, Greek, and Slavonic.  Rivers of faithful who had received Christ through the achievements of these two missionaries flowed for days as they paid their respects after the funeral.Their lives are a testimony of love, pure and simple.  They loved their God and the souls they served more than themselves, and so they gave their lives in honor of that love.  Such is the perfect valentine, if you ask me.  So I say again what I already said, and I mean it: have a very happy Valentine’s Day, today and every day. "
by Father John Bartunek, LC | Source: Catholic.net

St. John Apostle & Evangelist: Feast Days, December 27 and May 8

St. John Apostle & Evangelist
LINK:

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist
Society of St. Augustine
 
St. John the Aposte by Lucas van Leyden (ca. 1490 - 1533)

St. John of the Cross, Carmelite Solemnity, December 14

John of the Cross: My House Being Now At Rest ~ ENLARGING THE HEART

St. John of the Cross Doctor of Mystical Theology Carmelite

Video with music:
St. John of the Cross: Spiritual Canticle


CONTEMPLATION St. John of the Cross sculpture by Magdeleine Weerts  
Our whole life is a prayer, a loving and adoring contemplation that nothing must interrupt. ~  Charles de Fouchauld

St. Nicholas, Bishop: Memorial, December 6

St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra

Sermon by St. Augustine for the
Feast of St. Nicholas

______________________

St. Nicholas of Bari
St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra
Greek (270 – 6 December 346)
Because his relics were translated to Bari in southern Italy in 1087, he is  also known a St. Nicolas of Bari.
Beloved by both Eastern and Western Christians, he is also known as St. Nicholas the Wonderworker because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession.

St. Elisabeth of Hungary: Memorial, November 17

"Remember always that you are made by the hands of God, and act accordingly."
~ St. Elisabeth of Hungary

Story of
St. Elisabeth of Hungary

Hungarian Cinnamon Bread 
From Catholic Cuisine 


                                                                                

St. Gertrude the Great, November 16

St. Gertrude
Turgis, Paris
2003

Prayer of St. Gertrude the Great for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St. Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from Purgatory each times it is said:

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.


St. Gertrude the Great 
St. Gertrude the Great Abbess
From these sources we learn that St. Teresa of Avila "chose her as her model and guide" and " sought her intercessory prayer often."
"Look at my heart,
and it will be your
temple."
~St. Gertrude

St. Hubert: Feast Day, November 3

After seeing The Cross between the antlers of a deer he was about to kill and at the same moment hearing the voice of Jesus begging him to repent, St. Hubert returned to the faith, gave up hunting and became a holy priest.  Why he was made patron saint of hunters is a mystery to me! 
On Nov 3 his feast day, in 
A Year of  Prayer, I found this Prayer to St. Hubertus
Great St. Hubert, you were passionate about hunting, but when touched by Divine Grace, you put down your bow and took up the collar of Priesthood. Known for your miracles and the conversion of hundreds, you convinced others to worship and glorify Our Lord.
Moved by your example, I implore your help. I ask for the Grace to follow in your footsteps and become a passionate disciple of Christ. Amen.

Pope St. Leo the Great: Feast Day, November 10

Leo the Great: Lift Your Faithful Hearts to the Gracious Blaze of Eternal Light ~ ENLARGING THE HEART

St. Pope St. Leo the Great, 
Doctor of Unity of the Church

In the newer Roman calendar November 10 is the feast of Pope Saint Leo I, “the Great”.  In the older, traditional calendar, his feast is 11 April.

St. Teresa of Jesus, Carmelite Solemnity, October 15

Teresa of Avila: Spiritual Battles and Interior Peace ~ ENLARGING THE HEART

 St. Teresa of Jesus, Doctor of  Prayer


 




Sainte Thérèse 
(St. Teresa of Jesus)
print from an engraving attributed to Demarteau 
Art Catholique #279 
 6 Place St. Sulpice 
circa late 1800's
----------------------


Portrait European post card


St. Francis of Assisi: Memorial, Oct. 4

St. Francis Praying for the Animals
___________________
St. Francis
engraving
late 18th or early 19th cent. 
Italy

St. Augustine: Feast day, August 28


Augustine of Hippo: God Enlarges the Capacity of Our Soul that He may Fill Us with His Presence ~ ENLARGING THE HEART

St. Augustine, 354-430
Doctor of Grace

2 favorite quotations:

"If you are the Body of Christ and his members, your divine mystery is set on the table of the Lord; you receive your own mystery...  Be what you see and receive what you are."
St. Augustine

"And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here."
St. Augustine


St. Bernard of Clairvaux: Feast Day, August 20

Bernard of Clairvaux: “Saviour” Is His Name From Everlasting; He Has It Of His Own Proper Nature To Save ~ ENLARGING THE HEART

St. Bernard of Clairvaux
The Mellifluous Doctor

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Link to The Memorare

"The soul must grow and expand, so as to be capable of God. And its largeness is its love, as the Apostle says, 'Widen yourselves in love' (2 Cor 6:13). It grows and extends spiritually, not in substance, but in virtue. The greatness of each soul is judged by the measure of love that it has: he who has great love is great, he who has little love is little, while he who has no love at all is nothing.” ~ Bernard of Clairvaux ~