SAINT JOHN VIANNEY

ST. JOHN VIANNEY

CURE OF ARS

John Vianney
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney (8 May 1786 – 4 August 1859), commonly known in English as St John Vianney, was a French parish priest who in the Catholic Church is venerated as a saint and as the patron saint of all priests.

He is often referred to as the "Curé d'Ars". He became internationally notable for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish because of the radical spiritual transformation of the community and its surroundings. Catholics attribute this to his saintly life, mortification, his persevering ministry in the sacrament of confession, and his ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Philomena.

In 1959, Pope John XXIII issued Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia, an encyclical on Vianney. Pope John Paul II himself visited Ars in 1986 at the 200th anniversary of John Vianney’s birth and referred to the great saint as a “rare example of a pastor acutely aware of his responsibilities...and a sign of courage for those who today experience the grace of being called to the priesthood.”

In honor of the 150th anniversary of Vianney's death, Pope Benedict XVI declared a year for priests, running from the feast of the Sacred Heart 2009-2010.

Pope Benedict XVI placed the Year of the Priest also known as the Year for Priests (June 2009-June 2010) under St John Vianney's patronage.


DOES RELIGIOUS PICTURES MAKE A FAMILY GOOD?

Religious pictures of themselves will not make a family good. Only when they are contemplated upon, are they a practical way to help true Christian sentiment, and to a true Christian way of living in the family. (September 15, 2014 - 10:43AM)


WHO ARE MOST TEMPTED?

So, you will ask me, who then are the people most tempted? They are these, my friends; note them carefully. The people most tempted are those who are ready, with the grace of God, to sacrifice everything for the salvation of their poor souls, who renounce all those things which most people eagerly seek. It is not one devil only who tempts them, but millions seek to entrap them. (November 9, 2011 ; December 7, 2012 - 7:13 AM)

DO FOR GOD WHAT YOU DO FOR THE WORLD

If people would do for God what they do for the world, my dear people, what a great number of Christians would go to Heaven! But if you dear children, had to pass three or four hours praying in a Church, as you pass them at a dance or in a cabaret, how heavily the world would press upon you. (February 21, 2013 - 7:06 AM; March 21, 2013 - 6:05AM; April 21, 2013 - 6:05AM, August 21, 2013 - 7:41 AM)


SHUN THE OCCASIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF SIN

It is necessary, too, that we shun the occasions which have been the cause of sin. We must have recourse to fervent prayer, receive frequently and worthily the sacraments. He who does this will be sure to persevere. (December 13, 2010)





Published:
September 15, 2014, 10:45 AM

St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, martyrs

"You can burn our bodies, but you cannot harm our souls."

Born  : January 1, 1860, Kingdom of Buganda
Died  : June 3, 1886 (aged 26), Namugongo, Kingdom of Buganda
Beatified :     1920, Rome, Kingdom of Italy, by Pope Benedict XV
Canonized :     18 October 1964, Uganda, by Pope Paul VI
Patronage:     African Catholic Youth Action, converts, torture victims


For those of us who think that the faith and zeal of the early Christians died out as the Church grew more safe and powerful through the centuries, the martyrs of Uganda are a reminder that persecution of Christians continues in modern times, even to the present day.

The Society of Missionaries of Africa (known as the White Fathers) had only been in Uganda for 6 years and yet they had built up a community of converts whose faith would outshine their own. The earliest converts were soon instructing and leading new converts that the White Fathers couldn't reach. Many of these converts lived and taught at King Mwanga's court.

King Mwanga was a violent ruler and pedophile who forced himself on the young boys and men who served him as pages and attendants. The Christians at Mwanga's court who tried to protect the pages from King Mwanga.

The leader of the small community of 200 Christians, was the chief steward of Mwanga's court, a twenty-five-year-old Catholic named Joseph Mkasa (or Mukasa).

When Mwanga killed a Protestant missionary and his companions, Joseph Mkasa confronted Mwanga and condemned his action. Mwanga had always liked Joseph but when Joseph dared to demand that Mwanga change his lifestyle, Mwanga forgot their long friendship. After striking Joseph with a spear, Mwanga ordered him killed. When the executioners tried to tie Joseph's hands, he told them, "A Christian who gives his life for God is not afraid to die." He forgave Mwanga with all his heart but made one final plea for his repentance before he was beheaded and then burned on November 15, 1885.

Charles Lwanga took over the instruction and leadership of the Christian community at court -- and the charge of keeping the young boys and men out of Mwanga's hands. Perhaps Joseph's plea for repentance had had some affect on Mwanga because the persecution died down for six months.

Anger and suspicion must have been simmering in Mwanga, however. In May 1886 he called one of his pages named Mwafu and asked what the page had been doing that kept him away from Mwanga. When the page replied that he had been receiving religious instruction from Denis Sebuggwawo, Mwanga's temper boiled over. He had Denis brought to him and killed him himself by thrusting a spear through his throat.

He then ordered that the royal compound be sealed and guarded so that no one could escape and summoned the country's executioners. Knowing what was coming, Charles Lwanga baptized four catechumens that night, including a thirteen-year-old named Kizito. The next morning Mwanga brought his whole court before him and separated the Christians from the rest by saying, "Those who do not pray stand by me, those who do pray stand over there." He demanded of the fifteen boys and young men (all under 25) if they were Christians and intended to remain Christians. When they answered "Yes" with strength and courage Mwanga condemned them to death.

He commanded that the group be taken on a 37 mile trek to the place of execution at Namugongo. The chief executioner begged one of the boys, his own son, Mabaga, to escape and hide but Mbaga refused. The cruelly-bound prisoners passed the home of the White Fathers on their way to execution. Father Lourdel remembered thirteen-year-old Kizito laughing and chattering. Lourdel almost fainted at the courage and joy these condemned converts, his friends, showed on their way to martyrdom. Three of these faithful were killed on road.

A Christian soldier named James Buzabaliawo was brought before the king. When Mwanga ordered him to be killed with the rest, James said, "Goodbye, then. I am going to Heaven, and I will pray to God for you." When a griefstricken Father Lourdel raised his hand in absolution as James passed, James lifted his own tied hands and pointed up to show that he knew he was going to heaven and would meet Father Lourdel there. With a smile he said to Lourdel, "Why are you so sad? This nothing to the joys you have taught us to look forward to."

Also condemned were Andrew Kagwa, a Kigowa chief, who had converted his wife and several others, and Matthias Murumba (or Kalemba) an assistant judge. The chief counsellor was so furious with Andrew that he proclaimed he wouldn't eat until he knew Andrew was dead. When the executioners hesitated Andrew egged them on by saying, "Don't keep your counsellor hungry -- kill me." When the same counsellor described what he was going to do with Matthias, he added, "No doubt his god will rescue him." "Yes," Matthias replied, "God will rescue me. But you will not see how he does it, because he will take my soul and leave you only my body." Matthias was cut up on the road and left to die -- it took him at least three days.

The original caravan reached Namugongo and the survivors were kept imprisoned for seven days. On June 3, they were brought out, wrapped in reed mats, and placed on the pyre. Mbaga was killed first by order of his father, the chief executioner, who had tried one last time to change his son's mind. The rest were burned to death. Thirteen Catholics and eleven Protestants died. They died calling on the name of Jesus and proclaiming, "You can burn our bodies, but you cannot harm our souls."

When the White Fathers were expelled from the country, the new Christians carried on their work, translating and printing the catechism into their natively language and giving secret instruction on the faith. Without priests, liturgy, and sacraments their faith, intelligence, courage, and wisdom kept the Catholic Church alive and growing in Uganda. When the White Fathers returned after King Mwanga's death, they found five hundred Christians and one thousand catchumens waiting for them. The twenty-two Catholic martyrs of the Uganda persecution were canonized.

Blessed Michael Giedroyc

A life of physical pain and mental torment didn’t prevent Michael Giedroyc from achieving holiness.

Born near Vilnius, Lithuania, Michael suffered from physical and permanent handicaps from birth. He was a dwarf who had the use of only one foot. Because of his delicate physical condition, his formal education was frequently interrupted. But over time, Michael showed special skills at metalwork. Working with bronze and silver, he created sacred vessels, including chalices.

He traveled to Cracow Poland, where he joined the Augustinians. He received permission to live the life of a hermit in a cell adjoining the monastery. There Michael spent his days in prayer, fasted and abstained from all meat and lived to an old age. Though he knew the meaning of suffering throughout his years, his rich spiritual life brought him consolation. Michael’s long life ended in 1485 in Cracow.

Five hundred years later, Pope John Paul II visited the city and spoke to the faculty of the Pontifical Academy of Theology. The 15th century in Cracow, the pope said, was “the century of saints.” Among those he cited was Blessed Michael Giedroyc. (http://www.beliefnet.com)

St. Philip and St. James

Why do we celebrate the feasts of St. Philip and St. James the Less on the same day? Because they were both apostles? No, we celebrate them on the same day because their relics were brought to Rome together on the same day in early May. They rest there still, in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles.

You may be wondering why this apostle James is called “the Lesser.” It is to distinguish him from the other apostle, James, the son of Zebedee, the brother of John, and the one known as “James the Greater,” whose feast day is July 25. It’s not meant to belittle or deride. James the lesser was, after all, chosen by Jesus Christ to be one of the twelve pillars of the Church. It’s a bit like calling one James “Jamie” to distinguish him from another James in the household. We find him listed in the gospels as James the son of Alphaeus.

James was martyred in Jerusalem around Passover during the time Nero was Emperor of Rome. He was arrested and ordered to stand atop a wall in Jerusalem and preach against Christ. James climbed the wall as ordered and then preached the death and resurrection of Christ. Soldiers threw him off the wall. When the fall did not kill him, they began to stone him until he died, a faithful follower of the Christ who called him.

We know Philip best from the Gospel of John, chapter one. Jesus himself calls Philip, saying, “Follow me.” And Philip did follow. He heard the call Jesus issues to each of us and followed. Then Philip began to call others. He told Nathanael, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets. Jesus son of Joseph from Galilee.” Nathanael is underwhelmed. He asks, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip doesn’t argue or try to top his friend’s flippant remark. He simply says, “Come and see,” trusting that all who come and see will discover the Lord.

Philip was killed in Greece under the reign of the Roman emperor, Domitian. Tradition says he was crucified upside down, like James, a faithful follower of the One who called him.

Saints Philip and James, pray for us.


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