Cristy Li

Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer
Image: TLDM

(Franciscan Media) Clement Hofbauer, was born the day after Christmas 1751 in Moravia Tasswitz (modern day Czech Republic) and was the 9th of 12 children–although he longed to enter the Priesthood, his family couldn’t afford it as his father died when he was just 6 yrs old according to SQPN.com and young Clement had to accept an apprenticeship to a Baker but God was guiding this young mans fortunes–finding work in the Bakery of a Monastery where he was permitted to attend classes in its Latin school.

After the Abbot at the Monastery passed away, Clement attempted to live the life in solitude and prayer but when Emperor Joseph II abolished monasteries and religious orders, Clement returned to Vienna and Baking.

One day after serving Mass at the Cathedral of St. Stephen, Clement called for a carriage for two ladies waiting in the rain, in conversation with them, they learned that Clement could not pursue his studies for the Priesthood because of a lack of funds–They generously offered to financially support him and his friend Thaddeus, in seminary studies.

Clement and Thaddeus went to Rome where they were drawn to St. Alphonsus and the Redemptorists and entered among them–the two young men were ordained in 1785

As new Priests, Fr. Clement Mary (as he was now called) and Fr. Thaddeus, were sent back to Vienna but religious difficulties persisted there, resulting them having to leave and go to Poland Warsaw, there they encountered many German speaking Catholics who had been left without Priests.

At first, they lived in extreme poverty and ministered outdoors, subsequently they were assigned to St. Benno Catholic Church and for the next 9 yrs they preached 5 sermons a day–two in German and three in Polish, converting many to Christianity. There they were also active in social work among the poor, founding an orphanage and then a school for boys.

Drawing new Parishioners to their congregation they were able to send Missionaries throughout Poland, Germany and Switzerland but all of these foundations had to be abandoned because of the political and religious tensions of the times.

After some 20 years of difficult work Fr. Clement Mary was imprisoned and later expelled from the country–Only after a subsequent arrest did he make it back to Vienna where he was to live and work for the remainder of his life.

Fr. Clement Mary soon became known as the ‘Apostle of Vienna’ hearing the confessions of the rich and poor alike, visiting the sick and establishing a Catholic college in his beloved city.

One of the most remarkable of the many figures behind the scenes at the Congress of Vienna was Fr. Clement Mary, helping to establish the Redemptorists following his death and as a consequence to this achievement, he was regarded by the Redemptorists as their second founder.

Fr. Clement Mary Hofbrauer, was Beatified in January, 1888 by Pope Leo XIII In May, 1909 he was Canonized by Pope Pius X and in 1914 was named the Patron Saint of Austria, Vienna.

Saint Louise de Marillac (1591-1660)
Image: The Journey of a Bishop

(Franciscan Media) Louise was born in France Meux and lost her mother, when she was yet a child and her beloved father when she was just 15 yrs old–Educated at the Dominican Convent at Poissy, Louise felt called to lead a religious life however after consulting her confessor, she decided not to pursue this vocation and instead was married in 1613 to Antony LeGras, a court official to the Queen.

Antony and Louise were blessed with a son in 1617 however shortly thereafter, Antony fell ill and Louise found herself caring for their son virtually alone and nursing her sick husband, after a long battle, Antony died in 1625

Following Antony’s death, Louise once again began thinking about joining a religious community and met with Fr. Vincent de Paul as her spiritual director, with his encouragement and direction, Louise formed a group of Women ‘Daughters of Charity’ dedicated to serving the sick, poor and neglected.

In 1642 Louise wrote the formal Rule for the ‘Daughters of Charity’ and in 1655 they received formal approval from the Vatican and placed under the direction of Fr. Vincent de Paul congregation of priests–Louise subsequently took her vows in the new Order and served as Superior for the rest of her life.

Sister Louise worked zealously continuing to help wherever she was needed and subsequently traveled throughout France, forming convents and instituting the ‘Daughters of Charity’ workers in hospitals, orphanages and other institutions dedicated to helping the neglected and the ill until her death on this day in 1660 in Paris.

In 1920 Sister Louise was Beatified by Pope Benedict XV and in 1934 Canonized by Pope Pius XI

More here from EWTN

Saint Maximilian (274-295)
Image: Vidas Santas

(Franciscan Media) Maximilian the son of Fabius Victor, a Roman Army Veteran according to Rev Alban Butler (1711-1773) Lives of the Saints Vol III  Maximilian was drafted into the military at the age of 21 but refused to swear allegiance to the Roman Emperor, serving in the military on the grounds of being a conscientious objector and was brought before Proconsul Dion, who advised him that he must serve or die.

Maximilian replied: “I will never serve. You can cut off my head but I will not be a soldier of this world for I am a soldier of Christ. My army is the Army of God and I cannot fight for this world, I tell you, I am a Christian.”

Proconsul Dion replied: “There are Christian soldiers serving our rulers…”

Maximilian though continued to refuse to serve and at the age of 21 offered his life to God in lieu of military service and was beheaded in Numidia, an ancient Roman empire city which is now present day Algeria.

St. Leander of Seville (550-600)
Image: Catholic Online

(Franciscan Media) Leander was born in Spain Cartagena of a family that included three other sibling Saints: Isidore, Fulgentius and Florentina — Leander became a Monk at Seville and later Bishop of the Holy See.

Saint Leander of Seville, is remembered for revising and unifying the Spanish  liturgy as a way to reinforce the faith of other Spaniards and as an antidote against the heresy of Arianism which denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. By the end of Leander’s life, Christianity flourished in Spain at a time of political and religious unrest.

Leander presided over the ‘Third Council of Toledo’ in 589 and introduced the saying the Nicene Creed at Mass so that Christians could continually be reminded that “God is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity–Our creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and foundation of all God’s works.”

Mosaic of the Martyrdom of St. John Ogilvie
Image Courtesy: Jesuits of Britain

(CNA) John Ogilvie was born in 1579 and was the son of a respected Calvinist family who came home to the Catholic Church subsequent to receiving his education from the Benedictines and Jesuits. In 1599 he entered the ‘Society of Jesus’ subsequent to extensive study and training, John became a Jesuit Priest in Paris in 1610

Fr. John Ogilvie greatly wanted to return back home to Scotland to encourage its return to the Catholic Church. John met two Jesuits who had just previously returned from Scotland, according to Franciscan Media after suffering arrest and imprisonment for their faith–they saw little hope for any successful work there in view of the tightening penal laws but a fire had been lit with Fr. Ogilvie and for the next two years he pleaded to be a missionary there.

Sent by his Superiors, Fr. Ogilvie secretly entered Scotland as a horse trader. Being unable to do any significant work amongst the few Catholics there, he made his way back to Paris to consult his Superiors–Rebuked for having left his assignment in Scotland, Fr. Ogilvie was sent back and had some success in his missionary work and in secretly serving Scottish Catholics but soon was betrayed, arrested and brought before the court.

Fr. Ogilvie’s trial dragged on and he was deprived of food and sleep for 8 days and nights he was dragged around, prodded with sharp sticks and his hair pulled out in an effort to betray the names of other Catholics in Scotland, yet he refused to reveal the names of others and acknowledge the jurisdiction of the King despite his distress–he was put on trial a second and third time but held firm in his convictions.

At Fr. Ogilvie’s third and final trial. he assured his persecutors:

“In all that concerns the King, I will be slavishly obedient. If any attack his temporal power, I will shed my last drop of blood for him but in the things of spiritual jurisdiction which a King unjustly seizes, I cannot and must not obey.”

Condemned to death as a traitor, Fr. Ogilvie was faithful to the end, even when on the scaffold, he was offered his freedom and a fine living if only he would deny his faith.

Fr. John Ogilvie’s last words before he was martyred for Jesus Christ were: “If there be any hidden Catholics let them pray for me but the prayers of heretics, I will not have.”

After Fr. Ogilvie was pushed from the stairs hanging, he threw his concealed rosary beads into the crowd according to the Jesuits of Britain and it’s claimed, that one of his enemies caught them and became a devout lifelong Catholic–subsequently his followers were rounded up and imprisoned, while they incurred heavy fines, none were executed.

Fr. John Ogilvie was Beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929 and subsequently Canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1976

Saint Dominic Savio (1842-1857)
Image: The Pinoy Catholic

(Vatican) Dominic was born in Northern Italy in the Province of Turin, to humble but very devout Christian parents. While still a very young boy, Dominic decided that he wanted to emulate Jesus Christ and would avoid anything that would distance himself from the Lord.

At the age of 7, Dominic made his first Holy Communion and at the age of 12, he joined Saint John Bosco as a student at the ‘Oratory of St. Francis de Sales for Boys.’ Dominic impressed John Bosco with his desire to become a Priest and to help him in his work with neglected boys. A peacemaker and an organizer, young Dominic founded a group he called the ‘Company of the Immaculate Conception’ which besides being devotional, aided John Bosco with the boys that he worked with.

Dominic was known to spend hours in prayer as a youth, his soul interest was God and  how to lead others to use all their strength to serve Him–Dominic’s happiness he called “my distractions’ according to Franciscan Media and even in play, Dominic said that at times, “It seems heaven is opening just above me. I am afraid I may say or do something that will make the other boys laugh.” Dominic would say, “I can’t do big things but I want all I do, even the smallest thing, to be for the greater glory of God.”

Always in frail health Dominic developed lung problems and was sent home to recuperate. As was the custom of his day, Dominic was bled in the though that may help him but it only worsened his already frail condition.

Dominic passed away at the age of 15 after receiving the Last Sacraments–the first biography of Dominic was written by his teacher Saint John Bosco and those pages led to many vocations including that of future Pope Benedict XV, who watched over the Holy Childhood Society with loving concern.

Some thought Dominic was too young to be considered a Saint, Pope Pius XII declared that the opposite was true–Dominic was Beatified on the 05 March, 1950 and was Canonized four years later.

More here from EWTN

Saint Frances of Rome (1384-1440)
Image: Catholic Culture

(Franciscan Media) Born in Rome to a noble family, Frances desired a life of prayer and service, longing to enter a convent when she was young but in obedience to her parents she instead married at the age of twelve to a young nobleman Lorenzo de Ponziani and became a devoted young wife, homemaker and good mother to two sons and a daughter.

As Frances became acquainted with her new relatives, she soon discovered that her sister-in-law Vannozza also wished to live a life of service and prayer–with their husbands blessings, the two set out to become lay persons with the Benedictine Oblate Congregation of ‘Tor di Speechi’ and organized a group of Women to minister to the needs of Rome’s poor.

Frances spent much of her time in prayer and doing great works of charity, she cared for victims of epidemics and wars–In 1409 Lorenzo was forced into exile because of a civil war, he returned 5 yrs later a broken man–Frances cared for him, along with her other activities, the family flourished under Frances care until a great plague swept across Italy, striking Rome with devastating cruelty leaving two of Frances’ children dead–following which she opened a section of her home as a hospital.

In an effort to alleviate some of the suffering in the country, Frances sold off all of her possessions to buy for the sick and dying, all they may require. When all of their resources became exhausted, Frances and Vannozza went door-to-door seeking charity of others.

Following the death of Lorenzo in 1436 after 40 years of marriage, Frances founded and governed the Congregation of Mt Olivet and spent the remaining four years of her life living with the community until her death at the age of fifty six.

Frances was Canonized in by Pope Paul V in May, 1608

More here on the Life of St. Frances by Lady Georgiana Fullerton

Martyrdom of Saints Perpetua & Felicity
(Artwork: Felix Louis Leuiller)
Image Courtesy: Meldelen@Flickr

(Franciscan Media) Perpetua on the eve of her martyrdom said:

“When my father in his affection for me was trying to turn me from my purpose by arguments and thus weaken my faith, I said to him: Do you see this vessel–waterpot or whatever it may be, can it be called by any other name than what it is? No he replied. So also I can not call myself by any other name than what I am–Christian.”

Perpetua was a young, beautiful and well educated noblewoman of Roman Province of Africa Carthage, mother of an infant son and chronicler of the the Christians by Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (145-211)

Despite threats of persecution and death Perpetua and Felicity (a slave and expectant mother) together with three companions–Revocatus, Secundulus and Saturninus, refused to renounce their Christian faith and were sent to the ‘public games’ in the amphitheater and killed.

Perpetua’s mother a Christian and her father a pagan, who had constantly pleaded with her to renounce her Christian faith, she was imprisoned at the age of twenty two.

In Perpetua diary, she described her period of captivity:

“What a day of horror, terrible heat, owing to the crowds –rough treatment by the soldiers. To crown all, I was tormented with anxiety for my baby…Such anxieties I suffer for many days but I obtained leave for my baby to remain in the prison with me and being relieved of my trouble and anxiety for him, I at once recovered my health and my prison became a palace to me and I would rather been there than anywhere else.”

Imprisoned Felicity gave birth to a baby girl just a few days before the so called ‘games’ in commenced.

Perpetua’s record of her trial and imprisonment ends the day before the games:

“Of what was done in the games themselves, let him write who will.”

The diary was finished by an eyewitness.

Related: Full Biographies here of Saints Perpetua and Felicity –EWTN