Wow! Another saint whose body has been preserved incorrupt! I must see if I can find a video of it! One thing strikes me about her is her longing to die and go to heaven; it reminds me of St Therese of Liseaux. https://anastpaul.com/2020/05/20/sa...scencia-perez-fmh-1897-1932-sister-sweetness/
SAINT OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY, 20 MAY, 2026 SAINT BERNARDINE OF SIENA PRIEST (8 September 1380 - 20 May 1444) Bernardine was born in Carrara, Italy, in 1380. Even as a boy he nursed the sick during a time of pestilence in Siena. During a severe illness he decided upon entering a monastery and becoming a Franciscan. His superiors assigned him the task of preaching, and he submitted humbly despite a throat affliction. God heard his petition, and the ailment was miraculously cured. A powerful and eloquent preacher (Pius II called him "a second Paul") and a zealous apostle, Bernardine traveled the length and breadth of Italy, inculcating love and reverence toward the Holy Name of Jesus. He exerted a powerful influence upon his contemporaries, inaugurating a genuine reformation within the Church. Seldom has a saint had so many and so distinguished followers (including St. John Capistran). Upon entering a city, Bernardine had a standard carried before him upon which was the Holy Name of Jesus (IHS) encircled with twelve golden rays and surmounted by a cross. When he preached, this symbol was placed alongside the pulpit; or he would hold in his hand a tablet bearing the divine monogram in letters large enough to be visible to the entire audience. It was also his zealous appeals that induced many priests to put the Name of Jesus on the altars and walls of their churches, or to have little cards with the inscription distributed among the people. At his instigation the public buildings in many cities of Italy were adorned with the monogram suitably enlarged, as can still be seen in Siena. At the Council of Florence St. Bernardine labored strenuously to end the schism (1439). Amidst the greatest applause and honors, the most sincere humility always appeared in his words and actions; and he ever studied to conceal the talents with which God had enriched him. How great his esteem of humility was, he testified when a brother of his order asked him the means by which he might speedily arrive at perfection. The saint, instead of giving him any answer by words, threw himself at his feet; showing at the same time his own great affection to humility, and also that this virtue raises the soul to divine love and every grace. God, however, was pleased to honor his servant before men. Besides several predictions and miraculous cures of many lepers and other sick persons, the saint is recorded to have raised four dead to life. He was appointed vicar-general of his order of the Strict Observance in Italy, in 1438, in which he settled a rigorous reformation; but, after five years, obtained a discharge from his office; and in his old age continued the function of preaching through Romania, Ferrara, and Lombardy. He returned to Sienna in 1444, preached a most pathetic farewell sermon at Massa on concord and unity, and being taken ill of a malignant fever on the road, still preached as usual till he arrived at Aquila in Abruzzo. There, being confined to his bed, he prepared himself for his passage out of this life by the rites of the church. When he was speechless, he made a sign to be taken off his bed and laid upon the floor; where, lifting up his eyes to heaven, he surrendered his pure soul into the hands of his Creator on the 20th of May, 1444, after a life of sixty-three years, eight months, and thirteen days. His tomb was rendered illustrious by many miracles, and he was canonized by Nicholas V. in 1450. His body is kept in a crystal shrine, enclosed in one of silver, in the church of his order at Aquila. SYMBOLS: IHS within a circle of golden rays; open book; pile of vanities in flames; Often portrayed as: A Franciscan holding a sun upon which the Name of Jesus is inscribed. PATRON: Advertisers; advertising; against hoarseness; communications; compulsive or uncontrolled gambling; gambling addicts; lungs; public relations; chest, respiratory, or lung problems. COLLECT PRAYER: O God, who gave the Priest Saint Bernardine of Siena a great love for the Holy Name of Jesus, grant through his merits and prayers, that we may ever be set aflame with the spirit of your love. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
SAINT OF THE DAY THURSDAY, 21 MAY, 2026 SAINT EUGENE DE MAZENOD BISHOP (1 August 1782 – 21 May 1861) Eugene was the eldest son of Charles-Antoine De Mazenod and Marie-Rose Joannis. His mother was of the French middle class, convent educated, and wealthy; his father was an aristocrat, classically educated, and poor. Their marriage, and Eugene's home life, were plagued by constant family in-fighting, and interference from his maternal grandmother and a neurotic maternal aunt. The women never let his father forget that they brought the money to the family. On 13 December 1790, at age eight, Eugene fled with his family to exile in Italy to escape the French Revolution. He spent eleven years in Italy, living in Nice, Turin, Venice, Naples, and Palermo. While he learned Italian and German from dealing with people day to day, the bulk of his education came in Venice from Father Bartolo Zinelli, a local priest. In Palermo he was exposed to a wild and worldly life among rich young Italian nobles. After the Revolution, his mother returned to France, but his father stayed in Italy, ostensibly for political reasons. Upon his own return to France in 1802 in an attempt to reclaim the family lands, Eugene tried to reunite his parents, but failed, and they were divorced, an unusual event in the early 19th century. His often unsupervised youth, the constant fighting at home, and the eventual break up of his family led to his patronage of dysfunctional families and those in them. For years, Eugene struggled in himself, drawn on the one hand to the wordly life he knew from Palermo, and the beauty of the religious life he had seen in Venice with Don Bartolo. In an effort to work it out, Eugene began teaching catechism and working with prisoners in 1805. God won at last, assisted by a mystical experience at the foot of a cross on Good Friday 1807 when Eugene was momentarily touched by the full force of the love of God. He entered the seminary of Saint Sulpice, Paris in 1808. Ordained on 21 December 1811 at age 29 at Amiens, France. Because of his noble birth, he was immediately offered the position of Vicar General to the bishop of Amiens. Eugene renounced his family's wealth, and preferred to become a parish priest in Aix-en-Provence, working among the poor, preaching missions and bringing them the church in their native Provencal dialect, not the French used by the upper classes. He worked among the sick, prisoners, the poor, and the overlooked young. Eugune contracted, and nearly died from, typhus while working in prisons. Eugene gathered other workers around him, both clergy and laymen. They worked from a former Carmelite convent, and the priests among them formed the Missionaries of Provence who conducted parish missions throughout the region. They were successful, and their reputation spread, bringing requests for them outside the region. Eugene realized the need for formal organization, and on 17 February 1826 he received approval from Pope Leo XII to found a new congregation, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate founded on his core of missionaries. Though he would have preferred to remain a missionary, Eugene knew that position with the Church hierarchy would allow him to insure the success of his little congregation. He was appointed Vicar-General of Marseille in 1823. Titular bishop of Icosia on 14 October 1832. Co-adjutor in 1834. Bishop of Marseilles, France on 24 December 1837, ordained by Pope Gregory XVI. He founded 23 parishes, built or retored 50 churches, cared for aged and persecuted priests, restored ecclesiastical discipline, and developed catechetics for young people. Started work on the cathedral and shrine of Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille. Welcomed 33 congregations of religious brothers and sisters into the diocese. More than doubled the number of priests in his diocese, and celebrated all ordinations himself. Eugene realigned parishes and maneuvered behind the scenes to weaken the government monopoly on education. He was an outspoken supporter of the papacy, and fought government intervention into Church matters. Publicly endorsed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, and worked for its promulgation. His printed writings run to 25 volumes. Made a peer of the French Empire. Archbishop of Marseille in 1851 by Pope Blessed Pius IX. Helped Saint Emily de Vialar re-build the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Apparition after their move to Marseille. Named senator and member of the Legion of Honour by Napoleon III in 1856. Proposed as cardinal in 1859. On 2 December 1841, Bishop de Mazenod's first overseas missionaries arrived in Canada. By the time of his death in 1861, there were six Oblate bishops and over 400 missionaries working in ten countries. The Oblates continue their good work to this day with some 5,000 missionaries in 68 countries. "To love the Church is to love Jesus Christ, and vice versa." – Saint Eugene PATRON: dysfunctional families. PRAYER FOR WOUNDED FAMILIES: Almighty and loving God, you led St. Eugene de Mazenod through the sufferings and challenges of a broken family to a life of holiness. Through his constant intercession bless those whose relationships are damaged and broken. Grant them the gifts of understanding, patience, love and courage to overcome the problems of life. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
I was just reading about Saint Francis De Sales when he was appointed Bishop of Annecy. The first thing he did was to write a Catechism and have it printed and handed out free to the priests and Faithful. Such a simple thing but such a wonderful idea. What a good idea to do this again today. But who could we trust to do it?
◾The miracle for his canonization concerned Jesus Hernandez Serrano of Mexico City, aged fifty-five, diagnosed on 4 May 1987 with cholangiocarcinoma, a malignant tumour of the biliary duct system for which surgery was not possible and whose prognosis was three to five years of survival at most. During the night of 16 to 17 June 1987 his condition became terminal. On the morning of 17 June he was found completely healed, able to rise and wash himself. By year's end he had returned to work. Medical examinations in 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, and 1993 confirmed the total disappearance of the cancer. The Consulta Medica of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints confirmed the cure as scientifically inexplicable in March 1994. Pope John Paul II canonized Eugene de Mazenod on 3 December 1995.
SAINT OF THE DAY FRIDAY, 22 MAY, 2026 SAINT RITA OF CASCIA (1381 - 1457) EARLY LIFE: Rita was born in the year 1381 in the village of Roccaporena, near Cascia , Italy . Her parents, Antonio and Amata Lotti, considered her birth a very special gift from God, for Rita was born to them as they were already advancing in age. As a young girl Rita frequently visited the convent of the Augustinian Nuns in Cascia and dreamed of one day joining their community. Her parents, however, had promised her in marriage, according to the custom of the day, to Paolo Mancini, a good man of strong and impetuous character. Rita accepted her parents' decision, resolved to see this as God's will for her. MARRIED LIFE: The young couple was joined in marriage and soon twin boys were born to them. Rita found herself occupied with the typical concerns of a wife, mother, and homemaker of Roccaporena, while Paolo was employed as a watchman for the town. In Cascia, as elsewhere, a great rivalry existed between two popular political factions, the Guelphs, and the Ghibellines. As a minor official of the town, Paolo often found himself drawn into the conflict, and the strain that this caused probably accounts for the tension, which he sometimes brought into the Mancini household. By her prayer, patience, and affection, however, Rita was able to ease the stress and worry her husband experienced, but she was not able to shield him altogether from the dangers to which society exposed him. DEATH OF HUSBAND AND SONS: One day as Paolo was returning home from work he was ambushed and killed. The pain which this unexpected and violent death inflicted upon Rita was only compounded by the fear she felt that her two teenage sons, moved by the unwritten law of the “vendetta,” would seek to avenge their father's death. Rita's only recourse was to prayer and persuasion. As it happened, the death of both boys from natural causes a short time later removed them from physical and spiritual danger. Despite her great burden she could still thank God that they had died in peace, free of the poison of murder to which hatred and revenge might have otherwise drawn them. PEACEMAKER: Now alone in the world and without family responsibilities, Rita once more turned her thoughts to the desired vocation of her youth, that of joining the Augustinian Nuns of Saint Mary Magdalene Monastery. Some of the religious of the community, however, were relatives of the members of the political faction considered responsible for Paolo's death, and so as not to tempt the harmony of the convent, Rita's request for admission was denied. Fortunately, she was not to be easily dissuaded from following what she knew to be God's plan for her. She implored her three patron saints — John the Baptist, Augustine, and Nicholas of Tolentino to assist her, and she set about the task of establishing peace between the hostile parties of Cascia with such success that her entry into the monastery was assured. THE GIFT OF THE THORN: At the age of thirty-six Rita pledged to follow the ancient Rule of Saint Augustine. For the next forty years she gave herself wholeheartedly to prayer and works of charity, striving especially to preserve peace and harmony among the citizens of Cascia. With a pure love she wanted more and more to be intimately joined to the redemptive suffering of Jesus, and this desire of hers was satisfied in an extraordinary way. One day when she was about sixty years of age, she was meditating before an image of Christ crucified, as she was long accustomed to doing. Suddenly a small wound appeared on her forehead, as though a thorn from the crown that encircled Christ's head had loosed itself and penetrated her own flesh. For the next fifteen years she bore this external sign of stigmatization and union with the Lord. In spite of the pain she constantly experienced, she offered herself courageously for the physical and spiritual well being of others. During the last four years of her life Rita was confined to bed and was able to eat so little that she was practically sustained on the Eucharist alone. She was, nevertheless, an inspiration to her sisters in religion and to all who came to visit her, by her patience and joyful disposition despite her great suffering. THE ROSE: One of those who visited her some few months before her death — a relative from her hometown of Roccaporena — was privileged to witness firsthand the extraordinary things wrought by Rita's requests. When asked whether she had any special desires, Rita asked only that a rose from the garden of her parents' home be brought to her. It was a small favor to ask, but quite an impossible one to grant in the month of January! Nevertheless, on returning home the woman discovered, to her amazement, a single brightly-colored blossom on the bush where the nun said it would be. Picking it, she returned immediately to the monastery and presented it to Rita who gave thanks to God for this sign of love. Thus, the saint of the thorn became the saint of the rose, and she whose impossible requests were granted her became the advocate of all those whose own requests seem impossible as well. As she breathed her last, Rita's final words to the sisters who gathered around her were, “Remain in the holy love of Jesus. Remain in obedience to the holy Roman Church. Remain in peace and fraternal charity.” DEATH: Having faithfully and lovingly responded to God's many invitations to her in the course of her seventy-six years, Rita returned to God in peace on May 22, 1457. Her body, which has remained incorrupt over the centuries, is venerated today in the shrine of Cascia, which bears her name. Her feast is observed on the anniversary of her death, 22 May. PATRON: Abuse victims; against loneliness; against sterility; bodily ills; desperate causes; difficult marriages; forgotten causes; impossible causes; infertility; lost causes; parenthood; sick people; sickness; sterility; victims of physical spouse abuse; widows; wounds. COLLECT PRAYER: Bestow on us, we pray, O Lord, the wisdom and strength of the Cross, with which you were pleased to endow Saint Rita, so that, suffering in every tribulation with Christ, we may participate ever more deeply in his Paschal Mystery. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
◾The miracle for her canonization, confirmed in 1899, involved a woman with terminal cancer in Italy. After prayers using Rita's relic, the woman recovered completely. The cure was verified by medical testimony. Rita was canonized May 24, 1900 by Pope Leo XIII.
Perhaps one of the greatest signs of the holiness of any saint is the cult in her honour. The sheep know their own. Ordinary Catholic people know holiness when they see it. As Jesus said the sheep know their own. The cultus of St Rita even after so many centuries is overwhelming. The one thing that springs to mind with St Rita is the stigmata on her head. A wound from a single thorn from the Crown which Christ bore in His Passion. Yet that single thorn defined Rita's life.
The sheep know their own. Ordinary Catholic people know holiness when they see it. Hence fama sanctitatis via vox populi is the ground on which the canonisation starts. See Santo subito JPII
SAINT OF THE DAY SATURDAY, 23 MAY 2026 SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI CONFESSOR ‘THE APOSTLE OF THE ABANDONED' (1698 - 1764) John was born in Voltaggio, Genoa, Italy, in 1698. He was one of four children of Carlo de Rossi and Francesca Anfosi. They were poor but pious parents. When he was ten years old, some wealthy friends of the family took him in. They provided him with an excellent education. Due to the suggestion of his uncle, Lorenzo de Rossi, who was a Church Canon, John travelled to Rome to study at the Collegium Romanum, under the Jesuits. He entered the Roman College at the age of 13 and completed the classical course of studies but began practising severe mortification. This practice, combined with a heavy course load and an epileptic stroke, led to a breakdown. He was forced to leave college. He recuperated and completed his training at Minerva but never regained his former strength. At 23, he was ordained to the priesthood with dispensation, because of his poor health. He celebrated his first Mass in the Roman College. He was sent to Rome, where he worked with the poor and the sick. He concentrated on the hospice of Saint Galla, an overnight shelter for paupers, which had been founded by Pope Celestine III. John also helped start a nearby hospice for homeless women, which he placed, under the patronage of St. Aloysius Gonzaga - one of his favourite saints. John avoided hearing confessions for fear he would have a seizure in the confessional, but the bishop of Civitá Castellana convinced him it was part of his vocation. He gave in, and soon became one of the most sought after confessors in Rome. He worked faithfully, spending many hours in the confessional. He gave particular importance to the confession of prisoners, the poor and illiterate in the hospitals or their homes. He preached to them five to six times a day in churches, chapels convents, hospitals, barracks and prison cells, and thus came to be known as “the apostle of the abandoned”, another Philip Neri. In 1763, John's weak health obliged him to move to the Trinita dei Pellegrini, where he suffered a stroke. That same year he received the last sacraments. He regained enough strength and health to resume celebrating the Eucharist. In 1764, at the age of 66, he had another stroke, which led to his death. He was buried at the altar of the Blessed Virgin in the Church of Trinita de Pelleghrini. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII on December 8, 1881. PATRON: of the abandoned SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI: PRAY FOR US.
◾Two miracles were attributed to his intercession and verified by the Diocese of Rome at his beatification in 1860. Two additional miracles were confirmed at his canonization in 1881 by Pope Leo XIII. The healings followed prayers at his tomb in the church of Trinità dei Pellegrini. Sources document that cures were verified by the Church but do not provide specific diagnoses or detailed medical outcomes in access. ◾Often cited Sister Mary Theresa Leonori, of the Convent of Saint Cecilia at Rome, who in 1859 suffered from a throat disease which the best medical authorities pronounced incurable. Wasted and enfeebled by her sickness, entirely deprived of speech, suffering great pain, and unable to partake of any nourishment, her death was momentarily looked for. Human aid failing her, the pious Sister besought the help of Saint John Baptist, and Our Lord, to show His love for His faithful servant, deigned to work a miracle at the Saint's intercession. Sister Mary Theresa
All these confessors who had supernatural powers seem to have practiced extreme Asceticism. Hey also seem to have gone direct toe to toe confrontations with the devil .It is such a gift to go to confession with a good holy priest. I had a dream last night in which I went to confession with my Spiritual Director Father Bernard CP . I forgot what I said to him. But after confession in my dream I saw him standing in full Passionist habit with other Passionist priests. Good holy priests are such a gift.
