There used to be a kind of pyramid of regard to Religious Orders in the Church. This meant that the more Comtemplative a Religious Order is the high up the pyramid it would be. So that the Carthusian Order who are hermits would be top of the pyramid, whereas a very active order such as say the Jesuits would be bottom of the ladder. But this is a supernatural way of looking at things. St Therese of Liseaux who was a Contemplative said her vocation was to be love at the heart of the Church. She believed in prayer, her vocation. Nowadays I think many look at it the other way around. This is because we have moved from man worshiping man, rather than man worshiping God. But Mother Teresa of Calcutta herself said that she was not a Social Worker.
SAINT OF THE DAY THURSDAY, 20 AUGUST, 2026 SAINT BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX ABBOT, CONFESSOR AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (1090 - 1153) St. Bernard was born of noble parentage in Burgundy, France, in the castle of Fontaines near Dijon. Under the care of his pious parents he was sent at an early age to a college at Chatillon, where he was conspicuous for his remarkable piety and spirit of recollection. At the same place he entered upon the studies of theology and Holy Scripture. After the death of his mother, fearing the snares and temptations of the world, he resolved to embrace the newly established and very austere institute of the Cistercian Order, of which he was destined to become the greatest ornament. He also persuaded his brothers and several of his friends to follow his example. In 1113, St. Bernard, with thirty young noblemen, presented himself to the holy Abbot, St. Stephen, at Citeaux. After a novitiate spent in great fervor, he made his profession in the following year. His superior soon after, seeing the great progress he had made in the spiritual life, sent him with twelve monks to found a new monastery, which afterward became known as the celebrated Abbey of Clairvaux. St. Bernard was at once appointed Abbot and began that active life which has rendered him the most conspicuous figure in the history of the 12th century. He founded numerous other monasteries, composed a number of works and undertook many journeys for the honor of God. Several Bishoprics were offered him, but he refused them all. The reputation of St. Bernard spread far and wide; even the Popes were governed by his advice. He was commissioned by Pope Eugene III to preach the second Crusade. In obedience to the Sovereign Pontiff he traveled through France and Germany, and aroused the greatest enthusiasm for the holy war among the masses of the population. The failure of the expedition raised a great storm against the saint, but he attributed it to the sins of the Crusaders. St. Bernard was eminently endowed with the gift of miracles. He died on August 20, 1153. His Praises of the Virgin Mother are amongst his better known works, not because they say something new about Mary, but because they inflame the heart (of he who reads) for love of her, bringing her to life, making her present for those who read his homilies. He admires the faith of the Virgin; he enthuses over her humility; he is fascinated by her radiant purity – with the sole scope of bringing hearts to drink from this “fountain which waters gardens.” ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX COMPOSED THE FAMOUS PRAYER TO THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN MARY KNOWN AS "THE MEMORARE". Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen. PATRON: Chandlers (candle-makers), beekeepers, bees, Gibraltar, Queens College Cambridge, wax-melters, wax refiners. PRAYER: O God, who made the Abbot Saint Bernard a man consumed with zeal for your house and a light shining and burning in your Church, grant, through his intercession, that we may be on fire with the same spirit and walk always as children of light. 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 Bernard had such a huge, huge devotion to the Mother of God. In fact I believe it was through him we first called Mary, 'Our Lady', mark of respect for her that sprang from the Knightly treatment of respect towards women which was springing up back then. Such a lovely thing, 'Our Blessed Lady'.
Eventhough his feast day is in this hot month of August, my thoughts always go to his Advent sermon on the 3 Comings of Christ: - His First in the flesh at Bethlehem - His Second at end of time - His third is His daily coming into our hearts if we let Him Its a wonderful and quick read: https://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/media/articles/three-comings-of-the-lord-st-bernard/
SAINT OF THE DAY FRIDAY, 21 AUGUST, 2026 SAINT PIUS X POPE (2 June 1835 - 20 August 1914) The future Pope-Saint of the twentieth century was born at Riese in Venetia on June 2, 1835, his name, Joseph Sarto. After ordination at the age of twenty-three (by special dispensation), he labored for 17 years as a parish priest, then as bishop of Mantua, and in 1892 was advanced to the metropolitan see of Venice with the honorary title of patriarch. On August 4, 1903, he was elected Pope, "a man of God who knew the unhappiness of the world and the hardships of life, and in the greatness of his heart wanted to comfort everybody." The primary aim of his pontificate Pius X announced in his first encyclical letter, viz., "to renew all things in Christ." Here we need but allude to his decree on early and frequent reception of holy Communion; his Motu Proprio on church music; his encouragement of daily Bible reading and the establishment of various Biblical institutes; his reorganization of the Roman ecclesiastical offices; his work on the codification of Canon Law; his incisive stand against Modernism, that "synthesis of all heresies." All these were means toward the realization of his main objective of renewing all things in Christ. The outbreak of the first World War, practically on the date of the eleventh anniversary of his election to the See of Peter, was the blow that occasioned his death. Bronchitis developed within a few days, and on August 20, 1914, Pius X succumbed to "the last affliction that the Lord will visit on me." He had said in his will, "I was born poor, I have lived poor, I wish to die poor" — and no one questioned the truth of his words. His sanctity and his power to work miracles had already been recognized. Pius X was the first Pope canonized since St. Pius V in 1672. "He was one of those chosen few men whose personality is irresistible. Everyone was moved by his simplicity and his angelic kindness. Yet it was something more that carried him into all hearts: and that 'something' is best defined by saying that all who were ever admitted to his presence had a deep conviction of being face to face with a saint" (Baron von Pastor). PATRON: Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia; diocese of Des Moines, Iowa: first communicants; diocese of Great Falls-Billings, Montana; pilgrims; diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Missouri. PRAYER: O God, who to safeguard the Catholic faith and to restore all things in Christ, filled Pope Saint Pius the Tenth with heavenly wisdom and apostolic fortitude, graciously grant that, following his teaching and example, we may gain an eternal prize. 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.
The thing that strikes me about Pope Pius x was how heavily slandered he was. He was portrayed as harsh and nasty when in actual fact he was a very kind, lovable sweet guy with a deep, deep love for the poor. Of course on the other hand he took a strict stand against heresy. But since when was that a bad thing? At one point not long before he died someone asked him for a donation to help with something. But poor Pope Pius had given everything he owned away already. A poor Pope. How often do you get that. Papa Frankie visited Pope St Pius's tomb just before he died and it was obvious he was in a state of high distress. I have often wondered if Pope Pius x appeared to Pope Frankie and warned him he would be going to hell for his terrible goings on? Was this way Pope Frankie made a panic run to Pope St Pius's tomb? I wonder.
FEAST OF THE DAY SATURDAY, 22 AUGUST, 2026 QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. With the certainty of faith we know that Jesus Christ is king in the full, literal, and absolute sense of the word; for He is true God and man. This does not, however, prevent Mary from sharing His royal prerogatives, though in a limited and analogous manner; for she was the Mother of Christ, and Christ is God; and she shared in the work of the divine Redeemer, in His struggles against enemies and in the triumph He won over them all. From this union with Christ the King she assuredly obtains so eminent a status that she stands high above all created things; and upon this same union with Christ is based that royal privilege enabling her to distribute the treasures of the kingdom of the divine Redeemer. And lastly, this same union with Christ is the fountain of the inexhaustible efficacy of her motherly intercession in the presence of the Son and of the Father. Without doubt, then, does our holy Virgin possess a dignity that far transcends all other creatures. In the eyes of her Son she takes precedence over everyone else. In order to help us understand the preeminence that the Mother of God enjoys over all creation, it would help to remember that from the first moment of her conception the holy Virgin was filled with such a plenitude of grace as to surpass the graces enhancing all the saints. Recall what our predecessor Pius IX, of blessed memory, wrote in his Bull Ineflabilis Deus: "More than all the angels and all the saints has God ineffable freely endowed Mary with the fullness of the heavenly gifts that abound in the divine treasury; and she, preserving herself ever immaculately clean from the slightest taint of sin, attained a fullness of innocence and holiness so great as to be unthinkable apart from God Himself, a fullness that no one other than God will ever possess." Spurred on by piety and faith, may we glory in being subject to the rule of the Virgin Mother of God; she bears the royal sceptre in her hand, while her heart is ever aflame with motherlove. PRAYER: O God, who made the Mother of your Son to be our Mother and our Queen, graciously grant that, sustained by her intercession, we may attain in the heavenly Kingdom the glory promised to your children. 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.
Happy Feast of the Queenship of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary. How blessed are we, her little children to have such a loving mother and Queen. From todays Divine Office: Second Reading From a homily by St Amadeus of Lausanne, bishop Queen of the world and of peace Observe how fitting it was that even before her assumption the name of Mary shone forth wondrously throughout the world. Her fame spread everywhere even before she was raised above the heavens in her magnificence. Because of the honour due her Son, it was indeed fitting for the Virgin Mother to have first ruled upon earth and then be raised up to heaven in glory. It was fitting that her fame be spread in this world below, so that she might enter the heights of heaven on overwhelming blessedness. Just as she was borne from virtue to virtue by the Spirit of the Lord, she was transported from earthly renown to heavenly brightness. So it was that she began to taste the fruits of her future reign while still in the flesh. At one moment she withdrew to God in ecstasy; at the next she would bend down to her neighbours with indescribable love. In heaven angels served her, while here on earth she was venerated by the service of men. Gabriel and the angels waited upon her in heaven. The virgin John, rejoicing that the Virgin Mother was entrusted to him at the cross, cared for her with the other apostles here below. The angels rejoiced to see their queen; the apostles rejoiced to see their lady, and both obeyed her with loving devotion. Dwelling in the loftiest citadel of virtue, like a sea of divine grace or an unfathomable source of love that has everywhere overflowed its banks, she poured forth her bountiful waters on trusting and thirsting souls. Able to preserve both flesh and spirit from death she bestowed health-giving salve on bodies and souls. Has anyone ever come away from her troubled or saddened or ignorant of the heavenly mysteries? Who has not returned to everyday life gladdened and joyful because his request had been granted by the Mother of God? She is a bride, so gentle and affectionate, and the mother of the only true bridegroom. In her abundant goodness she has channelled the spring of reason’s garden, the well of living and life-giving waters that pour forth in a rushing stream from divine Lebanon and flow down from Mount Zion until they surround the shores of every far-flung nation. With divine assistance she has redirected these waters and made them into streams of peace and pools of grace. Therefore, when the Virgin of virgins was led forth by God and her Son, the King of kings, amid the company of exulting angels and rejoicing archangels, with the heavens ringing with praise, the prophecy of the psalmist was fulfilled, in which he said to the Lord: At your right hand stands the queen, clothed in gold of Ophir. Responsory ℟. A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, the moon beneath her feet,* and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ℣. At your right hand, Lord, stands the queen, her robes adorned with gold,* and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Let us pray. Almighty God, our Father, you have given us Mary, the Mother of your Son, to be our Mother and Queen. Grant that, supported by her prayers, we may come to the kingdom of heaven and to the glory destined for your children. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Let us praise the Lord. – Thanks be to God.
MEDITATION OF THE DAY A Humble Queen She was born, it is true, of the royal family of David, but she fell heir to none of the wealth and grandeur of her ancestors. She passed her life in obscurity, in a humble town, in a home humbler still, the more content with her retirement and the poverty of her home because they left her freer to lift up her heart to God and to cling to him closely as the supreme Goodness for which her heart yearned…. She is designated by the heavenly messenger sent to her as the Virgin from whom, by the power of the Holy Ghost, the expected Savior of nations is to come forth clothed in our humanity. The more she wonders at the sublime dignity and gives thanks to the power and mercy of God, the more does she, conscious of no merit in herself, grow in humility, promptly proclaiming and consecrating herself the handmaid of God even while she becomes his Mother. Her sacred promise was kept with a joyous heart; henceforth she leads a life in perpetual union with her son Jesus, sharing with him his joys and sorrows. It is thus that she will reach a height of glory granted to no other creature, whether human or angelic, because no one will receive a reward for virtue to be compared with hers; it is thus that the crown of the kingdoms of heaven and of earth will await her because she will be the invincible Queen of Martyrs. It is thus that she will be seated in the heavenly city of God by the side of her Son, crowned for all eternity, because she will drink with him the cup overflowing with sorrow, faithfully through all her life, most faithfully on Calvary. In Mary we see how a truly good and provident God has established for us a most suitable example of every virtue. As we look upon her and think about her, we are not cast down as though stricken by the overpowering splendor of God’s power; but, on the contrary, attracted by the closeness of the common nature we share with her, we strive with greater confidence to imitate her. If we, with her powerful help, should dedicate ourselves wholly and entirely to this undertaking, we can portray at least an outline of such great virtue and sanctity, and reproducing that perfect conformity of our lives to all God’s designs which she possessed in so marvelous a degree, we shall follow her into heaven. Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII († 1903) reigned from 1878 to 1903. / From Magnae Dei Matris, #23-26, Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on the Rosary. Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, September 8, 1892. Used with permission of the Libreria Editrice Vaticana. www.vatican.va
I was just saying the Glorious Mysteries this evening when it occurred to me that since Mary Our Mother is Queen of Heaven we , her children, must therefore be Princes and Princesses of Heaven. Royalty!!
From Sr. Julia Mary Darrenkamp Fsp: She shared His poverty on earth. He shared His glory with her in heaven. Art by Fournier.
SAINT OF THE DAY SUNDAY, 23 AUGUST, 2026 SAINT ROSE OF LIMA VIRGIN (1586 - 1617) Isabel del Flores y del Olivia, known to history as St. Rose of Lima, was born in Lima, Peru, on 20th April 1586. Her father, Gaspar del Flores, was a well-to-do Spaniard and her mother, Maria del Olivia, was of Spanish descent with a mixture of Inca blood. The baby was one of ten siblings. She was baptized on the day of her birth, with her aunt, Isabel de Herrara, acting as her godmother. The baby was named after her aunt, Isabel. Because the child was so beautiful, she was nicknamed Rosa or Rose. While Rose was still a child, her father Gaspar, caught up in the Spanish quest for self enrichment through mining projects, lost the family's fortune in successively failed mining ventures in the Andes Mountains. Consequently, her wealthy family fell on hard times and Rose was raised in poverty. Since the age of five, she had to lend a helping hand to procure some of her family's income. She excelled in needlework or embroidery, working up to ten hours a day. The selling of her artifacts proved to be a good augmentation of her family's humble income. Rose grew into a beautiful young girl and some worthy suitors sought her hand in marriage. Her parents wanted her to marry, but the ever obedient and respectful Rose, in this singular case, resisted their wishes because she fervently desired to dedicate her life completely to the Lord, as her model, the Dominican St. Catherine of Siena, had done. Fearing her beauty to stand as an obstacle in her spiritual life and that of others, she rubbed lime all over her hands and pepper over her striking face in an effort to disfigure herself. After a ten year long struggle, her parents relented and allowed her to build a garden hut where, with the permission of her confessor, she became a practical recluse. She was determined to offer her life in reparation for sin and corruption in her society. Because of her resolve to do so, she inflicted various severe penances on herself, including the wearing of a spiked crown that she hid by covering it with roses, and limited her eating (strict vegetarian) and sleeping to a bare minimum. She occasionally visited hospitals to nurse the sick and the poor. Those who met her were deeply impressed by the love for God that radiated from her. Her corporal works of mercy were the seeds of social work in Peru. Rose also spent many hours in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and received daily Holy Communion, something that would be unheard of for centuries.Rose had two canonized saints who played an important role in her spiritual journey. The first one was St. Turibius de Mongrovejo, the archbishop of Lima. This saint, born in Spain, was the Bishop of Lima for some eight years when Rose was born. He burned with apostolic zeal. He promoted religious and social reform throughout Peru, devoting much of his time to defend and help the native Indian population. St. Turibius was the bishop who confirmed our saint, giving her the confirmation name of Rose. The second saint in the life of St. Rose was a fellow countryman and Dominican brother, St. Martin de Porres. Like his friend Rose, Martin had a profound devotion to the Holy Eucharist and the caring for the sick. Rose joined the Third Dominican Order when she was twenty and took a vow of virginity. The public vow ratified the private vow of virginity that she had taken as a girl. She was single-minded to grow spiritually beautiful only for the Lord. Rose spent the last few years of her very short life in the home of a Spanish government official, Don Gonzalo de Massa. During these years she would bring to her room homeless children, the elderly and the sick to look after them. Although living as a guest at the official's home, Rose did not hesitate to protest against some of the harsh practices of the Spanish overlords, alleging that the sufferings of the poor were caused by the conquerors' greed. During her last illness, she was frequently heard praying: "Lord, increase my sufferings, and with them increase your love in my heart." Rose died on 24th August 1617 at the tender age of thirty-one. The Spanish officials, whom she had criticized for the injustices they had imposed on the native Indian people, struggled among themselves to be privileged in carrying her coffin. Pope Clement X canonized Isabel del Flores y del Olivia under the name of St. Rose of Lima on 2nd April 1671. She is the first native saint of the New World. Her feast day falls on 23rd August. PATRON: Against vanity; Americas; Central America; embroiderers; florists; gardeners; India; Latin America; needle workers; New World; people ridiculed for their piety; Peru; Phillipines; diocese of Santa Rosa, California; South America; vanity; Villareal Samar, Phillipines; West Indies. PRAYER: O God, you set Saint Rose of Lima on fire with your love, so that, secluded from the world in the austerity of a life of penance, she might give herself to you alone; grant, we pray, that through her intercession, we may tread the paths of life on earth and drink at the stream of your delights in heaven. 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.
I had not known all this about St Rose. All the wonderful charity work and protesting about injustice. She sounds very modern. When I read about her years ago the one thing that stood out for me was her incredible penances. She reminds me of the old Irish saints in this.
"St Rose of Lima, the first canonized Saint of the Latin American continent, of which she is the principal Patroness. St Rose loved to repeat: "If human beings knew what it is to live in grace, no suffering would frighten them and they would gladly suffer any hardship, for grace is the fruit of patience". She died at the age of 31 in 1617, after a short life full of deprivations and suffering, on the feast of the Apostle St Bartholomew, to whom she was deeply devoted because he had suffered a particularly painful martyrdom." Pope Benedict XVI, General Audience, 20 August 2008. Painting: Saint Rose of Lima by Claudio Coello (1642–1693), in the Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain.
SAINT OF THE DAY MONDAY, 24 AUGUST, 2026 SAINT BARTHOLOMEW APOSTLE In St. John's Gospel, Bartholomew is known by the name Nathaniel (the liturgy does not always seem aware of this identity). He hailed from Cana in Galilee, was one of the first disciples called by the Lord. On that initial meeting Jesus uttered the glorious compliment: "Behold, an Israelite indeed in whom there is no guile!" After the Resurrection he was favored by becoming one of the few apostles who witnessed the appearance of the risen Savior on the sea of Galilee (John 21:2). Following the Ascension he is said to have preached in Greater Armenia and to have been martyred there. While still alive, his skin was torn from his body. The Armenians honor him as the apostle of their nation. Concerning the fate of his relics, the Martyrology says: "His holy body was first taken to the island of Lipari (north of Sicily), then to Benevento, and finally to Rome on an island in the Tiber where it is honored by the faithful with pious devotion." The Church of Armenia has a national tradition that St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew visited the Armenians early in the first century and introduced Christianity among the worshippers of the god Ahura Mazda. The new faith spread throughout the land, and in 302 A.D., St. Gregory the Illuminator baptized the king of Armenia, Dertad the Great, along with many of his followers. Since Dertad was probably the first ruler to embrace Christianity for his nation, the Armenians proudly claim they were the first Christian State. PATRON: Bookbinders; butchers; cobblers; Forentine cheese merchants; Forentine salt merchants; leather workers; nervous diseases; neurological diseases; plasterers; shoemakers; tanners; trappers; twitching; whiteners; Gambatesa, Italy; Armenia. PRAYER: Strengthen in us, O Lord, the faith, by which the blessed Apostle Bartholomew clung wholeheartedly to your Son, and grant that through the help of his prayers your Church may become for all the nations the sacrament of salvation. 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.
It is hard to imagine being skinned alive. The very thought of it chills the bones. But from what we can see from the accounts of the saints God always steps in with His graces to assist. For instance I heard Father Benedict Groechel say that she believed up until nearly the very end from the fires. He said that when she cried out Jesus just before her death that this one word ensured she would be declared a saint. We pray for Our Lady to assist us at the hour of death every time we say the, 'Hail Mary'. I am old enough to have attended several death beds by now. I always find them awesome. In a way our whole lives lead up to our last moment and how we conduct ourselves.
