SAINT FEAST DAY 13 FEBRUARY: ST CATHERINE DEI RICCI

SAINT CATHERINE DEI RICCI, VIRGIN

[February 13, February 2.] Saint Catherine dei Ricci was born in Italy in 1522 and at the age of 13 entered the Dominican Convent at Prato.

SHE WAS ELECTED PRIORESS

As a young nun St Catherine became mistress of novices and at the age of 30 was elected prioress for life. She became famous for her sound teaching, much of which she communicated in letters to nuns, priests and laity.

SHE RECEIVED THE STIGMATA

For 12 years, from 1542 until 1554, St Catherine received an extraordinary ecstasy. She ‘experienced’ in a deep way the Passion of Christ, receiving the stigmata. Inconvenienced and embarrassed by these phenomena, she would say that they came uninvited from God. In 1554 St Catherine and the other nuns prayed for this to stop, and they did. She died in 1590 after patiently suffering a long illness.

WE MUST LOVE GOD UNCONDITIONALLY

St Catherine wrote a ‘summary of Christian perfection’ to a young nun:

‘We must force ourselves to detach our heart and will from all earthly loves, except for the love of God. We must love no fleeting things. Above all, we must not love God selfishly for our own sakes, but with a love as pure as His own goodness.

EVERYTHING FOR GOD'S GREATER GLORY

We must direct all our thoughts, words and actions to His honour. And by prayer, counsel, and good example seek His glory solely, whether for ourselves or for others, so that through our actions all may love and honour God. This second thing is more pleasing to Him than the first, as it better fulfils His will.

ACCOMPLISHING THE DIVINE WILL

We must aim more and more to accomplish the Divine will: not only desiring nothing special to happen to us, bad or even good, in this wretched life, thus always keeping ourselves at God’s disposal, with heart and soul at peace. But we must also believe with a firm faith that Almighty God loves us more than we love ourselves, and takes more care of us than we could take care of ourselves.

GOD TAKES MORE CARE OF US THAN WE COULD TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES

Let us always remember, never doubting, that it is the eternal, sovereign, all-powerful God who does, orders, or allows everything that happens. Know that nothing comes to pass without His divine will. If, through His mercy, this conviction becomes strongly impressed upon our wills, we shall easily take all things from His sacred hand with well-contented hearts, always thanking Him for fulfilling His holy will in us.'

From: Spiritual Thought from Fr Chris

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Catherine may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. 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.

WELCOME

Please pick your saints: January - Saints by date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 February - Saints by date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 ...

ST LAURA OF CORDOBA, WIDOW AND MARTYR - 19 OCTOBER

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN OCTOBER Saints celebrated on the 19th of October WELCOME! SAINT LAURA OF CORDOBA, WIDOW AND MARTYR Laura, a widow and martyr of Cordoba in Spain, is mentioned in the Spanish martyrology of Tamajode Salazar, who refers to Luitprand, where it says the following: St Laura is said to have been of a noble family, and according to the wishes of her parents she married an equally noble man and gave birth to two daughters. After the death of her husband and her daughters, she went to the monastery of St Aurea, named St-Maria de Cuteclara, and after her martyrdom led the same for nine years as her successor. After she had made wonderful progress in all virtues, she was finally summoned to renounce the faith before a Saracen judge. But since she remained steadfast, she was first beaten very cruelly and then thrown into a bath of boiling pitch, where she remained in praise of God for three hours and then flew to heaven on October...

ST JOHN BERCHMANS, RELIGIOUS - 13 AUGUST

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN AUGUST Saints celebrated on the 13th of August WELCOME! SAINT JOHN BERCHMANS, RELIGIOUS (Patron Saint of Altar Servers.) The eldest boy of a poor cordwainer, in a small Belgian town, John was ever a dutiful, prayerful, and studious child. Our Lord called him when but young to leave his father and his father’s house, to serve Him in the Society of Jesus. And because he was so good a son, it cost his father much to give him up to God; but he was too good a Christian to refuse outright. HE WAS SENT TO ROME John had hardly taken his religious vows when he was sent to the centre of Christendom, the holy city of Rome. His modesty, his purity, shone out as great virtue always does; and the young laymen who attended the lectures would come to gaze upon his beautiful and holy face, and go away the better for the sight. GREAT VIRTUE Three short years, and his last sickness found him sighing for heaven, and three days before the great feast of Mar...

SAINT FEAST DAY FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR

Search This Blog