ST CONRAD OF PARZHAM, CONFESSOR - 21 APRIL

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN APRIL

Saints celebrated on the 21st of April

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

ST CONRAD OF PARZHAM, CONFESSOR 

Saint Conrad of Parzham was born Johann Birndorfer on December 22, 1818 in the diocese of Passau, South Germany. 

He was a Capuchin lay-brother, working for over forty years as a porter in the convent of Altötting and died there on April 21, 1894. He was beatified in 1930 and canonised in 1934. Known for his charity, piety, and gift of prophecy, he looked after the pilgrims to the shrine of Our Lady of Altötting, touching people's hearts. 

He also instructed children in the faith, teaching them the Rosary and the Catechism. He was particularly devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady, and the holy Eucharist. Because he was so humble and shunned vanity, there exists no original photograph of him but the one taken when he was laid out after his death.

The following is one of his prayers:

I have come to spend a few moments with Thee, O Jesus, and in spirit I prostrate myself in the dust before Thy Holy Tabernacle to adore Thee, my Lord and God, in deepest humility. 

Once more a day has come to its close, dear Jesus, another day which brings me nearer to the grave and my beloved heavenly home. Once more, O Jesus, my heart longs for Thee, the true Bread of Life, which contains all sweetness and relish. 

O my Jesus, mercifully grant me pardon for the faults and ingratitude of this day, and come to me to refresh my poor heart which longs for Thee. As the heart pants for the waters, as the parched earth longs for the dew of heaven, even so does my poor heart long for Thee, Thou Fount of Life. 

I love Thee, O Jesus, I hope in Thee, I love Thee, and out of love for Thee I regret sincerely all my sins. May Thy peace and Thy benediction be mine now and always and for all eternity. Amen.