SAINT OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY, 28 JANUARY, 2026 SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (1225 – March 7, 1274) St. Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican priest and Scriptural theologian. He took seriously the medieval maxim that “grace perfects and builds on nature; it does not set it aside or destroy it.” Therefore, insofar as Thomas thought about philosophy as the discipline that investigates what we can know naturally about God and human beings, he thought that good Scriptural theology, since it treats those same topics, presupposes good philosophical analysis and argumentation. Although Thomas authored some works of pure philosophy, most of his philosophizing is found in the context of his doing Scriptural theology. Indeed, one finds Thomas engaging in the work of philosophy even in his Biblical commentaries and sermons. Within his large body of work, Thomas treats most of the major sub-disciplines of philosophy, including logic, philosophy of nature, metaphysics, epistemology, philosophical psychology, philosophy of mind, philosophical theology, the philosophy of language, ethics, and political philosophy. As far as his philosophy is concerned, Thomas is perhaps most famous for his so-called five ways of attempting to demonstrate the existence of God. These five short arguments constitute only an introduction to a rigorous project in natural theology—theology that is properly philosophical and so does not make use of appeals to religious authority—that runs through thousands of tightly argued pages. Thomas also offers one of the earliest systematic discussions of the nature and kinds of law, including a famous treatment of natural law. Despite his interest in law, Thomas' writings on ethical theory are actually virtue-centered and include extended discussions of the relevance of happiness, pleasure, the passions, habit, and the faculty of will for the moral life, as well as detailed treatments of each one of the theological, intellectual, and cardinal virtues. Arguably, Thomas' most influential contribution to theology and philosophy, however, is his model for the correct relationship between these two disciplines, a model which has it that neither theology nor philosophy is reduced one to the other, where each of these two disciplines is allowed its own proper scope, and each discipline is allowed to perfect the other, if not in content, then at least by inspiring those who practice that discipline to reach ever new intellectual heights. In his lifetime, Thomas' expert opinion on theological and philosophical topics was sought by many, including at different times a king, a pope, and a countess. It is fair to say that, as a theologian, Thomas is one of the most important in the history of Western civilization, given the extent of his influence on the development of Roman Catholic theology since the 14th century. However, it also seems right to say—if only from the sheer influence of his work on countless philosophers and intellectuals in every century since the 13th, as well as on persons in countries as culturally diverse as Argentina, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, and the United States—that, globally, Thomas is one of the 10 most influential philosophers in the Western philosophical tradition. His works show him to be a brilliant lecturer, a clear thinker and an Aristotelian. In an age which was uncomfortable with the notion that the universe could be known apart from revelation, he pioneered the use of the Greek philosophy that featured the power of reason to demonstrate that God and his universe could be understood by reason guided by faith. His large girth and slow, deliberate style earned him the nickname "The Dumb Ox!" He was the composer of several memorable religious hymns - O Salutaris Hostia and Pange Lingua being the most familiar to modern worshippers. His extensive writings explored the relationship between the mind of man and the mind of God and his synthesis of knowledge relating to this joining of intellect and religious belief, entitled The Summa Theologica (1267-1273), earned him a lasting reputation among scholars and religious alike. An earlier work, Summa Contra Gentiles (1258 - 1260), is written in a style that attempts to establish the truth of Christian religious belief in arguments addressed to an intelligent, but non-Christian reader.His proofs for the existence of God, apart from faith and revelation, utilizing the power of reason are considered flawed by some 20th century historians of philosophy (Bertrand Russell, for example) because, he argues, Thomas proved what he already believed to be true. Therefore, according to Russell, his work should be viewed as an artful, concise argument, but not a decisive proof. In spite of this reservation, Russell acknowledges Thomas's contributions to the intellectual movement called Scholasticism, which succeeded in liberating scholarship from the provincial shackles that uninformed religious censorship often created for it. Thomas also continued in the spirit of Albert the Great to lay a foundation of legitimacy for the Christian study of natural phenomena that allowed Christian Europe to proceed to the initial stages of the scientific revolution. Pope Leo XIII declared Scholasticism in 1879, in the encyclical Aeterni Patris, to be the official Roman Catholic philosophy. Aquinas' five proofs for the existence of God might be summarized as follows: 1* The unmoved Mover: Whatever is moved, is moved by something, and since an endless regress is not possible, a Prime Mover is required. 2* The first Cause: Every result has a cause and since an endless regress is impossible, there must be a First Cause. 3* The ultimate Necessity: Essentially a repeat of Reason (2.), there must be a source for all consequences which follow. 4* Perfect Source: All perfection in the world requires, as its source, an Ultimate Perfection. 5* Purpose: Even lifeless things have a purpose which must be defined by something outside themselves, since only living things can have an internal purpose. Thomas's teacher at the University of Paris, Albert the Great, Albertus Magnus, is the man for whom the Aquinas science building is named. Albert is known to have practiced experimental science - his efforts to test the validity of the claims associated with the use of herbal medicines and folk remedies for disease was unusual for his time. Such skepticism, on the part of Albert, was adopted by his pupil, Thomas, and led both men to believe that one could be a sincere Christian and an objective observer of natural phenomena. The Summa Theologiae, his last and, unfortunately, uncompleted work, deals with the whole of Catholic theology. He stopped work on it after celebrating Mass on December 6, 1273. When asked why he stopped writing, he replied, “I cannot go on…. All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.” He died March 7, 1274. PATRON: Academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; book sellers; Catholic academies; Catholic schools; Catholic universities; chastity; colleges; learning; lightning; pencil makers; philosophers; publishers; scholars; schools; storms; students; theologians; universities; University of Vigo. PRAYER: O God, who made Saint Thomas Aquinas outstanding in his zeal for holiness and his study of sacred doctrine, grant us, we pray, that we may understand what he taught and imitate what he accomplished. 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. A STUDENT'S PRAYER (BY ST. THOMAS AQUINAS) Creator of all things, true Source of light and wisdom, lofty origin of all being, graciously let a ray of Your brilliance penetrate into the darkness of my understanding and take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of both sin and ignorance. Give me a sharp sense of understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally. Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations, and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm. Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in completion; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Before Saint Thomas Aquinas died he had a mystical prayer experience and stopped writing. He wrote that all he had written up to then was not worth a bale of straw in the light of what God had shown him in that short time of prayer. It reminds me what Lights God can grant us in prayer. Prayer is the perfect defense against heresy.
SAINT OF THE DAY THURSDAY, 29 JANUARY, 2026 SAINT GILDAS - THE WISE ABBOT (516 AD - 29 January 570 AD) He was born in 516, in the North of England or Wales. His father's name was Cau (or Nau) and that he came from noble lineage. He lived in a time when the glory of Rome was faded from Britain. The permanent legions had been withdrawn by Maximus, who used them to sack Rome itself and make himself Emperor. Gildas noted for his piety was well educated, and was not afraid of publicly rebuking contemporary monarchs, at a time when libel was answered by a sword, rather than a Court order. He lived for many years as an ascetic hermit on Flatholm Island in the Bristol Channel. Here he established his reputation for that peculiar Celtic sort of holiness that consists of extreme self-denial and isolation. At around this time, according to the Welsh, he also preached to Nemata, the mother of St. David, while she was pregnant with the Saint. In about 547 he wrote De Excidio Britanniae (The Ruin of Britain). In this he writes a brief tale of the island from pre-Roman times and criticizes the rulers of the island for their lax morals and blames their sins (and those that follow them) for the destruction of civilization in Britain. The book was avowedly written as a moral tale. He also wrote a longer work, the Epistle. This is a series of sermons on the moral laxity of rulers and of the clergy. In these Gildas shows that he has a wide reading of the Bible and of some other classical works. Gildas was an influential preacher, visiting Ireland and doing missionary work. He was responsible for the conversion of much of the island and may be the one who introduced anchorite customs to the monks of that land. He retired from Llancarfan to Rhuys, in Brittany, where he founded a monastery. Of his work on the running of a monastery (one of the earliest known in the Christian Church), only the so-called Penitential, a guide for Abbots in setting punishment, survives. He died in 570, at Rhuys. The monastery that he had founded became the center of his cult. St. Gildas is regarded as being one of the most influential figures of the early English Church. The influence of his writing was felt until well into the Middle Ages, particularly in the Celtic Church. PATRON: Welsh historians; bell founders. PRAYER: Saint Gildas, we thank you for your wisdom and the legacy you left for your countrymen and brethren in the faith. We pray for your intercession to help us live saintly lives so that when our days are done here we may join you and our Lord for eternity. Amen.
Thank you so much! It's been my immense pleasure to post about these wonderful saints & their passionate stories in inspiring us all to lead holy & blissful lives. Many of them on this forum though not a saint are already leading righteously through their devoted prayers & lifestyles. Praying for everyone on this forum and hope all the intentions be granted by the intercession of their guardian saints.
Saint Gildas lived at a time when everything was falling apart. Everything. The Roman Empire was falling apart and the poor old people in Britain were left in the total lurch, left as a prey to the wolves. The Dark Age This reminds me of us of a sure port in the storm today. Everything falling apart around us. Left to the wolves. But like St Gildas we have a sure port in the storm, the Church. A life raft. The only problem is that even our life raft seems to be sinking with Apostasy and Heresy coming from the vary highest places. A situation which terrified even the saints. But the one true Catholic and Apostolic Church continues side by side with the False Church of Satan, the Ape of the Church. How do we board the true life raft? By sticking to the True Magisterium as taught down the centuries rather than the lies of the False Church. But how will tell the difference? Through prayer and study and devotion to Mary, Star of the Sea, Help of Christians.
SAINT OF THE DAY FRIDAY, 30 JANUARY, 2026 SAINT MARTINA OF ROME VIRGIN AND MARTYR (228 AD) Martina, a noble virgin of Rome, was the daughter of a Consul. Having lost her parents when quite a child, and being exceedingly fervent in the practice of the christian religion, she was singularly charitable to the poor, and distributed among them her immense riches. During the reign of Alexander Severus, she was ordered to worship the false gods, but most courageously refused to commit so detestable a crime. Whereupon, she was several times scourged; her flesh was torn with iron hooks and nails, and with potsherds, and her whole body was cut with most sharp swords; she was scalded with boiling oil, and was, at length, condemned to be devoured by wild beasts, in the amphitheater; but being miraculously left untouched by them, she was thrown on a burning pile, from which she also escaped unhurt, by the same divine power. Some of the men that had inflicted these tortures upon her, being struck by the miracle, and touched by the grace of God, embraced the christian faith, and, after suffering many tortures, gained the glorious palm of martyrdom by being beheaded. The prayers of Martina were powerful with God. Earthquakes shook the city, fire fell from the heavens in the midst of loud thunder, the temples and idols of the gods were overthrown and destroyed. More than once, milk flowed from her wounds together with the blood, and a most sweet fragrance was perceived by the by-standers ; and sometimes she was seen raised up and placed on a beautiful throne, and singing the divine praises surrounded by heavenly spirits. Vexed above measure by these prodigies, and, above all, by her constancy, the judge ordered her to be beheaded. Which being done, a voice from heaven was heard calling Martina to ascend : the whole city trembled, and many of the idolaters were converted to the faith of Christ. Martina suffered under the Pontificate of Urban the First; and under that of Urban the Eighth, her body was discovered in an ancient Church, together with those of the holy Martyrs Concordius, Epiphanius and Companions, near the Mamertine prison, at the foot of the Capitoline hill. The Church was restored, and decorated, and the body of the Saint was again placed in it, with much solemnity, in the presence of a great concourse of people, and amidst shouts of joy from the whole city. PATRON: Nursing mothers, Rome, Italy. PRAYER: O St. Martina, princes of paradise, forever assured of the crown merited by your sufferings, have compassion on us, poor wanderers, sighing in this valley of tears, uncertain of our eternal destiny. obtain for us, we pray a great love of God, so that we also may one day praise and bless with you that infinite Good which you already possess, love, and behold face to face. Amen.
Goodness did these young girls suffer back then! What terrible, terrible tortures! Still they stayed Faithful. Wonderful. It makes me wonder about the Faith of women , of their constancy even in secular terms. If you look at pro abortion protests and Marches and the Woke crowd it always seems to be women and young girls who seem to be the main stay. Just so in the Church. Go to daily Mass anywhere and count the number of men and compare it to women I would guess the women outnumber the men about four or five to one. I guess the lesson in this is that when women pick up on something they really, really run with it with great constancy. Saint Martina of Rome, pray for us.
SAINT OF THE DAY SATURDAY, 31 JANUARY, 2026 SAINT JOHN BOSCO PRIEST (16 August 1815 - 31 January 1888) John Bosco was born on the 16th of August 1815, in Becchi, Castelnuovo, Italy. He came from a family of poor farmers. He lost his father, Francesco, at the age of two. His mother Margherita raised him with tenderness and taught him to pray, to cultivate the soil and to see God behind the beauty of the heavens, the abundance of the harvest, the rain which showered the vines. For John, to pray meant to speak with God on his knees on the kitchen pavement, to think of him while seated on the grass, gazing at the heavens. From his mother, John learned to see God also in other faces, those of the poor or those of the miserable ones who came knocking at the door of the house during winter, and to whom Margherita gave hot soup, mended shoes. THE GREAT DREAM: At the age of nine, Don Bosco had his first, great dream. He saw a multitude of very poor boys who play and blaspheme. A Man of majestic appearance told him: With meekness and charity you will conquer these your friends; and a Lady just as majestic added: Make yourself humble, strong and robust. At the right time you will understand everything. John studied the jugglers, tricks and the acrobats secrets. One Sunday evening, John gave his first performance in front of the kids from the neighbouring houses. He performed balancing miracles with pots and pans on the tip of his nose. Then he jumped up on a rope strung between two trees, and walked on it applauded by the young spectators. Then he repeated for them the sermon he heard at the morning Mass. The games and the Word of God began transforming his little friends who were encouraged to pray with John. In February 1827, John left his home and went to look for work as a farm-servant. He was only 12 but life at home was unbearable on account of the continuous quarrels with his brother Anthony, who threw away his books and belted him. He worked on the Moglia farm, near Moncucco, during three years. During the long nights of winter time and during summer, sitting under the trees while the cows stripped their leaves, he went back to his books and studies. After Anthony married three years later, John returned home and resumed his schooling. To provide for his needs he learnt different trades: tailor, blacksmith, barman, and he even coached students after classes. Soon, John founded the Happy Club for young boys. At 20 years of age, John Bosco entered the Seminary. HE BECOMES DON BOSCO: On June 5, 1841, the archbishop of Turin ordained John Bosco a priest. He went to look for the abadoned boys in the streets of Turin. Near the city public market he discovered a real market of young workers, peddlers, shoe polishers, stable-boys, vendors of any kind, errand boys etc. These boys who roamed the streets of Turin were the wicked effect of an event that was throwing the world into confusion: the industrial revolution. It caused the gathering of great number of families below the poverty line in the slums of the cities, coming in from the countryside in search of a better life. BOYS IN PRISON: To see so many boys, from 12 to 18 years of age, all healthy, strong, intelligent, insect bitten, lacking spiritual and material food in the prison, horrified Don Bosco. In the face of such a situation he made his decision: I must by any available means prevent boys ending up here. Don Bosco met the first boy on December 8, 1841. He took care of him. Three days later there were nine, three months later twenty five and in summer eighty. They were pavers, stone-cutters, masons, plasterers who came from far away places. Thus was born the youth centre, "oratorio". For Don Bosco the oratorio became his permanent occupation and he looked for jobs for the ones who were unemployed. He tried to obtain a fairer treatment for those who had jobs, he taught those willing to study after their days work. Twice he tried to provide lodgings in his house. The first time they stole the blankets; the second they even emptied the hay-loft. MONEY PROBLEMS: After the youngster from Valsesia, another six boys arrived that same year. In the first months money became a dramatic problem for Don Bosco. It would remain a problem throughout his life. His first benefactor was his own mother. Mamma Margherita, at age 59, had left her house at Becchi to become mother to these poor boys. In order to provide for them, she sold her wedding ring, her earrings and her necklace. The boys sheltered by Don Bosco numbered 36 in 1852, 115 in 1854, 470 in 1860 and 600 in 1861, 800 being the maximum some time later. Some of these boys decided to do what Don Bosco was doing, that is, to spend their lives in the service of abandoned boys. And this was the origin of the Salesian Congregation. Some employers made servants and scullery-boys of the apprentices. Don Bosco obliged them to employ them only in their acknowledged trade. Employers used to beat the boys. Don Bosco required of them that corrections be made only through words. He cared for their health, he demanded that they be given rest on feast days, that they be given their annual holidays. But in spite of all the efforts and contracts, the situation of the apprentices of the time remained very difficult. BASHING LEATHER AND PUSHING AN AWL: In autumn 1853 Don Bosco begun shoemaking and tailoring shops in the Oratory at Valdocco. He taught them how to manage an awl and pack-thread. Don Bosco built other shops aimed at training book-binders, carpenters, printers and mechanics; six shops in which the privileged place was reserved for orphans, the poor and totally abandoned boys. To take care of these shops Don Bosco invented a new type of religious: the Coadjutors or Salesian Brothers. Similar shops were very soon built in other Salesian presences outside Turin. The Salesian Brothers have the same dignity and rights as those of the Salesian Priests and clerics, but they are specialized people for professional schools. (At the time of Don Bosco's death, the Salesian professional schools numbered 14 in all. They existed in Italy, France, Spain and Argentina. The number later would grow to 200 across the world).
DEVOTION TO MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS: For Don Bosco, the Immaculate Virgin, Mary Help of Christians, was the ever-present Mother who helps her children daily, going to their rescue and leading them to Jesus. "Be devoted to Mary Help of Christians", he would often say, "and you will see what miracles are!" According to Don Bosco, Mary is the powerful Helper who defends the Church and the Pope from every kind of danger. DON BOSCO, PREACHER: Don Bosco was in constant demand as a pulpit preacher. He accepted all engagements for the sake of the excellent public relations thus established for his work. Valuable lieutenants were drawn to devote their lives to his work, among them Dominic Savio, John Cagliero who, before becoming a Cardinal, led the first missionary expedition sent forth by the Salesians, and Paul Albera, destined to be one of his successors as the Head of the Salesian Congregation. DREAMS AND VISIONS OF DON BOSCO: Through Dreams and Visions, God used to reveal His will for the Saint and for the boys of the Oratory, as well as the future of the Salesian Congregation. Not only did his dreams lead and direct the Saint, they also gave him wisdom and guidance by which he was able to help and guide others upon their ways. He was just nine years of age when he had his first dream that laid out his life mission. Through dreams God let him know the boys' state of their souls. On February 1, 1865 St. John Bosco announced that one of the boys will die soon. He knew the boy through the dream the night before. On March 16, 1865, Anthony Ferraris passed away after receiving the Last Sacraments. John Bisio, who helped Anthony and his mother during the former's last hour, confirmed the story of his part in this episode by a formal oath, concluding as foIlows: "Don Bosco told us many other dreams concerning Oratory boys' deaths. We believed them to be true prophecies. We still do, because unfailingly they came true. During the seven years I lived at the Oratory, not a boy died without Don Bosco predicting his death. We were also convinced that whoever died there under his care and assistance surely went to heaven." Among his more intense dreams, were the Dreams of the reality of Hell and the Two Pillars, the Eucharist and Mary. I HAVE DONE NOTHING: Besides the Salesians, Don Bosco founded the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the Salesian Cooperators. He built the Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians at Valdocco and founded 59 Salesian houses in six nations. He started the Salesian Missions in Latin America sending there Salesian priests, brothers and sisters. He published a series of popular books for ordinary Christians and for boys. He invented a System of Education founded on three values: Reason, Religion and Loving kindness. Very soon people saw in it an ideal system to educate the young. When somebody would tell Don Bosco the list of the works he performed, he would interrupt the person and immediately say: I have done nothing by myself. It is the Virgin Mary who has done everything. She had traced out his road in the famous dream he had when he was nine. Don Bosco died on January 31, 1888, at dawn. To the Salesians who were keeping vigil around his bed he said in a whisper these last words: Love each other as brothers. Do good to all and evil to none... Tell my boys that I wait for them all in Paradise. PATRON: Apprentices; boys; editors; laborers; schoolchildren; students; young people. PRAYER: O glorious Saint John Bosco, who in order to lead young people to the feet of the divine Master and to mould them in the light of faith and Christian morality didst heroically sacrifice thyself to the very end of thy life and didst set up a proper religious Institute destined to endure and to bring to the farthest boundaries of the earth thy glorious work, obtain also for us from Our Lord a holy love for young people who are exposed to so many seductions in order that we may generously spend ourselves in supporting them against the snares of the devil, in keeping them safe from the dangers of the world, and in guiding them, pure and holy, in the path that leads to God. Amen.
St John Bosco was a super saint. The Padre Pio of his day. I love watching all the different stories about his dreams and visions. Many of his dreams talk about events in the Church at this present moment.
Blessed Alexandrina's spiritul director, Fr. Umberto Pasquale, was a Salesian priest. In 1944, Alexandrina joined the "Union of Salesian Cooperators", offering her suffering for the salvation of souls and for the sanctification of youth.
SAINT OF THE DAY SUNDAY, 1 FEBRUARY, 2026 SAINT BRIGID OF IRELAND VIRGIN AND ABBESS (451 - 1 February 523 AD) Saint Brigid was born Brigit, and shares a name with a Celtic goddess from whom many legends and folk customs are associated. There is much debate over her birthparents, but it is widely believed her mother was Brocca, a Christian baptized by Saint Patrick, and her father was Dubthach, a Leinster chieftain. Brocca was a slave, therefore Brigid was born into slavery. When Dubthach's wife discovered Brocca was pregnant, she was sold to a Druid landowner. It is not clear if Brocca was unable to produce milk or was not present to care for Brigid, but legend states Brigid vomited any food the druid attempted to feed her, as he was impure, so a white cow with red ears sustained her instead. Many stories of Brigid's purity followed her childhood. She was unable to keep from feeding the poor and healing them. One story says Brigid once gave her mother's entire store of butter, that was later replenished after Brigid prayed. When she was about ten-years-old, Brigid was returned to her father's home, as he was her legal master. Her charity did not end when she left her mother, and she donated his possessions to anyone who asked. Eventually, Dubthach became tired of her charitably nature and took her to the king of Leinster, with the intention of selling her. As he spoke to the king, Brigid gave his jeweled sword to a beggar so he could barter it for food for his family. When the king, who was a Christian, saw this, he recognized her heart and convinced Dubthach to grant her freedom by saying, "Her merit before God is greater than ours." After being freed, Brigid returned to the Druid and her mother, who was in charge of the Druid's dairy. Brigid took over and often gave away milk, but the dairy prospered despite the charitable practice, and the Druid eventually freed Brocca. Brigid then returned to Dubthach, who had arranged for her to marry a bard. She refused and made a vow to always be chaste. Legend has it Brigid prayed that her beauty be taken so no one would want to marry her, and the prayer was granted. It was not until after she made her final vows that her beauty was restored. Another tale says that when Saint Patrick heard her final vows, he accidentally used the form for ordaining priests. When the error was brought to his attention, he simply replied, "So be it, my son, she is destined for great things." Little is known about Saint Brigid's life after she entered the Church, but in 40 she founded a monastery in Kildare, called the Church of the Oak. It was built above a pagan shrine to the Celtic goddess Brigid, which was beneath a large oak tree. Brigid and seven friends organized communal consecrated religious life for women in Ireland and she founded two monastic institutions, one for men and one for women. Brigid invited a hermit called Conleth to help her in Kildare as a spiritual pastor. Her biographer reported that Brigid chose Saint Conleth "to govern the church along with herself." She later founded a school of art that included metalwork and illumination, which Conleth led as well. It was at this school that the Book of Kildare, which the Gerald of Wales praised as "the work of angelic, and not human skill," was beautifully illuminated, but was lost three centuries ago. There is evidence that Brigid was a good friend of Saint Patrick's and that the Trias Thaumaturga claimed, "Between St. Patrick and Brigid, the pillars of the Irish people, there was so great a friendship of charity that they had but one heart and one mind. Through him and through her Christ performed many great works." Saint Brigid helped many people in her lifetime, but on February 1 525, she passed away of natural causes. Her body was initially kept to the right of the high altar of Kildare Cathedral, with a tomb "adorned with gems and precious stones and crowns of gold and silver," but in 878, during the Scandinavian raids, her relics were moved to the tomb of Patrick and Columba. In 1185, John de Courcy had her remains relocated in Down Cathedral. Today, Saint Brigid's skull can be found in the Church of St. John the Baptist in Lumiar, Portugal. The tomb in which it is kept bears the inscription, "Here in these three tombs lie the three Irish knights who brought the head of St. Brigid, Virgin, a native of Ireland, whose relic is preserved in this chapel. In memory of which, the officials of the Altar of the same Saint caused this to be done in January AD 1283." A portion of the skull was relocated to St. Bridget's Church and another was sent to the Bishop of Lisbon in St. Brigid's church in Killester. Saint Brigid's likeness is often depicted holding a reed cross, a crozier, or a lamp. PATRON: Babies; blacksmiths; boatmen; cattle; chicken farmers; children whose parents are not married; dairymaids; dairy workers; fugitives; infants; Ireland; Leinster; mariners; midwives; milk maids; newborn babies; nuns; poets; poultry farmers; poultry raisers; printing presses; sailors; scholars; travelers; watermen. PRAYER: O God, you give us joy, through the power of the intercession of St. Brigid. Graciously grant that we may be assisted by her merits and her example. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
We are blessed to lige just a few mikes away from a Marian Shrine run by the Salesians. It truly is a bit of Heaven on Earth. The priests here are wonderful homilists and confessors. The spirit of St. Don Bosco is very alive here. A reflection on St. Don Bosco from Fr. Steve now running a boys high school in New Orleans but was formerly Director at the Shrine Don Bosco, Life Is Beautiful By Fr. Steve Ryan, SDB Happy Feast of Don Bosco (January 31). You are all in my prayers and thanks for praying for the Salesian Family. Many years ago, I saw a movie entitled Life Is Beautiful. Did you ever see it? Watching the film I was deeply moved by that father’s love and also by the genius he had for making his little boy’s experience of the horror of a concentration camp, as an adventure, at times as a game, as a reason to be surprised. Someone might say that the only thing the father did was to deceive his son about a terrible reality. But that really was not so. This father had the genius, out of love, of making his little boy live reality (the only reality that was there) in such a way that the horror of every day wouldn’t crush him. The father was so motivated for the boy’s future well-being that he never allowed his smile and the light of his face to disappear from his son. The dad’s hope and joy were so infectious that the kid never faltered toward bitterness or despair. This was Don Bosco. This is Don Bosco. This is the Salesian Way. St. John Bosco was able to make all his boys feel that they were loved, that each and every one of them was really special and that everything was going to be alright on the crazy and often harsh adventure of life. His faith, joy and loving kindness were a calming and healing balm protecting them from anxieties and evils. He conveyed hope in words, gestures and actions. He was able to get them to really believe that they had a wonderful future, because they were safe in God’s Hands. Don Bosco had the great capacity to make his boys experience life as a feast, and faith as happiness. It seems to me that this was Don Bosco’s greatest gift. He made ordinary daily life – with its burdens and weariness, its setbacks and challenges, its hunger and thirst – a joyous adventure. His oratory environment and his preventive system gave them a reason to be secure and at peace. His love for them outshined the negative influence of sin and pain that was all around them. Don Bosco was a master at this. He was a genius in knowing how to find happiness and reasons for hope in little things. Constantly showing signs of attention and concern for everyone (in simple gestures) has great value. Making sure that every person receives the warmth of God’s love was his daily task. For this and much more, every boy in Don Bosco’s oratory felt he was the one whom Don Bosco loved best, as if he were the only boy. Where did Don Bosco get the power, wisdom and strength to operate in this manner? Well, he was a saint! Union with God has great effects. Don Bosco was God’s instrument. He abandoned his own ego and surrendered his life to Jesus in order to be used for the salvation of the young. Father Bosco let them know clearly, and at all times, that this mission of joy was God’s doing – not simply his. The young were very happy to be in God’s house, in God’s care. In turn they loved God and allowed themselves to be more and more loved by Him. As we celebrate Don Bosco’s feast, let’s imitate his style, method and mentality. Let’s make the young have a reason to feel that life is beautiful. Life is a feast even on gloomy days. We are called to convey that message to the next generation and to all our family and friends. We can do it. If we could only be more like Don Bosco and be filled with the light of faith, love and hope that comes from abandoning ourselves to God. Happy Feast of St. John Bosco. Life is beautiful.
A funny thing about St John Bosco is that sometimes he kicked boys out saying they were a great source of evil and would do huge harm if they were allowed to stay. This is not often talked about. A bit like Padre Pio kicking folks out of the confession box. Some people say all boys are good, but John Bosco did not seem to think so.
St Brigid seems to have been quite the lady. A no nonsense Irish Princess who appears to have run a monastery that was the size of a small town. Not only that but she had her own Bishop who took orders from her rather than giving them. Famous the length and breath of Ireland she seems to have been the Mother Angelica of her day. Quite the feat to be the top Irish women saint. I would love to have met her but not gotten on her wrong side.
