I think the most touching thing of all is that Alessandro, Maria's killer converted after her death after she appeared to him in a vision in Spain. Alessandro visited Maria's mother and they attended her canonisation together in Rome. Allesandro's cause for Beatification is ongoing in Rome. I read reports of people who had met Allesandro and they were very impressed with him. His downfall was reading pornography which would have been very small beans compared to what we have on the internet now. I hear a huge amount of Catholic men are addicted to it. Even women. So sad. I read lately that St Maria Goretti is appearing regularly to Irish mystic Denis O'Leary. So interesting. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/189...kGd9ik4Heo1bie9hoCe2MQAvD_BwE&lang_mismatch=1
My mother had an incredible devotion To St Maria Goretti and she passed away on this day 40 years ago. Incredible Saint!
Her relic is in altar at our little parish. She has always been a saint to inspire me...more so since my accident in helping with grace needed to continue forgiving young lady who hit us while drunk driving. I pray she finds peace and the love of Jesus Christ for her
From Sr. Julia Mary Darrenkamp FSP: "Happy feast day to one of my earliest Saint-friends! Sitting in the pew on July 4th at St. Thomas More Cathedral, I looked to my left and there she was. Such a lovely statue of St. Maria Goretti. I read her story when I was 13…just a year older than she was when she was martyred. It impressed my fervent Protestant heart to know there were heroes my own age. She, along with Bernadette, were my first introduction to Saints in the Catholic Church. I guess you could say they were my “sponsors.” That was many years ago. But true friends STAY friends, and I have her picture and relic next to my bed. Hoping she and Bernadette will sponsor me all the way to the pearly gates!" .
From Catholic Ireland.net: "This is believed to be a real photograph of Maria, one of only two photos that are known of."
SAINT OF THE DAY TUESDAY, 7 JULY, 2026 SAINT PANTAENUS DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND APOSTLE TO THE INDIES (2nd Century) This learned father and apostolic man flourished in the second century. He was by birth a Sicilian, by profession a Stoic philosopher. His esteem for virtue led him into an acquaintance with the Christians, and being charmed with the innocence and sanctity of their conversation, he opened his eyes to the truth. He studied the Holy Scriptures under the disciples of the apostles, and his thirst after sacred learning brought him to Alexandria, in Egypt, where the disciples of St. Mark had instituted a school of the Christian doctrine. Pantænus sought not to display his talents in that great mart of literature and commerce; but this great progress in sacred learning was after some time discovered, and he was drawn out of that obscurity in which his humility sought to bury itself. Being placed at the head of the Christian school some time before the year 179, by his learning and excellent manner of teaching he raised its reputation above all the schools of the philosophers, and the lessons which he read, and which were gathered from the flowers of the prophets and apostles, conveyed light and knowledge into the minds of all his hearers. The Indians who traded at Alexandria entreated him to pay their country a visit, whereupon he forsook his school and went to preach the Gospel to the Eastern nations. St. Pantænus found some seeds of the faith already sown in the Indies, and a book of the Gospel of St. Matthew in Hebrew, which St. Bartholomew had carried thither. He brought it back with him to Alexandria, whither he returned after he had zealously employed some years in instructing the Indians in the faith. St. Pantænus continued to teach in private till about the year 216, when he closed a noble and excellent life by a happy death. PRAYER: Lord God, you counted Saint Pantaenus among your holy pastors, renowned for faith and love which conquered evil in this world. By the help of his prayers keep us strong in faith and love and let us come to share his glory. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
SAINT OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY, 8 JULY, 2026 SAINT GRIMBALD OF WINCHESTER ABBOT (820 - July 8, 901) Grimbald became a monk about 840, was ordained priest in 870, and was abbot of Saint-Bertin. He entertained King Alfred on his way to Rome in 885. As a well-known scholar, he went to Rheims in 886. Upon the advice of Archbishop Eldred of Canterbury and through Fulk of Rheims, Alfred invited Grimbald to England in 887. Grimbald accepted the offer. He lived in Winchester in a small "monastery" and served as a court-scholar, assisting Alfred with his translations of Latin works into Old English, including Saint Gregory's Pastoral Care (Liber regulae pastoralis). Eventually, Grimbald was appointed the first professor of divinity at Oxford (some say that he actually founded the university). Upon the death of Eldred in 889, Alfred tried to persuade Grimbald to become archbishop of Canterbury, but he refused and became instead dean of the secular canons of New Minster at Winchester, the town-church where prominent citizens had burial rights. Alfred's son, King Edward, reburied his father and mother (Queen Alswithe) in this new church, which probably absorbed the small community that Grimbald had previously governed. (Later, King Henry I removed New Minster to Hyde, now called Saint Grimbald's monastery.) Grimbald restored learning in England. He may have brought to England the 9th-century manuscript of Prudentius, now at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, as well as the famous Utrecht Psalter. During his last illness, the extremely feeble Saint Grimbald rose out of bed and prostrated himself on the ground to receive the holy viaticum. Thereafter, he asked to be left alone with God for three days. On the fourth day the community was called into his chamber, and amidst their prayers the saint calmly breathed forth his happy soul. St. Grimbald of Winchester: Pray for us!
Imagine being called Grimbald! It reminds me of the Book the Lord of the Rings. So many of the saints have had extraordinary deaths. Many of them forecast their deaths to the hour. In others all kinds of visions and extraordinary events. Even at their funerals. I was told a wonderful story about a little old lady who used to go to daily mass at a monastery in Ireland. One day she turned up for confession to the Abbot and told him Our Lord has told her she was going to die that night. The priest of course poo poohed this all as a crazy notion. Next day they found the old lady dead at home. She had spring cleaned her house from top to bottom so it sparkled. She was wearing her habit as a Third Order of St Francis lying neatly in bed with her arms crossed on her chest and a smile on her face.
From Catholic Ireland.net Saint Kilian of Kilmore (640 - 689) Martyr Summary of St Kilian: an Irish monk, who like Columbanus, Fiacra, Fursey and Feargal went on an adventure to Europe spreading the good news from Mullagh, Co Cavan. He was put to death in 689. Patrick Duffy traces his story. From Mullagh, Co Cavan St Kilian was born in the parish of Mullagh, Co Cavan. which has a church and heritage centre dedicated to him. Here in 1989 the people of the parish celebrated the 13th centenary of his death. There is also a church dedicated to him at Lauragh, Tuosist, Co Kerry and a pattern is celebrated in his honour every 8th July. Kilian is believed to have received his religious training at the monastery in Rosscarbery, Co. Cork founded by St. Fachtna in the fourth century. St. Kilian later founded his own monastery off Kilmakilloge harbour in the Kenmare area, where he trained his fellow monks and laid plans for one of the greatest pilgrimages ever undertaken from the shores of Ireland. From Kilmakilloge harbour, Kilian and his twelve companions , their heads tonsured in the traditional fashion of the Irish monks, set sail on their mission in a hide-covered boat. Their journey finally brought them to Rome where Pope Conan directed them to Germany and to the province of Franconia, where they set up their headquarters at Wurzburg in the year 686. All around, the countryside was pagan, with perhaps a few pockets of Christians here and there. The influence of the earlier Barbarian invasion was still felt. Up the Rhine and the Main to Würzburg, Germany Kilian is said to have sailed from neighbouring Kilmacillogue harbour with eleven companions on a mission to Germany. The group landed at the mouth of the Rhine and travelled up the river until they reached the mouth of its tributary, the Main; then they sailed up this as far as the town of Würzburg. To Rome From there he went on to Rome arriving during the pontificate of Pope Conon (686-7) and stayed there for two years. Some accounts say Pope Conon confirmed him in his mission to Thuringia and Eastern Franconia. Martyrdom On his return to Würzburg, however, Kilian found that the Duke Gosbert had married his brother’s widow, Geilana. When Kilian explained that according to Canon Law the marriage was unlawful, the duke agreed to separate. But Geilana was not happy and plotted against Kilian. She had him murdered along with two companions Colman and Totnan, probably in 689. Cult grows, Fifty Years Later Kilian and his companions seem to have been forgotten after their martyrdom. But fifty years after their death when the English missionary St Boniface and his companion Burchard of Wessex arrived in the area, they found evidence of Kilian’s influence. Burchard became the first bishop of Würzburg in 752 and transferred the relics of Kilian and his companions, which were being revered for many cures from illnesses, into the cathedral he built in Würzburg and dedicated to St Kilian. St Kilian’s Cathedral, Würzburg The present-day cathedral named after Kilian is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Germany. Kilian is the principal patron of Würzburg; his figure appears on seals and coins and a Kilianfest held every year is the occasion of an annual mystery play about his life. Martyrology of Tallaght News of Kilian’s martyrdom was brought back to Ireland and is recorded in the ninth-century Irish Martyrology of Tallaght: hymns and folk-songs were composed in his honour. There was a house of Irish monks in the city of Würzburg from the ninth century until the fifteenth and there are manuscripts of commentaries written in Old Irish on the Scriptures. In 1989 the late Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich visited the city to lecture about these writings and contacts. P.S. Links between Würzburg and Ireland Today Irish influence remains in Würzburg today as there is a GAA club called St Kilian’s with hurling and football teams that compete successfully at European level. St Kilian’s is the name of a German school (Deutsche Schule) in Dublin. It is situated on the Eurocampus in Clonskeagh, quite near to University College, Dublin. It provides a German language education from kindergarten, through primary and secondary levels. ******************************
SAINTS OF THE DAY THURSDAY, 9 JULY, 2026 SAINT AUGUSTINE ZHAO RONG, PRIEST AND 119 COMPANIONS, MARTYRS PRIEST AND MARTYRS (1648 – 1930) The Syro-Persian Church of the East is believed to have first reached China around the year 630 when two monks arrived to engage in silk trade. Although they were Christians, they followed the Nestorian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. The Chinese emperor welcomed them and permitted them to share their faith. Over the next two centuries, some Christian churches were erected and converts were made. However, by the mid-ninth century, Christians were being persecuted. In the year 987, an Arab writer from Baghdad wrote of a conversation he had with a monk who had traveled to China. The monk explained, “Christianity is extinct in China; the native Christians have perished in one way or another; the church which they had has been destroyed and there is only one Christian left in the land.” In the mid- to late-thirteenth century, Emperor Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, showed greater tolerance of Christianity, especially since his mother was a Nestorian Christian. Franciscan and Dominican friars were permitted to spread the faith, but their efforts yielded little. By the following century, with the rise of the Ming Dynasty, Christianity was once again all but driven out. In 1552, Saint Francis Xavier began his missionary activity in India, Malaysia, and Japan. Though he never made it to China, his missions paved the way for the Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci and his companions to help found the Chinese Jesuit Mission on mainland China in 1582. Their approach was to learn the language and culture and try to assimilate as much as possible, winning over hearts and minds with kindness and teaching the people math, science, astronomy, and mapmaking. Ricci and his companions won over some influential converts and managed to translate a catechism into the Chinese language. However, their efforts later drew criticism from the Church hierarchy for blending Confucian religious beliefs with the Catholic faith. The 120 martyrs in this group died between 1648 and 1930. Eighty-seven of them were born in China, and were children, parents, catechists, or laborers, ranging in age from nine years to 72. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests. The 33 foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious, especially from the Order of Preachers, the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Society of Jesus, Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians), and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. The first to be martyred was Father Francisco Fernández de Capillas, a Spanish Dominican priest. Father de Capillas spent his first two decades as a priest working in the Philippines as a missionary. In 1642, Father de Capillas arrived for his final mission in mainland China. He and his companions worked fervently for the next several years, winning over many converts and even establishing a lay order of Dominicans. In 1644, the less-tolerant Qing Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty, immediately threatening the missions. In 1647, Father de Capillas was captured, imprisoned, and tortured. While in prison, he wrote a letter in which he said, “I am here with other prisoners and we have developed a fellowship. They ask me about the Gospel of the Lord. I am not concerned about getting out of here because here I know I am doing the will of God. They do not let me stay up at night to pray, so I pray in bed before dawn. I live here in great joy without any worry, knowing that I am here because of Jesus Christ. The pearls I have found here these days are not always easy to find.” Two months later, he was sentenced to death and immediately decapitated on the charge of teaching false doctrine and opposing the new emperor. He died while praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary. From the martyrdom of Father de Capillas until 1930, 119 other Catholic saints would follow in his footsteps as martyrs in China. Eighty-seven were native Chinese Christians who were lay catechists, merchants, cooks, farmers, and even a young boy. Thirty-three were foreign missionaries from various religious orders, working to spread the Gospel at the risk of their lives. The next several decades after Father de Capillas' death were relatively peaceful, as successive emperors tolerated Christians. That all changed, however, when in 1707 the Pope issued a decree forbidding the co-mingling of Confucian religious practices with the Catholic faith, such as ancestor worship. This infuriated the emperor and over the next fifteen years, most of the Catholic missions were suppressed. In 1724, the new emperor officially banned Christianity and expelled all Catholic priests. Churches were confiscated and turned into public buildings. By the end of the eighteenth century, there remained just a little over 100,000 Catholics in China who practiced their faith in secret. In 1747–1748, five more Spanish Dominicans were martyred. In 1814, persecutions picked up again as a result of new imperial decrees forbidding the practice of the Christian faith. This time, the persecutions were directed towards native-born Chinese Christians. Among them was Father Augustine Zhao Rong, a priest of the diocese of Chengdu, China. Father Augustine, whose name is attached to today's memorial, was the first native-born Chinese priest and the first Chinese priest to be martyred. He was originally a soldier entrusted with the task of transporting to Beijing French Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse who had been arrested and would also be martyred. During the long journey, the bishop greatly impressed Zhao Rong with his kindness and peaceful demeanor in the face of persecution. Zhao Rong requested and received baptism after learning about the Catholic faith. Taking the name Augustine, he was later ordained a priest. After his arrest, he was offered the opportunity to renounce the Catholic faith but refused. After horrific tortures, Father Augustine died of his injuries in prison in 1815. Between 1814 and 1862, twenty-six Christians were martyred in China. In the summer of 1900, a fierce persecution of foreigners and Christians broke out. The Boxer Rebellion claimed the lives of eighty-six martyrs, including many religious sisters, priests, catechists, and other laity. In addition to the eighty-six canonized martyrs, thousands of other Christians died. The final two martyrs honored today, an Italian priest and bishop, died in 1930. Beatified in groups at various times, these 120 martyrs were canonized together in Rome on October 1, 2000 by St Pope John Paul II. PATRON: Catechizing and Missionaries. PRAYER: Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, you gave your lives for the love of Christ, taking great risk to share the Good News. You were brave in keeping a tight grip on the pearl of great price. Your unshakable faith and fervent evangelical ministry. Your deaths planted seeds of faith that have grown in the hearts of many. Please pray for me, and also for the people of China, that the saving message of the Gospel will continue to be preached and that many hearts will respond with generosity and faith. Help all Christians to value their faith in easy times so that when times of persecution come, we may stand upright in the storm. Saint Augustine and Companions, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.
No one will ever know how many Christian Martyrs there have been in China down the centuries. It reminds me of the long centuries of persecution in Ireland during the penal times. It is a paradox but the Church thrives best in persecution. I read the story of a Chinese Catholic who endured incredible persecution and even wound up in prison. But through it all he stayed Faithful. Eventually he emigrated and moved with his family to Texas in the USA. He became very successful and made lots of money through his hard work there. But he totally lost his Faith. It reminds me of the old saying that the Holy Spirit in sent to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable. That is why comfortable people in comfortable countries loose their Faith. They don't like their comfort being afflicted. Who needs the promise of heaven when they are in their very own heaven already?
SAINTS OF THE DAY FRIDAY, 10 JULY, 2026 1) SAINT VERONICA GIULIANI 2) SAINT FELICITY AND HER SEVEN SONS 1) SAINT VERONICA GIULIANI ABBESS (December 27, 1660 - July 9, 1727) Ursula Giuliani was born of devout parents of Mercatello in Urbino in 1660. As a child she, too, was of a devout disposition, but inclined to be quite irritable, and, as she herself admits, would stamp her feet at the least provocation. Saint Veronica's mother died when Veronica was only four years old. In her last moments she assigned each of her five children to one of the five wounds of Christ and bade them take their refuge there whenever they were troubled. Veronica was the youngest. She was assigned to the wound in the side of our Lord, and from that time on her heart became more tempered. Co-operating with the grace of God, her soul gradually went through a refining process by which she became an object of admiration in later years. When Saint Veronica came of age, her father believed she should marry, and so he desired her to take part in the social activities of the young people. But she had been made aware of another call, and she pleaded so earnestly with her father that, after much resistance, he finally permitted her to choose her own state in life. At the age of 17, then, the Saint Veronica Giuliani entered the convent of the Capuchin nuns at Citta di Castello in Umbria, where the primitive rule of St. Clare was observed. Imbued with sincere humility she considered herself the lowliest member of the community. At the same time she greatly edified all by her obedience and love of poverty and mortification. Sometimes she was favored with interior conversations and revelations. She resolved that she would reveal all such matters to her superiors and her confessor; she had neglected to do that when she was still in the world, and as a result she had often been misled by the father of lies. When Saint Veronica Giuliani had spent 17 years in various offices in her community, she was entrusted with the guidance of the novices. She endeavored to imbue them with the spirit of simplicity and to lay a firm foundation for humility. She directed them to the truths of the Faith and the rules of the order as their safest guides on the way of perfection, and warned them against reading idly speculative books as well as against everything unusual. Meanwhile, extraordinary things were beginning to happen to Saint Veronica Giuliani. On Good Friday she received the stigmata, and later the Crown of Thorns was impressed on her head amid untold sufferings. She also experienced a mystical espousal, as she was given a mystical ring by Our Lord's own hand. One eye-witness said: "This ring encircled her ring finger as ordinary rings do. On it there appeared to be a raised stone as large as a pea and of a red color." After careful examination of the matters, the bishop sent a report to Rome. Then Rome appointed a commission, which was to put her humility to the severest test, in order to determine whether she was an imposter, a person deluded by the devil, or a person favored by God.Saint Veronica Giuliani was deposed from her office as novice mistress, and deprived of every suffrage in the community. She was even imprisoned in a remote cell. No sisters were permitted to talk to her, and a lay sister who was made her warden was ordered to treat her like a deceiver. Finally, she was even deprived of Holy Communion and was permitted to attend holy Mass only on Sundays and holy days near the door of the church. At the conclusion of these trials, the bishop reported to Rome that she scrupulously obeyed every one of his ordinances, and showed not the least sign of sadness amid all his harsh treatment, but rather an inexpressible peace and joy of spirit. The test had proved the admirable manifestations to be the work of God, but Veronica did not on that account deem herself a saint, but rather a great sinner, whom God was leading on the way to conversion by means of His holy wounds. Having filled the office of novice mistress during a space of 22 years, Veronica was unanimously elected abbess. Only in obedience could she be prevailed upon to accept the responsibility. Purified more and more by many sufferings, to which she added many austere mortifications, she went to her eternal reward on July 9, 1727, after spending 50 years in the convent. Saint Veronica Giuliani was one of the rare saints who had received the stigmata. Whenever the wounds were opened, Fr. Salvatori recorded that "they emitted so delicious a fragrance throughout the whole of the convent that this alone was sufficient to inform the nuns whenever the stigmata had been renewed." The saint's body remained incorrupt for many years until it was destroyed in a flood. Her bones are now kept in a composite figure of the saint, the skull of which is covered with wax. Her heart, though, is still incorrupt, and is kept in a separate reliquary. Because of her heroic virtues and the many miracles that were continually being worked at her tomb, she was canonized by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839. PRAYER: Almighty God, you made St. Veronica glorious by the wounds of the Passion of Your Son. Through her example and prayers may we become like Christ, humbly embracing the Cross so that we may rejoice in the revelation of His glory. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 2) SAINT FELICITY AND HER SEVEN SONS MARTYRS († 150) Saint Felicity was a noble Roman matron, distinguished above all for her virtue. This mother of seven children raised her sons in the fear of the Lord, and after the death of her husband, served God in continence, concerning herself only with good works. Her good examples and those of her children brought a number of pagans to renounce their superstitions, and also encouraged the Christians to show themselves worthy of their vocation. The pagan priests, furious at seeing their gods abandoned, denounced her. She appeared with her pious sons before the prefect of Rome, who exhorted her to sacrifice to idols, but in reply heard a generous confession of faith. Wretched woman, he said to her, how can you be so barbarous as to expose your children to torments and death? Have pity on these tender creatures, who are in the flower of their age and can aspire to the highest positions in the Empire! Felicity replied, My children will live eternally with Jesus Christ, if they are faithful; they will have only eternal torments to await, if they sacrifice to idols. Your apparent pity is but a cruel impiety. Then, turning to her children, she said: Look towards heaven, where Jesus Christ is waiting for you with His Saints! Be faithful in His love, and fight courageously for your souls.The Judge, taking the children one by one, tried to overcome their constancy. He began with Januarius, but received for his answer: What you advise me to do is contrary to reason; Jesus, the Saviour, will preserve me, I hope, from such impiety. Felix, the second, was then brought in. When they urged him to sacrifice, he answered: There is only one God, and it is to Him that we must offer the sacrifice of our hearts. Use all artifices, every refinement of cruelty, you will not make us betray our faith! The other brothers, when questioned, answered with the same firmness. Martial, the youngest, who spoke last, said: All those who do not confess that Jesus Christ is the true God, will be cast into a fire which will never be extinguished. When the interrogation was finished, the Saints underwent the penalty of the lash and then were taken to prison. Soon they completed their sacrifice in various ways: Januarius was beaten until he died by leather straps capped with lead; Felix and Philip were killed with bludgeons; Sylvanus was thrown headfirst from a cliff; Alexander, Vitalis and Martial were beheaded. Felicity, the mother of these new Maccabees, was the last to suffer martyrdom. PRAYER: All-powerful, ever-living God, turn our weakness into strength. As you gave your martyrs St. Felicitas and her sons the courage to suffer death for Christ, give us the courage to live in faithful witness to you. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
One thing about St Veronica is that she is mentioned again and again in books about Mystical and Ascetical Theology as a classic example of what my happen in the Spiritual Life. She was , if you like , the lady who had everything. This may be a bit off putting to many people when we read of all these wonderful visions and heavenly goings on as it seems far removed from our own very ordinary ordinary lives. But on the other hand it is wonderful to read about such things as it gives us something to aim and hope for. We may not experience such graces in the way Veronica did but we still may experience them in our own way. I think this when I meditate on the Rosary Mystery the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven, the angels and the saints. This is such a Sign of hope for us all. Because Mary got to this point it opens the door of hope to us all. The same goes for St Veronica.
SAINT OF THE DAY SATURDAY, 11 JULY, 2026 SAINT BENEDICT OF NURSIA ABBOT AND CONFESSOR (480 - 547) Saint Benedict was born at Norcia around 480 AD. After attending primary schools in Norcia, Benedict went to Rome to broaden his knowledge of literature and law. However, since he was probably disgusted by the dissolute lifestyle of his peers and by Rome's difficult political situation, he retired to Affile with a group of priests, taking his old nurse with him as a servant. At Affile, Saint Benedict worked his first miracle, restoring to perfect condition an earthenware wheat sifter which his man-servant had accidentally broken. The notoriety which this miracle brought drove Benedict to withdraw further from social life. He took shelter in a cave in the ruins of Nero's village, near Subiaco, where he began to live as a hermit. Immersed in loneliness, his only contact with the outside world was with a monk called Romanus, whose monastery was nearby. He gave Saint Benedict a monk's habit and provided for his spiritual and material needs. Three solitary years followed. Some shepherds befriended Benedict. They began to follow his teachings and the pastoral and apostolic principles of the Benedictine Order took root. FOUNDING MONASTERIES — SUBIACO After resisting a strong temptation against chastity, Benedict prepared to live through a new experience, following the example of the ancient Fathers of Christian Monasticism. At first, the community of Vicovaro wanted him as its Abbot, but the failed attempt of a monk to poison him forced Benedict to return to his solitude. Afterwards, he founded twelve monasteries and assigned twelve monks to each of them. In addition, he founded a thirteenth monastery for novices and those needing education. Benedict's fame spread so rapidly, even in Rome, that two illustrious men, Equizius and the nobleman Tertullus, entrusted him with their two sons, Maurus and Placidus. They were to become the first two gems of the Benedictine family. During his life, Saint Benedict performed many miracles. He found water on a desolate mountaintop to quench the thirst of his monks. He retrieved a bill hook's iron from the bottom of a lake and rejoined its handle. He prevented a monk from leading a dissolute life through intervention. In addition, he made Maurus walk on water to save the young Placidus from drowning. Unfortunately, a priest called Florentius was envious of Benedict's popularity and his envy forced the Saint to depart in spite of insistence from his disciples. After leaving Subiaco, Benedict went towards Cassino. In the period between 525 and 529 AD he founded the Abbey of Montecassino. It would become the most famous abbey in continental Europe. On the remains of the altar of Apollo he built a chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, while the temple of Apollo itself was turned into an oratory for the monks which was dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. MONASTIC LIFE TAKES ROOT — MONTECASSINO At Montecassino Saint Benedict displayed prodigious activity. He supervised the building of the monastery, established a monastic order and performed many miracles. He brought back from death a youngster, miraculously supplied the monastery with flour and oil in its time of need and displayed the gift of prophecy. In autumn of 542 AD, while the Goth King Totila was passing through Cassino en route to Naples to attack it, he decided to test Saint Benedict because he had already heard of his gifts and charisms. As a consequence, Totila sent his squire dressed as a king to greet the monk; but Saint Benedict soon unmasked him. When he finally met Totila, he warned him with a dire prediction: “You have hurt many and you continue to do it, now stop behaving badly! You will enter Rome, you will cross the vast sea, you will reign for nine years; however in the tenth year, you will die.” And that is exactly what happened. Saint Benedict showed the same virtue as he cried bitterly when confronted with the vision of the first destruction of his monastery. Notwithstanding, he received from God the grace to save all the monks. Saint Benedict devoted himself to evangelizing the local population who practiced pagan worship. Shortly before he died, Saint Benedict saw the soul of his sister Saint Scholastica rising to heaven in the form of a dove. This vision happened a few days after their last talk together at the foot of Montecassino. In a vision, Benedict saw the soul of Bishop Germanus of Capua taken by angels in a fire globe. These visions, for Pope Saint Gregory the Great, showed a close union between Benedict and God, a union so intense that the Saint was given the share of an even more magnificent vision, the whole of creation as gathered in a sunbeam. In the end, a life so noble was justifiably followed by a much-glorified death. According to tradition, Saint Benedict died on March 21, 547 AD. He foresaw his coming death, informing his close and faraway disciples that the end was near. Six days before dying, he had the grave which he was to share with his deceased sister Saint Scholastica, opened. Then, completely exhausted, he asked to be taken into his oratory where, after taking his last Holy Communion, he died supported by his monks. ABOUT THE ORIGINAL MEDAL OF ST. BENEDICT This highly indulgenced medal bears a likeness of the great “Father of the Monastic Life.” In his right hand is a cross, beside which are the words Crux “Patris Benedicti” (“The Cross of the Father Benedict”); in his left hand is the book of the Benedictine rule. At his feet are represented a chalice and a raven, symbols of the priesthood and of hermit life. Around the edge are the words “Eius in Obitu Nostro Praesentia Muniamur” (“At our death may we be fortified by His presence”). On the reverse side is a cross, on the vertical bar of which are the initial letters of the words “Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux” (“The holy Cross be my light”); on the horizontal bar are the initials of “Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux” (“Let not the Dragon be my guide”); and around are other letters signifying other Latin mottoes. At the top is usually the word “Pax” (“Peace”) or the monogram “I H S.” There are many indulgences for the wearers, including a plenary one on All Souls' Day, obtained by visiting a church on that day or on its eve, and praying there for the intention of the Holy Father. The original medal of St. Benedict was first approved by Benedict XIV in 1741, and further indulgences were granted by Pius IX in 1877 and by St Pius X in 1907. THE USE OF THE ST. BENEDICT MEDAL It may be worn about the neck, attached to the scapular or the rosary, or otherwise carried devoutly about one's person. For the sick it can be placed on wounds, dipped in medicine or in water which is given to them to drink. The St. Benedict Medals and Tokens are frequently put into the foundation of houses or in walls, hung over doors, or fastened on stables and barns to call down God's protection and blessing. It can also be buried in fields. Blessing Ritual of the St. Benedict Medal includes the Exorcism Formula. Catholics should seek the catholic priest who will pray to God for all the blessings. The very wearing and use of such Medal is considered a continues silent prayer to God to grant us, through the merits of St. Benedict, peace, protection, and the favors we request. For obtaining extraordinary favors, it is highly recommended to perform special devotions in honor of the holy Father St. Benedict such as reading (and following) St Benedict rules, attending the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on St. Benedict Feast Day, and praying the novena to St. Benedict. ST. BENEDICT PRAYER May the intercession of the Blessed Patriarch and Abbot Benedict render Thee merciful unto us, O Lord, that what our own unworthiness cannot obtain, we may receive through his powerful patronage. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. (The St. Benedict prayer may be said when using the Medal for any pious purpose.) ST. BENEDICT'S MEDAL PRAYER The English prayer is “THE HOLY CROSS BE MY LIGHT, MAY THE DRAGON NEVER BE MY GUIDE. GET AWAY, SATAN!” NEVER TEMPT ME WITH YOUR VANITIES! WHAT YOU OFFER ME IS EVIL, DRINK THE POISON YOURSELF!” The Latin prayer is CRUX SACRA SIT MIHI LUX NON DRACO SIT MIHI DUX VADE RETRO SATANA NUMQUAM SUADE MIHI VANA SUNT MALA QUAE LIBAS IPSE VENENA BIBAS. PATRON: Against nettle rash; against poison; against witchcraft; agricultural workers; cavers; coppersmiths; dying people; erysipelas; Europe; farm workers; farmers; fever; gall stones; Germany; inflammatory diseases; Italian architects; kidney disease; monks; nettle rash; Norcia, Italy; people in religious orders; schoolchildren; servants who have broken their master's belongings; speliologists; spelunkers; temptations. PRAYER: O God, who made the Abbot Saint Benedict an outstanding master in the school of divine service, grant, we pray, that, putting nothing before love of you, we may hasten with a loving heart in the way of your commands. 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.
One thing about St Benedict was the most tremendous battles he had toe to toe with Satan. These saints who fought hand to hand with Satan in this way are the saints exorcists call on the Roman Ritual to cast out devils. I always wear the St Benedict Medal /Cross and I very , very much recommend it for it is very, very powerful. I even have a t Benedict rosary at the moment. The Miraculous Medal is also very good, I wear it too. https://romancatholicgear.com/blogs...-and-why-is-it-called-the-devil-chasing-medal History of the St. Benedict Medal According to tradition, when Pope St. Leo IX was a young boy, he was bitten by a snake, became very ill and was near death. As he lay dying, St. Benedict appeared to him and touched his wounds with a cross,instantly curing him. When he later became Pope, he redesigned the St. Benedict Cross/Medal and attributed to it blessings and indulgences. St. Vincent de Paul also had a strong devotion to the St. Benedict Medal and requested the Sisters of Charity to attach it to their rosary beads – a practice which remains common today. In 1742,Pope Benedict XIV solemnly approved and recommended the use of the St. Benedict Medal to the faithful. A Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict The St. Benedict Medal most commonly used today is called the “Jubilee Medal of St. Benedict”, which was commissioned by monks of Monte Cassino, Italy in the year 1880 to celebrate the 1400th anniversary of St. Benedict’s birth. This Jubilee St. Benedict Medal has all the features and symbols traditionally associated with the St. Benedict Medal. What do the symbols on the St. Benedict Medal mean? ON THE FRONT: St. Benedict – The image of St. Benedict appears in the center of the medal, representing the great and holy “father of western monasticism”. His image reminds us to imitate his virtues. Cross – St. Benedict holds a cross in his right hand, symbolizing Christ and the saving power of the cross. The cross also signifies the evangelization of the Benedictines throughout the centuries and the many miracles St. Benedict performed through the power of the cross. Cup – To the right of St. Benedict appears a broken cup, symbolizing the miracle in which rebellious monks tried to poison St. Benedict, but were thwarted when he made the sign of the cross over the cup, instantly shattering it. Raven – To the left of St. Benedict, a raven holds a poisoned piece of bread, signifying another miraculous intervention which saved St. Benedict’s life. Rule - In his left hand, St. Benedict holds the rule he wrote which guided life in the monasteries he founded, and inspired monastic life all over the western world. C.S.P.B. – On the front of the medal appear the Latin words, “Crux s. patris Benedicti” which mean “The Cross of our holy father Benedict”. Encircling St. Benedict around the edge of the medal are the Latin words, “Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur!”, which mean, “May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death!” EX SM CASINO MDCCCLXX - Beneath St. Benedict’s feet are inscribed these letters which mean, “From the holy Monte Cassino, 1880”, indicating the place and year this Jubilee Medal was commissioned by the Abbot of Monte Cassino in 1880 commemorating the 1400th anniversary of St. Benedict’s birth. ON THE BACK: Cross – The main symbol on the back of the medal is a large cross, symbolizing Jesus Christ, His sacrifice on Calvary, and all the power, graces and salvific effects which flow from His sacrifice. C.S.P.B. – In the cross’ four sides appear initials for the Latin “Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti” which mean “Cross of the Holy Father Benedict”. C.S.S.M.L. – In the vertical line of the cross appear initials for the Latin “Crux Sacra Sit Mihi Lux” which mean “May the Holy Cross be my light”. N.D.S.M.D. – In the horizontal line of the cross appear initials for the Latin “Non Draco Sit Mihi Dux” which mean “May the devil not be my guide”. Encircling the cross along the border, beginning at the top and reading clockwise are initials of the Latin exorcism prayer: V.R.S. – “Vade Retro Satana” which mean "Begone, Satan” N.S.M.V. – “Non Suade Mihi Vana” which mean "Do not suggest to me vain things" S.M.Q.L. – “Sunt Mala Quae Libas” which mean "What you offer is evil” I.V.B. – “Ipse Venena Bibas” which mean "Drink your own poison" PAX – “PAX” which means “Peace” In its entirety the prayer reads: “May the Holy Cross be my light, and may the devil not be my guide. Begone, Satan. Do not suggest to me vain things. What you offer is evil. Drink your own poison. Peace." (www.ewtnvatican.com) How to Use the St. Benedict Medal The St. Benedict Medal may be worn around one’s neck, attached to a rosary or scapular, or carried on one’s person. It is sometimes placed in fields, foundations of buildings, or attached to cars, asking God’s blessing and protection and the prayers of St. Benedict. Carrying or wearing this medal is a reminder to imitate St. Benedict’s virtues and trust in the providence and protection of God. It is an outward sign of one’s inward disposition of prayer, trust in God, and charity. As recommended by St. Vincent de Paul who had a strong devotion to the St. Benedict Medal and requested his Sisters of Charity attach it to their rosary beads, the St. Benedict Medal is attached to all Combat Rosaries™ produced through Roman Catholic Gear. Arm yourself with the St. Benedict Medal, included on the adjustable and durable paracord Monk Bracelet, and call on the aid of St. Benedict as you battle the world, the flesh and the devil in your daily life.
