Week at a glanceTuesday September 20 ~ Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon,
Saint Paul Chong Ha-sang & Companions
Wednesday September 21 ~ Saint Matthew
Thursday September 22 ~
Friday September 23 ~ Saint Pius of Pietrelcina
Saturday September 24 ~ Blessed Emilie
Tavernier-Gamelin
Sunday September 25 ~ 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Monday September 26 ~ Saint Jean de Brebeuf,
Saint Isaac Jogues & Companions Saints Cosmos & Damian
Tuesday September 27 ~ Saint Vincent de Paul
Wednesday September 28 ~ Saint Wenceslaus,
Saint Lawrence Ruiz & Companions
Thursday September 29 ~ Saints Michael, Gabriel
& Raphael
Friday September 30 ~ Saint Jerome
Saturday October 1 ~ Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus
Sunday October 2 ~ 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
The monthly prayer intention of pope francisFor the Abolition of the Death Penalty
We pray that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person, may be legally abolished in every country. Daily Offering Prayer
God, our Father, I offer You my day. I offer You my prayers, thoughts, words, actions, joys, and sufferings in union with the Heart of Jesus, who continues to offer Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit, Who guided Jesus, be my guide and my strength today so that I may witness to your love. With Mary, the mother of our Lord and the Church, I pray for all Apostles of Prayer and for the prayer intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen. |
calendar of saintsFrom Living With Christ
September 20 ~ Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Saint Paul Chong Ha-sang & Companions
In the early 1600's Christian communities began to flourish in Korea under the leadership of lay people. In 1836, missionaries from France, members of the Paris Foreign Mission Society, secretly entered the country. The Christian communities began to encounter hostility and, during the persecutions of the mid-19th century, over 10,000 Christians were killed. Andrew Kim, the first Korean priest, was one of these. Paul Chong, a seminarian and catechist, was one of the many lay people who suffered. These and 101 other Korean martyrs, clergy and lay, young and old, were canonized in 1984. September 21 ~ Saint Matthew
The apostle Matthew has two names in the Gospels: Matthew and Levi. Since only the name Matthew is entered in any scriptural mention of the 12 apostles, it is commonly held that his name was Levi until Jesus called him to be a disciple, then he was called Matthew which means 'gift of God' in Aramaic. Mark and Luke record that Levi, the son of Alphaeus, was sitting in the tax office when the Lord called him. A Jewish tax collector for the Romans, Matthew would have been considered impure and socially unacceptable by the Jewish community. After Pentecost, Matthew worked in a church made up mostly of Jews who believed that Jesus was the Saviour. The Gospel bearing his name was composed around AD 85 and was written for Jewish-Christians. In it, Jesus is shown as the fulfillment of God's Old Testament promises of a Messiah. Notice how often Matthew says, "As it is written," or "This is the one of whom the prophet spoke," or "All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet." Tradition holds that after the Resurrection, Matthew preached in Ethiopia, where he was martyred. He is a patron saint of customs officers and accountants. September 23 ~ Saint Pius of Pietrelcina
Francesco Forgione (1887-1968) was born in the Italian village of Pietrelcina. He entered the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars at the age of 16, taking the name Pio ('pious'), and was ordained in 1910. A stigmatic, he lived more than 50 years at the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, devoted to a life of ministry through sacramental reconciliation and celebration of the Eucharist, and helping countless people who sought his counsel. Pope Paul VI said of him: "Look what fame he had, what a worldwide following gathered around him! But why? Perhaps because he was a philosopher? Because he was wise? Because he had resources at his disposal? Because he said Mass humbly, heard confessions from dawn to dusk and was - it is not easy to say it - one who bore the wounds of our Lord. He was a man of prayer and suffering." Padre Pio was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. September 24 ~ Blessed Emilie Tavernier-Gamelin
Emilie Tavernier was born in Montreal in 1800. By the age of 28, she had endured the death of her husband and three children, drawing her closer to Our Lady of Sorrows. Emilie devoted her life to the poor, sick, orphaned and imprisoned, setting up Houses of Providence for their care. With the blessing of Bishop Bourget, she founded the Sisters of Providence in 1843 and became their Superior in 1844. Her last words as she lay dying in 1851 were "humility, simplicity, charity, but above all charity." Emilie Tavernier-Gamelin was beatified in 2001. September 25 ~ Saint Cosmas & Saint Damian
Saints Cosmas and Damian are remembered for their martyrdom. Legend suggests they were twins, both physicians who practised without charging fees, and who suffered martyrdom during a period of persecution. Around this legend grew another: a gruesome story of their suffering as well as a history of miraculous cures. After the Emperor Justinian I claimed to have been cured of illness through their intercession, he honoured the city of Cyr, which had the relics of the saints, and encouraged the devotion. In the 6th century, both an oratory and a basilica were built in their honour. Along with the apostle Luke, Cosmas and Damian are patron saints of physicians and surgeons. September 26 ~ Saint John de Brebeuf,
Saint Isaac Jogues & Companions This day honours the eight martyrs of North America - six Jesuit priests and two lay assistants - who died between 1642 and 1649. All came from Europe in response to a call for "missionaries to the Indians," and all showed great courage. The first group, who died in the United States, included Isaac Jogues and the laymen Rene Goupil and Jean de la Lande. The second group, who died in Canada, included Jean de Brebeuf, Antoine Daniel, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier, and Noel Chabanel. These men were aware of the dangers involved and of the fate of captives. Some of them were captured and escaped, but returned, persisting in their efforts to preach the Gospel to the Indigenous peoples. Accounts of the martyrdom of Brebeuf and Lalemant survive today in the Jesuit Relations. At Auriesville, NY, and at Midland, ON, the shrines erected to the memory of the martyrs attract thousands of pilgrims annually. September 27 ~ Saint Vincent de Paul
Saint Vincent is the founder of the Congregation of the Missions (Vincentians) and co-founder of the Daughters of Charity. Born in France in 1580, the son of a peasant farmer, Vincent attended university and was ordained at 20. His first inclination was to earn a good income, but, appointed to the Queen's household, he came under the influence of Berulle (later Cardinal), and became a changed man. Vincent devoted the rest of his life to acts of charity. He organized groups to provide food and clothing for all who were poor: orphans, prostitutes, the sick, the disabled, the homeless. He established a congregation to preach and to train clergy. He collected large sums of money for his many projects and his influence spread from France across Europe. He died in 1660, was canonized in 1737 and is a patron saint of charitable societies. September 28 ~ Saint Wenceslaus
Saint Wenceslaus of Bohemia (903-929) was raised a Christian by his grandmother, Saint Ludmila, but his mother and brother were opposed to Christianity, and to Wenceslaus himself when he became ruler. Many nobles also objected to his strict reforms and political actions. His brother Boleslaus, having lost the right of succession to Wenceslaus' newborn son, arranged to have Wenceslaus ambushed on his way to Mass. Wenceslaus was killed in the attack and immediately acclaimed a martyr. September 28 ~ Saint Lawrence Ruiz & Companions
Between 1633 and 1637, Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and 15 companions were martyred in Nagasaki, Japan. Most of the group were members or associates of the Dominicans. Lorenzo, a husband and father, was a native of the Philippines. The group spent several years working as missionaries in the Philippines, Formosa (Taiwan) and Japan. Lorenzo Ruiz and his companions were canonized in 1987. September 29 ~ Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are three of the seven archangels who stand before God and are venerated in both Jewish and Christian traditions. While once dedicated solely to Michael (Michaelmas), this date now commemorates all three. Michael ('Who is like the Lord?'), considered the special protector of Israel (Dan 12.1) and of the Church, is known as the 'captain of the heavenly host' (Rev 12.7-9). Gabriel ('God is mighty') foretold the coming of the Messiah to the prophet Daniel (Dan 9). Luke records the appearances of this 'angel of the Lord' to Zechariah and to Mary of Nazareth (Luke 1). Raphael ('God heals') identifies himself as one of the angels who bring prayers before God (Tobit 12). He is associated with the healing pool in Jerusalem (John 5). September 30 ~ Saint Jerome
Saint Jerome was born in Dalmatia about 342 and baptized at 18 in Rome by Pope Liberius. Having experienced a vision of Christ, Jerome withdrew into the Syrian desert for four years, praying, fasting and learning Hebrew. He was ordained in 377. Jerome's mastery of languages enabled him to translate Hebrew and Greek books of the Bible into Latin, the language of the common people; this translation is called the Vulgate. In the 16th century, the Council of Trent declared Jerome's Vulgate an official text of the Catholic Church. Jerome's rhetorical skill coupled with his fiery temperament made him a fierce opponent in theological debate and involved him in controversy most of his life. His last years were spent in Bethlehem, where a group of Roman noblewomen under his spiritual direction used their wealth to build convents, monasteries and hospices. These consecrated women, led by Saint Paula, are regarded in Church history as a powerful witness to early Christian feminine spirituality. Jerome died on this day in 420. His accomplishments in biblical studies are without parallel in Christian history. He is a Doctor of the Church, and patron of scripture scholars, translators, archeologists, librarians and students. October 1 ~ Saint Therese of the Child Jesus
Marie-Francoise Therese Martin was born in Normandy, France in 1873, ninth and youngest child of Louis Martin and Azelie-Marie Guerin; only five daughters survived to adulthood. Their mother died when Therese was only five years old and the family moved to Lisieux, where she was raised by her father, her sisters and an aunt. Three of her sisters became Carmelite nuns and the fourth joined the Visitandines. Therese entered the Carmel of Lisieux when she was 15. Her motto was a phrase from the great Carmelite mystic, John of the Cross: "Love is repaid by love alone." Therese held special devotions to the heart of Jesus and to the spiritual Motherhood of Mary. Tuberculosis limited Therese's activities. She pioneered the ideal of the 'little way': fidelity in the small things, trust and complete self-surrender to God. Therese had a gift for writing, and the prioress, her sister Pauline, directed her to write first about her childhood, then about her life in the convent. These were combined into The Story of a Soul, a modern spiritual autobiography. Known popularly as The Little Flower, Therese died on September 30, 1897. Though Therese's life spanned only 24 years, her faith and simplicity were remarkable. She was canonized in 1925 and made Doctor of the Church in 1997. She is a patron of missions. October 2 ~ Holy Guardian Angels
The word "angel" comes from the Greek word for messenger, and the Scriptures contain many references to their activities. In the Acts of the Apostles, for example, we read how Peter was assisted by an angel in escaping prison. When he went to a gathering of believers and was announced by the maid, they were incredulous, proclaiming, "It is his angel" (Acts 12.15). It was widely believed that people had a guardian angel assigned by God. In the oldest Roman Sacramentary still in existence, indirect reference is made to these individual guardians in the prayers for the feast. A memorial to guardian angels was entered into the calendar of the Western Church in 1670. |
St. Stephen Catholic Parish
4302 57 Avenue
Olds, AB
403-556-3084
ststephen102@gmail.com
Facebook: St. Stephen's Catholic Parish - Olds, Alberta
4302 57 Avenue
Olds, AB
403-556-3084
ststephen102@gmail.com
Facebook: St. Stephen's Catholic Parish - Olds, Alberta
