Week at a glanceMonday October 5 ~ Saint Faustina Kowalska
Tuesday October 6 ~ Blessed Marie-Rose
Durocher Saint Bruno
Wednesday October 7 ~ Our Lady of the Rosary
Thursday October 8 ~
Friday October 9 ~ Saint Denis & Companions
Saint John Leonardi
Saturday October 10 ~
Sunday October 11 ~ 28th Sunday in Ordinary
Time THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
Monday October 12 ~ THANKSGIVING DAY
Tuesday October 13 ~
Wednesday October 14 ~ Saint Callistus I
Thursday October 15 ~
Friday October 16 ~ National Pregnancy & Infant
Loss Remembrance Day
Saturday October 17 ~
Sunday October 18 ~ 29th Sunday in Ordinary
Time
The monthly prayer intention of pope francisFOR MENTAL HEALTH MINISTRY
Let us pray that the mental health ministry be established throughout the Church, helping to overcome the stigma and discrimination of persons with mental illnesses. 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 saintsOctober 5 ~ Saint Faustina Kowalska
Born in the village of Glogowiec, near Lodz, in Poland in 1905, and dying in Krakow in 1938, Saint Faustina spent her short life amongst the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, generously conforming herself to the vocation she received from God and developing an intense spiritual life, rich in spiritual gifts and in faithful harmony with them. In the Diary of her soul, the sanctuary of her encounter with the Lord Jesus, she herself recounts what the Lord worked in her for the benefit of all: listening to him who is love and mercy she understood that no human wretchedness could measure itself against the mercy which ceaselessly pours from the heart of Christ. Thus she became the inspiration for a movement dedicated to proclaiming and imploring Divine Mercy throughout the whole world. Canonized in the year 2000 by Saint John Paul II, the name of Faustina quickly became known around the world, thereby promoting in all the parts of the people of God, pastors and lay faithful alike, the invocation of Divine Mercy and its credible witness in the conduct of the lives of believers. (Source: www.vatican.va) October 6 ~ Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher
Marie-Rose Durocher founded the congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. Born in 1811 in St-Antoine, Quebec, Eulalie went to school in Montreal. Soon after her mother's death in 1829, Eulalie moved to Beloeil, where her brother, the pastor, put her in charge of his household, where she worked for 13 years. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate had just arrived from France. With their assistance, Eulalie established the first Canadian sodality for young women. She became the first Canadian postulant of the Sisters of the Holy Names, of Marseilles. When the Oblates failed to recruit religious teachers from Marseilles, Bishop Bourget of Montreal invited Eulalie to found a new congregation dedicated to religious education, and in 1843 a small community of novices settled in Longueuil. In 1844 they were professed by the bishop, taking the name, habit and constitutions from the Marseilles community, with Marie-Rose as superior. Although their founder died just six years later, the community had already begun to grow despite poverty and hardship and several schools had been established. Today the outreach of the congregation is worldwide. Marie-Rose Durocher was beatified in 1982. October 6 ~ Saint Bruno
Bruno, founder of the Carthusian Order, was born in Cologne, Germany, about 1030. He studied at Rheims and was invited back to teach theology and grammar. During his 18 years at Rheims he taught many eminent scholars and was chancellor of the diocese. When the archbishop died in 1068, his replacement was highly unsuitable and the objections of Bruno and other canons were met with persecution, which forced them to flee the city. Eventually that archbishop was deposed. Clerical corruption left Bruno wanting to live a contemplative life. In 1080 he gave up his riches and, with six companions, began to live as a hermit. In 1084, the group was granted land in the Chartreuse Mountains. This was the beginning of the Carthusian Order and of the great abbey that is its motherhouse. In recognition of his great learning, Bruno was called to Rome in 1090 to assist the pope, a former pupil. It was soon obvious that Bruno was not suited to court life and he was permitted to found a second monastery in Calabria, close enough to be available to the Holy See. He died there in 1101, leaving no rule, but a spirit of prayerful simplicity, which lives on. October 7 ~ Our Lady of the Rosary
In ancient times, Marian feasts of the Eastern Church centered on events in Mary's life. Since the 12th century, Marian feasts added to the Western calendar almost always commemorate a particular event of the times. Our Lady of the Rosary was celebrated in the late 15th century by some confraternities of the Rosary, and in 1571 was solemnized by Pius V in thanksgiving for a battle victory. In 1716, Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church. October 9 ~ Saint Denis & Companions
Denis was the first bishop of Paris. During a 3rd century persecution, the missionary Denis was preaching at Lutetia Parisorum (now Paris) when he and two companions suffered martyrdom. Later, a chapel was built over their tomb (on Montmartre, "the mount of martyrs") and grew into the great abbey of Saint Denis. During the Middle Ages the cult of Saint Denis was extremely popular. Denis is a patron saint of France. October 11 ~ Saint John XXIII
Pope John XXIII was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli in 1881. In 1904 he was ordained a priest and served as a secretary to the Bishop of Bergamo, then as seminary teacher, sergeant in the medical corps, military chaplain, spiritual director, and Apostolic Visitor before being appointed Bishop in 1925. In 1953 he was created a Cardinal and sent to Venice as Patriarch. At the death of Pius XII he was elected Pope on October 28, 1958, taking the name John XXIII. His pontificate, which lasted less than five years, presented him to the entire world as an authentic image of the Good Shepherd. Meek and gentle, enterprising and courageous, simple and active, he carried out the Christian duties of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy: visiting the imprisoned and the sick, welcoming those of every nation and faith, bestowing on all his exquisite fatherly care. His social magisterium in the Encyclicals Pacem in terris and Mater et Magistra was deeply appreciated. He convoked the Roman Synod, established the Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law and summoned the Second Vatican Council. He was present as Bishop in his Diocese of Rome through his visitation of the parishes, especially those in the new suburbs. The faithful saw in him a reflection of the goodness of God and called him "the good Pope." He was sustained by a of prayer. He launched an extensive renewal of the Church, while radiating the peace of one who always trusted in the Lord. Pope John XXIII died on the evening of June 3, 1963, in a spirit of profound trust in Jesus and of longing for his embrace. He was canonized April 27, 2014, along with Saint John Paul II. (Source: saltandlighttv.org) October 14 ~ Saint Callistus I
Most of what we know about Callistus, an early pope, was written by a hostile opponent, Saint Hippolytus, and must be carefully interpreted. From his early years, Callistus was the slave of a Christian. Honest and intelligent, he was put in charge of a bank that eventually failed. For this and other incidents, he was arrested and sentenced to labour in Sardinian mines. About 199 Pope Zephyrinus made the enfranchised Callistus (freed earlier by his original master) his deacon and counsellor and put him in charge of the first official Christian cemetery in Rome, known today as San Callisto cemetery. In 217, Callistus was elected pope and, despite strong opposition, introduced humanitarian reforms. He met a violent death about 222, probably during as uprising against Christians, and was buried on the Via Aurelia. October 15 ~ Saint Teresa of Jesus
Teresa was born in Avila, Spain, on March 28, 1515, and died in 1582. Of the many women who have exercised leadership roles in the Church, Teresa must surely be considered among the greatest. When she entered the Carmelite convent, some thought Teresa was a spoiled young woman with an unremarkable prayer life but she soon advanced in prayer, experiencing visions and hearing voices. Dissatisfied with the laxity she perceived among religious, she determined to institute reforms and established St Joseph's Convent where enclosure and a strict rule prevailed. With the assistance of Peter of Alcantara and John of the Cross, Teresa succeeded in founding the reformed (Discalced) Carmelite orders of nuns and friars. Teresa wrote several works considered classics of spiritual literature, including The Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle. A great mystic and a strong, intelligent and active leader, Teresa was canonized in 1622 and in 1970 became the first woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church. She is a patron of Spain. October 16 ~ Saint Marguerite d'Youville
The first Canadian-born saint, Marie-Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais was born at Varennes, Quebec, on October 15, 1701. Following the death of her father in 1708, Marguerite's family lived in poverty. Thanks to generous relatives, Marguerite was able to study at the Ursuline Convent in Quebec for two years. When she returned home, she taught her five younger brothers and sisters. In 1722, she married Francois d'Youville, who proved to be a selfish and indifferent husband, involved in illegal liquor trading. When Francois died eight years later, he left Marguerite with two children and enormous debts. When she had overcome her financial difficulties, Marguerite rented a house in Montreal in 1737 where she and three companions, the first Grey Nuns, sheltered needy women. For several years, the four were slandered and persecuted, accused of being drunkards and prostitutes. In 1747, Marguerite was given charge of the colony's general hospital, which was deep in debt. Trusting in Providence, she worked hard and saved the hospital. In 1765, fire destroyed the hospital, but Marguerite rebuilt it within four years. Following a brief illness, she died on December 23, 1771. Marguerite was declared blessed in 1959 and canonized on December 9, 1990. October 17 ~ Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius is believed to have been a convert to Christianity and a disciple of John the Evangelist. Bishop of Antioch for 40 years, he was arrested during the persecution under Trajan, condemned for confessing Christ and taken in chains to Rome. The ship in which he was sent travelled along the coast of Asia Minor and at every port crowds of Christians would greet him. While on this journey, Ignatius dictated seven letters on the Church, now counted among the treasures of early Christianity. Ignatius arrived in Rome about the year 107 and was taken directly to the amphitheatre, where lions devoured him. October 18 ~ Saint Luke
Historical sources are unanimous in stating that the author of the third gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles is a physician named Luke. He was undoubtedly a Gentile (that is, non-Jewish) Christian and wrote for other Gentiles who did no have a background of the Old Testament in which to root their faith. His writings show him to be an educated man with considerable literary skill. He is a patron of the medical profession. |
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4302 57 Avenue
Olds, AB
403-556-3084
[email protected]
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