23 March: Saint Toribio, orTuribius Alfonso de Mogrovejo, was born in 1538 in Spain. His father was mayor of the city. At age twelve, he was sent to be educated in the humanities. He then studied law at the University of Salamanca. He was so brilliant a scholar that even though he was a layman, King Philip II appointed him chief judge of the Inquisitorial Court of Granada. As he prosecuted his duties so well, the king proposed him to the pope as the Archbishop of Lima. Gregory XIII named Toribio to this office in 1579, despite the fact that the shocked Toribio pleaded his incapacity for the office and argued that the canons prevented a layman from being appointed. Toribio eventually agreed and was consecrated a bishop. He then set out for the New World. After arriving in Lima in 1581, Toribio wasted no time in getting to work. His archdiocese was huge, encompassing about 400 miles. One of Toribio’s greatest accomplishments was overseeing the Third Provincial Council of Lima (1582-1583), one of the most important and far-ranging councils held in the Americas. Among other things, Toribio worked to implement the decrees of the Council of Trent in the Americas. He focused on the reformation of the clergy and the evangelization of the Indians. Toribio established the first seminary in the New World at Lima in 1590. Toribio also conducted pastoral visitations of his diocese, travelling across the entirety of the territory by foot. His visits took seventeen years to accomplish, covering 18,000 miles. Moving from parish to parish, he made an effort to know and instruct his flock, whether Spanish or Indian. For the salvation of souls, he made nocturnal journeys during torrential downpours of rain or on rugged paths covered in snow. Even on these long journeys, Toribio always said mass each morning and made a daily confession to his chaplain. In order to reach all of his flock, Toribio traversed steep and rugged mountains, sometimes by himself, to bring the Gospel to the natives in outlying areas. Oftentimes, he would dwell in the hut of the Incas for a few days with no food or bedding, preaching to the whole tribe, baptizing and confirming them. Toribio saw himself as a missionary and “Protector of the Indians.” St. Toribio also personally knew some of the great saints of South America. He gave the Sacrament of Confirmation to St. Rose of Lima, St. Martin de Porres and St. John Macias. He was also a good friend to St. Francis Solano, “the Wonderworker of the New World.” On one of his many journeys, Toribio was taken ill. He died on March 23, 1606, repeating the very words of Christ, “Into thy hands, I commend my spirit.” Toribio was beatified by Innocent XI in 1697 and canonized by Benedict XIII in 1726. Together with Rose of Lima, St. Toribio is the first known saint of the New World. He is the patron saint of indigenous/Native rights, Latin American bishops, and Peru.
Ideas for celebrating in your home:
· For a feast day dinner, try making a traditional Peruvian food recipe: Aji de Gallina (chicken in pepper sauce) – serve with rice or potatoes. For dessert, make Arroz con Leche (rice pudding).
· OR, order dinner from the Golden Llama, a local restaurant serving authentic Peruvian dishes.
· Look up the stories of other Central or South American saints, such as Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Martin de Porres, and Saint Peter Claver.
St. Toribio started the first seminary in the Americas and was named the first male saint of the New World. Offer a rosary today for an increase in vocations and for those studying for the priesthood.
St. Toribio fought for social justice, championing the rights of the natives against the Spanish masters. Make a contribution to your local food pantry, volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, cut out pictures of children from third world countries and make a display in your home to encourage your children to make sacrifices or to contribute money to those less fortunate.
19 March: Solemnity of Saint Joseph. The Church celebrates two feast days for Saint Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker. March 19 has been the more commonly celebrated feast; it wasn’t until 1955 that Pope Pius XII established the Feast of “St. Joseph the Worker” on May 1 (this is also “May Day” – International Workers’ Day). Saint Joseph is well known as the head of the Holy Family. He is silent in scripture, yet, spoken words are not needed for us to understand what a godly man Joseph was. Here is what Pope Benedict XVI says of Joseph’s silence: “The silence of Saint Joseph is given a special emphasis. His silence is steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of total availability to divine desires. It is a silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, watches over the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, continuously comparing it with the events of the life of Jesus; a silence woven of constant prayer, a prayer of blessing of the Lord, of the adoration of His holy will and of unreserved entrustment to his providence. It is no exaggeration to think that it was precisely from his “father” Joseph that Jesus learned… Let us allow ourselves to be “filled” with Saint Joseph’s silence! In a world that is often too noisy, that encourages neither recollection nor listening to God’s voice.”
Saint Joseph is the guardian and patron of the Universal Church, as well as of many causes including workers, fathers, and a happy death, due to the tradition that he died in Jesus and Mary’s arms.
“Inspired by the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church from the earliest centuries stressed that just as St. Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, that is, the Church.”– POPE ST. JOHN PAUL II
Ideas for celebrating in your home:
It is traditional to wear red for St. Joseph’s feast day. Set the table with red cloths or candles, too! Decorate your table with tools and a sprinkle of sawdust (tip: breadcrumbs look like sawdust!). Place white lilies in your home to remember St. Joseph’s purity.
Click here to see how to make a “St Joseph Altar” with all the traditional foods. Or, simply serve up sloppy Joe sandwiches as a fun way to remember Beloved Saint Joseph!
Traditional St. Joseph’s day foods include breads shaped in cross and staff form, figs, olives, dates, artichokes, fruits, salads, and sweets of all kinds especially donuts, cream puffs, biscotti and Italian cookies. For the main meal you could serve traditional fish and “St. Joseph’s Sawdust”: toasted bread crumbs over pasta, representing sawdust from St. Joseph’s workshop. Here’s a recipe.
Children can do a craft building/making something out of wood (twigs, popsicle stick, etc) to remember Joseph’s work as a carpenter.
In Italy and Spain, Father’s Day is celebrated annually on St. Joseph’s Day. Whatever older man in your life has guided you, deepened your faith, or helped you — whether it’s a biological father, adoptive father, foster father, grandfather, father-in-law or good priest: St. Joseph’s Day is a perfect day to honor them! Send a card; give them a call; deliver a dinner; or, offer a Mass in their honor.
Give your worries to Joseph so you can get some rest: It is said that St. Joseph, the “Terror of Demons,” even frightens demons in his sleep, such is his power and strength! Ask St. Joseph, who communicates with God even in his dreams, to pray for you and take your worries away!
2021 has been named the “Year of Saint Joseph” – take advantage of the Year of St. Joseph indulgences granted by the Holy See
Saint Joseph’s life is a model of Christian virtue. Perhaps we honor him best when we imitate his virtues (visit this website for insight into all of Joseph’s virtues).
Bishop Guglielmone has granted a dispensation the obligation to abstain from meat on Friday, March 19, in celebration of the Feast of St. Joseph that day. Let us commemorate and celebrate the mighty and faithful defender of the Church on his feast day during this proclaimed Year of St. Joseph.
9 March: Feast of Saint Frances of Rome. Frances (Francesca) was born in 1384 in Rome. Her parents were wealthy nobility. As a child, Frances was very devout. She decided at age eleven to become a nun. Frances’ father said no; he had already promised her in marriage to someone. Frances was very upset; she begged God to stop the marriage from happening. She complained to her confessor, who responded, “Are you crying because you want to do God’s will, or because you want God to do your will?” Frances reluctantly agreed to the marriage. She married Lorenzo Ponziani, a good man who treated her well. He was nobility and his family was prominent in society. Frances was very shy, so the parties that now filled her life were torturous. Frances became so overwrought with social anxiety that she collapsed bedridden for months, unable to eat or move. Near the point of death, Frances had a vision in which Saint Alexis said God was giving a choice: she could choose to recover, or not. Though she would have preferred to die, Frances said, “God’s will in mine.” St. Alexis then told her that she would live, and that by doing so she would glorify God. Frances recovered. As she became acquainted with her new relatives, Frances discovered that her sister-in-law also wished to live a life of service and prayer. They became close friends. With their husbands’ blessings, Frances and Vannozza constantly helped the poor. Frances then had three children and devoted herself as a good wife and mother. When disease and famine came to Rome, Frances took care of the sick and poor. Her father-in-law was furious at Frances for giving away the family’s stores of food, but when the food was miraculously replenished, he relented. Frances used all her money to help the poor. When all their resources were gone, Frances and Vannozza went door to door begging. As war raged, Frances suffered the loss of her son who was taken as a hostage. But he was returned to her after she entrusted his life to the Blessed Virgin. Frances later lost her younger two children to the plague. Her house was demolished. Despite these sufferings, she turned her home into a hospital. When war was over, her husband returned injured and Frances took care of him. Frances then received permission to start a society of women bound by no vows. This order, the Oblates of Mary, lived in the world but offered themselves wholly to God and the service of the poor. Frances chose not to live with the Oblates but rather at home with her husband. She did this for seven years, taking care of her husband until he passed away. Frances then joined the Oblates in 1436 as their superior. During her later years she received frequent visions and ecstasies. It is said that for twenty-three years her guardian angel was visible to her, aiding her work. She died in 1440 and was canonized by Pope Paul V in 1608. In 1925, Pope Pius XI made Saint Frances the patron saint of car drivers, because of a legend that an angel used to light the road in front of her when she travelled. She is also the patron saint of widows.
“It is most laudable in a married woman to be devout, but she must never forget that she is a housewife. And sometimes she must leave God at the altar to find Him in her housekeeping.” – St. Frances of Rome
Ideas for celebrating in your home:
You could enjoy an Italian meal for today’s Feast. However, Saint Frances lived mainly on dry bread and preferred fasting over feasting. She sets the perfect Lenten example for us: what can we fast from today in our effort to grow in holiness?
Saint Frances served the poor: how can you do this? Perhaps fill a box of surplus coats, blankets, food to donate to those in need?
Saint Frances cared for the sick: could you bless someone in their time of suffering or illness? Perhaps send a note, prepare a meal, or drop off groceries?
Invoke St. Frances’ protection as you are getting in your car to drive somewhere today.
3 March: Feast of Saint Katharine Drexel, the second American-born saint to be canonized. She was born Catherine Marie Drexel in 1858 to a wealthy Philadelphia banker. Her mother passed away five weeks after her birth. Her father remarried and had another daughter. Devout Catholics, they instilled in their children the idea that wealth was meant to be shared. They regularly gave food, clothing and rent assistance to the poor. Catherine’s life changed when her beloved stepmother died after suffering from cancer. Two years later, her father also died. Catherine’s father left the largest fortune recorded in Philadelphia at that time. His daughters were left with a large trust fund. The rest was donated to charity. In 1885, Catherine and her sisters traveled to the Western states, visiting Indian reservations. Seeing dire poverty, Catherine used her money to build schools, supply food and clothing, and provide salaries for teachers on these reservations. In 1887 she established her first boarding school for Indians in Santa Fe. That same year, the Drexel sisters were given a private audience with Pope Leo XIII. They asked him for missionaries to help the Indians. The Pope suggested that Catherine herself become a missionary. Catherine decided she would give herself and her inheritance to God through service to both Native and African Americans. She wrote, “The feast of St. Joseph brought me the grace to give the remainder of my life to the Indians and the Colored.” In 1891, she made her vows as a religious. Taking the name Mother Katharine, she established the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored. Founding and staffing schools for both Native and African Americans throughout the country was their priority. In 1894, she purchased 1,600 acres in Virginia and built a boarding school for black girls. Nearby was St. Emma’s school for black boys built by her sister, Louise. Soon after, a school for Pueblo children was established in New Mexico. In 1915, Mother Katharine purchased a vacant campus in New Orleans and reopened it as Xavier College (now Xavier University). Xavier was the first and only Catholic college for African-Americans and trained teachers to educate black children. Mother Katharine lived the rest of her life with extreme frugality, wearing a single pair of shoes for ten years and using her pencils down to the erasers. From age of 33 until her death, she dedicated her life and personal fortune of $20 million to her work. Katharine had a severe heart attack at 77 that forced her to retire. She spent the rest of her life in quiet and intense prayer. She died on March 3, 1955 at the age of 96. At the time of her death, 501 members of her order were teaching in 63 schools and had missions in 21 states. Katharine is remembered for her love of the Eucharist and her desire for unity of all peoples. She believed all should have access to a quality education. St. Katharine was beatified in 1988 and canonized on October 1, 2000 by Pope John Paul II. St. Katharine Drexel is the patron saint of racial justice and philanthropists.
Ideas for celebrating in your home:
St. Katharine dedicated her life to helping the Native and African American poor. Her feast is a good time to try a Native American recipe. How about Hopi Corn Stew with cornbread? Or Buffalo Baked Ziti? Or, try making Three Sisters Soup (Native tribes relied on the “three sisters” of corn, squash, beans to survive harsh winters).
St. Katharine had a great love for the Eucharist, the center and source of her activity. Make a family visit to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament today.
St. Katharine grew up in a wealthy home that always shared with others. In her memory, could you give of your time, talent, or material goods to help those in need? Contact St. Vincent de Paul, Triune Mercy Center, or other such charitable organization to ask how your family can help.
Learn more about St. Katharine Drexel and the order she founded, Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, at katharinedrexel.org.
Take a virtual tour of the shrine of St. Katharine Drexel on FORMED:click here for link.
22 February: Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter.Why do Catholics celebrate the feast of a chair?? Today, we are not celebrating a piece of furniture. The Chair of Peter is a physical symbol that communicates a spiritual reality. This Feast has been celebrated since the early Church and has multifold meaning. First, it refers to the actual chair (called the cathedra petri in Latin) that Saint Peter sat on as the first pope. Officials in the Roman Empire would sit on chairs when engaged in official work. This tradition was replicated in the Church. Catholic Bishops, for example, have a special cathedra they sit in for liturgy in their cathedral church.
The physical “chair of Peter” is encased in a sculpture designed by Bernini located in Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In the apse of the Basilica, a great bronze throne encloses the wooden chair from the ninth century, long thought to be Peter’s own chair. On the chair itself, Bernini depicts three key scenes from Peter’s life: the giving of the keys (symbolizing the authority to lead the Church), the washing of feet (symbolizing how Peter’s office is one of service), and Jesus’ instruction to Peter to “Feed my sheep” (pointing to his role as teacher and guide). Below the chair are statues of four doctors of the Church (Saints Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Augustine). Above the throne is an oval window with the image of the Holy Spirit as a dove. The symbolism of this great work of art is clear: the Holy Spirit guides the Church through Saint Peter and his successors, who authoritatively teach the Word of God transmitted in Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
Next, this feast day is about the spiritual authority bestowed upon Saint Peter by Jesus. Jesus said to Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Pope Benedict XVI summarized the spiritual dimension of the Chair of Peter: “So what was the ‘Chair’ of St Peter? Chosen by Christ as the ‘rock’ on which to build the Church, he began his ministry in Jerusalem… The Church’s first ‘seat’ was the Upper Room, and it is likely that a special place was reserved for Simon Peter in that room where Mary, Mother of Jesus, also prayed with the disciples… Then Peter went to Rome, the center of the Empire… So it is that the See of Rome, which had received the greatest of honors, also has the honor that Christ entrusted to Peter of being at the service of all the particular Churches for the edification and unity of the entire People of God… The See of Rome, after St Peter’s travels, thus came to be recognized as the See of the Successor of Peter, and its Bishop’s ‘cathedra’ represented the mission entrusted to him by Christ to tend his entire flock… Celebrating the ‘Chair’ of Peter, therefore, means attributing a strong spiritual significance to it and recognizing it as a privileged sign of the love of God, the eternal Good Shepherd, who wanted to gather his whole Church and lead her on the path of salvation.”
In the fourth century, St. Jerome wrote to Pope Damascus I: “I follow no leader but Christ and join in communion with none but Your Blessedness, that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that this is the rock on which the Church has been built.”
Watch “Peter: Keeper of the Keys” on FORMED (link here)
A symbol for Saint Peter is keys (the keys to the kingdom!). A fun activity would be to make keys out of craft supplies, cookie dough, pancake batter, or bread dough.
For an edible craft, challenge children to design a “chair” for St. Peter out of pantry supplies (cookies, crackers, nut butters, pretzels, etc). Ideas here and here.
For dinner, set the table with the liturgical color of white. Make Baked Rockfish in honor of Peter “the rock” (or any type of fish, since Peter was a fisherman!). Serve it alongside a “Golden Chair of St. Peter fruit salad”
Pray, go to mass, confession, and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as often as you can.
Try to set a daily goal to sacrifice in three areas:
Diet: sacrifice a treat or food/drink item
Physical: do something physically difficult every day of Lent (push-ups; daily walk; run a mile, etc)
Spiritual: commit to spend daily time with God in prayer and Scripture
Home décor: your home can reflect the penitential Lenten season (use burlap; cactus instead of flowers; simple candles and religious items on tables or mantles; etc). Incorporate the liturgical color of purple (perhaps with a purple cloth on the table or purple candles).
Movie sacrifice suggestion: instead of watching a favorite show, watch a Catholic saint story or other religious film (free with your parishioner FORMEDaccount). Or, use that time to read about the Catholic Faith or lives of the saints.
Save money to give to the poor: brainstorm ideas for how you can do this together as a family. Perhaps eat at home instead of going out for a meal and give the extra $$ to charity. Is there some other little luxury that can be sacrificed and the proceeds donated to charity?
Pray the “Stations of the Cross” on Fridays. If you can’t go to the one at church, it is simple to pray them at home. Click here to print out the prayers (and pictures that children can color).
Sign up for “Holy Heroes” free Lenten adventure online (kids ages 5-12): HolyHeroes.com
Make a salt dough “crown of thorns” to place on your table: link here. For each Lenten sacrifice made, pull a toothpick out of the crown. The goal is to remove all the “thorns” by Easter. (Additionally, you could paint it gold and decorate with colorful jewels or flowers where the “thorns” once were and use as an Easter centerpiece.)
Another idea is to make an edible “crown of thorns” for Ash Wednesday or Good Friday: simply braid bread dough into a crown and bake. Push pretzel sticks (as ‘thorns’) into the ‘crown’ as soon as it comes out of the oven. (See idea here at this link)
Similar to the crown of thorns activity, you could also do a “bean jar.” On the kitchen table is placed a bowl filled with dried beans and a jar. When a family member makes a sacrifice, they put a bean in the jar. Then, on Easter morning, children wake up to find that the beans that have accumulated in the jar during Lent have been changed into colorful and yummy jelly beans! Click here for more on this idea.
LENT: a time to grow closer to God. To take up new practices that lead us toward him and to leave behind practices that distract us from him.
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