14 September: Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

by popadmin | Sep 12, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

14 September: Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast commemorates three historical events: finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena; dedication of the churches on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary; and restoration of the True Cross to Jerusalem by Heraclius II. After the Resurrection, Jewish and Roman authorities hid the Holy Sepulchre, Christ’s tomb. Earth was mounded up and pagan temples built on top. Tradition said Christ’s Cross had been hidden nearby. Saint Helena (Constantine’s mother) was divinely inspired to travel to Jerusalem in 326 to find the True Cross. Three crosses were eventually found. Helena and Saint Macarius, bishop of Jerusalem, devised an experiment to determine which was the True Cross. The crosses were taken to a woman near death; when she touched the True Cross, she was healed. Another tradition says the body of a dead man was laid upon each cross. The True Cross restored the man to life. Constantine constructed churches at the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary. Those churches were dedicated and the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was celebrated. The feast slowly spread, until, by the year 720, it was universal. In the 7th century, Persians conquered Jerusalem and captured the Cross. Heraclius II defeated them and restored the Cross to Jerusalem. Tradition says he carried the Cross on his own back, but when he attempted to enter the church on Mount Calvary, a strange force stopped him. Patriarch Zacharias of Jerusalem advised him to take off his royal robes and crown and to dress in penitential garb instead. As soon as Heraclius did so, he was able to carry the Cross into the church. Truly, this feast day is a celebration of God’s greatest work: His death and resurrection which defeated death and opened Heaven. Christ transformed an instrument of torture and humiliation into a symbol of salvation. When Moses lifted up the bronze serpent over the people, it was a foreshadowing of salvation through Jesus when He was lifted up on the Cross. To follow Christ we must take up His cross, follow Him and become obedient until death. We make the Sign of the Cross which helps to fix our minds and hearts on God. At Baptism, we are sealed with the Sign of the Cross, signifying our redemption and that we belong to Christ. Let us look to the cross frequently, and realize that when we make the Sign of the Cross we give our entire self to God — mind, soul, heart, and body. The antiphon for today says it perfectly: “We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, our life and our resurrection: through him we are saved and made free.”

Ideas for celebrating this feast day at home:

• Craft project: make and decorate a cross. Children could use popsicle sticks or twigs and twine. Adults could build a “yard cross” out of big pieces of lumber or tree limbs tied together.
• Place blessed crucifixes prominently throughout your home. Teach children to reverently make the sign of the cross.
• On this feast, eat red foods like strawberries and tomatoes, and drink red beverages like punch or red wine, reminding us of the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Eating white foods, like mozzarella cheese, reminds us of our baptism (when we were signed with the cross).
• Cook with sweet basil, which tradition says grew over the place where the True Cross was found. Use wooden skewers and make an appetizer of tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella cheese. The wood of the skewers reminds us of the cross. Recipe idea here! Or, simply enjoy a dinner of spaghetti with tomato basil sauce and fresh parmesan.
• Make a dessert in the form of a cross, or decorated with a cross. Although usually made on Good Friday, hot cross buns would also be perfect for today (recipe here).
• Pray the Stations of the Cross. The prayer repeated at each station: We adore You, O Christ, and praise You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
• Available on FORMED is a story about St. Helena and the True Cross: click here.

8 September: Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

by popadmin | Sep 6, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

8 September: Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast day commemorates the birth day of Mary. There are only three birthdays on the liturgical calendar: Mary, Jesus, and John the Baptist. Usually, it is the custom to celebrate the feast day of a saint on the date of their death as that marks their “birth” into everlasting life. Mary, however, entered the world sinless (known as the “Immaculate Conception”). She was born to be the mother of the Savior of the world, the spiritual mother of all men, and the holiest of God’s creatures. Mary is called the firstborn of the redeemed and her nativity is “the hope of the entire world and the dawn of salvation” (Pope Paul VI, Marialis Cultus). Mary’s birth is not recorded in scripture but is found in the Protevangelium of James, an apocryphal writing from the 2nd century. The liturgical celebration of this feast has a joyous theme of light: the world that had been shadowed in the darkness of sin sees a glimmer of light with the arrival of Mary. Through Mary comes Christ, the Light of the World. The Blessed Virgin has a pivotal role in the history of salvation, and she was given the highest mission ever commended to any creature. We rejoice that the Mother of God is our Mother, too. Today and every day, let us often call upon the Blessed Virgin as “Cause of our joy”, one of the most beautiful titles in her litany.

There are some wonderful traditions from around the world that are associated with Our Lady’s birthday. Since September 8 marks the end of summer and beginning of fall, this day has many thanksgiving celebrations attached to it. In the older form of the Roman Ritual there is a blessing of the fall planting seeds. The winegrowers in France called this feast “Our Lady of the Grape Harvest.” The best grapes are brought to church to be blessed and then some bunches are attached to hands of the statue of Mary. A festive meal which includes the new grapes is part of this day. In the Alps section of Austria this day is “Drive-Down Day” during which cattle and sheep are led from their summer pastures in the slopes and brought to their winter quarters in the valleys. This was usually a large caravan, done with decorations and festivity. In some parts of Austria, milk from this day and all the leftover food are given to the poor in honor of Our Lady’s Nativity.

Ideas for celebrating this feast day:

• Have a birthday party for Mama Mary! Have children decorate the house with leftover party supplies in honor of their heavenly mother. Blue is the fitting color for this feast day (it is symbolic of Mary’s blue mantle).
• Ask children to think of a birthday “gift” they can give to Mary: a prayer; an act of mercy; a small sacrifice; a virtue to work on; a handful of wildflowers to adorn a Marian statue; etc.
• Make a blue and white cupcake rosary (a “rosary” made out of cupcakes, mini cupcakes, or cookies. Idea here. Sing “happy birthday” to Mary before enjoying this special dessert! A simple white cake symbolizing Mary’s purity is also perfect for this feast day.
• Eat “blue” foods, like blueberries, on this Marian feast day! Ideas: blueberry muffins or pancakes, blueberry pie, blueberry cobbler, or, simply, fresh blueberries.
• Consider purchasing a Marian statue for your home. Creating a Marian garden in your yard is another beautiful way to honor Our Lady.
• Learn and memorize prayers to Mary, such as: the Angelus, Litany of Loreto, Memorare, Hail Mary, and Hail Holy Queen.
• Learn a Marian hymn together as a family. Ideas: Regina Coeli, Ave Maria, Salve Regina, Immaculate Mary and Hail, Holy Queen.
• Find out about the devotion to “Maria Bambina” (“Baby Mary”)
• Read the papal encyclical Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer) written by Saint John Paul II: Available here.
• Pray a rosary – that’s the best way to say “happy birthday” to your heavenly mother!

(sources: Excerpts from The Holyday Book by Fr. Francis Weiser, catholicculture.org, catholiccuisine.blogspot.com)

4 September: Feast of Blessed Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions

by popadmin | Aug 29, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

4 September: Feast of Blessed Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions. Blessed Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions (also known as the Martyrs of Nowogrodek) were nuns of the Holy Family of Nazareth who arrived in Nowogrodek in September 1929. Nowogrodek was a small town in the eastern lands of the Republic of Poland. Its population included Poles, Jews, Muslims, Belarusians and Russians and others. From the beginning, the nuns worked to meet the needs of the community. They ran a school for girls – one of their first students was a Muslim girl. The nuns were examples of deep faith and were very hard workers. Their help in the community gradually gained them the respect of the locals. In September 1939, the Germans attacked Poland from the West and Soviet Russia attacked from the East, marking the beginning of WWII. During Soviet occupation, the nuns could not run the school, but continued to care for the local people. They were expelled from their house; forbidden to wear their habits. Thousands of innocent people were arrested and transported. Then, Russians withdrew and German occupation began. The Germans started their terror by gathering dozens of Jews in the market square and killing them, while their orchestra played a waltz. Daily, executions continued. In July 1942, a mass execution took place in the forest near Nowogrodek, 60 people, including two priests—Fr. Jozef Kuczynski and Fr. Michal Dalecki—were shot. The next year, 120 people were arrested to be executed. Sister Maria Stella met with the local priest, Fr. Zienkiewicz and said: “My God, if sacrifice of life is needed, let them kill us and not those who have families. We are even praying for that.” Strangely, the execution of the 120 people was stopped. Those who were supposed to be killed were instead transported to compulsory work in Germany. Some were even released. However, the Gestapo did not forget about murdering. Sister Maria Stella and her nuns were ordered to report to Gestapo headquarters. After praying the rosary, the 11 nuns bravely went to the Gestapo. The sisters’ names were: Stella, Imelda, Rajmunda, Daniela, Kanuta, Sergia, Gwidona, Felicyta, Heliodora, Kanizja and Boromea. (There was one more nun who did not go. The 12th, Malgorzata, was the oldest nun helping in the hospital and Mother Superior ordered her to stay home in case the others did not return.) That evening, the nuns thought they would be transported to Germany for slave work. They did not hear any accusations, there was no investigation. On Sunday, Aug. 1, 1943, at dawn, the nuns were herded into a van and transported to a remote spot in the woods where an open grave waited. There, kneeling side by side in the habits of their order, the sisters bade each other farewell. One by one, beginning with Sister Stella, all 11 nuns were shot; their lifeless bodies tumbled into the grave. Love was killed by hate. Sister Malgorzata waited several weeks following the execution before risking a solo journey through the woods in search of their remains. She attended to the mass grave and prayed for the souls of her beloved sisters until their bodies were exhumed in March 1945 and laid to rest on the grounds of the Church of the Transfiguration following Mass and Christian burial. Fr. Zienkiewicz, Sister Malgorzata and all those 120 persons for whom 11 nuns had sacrificed their lives, survived the war. “No one has greater love than this—that one lays down his life for his friends,” said Saint John Paul II on the day of the nuns’ beatification in March 2000.

Ideas for celebrating this feast day at home:

• Watch a video on the lives of these martyrs: click here.
• In honor of the 11 nuns who gave their lives for others, make 11 sacrifices today – especially for those most in need of God’s mercy.
• Pray the Litany of Blessed Maria Stella and 10 companions
• Just as these brave martyrs did on the evening they faced the Gestapo, pray a rosary with your family, for an end to our nation’s own holocaust: abortion.
• Finally, enjoy a polish dinner on this feast in honor of these heroic Polish nuns. Recipes at this link.