19 June: Feast of Saint Romuald

19 June: Feast of Saint Romuald

by | Jun 7, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

19 June: Feast of Saint Romuald. St. Romuald was born in Ravenna, Italy, to a noble family. No one could have imagined that a descendent of the Dukes of Onesti would have left his stately home for the most absolute austerity, entering history as a great reformer of the Benedictine Order and as Founder of the Congregation of Monk Hermits of Camaldolese, an Order that has given the Church two great Pontiffs, Pius VII and Gregory XVI, as well as a whole array of blesseds and saints. Yet from his youth, Romuald had been attracted to the consecrated life. He sought silence and sacrifice. A turning point in Romuald’s life was when his father killed a relative in a duel at which Romuald was forced to be present. He then fled to the monastery of St. Apollinaris and did penance and fasting for forty days, assuming responsibility for the sins of his father and begging for forgiveness. He prayed and wept almost without ceasing. So was the purity of his heart, and sincerity of repentance, that he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and his faith deepened. He eventually became a monk at the Abby, later becoming Abbot. Romuald went on to found several monasteries throughout Italy, but he longed for an even more austere life than that of the Benedictines. He founded an order of hermits known as the Camaldolese monks (an Italian branch of the Benedictine Order). Romuald’s was one of the strictest orders for men in the West. Members lived isolated in small huts, observing strict silence and perpetual fasting, constantly praying or doing manual labor. The Life of St Romuald notes that the saint was totally enraptured by silence and solitude with God: “Contemplation of God enraptured him so forcefully that, almost blinded by tears and burning with an indescribable fire of love for God, he would cry out, `Dear Jesus, peace of my heart, ineffable desire, sweetness and gentleness of the angels and saints…’” St. Romuald brought many sinners, particularly those of rank and power, back to God. He died in 1027, having lived a life of prayer and rigorous penance. He had never used a bed and had found countless ways to practice severe penances, such as wearing a shirt of hair and eating only gruel. 15 years later, his pupil, St. Peter Damian, wrote in his biography: “His greatness lies in the rigorous and austere character of his interpretation of monastic life-an approach that was quite singular and unique. In the deepest recesses of his being, Romuald was an ascetic, a monk …He reminds us of the stolid figures inhabiting the Eastern deserts, men who by most rigorous mortification and severest self-inflicted penances gave a wanton world a living example of recollection and contemplation. Their very lives constituted the most powerful sermon.” Saint Romuald’s body was buried at the monastery in Paranzo. Three decades later, his incorrupt body was transferred to Fabriano in 1481. Many miracles have been reported at his tomb in the Cathedral of Fabriano. The Order he founded continues to operate today, with five congregations. The most austere of those, the hermits, continue to live like St. Romuald—strict adherence to silence and prayer for the reparation of the sins of mankind.

“Destroy yourself and live only in God.” – Saint Romuald

Ideas for celebrating this feast at home:

  • In honor of the place (Tuscany) where St. Romuald founded an order of hermits, make a Tuscan White Bean & Garlic Soup for dinner tonight (recipe here). Perhaps give up dessert as a small penance, in honor of this saint who is known for living a life full of penance.
  • Read more about St. Romuald here.
  • Spend some time reading the Psalms in silence like St. Romuald. When we pray, St. Romuald said that our bodies, hearts, souls, and minds should be focused solely on God: “Better to pray one psalm with devotion and compunction than a hundred with distraction.”
  • Write or print out your favorite passage from Psalms. Tape it on your bathroom mirror, in your car, or someplace you’ll see it every day to ponder and meditate upon.

(sources: catholicculture.org; excerpts from The Church’s Year of Grace by Pius Parsch)

11 June: Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus & 12 June: Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

by | Jun 1, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

11 June: Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. This Solemnity is celebrated on the Friday after the Feast of Corpus Christi. The Sacred Heart is depicted as a flaming heart surrounded by a crown of thorns, with a cross on top and bleeding from a wound. (It is often displayed with the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is also on fire, surrounded by a crown of flowers and pierced by a sword.) This feast was celebrated in seventeenth century France at the request of St. John Eudes. But the history of this devotion goes much farther back; it was highlighted by the fathers of the Church, including Origen, St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Hippolytus, St. Irenaeus, St. Justin Martyr, and St. Cyprian. This devotion was also given form in the 12th century by St. Bernard of Clairvaux in his famous “O Sacred Head Surrounded.” In 1673, Jesus appeared to a French nun, St. Margaret Mary­­ Alacoque. He told her that he wished to be honored in Eucharistic adoration during a holy hour on Thursdays, that he desired a feast day devoted to his Sacred Heart, and that he desired the faithful to receive Holy Communion on first Fridays. It took years, but eventually devotion to the Sacred Heart spread throughout the world. In 1856, Pope Pius IX established the Feast of the Sacred Heart as obligatory for the whole Church.

12 June: Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In the midst of WWII, Pope Pius XII put the whole world under the protection of our Savior’s Mother by consecrating it to her Immaculate Heart. He decreed that the Church should celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary so as to obtain by her intercession “peace among nations, freedom for the Church, the conversion of sinners, the love of purity and the practice of virtue” (Decree of May 4, 1944). This is not a new devotion; in the seventeenth century, St. John Eudes preached it together with that of the Sacred Heart; in the nineteenth century, Pius VII and Pius IX allowed a feast of the Pure Heart of Mary. In Scripture, Simeon’s prophecy portrayed Mary with her heart pierced with a sword; and at the foot of the Cross, we are shown the Heart of Mary. Mary was not merely passive at the crucifixion, “she cooperated through charity” as St. Augustine says, “in the work of our redemption.”

Both of these feasts use the heart as a symbol of love. In the Sacred Heart, the emphasis is on God’s love and mercy. Love so intense that the symbol is a human heart encircled with a crown of thorns, crowned with a cross, and radiating flames: this is how much Christ loves us. Devotion to the Immaculate Heart stems from Mary’s privileged status as the Mother of God. She provides a model for what our own hearts should look like. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is one of gratitude for Jesus’ great love for us; devotion to the Immaculate Heart indicates our desire to emulate the way in which Mary loves Jesus.

Ideas for celebrating these feast days at home:

(sources: teachingcatholickids.com; The Catholic All Year Compendium; Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913 ed.; catholicculture.org)

1 June: Feast of Saint Justin

1 June: Feast of Saint Justin

by | May 31, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

1 June: Feast of Saint Justin. Justin is one of the most important Christian writers of the early Church. Born in the year 100 in the Palestinian province of Samaria, Justin was the son of pagan Greeks who provided him with an excellent education. Justin was interested in philosophy and looked for truth in various schools of thought. He became frustrated with philosophers’ intellectual conceits, limitations, and indifference to God. After years of study, Justin had a life-changing encounter with an old man who urged him to study the Jewish prophets, who had spoken by God’s inspiration and predicted the coming of Christ and foundation of His Church. “Above all things, pray that the gates of life may be opened to you,” the man told Justin, “for these are not things to be discerned, unless God and Christ grant to a man the knowledge of them.” Justin studied Christianity and was baptized at age 30. From then on, he studied Holy Scripture day and night, his soul filled with divine fire. As a Christian, he wrote many books explaining and propagating the Christian faith. Among the most famous are his two Apologies or Defenses of the Faith, which argued against the claims of Jews, pagans, and non-Christian philosophers. Several of his works were written to Roman officials, to refute lies about the Church and to end persecution of Christians. Justin’s writings give explicit descriptions of the early Church’s beliefs and modes of worship. In modern times, scholars note that Justin’s descriptions correspond to the traditions of the Church on every essential point. Justin describes the Sunday liturgy as a sacrifice, speaks of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of Christ (stating only baptized persons free of serious sin may receive it), and describes celibacy as a sacred calling. His first defense of the faith, written around 150, convinced the emperor to regard the Church with tolerance. In 167, persecution began again under Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Justin was seized and brought before the prefect of Rome. An eyewitness tells how Justin the philosopher became known as “St. Justin Martyr.” The prefect stated how Justin might save his life: “Obey the gods, and comply with the edicts of the emperors.” Justin responded: “No one can be justly blamed or condemned for obeying the commands of our Savior Jesus Christ.” Rusticus demanded, “Hear me, you who are noted for your eloquence… If I cause you to be scourged from head to foot, do you think you shall go to heaven?” Justin replied, “If I suffer what you mention, I hope to receive the reward which those have already received, who have obeyed the precepts of Jesus Christ. There is nothing which we more earnestly desire, than to endure torments for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ… We are Christians, and will never sacrifice to idols.” Justin was scourged and beheaded along with six other believers. St. Justin Martyr has been regarded as a saint since the earliest centuries of the Church. He is the patron of apologists, lecturers, orators, philosophers.

Ideas for celebrating this feast at home:

  • St. Justin was a prolific writer for the early church. Read his writings here. Read more about St. Justin’s life and his martyrdom.
  • Greek food ideas for Justin’s feast: Greek salads, pita with hummus and tzatziki, olives, grilled meat or fish (or grilled kabobs), gyros, Spanakopita… Click here for recipe ideas. Don’t forget to incorporate the martyrs’ liturgical color of red on your table (candles, tablecloths, etc)
  • Justin had a great love of Holy Scripture and is said to have had it in his hands day and night. Use his feast to rekindle your love of Scripture. Try reading just a little every day. Read passages out loud to your children.
  • An apologist is not someone who apologizes for their faith, but rather someone who explains and defends the Faith. We are exhorted in 1 Peter 3:15 to “Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you.” May Saint Justin, brave apologist, inspire us to defend and learn more about our Catholic Faith each and every day.      

(sources: catholicculture.org; catholicnewsagency.com; excerpts from The Liturgical Year by Abbot Gueranger)