3 February: Feast of Saint Blaise

by popadmin | Jan 31, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

3 February: Feast of Saint Blaise. Saint Blaise was an early-fourth-century physician from Armenia. He was also the bishop of Sebastea. Most stories of his life were written 400 years after his martyrdom in the Acts of St. Blaise. Blaise was known to be a good bishop, working hard to encourage the spiritual and physical health of his people. He fulfilled his duties from a humble hermitage in a cave. He was known for many miraculous cures. Stories say that Blaise even healed injured wild animals who would show up at his cave seeking help. In the year 316, the governor arrested Blaise for being a Christian. While being escorted to prison, a distraught woman ran up to Blaise. She was carrying her young son who was choking on a fishbone. She laid the boy at the bishop’s feet. The boy was immediately healed. Another tale tells of a woman whose pig had been carried off by a wolf. The woman begged Blaise to help her. He promised that her request would be granted. Shortly afterwards, the wolf appeared at the woman’s door depositing the uninjured pig at her feet. Despite the miracles, the governor insisted that Blaise renounce his faith and sacrifice to pagan idols. The first time Blaise refused, he was beaten. The next time he was put on a stone table used for combing out wool and his flesh was flayed with the prickly metal combs that are used to remove tiny stones from wool. Finally, Blaise was beheaded. Saint Blaise is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (popular saints of the Middle Ages). Saint Blaise’s intercession is now invoked against choking and other ailments of the throat. He is the patron saint of throat illnesses, animals, wool combers, and wool trading.

The traditional Catholic practice for this feast day is the blessing of throats. The priest uses two of the newly blessed candles from the Feast of Candlemas (Candlemas, which occurs 40 days after Christmas on February 2nd, celebrates the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple. When holy Simeon saw the baby, he said: “For my eyes have seen your salvation which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a LIGHT for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” From these words comes the traditional Catholic practice of the blessing of candles.). The two candles are tied together in the middle to form a cross. The priest holds the candles over the throat of each person and prays the blessing: Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from all ailments of the throat and from every other illness: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you are not able to attend Mass and receive this blessing, it may be done at home by the head of the household. 

Ideas for celebrating in your home:

• According to a Milanese tradition, eating panettone first thing on February 3 will safeguard the throat against illness. Here is a recipe for Panettone French Toast.
• Fish should definitely be on tonight’s dinner menu in honor of Saint Blaise. If you’re feeling ambitious, try making a whole fish. Here is a recipe for fried whole tilapia fish.
• Saint Blaise bread sticks: In Europe, there is a tradition of giving blessed bread to others on the feast of St. Blaise. Homemade or store-bough dough is shaped into breadsticks (that look like a bishop’s staff) called St. Blaise Sticks or Pan bendito. Serve these with your fish dinner. Idea here.
• Make Saint Blaise cookies for dessert (this is a fun edible craft activity for kids!)
• Be sure to light candles on your table today; preferably ones that were blessed on Candlemas!
• Another way to remember Saint Blaise and his gift for healing: use this day to restock the medicine cabinet and pantry with health essentials/remedies like bone broth, elderberry syrup, Vitamin C, and homemade soup.
• Have a bonfire tonight: in England, bonfires are lit as part of Blaise’s feast day celebration – probably inspired by the sound of the English word blaze.

(sources: catholic.org; saintsfeastfamily.com; catholicallyear.com; catholiccuisine.blogspot.com; catholicculture.org)

27 January: Saint Angela Merici

by popadmin | Jan 22, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

27 January: Saint Angela Merici. Born in 1474 in northern Italy, Angela Merici dedicated herself to God early in life. Her parents died when she was only ten years old. She and her elder sister went to live with an uncle. When her sister also tragically died, without being able to receive the last sacraments, Angela was inconsolable. She joined the Third Order of St. Frances and increased her prayers and mortifications for the repose of her sister’s soul. She asked God to reveal to her the condition of her deceased sister. It is said that by a vision she was shown that her sister was in the company of the saints in heaven. When Angela was twenty years old, her uncle died, and she returned to her paternal hometown. Convinced that the great need of her times was a better Christian instruction of young girls, she converted her home into a school where she daily gathered little girls and taught them the Faith. The school she had first established soon bore abundant fruit, and she was invited to the neighboring city, Brescia, to establish a similar school at that place. Angela gladly accepted. In 1524, while making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she became suddenly blind while on the island of Crete, but continued her journey to the Holy Places and was cured on her return while praying before a crucifix. One day, Angela had a vision that revealed she was to establish an association of virgins who were to devote their lives to the religious training of young girls. In November of 1535, Angela and 28 young women formed the Order of Ursulines in honor of St. Ursula in a small house near the Church of St. Afra in Brescia. Angela and her companions consecrated themselves to God by a vow of virginity. Angela drew up the rules in 1536, which provided for the Christian education of girls in order to restore the family and, through the family, the whole of Christian society. She was unanimously elected superior of the company in 1537. Before her death she dictated her spiritual testament and her counsels to her nuns; they insist on interest in the individual, gentleness, and persuasion over force. Angela died in 1540 at Brescia and was buried in the ancient church of Saint Afra (now Saint Angela’s sanctuary), where she still rests. Her body was discovered to be incorrupt in 1930. After Angela’s death, the Company of Saint Ursula spread rapidly. In 1580, Charles Borromeo, Bishop of Milan, encouraged the foundation of Ursuline houses in all the dioceses of Northern Italy. Charles also encouraged the Ursulines to live together in community rather than in their own homes. Ursuline communities were established in France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Canada and the United States. Today, thousands of Ursuline Sisters work to spread the Faith on six continents. The Ursuline order is the oldest religious order of women in the Roman Catholic Church dedicated to the education of girls. Saint Angela Merici was beatified in 1768 by Pope Clement XIII and canonized in 1807 by Pope Pius VII.

St. Angela Merici is the patron saint of: loss of parents, bodily ills or sickness, disabled people and handicapped people.

Ideas for celebrating in your home:

• Verona, Italy, where St. Angela was born, is known for its plentiful fresh fish. For St. Angela’s feast day dinner, here is a recipe for Salmon Primavera with Lemon Butter Sauce. Every feast day deserves a delicious dessert! Purchase or bake an Italian-inspired one for tonight (tiramisu, gelato, cannoli, panna cotta, mascarpone cheesecake, etc!)
• Decorate with lilies, a symbol of purity, in honor of this virgin-saint. Lily craft idea here.
• Enjoy some Caffe Verona or other good Italian coffee with biscotti for breakfast!
• Pray the litany of St. Angela Merici: link here.

20 January: Feast of Saint Sebastian

by popadmin | Jan 17, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups

20 January: Feast of Saint Sebastian. Born into a noble family in Gaul (present-day France), Sebastian was educated in Milan. He was an undercover Christian most of his life. He joined the Roman Imperial army to keep his cover as a typical noble pagan so that he could minister to persecuted Christians. He moved quickly through the ranks of the army. Known for his valor, determination and strength, he soon became an officer and then the dearest soldier of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Sebastian spent much of his time converting fellow soldiers, as well as prisoners, to Christianity. During the period of prosecution of Christians, he is believed to have visited a soldier’s wife in prison and cured her of her illness by drawing the sign of the cross on her forehead. He was known to be a gifted healer. Sebastian was discovered to be a Christian when he converted the Roman governor, Chromatius, to Christianity. Upon his conversion Chromatius resigned from his post and freed sixteen fellow converts from prison. Because of this, the Emperor Diocletian came to the conclusion that Sebastian was a Christian and ordered him to be tied to a stake in a field and shot to death by arrows. Archers riddled his body with arrows. His body was described as “full of arrows as an urchin.” Believed to be dead, the archers left his body for burial. He was recovered by Saint Irene of Rome, whose Christian husband was a servant to Diocletian and also martyred. Irene discovered that Sebastian was still alive and she hid him and nursed him back to health. As soon as his strength returned, Sebastian went off to confront Diocletian. He found the emperor on the steps of the imperial palace. Furious that Sebastian was still alive, Diocletian demanded of his entourage, “Did I not sentence this man to be shot to death with arrows?” But Sebastian responded “the Lord kept me alive so I could return and rebuke you for treating the servants of Christ so cruelly.” This time, the emperor took no chances. He ordered his guard to use clubs to brutally beat Sebastian to death, right there on the palace steps, while he watched. Once he was certain that Sebastian was truly dead, Diocletian had the martyr’s body dumped into the Cloaca Maxima, Rome’s main sewer. Christians recovered his body and secretly buried Sebastian in a catacomb known ever since as San Sebastiano. Nearly 80 years after his death, his remains were moved and one of the seven principal churches of Rome was built over his relics and burial site.  Saint Sebastian is the patron of archers, athletes, and dying people.

Saint Sebastian is also invoked as a patron against plagues. Once, a plague was afflicting the Lombards. When they built an altar to Saint Sebastian in the Church, the plague ended.

Saint Sebastian, incredible healer, evangelist, and model Christian, Pray for Us!

Ideas for celebrating in your home:

• St. Sebastian’s Day is marked in Sicily and in Kerala, India, with huge celebrations. Try a Sicilian or Kerala dish for dinner tonight: Here is a Kerala recipe for chicken curry.

Or, try this Sicilian recipe for Gaddina Catanisi – Catania-Style Chicken in honor of St. Sebastian. This would go well with Risotto Formaggi, a rice dish.

• For dessert, enjoying a red velvet cake is always a fitting way to remember a martyr. A red tablecloth, napkins, or candles also remind us of the liturgical color for martyrs.
• If you have an athlete in your family, teach them the athlete’s prayer to Saint Sebastian.
• Click here for a free St. Sebastian coloring page!

(sources: CatholicCompany.com and Catholic.org)