
Image Source: Photo believed to be in the Public Domain
MIRACLES
- Venerable Servant of God Luigi Boccardo, Italian, priest of the archdiocese of Turin, Italy, founder of the Order of Sisters of Christ the King, a contemplative branch of the Poor Sisters of San Gaetano (1861 - 1936).
- Venerable Servant of God Luigi Monza, Italian, priest of the archdiocese of Milan, Italy, founder of the Secular Institute of the Little Apostles of Charity (1898 - 1954).
- Venerable Servant of God Mose Tovini, Italian, priest of the diocese of Brescia, Italy (1877 - 1930).
- Venerable Servant of God Agostino Thevarparampil, known as "Kunjachan," Indian, priest of the eparchy of Palai, India (1891 - 1973).
- Venerable Servant of God Eustachio Van Lieshout, Dutch, professed priest of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Picpus) (1890 - 1943).
- Venerable Servant of God Maria Teresa di Gesu, nee Maria Scrilli, Italian, founder of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Carmel (1825 - 1889).
- Venerable Servant of God Maria Teresa di San Giuseppe, nee Anna Maria Tauscher van den Bosch, German, founder of the Congregation of Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus (1855 - 1938).
- Venerable Servant of God Maria della Passione di Nostro Signore Gesu Cristo, nee Grazia Tarallo, Italian, of the Institute of Crucified Sisters Adorers of the Holy Eucharist (1866 - 1912).
- Venerable Servant of God Elia di San Clemente, nee Teodora Fracasso, Italian, professed nun of the Order of Discalced Carmelites (1901 - 1927).
MARTYRS
- Servants of God Victorio Chumillas Fernandez, Spanish, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor (1902 - 1936), and 21 companions, of the same Order of St. Francis, martyrs.
- Servants of God Antero Mateo Garcia, Spanish, husband and father, of the Third Order of St. Dominic (1875 - 1936), and eleven companions of the Second and Third Orders of St. Dominic, martyrs.
HEROIC VIRTUES
- Blessed Simone da Lipnica, Polish, professed priest of the Order of Friars Minor, (1440 - 1482), whose cult was confirmed by the Holy See on February 14, 1685.
- Blessed Camilla Battista Varano, Italian, professed nun of the Order of Poor Clares (1458 - 1524) whose cult was confirmed by the Holy See on April 7, 1843.
- Servant of God Carlo Bascape, ne Giovanni Francesco, Italian, of the Congregation of the Clerics Regular of St. Paul (Barnabites), bishop of Novara, Italy (1550 - 1615).
- Servant of God Massimo Rinaldi, Italian, of the Congregation of Missionaries of St. Charles, bishop of Rieti, Italy (1869 - 1941).
- Servant of God Paolo Giuseppe Nardini, diocesan priest and founder of the Congregation of Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Family (1821 - 1862).
- Servant of God Eustachio Kugler, ne Giuseppe, German, professed religious of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God (1867 - 1946).
- Servant of God Isabella De Rosis, Italian, founder of the Congregation of Reparatrix Sisters of the Sacred Heart (1842 - 1911).
- Servant of God Josefa Segovia Moron, first director of the Teresian Institute (1891 - 1957).
St. Dominic of Silos (1000 - 1073) was born into a peasant family and spent much time in the solitude of the fields. He became a priest. However, one day he quarreled with the king and was exiled with two other monks. St. Dominic of Silos established a monastery in what was believed to be an unfavorable area of Spain. But, the monastery soon became the site of numerous reported healings.
Nearly 100 years after his death, a young woman visited his tomb. She was Joan of Aza, and there St. Dominic of Silos appeared to her and told her that she would bear another son. That son was to be St. Dominic who founded the Dominicans.Saint for the Year
I want to tell you about the practice of picking a saint at random to be your “holy protector” for the year. Actually, the saint is the one who chooses us though. The tradition of letting a saint “pick you,” is not a new one. St. Faustina wrote about it in her diary, Divine Mercy in My Soul. The excerpt is below.
“There is a custom among us of drawing by lot, on New Year's Day, special Patrons for ourselves for the whole year. In the morning during meditation, there arose within me a secret desire that the Eucharistic Jesus be my special Patron for this year also, as in the past. But, hiding this desire from my Beloved, I spoke to Him about everything else but that. When we came to refectory for breakfast, we blessed ourselves and began drawing our patrons. When I approached the holy cards on which the names of the patrons were written, without hesitation I took one, but I didn't read the name immediately as I wanted to mortify myself for a few minutes. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my soul: ‘I am your patron. Read.’ I looked at once at the inscription and read, ‘Patron for the Year 1935 - the Most Blessed Eucharist.’ My heart leapt with joy, and I slipped quietly away from the sisters and went for a short visit before the Blessed Sacrament, where I poured out my heart. But Jesus sweetly admonished me that I should be at that moment together with the sisters. I went immediately in obedience to the rule.”Excerpt from Divine Mercy in My Soul, the Diary of St. Faustina"
I have a container full of names ... I will be glad to pick out the name for you and send you the name if you prefer. I am so excited by my saint(s) ... I already picked mine. Well, I should say that they picked me ... I have Saints Marcus and Marcellianus ... they are twin brothers who were sent to prison before their death. St. Sebastian visited them continually in prison and helped keep their faith alive. They are buried near St. Felix and are specifically honored in Spain.
OK now ... here are a couple of immediate ironies in regard to these saints ... I have a SPECIAL place in my heart for twins! As a child, I LOVED reading the story about St. Sebastian. I had a children's book of saints and I think I wore out the pages on St. Sebastian! Felix is my grandfather's name! Silvia, our exchange student, is from Spain! I am so excited to have these two saints to walk through 2006 with me! I'm looking forward as to where and how they will intercede for me.