Saints – Page 6 – The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel

“They Glorified God in Me”

The title of this article is the phrase with which St. John Henry Newman introduces his short poem titled: “Transfiguration.” The poem is as follows: I saw thee once and nought discern’d/ for stranger to admire;/ A serious aspect, but it burn’d/ With no unearthly fire./ Again I saw, and I confess’d/ Thy speech wasContinue reading ““They Glorified God in Me” “

Summer Family Saints

Late July is the heart of the summer, when we spend time with family and rest in the heat of the season. This last week of the month, we celebrate the feasts of several saints, all of them laypeople, who became holy through life in the family. On Tuesday (7/26) we celebrate the feast dayContinue reading “Summer Family Saints “

Hospitality

Since beginning my formation for priesthood as a seminarian, I have been on many retreats. The best retreat experience I ever had was at a monastery called Monte Oliveto Maggiore, which is the home of a community of Benedictine monks in the Italian region of Tuscany. For a week, I lived, ate, and prayed withContinue reading “Hospitality “

St. Cyril of Alexandria

This Monday (6/27) is the feast of St. Cyril of Alexandria, who succeeded his uncle as bishop of that Egyptian city, and served there from 412 A.D. until his death 32 years later. St. Cyril lived during a period called the Patristic Age, which historians generally understand to have spanned the late 1st century throughContinue reading “St. Cyril of Alexandria “

Blessing of Priesthood

Several weeks ago, I attended a Mass at which a newly-ordained deacon gave his first homily. he preached about his experience of vocational discernment, which led him to the priesthood, to which he will be ordained next year. As a boy, people asked him if he wanted to be a taxi driver like his fatherContinue reading “Blessing of Priesthood “

St. Mark

This Monday (4/25) is the feast day of St. Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of Venice, whose symbol is a winged lion. Mark was born in the early 1st century and his family was prominent among the earliest Christians in Jerusalem. His uncle was St. Barnabas, who was St. Paul’s primary collaborator during hisContinue reading “St. Mark”

What It’s All About

There’s a story about a young Italian priest who was travelling by train and found himself sharing a compartment with a group of high school students. Since it was 1952 and there were no smart phones to distract them, the priest and the young people engaged in conversation. What the priest discovered through the conversationContinue reading “What It’s All About”

Sleeping St. Joseph

I was recently at the home of some friends and during dinner they were telling me about a particular challenge they were facing as a family. They told me that they were asking for the intercession of “sleeping St. Joseph.” They must have noticed the confused look on my face, because they said with surprise:Continue reading “Sleeping St. Joseph”

The Memory of St. Polycarp

Years ago, prior to entering seminary, I worked in an office where, during their lunch break, a group of my co-workers would gather in the break room and watch their favorite soap opera. The show was sufficiently ridiculous to be entertaining, so occasionally I’d join them. My favorite storyline was about a character who awokeContinue reading “The Memory of St. Polycarp”

St. Josephine Bakhita

In 1877, a seven-year-old member of the Daju tribe in Sudan was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Her kidnappers sold her to people who treated slaves brutally, including frequent severe beatings which almost killed her. One of her owners subjected her to an excruciating process of decorative cutting, which left her chest, abdomen, and rightContinue reading “St. Josephine Bakhita”