Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Saint Josephine Bakhita



Josephine Bakhita


 
PRAYER

O Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
we thank you for the gifts
of humility and charity
which you bestowed on
Blessed Josephine Bakhita
Deign to glorify her
for her singular virtues
and grant the prayers
of those who invoke her,
Amen


Life Historical Timeline

1869 Born in OLGOSSA, a village in DARFUR, Sudan (Africa).
1875 Kidnapped, sold as a slave more than once.
1883 Sold to the Italian Consul, Callisto Legnani.
1885 Traveled to Italy. Given to Augusto Michieli.
1888 Stayed in Venice at the Catechumenate run by the Canossian Sisters.
1890 9 January: Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion in Venice.
1893 Entered the Canossian Novitiate in Venice.
1896 Religious Profession - Verona.
1902 Transferred to SCHIO.
1927 10 August: Perpetual Profession Venice.
1947 8 February: Holy Death - Schio.
1978 1st December: Decree on the heroism of her virtues.
1992 17 May: Beatification St. Peter's Square, Rome.
1997 30 August: A relic of Saint Bakhita was sealed in the Alter Table of the Mother of Africa Chapel.
2000 1 October - Canonization
 

Video of her life:

https://youtu.be/wHRjm1dDzzI 



 

Saint Josephine Margaret Bakhita

Her Feast Day is February 8th.







 
 



A book about her life:

And link to purchase the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Two-Suitcases-Story-Josephine-Bakhita/dp/B000VUR6HO 













 

Below is another book about her.



Relic of St. Faustina - Church in Grovetown, Georgia

St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church
4921 Columbia Rd. 
Grovetown, GA 30813 
Ph:  (706) 863-4956

Columbia County, Georgia

Relic of St. Faustina

The Day Chapel at the church has a first class relic of St. Faustina in our Day Chapel?
It is in a reliquary on the wall beside the image of The Divine Mercy.





 

World's Largest Relic Tour - April 2016 - Wichita, Kansas

A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EVENT!

http://www.seaswichita.com/top-rotating-articles/125738-sacred-relics-exposition-april-3

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish will be hosting the world’s largest Sacred Relics Exposition Tour on Sunday, April 3, 2016

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church
645 North 119th Street West
Wichita, Kansas 67235
Ph. 316-721-1686

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish will be hosting the World's Largest Sacred Relics Exposition Tour on Sunday, April 3, 2016. The evening will begin at 7PM in the Church.

Treasures of the Church is a ministry of evangelization of the Catholic Church.  Run by Fr. Carlos Martins of the Companions of the Cross, its purpose is to give people an experience of the living God through an encounter with the relics of his saints in the form of an exposition.  Each exposition begins with a multi-media presentation on the Church's use of relics that is scriptural, catechetical, and devotional, leading to a renewal of the Catholic faith for many people.  After the teaching those in attendance have an opportunity to venerate the relics of some of their favorite saints.

An exposition involves some 150 relics, including those of St. Maria Goretti, St. Therese of Lisieux (the "Little Flower"), St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Faustina Kowalska. The supreme highlight is one of the largest relics of the Church's claim to the True Cross in the world and a piece of the Veil that, according to sanctioned tradition, is believed to have belonged to Our Lady.

The veneration of relics is a communion with the heroes of our Christian faith, asking for their powerful intercession. Many people have reported outstanding blessings and conversions through this ministry, and many have reported healings. Attendees are encouraged to bring their articles of devotion (such as rosaries, holy cards, etc.) and pictures of ill friends/family members which may be touched to the reliquaries as a means of intercessory prayer.

Relics of the Passion in Connecticut April 2016


St. Matthew’s Church,
120 Church Avenue
Bristol, CT

Relics of the Passion will be presented on Apr 24, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Ph:  860-583-1833

Link this information was found at:

http://archdioceseofhartford.org/event/cathedral-of-saint-joseph-to-host-relics-of-christs-passion/

The Relics of the Passion collection includes:

1) A piece of the True Cross, which was discovered by St. Helena
2) A piece of the Holy Table (Mensae Coenae D.N.J.C.), from the room where the Last Supper took place
3) A piece of the Column of Flagellation
4) A piece of The Crown of Thorns
5) A replica of the Holy Nail, fashioned using filings from the true nails, making it a relic of a lesser class.
6) A relic from the head of St. Longinus, the centurion who pierced the side of Christ
7) A picture of (the effigy of) the Veil of Veronica touched to the original with a Vatican seal attesting to the fact.
8) A piece of the exterior wrapping for the Shroud of Turin (Sindonis D.N.J.C.)

The documents for these relics have been reviewed and authenticated prior to the commencement of the first tour in 2007.  Since then, the Relics of the Passion have been venerated in more than 12 archdioceses and 9 dioceses throughout the world.  While this collection was in the Philippines, more than a million people came to see the rare relics. Tours for these relics are generally limited by the travel availability of the members of the Apostolate and are traditionally presented to the public only on a limited basis during the Lenten season.  However, because of the Holy Father’s declaration of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, the Apostolate for Holy Relics is pleased to be presenting this extraordinary collection with a customized program at area churches as part of a nationwide tour promoting God’s Mercy.

AHR is an organization founded in Los Angeles in 2006. Additional information regarding the Apostolate for Holy Relics can be found at relictour.com or by contacting denise@relictour.org.

Relics of Saint Faustina

 Information below was found at this link:

http://olmcmiddletown.org/events/relics-of-st-faustina-divine-mercy-sunday

 

RELICS OF ST. FAUSTINA - DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY

April 2, 2016 - April 10, 2016

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW YORK OFFICE OF VOCATIONS PRESENTS

The Relics of
Saint Faustina
April 2-10, 2016

 
An historic, grace-filled occasion: the “Saint of Mercy” comes to New York in the Year of Mercy, on Divine Mercy Sunday!
 

Divine Mercy Sunday Schedule

Basilica of Saint Patrick’s Old Cathedral
Saturday, Apr 2: At the 5:30pm English Vigil Mass there will be an entrance procession with relics, followed by all night veneration
Sun, Apr 3: Masses from 9:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Veneration of the relics resumes at 2pm, and includes the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Visit the Relics at Seven Locations

 
    Daily schedule at each Church:
Mon, April 4 Holy Family, Staten Island 2:45 – Welcome the relic
Tues, April  5 St. Elizabeth, Washington Hts. (in Spanish) 3:00 – 4:00 – Chaplet of Divine Mercy
Wed, April 6 St. Patrick’s Cathedral 4:00 – 6:00 – Veneration &
Confessions
Thur, April     7 Assumption, Peekskill 6:00 – Rosary
 
Fri, April 8 St. Barnabas, Bronx 6:30 – Reflection
Sat, April 8 National Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Middletown 7:00 – Mass
Sun, April 9 St. Columba, Hopewell Junction  
 
Details at www.NYDivineMercy.com
updates  at facebook.com/nypriest

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Saint Leopold Mandic
































I never heard of Saint Leopold Mandic until tonight.

Leopold was born into a Croatian Catholic family in Castelnuovo di Cattaro (present day Herceg-Novi in Montenegro) on 12th May 1866, the last but one of 16 children of Petar Mandić & Dragica Zarević. At his baptism he was given names Bogdan Ivan (Deodatus John).
His paternal great-grandfather, Nicholas Mandić, was originally from Poljica, in archdiocese of Spalato (Split), to where his ancestors had come from Bosnia, back in 15th century.

At Castelnuovo di Cattaro, at that time in Province of Dalmatia, part of Austrian empire, the Capuchin Franciscan friars of the Province of Venice had been active since 1688 when area was under rule of  Republic of Venice.

 His religious vocation

Spending time with friars, both during religious functions & at after-school lessons, little Bogdan expressed his desire to become a friar. For period of his discernment, he was welcomed into the Capuchin Seminary at Udine, & subsequently on 2nd May 1884 at 18 years of age, he began novitiate at Bassano del Grappa (Vicenza). Here he took Franciscan habit, received the name of “Brother Leopold” & dedicated himself to following the rule & spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.

From 1885 to 1890 he studied philosophy & theology in friaries of Padua (Santa Croce) & Venice (Santissimo Redentore). In those years the religious formation he had received from his parents took definitive shape from his study & knowledge of Holy Scripture & Patristics, & through his development of a Franciscan theology. On 20th September 1890, in the basilica of the Madonna della Salute in Venice, he was ordained priest by Cardinal Domenico Agostini.

 His missionary & ecumenical aspiration

Of keen intelligence, Fr. Leopold Mandić had a good training in philosophy & theology & for rest of his life continued to read writings of Fathers & Doctors of the Church. Since 1887 he had felt himself “called” to promote union of Eastern Christians, separated as they were from Latin Catholic Church. With a view to returning to his native land as a missionary, he dedicated himself to learning a number of Slav languages, as well as some modern Greek. 

He asked to be sent to eastern mission in his homeland, in pursuit of that ecumenical ideal, to which he vowed himself & which aim he followed to the end of his life, but his superiors didn't grant his request. Indeed, due to his frail physical condition & a speech impediment, he was unable to devote himself to preaching.

His first years thus passed in silent seclusion in the friary in Venice, where he heard confessions & carried out humble tasks in the friary, as well as carrying out door-to-door collections.

In September 1897, he was given the task of running the little friary of Zara in Dalmatia, but his hope of realising at last his missionary aspirations didn't last; he was recalled in August 1900 to Bassano del Grappa (Vicenza) as a confessor.

He had a brief period of missionary activity in 1905 as vicar of the friary of Capodistria, in nearby Istria, where he proved to be a much appreciated & sought-after spritual counselor. But once more after only a year, he was recalled to the Veneto, to the sanctuary of the Madonna dell’Olmo at Thiene (Vicenza). From 1906 to 1909 he served there as a confessor, with exception of a brief stay in Padua.

 His arrival in Padua

In the Spring of 1909 Fr. Leopold arrived in Padua, at the friary in Piazzale Santa Croce. In August 1910, he was nominated to role of director of studies, that is to say he was in charge of those young friars preparing for priesthood who were studying Philosophy & Theology.

These were years of intense study & dedication. Fr. Leopold, who taught Patrology, differed from other lecturers in his kindness, which some considered eccessive & not in keeping with traditions of the Order. It was probably for this reason that in 1914 Fr. Leopold was suddenly withdrawn from teaching. This was a new cause of suffering for him.

Thus it was that from autumn 1914, when he was 48 years old, Fr. Leopold was asked to devote himself exclusively to hearing confessions. His gifts as a spiritual counselor had been well-known for some time, so much so that within a few years he became sought-after as a confessor by people from all walks of life, who came from beyond the city to see him.

 Leopold is sent to the South

Closely attached as he was to his homeland, Fr. Leopold had retained his Austrian nationality. His choice, motivated as it was by his hope that his identity documents would help him return there as a missionary, became a problem in 1917 with Battle of Caporetto. 

As for other “foreigners” resident in the Veneto, he was subject to police investigation & because of his express wish not to renounce his Austrian citizenship, he was sent beyond Florence to margins of the south of Italy. In Rome on his journey southwards he also met Pope Benedict XV

He reached the Capuchin friary of Tora (Caserta) at end of September 1917, where he was to pass a period of political exile. The following year he was sent to the friary at Nola (Naples) & then to Arienzo (Caserta).

At end of World War 1 he returned to Padua. On his journey he visited sanctuaries of Montevergine, Pompei, Santa Rosa at Viterbo, Assisi, Camaldoli, Loreto & Santa Caterina at Bologna.

He settles finally in Padua

On 27th May 1919 he reached the Capuchin friary of Santa Croce at Padua, where he assumed again his old role of confessor. His popularity increased despite his shy manner. The Annals of the Venetian Province of the Capuchins state: 

“In confession he demonstrated an extraordinary attraction to highest levels of culture, a fine intuition & particularly a sense for sanctity of life. Not only did working people flock to him but also intellectuals & aristocrats, lecturers & students from the university, secular clergy & members of religious orders.”

In October 1923 his superiors transferred him to Fiume (Rijeka), after friary there had passed to control of the Venetian Province. But only a week after his departure, bishop of Padua, Mgr. Elia Dalla Costa, responding to desire of laity, asked Provincial Minister of Capuchins, Fr. Odorico Rosin da Pordenone, to bring him back. Thus it was that by Christmas of that year Fr. Leopold, in obedience to his superiors & abandoning his dream of working in field for Christian unity, found himself once more in Padua.

He stayed in Padua for rest of his life. Here he passed every moment of his priestly ministry in administering sacrament of confession & in spiritual direction.

On Sunday 22nd September 1940, he celebrated his golden jubilee, that is to say 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination, in church of the Friary of Santa Croce. Widespread, spontaneous, universal & large demonstrations of sympathy & regard for Fr. Leopold demonstrated how profound & significant his work of had been in 50 years of ministry.

His health got progressively worse in last months of 1940. He was taken into hospital at beginning of April 1942; he hadn't realized that he had a tumor of the esophagus. He returned to his friary & continued to hear confessions, even though his condition continued to get worse. As was his usual habit, he passed 29th July 1942 hearing confessions without pause, then passed the greater part of night in prayer.

At dawn on 30th July, as he was preparing to celebrate Mass, he fainted. He was carried back to bed where he received Sacrament of the Sick. A few minutes later, as he spoke final words of the prayer, Hail Holy Queen, he raised his hands & breathed his last. The news of death of Fr. Leopold spread quickly through Padua. 

For 2 days a long queue of people came to pay their respects to body of the confessor at Friary of the Capuchins. His funeral took place on 1st August 1942, not in Capuchin church but in the much more spacious Santa Maria dei Servi. He was buried in main cemetery in Padua, but in 1963 his body was translated to a chapel of the Capuchin church in Padua.






  

Saint Leopold Mandic (1866 - 1942)

 
   
 


 
Who was St. Leopold?
 
St. Leopold was also a Capuchin priest like Padre Pio.  Born the youngest of 12 children in 1866 in the Montenegro area of Croatia, he was called Bogdan as a child. Throughout his life he suffered from severe abdominal pain as well as a severe stutter.  Along with these ailments, chronic arthritis deformed his posture & hands. His bent spine gave him a height of just 4'5".  He had poor eyesight & was usually in pain. Despite his lifelong physical problems, his was a life of faith & sacrifice.
 
At 16, Bogdan began his studies at Capuchin Seraphic School in Italy.  He took religious name Brother Leopold & made his Profession of Vows at 17.  Brother Leopold was ordained a priest in Venice in 1890.  
 
He wanted to become a missionary in Eastern Europe, which was under siege by religious conflict, but his request was turned down because of his poor health.  He was instead stationed at several friaries around Venice.  He began to teach about early Church Fathers at a school in Padua, where he became well known for his devotion to his students & his hours spent in prayer each night.
 
Besides one year in an Italian prison during World War I for refusing to renounce his Croatian nationality, Brother Leopold would spend most of next 3 decades devoted to spreading faith in Padua.  From his small cell he'd spend up to 15 hours a day hearing confessions & giving spiritual direction.  
 
He was known for his constant prayer, fasting, & sacrificing. His dream was to reunite Catholic & Orthodox churches by going to Orient, but that never happened. He became known as Apostle of Confession & Apostle of Unity. He wrote a famous prayer for ecumenism, & was known to prophesy & to levitate.
 
When his superiors would say he was too lenient with people who came to him for confession, he'd respond, “If the Lord wants to accuse me of showing too much leniency toward sinners, I'll tell him that it was he who gave me this example, & I haven't even died for salvation of souls as he did.” Leopold would often remark, “Be at peace; place everything on my shoulders. I'll take care of it.” He once explained, “I give my penitents only small penances because I do the rest myself.” At nighttime, he'd spend hours in prayer, explaining: “I must do penance for my penitents.”
 
Brother Leopold was known to be especially fond of expectant mothers & young children. He set up orphanages for children without parents.  He had a deep devotion to Virgin Mary who he referred to as “my holy boss,” & he prayed Rosary regularly. Each day he celebrated Mass at side altar in the Little Office of the Virgin Mary. Then he'd go around & visit sick in nursing homes, hospitals & homes.  He also visited sick Capuchin friars in the infirmary, encouraging them to keep the faith.

Leopold used to repeat to himself: “Remember that you've been sent for salvation of people, not because of your own merits, since it is the Lord Jesus & not you who died for salvation of souls... I must cooperate with the divine goodness of our Lord who has deigned to choose me so that by my ministry, the divine promise would be fulfilled: ‘There will be only one flock & one shepherd’” (John 10:16).
 
Brother Leopold suffered from esophageal cancer, which would ultimately lead to his death at age 76. On July 30, 1942, after an entire night of prayer & a previous day hearing confessions nonstop, he collapsed while preparing for Mass.  He was brought to his cell where he was given Last Rites. Friars gathered at his bed sang “Salve Regina,” & when they got to words, “O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary,” St. Leopold died while singing final words.
 
The church & part of friary where Brother Leopold lived were demolished by bombs during World War II, but as he predicted, his cell & confessional were left unharmed.  He stated before his death, “The church & friary will be hit by bombs, but not this little cell. Here God exercised so much mercy for people, it must remain as a monument to God’s goodness.”  Pope Paul VI beatified Leopold on May 2, 1976, & St. John Paul II canonized him during Synod of Bishops on October 16, 1983.  Leopold is hailed as “Apostle of Unity.”  His feast day is July 28.
 
 

Over 280 Saint Relics at Church in Saint Louis, Missouri

Saint Mary of Victories Church is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and houses over 280 saints' relics.

St. Mary of Victories is tucked away behind a labyrinth of interstate off-ramps and old industrial buildings. It's the church you see quite literally next to I-55 (on the east side) heading north into Downtown, just before the exit ramp to Illinois.

The church also houses more than 280 relics, including a piece of the True Cross; a thorn from Jesus' crown; and a particle from the sponge lifted to His face during the crucifixion.
Another piece of the church's history is a life-sized statue of Blessed Father Francis X. Seelos. The Redemptorist priest preached a mission at the church in 1865 and died two years later at the age of 48. St. John Paul II beatified him in 2000.

Address: 744 S 3rd St, 
St. Louis, MO 63102

Relic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Relic of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha news:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholics-crowdsource-in-hopes-of-rescuing-alleged-st-kateri-relic-93410

Catholics crowdsource in hopes of rescuing alleged St. Kateri relic

Shroud of Turin Encounter in Zanesville, Ohio March, 2016

Rev. Rob Willmann, rector at Saint James Episcopal Church in Zanesville, will host the Shroud Encounter event at his church. The event includes a big-screen presentation and a replica of the Shroud of Turin.

 http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/faith_and_values/2016/03/04/0303-shroud-of-turin.html

 church website:

http://stjameszanesville.diosohio.org

Church location:

(740) 453-9459

The church hosts 2 Shroud Encounter showings. The first, at 4 p.m. on March 12, will be followed by a reception and a small meal. The second, at 1 p.m. on March 13 will be preceded by an 11:30 a.m. lunch. Tickets, $20 for adults and $10 for children younger than 18, are limited. Reservations can be made by calling 740-453-9459.

The Rev. Rob Willmann calls the Shroud of Turin "an incredible mystery."
But he is a believer.
Willmann, rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Zanesville, is among Christians who say the 14-foot linen piece likely is the shroud that covered Jesus' body before he was laid in a tomb more than 2,000 years ago.
"I really believe it's authentic, and that's inspiring," Willmann said. "We are all human creatures that look for proof of the existence of God, but God remains elusive. ... The shroud is one of those things that really makes us look hard."

Willmann's congregation will host a Shroud Encounter presentation this month to welcome the central Ohio community to the parish as it celebrates its 200th anniversary. "CSI Jerusalem: The Case of the Missing Body" offers 200 images in a big-screen presentation along with a life-size canvas replica of the shroud.
Presenter Russ Breault of Georgia leaves it up to each individual to determine what they believe.
"The question comes down to potential: This is either the most important artifact on the planet or it is the most ingenious fraud ever perpetrated," he said.


Breault has studied the shroud for more than 30 years and has viewed it three times in Turin, Italy, where it is housed. He said his mission is simple: To advance the knowledge of the shroud to new generations.
"Everyone knows about the pyramids. Everyone knows about Stonehenge. Yet, one of the most mysterious (icons) in the world is this linen cloth ... and there are millions of people who have never even heard of it," he said.
Though people in central Ohio might not be able to visit Turin, Willmann said he hopes the Shroud Encounter helps increase their faith.
"All the things that touch us are important, even the bad things, toward helping our faith," he said. "But the shroud is an incredibly good thing that enlightens us and reminds us that Jesus is real to us."
The shroud, owned by the Vatican, has undergone countless tests and has its share of believers and naysayers.
It bears an inexplicable image of a 5-foot-10 man with injuries consistent with Gospel accounts of Jesus' torture and execution — including puncture marks around the head and more than 120 scourge marks. It is stained with type AB blood from a male.
Such relics — items believed to be linked to holy people — are revered in the Catholic Church as well as associated denominations, Willmann said.
But he stressed that Christians of all backgrounds could benefit from learning about the shroud.
"People more and more are looking for a church that feeds their hearts and souls," he said. "They go to the church to seek and find Jesus; therefore, a relic of peace that has an imposition of Jesus upon it would be of interest to any Christian."
jviviano@dispatch.com
@JoAnneViviano

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Relic Given to Church in Clifton, New Jersey

Bones of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton -- the first American Saint - were given to the Saint Andrew the Apostle Church, 400 Mount Prospect Avenue, Clifton, New Jersey.
This is the church's first relic.

http://www.northjersey.com/community-news/church-receives-ancient-coins-saint-s-bone-relic-1.1510973?page=all