Saints

Saints and blessed are some of the many Christians who have lived their life in total openness to the action of God and in an attitude of love and compassion towards their neighbour. As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in hisfirst Encyclical Letter “God is love” (40) the saints “are the true bearers of light within history, for they are men and women of faith, hope and love.” They are the ones who have embodied in their life the call to holiness and have lived it in the ordinary, everyday situations of life. Paul VI used to say that nowadays people “listen more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if they do listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” Holiness is to be seen in the light of sharing in the compassion of God, a compassion which is offered to everyone, unconditionally.

April 28
ST PETER CHANEL, priest and martyr
Optional Memorial
Peter Chanel is the first martyr of Oceania. Born in France in 1803, he became a diocesan priest. In 1836 he joined the newly formed Society of Mary (Marists) and was sent to Oceania. In spite of many difficulties and trials, he managed to establish the catechumenate and even to convert the son of the king of Polynesia. The king retaliated by sending a gang to attack the catechumens and to put Fr Peter to death. It was the year 1841.

ST LOUIS MARY DE MONFORT, priest
Optional Memorial
Born in France in 1673, Louis became a priest and was assigned to a hospital as chaplain. Later he began preaching as a traveling missionary. Aware of the importance of bringing the Word of God to all, he founded the Missionaries of the Company of Mary (Monfort Missionaries) and the Daughters of Wisdom. Throughout his life he developed and encouraged many forms of Marian devotion.

April 29
ST CATHERINE OF SIENA, virgin and doctor
Memorial
Born in Siena (Italy) in 1347, Catherine showed signs of unusual sanctity from an early age. She joined the third Order of Dominicans and became an inspiring spiritual guide to many people, including the clergy. She even convinced Pope Gregory XI to leave Avignon and move back to the papal palace in Rome. A profound mystic, one of the greatest minds of her age and a powerful preacher, she wrote masterpieces of spirituality. Catherine died in 1380 at the age of 33. She is an outstanding example of a woman who was able to read the signs of the times and to put the whole of herself at the service of the Church.

April 30
ST PIUS V, pope
Optional Memorial
The pontificate of Pius V lasted only six years (1566-1572) but was of great importance for the life of the Church at the time of the Counter Reformation. Pius V, a Dominican and a theologian, carried out the reform which was begun at the Council of Trent. He gave great emphasis to the spreading of the faith, the devotion to Mary through the Rosary, and the sacred liturgy. Pius V is known especially for the revised Roman Missal which, published in 1570, remained in force, with minor changes, for almost 400 years, until 1969, when a new Missal was published following the liturgical reform carried out by Vatican Council II.

May 1
ST JOSEPH THE WORKER
Optional Memorial
The first day of May has long been dedicated to working people. In 1955 Pope Pius XII expressed the desire that on this day the example of St. Joseph, the worker, be presented to Christian communities. The contemplation of Joseph is meant to enable us to grasp the meaning of human labour as our way of sharing in the creative power of God and cooperate in the building of a more just and Christian society where greater solidarity is achieved.

May 2
ST ATHANASIUS, bishop and doctor
Memorial
St Athanasius, an Egyptian bishop and theologian, played a very important role in the strengthening of the Christian faith against Arianism. This heresy, which originated with Arius, a priest from Alexandria, and which denied the divinity of Christ, spread quickly throughout the Church. As bishop of Alexandria for 45 years, Athanasius did his best to fight this heresy and uphold the divinity of Christ. He even suffered exile five times on account of his stand before his death in 373.

May 3
ST PHILIP and ST JAMES, apostles
Feast
Today the Church celebrates the feast of two apostles, Philip and James. Their relics are kept together in the Church of the Twelve Apostles in Rome and, from the day of its dedication in 565, these two apostles have been celebrated together. Philip came from Bethsaida, on the shore of the Lake of Galilee. He was a disciple of John the Baptist and later became an apostle of Jesus. James, son of Alphaeus and cousin of the Lord, ruled the Church of Jerusalem, and probably authored the letter we find in the New Testament. He suffered martyrdom in the year 62.

May 12
ST NEREUS and ST ACHILLEUS, martyrs
Optional Memorial
Little is known about these two martyrs of the early church. They are believed to have been soldiers who became Christians and endured martyrdom on account of their faith. Most probably they were put to death during the persecutions of Diocletian in 304. A church was built in their honour in the sixth century.

ST PANCRAS, martyr
Optional memorial
St Pancras suffered martyrdom during the persecution of Diocletian, perhaps at the same time as Nereus and Achilleus in 304. He was just a boy, about 14 years old, but strong and mature in his faith. An example of total commitment to God, he courageously sacrificed his young life for Christ, later to become an inspiration to young people, like Bakanja, whose feast we celebrate on August 12.

May 13
OUR LADY OF FATIMA
Optional memorial
In 1917 Our Lady appeared to three children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, in Fatima, a small village in Portugal. The apparitions occurred six times, from May 13 to October 13, and the message of Our Lady to the children and to the Christian community can be summarized in the call to prayer and conversion.

May 14
ST MATTHIAS, apostle
Feast
St Matthias was chosen to become one of the Twelve in place of Judas who had committed suicide. The account of his election, found in the Acts of the Apostles (today’s first reading), highlights the important role of the apostles as ‘witnesses of the resurrection’. In fact our Christian faith is rooted in the resurrection of the Lord and our preaching and witness must always spring from this mystery of our faith.

May 18
ST JOHN I, pope and martyr
Optional Memorial
In his short pontificate (523-526) Pope John I convoked the Council of Orange, fixed the date of Easter and promoted Latin chant in the liturgy. The Arian king Theodoric forced him to travel to Constantinople to see the Emperor Justin and plead for the freedom of some Arian hostages. The pope went to see the Emperor but did not side with the Arians. On his return to Rome the king, angry at the outcome of the mission, had John I imprisoned in Ravenna where he died in 526.

May 20
ST BERNARDINE OF SIENA, priest
Optional memorial
Bernardine, born in 1380, became a Franciscan and an itinerant preacher. His holiness gained him widespread respect, love and admiration, while his humility made him refuse honours and appointments. He is renowned for his gift of preaching and his endeavour to spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. When he preached, the letters IHS (Iesus Hominum Salvator = Jesus, Saviour of humankind) were painted on signs and walls everywhere. He died in 1444.

May 21
ST CHRISTOPHER MAGALLANES, priest
and COMPANIONS, martyrs
Optional memorial
Christopher was born in 1869 and, as a priest, distinguished himself for his faith and apostolic zeal. He was sent as a missionary among the ‘Huichole’ and spread devotion to Our Lady through the Rosary in Mexico. He was loved by his confreres because of his wisdom and guidance. Having shown care for vocations, when the seminary of Guadalajara was closed because of the persecutions against the Church, he took care of the seminarians by hosting them in his mission. On 25 May 1927 he was killed because of his faith along with another priest, Agustin Caloca, and several lay people.

Father, all-powerful and ever living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks.
You renew the Church in every age
by raising up men and women outstanding in holiness,
living witnesses of your unchanging love.
They inspire us by their heroic lives,
and help us by their constant prayer
to be the living sign of your saving power.

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