Laudate Dominum

Picture of Saints

LAUDATE DOMINUM.NET--Traditional Lives of the Saints

LIVES OF CERTAIN SAINTS
CONTAINED IN THE CALENDAR OF SPECIAL FEASTS
FOR THE UNITED STATES AND OF SOME
OTHERS RECENTLY CANONIZED.

NAVIGATION:


ST. CLARE OF MONTEFALCO.
ST. LAURENCE OF BRINDISI.
ST. BENEDICT JOSEPH LABRE.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.
ST. GABRIEL OF THE SORROWFUL MOTHER.
ST. PHILIP OF JESUS, MARTYR, PATRON OF THE CITY OF MEXICO.
ST. TURRIBIUS ARCHBISHOP OF LIMA.
ST. FRANCIS SOLANO.
ST. JOAN OF ARC.
ST. ROCH, Confessor.
ST. JOHN BERCHMANS, Confessor.
ST. RITA OF CASCIA, Widow.
ST. LEONARD OF PORT MAURICE, Confessor.
ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE, Confessor.

ST. CLARE OF MONTEFALCO.

St. Clare was born in 1268, in the little Italian towr from which she takes her name. Her parents were thoroughly pious people, in moderate circumstances, to whom were born two daughters, Johanna, who was the elder, and the subject of our sketch.
While still a child, Johanna, with the consent of her parents, withdrew to a secluded spot known as St. Leonards, where, with other maidens of her own age and disposition, she gave herself up to prayer and the service of God, although not bound by any rule. From her very infancy Clare wished to join her sister, and at the tender age of six she actually persuaded her parents to give their consent, and was received into the community. The community grew so rapidly that St. Leonards was soon too small. Accordingly, it was decided to remove to the summit of St. Catherine's Hill, over which a cross of light followed by a procession of prayerful women had been once seen in a vision by Johanna. Believing this to be a sign from God indicating their new home, the pious women, after many obstacles, built an humble monastery on the spot. Up to this time the community supported itself partly by its own labor and partly by the assistance received from its friends; but now they began to feel the want of means of subsistence, and finally it was decided that some of the Sisters should be sent out to beg. The repulses, mortifications, and fatigue attendant upon such work attracted Clare, and she begged her sister to assign the task to her. Having received the necessary permission, she started out with Sister Marina for a companion. From house to house she went, but always remained at the door, so that of all the families which she visited none could say that she ever entered the house.
As she walked along, her mind was ever intent on heavenly things, and she would often stand for a time as though absorbed in ecstasy. Fearing some accident might happen to her while in this state, Blessed Johanna forbade her to go out again.
Believing that it would be in every way a benefit, the community decided to erect their establishment into a convent; and having referred the matter to the bishop of their diocese, he agreed with them, and gave them the rule of St. Augustine. They called their house the Convent of the Holy Cross, and elected Johanna as their Abbess. She was not to remain long at their head, for in a year from the time of her election she passed away to enjoy the reward which her labors had earned for her.
Although only twenty-three years of age, Clare was chosen Abbess in her sister's place. The wisdom of their choice was at once apparent, for her exemplary life became a living rule, encouraging and correcting all and making perseverance easy. She was attentive to the bodily needs of her community, so that no anxiety on that score might interfere with their spirit of prayer. Poverty, the constant recollection of God's majesty, devotion to the Passion of Our Lord, love of one's neighbor, and bountiful almsgiving were among the practices she endeavored to develop in her nuns both by her teaching and example.
From her tenderest years she had been accustomed to meditate with rapt attention on the scenes in the Passion of Our Saviour. She had reached the age of thirty-three, when one day she felt more than an ordinary attraction for this holy exercise; she felt her heart inflamed with the most intense feelings of love and compassion, and her soul wholly absorbed in the contemplation of those mysteries. Suddenly a flood of light deluged the room, and she saw standing before her Our Saviour Himself, bearing His Cross. Turning towards her, He said that He wished to plant that very Cross in her heart; and on the instant not only was the Cross implanted there, but all the mysteries of the Passion were impressed upon and depicted in the cavity of that same heart, where they remained and still remain to this day. When our Saint died, her body was opened and her heart divided, and there, formed by flesh and veins, were found the image of Our Crucified Saviour, with the pillar, the crown of thorns, the three nails, the lance, and the reed with the sponge. By God's dispensation, Clare's reputation for sanctity increased. From far and near the people came to see her, and to beg her prayers. The sick and dying were carried to her, and healed at her touch, and the gift of prophecy was granted her. Many learned men, theologians and philosophers, propounded to her the most abstruse questions, to which they received wonderful and correct answers. On more than one occasion she was led into disputes with heretics, and invariably sent them from her overwhelmed with confusion.
Shortly after Our Lord made for Himself a temple in Clare's heart, she formed the resolution of building for Him a church in place of the old one of St. Catherine, which the poverty of the community had obliged them to use up to that time. Relying on God's help and the kindness of friends and benefactors, Clare set about the work, and in less than a year, to the surprise of every one, the whole church was completed. It seemed as though our Saint could never tear herself away from this church. There she spent many hours of the day and a great part of the night ; thither she caused herself to be borne by her religious when she was sick; there she wished to breathe her last sigh, and thence wing her flight to heaven. August of the year 1308 was now approaching, and with it the day of our Saint's life was drawing to a close. Our Lord had told her, years before, when the end would come. For nearly two years before her death she was confined to her bed, leaving it only at rare intervals. When the morning of the Feast of the Assumption came, the Saint sent for her confessor and made her last sacramental confession. She then begged that the holy Viaticum might be brought to her, being certain, as she herself predicted and as really happened, that she would never receive it again in this life. After receiving the Blessed Sacrament, she asked to be left alone, so that no earthly object might rob her of a glance or a thought, and that she might give free vent to the current of her affections. Towards evening she caused the religious to be assembled around her, and, after a few short words of love and advice, gave them all her blessing. She afterwards received Extreme Unction with sentiments becoming a saint, amid the tears of her spiritual daughters. During the whole of the following day, her time was spent in communion with God, and her face assumed such an appearance of health that many supposed she was growing better. But it was not to be, and in the forenoon of the 17th of August, 1308, those about her saw descending swiftly from on high a brilliant light which irradiated her countenance. This light shortly after took the form of a globe and disappeared, and with it departed the pure soul of Clare to enter into the haven of everlasting happiness.

ST. LAURENCE OF BRINDISI.

This Saint was born July 22, 1559, and from an early age showed an inclination for a monastic life. To encourage this his pious parents placed him in the Franciscan convent at Brindisi. Being left an orphan when quite young, he went to Venice, where his uncle, a man of great learning and much interested in our Saint, was Superior of the College of St. Mark. When not quite sixteen Laurence was attracted to the Capuchins, then in their first fervor, and on February 18, 1575, he joined that Order. Applying himself diligently to study, he became a finished Hebrew scholar. At the close of his scholastic career he was ordained a priest. So great was the harvest of souls gained by his preaching that Pope Clement VIII. called him to Rome to labor for the conversion of the Jews. His knowledge of the Hebrew text of the sacred books was of great help to him in his work; conversions took place in unexpected numbers, and so continued to increase that soon the name of Blessed Laurence became a household word throughout Italy. He visited nearly all the important cities of Italy, everywhere winning souls to God, and continued this missionary journey until he was recalled to fill the Chair of Theology. Subsequently he was placed in charge of the Convent of the Holy Redeemer at Venice, and afterwards made Superior of the house at Bassano. In both these positions he showed such great administrative ability, that in 1590, when barely thirty years of age, he was chosen Provincial of Tuscany. Three years later he was elected Provincial of Venice, and returned to that city. While in a remote part of the province, making his provincial visit he learned that his uncle, who had befriended him when an orphan child, was dying at Venice, and, despite the many difficulties attending the journey, he hurried back to the good old man's bedside, and he remained there until his death, when the Saint resumed his provincial visits.
In 1596 Laurence was named Definitor General, and was about to make a visitation of the Capuchin houses throughout Sicily, when Pope Clement VIII., at the request of the Emperor Rudolph II., ordered him to Germany, there to found houses of his Order, in hope of stemming the tide of heresy then deluging that kingdom. In this, as in his other good works, Laurence was eminently successful, and within a year had founded houses in Vienna, Prague, and in Gratz.
About this time the Turks, under Mahomet III., smarting to avenge their defeat at Lepanto, threatened to overrun and capture Hungary, and it seemed as if no power could stay them. Germany, sadly disturbed by the Reformation, rent by feuds and civil wars, was powerless to resist single-handed. At this juncture our Saint appealed to the Catholic and Protestant courts, and soon an army of thirty thousand men was in the field, ready to meet the infidel invaders. In October, 1601, the Turks, numbering from eighty to ninety thousand men, crossed the Danube and confronted the Christian army, which it was decided dare not risk an engagement. But Laurence so fired the hearts of the soldiers that they were eager for the battle. Cross in hand, the holy monk advanced before the little army, and although so largely outnumbered, before nightfall victory perched upon their banners.
Three days after another battle took place with a similar result, and the defeated Turks recrossed the Danube with a loss of thirty thousand men. At one time during the second battle our Saint was carried into the thickest of the fight, and was at once surrounded by the infidels. He was rescued, however, by two officers, who remonstrated with. him for his rashness and begged him to go to the rear, urging that the front was no place for him. " My place is here," was his reply, " and here I will stay." And stay he did until the fortunes of the day were decided in favor of the Christians. His military service ended, Laurence returned to Italy, travelling, generally, on foot, and without making himself known. He visited Loreto, humbly serving at a Mass said in the Holy House. When Easter came he went to Rome, and assisted at the General Chapter held there; and when the election for General took place he found to his great dismay that, although not fifty-three years of age, he had been elected General of the Capuchins, the highest office in his Order.
He at once started out on his official visits, journeying through Switzerland, Flanders, France, Spain, and Germany. He returned to Italy in 1605, and had reached Naples, when he received word of the death of Pope Clement VIII. As his term of office expired that year, Laurence hoped to rest himself a while: but there was to be no rest for him this side of the grave, and he was hurried back to Germany, then in a turmoil of agitation.
The Protestant Union, which had grown out of the vexed question of the dukedom of Cleves, was strengthened by an alliance with Henry IV. of France, and the Catholics found it necessary to band together for self-protection. With the consent of Pope Paul V. our Saint appealed in person to Philip III. of Spain and his Queen, Margaret, who received him with great favor and sent reinforcements to Maximilian, Duke of Bavaria, then at the head of the " Holy League," or Catholic party. As a result peace ensued, and Duke Maximilian is credited with saying that " all Germany and all Christendom owe a debt of never-dying gratitude to Father da Brindisi, for without him no League could have held together."
At the General Chapter of 1613 Laurence was appointed Definitor General, and was shortly after sent as Visitor to the Province of Genoa. On his arrival at Pavia, he summoned the Provincial Chapter, and its first act was to elect * him Provincial. He endeavored to draw out of it, but Rome decided that he must accept. One round of uninterrupted labor followed. He was everywhere sought for both by princes and people. Some idea of the love felt for our Saint may be formed from what took place on his last visit to Milan. He was obliged at frequent intervals to mount the pulpit and give his blessing to the vast crowds that came from far and near to hear and see him, and as he left the city the people gathered round him, weeping and clamoring for one more blessing, until at last he was obliged to turn back; mounting the highest step in front of the church, he drew from his neck the cross he always wore, and with it blessed them. " Bless the shepherd as well as his flock," cried the Archbishop, Cardinal Borromeo, brother of St. Charles; and kneeling humbly with the people, he, too, received our Saint's blessing.
The General Chapter, held June 1, 1618, gave Laurence permission to visit Brindisi, his native place, which he had not seen since his childhood. On his way he stopped at Naples, and at the urgent request of the Cardinal and the highest men of the place, he undertook a mission to King Philip, who was then at Lisbon. He had hardly reached that place when he was taken ill; and on July 22, 1619, his busy life was brought to a close, and he was enabled to enjoy the rest he had so long yearned for. His penances, his virtues, and his miracles are now part of the history of the Church for which he so long and successfully labored.

ST. BENEDICT JOSEPH LABRE.

This holy servant of God, the- son of pious parents, was born March 26, 1748, at Amettes, near Boulogne, in France. His uncles, both on his father's and his mother's side, were parish-priests, one at the neighboring village of Erin, and the other at Pesse, which was also quite near Amettes. At the time of our Saint's birth, a pestilence of irreligion was ravaging France, but the simple faith and humble lives of his parents preserved them from its contagion. The love they lavished on Benedict was repaid with affection and obedience; indeed, the latter was a distinguishing trait of the boy's character. At one time the priest in charge of the school which he attended intentionally charged our Saint with a fault he had not committed, in order to test his obedience. The boy declared his innocence; whereon the priest, pretending to be angry, accused him of lying, and sent him out for punishment. Benedict made no further defence, but was preparing to receive his punishment, instead of which he met with words of encouragement and approval. From his childhood, religious instruction always found in our Saint an earnest listener: he served Mass with a devotion that was remarkable, went frequently to confession, and followed with close attention the ceremonies of the various devotions. Even then he was anxious to forsake the world and serve God in solitude. His mother, wishing to discourage what she considered a mere childish fancy, told him he would be likely to suffer for want of proper food; but with a wisdom beyond his years, he answered that the hermits of old lived on roots and herbs, and he could do the same. " But," retorted his mother, " men were stronger then than now." "Ah," replied the Saint, " God's grace is always strong; and if He supported His servants then, why not now?" Meanwhile he would often sleep on the bare floor with a log for his pillow, and frequently denied himself food. At the age of twelve he went to live with his uncle, the priest at Erin, a saintly man, who took upon himself the religious education of the boy, sending him to a neighboring school for his Latin and other studies. Benedict's amiability and docility soon endeared him to his uncle and his teacher, and he was progressing excellently in his studies, when he suddenly evinced a distaste for them which he strove in vain to conquer. Do what he would, he could not revive his old love for his books. One thought filled his mind; one study alone attracted him: how to do God's will, how best to serve Him. His uncle, who had counted on seeing our Saint ordained and assisting him in the care of the parish, was greatly disappointed when Benedict, now about sixteen years old, announced his intention of joining the Trappists, the most rigorous Order in their vicinity. But the good old man was not to worry long, for about this time an epidemic carried off many of the inhabitants of Erin, and among them the faithful pastor, who sacrificed his life for his flock. Sad in heart, Benedict returned home, where he continued his life of self-denial and penance. Finally, it was settled that he should take up his residence with his other uncle at Pesse. It was soon evident, however, that our Saint's heart was set on a religious life; and after staying a few months with his uncle, he, with the consent of his parents, started for La Trappe. Although the distance was more than one hundred and fifty miles, he made the journey on foot, over bad roads and in severe weather, and reached the convent, weary and more than half sick, only to be rejected. He was in rags and half dead from exposure and want of food when he arrived home. Nowise disheartened, he no sooner recovered his strength than he essayed once more to gain admittance to a monastery, but was again refused. Finally, after being rejected five times in all by one or another religious Order, he became convinced that Almighty God willed that he should leave his home and country and journey on foot as a pilgrim to the sanctuaries of Europe. And so he started out. He had no money, nor did he ask for any. His food was bread that was given to him, vegetables, fruit-parings, or any refuse he might find in the street. His clothes were filthy rags, fastened about his waist by knotted ropes. Living this self-imposed penance, separated from society and the charity of those whom he feared might win him from his love for God, he made eleven journeys to the Holy House of Loreto, besides those to other pilgrimages. The Lent of 1783 found him in Rome, sick and worn out by his continued journeyings. On Wednesday of Holy Week, April 16th, his enfeebled body gave way, and he fell fainting on the steps of a church. A butcher who had always taken an interest in the Saint, seeing him in this state, had him borne to his home, where at eight o'clock in the evening, just as the church-bells rang out the Salve Regina, his pure soul passed away, his pilgrimage was ended, and he was at rest in his Father's house. That night the cry rang through Rome, " The Saint is dead." People who shrunk from him living came eagerly to look on his face in death, and the rags which, before, all loathed, were now begged as relics. It is worthy of note that the light of faith was granted one of our earliest American converts, the Rev. John Thayer, a Protestant minister of Boston, while investigating the miracles related of our Saint. Mr. Thayer was in Rome at the time of the Saint's death, and being in the company of some English friends, the alleged miracles were discussed. The Protestants disbelieved them and sneered at them, but a Catholic who was present offered to wager that no one of the company would dare honestly to investigate them. As a Protestant minister, Mr. Thayer felt bound to accept the wager. He began the investigation in good faith, and as his reward he became a Catholic and a priest.

ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE ROSSI.

St. John Baptist de Rossi is the first instance in modern times of the canonization as Confessor of a priest belonging to no religions Order or Congregation. He was born at Voltaggio, a little town about fifteen miles north of Genoa, February 22, 1698. From the first he was distinguished for his piety and purity. The parish church was his favorite resort, and thither he would hasten after the early morning class to serve as many Masses as he could. The gravity and modesty he showed in holy places struck all who saw him, and many declared he was like a little angel just come down from heaven and still full of the vision of God. When our Saint was ten years old, a wealthy couple of Genoa visited Voltaggio; attracted by the unaffected piety and winning ways of the boy, they obtained from his parents permission to adopt him, and took him to their palace, where he was treated as their son.
After a residence of three years in Genoa, he removed, with his mother's consent,—his father having died in the mean while,—to Rome, where his cousin, Laurence de Rossi, was the Canon of S. Maria in Cosmedin. There he began at once to attend the lower classes of the Roman College, and there was no more industrious or saintly student to be found. At the age of eighteen he received the tonsure, and the following year minor orders. He was then selected for a lengthened course of scholastic theology; but in striving to purify his soul he overtaxed his strength, and one day, while devoutly hearing Mass, he fell on the floor of the church in a swoon. From that time out he was subject to epileptic fits, which rendered his projected studies impracticable. This being the case, our Saint looked elsewhere. A course of lectures on the text of St. Thomas, then being delivered, was attracting no little attention, and a large number of students attended. As the labor of following the course was comparatively light, John Baptist joined the class. In spite of his feeble health he applied himself most indus602 triously, and still practised such mortifications as were prudent. Walking along the streets, his eyes were never raised from the ground, and in the coldest weather he wore no gloves. ; When he was twenty-three years old he was ordained a priest. The first shape his charity assumed was an active interest in the young students who flock to Rome from every part of the Catholic world. He organized special services for them, preached sermons specially suited to them, and gathered them about him in his visits to the hospitals, to assist him in soothing and relieving the sick and dying. This charitable work over, they would enter a church and recite the Rosary aloud, after which they would enjoy themselves at some innocent game.
Another charity which attracted our Saint was the spiritual care of the drovers and cattlemen who frequented the market-places. The most of these were ignorant and depraved, caring for no one and with no one to care for them. By visiting their haunts at early dawn, before their work began, John Baptist won them by his kind words, and at last led many to the confessional who had not been there in years, and some who had never been. Hitherto he had not heard confessions himself, but now, at the instance of his bishop, he applied for and received faculties for the administration of the Sacrament of Penance.
In February, 1735, John Baptist, much against his own inclination, was appointed assistant to his cousin, Laurence de Rossi, who was growing feeble ; and when, two years after, that good man died, his property and canonry were left to our Saint. Within a fortnight the new Canon of Santa Maria in Cosmedin had got rid of a great part of the property. He entered upon the duties of his new office at once, and soon gathered round him crowds of devout worshippers. His confessional was besieged by eager penitents, but always the poorest and most ignorant. The rich and noble he managed to put off, saying they could find confessors in plenty. He would never permit the confessional to be a medium for almsgiving. He himself would not bestow an alms from that tribunal on a penitent, no matter how poor, nor would he there accept a present from the rich, as he feared it might deter him from speaking plainly and freely. His devotion to the poor and ignorant was remarkable. He sought out the most abject and abandoned people, and pursued this work of Christian charity with such zeal as to merit the title of " Venator Animarum," the hunter of souls. In 1740, when Pope Benedict XIV. determined to institute catechism classes for the instruction of criminals serving short sentences, he found an able assistant in our Saint. He had no difficulty in winning the hearts of the convicts from the start, and there was a perceptible reformation wrought in a short time.
The endless labor and the severe penances which the Saint imposed on himself finally told on his delicate frame, and on May 23, 1764, a stroke of apoplexy ended his mortal life, and brought him the endless bliss of the presence of God, for which his soul had so long yearned.
After the death of the holy man many miracles bore witness to his sanctity. Among others was the case of Sister Mary Theresa Leonori, of the Convent of St. Cecilia at Rome, who in 1859 suffered from a throat disease which the best medical authorities pronounced incurable. Wasted and enfeebled by her sickness, entirely deprived of speech, suffering great pain, and unable to partake of any nourishment, her death was momentarily looked for. Human aid failing her, the pious Sister besought the help of St. John Baptist, and Our Lord, to show His love for His faithful servant, deigned to work a miracle at the Saint's intercession. Sister Mary Theresa was instantly cured and rose from her bed of suffering a well woman.

ST. GABRIEL OF THE SORROWFUL MOTHER.

Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother (1838-1861) we have a child of our own time. He is one of those hidden and unspectacular saints who arrived at real spiritual greatness by the constant display of a morale which, soldier-like, would be satisfied with nothing less than complete victory over self and the world.
In his early youth, Possenti, though carefully reared, was inordinately vain and passionately devoted to the pleasures of the world. Hence it is little wonder that his teachers and companions were incredulous when he announced that he would enter the Passionist Order immediately upon his graduation. His life in religion was one of love throughout—joyous love, made all the sweeter by the penances prescribed by his rule, which he fulfilled to the letter. There was nothing extraordinary about him except his fidelity to prayer, his love of mortification and his joyfulness of spirit. At the age of twenty-three, just as he was finishing his studies, he was stricken with consumption, of which he died at Isola on February 27, 1862, His feast is February 27.

ST. PHILIP OF JESUS, MARTYR, PATRON OF THE CITY
OF MEXICO.

Philip de las Casas was born in the city of Mexico, where his parents settled after setting out for the New World from Illescas, in Spain. They were earnest in all their religious duties and brought up their family piously, two sons entering the Augustinian Order, one to die by the hands of the heathen. Philip at first showed little care for the pious teaching of his parents and the example of his brethren, but at last he, too, resolved to forsake the world, and entered the Reformed Franciscan Convent of Santa Barbara at Pueblo. He was not yet weaned from the world and its vanities, and soon left the novitiate. Grieved at the inconstancy of his son, Alonso de las Casas sent him to the Philippine Islands with a large stock of goods and money to make purchases. In vain did Philip seek to satisfy his heart with pleasure. He could not but feel that God called him to a religious life. Gaining courage by prayer, he entered the Franciscan Convent of Our Lady of the Angels at Manila, and persevered, taking his vows in 1594. His novitiate had produced a great spirit of poverty, obedience, and prayer, and he sought by austerity to atone for the errors of his youth. As infirmarian, Brother Philip of Jesus beheld Our Lord in the person of the sick, and attended them with holy care. The richest cargo that he could have sent to Mexico would not have gratified his pious father as much as the tidings that Philip was a professed friar. Alonso de las Casas obtained from the Commissary of the Order directions that Philip should be sent to Mexico. He embarked on the St. Philip in July, 1596, with other religious. Storms drove the vessel to the coast of Japan, and it was wrecked while endeavoring to enter a port. Amid the storm Philip saw over Japan a white cross, in the shape used in that country, which after a time became blood-red, and remained so for some time. It was an omen of his coming victory. The commander of the vessel sent our Saint and two other religious to the emperor to solicit permission to continue their voyage, but they could not obtain an audience. He then proceeded to Meaco to a house of his Order, to seek the influence of the Fathers there; but the pilot of the vessel by idle boasts had excited the emperor's fears of the Christians, and the heathen ruler resolved to exterminate the Catholic missionaries. In December, officers seized a number of the Franciscan Fathers, three Jesuits, and several of their young pupils. St. Philip was one of those arrested while they were in the choir singing the office. Philip bore with heroic patience the insults of the rabble who assailed the martyrs on their way to prison, and heard with holy joy that sentence of death had been passed on them all. His left ear was cut off, and he offered this first-fruits of his blood to God for the salvation of that heathen land. The martyrs were led through the streets of several towns with inscriptions declaring the cause of their death. The twenty-six at last reached Nangasaki, where crosses had been erected on a high hill near the bay. When St. Philip was led to that on which he was to die, he knelt down and clasped it. exclaiming: " O happy ship! O happy galleon for Philip, lost for my gain! Loss—no loss for me, but the greatest of all gain! " He was bound to the cross, but the rest under him gave way, so that he was strangled by the cords. While repeating the holy name of Jesus he was the first of the happy band to receive the death-stroke, a lance being driven across through his body to the right shoulder, then another to the left, a third stroke being given to assure his death. The Spanish and Japanese Christians who witnessed his triumph caught his blood in their hats and in cloths to preserve as relics. Miracles attested the power before God of these first martyrs of Japan, and Pope Urban VIII. granted permission to say an Office and Mass in their honor, and Pope Pius IX. formally canonized them. The devotion to St. Philip of Jesus in his native city and throughout Mexico has always been very great. A church and a convent of Capuchin nuns are dedicated to him. His feast was in Spanish times kept with great solemnity in New Mexico, Texas, and California, and a settlement in Arizona bore his name. St. Philip died at the age of twenty-five. He is an example to encourage those who falter in the path of God's service; his prayers will aid those who are tempted, and enable them to acquire strength to recover lost ground, and go on with renewed courage in the narrow way of the Cross.

ST. TURRIBIUS ARCHBISHOP OF LIMA.

Turribius Alphonsus Mogrobejo was born on the 6th of November, 1538, at Mayorga, in the kingdom of Leon in Spain. Brought up in a pious family, where devotion was hereditary, his youth was a model to all who knew him. A tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin and a love of the poor marked this boy. He recited the Rosary and the Little Office every day, and fasted every Saturday in honor of the Mother of God. As a schoolboy he gave away his own food to relieve the poor. His life as a student at Valladolid and Salamanca showed no relaxation from his early spirit of prayer. All his leisure was given to devotion or to works of charity. His austerities were great, and he frequently made long pilgrimages on foot. The fame of Turribius as a master of canon and civil law soon reached the ears of King Philip II., who made him judge at Granada. That monarch marked the exalted virtue and ability of Mogrobejo. About that time the see of Lima, in Peru, fell vacant, and among those proposed Philip found no one who seemed better endowed than our Saint with all the qualities that were required at that city, where much was to be done for religion. He sent to Rome the name of the holy judge, and the Sovereign Pontiff confirmed his choice. Turribius in vain sought to avoid the honor, and wrote a long treatise, which he forwarded to Rome, to show how irregular it was to appoint a layman to such a position. The Pope, in reply, directed him to prepare to receive holy orders and be consecrated. King Philip was equally deaf to his appeals. Yielding at last by direction of his confessor, he prepared by a long retreat to receive minor orders and the subdeaeonship and deaconship. Then he was ordained priest and consecrated. He entered Lima in 1587, and entered on his duties. All was soon edification and order in his episcopal city. A model of all virtue himself, he confessed daily and prepared for Mass by long meditation. The influence of the holy man was soon felt. St. Turribius then began a visitation of his vast diccese, which he traversed three times, his first visitation lasting seven years and his second four. He held provincial councils, adopting decrees framed with such wisdom that his regulations were adopted in many countries. St. Turribius preached, catechized, and confirmed far and wide; he held diocesan synods, and encouraged his bishops to do the same. Almost his entire revenues were bestowed on his creditors, as he styled the poor, and he bore with intrepid patience the vexatious opposition raised to many of his reforms, maintaining the liberties of the Church with apostolical courage. While discharging with zeal his duties of priest and bishop, he was seized with a fatal illness during his third visitation, and died on the 23d of March, in the year 1666, at Santa, exclaiming, as he received the sacred Viaticum: "I rejoiced in the things that were said to me: We shall go into the house of the Lord" His holy, austere, and devoted life had made the people regard him as a saint and a constant benefactor. They regarded him now as their patron in heaven, and miracles rewarded their faith. The proofs of his holy life and of the favors granted through his intercession induced Pope Innocent XL to beatify him, and he was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII. in the year 1726.
Saint Turribius was a model for all states—as a holy youth, as a pious and zealous layman, as a great and exemplary bishop.

ST. FRANCIS SOLANO.

The diocese of Cordova, in Spain, was the birthplace of (his Saint, who won many thousands of souls to God. From I lis earliest years he was characterized by a modest behavior, prudent silence, and edifying meekness. While still very young he was always able to effect a reconciliation between the most bitter enemies. Once when he came upon two Spaniards who were engaged in deadly strife, he threw himself between them, and kneeling down, prayed with so much fervor that the fierce combatants sheathed their daggers and became reconciled to one another. His education was intrusted to the Jesuit Fathers, but his desire to follow the poor and humble Jesus in perfect poverty and humility induced him to enter the Order of St. Francis. Soon he excelled every one in the house in humility, obedience, fervor in prayer, and self-denial. Sometimes he would pass the entire night on his knees before the tabernacle. If he saw a religious zealous for God's honor and love, he would say to him: " Brother, let us see which of us can show Jesus more proofs of love, fervor, and self-denial during this week."
After his ordination he preached the Word of God in simple, unadorned language, but with so much fervor and heart-felt emotion, that those among his numerous audience who had been travelling on the broad road of vice abandoned it, and entered upon the narrow path of a virtuous life. He was no less zealous in deed than in word; for when the pestilence was raging in Granada he was untiring and fearless in his service to the plague-stricken inhabitants, tending the sick and dying with such assiduous and, as it were, maternal care, that the wondering people praised God for the visible protection He manifested towards His servant. In the year 1589 he sailed for South America to preach the Gospel to the Indians in Peru. On the same vessel with him were six hundred negro slaves. While still at some distance from shore the ship struck a ledge of rocks, and the danger of drowning was imminent. The captain hurried the officers and principal passengers into the only boat there was, and tried to induce the missionary to accompany them; but he refused to do so in these terms: " Sir, you have done your duty; now I shall do mine. I stay here." He then consoled the remaining passengers, directing their thoughts to heaven. He knelt down with them and prayed fervently, exhorting those who had been baptized, instructing those who were not, and comforting all. Meanwhile the vessel was sinking, and the passengers trembled with fear; but not so the zealous missionary. He alone kept up his hope in God's mercy. Thus three dreadful days were passed, until at last the captain came with the life-boat and all were taken off in safety. The missionary did not confine his ministry to Lima. He visited the forests and deserts inhabited by the Indians, who were cruel and bloodthirsty by nature, and who hated the Spaniards because they had oftentimes been cruelly treated by them.
But God protected His fearless servant, to whom He had given the gifts of eloquence and power over wild beasts. Lions, tigers, and snakes obeyed him, and the birds perched on his shoulders, singing with him the praises of God. By degrees he won the trust of the Indians, who marvelled at his kindness; they listened to his instruction, allowed him to baptize them, and followed him as grateful children follow their father.
In this way nine thousand Indians were converted, and everything was in the most promising condition when the missionary was recalled by an order from his Superior to Lima, which at that time was like the godless city of Ninive. Francis preached with great effect to the hardened sinners. He carried his mission everywhere—in the public streets, into the shameless theatres and gambling-dens, where, cross in hand, he frightened the evil-doers by the might of his words, which echoed like the trumpet-sounds of the last judgment. The result of his labors was that the whole city became converted.
He wrought many miracles on the sick and sorrowful, but was in himself the greatest miracle of all. Ever busy, humble, joyful, and never uttering a single useless word, in his leisure time he composed songs to the Christ-child and His blessed Mother, and sung them, to the accompaniment of his violin, so sweetly that his hearers were enraptured. His love of his neighbor was unbounded. He never thought evil of any one, and put a good construction on every action, even when persecuted, calumniated, and held in suspicion by his religious brethren. The proverb, " As our life is, so shall be our death," was fulfilled in Francis' case. In his last painful sickness he prayed thus: " O Jesus! how do I deserve such grace! Thou wert nailed to the cross, and I am served by my brethren; Thou wert stripped of Thy clothes, and I am well covered; Thou didst receive blows, and I only receive good things, O my God."
His last words were, " God be praised!" after uttering which his soul departed this earth on July 14, 1610. His remains were honored by a grand funeral, and he was declared Blessed by Pope Clement X. in 1675, and canonized by Benedict XIII. in 1726.

ST. JOAN OF ARC.

At Domremy, on the Upper Meuse, was born on January 6, 1412, of pious parentage, the illustrious heroine of all time, St. Joan of Arc. Taught by her mother from earliest years to pray each night "O God, save France," she could not help but conceive the ardent love for her country which later consumed her life. While the English were overrunning the north of F'rance, their future conqueror, untutored in worldly wisdom, was peacefully tending her flock, and learning the wisdom of God at a wayside shrine.
But hearing voices from heaven and bidden by St. Michael, who appeared to her, to deliver her country from the enemy, she hastened to the King and told him that she had been sent by God to help him and his realm. The King, however, was reluctant in accepting her services and delayed in making a decision. Still, he proceeded to thoroughly investigate her character and had her placed under the most watchful scrutiny of Churchmen and counselors. But they found nothing except records of purity, piety, humility and devotion to the cause to which she believed herself to have been called by God. At last after much deliberation and further delays she was entrusted with the leadership of the Army. Scarcely did her banner, inscribed "Jesus> Mary," appear on the battlefield than she raised the siege of Orleans and led Charles VII to be crowned at Rheims. But many difficulties arose and her further course was much hampered by the actions of the King who would not follow her advice and at last entirely abandoned her to the enemy. Having fallen into the hands of the English who gave her a mock trial she was falsely accused, adjudged guilty and finally burnt at the stake as a heretic. But God is just, for after almost five hundred years, the maid of France has taken her rightful place in the ranks of the Church Triumphant, the beauty of her holiness and virtue are revealed and she has been placed on the calendar of Saints. It was Pius X of saintly memory who first elevated her among the Blessed and she was canonized on May 13, 1920, by Pope Benedict XV.

ST. ROCH, Confessor.

The date of the birth of St. Roch can not be determined with exactness, but it is said that he was born about 1295, at Montpellier. His father held a position of power and influence in the city. After the death of his parents, when he was about twenty years of age, the young man had no inclination to take his father's position, but handed over the government to his uncle. He then distributed his wealth to the poor and set out on a journey to Italy. At that time many people were afflicted with the plague, and the young man, dressed as a pilgrim, devoted his time, energy, and prayers to the care of those who had been stricken. Wherever he went the plague disappeared before him, due to the fact that God gave him the power of working miracles in behalf of those who were suffering from the terrible disease. Having contracted the malady himself, from which he recovered in the course of time, the young man went back to his own city in the year 1322. Not wishing to make himself known, he was cast into prison as a spy and died there five years later in the year 1327. When his identity became known from some papers in his possession, he was accorded a public funeral, which was the occasion of numerous miracles. The relics of St. Roch are venerated at Venice, and the Church has established an arch-confraternity in his house. His feast is celebrated on the 16th of August.

ST. JOHN BERCHMANS, Confessor.

St. John Berchmans, whose feast is celebrated August 13, was born at Diest on the 13th of March, 1599. Having been blessed by God with good parents, they watched over their young son during the early years of his life, and endeavored to form within him a character that would be pleasing in the sight of God, and loved by men. That God blessed their work we can learn from those who came in close contact with him during life. His parish priest, M. Emmerick, observing him as a little boy of seven years, said that God "would work wonders in the soul of the child."
The truth of this remark was soon to become evident to all. The future saint showed effects of God's grace within his soul by his tender devotion to and care of his mother, who was much afflicted by sickness, when John was but nine years of age. His tender piety was exercised toward his youthful companions, among whom he acted as a leader, always making use of every opportunity to teach them to become good and holy in God's sight. The youth's devotion and anxiety to serve Mass, to listen to and profit by instructions and sermons, his love for the recitation of the Rosary and the making of pilgrimages to Montaigue were well-known facts in his early life.
On reaching the proper age, he entered the Jesuit College at Mechlin, and completed his course of studies up to and including rhetoric. His life as a student at college, aside from his studies, was a continuation and an increase of the works of piety he performed as a boy. Being now ready to begin the study of philosophy, he decided that he had a vocation to enter the Society of Jesus. After' overcoming some opposition on the part of his family, he entered the novitiate at Mechlin on September 24, 1616. Spending two years at Mechlin, where he made simple vows, he was at last sent to Antwerp to begin the study of philosophy. Remaining at Antwerp only a short time, he set out on foot for Rome and arrived there on the 31st of December, 1618. After studying philosophy for three years, he was selected by one of his superiors to take part in a certain public disputation. Before the disputation was ended the young man became ill and died on the 13th of August, 1621.
John Berchman's life as a member of the Society of Jesus was most exemplary and exact, particularly in the observance of the rules of his Order. It was in this way that the future saint of God's Church raised himself by the grace of God to practise virtue in a heroic degree, and on account of which he was canonized a saint in the year 1888 by Pope Leo XIII.

ST. RITA OF CASCIA, Widow.

St. Rita of Cascia, whose feast is celebrated on May 22, was born at Rocca Porena in the diocese of Spoleto and the province of Umbria, Italy, about the year 1386, and died at Cascia in the year 1456. Being the daughter of parents who were advanced in years, she met with much opposition when she made known her intention of becoming a nun. Yielding to their entreaties, she married a man, who, in a short time, lost his reputation on account of his cruelty. After converting him from his wicked ways, he was murdered by an enemy. Rita's two sons resolved to take revenge, but through her prayers they repented of their sins and were taken away by death. Left alone in the world, she applied several times for admission into the Augustinian Convent at Cascia. Refusal to receive her followed every application, until God Himself cleared away all obstacles and she entered the convent, made her profession and lived the life of a holy and devout Religious for forty-two years, "a shining example of every Christian virtue, pure as a lily, simple as a dove, and obedient as an angel." That "God is wonderful in His saints" is easily proved in the life of St. Rita. On one occasion Rita requested a rose to be brought to her from her garden at Porena in the midst of winter. The rose was found in full bloom. At another time she asked for a fig, and the same was found. The report of these wonders spread far and wide, and people flocked to the convent from all parts of Europe, only to receive in return for their faith in God through the prayers of Rita many spiritual and temporal favors.
Owing to the great number of miracles wrought by St. Rita, she is often styled "The Saint of the Impossible/* The Church has placed her stamp of approval on these miracles of St. Rita and has raised her to the dignity of the altar by canonizing her a saint of God on the 24th of May, 1900.

ST. LEONARD OF PORT MAURICE, Confessor.

St. Leonard of Port Maurice was born on the 20th of December, 1676, at Porto Maurizio, Italy. His family name was Casanova. His early studies were made in a Jesuit college in the city of Rome. Knowing that his vocation was to serve God as a Religious, he joined the Riformella, a society similar to the Friars Minor, introduced into Italy by Blessed Bonaventure of Barcelona in 1662. He received the habit in 1697, and after making his novitiate was sent to the principal house at Rome to complete his studies. After his ordination he suffered from ill health for a period of four years, during which time his superiors kept him in a monastery of the Franciscan Observants in his native city. Upon his recovery, he began the work of giving missions, which he continued throughout his life. His first missions were given in his native city. From there he went into Tuscany, and his efforts in recalling sinners to penance were blessed by God with many noted and remarkable conversions. His missionary labors took him to all parts of Italy and the islands, and on many occasions he was compelled to preach outside the churches, on account of the immense crowds of people who came to hear him. He encouraged the people to lead pure and upright lives, and recommended to them in particular the adoration of the most Blessed Sacrament, and the devotion of the Way of the Cross. Besides engaging in the work of the missions, St. Leonard found time to write a great many works, made up mostly of sermons, letters, books on the spiritual life, and devotional works of various kinds for the benefit of priests and people. Viewed from the exterior, we can see that he devoted his entire time to working in the vineyard of the Lord. Prom the interior, we can see him as the true man of God. Severe with himself by fasting, discipline and prayer, he raised himself, through the power of God's grace, to an eminent degree of sanctity. He died in Rome on November 26, 1751. He was beatified by Pius VI and canonized by Pius IX on the 29th of June, 1867. His feast is celebrated on November 26.

ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE, Confessor.

The great saint, whose feast is celebrated on May 15, was born at Rheims, France, on the 30th of April, 1651. His parents were very careful about his early training, and insisted that their son should receive a thorough education in which the moral side of it would command the utmost attention. Perceiving that his vocation was to serve God in the Church, the young man prepared himself accordingly, and was ordained to the holy priesthood on the 9th of April, 1678. His life as a priest of God was holy and exemplary in every particular duty that his vocation imposed upon him. His great work in this world was the establishment of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools for the purpose of giving a Christian education to the youth of the land, and uniting the members of the community under a religious rule, the observance of which would make them true followers of Christ. Like other religious communities established by saintly men for the greater honor and glory of God in the world, this particular one has been blessed by God in a special manner, so that in our time the Brothers of this community are thousands in number and the multitude of young men they have prepared for their life's work are an honor to their country, their Church, and their Creator. As the life of St. John Baptist de la Salle was about to close, he invoked the blessing of God on his community and said in regard to himself: "In all things I adore the will of God." He died on Good Friday morning, April 7, 1719, and was canonized by Pope Leo XIII, May 24, 1900.