Saint Anthony of Padua

Fernando de Bulhões, baptized Anthony, was born in Lisbon, Portugal, to powerful and wealthy parents about the year 1195.  Although his parents wished for him to become a noble, Anthony wanted to be poor and also be a missionary for Christ. However, his parents arranged for his education at the Cathedral School and Anthony subsequently entered the Augustinian Abbey of St. Vincent located outside of Lisbon. Anthony was blessed with a great memory and excellent understanding.  Later, upon his request to avoid being distracted by relatives and friends, he was transferred to the Augustinian Santa Cruz Monastery in Coimbra, then serving as the capital of Portugal. Following his ordination, Fernando was placed in charge of hospitality at this monastery. It was in this position that Anthony came in contact with the newly founded Franciscan order.

Five Franciscans were traveling through Portugal on their journey to preach to the Muslims in Morocco.  These five Franciscans were later martyred and Anthony was so moved by their faith and heroism, that in the summer of 1220, he obtained permission from his superiors to join the Order of Friars Minor, Franciscans. Shortly thereafter, Anthony left with another Franciscan to teach the Gospel to the Saracens in Morocco.  He fully intended to die preaching the Good News as the five Franciscans had done.  However, he fell desperately ill in Morocco and was compelled to return to Portugal.  During his return voyage, a storm drove the ship to Sicily, Italy and from Sicily Anthony made his way to Assisi.  Due to his poor health at the time, he was assigned to a rural hospice in Forli, near Bologna, Italy.

On the occasion of an ordination at Forli, someone was needed to provide the homily. Although many Dominican monks were present, and the Franciscans fully expected that they would preach, they had come unprepared.  Anthony was advised to speak "whatever the Holy Spirit should put into his mouth."  Believing Anthony was only able to read the Breviary and Missal, the Dominicans and Franciscans present at the ordination were astonished at his rich voice and understanding of the Scriptures.  With this homily, Anthony's public career began.

Assignments in teaching followed for Anthony.  However, it was as an orator and preacher, not as a professor, that Anthony excelled and had the most impact.  He had a loud voice, a winning personality and smile, a wonderful memory and had a profound educational background.  To this was added a spirit of prophecy and an extraordinary gift of miracles.

With the drive and zeal of an apostle, Anthony set out on his public career to reform morality and combat the heresies of his day.  His efforts earned him the title of "Hammer of the Heretics."

Following the death of St. Francis of Assisi on October 3, 1226, Anthony returned to Italy and was elected Minister Provincial of Emilia. Inasmuch as this position detracted from his preaching, Anthony resigned this office in 1230 and moved to Padua.  At Padua, as many as 30,000 people would come to hear and be present for his teaching.  Through Anthony's efforts, the city of Padua passed a law in March, 1231, in favor of debtors who could not pay their loans.

At the end of Lent in 1231, Anthony became severely ill and died at the age of 36 on June 13, of that year.  Within a year, Pope Gregory IX canonized St. Anthony of Padua, placing his name in the calendar of saints. His was the second fastest canonization in Church history and Anthony is sometimes called the "Evangelical Doctor."  He is best known for his love and devotion to the Eucharist and as the saint to pray to for the finding of lost articles. On January 16, 1946, Pope Pius XII named Anthony a Doctor of the Church.  Saint Anthony remains among the most popular of all saints.

In the United States, the city of San Antonio is named after Anthony as early Spanish explorers in the area stopped in there on his feast day and named the settlement and river after him.

On January 27, 1907, in Beaumont, Texas, a church was dedicated and named in honor of St. Anthony of Padua. The Church was designated a cathedral in 1966 and on April 28, 1974, St. Anthony Cathedral was dedicated and consecrated by Bishop Boudreaux.  Pope Benedict XVI designated St. Anthony Cathedral a minor basilica in 2006.

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Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Thérèse Martin was born at Alencon, France on January 2, 1873 to saintly parents, Louis and Zelie Martin.  She was the ninth child, and she, along with four of her sisters entered the religious life.  When Thérèse was only 4 years old, her mother died and the family moved to Lisieux, France.  Brought up in a strong faith, the call to a religious vocation entered her life extremely early.

In 1883, Thérèse was healed from a serious illness through prayers to the Blessed Mother.  Thérèse fervently wished to embrace a life of prayer through religious life and vocation.  During an audience in November, 1887, with Pope Leo XIII, she had the courage and audacity to ask His Holiness for admittance to the Carmelite Order.

On April 9, 1888, when only fifteen years old, Thérèse entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux.  On September 8, 1890, on the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she made her religious profession.

Inspired by the Gospels and embracing the way of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Thérèse placed love at the center of everything, fulfilling the various community responsibilities with zeal and fidelity. She discovered the "little way" of spiritual childhood and in turn instructed the novices under her direction at the Carmelite convent at Lisieux.  Enveloped by the love of Jesus, her only Spouse, Thérèse became even more spiritual. Thérèse wanted so much to save souls and to help the priests save souls.  She did so by prayer and sacrifice and loving and trusting in God.  On June 9, 1895, on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, she offered herself as a sacrificial victim to the merciful Love of God.  It was at this time that Thérèse wrote her first autobiographical manuscript ("A"). She would write two more manuscripts ("B" and "C").  On April 3, 1895, she suffered the first indication of the illness which would result in her death in 1897.  From April 1895, Thérèse would document her life and faith as her spiritual maturity grew, particularly the realization of her vocation to draw all people to Jesus.

Before her death on September 30, 1897, Thérèse said, "After my death I will let fall a shower of roses.  I will spend my heaven in doing good upon the earth."  Her final words were "My God..., I love you."  Her manuscripts were published in 1899, two years after her death.  In 1912, the first complete edition of Thérèse of Lisieux, a Servant of God, was published under the title of "Letters and Spiritual Counsels."  It was an immediate and tremendous success.

Following her early death at the age of 24 in 1897, many miracles have been attributed to Thérèse.  Normally fifty years would pass before proceedings would be opened for a person's canonization as a saint of the universal Church.  However, in Thérèse’s case, the period was waived and in 1925, she was beatified.  She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 17, 1925.  Two years later, on December 14, 1927, Pope Pius XI also proclaimed Thérèse of Lisieux the Universal Patron of Missions, with Saint Francis Xavier.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux's teaching and holiness, as seen through her autobiographical manuscripts, have been received with great popularity by Roman Catholics, as well as those outside the Church.  On October 19, 1997, being World Mission Sunday, one hundred years following her death, Pope John Paul II named Thérèse a Doctor of the Universal Church.

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Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph is considered the second greatest saint in our Church, exceeded only by the Blessed Virgin Mary.  God chose Joseph to be the spouse of Mary and the foster father of His only Son, Our Lord, Jesus.  Sacred Scripture tells us that Joseph was gentle, just, humble, pure and unfailingly obedient to the Divine Will in God's plan of salvation and redemption and a man of faith.

In all likelihood, Joseph was born in Bethlehem, the City of David. When the Gospel history begins with the Infancy Narratives in Luke and Matthew, Joseph is living in Nazareth where he works as a carpenter.  Joseph has no words attributed to him in the Gospels, but his faith and actions speak volumes of his character as provider, role model and protector.

Apocryphal writings which are extremely unreliable contain stories of Saint Joseph being previously married.  From that marriage several children were born, with the youngest child, a son, being James the Less, the "Lord's brother."  Following the death of his "first" wife, Joseph, now very old, went to Jerusalem as a candidate to be a spouse for Mary.  Through a miracle, Joseph was manifested to be the choice of God. Such stories became popular through time but have no scriptural basis and do not have any authority.

It is in Nazareth, a town in Galilee, where Mary and Joseph are betrothed and subsequently married.  St. Augustine writes that "this marriage, true and complete, was, in the intention of the spouses, to be a virgin marriage."  However, soon Joseph's faith is severely tested as Mary is with child.  Knowing the consequences of the Mosaic Law and unaware of God's mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph had made the decision to "divorce her quietly.”  "Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.  For it is through the Holy Spirit that this Child has been conceived in her.  She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."   Matthew, Chapter 1, verses 19 through 21.

A few months later, according to the decree of the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus, Joseph and Mary journey the 80 miles to Bethlehem to be enrolled in the census.  It is here in the City of David that, Jesus, the Son of God and our Savior, was born in extremely humble surroundings.

Later, Joseph warned by an angel of the cruel intentions of Herod, King of Judea, to kill the Christ Child, takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt. In Herod's massacre of the male infants ("The Holy Innocents") in Bethlehem, we are reminded of the similar event in The Book of Exodus where Pharaoh in his attempt to kill Moses has male infants also killed. The Holy Family remained in Egypt approximately two years, returning not to Bethlehem, but to Nazareth.  This move to settle in Nazareth was most likely the result of Herod Archelaus succeeding his father, Herod the Great, as ruler of Judea.  Like his father, he was also cruel and would later be removed by Rome and replaced by a governor or procurator of Judea.

In Nazareth, Joseph settled Mary and Jesus and once again worked as a carpenter, living the life of a humble Jew supporting his family by his work and, at the same time, being faithful to the religious practices required by the Law of Jewish people. The only event found in Scriptures during this time is the Holy Family's pilgrimage to the Holy City, Jerusalem, at Passover when Jesus is twelve years old. This incident of Jesus remaining in Jerusalem teaching and listening to the Temple elders and being found after three days by Mary and Joseph is set forth in the Gospel of Luke (Chapter 2, Verses 41-52). This is the last reference to Joseph in the sacred writings.

There are several stories surrounding the death of Saint Joseph.  Most agree that he was very old and that he probably died in the presence of Jesus and Mary.  In all probability, Saint Joseph was buried in Nazareth.

Certainly, Joseph was a "just man", as evidenced that he was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus and the spouse of Mary, the Virgin Mother.  Saint Joseph is the patron saint of the Universal Church (Solemnity-March 19); of workers (Additional Feast-May 1); and for a happy death.  And so well, we remember and pray: "Happy and blessed are you, 0 Joseph, to whom it has been given not only to see and hear, but also to bear in your arms, to embrace, to clothe and to watch over God Himself, whom many kings have desired to see but have not seen, and to hear but have not heard....... "

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Saint Juan Diego

On July 31, 2002, His Holiness, Pope John Paul II canonized Juan Diego.  The canonization liturgy took place at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and as such, Juan Diego became the first indigenous saint of the American continent. Most of our information about this saint comes from a document written in the mid-17th century by a Mexican priest and a lawyer.

According to the 17th century text, Juan Diego was born in the year 1474, in a small village located some 12 to 15 miles north of the present site of Mexico City.  His name given at birth, is Cuahtlatoatzin which has been translated as "Talking Eagle."   At 47, Juan Diego witnessed the Spanish Conquest of Mexico by Hernando Cortez in 1521. Juan Diego and his wife welcomed the Franciscan missionaries and were among the first to receive the sacrament of Baptism and convert to Catholicism.  At that time, he took the Christian name of Juan Diego and he and his wife moved closer to the Franciscan mission at Mexico City. In 1529, his wife died and as a widower, it is recorded that Juan Diego experienced long periods of silence and penance.   He walked to Church and on cold mornings he would wear a tilma (or cape), made with coarse fibers from the maguey cactus, as cotton was only affordable to the upper Aztec class.

On one such cold Saturday morning, December 9, 1531, as he was walking to church he heard someone calling his name.  Running up a hill (named Tepeyac) he saw a lady dressed like an Aztec princess.  The lady told Juan Diego to ask the bishop, a Franciscan named Juan de Zumárrago to build a church on the hill where she stood as she said "It is my desire that a church be built here for me, where, as thy most merciful Mother, and Mother of all thy people, I may show my loving kindness and compassion I bear to the Indians."  Juan Diego, realizing that the Lady was the Virgin Mary went to the Bishop with the request. However,  Bishop Zumárrago was skeptical and further requested that Juan Diego obtain a sign or miracle from the lady.  Juan Diego returned to the hill and insisted that he was not worthy to be a messenger of the Blessed Mother. However, Our Lady also insisted and so again Juan Diego approached the Bishop, with the latter again requesting a sign.  Upon his return, the Virgin Mary told Juan Diego that she would provide a sign on the following day.

Returning to his home that night, Juan Diego found his uncle seriously ill.  The next morning, being December 12th, Juan Diego made the decision to find a priest for his uncle, but not to meet the Lady.  However, when he tried to avoid Tepeyac Hill, the Lady stopped him and assured him that his uncle would recover.  She further asked him to climb the hill for flowers. Since it was cold and unseasonal (December), flowers did not normally bloom. Juan Diego did as instructed and climbed the hill and found roses in bloom - the same roses that would bloom near Castile, Spain, the home of Bishop Zumárrago. The roses were carefully placed inside the tilma worn by Juan Diego. He was further told by the Lady not to open the tilma until he was in the presence of the Bishop.  Juan Diego did as instructed.  When he opened the tilma, the roses fell out and in place of the flowers a beautiful image of the Blessed Virgin Mary was impressed on the inside of the tilma. The Bishop acknowledged the miracle and ordered that a shrine be built where the Lady had appeared to Juan Diego.  Today, the beautiful Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is located on Tepeyac Hill. After almost five centuries, the tilma has not deteriorated and the image of the Blessed Virgin has never faded. The tilma remains above the main altar in the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Juan Diego had a deep love for the Holy Eucharist and by special permission from the Bishop, he received Holy Communion three times a week.  This was certainly an exception at this time and place.

The appearance of Our Lady to the humble Juan Diego was very significant to the Indians. Within a short period of time, millions of Indian peoples accepted the Catholic Faith. Today Our Lady of Guadalupe is recognized as the Patron Saint of all the Americas.

On January 9, 1987, Juan Diego was declared venerable by the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of the Saints.  On May 6, 1990, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II. As previously set forth, canonization of Juan Diego occurred on July 31, 2002.  Before imparting the final blessing at the end of the canonization, the Holy Father said, in part, "In this new saint, you have a marvelous example of a just and upright man, a loyal son of the Church, docile to his pastors, who deeply loved the Virgin and was a faithful disciple of Jesus."

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Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Elizabeth Ann (Bayley) Seton, the first United States saint, was born in New York City on August 24, 1774, to prominent non-Catholic parents.  When Elizabeth was three years old, her mother died.  Her father, Dr. Richard Bayley, married again, and her stepbrother's son, James Roosevelt Bayley, also a convert to Catholicism, later became the Archbishop of Baltimore.  Elizabeth was raised as an Episcopalian.

Elizabeth's education was conducted by her father, Dr. Bayley, a brilliant man of great virtue who instilled in her intellectual pursuits.  Elizabeth loved to read and took great delight in reading the Scriptures, especially the Psalms.  This was a practice she continued throughout her life.

On January 25, 1794, at the age of nineteen, Elizabeth Ann Bayley was married to William M. Seton.  In her sister-in-law, Rebecca Seton, Elizabeth found an extremely good friend and they went on missions of mercy to help the poor in New York City. Elizabeth and Rebecca were called the "Protestant Sisters of Charity."

At any early age, her husband, William Seton, contracted tuberculosis and in 1803 the couple went to Italy in hopes of recuperation from this illness.  However, he died in Pisa on December 27, 1803. While in Italy, Elizabeth came to know the Catholic Faith through close friends, the Filicchi family.

Upon her return to New York in 1804, a time of spiritual unrest began for Elizabeth as she was undecided to either remain an Episcopalian or convert to and join the Catholic Church. Eventually, through Antonio Filicchi, who arranged correspondence between Elizabeth and Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore, she joined the Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday, March 14, 1805. Her conversion to Catholicism resulted in ostracism from her relatives and friends who chose not to provide assistance at this difficult time in her life.  In January, 1806, Elizabeth's young sister-in-law became very ill and begged to see the ostracized convert.  When Cecilia's decision to see Elizabeth became known, efforts were made by the New York Legislature to have Elizabeth expelled from the State.  Cecilia eventually became a Catholic also.

As she needed finances to raise her three daughters, Elizabeth considered moving to Canada to support the family by teaching.  However, Bishop Carroll did not support this plan and she was persuaded to open a school for girls near Baltimore. Following many delays, the school was opened near Emmitsburg, Maryland and soon had all the students it could accommodate.  At the same time, Mrs. Seton formed a community based on the rules of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of France. The rules for the community were approved by Archbishop Carroll in January, 1812.

Elizabeth was elected the Superior of the newly founded community and Mother Seton and eighteen sisters made their vows on July 19, 1813.  The community became the first congregation of women religions in the United States.  In 1814, the Sisters were given charge of an orphan asylum in Philadelphia and in 1817, were also sent to New York. Mother Seton and her religious community worked tirelessly to educate children and establish orphanages. They brought education to the poor and laid the groundwork for the establishment of a parochial school system in the United States.

Mother Seton died of a pulmonary infection at Emmitsburg, Maryland, on January 21, 1821.  In 1880, Archbishop (later Cardinal) Gibbons of Baltimore took steps toward the canonization of Mother Seton.  Elizabeth Ann Seton was beatified on March 17, 1963, by Blessed Pope John XXIII and canonized by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975.  In his homily, His Holiness Pope Paul VI stated: "Elizabeth Ann Seton is a Saint! We rejoice and we are deeply moved that our apostolic ministry authorized us to make this solemn declaration before all of you here present, before the holy Catholic Church, before our other Christian brethren in the world, before the entire American people, and before all humanity.  Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton is a Saint!  She is the first daughter of the United States of America to be glorified with this incomparable attribute!"

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Saint Martin de Porres

Martin was born in Lima, Peru on December 9, 1579, as the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a young freed (slave) woman from Panama.  Martin grew up in poverty as his father had abandoned him.  Martin was ashamed of his dark complexion and features he had inherited from his mother.  As his mother could not support him and his sister, Martin was taken in as a servant boy by Dominicans. He was only eleven years old at that time.  Realizing his generous attitude and talents, Martin was placed in charge of the infirmary as he had previous training with a surgeon in the medical arts. With enthusiasm, he also performed menial duties in the kitchen and laundry.  His piety and miraculous cures led to his admission to the Dominican order at the age of twenty-­four.

Martin was deeply attached to the Blessed Sacrament and his love and mercy to all people in need was boundless, as well as his love of all of God's creatures. His work for the poor was tireless and in time he founded a children's orphanage and hospital. On one occasion, Martin took in a very old beggar who was covered with sores and almost without clothes.  He placed him in his own bed and when one of his Brothers reprimanded him, Martin answered: "Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness."  When an epidemic occurred in Lima, Martin took care of the sixty religious in a convent.  It is known that Martin passed through locked doors to care for the sick.  Martin provided food for 160 poor people every day with his alms and further gave a remarkable amount of money every week to the indigent.  His mercy and charity knew no limits.

Martin maintained a severe lifestyle - fasting and abstaining from meat. His prayer life increased with age and his piety was noticed by all who came in contact with him.  Many miracles were attributable to Martin.  It was said that he, like St. Francis of Assisi, communicated with animals, making him one of the Patron Saints of animals.

Martin was a friend of St. Rose of Lima and when he died on November 3, 1639, at age sixty, he was known by the entire city of Lima. Word of his miracles had already made him a saint as far as the people of Lima and Peru were concerned.  Letters were sent to Rome in great numbers for his sainthood.  Pope Gregory XVI beatified Martin in 1836, and on May 6, 1962, he was canonized by Blessed Pope John XXIII. It was said the poor and sick will always have an intercessor in Heaven with St. Martin de Porres.

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