Friday, March 20, 2015
Saint Powers, Activate!
In the spirit of our gender unit, I want each of you to discover a new saint. There are hundreds of wonderful women who have been sainted, choose one about whom you know very little. Discover the truth and beauty of the saint and explain how her life is still important, and relevant in our current world.
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Saint Quiteria is a very different but interesting saint. I have never heard of her before today. She was a nonuplet (one of 9 kids), and her mother was so upset that she had that many kids at the same time that she believed she was some sort of peasant or animal. On top of that, the children were all girls and were considered useless at the time. The father did not know of his daughters' births because he no longer lived with his wife (the reason behind this is unknown). Because the mother had no sons and was embarrassed about her children, she instructed the nurse to go and drown them all in the river. The nurse instead took them to a nearby town to give them to people. All of the girls grew up in this village and became devout Catholics.
ReplyDeleteOne day, their dad heard about their birth and found them. Saint Quiteria decided to give herself to God at this point, but he wanted a different life for her and her sisters. The sisters together refused to worship his Roman Gods and also refused to marry or visit the suitors that he found for them. Because of this, the girls were put in a type of castle jail. They broke out of the jail and freed the other prisoners and when St. Quiteria was caught, she was beheaded. Her other sisters that were caught got punished by being thrown off of a cliff and being burned to death. Two of her other sisters ended up becoming saints as well, which is awesome!
Saint Quiteria's life shows others today that love is stronger than hate and hate does not mean doom. Although Quiteria and he sisters were thought of as disgusting from their mother, the nurse did what was right and delivered the babies to a wonderful home. From here, the families took time to raise the girls and bring them up with strong morals. Just because their mother and father hated them did not mean anything. They did make it to heaven! Because Saint Quiteria was loved, she was able to stand up for her faith and eventually get to heaven.
Today, people need to prioritize others and stick to their morals, no matter what the consequences. Adopting nine girls would not be easy, whether physically, mentally, or financially, but someone did it. The nurse that did not drown the girls disobeyed her instructor, but it was only right. In the end, the girls stood up to their dad and got persecuted for their faith. It is hard to be strong and when someone is criticizing Catholic beliefs or showing anything but love towards another, it is a lot easier and pleasant to stand by and let it be. This is not the right choice however, and just as being beheaded is not fun, neither is being ridiculed or different. It might not seem practical on earth, but the rewards in heaven will make it worth the earthly pain.
I think that Saint Quiteria is an excellent example of how truly anyone is capable of achieving sainthood. Her story is certainly one of horror, for it is hard to imagine a woman instructing her children to be drowned. But, through the love of the nurse, the girls were spared, which is an excellent example of how God's plan for our lives will eventually reveal itself through unforeseen circumstances. Clearly, God intended for these girls to live full lives regardless of their short duration. These girls could have easily given in to their father's demands, abandoning their vocations to love and serve The Lord. However, they remained strong in God's love, and refused to succumb to the desires of their earthly father. Saint Quiteria, along with her sisters, is an awesome model of the faith. I think that everyone should take heed of Quiteria's story, and her message that God's will is truly greater than any earthly temptations.
DeleteThat's cool! I didn't know there was such a thing as a nonuplet! But, its horrible that her mother wanted to drown them all just because they were girls. Its great that the women found them and took them to Catholics because she knew we believed in the sanctity of life. I couldn't imagine being thrown in jail just because I did not want to marry a certain man. I think you could say that Saint Quinteria is a girl who lived the way she wanted too, as well as how she knew God would want her to behave. I'm really glad I got to learn about her!
DeleteFamily overcomes everything else in my eyes and I feel as though Saint Quiteria and her sisters were a prime example of that. Being seen as a reject is difficult, but it is so much easier when it is not just you. When you have people to lean on and that are there for support, you realize so much more. She went through such a difficult time and came out completely on top and achieved the greatest honor that we can In our lifetimes.
DeleteGrace, I think that this saint is really cool. I mean who is a nonuplet now a days? Also, it was really noble of the woman who had the cougar to find homes for the sisters. I think that she should become a saint. It was really brave of the sisters to let everyone out of the prison though. I feel like if it was me, I would have just run out to save myself. It's also a shame that her mother did not want the daughters and their father wanted them to marry when they wanted to become nuns.
DeleteThe Saint I chose was Saint Lucy. She was born and raised in Syracuse in the Romn Empire. I have never heard of her...like ever. But I feel she is very important, as she is the Saint of Blindness and eye trouble. Even though we not be blind in a literal sense, we may be blind to what other people need. Sometimes, I know that I do not always see what I should be seeing. I sometimes only see the negatives in life and choose to focus on them. Probably not the best mindset.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Lucy was like a lot of Roman girls at the time. Her parents had found a man with whom they thought she should marry. Lucy was not really into this plan. She wanted to become a sister. At this time, practicing Christianity in the Roman Empire was dangerous, as Christians were being persecuted. Her mother was sick at the time, and really wanted to see Lucy get married before she passed. Lucy instead, prayed to God, and He cured her mother's illness. With this sign, her mother let her become a sister in Christ. The ex-groom was not really on board with this. He told the authorities that Lucy was a Christian.
At this point, the records start to fall apart. One popular legend was that the Romans gouged her eyes out to make her renounce her faith. Instead, she grew her eyes back. Kinda miraculous, as most people with a limited knowledge of biology know that human eyes do not grow back. This is why she is the patron saint of blindness. The did end up killing her for her faith. But her story, and stories of other like her who were willing to die for their faith, eventually led to the rise in popularity of Christinaity in the Roman Empire. This then concluded with Constantine making Christianity the official religion of the HOLY Roman Empire. So even though we do not know much about Saint Lucy, her courage and bravery sparked a change that eventually led to Christinaity as we know it today. So...yup...that's it.
Saint Lucy's story is certainly an interesting one, but a very inspirational one as well. I like how you pointed out that although we may not be blind in the literal sense, we are all blind at some point in our lives. I believe that this fact is very relevant to our modern world. As you mentioned, we may be blind to the needs of others, concerning ourselves with our own selfish matters and refusing to see that God's children are suffering. In a similar way, we may be blind to God's plan for our lives, and I think that some intercession on Saint Lucy's part may be of aid there. It is true that most students at this point are completely lost in terms of figuring out where to go to college, what to study, or if God may be calling them in a different direction. However, perhaps through Saint Lucy, we may find God's plan being revealed to us as we watch the blindness lift from our eyes to reveal a brand new day
DeleteNick, I love Saint Lucy and her story. I read about her before while trying to find a name for confirmation. The miracles associated with sainthood fascinate me to no end and while listening to them I often wonder, with these situations, how can anyone not believe in God? Her miracle is so incredible because how often do you hear about something that goes against science and is believable. I believe all of these miracles are true, because there is a reason that these things happen.
DeleteNick, I think that it is fantastic that you found this saint. I never knew that there was a patron saint for blindness or that her story was so touching. Well I suppose that I did not know that there was a patron saint of ugly people or a patron saint of elbows. I think that there is pretty much a patron saint for everything. Anyways, I think that Lucy is a great role model for many people. Not only did she stand up for her faith to her parents, but also to the guards that gouged her eyes out.
DeleteSaint Dymphna lived during the seventh century, but her story was not actually recorded until the thirteenth century. Dymphna was the daughter of Damon, a rather unimportant King of Oriel at the time. Damon was not a Christian man, but his wife, Dymphna's mother, was devoutly Christian, causing Dymphna to take an interest in her faith as well. When Dymphna was about fourteen years old, she made the decision to give her life to The Lord, and took a vow of chastity. It was around that time that Dymphna's mother died, devastating both her and her father, who had loved his wife unconditionally. However, it was soon required that the king be remarried. The king could not fathom this, for he could never love anyone as much as he had loved his wife, Dymphna's mother. So, the king, who was overcome by mental illness, ordered his men to search the land for anyone whose beauty matched that of his first wife. This task proved a difficult endeavor, however. The king, in his frazzled mental state, suddenly required the hand of his daughter in marriage due to her remarkable resemblance to her late mother. Dymphna was horrified, for she had already taken a vow of chastity, and intended to give her life to The Lord. With the help of some of her father's men and her confessor, Father Gerebernus, Dymphna fled the country, eventually landing in Belgium. The party made a home in a town called Geel. The mentally disturbed king, upon noticing his daughter's absence, ordered his men to begin searching the land for his daughter in order that he may find her and marry her. When Dymphna and Father Gerebernus were discovered, Father Gerebernus was killed, and the king begged Dymphna to return to the country with him. Dymphna refused, however, causing her deranged father to chop off her head, leaving her a martyr.
ReplyDeleteSaint Dymphna has since been named the patron saint of mental illness, runaways, and victims of incest. I think Saint Dymphna and her story are very relevant in our world today because they reveal the intensity of mental illness, and just how much it can affect a person. In Dymphna's case, it was her father who had become overcome with grief due to his wife's passing, and grew despairing and deranged. It seems that more and more individuals are finding themselves to be victims of anxiety and depression disorders. These disorders are truly fatal, as they drive one to unspeakable motives including the killing of others as well as of themselves. I believe that it is very important that there be an advocate such as Saint Dymphna, to whom these people may turn in their time of mental disturbance.
Mental illnesses are often surrounded by stigma, and approached warily. However, we are now beginning to understand them better, and are able to treat them more effectively. Many people who suffer from mental illnesses do not know how to cope with them or even what is happening to them. They need support and prayers, and Saint Dymphna is a wonderful saint to offer prayers to. Her struggles lent her insight into the effects of mental illness, and will intercede for one who are suffering from it. I also believe that Saint Dymphna is a great example of standing up for oneself and not giving in when it seems impossible. When pressured to go back in her vows, Dymphna stood up for herself, and did what was necessary to defend her vow of chastity. She died because she stood up for her beliefs. In today's world, it is often hard to stand up for our decisions, especially when they go against the social norm. Praying to Saint Dhmphna can help give us the strength we need to stand up for what is right.
DeleteThe new saint I found was Mary of Egypt. Before investigation, I new nothing about this saint, but oddly enough the first thing I saw when I looked her up was her feast day. Her feast day is April 3, which is my birthday. I found this to be very coincidental. She was born in the fourth century in Palestine and is the patron saint of chastity, deliverance from demons, fever, skin diseases, temptations of the flesh, and penitents. When she was twelve years old, she ran away from her home in Palestine to the city of Alexandria. She lived a very poor life style and did not live a chaste life in any way. Lust took over her life and was paid for her sexual favors. She took an anti-pilgrimage to Jerusalem where she hoped to find more men to take part in the acts. When she tried to enter a holy church in Jerusalem, she claimed that she was denied entrance by an unseen force. She was ashamed of her impure life and vowed to abstain from all worldly pleasures. She received absolution and lived the rest of her life as a hermit where she repented continuously. She was found years later in the desert by a young man who would eventually become a saint himself. He described her as looking more like an animal than a human and naked. She begged him to bring her Holy Communion on the banks of the Jordan River in one year. One year later, she crossed the river by walking on water to meet the man on the other side. She received Holy Communion that day and when the man went to meet Mary in the desert on year later he found her dead. She wrote an inscription in the sand that said she had died the night she received communion, yet her body was perfectly preserved. Since her death, she has been the subject of many works or literature and there have been many operas that were based around her life. I really like the story of Saint Mary of Egypt because she lives such a destitute life when she was young. Yet when she found out what she had done to her spiritual life, she was very remorseful and she was able to turn her life around and become a saint. This definitely applies to or world today because it is so easy for individuals to go down a wrong path but they can always repent and turn back to God.
ReplyDeleteThat is a coincidence! You must have been meant to find her. Its always interesting to see a person who lived an un-saintly life who turns it around and becomes a saint. Its great that we have the saints to look up to. Its a sign that you don't have to be perfect to be a Catholic, and that God is always their for us.
DeleteSaints are so cool! More people should get to know about Mary of Egypt because with all of the signs and the total conversion, more people would believe in God. Personally, if I were the saint man that saw a hermit, I would run away and panic. He talked to her, did not treat her in a bad way despite her old ways and her new looks, and brought her communion, which is probably why he is a saint. How did Saint Mary write a note if she was dead, or did she know she was going to die? She also walked on water like Jesus and God knew at once she came back to him and turned her life around, she would do great things. Although she did not help the poor or anything, she still lived a great second half of a life. All it took was a sign to see God, and maybe people today do not need a sign, or maybe this is the sign. God does some pretty weird things! Also, the fact that you found this saint that has a feast day on your birthday is awesome!
DeleteI'll tell you what Abbey, Saint Mary of Egypt is rather interesting. The unseen force that denied her entrance into the temple seems rather bizarre. With my current understanding of the universe, I know of I such thing that could stop somebody dead in their tracks. Maybe a strong gust of wind that originated inside the temple? Seems rather unlikely, but it is the only thing that makes some semblance of sense.then the fact she lived as a hermit in a desert. I probably wouldn't last a few hours in the desert. I despise high temperatures. But she lived through it. And finally, I find it almost miraculous that her body would be kept perfectly intact one year after her death. In order for that to happen, she would have to be cryogenically frozen. I seriously doubt someone thought yo cryogenically freeze her body for a year. Miracle from God is the most likely answer. But Sant Mary is a role model to all the people out there who believe they have fallen so far into darkness that they can never get out again. All it takes is a little spark to start a fire. This can lead to a better life for all.
DeleteMy saint is St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. She was the first United States Citizen to be canonized. When she was young, she was refused into admittance into the religious order who had educated her to become a teacher. After being refused, she began to work at an orphanage. Eventually she made her religious vows at that orphanage and became a nun. As a little girl, she wanted to make mission trips to China to help people and learn more about their culture. But, Pope Leo XII thought differently and sent her East instead. Pope Leo thought that she should go help her fellow Italian people who were struggling to get accustomed to American life in New York City. When she got to New York, she decided she wanted to start an orphanage for all the poor immigrant children who had lost their parents in the journey to America. Sadly, the building that was supposed to be the orphanage was unavailable and used for other purposes. After that, the archbishop told her that maybe New York wasn't the right place for her, and she should come back and work at the orphanage in Italy. But, that comment upset her and made her all the more determined to help the immigrant children in New York. After a lot of work, she finally found a building where she could start an orphanage; and that was just the beginning. In her 35 years in America, she started over 67 institutions. Among them were more orphanages, but she also started schools to help the Italian immigrants learn English and hospitals for the sick. Her next priority was to start schools, because the Italians were losing their faith when America was harder than they thought it would be. The schools taught both English, reading, and theology. As a child, Frances was always afraid of water. So it was weird that in her life, she traveled by sea over 30 times to perform missions in America. Eventually, she extended her work to other cities in America, like Chicago. Ironically, she died at Columbus hospital in Chicago of Malaria; she started this hospital herself for the poor. St. Frances Xavier is the patron saint of those who work in the hospital, impossible causes, and immigrants. Pope Pius XII canonized her on July 7, 1946. You can read more about her here: http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1198
ReplyDeleteSaint Frances Xavier Cabrini is extremely pertinent in today's global society. People we constantly moving from one country to another, either for pleasure or for an escape. When immigrants arrive in a new country, they are often ready to live a better life in the utopia they have come to. However, reality is usually different than their dreams. Immigrants often struggle to adapt to their new home, and grow frustrated when their new life is worse than their dreams. These people can find strength and solace in Saint Frances. Her life was dedicated to helping immigrants, and her intercessions hold great power. Reflecting on the perseverance she displayed throughout her life can also inspire immigrants to remain strong in the face of adversity.
DeleteThe saint I discovered is Saint Margaret of Cortona. Her father was a farmer, and her mother died when she was just seven years old. Her father remarried, and her new step-mother considered Margaret a nuisance. In order to escape from her step-mother, Margaret eloped with a nobleman and lived with him for nine years. During this time she had a son. However, tragedy struck in 1274, when her husband was murders by brigands, and his body buried in a shallow grave. Margaret viewed the death of her husband as a sign from God. She publicly confessed to her affair, and attempted to return to her father's house. He did not wish for her to return and rejected her. She took her son and found refuge with the Friars Minor at Cortona. Margaret was still young and beautiful, and often gave in to sexual temptations. After these failures, she became filled with self-loathing. In order to stave off such temptations, she attempted to mutate herself. She was stopped from such self destruction by a friar. Throughout the rest of her life, she worked with the poor and developed her prayer life. She was so devoted to God that she sometimes had ecstasies, and received messages from heaven. She even prophesied the date of her own death.
ReplyDeleteMargaret is a saint that many young women can turn to in their times of need. Society promotes sexual freedom, and even sexual flippancy, and it can be hard to resist this message. Margaret is a patron of sexual temptations, and can give strength to young women who need help resisting such temptations. This helps young women to see the beauty of human life, and preserve the dignity of the human body. In addition, Margaret's life was sinful. It is often hard to look at the life of someone who never wronged and to take comfort in it. Looking at Margaret's life, one could find a connection within it, and discover the strength to change, just as Margaret did.
Margret must have went through an extremely powerful conversion because it seems as if her life was filled with sin and self-satisfaction until she all of the sudden changed. It is definitely reassuring that saints sin in awful ways and still get to heaven. It is also awesome to see that she matured and got her life together at one point and tried to make peace with her family. I cannot imagine losing my mom at such a young age and then having to deal with a hateful step mother. I probably would not elope, but I would be very stressed. Her dad needed some forgiveness when she came back but God the father's forgiveness is all that truly matters in the end, which can be proved by Saint Margaret's story.
DeleteSome of my favorite saint stories are the ones in which the saint in their younger life lives in sin and then they can turn around and see God. It gives me hope for the people in our world today and it also gives me hope because we are all sinners. Margaret's story is very interesting to me. She had to deal with so much in her young life such as a hateful stepmother and the death of her mother. I cannot even comprehend what it would be like to lose someone so close to me as a child.
DeleteAshley, it is truly amazing how drastically someone's life can change. The burdens people carry can cause them to struggle and feel as if nothing good will ever come out of it. Luckily she pushed through and finally found a friar that could help her. We all go through tough times and I feel as if we do not think anything good will come at the end, but if we stay strong we will find happiness.
DeleteThe saint that I discovered was Julia Billiart. Saint Julia was born on July 12, 1751 in France. She was the sixth of seven children raised in catholic family. She was raised in a village and attended school which was cared for by her uncle. St. Julia was a very religious young lady; by the age of seven years old she was able to recite the Catechumen by memory. However, she did not just keep this talent to herself. She would gather her friends and people around to listen to her speak the Catechumen and explain what each section means. Her desire for religious teachings and spiritual being grew more and more that her priest confirmed her at the age of only nine years old. She was a very chaste and religious woman throughout her life and was known for her virtue and piety. St. Julia’s life was altered when her lower legs became paralyzed by a nervous shock. This shock was caused by a gun-shot to her father by an unknown man. She remained paralyzed for several years, and in those years she discovered a woman by the name of Francoise, both passionately wanted to help serve the poor in their community and became quickly involved. When St. Julia discovered others wanted to help she was miraculously healed from paralysis. Other stories claim that she was cured the same day/ week of her paralysis for the same reasons.
ReplyDeleteAs the years went by and the more helpers she gained, she and a group of ladies discovered the Institute of the Sisters of Notre Dame. These ladies were guided by a priest and bishops to set the foundation for their institute. The Sisters of Notre Dame’s primary purpose was to care for the children of the poor. She worked and dedicated her life to God and these unfortunate people. She died on April 8, 1816 of disease, my birthday, while praying to herself in the mother house.
I believe that her story and life is still relevant today because it show the will to move forward despite disabilities. Many people in the world are faced with an obstacle or disability, and many often feel as if they cannot get past the disability. St. Julia shows that with a little faith you can do anything you put your mind to. Living with a disability of paralysis is one many of us will not find ourselves with but we will come across obstacles that seem to large or to great, but we can always find a way to push through and make a difference. She is an inspiration because of her strength and faith to make a difference despite the hardships.
Sydney, isn't it weird she died on your birthday! I think it's weird and awesome at the same time becuase she was such a wonderful God driven women who was out though a lot as a child, which caused her injury, but she also was able to get out of her injured by basically paying it forward to the less fortunate. My favorite part about her story was how she knew so much about the faith that she got confirmed really early! That's awesime!
DeleteSydney, I thought it was so weird that the first saint I picked had a feast day on my birthday! It seems like the same type of thing happened to you as well. St. Julia was able to make such a big impact on other people's lives even though she had an injury herself. She could have laid around and felt sorry for herself but she was able to work for God and serve others.
DeleteOne of my many hobbies includes looking up saints names for people during confirmation. While I was searching for myself, I struggled to find one. So, going through the list I saw one saint who truly captured my attention, St. Maria Goretti. As I said before, I read about her months ago, but her story truly moved me in a way that I cannot explain.
ReplyDeleteShe was born in 1890 in Ancona, Italy and moved to Anzio, Italy with her family to work on a farm, but her father contracted Malaria and died shortly after the move. One day at the age of twelve, while sitting on her front porch steps, her eighteen-year-old neighbor, Alexander, came up to her and attempted to rape her. Maria said that she would rather die than become impure, so he stabbed her multiple times. I while in the hospital, she forgave him for what he did to her as she slowly died. After he was captured and sentences to thirty years in prison, Maria appeared in one of his dreams. In a garden, she presented him with flowers and forgave him for his sins. This dream moved him to change his ways and follow in the light of Christ. After twenty-seven years served, he was released and went pleading to her mother asking for her forgiveness. Her mother replied that if her daughter could forgive her murderer, so could she.
Maria became canonized in 1950 by Pope Pius XII as a martyr for her faith and purity and she was one of the youngest people to ever be granted sainthood. She is now known as the patron saint of youth, young women, purity, and rape victims. While she was being canonized, her mother and Alexander were there in the audience at St. Peter's.
I find this story so incredibly hopeful because I see the ability to forgive people, even though their crimes were awful. She saw the good in the bad people, even at the age of twelve. He story is beautiful and my favorite thing is how she presented him with flowers and forgave him.
I think that she serves as an example of feministic ideals because of the example she shows for young women to have a choice and be willing to sacrifice what you have to for that choice. She makes the choice to stay pure and she makes the choice to forgive. I believe how she acted and her patronism make her the most wonderful example for young women and the goal of feminism.
Jenna, this truely gave me the chills. It's sad just how short her life was, but we can learn a lot from her about forgiveness. He killed her and yet she came though his dream telling him that she forgives him which is crazy. I'm not sure if I would be able to forgive someone if they stabbed me and I died becuase of it. It must be something I need to work on. She is a wonderful intesting saint that fits well into out unit.
DeleteSaint Maria is actually my favorite saint, Jenna! It is truly ironic how he went from killing her to attending her canonization, praying to her everyday, and even calling her "my little saint." Maria's ability to forgive him after him attempting to rape her on multiple occasions and stabbing her fourteen themes shows her strength and faith. She is truly somebody everyone should read about at some point in their life. Often times I look at other rape cases and murder cases and wonder how anyone could ever forgive someone who commited such a heinous crime towards them, so it is baffling to me how she was so strong, especially at such a young age. Her struggle she was faced with at such a young age shows that age does not define maturity.
DeleteThe new saint I discovered today is Saint Thecla. She turns out to fit really week in this unit. Her story starts off when she first started to listen to the words of Paul. She fell in love with his words in his discussion on virginity. Her Mother and her Mother's Fiancée were concerned about Thecla learning to worship only one God. Because of this change in her religion, she was going to be burned at the stake. When this was happening, a storm had hit and good luck struck out the fire. She then left and started to follow Paul. As she was following Paul, she ran into a man who was named Alexander who wanted to take Thecla as his wife. She said no, but he decided to take her by force, she then fought him off. Because he was a man and her a women, she was charged for assaulting a nobleman. Her punishment was to be eaten by wild beast. When she was in the room with beast, there was a female one who protected her, giving her another struck of luck against the male beast who did not go after Thecla because the female beasts was surrounding her. All of these occurrences made Thecla a figure of female power to many women who wanted to follow Paul but they could not because of the repercussions. She lived her life after those experiences by two of Paul's sayings, "Fear nobody but God," and "Live with Chastity." Her feast day is the 23 of September.
ReplyDeleteThis story to me related to gender unit well because of Thecla fighting back on Alexander. Just because he was a man and she was a women who beat him up, she was charged with assaulting him. When in the first place, he was assaulting her for taking her by force to be his wife when she had no interest to go with him. It seems to me that this relates to present day kidnapping and rape put together. In this day, the man would be charged for the forcing of a women, but back then, the man was always right. It just shows how times have changed the outcomes in many ways.
I tribu you chose a very inspiring saint, Maddie. I love how the female beast protected her. It symbolizes women standing together for a greater good instead of tearing each other apart, as women tend to do to each other from gossip. It also perfectly reflects the gender equality and how men were esteemed higher than women so much that her well-being was not taken into account like the male's was. Her story also shows bravery with how she risked her life for her devotion to God. I could never even fathom how it would be to stand in front of wild beasts knowing they wanted to chew me to shreds. Yikes!
DeleteSaint Agatha of Sicily was born in 231 AD and died in 251 AD. Her feast day is celebrated on February fifth. She was a virgin martyr and is especially unique in the way she is one of the seven women commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. At the age of fifteen, Agatha came from a rich noble family. The Roman prefect, Quintianus made advances towards Agatha, which she rejected due to her dedication of her virginity to God. He then persecuted her for her Christian faith. As punishment, Agatha was sent to a brothel. Agatha refused to accept customers, even Quintianus who attempted to use her there. After another rejection, he beat her, tortured her, and had her imprisoned. Her breasts were crushed and amputated. God gifted her with the vision of Saint Peter who restored her health and healed her wounds. Agatha was then sentenced to be burnt at the stake, but an earthquake struck and saved her from that death sentence. Agatha was still incarcerated. She was then rolled on hot coals, but before her death, an earthquake struck. One of the men torturing her was crushed, and the other one fled frightened for his life. Agatha then died while giving thanks to God.
ReplyDeleteAn amazing miracle happened in the name of Saint Agatha a year after her death. The mountain began violently spewing volcanic lava destroying everything in its path. It was heading furiously for Catania. The citizens of Catania took the veil of Saint Agatha and rose it into the air as they begged for her intercession. Following this prayer, the lava changed course and circled around the town without harming any buildings for injuring any civilians. The lava then emptied into the sea where it could not threaten anyone. Every time the volcano erupted after that, Waint Agatha's veil was used to ward off its danger.
Saint Agatha is the patron saint of breast cancer, but also Sicily, Catania, bell founders, bakers, fire, earthquakes, eruptions of Mount Etna, jewelry, natural disasters, rape victims, single laywoman, sterility, torture victims, and many more. Saint Agatha is often pictured holding a platter with her breasts on it. Her role as the patron saint of breast cancer plays a significant role in today's society as breast cancer is becoming more common due to girls developing earlier and many more women contracting it.
In times of struggle, many individuals turn to God for help. People pray, go to church, and do many different forms of prayer. Depending on the individual's situation, they pray to a specific saint who has been through a similar situation. People who have lost an item would pray to the patron saint of lost items; St. Anthony. If one is looking for the wisdom of an artist, one would pray to St. Catherine of Bologna, the patron saint of artists.
ReplyDeleteSt. Catherine was born into a life of promise but had a calling to serve God as a nun. She was born in Bologna to an aristocratic family. Early on in her life, she was taught the ways of court, how to read and write, and the fine arts. When she was twelve, she left her life of luxury To serve the Lord. She began her religious life at the convent of Corpus Domini at Ferrara. After her life at Corpus Domini, she and another woman, who also happened to be from Ferrara, started a monastery known as the Order of the Poor Clares. Throughout her life as a religious, St. Catherine had visions that God had sent her, which she painted. Her paintings still exist today.
Like most people, when she died, she was buried. After about two weeks, St. Catherine's body was removed and taken to the Poor Clares, due to many miracles that seemed to be happening at her grave site. Some say that there was a sweet aroma surrounding her grave. Her body had been perfectly in tact when they removed it from her grave. Her body is still on display in the church of the Poor Clares.
In order for one to become a saint, one must preform some sort of miracle. Other than the miracles preformed at her grave, St. Catherine wrote a book that explained all of her visions that God had given her. She had many visions, not only of God, but of Satan as well. St Catherine was canonized on May 22 of 1712. The pope that had canonized her was Pope Clement XI. She is the patron saint of artists, and her feast day is on March 9.
RaeAnn, I St. Catherine of Bologna is my confirmation name. I remember reading about her simplicity and the story of her death. I find it amazing how her body was untouched and a sweet smell flowed around her grave. This amazing miracle really amazed me and put me in a state of awe. It is a truly fascinating life and her story is truly inspiring to artist around the world.
DeleteRaenne, I find it cool that there is a patron saint of artists. Of course, as you pointed out in mine, there are patron saints for all sorts of crazy things. But her story is actually pretty cool. I like how the sweet aroma surrounded her grave, because I think of cemeteries as creepy places that reek of death. It would be nice if there was a grave that actually smelled wonderful. Then maybe people wouldn't be so freaked out about dying. It is also rather interesting how she recieved visions from God and Satan. I feel that that would be a huge burden and I don't know that I would be able to stand it. I might just go insane. Oh wait...I already am...never mind that. Pretend I didn't say that. But anyway...that was just really quite neat.
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