July is a great month for saints, unfortunately it’s because a lot of religious persecutions really get going in the heat of the summer. Many great saints received the crown of martyrdom in July.
Such was the case for these seven women, who were among the tens of thousands of Christians massacred in 1900 during China’s Boxer Rebellion. (The fanatical Boxers could be compared to today’s Taliban. Their victims included many American Protestant missionary families, and the sheer brutality of the riots made headlines around the world.)
The seven Sisters honored today were from France, Italy, Belgium and Holland, members of a new missionary order, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. The youngest of them, Maria della Pace, was twenty-four and the oldest, Marie de St Natalie was thirty-five. Within months of their arrival in China they had established a charity hospital and orphanage in Shanghai’s capital.
That summer, when the Boxer riots reached Shanxi, their bishop tried to get the Sisters to evacuate, but the Sisters refused to leave their work. One of them wrote home: “I attach myself to the Will of God as the anchor of salvation.”
The Sisters were arrested with 33 other Christians, including a 66-year-old widow and six orphaned children. Days later, three thousand Boxers watched them sing hymns as they filed in to face the viceroy. As the hearing began, the viceroy quarreled with the bishop, then ordered his soldiers to kill them all. The Boxers immediately began hacking at heads and limbs. A Boxer witness said later: “What was most astonishing was to see these ‘she-devil Christians’ die singing.” The Martyrs of Shanxi were canonized with the Martyrs of China in 2000. They are venerated by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary on July 10.
The Faith is still strong in China and the Order is still doing great work throughout the world. You can find out more about these wonderful women on their Order’s website, where they note that their seven martyred sisters all shared “the earnest desire to open their lives to the Spirit and to respond to God's call to the end.” http://www.fmm.org/
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Feast of Saint Kilian, Irish Martyr
Like many of the great Irish saints, Saint Kilian (c. 640 – 689) was a wanderer. Born in Ireland, he embraced the monastic life, which makes him one of those heroes celebrated by Thomas Cahill in “How the Irish Saved Civilization.” Yet Kilian felt called to be a missionary, and after a pilgrimage to Rome he was commissioned by Pope Conon as a kind of roving bishop. With eleven companions, he headed north to evangelize what is now Germany. Based in Wurzburg, he converted many of the local pagans to Christianity. His influence spread throughout the region that is now Bavaria, earning him the title “Apostle of Franconia.”
One of Kilian's most important converts was the Duke of Gosbert. The Duke was married to Geleina, the widow of his brother, and Kilian insisted that the marriage was invalid. Geleina decided to solve this problem by murdering Kilian. She waited until Gosbert was away to order the assassination, then tried to cover it up. One historian writes: “Geilana was seized with an evil spirit, which tormented her so much she died soon after.” At least one of Geleina’s thugs also went mad and died a horrible death. But the Christianity that Kilian had planted in Bavaria is still strong today and it is said that he personally intercedes for every citizen of Franconia, Germany, when they approach Heaven.
For some reason, the church I attended as a child in Farmingdale, Long Island, was called Saint Kilian’s, but the school was called Saint Killian’s. I seem to remember that the extra “L” was originally a misprint and the thrifty Dominican nuns and/or the Benedictine priests decided to just roll with it.
Saint Kilian might have enjoyed that. He was, after all, an Irishman, so he must have had a sense of humor.
I spent eight years at St Killian’s (a/k/a St Kilian’s) school and my class will mark a Very Important Anniversary in 2009. I’d love to hear from any of my former classmates who have probably traveled even further than St Kilian himself. I hope some of them will read this and e-mail me here.
One of Kilian's most important converts was the Duke of Gosbert. The Duke was married to Geleina, the widow of his brother, and Kilian insisted that the marriage was invalid. Geleina decided to solve this problem by murdering Kilian. She waited until Gosbert was away to order the assassination, then tried to cover it up. One historian writes: “Geilana was seized with an evil spirit, which tormented her so much she died soon after.” At least one of Geleina’s thugs also went mad and died a horrible death. But the Christianity that Kilian had planted in Bavaria is still strong today and it is said that he personally intercedes for every citizen of Franconia, Germany, when they approach Heaven.
For some reason, the church I attended as a child in Farmingdale, Long Island, was called Saint Kilian’s, but the school was called Saint Killian’s. I seem to remember that the extra “L” was originally a misprint and the thrifty Dominican nuns and/or the Benedictine priests decided to just roll with it.
Saint Kilian might have enjoyed that. He was, after all, an Irishman, so he must have had a sense of humor.
I spent eight years at St Killian’s (a/k/a St Kilian’s) school and my class will mark a Very Important Anniversary in 2009. I’d love to hear from any of my former classmates who have probably traveled even further than St Kilian himself. I hope some of them will read this and e-mail me here.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wednesday, March 12---Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Forest Hills
I will be speaking at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills on Wednesday night, March 12, at 7:30 pm.
The subject will be "Saints of New York," especially Saint Elizabeth Seton and Saint Frances Cabrini.
The church is at 110-06 Queens Boulevard. I've linked to their website if you would like more information.
The subject will be "Saints of New York," especially Saint Elizabeth Seton and Saint Frances Cabrini.
The church is at 110-06 Queens Boulevard. I've linked to their website if you would like more information.
Spirit in Action, St Francis of Assisi, March 9
Spirit in Action, St Francis of Assisi Church,
Sunday, March 9th, 2008
Sponsors a Lenten Mass/Continental Breakfast for "Singles Living God's Plan"
Mass is at 12 Noon in the lower church, 135 West 31st Street,
Celebrant is Father Patrick Fitzgerald, OFM
Followed by a continental breakfast in the St Francis Room of the Parish House.
Cost is $7.00 and The Big Book of Women Saints will be on sale.
Sunday, March 9th, 2008
Sponsors a Lenten Mass/Continental Breakfast for "Singles Living God's Plan"
Mass is at 12 Noon in the lower church, 135 West 31st Street,
Celebrant is Father Patrick Fitzgerald, OFM
Followed by a continental breakfast in the St Francis Room of the Parish House.
Cost is $7.00 and The Big Book of Women Saints will be on sale.
February 28, 2008 Theology on Tap, Woodside
I am delighted to be speaking at the next meeting of Theology on Tap in Woodside, New York, at the end of this month. More details (including time and place) to come.
Subject: Saints Alive: What the Saints Can Teach Us about Living Today.
Subject: Saints Alive: What the Saints Can Teach Us about Living Today.
Saint Jerome Emiliani, Patron of Orphans & Abandoned Children
“Writing preserves the things of the past, teaches those of the present and prepares us for the things of the future. Although it is useful to us in every circumstance and various situations, it is more useful when, by narrating the history of the people of the past, it straightens and makes prudent and wise our deeds.”
I came across this passage in a biography of the great Saint Jerome Emiliani (1481 – 1537), patron of orphans and abandoned children, and it inspired me to get back to updating this blog. Saint Jerome inspired a lot of people, both in his own time and ever since.
He was very much a man of his time: from the ruling class in Venice, he enlisted in the army at fifteen in a time when Venice was fighting off most of the other armies of Europe. His last great battle was in 1511, against the forces of the Emperor Maximillian, and although his men were greatly outnumbered they made a valiant stand. In the end they were overrun and most of them slaughtered. Emiliani was taken prisoner and thrown into a dungeon. Kept in chains, starved and tortured, he had plenty of time to review his life and wonder why he had been spared. He prayed to God and the Blessed Mother. He was convinced it was she who unlocked his chains and allowed him to escape. He headed for a chapel in nearby Treviso where he left his chains on the altar.
Because of his bravery, he was appointed governor of Treviso, but after a few years he retired to devote the rest of his life to charity. He built orphanages all over northern Italy and founded an order of priests and brothers known in the United States as the Somascans who are dedicated to serving the poor, especially troubled youth. His feast day was formerly February 8 and is now July 20.
Jerome Emiliani has everything I love about the saints: bravery, courage and faith. His legacy lives on all over the world, including Connecticut where the Somascans have long operated a home for troubled boys.
I came across this passage in a biography of the great Saint Jerome Emiliani (1481 – 1537), patron of orphans and abandoned children, and it inspired me to get back to updating this blog. Saint Jerome inspired a lot of people, both in his own time and ever since.
He was very much a man of his time: from the ruling class in Venice, he enlisted in the army at fifteen in a time when Venice was fighting off most of the other armies of Europe. His last great battle was in 1511, against the forces of the Emperor Maximillian, and although his men were greatly outnumbered they made a valiant stand. In the end they were overrun and most of them slaughtered. Emiliani was taken prisoner and thrown into a dungeon. Kept in chains, starved and tortured, he had plenty of time to review his life and wonder why he had been spared. He prayed to God and the Blessed Mother. He was convinced it was she who unlocked his chains and allowed him to escape. He headed for a chapel in nearby Treviso where he left his chains on the altar.
Because of his bravery, he was appointed governor of Treviso, but after a few years he retired to devote the rest of his life to charity. He built orphanages all over northern Italy and founded an order of priests and brothers known in the United States as the Somascans who are dedicated to serving the poor, especially troubled youth. His feast day was formerly February 8 and is now July 20.
Jerome Emiliani has everything I love about the saints: bravery, courage and faith. His legacy lives on all over the world, including Connecticut where the Somascans have long operated a home for troubled boys.
Monday, October 1, 2007
EDISON, NEW JERSEY Saturday, November 17
I will be speaking at the Daughters of St Paul Bookstore in Edison, New Jersey on Saturday, November 17. I will be speaking about my favorite subject, the women saints, especially those who are patrons of churches in the area, such as St Helena and St Theresa of the Infant Jesus. If you are in the area I hope you can drop by.
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