St. Louis IX

St. Louis IX, also known as King Louis IX of France, was a notable monarch who ruled from 1226 until his death in 1270. He’s often remembered as a devoutly religious king and is the only French king to be canonized, recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church. Here are some key points about him:

1. Early Life: Louis IX was born on April 25, 1214, in Poissy, France. He became king at the age of 12, upon the death of his father Louis VIII, but his mother Blanche of Castile served as regent until he reached maturity.
2. Religious Devotion: Louis IX was deeply religious and led a pious life. He was known for his personal piety, his commitment to justice, and his care for the poor. He regularly attended mass, fasted, and prayed extensively.
3. Crusades: One of the most significant aspects of Louis IX’s reign was his participation in the Crusades. He led two crusades to the Holy Land, in 1248-1254 and 1270. His first crusade ended in defeat and his capture by Egyptian forces in 1250. He was ransomed for a large sum of money and eventually returned to France.
4. Domestic Policy: Louis IX was known for his efforts to reform French administration and law. He strengthened royal authority, expanded the bureaucracy, and promoted the use of royal justice over feudal or ecclesiastical courts.
5. Justice and Fairness: He was renowned for his sense of justice and fairness. He established the “parlement,” a court of law that traveled around France dispensing justice. He also heard cases himself, often under an oak tree in the forest of Vincennes.
6. Legacy: Louis IX’s reign is often remembered as a period of stability and relative prosperity in France. His canonization in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII solidified his reputation as a saintly king.
7. Patronage of Arts and Architecture: Louis IX was a patron of the arts and commissioned numerous works of art and architecture during his reign. The Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, known for its stunning stained glass windows, was built to house the relics he acquired during the Crusades.

Louis IX’s legacy has endured through the centuries, with his reputation as a model Christian ruler and his contributions to French law and administration still remembered today.

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St. Edward the Confessor

St. Edward the Confessor was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England before the Norman Conquest. He ruled from 1042 until his death in 1066. Edward was known for his piety and his reputation for being just and peaceful, earning him the epithet “the Confessor.”

He was born around 1003 to King Æthelred the Unready and his second wife, Emma of Normandy. Edward spent much of his early life in exile in Normandy due to political turmoil in England. He returned to England in 1041, and upon the death of his half-brother, Harthacnut, he became king.

Edward was deeply religious and devoted much of his reign to the Church. He commissioned the building of Westminster Abbey, which was consecrated shortly before his death. Edward was known for his personal piety, his acts of charity, and his dedication to prayer.

Despite his piety, Edward was not a particularly strong ruler. His reign was marked by conflict with powerful noble families, and he struggled to maintain control over his kingdom. He also faced challenges from rival claimants to the throne, including the powerful Earl Godwin and his sons.

Edward died on January 5, 1066, without leaving an heir. His death led to a succession crisis that ultimately resulted in the Norman Conquest of England later that year, when William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Edward was canonized as a saint in 1161 by Pope Alexander III, and his feast day is celebrated on October 13th.

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St. Aloysius Gonzaga

St. Aloysius Gonzaga was born in Castiglione, Italy. The first words St. Aloysius spoke were the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. He was destined for the military by his father (who was in service to Philip II), but by the age of 9 Aloysius had decided on a religious life, and made a vow of perpetual virginity. To safeguard himself from possible temptation, he would keep his eyes persistently downcast in the presence of women. St. Charles Borromeo gave him his first Holy Communion. A kidney disease prevented St. Aloysius from a full social life for a while, so he spent his time in prayer and reading the lives of the saints. Although he was appointed a page in Spain, St. Aloysius kept up his many devotions and austerities, and was quite resolved to become a Jesuit. His family eventually moved back to Italy, where he taught catechism to the poor. When he was 18, he joined the Jesuits, after finally breaking down his father, who had refused his entrance into the order. He served in a hospital during the plague of 1587 in Milan, and died from it at the age of 23, after receiving the last rites from St. Robert Bellarmine. The last word he spoke was the Holy Name of Jesus. St. Robert wrote the Life of St. Aloysius.

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St. John Neumann

This American saint was born in Bohemia in 1811. He was looking forward to being ordained in 1835 when the bishop decided there would be no more ordinations. It is difficult for us to imagine now, but Bohemia was overstocked with priests. John wrote to bishops all over Europe but the story was the same everywhere no one wanted any more priests. John was sure he was called to be a priest but all the doors to follow that vocation seemed to close in his face.

But John didn’t give up. He had learned English by working in a factory with English-speaking workers so he wrote to the bishops in America. Finally, the bishop in New York agreed to ordain him. In order to follow God’s call to the priesthood John would have to leave his home forever and travel across the ocean to a new and rugged land.

In New York, John was one of 36 priests for 200,000 Catholics. John’s parish in western New York stretched from Lake Ontario to Pennsylvania. His church had no steeple or floor but that didn’t matter because John spent most of his time traveling from village to village, climbing mountains to visit the sick, staying in garrets and taverns to teach, and celebrating the Mass at kitchen tables.

Because of the work and the isolation of his parish, John longed for community and so joined the Redemptorists, a congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to helping the poor and most abandoned.

John was appointed bishop of Philadelphia in 1852. As bishop, he was the first to organize a diocesan Catholic school system. A founder of Catholic education in this country, he increased the number of Catholic schools in his diocese from two to 100.

John never lost his love and concern for the people — something that may have bothered the elite of Philadelphia. On one visit to a rural parish, the parish priest picked him up in a manure wagon. Seated on a plank stretched over the wagon’s contents, John joked, “Have you ever seen such an entourage for a bishop!”

The ability to learn languages that had brought him to America led him to learn Spanish, French, Italian, and Dutch so he could hear confessions in at least six languages. When Irish immigration started, he learned Gaelic so well that one Irish woman remarked, “Isn’t it grand that we have an Irish bishop!”

Once on a visit to Germany, he came back to the house he was staying in soaked by rain. When his host suggested he change his shoes, John remarked, “The only way I could change my shoes is by putting the left one on the right foot and the right one on the left foot. This is the only pair I own.”

John died on January 5, 1860 at the age of 48.

In His Footsteps:
John was a Redemptorist priest. To learn more about the Redemptorists visit the Web site for Redemptorist Publications in England, www.redempt.org.

Prayer:

St. John Neumann, you helped organize Catholic education in the United States. Please watch over all Catholic schools and help them be a model of Christianity in their actions as well as their words. Amen.

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St. Matthias :

How does one qualify to be an apostle?

The first act of the apostles after the Ascension of Jesus was to find a replacement for Judas. With all the questions, doubts, and dangers facing them, they chose to focus their attention on finding a twelfth apostle. Why was this important? Twelve was a very important number to the Chosen People: twelve was the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. If the new Israel was to come from the disciples of Jesus, a twelfth apostle was needed.

But Jesus had chosen the original twelve. How could they know whom he would choose?

One hundred and twenty people were gathered for prayer and reflection in the upper room, when Peter stood up to propose the way to make the choice.

Peter had one criterion, that, like Andrew, James, John, and himself, the new apostle be someone who had been a disciple from the very beginning, from his baptism by John until the Ascension. The reason for this was simple, the new apostle would must become a witness to Jesus’ resurrection. He must have followed Jesus before anyone knew him, stayed with him when he made enemies, and believed in him when he spoke of the cross and of eating his body — teachings that had made others melt away.

Two men fit this description — Matthias and Joseph called Barsabbas. They knew that both these men had been with them and with Jesus through his whole ministry. But which one had the heart to become a witness to his resurrection. The apostles knew that only the Lord could know what was in the heart of each. They cast lots in order to discover God’s will and Matthias was chosen. He was the twelfth apostle and the group was whole again as they waited for the coming of the Holy Spirit.

That’s the first we hear of Matthias in Scripture, and the last. Legends like the Acts of Andrew and Matthias testify to Matthias’ enthusiastic embrace of all that being an apostle meant including evangelization, persecution, and death in the service of the Lord.

How does one qualify to be an apostle?

Clement of Alexandria says that Matthias, like all the other apostles, was not chosen by Jesus for what he already was, but for what Jesus foresaw he would become. He was elected not because he was worthy but because he would become worthy. Jesus chooses all of us in the same way. What does Jesus want you to become?

In His Footsteps:
Have you ever felt like an afterthought, a latecomer? Or have you ever resented someone new who was added to your group? Try to see your community as not complete without the newcomer, whether you or someone else. Welcome any newcomers to your parish, work, or family community this week as someone chosen by God.

Prayer:

Saint Matthias, pray that we may become worthy witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus in the way we live the eternal life we have right now.

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