Favorite Lesser Known Saints?

[Lisa]

Thanks to DominicanSoul, I've been reading about St. Gemma Galgani. What are some of your other lesser-known Saints and Blesseds?

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='Lisa' timestamp='1304812117' post='2238523']
Thanks to DominicanSoul, I've been reading about St. Gemma Galgani. What are some of your other lesser-known Saints and Blesseds?
[/quote]

I mentioned this on my Carmel thread, but I have come to know St Henry, patron of those rejected by religious communities.

[MargaretTeresa]

St Margaret of Scotland. Very hard to find any info on, but a wonderful loving person.

[OnlySunshine]

[b]St Elizabeth of the Visitation[/b]--most favorite saint! I love her because of her intense humility and faith.

[b]St. Elizabeth of Hungary[/b]--anytime a noble gives of themselves to the poor, they have my respect. She is so beautiful!

[b]St. Anne and St. Joachim[/b]--parents of Our Lady; very little is known about them, even their names are not agreed upon, but I took Anne as my confirmation saint since their feast day is on my birthday.

[b]St. Mary Magdelene de Pazzi[/b]--even though God gave her mystical visions, she was very humble and considered herself to be the lowest of God's people

[b]St. Gemma Galgani[/b]--she is absolutely charming in every way; I admire her for her life and it reminds me of Our Lady's

[b]St. Teresa of the Andes[/b]--sweet little Carmelite saint

[b]St. Veronica[/b]--the humble woman who wiped the face of Jesus even though the soldiers showed her contempt

[Margaret Mary]

Venearble Solanus Casey (even though he is not cannonized)

[Lisa]

I love St. Isidore the Farmer...

[quote] [font=Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica][size=2]Isidore frequented Holy Mass every morning but often reported to work late. Late, though he was, his plowing was nevertheless accomplished by angels that resulted in three times more productivity. His coworkers and his boss witnessed such miraculous events and accorded Isidore with great respect.[/size][/font][font=Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica][size=2][/quote]

[/size][/font]

[Mary Magdalene]

[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1304823602' post='2238576']
[b]St. Mary Magdelene de Pazzi[/b]--even though God gave her mystical visions, she was very humble and considered herself to be the lowest of God's people

[b]St. Gemma Galgani[/b]--she is absolutely charming in every way; I admire her for her life and it reminds me of Our Lady's

[b]St. Veronica[/b]--the humble woman who wiped the face of Jesus even though the soldiers showed her contempt
[/quote]

Love these saints!

[vee]

St Therese

Oh wait this is LESSER known saints that I actually LIKE! hmmmmm......


edited to add
ST GEMMA!!! Except my prime reason for liking her is cus I feel so sorry for her having to put up with DS!

Edited May 8, 2011 by vee8

[Groo the Wanderer]

St. Foo - Patron of ninjas

[Lisa]

[quote name='Groo the Wanderer' timestamp='1304865301' post='2238704']
St. Foo - Patron of ninjas
[/quote]




was his baptismal name Kung?

[MargaretTeresa]

Oh! I forgot St. Genevieve!

[quote][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=2]By age 15, Genevieve was a nun. When her hometown of Paris was under siege by Childeric, King of the Franks, she risked her own safety to go into the city to find food and supplies for the suffering. Years later, she faced another dangerous conqueror -- Attila the Hun. As Parisians prepared to leave their homes rather than face the wrath of the barbarians, Genevieve convinced them to stay in their homes and pray instead. Today, it is still unknown why Attila the Hun didn't attack Paris. Genevieve died in a.d. 500.[/size][/font][/quote]

[faithcecelia]

Oh, how could I forget St Lydwena, patron of ice-skaters

[Santa Cruz]

How I love the Saints! Thank you for inspiring the topic!

Blessed Maria Gabriella Sadheddu (Trappistine)

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassatti

Blessed Michael McGivney (Founder of the Knights of Columbus)

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity (OCD)

Saints Anne and Joachim

Saint Leopold Mandic (OFM Cap)

Saint Benedict Joseph Labre (Father Benedict Groeschel CFR is named after him)

Saint Robert Bellarmine (SJ)

Saint Margaret of Hungary (OP)

Saint Elizabeth of Hungary

PRAY FOR US!

[Starets]

[url="http://maroniteinstitute.org/MARI/JMS/january00/Saint_Marina_the_Monk.htm"]St. Marina the Monk[/url]

[JenDeMaria]

I must confess it bothers me a twee bit that Jesus' own grandparents are being listed as lesser known saints. Gracious, who do you need to be connected to around here?

My own favorite lesser known saints:

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulo_Miki"]Saint Paulo Miki, SJ[/url]

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Pro"]Blessed Miguel Pro, SJ[/url]

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs_of_Compi%C3%A8gne"]The 16 Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne[/url]

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalena_de_Pazzi"]Saint Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, OCD[/url]

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_of_the_Trinity"]Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, OCD[/url]

[url="http://www.helpfellowship.org/St_Teresa_of_the_Andes.htm"]Saint Teresa of the Andes, OCD[/url]

[b][b][size="2"][url="http://thirdordercarmelite.wordpress.com/carmelite-venerables-and-servants-of-god/maria-felicia-guggiari-echeverria-of-jesus-in-the-blessed-sacrament/"]Maria Felicia Guggiari Echeverria of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, OCD[/url][/size][/b][/b]
[url="http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elisabeth_Leseur"]Servant of God, Elizabeth Leseur[/url]

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Sixtus_II"]Pope Saint Sixtus II[/url]

[url="http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_of_Lima"]Saint Rose of Lima[/url]

[faithcecelia]

Oh, The Martyrs of Compiegne!!! I adore these! I guess to me they are not lesser known as they were a community favourite at Quidenham. One of the novices taught me a lot about CBT while I was having my therapy. The night before their execution she spoke to their confessor and told him how scared she was. He broke the process down into tiny steps - dressing, climbing into the cart, climbing the steps etc, and she realised she could manage each step. It moves me to tears to know that they each knelt before their Prioress and obtained 'permission to die' before climbing the scaffold singing the Te Deum. It is said to have been the beginning of the end of the awful state in France at the time, as even the most bloodthirsty of the fans of the guillotine were horrified at watching their execution.

[JenDeMaria]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1304879724' post='2238750']
Oh, The Martyrs of Compiegne!!! I adore these! I guess to me they are not lesser known as they were a community favourite at Quidenham. One of the novices taught me a lot about CBT while I was having my therapy. The night before their execution she spoke to their confessor and told him how scared she was. He broke the process down into tiny steps - dressing, climbing into the cart, climbing the steps etc, and she realised she could manage each step. It moves me to tears to know that they each knelt before their Prioress and obtained 'permission to die' before climbing the scaffold singing the Te Deum. It is said to have been the beginning of the end of the awful state in France at the time, as even the most bloodthirsty of the fans of the guillotine were horrified at watching their execution.
[/quote]

Did you know that Sister Constance, the youngest, was one of St. Therese' s favorite martyrs?

The beautiful opera The Dialogues of the Carmelites portrays the sisters as singing the Te Deum as they mount the scaffold, but they were actually chanting Psalm 117 (116 Vulgate) Laudete Dominum omnes gentes -- Praise the Lord, all ye gentiles! -- which was sung by Saint Teresa at the founding of a new Carmel. After consecrating themselves to the will of God and the possibility of martyrdom every day for over 2 years they rejoiced in their vocation to the guillotine! I find their story very moving, as well.

I just finished reading a wonderful book on the sujbect by the historian William Bush called [url="http://http://www.icspublications.org/bookstore/others/b_others08.html"]To Quell the Terror[/url], which I would highly recommend, by the way.

[faithcecelia]

Yes To Quell the Terror was the first book I read on them, I also read another, older, book which was a style I don't like (I am the least sugary Carmelite in the world, I can't even read Story of a Soul without cringing!) but was stunningly beautiful and actually became a favourite, though I can't remember what it was called, maybe it didn't have a title?? (lots of our books were rebound). Quidenham is a very close community to the Benedictines of Stanbrook, who have lots of the relics of the Compiegne martyrs.

[faithcecelia]

Just done a bit of hunting and there are actually about 4 hymns they were meant to have sung guess its one where people have reported what they thought they heard, and stories were repeated, etc etc. Either way, they were amazing women who showed that God can call anyone to be a martyr.

[JenDeMaria]

[quote name='faithcecelia' timestamp='1304884544' post='2238779']
Just done a bit of hunting and there are actually about 4 hymns they were meant to have sung guess its one where people have reported what they thought they heard, and stories were repeated, etc etc.[/quote]

I'm sure there are probably several different accounts of the song sung as the sisters ascended the scaffold. Many people become confused given the different fictional portrayals of the actual historical event and the sisters sang many different songs on the way to the execution site as they were transported there in open carts.

*Gertrud von Stein has the sisters singing [i]Veni Creator Spiritus[/i] in her novella [i]The Song at the Scaffold[/i]
*I was wrong in what I said above, Poulenc has the sisters singing the [i]Salve Regina[/i] in his opera [i]Dialouges of the Carmelites[/i]
*William Bush, the historian, reports that the cart ride to the guillotine took several hours and they, in effect, chanted Vespers, Compline and the Office of the Dead in addition to a large number of hymns including the [i]Miserere[/i] and the [i]Salve Regina[/i]. Since I have [i]To Quell the Terror[/i] in my hands I might as well simply quote directly from it:

[i]Tonight, however, there was the austere chanting of the 16 nuns wearing habits and it continued, unabated. The silence that had accompanied their passage suddenly engulfed the crowd. Mounted on its high scaffold, stark against the still bright midsummer evening sky, the realism of the naked blade defied the courage of the would-be martyrs. The resourceful prioress allowed no time, however, for inner battles with fear. As we have seen, she was prepared for this fateful moment and greeted the scaffold's uncompromising reality with the equally uncompromising theological reality of the [/i]Te Deum[i]. [...]After the singing of the [/i]Te Deum[i], the devotions of Madame Lidoine were those normal for a dying Carmelite. If possible, the dying nun, after the Holy Spirit had been invoked, renews her monastic vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, her hands between those of the prioress. Thus is explained the hymn next sung before the guillotine: the [/i]Veni Creator Spiritus [i][...] Monseigneur Jaffret specifies that with this hymn of invocation complete, the nuns renewed their vows [...] It is reported that it was after rising from her knees to face the machine, as she started up the steps of the scaffold that Sister Constance intoned the first line of the psalm [/i]Laudete Dominum omnes gentes[i]. It was the psalm sung by Saint Teresa of Avila at the foundation of a new Carmel. In 1604, Mother Anne of Jesus, just arrived from Spain under the escort of Cardinal de Bruelle, had introduced this Teresian custom into France [...] Now, 190 years later, in that same city where Christian civilization seemed to be in its death throes as the old order collapsed, the familiar verses, spontaneously begun by Sister Constance at the foot of the guillotine, were again taken up by the surprised nuns "with greater fervor than harmony". They would continue throughout the community's immolation, punctuated by the recurring fatal thud cutting short voice after voice. As the Teresian psalm of foundation paradoxically announced the end of the original, earthly foundation of Compiegne's Carmel, it mystically signaled the inauguration of its eternal foundation in the Kingdom of the Lamb. There, in the constellation of those who shed their blood for the Lamb, it would shine forever. Had he himself not said "those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them are lost?" (Jn 17:12)

[/i]Also[i]:

O praise the Lord all you nations!
Praise him all ye people!
FOR HIS MERCY IS CONFIRMED UPON US
And the truth of the Lord endureth forever!
Praise the Lord!

Spontaneously bursting from the lips of Sister Constance as she, designated the first to die, started up the scaffold steps, the austere chanting of the psalm was in fact taken up and carried forward by the others until the end. Thus as the implacable blade cut short each nun's voice and effusion of blood, the chanting of women's voices insistently proclaimed before men and angels (1 Cor 4:9) that God's [/i][u]mercy[/u][i] was being confirmed upon them. Such was their final statement, their final word, their final witness. No protest was lodged against the new totalitarian terrorist government, no denunciation of its disgusting daily cult of blood sacrifice. [...] Naught but their austere chant of high, solemn joy that after some 20 months of daily consecrating themselves for this hour, God's mercy was allowing them to make their act of holocaust to restore peace to France and to her church. [...] As they offered up to the Lord and Giver of Life the one mortal life he had given them, their voices announced that God's mercy to his creatures is great and that whatever may be the vicissitudes accompanying human destiny in this fallen world, within the mystical Body of Christ all remains subservient to the mystery of that mercy.[/i]

[quote] Either way, they were amazing women who showed that God can call anyone to be a martyr.
[/quote]

Agreed!!!

And regarding that other book you read on the Compiegne martyrs, if it was an English translation of [i]Le Sang du Carme[/i]l, please tell me about it!! I was under the impression that other history of the martyrs was only available in French.

And I would love to travel to Stanbrook Abbey some day to see the relics of the Compiegne martyrs. This House of Brede is the first book on Catholicism I ever read and according to Wikipedia, Rumer Godden based much of her material on Stanbrook Abbey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanbrook_Abbey