Saint Of The Day

[willguy]

Oct 3 -

St. John of Dukla

Hermit. Franciscan Conventual in 1440. Priest. Preacher in Ukraine, Moldavia and Belarus. Often a local superior, and once led the Franciscan custody headquartered in Lvív, Ukraine. In 1463 he joined part of the Observant Franciscans, who observed their Rule very strictly. Helped repel a Tartar attack on Lvív in 1474. John's life was characterized by poverty, obedience, asceticism, and devotion to Our Lady. Sought to reconcile schismatics to the Church. Blind at age 70, he continued his ministry as preacher and confessor. Canonized in 1997 by our very own JPII

[willguy]

Oct 4 -

St. Francis of Assisi. Check Fr. Pontifex's thread/site for some cool stuff about this amesome saint.

[willguy]

Oct 5 -

Today is the feast of Bl. Bartholomew Longo. He was raised in a pious family that recited the rosary each night. However, he fell away from the church. He became anti-Catholic, then Satanist, and finally a Satanist priest.

His family and friends brought him back to the faith, and he became a Dominican tertiary. He built the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompei. Later a church was built on the spot (the same church that JPII will be visitin in two days on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary). He established schools, religious organizations, and other charitable organizations. He was beatified October 26, 1980 by John Paul II.

My only desire is to see Mary who saved me and who will save me from the clutches of Satan. - Blessed Bartholomew's last words

[cmotherofpirl]

St. Bruno

(1030?-1101)

This saint has the honor of having founded a religious order which, as

the saying goes, has never had to be reformed because it was never

deformed. No doubt both the founder and the members would reject such

high praise, but it is an indication of the saint's intense love of a

penitential life in solitude.

He was born in Cologne, Germany, became a famous teacher at Rheims and

was appointed chancellor of the archdiocese at the age of 45. He

supported Pope Gregory VII in his fight against the decadence of the

clergy and took part in the removal of his own scandalous archbishop,

Manasses. Bruno suffered the plundering of his house for his pains.

He had a dream of living in solitude and prayer, and persuaded a few

friends to join him in a hermitage. After a while he felt the place

unsuitable and, through a friend, was given some land which was to

become famous for his foundation "in the Chartreuse" (from which comes

the word Carthusians). The climate, desert, mountainous terrain and

inaccessibility guaranteed silence, poverty and small numbers.

Bruno and his friends built an oratory with small individual cells at a

distance from each other. They met for Matins and Vespers each day, and

spent the rest of the time in solitude, eating together only on great

feasts. Their chief work was copying manuscripts.

The pope, hearing of Bruno's holiness, called for his assistance in

Rome. When the pope had to flee Rome, Bruno pulled up stakes again, and

spent his last years (after refusing a bishopric) in the wilderness of

Calabria.

He was never formally canonized, because the Carthusians were averse to

all occasions of publicity. Pope Clement extended his feast to the whole

Church in 1674.

Comment:

If there is always a certain uneasy questioning of the contemplative

life, there is an even greater puzzlement about the extremely

penitential combination of community and hermit life lived by the

Carthusians.

Quote:

"Members of those communities which are totally dedicated to

contemplation give themselves to God alone in solitude and silence and

through constant prayer and ready penance. No matter how urgent may be

the needs of the active apostolate, such communities will always have a

distinguished part to play in Christ's Mystical Body..." (Decree on the

Renewal of Religious Life, 7).

[BLAZEr]

by the way, October 5th is also St. Faustina. Gotta give the little polish nun mad props!