Re: Saints: St. Cecilia
Fr: Gail Buckley (2007 Nov 22). “Saint Cecilia.” Today’s Saint. http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/7395, accessed 2007 dec 31
Cecilia, also known as Cecily, was born in Rome and educated in the teachings and perfect practice of Catholicism. In her youth she made a vow of virginity to God. However, she was forced by her parents to marry a noble pagan youth named Valerianus. Refusing to forego her vow, she convinced her new husband to respect her virginity, and eventually also won him over to Christianity.
Later, his brother Tiburtius was converted to the faith and both brothers practiced it with great zeal. Consequently, the prefect Turcius Almachius condemned them to death. Their executioner Maximus, however, himself was converted and suffered martyrdom along with the two brothers. Their remains were buried in one tomb by Cecilia.
At this point Cecilia came under the eye of the prefect and was soon sought by his officers. Before being taken prisoner, she made arrangements to have her house converted into a place of worship for the Roman Church. After a glorious profession of faith, she was condemned to be suffocated in her bath. Miraculously, this failed to harm Cecilia, so a soldier was assigned to behead her. Striking the neck of Cecilia three times without completely decapitating her, the soldier fled, leaving the virgin soaked in blood. She lived for three more days, during which time she was able to make dispositions for the poor. She was buried in the Catacombs of Callistus among the bishops and confessors who were martyred for the faith.
St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music. Many medieval pictures of Cecilia show her either holding a crown of martyrdom in her hand or playing the organ. While musicians played at her wedding, Cecilia sang in her heart to God. When the Academy of Music was founded at Rome in 1584, Cecilia was made patroness of the institute, whereupon her veneration as patroness of church music in general became more universal. Today, Cecilian societies (musical associations) exist everywhere, and the organ has become the primary attribute depicted in Cecilian art.
Prayer
St. Cecilia, pray for us that we make music in our hearts to God and manifest our love for Him in our daily deeds. In the holy name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
santa claus
Re: Santa Claus, Origin
Fr: Excerpted from Apalisok, A. (2007 Dec). “Santa Claus in our midst.” The Filipino Expats, p.2. (highlight mine)
“… Our concept of Santa Claus is from the USA. He is a creation of cartoonist Thomas Nast, whose series of Christmas drawings in a magazine begun in 1860 made Santa Claus what he is today. He based his drawings on the poem ‘The Night Before Christmas,” written by Dr. Clement Moore in 1822.
“In turn, it was the Dutch who brought the concept of Santa Claus to the USA. The Dutch kept alive the commemoration of St. Nicholas, a 4th century bishop of Myra in Asia Minor in what is now Turkey. Miracles were attributed to the bishop whose generosity and compassion were known.
“Part of the Dutch tradition of honoring St. Nicholas was for children to place wooden shoes filled with straw by the hearth on the night of the saint’s supposed arrival. The straw was food for his donkey, his means of transportation. In turn, the saint was believed to place small treats in the wooden shoes.
“When Dutch colonists arrived in America, they built their first church named afte the saint in what is now New York. The Dutch Sint Nikolaas, with the variant Sinterklass, then evolved into Santa Claus when the English-speaking population of 17th century America adopted the saint’s legend. The Dutch children’s wooden shoes by the hearth had evolved into stockings by the chimney.
“St. Nicholas’ feast day is December 6. he is traditionally commemorated in both Roman and Greek Orthrodox churches and is the patron saint of Russia and Greece and the cities of Moscow and Fribourg in Switzerland. A 6th century church was built in his honor by the Roman emperor Justinian I in what is now Istanbul, Turkey.
“St. Nicholas was buried in Myra, his place of birth, until Italian sailors removed his remains and took them to Bari in Italy. The saint’s relics are now at the Basilica of San Nicola, an 11th century church in Bari. Thus is St. Nicholas known as both St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Bari.
“One thing had remained about St. Nicholas throughout the centuries – that of a compassionate gift-giver, which identified him further with the Christmas season, it being a time for gift giving. Thus is Santa Claus the same as Sint Nikolaas or Sinterklaas of the Dutch, Father Christmas of the English, and Kris Kringle of the Germans. The Italians and Russians have their respective female counterparts, Belfana and Babushka….”
Fr: Excerpted from Apalisok, A. (2007 Dec). “Santa Claus in our midst.” The Filipino Expats, p.2. (highlight mine)
“… Our concept of Santa Claus is from the USA. He is a creation of cartoonist Thomas Nast, whose series of Christmas drawings in a magazine begun in 1860 made Santa Claus what he is today. He based his drawings on the poem ‘The Night Before Christmas,” written by Dr. Clement Moore in 1822.
“In turn, it was the Dutch who brought the concept of Santa Claus to the USA. The Dutch kept alive the commemoration of St. Nicholas, a 4th century bishop of Myra in Asia Minor in what is now Turkey. Miracles were attributed to the bishop whose generosity and compassion were known.
“Part of the Dutch tradition of honoring St. Nicholas was for children to place wooden shoes filled with straw by the hearth on the night of the saint’s supposed arrival. The straw was food for his donkey, his means of transportation. In turn, the saint was believed to place small treats in the wooden shoes.
“When Dutch colonists arrived in America, they built their first church named afte the saint in what is now New York. The Dutch Sint Nikolaas, with the variant Sinterklass, then evolved into Santa Claus when the English-speaking population of 17th century America adopted the saint’s legend. The Dutch children’s wooden shoes by the hearth had evolved into stockings by the chimney.
“St. Nicholas’ feast day is December 6. he is traditionally commemorated in both Roman and Greek Orthrodox churches and is the patron saint of Russia and Greece and the cities of Moscow and Fribourg in Switzerland. A 6th century church was built in his honor by the Roman emperor Justinian I in what is now Istanbul, Turkey.
“St. Nicholas was buried in Myra, his place of birth, until Italian sailors removed his remains and took them to Bari in Italy. The saint’s relics are now at the Basilica of San Nicola, an 11th century church in Bari. Thus is St. Nicholas known as both St. Nicholas of Myra and St. Nicholas of Bari.
“One thing had remained about St. Nicholas throughout the centuries – that of a compassionate gift-giver, which identified him further with the Christmas season, it being a time for gift giving. Thus is Santa Claus the same as Sint Nikolaas or Sinterklaas of the Dutch, Father Christmas of the English, and Kris Kringle of the Germans. The Italians and Russians have their respective female counterparts, Belfana and Babushka….”
st. josef freinademetz, svd
Re: Short Biography
St. Josef Freinademetz, SVD (1852-1908) was an Austrian diocesan priest who joined the then newly formed Society of the Divine Word (SVD) in 1878 and became the Society’s first missionary to China (South Shantung) in 1881 together with future Bishop John Baptist Anzer, SVD. As missionary, he wrote a catechism manual in Chinese and advocated for the training of Chinese priests, which was a progressive idea at that time. He also became Provincial Superior of the SVD missionaries. At age 55, he got infected with typhoid fever while helping sick children during the epidemic in 1907. (Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Joseph_Freinademetz; http://www.svdcuria.org/public/histtrad/founders/jf/jfen.htm)
Re: "Prayer for Missionaries"
Fr: Canonization Stampita
"O God, our heavenly Father, it is Your wish that all men be saved. You have chosen Father Josef Freinademetz to be an example for missionaries who go into the whole world to preach the Gospel to the millions who are still waiting for salvation. Send the Holy Spirit upon our young men and young women that they may be inspired to follow Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ and bring salvation to all. Amen."
Re: The First SVD Missionary to China
Fr: http://www2.dwci.edu/vocations/aboutus/stjoseph.html
Maybe it was while dreamily looking over the magnificent view of the deep valley from the ancient little Holy Cross Chapel perched 2000 meters above sea level on an outcropping above his home in the Dolomite Mountains of South Tyrol…[Austria] during the daily family rosary…or through the encouragement of family and friends, somehow, the young man, Joseph Freinademetz, was inspired to become a missionary to proclaim Christ’s word in a far-off land.
Joseph was born on April 15, 1852, the fourth child of Giovanmattia and Anna Maria Freinademetz. The family eked out a living on their poor and simple small farm as did their neighbors. Years later, the little farm house and quiet hamlet of Oies in the Gader Valley changed when Joseph Freinademetz, SVD, was beatified in 1975 by Pope Paul VI and then canonized a saint in the Roman Catholic Church on October 5, 2003, by Pope John Paul II in Rome. Pilgrims regularly find their way to pray at the small parish church of St. Martin where Joseph served as a curate for three years. Or they visit the little mountain chapel high above the family farm or visit his ancestral home. It is a surrounding that seems to speak of prayer and devotion.
Joseph’s early years were uneventful. He helped with the farm chores, attended daily Mass at his local parish and, on the advice of the parish priest, attended a school some eleven hours walk from his home. He eventually entered the major seminary and was ordained a priest for the Brixon Diocese in 1875. His initial assignment was to be a teacher. But soon an article in the local diocesan newsletter about the new Mission House at Steyl, Holland, founded by Fr.Arnold Janssen caught his attention. Joseph went to visit the Mission House. The visit was enough to convince Joseph that this is where he could follow his vocation to be a missionary priest. He joined the fledgling group at Steyl in 1878, and barely a year later he received his mission cross along with Fr. John Baptist Anzer, SVD. He had one more brief visit to his family home to say goodbye for the last time, as he would never return to his homeland again. He was to be a missionary in China. In1881, the Mission House had received its own mission territory, the Province of Shandong. Joseph was so devoted to his mission that, except to recover from an illness, he never left Shandong.
One thing you might notice when looking at a picture of Joseph is that he looks Chinese. He so enculturated himself to China that he took on a form of dress similar to the local Chinese spiritual leaders. His most frequently repeated words were, “I like to be Chinese even in heaven.” He truly loved the Chinese people with whom he lived and worked, and Joseph was especially energized by the local clergy and catechists. He promoted the idea that they should become the leaders in the local Church before Rome was quite ready for this. It was decades later that Rome appointed the first Chinese bishops and also the first non-white Cardinal, Thomas Tien, SVD.
As so many missionaries have discovered, the grounding of their mission work is supported by a strong personal prayer life. Joseph had promoted this amongst the clergy along with the words, “Do you imagine you can become holy without meditation, something no saint was able to do? Without meditation life is lost.” He said his daily Mass and prayed his Divine Office with the same intense dedication as he did with missionary work. Joseph had unwavering hope and belief in the power of God and sacraments. During such difficult times as the Boxer Rebellion in which two young Divine Word Missionaries were martyred, he remained at his mission post. Till his death, the Chinese people and others with whom he worked recognized him as saintly man for his humility, for his firm yet gentle approach to his work, and for his total love of his people. Toward the end of his all-too-few years, he was appointed Provincial for the Society of the Divine Word, a post he held until his death from tuberculosis in 1908 at age 46.
Here’s a brief outline of St. Joseph ’ s life:
April 4, 1852 – Joseph Freinademetz is born.
1858 to 1862 – German public school and Philosophy/Theology at Brixen.
July 25, 1875 – Joseph is ordained a priest.
1876 to 1878 – Joseph is a curate and teacher in the Gader Valley.
1878 – Joseph joins the SVD at Steyl, Holland.
March 2, 1879 – Joseph says good-bye to friends and family, leaves for China.
1879 to 1881 – Missionary in Saikung, Hong Kong.
1882 – Arrival in Puoli, South Shandong.
1890 to 1891 – Mission Administrator.
1895 to 1897 – Director of the major seminary.
1900 – Appointment as Provincial Superior of the Society of the Divine Word.
January 28, 1908 – Death of Joseph Freinademetz in Taikia, South Shandong.
October 19, 1975 – Beatification of Joseph Freinademetz by Pope Paul VI
October 5, 2003 – Canonization of Joseph Freinademetz by Pope John Paul II
St. Josef Freinademetz, SVD (1852-1908) was an Austrian diocesan priest who joined the then newly formed Society of the Divine Word (SVD) in 1878 and became the Society’s first missionary to China (South Shantung) in 1881 together with future Bishop John Baptist Anzer, SVD. As missionary, he wrote a catechism manual in Chinese and advocated for the training of Chinese priests, which was a progressive idea at that time. He also became Provincial Superior of the SVD missionaries. At age 55, he got infected with typhoid fever while helping sick children during the epidemic in 1907. (Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Joseph_Freinademetz; http://www.svdcuria.org/public/histtrad/founders/jf/jfen.htm)
Re: "Prayer for Missionaries"
Fr: Canonization Stampita
"O God, our heavenly Father, it is Your wish that all men be saved. You have chosen Father Josef Freinademetz to be an example for missionaries who go into the whole world to preach the Gospel to the millions who are still waiting for salvation. Send the Holy Spirit upon our young men and young women that they may be inspired to follow Your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ and bring salvation to all. Amen."
Re: The First SVD Missionary to China
Fr: http://www2.dwci.edu/vocations/aboutus/stjoseph.html
Maybe it was while dreamily looking over the magnificent view of the deep valley from the ancient little Holy Cross Chapel perched 2000 meters above sea level on an outcropping above his home in the Dolomite Mountains of South Tyrol…[Austria] during the daily family rosary…or through the encouragement of family and friends, somehow, the young man, Joseph Freinademetz, was inspired to become a missionary to proclaim Christ’s word in a far-off land.
Joseph was born on April 15, 1852, the fourth child of Giovanmattia and Anna Maria Freinademetz. The family eked out a living on their poor and simple small farm as did their neighbors. Years later, the little farm house and quiet hamlet of Oies in the Gader Valley changed when Joseph Freinademetz, SVD, was beatified in 1975 by Pope Paul VI and then canonized a saint in the Roman Catholic Church on October 5, 2003, by Pope John Paul II in Rome. Pilgrims regularly find their way to pray at the small parish church of St. Martin where Joseph served as a curate for three years. Or they visit the little mountain chapel high above the family farm or visit his ancestral home. It is a surrounding that seems to speak of prayer and devotion.
Joseph’s early years were uneventful. He helped with the farm chores, attended daily Mass at his local parish and, on the advice of the parish priest, attended a school some eleven hours walk from his home. He eventually entered the major seminary and was ordained a priest for the Brixon Diocese in 1875. His initial assignment was to be a teacher. But soon an article in the local diocesan newsletter about the new Mission House at Steyl, Holland, founded by Fr.Arnold Janssen caught his attention. Joseph went to visit the Mission House. The visit was enough to convince Joseph that this is where he could follow his vocation to be a missionary priest. He joined the fledgling group at Steyl in 1878, and barely a year later he received his mission cross along with Fr. John Baptist Anzer, SVD. He had one more brief visit to his family home to say goodbye for the last time, as he would never return to his homeland again. He was to be a missionary in China. In1881, the Mission House had received its own mission territory, the Province of Shandong. Joseph was so devoted to his mission that, except to recover from an illness, he never left Shandong.
One thing you might notice when looking at a picture of Joseph is that he looks Chinese. He so enculturated himself to China that he took on a form of dress similar to the local Chinese spiritual leaders. His most frequently repeated words were, “I like to be Chinese even in heaven.” He truly loved the Chinese people with whom he lived and worked, and Joseph was especially energized by the local clergy and catechists. He promoted the idea that they should become the leaders in the local Church before Rome was quite ready for this. It was decades later that Rome appointed the first Chinese bishops and also the first non-white Cardinal, Thomas Tien, SVD.
As so many missionaries have discovered, the grounding of their mission work is supported by a strong personal prayer life. Joseph had promoted this amongst the clergy along with the words, “Do you imagine you can become holy without meditation, something no saint was able to do? Without meditation life is lost.” He said his daily Mass and prayed his Divine Office with the same intense dedication as he did with missionary work. Joseph had unwavering hope and belief in the power of God and sacraments. During such difficult times as the Boxer Rebellion in which two young Divine Word Missionaries were martyred, he remained at his mission post. Till his death, the Chinese people and others with whom he worked recognized him as saintly man for his humility, for his firm yet gentle approach to his work, and for his total love of his people. Toward the end of his all-too-few years, he was appointed Provincial for the Society of the Divine Word, a post he held until his death from tuberculosis in 1908 at age 46.
Here’s a brief outline of St. Joseph ’ s life:
April 4, 1852 – Joseph Freinademetz is born.
1858 to 1862 – German public school and Philosophy/Theology at Brixen.
July 25, 1875 – Joseph is ordained a priest.
1876 to 1878 – Joseph is a curate and teacher in the Gader Valley.
1878 – Joseph joins the SVD at Steyl, Holland.
March 2, 1879 – Joseph says good-bye to friends and family, leaves for China.
1879 to 1881 – Missionary in Saikung, Hong Kong.
1882 – Arrival in Puoli, South Shandong.
1890 to 1891 – Mission Administrator.
1895 to 1897 – Director of the major seminary.
1900 – Appointment as Provincial Superior of the Society of the Divine Word.
January 28, 1908 – Death of Joseph Freinademetz in Taikia, South Shandong.
October 19, 1975 – Beatification of Joseph Freinademetz by Pope Paul VI
October 5, 2003 – Canonization of Joseph Freinademetz by Pope John Paul II
Saturday, September 8, 2007
st. arnold janssen, svd
Re: Short Biography
St. Arnold Janssen, SVD (1837-1909) was a German diocesan priest teaching science to High School students who was inspired to found three missionary congregations: the SVD, the S.Sp.S. (Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit), and the S.Sp.S.A.P. (Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration). “Janssen was canonized after the healing of a Filipino teenager living in Baguio who fell down on a bike and was not expected to recover from a head wound…. she was healed miraculously following prayers to Janssen” (http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Arnold_Janssen). Both Frs. Arnold and Josef were canonized by the late Pope John Paul II in Rome on October 5, 2003.
Re: "Father Arnold's Favorite Prayer"
Fr: Canonization Stampita
"Lord Jesus Christ, I adore You as the Son of God and through the mediation of your loving Mother I beseech You, send me from out of the abundance of your loving Heart the grace of the Holy Spirit in order that He enlighten my ignorance, purify and sanctify my sinful heart, and confirm me in your holy love. This I ask through the love of the Father and the Holy Spirit, through the abundance of your infinite mercy, and through the merits of all your saints. Amen."
Re: Spiritual Motto
Fr: Canonization Stampita
"May the Heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all."
re: birth and death dates
fr: canonization stampita
born: 5 nov 1837 at goch, germany
died: 15 jan 1909 at steyl, holland
feast: jan 15
re: traits
1. hard working
2. silent type
3. true to his ideals
4. close to god
- fr. estioko (2005). witness to the word. logos.
c/o fr. randy flores, svd (2007 sep 8). http://divinewordseminary.blogspot.com
re: Our new Saints: Fr. Janssen and Fr. Freinademetz
fr: http://www.divinewordgifts.org/webmodules/view/view.aspx?newsid=41
On October 5th [2003] at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Pope John Paul II canonized Blessed Arnold Janssen, SVD, the founder of the Society of the Divine Word and Blessed Joseph Freinademetz, SVD, the first Divine Word Missionary to work in China.
Saint Arnold Janssen
Arnold Janssen, a German diocesan priest, founded the Society of the Divine Word in 1875, the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters in 1889, and the Holy Spirit Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in 1896. The mission of the priests and Brothers of the Society of the Divine Word and the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters is to proclaim the Gospel where it has not yet been heard or has not been proclaimed adequately. The mission of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration is prayerful support for the missionaries.
Saint Arnold Janssen is a shining and fitting model for the people of our times, especially for the people involved in proclaiming and witnessing the Good News that God loves his people and desires life to the full for all. One hundred years ago, Arnold showed himself as:
- a great promoter of mission involvement by the Church in Germany, and a zealous advocate of the reunion of separated Christians
- an ardent precursor of the Catholic Press Apostolate
- an indefatigable promoter of the Lay Apostolate
- a pioneer in making use of the social sciences (anthropology, linguistics) in the formation of his missionaries.
Arnold emphasized renewal and sharing in the mission of the Incarnate Word. He consecrated himself and the religious orders he founded to the Holy Spirit and lived out of a deep trust in God, the Compassionate Father. He took daring risks and opened new horizons for missionary work. In their joint petition to the Holy Father for his beatification, the bishops of Germany referred to the fact that this simple priest had become in an astonishing manner “The Father of many nations.”
St. Arnold Janssen, SVD (1837-1909) was a German diocesan priest teaching science to High School students who was inspired to found three missionary congregations: the SVD, the S.Sp.S. (Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit), and the S.Sp.S.A.P. (Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration). “Janssen was canonized after the healing of a Filipino teenager living in Baguio who fell down on a bike and was not expected to recover from a head wound…. she was healed miraculously following prayers to Janssen” (http://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Arnold_Janssen). Both Frs. Arnold and Josef were canonized by the late Pope John Paul II in Rome on October 5, 2003.
Re: "Father Arnold's Favorite Prayer"
Fr: Canonization Stampita
"Lord Jesus Christ, I adore You as the Son of God and through the mediation of your loving Mother I beseech You, send me from out of the abundance of your loving Heart the grace of the Holy Spirit in order that He enlighten my ignorance, purify and sanctify my sinful heart, and confirm me in your holy love. This I ask through the love of the Father and the Holy Spirit, through the abundance of your infinite mercy, and through the merits of all your saints. Amen."
Re: Spiritual Motto
Fr: Canonization Stampita
"May the Heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all."
re: birth and death dates
fr: canonization stampita
born: 5 nov 1837 at goch, germany
died: 15 jan 1909 at steyl, holland
feast: jan 15
re: traits
1. hard working
2. silent type
3. true to his ideals
4. close to god
- fr. estioko (2005). witness to the word. logos.
c/o fr. randy flores, svd (2007 sep 8). http://divinewordseminary.blogspot.com
re: Our new Saints: Fr. Janssen and Fr. Freinademetz
fr: http://www.divinewordgifts.org/webmodules/view/view.aspx?newsid=41
On October 5th [2003] at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, Pope John Paul II canonized Blessed Arnold Janssen, SVD, the founder of the Society of the Divine Word and Blessed Joseph Freinademetz, SVD, the first Divine Word Missionary to work in China.
Saint Arnold Janssen
Arnold Janssen, a German diocesan priest, founded the Society of the Divine Word in 1875, the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters in 1889, and the Holy Spirit Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in 1896. The mission of the priests and Brothers of the Society of the Divine Word and the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters is to proclaim the Gospel where it has not yet been heard or has not been proclaimed adequately. The mission of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration is prayerful support for the missionaries.
Saint Arnold Janssen is a shining and fitting model for the people of our times, especially for the people involved in proclaiming and witnessing the Good News that God loves his people and desires life to the full for all. One hundred years ago, Arnold showed himself as:
- a great promoter of mission involvement by the Church in Germany, and a zealous advocate of the reunion of separated Christians
- an ardent precursor of the Catholic Press Apostolate
- an indefatigable promoter of the Lay Apostolate
- a pioneer in making use of the social sciences (anthropology, linguistics) in the formation of his missionaries.
Arnold emphasized renewal and sharing in the mission of the Incarnate Word. He consecrated himself and the religious orders he founded to the Holy Spirit and lived out of a deep trust in God, the Compassionate Father. He took daring risks and opened new horizons for missionary work. In their joint petition to the Holy Father for his beatification, the bishops of Germany referred to the fact that this simple priest had become in an astonishing manner “The Father of many nations.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)