October 2012 Saints

Some heroes to imitate and intercessors to call on during October.  Chock full of links (all the underlined words) to learn more if you care to.  Add your favorites to your calendar and do something special to remember them and pray with them on their feast days.  It’s not an exhaustive list, but a great place to start.

• 10/1 St. Therese of Lisieux – (1873-1897) Carmelite nun, Doctor of the Church. Patron of missions and orphans.  “Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love.”   “When I die, I will send down a shower of roses from the heavens,I will spend my heaven by doing good on earth.”   Click here for Bl. Pope John Paul II (see 10/22 below) on St. Therese.  Check out her autobiography, Story of a Soul online for free.
• 10/2 Guardian Angels – (before the material universe) “From its beginning until death human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.  “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life” (St. Basil). Already here on earth the Christian life shares by faith in the blessed company of angels and men united in God.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 336)
• 10/4 St. Francis of Assisi – (1181-1226) Mystic, founder of the Franciscans, stigmatist.  Patron of animals and ecology. “Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.”
• 10/5 Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos – (1819-1867) Redemptorist priest, the “Cheerful Ascetic”.  Missionary in the US during the Civil War.  Died caring for victims of yellow fever in New Orleans.
• 10/5 St. Faustina Kowalska (Sister Maria Faustina of the Most Blessed Sacrament) – (1905-1938) Polish nun, mystic, “an apostle of Divine Mercy”.  Learn more about the Divine Mercy Devotion by clicking here.  “A soul arms itself by prayer for all kinds of combat.  I whatever state the soul may be, it ought to pray.” (Diary, 146)
• 10/7 Our Lady of the Rosary – (1571) On the anniversary of the historic battle of Lepanto in 1571.  A small Christian fleet defeated the Ottoman navy, crediting St. Mary and devotion to the Rosary.  Check out this interesting article on Our Lady and Islam.
• 10/10 St. Francis of Borgia – (1510-1572) Jesuit priest, friend and advisor to St. Ignatius of Loyola.  “Second founder of the Society of Jesus”.  Worked with Pope St. Pius V and St. Charles Borromeo in the Counter-Reformation.  Patron against earthquakes.
• 10/12 St. Wilfred – (634-709) Benedictine monk, Bishop, Missionary, defender of the Papacy in England.
• 10/13 St. Edward the Confessor – (1003-1066)  King of England.  “Reported to have the power to heal by touch.” (Saints.SQPN.com)  Patron of difficult marriages and separated spouses.
• 10/15 St. Teresa of Avila – (1515-1582)  Carmelite nun, mystic, Doctor of the Church.  Her Autobiography has long been one of my favorite spiritual books.  Patron of people in need of grace and against headaches.
• 10/16 St. Gerard Majella – (1725-1755) Redemptorist lay brother, miracle worker.  Had the gifts of reading consciences, levitation and bilocation.  Patron of expectant mothers.
• 10/16 St. Hedwig – (1174-1243)  Mother of 7 (married to Prince Henry I the Bearded), widow, cared for sick, founded hospitals.
• 10/16 St. Margaret Mary Alocoque – (1647-1690)  Order of the Visitation nun who received the Sacred Heart Devotion from Christ in private revalations.
• 10/17 St. Ignatius of Antioch – (c.50-c.107)  Bishop, writer, Martyr, Apostolic Father of the Church.  Student of St. John the Apostle.  Possibly appointed to Antioch by St. Peter (first Pope).  One legend even places him as the infant Jesus held in Mark 9.  Scroll down on this link to read some of his writings.
• 10/18 St. Luke – (d.c.74) Apostle.  Author of the Gospel According to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.  Companion of St. Paul.  Patron of doctors.
• 10/19 St. Paul of the Cross – (1694-1775)  Missionary, Founder of the Passionists. “Undoubtedly the two greatest characteristics of St Paul were his fervent devotion to the Passion of Jesus and also his extraordinary sacrifices and penances that he made for the conversion of sinners.”  (http://www.saintpaulofthecross.com/)
• 10/22 Bl. Pope John Paul II – (1920-2005)  The Great One.  Among his incredible accomplishments as priest, bishop, and Pope were 14 encyclicals, 15 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, 45 apostolic letters and five books.
• 10/23 St. John of Capistrano – (1386-1456)  Franciscan priest.  Student under St. Bernardine of Sienna.  Led a Crusade at the age of 70.  Patron of jurists.
• 10/24 St. Anthony Mary Claret – (1807-1870)  Archbishop, Founder of the Claretians and Claretian nuns, miracle worker.  Had the gift of prophecy.  Participated the First Vatican Council.  Preached against slavery and spread devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
• 10/28 St. Jude Thaddaeus – (1^st century) Apostle.  Author of the Letter of Jude in the New Testament. Cousin of Jesus (reported look a lot like him), brother of St. James the Less and son of “the other Mary” who stood at the foot of the Cross.  Martyred with St. Simon the Zealot (another Apostle) in Beirut.  Healer and Exorcist.  Patron of Desperate Cases.
• 10/26 St. Bean (d.1012)  Scottish Bishop.  Not much else is known… but hey, cool name.
• 10/30 St. Alphonsus Rodriquez – (1532-1617)  Jesuit Missionary Priest, Mystic.  Friend of St. Peter Claver.  One of the first martyrs in the Americas to be beatified.  Hacked to death with a tomahawk in Brazil.  Patron of native traditions.
• 10/31 St. Wolfgang (All Hallows Eve) – (924-994)  Benedictine monk, Bishop.  Known for his preaching, teaching, and charity.  I just think its cool that “Halloween” is the feast of a “St. Wolfgang”.