September 26, 2023
Saint of the Month
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Visions of the Sacred Heart
For two years between 1673 and 1675, a Visitation nun by the name of Margaret Mary Alacoque had multiple visions. In one of those visions, she said Jesus gave her 12 promises to those who venerated the Sacred Heart.
They include the promise to give them graces they would need in life, bring peace to their families, comfort them in their trials, give them a secure refuge during life and in death, bless their undertakings, bring mercy to sinners, make lukewarm souls more fervent, allow fervent souls to grow in holiness and perfection, bless every place where the image of Sacred Heart is shown, and give priests the gift of influencing hardened hearts, honor in the Sacred Heart those who honor it, and provide eternal happiness. Not everybody believed her, and Margaret Mary endured a lot of skepticism, which is somewhat understandable. Some of the other nuns were hostile to her, theologians who came to visit suggested she was delusional, but she stuck to her guns and eventually they came around.
Born in France in 1647, she served as novice mistress and assistant superior, until her death in 1690, at the age of 43. While being anointed, she said: “I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.”
She was canonized in 1920.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated on the eighth day of the Feast of Corpus Christi, nineteen days after Pentecost Sunday. You’ll have to look that up.
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We get a little newsletter from a troupe of characters called, "Nuns 4 Fun." They are most famous for their silly plays about growing up Catholic. You may remember, "Late Nite Catechism" or "Bible Bingo" or "Mother Superior's Ho-Ho-Holy Night." They are saterical and funny, and each month they mail us their "St. of the Month," and their "Like 'nun' other"... I thought I would share....
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September: ...
September Saint Feast Days To Celebrate
This list does not include Saints for every single day of September, but some highlights that are good for kids.
September 3- St. Gregory The Great
- Doctor of the Church
- Gregorian chant is named after him
- Patron of choirs and singers
September 5- St. Teresa of Calcutta’s Feast Day (Mother Teresa)
- Nun and missionary
- Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
September 17- St. Robert Bellarmine’s Feast Day
- Cardinal
- Patron Saint of Catechists
September 21- St. Matthew’s Feast Day
- Apostle
- Gospel writer
- Patron Saint of bankers and financial workers
September 23- St. Padre Pio’s Feast Day
- Priest
- Had stigmata
September 27- St. Vincent de Paul’s Feast Day
- Priest
- Founded the Daughters of Charity
- Provided much help to the poor
September 29- Michaelmas! (The feast of the archangels Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael)
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Like Nun-other - still kicking at 104!!!! (as of 9/23)How many nuns do you know who have a bobblehead figure made of their likeness? How many do you know who have TWO bobbleheads?
Meet Sr. Jean Dolores Schmidt, Loyola University’s basketball mascot and biggest fan. Simply known as Sr. Jean, she’s the chaplain for the Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team and a religious sister of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary . This year, as the Ramblers made it to the Final Four in the NCAA (college basketball) tournament, Sr. Jean became a national figure. How many other 99-year-old nuns can say that?Sr. Jean was born on August 21, 1919 in San Francisco and considered becoming a nun while she was in third grade. As a student at St. Paul's High School , she played on the girl’s basketball team. After graduating from high school in 1937, she entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary convent in Iowa. After living and teaching in Los Angeles, Sr. Jean moved to Chicago and taught at Mundelein College, which was right across the street from Loyola.She became the Team Chaplain for the Ramblers in 1994, and has been their good luck mascot ever since. Ultimately, Loyola lost to Michigan, but nobody doubts that Sr. Jean won’t be there rooting them on next season!
BVM “Sister Jean” Dolores Schmidt’s memoir, Wake Up With Purpose! What I’ve Learned in My First Hundred Years was released by Harper Select on Feb. 28, 2023, proceeding the “March Madness” NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Wake Up with Purpose! is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook at: https://www.harpercollinsfocus.com/harper-horizon/wake-up-with-purpose/ -
Like 'nun'-other: Sister Clare of Assisi
The daughter of a count and countess, Clare was destined for a different life when she met St. Francis of Assisi while he was preaching in the streets. At the age of 15, she had refused to be married. Taken with this man, Clare began actively following his teachings. They became fast friends. One day she confided that she had a desire to live for God.On Palm Sunday in 1212, her bishop presented Clare with a palm, which she took as a sign. In the middle of the night, when she was 18 years old, Clare ran away from her palace home and entered religious life.
She eventually took the veil from St Francis at the Church of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi, Italy.
After that, Clare founded the Order of Poor Ladies, and led it for 40 years. She wrote their Rule of Life, the first set of monastic guidelines known to have been written by a woman.
Everywhere the Franciscans established themselves throughout Europe, the Poor Clares joined them, eventually opening orders in several countries. Leading lives of prayer and silence, they had no money, and relied upon charity to get by.
To this day, the Poor Clares are a cloistered order of nuns.
Clare died at the age of 59 in 1253, after a long illness. After her death, her followers changed their name from the Order of Poor Ladies to the Poor Clares. Here’s an interesting tidbit. Apparently, when she was too ill to attend Mass, Clare could see and hear Mass on the wall of her bedroom. Remember, this was in 1253.
So when this new-fangled medium of television was invented, Pope Pius XII needed a patron saint, so he turned to Clare. She could see and hear Mass on her wall? Sounded like television to those Vatican researchers. That’s why St. Clare is the patron saint of television [and as time moved on, also the computer and internet].