March 6, St. Colette of Corbie, Virgin of the second Order.
Colette Boilet was born in Corbie (France) in 1380. Her pious parents brought her up in the fear and love of God. She was raised up by divine Providence to reform the Order of St. Clare, which had fallen away from its ancient splendor during the 14th century. She accomplished her work, after overcoming unimaginable obstacles, and at the cost of great labour and hardship. She always went barefoot, without sandals, wearing patched clothes, and speaking only of poverty and of the cross. “What I fear most,” she said, “is to spend a day without suffering.” She was in direct communication with the popes, cardinals, prelates, crowned heads, and saints of her period, to whom she inspired great confidence and whose admiration she won. St. Colette was a Superior of her Order, an indefatigable apostle of wide and clear-sighted genius; she was a martyr in her patience, a healer by her miracles. What is most remarkable about this illustrious …More

Feb. 27, Bl. Louise Albertoni, Virgin, Franciscan Third Order Secular.
Louise first saw the light of the world at Rome in the year 1474. Her parents belonged to the distinguished families of this city because of their wealth, but still more because of their piety. They bestowed great care upon the training of their daughter, and she responded fully to their efforts, so that she developed into a model for all young women. She had resolved to remain unmarried; but when her parents urged her to be betrothed to an illustrious young man, she believed she recognized the will of God in their desire and agreed to the marriage.
But even in the married state, in which she remained attached to her husband with genuine love, she sought above all things to please God. Her attire was very plain, and even away from home she avoided frivolous pomp and luxury. God blessed their union with three daughters, whom she was careful to rear above all in the love and fear of God.
When Blessed Louise Albertoni …More

Feb. 23, Bl. Isabelle of France, Virgin of the Franciscan 2nd-Order; a "Poor Clare" sister.
Isabella was the sister of King Saint Loius IX of France. Her mother, the saintly Queen Blance, bore this child special affection because, after the death of her husband, Isabella was the only daughter still living. Her cousin was King Saint Fernando III of Castile and Leon. Isabella was endowed with remarkable gifts, and special attention was paid to educate her in the requirements of her high position. She knew Latin perfectly and could read the writings of the Gathers of the Church in that language. She was, however, no less capable in accomplishments that are peculiarly feminine. With consummate artistry she embroidered vestments for divine services, and took great pleasure in working for the poor and the sick.
The princess loved and honored her saintly brother Louis, who was her senior by ten years and had then been king for many a year. But her love for God was still greater. One day she …More

Feb. 21, St. Margaret of Cortona, penitent, Franciscan Third Order Secular, d. 1297, Plenary Indulgence possible (renewal of engagements of the Franciscan Third Order Secular)
St. Margaret, the “Mary Magdalen of the Seraphic Order”, will always be a comforting example of the infinite mercy of God, and the subject of legitimate hope for all sinners. Her life had been scandalous for nine years, when suddenly the tragic death of the one who had been her companion in vice, awoke her soul to thoughts of the judgment of God. From then on she had a strong horror of her previous ill-conduct, and wished above all to make reparation for it by devoting the rest of her life to severe penance. She shed tears for days and nights in succession at the thought of her excesses. She practiced severe mortification, especially for the first three years after her conversion. She obtained the entire remission of her sins through the intercession of St. Francis, who assured her of this, and recovered the high …More

Feb. 15, The Translation of St. Anthony of Padua.
St. Anthony died on June 13, 1231, and was canonized in the following year on the feast of Pentecost. In 1263, St. Bonaventure, Minister General of the Order, had the tomb opened, and the holy relics were solemnly transferred to the magnificent basilica which the inhabitants of Padua had bult in his honor. His body had crumbled into dust, but his tongue was still bright and rosy in color. The holy Doctor took it in his hands, and bathing it with his tears, kissed it with great affection and cried, “Oh blessed tongue, which always praised God, and made men praise Him, now we see how precious you are before God”. In honor of the saint, he wrote the famous responsory, “Si quaeris miracula.” – (from) The Franciscan Supplement.

Feb. 7, Bl. Rizzerius of Muzia, Confessor of the first Order.
Blessed Rizzerius was born at Muzia towards the end of the 12th century, to a noble and wealthy family. While a student at the University of Bologna, he was moved by a sermon of St. Francis and decided to follow him. He worked for the salvation of souls with great success. To try him, God willed that he should be assailed by the most serious temptations and by terrible doubts as to his eternal salvation. He conquered them through mortification and prayer and the help of St. Francis. – (from) The Franciscan Supplement.

Feb. 5, St. Peter Baptist and His Companions, Martyrs of the first and third Orders.
St. Peter Baptist, leader of the glorious band who were the first to be martyred in Japan, was born in Spain. Entering the Order of St. Francis when he was quite young, he was conspicuous for his learning, prudence and holiness. He was first a missionary in Mexico, where he founded many monasteries. From there he went to the Philippines, of which he was the apostle, and as it were the guardian angel. The governor of the archipelago, wishing to settle certain differences with the Emperor of Japan, entrusted Peter Baptist, whom he knew to possess great diplomatic ability, with this delicate mission. Peter Baptist therefore set sail towards the Japanese Empire with a few companions, was received with great honours by the Emperor, soon gained his respect, and managed to conclude a peace treaty which was honourable and even advantageous to his colony of the Philippines. The Emperor was charmed by the qualities …More

St. Hyacinth Mariscotti, Virgin of the third Order.
St. Hyacinth, of the noble family of Mariscotti, was one of those privileged souls on whom God has abundantly poured the riches of His mercy. She became a nun in a convent of the Regular Third Order in Viterbo. However, the world and its conceits filled her mind for several years more. She had not yet given herself entirely up to God; but with the kind Master having in His mercy stricken this worldly sister with a disease, a marvelous change took place in her. From then on she wished only to make up for the years she had wasted in indifference by harsh penances. She ate nothing but bitter herbs; her fasts were so numerous that her life became a perpetual fast; she made a bundle of faggots her bed and used a stone as a pillow. Nettles, melted wax, fire, snow, in fact all the elements, became instruments of penance for her. She wished above all to mortify the flesh which she had loved so much, to torture it, and to make reparation for it …More

Jan. 23, Espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary with St. Joseph.
At the age of thirteen and a half years, Mary had an abstractive vision of God. In this vision, we might say, happened something similar to that which the holy Scriptures relate of Abraham, when God commanded him to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, the only pledge of all his hopes. God tempted Abraham, says Moses (Gen. 12, 12), trying and probing the promptness of his obedience in order to reward it. We can say the same thing of our great Lady, that God tried Her in this vision, by commanding Her to enter the state of matrimony, even though She had often repeated and renewed the vow of chastity, which She had taken at such a premature age.
Nevertheless at this unexpected command, the most prudent Virgin suspended Her judgment, and preserved the calmness of Her hope and belief more perfectly than Abraham. Mary resigned Herself entirely into the hands of the Lord. His Majesty answered Her: "Mary, let not thy heart be disturbed …More

St. Vincent Pallotti, priest, Franciscan Third Order Secular.
This unpretentious man, Saint Vincent Pallotti, who out of respect for God omnipresent always went bareheaded, is one of the glories of the Catholic clergy, the pillars of the Church in troublesome times, and the successful apostles of the people.
Saint Vincent Pallotti was born in Rome in 1795. From earliest childhood he evinced tender love for the Blessed Mother of God, and the decree on the heroic nature of his virtues emphasizes the following facts: “He possessed an exceptional love for poverty and penance, and was therefore especially devoted to St Francis of Assisi. Because various obstacles were in the way of his entering the First Order, he desired at least to belong to the Third Order. It was his constant endeavor to imitate and venerate St Francis.”
Vincent became a Tertiary in the Franciscan church of Aracoeli on November 29, 1816. He distinguished himself not only by his piety but also by his brilliant intellect.…More

Jan. 16, Sts. Berard and Companions, Protomartyrs of the Order.
In 1219, St. Francis sent Berard, Peter and Otto as priests, and Adjustus and Accursius, two lay brothers, to preach the gospel to the Moslems in Morocco. Like the apostles, they left without money and food, but full of faith in God. Their mission among the infidels, their fearless faith and burning zeal to praise the name of Christ in a infidel country, earned them the crown of martyrdom. On the orders of the Moorish king, these heroes of Christ were beaten with rods until their entrails were uncovered. They were then rolled on pieces of glass and the tops of broken pots, and vinegar and boiling oil were poured on their gaping wounds. In the midst of all these horrible tortures, the martyrs sang praises to the Lord. When the king made treacherous proposals with the hope that they would change their faith, they made this courageous reply, “Do you think that the pleasures which thou offer us can delude us? Keep these delights …More

Jan. 2, Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.
This feast originated with the Franciscans of the Observance. St. Bernardine of Siena promoted devotion to the holy Name of Jesus and St. John of Capistrano defended it. St. James of the March, Bl. Matthew, Bishop of Girgenti, Bl. Gabriel Ferretti, St. Leonard of Port Maurice, and a large number of other saints of the Observance, worked to spread this devotion, and make it popular. This feast is called the “Triumph of the holy Name of Jesus”, because St. Bernardine of Siena and John of Capistrano won a brilliant victory over the opponents of this devotion.
In 1427, a memorable contest took place in the basilica of the Vatican in the presence of Pope Martin V, surrounded by all his cardinals. More than sixty doctors had undertaken to prove that devotion to the holy Name of Jesus was infected with idolatry, and should be condemned by the Church. St. Bernardine of Siena and St. John of Capistrano defeated their accusers, and the Pope ordered a …More

Bl. Margaret Colonna, Virgin, the Franciscan 2nd-Order; a "Poor Clare" sister.
A member of the princely Roman family of the Colonna, Margaret was born in Rome, the capital of Christendom, in 1210. Very early in life she lost both her parents. She was then placed under the guardianship of her two brothers, John and James. When she had grown to womanhood, her older brother insisted that she enter a brilliant marriage. But Margaret, whose name signifies pearl, held her virginity in such high regard that she was willing to sacrifice all the glamour of the world in order to retain it. She firmly refused to yield to her brother’s plan, declaring that she would be espoused to none other than the immortal Spouse of souls. Her younger brother championed her resolution.
With two maids, Margaret withdrew to a quiet country house belonging to her family and situated in the mountains near Palestrina. There the group devoted themselves to practices of piety and penance, as well as to works of charity …More

Bl Gerard Cagnoli, lay brother, religious of the Franciscan 1st Order.
Gerard was born in Valencia near the River Po, and belonged to the noble family of the Cagnoli. For fourteen years his mother lay ill, and during all this time Gerard waited on her with the tender devotion of a loving son. After her death he distributed his inheritance among the poor, and, impelled by motives of piety, he set out to visit the more notable shrines of Italy. Then going on to Sicily, he chose for himself a cell at the foot of Mt Etna, where he planned to live in perfect seclusion and to devote himself entirely to God and to the salvation of his soul. It was Christian prudence on the part of Blessed Gerard to renounce all his possessions, all honors and pleasures, to live apart from the world and devote himself to those matters which pertain to heaven and to eternity.
Moved, however, by the fame of the virtue and miracles of St Louis the bishop, who was a Franciscan, he hastened to obtain admission into …More

Dec. 27, Bl. Matthia Nazzarei, Virgin, the Franciscan 2nd-Order; a "Poor Clare" sister.
The family of the Nazzarei was one of the wealthiest and most distinguished of Matelica in the Italian province of the March. Matthia, however, esteemed virtue and nobility of soul more than all worldly nobility, and resolved, for love of Christ, to consecrate herself to His service in the state of virginity. When, therefore, her father planned to marry her to a young noblemen, Matthia firmly refused, declaring she was already espoused to the heavenly Bridegroom. Her father endeavored to force her into the marriage, but she fled from home to a convent of the Poor Clares where he aunt was the abbess. When her aunt hesitated to receive the fugitive, Matthia cut off her hair, and, laying aside her expensive garments, put on the first old habit she found.
Thus attired, she met her father in the reception room of the convent, when the enraged man appeared with the determination of bringing her back by …More

Dec. 21, St. Raphael Kalinowski, Priest, had been a tertiary before founding or joining another religious Institute.
Sometimes we find lives of saints more distressing than encouraging. We read that Saint So-and-So from age three to ninety was always faithful, never doubted, never had a sexual thought, never sinned, and prayed day and night. That kind of story puts sanctity beyond our reach. But the life of Joseph Kalinowski, later as a Carmelite called Raphael, makes holiness possible for us.
By his death in 1907, Raphael was regarded as a great saint throughout Poland and Lithuania. But he progressed slowly on the road to sainthood, drifting away from the faith as a youth and struggling with doubts and hesitations during his gradual conversion.
Joseph began his career as a lieutenant in the Polish corps of engineers. In 1858 he was dispatched to supervise the planning of a trans-Russian railroad. He worked alone, and in his isolation he began to turn to God. “This continuous work on …More

Dec. 15, Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Seraphic Order.
This feast recently granted to the Franciscan Order is the logical consequence of the concession which allows them to add to the Litany of our Lady the invocation “Queen of the Order of Friars Minor.” It takes the place of the octave day of the Immaculate Conception. It bears witness to the traditional attachment of the Order to the Mother of Jesus. The antiphon of the Introit, it will be noticed, is taken from the Mass of our Lady, Queen of all Saints; the other texts of the Mass are to be found in various feasts of our Lady.

Dec. 14, Bl. Conrad of Offida, Confessor of the first Order.
Blessed Conrad was born in 1241. At the age of fifteen, he entered the Order of St. Francis. He began his theological studies with success, then gave them up with great humility to devote himself to menial work at the monastery. His assiduity at prayer and in contemplation, his constant mortification of his body, and his great zeal for regular observance, won him the favour of frequent visions of the Mother of God, the angels, and the saints. Even the companions of the Seraphic Patriarch considered him another Francis. Later, his superiors raised him to the priesthood. He died in 1306. Pius VI sanctioned his cultus. – (from) The Franciscan Supplement.

Dec. 13, Bl. Pius Bartosik, Priest, Conventual religious, Martyr 1941
Ludwik Bartosik was born on August 21st, 1909, at Kokanin, near Kalisz. He was the firstborn of Wojciech, shoemaker, and Wiktoria Tomczyk. His parents were very poor. Thanks to the efforts of the family, of the acquaintances and of the parish priest of the village, the young Ludwik was so well intellectually prepared that he could begin his studies in the gymnasium "Tadeusz Kosciuszko" of Kalisz. Here, he attended the classes of the inferior gymnasium.
In 1926 he was accepted in the Conventual Franciscan Order. He began his novitiate on September 7th, 1926, at Kalwaria Paclawska, near Przemyl, and at Pagiewniki, near Lodz. He received the name Pius. On September 8th, 1927, he pronounced his temporary vows. He started his studies again in the Franciscan minor seminary, at first at Sanok and then in Lwow (now Lviv, Ukraine), crowning them in 1931 with a diploma. Afterwards, he began to study philosophy and theology in …More

Dec. 12, The Finding of the Body of Our Father St. Francis.
On May 25 of the year 1230, the body of St. Francis was solemnly transferred from the church of St. George to the basilica which had just been built in his honour. This precious relic was buried at a great depth in the centre of a vault dug in the rock, the secret of which was only known by a few religious. In time the exact location of the sacred relics of the holy Patriarch was no longer known. At the beginning of this century, excavations were made under the high altar of the lower church and the reliquary discovered, after fifty-two nights of secret labour. This feast was established by a decree of Leo XII, dated June 22, 1824. – (from) The Franciscan Supplement.