the-saints-and-history

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Today's Saint: Saint Margrethe of Denmark (Requested)

Margrethe of Denmark, also called Margrethe of Ølse, was a Roman Catholic Danish local saint. She has been referred to as the only female saint in Denmark. Margrethe was related to Bishop Absalon of Roskilde, and married to Herlog in Ølsemagle in Kjøge. In 1176, she was murdered by her husband, who strangled her then hanged her corpse to make it appear as if she had committed suicide. Since it was believed she committed suicide, she was buried outside of church blessing at the beach of Ølsemagle Strand.

When miracles appeared by her grave, Bishop Absalon conducted an investigation, which led her husband confessing to murdering her. Her remains were then moved and reburied at the Cistercian Abbey for nuns of Our Lady of Roskilde on July 19, 1177. A chapel to honor her was built upon the beach of her former grave, and Roskilde Abbey was founded nearby. Though never canonized by the Pope, she became venerated as a saint in Denmark.

Margrethe of Roskilde is belived to be the only female saint in Denmark. Though foreign female saints were venerated in Denmark, and there were in fact three female saints in Scania, which was at that time a Danish province, she was the only female Danish born saint within the borders of present Denmark.

Roskilde Abbey

If you have saint you would like for me to post about, feel free to message me :)

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Today's Saint: Saint Catherine of Sweden

St. Catherine was born in 1331 in Sweden to St. Brigid and Ulfo. At the age of thirteen she married Lord Eggert van Kyren, a religious young nobleman of German descent, whom she persuaded to take a vow of absolute chastity, and both lived in a state of virginity. After the death of her father in 1349, Catherine accompanied her mother to Rome, and soon upon arrival heard news of her husband's death. Catherine is said to have written a devotional work titled Consolation of the Soul; a dated copy from 1407 is still in existence.

She stayed with her mother, accompanied her on several journeys, including one to the Holy Land. At the death of Bridget, Catherine returned to Sweden with her mother's body, which was buried at the monastery of Vadstena. Catherine became head of the Brigittine convent at Vadstena Abbey, founded by her mother. Catherine took on the task of forming the community in the rule her mother had written and directing the Order of the Holy Savior, or Bridgettines. Later, she returned to Rome to work for her mother's canonization. She stayed there five years and formed a close friendship with Catherine of Siena.

I apologise for being being away so long, I lost my motivation to post. I will work on posting more often for now :)

Also please let me know if you have certain saints that you would love to see me post on here

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‘Joan of Arc’ By Lucy Foster Madison, Illustrated by Frank Schoonover, Skeffington and Son 1918

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In case you are in need of patience as I was:

"Patience, prayer and silence - these are what give strength to the soul." ~Saint Faustina

"If I did not simply live from one moment to another it would be impossible for me to be patient, but I only look at the present, I forget the past, and I take good care not to forstall the future." ~Saint Therese of Lisieux

"Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause." ~Saint John Cantius

"Have patience with all things - but first with yourself. Never confuse your mistakes with your value as a human being. You are perfectly valuable, creative, worthwhile person simply because you exist. No amount of triumphs and tribulations can ever change that." ~ Saint Francis de Sales

"Have patience to walk with short steps until you have the wings to fly." ~Saint Francis de Sales

"Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things are passing away; God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing; God alone suffices." ~Saint Theresa of Avila

"Patience is the companion of wisdom." ~Saint Augustine

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Today's Saint: Saint Nilus

“He who endures distress, will be granted joys; and he who bears with unpleasant things, will not be deprived of the pleasant.” ~Saint Nilus of Sinai

Nilus was a layman married with two sons. He was an officer in the Court of Constantinople, it is said he was part of the Praetorian Perfects, the heads of all four main governors of the four main divisions of the Empire. But their authority had begun to decline by the 4th century. Nilus was directed in Scripture and works of piety by St John Chrysostom.

Nilus and his son, Theodulos, left their family around 390 or 404, to become monks in Mount Sinai. In 410 the monastery was attacked by Saracens and Theodulos was taken prison and sold as a slave. After sometime he was taken in by the Bishop of Elusa in Palestine and made part of his clergyman as a door keeper. Nilus left the monastery in search of his son and found him in Elusa, the Bishop ordained both of them as priests. Nilus' wife and other son also pursued religious lives in Egypt

He was seen as an important Biblical scholar and ascestic writer, people of all classes wrote to consolt with him. He wrote mostly letters speaking against heresy, paganism, abuses of discipline, and maximis of the religious life. He was not afraid to shun and warn those in high positions, from bishops, princes and even emperors, about these subjects. He spoke against the persecution of Saint John Chrysostom to Emperor Arcadius and his courtiers.

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Beautiful

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"Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgment. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage, and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil." ~Saint Seraphim of Sarov

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"Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance." ~Saint Francis of Assisi

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"Strive to preserve your heart in peace; let no event of this world disturb it." ~Saint John of the Cross

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Today's Saint: Saint Josephine Bakhita

Saint Josephine was born in 1869 in Darfur in a village close to Nyala. Her uncle was the village chief, her father was reasonably prosperous, her brothers and sisters loving, as she stated in her autobiography; "I lived a very happy and carefree life, without knowing what suffering (was)." When she was around 8 years old she was taken by Arab slave traders who had also taken her older sisters two years earlier. Before she arrived in El Obeid, she had been bought and sold twice by other traders, over the next 20 years she was sold 3 times and then given away. Forgetting her original name because of the trauma, she was given an Arabic name by the traders; bakhita (lucky/fortunate).

In El Obeid she was bought by a rich Arab to be a maid for his daughters. They liked her and treated her well, one of the sons beat her so severely she couldn't move from bed for over a month because she offended him (possibly by breaking something or not showing respect to him). Her fourth owner was a Turkish general who had her serve his mother-in-law, who was extremely abusive to her slaves. "During all the years I stayed in that house, I do not recall a day that passed without some wound or other. When a wound from a whip began to heal, other blows would pour down on me" she writes. Her most terrifying experience was a "tattooing" traditional in Sudan, that was done with flour, salt, and a razor. Designs would be drawn on the skin with flour and cut with the razor, to ensure permanent scarring, the wounds would be filled with salt. Josephine had 114 of these total on her breasts, stomach and right arm.

When the threat of Mahdist revolutionaries spread through El Obeid in 1882, the Turkish general sold all his land and slaves and returned to his home land. She was bought by the Italian Vice Consul, Callisto Legnani, who was kind to her and patient. When he had to return to Italy, he took her with him. They travelled 400 miles to Suakin, the largest port in Sudan, and left for Italy. After arriving, Legnani gave her to his friend Agusto Michieli, and she nannied his daughter for 3 years at their family villa.

Agusto wanted to sell all his land in Italy to permanently set up residence in Sudan. His wife, daughter, and Bakhita stayed in a hotel. Turina wanted to visit her husband, so she left her daughter with Bakhita with the Canossian sisters in Venice. Bakhita was introduced by Christianity for the first time in her life. The sisters were patient and understanding, grateful for their teaching she recalled; "Those holy mothers instructed me with heroic patience and and introduced me to that God who from childhood I had felt in my heart without knowing who he was." When Turina returned for her daughter and Bakhita, Bakhita firmly refused to return with her. For 3 days, Turina attempted to persuade her to return, this caught the attention of the king's attorney general, and the Institution for Baptismal Candidates that Bakhita attended, who contacted the Cardinal of Venice about Bakhita's dilemma.

An Italian Court in 1889 ruled that because the British had induced Sudan to outlaw slavery before Bakhita was born, and because Italian law didn't recognize slavery, Bakhita was never legally a slave. For the first time in her life she felt in control of her own destiny. She chose to stay with the Canossian sisters. In January of 1890, Bakhita was baptized under the names Josephine Margaret, and Fortunata (Latin translation for bakhita). On the same day, she received Confirmation and her first Holy Communion from Archbishop Giuseppe Sarto, the future Pope Pius X.

The next 40 years of Josephine's life were the most uplifting. In 1902 she was assigned to a convent in Schio where she spent the rest of her life. She left in between 1935-39 to visit other Canossian convents to instruct young Sisters on the missions to Africa. During her years in Schio, she was employed as a cook, a portress and sacristan. She was always cheerful with a smile on her face. She earned the nickname Madre Moretta (Black Mother) from the locals who loved her, and her company. She was a figure of courage for Schio during World War II and the town felt protected by her mere presence. The first publication of Josephine's story (Storia Meravigliosa) was in 1931 by Ida Zanolini.

Her last years were painful and marked by sickness. Although wheelchair bound, she always retained a spirit of happiness. She would always reply with, "As the Master desires" if she was asked how she was feeling. In her final hours, Josephine's mind plagued her with hallucinations of being a slave and she shouted: "The chains are too tight! Loosen them a little, please!" To calm her, the sisters would ask her how she was doing, and say that today was Saturday to remind her it was the day of Our Lady. Calming down and smiling, Josephine said, "Yes, I am so happy. Our Lady... Our lady." These are last audible words.

Saint Josephine Bakhita died on February 8, 1947, she lived to be 77 years old. Her body laid on display for 3 days as thousands flocked to pay their respects to her.

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"He who is not angry when there is just cause for anger is immoral. Why? Because anger looks to the good of justice. And if you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust." ~Saint Thomas Aquinas

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Today's Saint: Saint Rose of Lima

"Without the burden of affliction it is impossible to reach the height of grace. The gift of graces increases as the struggle increases." St Rose of Lima

Isabel Flores de Oliva was born in 1586 in Lima, Peru She received her nickname, Rose, from an account that at her birth a servant saw her face turn into a rose. She spent much of her young life praying, giving penance, and fasting. Her parents wanted her to marry, but she took no interest in it and would cut her hair and smother pepper in her face so suitors would leave her alone.

She would take care of the sick and poor, and sold flowers in the marketplace to support her family. Her parents forbade her of becoming a nun, so she joined the Third Order of Saint Dominic and received her habit tertiary and took a vow of perpetual virginity. She died at the young age of 31, in 1617. On the 200 soles bill, is depicted an image of Saint Rose.

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Today's Saint: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

"I will willingly abandon this miserable body to hunger and suffering, provided my soul may have its ordinary nourishment." ~St. Kateri

Kateri Tekakwitha, also known as the Lilly of the Mohawks was born in what is now known as Auriesville, New York in 1656. Tekakwitha translates in Mohawk dilalect to "She who bumps into things". Kateri was the daughter of Chief Kenneronkwa and Tagaskouita. Her mother was part of the Algonquin tribe, but became part of the Mohawks when her tribe was raided. Kateri's tribe was very diverse because it consisted of many other tribes that we're adopted into it.

In 1661-63 the Mohawks suffered a sever smallpox outbreak, which resulted in the deaths of Kateri's mother, father, and brother. She had facial scars and impaired eyesight, she would cover her head with a blanket to hide the scars. Many accounts of the Jesuits who visited said that she would avoid social gatherings, and although she was not taken care of by her relatives, she was well taken care of by the rest of the tribe. She knew how to make clothes from pelts, could weave, prepare food, and watch over crops. At 13 she was encouraged to marry, but never did.

Kateri asked Jaques de Lambertville to baptize her at age 19 on Easter Sunday in 1676. She was harassed because of her conversion, so Lambertville suggested she join the other converted Native Americans on the Jesuit mission of Kahnawake, so she did in 1677. 3 years later, be because of failing health, she passed away. Some people at her death said her face cleared of scars and she radiated with beauty.

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"Love ought to show itself in deeds more than in words." ~ Saint Ignatius of Loyola

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Today's Saint: Saint Francis Xavier

"I will go anywhere and do anything in order to communicate the love of Jesus to those who do not know Him or have forgotten Him." ~Saint Francis Xavier

Francis Xavier was born on April 7, 1506, in Javier, the kingdom of Navarre. He studied at Sainte-Barbe, where he received the degree of Masters of Art, with Saint Ignatius of Loyola and was part of the first 7 Jesuits to take their vows of poverty and chastity in Montmartre in Paris. He was also the first Christian Missionary to venture to Japan, Borneo, the Maluku Islands, and a few other places.

Francis had very little interest in being a priest, he told Ignatius that he had "aspirations of worldly advancement". Over time, however, Ignatius slowly broke Francis down and managed to convince him of being a priest. In 1539, Francis pitched an idea for a new religious order called the Jesuits to Pope Paul III, who approved it in 1540. The Jesuits would be sent to the East Indies to preach the gospel and begin conversions.

He spent much of his missionary life in Asia. And before he could go to China, he died on Shangchuan Island in 1552.

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"Virtue is nothing without the trial of temptation, for there is no conflict without an enemy, no victory without strife." ~Saint Leo the Great

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Michelangelo's Pieta, 1498

The Pieta is a stunning sculpture of Our Lady holding the body of Christ in her lap.

When he overheard some men talking about his piece after he had completed it and giving credit to a different sculptor, Michelangelo snuck into the Chapel of Santa Petronilla (where the Pieta was located at the time) and carved his name into the sash on Mary's chest. It is the only work he ever signed, and he regrets doing so.