Category: Saints
A few years ago, a friend told me about Charles de Foucauld. At that time he was considered “blessed” in the Catholic Church because of the life he lived and the fact that he was martyred for the faith.
Grandfather, Great Mysterious One,
You have been always
and before You nothing has been.
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To you God entrusted his only Son;
in you Mary placed her trust;
with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too,
show yourself a father
and guide us in the path of life.
The Litany of Saint Joseph
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us…
“Now that I no longer desire all, I have it all without desire.” – St. John of the Cross
Blessed St. Joseph, patron of all working people, obtain for me the grace to labor in a spirit of penance for the atonement of my many sins. Help me to be conscientious in my work so that I may give as full a measure as I have received.
While technically March 19th is St. Joseph’s Day, because it landed on a Sunday this year the solemnity was moved to Monday in the USA. No matter what day the feast of St Joe is celebrated on, it is an impotent feast in our family.
The first Icon the I wrote In the tradition that I was raised, that means Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael (sorry Uriel and the rest of the gang). I have always felt it was an exciting feast day, because when else can we celibate a warrior, a herald/preacher, and a healer all at one time? These are the core elements of most of my childhood fantasies, and I don’t think I am alone.
In two previous posts I talked about our home altar. So here is a snap shot of what we keep on it. On top we keep our small collection of relics, some prayer cards, statues of saints, and rosaries/chaplets. The things that we probably use the most. Some of these items, such as the second degree relic of Ven. Solanus Casey, have as much sentimental value as religious since my mother gave it to me as a young child.
Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows, commemorating the suffering of Mary, the mother of Jesus. While this is a long-standing devotion in the Roman Catholic Church, it only popped up on my radar while I was preparing for my marriage four years ago. Since our wedding was to take place at a beautiful church by the same name, I decided that I would look into the devotion.
