Saint of the Day (Friday, October 31, 2014)-St. Wolfgang of Regensburg

St. Wolfgang of Regensburg Friday, October 31, 2014 Lived(c. 924-994) | Feast Day: Friday, October 31, 2014
Wolfgang was born in Swabia, Germany, and was educated at a school located at the abbey of Reichenau. There he encountered Henry, a young noble who went on to become Archbishop of Trier. Meanwhile, Wolfgang remained in close contact with the archbishop, teaching in his cathedral school and supporting his efforts to reform the clergy. At the death of the archbishop, Wolfgang chose to become a Benedictine monk and moved to an abbey in Einsiedeln, now part of Switzerland. Ordained a priest, he was appointed director of the monastery school there. Later he was sent to Hungary as a missionary, though his zeal and good will yielded limited results. Emperor Otto II appointed him Bishop of Regensburg near Munich. He immediately initiated reform of the clergy and of religious life, preaching with vigor and effectiveness and always demonstrating special concern for the poor. He wore the habit of a monk and lived an austere life. The draw to monastic life never left him, including the desire for a life of solitude. At one point he left his diocese so that he could devote himself to prayer, but his responsibilities as bishop called him back. In 994 Wolfgang became ill while on a journey; he died in Puppingen near Linz, Austria. He was canonized in 1052. His feast day is celebrated widely in much of central Europe. Comment: Wolfgang could be depicted as a man with rolled-up sleeves. He even tried retiring to solitary prayer, but taking his responsibilities seriously led him back into the service of his diocese. Doing what had to be done was his path to holiness—and ours. Click here for a printer friendly version
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Minute Meditations-Inbox Edition(Friday, October 31, 2014)

Against the Grain Sisterhood of Saints
Keep your gaze always on our most beloved Jesus, asking him in the depths of his heart what he desires for you, and never deny him anything even if it means going strongly against the grain for you. –Blessed Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga -from Sisterhood of Saints
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ALL SOULS - REMEMBER YOUR LOVED ONES

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“Christian hope is never something merely individual; it’s always a hope for others. Our lives are deeply linked, one to another, and the good and bad each one does always impact the rest. So the prayer of a pilgrim soul in this world can help another soul that continues purifying itself after death.” - Pope Francis Dear Friend, Have you lost someone who meant the world to you? Maybe, in your sadness, you still wish you could reach out to that dear person.  To hold their hand…share a pleasant memory…show your love. As Pope Francis says, “Our lives are deeply linked, one to another….and the good one does always impact the rest.” While you can no longer do anything for their physical being, you can give your loved one a wonderful gift – something incredibly important to help ensure their eternal happiness. You can help usher your loved one out of purgatory and into Heaven, a journey’s end they yearned for and prayed for during their time on earth. The powerful prayer of a pilgrim soul in this world…   Your thoughtful gesture of requesting a Mass for a loved one is a genuine spiritual act of continued love and devotion, an act of goodness that will help not only your loved one, but, as the Holy Father says, have a profound impact on others. That is because, when you request a Mass in memory of your loved one on All Souls Day, you will also be helping one of the many poor priests Aid to the Church in Need assists around the world. A priest like Father Richard in Kathmandu, Nepal, who relies on Mass Stipends to carry on his pastoral duties to the small, impoverished Catholic community in this mountainous nation.  Your Mass Offering, while celebrating a Mass for the special person in your life, allows these fellow faithful to be visited by priests and have the Holy Sacraments administered. “We help them as best we can,” says Father Richard, from the Church of the Resurrection. “Without the Mass Stipends, it would be impossible. We priests can now go from family to family and bring blessings.” “Without the Stipends, we could also not afford to buy medicine for our priests,” continues Father Richard. This grateful priest says that his tiny Catholic community is so thankful for the sacrifices that are being made for them.   A Mass Celebrated for Your Loved One. A Mass Stipend for a Priest in Need. Whether it is Father Richard tending to his small, impoverished flock; Father Aurelio celebrating Mass amidst gunfire in the Central African Republic; or Father Aysar in Iraq keeping a parish together despite the killing of 45 of its congregants, the priests we help with Stipends do their jobs joyfully. As Fr. Stephano in Egypt says, “It can be difficult…but we are called to carry the cross.”  When you have a Mass celebrated on All Souls Day, you are making a precious, spiritual gift to a loved one while bringing the gift of hope to priests and their faithful who are burdened by poverty, persecution, or violence. It is an immense gift of faith that brings so much to so many in need around the world. Thank you for helping these priests “carry the cross.” And thank you for letting Aid to the Church in Need be a part in remembering your loved ones this All Souls Day.  Simply click here and fill in the names of your beloved friends and family who are no longer with us, and we will remember them in our prayers for the entire month of November.   God bless you and the souls of your loved ones always.              P.S.  As the Holy Father says, “the prayer of a pilgrim soul in this world can help another soul that continues purifying itself after death.” Your Mass Offering this All Souls Day will provide that spiritual solace. May your loved one forever rest in peace.

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Saint of the Day (Thursday, October 30, 2014)-St. Alphonsus Rodriguez

St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Thursday, October 30, 2014 Lived(c. 1533-1617) | Feast Day: Thursday, October 30, 2014
Tragedy and challenge beset today's saint early in life, but Alphonsus Rodriguez found happiness and contentment through simple service and prayer. Born in Spain in 1533, Alphonsus inherited the family textile business at 23. Within the space of three years, his wife, daughter and mother died; meanwhile, business was poor. Alphonsus stepped back and reassessed his life. He sold the business and, with his young son, moved into his sisters' home. There he learned the discipline of prayer and meditation. Years later, at the death of his son, Alphonsus, almost 40 by then, sought to join the Jesuits. He was not helped by his poor education. He applied twice before being admitted. For 45 years he served as doorkeeper at the Jesuits' college in Majorca. When not at his post, he was almost always at prayer, though he often encountered difficulties and temptations. His holiness and prayerfulness attracted many to him, including St. Peter Claver, then a Jesuit seminarian. Alphonsus's life as doorkeeper may have been humdrum, but he caught the attention of poet and fellow-Jesuit Gerard Manley Hopkins, who made him the subject of one of his poems. Alphonsus died in 1617. He is the patron saint of Majorca. Comment: We like to think that God rewards the good even in this life. But Alphonsus knew business losses, painful bereavement and periods when God seemed very distant. None of his suffering made him withdraw into a shell of self-pity or bitterness. Rather, he reached out to others who lived with pain, including enslaved blacks. Among the many notables at his funeral were the sick and poor people whose lives he had touched. May they find such a friend in us! Click here for a printer friendly version
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