Nothing Great is ever achieved without Much Enduring ~ Catherine of Siena

St Catherine was born March 25 in 1347. One of the youngest in a beautifully large family, Catherine grew up to be a healthy girl, despite the black death ravaging Italy at the time.

Faith of the Fathers

From a young age, Catherine was blessed with visions of Christ. She was accustomed to saying the Hail Mary on each step as she mounted stairs, and consecrated her virginity to God when she was seven years of age.

At fifteen her parents allowed her to join The Third Order of St. Dominic, though for the next three years she resided in her father's shop, combining the life of a contemplative with the life of active charity.

She was a staunch defender of the true Pope. When some of the cardinals in the church set up anti-popes, Catherine travelled to Avignon, where the Pope of that time, Gregory XI, was residing, and bade him return to Rome. She sternly rebuked the disloyal cardinals who had assisted in the election of the antipopes.

Accompanied by three confessors, she travelled through Italy, bringing entire cities to the obedience of the Holy See. She was the counsellor of Urban VI.

Near the end of her life a terrible schism sept the city, a schism she herself had foretold. The devil prowled through the city, inciting the people against the Pope. Spiritually, Catherine saw legions of demons tempting the people to take the life cf Christ's Vicar. Through prayers and weeping Catherine did much to forestall the tempter, even enduring hell's rage as the devils vented their malice by scourging her.

She died at Rome, in 1380, at the age of thirty-three.

Her feast is celebrated on April 30th.

We Have Found The Messiah ~ St. Andrew the Apostle

St. Andrew is one of my more favourite apostles. Born in Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee, he was nothing more than a simple fisherman. Formerly the disciple of the Precursor St. John the Baptist, Andrew immediately turned and followed Jesus when John pointed out the Christ and proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

Source

Andrew was the younger brother of Simon Peter, and it was while he and Peter were "casting their nets into the sea" that Christ walked nearby them and told them to follow Him. "And I" Christ said to them, "will make you fishers of men."

St. Andrew was a the apostle that always wanted to share. When Christ told him that He was the Messiah, Andrew went forthwith to fetch Peter and have him follow Christ as well. When the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes occurred, St. Andrew was the one that pointed out the lad with the fishes and barley loaves.

Though he is not as well-known as his elder brother, St. Andrew was nevertheless a true apostle. He is said to have travelled to Asia Minor and Greece, preaching and leading many men to God and the True Faith. It is also thought he may have travelled to Russia and Poland as well, and in Scythia as far as Kiev.

His martyrdom occurred in a place called Patras in Achaias, by the order of the Roman Governer Aegeas during the reign of Nero. He was crucified on a cross that was shaped in the form of an X; a crux decussata. He hung upon the cross for three days, preaching from this throne and calling more souls to God. He died on the third day.

He is called "Protoclet" (the first-called) by the Greeks, because he was the first of the apostles to follow Christ.

He is the patron saint of both Scotland and Russia.

St. Andrew's cross, a white X emblazoned on a blue field, is the official flag of Scotland. 

Source

In traditional circles, it is customary for Catholics to recite the novena prayer of St. Andrew from the date of his Feast on November 30 until Christmas Eve. The prayer is recited fifteen times in a row, once a day, usually after the Rosary has been recited. Catholics can keep track of the fifteen recitals on their Rosary beads. During this twenty-five day novena you ask for a particular grace, or request, that you most desire.

Here is the prayer below:

The Christmas Prayer to St. Andrew:

Hail and blessed be the hour and the moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, oh my God, to hear my prayer and to grant my desires. Through the merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ and of his blessed Mother. Amen.

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Saint Andrew the Apostle
Catholic Culture

The Saints are like the stars. ~ St. Anthony of Padua

Do you ever feel like Gollum? "Lost, curse us and scratch us, my precious is loooooost!"

Fear not! Today, we present St. Anthony of Padua, that wonderful, wonderful saint who is so good at discovering those precious items you might have lost or mislaid.

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Anthony, born Ferdinand, was born in Lisbon, Portugal, in the year 1195 A.D., to noble and wealthy parents. When he was fifteen he joined the Canon Regulars of Saint Augustine, where he studied sacred scripture, and applied himself fervently to the practice of piety.

Source

A few years later he was inspired by five Franciscan priests who were martyred in Morocco, and resolved to join the Franciscan Order and shed his own blood for God. At twenty-five years of age he became a Franciscan friar, and took the name of Anthony.

Due to illness, Anthony found himself unable to travel to Morocco. Instead, by God's Will, he made his way through Sicily and Assisi, and from thence to Forli, Romagna. For nine months Anthony remained in Forli, and it was there his great talent for preaching became known, for in an unexpected turn of events he was nominated to preach to the people, and in doing so was discovered to have incredible eloquence that inspired all who heard him.

St. Francis of Assisi gave Anthony leave to preach throughout all of Italy, which he did with such energy and power he became known as the Hammer of the Heretics. So great were the crowds that came to see him speak he frequently had to deliver his discourses in the open air.

Anthony applied himself so relentlessly to this labour of love that he died at quite a young age on June 13th, 1231. He was thirty-six years old.

He was canonized within the year by Pope Gregory IX.

He is known as a Doctor of the Church.

"The saints are like the stars. In his providence Christ conceals them in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they might wish to do so. Yet they are always ready to exchange the quiet of contemplation for the works of mercy as soon as they perceive in their heart the invitation of Christ."

~ St. Anthony of Padua

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Miracles of Saint Anthony:

The Donkey

Preaching to the Fish

The Vision

Patron Saint:

Of Lost things

Of Barren Women

Of Amputees

Against Shipwrecks

Against Starvation

Of Boatman

Of the Elderly

Of Expectant Mothers

Of Fishermen

Of Harvests

Of Horses

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Fisheaters

Saint Anthony of Padua

Saint Anthony

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A Ladder Made of Roses

A ladder of roses? What is that supposed to mean? Perhaps it's the title of a fairy tale, the most intriguing one ever written. Perhaps it is a poet's muttered rhyming, a fluid phrase designed to spark the heart and make the eyes shine. Perhaps it's just an odd phrase, designed to make the reader pause and ponder over it.

To Catholics, like me, it is something else. Something more.

Something better.

It is a string of beads, laid out in "decades" of ten beads, and given to St Dominic - and from him to us - by our Lady in the early 1200's. It is a prayer that will not fail, a strong weapon against the devil, the simplest, easiest prayer to say. When it was first given us, it was actually comprised of fifteen decades: five Joyful Mysteries, five Sorrowful Mysteries, and five Glorious Mysteries. Now, most Rosaries made these days contain only five of the fifteen decades, and only one of the Mysteries per day is said.

The Fatima Network

Mondays and Thursdays are the days the five Joyful Mysteries are said.

Tuesdays and Fridays are the days the five Sorrowful Mysteries are recited.

Wednesdays and Saturdays are the days the five Glorious Mysteries are prayed.

On Sundays, depending on the time of year, the Rosary for that season is said.

In St. Dominic's day, this glorious psalter was used to defeat the Albigensian heresy. Now, it is used in our battle against the devil and his darkness.

So what is a Ladder Made of Roses?

It is the beads.

It is the Rosary.

Tradition in Action