Every Day In Christian History

 The shrine of Our Mother of Esquernes lies a half league from Lille, in Flanders. This image began to work miracles about the year 1162 and is still greatly venerated for the      wonders which Mary continues to work through her intercession. While the painter responsible for the image of Mary at Esquernes, was putting forth all his effort and talent to      depict the Mother of God as beautiful as might be possible to conceive by the human mind. The Devil tried to intervene. The Virgin suspended the painter in mid-air until the      Bishop arrived to pronounce exorcism, and the Evil molested the painter no further.

 Although not one of the original twelve apostles, Barnabas is called an Apostle by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. This is because, like Paul the Apostle,      Barnabas received a special mission from God. He was a Jew born on the island of Cyprus. His name was Joseph, but the Apostles changed it to Barnabas. This name means "son of      consolation." As soon as he became a Christian, Barnabas sold all he owned and gave the money to the Apostles. He was full of enthusiasm to share his belief in and love for Jesus.      He was sent to the city of Antioch to preach the Gospel. Antioch was the third largest city in the Roman Empire. Here is where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians.      Barnabas realized that he needed help. He thought of Paul of Tarsus. He believed that Paul's conversion had been real. It was Barnabas who convinced Peter and the Christian community.     He asked Paul to come and work with him. He knew that Paul, too, had a great gift to

 In the East Indies stands the shrine of Our Mother of Cranganor, which was built by one of the three Kings who visited the Divine Child and His Blessed Mother.      India was one of the countries that had the privilege of receiving the light of Faith at the dawn of Christianity. St. Thomas the Apostle came to India at Cranganor in 52 AD.      and brought with him a picture of Our Mother, painted by St. Luke; this was lost after St. Thomas’ martyrdom, but later discovered in a cave at Little Mount, Chennai,      near the scene of his death. In 1498 when the Portuguese arrived in Cranganor, they were surprised to find so many Churches dedicated to Mary. St. Francis Xavier found the people      of Cranganor very strong in faith and devoted to Mary; he spared no pains to flame their devotion to the Mother of God.

 Imbert was born in Marseilles, France, and entered the novitiate in Avignon. He taught in three different Jesuit colleges after his ordination and was in Grenoble when the      Society was suppressed in 1762. He then joined the diocese of Moulins, but was forced to relinquish his parish when he refused to accept the 1790 Civil Constitution on the Clergy.      Instead of fleeing to safety outside of France, he remained to exercise his ministry underground. He was appointed Vicar-apostolic of the Diocese when the Bishop was expelled.      As the highest-ranking cleric in the area, he became a target of the Reign of Terror and was arrested in 1793. Early the next year he and 24 Priests of the diocese began a voyage      to the prison ships that would deport them to Africa. The priests who arrived in Rochefort were jailed in hospitals, former convents and monasteries,      and on two small ships anchored in the Charante River and used as infirmaries. Imbert was moved to the ship, Deux-Ass

 Our Mother of Virtues is very famous for the frequent miracles. The portrait of the Blessed Virgin has been at Ligny since 1459 and is of a silk painting unlike any other portrait      of the Blessed Virgin. It was originally known to be in the possession of Pope Urban IV, but after many wanderings, the pious image was given to the canons of the collegiate      Church of Ligny in the year 1459. When Ligny was besieged, stormed and destroyed the Holy Image of Our Mother of Ligny was stolen by an Imperial trooper, but it was retrieved by a      laborer and returned in grand procession in 1581. This procession was led by the Countess Margaret of Savoy,      who built a new monastery for the Capuchins over the ruins of the previous site. She also began the devotion to the portrait known as Our Mother of Virtues.      This protection seemed to continue through World War I, Our Mother of Virtues protected the city through four separate bombings that caused no deaths.

 Anchieta was born in La Laguna, Spain. At the age 14, he moved to Portugal to pursue his studies at the prestigious university. After completing his academic training,      he marched as a missionary to Brazil, where he became a great defender of the rights of Indians against the abuses of the settlers; In addition,      he performed a great work in teaching and preaching the Gospel, particularly among the oppressed to whom he paid full attention. Care for the sick and dying was another of      his major concerns, along with the promotion and conservation of the native languages of the country of which he was a great scholar.      Famous were his devout poems written in Portuguese and Tupi. Also important were his studies on ethnography, botany and zoology. Master of poverty and obedience, erudite, helpful,     humble and tireless worker, very devout of the Passion of Christ. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1980, calling him "the Apostle of Brazil".      Anchieta was the

 The Church of Our Mother of Alexandria was built in Alexandria, Egypt to honor the Blessed Mother by St. Peter, the Patriarch of the city. He was the 16th Archbishop of Alexandria      in a line beginning with Saint Mark the Evangelist and governed for 12 years until his martyrdom. He is remembered as a man of extraordinary virtue and a profound knowledge of the     Holy Scriptures who led the Church during the Diocletian persecutions. He fought against heretics whom he excommunicated. St. Peter was a stalwart      Bishop and Our Mother of Alexandria was his heavenly advocate.

 Berthieu was born in France, as one of seven children. As you youth, he felt a strong calling to serve God and he joined the Jesuits at the age 35. Just two years later,      he joined a Jesuit mission to Madagascar. His talent and zeal made him a favourite in the order and he was soon appointed to be the Superior of mission in Ambositra in 1885.      Working from his mission, Berthieu grew the faith, inviting many of the locals to God. However, his mission became increasingly hostile to French influence in the region.      The hostility eventually grew so that the mission had to be repeatedly moved. Eventually, moving the mission was not enough and in 1896, Berthieu was kidnapped during a rebellion.      He had many chances to flee before being captured and possibly after, but he would not consider it, preferring instead to remain on task,      shepherding as many of the people as he could toward Christ. On June 8, he was presented to a rebel leader who offered him a position as an a

 Our Mother of Marienthal has been visited by pilgrims from 13th century and wonderful miracles were granted to many of the believers who visited the ancient Church.      The benevolent Virgin Mary obtained grace there for all of the afflicted and when sinners called upon her for assistance they would inevitably find comfort and mercy.      There was no pain which was not relieved, no accident that was not mended, not a hope that was disappointed. Once the devout Catholics decided to hide two miraculous paintings,     as well as the statue of the Sorrowful Mother with the Child Jesus in her arms, from the hands of the blasphemers. They were taken in secret to the monastery for safekeeping.      The statue of the Sorrowful Virgin shed copious tears while on the way. The statue and paintings were returned to the Church once the initial threat had passed.

 Born in St. Radegund in Upper Austria, Franz lost his father during World War I. As a young man, he loved to ride his motorcycle and was the natural leader of a gang whose members      were arrested in 1934 for brawling. For three years, he worked in the mines in another city and then returned toSt. Radegund, where he became a farmer, married Franziska and lived      his faith with intense conviction. In 1938, he publicly opposed the German Anschluss, annexation, of Austria. The next year, he was drafted into the Austrian army,      trained for seven months and then received a deferment. In 1940, Franz was called up again but allowed to return home at the request of the town’s mayor. He was in active service      between October 1940 and April 1941, but was again deferred. His pastor, other priests, and the bishop of Linz urged him not to refuse to serve if drafted.      In February 1943, Franz was called up again and reported to army officials in Enns, Austria. When he refused to tak

 The Institute of the nuns of the Visitation of Our Mother was founded at Annecy, in Savoy, on 6th June in 1610, by St. Francis de Sales,      Bishop of Geneva and St. Jane Frances de Chantal who was the first religious of the Order. The institute was a contemplative Order founded for young women and widows who felt they      were called to the religious life yet they did not have the ability to bear the austerities demanded by the other major religious Orders.      They were all women dedicated to prayer who sought to serve God in spirit and in truth but the Order especially honours the Blessed Virgin in the mystery of the Visitation.      St. Jane Frances de Chantal was a personal friend of St Francis de Sales and she governed the new Order of sisters wisely under the direction of St Francis.

 Norbert was born in Germany and he was good while a child and teenager. Then at the court of Emperor Henry V, Norbert spent all his time on frivolous things.      He thought only of acquiring positions of honour. One day, however, he was frightened by a flash of lightning. His horse bolted. Norbert was thrown to the ground and knocked      unconscious. When he woke, he began to think seriously about the way his life was going. Norbert realized that the Lord was offering him the grace to change for the better.      Gradually, he went back to the idea of becoming a Priest. He gave a good example by selling all he had to give the money to the poor.      Norbert became the founder of a congregation for the spreading of the faith. They are also called Norbertines, after their founder. Norbert was chosen Bishop of the city of Magdeburg.     Norbert had to combat a heresy which denied that Jesus was really present in the Holy Eucharist. His beautiful words about Our Lord's      presence

 In the year 1428, Our Mother of Haut, in Hainault, France restored a child to life after it had been dead several days that he might receive Holy Baptism.      He lived five hours after receiving the sacrament and then melted away like snow in the presence of seventy-five persons. The Benedictines have perpetuated Hainault by erecting a      monastery where daily and hourly the praises of Mary are sung. Miracles still occur at the shrine of Our Mother of Haut;      miracles of every nature and for every ardent plea sent for help to Heaven’s Queen.

 Boniface was born in Wessex, England. When he was small, some missionaries stayed a while at his home. They told the boy all about their work.      They were so happy and excited about bringing the Good News to people. Boniface decided in his heart that he would be just like them when he grew up. While still young,      he went to a monastery school to be educated. Some years later, he became a popular teacher. When he was ordained a Priest, he was a powerful preacher because he was full      of enthusiasm. Boniface wanted everyone to have the opportunity to know about and love Jesus and his Church. He became a missionary to the western part of Germany.      Pope St. Gregory II blessed him and sent him on this mission. Boniface preached with great success. Everywhere he preached, new members were received into the Church.      In 732, the new Pope, St. Gregory III made Boniface an Archbishop and gave him another mission territory. It was Bavaria, which is part of Germany today.      O

 The sanctuary of the Sacred Hill at Varese in Lombardy, Italy had its origin in a Chapel built there to commemorate Our mother’s appearing to St. Ambrose of Milan during      the 4th-century. St. Ambrose fought heroically against the Arian heresy which taught falsely that the Son of God was a mere creature, created by God and distinct from the Father.      Arius was condemned at the First Council of Nicaea. St. Ambrose was a great proponent of Mary, the Mother of God. The Blessed Virgin appeared to St. Ambrose during the time of      the Arian conflict, and that he built the first Chapel, Our Mother of the Hill, in that place at pointed by the Mother of God,      but also in thanksgiving for his victories while theologically refuting the heretical propositions of Arianism.

 Angeline was born to the Duke of Marsciano near Orvieto in the Papal States. When she was 12, her mother died. Three years later, the young woman made a vow of perpetual chastity.      That same year, however, she yielded to her father’s decision that she marry the Duke of Civitella. Her husband agreed to respect her previous vow. When he died two years later,      Angeline joined the Secular Franciscans and with several other women dedicated herself to caring for the sick, the poor, widows and orphans.      When many other young women were attracted to Angeline’s community, some people accused her of condemning the married vocation. Angeline and her companions later went to Foligno,      where her community of Third Order sisters received papal approval in 1397. She soon established 15 similar communities of women in other Italian cities. After Angeline’s death,      she was beatified in 1825.

 The sanctuary of this Madonna, Our Mother of Sasapoli, is some 1700 feet above sea level on the hills and 12 miles northwest of Florence, Italy.      A small shrine stood on a hill and it contained a tablet depicting the Blessed Virgin and the Child. Many people come to pray at the shrine and among these were two young     shepherdesses of the Ricovera family. On July 2, 1490, the two girls were praying at the shrine. As their father was gravely ill, they were imploring the Virgin to restore him      to health. They heard a sound and looking around, they saw sitting on a nearby stone a lovely mother with a child in her arms. Before they recovered from their surprise the mother      spoke to them not to be afraid and not to worry, that she was the one to whom they had been praying so fervently, and that She wished to have a Church built on that spot in her honor.     She asked them to go and bring their father as she wished to speak to him. She told the father of her wish that a Church

 Charles was born in the Kingdom of Buganda, Uganda, and served as a page in the court of King Mwanga II. As part of the king’s effort to resist foreign colonization,      the king insisted that Christian converts abandon their new faith, and executed many Anglicans and Catholics between 1885 and 1887, many of whom were officials in the royal court      or otherwise very close to him, including Lwanga. After a massacre of Anglican missionaries, which included Bishop James Hannington and the leader of the Catholic community,      Joseph Mukasa. The king then ordered that Lwanga, who was chief page at that time, take up Mukasa’s duties. That same day, Lwanga sought baptism as a Catholic by a missionary priest.      Lwanga secretly baptized those of his charges who were still only catechumens. Later that day, the king called a court assembly in which he interrogated all present to see if       any would renounce Christianity. Led by Lwanga, the royal pages declared their fidelity to their

 St. Alexis is reputed to have been the son of a prominent Roman senator. Living in Rome in the 4th Century, Alexis was given an excellent education but he left Rome in secret      and took ship to Syria. He then journeyed to Edessa where he began living the life of a common beggar at the entrance to a Church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary,      Our Mother of Edessa. Alexis was content to live a beggar’s life, surviving off the meager alms he obtained each day after praying before the statue of the Blessed Virgin at      the shrine. He spent much of the rest of his time caring for the sick. One day the statue venerated by Alexis spoke to a sacristan, defending the saint while also      revealing that Alexis was a “Man of God” and making known his holiness to all the people of Edessa.

 Marcellinus was a priest and Peter was an exorcist, that is, someone authorized by the Church to deal with cases of demonic possession.      They were beheaded during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. Pope Damasus wrote an epitaph apparently based on the report of their executioner,      and Constantine erected a basilica over the crypt in which they were buried in Rome. Marcellinus and Peter were prominent enough in the memory of the Church to be included among      the saints of the Roman Canon.

 Aquileia was Roman city that was founded as a stronghold along the Natissa River on the frontier of the growing Roman Empire. It is called Our Mother of the Star because of a      miracle that occurred at Aquileia when Bernardine arrived and began to preach. It is affirmed that a bright light similar to a star was seen on the head of Bernardine,      a star that was easily visible even during the hours of daylight when he preached at Aquileia, applying to the Blessed Virgin that passage of the Revelation where it is said that      there were twelve stars on her head. This Glorious Woman on whom Bernardine preached is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was in the mind of God before the time of creation,      and who is the Mother of God and of the Church, as well as the Queen of Heaven. The miracle of Our Mother of the Star seems to confirm Bernadine's teaching that Pope Pius X affirmed.

 Justin never ended his quest for religious truth even when he converted to Christianity after years of studying various pagan philosophies. As a young man,      he was principally attracted to the school of Plato. However, he found that the Christian religion answered the great questions about life and existence better than the philosophers.      Upon his conversion, he continued to wear the philosopher’s mantle, and became the first Christian philosopher. He combined the Christian religion with the best elements in Greek      philosophy. In his view, philosophy was a pedagogue of Christ, an educator that was to lead one to Christ. Justin is known as an apologist,      one who defends in writing the Christian religion against the attacks and misunderstandings of the pagans. Two of his so-called apologies have come down to us;      they are addressed to the Roman emperor and to the Senate. For his staunch adherence to the Christian religion, Justin was beheaded in Rome in 165.

 The Feast of the Visitation is closely connected with Jesus and his saving work. The more visible actors in the Visitation are Mary and Elizabeth. However, Jesus and John the      Baptist steal the scene in a hidden way. Jesus makes John leap with joy, the joy of Messianic Salvation. Elizabeth in turn is filled with the Holy Spirit and addresses words of      praise to Mary, words that echo down through the ages. One of the invocations in Mary’s litany is “Ark of the Covenant.” Like the Ark of the Covenant of old, Mary brings God’s      presence into the lives of other people. As David danced before the Ark, John the Baptist leaps for joy. Mary has the power to unite all Christians in her Son. At times,      devotion to Mary may have occasioned some divisiveness, but we can hope that authentic devotion will lead all to Christ and one another.

 The feast of Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is closely connected with Jesus and his saving work. The more visible actors in the visitation drama are Mary and Elizabeth.      However, Jesus and John the Baptist steal the scene in a hidden way. Jesus makes John leap with joy—the joy of messianic salvation. Elizabeth, in turn,      is filled with the Holy Spirit and addresses words of praise to Mary—words that echo down through the ages. Elizabeth’s praise of Mary as “The Mother of my Lord” can be viewed as      the earliest Church’s devotion to Mary. As with all authentic devotion to Mary, Elizabeth’s (the Church’s) words first praise God for what God has done to Mary.      Only secondly does she praise Mary for trusting God’s words.

 In 1948, Our Blessed Mother appeared to a Novice Teresita Castillo, in the Carmelite order in Lipa City, Philippines. While Teresita was praying in the convent garden,      suddenly a vine began to shake. Our Mother appeared to her and requested that she kiss the earth and return to the same spot for 15 consecutive days. When Our Mother appeared,      She was on a cloud, dressed in white, hands clasped and a golden Rosary hanging from Her right hand. Her dress was very white, very simple, and had a narrow belt tied around Her.      She was radiant with beauty. During the apparitions, Our Mother stressed humility, penance, prayers for the clergy and the Pope, and to pray the Rosary.      Before She departed for the last time, the Blessed Virgin identified Herself as, “I am the Mediatrix of All Grace"

 Born of a fairly well-to-do peasant couple in the southeast of Paris, Joan was only 12 when she experienced a vision and heard voices that she later identified as Saints      Michael the Archangel, Catherine of Alexandria, and Margaret of Antioch. During the Hundred Years War, Joan led French troops against the English and recaptured the cities of      Orléans and Troyes. This enabled Charles VII to be crowned as king in Reims in 1429. Captured near Compiegne the following year, Joan was sold to the English and placed on trial      for heresy and witchcraft. Professors at the University of Paris supported Bishop Pierre Cauchon of Beauvis, the judge at her trial; Cardinal Henry Beaufort of Winchester, England,      participated in the questioning of Joan in prison. In the end, she was condemned for wearing men’s clothes. The English resented France’s military success–to which Joan contributed.      In 1431, Joan was burned at the stake in Rouen, and her ashes were scattered in the Sein

 When the enemies entered the city of Paris during 1939, a young woman, Maria Hendizabal, fled from France to live in Mexico. She went to the Mexican capital to make a new home.      Among her few possessions she had a large picture of Our Mother of the Sacred Heart which she wished to give to some Church for safekeeping. Padre Juan Gomez of the Church of      St. Joseph allowed her to place the image on the wall of the vestibule on February 2, 1940. That very same evening a nine-year-old boy, who was afflicted with infantile paralysis,     was immediately cured after praying before the lovely image of Our Mother of the Sacred Heart. The youth left his crutches on the floor of the vestibule and hurried home to      tell his mother. The news of his cure spread and the next day hundreds of the faithful visited the church. This cure was followed by others, and day by day the crowds grew larger.      After a week, the pastor had to take the picture down from the wall of the vestibule and p

 Giovanni Battista Montini was born near Brescia in northern Italy. After ordination at the age of 23, Montini did graduate studies in literature, philosophy,      and canon law in Rome before he joined the Vatican Secretariat of State in 1924, where he worked for 30 years. He was also chaplain to the Federation of Italian Catholic      University Students. Fr. Montini was named Archbishop of Milan at the age of 57. He called himself the “Archbishop of the workers” and visited factories regularly while      overseeing the rebuilding of a local Church tremendously disrupted by World War II. In 1958, Montini was the first of 23 Cardinals named by Pope John XXIII,      two months after the latter’s election as Pope. Cardinal Montini helped in preparing Vatican II and participated enthusiastically in its first sessions.      When he was elected Pope in June 1963, he immediately decided to continue that Council, which had another three sessions before its conclusion on December 8, 1965.   

 Sophie herself received an extensive education, with her 11 year-older brother Louis. Himself a seminarian, Louis decided that his younger sister would likewise learn Latin,      Greek, history, physics and mathematics—always without interruption and with a minimum of companionship. By age 15, she had received a thorough exposure to the Bible,      the teachings of the Fathers of the Church and theology. Despite the oppressive regime, Louis imposed, young Sophie thrived and developed a genuine love of learning.      Meanwhile, this was the time of the French Revolution and of the suppression of Christian schools. The education of the young, particularly young girls, was in a troubled state.      Sophie, who had discerned a call to the religious life, was persuaded to become a teacher. She founded the Society of the Sacred Heart, which focused on schools for the poor as      well as boarding schools for young women of means. In 1826, her Society of the Sacred Heart received formal papa

 In the city of Venice the sacred relics of St. Mark the Evangelist were transferred there in the year 827. The other patron of Venice was the Blessed Virgin Mary,      for the city had been founded on the feast of the Annunciation. There is in Venice a spectacular 18th century reliquary that contains a rare first class relic of the Blessed      Virgin Mary. Within this reliquary is a bundle of the Blessed Virgin's own hair. Since the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken into heaven both body and soul after her death,      it is not possible that any other physical relics of her could exist. The sole possible exception would be her hair,      and this bundle of her hair had been preserved and venerated since the time of her Assumption in the Holy House of Nazareth.      The bundle of the Blessed Virgin's hair is believed to have been brought from the Holy Land by the Crusaders and is venerated in Venice in the Basilica of St. Mark.

 Nowowiejski was born in Lubienia near Opatów. At 16, he entered the diocesan seminary at studied Płock. He received Holy Orders at 23. The following year he obtained a degree      in theology from the Academy of Saint Petersburg. Nowowiejski became a professor and a Rector of the Płock Seminary, canon of Płock and in 1902 Vicar General of the Płock diocese.      He was ordained bishop of Płock in 1908. As the leader of the Płock diocese he carried out an administrative reform, devoting much attention to catholic education.      During the First World War, he was active in charity organizations. He oversaw two diocesan synods in 1927 and 1938, and initiated a local chapter of Catholic Action.      In 1930, he became the titular Archbishop of Silyum. The German invasion of Poland marked the beginning of the World War II. One of the Nazis' goals was the elimination      of Polish intelligentsia. Archbishop Nowowiejski was tortured when he refused to trample on his pectoral cross. He

 The Basilica Sanctuary of Carmine Maggiore is the largest Basilica in Naples. Dating back to the 13th century, it stands in the Piazza Carmine in Naples, on one side of what once      was the market square. The Carmelites fled from the Holy Land during the persecution bringing with them the icon of the Virgin of Tenderness believed to be painted by Saint      Luke the evangelist. It was the first image venerated by the ancient Carmelite Order, and it was enshrined above the high altar of their Church.      The icon became known as La Bruna because of the dark tone of the skin caused by the votive candles. In the year 1500, the Black Madonna was taken in procession to Rome.      Many miracles occurred in the course of the pilgrimage, and the icon was displayed at Saint Peter’s Basilica for three days. There were so many miracles that occurred.      When the icon returned home the ruler of Naples, King Frederic II, decided to test the Mother of God. He had the audacity to seemingly dema

 Augustine was the abbot of St. Andrew's monastery in Rome. Pope St. Gregory the Great chose him and forty other monks for a mission dear to his heart.      They were to preach the Gospel to the people of England. Abbot Augustine and the monks started on their journey. When they reached southern France,      people warned them that the English were fierce. The monks felt discouraged. They asked Augustine to go back to obtain the Pope's permission to give up the whole idea.      They did, but the Pope asked them to go to England just the same. He said that the people wanted to accept the Christian faith. The monks went to England. They arrived in 596.      The missionaries were well received by King Ethelbert, whose wife was a Christian princess from France. The monks formed a procession when they landed.      They walked along singing psalms. They carried a cross and a picture of Our Lord. Many people received the monks' message. King Ethelbert himself was baptized in 597. 

 Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy, in 1515. As a child, his nickname was "Good little Phil." He was always so jolly and friendly that everyone he met loved him.  Philip went to Rome as a teenager. He studied theology and philosophy for three years and was a good student. Above all, Philip was a very active Christian.  He lived simply and worked hard. But he also did much good for the people around him. He helped poor children. He donated his time to the sick.  He was a friend to people who were troubled and lonely. In fact, he reached out to everybody he could for the love of Jesus. Philip helped start an organization of lay people  to take care of needy pilgrims. That ministry gradually continued as a famous Roman hospital. The priest who guided him realized that Philip was doing so much to help the  Christians of Rome become fervent again. But it became obvious when Philip was 36 that he had the call to be a priest. It was then that he began his most wonderful minist