Jmj

On February 13, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- "saints" and "blesseds" whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Agabus of Jerusalem (Israelite, prophet [Acts 11 and 21], martyred in Syria in 1st century)
St. Aimo of Meda (Italian, c. 790)
Bl. Archangela Girlani of Trino [baptized Eleanora] (Italian, Carmelite prioress, mystic, died at about age 34 in 1495 [beatified 1864])
Bl. Beatrice of Ornacieux [Beatrix] (French, Carthusian nun, mystic, died at about age 45 c. 1309 [beatified 1869])
St. Benignus of Todi (Italian, priest, martyred c. 303)
St. Castor (German, monk, d. 389)
St. Catherine dei Ricci of Florence [Caterina] [baptized Alessandrina Lucrezia (Alexandrina Lucretia)] (Italian, Dominican prioress, mystic, stigmatist, died at age 67 in 1590 [beatified 1732, canonized 1746]) [commemorated by some on February 2]
Bl. Christine Camozzi of Spoleto [Cristina] (Italian, dissolute youth, penitent, died in 1458 at age 23 [beatified 1834])
St. Dyfnog (Welsh, 7th century)
St. Ermengild of Ely (British, princess, mother of two, widow, Benedictine abbess, d. 703)
Bl. Eustochium Bellini of Padua [baptized Lucrezia (Lucretia)] (Italian, Benedictine nun, died at about age 25 in 1469)
St. Fulcran of Lodeve (French, bishop for more than 50 years, d. 1006)
Sts. Fusca and Maura, of Ravenna (Italian, 15-year-old girl and her nurse, martyred c. 250)
St. Gilbert of Meaux (French, bishop, d. 1009)
St. Gosbert of Osnabruck (German, Benedictine monk, bishop, c. 859)
St. Huna of Ely (British, Benedictine priest, hermit, c. 690)
St. Francis Mary Lantrua of Molini di Triora [Francesco Maria] [baptized Giovanni (John)] (Italian, Franciscan missionary friar, martyred by strangling in China at age 56 in 1816 [beatified 1900, canonized 2000])
St. Julian of Lyons (French, early martyr)
St. Licinius of Angers (French, courtier, bishop, c. 618)
St. Martinian of Caesarea (Palestinian, hermit, miracle worker, died in Greece at about age 48 c. 400)
St. Modomnoc O'Neil (Irish, beekeeper, monk, bishop, c. 550)
St. Paul Liu Han-zuo of Lezi (Chinese, priest, martyred at age 41 in 1819 [beatified 1900, canonized 2000])
St. Paul Le Van Loc of An-nhon (Vietnamese, priest, martyred by beheading at about age 29 in 1859 [beatified 1909, canonized 1988])
St. Polyeuctus of Melitene (Roman? military officer, tortured and martyred by beheading in Armenia c. 250)
St. Stephen of Lyons (French, bishop, d. 512)
St. Stephen of Rieti (Italian, abbot, c. 590)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints or blesseds and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Additional information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), February 13, 2005

Answers

-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), February 13, 2005.

give me strength... it is fine to agknowledge people doing Gods work but they are no greater a saint than i am. there is n such thing as a good xtain.. maybe we should stop praying to rotting bodies and start praying to jesus who is alive and in heaven!

and thats what a teenage xtian thinks...

kt

XxX

-- katie (jc_died_4_me@hotmail.com), February 16, 2005.

Given time, Katie, you'll learn. JFG

-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), February 16, 2005.

what will i learn? how pray to God the way that we were instructed -> through jesus and him alone?

-- katie (jc_died_4_me@hotmail.com), February 17, 2005.

Oh, I see, Katie. In other words, you have never asked anyone to pray for you, and you have never prayed for anyone (at his/her request)?

The first thing that you need to be aware of is that, to the vast majority of Christians, "praying" is not an act of "adoration" or "worship," but an act of "communication." Thus, if you have asked someone to pray for you, then your request was a way of "praying" (communicating) through that second person (an intercessor) who then prayed to God through Jesus (the mediator).

That is exactly what I and other Catholics sometimes do. We sometimes pray (communicate our needs, our thanks, etc.) through a second human person (an interceding saint) who then prays to God through Jesus (the "only mediator between God and man"). As you probably know, making intercession is not only permitted but encouraged in the Bible.

Please notice that I twice said that we "sometimes" pray through an intercessor. Every day, though, we also pray directly to God through Jesus. If you would attend Mass some day, you would hear various formal prayers to God the Father that end with words like, "Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Katie, you are very young, so I imagine that no one has ever explained these things to you before. Instead, you have probably heard inaccurate things about Catholicism from non-Catholics (or ex- Catholics who never really understood the religion that they abandoned). It is good that you are here, to get the facts about Catholicism from Catholics. I am confident that, some day, you will become a Catholic, because you are not lukewarm, but really care about the truth. And only Catholicism has the fullness of religious truth, with no error mixed in. The Catholic Church is the only church that Jesus founded, and he wants every person on Earth today to belong to the Catholic Church.

-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), February 17, 2005.

but the one thing you miss is that i don't pray to DEAD people (saints) will you prayu through me when i am dead? doubt it. i pray for people and with people and i am fully aware that pray is not just worship it is comunticating because i conunicate with my dad every day (or so!)

story.....

i broke into my school church ( i had permission but i had to use the teacher only code but anyways) i was with the with a m8 (who is a christian) i was sitting and i was crying but she left me cos we always do that unl;ess we feel god telling uis to ask whats wrong.... we leave and go to tea (im at a boardiung school) that evening she texts me say

"why were you crying?"

i text back

"oh i was arguing with God BAD idea you always lose!"

now you may say why argue with god? well i know that he is the creator of the universe and all of that but he is my dad and if he tells me to do something that i dont want to do i will tell him so!

moving on....

"And only Catholicism has the fullness of religious truth, with no error mixed in."

that is VERY Arrogant cos i am not saying the my church is tyhe right way... we need to get out of this mode "im the only way" because jesus is the only way "i am the way the truth and the life noone goes to the fatehr execpt through me"..... no saints no idols no priest no nothing just through JESUS!

-- kt (jc_died_4_me@hotmail.com), February 18, 2005.

Katie, we really shouldn't be having this debate here, because this thread is supposed to be only about the "saints and blesseds" who are commemorated by most Catholics on February 13 of each year.

I will start a new thread, transplanting the messages you and I have written above. Not everyone who comes to the forum looks at these saints-of-the-day threads. More people will look at the new thread and will join in the conversation that you and I have been having.

JFG

-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), February 18, 2005.

Katie, please do not reply on this thread. Please go to the new thread instead.

-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), February 18, 2005.