Below, you will find the information and prayers for the feasts/ religious events for the Month
of October that will be celebrated on school days:
Let Us Celebrate Our Feast Days!
October 15th - St Teresa (of Avila) School, Titusville
October 17th – Margaret Mary School, Winter Park
October 1: St. Theresa of Lisieux, Patroness of the Missions
St. Theresa, who was often called the Little Flower, was born in Normandy in France. She had
four older sisters and her parents were Louis and Zelie Martin. Theresa was a very lively, lovable
little girl and her father called her his "little queen."
Yet she could also be too sensitive and irritable. In the story she wrote of her life, she tells how
the Infant Jesus helped her overcome this weakness.
Theresa wanted very much to enter the Carmelite convent where two of her sisters were
already nuns. But since she was only fifteen, they did not let her.
Theresa felt sure that Jesus wanted her to spend her life loving him alone. She kept praying and
asking the superior to let her join the convent. She even dared to ask Pope Leo XIII himself to
grant her heart's desire and finally she was allowed to enter.
Although she was only fifteen, Theresa did not expect to be treated like a child. "Obedience,
prayer and sacrifice" were her duty. She had a thirst to suffer for love of God.
Theresa had the spiritual courage of a real heroine. "May Jesus make me a martyr of the heart
or of the body-or better, both!" she wrote. And she meant it.
In winter she suffered from the bitter cold and dampness of her plain bedroom. There were
other kinds of sufferings, too. Whenever she was made fun of or insulted, she would offer her
pain to her beloved Jesus. She would hide her hurts under a smile. She told Jesus to do with her
whatever was his will.
Sister Theresa tried hard to be humble. She called her great belief in God her "little way" to
holiness. She always had a burning desire to become a saint.
The young nun wanted to find a "short cut," and to take her quickly to heaven. So she looked in
the Bible, and found the words, "Whoever is a little one, come to me."
When she lay dying, she could say: "I have never given the good God anything but love, and it is
with love that he will repay.
After my death, I will let fall a shower of roses. I will spend my heaven doing good on earth."
The Little Flower died on September 30, 1897.
"O Jesus, my love, my vocation, at last I have found it. My vocation is LOVE!"
Prayer to St. Theresa, the Little Flower
O Little Therese of the Child Jesus,
Please pick a rose for me
From the heavenly gardens
And send it to me
As a message of love.
O little flower of Jesus,
Ask God today to grant the favors
I now place with confidence
in your hands.
(Mention your specific requests)
St. Therese,
help me to always believe,
as you did,
In God's great love for me,
So that I might imitate your
"Little Way" each day. Amen
October 2: The Guardian Angels
Perhaps no aspect of Catholic piety is as comforting to parents as the belief that an angel
protects their little ones from dangers real and imagined. Yet guardian angels are not just for
children. Their role is to represent individuals before God, to watch over them always, to aid
their prayer and to present their souls to God at death.
The concept of an angel assigned to guide and nurture each human being is a development of
Catholic doctrine and piety based on Scripture but not directly drawn from it. Jesus' words in
Matthew 18:10 best support the belief: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."
Devotion to the angels began to develop with the birth of the monastic tradition. St. Benedict
(July 11) gave it impetus and Bernard of Clairvaux (August 20), the great 12th-century reformer,
was such an eloquent spokesman for the guardian angels that angelic devotion assumed its
current form in his day.
A feast in honor of the guardian angels was first observed in the 16th century. In 1615, Pope
Paul V added it to the Roman calendar.
Our guardian angel is a gift from our loving God. They are given to us to guide our thoughts,
words and actions and keep us from all harm and evil.
The picture of a guardian angel that we often see is an angel protecting a little child as he or she
walks over a small bridge.
We can say this brief prayer as often as we would like to throughout the day:
Angel of God, my guardian dear
to whom God's love, entrusts me here.
Ever this day, be at my side
to light and guard, to rule and guide.
October 3: St. Mother Guerin
Trust in God’s Providence enabled Mother Theodore to leave her homeland, sail halfway
around the world and to found a new religious congregation.
Born in Etables, France, Anne-Thérèse’s life was shattered by her father’s murder when she was
15. For several years she cared for her mother and younger sister. She entered the Sisters of
Providence in 1823, taking the name Sister St. Theodore. An illness during novitiate left her with
lifelong fragile health; that did not keep her from becoming an accomplished teacher.
At the invitation of the bishop of Vincennes, she and five sisters were sent in 1840 to Saint
Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, to teach and to care for the sick poor. She was to establish a
motherhouse and novitiate. Only later did she learn that her French superiors had already
decided the sisters in the United States should form a new religious congregation under her
leadership.
She and her community persevered despite fires, crop failures, prejudice against Catholic
women religious, misunderstandings and separation from their original religious congregation.
She once told her sisters, “Have confidence in the Providence that so far has never failed us.
The way is not yet clear. Grope along slowly. Do not press matters; be patient, be trustful.”
Another time, she asked, “With Jesus, what shall we have to fear?”
She is buried in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana,
and was beatified in 1998. Eight years later she was canonized.
Prayer to St. Mother Theodore Guerin
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, valiant woman of God,
intercede for us in our needs. Implore for us through Jesus
the gifts of living faith, and steadfast charity, so that through a life of prayer
and service with others we may aid in promoting
the Providence of God among all peoples.
Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, pray for us.
Amen.
October 4: St. Francis of Assisi
St. Francis was born around 1181 in Assisi, Italy. As a young man he loved parties and good
times. He was handsome and rich, so he bought himself the finest clothes and spent money
freely.
Francis had no wish to study or to learn his father's business, as he was having too much fun.
One day he refused to give alms to a poor beggar but as the man was leaving, he felt sorry for
what he had done and ran after him with some money.
After he fell ill twice, Francis realized that he was wasting precious time. He realized that he
should be serving Jesus and began praying more and making sacrifices to grow strong in spirit.
While riding his horse one day he saw a leper and quickly turned his horse to ride away. Then
he thought to himself, if Jesus saw a leper he would not turn the other way. So he kissed the
horrible-looking leper, and gave him money.
Often he gave his clothes and money to the poor. He served the sick in hospitals. Still he felt he
must do more. He fasted and began to go around in rags to humble himself.
It is not hard to imagine how his rich friends must have looked at him now! His father was so
angry that he beat him and locked him up at home. Francis bore all this suffering for love of
Jesus.
When his father took everything from him in disgust, Francis put all his trust in his Father in
heaven. He said that he was married to "Lady Poverty" and he began to live as a beggar.
He had no shelter. His food was what kind people gave him. Everywhere he went, he begged
people to stop sinning and return to God. Many men began to see how close to God this poor
man really was, and they became his followers. Francis followed the example of Jesus closely by
living a life of simplicity and teaching the Gospel message with great joy.
That is how the great Franciscan order of priests and brothers began. They helped the poor and
sick and preached everywhere. Even after the order had spread all over Italy, Francis insisted
that they should not own anything. He wanted his priests to love poverty as he did.
St. Francis had the power of working miracles. He loved all creatures and the birds and animals
happily obeyed his commands!
As a reward for his great love, Jesus gave him his own wounds. Two in his hands, two in his feet
and one in his side but the humble Francis tried to hide them from people.
Toward the end of his life, he became very sick. He was told he would live only a few more
weeks and he exclaimed, "Welcome, Sister Death!" He asked to be laid on the ground and
covered with an old habit.
He advised his brothers to love God, to love being poor, and to obey the Gospel. "I have done
my part," he said. "May Jesus teach you to do yours." Francis died on October 3, 1226.
Peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary
St. Pius V (his feast is April 30th) established this feast in 1573. The purpose was to thank God
for the victory of Christians over the Turks at Lepanto—a victory attributed to the praying of the
rosary. Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716.
The development of the rosary has a long history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our
Fathers in imitation of the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail
Mary’s. Soon a mystery of Jesus' life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary's giving the
rosary to St. Dominic is recognized as a legend, the development of this prayer form owes much
to the followers of St. Dominic. One of them, Alan de la Roche, was known as "the apostle of
the rosary." He founded the first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th
century the rosary was developed to its present form—with the 15 mysteries (joyful, sorrowful
and glorious). In 2002, Pope John Paul II added five Mysteries of Light to this devotion.
Rosary Prayer
"O God whose only begotten Son has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, Grant we
beseech Thee while meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, that we may both imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise,
through the same Christ our Lord Amen."
October 8: St. John Leonardi
After his ordination, St. John became very active in the works of the ministry, especially in
hospitals and prisons. The example and dedication of his work attracted several young laymen
who began to assist him. They later became priests themselves.
John lived after the Protestant Reformation and the Council of Trent. He and his followers
projected a new congregation of diocesan priests. For some reason the plan, which was
ultimately approved, provoked great political opposition. John was exiled from his home town
of Lucca, Italy, for almost the entire remainder of his life. He received encouragement and help
from St. Philip Neri [whose feast is May 26], who gave him his lodgings—along with the care of
his cat!
In 1579, John formed the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and published a compendium of
Christian doctrine that remained in use until the 19th century.
Father Leonardi and his priests became a great power for good in Italy, and their congregation
was confirmed by Pope Clement in 1595. He died at the age of 68 from a disease caught when
tending those stricken by the plague.
By the deliberate policy of the founder, the Clerks Regular of the Mother of God have never had
more than 15 churches and today form only a very small congregation.
Prayer on the Feast of St. John Leonardi
Comforted with the holy Mysteries of Thy precious Body and Blood, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
that by the example of Saint John, Thy Confessor, we may be zealous to confess what he
believed and to put in practice what he taught. Who lives and reigns with God the Father, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
October 10: St. Francis Borgia
Today's saint grew up in an important family in 16th-century Spain, serving in the imperial court
and quickly advancing in his career. But a series of events—including the death of his beloved
wife—made Francis Borgia rethink his priorities. He gave up public life, gave away his
possessions and joined the new and little-known Society of Jesus.
Religious life proved to be the right choice. He felt drawn to spend time in seclusion and prayer,
but his administrative talents also made him a natural for other tasks. He helped in the
establishment of what is now the Gregorian University in Rome. Not long after his ordination he
served as political and spiritual adviser to the emperor. In Spain, he founded a dozen colleges.
At 55, Francis was elected head of the Jesuits. He focused on the growth of the Society of Jesus,
the spiritual preparation of its new members and spreading the faith in many parts of Europe.
He was responsible for the founding of Jesuit missions in Florida, Mexico and Peru.
Francis Borgia is often regarded as the second founder of the Jesuits. He died in 1572 and was
canonized 100 years later.
Prayer on the Feast of St. Francis Borgia
Lord God, in obedience to your teaching, St. Francis lived only for your glory. Keep us faithful
to your word, so that we may never know death but live to see your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
October 15: St. Teresa of Avila
Teresa was born in Avila in Spain. As a little girl in her parents' rich home, Teresa and her
brother Rodrigo loved to read the lives of the saints and martyrs. They felt that the martyrs got
to heaven an easy way.
The two children set out secretly to go to the land of the Moors. As they walked along, they
prayed that they might die for Christ. But they had not gotten far when they met an uncle. He
took them back to their worried mother at once.
Next the children decided to be hermits in their garden. This didn't work out either. They could
not get enough stones together to build their huts.
St. Teresa herself wrote down these amusing stories of her childhood. But when she grew to be
a teenager, however, she changed. Teresa read so many novels and foolish romances that she
lost much of her love for prayer.
She began to think more of dressing up to look pretty. But after she recovered from a bad
illness, Teresa read a book about the great St. Jerome.
Then and there, she made up her mind to become a bride of Christ. As a nun, Teresa often
found it hard to pray. Besides that, she had poor health and also wasted time every day in long,
foolish conversations.
But one day, in front of a picture of Jesus, Teresa felt great sorrow that she did not love God
more. She started then to live for Jesus alone, no matter what sacrifice had to be made.
In return for her love, the Lord gave St. Teresa the privilege of hearing him talk to her. She also
began to see visions and Jesuit and Dominican priests came to see if this was true. They were
convinced and declared that the visions were holy and true.
She learned to pray in a marvelous way, too. St. Teresa of Avila is famous for having opened
new Carmelite convents. These convents were filled with sisters who wanted to live holy lives.
They made many sacrifices for Jesus with Teresa herself giving them the example. She prayed
with great love and worked hard at her duties in the convent.
St. Teresa was a great leader and true lover of Jesus and his Church. She died in 1582.
St. Teresa taught that we must have a great trust in God's care for us. She wrote that a person
who has God, will need nothing; God alone is enough.
"Christ has no body but yours," by St. Teresa of Avila
Christ has no body now on earth but yours; yours are the only hands with which He can do His
work.
Yours are the only feet with which He can go about the world; yours are the only eyes through
which His compassion can shine forth upon a troubled world. Christ has no body on earth but
yours.
Prayer to St. Teresa of Avila
Lord, grant that I may always allow myself
to be guided by You,
always follow Your plans,
and perfectly accomplish Your Holy Will.
Grant that in all things,
great and small,
today and all the days of my life,
I may do whatever You require of me.
Help me respond to the slightest prompting of Your Grace,
so that I may be Your trustworthy instrument for Your honor.
May Your Will be done in time
and in eternity by me, in me, and through me.
Amen.
October 16: St Margaret Mary
Her early years were marked by sickness and a painful home situation. "The heaviest of my
crosses was that I could do nothing to lighten the cross my mother was suffering." After
considering marriage for some time, Margaret entered the Order of Visitation nuns at the age
of 24.
On December 21, 1674, three years a nun, she received the first of her revelations. She felt
"invested" with the presence of God, though always afraid of deceiving herself in such matters.
The request of Christ was that his love for humankind be made evident through her. During the
next 13 months he appeared to her at intervals. His human heart was to be the symbol of his
divine-human love. By her own love she was to make up for the coldness and ingratitude of the
world—by frequent and loving Holy Communion, especially on the first Friday of each month,
and by an hour's vigil of prayer every Thursday night in memory of his agony and isolation in
Gethsemane. He also asked that a feast of reparation be instituted.
Like all saints, Margaret had to pay for her gift of holiness. Some of her own sisters were
hostile. Theologians who were called in declared her visions delusions and suggested that she
eat more heartily. Later, parents of children she taught called her an impostor, an unorthodox
innovator. A new confessor, St. Claude de la Colombiere, a Jesuit, recognized her genuineness
and supported her. Against her great resistance, Christ called her to be a sacrificial victim for
the shortcomings of her own sisters, and to make this known.
After serving as novice mistress and assistant superior, she died at the age of 43 while being
anointed. "I need nothing but God, and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus."
Christ speaks to St. Margaret Mary: "Behold this Heart which has so loved men that it has
spared nothing, even to exhausting and consuming itself, in order to testify its love. In return, I
receive from the greater part only ingratitude, by their irreverence and sacrileges, and by the
coldness and contempt they have for me in this sacrament of love.... I come into the heart I
have given you in order that through your fervor you may atone for the offenses which I have
received from lukewarm and slothful hearts that dishonor me in the Blessed Sacrament" (Third
apparition).
October 16: St. Marguerite d’Youville
Born in Varennes, Canada, Marie Marguerite Dufrost de Lajemmerais had to interrupt her
schooling at the age of 12 to help her widowed mother. Eight years later she married Francois
d'Youville; they had six children, four of whom died young. Despite the fact that her husband
gambled, sold liquor illegally to Native Americans and treated her indifferently, she cared for
him compassionately before his death in 1730.
Even though she was caring for two small children and running a store to help pay off her
husband's debts, Marguerite still helped the poor. Once her children were grown, she and
several companions rescued a Quebec hospital that was in danger of failing. She called her
community the Institute of the Sisters of Charity of Montreal; the people called them the "Grey
Nuns" because of the color of their habit. In time, a proverb arose among the poor people of
Montreal, "Go to the Grey Nuns; they never refuse to serve." In time, five other religious
communities traced their roots to the Grey Nuns.
The General Hospital in Montreal became known as the Hotel Dieu (House of God) and set a
standard for medical care and Christian compassion. When the hospital was destroyed by fire in
1766, she knelt in the ashes, led the Te Deum (a hymn to God's providence in all circumstances)
and began the rebuilding process. She fought the attempts of government officials to restrain
her charity and established the first foundling home in North America.
Blessed John XXIII, who beatified her in 1959, called her the "Mother of Universal Charity." She
was canonized in 1990.
Prayer to St. Marguerite
Through your suffering, your faith was
strengthened. You consecrated yourself
to God through serving the poor.
Saint Marguerite, help me to persevere in
my time of need. To be patient,
to grow in faith, through controversy,
and to know, love and be obedient to
God as you were. Amen.
October 17: St. Ignatius of Antioch
St. Ignatius of Antioch was born in the year 50 to a pagan family (people who do not believe in
God). He later wanted to become a Christian and was converted.
Ignatius was the third bishop of Antioch. This is the city where St. Peter labored before he
moved to Rome. It is also the city where followers of Jesus were first called Christians.
Ignatius was condemned to death by Emperor Trajan who hated the Christians. He was taken
from Antioch to the amphitheater in center of Rome.
This was the place where the Christians who were to die were left in the center of a big ground
to be eaten by hungry lions that were let out of their cages.
All around this large ground were seats for the Romans to watch while the lions killed the
people and they enjoyed watching the Christians die.
Although St. Ignatius traveled to Rome under military guard, he stopped in Smyrna and Troas.
From each of those cities, he wrote letters to the Christian communities. He was the first writer
to use the term "the Catholic Church."
He told the churches that he was very happy to die for Jesus so they must not stop him. He
asked them to pray that God would grant him his wish. In this way, like the great St. Paul, he
preached the Good News to the people.
When the beloved Ignatius arrived in Rome, he joined the brave Christians who waited in
prisons. The day came when the bishop was pushed out into the amphitheater. Two fierce lions
devoured him.
He left the beautiful witness of Christian life and his letters. St. Ignatius died around 107. St.
Jerome and St. John Chrysostom both thought of his tomb as near the city gates of Antioch.
Prayer on the Feast of St. Ignatius of Antioch
Almighty God, we praise you for your bishop and martyr Ignatius of Antioch, who offered
himself as grain to be ground by the teeth of wild beasts that he might present to you the
pure bread of sacrifice. Accept the willing tribute of our lives, and give us a share in the pure
and spotless offering of your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
October 18: St. Luke
St. Luke was born in Antioch. He was a gentile doctor who was a good and kind man. He heard
about Jesus from the great apostle Paul and soon became a Christian. The Bible calls Luke "the
beloved physician."
After becoming a Christian, he went everywhere with St. Paul. Luke was a great help to him in
spreading the faith in Greece and Rome. He was with Paul when he was shipwrecked and
through other dangers as they traveled from place to place.
St. Luke wrote two books in the Bible: the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Although
he did not meet Jesus while he was on this earth, he wanted people to know and love Jesus like
he did.
So he talked to people who knew Jesus. He wrote down all that they had seen Jesus do and
heard Jesus say.
Saint Luke spent time with Mother Mary learning all he could about Jesus from her. From Mary
he heard about how the angel Gabriel appeared to her at the Annunciation. He also heard all
about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.
Luke also wrote the story of how the apostles began to teach and spread the good news after
Jesus went back to heaven. It is in Luke's book, The Acts of the Apostles, that we learn how the
Church began to grow and spread.
St. Luke is the patron saint of doctors. It is believed that he died in Greece. He is one of the four
evangelists.
Prayer to St. Luke
Most charming and saintly Physician, you were animated by the heavenly Spirit of love. In
faithfully detailing the humanity of Jesus, you also showed his divinity and his genuine
compassion for all human beings. Inspire our physicians with your professionalism and with
the divine compassion for their patients. Enable them to cure the ills of both body and spirit
that afflict so many in our day. Amen.
October 21: First Anniversary of the Canonizations of St. Marianne Cope and St. Kateri
Tekakwitha, Two North American Saints from New York
October 22: Blessed Pope John Paul II
Born in Wadowice, Poland, Karol Jozef Wojtyla had lost his mother, father and older brother
before his 21st birthday. Karol’s promising academic career at Krakow’s Jagiellonian University
was cut short by the outbreak of World War II. While working in a quarry and a chemical
factory, he enrolled in an “underground” seminary in Kraków. Ordained in 1946, he was
immediately sent to Rome where he earned a doctorate in theology.
Back in Poland, a short assignment as assistant pastor in a rural parish preceded his very fruitful
chaplaincy for university students. Soon he earned a doctorate in philosophy and began
teaching that subject at Poland’s University of Lublin.
Communist officials allowed him to be appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow in 1958,
considering him a relatively harmless intellectual. They could not have been more wrong!
He attended all four sessions of Vatican II and contributed especially to its Pastoral Constitution
on the Church in the Modern World. Appointed as archbishop of Krakow in 1964, he was named
a cardinal three years later.
Elected pope in October 1978, he took the name of his short-lived, immediate predecessor.
Pope John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. In time, he made pastoral visits to
124 countries, including several with small Christian populations.
He promoted ecumenical and interfaith initiatives, especially the 1986 Day of Prayer for World
Peace in Assisi. He visited Rome’s Main Synagogue and the Western Wall in Jerusalem; he also
established diplomatic relations between the Holy See and Israel. He improved Catholic-Muslim
relations and in 2001 visited a mosque in Damascus, Syria.
The Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, a key event in John Paul’s ministry, was marked by special
celebrations in Rome and elsewhere for Catholics and other Christians. Relations with the
Orthodox Churches improved considerably during his ministry as pope.
“Christ is the center of the universe and of human history” was the opening line of his 1979
encyclical, Redeemer of the Human Race. In 1995, he described himself to the United Nations
General Assembly as “a witness to hope.”
His 1979 visit to Poland encouraged the growth of the Solidarity movement there and the
collapse of communism in central and Eastern Europe 10 years later. He began World Youth
Day and traveled to several countries for those celebrations. He very much wanted to visit
China and the Soviet Union but the governments in those countries prevented that.
One of the most well-remembered photos of his pontificate was his one-on-one conversation in
1983 with Mehmet Ali Agca, who had attempted to assassinate him two years earlier.
In his 27 years of papal ministry, John Paul wrote 14 encyclicals and five books, canonized 482
saints and beatified 1,338 people.
In the last years of his life, he suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was forced to cut back on
some of his activities.
Pope Benedict XVI beatified John Paul II on May 1, 2011, Divine Mercy Sunday. A date for his
canonization will be decided at a consistory to be held on September 30, 2013.
Prayer for the Canonization of Bl. Pope John Paul II
O Blessed Trinity,
We thank You for having graced the Church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the
tenderness of your Fatherly care, the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy
Spirit, to shine through him.
Trusting fully in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us
a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd and has shown us that holiness is the necessary
measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you.
Grant us, by his intercession, and according to Your will, the graces we implore, hoping that
he will soon be numbered among your saints.
Amen.
October 23: St. John of Capistrano
John Capistrano was born in 1386. His education was thorough. His talents and success were
great. When he was 26 he was made governor of Perugia. Imprisoned after a battle against the
Malatestas, he resolved to change his way of life completely. At the age of 30 he entered the
Franciscan novitiate and was ordained a priest four years later.
His preaching attracted great throngs at a time of religious apathy and confusion. He and 12
Franciscan brethren were received in the countries of central Europe as angels of God. They
were instrumental in reviving a dying faith and devotion.
The Franciscan Order itself was in turmoil over the interpretation and observance of the Rule of
St. Francis. Through John’s tireless efforts and his expertise in law, the heretical Fraticelli were
suppressed and the "Spirituals" were freed from interference in their stricter observance.
He helped bring about a reunion with the Greek and Armenian Churches, unfortunately only a
brief arrangement.
When the Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, he was commissioned to preach a crusade
for the defense of Europe. Gaining little response in Bavaria and Austria, he decided to
concentrate his efforts in Hungary. He led the army to Belgrade. Under the great General John
Hunyadi, they gained an overwhelming victory, and the siege of Belgrade was lifted. Worn out
by his superhuman efforts, Capistrano was an easy prey to an infection after the battle. He died
October 23, 1456.
Prayer to St. John of Capistrano
Lord, you raised up St. John of Capistrano to give your people comfort in their trials. May your
Church enjoy unending peace and be secure in your protection. Amen.
October 24: St. Anthony Claret
The "spiritual father of Cuba" was a missionary, religious founder, social reformer, queen’s
chaplain, writer and publisher, archbishop and refugee. He was a Spaniard whose work took
him to the Canary Islands, Cuba, Madrid, Paris and to the First Vatican Council.
In his spare time as weaver and designer in the textile mills of Barcelona, he learned Latin and
printing. The future priest and publisher was preparing. Ordained at 28, he was prevented by ill
health from entering religious life as a Carthusian or as a Jesuit, but went on to become one of
Spain’s most popular preachers.
He spent 10 years giving popular missions and retreats, always placing great emphasis on the
Eucharist and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Her rosary, it was said, was never out
of his hand. At 42, beginning with five young priests, he founded a religious institute of
missionaries, known today as the Claretians.
He was appointed to head the much-neglected archdiocese of Santiago in Cuba. He began its
reform by almost ceaseless preaching and hearing of confessions, and suffered bitter
opposition mainly for stamping out concubinage and giving instruction to black slaves. A hired
assassin (whose release from prison Anthony had obtained) slashed open his face and wrist.
Anthony succeeded in getting the would-be assassin’s death sentence commuted to a prison
term. His solution for the misery of Cubans was family-owned farms producing a variety of
foods for the family’s own needs and for the market. This invited the enmity of the vested
interests who wanted everyone to work on a single cash crop—sugar. Besides all his religious
writings are two books he wrote in Cuba: Reflections on Agriculture and Country Delights.
He was recalled to Spain for a job he did not relish—being chaplain for the queen. He went on
three conditions: he would reside away from the palace, he would come only to hear the
queen’s confession and instruct the children and he would be exempt from court functions. In
the revolution of 1868, he fled with the queen’s party to Paris, where he preached to the
Spanish colony.
All his life Anthony was interested in the Catholic press. He founded the Religious Publishing
House, a major Catholic publishing venture in Spain, and wrote or published 200 books and
pamphlets.
At Vatican I, where he was a staunch defender of the doctrine of infallibility, he won the
admiration of his fellow bishops. Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore remarked of him, "There goes a
true saint." At the age of 63, he died in exile near the border of Spain.
Prayer to St. Anthony Claret
St. Anthony Mary Claret,
during your life on earth
you often comforted the afflicted
and showed such tender love
and compassion for the sick and sinful.
Intercede for me now
that you rejoice in the reward
of your virtues in heavenly glory.
Look with pity on me
(or on the person afflicted or whose conversion is desired)
and grant my prayer,
if such be the will of God.
Make my troubles your own.
Speak a word for me
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
to obtain by her powerful intercession
the grace I yearn for so ardently,
and a blessing to strengthen me during life,
assist me at the hour of death,
and lead me to a happy eternity. Amen
October 28: Sts. Simon and Jude
Jude is so named by Luke and Acts. Matthew and Mark call him Thaddeus. He is not mentioned
elsewhere in the Gospels, except, of course, where all the apostles are mentioned. Scholars
hold that he is not the author of the Letter of Jude. Actually, Jude had the same name as Judas
Iscariot. Evidently because of the disgrace of that name, it was shortened to "Jude" in English.
Simon is mentioned on all four lists of the apostles. On two of them he is called "the Zealot."
The Zealots were a Jewish sect that represented an extreme of Jewish nationalism. For them,
the messianic promise of the Old Testament meant that the Jews were to be a free and
independent nation. God alone was their king, and any payment of taxes to the Romans—the
very domination of the Romans—was a blasphemy against God. No doubt some of the Zealots
were the spiritual heirs of the Maccabees, carrying on their ideals of religion and independence.
But many were the counterparts of modern terrorists. They raided and killed, attacking both
foreigners and "collaborating" Jews. They were chiefly responsible for the rebellion against
Rome which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Prayer to Sts. Simon and Jude
O God, we thank you for the glorious company of the apostles, and especially on this day for
Simon and Jude; and we pray that, as they were faithful and zealous in their mission, so we
may with ardent devotion make known the love and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
October 30: St. Alphonsus Rodriguez
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.
Prayer on the Feast of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez
O God, in the faithful service of our brother Alphonsus You have shown us the way to joy and
peace. Make us ready and watchful companions of Jesus, who became the servant of all, and
now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
October 31st: Halloween
Here is an idea to use in the classes on Halloween so that the children may see the connection
between the sacred and the secular.
Candle Blessing
Whenever an opportunity arises to combine the sacred and the secular to enrich your students'
faith, take advantage of it. Halloween provides just such an opportunity. Children have horrible,
unspoken fears about "things that go bump in the night." This occasion is a perfect time to
teach the simple gospel truth that the light does indeed outshine the darkness.
Ask each child to bring a candle to class. Clean out the inside of a large pumpkin. Carve a smiling
face on the pumpkin. Talk about the joy of laughing together. Tell students that smiles, laughter
and joy are simple gifts that God gives us to erase sadness and fear. Ask them how they feel
when they see a scary pumpkin. How do they feel when they look at this smiling one? Decide
together which one is the most like God. Then share with the class the wonder that each of us
has within us the power to be a light just like Jesus. We become a light that can erase hatred,
evil, pain and sadness. The light in us is just like Jesus' light. Put a large candle in your smiling
jack-o-lantern. Darken the room if possible. Watch the flame as it fills the pumpkin and lights
the room. Notice how much more intense the smile becomes with the light shining through.
Ask children to hold their candles in front of them while you say this blessing:
God who created pumpkins and people,
bless our beautiful Halloween light.
This light reminds us that Jesus is the light of the world.
Jesus shines through the darkness
and turns the night into day,
sadness into joy,
hate into love
and tears into smiles.
Bless the candles that we hold.
Let them be a reminder that we are your candles
lighting up the smiles and hearts of our friends and family.
Bless the happy pumpkins we will carve for our candles,
that everyone who sees them might never be afraid of the darkness
because your wonderful light is with us.
Please keep in your prayers the Holy Father’s intentions for the month of October:
 People in Despair. That those feeling so crushed by life that they wish to end it may
sense the nearness of God's love.
 World Mission Day. That the celebration of World Mission Day may help all Christians
realize that we are not only receivers but proclaimers of God's word.