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Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: St Bonaventure Enters the Franciscan Order | Francisco de Herrera the Elder Blessed John of Parma Saint of the Day for March 21 (1209–1289)  Blessed John of Parma’s Story The seventh general minister of the Franciscan Order, John was known for his attempts to bring back the earlier spirit of the Order after the death of Saint Francis of Assisi.He was born in Parma, Italy, in 1209. It was when he was a young philosophy professor known for his piety and learning that God called him to bid good-bye to the world he was...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: The blessed Salvator à Horta of the Franciscan order | Etching | Wellcome Images Saint Salvator of Horta Saint of the Day for March 20 (1520 – March 18, 1567)  Saint Salvator of Horta’s Story A reputation for holiness does have some drawbacks. Public recognition can be a nuisance at times—as the confreres of Salvator found out.Salvator was born during Spain’s Golden Age. Art, politics, and wealth were flourishing. So was religion. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Society of Jesus in 1540.Salvator’s parents were poor. At the age of 21, he entered the Franciscans...

March 20, 2017 Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary Reading 1 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16The LORD spoke to Nathan and said:"Go, tell my servant David,'When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,and I will make his kingdom firm.It is he who shall build a house for my name.And I will make his royal throne firm forever.I will be a father to him,and he shall be a son to me.Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;your throne shall stand...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: The Dream of St. Joseph | Anton Raphael Mengs Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary Saint of the Day for March 19  Saint Joseph’s Story The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man. The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts.When the Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone, it means that God, the all-holy or “righteous” one, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in God’s own holiness, and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or her. In other words, God is...

March 19, 2017 Third Sunday of Lent Reading 1 Ex 17:3-7In those days, in their thirst for water,the people grumbled against Moses,saying, "Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?"So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people?a little more and they will stone me!"The LORD answered Moses,"Go over there in front of the people, along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river.I will...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Detail | Stained glass of Saints Cyril of Jerusalem & Bernard of Clairvaux | Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Dayton, Ohio | photo by Nheyob Saint Cyril of Jerusalem Saint of the Day for March 18 (c. 315 – March 18, 386)  Saint Cyril of Jerusalem’s Story The crises that the Church faces today may seem minor when compared with the threat posed by the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ and almost overcame Christianity in the fourth century. Cyril was to be caught up in the controversy, accused of Arianism...

March 18, 2017 Saturday of the Second Week of Lent Reading 1 Mi 7:14-15, 18-20Shepherd your people with your staff,the flock of your inheritance,That dwells apart in a woodland,in the midst of Carmel.Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,as in the days of old;As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,show us wonderful signs. Who is there like you, the God who removes guiltand pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;Who does not persist in anger forever,but delights rather in clemency,And will again have compassion on us,treading underfoot our guilt?You will cast into the...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Sculpture of Saint Patrick of Ireland | Saint Augustine church, Baden-Württemberg, Germany | photo by Reinhardhauke Saint Patrick Saint of the Day for March 17 (c. 386 – 461)  Saint Patrick’s Story Legends about Patrick abound; but truth is best served by our seeing two solid qualities in him: He was humble and he was courageous. The determination to accept suffering and success with equal indifference guided the life of God’s instrument for winning most of Ireland for Christ.Details of his life are uncertain. Current research places his dates of birth and death a...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Statue of Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer near Church of the Visitation of Our Lady in Hluboké Mašůvky, Znojmo District | photo by Jiří Sedláček Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer Saint of the Day for March 16 (December 26, 1751 – March 15, 1820)  Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer’s Story Clement might be called the second founder of the Redemptorists, as it was he who carried the congregation of Saint Alphonsus Liguori to the people north of the Alps.John, the name given him at Baptism, was born in Moravia into a poor family, the ninth of 12...

March 17, 2017 Friday of the Second Week of Lent Reading 1 Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28aIsrael loved Joseph best of all his sons,for he was the child of his old age;and he had made him a long tunic.When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons,they hated him so much that they would not even greet him. One day, when his brothers had goneto pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem.Get ready; I will send you to them." So Joseph went after...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac | Relief in Saint Vincent’s chapel in the church of San Carlo al Corso church in Milan | sculpture by Giovanni Pandiani Saint Louise de Marillac Saint of the Day for March 15 (August 12, 1591 – March 15, 1660)  Saint Louise de Marillac’s Story Born near Meux, France, Louise lost her mother when she was still a child, her beloved father when she was but 15. Her desire to become a nun was discouraged by her confessor, and a marriage was arranged. One son...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Saint Maximilian Saint of the Day for March 14 (274 – March 12, 295)  Saint Maximilian’s Story We have an early, precious, almost unembellished account of the martyrdom of Saint Maximilian in modern-day Algeria.Brought before the proconsul Dion, Maximilian refused enlistment in the Roman army saying, “I cannot serve, I cannot do evil. I am a Christian.”Dion replied: “You must serve or die.”Maximilian: “I will never serve. You can cut off my head, but I will not be a soldier of this world, for I am a soldier of Christ. My army is the army...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Detail | Saints Leander and Isidore | © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro Saint Leander of Seville Saint of the Day for March 13 (c. 534 – March 13, 600 or 601)  Saint Leander of Seville’s Story The next time you recite the Nicene Creed at Mass, think of today’s saint. For it was Leander of Seville who, as bishop, introduced the practice in the sixth century. He saw it as a way to help reinforce the faith of his people and as an antidote against the heresy of Arianism, which denied the divinity of...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Portrait of Aniela Salawa in the Franciscan church in Krakow | photo by Miezian Blessed Angela Salawa Saint of the Day for March 12 (September 9, 1881 – March 12, 1922)  Blessed Angela Salawa’s Story Angela served Christ and Christ’s little ones with all her strength.Born in Siepraw, near Kraków, Poland, she was the 11th child of Bartlomiej and Ewa Salawa. In 1897, she moved to Kraków where her older sister Therese lived. Angela immediately began to gather together and instruct young women domestic workers. During World War I, she helped prisoners of war...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Saint John Ogilvie study | © Peter Howson Saint John Ogilvie Saint of the Day for March 11 (1579 – March 10, 1615)  Saint John Ogilvie’s Story John Ogilvie’s noble Scottish family was partly Catholic and partly Presbyterian. His father raised him as a Calvinist, sending him to the continent to be educated. There, John became interested in the popular debates going on between Catholic and Calvinist scholars. Confused by the arguments of Catholic scholars whom he sought out, he turned to Scripture. Two texts particularly struck him: “God wills all men to be...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Stained glass of Saint Dominic Savio in the Fatima Chapel | Langen near Brekenz, Austria | photo by Reinhard Müller Saint Dominic Savio Saint of the Day for March 10 (April 2, 1842 – March 9, 1857)  Saint Dominic Savio’s Story So many holy persons seem to die young. Among them was Dominic Savio, the patron of choirboys.Born into a peasant family at Riva, Italy, young Dominic joined Saint John Bosco as a student at the Oratory in Turin at the age of 12. He impressed Don Bosco with his desire to be a...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Frances of Rome giving alms | Giovanni Battista Gaulli Saint Frances of Rome Saint of the Day for March 9 (1384 – March 9, 1440) Saint Frances of Rome’s Story Frances’ life combines aspects of secular and religious life. A devoted and loving wife, she longed for a lifestyle of prayer and service, so she organized a group of women to minister to the needs of Rome’s poor.Born of wealthy parents, Frances found herself attracted to the religious life during her youth. But her parents objected and a young nobleman was selected to be...

Fr. Don Miller, OFM Image: Statue of John of God in Rome | photo by Livioandronico2013 Saint John of God Saint of the Day for March 8 ( March 8, 1495 – March 8, 1550)  Saint John of God’s Story Having given up active Christian belief while a soldier, John was 40 before the depth of his sinfulness began to dawn on him. He decided to give the rest of his life to God’s service, and headed at once for Africa where he hoped to free captive Christians and, possibly, be martyred.He was soon advised that his desire for...

March 9, 2017 Thursday of the First Week in Lent Reading 1 Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,had recourse to the LORD.She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids, from morning until evening, and said:"God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you. Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,for I am taking my life in my hand.As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathersthat you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.Now help me, who am alone...

ST. JOHN OF GOD: THE WAIF—1495-1550 Few people in this world who have made any name for themselves in any sphere began life under such adverse conditions as did St. John of God. He was born in Montemayor-el-Novo, in Portugal, in 1495. His parents were respectable, but not of the richest class; they looked upon their only son as the chief treasure they possessed. But they were not to possess him long. One day, when John was eight years of age, he disappeared. Whether he had been deliberately kidnapped, or whether he had been seduced from his home by...