Blessed James Duckett

Blessed James Duckett was born in the 16th century in the English Lake District.  He was raised Protestant. As a young man, he moved to London to become an apprentice to a book printer. There, a friend lent him a Catholic book, The Foundation of the Catholic Religion, which led to his conversion to Catholicism, which was banned at the time.

Twice he was arrested for failing to attend Protestant services. Both times his employer interceded and got him out, but he then asked Duckett to leave. He went on to make a living as a tailor. In 1590, he married Anne, a Catholic widow. They had one son, who would later go on to join a Carthusian monastery and become the abbot.

Duckett used his skills as a tailor and a printer to support the underground Catholic Church. He made vestments and altar linens for priests, and he printed illegal copies of Catholic literature. He was arrested several times for printing and distributing Catholic literature. He spent nine out of twelve years of his marriage in prison.

In 1601, a bookbinder, Peter Bullock, who had been arrested himself, turned in Duckett in order to obtain his own release. However, the plan of betrayal did not work, and Bullock and Ducket were taken to their executions at Tyburn in the same cart on April 19, 1601. Upon arrival at Tyburn, where Catholic martyrs and other criminals were killed, Duckett forgave Bullock and urged him to accept the Catholic faith. He did not.

James Duckett was hanged on April 19, 1601. He is a patron of booksellers and publishers.

Our Lady of Africa in Ceuta

Ceuta city has a fascinating history as the crossroads between Europe and Africa, and it has come up a few times in the past week through reading a book about Al-Andalus and in current events. A small peninsula off the African coast that juts into the Atlantic and Mediterranean, Ceuta has had a presence since the time of the Phoenicians. It fell under the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate in the 700s, when Muslims moved through North Africa and conquered a large portion of the Iberian peninsula. The division between Africa and Europe was less distinct. The Umayyads were known for their pluralist society of science of arts, where Muslims, Christians, and Jews intermingled freely. After the fall of the caliphate, it fell under various Muslim rulers who were more restrictive with the Christian and Jewish populations.

Then, in 1415, Portugal conquered Ceuta. King John I gave a statue of Our Lady holding the crucified Christ to the city. This statue became known as Our Lady of Africa or Our Lady of Ceuta. A few years later, Prince Henry the Navigator, who participated in the conquest, sent a sacred image/statue to the city to consecrate the continent to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Portuguese conquest shifted Ceuta’s position from a northern post for Muslim, African rulers to reach Europe to a southern port for Christian European rulers to stage further expansion into Africa.

The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus

The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus were a group of youths in 250 who faced persecution. According to the legend, seven young men were accused of following Christianity. Instead of recanting the faith, and knowing they would face death, they gave away their possessions to the poor and went away to a cave to pray. The seven young men (and their dog) fell asleep. Rather than going in and pulling the men out, the emperor ordered the cave be sealed up, thus sealing the fate of the men inside.

However, almost 200 years later in 447, a local landowner opened up the sealed cave, hoping to use the space as a cattle pen. He found the young men inside, awake, and thinking only a day had passed. They sent of their number down into Ephesus to buy food. Upon entering the city, the man was surprised to see Christianity openly practiced, with crosses on buildings. In turn, the townspeople were surprised to find a man trying to buy food with coins from the reign of Decius.

The bishop summoned the men and questioned them, determining they instead were the men thought martyred two centuries earlier, miraculously spared.

St. Pantaleon

Pantaleon was born in 275 in Nicomedia, Turkey to a wealthy pagan father and Christian mother. Though his mother raised him in the faith, he fell away from the Church after she died. He studied medicine under Euphrosinos, who was widely well-known and was able to get Pantaleon a position as the emperor Maximian’s physician.

The bishop of Nicomedia, Hermolaus, met with Pantaleon and convinced him to come back to the Church after convincing him that Christ was the ultimate physician. Pantaleon realized that worldly knowledge did not compare to spiritual truth. Hermolaus supposedly asked him, “"But, my friend, of what use are all thy acquirements in this art [medicine], since thou art ignorant of the science of salvation?”

Upon his conversion, he freed his slaves and distributed his wealth to the poor. He not only continued his practice of medicine but also miraculously healed a blind man and paralytic.

Colleagues, jealous of Pantaleon’s position, turned him in during the Diocletian persecution. He refused to recant the faith and was sentenced to death. But killing him turned out to be a great task.

St. Richard of Chichester

Richard of Chichester, also known as Richard de Wych, was born in 1197 in Worcestershire. He came from a noble family, but because his eldest brother was too young to inherit the estate when they were orphaned, the siblings struggled for many years. Richard was orphaned at a young age. He studied at Oxford, Paris, and Bologna, becoming a canon lawyer. He became chancellor of Canterbury.

Richard was said to live an extremely frugal, ascetic life. He wore a hair shirt and regularly abstained from meat. He refused to eat off silver.

Around 1240, Richard became a priest. In 1244 he was elected bishop of Chichester, but King Henry III refused to accept him, preferring another man. Both sides appealed to the pope, and the king confiscated the diocese’s properties. Pope Innocent IV sided with Richard and consecrated him a bishop at Lyons in 1245. But Henry refused to restore the confiscated properties for years until he was threatened with excommunication.

As bishop, Richard strongly condemned usury and corruption. He supported clerical reforms; he wanted clergy to uphold manners and morals, and he wanted greater reverence of the Mass. He believed priests shouldn’t mumble the prayers, praying sincerely and clearly enough for the laity to understand.

Blessed Imelda Lambertini

Imelda Lambertini was born in 1322 in Bologna, Italy, the only child to devout parents. At age five, Imelda asked to receive the Eucharist. At the time, children did not receive First Communion until age 14. Her desire never waned. By age nine, she still longed for the Eucharist and asked to join a convent. She was sent to live with Dominican nuns, though due to her age, she could not take any vows.

On May 12, 1333, the feast of the Ascension, she was kneeling in prayer when a light and an image of a host appeared above her head. The sacristan, who witnessed the event, called for the priest. Upon seeing the vision, the priest felt compelled to give Imelda Communion.

After receiving the Eucharist, Imelda returned to her spot and continued in prayer. When a nun came by later to get her for dinner, Imelda was still kneeling with a smile on her face. When the nun called her name, she did not move. When the nun touched her shoulder, she collapsed on the floor, dead.

Her spiritual writings and the story of her determined desire for the Eucharist gained popularity among Dominicans and those preparing for First Communion.

Blessed Imelda Lambertini is on the path to canonization as a saint. Her feast day is May 12. She is a patron for First Communicants.

St. Marculf

St. Marculf was born in the Bayeux region of Normandy around 500. Around age 30 he became a priest and missionary around Normandy and Jersey. But he desired to live as a hermit and was granted land to build a monastery in Nanteuil. He was known as a pious leader and miracle-worker.

St. Marculf died on May 1, 558 one of two small islands off the coast of Normandy, now named the Îles Saint-Marcouf.

After his death, he became known as an intercessor for those with skin diseases. His relics were transferred to Corbeny, near Reims, where they were used in the coronation of kings. It was said that kings, with use of his relics, could heal “the king’s evil” (the skin condition scrofula) by touch. Pilgrims would bathe in the natural springs near his shrine.

St. Marculf is a patron of those suffering with skin disease. His feast day is May 1.

St. Maria Crescentia Höss

Anna Höss was born Oct. 20, 1682 in Bavaria. Her father was a weaver, and the family had little money. Anna trained to be a weaver as well. She wanted to join the local Tertiary Franciscan convent, but the family could not pay the expected dowery. The convent was in financial straits and depended on local patrons and doweries of novices.

The mayor of Kaufbeuren, a Protestant, donated a building to the convent. In compensation, he asked that Anna be accepted as a candidate. Even as a Protestant, he recognized Anna’s piety and knew she would be a benefit to the convent. She was admitted in June of 1703 and took the name Maria Crescentia.

However, the community resented Anna’s admittance, considering her a “parasite,” who did not financially contribute. She was treated poorly and given the most menial tasks. She did not have a cell of her own and has to ask other sisters to sleep in the corner of their cells.

In 1707 a new superior was elected who was more sympathetic to Maria Crescentia. Maria Crescentia began receiving better assignments, eventually becoming mistress of novices in 1717. She became known both in and out of the convent for her wisdom and good advice.

In 1741 she became the mother superior. She cultivated deep devotions in the convent, telling sisters that “God wants the monastery rich in virtue, not in temporal goods.”

In her final years, she suffered great pain in her body, slowly losing mobility. St. Maria Crescentia died on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1744. Her feast day is April 5, though due to Easter falling on the same day this year, her feast is celebrated on April 6.

St. Gerolamo Emiliani

Gerolamo Emiliani was born in 1486 in Venice. At age 15, he ran away to join the army. While defending a fortress in the mountains of Treviso, he was taken prisoner after all but three other soldiers abandoned the post. Though not particularly religious before, in prison he began to pray.

One month late, he was able to escape, and he attributed his escape to Mary’s intersession. He claimed a woman clothed in white appeared and handed him the keys to unlock his chains and the door of the prison tower. He even made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Treviso and left his prisoner’s chains there.
He served the army for a few more years. In 1516, he returned to Venine to help supervise his nephews and nieces, who had been orphaned. He also spent time studying theology and doing works of charity. He began caring for the city’s poor and sick, particularly orphans. He ran the hospital for incurables. He also travelled around northern Italy encouraging other cities to build hospitals and orphanages.

He found community in meetings with members of the Community of Divine Love, a lay apostolate dedicated to the poor, the sick, and the union of hearts. Some accounts say that Gerolamo was ordained, while others suggest that he wasn’t. However, he begin to work with two priests, and together, they began to plan a religious community based on Gerolamo’s charity, also probably influenced by the Community of Divine Love.

In 1532 Gerolamo founded the Congregation of Regular Clerics in Somasca, a small town between Milan and Bergamo. The principal work of the community was care for orphans, poor, and sick. The members of the order became known as Somachi or Somascans.

In 1537, Gerolamo contracted the plague while assisting the inflicted during an epidemic. He died on Feb. 8, 1537. He is the patron of orphaned and abandoned children. His feast day is Feb. 8. The Somascans still care for orphans all around the world. 

St. Lidwina of Schiedam

St. Lidwina of Schiedam was born April 18, 1380 in Holland. When she was 15, she fell while ice skating and broke a rib. She became progressively disabled for the rest of her life. She first developed difficulty walking and headaches. By 19, both her legs were paralyzed and her vision blurred. It is said that she slowly became paralyzed all over except for her left hand, leading some to speculate that she had multiple sclerosis.

After her injury, Lidwina fasted and prayed regularly and became known as a healer.

Locals claimed that she ate very little food, rarely slept, and that she shed parts of her body which were collected in a jar by her parents and that the jar gave off a sweet odor. Near the end of her life, she had mystical visons. Her life is an example of how anyone, in any condition, can lead a holy life and inspire others.

Lidwina died on April 14, 1433. She is the patron of the chronically ill and ice skaters. Her feast day is April 14.

St. Laurence O'Toole

St. Lorcán Ua Tuathail, or Laurence O'Toole, was born the youngest son of a king in County Kildare around 1128. At the age of 10, Laurence was sent as a hostage to another king in South Leinster. For two years he was imprisoned and given little food. During this time, Laurence began desiring to enter into religious life.

The abbot of the monastery in Glenalough helped restore relations between the two kings. Laurence was released, and he went to Glenalough. By the time he was 26, he become the abbot of the monastery. He desired to strengthen the bonds between Irish Catholicism and Rome, combining the best of the Gaelic and Frankish-European movements. He invited Augustinian canons from France to help reform Glenalough and wound up joining the Augustinian order himself.

In 1162, and the age of just 32, Laurence became bishop of Dublin. He was elected unanimously at the Synod of Clane. He continued his work of reform, repaired several church buildings, and promoted the use of Gregorian chant. He invited the Augustinians to the cathedral in order to assist in spiritual formation for the diocesan priests. He was also known for helping the poor, offering daily food and establishing orphanages in Dublin.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary

Who is Mary?

The mother of Jesus has long drawn people closer to her Son, but she has also caused a lot of controversy, especially between Catholics and Protestants disagreeing how much praise this holy, human woman deserves. When does appreciation become veneration? When does veneration become worship? How far is too far, and how little is not enough?

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith recently released a doctrinal note, “Mater Populi Fidelis” (“Mother of the Faithful People of God”) clarifying the Church’s position on Mary. It discouraged using the titles “co-redemptrix” and “co-mediatrix” noting that such titles caused confusion for many. The titles have been used, unofficially, for several decades, without formal approval and without clear definition of what they mean. This has caused arguments over implications of Mary’s role in salvation history.

“Co-redemptrix,” the note said, “carries the risk of eclipsing the exclusive role of Jesus Christ” in salvation.

“Co-mediatrix” could imply that Mary could somehow mediate the grace that she herself received and should not be used in a way that casts doubt on “the unique mediation of Jesus Christ, true God and true man.”

St. John Henry Newman

Pope Leo has announced that St. John Henry Newman will become a Doctor of the Church. This is a big honor, as there are only 38 Doctors of the Church. He will be the second Doctor of the Church from England, after St. Bede. Newman produced a large amount of theological works over his lifetime, tracing his personal religious journey as well as religious movements of the nineteenth century. Newman once defined theology as "the Science of God, or the truths we know about God, put into a system, just as we have a science of the stars and call it astronomy, or of the crust of the earth and call it geology." Pope Leo has found Newman’s works as a significant contribution to the Church. His most influential work is considered to be “An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine,” which explored how the application of Christian doctrine may change over time, given time and place, even as the core truths of the faith stay the same. This was considered an influential document during the Second Vatican Council.

John Henry Newman was born in London in 1801. The son of a banker, he received a good education and was a big reader. When he was 15, a friend gave him books on the Calvinist tradition, and Newman converted to Calvinist evangelicalism. He later credited the conversion as important to his religious journey, although his views on Calvinism quickly shifted. After graduating from Oxford, he became a priest in the Church of England. He also continued to teach and research at Oriel College in Oxford.

In 1828 he became vicar of St. Mary’s University Church. He studied the Church Fathers deeply, and his views took a stronger, higher ecclesiastical tone. In 1830 he circulated an anonymous letter on how nonconformists should be removed from positions of power in society. This led to him being dismissed from his position.

St. Aubert of Avranches

St. Aubert was born in the late 7th century into a noble family in France. Known for wisdom and piety, he eventually became bishop of the Diocese of Avranches in northwest France. 

Legend says that round 708, Aubert had a vision in which St. Michael instructed him to build an oratory out on a tidal island nearby. He did not pay attention to the vision at first, doubting its authenticity. Michael appeared a second time, and again, Aubert hesitated to believe it a true vision. Michael appeared a third time, this time poking Aubert in the head, ordering him to build the oratory. Where Michael touched him, Aubert was left with a hole in his skull.

Aubert set to work building the oratory out on the rocky island. It would eventually become Mont Saint-Michel, now the most visited place in France outside of Paris. It was dedicated on Oct. 16, 709. It became, and still is, a popular pilgrim site. 

As a tidal island, Mont Saint-Michel is accessible during low tide but surrounded by water during high tides. It has been used as a monastery as well as a fort and prison over its long history. For most of the monastery’s history, it was run by Benedictines. Since 2001, a small community of monks and nuns of the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem have been living there as tenants of the office for national monuments. 

Mont Saint-Michel is part of the “Sword of St. Michael,” a series of seen places in Europe dedicated to the archangel that create a straight line from Ireland to the Holy Land: Skellig Michael (Ireland), St Michael's Mount (England), Mont Saint-Michel (France), Sacra di San Michele (Italy), Monte Sant’Angelo (Italy), Santo Monasterio di Taxiarchi Michail (Greece), and Monastero Stella Maris del Monte Carmelo (Mount Carmel, Holy Land)

St. Aubert died in 720 and was initially buried at the oratory. His feast day is Sept. 10. 

Saints for the Modern Youth

Yesterday was the canonization of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Carlo Acutis. Although their canonizations were originally scheduled separately, the death of Pope Francis caused a delay in Acutis’ canonization. However, I think it’s very appropriate that they share a canonization ceremony. Both are been role models for young, passionate believers in the modern world. This was also the first canonization overseen by Pope Leo XIV.  

Pier Giorgio Frassati was born April 6, 1901 to a wealthy family in Turin, Italy. His father was a newspaper owner and also served in Italian politics, even serving as ambassador to Italy. His mother was a painter. From an early age Frassati showed concern for the poor and a desire for charity.

Although his father was agnostic, Frassati was baptized and confirmed into the Church. He attended a Jesuit school. As he grew older, he spoke out against fascism; he was arrested in Rome in 1921 while protesting alongside the Young Catholic Workers Congress. He joined Catholic Action and the St. Vincent de Paul Society and became a third order Dominican.

He often said: “Charity is not enough; we need social reform.” Inspired by Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, he helped establish the newspaper Memento, and he continued to serve and advocate for the poor.

St. Hilarion

St. Hilarion, also called Thavata of Gaza, was born in Palestine in 291 to pagan parents. He grew up speaking both Greek and Aramaic. He was sent to Alexandria for school, where he learned of the hermit St. Anthony of Egypt. Hilarion converted to Christianity and went out and studied asceticism under Anthony. Hilarion found Anthony’s popularity too much to bear, as visitors came to him often, seeking healing. Hilarion moved to the wilderness of Palestine to live as a hermit.

He did go to Jerusalem on one occasion to venerate the holy sites; he spent most of his life in the Gazan wilderness. In 308 he built a hermitage where he lived in solitude for 22 years. He reported to have struggled with lustful desires and fought the temptation by mortification, fasting, and labor. Around 330, a woman sought him out for healing. After that, his popularity as a hermit healer grew. He is said to have healed, drove out demons, prophesied, and performed miracles.

As there were no monasteries in the region at the time, Hilarion gained followers who sought him out for spiritual instruction. One follower, Epiphanius, went on to establish monasticism in Cyprus. At some point between 337 and 356, Hilarion established a monastery in Gaza. After the death of St. Anthony of Egypt, Hilarion went out to his place in Egypt in order to escape the crowds that had gathered around him (much like they had with Anthony years earlier).

When the pagan Julian became emperor, Hilarion, because of his popularity, faced imprisonment. He fled to Sicily then Cyprus, where he was taken in by Epiphanius. He died in 371. His feast day is Oct. 21.

St. Avitus of Vienne

Alcimus Ecdicius Avitus was born in Vienne, Gaul around 450. His father was the bishop of Vienne. At the time, episcopal honors were usually handed down through the family like noble titles. Around 490, Avitus was ordained the bishop of Vienne.

In 499, the Franks and Burgundians were at war. Vienne was taken by the Burgundians. Avitus was able to meet with both Gundobad of the Burgundians and Clovis of the Franks. Avitus seems to have had a skill for negotiating, because he also oversaw a conference between Catholic and Arian bishops at that time. Gundobad, being in the region, witnessed the bishops’ conference. Avitus and the Catholic bishops won over Gundobad and his son, Sigismund, who converted. Clovis also converted to Christianity. Avitus was known for working hard to unify fractions of the Church—Arian and Catholic, Eastern and Western.

Avitus was also a skilled writer. He wrote numerous letters and poems. His rhetoric was studied in schools in Gaul in the 4th and 5th centuries, and he is considered to be one of the influences on Milton. His letters provide rich source material for Merovingian history, including the accounts of the Burgundian and Frankish kings’ conversions.

St. Avitus died sometime between 517 and 519. His feast day is Feb. 5.

More Than a Few Good Men

Today is the feast of St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, foster father of Jesus, protector of the Church, terror of demons. My devotion to St. Joseph has grown over the years. He’s such a role model of good masculinity—supportive, loving, steady, strong without being overbearing. I love how he's often shown carrying the child Jesus, an active and attentive father. 

Toxic masculinity is present in so many arenas these days. I’m not going to try to analyze what led us here. But there is a large, loud culture that praises bullying, distains women, and places value in material conquests. It baffles me that so many find the leaders and influencers of this movement appealing. Their over-charged, steroid-fueled bravado looks like weak posturing to me.

Men who are actually strong and comfortable with themselves have no need to study how to be a “real man” or publicly proclaim their own masculinity. Joseph never said a word in the Bible. He doesn’t need to.

St. Agostina Pietrantoni

Livia Pietrantoni was born March 27, 1864 to a poor family of farmers in Italy. At a young age, she did manual labor for road construction and harvested olives. In 1886 she travelled to Rome with an uncle who was a priest in hopes of joining a religious order. Her first inquiry with the Sisters of Divine Charity was declined, but she was later accepted. Upon joining the congregation, she adopted the name Agostina.

As a sister, she worked as a nurse in the Santo Spirito Hospital. She worked on the tuberculosis ward, ultimately contracted the disease herself. She recovered and continued to work with the tuberculosis patients. On one occasion, she confiscated a knife from a patient named Giuseppe Romanelli, who in turn attacked and beat her. She reassured her sisters that she could continue to work. When his mother would visit him, Sister Agostina made a point of welcoming her.

Romanelli was eventually expelled from the hospital for harassing the women who worked in the hospital laundry. After being expelled, he continued to harass Sister Agostina. He sent her obscenities and death threats. On Nov. 12, 1894 her sisters, worried for safety, requested she take time off, but Sister Agostina refused to quit and continued her work. Romanelli entered the hospital and attacked her the next morning, stabbing her to death. As she lay dying of her wounds, she forgave her killer.

St. Agostina Pietrantoni is a patron saint for nurses, abuse victims, and against poverty. Her feast day is Nov. 13.

Sts. Galaction and Episteme

St. Galaction was born in the third century in Emesa, in what is now Syria. His parents were a wealthy couple who had once been pagan. Childless, they converted to Christianity after meeting a travelling preacher who told them that God would hear their prayers and grant them a child. Galaction was conceived and born after their conversion.

He wanted to be monk, but his parents wanted him to marry and inherit the family estate. They betrothed him to Episteme, a pagan from another wealthy family. During their engagement, Galaction visited Episteme; over time he converted her and her servant to Christianity. The couple ran away together to live religious lives. Galaction joined a monastery, and Episteme joined an abbey.

In 251, persecution of Christians rose. Galaction was sentenced to death. When she heard the news, Episteme went to his side and was martyred with him.

Their feast day is Nov. 5