Blessed Benvenuta Bojani

Oct 292009
 

Memorial

Profile

Youngest of seven daughters. Refused to play any childhood games that smacked of worldliness or vanity; by age twelve she was voluntarily wearing hair shirts and a rope belt. As she grew, the rope began to cut into her; it had to be removed, but was too embedded to be untied. She prayed over it, and it fell to her feet.

Dominican tertiary as a very young woman. Lived her entire life at home, practicing extreme austerities. Confined to her bed for five years with a serious illness, she had to be carried to daily Mass. During a Mass on the eve of the feast of Saint Dominic de Guzman, the saint appeared to her, and later in the liturgy, she was miraculously healed.

Visionary who had visits from both angels and demons; she could banish the demons by mentioning the name of Our Lady. However, hard life or no, sickness or no, visions and demonic oppression or no, she was known to be always cheerful and confident in God.

Born

Died

Beatified

Representation

  • holding a length of rope

Prayers

Lord, you gave Blessed Benvenuta the gifts of penance, prayer and humility. Through self-denial and contemplation on heavenly things may we too live in the Spirit and find rest and glory in you, the one God. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. - General Calendar of the Order of Preachers

Additional Information

MLA Citation

  • “Blessed Benvenuta Bojani”. Saints.SQPN.com. 11 August 2010. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-benvenuta-bojani/>

Blessed Clare Agolanti of Rimini

Oct 182009
 

Also known as

  • Chiara Agolanti
  • Clare of Rimini

Memorial

Profile

Born to the nobility. Married twice, she spent most of her time in dissolute, sinful pleasures. When her father and brother were executed in civil disturbances, Clare changed her life completely. She became a Franciscan tertiary and founded a convent, though she never became a nun. In an attempt to make up for her earlier life, she practiced penances that were considered extreme even by 14th century standards.

Born

Died

Beatified

Additional Information

Blessed Jane Soderini

Aug 162009
 

Memorial

Profile

Spiritual student of Saint Juliana Falconieri. Servite tertiary.

Born

Died

  • 1367 of natural causes

Beatified

Additional Information

MLA Citation

  • “Blessed Jane Soderini”. Saints.SQPN.com. 15 August 2010. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-jane-soderini/>

Blessed Jerome of the Cross de Torres

Aug 122009
 

Also known as

  • Hieronymus Iyo
  • Hieronymus of the Cross
  • Jerome of the Cross
  • Jerome de Torres
  • Jerome de Torres of the Cross

Memorial

Profile

Educated at Arima, Japan. Franciscan tertiary. Ordained at Manila, Philippines. Parish priest in Japan from 1628. Arrested for his faith in 1631. Martyr.

Born

Died

Venerated

Beatified

Canonized

  • if you have information relevant the canonization of Blessed Gabriel, contact
       Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan
       2-10-10 Shiomi Koto-ku
       Tokyo 135-8585, JAPAN
          - or -
       Causa de Canonização dos Mártires do Japão
       na Estrada da Torre, 26
       1750-296 Lisboa, PORTUGAL

Additional Information

Blessed Columba of Rieti

Jun 282009
 

[Blessed Columba of Rieti]
Also known as

  • Angelella Guardagnoli
  • Colomba of Rieti

Memorial

Profile

Legend says that at her birth, angels gathered around Columba’s house to sing. During her Baptism, a dove suddenly flew down to the font. From that point on, no one used her by her given name (Angelella = little angel), but called her Columba (= dove). She was raised in a poor but pious family; her parents gave away nearly everything thing they had to people even poorer than themselves. As a small girl Columba learned to spin and sew; she and her mother repaired the clothes of the local Dominicans. Educated by Dominican nuns.

Columba quickly developed a strong devotion to Saint Catherine of Siena and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. While still in her teens she prayed about her vocation in life, and received a vision of Christ on a throne surrounded by saints. She took this as instruction to dedicate herself to God, and so she cut herself off from the world, made a private vow of chastity, and spent her time in prayer. Unbeknownst to Columba, her parents had arranged a marriage for her, but she cut off her hair and sent it to her would-be suitor, an accepted way at that time of telling him that she was devoting her life to God, not marriage.

She had the gifts of prophecy, healing, exorcism, raising the dead, and miracles. Given to ecstacies during one of which her spirit toured the Holy Lands. Dominican tertiary at age 19. Her reputation for wisdom and holiness spread throughout the region, and she was a much sought after counsellor. Some people from the city of Narni, Italy tried to kidnap her so she could be their miracle worker, but she escaped.

Following a revelation that she should leave Rieti, Italy, she walked away with no destination in mind. Along the way she was arrested in Foligno, Italy as a vagrant, but she eventually stopped and stayed in Perugia, Italy. On 1 January 1490 she and several other women took vows as a community of Dominican teritary nuns. Noted spiritual counselor to any who sought her advice. During an epidemic she worked among the sick, healing many by praying for them. She offered her own health in exchange for the city; when the general epidemic ended, she became ill, eventually recovering through the intercession of Saint Catherine of Siena. Her sanctity caused her to be persecuted by Lucrezia Borgia for years; at one point Borgia had a decree issued accusing Columba of practicing magic.

Born

Died

  • 20 May 1501 at Perguia, Italy of natural causes
  • at the moment of her death, her friend, Blessed Osanna Andreasi, saw Columba’s soul as a radiance rising to heaven
  • the whole city turned out for her funeral, which was paid for by the city fathers

Beatified

Patronage

Representation

Additional Information

Blessed Helen of Poland

Jun 142009
 

[Blessed Helen of Poland]
Also known as

  • Helen of Hungary
  • Helena
  • Iolantha
  • Joheleth
  • Jolanda
  • Jolanta
  • Jolenta
  • Yolanda of Hungary

Memorial

Profile

Born a princess, the daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary and Maria Laskaris. Niece of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, grand-niece of Saint Hedwig of Andechs, and younger sister of Blessed Cunegund of Poland, who raised her. Married to Duke Boleslas V, the devout prince of Kalishi, Pomerania; mother of three. Franciscan tertiary. Founded a Poor Clare convent in Gnesen, Poland. Widowed in 1279. She, one of her daughters, and Cunegund retired to a Poor Clare convent Cunegund had founded in Sandeck. Just before her death, Helen became superior of the convent she had founded in Gnesen.

Born

Died

Beatified

Blessed Raymond Lull

Jun 132009
 

[Blessed Raymond Lull]
Also known as

  • Doctor Illuminatus
  • Ramon Llull
  • Ramon Lull
  • Ramon Lullus
  • Raymond Lullus
  • Raymond Lully

Memorial

Profile

Seneschal, courtier and troubador at the court of King James of Aragon from about 1246. Married Blanca Picany in 1257. In 1263 he received a vision of Christ crucified, and was converted on the spot.

Franciscan tertiary. Friend of Raymond of Penyafort Worked to convert Muslims in the Iberian peninsula, and then in north Africa. He tried to interest the Vatican and assorted European royal courts in this work, travelling throughout Italy, France, England and Germany in search of support, but received little help. He learned Arabic, founded a school for Arabic study on Majorca in 1276, and encouraged the study of Arab language and culture. Travelled three times to Tunis to preach to the Muslims, but was forcibly deported.

Raymond wrote over 300 works in Latin, Arabic and Catalan on theology, logic, philosophy; wrote fiction and poetry. Known as a alchemist, he had no training in occult arts, and invented his own Christian-based concepts to explain alchemical mysteries. Reputed to have solved the “lead-into-gold” mystery; legend says he worked on it to finance missionary work. He had a small but devoted band of followers known as Lullists who continued their work after his death, though some of them drifted away from the Church in search of alchemical knowledge. His work in this area has been the source of controversy for centuries, and non-Christian occult groups have seen him as a “master” or whatever term they use.

Born

Died

Beatified

Additional Information

MLA Citation

  • “Blessed Raymond Lull”. Saints.SQPN.com. 11 August 2010. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-raymond-lull/>

Blessed Anne Marie Taigi

Jun 082009
 

[Blessed Anne Marie Taigi]
Also known as

  • Anna Maria Gesualda Antonia Taigi
  • Anna Maria Taigi
  • Anne Marie Gianetti

Memorial

Profile

Daughter Luigi Giannetti and Maria Masi. Her father was a pharmacist in Siena, Italy, but his business went bankrupt when Anna Marie was five years old. The family moved to Rome, Italy in search of work, but Luigi could only find a job as a household servant. Anne was married on 7 January 1789 to Dominico Taigi, a butler to the noble family of Chigi. She was married for 48 years, and mother of seven, two of whom died very young.

Anne Marie was always very concerned about her dress and appearance, far more than would be expected of a working class mother. Life at home was not always peaceful, Dominico could be ill-tempered and caustic, and Anne was known to have had an adulterous affair with an older man. But one day while at prayer at Saint Peter’s Cathedral, she felt a sudden strong inspiration to ignore the things of this world. She began to live a more austere life, and to listen to the Spirit. Trinitarian tertiary. She found holy spiritual directors, gave all she could to the poor, visited the sick, and counselled many of the patients at the hospital of San Giacomo of the Incurables. She worked hard to evangelize her own family, changing her husband’s demeanor, and they all regularly assembled in a small personal chapel to pray together.

As the years went on and Anne Marie devoted herself more and more to prayer, she began to receive mystical gifts, including prophecy and clairvoyance. She sometimes went into ecstacies, and received heavenly and prophetic visions. Her simple presence had a powerful effect on many, and she helped with many conversions. Counsellor to cardinals, royalty and three popes.

Because of her charismatic gifts, and her lack of concern about worldly matters, Anne was often the topic of gossip and sander, but she was the recipient of public veneration soon after her death, and her Cause for beatification began in 1863.

Born

Died

Venerated

Beatified

Canonized

Patronage

Additional Information

MLA Citation

  • “Blessed Anne Marie Taigi”. Saints.SQPN.com. 29 February 2012. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/blessed-anne-marie-taigi/>
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