May 11th - St. Francis di Girolama.
(Also known as Francis Jerome)
Born at Grottaglie, near Taranto, Italy, in 1642; died 1716; canonized in
1839. Francis was the oldest of 11 children. Once he had received his
first
communion at age 12, he was received into the house of some secular
priests.
Recognizing his intelligence, the fathers promoted him to teaching
catechism, and he received the tonsure at 16. He accompanied one of his
brothers to Naples. While his brother wanted to study under an eminent
painter, Francis went to learn canon and civil law. In 1666, he was
ordained
a priest under a special dispensation because he was under 24. He taught
in
the Jesuit Collegio dei Nobili for five years. At 28, having persuaded his
family to consent, he entered the Society of Jesus. During his first year
of
novitiate, he was severely tested by his superiors, but he received their
complete approval by the time he finished, and they sent him to help the
preacher Father Agnello Bruno in his mission work. For three years the two
worked tirelessly and with great success, primarily among the peasants in
the province of Otranto. Francis was then recalled to Naples, finished his
theological studies, and was professed.
He was appointed preacher at the church known as the Gesu Nuovo in Naples.
From the start, he attracted huge crowds. He was commissioned to train
other
missionaries and conducted at least one hundred missions in the provinces.
His very effective preaching was marked by brevity and vigor: He was, it
is
said, 'a lamb when he talks and a lion when he preaches.' In search of
sinners he penetrated into prisons, the brothels, and the galleys, and
continued his missions in hamlets, back lanes, and at street corners. He
converted 20 Turkish prisoners on a Spanish galley.
One of his most interesting penitents was a Frenchwoman, Mary Alvira
Cassier. She had murdered her father and served in the Spanish army,
impersonating a man. Under Francis, she repented and became very devout.
He rescued many children from dangerous surroundings, opened a charitable
pawnshop, and organized an association of workingmen to help the Jesuit
fathers in their work.
Although Francis was credited with miracles, he disclaimed that they were
due to his own powers, attributing numerous cures to the intercession of
Saint Cyrus, for whom he had a special devotion. He died at age 74, after
a
painful illness, and at his funeral all the poor of Naples thronged around
his coffin. His remains were interred in the Jesuit Church of Naples
(Attwater, Benedictines, Walsh, White).
From:
http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0511.shtml
Saint Quote:
The joy of this life is nothing; the joy of the after life is everlasting.
-Blessed William Hart
Bible Quote:
The things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and it is
they
that defile a man. St. Matthew 15:18
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Prayer for Help
Lord Jesus, You see my extreme poverty and destitution, You see my frail
nature surrounded with so many crafty, powerful enemies, both exterior and
interior placed amid many perils and countless evils both tem****al and
spiritual, from which only You, in Your great mercy, can rescue me. For
this
reason, I call upon You, for You know that we cannot obtain the least
thing
that is good, either for body or soul, except from You, the Father of
mercy
and of consolation, the source and giver of all good gifts. You know that
we
cannot rid ourselves of the least thing that is evil, unless You in Your
clemency put it far from us.
Filled with hope and confidence in Your sweet Heart, I cry to the Eternal
Father: Behold O Father, I have within my heart the sweet Heart of Your
dear
Son; I offer to You this Heart not that it may accuse me, but plead for
me,
not cry for vengeance, but for pardon. What can You refuse to this Heart?
Nothing assuredly, either to Him or to me, when I ask for His sake.
Deliver
me, therefore I pray from all my foes and the ills of this life. Help me
in
my necessities. Grant me grace to end my life by a holy and happy death. -
Amen.
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Indulgenced Prayers
O saving Victim, opening wide
The gate of heaven to man below,
Our foes press on from every side;
Thine aid supply, Thy strength bestow.
To Thy great Name be endless praise,
Immortal Godhead, one in three;
Oh, grant us endless length of days
In our true native land with Thee.
Amen.
Blessed is He Who cometh in the Name of the Lord:
Hosanna in the highest.
Jesu, bread of life, protect us;
Shepherd kind, do not reject us;
In Thy happy fold collect us,
And partakers of the bliss elect us,
Which shall never see an end.
Thou, the wisest and the mightiest,
Who us here with food delightest,
Seat us at Thy banquet brightest
With the blessed Thou invitest
An eternal feast to spend.
Amen.
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