Catherine of Alexandria

Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Memorial 25 November

Our Saint for today a wealthy Christian noblewoman; intelligent and well educated. Her stories are buried in many legends and apocryphal musings; she was quite popular in the Middle Ages. She is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and in addition to this, she was reported as one of the divine advisors to Saint Joan of Arc before the French made Joan an ember.

When Catherine was the tender age of 18 the Emperor Maximinus began, yet another series of persecutions against Christians. Catherine was perturbed at this idiocy and so she offered to debate the pagan philosophers. Many of the court ordered philosophers were converted by her arguments, and immediately martyred. For the outrage of being persuasive and intelligent Maximinus had her scourged and imprisoned.

The Empress and the leader of the army of Maximinus were amazed by the stories, who could be this intelligent and persuasive? So they saddled up and went to see Catherine in prison. They were also convinced, converted and were martyred. Emperor Maximinus was at least fair.

Maximinus decided, enough of this tomfoolery so he ordered her broken on the wheel, this is like the torture the Riddler put Batman and Robin through. She was to be strapped to a spiked wheel and rolled until she broke down one way or another. Unlike the Caped Crusaders, though she did not use the utility belt to get out she touched it and the wheel was broken apart; destroyed. So much for the torture at this point, She was eventually simply beheaded, in a most convincing way, and her body whisked away by angels.

There may be more to this, though as Eusebius writes: Maximinus conceived an 'insane passion' for a Christian girl of Alexandria, who was of noble birth noted for her wealth, education, and virginity – Saint Catherine of Alexandria. When the girl refused his advances, he had her beheaded, and then seized all of her wealth and assets. Maximinius, apparently, was also a creep.....

Her reputation for learning and wisdom led to her patronage of libraries, librarians, teachers, archivists, and anyone associated with wisdom or teaching. Her debating skill and persuasive language has led to her patronage of lawyers. And her torture on the wheel led to those who work with wheels of all types asking for her intercession.

As she is the Patron Saint of Philosophers, there is a statue of her in the Dining Room of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. Not many can Identify who she is though……pity. There is another Statue on the other side of the dining room of Thomas Aquinas patron of Theologians. As Philosophy and Theology are the sciences taught at all Seminaries I found this very appropriate.

In 1969 amid much hoopla and fanfare the Church removed from the calendar in an ongoing effort to make Roman Catholicism less fun quite a few of the most popular saints. BUT! Like St. George and others, in 2002 Pope John Paul II had her name placed back in the revised Roman Missal giving her back her universal feast day, quietly. And as a result we get a more fun Church. God Bless Pope Saint John Paul II

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Memorial 21 November

Today is the feast of the presentation of the BVM in the Temple at the age of three.   This story is from the Protoevangelium of James, an apocryphal book written in the second century.   In the Middle Ages its stories bordered on the sacred to people thirsty for knowledge of the Church.  Much like the Clone Wars Saga and Jedi “new order” books, geeks buy and devour thirsty for more Star Wars stories…… It is quite a good read if you can find a copy. The Protoevangeliun I mean, the Star Wars stuff stinks after the Luke Skywalker movies ended, let’s face it.   Attack of the Clones may be the worst movie ever made.   I actually liked “The Force Awakens.” When it Cme out…but the others?   WOOO boy!   But Mark Hamel is right, a Jedi wouldn’t act like that….but I digress

 Anyhoo…  The story goes St. Anne and St. Joachim were the parents of Mary in their old age.   They prayed to God asking for a child, and promised to consecrate that child to God if he answered their prayers.   God naturally did, and as a result when she was only three Ann and Joachim brought a young Mary to the Temple to serve……This day celebrates that event.  The Greeks call this the “Entry of the Holy Theotokos” but they do so while wearing those dopey hats.  

Mary remained in the temple until puberty, at that time she was promised to Joseph in marriage;   which is another good story in the Protoevangelium involving a lineup of worthy men and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, landing on Josephs’ head.     

The Nuns that taught me in Our Lady of Solace (OLS) in the Bronx were from the religious order of the Presentation; so they’re names were things like “Sister Mary Muriel PVBM”. The Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary were founded in Ireland in 1775 by Nano Nagle to teach children.   All the presentation Nuns were Irish with the exception of Sister Helen Parisi (formerly known as Sister Mary Dominic Joseph) who died in 2008 at the age of 83, I wept when I found out.   Sister Helen loved me; Italian kid in an Irish school, what’s not to love?     I didn’t bring my lunch one day and she made me a bologna sangwich on wonder bread with pickles, potato chips, and mayo.   She included a Twinkie on the side…the first Twinkie I had ever eaten…it was wonderful and that sangwich is still one of my favorites.

Anyway, the Presentation of the BVM is a pious story; like Fatima and Lourdes and Saint Denis walking around holding his severed head, you are not required to believe it.   I like it, so why not?   It’s easier to buy than 25 fully trained Jedi with The Force as their ally, getting beaten by a bunch of robots in an arena after all.    

Mother Cabrini

Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini

Also known as
Francesca Saverio Cabrini
Mother Cabrini

Memorial

13 November. On November 13th Felix Unger was asked to remove himself from his place of residence……..that request came from his wife. Deep down he knew she was right but he also knew that some day he would return to her. With nowhere else to go he appeared at the home of his [childhood] friend Oscar Madison. Sometime earlier Madison’s wife had thrown him out requesting that he never return. Can 2 divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy? Sorry force of habit……anyhoo: before 1970 it was celebrated 22 December

Profile
Our Saint today was one of thirteen children who was sent to Catholic School for her education eventually becoming a teacher in her home town in Italy.

As was the case with a lot of these youth with a calling, when she tried to enter the convent at age 18, poor health prevented her taking the veil. A priest asked her to teach at an orphanage school for girl‘s in Cadagono, Italy, which she did for six years.

Eventually her health improved enough that she was able to join the religious order running the school in 1877, and was such a natural leader doing so well herself at her work, when the orphanage closed in 1880, her bishop asked her to found the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart to care for poor children in schools and hospitals. Pope Leo XIII then sent her to the United States to carry on this mission.

She and six Sisters arrived in New York in 1889. They worked among immigrants, especially Italians. Mother Cabrini founded 67 institutions, including schools, hospitals, and orphanages in the United States, Europe and South America. She was a very forceful, some say difficult person to deal with. She had arguments with her superiors and even the Pope quite often; these “discussions” were said to be legendary at times.

Like many of the people she worked with, Mother became a United States citizen. Although they try to soften her image in the holy cards she comes across to me as a stern woman, sometimes sporting a nice moustache, not unlike my wizened grandmother “Mary Goodwill”. She makes the holy card images of Louise de Merrilac look good…..She was the first American citizen to be canonized a saint. She died in the USA, Chicago, of malaria in 1917. Her miracles included restoring sight to a child iatrogenically blinded by silver nitrate, and healing of a terminally ill nun.

Her shrine is uptown in Manhattan, 701 Fort Washington Avenue, The A train stops almost across the street from it. Her, sadly not incorrupt body, is on display, daily in a glass altar in the church there. The head of her remains looks like a wax fake…it is, the real head was sent to Rome as a relic there. After a nice walk through Fort Tryon Park and a visit to the Cloisters you may want to stop in and see her body on display, rotting away. The gift shop for the shrine is full of nice Catholic voodoo stuff like sanitaria statues, and holy oils and holywaters, and the like so fondly favored by the neighborhood locals The sign said “Holy Water for Sale / Agua Bendita para venta”; as you know selling a blessed item is the sin of simony. Being the wiseacre that I am, I pointed out to the lady in there that she can’t sell holy water, she must be selling the container not the water, right? She didn’t care one way or the other…. She said “$7.50… do you want it or not?” (Actually it was “Siete cinquenta.. quieres eso, si o no?”)


Patronage
against malaria
against blindness
hospital administrators
immigrants
orphans
invoked by commuters to have a bus or train come quickly while waiting. Try this if you are waiting for the A train to her shrine:

“Mother Cabrini
send a machini.”

Pope Leo I

Pope Saint Leo I

Also known as:
Pope Leo the Great

Memorial 10 November ( it used to be 11 April until 1969)

Our Saint was born in Tuscany about the year 400; Leo was elected the 45th Pope in the year 440. Although there were 44 guys before him Leo was the first Pope we have some substantial writings from.

Around this time the Bishops of the other big dioceses, Constantinople in particular, were flexing their muscles and were saying that the Bishop of Rome was not so special anymore, and all bishops were all equal in the hierarchy. Seeing as how the Emperor of Rome was now, no longer, living in Rome but in Constantinople, the Patriarch of that city claimed Papal primacy. This eventually led to that whole Greek Orthodox thing....

Another particular troublemaker was the Patriarch of Alexandria, Cyril, who called himself “Pope Cyril”. Leo pointed out that Rome’s Church was founded by Peter, and Alexandria’s Church was founded by Peter’s disciple Mark. Even the Founder of Cyril’s Church would agree he was subservient to Peter. He was the head man not because of the Emperor or where the Empire’s capital was, but because he was the successor to St. Peter. This idea of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome can be traced all the way back to the time of St. Linus, the second Pope and reinforced by the writings of Clement the 4th Pope. It was never a question before so no one needed to publish an edict declaring this fact; everyone accepted it.

Leo persuaded Emperor Valentinian to recognize the primacy of the bishop of Rome in an edict in 445. This basically told Constantinople and Alexandria: “Omnes homines estis stulti.” (Don’t ask)

The doctrine of the Incarnation was formed by him in a letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople. This became an article of Catholic faith in the East and West.

The secular world knows Leo for his leadership during the upheaval of the fifth century barbarian invasion. As he was seen as the only person of authority in the city he went out to parlay with Attila the Hun. His encounter with Attila at the very gates of Rome persuading him to turn back remains a historical memorial to Leo’s great eloquence. Later when the Vandals occupied the city of Rome, he persuaded the invaders to desist from pillaging the city and harming its inhabitants. He died in 461, leaving many letters and writings of great historical value.

He is one of the 37 Doctors of the Church. He was the first and still one of only two Popes with the popular appellation “The Great” after his name. He died on 10 November 461

Dedication of Saint John Lateran Basilica

Dedication of Saint John Lateran Basilica
Feast
9 November

Today, is the Feast of the Dedication of the Papal Archbasilica of the Most Holy Savior and St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist, which we call St John Lateran.

This, not Saint Peter’s Basilica, is the Cathedral Church of the Bishop of Rome, also known as the Pope. The original was a gift to the Church from Emperor Constantine himself on land on which the Laterini family palace stood, which is where we get the name, Lateran.

Rome’s Cathedral was solemnly consecrated on 9 November 324. The Lateran Basilica is “omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput… the Mother and Head of all the Churches of the City and the World”. It is one of the four major basilicas in the whole world, all other basilicas you may have heard of are minor league (triple A at best) Basilicas….The Major Basilicas are all in Rome, the other three being St Peter’s, St Paul outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major.

St John Lateran boasts the relics of the heads of Saints Peter and Paul, and the high altar is made of wood, encased now in marble, but it is said St. Peter himself used it to preside at Mass.

In 2017, while in Rome with my lovely wife and daughter, I received the sacrament of reconciliation at St. John Lateran from a jovial Dominican priest in a box. There are marble statues of the 12 apostles along the sides of the Nave…..beautiful…..