Saint Digain November 21

 Saint Digain

Also known as

Dygain

Profile

Born to the 5th-century nobility, the son of Constantine, a lord in Cornwall, England. The village of Llangernyw, Wales is named after him.

Saint Amelberga of Susteren November 21

 Saint Amelberga of Susteren

Also known as

Amalburga, Amalia, Amalberga

Profile

Benedictine nun. Abbess of Susteren Abbey.

Born

early 9th century

Died

c.900

Saint Hilary of Vulturno November 21

 Saint Hilary of Vulturno

Profile

Benedictine monk. Abbot of San Vincenco, Volturno, Italy for 34 years, resurrecting the monastery as a center for learning and missions.

Born

at Matera, southern Italy

Died

c.1045 of natural causes

Blessed Gelasius O'Cullenan November 21

 Blessed Gelasius O'Cullenan

Additional Memorial

20 June as one of the Irish Martyrs

Profile

Cistercian priest. Martyr.

Born

Irish

Died

21 November 1580 in Dublin, Ireland

Beatified

27 September 1992 by Pope John Paul II in Rome, Italy

Blessed Eoin O'Mulkern November 21

 Blessed Eoin O'Mulkern

Also known as

• John Kieran

• John Mulcheran

Additional Memorial

20 June as one of the Irish Martyrs

Profile

Premonstratensian priest. Martyr.

Born

Irish

Died

21 November 1580 in Dublin, Ireland

Beatified

27 September 1992 by Pope John Paul II in Rome, Italy

Saint Agapius of Caesarea November 21

 Saint Agapius of Caesarea

Also known as

Agapio

Profile

Arrested three times during the persecutions of Diocletian, but released each time. On his fourth arrest he was imprisoned for two years, then offered his freedom if he would renounce Christianity; he declined. Martyr.

Born

Caesarea, Palestine

Died

• c.306

• chained to a convicted murdered and mauled by animals in the public amphitheatre

• still refusing to deny his faith, he was mauled by a bear

• still refusing to deny his faith, he was weighted with stones and drowned

Saint Maurus of Porec November 21

 Saint Maurus of Porec

Also known as

Also known as

• Maurus of Istria

• Maurus of Parenzo

• Maur, Mauro, Marino

Profile

Monk for 18 years. Pilgrim to Rome, Italy. Bishop of Porec, Istria. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.

Died

• beheading c.300 of Porec, Istria

• buried in the cemtery outside the city

• interred in the church of Saint Maur in Proec c.500

• some relics transferred to Rome, Italy in the 7th century by Pope John IV, and now enshrined in the basilica of Saint John Lateran

Blessed Nicholas Giustiniani November 21

 Blessed Nicholas Giustiniani

Profile

Born to the Venetian nobility. Benedictine monk at the monastery of San Niccolò del Lido in Venice, Italy in 1153. After all his brothers were killed in combat outside Constantinople in 1172, Nicholas received dispensation from Pope Alexander III to return to secular life. He married Anne Michieli, the daughter of a Venetian doge, and was father of nine. In 1179 Anne agreed to let him return to his calling to religious life, and he spent his remaining years at San Niccolò del Lido; a few years later, Anne became a nun at the convent of Saint Blaise near Venice.

Born

early 12th century Venice, Italy

Died

c.1180 of natural causes

Beatified

no formal beatification, but the subject of local veneration

Saint Maurus of Cesena November 21

 Saint Maurus of Cesena

Also known as

Maur, Mauro

Profile

Nephew of Pope John IX. Priest. Benedictine monk at Classe monastery, Ravenna, Italy. Abbot of Classe in 926. Bishop of Cesena, Italy in 934; he served for about 12 years.

Born

Rome, Italy

Died

• 21 November 946 in Cesena, Flaminia, Italy of natural causes

• buried in a marble tomb on Monte Spaziano, Italy next to a small cell where he would retreat for prayer and solitude

• his grave was lost for many years but accidentally re-discovered in the 11th century

• relics enshrined in the nearby Benedictine church

• relics re-discovered in 1470 and moved to the cathedral of Saint John the Baptist

• some relics enshrined in Ravenna, Italy

Blessed Maria Franciszka Siedliska November 21

 Blessed Maria Franciszka Siedliska

Also known as

• Frances Siedliska

• Franciszka Siedliska

• Mother Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd

Profile

Eldest daughter of Adolf Adam Siedliski and Cecilia Marianna Morawska, wealthy and aristocratic landowners in the part of Poland which was occupied by Russia. In her late teens, Franciszka felt the call to religious life, which was against her family wishes as they were very indifferent Catholics; her father said he would rather see her dead then lost to the cloister. Founded the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth on 1 May 1884, taking the name Sister Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd.

Born

12 November 1842 in Roszkowa Wola Castle, Rzeczyca, Poland

Died

21 November 1902 in Rome, Italy of natural causes

Beatified

23 April 1989 by Pope John Paul II

Our Lady of Quinche November 21

 Our Lady of Quinche

Also known as

• La Pequeñita

• Virgen de Monte del Sol

• Virgin of the Rock

Profile

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the image of a cedar statue in Quinche, Ecuador. About two foot tall, it was carved in 1586 by Don Diego de Robles, an artist who created many other images of Mary. He carved it on order from the Lumbici Indians, who were unable to pay for it at delivery. Diego traded the statue to the Oyacachi Indians in exchange for a large load of cedar for future projects.

Legend says that the vision of Our Lady appeared in a cave to some of the Oyacachi, promising to the protect their children; the image Diego brought for trade looked just like the lady in the vision. The Oyacachi asked Diego to stay and help them build a shrine for the statue; he declined and started home. His horse threw him as they crossed a bridge, and Diego was miraculously saved after he had prayed for Our Lady's intervention; he understood that this was a sign, went back to the Indians, and built an altar for the statue.

In 1604 the statue was moved to the local village of Quinche and a chapel was built for it. A new sanctuary was built in 1630 where the statue stayed until the church was destroyed in an earthquake in 1869. The church was re-built, and housed the image until moved to another new church in 1928; in 1985 the Vatican proclaimed the chapel to be a national sanctuary of Ecuador. Many miracles, especially healings, have been associated with the image, and there is a huge catalog of songs in several languages that have been written in devotion over the centuries.

Carved

1586 by Don Diego de Robles

Patronage

Ecuador

Blessed Clelia Merloni November 21

 Blessed Clelia Merloni

Profile

The daughter of Gioacchino Merloni, a wealthy and influential industrialist, and Teresa Brandinelli; Clelia was baptized in the diocesan cathedral of Santa Croce in Forli, Italy when she was only a few hours old. Her mother died in 1864 when Clelia was only 3 years old; her maternal grandmother and her step-mother, Maria Giovanna Boeri who married Gioacchino in 1866, raised her to be a pious girl with a good education. Her father became so involved in succeeding in business that he became openly hostile to religion in general, joined the Freemasons, and became specifically anti–Catholic. He planned to have Clelia follow him into business, but she was drawn to religious life which led to family strife as he blamed the women in the family for turning Clelia against him. Clelia responded by praying for him and doing penance in reparation of her father‘s actions. He was reconciled to the faith before his death in 1885.

Freed from her family obligations, Clelia joined the Figlie di Santa Maria della Divina Provvidenza (Daughters of Holy Mary of the Divine Providence). In religious life, she felt a calling to start a congregation devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and eventually founded the Apostole del Sacro Cuore di Gesù (Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus) in Viareggio, Italy on 30 May 1894. Internal disputes, including corruption and theft by Clelia's finance administrator, led to her leaving the order in 1896; the adminstrator was a priest, and Clelia refused to bring in civil authorities for fear of causing scandal and stirring up anti–Catholic sentiment. But on 10 June 1900, with the approval and support of Blessed Giovanni Battista Scalabrini, bishop of Piacenza, Italy, she returned to religious life, was accepted back into the Apostles, and helped set them up on their new work as missionaries to Brazil. Following the loss of support caused by the death of bishop Scalabrini in 1905, the internal strife in the Apostles erupted again, support of Clelia declined, and in 1911 she was replaced as Superior General by the Vatican. Clelia withdrew from public life, and in 1916 received dispensation to be released from her religious vows. However, late in life she requested to re-enter religious life, and on 7 March 1928 became a simple sister in the Apostles.

The Apostles, whose motto is "The Love of Christ Impels Us", continue their good work today with 1,200 sisters based in 195 houses in Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, the United States, Mozambique, Benin, Albania, Taiwan and the Philippines, focusing primarily on education.

Born

10 March 1861 in Forli, Italy

Died

• 21 November 1930 in Rome, Italy of natural causes

• buried at Campo Verano cemetery in Rome

• following the destruction of the cemetery during World War II, Mother Clelia was re-interred in the chapel of the Motherhouse of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome in 1945

Beatified

• 3 November 2018 by Pope Francis

• beatification recognition celebrated at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, Italy, presided by Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu

• the beatification miracle involved the cure of Brazilian physician Pedro Ângelo of Landry's paralysis or Guillian-Barré syndrome, in 1951; Ângelo had reached the point where he could barely swallow, and his condition was considered fatal; he was completely cured after a combination of prayer and drinking from a cup of water in which a relic of Merloni (a piece of fabric from her veil) had been placed

Patronage

Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

St. Liberalis November 21

 St. Liberalis

Feastday: November 21

Death: 940

Liberalis, of Brive, France, left his native place to undertake a hidden life as a hermit in the Alps near Embrun. The clergy and people of Embrun came to recognize his great humility and other virtues, which led to his being chosen to become the city's bishop. Liberalis proved to be a most devoted pastor. His body is enshrined in a church of his native city of Brive, in the diocese of Tulle, which for centuries has commemorated him each year on November 21.

Bl. Frances Siedliska November 21

 Bl. Frances Siedliska

Feastday: November 21

Birth: 1842

Death: 1902

Beatified: 23 April 1989 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Franciszka (Frances) Siedliska (12 November 1842-21 November 1902), also known as Mother Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd, was the founder of a Roman Catholic religious order of nuns, the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Maria Franciszka Siedliska (12 November 1842 – 21 November 1902), also known by her religious name Maria of Jesus the Good Shepherd, was a Polish Roman Catholic professed religious and the founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.[1] In childhood Siedliska was indifferent to her faith but after a local priest had converted her she became aware of a call to the religious life which her parents opposed. However the death of her father in 1870 enabled her to pursue her vocation. In 1873 she decided to found a religious congregation that received the blessing of Pope Pius IX before being established during Advent in 1875.[2] Siedliska expanded her congregation from Rome to her native Poland and elsewhere, including Great Britain, France and the USA where she visited during her extensive travels.[3][4]

The beatification process for the late nun opened in 1941 under Pope Pius XII. She was declared a Servant of God, then confirmed as having led a life of heroic virtue. She was named Venerable on 29 April 1980 and in 1989 Pope John Paul II beatified her.

Contents

1 Life

2 Beatification

3 References

4 External links

Life

Franciszka Siedliska was born on 12 November 1842, the eldest child of Szlachta members, Adolf Adam Siedliski and Cecylia Marianna Morawska, of Jewish descent, in Roszkowa Wola, Poland.[5]

She received a private education from governesses in a household indifferent to faith, until she met the zealous Franciscan Capuchin priest, Leander Lendzian, who prepared her for her First Communion on 1 May 1855 when she resolved to offer herself to God.[3] She had met the priest in Warsaw at an event her grandfather was hosting in November 1854. Siedliska wanted to pursue a religious vocation around 1860 but her parents opposed the idea. Her father said he would rather see her dead than become a nun.[1] In 1860 she moved with her parents to Switzerland then went on to Prussia and to France. Her frail health led her parents to seek treatment for her in Murano and Cannes before the family returned to Poland in 1865.[2]

The death of her father in 1870 allowed her the freedom to pursue her dream and she became part of the Third Order of Saint Francis in 1870 in Lublin.[1] On 12 April 1873 with guidance from Father Lendzian she was encouraged to found an order inspired by the notion that "it was God's will that she should do so". Siedliska was granted a private audience with Pope Pius IX on 1 October 1873 and "her idea" received his apostolic blessing; she founded her new congregation in Rome at the beginning of Advent in 1875.[3]

Siedliska made her solemn profession as a nun on 1 May 1884 and took the religious name of "Maria of Jesus, the Good Shepherd". The congregation spread at a rapid rate across Europe. She arrived in New York Harbor on 4 July 1885 and was in Chicago to open schools on 6 July 1885.[2][3] Siedliska led eleven sisters to found a community in Des Plaines, then opened a house in Pittsburgh a decade later, in August 1895. In Rome she presided over religious exercises and held conferences and wrote letters of encouragement to more than 29 foundations.[1] She travelled to Paris in 1892 and to London in 1895.[2] She returned to Rome after several extensive travels on 16 October 1902 and was never to leave again due to failing health.

Siedliska died in Rome on 21 November 1902 from acute peritonitis she had suffered for six days. Her remains were buried at Campo Verano on 24 November[4] and were relocated on 9 July 1953 to the order's motherhouse at 18 Via Machiavelli. On 29 September 1966 they were relocated again to the new generalate of the order at 400, Via Nazareth. Her order has numbered more than 1500 religious and ranges from places like Israel to Australia. Her order received a papal decree of praise from Pope Leo XIII on 1 September 1896 and then definitive papal approval from Pope Pius XI on 4 June 1923.[1] In 2005 there were 152 houses with 1490 religious but in 2015 the number fell to 1300.

Beatification

Her beatification process opened in Rome with an informative process that Cardinal Basilio Pompili inaugurated on 4 April 1922 and later closed in January 1928; testimonies were collected from Paris, London and from Chicago on account of her extensive missions to those places. Her writings received the approval of theologians on 27 November 1937 who determined that her spiritual writings did not contravene official doctrine. The formal introduction to the cause came under Pope Pius XII on 5 February 1941 and she received the title of Servant of God as a result. Cardinal Francesco Marchetti Selvaggiani oversaw the apostolic process from 6 June 1941 to 6 March 1946 with additional testimonies coming again from places she had visited in her lifetime. The Congregation for Rites validated the previous processes on 2 March 1952 and the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and their consultants met and approved her cause on 21 June 1979; the C.C.S. alone approved it later on 22 February 1980. Pope John Paul II confirmed her life of heroic virtue and named her Venerable on 29 April 1980.

The miracle needed for beatification was investigated in Warsaw in a diocesan process overseen by Cardinal Józef Glemp from 21 February to 9 June 1986. The C.C.S. validated this process in Rome on 21 November 1986 before a medical board approved it on 18 November 1987. Theologians also assented to this on 15 April 1988 as did the C.C.S. on 5 July 1988 before John Paul II gave the final approval needed for it on 1 September 1988. John Paul II beatified Siedliska on 23 April 1989.

✞ அதி தூய கன்னி மரியாளை காணிக்கையாக அர்ப்பணித்தல் விழா ✞(The Presentation of Our Lady)திருவிழா நாள்: நவம்பர் 21

† இன்றைய திருவிழா †

(நவம்பர் 21)

✞ அதி தூய கன்னி மரியாளை காணிக்கையாக அர்ப்பணித்தல் விழா ✞

(The Presentation of Our Lady)

திருவிழா நாள்: நவம்பர் 21

“அதிதூய கன்னி மரியாளைக் காணிக்கையாக அர்ப்பணித்தல் விழா” (The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) என மேற்கிலும் ~ “மிகவும் தூய இறையன்னை கோவிலுக்குள் நுழைந்தது” (The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple) என கிழக்கிலும் ~ அறியப்படுவது, நவம்பர் 21ம் நாள், கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை, மற்றும் கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபைகளில் கொண்டாடப்படும் கிறிஸ்தவ விழாவாகும்.

அன்னை மரியாளை ஆலயத்தில் ஒப்புக்கொடுத்ததாக புதிய ஏற்பாட்டில் எதுவும் சொல்லப்படவில்லையெனினும், திருமுறைப் பட்டியலைச் சேராத நூல்களில் இந்நிகழ்வு பற்றிய குறிப்புகள் உள்ளன.

குழந்தைப் பருவம் தொடர்பான யாக்கோபு நற்செய்தியில் (Gospel of James) இவ்வாறு வாசிக்கிறோம் :

"மரியாவின் பெற்றோராகிய “சுவக்கீன்” (Joachim), “அன்னா” (Anne) ஆகிய இருவரும் முதிர் வயதுவரை குழந்தைப்பேறு இல்லாமல் இருந்தனர். ஆயினும் அவர்கள் நம்பிக்கையோடு இறைவனிடம் மன்றாடி வந்தனர். வானதூதர் வழியாக மரியாளின் பிறப்பு இவர்களுக்கு அறிவிக்கப்பட்டது. மரியாளும் பிறந்தார். இதற்கு நன்றியாக, குழந்தை மரியாளை எருசலேம் ஆலயத்திற்கு அழைத்துச் சென்று அங்கு அவரை கடவுளுக்குக் காணிக்கையாக்கினார்கள். அதன்பிறகு மரியாள் தமது 12வது வயதுவரை ஆலயத்தில் இருந்தார்" என்று யாக்கோபு எழுதியுள்ளார். 

மரியாளின் பிறப்பு நற்செய்தியில் (Gospel of the Nativity of Mary), மரியாளின் மூன்றாம் வயதில் இந்த நிகழ்வு நடந்ததாக குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. மரியாள் ஆலயத்திலேயே கல்வி கற்றார், இறைவனின் அன்னையாகும் நிலைக்கு தன்னைத் தயாரித்தார் எனவும் இக்குறிப்புகளில் சொல்லப்பட்டுள்ளது. 

“பைசாண்டைன்” (Byzantines) பேரரசர் “முதலாம் ஜஸ்டீனியன்” (Emperor Justinian I) சிதைவுற்றுக் கிடந்த எருசலேம் ஆலயத்திற்கு அருகில் ஓர் ஆலயம் எழுப்பி, அதை கி. பி. 543ம் ஆண்டில் அதிதூய கன்னி மரியாளுக்கு அர்ப்பணித்தார். அதுமுதல் இவ்விழா கொண்டாடப்பட்டு வருகிறது. 

கி.பி. 614ம் ஆண்டில், “சசனியன் பேரரசின்” (Sasanian Empire) “பாரசீக பேரரசர்” (Persians) “இரண்டாம் கொஸ்ராவு” (Khosrau II), எருசலேமை முற்றுகையிட்டபோது இவ்வாலயம் இடிக்கப்பட்டாலும், மக்கள் இவ்விழாவைத் தொடர்ந்து கொண்டாடி வந்தார்கள். ஒன்பதாம் நூற்றாண்டு முதல் இத்தாலியின் தென் பகுதியில் இவ்விழா சிறப்பாகக் கொண்டாடப்பட்டது. 

இந்த விழாவை கி.பி. 1568ம் ஆண்டில் திருப்பலி புத்தகத்திலிருந்து திருத்தந்தை “ஐந்தாம் பயஸ்” (Pope Pius V) நீக்கினாலும், கி.பி. 1585ம் ஆண்டில் திருத்தந்தை “ஐந்தாம் சிக்ஸ்டஸ்” (Pope Sixtus V) இதனை மீண்டும் ரோமத் திருவழிபாடு நாள்காட்டியில் சேர்த்தார். 

அதிதூய கன்னி மரியாளை காணிக்கையாக அர்ப்பணித்தல் விழா நவம்பர் 21 ஆகும்!

*✝️Feast of the Day *

(November 21)

✠ The Presentation of Our Lady ✠

Feast Day: November 21

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known in the East as The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, is a liturgical feast celebrated on November 21 by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

The cult to Our Lady was born in the East; from there also we received the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady, where it was celebrated from the end of the seventh century. In the West, Pope Gregory XI adopted the feast day in 1372 at the pontifical court of Avignon.

A year later, King Charles V introduced the feast of the Presentation at the Royal Chapel in Paris. In a letter dated November 10, 1374, to the masters and students of the College of Navarre, he expressed his desire that such a feast should be celebrated throughout the kingdom. The text of the letter reads:

“Charles, by the grace of God King of France, to our dearly beloved: health in Him Who ceases not to honour His Mother on earth.

“Among other objects of our solicitude, daily occupation, and diligent meditation, that which rightly occupies our first thoughts is that the Most Blessed Virgin and Holy Empress be honoured by us with very great love, and praised as it is due. For it is our duty to glorify her, and we, who raise the eyes of our soul to her on high, know what an incomparable protectress she is to all, how powerful a mediatrix she is with her Blessed Son for those who honour her with a pure heart... This is why we wish to stimulate our faithful people to celebrate this feast, as we ourselves intend to do by God's assistance every year of our life. We send to you the liturgy of the said feast to increase your joy.”

Such was the language of princes in those days. Then also at that very time, that wise and pious King, following up the work begun in Brétigny by Our Lady of Chartres, rescued France from its fallen and dismembered condition.

Comments:

In other words, the feast of the Presentation of Our Lady followed extraordinary historic circumstances. It was a Pope who introduced it in the West, and the King of France who spread it throughout his country. And from France, it extended to the whole world. The King took up the feast to thank Our Lady of Chartres for her protection in the battle of Brétigny, where the French army defeated its adversaries.

What does the feast of the Presentation celebrate? It celebrates the fact that the parents of Our Lady brought her to the Temple at the age of three and handed her over to live there for a long period as a virgin consecrated to the Temple, contemplating God exclusively.

What is the special beauty of this feast? Our Lady was the one chosen before time began, the Queen of Jesse from whom the Messiah would be born. The Temple was the only place in the Old Testament where sacrifices were offered to God. It represented, therefore, the only true religion. Our Lady being received at the Temple was the first step to the fulfilment of the promise that the Messiah would come to the true religion. It was the encounter of hope with reality.

When she was received at the Temple, Our Lady entered the service of God. That is, a soul incomparably holy entered the service of God. At that moment, notwithstanding the decadence of the nation of Israel, and even though the Temple had been transformed into a den of Pharisees, the Temple was filled with an incomparable light that was the sanctity of Our Lady.

It was in the Temple atmosphere that, without knowing it, she began to prepare herself to be the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was there that she increased her love of God until she formed the ardent desire for the imminent coming of the Messiah. It was there that she asked God the honour to be the servant of His Mother. She did not know that she was the one chosen by God. This is so true that she wondered about the meaning of the salutation of the Archangel Gabriel when he greeted her to ask her permission for the Incarnation. That preparation for Our Lady to be the Mother of Jesus Christ began with the Presentation at the Temple, the feast the Church celebrates on November 21.

Is there a grace we should ask on this day? We should ask for spiritual help to be better prepared to serve God as Our Lady did. But the best way to serve God is to serve Our Lady herself. So, on this feast day, we should re-present ourselves before Our Lady, asking her to receive our offer of service and to give us her assistance in the task of our sanctification, just as the Holy Ghost helped her at the Temple of Jerusalem.