Although few people had as great an impact on the 20th century as Pope John XXIII, he avoided the limelight as much as possible. Indeed, one writer has noted that his ordinariness seems one of his most remarkable qualities.

Angelo Roncalli was the fourth child of thirteen born in an Italian village to sharecroppers. He was ordained a priest in 1904 and served in various posts including appointment as Papal

Nuncio in several countries. He did much to help Jews during the Holocaust. Pope Pius XII made Roncalli a Cardinal in 1953. Pope John was elected on 28 October 1958 at the age of 77. He surprised those who expected him to be a caretaker Pope by calling the historic Second Vatican Council (19621965). He did not live to see it to completion, dying in 1963, four-and-a-half years after his election, and two months after the completion of his final encyclical, Pacem in Terris. Pope John was beloved for his evident warmth and kindness. He was beatified on September 3, 2000.

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ICONS

St. Bridget Roman Catholic Parish2213 N. Lindsay Rd. Mesa, Arizona 85213

480-924-9111 www.stbridget.org

St. Bridget Abbess of KildareFeast Day: February 1

The known facts about St. Bridget of Kildare are few, but she is revered as one of Irelands three patron saints (along with Patrick and Columba). What we do know is that she was a fifth-century nun who founded the Abbey of Kildare, southwest of Dublin. Both monks and nuns lived there, and many accounts record that Bridget served as superior of both the men and women. In any event, the Abbey of Kildare contributed significantly to the spread of Christianity throughout Ireland at a time when traditional Irish religion was disappearing.

Many miracles have been attributed to Bridget. What is more certain is that she was an extraordinary woman who was known especially for her generosity to the poor. Because of the prominence the Abbey of Kildare gained under Bridgets leadership, she is considered the special patron of scholars.

The Glorious Coming of Christ the King

Blessed John XXIIIFeast Day: June 3

St Francis of Assisi St Clare of Assisi Feast Day: October 4 Feast Day: August 11th

Pope John Paul IIs inspiration to call the Time of his Papacy The New Advent, appeared at the beginning of his first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis. Theologian William Stringfellow had written two articles of power, wisdom, and Biblical insight about how to live as Christians in the Second Advent of the Lord. Apparitions of the Mother of God in Fatima, Amsterdam, Akita, Bosnia, and Rwanda all point to a prayer for peace and for the Returning Christ. Jesus calls us to be awake with

our lamps lit awaiting him, our Lord and Bridegroom. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. Luke 17:24 Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20.

Saint Francis of Assisi founded the mens Franciscan Order, the womens Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis for men and women not living monastic lives. Though he was never ordained to the Catholic priesthood, Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. He was the son of a wealthy cloth merchant in Assisi, and he lived the high-spirited life typical of a wealthy young man, even fighting as a soldier for Assisi. While going off to war in 1204, Francis had a vision that directed

him back to Assisi, where he lost his taste for his worldly life. On a pilgrimage to Rome, he joined the poor in begging at St. Peters Basilica. The experience moved him to live in poverty.

In 1223, Francis arranged for the first Christmas manger scene.In 1224, he received the stigmata, making him the first recorded person to bear the wounds of Christs Passion. He died during the evening hours of October 3, 1226, while listening to a reading he had requested of Psalm 141.

He is known as the patron saint of animals, the environment, and is one of the two patron saints of Italy (with Catherine of Siena).

Clare of Assisi was always devoted to prayer as a child. When she turned 12 her parents wanted her to marry a young and wealthy man, but she originally wanted to wait until she was 18. But when she was 18 she had heard Francis preachings. Those preachings were beginning to change her life. He told her she was a chosen soul from God. So on on Palm Sunday when people went to grab their palm branches she stayed. On that very night she ran away to follow Francis. When she got there he cut her hair and dressed her in a black tunic and a thick black veil. Clare was put in the convent of the Benedictine nuns near Bastia and was almost pulled out by her father who wanted her to marry. Clare and her sister Agnes soon moved to the church of San Damiano, which Francis himself had rebuilt. Other women joined them there, and San Damiano became known for its radically austere lifestyle. The women were at first known as the Poor Ladies.

Michael, whose name in Hebrew means Who is like God? is an archangel in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic teachings. The Book of Daniel calls him a great prince who stands up for the children of your people. The idea that Michael was the advocate of the Jews became so prevalent that, in spite of the rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries, Michael came to occupy a certain place in the Jewish liturgy.

In the New Testament, Michael leads Gods armies against Satans forces in

the Book of Revelation where, during the war in heaven, he defeats Satan. Christian sanctuaries to Michael appeared in the 4th century when he was first seen as a healing angel, and then over time as a protector and the leader of the army of God against the forces of evil. By the 6th century, devotions to Archangel Michael were widespread both in the Eastern and Western Churches.

When Joseph de Veuster was born in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840, few people in Europe had any firsthand knowledge of leprosy (Hansens disease). By the time he died at the age of 49, people all over the world knew about this disease because of him. They knew that human compassion could soften the ravages of this disease.

Joseph entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary at age 19, taking the name

of a fourth-century physician and martyr. After ordination, Damien was assigned to the island of Hawaii and went to the governments leper colony on the island of Molokai, set up seven years earlier.

Damien eventually contracted Hansens disease himself and died of its complications. Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 11, 2009.

Except for the mother of Jesus, few women are more honored in the Bible than Mary Magdalene. Yet she could well be the patron of the slandered, since there has been a persistent legend in the Church that she is the unnamed sinful woman who anointed the feet of Jesus in Luke 7:36-50. Most Scripture scholars today point out that there is no scriptural basis for confusing the two women.

Mary Magdalene was one of the many who were assisting them [Jesus and the Twelve] out of their means. She was one of those who stood by the cross of Jesus with his mother. And, of all the official witnesses that might

have been chosen for the first awareness of the Resurrection, she was the one to whom that privilege was given. She is known as the Apostle to the Apostles.

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St. Mary Magdalen Equal to the ApostlesFeast Day: July 22

St. Kateri TekakwithaFeast Day: July 14

Informally known as Lily of the Mohawks, Kateri was an AlgonquinMohawk. Born in present-day New York, she survived smallpox and was orphaned as a child, then baptized as a Roman Catholic and settled for the last years of her life at the Jesuit mission village of Kahnawake, south of Montreal in New France, now Canada.

Tekakwitha professed a vow of virginity until her death at the age of 24. She practiced extremely

severe fasting as penance for the conversion of her nation and is the fourth Native American to be venerated saint (after Juan Diego, the Mexican Indian of the Virgin of Guadalupe apparitions, and two other Oaxacan Indians). She was beatified by Blessed Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at Saint Peters Basilica on October 21, 2012. Various miracles and supernatural events are attributed to her intercession.

St. Damien of MolokaiFeast Day: May 10

St Benedict Feast Day: July 11St. Scholastica Feast Day: February 10

Born in Sudan in 1869, this African flower, who knew the anguish of kidnapping, slavery and torture, bloomed marvelously in Italy, in response to Gods grace, close to the Daughters of Charity. Bakhita, which means fortunate one, is the name given her by her kidnappers. Sold and resold in the markets of El Obeid and Khartoum, she experienced the humiliations and the sufferings of slavery, both physical, mental and moral. Fortunately, Bakhita encountered a

good owner who didnt use the lash when giving orders and treated her in a loving and cordial way. She later celebrated the sacraments of Christian Initiation and was given the name, Josephine, on January 9, 1890. Bakhita joined the religious institute of the Daughters of Charity of Canossa on December 8, 1896. On May 17, 1992, Josephine Bakhita was beatified by Pope John Paul II. She was proclaimed Saint on October 1, in the Jubilee year 2000.

St. Josephine BakhitaFeast Day: February 8

St. Michael the Archangel Feast Day: September 29

Twins often share the same interests so it is no surprise that Scholastica and her twin brother, Benedict established religious communities within a few miles from each other. Born in 480 of wealthy parents, Scholastica and Benedict were brought up together until he left central Italy for Rome to continue his studies. Little is known of Scholasticas early life. She founded a religious community for women near Monte Cassino at Plombariola, five miles from where her brother governed a monastery.

The twins visited each other once a year in a farmhouse because Scholastica was not permitted inside the monastery. According to the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, they spent their last day together in prayer and conversation. Three days later, Benedict saw the soul of his sister rising heavenward in the form of a white dove and announced the death of his sister to the monks. He later buried her in the tomb he had prepared for himself.