LITURGICAL CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER

LITURGICAL CALENDAR FOR SEPTEMBER
 
 
 
 
SEPTEMBER
02, SEPTEMBER Blessed Guala Rogni of Bergamo
At Pisogne, in Italy, Blessed Guala Rogni, friar and bishop of the Order of Preachers.
Born in Bergamo, Italy about 1180, Guala Romagnoni was already a canon of that city when Saint Dominic received him into the Order in 1219. He accompanied the Holy Patriarch to Bologna and was later employed by him in establishing the Order in Brescia which he governed with prudence and zeal. At the death of St Dominic, Blessed Guala though not present saw in a vision the entrance of our Holy Father into heaven.
In 1229 Pope Gregory IX appointed him Bishop of Brescia and Apostolic Legate to Lombardy.  He labored to reconcile Emperor Frederick II and the Pope and to establish peace among the cities of northern Italy. As Bishop of Brescia his concern for the poor and unfortunate earned him the title, “Father of the poor and advocate of widows and orphans.”After many exhausting labors for the good of the Church and State, including the period of exile from his diocese, Guala died peacefully in the Lord on September 3, 1244.  He was beatified by Bl. Pope Pius IX in 1868.
 Also on the same day:
2, SEPTEMBER, Blessed Ingrid of Skanninge,
At Skannige, Sweden, Blessed Ingrid Elofsdotte,  nun and widow of the Order of Preachers.
 Bl Ingrid of Elofsdotte of Skanninge was born in Skanninge, Sweden in the 13th century. She spent much of her young life under the spiritual direction of the Dominican Father Peter of Dacia.
Blessed  Ingrid became the first Swedish woman to take the Dominican habit. She later attracted other women to join her and used her inheritance to found the first Swedish Dominican Monastery known as St Martin of Skanninge after overcoming civil and ecclesiastical opposition in Sweden and in Rome. .  She lived a cloistered life in St. Martin's until her death of natural causes in 1282
 Throughout her life, Ingrid was known for her sanctity, and a devotion to her sprang up almost immediately following her death and many miracles have been reported at her tomb.
04, SEPTEMBER Blessed Catherine of Racconigi
At Racconigi, in Piedmont, Italy, Blessed Catherine Mattei of Racconigi, sister and virgin of the Order of Preachers.
Blessed Catherine Mattei was born at Racconigi, a village in Piedmont, in 1486 of very poor parents. Throughout her life, she was to share in their daily lot of hardship and misery yet showed an affinity for prayer at an early age. As a young woman, she wished to enter the Dominican order, but her request met with much opposition because of her poverty and low station.  Finally she was received as a tertiary. Once admitted to the Order she proved herself a true daughter of St. Dominic by her extraordinary charity and zeal for the salvation of souls. The many mystical graces she received were counterbalanced by sufferings and sickness. Because the friars of the Order were suspicious of her mystical gifts, she became the object of detraction, persecution and calumny which continued until the end of her life. All these she bore with patience and in full confidence on the goodness of God. In the midst of such difficulties she would pray, “Jesus alone is my hope.” She worked untiringly to bring peace to her region and died at Carmagnola on September 4, 1547. Her cult was confirmed by Pius VII in 1808.
 
05, SEPTEMBER Anniversary Deceased Friends and Benefactors
Our Holy Father Dominic wanted to make evangelical poverty as the foundation for the preaching in the Order. This has drawn many friends and benefactors to help the friars and the sisters in fulfilling this evangelical mission, either by actually associating themselves with the Order as collaborators or through material help.  Today in this common celebration, we remember our deceased friends and benefactors who have been connected with the work of our Order in so many ways.
Liturgical note: “Commemoratio”
06, SEPTEMBER Blessed Bertrand of Garrigue
In Le Bouchet, Diocese of Valence, in France, Blessed Bertrand of Garrigue, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers
One of Saint Dominic’s original sixteen companions, Blessed Bertrand was born at Garrigue near Nimes in southern France. He associated himself with Saint Dominic in preaching against the Albigensians and made profession into his hands in 1216. In 1217 he was sent to Paris to assist in establishing the Priory of Saint Jacques. Blessed Bertrand was a frequent travelling companion of Saint Dominic and gave precious testimony to his virtues and miracles during the process of canonization.
 He later became the prior of Saint Romain’s in Toulouse and then the Prior Provincial of Toulouse. Having exercised his preaching ministry assiduously till the end, Blessed Bertrand died in the Cistercian Abbey of Le Bouchet (Dromes), near Orange, during the month of April, 1230. His incorrupt body was destroyed during the religious upheavels of the XVI century but devotion to him persisted within the Order.  His cult was confirmed by Pope Leo XIII in 1881.
On the same day
06, SETEMBER Blessed Michael Czartorysky, friar and priest,
and Blessed Julia Rodzinska, sister and virgin of the Order of Preachers, martyrs
Blessed Michael Czartoryski was born in Poland on 19 February 1897. In September 1927 he entered the Order in  Cracow and was ordained in 1931, he became Master of cooperator Brothers, then of Students. He ministered to the injured during the Spring Uprising in Warsaw in 1944, and declined an opportunity to leave the badly wounded and escape before the German troops captured him. He was shot, together with the wounded men, on 6 September, 1944
 Blessed Julia Rodzinska (1899-1945) A Polish Dominican Sister was a schoolteacher and an able administrator. During the German Nazi occupation, she continued her ministry clandestinely and was arrested and sent to the concentration camp in Stutthof.  She  covertly promoted the Rosary and nursed sick fellow prisoners, mostly Jews. She contacted and died of typhus in 1945 after serving the sick and the dying and a few days before the Camp was liberated.
Both martyrs were beatified with other Polish martyrs of the II World War in 1999 by Pope John Paul II.
 
10, SEPTEMBER, Blessed Alphonsus Navarrete,  priest and Companions, Martyrs of Japan
In Japan, Blessed Alphonsus Navarete, and two hundred and four companions, of whom fifty nine were members of the Dominican Family, and fifty eight were members of the Rosary confraternity.
The Spanish Dominican, Blessed Alphonsus Navarrete, leads the group of more than a hundred Spanish and Japanese Dominicans—novices, cooperator brothers, tertiaries and confraternity members — who were martyred during the religious persecutions between 1614-1632. Blessed Alphonsus was the first Dominican to die in this persecution. He was born in Castille in 1571 and entered the Order in Valladolid.  After completion of his studies joined the Holy Rosary Province and was sent to the Philippines.  Fired with zeal for the Gospel, he begged for the privilege of working in Japan.  At last his request was granted and he arrived there in 1611 as the head of a small band of missionaries.  His years in that country, though short were marked with great charity to the poor.  When persecutions broke out in 1617, he and an Augustinian companion were seized while on their way to succor the Christian of Omura.  They were beheaded in Omura on June 1, 1617.and their bodies thrown into the sea. During the next five years, many other Christians, priests religious, lay people natives and missionaries—likewise suffered heroically for their faith.
Liturgical note: “Memoria” for the Holy Rosary Province
18, SEPTEMBER Saint Juan Macias
At Lima, in Peru, Saint John Macias,  friar of the Order of Preachers.
John Macias was born at Ribera de Fresno in Extremadura, Spain in 1585 of a noble but impoverished family. Orphaned in early childhood, Juan worked as a shepherd for his relatives, an occupation which provided him time for prayer. Inspired by a vision he left his native country and set sail for the Americas, arriving finally in Lima, Peru, where for a time he tended the sheep of a wealthy Spaniard. In 1623 he decided to enter the Order at the priory of Saint Mary Magdalene in Lima, where he served as porter for twenty-two years. Like his friend Saint Martin de Porres, he was known for his love and care for the poor and for his special devotion to the rosary. He died on September 16, 1645. He is the patron saint of immigrants and migrant workers.
 Liturgical note: “Memoria”
 
20, SEPTEMBER Blessed Mark Scalabrini of Modena
At Pesaro, in Italy, Blessed Mark of Modena, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.
Blessed Mark was born in Modena, Italy, shortly after the beginning of the fifteenth century. He entered the Order in his native city and made rapid progress in holiness and learning. He became a renowned preacher throughout northern Italy and for many years served as prior at Pesaro where he died on September 21, 1498. His cult was confirmed in 1857.
20, SEPTEMBER Blessed Francis de Posadas
At Cordoba, Spain, Blessed Francis de Posadas, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.
Blessed Francis was born at Cordoba, Spain in 1644 of very poor parents. In 1663 he fulfilled the desire of his early youth and entered the Order at the priory of Scala Caeli in Cordoba after overcoming much opposition and misunderstanding. His zealous preaching and hearing of confessions were such that he was considered to be another Saint Vincent Ferrer. He was noted for his profound compassion for the poor and the imprisoned; often he would give his own clothing to relieve their needs. His humility was so profound that no job was beneath his dignity yet refused all administrative positions including two bishoprics in order to remain close to his beloved people. He died at Cordoba on September 20, 1713 and was beatified in 1818.
 
24, SEPTEMBER Blessed Dalmatius Moner
At Gerona, Spain, Blessed Dalmatius Moner, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.
 Born at San Coloma de Farnès in Cataluña, Spain in 1291, Blessed Dalmatius was sent to the University of Montpellier and in 1314 after completing his studies entered the Order at the priory of Gerona, Spain. For many years he taught at the studium generale at Gerona and became the master of novices. Because of his austere life and his love of solitude and prayer his reputation for holiness became widespread. His desire to live as a hermit was fulfilled when the community allowed him to hollow out a cave on the priory property where he spent the last years of his life, leaving only to celebrate Mass and go to choir. He died in his beloved cave on September 24, 1341. His cult was confirmed in 1721.
 
24 SEPTEMBER Blessed Jacinto Serrano priest and companions,  martyrs
At Calanda, Valencia and Barcelona (Spain), Blessed Jacinto Serrano Lopez, priest and friar, and companion martyrs of the Order of Preachers.
Blessed Jacinto Serrano López leads the group of Dominican martyrs; priests, lay brothers and novices as well as two secular priests who were martyred for the faith in Barcelona and the Valencian locality of Calanda at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War of 1936. These martyrs were beatified by Pope John Paul II on March 11, 2001.
Blessed Jacinto Serrano López (1901-1936) was born in Urrea de Gaén (Teruel, Spain), on 10 July, 1901. He entered the Order at a very young age and after ordination in 1924, taught at the Dominican Apostolic School in Calanda (Valencia), and at the Studium Generale in Valencia.  Though a chemist by profession, as a young priest he dedicated himself not only to teaching, but also to preaching and writing as well as spiritual direction of various pious associations. When the Civil War broke out, as Vicar Provincial, he had to organize the flight to safety of the friars to France, staying behind in Barcelona attentive to their needs.. Detained by some militia from his own hometown, they detained him in Montjuich Castle and later transferred him to Hijar where he was imprisoned, subjected to questioning and was martyred on November 25, 1936. 
 
26, SEPTEMBER Blessed Lawrence of Ripafratta
At Pistoia, in Italy, Blessed Lawrence of Ripafratta, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.
Blessed Lawrence was born of noble parents in the castle at Ripafratta, near Lucca, in 1373. He was already a deacon when he entered the Order at Pisa with the encouragement of Blessed John Dominici where soon shone with every religious virtue, becoming a strenuous promoter of the reform begun by St. Catherine of Siena and Bl. Raymond of Capua. After some years of preaching he was appointed master of novices at Cortona where he trained such friars as Saint Antoninus, Bl. Peter Capucci and Blessed John Mungello or Fra Angelico. He served as prior and lector at Fiesole and in 1425 moved to Pistoia where he was appointed vicar general of the reformed priories.
In his writings, St. Antoninus did not hesitate to compare Blessed Lawrence to St Paul, for his apostolic zeal, the tribulations he had to undergo and the harsh penance which he inflicted on his own body.  He, in turn continued to be the confidant and comforter of St. Antoninus even after his former novice became Archbishop of Florence.
 Blessed Lawrence died at Pistoia on September 27, 1456. He was solemnly beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1851.
 
28, SEPTEMBER Saint Dominic Ibañez de Erquicia, Saint James Kyushei Tomonga, Friars and Priests, Saint Lawrence Ruiz, Lay Dominican, Husband and Companions, Martyrs
At Nagasaki, Japan, Saint Dominic Ibañez de Erquicia and James Kyushei Tomonaga, priests and friars, Saint Lawrence Ruiz, lay person, and companions, martyrs of the Order of Preachers.
On this day the Order commemorates sixteen martyrs who labored to establish the Church in Nagasaki, Japan, and who were martyred at various times during the years 1633, 1634, and 1637. After enduring horrible tortures, they were executed by the method known as the “gallows and pit,” their bodies burned, their ashes scattered.  Of this group nine were from Japan, four from Spain, one from France, one from Italy, and one from the Philippines. Thirteen of these martyrs were members of the Dominican Family and three were associated with it.
 Saint Dominic Ibañez de Erquicia (+1633): Spanish Dominican priest, born in Regil (San Sebastian, Spain). He entered the Order in Spain and later transfiliated to the Holy Rosary Province in order to work for the missions in the Far East. He taught at St. Tomas College (Manila) and preached in various parts of the Philippines. In 1623 he was sent as a missionary to Japan where he worked incognito. Denounced to the authorities by a Christian apostate, he was subsequently imprisoned and put to death after enduring horrible tortures on August 14, 1633. He played a very important role as Vicar Provincial to the missions.
 Saint James Kyushei Gorobioye Tomonaga of Saint Mary (+1633) Born of a noble Christian family of Kyudetsu, Japan, he studied at the Jesuits' College at Nagasaki. He was expelled from Japan in 1614, because he was working as a catechist.  He fled to Manila and, aspiring to greater perfection, entered the Order of Preachers. Ordained priest in 1626, he worked for a time in Formosa, and returned to Japan in 1632, he returned to Japan to help his fellow Christians, risking his life for the service of God and the conversion of souls. After a year of difficult apostolate in the midst of dangers, privations and sufferings, his hiding place was discovered by the authorities through the revelations of his catechist, St.  Michael Kurobioye. He was arrested, "because he was a religious and propagated the faith", put to the torture of the gallows and the pit on August 15, 1633; expiring after two days of agony. His body was cremated and the ashes thrown into the sea.
 Saint Lawrence Ruiz: (+1637) A layman. Born in Binondo (Manila, Philippines) of a Chinese Father and a Filipino mother, he received his education from the Dominicans, becoming a member of the Rosary Confraternity. He married and fathered three children. After becoming involved in some obscure incident with bloodshed, he joined the missionary expedition for Japan in order to escape. He was arrested and endured all kinds of tortures until his death on September 28, 1637. His body was cremated and ashes thrown into the sea. He is the Protomartyr of the Philippines.
Liturgical note:  “Memoria” for the Dominican Family; “Festum” for the Holy Rosary Province.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

THE PROPER MASS OF MARY HELP OF CHRISTIANS

saint zdislava of lemberk

THE DOMINICAN YEAR Month of June