Saints' Feast Days – June
JUNE
THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS
The month of June is devoted to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus.
"From among all the proofs of the infinite goodness of our Saviour none stands out more prominently than the fact that, as the love of the faithful grew cold, He, Divine Love Itself, gave Himself to us to be honoured by a very special devotion and that the rich treasury of the Church was thrown wide open in the interests of that devotion." These words of Pope Pius XI refer to the Sacred Heart Devotion, which in its present form dates from the revelations given to Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1673-75.
The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. The devotion consists in the divine worship of the human heart of Christ, which is united to His divinity and which is a symbol of His love for us. The aim of the devotion is to make our Lord king over our hearts by prompting them to return love to Him (especially through an act of consecration by which we offer to the Heart of Jesus both ourselves and all that belongs to us) and to make reparation for our ingratitude to God.
Contents
- Saint Boniface Bishop & Martyr June 5th
- Saint Ephrem, Deacon & Doctor Deacon & Doctor of the Church June 9th
- Saint Anthony of Padua Priest & Doctor of the Church June 18th
- Saint Botolph Abbot June 17th
- Saint John the Baptist June 24th
- Saints Peter & Paul, Apostles June 29th
Saint Boniface
Background:
Saint Boniface was born in England about the year 673. In 719 he went to Germany to preach the Gospel. He made many converts there and was consecrated bishop, ruling over the church in Mainz. He attracted many companions by whose help he founded or restored dioceses in Bavaria, Thuringia, and Franconia. He also convened councils and promulgated laws. While preaching the Gospel to the Frisians, Saint Boniface was killed by pagans in 754. His Feast Day is 5th June.
Eternal God, our Refuge
By St. Boniface (672-754)Eternal God,
the refuge and help of all Your children,
we praise You for all You have given us,
for all You have done for us,
for all that You are to us.In our weakness, You are strength,
in our darkness, You are light,
in our sorrow, You are comfort and peace.We cannot number Your blessings,
we cannot declare Your love
For all Your blessings, we bless You.May we live as in Your presence, and love the things that You love,
and serve You in our daily lives;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Intercessory Prayer:
May the Martyr Saint Boniface be our advocate,
O Lord, that we may firmly hold the faith he taught
with his lips and sealed in his blood
and confidently profess it by our deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
… St Boniface, Pray for Us …
Saint Ephrem, Deacon & Doctor
Background:
Poet, teacher, orator, and defender of the faith, Ephrem is the only Syriac Christian recognized as a doctor of the Church. He took upon himself the special task of opposing the many false doctrines rampant at his time, always remaining a true and forceful defender of the Catholic Church. He was ordained a deacon but declined becoming a priest. Ephrem preferred a simple, austere life, living in a small cave overlooking the city of Edessa. It was here that he died around 373.
His Feast Day is 9th June.
Intercessory Prayer:
O Lord and Master of my life,
give me not the spirit of laziness, despair,
lust of power, and idle talk.
But give rather the spirit of sobriety, humility,
patience and love to Thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King,
grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother,
for blessed art Thou unto ages of ages.
Amen
Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian (AD 305-373)
… St Ephrem, Pray for Us…
Saint Anthony of Padua
Background:
St Anthony (1195 – 1231) was born in Portugal. He was ordained a priest and joined the Franciscans on missionary work in Morocco.
Due to a serious illness, he was forced to return home but his sailing was diverted to Italy because of poor weather. There he spent his time preaching and praying while living a very simple life in cells and caves. In the final years of his short life, St Anthony taught Theology, preached and served as envoy to Pope Gregory IX. He died at the age of 35yrs. His Feast Day is 13th June.
Intercessory Prayer:
Most Lovable St Anthony, we honour you as God's servant for your
fidelity and perseverance in His service. May we always be assisted by
your merits and intercession in following your example.
L – O God, come to my assistance;
R – Make haste Lord, to help me.
St Anthony, great wonder-worker, God has honoured you abundantly by
granting many miracles through your intercession. In your goodness,
kindly come to my aid now, and hear my request.
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be…
St Anthony, whom the infant Jesus so much loved and honoured, grant what
I now ask of you: (Share your request …) But, may God's will be done.
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be…
O God, may it always be a source of joy to Your Church that we honour
the memory of St Anthony, Your Confessor and Doctor. May his spiritual
help make us strong, and his assistance help us gain an everlasting
reward. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be…
… St Anthony of Padua, Pray for Us …
Saint Botolph
Background:
Saint Botolph was born in England around 610. In his youth he became a monk in Gaul. By 654 he had returned to England and founded the monastery of Ikanhoe in East Anglia-thereafter, the place came to be called "Botolphston" (from either "Botolph's stone" or "Botolph's town"), which was later contracted to "Boston".
He died around the year 680. He is commemorated to this day in the name of two cities, both the original Boston in the Lincolnshire fens (about 100 miles north of London), and likewise its namesake in the New World, in Massachusetts. His Feast Day is 17th June.
Boston
St. Botolph's Town! Hither across the plains
And fens of Lincolnshire, in garb austere,
There came a Saxon monk, and founded here
A Priory, pillaged by marauding Danes,
So that thereof no vestige now remains;
Only a name, that, spoken loud and clear,
And echoed in another hemisphere,
Survives the sculptured walls and painted panes.St. Botolph's Town! Far over leagues of land
And leagues of sea looks forth its notle tower,
And far around the chiming bells are heard;
So may that sacred name forever stand
A landmark, and a symbol of the power,
That lies concentred in a single word.-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Intercessory Prayer:
O God,
by whose grace the blessed Abbot Botolph,
enkindled with the fire of your love,
became a burning and a shining light in your church;
grant that we may be inflamed
with the same spirit of discipline and love,
and ever walk before you as children of the light,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
… St Botolph, Pray for Us …
Saint John the Baptist
Background:
The ‘Traditional Prayer in Honor of St. John the Baptist' has three parts, corresponding to the three stages of his life: (1) his decision to go into the wilderness to practice a life of penance and mortification; (2) his preaching to those who followed him into the wilderness, preparing their hearts for the coming of Christ; and (3) his martyrdom at the order of King Herod. His Feast Days are 24th June & 29th August.
Intercessory Prayer:
Part I
O glorious Saint John the Baptist, greatest prophet among those born of woman, although you were sanctified in your mother's womb and led a most innocent life, nevertheless it was your will to retire into the wilderness, there to devote yourself to the practice of austerity and penance; obtain for us from our Lord the grace to be wholly detached, at least in our hearts, from earthly goods, and to practice Christian mortification with interior recollection and with the spirit of holy prayer.
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be…
… St John the Baptist, Pray for Us…
Part II
O most zealous Apostle, who, without working any miracle on others, but solely by the example of your life of penance and the power of your word, did draw after you the multitudes, in order to dispose them to receive the Messiah worthily and to listen to His heavenly doctrine. Grant that it may be given unto us, by means of your example of a holy life and the exercise of every good work, to bring many souls to God, but above all those souls that are enveloped in the darkness of error and ignorance and are led astray by vice.
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be…
… St John the Baptist, Pray for Us…
Part III
O Martyr invincible, who, for the honour of God and the salvation of souls did with firmness and constancy withstand the impiety of Herod even at the cost of your own life, and rebuked him openly for his wicked and dissolute life; by your prayers obtain for us a heart, brave and generous, in order that we may overcome all human respect and openly profess our faith in loyal obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ, our divine Master.
Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be…
… St John the Baptist, Pray for Us…
Saints Peter & Paul, Apostles
Background:
In a sermon in the year 395, St. Augustine of Hippo said of Sts. Peter and Paul: “Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labours, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.”
Intercessory Prayer:
O holy Apostles, Peter and Paul, intercede for us.
Protect, O Lord, your people
who trust in the patronage of your Apostles, Peter and Paul,
and by their constant protection protect your people.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.