Saints' Feast Days – October

• Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus– The Little Flower Virgin and Doctor of the Church, October 1^st
• Saint Francis of Assisi October 4^th
• Saint Faustina Virgin & Visionary, October 5^th
• Saint John XXIII, Pope October 11^th
• Saint Teresa of Jesus (Avila) Virgin and Doctor of the Church, October 15^th
• Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr Bishop and Martyr, October 17^th
• Saint Luke the Evangelist (Third Gospel) October 18^th
• Saint John Paul II, Pope October 22^nd
• Saint Jude the Apostle October 28^th

Background:

St Thérèse was a Carmelite nun who, “Wanted to be unknown”. She believed that it wasn't necessary to do heroic and great deeds to be holy. She said: “Love proves itself by deeds, so how am I to show my love?

Great deeds are forbidden me. The only way I can prove my love is by scattering flowers and these flowers are every little sacrifice, every glance and word, and the doing of the least actions for love”. Her Feast Day is 1st October.

Intercessory Prayer:

O Little Thérèse, I recall your promise, “To do good upon earth,” and shower down your,
“Roses” on those who invoke you. Please pick for me a rose from the
heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love.

O Little Flower of Jesus,
ask God today to grant me the favours I now place, with confidence, in
your hands:

(Share your request…)

St. Thérèse,
pray that I may live my life in union with God's plan for me, so one day
I will see the Face of God whom you loved so deeply.

St. Thérèse, help me to always imitate your, “Little Way.” May my life
bring peace and love to the world through my daily devotion to God our
Saviour. Amen

… St Thérèse, Pray for Us …

Background:

Francis of Assisi, was a poor little man who astounded and inspired the Church by taking the gospel literally by actually following all that Jesus said and did, joyfully, without limit, and without a sense of self-importance. From the cross in the neglected field-chapel of San Damiano, Christ told him, “Francis, go out and build up my house, for it is nearly falling down.” Francis really believed what Jesus said: “Announce the kingdom! Possess no gold or silver or copper in your purses, no traveling bag, no sandals, no staff” (Luke 9:1-3). During the last years of his relatively short life, he died at 44, Francis was half blind and seriously ill. Two years before his death he received the stigmata, the real and painful wounds of Christ in his hands, feet and side. On his deathbed, Francis said over and over again the last addition to his Canticle of the Sun, “Be praised, O Lord, for our Sister Death.” His Feast Day is 4^th October.

Intercessory Prayer:

O Glorious Saint Francis, who voluntarily renounced all the comforts and riches of your home to follow more perfectly the life of poverty and abnegation of Jesus Christ: obtain for us, we pray, a generous contempt of all things in this world, that we may secure the true and eternal things of heaven.

Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be…

O glorious Saint Francis, who during the whole course of your life continually wept over the passion of the Redeemer, and labour most zealously for the salvation of souls: obtain for us, we pray, the grace of weeping continually over those sins by which we have crucified afresh Our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may attain to be of the number of those who shall eternally bless His supreme mercy.

Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be…

O glorious Saint Francis, who, loving above all things suffering and the cross, merited to bear in your body the miraculous stigmata, by which you became a living image of Jesus Christ crucified: obtain for us, we pray, the grace to bear in our bodies the mortifications of Christ, that we may merit one day to receive the consolations which are infallibly promised to all those who now weep.

Our Father…Hail Mary…Glory be…

… St Francis of Assisi, Pray for Us …

Background:

Sister Faustina was a young, uneducated nun in a convent of the Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland during the 1930s.

She received extraordinary revelations — or messages — from our Lord Jesus.  Jesus asked her to record these experiences, which she compiled into notebooks.  These notebooks are known today as the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, and the words contained within are God's loving message of Divine Mercy.

Her Feast Day is 5^th October.

All grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with mercy for us. Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God; even if a person's sins were as dark as night, God's mercy is stronger than our misery. One thing alone is necessary; that the sinner set ajar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray of God's merciful grace, and then God will do the rest.

Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska No. 1507

Intercessory Prayer:

O Jesus,
You inspired Saint Faustina with profound veneration
for Your boundless Mercy.

Grant me through her intercession, if it be Your holy will,
the grace for which I fervently pray.

My sins render me unworthy of Your Mercy, but be mindful
of Saint Faustina's spirit of sacrifice and self-denial,
and reward her virtue by granting the petition which,
with childlike confidence, I present to You through her intercession.

… St Faustina, Pray for Us …

Background:

Imbued with a singular humanity, Blessed Pope John XXIII strove with greatest pastoral zeal to spread far and wide an abundance of Christian charity and to encourage all people to live in unity as brothers and sisters. Especially concerned to increase the Church's pastoral effectiveness, he convoked the Second Vatican Council. His Feast Day is 11^th October.

To keep me from sin and straying from Him, God has used devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. My life vows destined to be spent in the light irradiating from the tabernacle, and it is to the Heart of Jesus that I dare go for the solution of all my problems

-Pope John XXIII

Intercessory Prayer:

Almighty and eternal God,
who in the Pope, Blessed John XXIII, gave to the
whole world the shining example of a good shepherd,
grant that, through his intercession,
we may with joy spread abroad the fullness of Christian charity.

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 John XXIII, Pray for Us …

Background:

Teresa was born 28 March 1515 at Avila, Castile, Spain. Crippled by disease in her youth, she was cured after prayer to Saint Joseph. She entered a Carmelite house at 17 despite strong opposition from her father.

Soon after taking her vows, Teresa became gravely ill, she never fully recovered her health. She began receiving visions, and was examined by Dominicans and Jesuits who pronounced the visions to be holy and true.

Teresa considered her original house too lax in its rule, so she founded a reformed convent of Saint John of Avila. Teresa founded several houses, often against fierce opposition from local authorities.

Teresa's writings, especially the Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle, have helped generations of believers.

Whenever we think of Christ, we should recall the love that led Him to bestow on us so many graces and favors, and also the great love God showed in giving us in Christ a pledge of His love; for love calls for love in return. Let us strive to keep this always before our eyes and to rouse ourselves to love Him.

-Saint Teresa of “Avila

If Christ Jesus dwells in a man as his friend and noble leader, that man can endure all things, for Christ helps and strengthens us and never abandons us. He is a true friend.

-Saint Teresa of “Avila

Intercessory Prayer:

O Saint Teresa, seraphic Virgin, beloved spouse of thy crucified Lord, thou who on earth didst burn with a love so intense toward thy God and my God, and now dost glow with a brighter and purer flame in paradise: obtain for me also, I beseech thee, a spark of that same holy fire which shall cause me to forget the world, all things created, and even myself; for thou didst ever avidly desire to see Him loved by all men. Grant that my every thought and desire and affection may be continually directed to doing the will of God, the supreme Good, whether I am in joy or in pain, for He is worthy to be loved and obeyed forever. Obtain for me this grace, thou who art so powerful with God; may I be all on fire, like thee, with the holy love of God. Amen. (By St Alphonsus de'Liguori)

… St Teresa of Avila, Pray for Us …

Background:

Ignatius was a student of John the Apostle, an Apostolic Father and the third bishop of Antioch. He was persecuted for his faith because he would not worship pagan gods. In defending his faith in Christ, Saint Ignatius was martyred. “I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire.” His Feast Day is 17^th October.

Intercessory Prayer:

I am the wheat of God, and am ground by the teeth of the wild beasts,
that I may be found the pure bread of God. 

I long after the Lord, the Son of the true God and Father, Jesus Christ. 

Him I seek, who died for us and rose again. 

I am eager to die for the sake of Christ. My love has been
crucified, and there is no fire in me that loves anything.

But there is living water springing up in me, and it says to me
inwardly: “Come to the Father.” Amen.

(Mention your request here…)

… St Ignatius of Antioch, Pray for Us …

Saint Luke’s Portrait of Jesus:

The four Gospels are neither histories of the life of Christ nor biographies. They are portraits of the person and work of the long-promised Messiah, Israel’s King and the world’s Saviour. As portraits, they present four different poses of one unique personality. The four Gospels narrate, largely, the same things, but with some differences. Only Matthew and Luke tell of the Birth and childhood of Jesus (Matthew 1:14-9:1, Luke 1:5-4:13). Luke’s special emphasis is the humanity of Jesus, representing Jesus as the Son of God. Luke features His kindness toward the weak, the suffering, and the outcast (Luke 9:51-18:27).

Chaplet Prayers:

On the Medal Pray:

Almighty God, who didst inspire thy servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of thy Son, graciously continue in thy Church the love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of Thy name. Through the same Thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

On the First Bead of each set, Pray the Our Father.

On the Second Bead of each set, Pray the Hail Mary.

On the Third Bead of each set, Pray the Glory Be.

On the Crucifix Pray:

Saint Luke, in your Gospel, you show us the beauty of holiness. Help us to reflect the image of Christ in the way we live our lives. Saint Luke, Pray for us!

Background:

Pope John Paul II was ordained in 1946, became the bishop of Ombi in 1958, and became the archbishop of Krakow in 1964. He was made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1967, and in 1978 became the first non-Italian pope in more than 400 years. He was a vocal advocate for human rights and used his influence to effect political change. He died in Italy in 2005. It was announced in July 2013 that he would be declared a saint in April of the following year. His Feast Day is 22^nd October.

The great danger for family life, in the midst of any society whose idols are pleasure, comfort and independence, lies in the fact that people close their hearts and become selfish.

-Pope John Paul II

Intercessory Prayer:

Merciful God,
I pray with thanks and gratitude for the great
spiritual gift of Saint John Paul II's apostolic life and mission.

Through his heavenly intercession, please grant the following petition(s) . .

Here state your request(s).

Grant also that I may grow in love for You
and proclaim boldly the love of Jesus Christ to all people.
Through Christ, Our Lord.

Amen.

… St John Paul II, Pray for Us …

Background:

St. Jude, known as Thaddaeus, was a brother of St. James the Less, and a relative of Our Saviour. He was one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus. Images of St. Jude often include a flame around his head, which represent his presence at Pentecost, when he accepted the Holy Spirit alongside the other apostles. Another attribute is St. Jude holding an image of Christ, in the Image of Edessa. Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why He would not manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection. Legend claims that he visited Beirut and Edessa and could have been martyred with St. Simon in Persia. His Feast Day is 28^th October.

But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

-Jude 1: 20-21

Intercessory Prayer:

St. Jude, glorious Apostle,
faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many,
but the true Church invokes you universally as the Patron
of things despaired of, pray for me, that finally I may receive
the consolations and the succour of Heaven
in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly

(here make your request)

and that I may bless God with the Elect throughout Eternity.

Amen.