NEW SAINT- OLD FRIEND

 

Yesterday, Pope Leo canonized seven new saints, one being my “friend”  MADRE MARIA TRONCATTI, a Salesian Sister, who trained and worked as a Red Cross nurse in military hospitals in the First World War, and was a missionary in Ecuador for almost 50 years. (See Blogs Nov. 23,2012, Jan.2, 2013 & June 9, 2025)

She was part of an initially tiny group of Sisters engaged in evangelization and care for the Shuar people of the Amazon forest, looking after their physical needs as nurse, surgeon and dentist, and their spiritual needs as catechist, envangelizer and role-model. The work she began in an isolated and dangerous environment continues today. The new saint was killed in a tragic plane crash on 25th August 1969 at the age of 86, still doing her mission work.

She was much loved by the people who called her "Mamacita".

 The Holy Father said in his homily: “Today we have before us seven witnesses, the new Saints, who, with God’s grace, kept the lamp of faith burning. Indeed, they themselves became lamps capable of spreading the light of Christ.”

 “We see all this in the lives of the new Saints: they are not heroes or champions of some ideal, but authentic men and women ... May their intercession assist us in our trials and their example inspire us in our shared vocation to holiness. As we journey towards this goal, let us pray without ceasing, and continue in what we have learned and firmly believe (cf. 2 Tim 3:14). Faith on earth thus sustains the hope for heaven."

"Let us entrust to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the new Saints our constant prayer for peace in the Holy Land, Ukraine and other places affected by war. May God grant all their leaders the wisdom and perseverance to advance in the search for a just and lasting peace.”

Of St. Maria, the Apostolic Vicar of Méndez (Ecuador), Néstor Vidal  Bishop Montesdeoca affirmed that the holiness of the nun and missionary "was not demonstrated by spending all day praying, but by the fact that she knew how to reconcile, in her life and work, prayer, the Eucharist, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary with pastoral, missionary, and catechetical work to proclaim the Gospel, but also with the educational work of educating boys and girls to be good Christians and honest citizens, especially those from the mission territory, especially among the Shuar, both in Macas and later in Seville Don Bosco and then in Sucúa."

He also emphasized the relevance of St. Maria's passionate missionary work, a promoter of human rights "at a time when it was not yet widely discussed" and advocated for women's rights, but above all, was "a promoter and prophet of the peaceful social integration of peoples." 

Regarding the new Salesian saint who dedicated her life to serving the Indigenous peoples of Ecuador, Pope Leo noted that “she cared for the bodies and hearts of those she assisted with the love and strength she drew from faith and prayer.”

“Her truly tireless work is an example for us of a charity that does not give up in the face of difficulties but rather transforms them into opportunities for free and total self-giving.”

Her feast is now August 25.

MODERN MYSTIC

 

ALICJA  LENCZEWSKA a Polish mystic and teacher was the author of two spiritual diaries published under the title Testimony. Spiritual Diary and Word of Instruction, in which she describes mainly her conversations with Jesus Christ, as well as the Mother of God, angels and saints, including St. Faustina.

She was born in 1934 in Warsaw.  Her parents came from Eastern Lesser Poland (now Ukraine). Her father, August, was a typing teacher and inventor of a specific type of padlock, and her mother, Jadwiga, was a teacher. Her father died when she was two.

In 1940, she moved with her mother and older brother, Sławomir, to the Rzeszów region, then to Inowrocław, and finally, in 1946, the family settled in Szczecin. Here she passed her high school exams and then took a job as a village teacher. She taught handicrafts and mechanics, and eventually became vice-principal of a high school for preschool teachers.

She traveled extensively, enjoyed tourism, and was interested in art history . She became interested in religious issues after reading American books about the charismatic renewal .

Before Alicja’s conversion, her faith was very superficial. As she mentioned, “There were several years when I lived outside the Church, almost completely in clear contradiction to the commandments of God.”  

She persistently pursued the meaning of life, goodness, and beauty. “The longing for these pursued me through many countries for many years. But the time finally came when I increasingly felt the emptiness of such a life.” 

She experienced her first mystical encounters with Jesus during a retreat in Gostyń in 1985. Her spiritual guide was Father Walter Rachwalik, who advised her to systematically record her visions, which she did in her school notebooks from 1985 to 2010. As she later confessed, “Something happened there that completely changed my life.” 

She eventually typed up the notes, destroying the originals (only three notebooks survive). In 1987, she retired from work, though she continued to work as a volunteer in the parish office. She stated that in 1989 she began experiencing the pain of invisible stigmata.

She admitted, “Everything ceased to exist, there was only Him. His power, might, and immense presence grew larger as I became smaller beside Him. Everything I had longed for and chased after in the world for so many years, He gave to me.”

She began to read the Holy Scriptures regularly, pray the rosary and the breviary, and fast on Wednesdays and Fridays on bread and water.  She organized and led pilgrimages to Italy, the Holy Land, and Medjugorje.

She made her perpetual vows in the Family of the Heart of Crucified Love. She went on pilgrimages and co-initiated the founding of the community of the Apostles of Pure Love. In 2010, she was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

She is the author of two spiritual journals. The first, Testimony. A Spiritual Journal, contains her notes from 1985 to 1989. The second journal, Word of Instruction, dates from 1989 to 2010.

On June 24, 2009, in some of the last words written in Word of Instruction , she shared her understanding of love for Jesus Christ.

In 2010 her mystical communications ceased and Alicja fell seriously ill. She accepted her illness as a “gift from God” and maintained a cheerful disposition until the end, as those who accompanied her attested.

 Alicja spent the last days of her earthly life in St. John`s hospice. This was her choice, as she did not want to burden her brother Sławomir and sister-in-law Dorota with her care. There she was also able to participate in the Eucharist daily. 

 A day before she was admitted, she broke her leg. The femur was so damaged by cancer that it broke into two parts. The incident occurred at 6 a.m., but she did not inform her sister-in-law by phone until 8 a.m. Then, her sister-in-law Dorota called an ambulance, which took her to the hospital. It is likely that she did not want to wake up the family and offered the associated suffering for some intention.

After her death in 2012, the local Archbishop of Szczecin-Kamień, Andrzej Dzięga,
appointed a theological commission to examine whether the content of her spiritual notes was consistent with the teaching of the Church. The theologians' opinion was unequivocally positive. Rev. Dr. Mieczysław Piotrowski, co-author of her biography stated that "these texts are among the pearls of religious literature". 

Both publications received the imprimatur of the Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Szczecin-Kamień, Henryk Wejman. "Today the widespread interest in Alicja Lenczewska’s texts indicates that this is already a great work, and I think it will become even greater. Speaking quite privately, I deeply believe that Alicja will be beatified one day,” admitted Fr. Mariusz Sokołowski, SChr.

“…Alicja, as a layperson, despite her earlier imperfections and later personal conversion, was able to serve God’s cause devotedly and plead for the atonement for sinners through her prayers and suffering. She thus became an apostle of Divine Mercy,” Bishop Henryk Wejman, of the University of Szczecin, stated in “The Concept of Lay Spirituality: An Analytical Study of the Writings of Alicja Lenczewska.”

TIME FOR BIRDING

 

Now that summer is over, and the ducks are returning to our islands, it is interesting to note some new facts from a November 2024 report from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) which reflects staggering numbers. There are an estimated 96 million birders in the United States—more than a third of U.S. adults—who together spent more than $107 billion in 2022.  The average age of birders in the US is 49 years old.

The number of species in the USA can vary depending on whether the count is for 50 states, leaving out Hawaii and Alaska and U.S. territories. Most comprehensive counts includes all of these regions.  For example, the Wikipedia list includes species found in the 50 states and District of Columbia, plus those found in U.S. territories, for a total of 1,267 species

There are approximately 993 bird species known to occur in the contiguous "Lower 48" United States, according to the American Birding Association (ABA)'s criteria, though figures can vary slightly depending on whether accidental or casual visitors are included, with sources like eBird and Fat Birder referencing similar or slightly different numbers depending on the date and criteria. 

California has the highest recorded species diversity (706 species), followed by Texas (668 species) and Arizona (576 species). Washington State has 522 species. 

The North American (ABA Area) Record was set by John Weige in  2019 with 840 species.

The United States (Continental U.S.) Record is  750 species  by Ruben and Victor Stoll in 2022. 

Lower 48 United States Record: 759 species by Ezekiel Dobson in 2024. 

A new checklist recognizes 11,131 species of birds in the world, classified within 252 families. 

The American, Peter Kaestner, has seen the most birds, becoming the first person to see 10,000 unique bird species in the wild, a feat he accomplished on February 9, 2024, with the sighting of an Orange-tufted Spiderhunter in the Philippines. A retired diplomat and lifelong birder, Mr. Kaestner has spent decades traveling and documenting birds, and his life list now includes over 90% of the world's known bird species.

An avid birder, he has taken advantage of his position as an international diplomat to follow his hobby.^[ By October 1986, he had become the first birder to see a representative of each bird family in the world and was recognized in the Guinness World Records. 

In 1989, while on a birding expedition near Bogota, Colombia, where he was a U.S. consular officer, he discovered a species new to science, the Cundinamarca Antpitta (Grallaria kaestneri), which was subsequently named after him.

THE HOT CROSS BUN NUNS!

 

 

Rarely does an order in the Church have so any religious being considered for canonization at the  same time. Three  nuns belonged to a revived order of Bridgettine sisters, an order nicknamed ‘the hot cross bun nuns’ because of the distinctive crosses covering the tops of their veils.

VENERABLE MOTHER M. RICCARDA BEAUCHAMP HAMBROUGH, O.SS.S. was born in London 1887. and was baptized into the Anglican religion, but when she was  four years old, her family, of noble origins, converted to Catholicism.

 She completed her first studies at the Sisters of the Sacred Heart Convent in England, where she also attended courses in singing and music. Knowing she had a vocation to te religious life, her spiritual director referred her to St. Elizabeth Hesselblad (See Blogs 5/27/2016 & 4/17/21), who was reconstituting the Order of the Most Holy Savior founded by St. Bridget of Sweden. St. Maria Elisabeth Hesselblad was proclaimed a saint by Pope Francis in 2016.

After coming to know of the experience of  Mother Elizabeth through Fr. Benedict Williamson, in 1914 she transferred herself definitely to Rome to be close to Mother Elizabeth, becoming her disciple and faithful companion in her movements in the city of Rome and abroad.

 In 1918 she made her Final Profession in the House of Via Corsica. She took up various assignments and in 1923 she went to Stockholm for the inauguration of the first Bridgettine Foundation in Sweden since the Protestant Reformation. Returning to Rome in 1924, she moved from Via delle Isole to Piazza Farnese in 1931 where she remained till her death.

From 1931 to 1966, the Venerable, in silence gave constant attention to Mother Elizabeth,  the true protagonist of the life and growth of the new Bridgettine family. Mother Riccarda seems to have been the gentle force in the convent, with the rather stern superior, Mother Elizabeth.

 In 1935 she was back in Sweden for the opening of the House in Vadstena. She also accompanied Mother Elizabeth when the Mother presented the 1940 Constitutions to Pope Pius XII for approval and renewed the petition that the new Foundation be named Order of the Most Holy Savior. 

On the 24th April 1957 Mother Riccarda witnessed the passing away of Mother Elizabeth and a year later, on the 3rd May 1958, she was elected the first Abbess General after the Foundress, a position she held until 1964. She died in the House of Piazza Farnese on the 26th June 1966.

 During World War II, Mother Riccarda protected many Jewish families by hiding them in the convent. 

She was known as a women of prayer, very loving,  spending  many hours of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. She willingly accepted pain and suffering. She ruled the Order in difficult times, always with great kindness and attention, standing out as a pious Mistress of the novices, a vigilant Superior and a thoughtful Sister. As Mother General she was able to incorporate the prophecy of  St. Elizabeth with the signs of renewal of Vatican II, which was concluded just a year before her death.

VENERABLE MOTHER M. CATHERINE FLANAGAN, O.SS.S.  (Florence Kate)  was born in London in 1892 to Irish parents, into a rather austere but affectionately warm family. From childhood she was brought up in close contact with the sacraments and the liturgy, which she deeply loved.

In 1911, directed by Fr. Benedict Williamson, pastor of the Parish of St. Gregory in London, she arrived at the house of St. Bridget in Piazza Farnese to follow the call of God and become a member of the first Bridgettine community in Rome. Between 1913 and 1915 she completed the first stage of her spiritual formation and made her temporary Profession. She remained there until 1927 when she was sent to Sweden for a year.

Later she was named Mother Superior in Lugano (1928), England (1931), and Vadstena (1935.

In 1939 she moved to Djursholm where she was felled by cancer.  She was sent to a Catholic nursing home in Stockholm, where she spent the last months of her life in great suffering, praying for Sweden and edifying all by her example.

She died on 19th March 1941 in loving compliance with the will of the Lord. On 22nd March 1941 her body was transferred in the ancient cemetery of Vadstena where it still rests to this day.

Eldest daughter of the St. Elizabeth, her life was characterized by her total availability and sincere fidelity to God's Providence that, in the last period of her life, signed her with the cross.

The third nun of this order is SERVANT OF GOD SISTER M. MADDALENA MOCCIA, O.SS.S. who was born Ermengilda in Naples in 1898 of wealthy parents. Unfortunately they cared very little about the religious education of their daughters. In 1913 she entered the College of the Ursuline Sisters in Rome in Via Nomentana. There she nurtured the idea of embracing the religious life.

What she wrote in November 1915, after the spiritual retreat at the Ursulines’ in Rome, is very significant: "Before entering this Holy House of God in the company of these holy and generous brides of Christ, I had never imagined what a retreat could be. . What a delight, what a joy! Never in the world had I heard and met my friend Jesus as the Ursulines now have made Him known to me. Never had I worshiped and loved Him as I now do spontaneously, without any need of encouragement. I often hear His voice, and He is prompt to take possession of my soul through His grace".

She entered the Bridgettine Community in Via delle Isole 34 in Rome. She was accepted as a postulant on 29th December 1920, taking the name of Sister M. Maddalena of Jesus Crucified.

 On the 23rd July 1921 she took the religious habit, but in September of that same year, there appeared the first symptoms of a disease that would take her life: pulmonary tuberculosis! 

On 20th February 1922 she made her perpetual vows, after only seven months in the novitiate, and on 20th April 1922 she passed away in Rome. She had said to the Blessed Mother Elizabeth: "I will be your Angel in heaven".

 Sister Mary Magdalene of Jesus Crucified died with a reputation for holiness, due to her writings where she recounts her mystical experiences and her way of seeing the presence of divinity in everyday life.  It was the foundress, St. Elizabeth Hesselblad  herself who introduced the informative process for her beatification.

NEW DOCTOR FOR THE CHURCH

 

This  past week, the Holy See announced that ST. JOHN HENRY NEWMAN will be formally proclaimed a DOCTOR of the CHURCH on November 1. He will join the rank with such saints as Hildegard of Bingen, Therese of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas.

There are only 38 Doctors of the Church (four are women), a title granted to saints whose theological writings are considered authoritative and of particular importance in understanding Catholic doctrine. 

The title was first given in the Middle Ages, and originally, there were four great Doctors of the Church: St. Ambrose, 4th century bishop of Milan, St. Augustine, 5th century bishop of Hippo, St. Gregory the Great, who was pope at the start of the 7th century, and St. Jerome, the 5th century biblical scholar and translator.

In recent years, we have seen saints named as doctors of the Church. Pope Benedict  understood deeply the requirements and the highly unusual nature of the doctors. He named two of them himself in 2012: the 12th-century abbess and mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen and the 16th-century priest St. John of Ávila.

Many believe St. Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) should also be added. 

 St. John Henry Newman, only recently canonized by Pope Francis in 2019, has long been a towering figure in Catholic thought. His writings on conscience, truth, faith, and reason have shaped generations of believers and stand as a bridge between faith and intellect. He is considered one of the greatest and most faithful theologians in the history of the Church

His chosen motto, Cor ad cor loquitur—“Heart speaks to heart”—reflects his conviction that authentic faith is not merely intellectual assent, but a living dialogue with Christ at the core of human life.

MUSIC LEADS TO GOD

 

One of our closest neighbors, several hay fields away, gets a wonderful British music magazine, which he shares with us. We then pass it on to Father, who passes it on to the past chamber music festival director on Orcas Island. Often mentioned in the magazine is the Scottish composer and conductor SIR JAMES MacMILLAN.  I did a Blog on him in May (16) 2021. Sir  MacMillan and his wife are lay Dominicans.

Sir James MacMillan CBE is one of today’s most successful living composers, an international conductor, and also founder and artistic director of The Cumnock Tryst, a music festival in East Ayrshire in Scotland, where he lives. He composes regularly for The Sixteen, one of the world's most renowned choirs, and has been described by The Guardian as "...a composer so confident of his own musical language that he makes it instantly communicative to his listeners."

In an interview, earlier this year, at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. he spoke of the responsibility that composers have to be true to their work in the face of God.

 ‘‘ It’s a great responsibility for the composer when he or she writes the liturgy … you are writing to carry the thoughts and prayers and meditations of the people of God, to the altar of God.

 The Church has to be aware … that music is part of the liturgy. It’s not an add-on for aesthetic values. It’s an absolute central core part of what it means to be a creative Church.”

Sir MacMillan posed the question: “What is beauty?” “To a Catholic, to the Church, beauty is God. God is beauty. God is also truth and goodness. And these three attributes, the three attributes that are closely connected, cannot be dissolved and divided. You must have truth, you must have goodness, and you must have beauty. They’re all attending and serving each other. I have heard some great sermons throughout my life on truth and on goodness, [but] not enough on beauty yet. So maybe the Church needs to address that, to inculcate a love of beauty, a search for beauty amongst people of God.”

 Sir MacMillan explained how cultural art is “an important part of the search for God. Music is intrinsically a spiritual art form. I don’t say that just as a Catholic believer. There’s something in the music itself that seems to connect to the infinite, that opens a door or a window [to] the divine".

Living on a small, very beautiful island, and singing the Chant in our, very beautiful, chapel, we certainly are daily aware of beauty in our lives and are grateful we can offer this small piece of paradise to all who come.