BLESSED ARE THE SAINTS

 

“For the Saints are sent to us by God as so many sermons. We do not use them, it is they who move us and lead us, to where we had not expected to go.” Charles Cardinal Journet (1891-1975) 

ALL SAINTS DAY

Blessed are they whose baby-souls are bright,

Whose brows are sealèd with the cross of light,
Whom God Himself has deign’d to robe in white—
Blessed are they!

Blessed are they who follow through the wild
His sacred footprints, as a little child;
Who strive to keep their garments undefiled—
Blessed are they!

Blessed are they who commune with the Christ,
Midst holy angels, at the Eucharist—
Who aye seek sunlight through the rain and mist—
Blessed are they!

Blessed are they—the strong in faith and grace—
Who humbly fill their own appointed place;
They who with steadfast patience run the race—
Blessed are they!

Blessed are they who suffer and endure—
They who through thorns and briars walk safe and sure;
Gold in the fire made beautiful and pure!—
Blessed are they!

Blessed are they on whom the angels wait,
To keep them facing the celestial gate,
To help them keep their vows inviolate—
Blessed are they!

Blessed are they to whom, at dead of night,—
In work, in prayer—though veiled from mortal sight,
The great King’s messengers bring love and light—
Blessed are they!

Blessed are they whose labors only cease
When God decrees the quiet, sweet release;
Who lie down calmly in the sleep of peace—
Blessed are they!
Whose dust is angel-guarded, where the flowers
And soft moss cover it, in this earth of ours;
Whose souls are roaming in celestial bowers—
Blessed are they!

Blessed are they—our precious ones—who trod
A pathway for us o’er the rock-strewn sod.
How are they number’d with the saints of God!
Blessed are they!

Blessed are they, elected to sit down
With Christ, in that day of supreme renown,
When His own Bride shall wear her bridal crown—
Blessed are they!

 

Ada Cambridge, later known as Ada Cross, 

was an English- born Australian writer (d. 1926)

EVEN THE CATS!

 

                      OUR  CAT ZARAH  WANTS  A TREAT!!

UNITY IN UKRAINE

 

As we near the third year of the invasion of Ukraine, with seemingly no end in sight for the poor people of this country, and the many who have had to flee to other nations, I find a lesser- known saint. 

In 1595, the Orthodox bishop of Brest-Litovsk in present-day Belarus and five other bishops representing millions of Ruthenians, sought reunion with Rome. Our saint was to dedicate his life, and die for this cause.

Born in what is now Ukraine, John Kunsevich, who took the name (ST.) JOSAPHAT  in religious life, went to work in Wilno and was influenced by clergy adhering to the 1596 Union of Brest. He became a Basilian monk, then a priest, and soon was well known as a preacher and an ascetic.

At a relatively young age, upon becoming both bishop of Vitebsk and archbishop of Polotsk, Josaphat faced a difficult situation. Most monks, fearing interference in liturgy and customs, did not want union with Rome. By synods, catechetical instruction, reform of the clergy, and personal example, however, Josaphat was successful in winning the greater part of the Orthodox in that area to the union.

But the next year a dissident hierarchy was set up, and his opposite number spread the accusation that Josaphat had “gone Latin” and that all his people would have to do the same. He was not enthusiastically supported by the Latin bishops of Poland.

Despite warnings, he went to Vitebsk, still a hotbed of trouble. Attempts were made to foment trouble and drive him from the diocese: A priest was sent to shout insults to him from his own courtyard. When Josaphat had him removed and shut up in his house, the opposition rang the town hall bell, and a mob assembled.

The priest was released, but members of the mob broke into the bishop’s home. Josaphat was struck with a halberd, then shot, and his body thrown into the river. It was later recovered and is now buried in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. He was the first saint of the Eastern Church to be canonized by Rome.

St. Josaphat’s death brought a movement toward Catholicism and unity, but the controversy continued, and the dissidents, too, had their martyr. After the partition of Poland, the Russians forced most Ruthenians to join the Russian Orthodox Church. 

In 1964, newspaper photos showed Pope Paul VI embracing Athenagoras I, the Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople. This marked a significant step toward the healing of a division in Christendom that has spanned more than nine centuries.  May this saint intercede for his modern day people that they may once again know unity in their homeland.

SEATTLE'S HOLY PRINCESS

 

A local native being considered for sainthood is PRINCESS ANGELINE (Kikisoblu, Kick-is-om-lo). She was born around 1820 to Chief Seattle and his first wife (a Catholic) in what is now Rainier Beach in Seattle, Washington. She was named Angeline by Catherine Broshears Maynard, the second wife of Doc Maynard, who  thought she deserved a name that would help people recognize her importance as the daughter of the city’s namesake. She named her Princess Angeline– a name she thought was “prettier” than her native name.

In 1856, during the Puget Sound War, Kiki is said to have conveyed a warning from her father to the citizens of Seattle regarding an imminent attack by a large native coalition force. Thanks to this warning, the settlers and neutral native tribespeople were able to protect themselves during the resulting Battle of Seattle.

The 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott required that all Duwamish Indians leave their land for reservations, but Kikisoblu remained in Seattle in a waterfront cabin on Western Avenue between Pike and Pine Streets, near what is now Pike Place Market and earned a living doing laundry, making baskets and collecting shellfish along the shores of Puget Sound.

She got a lot of attention as Chief Seattle’s daughter and many photographs were taken of her and used on all kinds of souvenir items. In photos, Kikisoblu most often appears wearing a red bandana, shawl, and many layers of clothing. She was photographed by many famous people such as Edward S. Curtis. She would get a dollar when someone took her photo.

The Duwamish Tribe, which was one of the largest tribes in Washington State, is now unrecognized by the federal government.

Chief Seattle was confirmed in 1864 and married in the Catholic Church in 1865. When he died in 1866, he was buried at St. Peter’s cemetery at Suquamish. But his baptismal record wasn’t found until 2018, when Joan Byrne, an archives volunteer, was translating sacramental registers written in French by missionary priests. The record shows he was baptized Noé (Noah) Siyatle on March 17, 1857, when he was about 71 years old.

Princess Angeline seemed quite a “character” and was known for always having a cigarette, but not so well known for always carrying her rosary and crucifix.  Showing her crucifix to people, she would say, “this is my friend”.

She was buried (in a canoe-shaped coffin) in Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill, next to her friend, founding father, Henry Yesler. Years later, Seattle schoolchildren raised money for a headstone.

The Chronicle of Holy Names Academy reported:

"May 29, 1896. With the death of Angeline Seattle died the last of the direct descendants of the great Chief Seattle for whom this city was named. Angeline—Princess Angeline—as she was generally called, was famous all over the world… Angeline was a familiar figure of the streets, bent and wrinkled, a red handkerchief over her head, a shawl about her, walking slowly and painfully with the aid of a cane; it was no infrequent sight to see this poor old Indian woman seated on the sidewalk devoutly reciting her beads. The kindness and generosity of Seattle's people toward the daughter of the chief… was shown in her funeral obsequies which took place from the Church of Our Lady of Good Help. The church was magnificently decorated; on the somber draped catafalque in a casket in the form of a canoe rested all that was mortal of Princess Angeline."

Due to the close relationship between Seattle's indigenous population and the region's orca population, one of the Southern resident orcas, J17, was nicknamed Princess Angeline after Kikisoblu. J17's fourth calf, J53 Kiki, was also named after Kikisoblu.

Two years ago, a rosary that belonged to Princess Angeline, was gifted to the Duwamish Tribe by the Archdiocese of Seattle.

“Because she is the daughter of our chief … to have that little rosary coming back to the tribe, that is so moving. To me, it’s really spiritual,” said Cecile Hansen, Chief Seattle’s great-great-grandniece who is a lifelong Catholic and the longtime chairwoman of the Duwamish Tribal Council.

She appears to have been eccentric, but how many saints were called so in their lifetime and even today, by us lesser mortals?

Photos: 

Top & Bottom.  Edward Curtis

 Middle:  Her "shack with her dog and walking in Seattle

    

NUNS TO THE STARS

 

It never ceases to amaze me how many women of the past were great contributors to science, the arts and other fields, but only now are receiving recognition.  Of late we find four nuns who were recruited by the Vatican to measure and map stars from plate-glass photographs. They cataloged the brightness and locations of almost half a million stars during their years of hard work.

SISTER EMILIA PONZONI (1883-1950) was born in Milan and entered the Sisters of the Child Mary in 1905. SISTER REGINA COLOMBO (1885-1953) born in Bergamo, entered the order in 1907, SISTER CONCETTA FINARDI (1896-1975), also born in Bergamo, entered in 1916, and SISTER LUIGIA PANCERI, born in Milan, (1893-1982) entered in 1915.

All four sisters were originally expected to work as nurses. However, at the request of Jesuit Father John Hagen, who had previously headed the observatory at Georgetown University, USA, they joined the Vatican Observatory's star mapping project in the early 1900s.  The nuns worked between 1909 and 1929, and their discoveries were published in a 10-volume catalog. 

In 1909, Father Hagen approached the Superior General of the Suore di Maria Bambini, as he needed "two sisters with normal eyesight, patience and an aptitude for methodical and mechanical work". With reservations on the part of the General Council of the order, which specialized in nursing and education, two and later four sisters were sent.

And while the sisters were received and honored by Popes Benedict XV (1914-1922) and Pius XI (1922 to 1939), their work fell into oblivion.

Father Sabino Maffeo, a Jesuit priest who works at the Vatican Observatory, found their names while organizing papers for the archives. Today, the project to which the nuns contributed is as obscure as the nuns themselves, but at the time it was one of the largest scientific undertakings in history.

In honor of their accomplishments, Vatican Observatory astronomers suggested asteroids be named after them.  All were approved and now have stars named for them.

The asteroids are named: (627981) Ponzoni, (634659) Colombo, (709193) Concettafinardi, and (714305) Panceri.

HEART OF JESUS

 

Tomorrow, October 24, Pope Francis will release his fourth encyclical.“DILEXIT NOS” - Encyclical Letter on the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ,” centers around the SACRED HEART of JESUS.  Its release coincides with the 350th anniversary of the apparitions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1673)  that led to devotions  to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. These apparitions, which took place at the convent of Paray-le-Monial in Burgundy, continued for 17 years.

During these apparitions, Jesus revealed His heart, which was crowned with thorns and surrounded by flames. He gave St Margaret Marythe mission  to share His love, especially, His love for sinners. 

In 1956 Pope Pius XII, wrote his own encyclical on the devotion, Haurietis aquas, which emphasized the devotion's importance for the Church's needs and its potential as a “banner of salvation” for the modern world. 

Pope Benedict XVI, in a letter commemorating the 50th anniversary of Haurietis Aquas, reinforced this sentiment, saying, “This mystery of God's love for us is not only the content of devotion to the Heart of Jesus; it is also at the heart of all true Christian spirituality.”

In a past Blog (June 2019), I wrote of my Jesuit spiritual director, Father Alban J. Dachauer at Creighton University, who wrote The Sacred Heart: A Commentary on Haurietis Aquas (1959).

 This new encyclical could not come at a better time, in our world torn apart by war, bigotry, lack of morality, and loss of faith. In the words of the Holy Father, “a world that seems to have lost its heart."

A REMINDER

 

“Mother of Christ,
help me to be willing
to accept the suffering
that is the condition of love. 

Help me accept
the grief
of seeing those whom I love suffer,
and when they die
let me share in their death
by compassion. 

Give me the faith
that knows Christ
in them,
and knows that His love
is the key
to the mystery of suffering.

                                                        

Help me,
Blessed Mother,
to see with your eyes,
to think with your mind,
to accept with your will.

Help me to believe
that it is Christ
who suffers in innocent children,
in those who die in the flower of life,
in those whose death is an act
of reparation,
in those who are sacrificed
for others.

Remind me
that their suffering
is Christ’s love
healing the world,
and when I suffer for them
and with them,
I too am given the power
of His redeeming love.”

Caryll Houselander