Friends at Court

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 16, 21 April 1904, Page 31

Friends at Court

GLEANINGS FOR NEXT WEEK'S CALENDAR

April 24, Sunday.— Second Sunday after Easter. Patronage of St. Joseph. „ 25, Monday.— St. Mark, Evangelist. „ 2C, Tuesday.— SS. Cletus and Maicellinus, Popes and Martyrs. „ 27, Wednesday.— St. Anastasius 1., Pope and Confessor. „ 28, Thursday.— St. Paul of the Cross, Confessor. „ 29, Friday.— St. Peter, Martyr. „ 30, Saturday.— St. Catherine of Siena; Virgin. Patronage of St. Joseph.. This feast was instituted by Pius IX. shortly after his elevation to the pontificate. Later on, in 1870, the same Pontiff declared St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church. Few, if any, of tjhe saints, with the exception of the Mother of God, appeal more strongly to aur love and veneration than St. Joseph — spouse of the Blessed Virgin and foster-father of our Redeemer. As the Son of God was subject to him on earth, •so we believe his intercession to be most efficacious in heaven. St. Thomas of Aquin says of him, ' Some saint's are privileged to extend to us their patronage in certain cases with peculiar efficacy ; hut to , St. Joseph is given to assist us in all cases, in every necessity, in every undertaking. St. Mark, Evangelist. St. Mark, one of the four Evangelists, was probably the same as John Mark, mentioned in the Acts (xii 25). He was the nephew or cousin of St. Barnabas Mark afterwards became the fajvonte companion ami disciple of ' St. Peter at Rome. Sent on a mission to Egypt by St. Peter, Mark there founded the Church at Alexandria, which he governed till the year 62, when he appointed Anndanus his successor. His life was ended by martyrdom in the year 68. Mark wrote his Goapel in Greek, which, as St. Irenaeus tells us, appeared after the death of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and which he is said to have compiled from the preaching of St. Peter, who also gave it his sanction. Hence, ancient writers call him the 4 Interpreter * of that Apostle. SS Cletus and Marcellinus, Ptfpes and Martyrs. St Cletus, the third Bishop of Rome, suffered martry dom under Domitian about the year 89. St. Marcollinus occupied the throne of St. Peter during a period ot eigjlit years He died in 304, after halving endured m.mv si.flenngs for the faith in the cruel persecution of Diocletian. St Anastasius I , Pope and Confessor. St Anastasius, a Roman by birth, held the Pontifical office from 398 to 401 St. Jerome refers to, him in lerms of high commendation and declares him to ha\e born ' a man of holy life, endowed with an apostolic solicitude and zeal.' St. Paul of the Cross. St Paul was bom near Genoa, in Italy From childhood he showed a special devotion to the Passion of Christ He founded the Congregation of the Passion, the members of which, besides tihe usual three vows, make a fourth — that they will do their utmost to keep alive in the hearts of the faithful the memory of our Lord's Passion St Paul died in Rome in 1775. St Peter, Martyr. St. Peter was bom at Verona, in Italy, and at the ae;e of fifteen entered the Dominican Order. He was an eloquent preacher, and brought about the conversion of many Mamrhcan 1 horei ics His success enraged some sectanans, at whose hands he met his death in 1252. St. Catherine of Siena, Virgin. St. Catherine was born at Siena on March 25, 1317, and died at Rome, April 30, 1380. She entered the Dominican Order about 1364. Her spirit, eloquence, austerity, /eal, ecstacies, and rovelations sooo rendered her name famous Catherine played an important political role In the war which the united Guelphs and (Mn belli pcs made on Pope Gregory XI , she retained the cities of Are/xo, Lucca, and Siena for the Pope. After that .sibe went to Avignon to see the Sovereign Pontiff, reconciled him with the Florentines, and induced him to return to Rome. She was canonised by Pius 11. in 1461.