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Showing posts with the label Virgin

St. Ursula

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In the ninth century was discovered in Cologne, Germany, in a sixth-century church, a coiled section that begins: "Martyrdom of Ursula and 11,000 virgins." It is a document that includes the martyrdom of these virgins into the site on which he built a beautiful church. In "Passion" theatrical invented to tell his story, you can see that they came from England with Ursula, daughter of the king, escape the pagan Saxons were invading the country. When his ship arrived at Cologne, Attila the terrible was about time there with the Hun. Attila, hard, strong, very passionate temper and wanted to marry the beautiful girl Ursula. The others were turned over to his soldiers that violate or do whatever they wanted with them. But the bully did not expect the response of these girls. When approached them and made their proposals, they replied in unison with the most emphatic denial that you can imagine. Enraged Attila ordered the killing of the hardest way possible. Throughout t...

St. Teresa of Avila

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Born in 1515 in Avila, Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada began at forty years the task of reforming the Carmelite Order by its primitive rule, guided by God through mystical conferences, and with the help of San Juan de la Cruz (who in turn amended the male branch of the Order, the Discalced Carmelites separated from the shoes). It was a mission almost unbelievable for a frail woman like yours: from the monastery of San Jose, outside the walls of Avila, first reformed Carmelite convent for her, left with the burden of the treasures of His Castle Inside, in all directions of Spain and held numerous foundations, raising too many grievances, to the extent that temporarily left him permission to draw other reforms and to establish new cases. Mystical teacher and director of consciences, was to epistolary contacts with King Philip II of Spain and the most illustrious figures of his time, but as a practical woman took care of things monastery minimum and never neglected the economic side, because a...

St. Euphemia

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St. Euphemia was the daughter of a respectable man of Chalcedon , near Constantinople. At the time of Diocletian , was captured, tortured and finally thrown to the lions. Usually it is represented with the palm of martyrdom , the wheel and beside it, one or more lions. Devout Christians recovered his body and took him to Constantinople where the Emperor Constantine had built a church in her honor. His sarcophagus remained there until they reached the iconoclasts , at 800 . According to tradition, a stormy night , the coffin disappeared from Constantinople, and July 13 of 800 reached the coast of Rovinj. He was picked up by a young man who , by dragging it with the help of two horses , took him to the church of San Francisco. The appearance of the sarcophagus was considered miraculous , so that people began to venerate the saint as their patron saint . The sarcophagus dates from the third century, is of marble, but is not finished. Has about 208 cm . long, 195 cm. high and 95 cm wide. I...

St. Rosalia

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She lived in the twelfth century and died about 1160. Although data are not known their homeland and life, a legend says that at age 14 she retired to a cave on Mount Coscina and then another of Mount Pellegrino , near Palermo. In the Middle Ages were devoted to various churches and was considered the protectress and patroness of Palermo. Her remains were discovered July 15 Pope Urban VIII included it as a saint in the Martyrology . Is invoked as a lawyer against the plague and earthquakes. The iconography is presented as a hermit or coated with Augustinian habit . Its main attributes are: a crown of roses, in allusion to her name, and a crucifix and a skull for her asceticism. References: Catholic.Net

St. Rose of Lima

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Santa Rosa de Lima was born on April 20 1586, in Peru. Her father was Spanish businessman Gaspar de Flores and her mother, Maria d'Olivia, was a mestiza of Spanish and Incan ancestry. She was baptized as Isabel de Herrara. The infant Isabel was first baptized at home because of her poor health at birth. Eventually she was baptized at the church of San Sebastian. Isabel's complexion and features were both a problem and source of praise. The praise caused her name to be casually changed to Rose over the years, eventually becoming her name at her confirmation ceremony in 1597. Some say her face was transformed as a child when exposed to a mystical rose. But the praise and concentration on her extreme beauty vexed Rose throughout her life. She feared that the praise would make her proud and be a source of distraction to those who should be thinking of God, including herself. Over the years, she used mortification to refocus herself on God and remove distractions. This process that ...

St. Maria Goretti

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Maria was a beautiful Italian young lady that was twelve years old, who lived on a farm. One day Alessandro Serenelli, a teenager of nineteen years of age, who helped at the farm. He stayed in Maria's house and wanted her to to lose her pureness. He tried to rape her. "No! No!" Maria screamed, "Don't touch me Alessandro! It's a sin. God does not want it! You'll go to hell." When Maria started to fight back, he took a knife and stabbed her in the heart fourteen times. Maria fell to the ground with a yell of pain, "Oh my God, I will die! Mama! Mama!" Alessandro ran away from the seen. Maria was taken to the hospital where she stayed for two day. When a priest asked if she forgave her assassin she replied "Yes I forgive him by the love of Jesus and I want him to be with me in heaven. God forgive him." Maria died kissing a crucifix and hold a medal of Our Lady. She died July 6. 1902. She was beatified April 27, 1947 by Pope Pius XII a...

St. Catherine of Siena

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What a marvelous life of Saint Catherine of Siena is not unusual for both the role played in the history of his time, but how exquisitely feminine with what worked. The Pope, whom she called by the name of "sweet Christ on earth," he complained the little courage and invited him to leave Avignon and return to Rome, with most human words as these: "Courage, manfully, Father! I tell him not to be shaking. " A young man who sentenced to death and had accompanied her to the scaffold, he said at the last moment "to weddings, sweet my brother! soon you'll be in the long life. " But the voice of submissive women changed in tone and often resulted in that "I want" that brooked no misrepresentations when it came into play the good of the Church and harmony among citizens. Catherine was born in Siena (Italy) on March 25, 1347 and was the twenty-fourth daughter of James and Lapa Benincasa. At seven years held its mystical marriage with Christ. This was ...

St. Agatha

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Although we have evidence that Agatha was venerated at least as far back as the sixth century, the only facts we have about her are that she was born in Sicily and died there a martyr. In the legend of her life, we are told that she belonged to a rich, important family. When she was young, she dedicated her life to God and resisted any men who wanted to marry her or have sex with her. One of these men, Quintian, was of a high enough rank that he felt he could force her to acquiesce. Knowing she was a Christian in a time of persecution, he had her arrested and brought before the judge - - himself. He expected her to give in to when faced with torture and possible death, but she simply affirmed her belief in God by praying: "Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil." Legend tells us that Quintian imprisoned her in a brothel in order to get her to change her mind. Quintian broug...

St. Agnes of Rome

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Agnes was born into a family of Christians and Roman Nobles in the year 291. Agnes was raised Christian and had a huge love for Christ and God. Agnes was a beautiful, wealthy Roman maiden who had, in childhood, dedicated herself to God. Though at the age of 13 the Prefect Sempronius went to ask for her hand in marriage for one of his sons. Agnes refused and was condemned to death due to her refusal. But due to Roman Law, it was not allowed to kill Virgins, then the Prefect stripped her and dragged her all the way to a brothel. As she was being dragged to said place she never stopped praying. Along the way her hair grew and grew until it covered up her body, in order for no one to see her body. When they arrived at the brothel, there were already men ready to rape her, but as they were getting close to her they all went blind. After she this she was taken and tied to the stake. The soldiers prepared everything and lit the firewood under her feet, but the hay and the wood would not ligh...

St.Cecilia

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Born in second century AD Rome. Cecilia was a marvelous musician. Cecilia was a virgin and also beautiful. Cecilia was to be wed at the age of thirteen. Every young man wanted to marry her. But her parents chose who she would marry. They chose a man named Valerian. In the evening of her wedding-day, with the music of the marriage-hymn ringing in her ears, Cecilia renewed the vow by which she had consecrated her virginity to God "Pure be my heart and undefiled my flesh; for I have a spouse you know not of—an angel of my Lord." She, her husband,and her brother were arrested.Her husband,and brother were killed first."Do you not know," was her answer to the threats of the prefect, "that I am the bride of my Lord Jesus Christ ?" The death appointed, for her was suffocation, and she remained a day and a night in a hot-air bath, heated seven times its wont. But "the flames had no power over her body, neither was a hair of her head singed." The lictor se...

St.Frances Xavier Cabrini

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Francesca Cabrini was born on July 15, 1850, in the village of Sant’ Angelo. At Codongno, Italy, in the diocese of Lodi, she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1880. In 1887 she established many schools, hospitals and orphanages. With the encouragement of Pope Leo XII, she set out for the United States of America in 1889, where for the next 28 years, she established many schools, hospitals and orphanages. Her missionary zeal also led her to South America where she founded schools in Argentina, Brazil and Nicaragua. Mother Cabrini died in Chicago on December 22nd, 1917, and on July 7, 1946 she became the first United States citizen to be cannonized PRAYER Lord let us not shy away from your divine service and let the spirit of your beloved Sister Francesca Cabrini be an example to spread your word to those in all areas of this earth. Whether It'd be in schools, hospitals, orphanages, churches, and even to those who roam the earth and have never heard of your divine...