(Plain Text Version)
October 1: St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897). St. Therese became a Carmelite nun at age 15 and died when she was 24. She was aware of her limitations but did not become discouraged. In her autobiography, we learn that God loves us as we are. We can love Him in return by doing the “small” things of daily life with great love.
October 2: Our Guardian Angels. God has assigned an angel to each of us to serve as our guide, as a messenger of God’s will, and to guard us from harm. In short, our guardian angel helps us to get to heaven.
October 4: St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). St. Francis gave up his wealth to live in poverty. As he preached the Gospel and helped the poor, many people followed his example. This was the beginning of the Franciscan orders of men and women.
October 5: St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938). St. Faustina received messages from Christ about His great mercy. Although nothing of God’s revelation has changed, the messages encourage us to turn to God for mercy. St. Faustina died just before the beginning of World War II and the current era of great evil. A sincere plea to God for mercy can win heaven, even after a life of sin.
October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary. When Christians unite in praying the Rosary, miracles happen. Today we remember the Battle of Lepanto, at which Europe was saved from a Muslim invasion. Every devout Rosary helps to bring God’s victory over the evils of today, such as crimes against human life and against the family.
October 11: St. John XXIII (1881-1963). Pope St. John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council, which prepared the Church to work effectively in modern times. Despite this and other great works, he was simple and friendly.
October 15: St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582). Led the reform of the Carmelite Orders, which had fallen into serious abuses.
October 19: The North American Martyrs. From 1642 to 1649, eight Jesuit missionaries were killed by members of the Iroquois nation for introducing Christianity to the local peoples.
October 22: St. John Paul II (1920-2005). Born in Poland, Karol Wojtyla studied for the priesthood in secret during the Nazi occupation. Later, during the Russian domination, he was appointed Bishop of Krakow. In 1978, he was elected to the Papacy. His preaching and example overcame confusion as to what it means to be a Christian. Pope St. John Paul II began the World Youth Days, which have encouraged millions of young people to live an intense life with Christ.
October 28: Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles. Although little is mentioned about Simon and Jude in the Gospels, we know that they were chosen by Christ to govern the Church and spread the Gospel. Simon was called a Zealot, meaning one who worked for violent overthrow of the Roman occupation of Palestine.
Today, many people pray to St. Jude for situations which seem to be hopeless.
St. John Bosco News and Notes 