Blessed Titus Brandsma - Martyred by the Nazis

Blessed Titus Brandsma (Bolsward, February 23, 1881 – Dachau July 26, 1942) was a Dutch Carmelite priest and philosophy professor. Brandsma opposed Nazi ideology and antisemitism speaking out against both many times before the World War II.

Blessed Brandsma was born at Bolsward, Netherlands in 1881. He was baptized Anno Sjoerd Brandsma. He joined the Carmelites on September 17, 1898, and took the religious name Titus. Brandsma was ordained a priest in 1905

He was a student of Carmelite mysticism and was awarded a doctorate in philosophy at Rome in 1909. Among his many academic accomplishments was a translation of the works of St. Teresa of Ávila into Dutch.

One of the founders of the Catholic University of Nijmegen (now called Radboud University), Brandsma became a professor of philosophy and the history of mysticism at the university in 1923. He later served as Rector Magnificus for the school. He was known for making himself available to any student or professor who needed his assistance.

Fr. Brandsma also worked as a journalist and, in 1935, become the ecclesiastical adviser to Catholic journalists. He came to the attention of the Nazis when he wrote vehemently against the spread of Nazi ideology and for his support of educational and press freedom.

He was arrested in January, 1942, while trying to persuade Dutch Catholic newspapers not to print Nazi propaganda (as was required by law of the Nazi German occupiers). He had also drawn up a Pastoral Letter read in all Catholic parishes, by which the Dutch Roman Catholic bishops officially condemned the German anti-Semitic measures and the deportation of the first Jews. In the Pastoral Letter, the Dutch Bishops also outlined Nazism as incompatible with Catholicism in its core ideology.

After this Pastoral Letter, the first 3,000 Jews to be deported from the Netherlands were all Jewish converts to Roman Catholicism. Brandsma was transferred in February, 1942 to Dachau concentration camp on June 13, after being held prisoner in Scheveningen, Amersfoort and Cleves.

He died on July 26, 1942, by a lethal injection administered by an Allgemeine SS doctor to whom Brandsma gave his rosary.

Titus Brandsma is honored as a martyr in the Catholic Church. He was beatified in November 1985 by Pope John Paul II. His Feast Day is 27 July. His patronage includes journalists, tobacconists and Friesland, his homeland.

In 2005, Brandsma was chosen by the inhabitants of Nijmegen as the greatest citizen to have ever lived there.

In his biography (2008, Valkhof) of Titus Brandsma, The Man behind the Myth, Dutch journalist Ton Crijnen claims that Brandsma's personality combined some vanity, a short tempered character, extreme energy, political simpleness, true charity, unpretentious piety, thorough decisiveness and great personal courage. His ideas were very much those of his own age and modern as well.

Abbot Gregor Mendel: Father of Modern Genetics

Gregor Johann Mendel (July 20, 1822 – January 6, 1884) was an Austrian scientist and Augustinian friar and later, Abbott of the monastery, who created the new science of genetics. Mendel showed that the inheritance of traits in pea plants follows particular patterns, now referred to as the laws of Mendelian inheritance. His three laws of genetics formed the foundation of the modern science of genetics.

During a speech marking the 100th anniversary of the death of Fr. Mendel in 1984, Blessed Pope John Paul II said, "Gregor Mendel was a man of Christian and Catholic culture. During his life, prayer and praise sustained the research and reflection of this patient observer and scientific genius."

"Based on the example of his teacher, St. Augustine, Gregor Mendel learned through the observation of nature and the contemplation of its Author to unite with one leap the search for the truth with the certainty of already knowing it in the Creator-Word," the late Pope said.

Journalist Alberto Carrara explained that Fr. Mendel, who was born in Heinzendorf (in the present-day Czech Republic), took an interest in science because of his passion for agriculture. In 1843 he entered the Augustinian monastery at Altbrunn and in 1847 he made his religious vows and was ordained a priest.

While studying theology, he also attended courses on agriculture and vine growing, where he learned from Franz Diebl the method of artificial pollination as the main way of improving controlled plant growth.

Between 1851 and 1853, he studied at the University of Vienna where he heard the theories of Fr. Unger for the first time, on the mutation of species and the age of the earth.

In 1865 during a conference of the Natural Sciences Society, Fr. Mendel presented the results of his research, which would later form the scientific basis for modern genetics.

Mendel’s three laws of genetics have proven to be essential in modern-day research.

The first law, called the Law of Segregation, states that offspring receive a pair of genes for each inherited trait, one gene from each of its parents. These pairs separate randomly when the offspring’s genes are formed. Thus, a parent hands down only one gene of each pair to its offspring.

The second law, called the Law of Independent Assortment, states that offspring inherit each of its traits independent of other traits because they are sorted separately.

The third is the Law of Dominance, which states that when offspring inherit two different genes for a trait, one gene will be dominant and the other will be recessive. The trait of the dominant gene will appear in the offspring.

(Taken from Catholic News Agency)

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Today (July 16) is the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah (northern Israel) in the 12th century. They had a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. By the 13th century they became known as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” They soon celebrated a special Mass and Office in honor of Mary. In 1726 it became a celebration of the universal Church under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For centuries the Carmelites have seen themselves as specially related to Mary. Their great saints and theologians have promoted devotion to her and often championed the mystery of her Immaculate Conception.

St. Teresa of Avila called Carmel “the Order of the Virgin.” St. John of the Cross credited Mary with saving him from drowning as a child, leading him to Carmel and helping him escape from prison. St. Theresa of the Child Jesus believed that Mary cured her from illness. On her First Communion she dedicated her life to Mary. During the last days of her life she frequently spoke of Mary.

There is a tradition (which may not be historical) that Mary appeared to St. Simon Stock, a leader of the Carmelites, and gave him a scapular, telling him to promote devotion to it. The scapular is a modified version of Mary’s own garment. It symbolizes her special protection and calls the wearers to consecrate themselves to her in a special way. Obviously, no magic way of salvation is intended. Rather, the scapular is a reminder of the gospel call to prayer and penance—a call that Mary models in a splendid way.

“The various forms of piety toward the Mother of God, which the Church has approved within the limits of sound and orthodox doctrine, according to the dispositions and understanding of the faithful, ensure that while the mother is honored, the Son through whom all things have their being (cf. Colossians 1:15–16) and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell (cf. Colossians 1:19) is rightly known, loved and glorified and his commandments are observed” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 66.)

Taken from Saint of the Day

St Bonaventure's Feast Day!!!

St Bonaventure (1218 - 1274) was born at Bagnoregio in Etruria in about 1218. He became a Franciscan in 1243 and studied philosophy and theology at the University of Paris. He became a famous teacher and philosopher, part of the extraordinary intellectual flowering of the 13th century. He was a friend and colleague of St Thomas Aquinas.

At this time the friars were still a new and revolutionary force in the Church, and their radical embracing of poverty and rejection of institutional structures raised suspicion and opposition from many quarters. Bonaventure defended the Franciscan Order and, after he was elected general of the order in 1255, he ruled it with wisdom and prudence. He is regarded as the second founder of the Order.

He declined the archbishopric of York in 1265 but was made cardinal bishop of Albano in 1273, dying a year later in 1274 at the Council of Lyons, at which the Greek and Latin churches were (briefly) reconciled.

Bonaventure wrote extensively on philosophy and theology, making a permanent mark on intellectual history; but he always insisted that the simple and uneducated could have a clearer knowledge of God than the wise.

He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588 by Pope Sixtus V.

(taken from Universais.com)

Today is St. John Jones Day!

St John Jones (c.1540-1598) (known also as John Buckley, John Griffith and Godfrey Maurice) was born in Clynnog Fawr in Wales, about 1540, into a Welsh family which had remained true to the Catholic faith. As a young man, he entered the Franciscan house at Greenwich. Eventually he went to Rome and asked to be sent to England. He reached London at the end of 1592, and worked for some years in different parts of the country. His brother Franciscans in England elected him their provincial. In 1596 the "priest catcher" Richard Topcliffe was informed by a spy that Father Jones had visited two Catholics and had said Mass in their house. He was promptly arrested, tortured and scourged. He was then imprisoned for nearly two years. On 3 July 1598 he was tried on the charge of "going over the seas in the first year of Her Majesty’s reign (1558) and there being made a priest by the authority from Rome and then returning to England contrary to statute." He was convicted of high treason and sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. By this time people were becoming sympathetic to the Catholic victims of these awful butcheries, so the execution was arranged for an early hour in the morning in order to escape notice. In spite of the earliness of the hour, a large crowd had gathered. John Jones spoke to the crowd, reminding them that he was dying for his faith alone and had no political interest. His dismembered remains were fixed on the poles on the roads to Newington and Lambeth, they were removed by some young Catholic gentlemen, one of whom suffered a long imprisonment for this offense.

(Taken from Universalis.com)

St Elizabeth of Portugal - July 4th

A.K.A. Elizabeth of Aragon (1271 – July 4, 1336) was queen consort of Portugal and a Secular Franciscan. Elizabeth is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an olive branch to symbolize both her royal heritage and her commitment to peace. She with was born in either Zaragoza or Barcelona.

Elizabeth was dedicated to the Divine Office and to living a life of penance. She fasted and attended Mass twice a day. She was friend to pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor and anyone who needed her help. She remained devoted to her husband despite his sometimes outrageous infidelity which caused scandal to their kingdom.

She married King Denis of Portugal in 1288. Denis was 26 years old, while Elizabeth was seventeen.

She repeatedly fought for peace between Denis and their rebellious son, Alfonso, who thought that he was passed over to favor the king's many illegitimate children. In fact, in 1323, Elizabeth mounted on a mule and positioned herself between the armies of her husband and son in order to impede them. Because of her bravery, peace returned in the country a year later.

Because of her prayers, Denis ultimately gave up his sinful life.

After Denis' death in 1325, Elizabeth retired to the convent of the Poor Clares, which she had founded in 1314, and is now known as the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha in Coimbra.

Where she devoted the rest of her life to the poor and sick. During the great famine in 1293, she donated flour from her cellars to the poor of Coimbra. She also distributed small gifts to them and paid the dowries of poor girls, educated the children of poor nobles. In addition, she was the benefactor of various hospitals (Coimbra, Santarém and Leira) and religious projects (such as the Trinity Convent in Lisbon, chapels in Leira and Óbidos, and the cloister in Alcobaça.

Miracles were reported immediately after her death. She was beatified in 1526 and canonized by Pope Urban VIII on May 25, 1625.

Elizabeth was devoted to following the Lord of Peace even to the point of putting herself in harm's way. She also sought out His face in the face of the poor. This was a result of her putting aside herself and seeking instead love for others, especially the needy.

Man of the Eight Beatitudes

July 4th is the feast day of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (April 6, 1901 - July 4, 1925). He was born in Turin to a wealthy family, who owned a newspaper called La Stampa which is still in circulation today.

Whenever Frassati had money, he would make sure he gave it to those in need. He was dedicated to works of social action, charity, prayer and community. He was involved with Catholic youth and student groups, the Apostleship of Prayer, St Vincent de Paul Society, Catholic Action. He was even a Third Order Dominican. In addition, he was fiercely anti-fascist and frequently joined demonstrations against it.

He often told his friends, "Charity isn't enough; we need social reform." He helped establish a newspaper called Momento, whose principles were based on Pope Leo XIII's encyclical, Rerum Novarum.

Frassati died in 1925 of polio. At his funeral, Turin's elite and political figures came to offer their condolences as did many of his friends. They were surprised, however, to find Turin's streets lined with thousands of mourners. These were the poor who Frassati helped throughout his life. In fact, it was the poor who petitioned the Archbishop of Turin to begin the cause for his canonization. The process began in 1932 and he was beatified on May 20, 1990. At this beatification, Blessed Pope John Paul II called Frassati "Man of the Eight Beatitudes."

Happy Simeon the Holy Fool Day!

Simeon the Holy Fool (AKA: Abba Simeon, St. Simeon Salos or St. Simeon Salus) was a 6th century Christian monk and hermit. He is the patron saint of holy fools, puppeteers and ventriloquists. His feast day is 1 July.

Simeon was Syrian and, when he was 30 years old, he entered the monastery of Abba Gerasimus in Syria. He then spent the next 29 years in a desert near the Dead Sea. He was then directed by God to move to Emesa for help the poor of that city. He asked for the grace to not be acknowledged for his help. He came to learn that the best way to be humble was to love humiliation so he took it upon himself to act foolishly. Only the truly wise could see Simeon's sanctity.

By simulating madness, he saved many souls and brought them to Christ. He was also able to heal many possessed people by his prayer, fed the hungry, preached the Gospel, and helped needy citizens of the town. Most of Simeon's good deeds were done secretly.

Simeon didn't play a fool with his friend John, deacon of the church in Emesa. Simeon once saved John from being executed when he was falsely accused. Shortly before his death, Simeon told John:

I beg you, never disregard a single soul, especially when it happens to be a monk or a beggar. For your charity knows that his place is among the beggars, especially among the blind, people made as pure as the sun through their patience and distress...[S]how love of your neighbor through almsgiving. For this virtue, above all, will help us on [the Day of Judgment.]

Simeon died in AD 570 and was buried by the city's poor in a potter's field. While the saint's body was carried there, people heard a choir singing though none could be found anywhere.

He is traditionally shown holding a puppet which he used to mock himself and to ridicule the sins and foolishness of others. Very much like how modern ventriloquists use their dummies.

His hagiographers explain that God blessed Simeon with extraordinary happiness. He was the first saint to be venerated explicitly as a "fool for Christ's sake."

There are many people who think Christians to be foolish. St. Francis reminds us:

Let us pay attention, all my brothers, to what the Lord says: "Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you," for our Lord Jesus Christ, Whose footprints we must follow (cf. 1Pt 2:21), called His betrayer "friend" (Mt 26:50) and gave Himself willingly to those who crucified Him. Our friends, then, are all those who unjustly afflict upon us trials and ordeals, shame and injuries, sorrows and torments, martyrdom and death. We must love them greatly for we will possess eternal life because of what they bring upon us. - St. Francis of Assisi. Earlier Rule, §22. Classics of Western Spirituality.