July 30 St. Leopold Mandic, patron against cancer

 

St. Leopold Mandic of Castelnova, OFM Capuchin (1887-1942)

July 30

            A native of Croatia, Leopold joined the Capuchins and was ordained a priest several years later despite several health problems. He could not speak loudly enough to preach publicly. For many years he suffered from severe arthritis, poor eyesight and a stomach ailment.

            Leopold taught patrology, the study of the Church Fathers, to the clerics of his province for several years, but he is best known for his work in the confessional, where he sometimes spent long hours each day. Several bishops sought out his spiritual advice.

            Leopold’s dream was to go to the Orthodox Christians and work for the reunion of Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy. His health never permitted it. Leopold often renewed his vow to go to the Eastern Christians; the cause of unity was constantly in his prayers. The saint used to repeat to himself, “Remember that you have been sent for the salvation of people, not because of your own merits, since it is the Lord Jesus and not you who died for the salvation of souls…I must cooperate with the divine goodness of our Lord who has deigned to choose me so that by my ministry, the divine promise would be fulfilled: ‘There will be only one flock and one shepherd’ (John 10:16).”

            Leopold, who lived most of his life in Padua, died on July 30, 1942, and was beatified on May 2, 1976. When the Capuchin minister general wrote his friars on the occasion of Leopold’s beatification, he said that this friar’s life showed “the priority of that which is essential.” He was canonized by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1983. Because he suffered from esophageal cancer from which he died, he is a patron against cancer.

Fray Luis Jaime, OFM, California protomartyr

 

“Jaime/Jayme/Jaume” translates as JAMES in Spanish, thus I am posting about this martyr of the Solemn Feast of James: Santiago de Compostela!

Father Luis Jayme OFM (1740-1775)

"Melchor Jayme was born in the farming village of San Juan, Majorca on October 18, 1740. When he was 15, he enrolled in the St. Bernadine School where Father Serra had studied as a youth.  He became a Franciscan five years later.  Father Jayme was ordained to the priesthood and taught philosophy for five years at the Convento de Francisco, which was the motherhouse for all the Franciscans in Majorca.

Like Fr. Serra, Fr. Jayme dreamed of becoming a missionary in the New World.  In 1770, he arrived in New Spain after a long and difficult journey.  He attended a special training course that taught survival on the frontier and conditioned them for living a life of hardship and deprivation. In October of 1770, Fr. Jayme set out for Alta California to begin his ten-year commitment to the California Missions. He assumed his post as pastor of the Mission San Diego de Alcalá and eagerly looked forward to working with the Native Americans.

The priests and neophytes on Presidio Hill (the first location of Mission San Diego) tried to establish a successful mission at that site, but in 1774, Fr. Jayme recommended that the Mission site be moved inland.  The crops were failing, the water was scarce and hard to get, and the soldiers were a bad influence on the Native Americans.  Fr. Serra approved the move.  The padres and neophytes moved to the present site in August of 1774 and built temporary huts out of wood, tule, manure, and thatch.  Eleven adobe structures were built during the first year. Crops were planted, Native Americans from the Nipaguay village were being baptized, and everything was going well – until November 5, 1775.  In the early morning hours of that day, Fr. Jayme was awakened from his sleep and heard a commotion outside his quarters. Indians were raiding the mission.  Approximately 800 Native Americans from the Yuma area, together with several neophytes, looted the church. As an open fire erupted, the Kumeyaay natives shot flaming arrows into the buildings, burning the huts down.  Instead of running or hiding, Fr. Jayme went out to greet them and, with his arms outstretched, said, “Love God, my children.”  He was subsequently dragged down to the river and murdered.  Because of Fr. Jayme’s self-sacrifice, dedication, faith, and love, he became California’s first Christian martyr.  The large white cross out front of the Mission on the east side is dedicated to his memory and is located near the spot where he was martyred.  His remains are buried in the sanctuary of the church. Surviving residents of the mission went to the Presidio to live until things settled down and it was safe to return to the Mission."

Written by Msgr. I.B. Eagen, former pastor of Mission San Diego  

https://www.missionsandiegohistory.org/father-luis-jayme

(Click on the image to enlarge for reading)

July 25 St. James the Greater in Spain

 

Saint James (and St. Christopher) with Fray Luis Jayme, OFM, CA protomartyr

July 25

St. James the Greater in Spain

1.       Yes, we have St. James traveling all the way to Spain on an evangelical mission.

2.       While there, he receives a mystical visit from Mary, the mother of Jesus.

3.       The Bible records his death in Jerusalem in the book of Acts.  King Herod Agrippa had James executed "by the sword," most likely indicating beheading.

4.       Somehow his remains or relics made their way back to Spain!

“Santiago” is derived from the Latin Sancti Iacobi, with Jacob being the equivalent of James.  Santiago de Compostela Archcathedral Basilica is the reputed Spanish burial place of Saint James the Great, one of the apostles and among the most intimate circle of Jesus Christ (Peter, James & John). This James is the brother of John, with “greater” or “older” to distinguish from the other apostle James (the Less). The basilica has historically been a place of Christian pilgrimage on the Way of St. James since the Early Middle Ages. The scallop or "cockle” shell is the primary symbol of St. James and the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route. It is also a symbol of baptism, used in decoration. Although there is no California Mission named after St. James, his importance to Spanish national spirituality should be noted, and the scallop shell can be found in mission artwork.

Santiago Matamoros or St. James the Moor-slayer is another Spanish title of Saint James the Great/Santiago de Compostela. As a patron saint of Spain, he plays a role in the Reconquista or reclaiming of territory within España after Islamic occupation. (See for example, St. Ferdinand, May 30!)  The iconography of James Matamoros was used in the Spanish colonization of the Americas as a rival force to the indigenous gods, and protector of Spaniards from the indigenous peoples of the Americas. He was depicted as a conquistador. ¡Santiago! or ¡Santiago y cierra España! has been the historical battle cry of Spanish armies.

Note that Our Lady of the Pillar (Spanish: Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the context of the traditional belief that Mary, while living in Jerusalem, supernaturally appeared to the Apostle James the Greater in AD 40 while he was preaching in what is now Spain. Those who adhere to this belief consider this appearance to be the only recorded instance of Mary exhibiting the mystical phenomenon of bilocation. Among Catholics, it is also considered the first Marian apparition and is unique because it occurred while Mary was still living on Earth.

The apparition is enshrined in Zaragoza, Spain, with a statue of the Madonna and Child that sits atop a pillar. The feast of Our Lady is celebrated on October 12^th, the day that Christopher Columbus's expedition arrived in the Americas. He went ashore at Guanahaní, an island in the Bahamas, on October 12, 1492.

I also take this occasion to highlight Fray Luis Jaime, OFM, protomartyr of California, who died at Mission San Diego on November 5, 1775. Jaime is a form of the name James. 

July 23 St. Bridget of Sweden

 

Saint Bridget of Sweden (c. 1303 – July 23, 1373)

July 23

From age 7 on, Bridget had visions of Christ crucified. Her visions formed the basis for her activity—always with the emphasis on charity rather than spiritual favors.

A member of the Third Order, she lived her married life in the court of the Swedish king Magnus II Eriksson. In 1341, she and her husband Ulf went on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Mother of eight children—the second eldest was Saint Catherine of Sweden—Bridget lived the strict life of a penitent after her husband’s death.

Bridget of Sweden constantly strove to exert her good influence over the Swedish King; while never fully reforming, he did give her land and buildings to found a monastery for men and women. This group eventually expanded into an Order of the Most Holy Saviour also known as the Bridgettines. In 1350, a year of jubilee, Bridget braved a plague-stricken Europe to make a pilgrimage to Rome. Although she never returned to Sweden, her years in Rome were far from happy, being hounded by debts and by opposition to her work against Church abuses.

A final pilgrimage to the Holy Land, marred by shipwreck and the death of her son, Charles, eventually led to her death in 1373. Bridget was canonized in the year 1391 by Pope Boniface IX, which was confirmed by the Council of Constance in 1415. Because of new discussions about her works, the Council of Basel confirmed the orthodoxy of her revelations in 1436. In 1999, Bridget of Sweden, Saint Catherine of Siena, and Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, were named co-patronesses of Europe, alongside the male patrons Saints Benedict of Nursia, Cyril, and Methodius.

Bridget’s visions, rather than isolating her from the affairs of the world, involved her in many contemporary issues, whether they be royal policy or the years that the legitimate Bishop of Rome lived in Avignon, France. She saw no contradiction between mystical experience and secular activity, and her life is a testimony to the possibility of a holy life in the marketplace.

July 21 St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor of the Church

 

St. Lawrence of Brindisi (1559-1619)

July 21

            Saint Francis wanted his followers to preach what they had learned in prayer.  Lawrence was an excellent example of this. He was born "Caesare de Rossi" to devout middle-class parents in Brindisi of southern Italy. He entered the Capuchins at the age of sixteen and proved an able scholar with a gift for languages.  His ability to preach in multiple languages was put to good use after his ordination in 1582. Lawrence used Scripture extensively in his preaching. His sermons fill eight large volumes.

            His time as a Franciscan falls into three main categories: teaching theology to the friars, serving as an occasional papal nuncio, and holding various leadership positions within the Capuchins. In the last role, he sought to balance the rigors of the Capuchin observance with the needs of the apostolate. A quote from one of his sermons, Sermo Quadragesimalis: “The Word of God is a light to the mind and fire to the will. It enables humanity to know God and to love God. And for the interior person who lives by the Spirit of God through grace, it is bread and water, but a bread sweeter than honey and the honeycomb, a water better than wine and milk.” 

            During his lifetime, Lawrence was the provincial of three different Italian provinces.  He was general counsellor twice and vicar general once. In 1598 he and thirteen other friars went to Germany to establish the Capuchins there; a mission that grew into three provinces. In 1601, Lawrence accompanied the imperial troops which repelled the Turkish advance in Hungary. On returning to Italy, Lawrence learned of a cruel viceroy in Naples, which was ruled by Spain. When Lawrence journeyed to Lisbon to explain the situation to Philip III of Spain, the viceroy was dismissed. Lawrence died in Lisbon on that journey.

            After Lawrence’s death, a preacher said of him: “Heroically virtuous, he was humble without littleness, magnanimous without ostentation, courageous without pride. His faith would have moved mountains, his hope defied every trial, and his charity knew no bounds. He united the life of action with the life of contemplation, so that he gave himself up to incessant labors for the defense of the Church and the salvation of his neighbor, and yet never lost sight of the holy presence of the Divine majesty.”

            Part of what is known as the Counter-Reformation, Lawrence was canonized in 1881 and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John 23rd in 1959.

July 15 St. Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church -CA Mission

St. Bonaventure (1218-1274)

July 15

            Bonaventure was born at Bagnorea, Tuscany and was baptized "John/Giovanni." As a child he was cured at the intervention of St. Francis. Bonaventure studied at the University of Paris and became a Franciscan there. Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure were both distinguished scholars there in Paris at the same time. His academic career was cut short in 1257 by his election as Minister General of the Order. Bonaventure immediately dedicated his energies to restoring harmony among the friars, who were plagued by various factions.

As one Franciscan source puts it: "The Church in the 1260’s closely linked ordination and the permission to preach. This presented a problem for the friars whose style, since Francis’ time, had been that of itinerant preachers—few of whom were ordained. Bonaventure, wanting to ensure the friars’ preaching vocation, moved them in a clerical direction. And accepting ordination meant establishing large houses of study near universities like Paris and Oxford. Though some people have criticized Bonaventure for this redirection of the friars, others have argued convincingly that he was simply following the mind of the Church—which, they say, is what Francis would have wanted. Bonaventure ably defended the friars against those who said that the friars’ form of life, with its provisions for begging, was condemned by the gospel."

Among Bonaventure’s most famous writings are his life of St. Francis called the Legenda Major and the equally brilliant Journey of the Soul to God.  Bonaventure attributed his knowledge to meditation on the cross of Jesus Christ, something he wrote of in The Tree of Life.

Bonaventure writes in Journey of the Soul to God, Chapter 7: “For this passover (to God) to be perfect, we must suspend all the operations of the mind and we must transform the peak of our affections, directing them to God alone. This is a sacred mystical experience. It cannot be comprehended by anyone unless they surrender themselves to it; nor can they surrender themselves to it unless they long for it; nor can they long for it unless the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent into the world, should come and inflame their inmost soul.  Hence the Apostle says that this mystical wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit.” 

Bonaventure worked hard not to be named a bishop but was finally made Bishop of Albano and then cardinal. At the Second Council of Lyons (1274), he worked for the reunion with the Eastern Greek Church. He died before the Council ended. Bonaventure was canonized in 1482.

July 14 St. Francis Solano-CA Mission

St. Francis Solano/San Francisco de Solano (1549-1610)

July 14        

            Francis came from a leading family in Andalusia, Spain. One momentous incident in his life occurred during his teenage years, when he was able to stop two duelists from fighting. He was socially popular and a good student.  He entered the Friars Minor in 1570 and after ordination enthusiastically sacrificed himself for others. His care for the sick during an epidemic drew so much admiration that he became embarrassed and asked to be sent to the African missions. Instead, he was sent to South America in 1589. While working in what is now modern-day Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay, Francis quickly learned the native languages and was well received by the Indians. His visits to the sick often included playing a song on his violin.

            Around 1601 he was called to Lima, Peru, where he tried to recall the Spanish colonists to their baptismal integrity. Francis also worked to defend the Indians from oppression. He died in Lima and was canonized in 1726. From a contemporary biography of Solano: “When Francis Solano was about to die, one of the friars asked him, ‘Father, when God takes you to heaven remember me when you enter the everlasting kingdom.’ With joy Francis answered, ‘It is true, I am going to heaven but this is so because of the merits of the passion and death of Christ; I am the greatest of sinners. When I reach our homeland, I will be your good friend.” 

July 10 Damascus Martyrs and St. Veronica Giuliani

July 10 After honoring Franciscan Martyrs on July 9th, it continues on July 10th. But we also have a Poor Clare who bore the stigmata! Since these three days of July are filled with saints, the Franciscans try to honor them on separate days, although the Roman Martyrology lists St. Veronica on the date of her death July 9th. 

Franciscan Martyrs of Damascus, Syria  died 1860

The Martyrs of Damascus were eleven Catholic saints martyred while praying inside a Franciscan-run parish in Damascus. They consist of the Massabki Brothers: Abdel Moati Massabki, Francis Massabki, and Raphael Massabki who were Maronite Catholics. Manuel Ruiz Lopez and Companions are Franciscans: seven from Spain including Carmelo Bolta Bañuls, Nicanor Ascanio Soria, Nicolás María Alberca Torres, Pedro Nolasco Soler Méndez,  Francisco Pinazo Peñalver, and Juan Jacob Fernández, with Engelbert Kolland from Austria.

Their martyrdom took place in the night between the ninth and tenth of July 1860, and they were beatified in 1926. All eleven were canonized on October 20, 2024.

St. Veronica Giuliani, 2^nd Order (1660-1727)

July 10

            Veronica’s desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with the stigmata. There are many saintly women who follow in the footsteps of Saint Clare.  This example was diligent in her monastic responsibilities while holding a mystical relationship with Jesus in her heart and soul.  She was born in Mercatelli. It is said that as her mother Bernedetta was dying, she called her five daughters to her bedside and entrusted each of them to one of the five wounds of Jesus. Veronica was entrusted to the wound below or through Christ’s Most Sacred Heart.

            At the age of 17, Veronica joined the Poor Clares directed by the Capuchins. Her father had wanted her to marry, but she convinced him to allow her to become a nun. In her first years in the monastery, she worked in the kitchen, infirmary, sacristy, and served as portress. At the age of 34, she was made novice mistress, a position she held for 22 years. When she was 37, Veronica received the stigmata. Life was not the same after that.

            Rome wanted to test Veronica’s authenticity and so conducted an investigation. She lost the office of novice mistress temporarily and was not allowed to attend Mass except on Sundays or holydays. Through all of this Veronica did not become bitter, and the investigation eventually restored her as novice mistress.

            Though she protested against it, at the age of 56 she was elected abbess, a task she held for eleven years until her death. Veronica was very devoted to the Eucharist and to the Sacred Heart. She offered her sufferings for the missions. Veronica was canonized in 1839.

            Why did God grant the stigmata to Francis and to Veronica? God alone knows the deepest reasons, but as Thomas Celano points out, the external sign of the cross is a confirmation of the fact of the saints’ commitment to the cross in their lives. He says of St. Francis, “All the pleasures of the world were a cross to him, because he carried the cross of Christ rooted in his heart. And therefore the stigmata shone forth exteriorly in his flesh, because interiorly that deeply set root was sprouting forth in his mind.” (2 Celano, #211) The stigmata which appeared in Veronica’s flesh had taken root in her heart many years before. It was a fitting conclusion for her love of God and her charity towards her sisters.

July 9 Chinese Martyrs including 26 Franciscans killed in the Boxer Rebellion

 July 9

Chinese martyrs--St. Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions (optional memorial)

ALSO OF NOTE: Venerable Augustus Tolton, FIRST Black American Priest, d. 1897

and in Marian devotion: BVM, Mother of Divine Hope and Queen of Peace

 

The 120 martyrs in this July 9^th group died between 1648 and 1930. Eighty-seven (87) of them were born in China, and were children, parents, catechists, or laborers, ranging in age from 9 to 72 years old. This group includes four Chinese diocesan priests. The 33 foreign-born martyrs were mostly priests or women religious, especially from the Order of Preachers, the Paris Foreign Mission Society, the Friars Minor, Society of Jesus, Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians), and Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. 86 of them died during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900.

Augustine Zhao Rong was a Chinese soldier who accompanied Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse of the Paris Foreign Mission Society to his martyrdom in Beijing. Not long after his conversion and baptism, Augustine was ordained a diocesan priest. Martyred in 1815.

 

Boxer Rebellion

The 1890s saw a rise in anti-foreign sentiment in China; this gave rise to societies such as the "Society for Justice and Harmony" (commonly known as the "Boxers"). The Yellow River had flooded in 1898 and drought followed over the course of 1898–1900. A mixture of natural disasters, political tensions and legal wrangles led to many impoverished and disillusioned Chinese taking up martial arts and determining to make changes in their country. Anti-foreign sentiment led some Boxers to attack Christian missionaries in an attempt to drive out their foreign influence and bring a return to Chinese values.

During 1900, the movement spread and carried out actions against foreign peoples and their properties. This led to what became known as the Boxer Rebellion from May 1900 to September 1901. The month of May 1900 saw popular demonstrations against foreigners, and the following month, the Boxers received government backing to attack foreign strongholds within the country, until an alliance of foreign forces took control of Beijing in mid-August. The rebellion saw the murders of approximately 250 missionaries and their children and over 20,000 Chinese Christians.

26 Franciscan Martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion

On July 9th, the Franciscan family celebrates the memory of Saints Gregory Grassi, OFM, Marie-Hermine, FMM, and Companions, martyred in China in July 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion. They include fifteen European missionary religious and at least eleven native Chinese Secular Franciscans.

a) Martyrs of Shanxi, killed on 9 July 1900 (known as the Taiyuan massacre), who were Franciscan Friars Minor:

Gregorio Grassi, bishop [32]

Francis Fogolla, bishop [32]

Elias Facchini [fr], priest

Théodoric Balat [fr], priest

Andrew Bauer [fr], religious brother;

b) Martyrs of Southern Hunan, who were also Franciscan Friars Minor:

Anthony Fantosati [fr], bishop (martyred on 7 July 1900)

Joseph Mary Gambaro [fr] priest (martyred on 7 July 1900)

Cesidio Giacomantonio [fr], priest (martyred on 4 July 1900)

 

To the martyred Franciscans of the First Order were added seven Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, of whom three were French, two Italian, one Belgian, and one Dutch:

Mary Hermina of Jesus (in saeculo: Irma Grivot)

Marie de la Paix Giuliani (in saeculo: Mary Ann Giuliani)

Maria Chiara Nanetti (in saeculo: Clelia Nanetti)

Marie of Saint Natalie (in saeculo: Joan Mary Kerguin)

Marie of Saint Just (in saeculo: Ann Moreau)

Marie-Adolphine (in saeculo: Ann Dierk)

Mary Amandina (in saeculo: Paula Jeuris)

 

Of the martyrs belonging to the Franciscan family, there were also eleven Secular Franciscans, all Chinese:

John Zhang Huan, seminarian,

Patrick Dong Bodi, seminarian,

John Wang Rui, seminarian,

Philip Zhang Zhihe, seminarian,

John Zhang Jingguang, seminarian,

Thomas Shen Jihe, layman and a manservant,

Simon Qin Chunfu, lay catechist and aide to Bishop Fogolla

Peter Wu Anbang, layman,

Francis Zhang Rong, layman and a farmer,

Matthew Feng De, layman and neophyte,

Peter Zhang Banniu, layman and laborer.

To these are joined a number of Chinese lay faithful:

James Yan Guodong, farmer,

James Zhao Quanxin, manservant,

Peter Wang Erman, cook,

James Zhao Zhunsen, prison visitor

Christian missionaries have often gotten caught in the crossfire of rebellions against countries from which they have come. When the governments of Britain, Germany, Russia and France had all gained substantial territorial concessions from the Chinese in 1898, anti-foreign sentiment grew very strong in some Chinese circles.

Gregory Grassi, the head of this grouping was born in Italy in 1833, ordained in 1856 and sent to China five years later. Gregory was later ordained Bishop of North Shansi. All the Franciscan martyrs were beatified in 1946. And canonized in 2000 as part of a larger group of Chinese martyrs.

“Martyrdom is part of the Church’s nature since it manifests Christian death in its pure form, as the death of unrestrained faith, which is otherwise hidden in the ambivalence of all human events. Through martyrdom the Church’s holiness, instead of remaining purely subjective, achieves by God’s grace the visible expression it needs. As early as the second century, one who accepted death for the sake of Christian faith or Christian morals was looked on and revered as a ‘martus’ (witness). The term is scriptural in that Jesus Christ is the ‘faithful witness’ absolutely (Rev. 1:5, 3:14).” (Karl Rahner, Theological Dictionary, volume 2, pp. 108-09).

Martyrdom is the occupational hazard of missionaries. Throughout China during the Boxer Rebellion, five bishops, 50 priests, two brothers, 15 sisters and 40,000 Christians were killed. The 146,575 Catholics served by the Franciscans in China in 1906 had grown to 303,760 by 1924, and were served by 282 Franciscans and 174 native priests. Great sacrifices often bring great results.

Brother Juniper

Brother Juniper (Serra took the name "Junipero" in honor of this early Franciscan!)

d.1258

January 28

        “Would to God, my brothers, I had a whole forest of such Junipers,” said Francis of this holy friar. It is said that St. Francis once described the perfect friar by citing “the patience of Brother Juniper, who attained the state of perfect patience because he kept the truth of his low estate constantly in mind, whose supreme desire was to follow Christ on the way of the cross.” (Mirror of Perfection, #85)

            We don’t know much about Juniper before he joined the friars in 1210. Francis sent him to establish “places” for the friars in Gualdo Tadino and Viterbo. When St. Clare was dying, Juniper consoled her. He was very devoted to the passion of Jesus and was known for his simplicity.

            Several stories about Juniper in the Little Flowers of St. Francis illustrate his exasperating generosity. Once Juniper was taking care of a sick man who had a craving to eat pig’s feet. This helpful friar want to a nearby field, captured a pig and cut off one foot, and then served this meal to the sick man. The owner of the pig was furious and immediately went to Juniper’s superior. When Juniper saw his mistake, he apologized profusely. He also ended up talking this angry man into donating the rest of the pig to the friars!

            Another time Juniper had been commanded to quit giving part of his clothing to the half-naked people he met on the road. Desiring to obey his superior, Juniper once told a man in need that he couldn’t give the man his tunic, but he wouldn’t prevent the man from taking it either. In time, the friars learned not to leave anything lying around, for Juniper would probably give it away.

            He died in 1258 and is buried at Ara Coeli church in Rome.

A comment by Franciscan Patrick McCloskey: "What can we make of Juniper? He certainly seems to be the first of many Franciscan “characters.” No doubt some of the stories about him have improved considerably in the retelling. But while the stories about Juniper may seem a little quaint, his virtues were not. He was humble because he knew the truth about God, himself and others. He was patient because he was willing to suffer (“patience” come from patior meaning “to suffer”) in his following of Jesus."

"Brother Juniper and the Beggar" by Bartolomé_Esteban_Murillo

external link for the humorous cartoon series by Fred McCarthy: http://brotherjuniper.com/

July 5 Our Lady of Refuge (Refuge of Sinners)

 

Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners (Latin: Refugium Peccatorum) is a traditional devotional title for the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church, emphasizing her maternal role as a powerful intercessor, protector, and source of mercy for those who have strayed from God. Taken from the ancient Litany of Loreto, the title frames Mary as a spiritual "safe haven" from temptation, vice, and despair. Two ways of depicting her have emerged: the older style is of the royally crowned Madonna and toddler Jesus. This image can be found at several of the California Franciscan missions. The second, which is also seen as Mother of Mercy, is of Mary’s mantle sheltering or perhaps even “hiding” the Faithful within it.

I am posting an essay from the Archdiocese of San Francisco website. Ironically, in 2026, July 5^th falls on a Sunday, and so Our Lady misses out this year!

Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners: the forgotten patroness of California

By Father Vincent Woo and Jacek Nowicki -posted July 5, 2025

While it is commonly known that St. Junípero Serra was instrumental in bringing the Catholic faith to California, most are unaware that Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners is actually the patroness of [both] California[s]. In fact, the feast of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners is an obligatory memorial that should be celebrated in all California dioceses on July 5 each year, unless it falls on a Sunday. The purpose of this article is to introduce the historical background of this devotion, its spiritual significance and its pastoral application.

In 1843, the first bishop of the Californias, Francisco García Diego y Moreno, designated Our Lady of Refuge as the patroness of the new diocese, alongside St. Francis of Assisi and St. Francis de Sales as secondary patrons. However, these patrons were not automatically transferred to the newly established Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1853. The papal bull establishing the Archdiocese did not indicate a patron. Evidence suggests that this feast continued to be observed on July 4 from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. However, from 1907 to the early 1980s, this feast practically disappeared from the archdiocesan liturgical calendars.

In 1981, in a memo to all the bishops of California, Cardinal Timothy Manning (then Archbishop of Los Angeles) wrote that the patronage of California under the title of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners, had never been revoked. As the majority of California bishops favored the restoration of this feast, they petitioned the Vatican for authorization to observe the feast of Our Lady of Refuge on July 5 as an obligatory memorial in all California dioceses. Permission was granted in 1982, and the observance of this memorial began to reappear in the annual Ordo of all [upper] California dioceses beginning in 1983.

What is the spiritual significance of this feast? St. Alphonsus Liguori, in his book “The Glories of Mary,” wrote that in ancient times, there were cities of refuge where criminals who fled for protection would be exempt from their deserved punishments. In a similar way, Our Lady is the refuge of sinners, offering protection and intercession for all who seek her help, no matter how grave their sins. St. Thomas of Villanova said: “O Mary, we poor sinners know no other refuge than thee, for thou art our only hope, and on thee we rely for our salvation.”

Similarly, St. Antoninus related the story of a grave sinner who had a vision of himself before God at his particular judgment. The devil accused him, presenting a catalog of his sins, which outweighed all his good works on the scales of divine justice. However, Our Lady extended her hand, placing it on the balance, tipping it in favor of her devotee. Understanding that she would obtain his pardon if he changed his life, the sinner was entirely converted after this vision.

It is important to remember that devotion to Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners does not exempt us from the need to reform our lives. While she is our advocate, we must also do our part. How can we do this? The best way is to frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly. Every time we examine our conscience before confession, we should ask for Our Lady’s intercession. Apart from confession, devotions such as the daily rosary are also crucial.

[Everyone] can promote devotion to Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners, especially on her feast day. On July 5, this obligatory memorial should be celebrated in parishes throughout California. The Ordo states that the liturgical texts can be taken from Holy Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy in the Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary…

 

May all Catholics in California rediscover the spiritual significance of Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners, the patroness of California.

Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners, pray for us!

Father Vincent Woo is priest-secretary to Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and assistant professor at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University, and Nowicki is the Archivist for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

retrieved from https://sfarch.org/our-lady-refuge-of-sinners/

July 1 Padre Junipero Serra, Apostle of California

 

St. Junipero Serra (1713-1784)

July 1 in the USA, because this is the date of the landing in San Diego in 1769.

            There is one Franciscan in the Hall of Fame in the U.S. Capitol, and that is Junipero Serra, representing the state of California! He has been nicknamed the "Apostle of California."

             Miguel Jose, who later took the name Junipero after Francis’s companion Brother Juniper, was born in Petra on the island of Mallorca in the Mediterranean Sea. His parents, Antonio and Margarita, were farmers. Their son became a Franciscan in 1729 at age 16! Serra’s friend and biographer Francisco Palou tells us that Junipero was then quite interested in the saints. “As a result of this devout exercise of reading the lives of the saints, there arose in him a warm desire from the time of his novitiate to imitate them insofar as it was possible. This type of reading caused in him the same effect as was produced in St. Ignatius of Loyola” (Life of Fray Junipero Serra, p.4).

            After his ordination in 1737, Junipero taught philosophy at the University of Palma. In 1750 he joined the missionary College of San Fernando and went to New Spain, as Mexico was then known, to work. After serving in the Sierra Gorda missions, he became the master of novices in Mexico City.  In 1769 he was named president of the missions in Old California on the Baja Peninsula below the current state of California.

            Junipero soon traveled into the present-day United States and over the years founded nine of the twenty-one Franciscan missions that eventually stretched from San Diego to San Francisco Solano. They are: Mission San Diego and San Carlos Borromeo (1770), San Antonio and San Gabriel (1771), San Luis Obispo (1772), San Francisco and San Juan Capistrano (1776), Santa Clara (1777), and San Buenaventura (1782). Between 1770 and his death in 1784, Serra and his confreres baptized 5,808 native indigenous Californians.

            In all these missions, Junipero and the friars introduced the natives to effective agricultural methods and showed them how to domesticate the animals needed for food and transportation. As the missions prospered, their fields and livestock attracted the envy of Spanish colonists and non-Christian Indians. Most of the missions were seized for personal gain after Mexico won its independence from Spain.

            Junipero Serra died at Mission San Carlos de Carmel on August 28, 1784, and is buried there. On November 25, 1784, the superior of the College of San Fernando in Mexico City wrote about Junipero’s death to the provincial of the Franciscans in Mallorca: “He died like the just, in such circumstances that all those who were present shed tender tears and believed that his happy soul immediately went to heaven to enjoy the reward for his great and unbroken labors of 34 years, sustained for our beloved Jesus, whom he always had in his mind, suffering those inexplicable things for our redemption. So great was the charity he manifested…that it caused wonder not only in the minds of the ordinary people but also in persons of station, all proclaiming that this man was a saint and his actions those of an apostle.”