Oct. 27 Alexander of Hales

October 27 Servant of God (SoG) Alexander of Hales (c.1185- August 21, 1245)

Alexander, known as Doctor Irrefragibilis, or "Irrefutable Teacher," Doctor Doctorum, or "Doctor of Doctors," and even as Theologorum Monarcha or "King of Theologians"— was a Franciscan friar, theologian, and philosopher instrumental to the development of scholasticism. He introduced the Sentences of Peter Lombard as the basic textbook for the study of theology, which was particularly important because it was the first time that a book other than the Bible was used as a basic text for theological study. Alexander was also significant in bringing Aristotle into the discussion of theology.

In 1236 or 1237, aged about 50, Alexander entered the Franciscan Order after considering both the Cistercians and the Dominicans. He thus became the first Franciscan friar to hold a university chair. His doctrinal positions became the starting point of the Franciscan school of theology. He continued to teach and to represent the university and participated in the First Council of Lyon in the winter of 1245.

Bonaventure, who may not have studied under Alexander directly, nevertheless referred to him as his "father and master" and wished to "follow in his footsteps." Alexander, Bonaventure, and the Franciscan developments within Scholasticism are sometimes overlooked due to the strength of Dominican scholarship, exemplified by Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas.

Alexander was born in Hales Owen, Shropshire, England, and died in Paris. Hales is in the West Midlands of England. The word “hales” means a nook or a remote valley. Franciscans honor him on October 27. So today, let’s remember Alexander of Hales as a great theologian, but also as a person humble enough to desire to live according to the Gospel in the footprints of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Oct. 23 & 24: Two CA Missions

October 23 and 24: Two CA Missions

I previously wrote about St. John of Capistrano and Mission San Juan Capistrano on June first, prior to my Tuesday morning group (“Coffee with the Saints”) going on a “field trip” train ride to the Mission.

John of Capistrano, with armor over his habit and charging into battle, is something of an anomaly among Franciscans, at least as we picture them today. However, he and the earliest of the Franciscan martyrs, along with King Ferdinand, were all part of the historical “battle” against Islam. Francis is held as the ideal model in confronting the Sultan one-on-one, and Clare is depicted holding them off through the supernatural power of the Eucharist.  However, we have the involvement of Franciscans on all levels, primarily in preaching, but also engaging in the moral and spiritual support of the soldiers. The Crusades present a harsh reality in our history, which ended up pitting Christian (of the West) against Christian (of the East).

We can use these saints from the time of the Crusades to intercede on behalf of those engaged in dialogue between religious systems. As faithful witnesses to the gospel of Jesus Christ, such intercessors can join with us in prayers for peaceful coexistence, for conversion of hearts, for cessation of conflict and hatred, and for the promotion of the common good among all peoples.  

 

Oct. 24^th is the former date of Raphael the Archangel, and so I am posting about Mission San Rafael here. This is one of the northernmost establishments. For the September 29^th Tuesday morning group, I presented on all three Archangels and the three CA missions under their patronage. I waited until today to post the Mission San Rafael page from the Missions booklet for other readers of this blog.  

Oct. 19 St. Peter of Alcantara

St. Peter of Alcantara (1499-1562)

October 19

This saint is part of the Catholic Counter-Reformation that arose in response to Protestantism. He is among a whole group of 16th-century Spanish saints that includes Paschal Baylon, John of the Cross, Ignatius of Loyola, John of Ávila, Francis Solano, and Salvator of Horta. Peter for many years was a friend of and provided spiritual direction to St. Theresa of Ávila and encouraged her in pursuing the Carmelite reform.

In a letter to Teresa of Ávila, he wrote: “I do not praise poverty for poverty’s sake; I praise only that poverty which we patiently endure for the love of our crucified Redeemer and I consider this far more desirable than the poverty we undertake for the sake of poverty itself; for if I thought or believed otherwise, I would not seem to be firmly grounded in faith.”

He died on the 18^th, the feast of St. Luke, and is typically honored on the 19^th. However, in the USA, he is eclipsed by the celebration of the “North American” martyrs: Saints John de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Companions. As we find with numerous Franciscan saints, their presence on the calendar is reduced to “local” observance solely within the Orders. On a personal note, my home parish of St. John Fisher on the Palos Verdes Peninsula was originally named after him. Honoring the Spanish saint was an appropriate choice, since much of the area had been developed since the 1920s as Mediterranean, with a particularly Spanish influence (e.g., Malaga Cove). However, given that several prominent Protestant churches in the area were already named “Peter,” the parish was changed to honor the English saint. (A parish in neighboring San Pedro was later established under Peter’s patronage.)

Peter was born into nobility, and his father was the governor of Alcantara. After studying at Salamanca University, he joined the discalced or barefoot Friars Minor in 1515. He exhibited very strong spiritual leadership.  Even before his priestly ordination in 1524, he was named superior of his house. At the age of 39, he was elected provincial. Despite this, he was not above washing dishes and cutting wood for his fellow friars.

He excelled at preaching and led many “missions” or times of renewal to correct errors, call to repentance, and enrich the faith of the laity. In fact, the custom of erecting a special cross to commemorate a parish mission began with Peter. His preaching brought many people to religious life, especially to the Secular Franciscan Order, as well as to the friars and the Poor Clares.

He lived the idea that reform starts in one’s own heart. His goal was to follow Christ in ever greater purity of heart. Whatever obstructed that path could be eliminated with no real loss.  He was very penitential in his personal life. It is said that he slept only for an hour and a half each night. Because he was awake most of the time when his brother friars were sleeping, he is the patron saint of night watchmen. He fasted regularly. According to St. Teresa, he sometimes only ate once every three days. He was also known for his extreme patience.

In 1554 Peter decided to follow The Rule of Francis with more rigor and set up a group of friars that became known as Alcantarines. Some of the Spanish friars who came to North and South America were members of this group. At the end of the 19^th century, the Alcantarines were joined with other Observant friars to form the Order of Friars Minor in its current configuration.  Peter died at age 63 and was canonized in 1669.

Oct. 12 a busy day

At the center of the altar reredos at Mission San Fernando Rey, right under the statue of Saint Ferdinand, is Our Lady of the Pillar (Spanish: Nuestra Señora del Pilar).

Back in July for the feast of St. James, I wrote about the connection of St. James or Santiago with Spain, and how this statue of Our Lady in Zaragoza commemorates the apparition of Mary to James while he was there as a missionary to Spain. James is thus a patron of Spain and of King Ferdinand, as a part of the Reconquista or reclaiming of territory within España after Islamic occupation. This is the earliest Marian apparition and would technically be bilocation, as Jesus’ mother is thought to be alive in AD 40, when this took place.

This 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, and was very aware that this was Our Lady’s feast day.  This date was chosen in 1892 to highlight Italian-Americans (a predominately Catholic group who had been greatly persecuted as immigrants) and their contributions to USA history and culture by highlighting Columbus.

October 12^th is also the celebration of Mary under the title of Our Lady of Aparecida (Portuguese: Nossa Senhora Aparecida), who is patroness of the country of Brazil. In 1717 a small statue of Mary was recovered by fisherman and that image is now kept in the São Paulo Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida. Aparecida means "she who appeared".

October 12^th is also the date of two important youthful deaths. In 1998 Matthew Wayne Shephard succumbed to the brutal injuries he had sustained six days earlier on the night of Oct. 6. He was 21 years old at the time of this vicious anti-gay hate crime. His cremated remains were eventually buried in 2018 at the Episcopal Washington National Cathedral. In 2005 Saint Carlo Acutis died of leukemia at age 15 and this is his saintly feast day. Carlo is buried in Assisi, Italy at the Franciscan Santuario della Spogliazione (Shrine of the Renunciation) inside the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. This shrine commemorates when Francis gave his clothes back to his parents, embraced poverty, and said, “My only Father from now on is Our Father, who art in heaven!” It seems very poignant that these two share a date in death, on a day that is so filled with controversy!

Canadians celebrate this day as Thanksgiving. Mexicans celebrate it as the Day of the Race. October 12^th has also been named as a “Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity” and “Indigenous People’s Day” and “Native American Day of the Race/Dia de la Raza,” also “Day of Respect for Cultural Diversity” in an attempt to address the genocide of First Nations people in the colonizing and destructive effects that followed after Columbus.

So, a lot is invested in this one particular day.

It’s a federal holiday. It’s a feast of Our Lady. It has some relevance in Franciscan spirituality. And as any day on the Catholic calendar, it celebrates those who have gone before us in faith. But it is also an Ember day, in a renewed sense of that tradition, in order to do penance and seek forgiveness for past wrongs. 

Oct. 10 Saint Daniel and Companions, martyrs

Martyrs: Saint Daniel Fasanella and Companions died 1227

October 10

Martyrs remind us of the high price that Jesus paid for preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. Remembering the martyrs helps us to persevere in living out the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is this gospel that Francis and his followers vowed to observe and spread through their witness and preaching.

Inspired by the example of the first set of Franciscans martyred in Morocco (St. Berard and Companions honored on January 16^th), seven Friars Minor went to preach the gospel in Muslim North Africa. They were led by Daniel Fasanella, OFM provincial of Calabria in southern Italy. They ended up in the city of Ceuta, Morocco, where the Christian merchants of the city warned them against preaching.

The friars, however, spoke openly and were thus imprisoned for eight days. Bribes and threats to make them renounce their faith were useless. Like the early Christians persecuted by Rome, they went to their deaths singing hymns. They were beheaded and their bodies were taken to Spain. They were canonized in 1516.

A note as we are now ten days into the month of October: The Pope's intention for the month of October is that mental health ministry be established throughout the Church, helping to overcome the stigma and discrimination of persons with mental illness. 

Oct. 6 St. Mary Frances of the Five Wounds

St. Mary Frances of the Five Wounds (1734-1791)

October 6

A young girl by the name of Anna Maria faced a familiar situation when she turned sixteen. Her father wanted her married, but she wanted to stay an unmarried virgin. So her father whipped her and locked her in her room. He later relented and allowed her to become a Franciscan tertiary in the Order of St. Peter of Alcantara and to be a consecrated virgin still living at home. Her religious name is Mary Frances.

Gallo family life was not easy, in a house filled with brothers and sisters. Mary’s time was absorbed by prayer, penance, and doing works of charity. She befriended the sick and needy of Naples, caring for the poor. She was especially devoted to praying for souls in purgatory and in meditating on the passion of Christ. She received the stigmata on her hands, feet, and side. (Curiously, most stigmatists are female). Mary Frances of the Five Wounds not only was gifted with visions of Jesus, but she also reportedly had frequent visits from her Guardian Angel. She was canonized by Pope Pius IX on June 29, 1867, and is a patroness of Naples, Italy. 

Oct. 4 St. Francis of Assisi-800 years Transitus!

St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

October 4

Born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone to prosperous cloth merchants, Pica and Pietro.  His mother baptized him Giovanni in honor of St. John the Baptist. His father was away in France on business when the boy was born. “Frenchy” was the nickname his father gave him, perhaps because his mother was of French descent or it might reflect his father’s  love for French culture and commercial success in France. Francesco’s youth was filled with some carousing and engagement with troubadour culture. It was a time of chivalry and knighthood. He lived during the rise of city-states in Italy, who frequently clashed for power and prestige. After setting off to war as a knight, Francis endured a year’s imprisonment, followed by a long illness. This led him to reassess his life and ambitions and dedicate himself to God’s service. He would eventually describe himself as “the herald of the great king.”

There was a dilapidated chapel on the hillside near Assisi named for of San Damiano where Francis retreated to find solitude and prayer. One day Christ spoke to him from the crucifix, saying “Rebuild my house, for it is nearly falling down.” Francis took this quite literally and repaired San Damiano, as well as two other nearby churches. This however took on greater meaning as it applied to Francis’ influence and effect on the larger Catholic Church.

An encounter with a leper left a great impression on Francis. Instead of avoiding the person, Francis embraced and kissed them. He wrote, “What had previously nauseated me became a source of spiritual and physical consolation for me.” (Testament.) Francis overcame his fear, his hesitation, and his own ego on that road and afterwards was ready to care for the poor and suffering. Francis and his followers ministered to people suffering from leprosy.

Some of his friends joined him and he attracted others, so much so that in 1209, twelve of them went to Rome to seek approval from the Pope, Innocent III. They initially called themselves “Penitents from Assisi” but later came to be known as the Friars Minor or Lesser Brothers. They dedicated themselves to prayer, manual labor, and preaching the gospel. Living in poverty and simplicity were actually part of a broader religious movement at this point in history. Francis wanted to be sure and show loyalty and obedience to the Catholic Church and differentiate from other “spirituals.” Francis exhibited classic Catholic devotion to the Eucharist and to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He showed great respect towards those in authority, especially priests and was concerned for their formation, education, and well-being. He was ordained a deacon in order to proclaim the gospel. He had great respect for the Bible, so much so that he admonished the friars to take care of any scrap of paper they might find, lest it contain the words of Scripture.

In response to Chiara of Assisi’s desire to live out the gospel as Francis and his followers were, Francis helped her organized the “Poor Ladies of San Damiano” as the Second Order of Franciscans or “Poor Clares” is known. There is a great tradition of complementarity between men and women within the Franciscan family, which began with this friendship between Saint Clare and Francis, but can also be found in his relationship with Lady Jacopa and others. Laity also asked Francis to be able to join in his vision and way of following the gospel, and so the Third Order or Secular Franciscans was also formed. Later developed Third Order Religious, as other men and women took up the Franciscan way to live in consecrated life. You might even say there is a “Fourth Order” of those who just love and admire and respect Saint Francis of Assisi, but do not take a vow or join in any official way.

He is credited with establishing the tradition of Christmas crèches and manger scenes in homes and churches. Francis set up a living nativity scene on Christmas Eve in 1223 in the Italian village of Greccio to help people visualize the humble, impoverished reality of Jesus' birth. It included a hay-filled manger, a live ox and a donkey, but no human actors portraying Mary or Joseph initially stood in the scene; it centered on the empty crib, to highlight the poverty of the child born in Bethlehem.

Francis was canonized in 1228, less than two years after his death, by his one-time advisor, the former Cardinal Hugolino, who was then Pope Gregory IX.

About a hundred years later, a wonderful collection of stories about Francis and his followers was written in Latin and then translated into Italian: Fioretti or Little Flowers.  Most famous are how Francis preached to the birds, befriended the wolf of Gubbio, his encounter with the Islamic Sultan, and one whole section devoted to the apparition of the seraph. In September of 1224 while Francis was on retreat praying on Mount La Verna, he received the marks of Christ’s passion in his hands, feet and side, known as the stigmata. This is celebrated on the Franciscan calendar on September 17^th.  Much of the Fioretti however, tells of the actions of the other friars, such as Brother Juniper and Brother Giles, and the growth of the movement.  The earliest definitive or authoritative biographies of Francis were written by Thomas Celano and Saint Bonaventure.

In California, the sixth mission and the city on the bay that grew up around it were dedicated to San Francisco de Asis in 1776.