A Community of Love, Unity and Service

St. Lawrence, martyr

Saint Lawrence was Chief of the seven deacons of Rome. In the year 258 Pope Sixtus was ledout to die, and Saint Lawrence followed beside him, weeping because unable to share his fate. “Where are you going, my father, without your son? Where are you going, holy pontiff, withoutyour deacon? Never did you offer a sacrifice without my serving you at the altar. In what wayhave I displeased you?” The holy Pope comforted him with the words, “I am not abandoningyou, my son; a more difficult trial and a more glorious victory are reserved for you; in three daysyou will follow me.”

This prophecy was fulfilled. After the Pope’s martyrdom the prefect of the city, knowing the rich offerings which the Christians put into the hands of the clergy, demanded the treasures of the Roman Church from Lawrence, their guardian. The Saint promised to show him, at the end ofthree days, riches exceeding all the wealth of the empire. He was granted the time of delay. TheArchdeacon of Rome went about assembling the poor, the infirm, and the religious who lived bythe alms of the faithful, and he brought them to the prefect on the appointed day. “Behold thetreasures I promised you; I add pearls and precious stones — these virgins and widowsconsecrated to God; the Church has no other riches.” The prefect replied: “How dare you playgames with me, miserable one? Is this how you show your contempt for the imperial power?”

Christ, whom Lawrence had served in His poor, gave him strength in the conflict which ensued. After being placed on the rack, he was stretched on a grill over a slow fire. He joked about hispains. “I am roasted enough on this side,” he said, “perhaps you should turn me over.” Soon, his gaze towards heaven, he gave up his soul to God. He was buried in the catacomb near the Tiburtine Way, called the Verano Field, a little over a mile from the city walls. The faithfulwatched there for three days to mourn their holy Archdeacon who had been so good to them. God, by the glory of this holy martyr, demonstrates the value He sets upon love for the poor. Innumerable prayers were offered at his tomb. Saint Lawrence continued from his throne inheaven his charity to those in need, granting them, as Saint Augustine says, “the smaller graceswhich they sought, and leading them to the desire of better gifts.”

St. Tiburtius

A certain pagan prefect of Rome, by the name of Agrestius Chromatius, saw arrive before histribunal a holy man named Tranquillinus. The prefect had already condemned a number ofChristians to martyrdom, among them the twin brothers, Marcus and Marcellianus; but when Saint Tranquillinus, who was their father, told him how he had recovered from the gout through his baptism, Chromatius listened to him. He himself had the same malady. He sent for a priest,and he too was freed from his infirmity when baptized. He then liberated 400 slaves and retired toa country home, where he sheltered many Christians who feared they could not resist torturesduring the persecutions.

Saint Tiburtius, whom the Church honors today, was the son of Chromatius, and was baptizedwith him. He was later ordained a subdeacon, and one day raised to life a man whom he found onthe ground, his body broken by a fall from the upper story of a residence. Under Diocletian, Tiburtius was betrayed to the persecutors by an unfaithful Christian. He courageously confessedhis ardent faith, saying, “I sacrifice only to one God, the Creator of the world, who reigns overheaven and earth, and my greatest desire is to be immolated and sacrificed myself for thisconfession.” After being condemned to walk on hot coals, which he did without suffering anypain, he was beheaded at a site three miles from Rome. A church was afterward built at this siteand named for him.

SAINT SUSANNA
Martyr

Saint Susanna was nobly born in Rome, the daughter of a certain Gabinius, who after hisconversion became a priest; she was also the niece of Pope Saint Caius, her father’s brother. Thisfamily was also related to the emperor Diocletian. Susanna’s father had raised her with great carein the fear of God and love of Jesus Christ, and she had made a private vow of virginity. Diocletian, wishing to obtain the consent of this very beautiful maiden to marry his favorite,Maximian, sent a certain Claudius, another member of her family, to propose the espousals. Sherefused to consent, making known to her father and Saint Caius her vow, and saying that even ifshe had not resolved to conserve her chastity, she would not wish to marry a man responsible forthe massacre of an infinite number of Christians. The Emperor’s messenger was converted by herconfession of faith, and became a fervent penitent.

When Diocletian received no answer from his messenger concerning the results of thecommission, and then learned of the conversion of Claudius, he was very irritated; then withClaudius he arrested Suzanne, Gabinius her father, and several other Christians. He had Suzannebeaten in her residence, then decapitated secretly. The emperor’s wife, Prisca, who was also aChristian in secret, buried her body clandestinely and prayed to her as a holy martyr. Later thehouse of Gabinius was transformed by Pope Saint Caius into a church; it eventually became aconvent for Cistercian nuns. Saint Susanna suffered towards the beginning of Diocletian’s reign,about the year 295.

St. Philomena

The tomb of this virgin and martyr, unknown until the first years of the 19^th century, was providentially discovered in 1802 in the catacombs. God by many miracles made the discovery of Saint Philomena’s body famous, and the cult of the young Saint spread everywhere with an extraordinary rapidity. She received such exceptional homage that she deserves to be placed in the first ranks of the virgin martyrs whom the Church venerates. The Holy Curé of Ars called her his dear little Saint and performed wonders, invoking her.

Certain revelations having the character of authenticity say that Saint Philomena was the daughter of a Greek prince, who accompanied her parents to Rome on a journey, and that her gloriousmartyrdom occurred there under Diocletian in the third century. The two arrows engraved on hertombstone in opposite directions referred to the efforts of the persecutor to slay her with a volleyof arrows, after Angels preserved her from death by drowning; the arrows turned against thearchers. Finally she was beheaded, like so many other miraculously protected heroes and heroinesof Christ. This opinion, which certain circumstances attending the translation of her relics in 1812to the city of Mugnano appeared to verify, has prevailed. In that city devotion to her has beenextraordinary and remains so to this day; miracles have multiplied both there and elsewhere forthose who invoke her.

Other very serious studies maintain that she was a child of the Roman people, immolated in the first century for Jesus Christ, at the age of twelve or thirteen years. An examination of her bonespermitted her age to be estimated, and the vial of dried blood in her tomb clearly indicated hermartyrdom. The instruments of torture painted on the terra cotta plaque which closed her tomb— an arrow, an anchor, a torch — show us what sort of tortures she bore, all of which are knownto us through other martyrdoms of the same early centuries. The inscription: “Peace be with you,Philomena,” reveals her name.

What is beyond doubt is that this Saint responds unfailingly to the faith of those who invoke her. Invoked everywhere with wonderful success, she was entitled “the wonder-worker of the 19^th century”. She has shown herself to be the protectress, in particular, of small children. A mother whose young son died despite her prayers, placed a picture of the Saint on his corpse,begging that he be returned to her. And the child rose as though from sleep, stood up besidehis bed and had no more symptoms of any sickness whatsoever. A little girl who had put out hereye playing with a pair of scissors, which injury was declared irreparable by physicians, had hereye restored when she washed her face in oil taken from the Saint’s lamp; and this eye seemed toeveryone more vivid and bright than the other.

St. Susanna

Saint Susanna was nobly born in Rome, the daughter of a certain Gabinius, who after hisconversion became a priest; she was also the niece of Pope Saint Caius, her father’s brother. Thisfamily was also related to the emperor Diocletian. Susanna’s father had raised her with great carein the fear of God and love of Jesus Christ, and she had made a private vow of virginity. Diocletian, wishing to obtain the consent of this very beautiful maiden to marry his favorite,Maximian, sent a certain Claudius, another member of her family, to propose the espousals. Sherefused to consent, making known to her father and Saint Caius her vow, and saying that even ifshe had not resolved to conserve her chastity, she would not wish to marry a man responsible forthe massacre of an infinite number of Christians. The Emperor’s messenger was converted by herconfession of faith, and became a fervent penitent.

When Diocletian received no answer from his messenger concerning the results of thecommission, and then learned of the conversion of Claudius, he was very irritated; then withClaudius he arrested Suzanne, Gabinius her father, and several other Christians. He had Suzannebeaten in her residence, then decapitated secretly. The emperor’s wife, Prisca, who was also aChristian in secret, buried her body clandestinely and prayed to her as a holy martyr. Later thehouse of Gabinius was transformed by Pope Saint Caius into a church; it eventually became aconvent for Cistercian nuns. Saint Susanna suffered towards the beginning of Diocletian’s reign,about the year 295.

St. Clare of Assisi

On Palm Sunday, March 19, 1212, a maiden eighteen years of age left her rich and noble family to retire for her reception as a religious to the little church of the Portiuncula. This maiden wasSaint Clare. Already she had learned from Saint Francis to scorn the world, and was secretlyresolved to live for God alone. There she was met by Saint Francis and his brethren, and at thealtar of Our Lady, Saint Francis cut off her hair, clothed her in the habit of penance, a piece ofsackcloth, with a cord as a cincture. Thus was she espoused to Christ. Saint Francis placed herfor the moment in a Benedictine convent.

It was in a tiny house outside Assisi that she founded her Order. Two weeks after Clare’s consecration, her sister Agnes left home secretly to go to join her, at the age of fourteen years. Agnes succeeded in her intention, despite their father’s strong opposition and a convoy of twelve men who attempted to take her back home by force. While Clare prayed in the convent, Agnesbecame so heavy they were unable to move her. Later their mother and other noble ladies joinedthem. They went barefoot, observed perpetual abstinence, constant silence, and perfect poverty.

Saint Clare is celebrated for a miracle which occurred when the Saracen army of Frederick II was ravaging the valley of Spoleto. A legion of infidels advanced to assault the convent outsideAssisi. The Saint, who was ill in the infirmary, rose and went, supported by her religious, to thedoor of the convent; there she had the Blessed Sacrament placed in a monstrance above the gateof the monastery facing the enemy. She knelt before it and prayed, “Deliver not to beasts, OLord, the souls of those who confess Your Name!” A voice from the Host replied, “Myprotection will never fail you.” A sudden panic seized the infidel army, which took flight; and theSaint’s convent was spared.

Although Saint Clare herself never left her monastery of Saint Damian, her Order spread in many places not only in Europe but elsewhere, and some four thousand convents, divided into severalbranches, shelter her disciples. Many Saints have come from these, especially from the groupswhich have maintained the original absolute poverty of her Constitutions. The Sisters of theoriginal Order live by charity, and their convents possess nothing. Saint Clare died in 1253, as thePassion was being read, and Our Lady and the Angels conducted her to glory.

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