saint of the week

Per the request of many of you, I again  be doing the "saint of the week" emails.

If for some reason, you don't want to get this, lemme know.. . otherwise . . . expect to hear from me about once per week.  Some of you parents, please share this with your sons and daughters!

I would welcome your comments.  You can also check this out at our new website. www.stscholasticayouth.org.

 

Why do we study saints?  Cuz they are real people with real lives and real mistakes but they OVER CAME THEM through the help of Christ.  I always say that if you want to know Jesus, get to know the people that knew him and loved him most.  Learn from them.

We do NOT worship saints.  We pray for their guidance.  They are like mapquest on our way to our Father in heaven.  Not one of them would want us to worship them instead of God.  Worship is reserved only for God.

 

So, on to the real work here.

(I just came from the eye doctor and my pupils are the size of marbles, but doing this is easier than trying to read and study my mariology notes!)

 

Today is the feast of Elizabeth Ann Seton.  (January4) and Tommorrow is the Feast of St. John Neumann.  So I guess that this will be saint-s of the week.

They are both American saints, which is cool.  She was a sister of Charity.  He was a bishop. (A redemportis priest)  He was born in Czechoslavia but since there were (get this. . ) TOO MANY PRIESTS, he volunteered to come to America.  Most of his time he lived in New York, but he did live in Pittsburgh for a few years at St. Philomena.  Once caught in a deluge, his feet were soaked. Someone asked him if he wanted to change shoes, he said that the only way that he could change his shoes was to put the left on the right and the right on the left, because he only owned one pair.

During his time in Pittsburgh he wrote a basic catechism.  Interestingly St. John taught himself six languages (think about that the next time you are studying for a french test!) He opened nearly 100 catholic schools.  So, you might guess that he is the patron saint of catholic education.  Yes, that extends to youth ministry!  St. John would want you all well schooled in catholicism, so I hope that he gives his blessing to us at INTERSECTION (NOT INTERSESSION.  INTERCESSION IS A PETITION, INTERSECTION IS WHERE 2 THINGS . . LIKE UH, THE GOSPEL AND YOU, COME TOGETHER).  So you may think it doesn't matter, but it does.

Coincidently, Elizabeth Ann Seton was a nun, (she founded the Sisters of Charity) but only after she was married, had kids and her hubby died.  Imagine being raised by your mom the nun, in  the convent!  Must of worked out cuz many of her kids became religious too.  She converted to catholicism and lost most of her friends and family in the process (so you think you've got it tough when you get teased for coming to youth group!)  She also set up many many Catholic Schools, mostly for the poor and wrote a bunch of books. She said that "women pay particular attention to the particular"  she was referring to the Blessed Mother and her involvement in our lives.

 Interestingly,The lives of these 2 saints overlapped.  They lived fairly near each other. . .I wonder if they ever met?  Probably not.  They were probably busy doing God's work.

I read a quote that said something like, "you never get exhausted from doing God's work, only the other stuff".  Hmmm.

Both of these two saints had a bunch of miracles performed after they died. (which is why they are saints).  They both felt an urgent need to build the future.  They were shakers and movers.  They were trend setters doing what they felt was right.

Are you a shaker and mover?  Can you get other people going?  Let's use their example to start of f the new year.  Be a mover.  Be a trend setter.  Do what you know is right.  Keep your undilated eyes, wide open, let in as much light as you can. Pray for opportunity.  Pray for opportunity to be a shaker.

St. John Neumann and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, we ask for you to guide the youth and youth leadership of St. Scholastica Parish.  Open our minds and hearts to the gospel.  Give us the courage to be more than we are.

Amen.