Our Sacrament Preparation (First Reconciliation and First Communion) program for high schoolers is a collaboration between our Parish, the Family and the teen. Click below to find out more about the program, requirements, and registration.  First Communion - Teen Our Sacrament Preparation (First Reconciliation and First Communion) program for high schoolers is a collaboration between our Parish, the Family and the teen. Click below to find out more about the program, requirements, and registration. 9th-12th Grade 9th-12th Graders seeking First Communion and Reconciliation will be prepared over two years. Year One of Preparation is through our Life Teen Program (9th-12th Grade) and will cover Foundational Teachings of the Catholic Church. Year Two is completed through our Teen Confirmation and Teen Sac Prep Programs (10th-12th Grade) and will cover the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which will integrate sacramental preparation sessions. Participants will receive their First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation during Year Two. Teen Sac Prep Year 1 (9th-11th Grade) Candidates for First Communion and Reconciliation can begin preparation during their freshman year of high school. Each Candidate will complete their first year of preparation by registering and attending Sunday evening Life Teen sessions or enrolling in an accredited Catholic High School. Teen Sac Prep Year 2 (10th-12th Grade) After successfully completing the first year of preparation through Life Teen or through Catholic High School, the Candidate will register and faithfully attend our Confirmation program on Wednesday evenings as well as Sac Prep sessions on specifically designated dates during the spring semester. The Teen Candidate will receive their First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation, during this year of preparation. Youth Ministry Website Program Contact Shelly Wilson Manager of Youth Ministry & Teen Sacraments swilson@ap.church 832-482-4136 Next Item Previous Item

Saint Teresa of Ávila was born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada on March 28, 1515 in Ávila, Spain. At 16, she was sent by her father to be educated in a convent of Augustinian nuns, and she eventually joined the Carmelite Order. After a severe bout of Malaria and a series of striking visions, Teresa founded the Order of Discalced Carmelites, opening more than 30 convents in her lifetime. She is remembered as one of the great mystics of the Catholic faith, and is one of the four women to be named a Doctor of the Church. St. Teresa of Ávila Time Period: 1515-1582 Feast Day: October 15 Title/Attributes: Virgin, Doctor of the Church, Carmelite Location of Relic: Back Right Reliquary - Right Section Type of Relic: Bones The religious reformer known as Saint Teresa of Ávila was born Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada on March 28, 1515 in Ávila, Spain. She was the third child in a family descended from Jewish merchants who converted to Christianity. Growing up, Teresa was captivated by the thought of spending eternity with God, and she soon became intrigued by the lives of saints and martyrs. So infatuated was Teresa, that before she would even turn ten years old, she would try to run away from home to devote her life to Christ as a martyr in a Muslim country, although her uncle found her down the road and sent her back home to Beatrice, her mother. Beatrice would pass away when Teresa was 14, causing a profound grief that would initially prompt a stronger devotion to the Virgin Mary, but by the age of 16, Teresa was more focused on clothes, flirting and rebelling. This newfound interest in worldly matters, along with the strict religious standards imposed by her father, caused Teresa to have a harsh sense of self-judgement, considering herself a “miserable sinner.” It wasn’t long before her father noticed the loss of her childhood zeal for God, and decided Teresa would benefit from a change of scenery. She was sent to be educated in a convent of Augustinian nuns. While Teresa found their way of life dull at first, she grew to like religious life, and when the time came for her to choose between marriage or religious life, she became a nun of the Carmelite Order (a decision which she wrote was “the safest for someone as prone to sin as she was”). This decision though was in direct opposition of the will of her father, who was displeased by the easy-going nature of the Carmelite Convent. Indeed, the convent was not the pious, contemplative institution Teresa expected. Many women who had no place else to go would end up in the convent, whether they felt they had a vocation or not, and numerous women were accepted for purely financial reasons. Parties seemed to take priority over piety, and the convent became overcrowded with a steady stream of visitors, which caused Teresa to struggle to grow in her relationship with God or find time for quiet reflection. Shortly after becoming a nun, Teresa experienced a severe case of malaria that would leave her in great pain for years. She was bedridden for a long period of time, endured a four-day coma, and many were convinced she would not survive. However during this period of pain, she began her very first experiences of divine visions. Teresa described the sensation as an inner sense of peace that seemed to transcend the intense physical pain of the body. One of the more striking visions Teresa experienced came in the form of an angel who would appear holding a long, golden spear. The angel was smiling and gentle, so Teresa wasn’t frightened by him, but she was surprised when he thrust the spear into her heart. She simultaneously felt severe pain and sweet ecstasy from the spear, a symbol of God’s love. Writing in her autobiography, Teresa described the experience – “the sweetness of the pain was so surpassing that I couldn’t possibly wish to be rid of it. My soul couldn’t be content with anything but God.” Many clergy dissuaded her from pursuing the visions though, as they felt they were the delusions of the devil. Nonetheless, Teresa grew significantly in mental prayer during her recovery, but once back to health, her prayer life plateaued. Having lost the confidence to pray as she ought, she settled instead to lapse into a more routine prayer life. She would remain an obedient Carmelite, but struggle to establish a close personal connection to God for nearly twenty years. Around the age of 40, Teresa experienced a spiritual awakening, finding herself dramatically called back to the practice of contemplative mental prayer. Furthermore, she felt called to restore the Carmelite spirituality back to its original purpose: to live for God. She plunged back into her faith, emboldened to reform the Church. Teresa desired to found a new convent that refocused on the basics of contemplative prayer and poverty. Around the same time, she became close friends with a Spanish priest named Juan de Yepes y Álvarez, who would come to be known as St. John of the Cross. With his close collaboration, Teresa founded the Order of Discalced Carmelites. Discalced means barefoot, a term Teresa chose to symbolize the simplicity to which she wished to return the order. The move was met with intense opposition and scrutiny from public officials and religious leaders, who denounced her from the pulpit, started legal proceedings against her, and told her she should raise money for the convent she was already in. The bulk of the hostility came from the fact that the convent existed without endowment, but Teresa stood firm on the focus of poverty, and eventually the opposition waned. In 1562, with Pope Pius IV’s authorization, she opened the first convent of the Carmelite Reform, St. Joseph’s. Teresa would go on to found 30 more convents during her life, as St. John of the Cross was initiating the Carmelite Reform for men, opening the first monastery of the Primitive Rule in Duruelo Spain in 1568. Teresa’s health never fully recovered following her bout with malaria, and the rigors of opening more convents and traveling around Spain left her frail. However she never let her poor health dissuade her from her life’s mission, and she persevered through continued criticism, clashes with the Spanish Inquisition, and even an attempt to excommunicate her order. While traveling through Salamanca in 1582, her health failed her for the final time, and she accepted her illness as God’s chosen means for calling her into His presence forever. A fellow Carmelite described the hours before her passing: “She remained in this position in prayer full of deep peace and great repose. Occasionally she gave some outward sign of surprise or amazement. Her facial expression was so wondrously changed that it looked like a celestial body to us. Thus immersed in prayer, happy and smiling, she went out of this world into eternal life.” She died in October of 1582, at the age of 67. Teresa of Ávila was canonized on March 12, 1622, and in 1970, she received the prestigious title of Doctor of the Church by Pope St. Paul VI. She is only one of four women to have ever been proclaimed as such. Saint Teresa is remembered as one of the great mystics of the Catholic faith, and her writings are heralded as literary canon regarding Christian mysticism and Christian meditation. Her writings Way of Perfection and The Interior Castle have helped generations of faithful Christians grow in contemplative prayer to this day. Teresa lived in a tumultuous time, but was determined to stand on her own two feet, and boldly pursue the call of God. Enthusiastic, courageous, and outgoing, she brought about immense reform despite the opposition of poor health, political turmoil, and her own feelings of mediocrity. Yet she struggled forward, faithful until the end, to found monasteries, share the beauty of mental prayer, and fall into the embrace of the Lord. A Doctor of the Church are certain men and women who are revered by the Church for the special value of their writings and preaching and the sanctity of their lives. They each made important and lasting contributions to the faith and are to be recognized for their great merits. To be declared a Doctor of the Church, you have to meet three basic requirements: First, you must have lived a life of exemplary holiness, or insignis vitae sanctitas (outstanding sanctity). In short, you have to be a saint. Second, to be a Doctor of the Church you must have deepened the whole Church's understanding of the Catholic Faith with emins doctrina (eminent teaching). Which is to say, sanctity isn't enough. There are thousands of saints, but only 37 Doctors of the Church. To be a Doctor one must do more than just live the Faith. Rather, one must significantly and profoundly contribute to our understanding of Divine Revelation, helping us to know more deeply some truth about God and His actions in the World. And third, a pope must officially declare you a Doctor. That being said, as the Church understands it, when a pope declares someone a Doctor of the Church, he's not so much making someone a Doctor as he is recognizing what the Holy Spirit has already done - that He has conferred the charism of Doctor upon them. Next Item Previous Item

St. John Damascene, born in Damascus under Islamic rule, was a brilliant theologian and one of the last of the Greek Church Fathers. After serving as a Christian adviser to Caliph Abdul Malik, he resigned due to his faith and entered a monastery near Jerusalem. There, he wrote over 150 works, including defenses of Christian doctrine and icon veneration, notably opposing Emperor Leo the Isaurian’s iconoclasm. His most famous writings include Sacred Parallels and Fount of Wisdom. For his holiness and profound teachings, he was declared a Doctor of the Church, honored for deepening the Church’s understanding of Divine Revelation. St. John Damascene Time Period: 675-749 Feast Day: December 4 Title/Attributes: Confessor, Doctor of the Church Location of Relic: Back Right Reliquary - Right Section Type of Relic: From the silk shroud which wrapped the bones St. John Damascene is a Doctor of the Church and one of the last Greek Fathers. He was born in Damascus, Syria, which was under Islamic domination, and succeeded his father as an adviser to Caliph Abdul Malik as chief representative (Secretary of State) of the Christian community to the caliph. In 719, however, he was compelled to resign hi spost because of his Christian faith. He entered a monastery near Jerusalem, where he concentrated his energies on prayer and writing; he authored one hundred and fifty works on theology, religious education, hagiography, and philosophy. John also penned a composition in defense of the veneration of icons against the Iconoclast Emperor Leo the Isaurian. His two most famous writings were Sacred Parallels and Found of Wisdom, which earned him a notable place among the Church’s theologians. St. John Damascene is declared a Doctor of the Church which are certain men and women who are revered by the Church for the special value of their writings and preaching and the sanctity of their lives. They each made important and lasting contributions to the faith and are to be recognized for their great merits. To be declared a Doctor of the Church, you have to meet three basic requirements. First, you must have lived a life of exemplary holiness, or insignis vitae sanctitas (outstanding sanctity). In short, you have to be a saint. Second, to be a Doctor of the Church you must have deepened the whole Church’s understanding of the Catholic Faith with emins doctrina (eminent teaching). Which is to say, sanctity isn’t enough. There are thousands of saints, but only 37 Doctors of the Church. To be a Doctor one must do more than just live the Faith. Rather, one must significantly and profoundly contribute to our understanding of Divine Revelation, helping us to know more deeply some truth about God and His actions in the World. And third, a pope must officially declare you a Doctor. That being said, as the Church understands it, when a pope declares someone a Doctor of the Church, he’s not so much making someone a Doctor as he is recognizing what the Holy Spirit has already done - that He has conferred the charism of Doctor upon them. Next Item Previous Item

St. Martin de Porres was a Dominican lay brother and mystic born in Lima, Peru, the son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed Panamanian slave. Despite facing discrimination, he devoted his life to caring for the sick, poor, and enslaved. He joined the Dominicans in 1594 and performed humble tasks while also founding an orphanage and hospital. Known for his humility and charity, he was gifted with miracles such as bilocation and levitation. A close friend of St. Rose of Lima, he died in 1639. St. Martin is the patron saint of interracial justice. St. Martin de Porres Time Period: 1579-1639 Feast Day: November 3 Title/Attributes: Confessor, Dominican Location of Relic: Back Right Reliquary - Center Section Type of Relic: Bones St. Martin de Porres was a Dominican mystic and friend of St. Rose of Lima. He was born in Lima, Peru, the illegitimate son of a Spanish Knight, John de Porres, and a freed Panamanian slave named Anna. In 1594, Martin became a Dominican lay brother in Lima and served in various menial offices. Outside of the monastery he became known for his care of the poor and the sick. Martin founded an orphanage and ministered to African slaves brought to Lima. He was aided by St. Rose of Lima, who respected his penances and labors. Martin experienced many mystical gifts, including bilocation and aerial flights. When he was dying in Rosary Convent on November 3, the viceroy, the count of Cichon, knelt by his bed, seeking Martin’s blessing. Martin de Porres is the patron of interracial justice. Next Item Previous Item

When Constantine the Great seized control of Rome in 312, he soon converted to Christianity. His mother, Helena, also converted, and on her son’s authority, she traveled to Palestine to search for the sacred site of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Details regarding her discovery of the True Cross are lacking and often contradictory among many ancient writers, but the wood that was deemed to be the Cross of Jesus became coveted for centuries. Today only a few fragments of wood remain but are venerated as the ultimate symbol of love through the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Wood of the True Cross Time Period: 1st Century Feast Day: September 14 Title/Attributes: Wood of the True Cross Location of Relic: Main Reliquary - Center Section Type of Relic: A piece of Wood from the True Cross According to ancient historians, mass crucifixions occurred multiple times around the world, but by far the most famous crucifixion in the history of mankind took place in 1st century Judea, when Jesus Christ, a Nazarene, carried the heavy pinewood up to Golgotha, was nailed upon the cross, and then lifted, to lift humanity out of eternal damnation. As Catholics, we know what happens next. What you may not know, is what happened to that empty, bloodstained cross. The Roman Emperor Hadrian, who reigned A.D. 117-138, abolished the name Judea and renamed the area “Syria Palaestina” after a Jewish insurrection around the year 132. Hadrian forbade Jews from entering the area, and demolished any remaining temples, deciding instead to erect temples to pagan gods and goddesses on the top of Mount Calvary. It was this destruction and ensuing construction of new buildings on the landscape that ensured the preservation of the holy and sacred sites of Jesus’ crucifixion, deep below the ground. More than 40 Roman Emperors later, Constantine the Great seized control of Rome in 312. It was not a smooth transition of power though, and one of the emperors, Maxentius, declared war and marched into battle with an army twice the size of Constantine’s. When Maxentius and his forces arrived on the battlefield, they were greeted by an unfamiliar symbol facing them: a cross. Most historians tell of Constantine reportedly praying before the battle that the true God might “reveal to him who he is and stretch forth his right hand to save him.” Then, marching at midday, he suddenly looked up at the noonday sky to see a bright cross of light flash among the heavens, with an inscription upon it: “In Hoc Signo Vinces” or “In this Sign Conquer.” Constantine, bolstered with the assurance that the True God had indeed heard him, inscribed the cross on their shields before advancing on Maxentius, who held a much better position for the battle near the Milvian Bridge in Rome. Maxentius’ troops were broken before the first charge had completed and he was among those who were pushed into the Tiber River and drowned. After the battle, Constantine didn’t forget who helped earn him the victory. In 313, the Edict of Milan was created as an agreement among the Roman Empire to treat Christians benevolently. This was a monumental shift, since for almost 250 years, the persecution of Christians was the norm for Roman emperors. All that changed by Constantine issuing an order that not only should the Christian Church be tolerated just as other religions are, but he went so far as to build places of worship for Christians and be baptized himself. Around the same time of Constantine’s conversion, his mother Helena also became a Christian, and she traveled to Palestine in the year 324 to search for sacred sites and relics to be reverenced. Details regarding the discovery the True Cross are lacking and often contradictory among many ancient writers, but the basis of the story is generally accepted as this: Around 326, Helena was traveling the area when an aged Jewish man who had inherited traditional knowledge of the location of the True Cross heard of Helena’s searching. He guided her to a cistern that the Cross had purportedly been thrown into. But oddly enough, after a brief excavation, laying before Helena were three crosses. But which one had held Christ? Theodoret, a biblical commentator and Christian Bishop of Cyrrhus in the 400’s, wrote a detailed account of how it was determined which was the True Cross: A woman who was either close to death or who had long been suffering an affliction of sorts was brought from the city. She touched each cross in earnest prayer, attempting to “discern the virtue residing in that of the Savior.” Nothing happened upon touching the first and second cross, but as she touched the third and final cross, she was immediately healed. It was determined that this was the True Cross of Jesus Christ, upon which His precious Blood had spilled. According to tradition, this discovery took place on May 3, 326 A.D. The Wood of the True Cross would change hands multiple times over the centuries, with the last officially recorded mention of its location in 1219, when the True Cross was offered to the Knights Templar by the Sultan of Egypt, in exchange for a siege on the city of Damietta being lifted. However, the True Cross was never delivered; the Sultan did not actually have it. Last seen in the city of Damascus, the wood upon which Jesus had hung disappeared from historical records. Luckily, many relics of the True Cross remain in the world today. In those early years following the discovery of the True Cross, fragments had been divided and distributed widely among churches. “The whole earth is full of the relics of the Cross of Christ,” wrote Cyril of Jerusalem. By the Middle Ages, there were so many churches that claimed to possess a piece of the True Cross, that John Calvin famously quipped “if all the pieces that could be found were collected together, they would make a big ship-load.” While indeed forged relics were a common occurrence around the 11th century, a study conducted by Charles Rohault de Fleury, a French architect, compared the supposed weight of the cross carried by Jesus compared to the combined volume of all known relics. He concluded that the remaining fragments together again wouldn’t reach even one-third of the size of the original Cross. His calculations placed the original volume of the True Cross at 178 million cubic millimeters. However, the combined volume of all known relics of the True Cross amount to just about 4 million cubic millimeters, meaning that almost 98% of the True Cross is lost, destroyed, or otherwise unaccounted for. Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14, the anniversary of when the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was dedicated by Constantine. On Good Friday, Catholics around the world venerate the cross, the symbol of their salvation. Next Item Previous Item

St. Catherine was born in 1413 in Bologna, Italy, and was trained at the court of Margaret d’Este before joining the Poor Clares after her father’s death. Known for her visions of the Virgin Mary and Christ, she became famous for her holiness and spiritual insight. A gifted writer, her best-known work is "Seven Spiritual Weapons Necessary for Spiritual Warfare". Other writings and mystical texts were rediscovered in 2000, highlighting her deep theological thought. Catherine was also an accomplished artist, illustrating her breviary and painting religious subjects. She is honored as the patron saint of artists. St. Catherine of Bologna Time Period: 1413-1463 Feast Day: March 9 Title/Attributes: Virgin, Franciscan Location of Relic: Back Right Reliquary - Left Section Type of Relic: Clothing St. Catherine of Bologna was born in Bologna, Italy in 1413. She was trained as a lady-in-waiting to Margaret d’Este. Her father, of the de’Vigri family, was a lawyer and diplomat for the d’Este family of Ferrara. When her father died around 1424, Catherine left the court and joined the Poor Clare’s, which is a Franciscan Order. Catherine experienced visions, one of which included the Blessed Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. After visiting the Poor Clare’s established in Ferrara, Catherine went to the order’s convent in Bologna. There her supernatural gifts and sanctity brought considerable fame. Catherine was a writer and mystic. Her best-known work is “Seven Spiritual Weapons Necessary for Spiritual Warfare”. She also wrote lauds, short religious treatises, letters, and poems. Many of her writings were kept private within her Religious Order and were discovered in 2000 and described by Cardinal Giacomo Biffi as “"now revealed in their surprising beauty. We can ascertain that she was not undeserving of her renown as a highly cultivated person. We are now in a position to meditate on a veritable monument of theology which, after the Treatise on the Seven Spiritual Weapons, is made up of distinct and autonomous parts: The Twelve Gardens, a mystical work of her youth, Rosarium, a Latin poem on the life of Jesus, and The Sermons, copies of Catherine's words to her religious sisters." Catherine was also an artist and many of her works of art are preserved in her personal breviary. While she meditated and prayed through the scriptures she sketched images of Christ, Mother Mary, and many other saints. She completed many other paintings and works of art outside of her breviary. She is the patron saint of artists. Next Item Previous Item

Giuseppe (Joseph) Maria Desa, born in 1603 in Cupertino, grew up in poverty and faced many challenges, including illness and lack of formal education. Despite these difficulties, he pursued his calling to become a Franciscan priest. Through perseverance and miraculous events, he was ordained in 1628. Known for his humility and devotion, he experienced frequent ecstasies and levitations that sent him flying through the air, attracting attention from both admirers and the Inquisition. After a life of service and mystical experiences, he passed away in 1663. He was beatified in 1753 and canonized in 1767. His remains rest in Osimo, where he spent his final years. St. Joseph of Cupertino Time Period: 1603-1663 Feast Day: September 18 Title/Attributes: Confessor, Franciscan Location of Relic: Back Right Reliquary - Left Section Type of Relic: Bones Giuseppe Maria Desa was born on June 17, 1603 in the small town of Copertino, in the province of Lecce. His family was not going through an easy time: his father, Felice, was involved in the financial failure of an acquaintance to whom he had lent money, and ended up in poverty. So Giuseppe was born in a stable like Jesus and from a young age he had to roll up his sleeves to contribute to the household economy, working as a shop boy. Giuseppe also tries to attend school, but is struck by a gangrenous ulcer that keeps him away from his studies for five years. His mother, Franceschina Panaca, a strong and vigorous woman, tries to give him a basic education through the narration of the lives of the Saints such as Saint Francis. In Giuseppe, the desire to walk in the footsteps of the "Poverello of Assisi" matures, so much so that, at the age of 16, he asks to enter the order of the Conventual Franciscan Friars, at the convent of "Grottella". But his poor education does not help him and he is forced to retrace his steps. He then turns to the Reformed Franciscans and then to the Capuchins of Martina Franca, but the response is the same: his poor education, accompanied by the first manifestations of ecstasy during which he lets everything fall from his hands, make him unfit for community life. In the meantime, the Supreme Court of Naples establishes that, upon reaching the age of majority, Giuseppe is forced to work without pay, until he pays off his father's debt, now deceased. Faced with such a sentence - in fact, a real slavery - the young man returns to ask for admission to the Convent of the "Grottella". The Friars take his situation to heart and help him to undertake a real course of studies. Despite a thousand difficulties, but thanks to great willpower, the young man reaches the examination for the diaconate. Here a miracle occurs: Joseph knows in depth only one passage of the Gospel and it is precisely that which, by chance, the examining bishop asks him to comment on. A similar extraordinary event is repeated three years later, during the examination to become a priest: the bishop questions some examinees and, finding them particularly prepared, extends admission to the priesthood to all the other candidates. Finally, in 1628, Joseph is ordained a priest. Giuseppe's humility, however, will remain proverbial: aware of his own cultural limitations, he does not disdain the simplest manual labor, he dedicates himself to the service of the poorest. He even nicknames himself "Brother Donkey". Joseph lives his love for the Church in an unconditional way, placing Christ at the centre of his existence and experiencing a profound devotion for Mary, Mother of God. However, those who hear him speak recognise in him the light of a mature theology, which he discusses in depth: it is the gift of infused knowledge that makes him so wise. Meanwhile, the phenomena of ecstasy and levitation become more pronounced in Joseph, especially when he pronounces the names of Jesus and Mary. “When the gunpowder ignites in the gun and sends out that roar and crash,” he explains to a brother, “so the ecstatic heart is inflamed with the love of God.” Such episodes do not escape the attention of the Inquisition of Naples, which summons him to try to understand whether the young man from Copertino is abusing popular credulity or not. Right in front of the judges lined up in the Monastery of San Gregorio Armeno, Giuseppe has a levitation. He is then acquitted of all charges, but the Holy Office confines him in isolation, away from the crowds. The future Saint then passes from one convent to another – Rome, Assisi, Pietrarubbia, Fossombrone – until he arrives in Osimo, near Ancona. Here, finally, he arrives in 1656, at the behest of Pope Alexander VII, and here he finds peace. In fact, he remains there uninterruptedly until his death, always leading a humble life in the service of others, and in conversation with God at the height of the Eucharistic celebration: “This is what we must do – he explains to a brother – leave the world, continue prayer and settle the 'little cave' of our heart to offer Jesus Christ our intellect, memory and will”. Death took him on September 18, 1663, at the age of 60. Benedict XIV beatified him in 1753, while Clement XIII proclaimed him a Saint on July 16, 1767. Today, his sacred remains rest inside a gilded bronze urn, in the crypt of the Church of Osimo, dedicated to him. A sanctuary was also erected in his honor in Copertino, above the stable where he was born. https://www.causesanti.va/it/santi-e-beati/giuseppe-da-copertino.html Next Item Previous Item

Jean-François Régis was born in Font-Couverte, France, on 31 January 1597. While still a boy he immediately showed great love for study and religion, so he was introduced to the Jesuit college of Bezieres. After a short period he went to Toulouse to begin his novitiate. From there he was sent to Cahors, where he took his first vows and then to Dillon. After three years he went to Tournon to study philosophy and again to Toulouse for theology. After receiving holy orders, he devoted himself to caring for plague victims. Once the contagion had ceased, Francis began his missions among the poor in the countryside, which later became his specific apostolate. He thus traveled, preaching, almost half of France. Ever more ill, one day he still wanted to go on a mission; struck by fever, he dragged himself to his destination: it was December 24. He died on December 31, 1640. He was canonized by Clement XII on April 5, 1737. St. John Francis Regis Time Period: 1597-1640 Feast Day: June 16 Title/Attributes: Confessor, Jesuit Location of Relic: Back Right Reliquary - Left Section Type of Relic: Wood from the coffin Jean-François Régis was born in Font-Couverte, France, on 31 January 1597. While still a boy he immediately showed great love for study and religion, so he was introduced to the Jesuit college of Bezieres. After a short period he went to Toulouse to begin his novitiate. From there he was sent to Cahors, where he took his first vows and then to Dillon. After three years he went to Tournon to study philosophy and again to Toulouse for theology. After receiving holy orders, he devoted himself to caring for plague victims. Once the contagion had ceased, Francis began his missions among the poor in the countryside, which later became his specific apostolate. He thus traveled, preaching, almost half of France. Ever more ill, one day he still wanted to go on a mission; struck by fever, he dragged himself to his destination: it was December 24. He died on December 31, 1640. He was canonized by Clement XII on April 5, 1737. Next Item Previous Item

St. John Bosco, also called Don Bosco, was a tireless priest and founder of the Salesians, devoted to the care and education of poor and neglected youth. Born in Becchi, Italy, in 1815, he was ordained in 1841 and began his ministry in Turin. There, he gathered young people for prayer, classes, and vocational training, and later opened a boarding house and workshops. He was also the mentor of St. Dominic Savio. Under the patronage of Our Lady Help of Christians and St. Francis de Sales, he founded the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. St. John Bosco Time Period: 1815-1888 Feast Day: January 31 Title/Attributes: Confessor, Founder Location of Relic: Back Left Reliquary - Right Section Type of Relic: Bones St. John Bosco, also known as Don Bosco, was a great priest and founder of the Salesians. He was the mentor of St. Dominic Savio. John Bosco was born in Becchi, Piedmont, Italy, and he began his studies for the priesthood at the age of sixteen. He was then ordained in 1841 at the age of twenty-six. John Bosco was sent to the Valdocco suburb of Turin, where he attracted hundreds of young people to his chapel services and evening classes. He also reopened a boarding house for apprentices, and workshops for to teach useful trades. In order to further the work that he had placed under the patronage of Our Lady Help of Christians and St. Francis de Sales, he laid the foundation for the Society of St. Francis de Sales, the Salesians. This was followed by a similar congregation for women, the Daughters of Our Lady Help of Christians (the Daughters of Mary Auxiliatrix). By the time of his death, the congregation had nearly a thousand priests and nine hundred sisters. His long labors were characterized by boundless patience and in the face of bitter opposition from the local Church and government officials. Pope Pius XI declared: “In his life the supernatural almost became natural and the extraordinary, ordinary.” Pius XI canonized him in 1934. Next Item Previous Item

St. Bernadette Soubirous, born in Lourdes, France, in 1844, was a poor, asthmatic girl who experienced visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858. Despite pressure from authorities, she remained steadfast. A spring emerged at the site, believed to have healing properties. On March 25, she declared Mary’s words: “I am the Immaculate Conception,” astonishing many, as this doctrine had been formally defined only in 1854. Bernadette later joined a convent in Nevers, where she endured illness until her death in 1879. Lourdes became a major pilgrimage site, drawing millions seeking spiritual and physical healing from its miraculous waters. St. Bernadette Soubirous Time Period: 1844-1879 Feast Day: April 16 Title/Attributes: Virgin, Marian Saint Location of Relic: Back Left Reliquary - Right Section Type of Relic: Hair St. Bernadette Soubirous is the famed visionary of Lourdes. She was born in Lourdes, France, on January 7, 1844, the daughter of Francis and Louise Soubirous. Bernadette, a severe asthma sufferer, lived in abject poverty. On February 11, 1858, she was granted a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a cave on the banks of the Gave River near Lourdes. She was placed in considerable jeopardy when she reported the vision, and crowds gathered when she had further visits from the Virgin Mary, from February 18 of that year through March 4. The civil authorities tried to frighten Bernadette into recanting her accounts, but she remained faithful to the vision. On February 25, a spring emerged from the cave, and the waters were discovered to be of miraculous nature, capable of healing the sick and lame. On March 25, Bernadette announced that the vision of Mary stated, "I am the Immaculate Conception." This declaration was astonishing because the dogma of the Immaculate Conception had only recently been formally defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Bernadette, an uneducated peasant girl with no theological training, could not have known about this doctrine on her own. When she relayed this message to her parish priest and later to the bishop, it caused a sensation. The Church took this as a powerful confirmation of the Marian dogma, lending credibility to Bernadette’s visions. Her words deeply impacted Church authorities, further solidifying the belief that the visions were of divine origin. Many authorities tried to shut down the spring and delay the construction of the chapel, but the influence and fame of the visions reached Empress Eugenie of France, wife of Napoleon III, and construction went forward. Crowds gathered, free of harassment from the anticlerical and antireligious officials. In 1866, Bernadette was sent to the Sisters of Notre Dame in Nevers. There, she became a member of the community and faced some rather harsh treatment from the mistress of novices. This oppression ended when it was discovered that she suffered from a painful, incurable illness. She died in Nevers on April 16, 1879, still giving the same account of her visions. Lourdes became one of the major pilgrimage destinations in the world, and the spring has produced twenty-seven thousand gallons of water each week since emerging during Bernadette’s visions. She was not involved in the building of the shrine, as she remained hidden at Nevers. However, her unwavering faith and the miraculous events at Lourdes continue to inspire millions worldwide. There are about five million pilgrims who visit Lourdes every year. Next Item Previous Item