St. Patrick
Feastday: March 17
Patron: of Ireland, Engineers
Birth: 387
Death: 461
Patrick may have been born in Dunbarton, Scotland, Cumberland, England, or in northern Wales. He called himself both a Roman and a Briton. At 16, he and a large number of his father’s slaves and vassals were captured by Irish raiders and sold as slaves in Ireland. Forced to work as a shepherd, he suffered greatly from hunger and cold.
After six years Patrick escaped, probably to France, and later returned to Britain at the age of 22. His captivity had meant spiritual conversion. He may have studied at Lerins, off the French coast; he spent years at Auxerre, France, and was consecrated bishop at the age of 43. His great desire was to proclaim the good news to the Irish.
Because of the island’s pagan background, Patrick was emphatic in encouraging widows to remain chaste and young women to consecrate their virginity to Christ. He ordained many priests, divided the country into dioceses, held Church councils, founded several monasteries and continually urged his people to greater holiness in Christ.
He suffered much opposition from pagan druids and was criticized in both England and Ireland for the way he conducted his mission. In a relatively short time, the island had experienced deeply the Christian spirit, and was prepared to send out missionaries whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe.
St. Patrick’s Breastplate:
Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
St. Anthony
Feastday: June 13
Patron: of Lost Things, of the poor, of sailors and fishermen, of priests and travelers, a protector and guardian of the mails
Birth: 1195
Death: 1231
Canonized: Pope Gregory IX in 1232
St. Anthony was born in 1195 (13 years after St. Francis of Assisi) in Lisbon, which is now known as Portugal. Given the baptismal name of Fernando, his parents, Martin and Mary Bulhom, belonged to one of the most prominent families of the city.
Prayer for Lost Things:
“Dear St. Anthony, please come around: something is lost, and it cannot be found.”
Novena to St. Anthony:
O holy St. Anthony, you are known for the power and abundance of your miracles. Jesus came into your arms as a humble little child. Pray for me to the Child Jesus for my needs and desires…
(Mention your intentions)
In imitation of our Lord, you have great mercy and compassion for sinners. Pay no attention to my unworthiness, but instead ask God to show His glory through the answer of my requests. St. Anthony, you cooperated with the grace of God in a radical way with your life. You gave everything to Christ and to your neighbor. Your life glorified God!
You are an example of holiness that I will try to follow.
You are in heaven praising God with a particular closeness to the King of Kings.
With your seat of honor, please beg God to both answer my request and bring me to eternal rest with you.
Our Father, who art in Heaven…
Hail Mary full of grace…
Glory Be to the Father…
Saint Anthony, pray for us! Amen.
