Catholic Saints & Feasts of the Liturgical Year

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May 25: Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, Virgin—Optional Memorial

1566–1607
Patron Saint of the sick
Canonized by Pope Clement IX on April 28, 1669
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Self-love is like the worm that gnaws at the root and destroys not only the fruit, but even the very life of the plant. The traitor that we have to fear most is self-love, for self-love betrays us as Judas betrayed our Lord with a kiss. He who conquers self-love conquers all. ~Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

Prayer:
Saint Mary Magdalene de Pizza, you were wise beyond what any book could teach. You came to know the deepest truths of God and life through your free embrace of every suffering for the love of God. Please pray for me, that I may love God as you loved Him, and be devoted to Him as you were devoted. May my life become a living sacrifice of love, poured out for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Saint Mary Magdalene de Pizza, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Image: Pedro de Moya, via Wikimedia Commons

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May 25: Saint Gregory VII, Pope, Religious—Optional Memorial

c. 1020–1085
Invoked against corruption within the Church
Canonized by Pope Benedict XIII on May 24, 1728
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
In the name of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I withdraw, through Thy power and authority, from Henry the king, son of Henry the emperor, who has risen against Thy Church with unheard of insolence, the rule over the whole kingdom of the Germans and over Italy. And I absolve all Christians from the bonds of the oath which they have made or shall make to him; and I forbid anyone to serve him as king. For it is fitting that he who strives to lessen the honor of Thy Church should himself lose the honor which belongs to him. And since he has scorned to obey as a Christian, and has not returned to God Whom he had deserted…I bind him in thy stead with the chain of the anathema. And, leaning on Thee, I so bind him that the people may know and have proof that thou art Peter, and above thy rock the Son of the living God hath built His church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. ~Pope Gregory VII

Prayer:
Pope Saint Gregory, you were a valiant defender of the God-given authority bestowed upon the Church, especially upon the papacy. You sought to reform the Church and free it from the corruption that was tearing it apart. Pray for me, that I will always be open to the reform of my own soul and will respond to God’s will to help the Church in her continuous need for purification. Pope Saint Gregory VII, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Images from Picryl 

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May 25: Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor—Optional Memorial

c. 673–735
Patron Saint of lectors, scholars, English writers, and historians
Pre-Congregation canonization
Canonization confirmed and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1899
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
To the most glorious King Ceolwulf. Bede, the servant of Christ and Priest. I formerly, at your request, most readily sent to you the Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation, which I had lately published, for you to read and judge; and I now send it again to be transcribed, and more fully studied at your leisure. And I rejoice greatly at the sincerity and zeal, with which you not only diligently give ear to hear the words of Holy Scripture, but also industriously take care to become acquainted with the actions and sayings of former men of renown, especially of our own nation… ~Preface of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of England

Prayer:
Saint Bede the Venerable, you were a holy monk who embraced his vocation with zeal and devotion. You prayed, studied, and wrote in accord with God’s holy will. By your hidden service to the Church, God influenced popes, saints, monks, and countless others in ways that we will only understand in Heaven. Please pray for me, that I will embrace my vocation with all my heart, so as to live my mission and discover my own path to holiness. Saint Bede the Venerable, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Image Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church—Memorial
Celebrated the Monday after Pentecost

Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Indeed, the Mother standing beneath the cross (cf. Jn 19:25), accepted her Son’s testament of love and welcomed all people in the person of the beloved disciple as sons and daughters to be reborn unto life eternal. She thus became the tender Mother of the Church which Christ begot on the cross handing on the Spirit. Christ, in turn, in the beloved disciple, chose all disciples as ministers of his love towards his Mother, entrusting her to them so that they might welcome her with filial affection. ~From the Decree of the Congregation of Divine Worship adding the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church to the General Roman Calendar

Prayer:
Most glorious Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to you I entrust myself just as Jesus entrusted John to your care. Receive me as your spiritual child, and nurture me with your Son’s divine grace. Thank you for your “Yes” to the Father’s plan, for your life, and for your continuous “Yes” through time and eternity. May my “Yes” echo yours as I surrender fully to God’s plan. Mother Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Image: Madonna del Popolo (Barocci) from Wikipedia

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Pentecost Sunday—Solemnity

Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. ~Acts 2:1–4

Prayer:
Holy Spirit, come to me and bestow upon me Your seven-fold gifts, so that I can grow closer to Christ Jesus and act more faithfully as a member of His Body. Bear good fruit in my life, and in the lives of others, so that the saving message of the Gospel will reach far and wide, drawing all people to Yourself for Your eternal praise and glory. Most Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit —I love You, believe in You, and trust in You.

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May 22: Saint Rita of Cascia—Optional Memorial

1386–1457
Patron Saint of abuse victims, impossible causes, sickness, wounds, parenthood, and widows
Invoked against marital problems, fighting and discord, and infertility
Canonized by Pope Leo XIII on May 24, 1900
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
Dear brothers and sisters, the worldwide devotion to Saint Rita is symbolized by the rose. It is to be hoped that the life of everyone devoted to her will be like the rose picked in the garden of Roccaporena the winter before the saint’s death. That is, let it be a life sustained by passionate love for the Lord Jesus; a life capable of responding to suffering and to thorns with forgiveness and the total gift of self, in order to spread everywhere the good odor of Christ (cf. 2 Cor 2:15) through a consistently lived proclamation of the Gospel. ~Address of Saint John Paul II

Prayer:
Saint Rita, you endured much suffering throughout your life, but you embraced that suffering with love and united it to the sufferings of your Savior. Please pray for me, that I will be strengthened to imitate your profound love, will accept all sufferings with love, and seek to bring about peace in my heart and in the hearts of those around me. Saint Rita of Cascia, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Image: NN, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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May 21: Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Martyr and Companions, Martyrs—Optional Memorial

1869–1927
Venerated especially in Mexico
Invoked against government persecution
Canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 21, 2000
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
“The Church … had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it was multiplied” (Acts 9: 31). We can well apply this passage from the Acts of the Apostles to the situation which Cristóbal Magallanes and his 24 companion martyrs had to endure in the first 30 years of the 20th century. Most of them belonged to the secular clergy and three were laymen seriously committed to helping priests. They did not stop courageously exercising their ministry when religious persecution intensified in the beloved land of Mexico, unleashing hatred of the Catholic religion. They all freely and calmly accepted martyrdom as a witness to their faith, explicitly forgiving their persecutors. ~Homily of Saint John Paul II

Prayer:
Saint Christopher Magallanes and Companions, you chose to die rather than give in to atheistic and anti-Catholic oppression. You valued the Catholic faith over your own lives. Please pray for me, that I will have the courage you each had so that I can give witness to my love of God, even to the shedding of my blood. Saint Christopher Magallanes and Companions, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

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May 20: Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest—Optional Memorial

1380–1444
Patron Saint of public relations, public speaking, and advertisers
Invoked against gambling addictions and chest problems
Canonized by Pope Nicholas V on May 24, 1450
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
The name of Jesus is the splendor of preachers, because it causes His Word to be proclaimed and heard with glowing splendor. Whence, do you think, came the great, sudden, and shining light of faith that filled the world, if not from the preaching of Jesus? Was it not by the light and sweetness of this Name that God called us into His wonderful light? It is to us, on whom the light has shone and who in that light see light, that the apostle addresses these apt words: “Once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of the light.”…Hence this Name must be proclaimed so that it may shine; it must not be hidden. ~Sermon of Saint Bernardine

Prayer:
Saint Bernardine, your deepest desire was to love, praise, and adore God and to give Him the glory due His Name. Please pray for me, that I will always seek to glorify the Holy Name of Jesus in my life, and through me, that God will inspire many others to do the same. Saint Bernardine of Siena, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Image: Statens Museum for Kunst, via Wikimedia Commons

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May 18: Saint John I, Pope and Martyr—Optional Memorial

c. Late Fifth Century–526
Invoked against temptations toward false unity and acceptance of heresy
Pre-Congregation canonization
Liturgical Color: Red

Quote:
Who does not envy the happiness of a martyr in his dungeon, when he beholds the inward joy, peace, and sentiments of charity with which he closes his eyes to this world! And much more when he contemplates in spirit the glory with which the soul of the saint is conducted by angels, like Lazarus, to the abodes of immortal bliss! On the contrary, the wicked tyrant cannot think himself safe upon his throne… At best, his treacherous pleasures are a wretched exchange for the true joy and peace of virtue; nor can he fly from the torment of his own conscience, or the stench of his guilt. How dreadfully are his horrors increased upon the approach of death! And how will he to all eternity condemn his extravagant folly, unless by sincere repentance he shall have prevented everlasting woes! ~Butler’s Lives of the Saints

Prayer:
Pope Saint John, you chose to value the truth of the Catholic faith over your own life. You remained steadfast in the proclamation of the Gospel until the end. Please pray for me, that I will never waver in my faith, and will never give in to temptations to water down that faith. May I have the same courage that you had so that God will be able to use me to reach out to those who need to know His saving truths. Saint John I, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Images via Wikimedia Commons: Features 

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May 15: Saint Isidore—USA Optional Memorial

c. 1070–c. 1130
Patron Saint of Madrid, farms, farmers, bricklayers, and rural communities
Invoked against the death of a child
Canonized by Pope Gregory XV, March 12, 1622
Liturgical Color: White

Quote:
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. ~Matthew 6:33

Prayer:
Saint Isidore, you were born into poverty and worked by the sweat of your brow throughout your life. All that you did, you did to give God glory. Even small tasks were sanctified in your life. Please pray for me, that I will find dignity and holiness by doing the most mundane chores and labors of my life with love. May I always seek first God’s Kingdom, making His will the center of my life. Saint Isidore the Laborer, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Image: Joseph von Führich, via Wikimedia Commons