Saint Thérèse of Lisieux was born on the 2nd of January 1873 and died in 1897, she is also referred to as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. Therese was a French Carmelite nun and she is also referred to as the “The Little Flower of Jesus”.

As a young girl she felt an early call to religious life and overcoming various obstacles, at the early age of 15 she became a nun and joined two of her elder sisters in the cloistered Carmelite community of Lisieux, Normandy. After nine years as a Carmelite religious she died of tuberculosis at the age of 24. She is famous for her autobiographical manuscripts titled “The Story of a Soul”, which were received extremely well and she rapidly became one of the most popular saints of the twentieth century.

She was beatified in 1923, and canonized in 1925. Thérèse was declared co-patron of the missions 1927, and named co-patron of France with Joan of Arc in 1944.

She was also named a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul ll, and is the youngest person to be declared a Doctor of the Church which is a special title which is given to individuals for their contribution to theology of doctrine.

At fourteen Thérèse had understood her vocation to pray for priests, to be "an apostle to apostles." In September 1890, at her canonical examination before she professed her religious vows, she was asked why she had come to Carmel. She answered "I came to save souls, and especially to pray for priests."

Thérèse lived a hidden life and "wanted to be unknown," The depth of her spirituality, has inspired many believers. In the face of her littleness and nothingness, she trusted in God to be her sanctity. She wanted to go to heaven by an entirely new little way. Saint Therese wrote "I wanted to find an elevator that would raise me to Jesus." The elevator, she wrote, would be the arms of Jesus lifting her in all her littleness.

Prayer

Grant me your missionary spirit to bring Jesus to all the villages! Amen

Blessed Isidore Bakanja was born in 1887 in Belgian Congo in Africa, which is now called Democratic Republic of Congo. He was baptized on 6th May 1906 at age 18 after receiving instruction from Trappists missionaries. Isidore worked on a Belgian rubber plantation, but was subjected to brutal treatment from his supervisors, many of whom were very anti-Catholic.

Isidore had a great love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. Much to their surprise, his fellow workers would see him constantly with rosary beads in his hands, and the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel around his neck – I guess these symbols of his faith gave him the strength to endure the harsh treatment on the plantation. Even though he had no formal education, Isidore spent hours teaching his fellow workers about the Catholic faith, and he became known by all as ‘the catechist’.

During one confrontation with a supervisor on the plantation, Isidore was told that he had to stop teaching the workers how to pray, and was ordered to remove his scapular. When he refused, he was beaten over 100 times with a whip of elephant hide with nails on the end. He was then chained to a single spot for 24 hours a day. Isidore was eventually discovered by an inspector visiting the site, who, as you can imagine, was horrified by his injuries. The inspector took Isidore into his home to heal, but Isidore knew his time had come, and he asked the inspector to pass on this message: "If you see my mother, or if you go to the judge, or if you meet a priest, tell them that I am dying because I am a Christian."

Before he died, Isidore forgave the man who killed him, saying, “When I am in heaven, I shall pray for him very much." He died in 1909 at the age of 21, with his rosary beads in his hands and the scapular around his neck.

Prayer

That with the example of your faith we will be strengthened against the adversities of life and be protected by Mary, our Mother. Amen

Saint Sebastian died in the year 288. He was a Christian saint and martyr, who is said to have been killed during the Roman emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians. He is commonly depicted in art and literature as tied to a tree and shot with arrows. This is the most common artistic depiction of Sebastian; however, he did not die from this event he lived to tell the tale and was nursed back to health by Irene of Rome, when he was back to full health he was clubbed to death sometime later for criticising the emperor. Saint Sebastian is venerated in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Saint Sebastian was known for having encouraged the faith of two Christian prisoners due for martyrdom, Mark and Marcellian, who were being persuaded by their family to forswear Christ and offer token sacrifice to the Roman gods.

According to tradition, Mark and Marcellian were twin brothers and were deacons. They were from a distinguished family and were both married, living in Rome with their wives and children. The brothers refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods and were arrested. They were visited by their father and mother, who attempted to persuade them to renounce Christianity.

Sebastian ended up converting both the mother and father, as well as Saint Tiburtius, the son of Chromatius, the local prefect. Nicostratus, another official, and his wife Zoe were also converted. It has been said that Zoe had been a mute for 6 years. However, she made known to Sebastian her desire to be converted to Christianity. As soon as she had, her speech returned to her. Nicostratus then brought the rest of the prisoners; these 16 persons were also converted by Sebastian.

Prayer:

May your intercession me the grace to obey God more than man and to be a soldier of Christ. Amen.

Our Lady of Aparcedia has a great story! The official account of the apparition took place in October 1717, when the Governor São Paulo was passing through a small city in the Paraiba river valley.

The people of the area decided to hold a feast in his honour, and three fishermen went down to the Paraíba waters to fish for the feast. They prayed to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, and asked for God's help because it wasn’t the best season for fishing.

After several hours they had not caught any fish, and they were ready to give up when Joao cast his net once more. This time Instead of fish, he hauled in the body of a statue with a missing head. The fishermen cast their net out again, and brought up the statue's head. After cleaning the statue, they found that it was a black version of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Legend has it that when the fishermen recovered the body, then the head, the slender figure of the Aparecida Virgin became so heavy that they couldn't budge it.

The fishermen named the statue Our Lady of the Appeared Conception, wrapped it in cloth and continued to fish; now their catch was so great that they returned to port because the weight of the fish threatened to sink their craft.

The statue is widely venerated by Brazilian Roman Catholics, who consider her as the principal patroness of Brazil. The dark statue is currently housed in the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparcedia, Sao Paulo. The Catholic Church in Brazil celebrates her feast day every October 12.

Since the basilica's consecration in 1980 by Pope John Paul II, her feast day has become a public holiday in Brazil. The Basilica is the fourth most popular Marian shrine in the world, being able to hold up to 45,000 worshippers.

Prayer:

Mother of God and my Lady, don't cease in praying for my family. Today, I dedicate to you! Amen.

Saint Andrew Kim was the first native Korean priest. His parents were Korean converts... in fact his father, Ignatius Kim, was martyred for his faith in 1839 and was beatified in 1925. What a family!

Andrew was baptised at the age of 15, and wanted to become a Priest as soon as possible. So he traveled 1,300 miles to the nearest seminary in Macao, China. After six years he managed to return to his country through Manchuria, as a Priest. While he was working in the underground Church in Korea, serving the Korean converts and helping missionaries enter the country; St. Andrew Kim was arrested, tortured and finally beheaded at the Han River near Seoul, the capital of Korea.

When Pope John Paul II visited Korea in 1984, he canonized Andrew Kim, as well as man named Paul Chong Hasang (a lay apostle and married man), 98 other Koreans, and three French missionaries, who had been martyred between 1839 and 1867 in Korea. Because of their example and courage there are almost 5 million Catholics in Korea today. This story really shows us that a martyr is not a wasted life. Even though their lives were cut short, they changed Korea... they changed the world!

Prayer:

Please pray tirelessly for me, that I am always linked Christ and persevere in my faith, so that I may bring your truth to those who trust in me. Amen.

We have all seen the image – St. George, dressed in English armour, riding a white horse, and of course slaying a dragon. What is funny about this image is that St. George was not English at all – his father was a Roman army official, and his mother was born in Palestine... and somehow I doubt that he actually slayed a dragon! So what is the real story behind St. George? Is it just a myth?

The fact is, St. George was not only a very real person, but he is also an incredible example for all Christians. George was a successful soldier in the Roman army, and had a bright career ahead of him.

However in the year 302, Emperor Diocletian issued an edict demanding that every Christian soldier in the Roman army be ordered to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods, or be imprisoned and put to death.

Proud of his faith and showing great courage, St. George approached the Emperor and denounced the edict in front of his fellow soldiers. He then proudly proclaimed himself to be a Christian.

Emperor Diocletian desperately attempted to convert George, who was an exceptional soldier, and a favourite of the emperor’s – and George was promised land, money and slaves if he would give up Christianity. But the 28 year old George refused, and left with no alternative, Diocletian was forced to put his former favourite soldier, to death.

As a soldier and martyr of the Church, the story of George spread through Europe, Churches were built in his honour, and he became the Patron Saint of England and of Soldiers. Artists depicted George as a knight killing a dragon, which symbolized the way he defended the Church against evil and injustice. So although the story of St. George might be filled mythology – the message is clear, if a 28 year old guy can hold fast to his principles in an era when the world was against Christianity, we can too!

Prayer:

With your example, may we be strengthened in faith and strengthened before the onslaught of evil, awaiting the coming of Christ. Amen

Chiara “Luce” Badano was a teenage Italian member of the Focolare Movement – you may have heard of them as they always send a group to World Youth Day! They are a very active international movement, with a mission to work towards Christian unity.

Chiara was born in 1971 in Italy, the only child of a truck driver and his wife, who originally thought they could not have any children. Chiara lived a simple life in a village in Italy. She did not witness any miracles during her lifetime, she did not change the world in a physical sense, she did not become famous while she was alive... but she did live a life of total devotion to God. Those who knew her said that she transmitted happiness wherever she went, even though she was constantly in pain as she suffered from bone cancer.

In 1991 Chiara died in at the age of 19. During her beatification ceremony in September 2010, Archbishop Angelo Amato said that Chiara is an example for all young people, showing us that “the brief season of youth can be lived in holiness”.

Are you happy, even when things are tough? Can you go against the grain and be Holy, despite obstacles? If Chiara can do it, so can we!

Prayer:

Help me overcome the challenges faced by youth today so that my life will be given over to Jesus Christ without reservation. Amen.

Albertina - what an amazing girl! She was born in São Luís, Brazil on the 11th of April 1919. From a young age she had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and also to St. Aloysius Gonzaga, who is known as a model of purity and is the patron saint of her home town.

Sadly, on June 15, 1931 one of Albertina’s father's employees, tried to rape her. She fought back, and when the attacker realized he would fail and she would identify him, he killed her. This is such a cruel story – she was only 12 years old. Albertina is a martyr and a Saint, who defended her purity, even though it meant death. She was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on October 20, 2007.

It is important to remember that Blessed Albertina is not considered a Saint solely because she fought back against an assault. Yes she is a martyr, but she was also beatified because during her short life, she developed a great sensitivity in her relationship with God and with the others. There are many holy people who have experience abuse, and could not fight back. This does not mean that they are less holy, or that God loves them less, rather it means they are called to be witnesses of Christ’s suffering in a different way to Blessed Albertina. They are called to be Saints by their heroic example – and they really are incredible examples of how to be strong in what can be an unjust world.

Blessed Albertina is not only a great patron of purity – but she is also a patron for mercy and justice. We celebrate her feast day on the 15th of June.

Prayer:

Through your intercession may I find the happiness that come from persevering on the way of living the values of the Gospel. Amen