FEAST OF ST. JULIA OF CORSICA, MONDAY - MAY 23, 2022

 

Saint Julia ( sometimes "Julie")

of Corsica, Carthage or Nonza

Died about 439 AD

Patroness of Corsica, Livorno,

torture victims, and illnesses

of the hand and feet.

Out of the 18 saints whose feast day is today, only one is female, which is rather typical of nearly all the days in the Catholic calendar of saints' feast days. It is mostly men. Something tells me that men are not more holy than women by nature, so I find it irritating that there are so many more male saints. This is probably the main reason I concentrate on the female saints in my writings. Men are routinely given preferential treatment and I want to balance things out a bit more.

Carthage

Historians place her birth in Carthage, sometime in the rule of my 45th Great Grandfather, Gaiseric of the Vandals. He would have been in his early 30s, probably, when she was born. That's my guess, according to my estimated birth for him in my family tree. Christians were getting quite a lot of persecution during  his time.

Anyway, my 45th grandfather captured her and sold her as a slave to a Syrian merchant by the name of Eusebius. 

Gaiseric of the Vandals sacking a city

(my 45th great grandfather)

Predictably, she is a virgin in the story and is automatically given lots of credit for that, whereas men are never mentioned in relation to virginity - another aggravating fact about the Catholic saints. She was also stereotypically long-suffering in her habit of never complaining, even when life was really tough, which typically means that men are keeping you prisoner, torturing you or raping you and forcing you to render them service.

Of course, there is something to be said for putting up with the travails of life and just getting on with it. I myself have had an extremely difficult life and, until recently, was not in the habit of revealing it. But now, if telling my stories somehow helps other people, such as other sick and poor people (who are beloved by Christ) then my policy is to talk it up in the hope that I may make a dent in unjust habits of my culture. Otherwise, I do keep it to myself.

As a senior woman with a lot of experience "under my belt," I will also occasionally dispense helpful information, but I try very hard not to meddle where I am not wanted and especially not to give unsolicited advice unless I have been given the "go ahead" by the recipient and I have also taken the time to ask enough questions to get me up to speed on the situation so that my advice is informed. I recommend this method. 

It is irritating and tiring to be the recipient of unsolicited advice, especially since it is often couched in a way that gives the impression that the giver of advice thinks you are an idiot and could not possibly have thought of it yourself. They assume that you've done nothing to solve whatever situation exists in your world.

Lately, I have been asking for prayers for my next door neighbor who suffers from Parkinson's for the last 29 years and things are getting particularly bad for her. I am intimately familiar with the avenues of help that are available for the woman and have followed through with all of it. The only thing left is to ask for prayers - unless someone else wants to actually DO something for the poor woman. But no. that's not the way this goes. Without bothering to even find out what I have done, a certain percentage of  people can be relied upon to shove advice at me. It's a "thing."

Don't get me wrong. I DO take advice from informed sources. I have a close handful of friends, some very holy women, who are familiar with all my life circumstances and have taken the time to get to know me and my various endeavors. From them, I take advice because they know what they're talking about. They're here - "on the ground," so to speak.

But when I ask acquaintances for prayers, that predictable percentage of people give me unsolicited advice instead....advice that isn't worth the time it took to write it because I am already doing everything that can be humanly done and I have specifically asked for prayers. Why substitute worldly advice for an action in the Divine realm?

I wonder if these people actually believe in the holy ways of God?

I can feel when someone is praying for me, just as I can sense when someone means me well or ill. There is a flow in the universe. I am sure that many of you could say the same. No matter what religion you profess, I would be willing to bet that this is true for you, to a greater or lesser extent, depending on your sensitivity.

This is one of the reasons that I enjoy reading about saints such as Julia because she really believes. Despite being enslaved and treated terribly, having all her freedom ripped from her and forced to live a life of perpetual labor and service, she remained a pious woman of undaunted faith. It is reported that when she was not slaving away in service to her master, she was praying and reading devotional texts.

Despite her youth, she had a mature religion. She wasn't moaning and ranting about how God has "done her wrong" by allowing this to happen to her, or complaining about how God has allowed evil to exist in the world. She did not abandon her faith because life did not go her way. She did not believe in the "shopkeeping" religion where you pray to get what you want and if the big shopkeeper in the sky doesn't give it to you, you go elsewhere. She maintained her connection with The Lord throughout her troubles.

Predictably, this impressed Eusebius but enraged OTHER powerful people of the day, such as Felix of Corsica, who first tried to buy her from Eusebius but then just took her by artifice, getting Eusebius drunk and then taking Julia and torturing her when she refused to renounce Christ. He did terrible things to her and she is celebrated as "virgin and martyr."

Julia's body was taken to the Isle of Gorgon, but later removed to Brescia, in Lombardy.

I wonder if the people who give advice instead of prayers would keep the faith if put into a situation such as Julia's slavery and torture, as they do not appear to believe in prayer very much.

Speaking of prayer, here is a prayer referencing Julia:

Your lamb, Julia, O Jesus,

did cry unto You with a loud voice,

saying, My Bridegroom, I long for you,

and in struggles seek you.

I am crucified and buried

with You in my Baptism,

and for You I do suffer until

I reign with You.

I die for you that I may live in You.

Then as a sacrifice without

blemish receive her who

for Your sake was slain.

Through her intercessions, therefore,

since You are merciful,

save our souls and let the example

 of St. Julia be a motivation

for us to stay by You forever.

Amen.

I am talking to Julia today, while I move around the house and attend to my duties. Keeping my eye on her, I remain inspired! I hope you are likewise.

Please don't forget that my doctors have prescribed certain foods, supplements and vitamins for my various illnesses, and I have a current wish list on Amazon for this purpose. They have my address and mail to me directly. I do share with neighbors less fortunate than I, when the occasion presents itself.

If you can help a little bit, I will be most grateful. I would like to retain as much of my vision as possible and to live a few more years, by the grace of God and the generosity of my neighbors and friends.

Just click on THIS LINK

In the meantime, I ask for your prayers, for myself and for that next-door neighbor I have mentioned who is suffering from Parkinson's disease. In addition, let's all remember our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. I also pray for you.

May God bless us all.

Silver "Rose"

(c) Copyright 2022

Silver S. Parnell

All rights reserved.

FEAST OF SAINT RITA OF CASCIA, SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2022

 

SAINT RITA OF CASCIA

1381 - MAY 22, 1457

Patron of impossible causes,

abused wives, loneliness, the

sick, bodily illnesses, wounds,

and widows.

Saint Rita is one of those saints who had a remarkably difficult life, full of extreme circumstances. She wanted to be a nun from an early age but her parents forced her into an arranged marriage to an awful man when she was only age 12. She must have been very pretty or domestically talented because she had already been pursued hotly by at least one other man prior to her marriage.

Her husband was wealthy, which is probably why her parents forced him on her. He was also foul tempered, and immoral, cheating on her with various women and abusing her savagely.

She worked to convert him and made some progress with that. At the very least, she was able to raise their two sons in The Faith. She tried to convince him to put aside the vendetta and resentments he had against another family, with only partial success. Ultimately, he was murdered by one of that opposing family, even after his feelings of resentment had cooled.

After the death of her husband and then their sons (from dysentery), Saint Rita tried to enter the nearby Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene in Cascia, but they refused her because of the violence of her husband's death and the fact that she was not virgin.

So, at this point in the story, I have to bring up a pet peeve. Men are not required to be virgin before joining a monastery, and this obsession with the virginity of women is highly objectionable. It still exists in modern times, along with many other inconsistencies and prejudices. I have told the story several times about how that nun pulled me out of the RCIA class 30 years ago, when I first tried to convert, and refused to let me get BAPTIZED because I'd been married and divorced in a secular fashion. She told me that non-sacramental marriages must be annulled by the church before one could become baptized, which is ridiculous and untrue. But she seemed to enjoy kicking me out of the class. What an awful and unjust humiliation. I had to get baptized by the Episcopalians down the street. "Those Catholics," they would exclaim and then roll their eyes at my predicament.

Expecting non-Christians to behave like Christians and then punishing them for NOT doing so is one of those things that deter people from converting and which saddens those who have converted. It is almost as if some Catholics prefer to keep the faith small and elite - like an exclusive country club. Converts are very often NOT welcome if their lives prior to seeking membership in the faith do not look like the life circumstances of lifelong Christians.

These prejudices are common with human beings and they remain even after converting, in some circumstances. Variations of lifestyle, such as people who remain single, are not well received. If you don't bring money or children to the faith, and you are not able to offer your labor, you can count on being discounted. If you were divorced prior to becoming Catholic, you have no chance of joining a convent either, no matter the circumstances. I am sure there are a tiny number of people for whom this is not true, but over the decades, I have found it so. Catholicism is still obsessed with virginity and related topics.

In the end, Saint Rita was allowed to enter the convent in her late thirties. The legend says that she was transported by levitation into the garden of the Monastery at night, but her acceptance into the convent alone is miracle enough for me! 

Stories of Saint Rita's mystical life while in the convent are very engaging. It is wonderful what mystical experiences can be had when leading a contemplative life. When she was about sixty, she was meditating on an image of Christ crucified when a wound suddenly appeared on her forehead and it came to be considered a partial stigmata. Some of the paintings of her depict her with Christ's crown of thorns.

Saint Rita is one of "the incorruptibles," as her body shows no sign of deterioration. It is kept in a glass-enclosed case.

I doubt I'll be buried in a special glass case. I can't even get my parish to mail the weekly bulletin to me. (It is hard for me to read it online, and when I have a hard copy, I feel connected to my community.)  Anyway, they do it for a few weeks, then it stops and I have to call and remind them. Then they do it for a few weeks, and it stops again. And I call them again. Finally, after 4 or 5 go-arounds like this, I have given up.

There are quite a few things about Saint Rita's life that remind me of my own. That is one of the wonderful advantages of having saints to whom one can point one's gaze. She had a thing for roses, evidently, and I have several potted roses in the garden of my apartment. She was also bedridden during the last years of her life, and I am nearly there myself. Once, in January, she asked a visitor to bring her a rose and although it was winter and roses are not expected at that time, the visitor found one beautiful rose in the garden and brought it back to Rita. So she is often depicted with roses.

In the 20 years that I have lived as a hermit in the city, I spent the first ten years trying to get a return phone call from the Bishop's office with regard to becoming a Diocesan Hermit, which is in the gift of the Bishop's discretion. First one bishop and then his replacement, with the same result. No matter how many people I called, I received no response - only broken promises of help. 

The parishes have not been welcoming, with the exception of a handful of parishioners.  In the particular case of the Byzantine Catholic Church, whose liturgy I enjoy much more than the standard Roman Rite, I was actually harassed by the young Ukrainian priest who made loud and bawdy jokes about the size of my posterior, in the company of half a dozen and more parishioners, male and female, complete with pantomimes and rude words.  He laughed at me, as did the other parishioners (mostly the men) who stood around enjoying the protracted joke made at my expense. Joining the Catholic CHURCH has been a universally disappointing experience, with regard to the organization.

There is a part of me that feels embarrassed and humiliated by reporting this story.  This is likely a result of PTSD to which this experience added a level of shame. It makes no sense that I should feel embarrassed by the obnoxious behavior of that callow young priest, but psychology is complicated. I have wrestled with including the story in my writings, but grit my teeth and bear the ignominy. Why should I feel shame for the reprehensible behavior of someone else?

After the first ten years, I realized I would have to live the solitary contemplative life without any corporate support whatsoever.  I am completely on my own EXCEPT, that is, from The Lord and from his messengers, the holy women who assist me and give me great encouragement in The Faith, because while the institution has abandoned me, God sees this and won't allow me to remain unsupported.  He is there for me ALWAYS, and I sometimes wonder if He has graced me with special favor because I have been abandoned by the institution.

There is a wonderful quote in Hosea about the woman who has previously lived a very indulgent life:

"Therefor I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into

the desert and speak tenderly to her."

The Lord goes on to promise that He will return to her the vineyards of her youth, and her lands, and that she will sing as in the days of her youth. Further, He says:

"You will call me 'my husband'; you will no longer call

me 'my master.'"

In response to the world's abandonment of the solitary contemplative, The Lord brings her closer to Himself, in a more intimate encounter with Him.

I used to carry around these quotes on a small piece of paper in my wallet, until I memorized them and completely internalized them. They represent to me the beautiful advantages of solitary contemplative life.

Abandoned by the world and even by the hierarchy of The Church, The Lord rushes in to uplift the person in their solitary life that has been dedicated to God.

There is a similar idea reflected in Psalm 27:10, with regard to someone whose family has thrown them away:

"For my father and my mother have left me; but

the Lord hath taken me up."

This theme is repeated throughout the Bible and gives me tremendous encouragement, as do the stories of the lives of the saint who ALSO are very often abandoned by family, by society, by husbands, and by the institution and hierarchy of The Church. Alone and abandoned, He speaks to us in our heart and if we open our arms to Him He "takes us up" unto Himself and the Heavenly realms.

I clearly see this in the lives of the saints, such as Rita of Cascia, who wanted from a young age to join herself with The Lord and yet everyone tried to get in her way of it. (I also became interested in the Catholic Church when I was 11 and was corresponding with a convent of Carmelite nuns - much to the horror of my mother, who hated religion, and Catholicism in particular.)

Rita's parents, knowing her devotion to God and her desire to join the convent, married her off to a rich man instead, likely hoping to gain some financial advantage thereby. 

NOTHING went her way, yet she persisted in her love of God and her desire for union with Him. It did not matter if the entire world refused to support her in this, she maintained her devotion and lived with The Lord in an intimate state.

Stories like hers help me to hang on and persist in keeping company with The Lord, who is here with me every day, accompanying me in my trials. I am able to talk to Him and ask Him for help and He unfailingly gives me encouragement.

Consequently, I have given up all effort to gain spiritual assistance from the institution of The Church. There is no point. Instead, I rely upon a wealth of spiritual and religious texts and historical documents, as well as the large number of movies and documentaries that are available on the internet.

There are a few very special holy women who assist me with great love and generosity, and I look upon them as messengers of God. Some days, I feel I am in bliss. The problems of life continue and I lament the constant trials, but do not lose my faith. Even on the more rare occasions when it seems that all my life circumstances look like absolute Hell, my faith continues unabated and serene because I have the company of The Lord in it. Always in the background, he speaks to my heart.

It no longer matters if a callow young priest characterizes me in a comical, disrespectful fashion and thereafter lies about it to his adoring fans who provide cover for his behavior. It does not matter if people who promise to help me fail to do so. If telephone calls are not returned, if people gossip and spread untrue rumors, if I'm discounted and disparaged at every turn - none of it matters any more. Nowadays, I can not imagine anything better than my quiet solitary life with The Lord. He has taken me up.

Of course, the Catholic Church in New Mexico has much bigger fish to fry than my pathetic case.  My experiences are NOTHING compared to the abuse that children have suffered at the hands of pedophile priests. The New Mexico Catholic Church is currently paying out millions of dollars for its sins of covering up crimes and giving shelter and protection to criminal perverts. It is no wonder that I have been unable to get support for my contemplative spiritual life. I am careful to remind myself that this rejection does not elevate me or make me special. I am beside the point - an unnecessary and unimportant person, in the scheme of things. 

Unfortunately, there are many people who see the contradictions of the behaviors of some of the humans in our institutions and they abandon the faith because of it, thereby losing "the pearl of great price." They do not understand that the  faith is holy, whereas not all of the people responsible for the management of its dissemination are similarly holy. It makes me sad and I pray for them to see the difference and stay with The Faith.  Let us pray for all these lost souls. 

Saint Rita was well known for miraculous results to her intercessory prayers on behalf of others. She is particularly known for resolutions to "impossible causes," such as the cured blindness of a child while the saint was still alive.

She died of tuberculosis and immediately eleven miracles were attributed to her as the result of the prayers of the faithful who asked for her intercession.

One of the prayers to Saint Rita goes like this:

"O holy Patroness of those in need, St. Rita, whose pleadings before thy 

Divine Lord are almost irresistible, who for thy lavishness in granting 

favors hast been called the Advocate of the Hopeless and even of the 

Impossible; St. Rita, so humble, so pure, so mortified, so patient and 

of such compassionate love for thy Crucified Jesus that thou couldst 

obtain from Him whatsoever thou asketh, on account of which all 

confidently have recourse to thee expecting, if not always relief, at least 

comfort; be propitious to our petition, showing thy power with God on 

behalf of thy supplicant; be lavish to us, as thou hast been in so many 

wonderful cases, for the greater glory of God, for the spreading of thine 

own devotion, and for the consolation of those who trust in thee. We 

promise, if our petition is granted, to glorify thee by making known thy 

favor, to bless and sing thy praises forever. Relying then upon thy merits 

and power before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we pray thee grant that 

[mention your petition here.]  O pray for us, o holy St. Rita, that we may

be made worthy of the promises of Christ."

Also, I ask today for prayers for my neighbor who has Parkinson's for the last 29 years and is becoming seriously ill in her 69th year of life. I am doing what I can to make phone calls for some help to be given to her, but in the meantime, I appreciate very much the prayers of all of you.

God bless you, and have a wonderful week.

Silver "Rose"

CONTEMPLATING FATIMA

Today is one of my favorite celebrations of our Lady in the Catholic calendar, the Memorial of Our Lady of Fatima. It memorializes one of the few modern, "certifiable" and certainly the most documented series of miraculous occurrences confirmed with objective proofs.

We actually have photographs of "the Miracle of the Sun" which appeared in the skies of the country of Portugal. Thousands of people experienced this phenomenal event, which was reported upon in the newspapers of the day.

Thousands of people watch "The Miracle of the Sun"

near Fatima, Portugal

Today marks the first of a series of apparitions seen by three children who lived in the tiny neighborhood of Aljustrel, which was part of Fatima Township. The apparitions began on May 13, 1917 in a place called Cova da Iria, part of the land that belonged to the parents of Lucia dos Santos. Lucia, age 10, was playing with Francisco (9) and Jacinta Marto (7) when the children suddenly saw two flashes like lightning, the announcement that something cosmically important was about to happen.

Jacinta Marto, Francisco Marto, and Lucia dos Santos

Seers of the miracle of Our Lady of Fatima

During that first apparition, Our Lady floated above a giant Holm Oak tree (which still exists today) and spoke to the children, specifically Lucia, and explained that she was from Heaven and had come to ask the children to come back to that same spot on the thirteenth day of the month for six months, at the same hour.

She told them many things, including the disposition of the souls of loved ones and extracted a very special promise from the children, that they would "offer themselves to God to endure all the sufferings that He may be pleased to send them, as both an act of reparation for the sins with which He is offended and an act of supplication for the conversion of sinners." They were promised that they would have much to suffer, but that God, by his grace, would comfort them.

The Holm Oak

At such a young age, to agree to such a life of suffering, is really a remarkable thing, in my mind, and highlights the unique temperament of these children. God doesn't pick these people randomly, you see.

Now, I could stop this story right here, and we already have a substantial orientation for contemplation and meditation. First, we would circle our mind around the tableaux of the three children encountering the Blessed Mother unexpectedly in an out-of-the-way place; their breathless, rapt attention to her image and her words and requests; and the astonishing agreement to live a life of suffering in reparation of the sins of the world. Could we make such an agreement?

The three child seers, intent upon the image of

Our Lady

Imagine oneself as one of the children, gazing upon the image of Our Lady, and place Her in your heart, gazing upon her there. Focusing upon her image, sit with Her and wait for Her to speak to your heart. If distracting thoughts come, put them aside and return your attention to our beautiful Lady within yourself.

There is much more to this story, as I've mentioned, including "The Miracle of the Sun" witnessed by thousands, and you can read about all these in the internet articles and the books written about this remarkable series of events. In fact, I encourage you to do so, partly because the astounding appearances HAVE been verified by so many and we have newspaper pictures and accounts. Thus, we can absolutely rely upon the veracity of the story and can safely take guidance and inspiration from it.

Enjoy this beautiful day!

Silver "Rose"
Copyright (c) 2019
All rights reserved

SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO

Saint Joseph of Cupertino, levitating during prayer

(1603-1663)

Feast day: September 18

Patron saint of aviators, flying, students and 

those with mental disabilities

Here we have another saint with a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  He was a simple man, treated harshly by his parents, and suffered some mental problems as a result of it.  I can relate to this saint, as I had a brutal childhood. It occurs to me that most saints had difficult lives, so I find myself in good company, thanks be to God.

Evidently, Joseph was socially impaired to the extent that he just wandered around town with his mouth hanging open like a poor demented thing.  He was saddled with a bad temper, on top of everything else.  I wouldn't be surprised if Saint Joseph of Cupertino had post traumatic stress disorder!

Joseph tried to learn how to make shoes as a trade, but was unable to do it.  I don't know why.  It just didn't work out for him.  He attempted to join the Franciscans, but they would not have him.  The Capuchins took a chance on him, but booted him out less than a year later because he couldn't seem to do anything right.  He had broken things through gracelessness, such as the kitchen crockery, which the monastery could ill afford, and he wasn't good at following direction.

He was only 18 years old at this time, but his mother did not want him in her home, so she somehow convinced the Franciscans to take him in, and he was put in charge of the horses.  As anyone who has had horses can tell you, they are capable of being great healers through simple solid presence and ordinary companionship.  Joseph's intellect would never rise to great heights, but he began to be more careful and patient.  His anger lessened.  I think the horses had gentled him.  That is my guess, anyway.

Eventually, the Franciscans noted the change in St. Joseph and tutored him toward the priesthood. Study was not one of his strengths, and he struggled through his lessons as best he could.  From everything I have read about him, it sounds as if the monks were kind to him in a way he'd never experienced before, and it helped him greatly.  First, he became a deacon and, eventually, a priest.

Jesus loves the meek, the downtrodden, the least among us, and for this reason, I suppose, He gave Saint Joseph many spiritual consolations, granting him an ease in his prayer life that he did not possess in any other area.  Astonishing miracles began to occur through this simple soul.  More than 70 times, it was reported that he was seen to levitate or fly while saying mass or praying.

So close was he to the Lord, so fixed in his love, that the mere mention of God would be enough to send Joseph into a rapture that sometimes caused one of these episodes of levitation.  During one Christmas mass, he soared into the air and knelt in rapturous prayer before the high altar.

I am not a terribly gullible person, and not of the type to go running after so-called "seers" like the Medjugorje people or "Maria Divine Mercy."  I try to stay grounded and authentic and not become distracted by the fantastical, but there is something about St. Joseph of Cupertino that rings True for me.  I am very fond of him and have decided to install him in my "committee," the rather large group of saints and sainted ancestors to whom I turn when life gets ugly and I really need some intercession.

Life has been a bit ugly the last week or so, and I feel happy to be able to ask for the prayers and intercession of a Saint with whom I feel such empathy and simpatico! I would like to be like Saint Joseph of Cupertino, with my mind so occupied with the Lord that i cannot even HEAR the mocking of Satan's minions.  I pray for God to accomplish this in me today, because I am as damaged and broken as Saint Joseph of Cupertino was before the Lord began to work in him.

Today I pray for the intercession of Saint Joseph of Cupertino.  I ask him to pray for me to the Lord, as a fellow sufferer.  I pray that the Lord gift me with the consolation of being able to let my whole being reside Him, just as he did with Saint Joseph of Cupertino.

God bless us all.

Silver Rose Parnell
(c) 2015 All rights reserved.

SAINT ALBERT OF TRAPANI - CARMELITE PATRON

Saint Albert of Trapani

( Albert degli Abbati )

Feast Day - August 7

I was delighted to learn about today's saint, since my love of the Carmelite Order began as a young girl (long story) and I further took Teresa of Avila as my patron saint when I was baptized at age 38 by the Episcopalians (again, a long story.)  Saint Teresa, a doctor of the church and another Carmelite, was very devoted to Albert of Trapani, and I am surprised that I had not recalled learning anything of him before today.  He is one of those saints that had a profound effect on the Church as a whole, as well as the Carmelite Order of which he was a part, but whose public popularity is somewhat dimmed in this country.  I do not know why.

Albert degli Abbati was born in Trapani, Sicily in the 13th century.  More than one of my sources claims that his parents dedicated him to the Catholic Church prior to his birth.  It is also said that his parents were unable to have children for the first 26 years of their marriage, until he was born.  There is some evidence that this is a factual account.

A collection of legends that grew up around him appears on the St. Joseph's Carmelite Monastery of Kilmacud website (link at bottom of page.)  The oldest biography was written shortly after 1385, a copy of which is preserved in the Vatican, thus we are fairly sure of the basic facts of his life.

Albert was very young when he entered the Carmelite house in Trapani, which was only one of about fifteen friaries in Sicily at that time.  Later, he transferred to a house in Messina.  His mission was primarily that of preaching to the Sicilian people, and he is known both for his inspired oratory and many miracles and cures, both physical and spiritual, among them exorcisms.  He was known in his time as a "wonder worker," and the miraculous healings attributed to his intercession occurred even after his death.

It is said that Albert had many converts among the Jews that lived near Messina and that he also wrote books, but none are extant.  He spent some time as the provincial superior at the house in Messina, as late as 1297, but lived as a hermit for the last few years of his life, until his death in 1307. By about 1317, his relics were "translated" and there are pieces of that saint all over the place, mostly in Sicily. Trapani has his skull.  In Sicily there are many reminders of the Saint's life.  In Agrigento is a well, the waters of which were purified by the saint.

In the 16th Century, it was established that every Carmelite Church should have an altar dedicated to him.

Ancient Prayer for healing attributed to Saint Albert:

"O my God, you have created the human race by your wonderful power.  It is an act of your clemency that has called us to share your glory and eternal life.  When the first sin condemned us to suffer death, out of your goodness you wished to redeem us through the blood of your Son, to unite us to you through our faith and your great mercy.  You have brought us back from the shame of your sign; you have veiled our dishonour in the brightness of your glory.  Look now and see that what you have created, giving it subtle limbs and joints and made beautiful through its immortal soul, is now subject to the attack of Satan.  Be pleased Lord to reconstitute your work and heal it.  May your power be glorified and may the malice of the enemy be stunned."

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Carmelite Prayer:

"Lord God, you made Saint Albert of Trapani a

model of purity and prayer, and a devoted

servant of Our Lady. May we practice these

same virtues and so be worthy always to share

the banquet of your grace. Grant this through

our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives

and reigns with you and the Holly Spirit, one

God, forever and ever."

The propers for the Carmelite Office of Blesseds and Saints can be found HERE, if you would like to include those in today's prayers.

Having learned a bit about this saint, I plan to add him to my personal "committee" of intercessors I call upon for help.  Perhaps he can help you also.  This blog represents a slight sketch about Saint Albert.  If it has piqued your curiosity, please refer to the source links I have included below my by-line.

In the meantime, please pray for me as I pray for you.


Silver "Rose" Parnell
(c) 2015
All rights reserved

SOURCE LINKS:

ST. JOSEPH'S CARMELITE MONASTERY, KILMACUD

ALBERT OF TRAPANI: a saint of yesterday for today Giovanni Grosso, O.Carm. translated by Paul Chandler, O.Carm.

ORDER OF THE BROTHERS OF THE MOST VIRGIN MARY OF CARMEL

MEDITATIONS FROM CARMEL