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   In her column this week, Sister Mary Lucy Astuto continues to relate a story from a friend who experienced conversion through God's providence and His Blessed Mother's secret weapon - the Rosary. It all began in Medjugorje after her dear friend Kathy, like so many other millions, had read about the "Miracle of Medjugorje" from Wayne Weible and heard the call of Our Lady to come to her special Oasis of Peace in then Yugoslavia back in 1988. Sister writes from Kathy's point of view in sharing how Kathy's heart was moved to pray with the heart for that is truly the crux in getting to the heart of the matter as Sister Lucy shows in the second of a multiple series. For her column this weekend, Kathy's Rosary Story part two, click on GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

KATHY'S ROSARY STORY - part three

    I continue Kathy's story. She wanted me to tell you that if you would like to have a copy of her unedited story, you can e-mail her at KHestekin@aol.com. Her story is not to be reproduced for profit, however.

    On another day in Medjugorje we listened to the visionaries tell of their experiences and of Our Lady's requests for prayer, penance, fasting, reconciliation and peace. One to whom we listened was Vicka. After the question and answering period was over, everyone slowly dispersed. I was standing out of the way, just pondering everything. Suddenly I found myself looking at Vicka and she was looking back at me. She smiled and waved. She had the most peaceful and beautiful smile I had ever seen. I waved back. I often think of that moment and wonder if Our Lady was telling Vicka about me, like - this one needs a lot of help - Maybe one day I will know.

    Over the trip was very difficult for me, as it began to stir up many emotions, feelings, and guilt. Where was I going, or being led? What was I going to do? How was my family going to handle all of this? Where will I go to church?

    My family all but alienated me. Even my eighteen year old son thought his mother had become a "looney tune."

    I purchased several Rosaries while in Medjugorje. I purchased them for family and friends. Several I kept to put on crucifixes in my home. A few I put away. I kept praying the Rosary and my conversion continued.

    The first Rosary I had received from my friend eventually broke. It became necessary for me to use another Rosary and I had wished secretly in my heart that this Rosary would also turn gold. After a while, I began to notice some gold tone glimmer on certain areas of it. I was so excited and thankful. But then something different occurred. Parts of the Rosary turned pinkish in color and then became red, a deep blood red. I had no idea why, and am still not very clear to this day. But the red reminds me of two things, suffering and love.

    This Rosary I wrapped around the hands of a statue of Our Lady of Fatima which I have. I proceeded to take out a blessed crystal Rosary I had brought back from Medjugorje. I was hoping that this Rosary, too, would turn gold. Shortly afterward, it did. I was humbled. I thanked Our Lady in prayer. I have a habit of talking to myself a lot. I also talk out loud to God, Jesus, the saints and angels.

    I talk to them about my problems, my happy times, my sorrowful times, everything. I ask for help and pray for others.

    But I was to part with this Rosary eventually. I had attended a Marian Conference in Omaha. A young lady who sings the rosary was getting ready to go on stage when she realized she was without her own Rosary. I lent her mine. It was the last I saw of it. I know I could have located her and asked for my Rosary back, but I also know that God uses simple things to bring His children closer to Him. I decided to let go of that Rosary. I didn't want to be attached to any "thing."

    More of Kathy's story next week. Until then, God bless you!

Events this weekend in Church History

    Sunday is the third anniversary of the death of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, the seventh Archbishop of Chicago who preceded today's TOP 100 CATHOLIC OF THE CENTURY selection Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I. His funeral was attended by bishops across the country and Rome. Cardinal Bernardin died of liver and pancreatic cancer. Though his liberal policies and leniency towards modernism were often questioned by orthodox believers, all must agree that in the months before he died the way he conducted himself as an example of accepting suffering was an inspiration to Catholics and non-Catholics, conservatives and liberals alike. He bore up under other sufferings as well including accusations of molestation that proved false. His response was not an "I told you so" but rather forgiveness for his accuser in the manner Jesus would ask of his shepherds. For other events throughout the centuries that are memorable in Church history this weekend, click on MILLENNIUM MILESTONES AND MEMORIES

Historical Events in Church Annals for November 12:

430 A.D.


Death of Saint Nilus the Elder, a disciple of the Doctor of the Church Saint John Chrysostom who became a monk who wrote many theological treatises against the Emperor Arcadius.

607 A.D.


Death of Pope Boniface III, 66th successor of Peter who was elected on February 19th of the same year. He forbade arrangements for the election of the new Pope until three days had passed since the death of his predecessor. Boniface declared that the only universal bishop was that of Rome, that is, the Pope.

1623 A.D.


Death of Saint Josaphat, Bishop . For more on this Polish saint, see DAILY LITURGY

Historical Events in Church Annals for November 13:

867 A.D.


Death of Pope Saint Nicholas the Great, 105th successor of Peter who set August 15th as the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven. Born in Rome, he was elected when he was 58-years old on April 24, 858. After grave disagreements with the Emperor Louis II Nicholas united with him to form an army against the Saracens. During his pontificate, he strenuously defended the liberty of the Church against the heretic Photius.

1004 A.D.


Death of Saint Abbo van Fleury, French abbot.

1726 A.D.


Pope Benedict XIII canonizes Saint Stanislaus Kostka, Jesuit who experienced many mysticisms and ecstasies while celebrating the Holy Sacarifice of the Mass. The Pope declared him a lesser patron of Poland and set his feast day in Europe for November 13th. He was born in Poland in 1550 and attended Jesuit studies in Vienna. As a young Jesuit seminarian he became ill and while being mistreated by a Lutheran in a house devoid of Catholicism, the Blessed Mother appeared to him as well as an angel bringing the Sacred Host. Our Lady cured him and from that time on he was devoted to the Virgin Mary and became a close friend of Saint Peter Canisius. God fulfilled Stanislaus' prayer that he would die on Our Lady's feast day when he died on her feast of the Assumption in 1568.

1950 A.D.


Pope Pius XII declares Saint Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini "Patroness of Immigrants" and establishes her feast day as November 13th in the United States. For more on this saint, see THIS WEEKEND'S LITURGY

1983 A.D.


Pope John Paul II beatifies the holy nun Blessed Marie Baouardy of Jesus Crucified.

Historical Events in Church Annals for November 14:

1180 A.D.


Death of Saint Lawrence O'Toole, Archbishop of Dublin who brought peace among the Ostmen and the Irish factions in medieval times.

1550 A.D.


Pope Julius III, following in his predecessor's shoes, reopens the Council of Trent, taking a seat on this landmark Council.

1996 A.D.


Death of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, controversial Archbishop of Chicago who espoused the liberal cause in the American Church. For more on this prelate, see Cardinal Bernardin

Weekend Liturgy

    This weekend we celebrate two saints of the Church - Saint Josaphat, the martyred bishop on Friday and Saint Frances Mother Xavier Cabrini, the beloved American saint on Saturday shared by the Observance of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday. Sunday is the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time. For the liturgies, readings, meditations and vignettes on these feasts, click on WEEKEND LITURGY

Friday November 12:
Feast of Saint Josaphat, Bishop, Religious and Martyr

Red vestments

First Reading: Wisdom 12: 1-9
Psalms: Psalm 19: 2-5
Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 26-37

     In 1580, during the papacy of Pope Gregory XIII- author of the Gregorian Calendar, Saint Josaphat was born as John Kuncevic to an Orthodox family in Vladimir, Poland. Though he was born into the Greek Orthodox Church and a Pole, he became a member of the Uniate Ruthenian Church in Vilna, Lithuania. In the 16th and 17th Centuries the Ruthenian followers were divided into three sects - the Catholic or Latin Church in total union with Rome, the Orthodox Greek Church which answered to the Patriarch of Constantinople and Moscow, and the Greek Uniate Church which the Polish people had discarded because of the lengthy liturgy and the ignorant clergy who were allowed to marry. In a word, respect was non-existent for the latter hierarchy. The Roman Catholic Church had become strong in Poland, but had failed to make headway into Lithuania or Russia, but a synod held by the Ruthenian Church in 1595 opted to be reunited with the Church of Rome pending approval by Pope Clement VIII. So excited with this proposition was John that he became a Basilian monk at the age of 24 at Holy Trinity Monastery at Vilna and was given the religious name of Josaphat. Along with a friend and fellow monk Jozef Rutski, he worked long and hard on bringing reform to the Basilians in anticipation of union with Rome. At the age of 37 Josaphat released an extensive thesis in the Slavic language on the natural roots of unity of the Ukranian Church with the Church of Rome. Through his efforts he started a Basilian monastery that was totally in union with the Catholic Church. When his friend Jozef became metropolitan of Kiev, Josaphat became archimandrite of the monastery which was the same as abbot in the Roman Church, before being appointed in 1617 Archbishop of Polotsk on the eastern border of Lithuania next to western Russia. Because of the state of disrepair in his new diocese and the strong opposition to Rome, Josaphat knew in his heart his mission was to reach out to the Ruthenians and convince them the Catholic Church was the true faith. He carried this out through synods, seminars, and catechesis studies. When some priests rebelled, he exacted sanctions on clergy who were not following the true teachings. This naturally caused dissension and resentment and many of the misguided clergy stirred up opposition to Josaphat, spreading fear among the Ruthenians that if the Latin rite were introduced into their land they would lose everything from their culture to their property. This caused the Ruthenians to rally against Josaphat. It turned to outright hatred when, in 1621 the Byzantine Patriarch of Jerusalem traveled to the Ukraine to consecrate a metropolitan and a handful of Orthodox bishops in the Ruthenian Church. This action further eroded support for Josaphat and the plotters, led by antiarchbishop Metetius Smotritsky, sought to seal his fate by stirring fear in the populace at a time when Poland was being threatened by the Turks from the South and Sweden to the north. In addition, Poland was cautious of coming to Josaphat's aid because Josphat, though in total union with Rome, still insisted on keeping the Byzantine rites and customs in the Ukranian Church as opposed to the Latin rite in Poland. To quell the opposition Josaphat decided to go to Vitebsk, Russia which was then known as "White Russia" and where he had first become an auxilary bishop, to meet face to face with his enemies in hopes of a peaceful dialog. However this was thwarted when a priest named Elias harassed Josaphat and was locked up. The people demanded Elias' release and as they assembled taunts of kill Josaphat rose to a fever pitch. As Josaphat held out his hands to quiet the crowd and speak reasonably to the maddening mob, they stormed the platform and began beating him. As the frenzied mob of Ruthenians roared its approval, one man cleared a path and leveled his rifle at Josaphat killing the saint instantly. They then dispatched of his body by hurling it into the Dvina River. Thus this Eastern saint became a martyred victim of the cruel persecution by the Slav-Ruthenian Church in Russia in 1623. Nearly 250 years later Pope Pius IX canonized Josaphat as the first Eastern saint to formally be canonized in such a process. The efforts begun by Josaphat are being carried out today by Pope John Paul II in uniting the Orthodox Churches with Rome and the Uniate Churches such as the Ukranian Rite and Byzantine Rite which are in union with the Pope, yet maintain an eastern culture in their liturgy and language.

Saturday November 13:
Feast of Saint Francis Cabrini, Virgin, Religious Founder and Missionary and
Observance of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday

White vestments

First Reading: Wisdom 18: 14-16; 19: 6-9
Psalms: Psalm 105: 2-3, 5, 36-37, 42-43
Gospel Reading: Luke 18: 1-8

      This pioneering educator and missionary Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, better known to all her followers as Mother Cabrini is one of our most modern saints and yet the first American citizen to be canonized a saint. She was canonized by Pope Pius XII on June 7, 1947, only 30 years after her death in Chicago, Illinois in 1917. On November 13, 1950 the Holy Father proclaimed Mother Cabrini "Patroness of Immigrants." Maria Francesca, as she was christened at baptism, was born prematurely on July 15, 1850 as the youngest of 13 children to Augustine and Stella Oldini Cabrini at Sant' Angelo Lodigiano in Italy. She had always had the inborn desire to do something special for God. Though she was on her way to becoming a school teacher, her parents both died in 1868 and she decided to become a nun. After two communities turned her down, the bishop of her diocese Msgr. Serrati asked her to take over a poorly run orphanage in Codogno, Italy which was called House of Providence. Naturally resentment arose from the original foundress Antonia Tondini and the tension-filled conflict caused the bishop of Todi to shut it down. But he realized Frances' zeal and talents and invited her to found a religious organization of nuns devoted to teaching young girls. With seven other young women, Francis remodeled an abandoned Franciscan friary which served as the mother house for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart which the bishop approved in 1880. Vocations became plentiful and soon the order had spread to Milan, Rome and other parts of Italy. Soon word reached across the sea. Realizing the need to minister to the Italians who had immigrated to the United States, the bishop of New York Archbishop Corrigan invited Mother Cabrini to come to America to help the immigrants. She accepted and arrived at the portals of Ellis Island in 1889. For the next 27 years she would establish numerous schools, hospitals, convents and orphanages throughout the vast United States from New York to Denver despite great obstacles. In 1907 her congregation received papal approval. Two years later she became an American citizen. America was definitely the better for it as the Church grew rapidly through the works of those inspired by this Italian saint. Mother Cabrini founded over 65 charitable organizations and houses for the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. While still alive she was able to obtain countless special favors through her prayerful intercession. Many accounts of spiritual phenomena accompanied Mother Cabrini. One such account relates to her founding a house just outside of Denver in what is today Golden, Colorado. Surveying the hilly and rocky land above Denver, the owner sold it to her dirt-cheap so-to-speak because there was no water on the land and nothing would grow there. This did not daunt the staunch saint. She took her wooden staff and trekking up the hill, poked at the earth and water gushed forth where it still flows freely today. Returning to Chicago, she fell ill and died on December 22 in the same year as the Fatima apparitions of 1917. Many who come to America's shores from all over the world invoke the intercession of Mother Cabrini today who is considered the "Patroness of Immigrants" as Pope Pius XII declared on November 13, 1950 when he established her feast day for the Church in the United States. Also see: Mother Cabrini - one of the Top 100 Catholics of the Year.

    Honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary is a custom first promoted by the Benedictine Monk Saint Alcuin back in the days of Charlemagne (see archives December 23, no. 25 issue). He composed different formulas for Votive Masses for each day of the week, with two set aside to honor Our Lady on Saturday. This practice caught on with great enthusiasm and eventually the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday became the Common of the Blessed Virgin. This Mass was a favorite with retired priests and those whose sight was failing for most had memorized this Mass and were able to say it by heart without having to read the Lectionary or Sacramentary. One reason Saturday was dedicated to Mary was that Saturday held a special meaning in Mariology. First of all, as Genesis accounts for, God rested on the seventh day. In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was Saturday. Jesus, Son of God rested in the womb and then, when He became incarnate, in the loving arms of Mary from birth until she held His lifeless body at the foot of the Cross. Thus the God-head rested in Mary. It was also on Saturday after Good Friday that Jesus gave His Mother a special gift and reward for keeping her faith in His Divinity intact by making an exceptional appearance to her. Thus, because of these reasons, the devotion spread by St. Alcuin and other liturgies that evolved within the Church, Saturday took on a special Marian significance. Saturday took on even more significance in honoring Mary when Our Lady imparted to visionary Lucia in her third apparition at Fatima on July 13, 1917, "Our Lord wishes that devotion to my Immaculate Heart be established in the world. If what I tell you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace; the war will end...I ask the consecration of the world to my Immaculate Heart and Communion of reparation on the First Saturday of each month...If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace...In the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph, and an era of peace will be conceded to humanity." As we draw nearer to that wonderful event, it is more important than ever to honor Mary's request on the First Saturday as well as each Saturday that her feast is commemorated in the Church calendar, not to mention responding to her call daily with the Rosary and attending Daily Mass, nourished by her Divine Son present body and blood, soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament. It is in the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary where she remains in the background in the liturgy of the Word so that her Divine Son's words and His Presence take the spotlight as He should while Mary remains the chief intercessor before the Holy Trinity as she should and serves as the ideal for all Catholics to strive for, as we should. The Dictionary of Mary states quite succinctly, "Through these liturgical acts, (honoring Mary on Saturday) Christians exalt the person of Mary in the action that renews the sacrifice of Christ and in the action that prolongs His prayer."

SUNDAY November 14: THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Green vestments

First Reading: Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31
Psalms: Psalm 128: 1-5
Second Reading:1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6
Gospel Reading: Matthew 25: 14-30

Monday November 15: Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time and
Feast of Saint Albert the Great, Bishop, Religious and Doctor of the Church

Green or white vestments

First Reading: 1 Machabees 1: 10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-64
Psalms: Psalm 119: 53, 61, 88, 150, 155, 158
Gospel Reading: Luke 18: 35-43

    The 13th Century-born Saint Albert the Great was a product of the Dominican dominance of that period. Born in the family castle at Lauingen, Bavaria in 1206, Albert was sent to the University of Padua in Italy to study and where he entered the Dominican seminary in 1223. After ordination, Albert began teaching at the Order's priory in Cologne, Germany. From there it was on to teach at Freiburg-im-Breisgau, then Regensberg, followed by Strassburg, and finally the University of Paris. There he received his doctorate at the age of 39. Shortly after he was named regent at the University. Among his students was a young Dominican who hung on his every word. Thank God he did for that young man was none other than Saint Thomas Aquinas one of the most learned holy men in the history of the Church. Albert discerned how great Thomas would be and personally tutored the young priest. Albert was the Dominican Provincial of Germany from 1254 to 1257 when he resigned to draw up, along with Thomas Aquinas, a new study curriculum for the Dominican Order in 1259. A year later, though he declined the honor, he was still appointed bishop of Regensburg. In 1262 he resigned the bishopric in order to go back to teaching at the University in Cologne. He took an avctive role in the Council of Lyons held in 1274. That same year his pupil St. Thomas died and for a few years after Albert was the learned saint's greatest defender, specifically of his great work "Summa Theologica". Albert traveled to Paris in 1278 to staunchly defend Thomas' teachings. There had been a group of theologians at the University of Paris, headed by Bishop Stephen Tempier of Paris, who, followers of Saint Augustine and Plato, disagreed with the techniques used by Albert and Thomas. The two saints had pioneered the "Scholastic" method and applied the principles of Aristotle in revealing Church Doctrine. Albert wrote numerous works on Sacred Scripture as well as countless thesises on the Blessed Mother, more than anyone to that time in Church annals. Less than a year later at the age of 72 Albert contracted, what many believe was Alzheimer's Disease and his acumen for teaching and writing greatly diminished until on November 15, 1280 God took him home. He was canonized in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. At that same time Pius proclaimed Albert "Albertus Magnus" "the Universal Doctor" - now a Doctor of the Church. Ten years later Pius XI's successor Pope Pius XII proclaimed Albert as the "Patron of Students and Natural Sciences."

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November 11, 1999 volume 10, no. 214  DAILY CATHOLIC