June Saints

Pope St John XXIII
(1881-1963)

Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was born at Sotto il Monte, Italy. He entered the Bergamo junior seminary in 1892. It was there that he began making spiritual notes and undertaking regular spiritual direction. In 1897 he made his profession as a Secular Franciscan.

From 1901 to 1905 he studied at the Pontifical Roman Seminary, and was ordained a priest in 1904. In 1905 he was appointed secretary to the new Bishop Tedeschi of Bergamo, while at the same time teaching history, patrology and apologetics in the seminary. He was an elegant, profound, effective and sought-after preacher.

When Italy went to war in 1915, Fr Angelo was drafted as a sergeant in the medical corps and became a chaplain to wounded soldiers. In 1919 he was made spiritual director of the seminary, but in 1921 he was called to the service of the Holy See as President of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. In 1925 Pius XI ordained him a bishop and named him Apostolic Delegate to Bulgaria, where he remained for 10 years. He endured in silence the misunderstandings and other difficulties of a ministry on the fringes of society, and thus refined his sense of trust and abandonment to Jesus crucified.

In 1935 he was named Apostolic Delegate to Turkey and Greece; in 1944 Pius XII appointed him Nuncio in France. His approach to his duties was always characterised by a striving for Gospel simplicity and the sincere piety of his interior life found expression each day in prolonged periods of prayer and meditation.

In 1953 Bishop Roncalli was made a Cardinal and sent to Venice as Patriarch. He was a wise and enterprising pastor and as he advanced in years his trust in the Lord grew in the midst of energetic, enterprising and joyful pastoral labours.

At the death of Pius XII, he was elected Pope, taking the name John XXIII. His pontificate, which lasted less than five years, presented him to the entire world as an authentic image of the Good Shepherd. His social magisterium, in the Encyclicals Pacem in Terris and Mater et Magistra, was deeply appreciated.

He convoked the Roman Synod, established the Commission for the Revision of the Code of Canon Law and summoned the Second Vatican Council. The faithful saw in him a reflection of the goodness of God and called him “the good Pope”. He was sustained by a profound spirit of prayer. Pope John XXIII died on 3 June 1963.

Good St John, obtain for us a spirit of true simplicity in our lives.

(Source: www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20000903_john-xxiii_en.html

Saint Alice
(d. 1250)

Alice was born at Shaerbeck, near Brussels. At the age of seven, she entered a Cistercian convent, and she remained there for the rest of her life. The Cistercian community was inspired by her spirit of humility.

However, at an early age, she contracted leprosy and had to be isolated. The disease caused Alice intense suffering, and eventually she became paralysed and was afflicted with blindness. Alice’s greatest consolation came from reception of the Holy Eucharist. She was known for visions and ecstasies.

Saint Alice, inspire us with a deep love for the Holy Eucharist.

(Source: www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=451)

Blessed Osanna Andreasi
(1449-1505)

Osanna Andreasi was born on January 17, 1449 in Carbonarola, close to Mantua, in the magnificent palace of a very noble Italian family that originated in Hungary. Later the family moved to a smaller palace in Mantua. At age 5, while walking along the banks of the Po River, she heard a clear, firm voice that told her: “Life and death consist in loving God”. She entered into an ecstasy and was shown heaven by an angel, who showed her the celestial hierarchy and told her, “To enter Heaven it is necessary to love God very much: see how all created things sing his glory and proclaim it to the whole world”.

Her father forbade her to study theology as it was seen as unsuitable for a child. Osanna had recourse to prayer. In response, Our Lady is said to have given her lessons. She learned Latin and acquired a great understanding of the Bible. She was also able to quote the commentaries of the Church Fathers.

Her body remains incorrupt after 500 years.

Blessed Osanna, help us to sing God’s glory and proclaim it to others. 

(Source: www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j243sd_OssanaMantua_06_18.html)