Saint of the day

Saint of the day

9 March, Saint Frances of Rome, Advocata Urbis

Patron Saint of motorists

Francesca Bussa in Ponziani was known to people as “Ceccolella”. She was born into a noble family and was recognized for her charity and for her lack of shame in begging for alms for the poor.

Born in Rome in 1384 to Paolo Bussa di Leoni and Giacobella di Roffredeschi, she loved to read the biographies of the saints as a young child, and was attracted to spiritual matters. Her spiritual guide was Fr. Antonio di Monte Savello, an Olivetan Benedictine who served at the Church of Santa Maria Nuova al Foro. She wished to consecrate herself to God, but by the time she was 12, her father had already made plans to marry her off to Lorenzo Ponziani, who hailed from a very wealthy family.

8 March: Saint John of God, Patron Saint of the Vatican Pharmacy

“Extreme” charity

Saint John of God’s name was Juan Ciudad. He was born in 1495 in Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal, where he spent his early years, before moving to Oropesa, Spain, when he was eight years old. He took part in two wars, one in Fuenterrabía in the Pyrenees and one in Vienna against the Turks. Following these events, he returned to Spain and embarked on a long spiritual journey that took him to various cities, including Seville, Ceuta, Gibraltar and Granada, where he worked as a book seller. After hearing a sermon by John of Avila, he underwent a profound spiritual transformation that led him to declare his “folly” for God, to the point that he was committed to the Royal Hospital of Granada. When he was discharged, he decided to dedicate himself entirely to serving the Lord.

7 March: Saints Perpetua and Felicity, martyrs

Two mothers united in their witness to Christ unto sacrificing their lives

They were two young mothers: a 22 year old woman who was still nursing an infant, and a young woman who was eight months pregnant. Both were catechumens who had been imprisoned in Carthage, by Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 A.D. Perpetua and Felicity were from different social classes. Perpetua was part of a noble family, while Felicity was a servant. They were united by their faith in Christ and, later, by their martyrdom. They were arrested along with their catechist, Saturus, and other catechumens, including Saturninus, Revocatus and Secundulus

March 6: Saint Rose of Viterbo

Peacemaker in the Name of Christ

Rose was born in Viterbo in 1233, into a humble family. At that time, the city was the scene of clashes between Guelphs and Ghibellines, as Emperor Frederick II sought to remove it from papal influence. Her parents, Catherine and John, raised her in the faith, inspired by the charisma of Saint Francis of Assisi.

March 5: Saint Virgilius of Arles, Bishop

He assisted Saint Augustine of Canterbury in his mission

Saint Virgilius was born in Burgundy in the 6th century. He became abbot of the monastery of Saint Symphorian in Autun, and in 588 he was appointed Bishop of Arles.

He was outstanding in charity, helping the poor and the needy by founding hospitals and facilities for the sick. His pastoral zeal led him to evangelize southern Gaul. Pope Gregory the Great repeatedly invited him to support the efforts of Saint Augustine, prior of the Benedictine monastery of Saint Andrew on the Caelian Hill, and his 40 companions, whom he had sent to evangelize the Anglo-Saxons.

4 March: Saint Casimir

The Prince in Love with the Virgin Mary

He was born on October 3, 1458, in Wawel, the royal castle of Kraków, into the noble Jagiellonian family. The son of Casimir IV, King of Poland, he received a religious education from his mother, Elizabeth of Austria.