St. Gregory the Great | September 3
Saint Gregory the Great lived in a most turbulent time. There were devastating episodes of plague, the sacking of Rome and the breakdown of strong Roman rule, invasions by Lombards and Franks, floods, and a widening gap between imperial Byzantium and the Roman Church. Born around 540 into a noble Roman family, Saint Gregory was probably trained in law, and started his public service as a Prefect of Rome. However, upon the death of his father, he converted his family home to monastery, where he resided as a monk. He built six more monasteries in Sicily and one in Rome. Often called the father of the medieval papacy and Apostle of the English, Saint Gregory was proclaimed Pope by acclamation in 590. Although he was reluctant to assume this post, preferring the cloistered life, his accomplishments were many. He was an extremely capable manager of Church estates and tenants and is known for his reform of the liturgy. He was instrumental in the consolidation of papal power and led the fight against the many heresies promoted by small Christian groups at the time. Through his prolific correspondence he oversaw monastic life, curtailing the power of grasping bishops, correcting abuses, and enforcig discipline. He was particularly concerned with the conversion of England, sending 40 monks from his monastery including Saint Augustine of Canterbury to evangelize there. Saint Gregory died in 604 and was sainted immediately. He is one of four key doctors of the Western Church, including Saints Augustine, Ambrose, and Jerome.
St. Wenceslaus | September 28
You may know St. Wenceslaus better than you think, he is in fact, the “Good King Wenceslas” from the Christmas carol penned in the 19th century. He was born in 907 near Prague, the son of the Duke of Bohemia, raised and educated as a Christian by his paternal grandmother, Ludmila, who herself became a saint. The land of Bohemia at this time was a place in turmoil. Christianity had not yet taken hold and there were power struggles even within the noble family. When Saint Wenceslaus’ father died, his Christian grandmother became regent. However, his mother who may have been a pagan or at least held anti-Christian sentiments, upset at being overlooked, had Ludmilla killed. Wenceslaus, though young, eventually prevailed. He ruled from 921-929, working at unification, he supported the Church building many churches, including the rotunda of Saint Vitus at Prague Castle. And like in the carol, he cared for sick, poor, widowed, and orphaned in his kingdom. To make peace with Germany, Wenceslaus recognized King Henry the Fowler as the successor of Charlemagne, which put Bohemia under King Henry. The peace was not a popular move with the non-Christian sects and nobles who wanted to remain outside of German rule. Legend holds that his brother, Boleslaus the Cruel, led some anti-Christian movements. Whether Boleslaus plotted to murder Saint Wenceslaus or they just had a disagreement that ended in his death, it is generally accepted that the saint was killed by Boleslaus or his men. His last words were to forgive his brother. Saint Wenceslaus was immediately recognized as a martyr for the faith and sainted. The Holy Roman Emperor Otto I posthumously gave him the title “king.” He is the first Czech saint and the patron saint of the Czech state.
St. Pius of Pietrelcina | September 23
Best known as Padre Pio, St. Pius was born Francesco Forgione in 1887 in Pietrelcina, Italy. As a young boy he suffered many illnesses including typhoid. He joined Capuchin Franciscans at 15 and took the name of Pius or "Pio" in honor of Pope Pius I. He was ordained in 1910, and at this time he received the marks of stigmata, the wounds of Christ, but they eventually healed. Frequent illnesses continued to plague him as a young man. Padre Pio served in the Italian Medical Corps during World War I, but he was discharged early because of illness, which was likely tuberculosis. He was assigned to the friary in San Giovanni Rotondo. In 1918, while continuing to serve at the friary, the stigmata appeared again, and this time remained until his death. Many faithful came to see him at the friary, his days were long, beginning with Mass at 5 a.m. then hearing confessions all day with breaks to bless the sick. A simple man, content to do God’s will on earth and with the ardent desire to serve the sick and poor in whom he saw Christ, he urged a hospital, Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza (House for the Relief of Suffering), to be built in San Giovanni Rotondo. It opened in 1956. Padre Pio died at the age of eighty-one in 1968 and in 2002 Pope John Paul II proclaimed him “St. Pio of Pietrelcina.”
St. Peter Claver | September 9
Born in Catalonia Spain in 1580, Saint Peter Claver studied at first at the University of Barcelona and then joined the Jesuits. He became friends with fellow brother Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez who encouraged him to be a missionary in the New World. Accordingly, Saint Peter went to Cartagena, a city in present-day Columbia where he was ordained in in 1615. Cartagena was a center for the slave trade, and the young missionary knew where he could best serve God. He proclaimed himself, “the slave of the Negroes forever.” As ships would arrive with their human cargo, Saint Peter and a group of interpreters would rush into the hold with food and medicines. When the slaves were moved to pens to await sale, the saint continued to work among them, communicating God’s love with acts of generosity and teaching the Catholic faith. He also led missions in the interior, refusing the hospitality of plantation owners and preferring to stay in the slave quarters. He organized charitable societies and is said to have baptized and catechized more than 300,000 enslaved persons. Saint Peter Claver died on September 8, 1654. He was canonized with his friend Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez in 1888, by Pope Leo XIII. He is the worldwide patron saint of African Americans and of enslaved peoples.