FEAST OF OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA, THE BLACK MADONNA; SAINT JEANNE ELIZABETH BICHIER DES AGES, VIRGIN; SAINT ZEPHYRINUS, POPE AND MARTYR AND SAINT ORONTIUS OF LECCE, BISHOP AND MARTYR ~ FEAST DAY – AUGUST 26TH: Today, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa (Black Madonna of Częstochowa); Saint Jeanne Elizabeth Bichier des Ages, Virgin; Saint Zephyrinus Pope Martyr and Saint Orontius of Lecce, Bishop and Martyr. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary, Our Lady of Czestochowa and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed and we pray for those who mourn. We pray for the safety and well-being of all students and youths, for the poor and needy and for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. And we continue to pray for our Holy Father, the Bishops, the Clergy, for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, for the Church, for persecuted Christians, for the conversion of sinners, and Christians all over the world.🙏
OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA, THE BLACK MADONNA: Our Lady of Czestochowa, also known as the Black Madonna of Częstochowa is a venerated icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. Several Pontiffs have recognised the venerated icon, beginning with Pope Clement XI, who issued a Canonical Coronation to the image on 8 September 1717 via the Vatican Chapter. The revered icon of the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus said to be one of those painted by St. Luke the Evangelist (who was an artist, as well as a writer and physician) as Our Lady relayed to him the stories of Jesus’ life contained in his Gospel account. Also known as the “Black Madonna”, the icon is painted on a cypress wood panel from a table used by the Holy Family in Nazareth, according to tradition the very wood of the Holy Family’s tabletop built by Jesus himself, and the icon was discovered and brought from Jerusalem by St. Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine and collector of Christian relics in the Holy Land. The icon was then enshrined in the imperial city of Constantinople, according to the legend, where it remained for the next 500 years. It was given to a Greek princess married to a Ruthenian nobleman and it was housed in the royal palace at Belz in the Ukraine for the next 600 years. Art historians believe it is a Byzantine icon of the Hodigitria type dating from the 6th – 9th Century.
This icon of Our Lady has held a special place of honor at the heart of the Catholic faith in Poland for at least the last 600 years. The two sword slashes on Our Lady’s face, and a scar from an arrow to the throat, sustained in the 15th century from separate attacks by enemy invaders, has given hope to the Polish people of the Blessed Mother’s special protection, and comfort in their many sorrows, throughout centuries of devastating invasions to their country.Numerous miracles have been attributed to the icon, which is kept and venerated at Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland. In 1656 King Casimir declared Our Lady of Czestochowa “Queen of Poland” and made the city the spiritual capital of the nation, now the third-largest Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. She is the Patron Saint of Poland. August 26th is the feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa. Our Lady of Czestochowa, pray for us!
PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF CZESTOCHOWA: Holy Mother of Czestochowa, Thou art full of grace, goodness and mercy. I consecrate to Thee all my thoughts, words and actions—my soul and body. I beseech Thy blessings and especially prayers for my salvation. Today, I consecrate myself to Thee, Good Mother, totally —with body and soul amid joy and sufferingsbto obtain for myself and others Thy blessings on this earth and eternal life in Heaven. Amen 🙏
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. … Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.🙏
SAINT JEANNE ELIZABETH BICHIER DES AGES, VIRGIN: St. Jeanne Elizabeth Bichier des Ages (1773-1838) was born at La Blanc, France, on July 5, 1773. She was a French religious sister, commonly referred to as Elizabeth Bichier. She was Christianed Joan Elizabeth but commonly called by her second name, Elizabeth. Born to nobility and educated in a convent school, St. Jeanne Elizabeth witnessed closely and was personally affected by the events of the French Revolution which shook France when she was just 16 years old. St. Joan was of noble birth, but she committed herself to the service of others. Educated in a Poitiers convent, she waged a successful fight to save family property from the National Assembly after the death of her father. Upon the death of her father, she moved to La Guimetiere with her mother, and in 1796, realizing that she needed to do something to defend the Church and keep the faith alive amidst the attacks of the revolutionaries, she decided to begin a ministry of teaching and serving the poor. She gathered groups of faithful in the town – which was at this point without a priest or community of religious – and organized meetings of prayer, studying of the Scriptures, and singing hymns.
She entered a Carmelite convent upon her mother’s death in 1804, and later the Society of Providence, with the advice of Saint Andrew Fournet, an underground priest who was forced to remain clandestine because he refused to make a pledge of allegiance to the government of the new republic. St. Andrew Fournet encouraged Elizabeth to devote her life to education and the care of the sick. She’s Foundress of the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross, a disciple of St. Andrew Fournet. She lived for a whole with the Carmelites and the Society of Providence in order to prepare herself for the religious life.Under Fournet’s direction, Elizabeth was put in charge of group of women dedicated to Catholic education and care for the sick and aged. St. Andrew Fournet realized that she was the one God had called to lead a community of women he had gathered, and she cofounded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross with him in 1807 to care for the sick and poor, and to teach the faith. At her suggestion, she also helped to inspire the founding of a community of Priests dedicated to missionary service, the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Betharram. Her congregation was designed for teaching and hospital service. By 1830 had established sixty houses in France. She died at Le Pay, Poitiers, France. St. Jeanne Elizabeth died on August 26, 1838. She was beatified on May 13, 1934 by Pope Pius XI and Canonizedon on July 6, 1947 by Pope Pius XII.
PRAYER: Lord, our God, grant that Your faithful spouse, St. Elizabeth, may enkindle in us the flame of Divine love that she enkindled in other virgins for the everlasting glory of Your Church. Amen 🙏
SAINT ZEPHYRINUS, POPE AND MARTYR: Pope St. Zephyrinus was a Bishop of Rome and Pope in the 3rd Century. He was the bishop of Rome from 199 to his death on December 20, 217. He was born in Rome, and succeeded Victor I. Upon his death on 20 December 217, he was succeeded by his principal advisor, Callixtus I. He is known for combating heresies and defending the divinity of Christ. He faced one of the earliest upheavals in Papal history. The schism began because of Hippolytus, who, because he was well-schooled, thought he “knew it all.” There was a big debate over the Logos, the second person of the Trinity. Hippolytus was a Modalist and Patripassian, who believed it was God, the Heavenly Father, who had been Crucified, not Jesus Christ. Since Zephyrinus was a simple and less educated person, Hippolytus thought he could bully the Pope. But Zephyrinus preferred a practical approach and just wanted everyone to get along. He believed that one God, the Son, had been Crucified, not the Heavenly Father. And he also had a job to do, so he did not get all swept up in the debate at hand. It was a difficult time for Zephyrinus. He accepted that people will sometimes disagree, yet knew that should not end the Papacy, and he served ably until the year 217. This Pope abolished the use of wooden chalices, decreeing that these be replaced with glass ones if metal was too expensive. He also required all the faithful to receive Holy Communion at Easter. St. Zephyrinus won the crown of martyrdom on August 26, 217. His relics are enshrined in San Silvestro at Rome, the church for English Catholics in the Eternal City.
Saint Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT ORONTIUS OF LECCE, BISHOP AND MARTYR: St. Orontius of Lecce (1st c.) was the son of the Roman imperial treasurer in Lecce, Italy. Upon his father’s death he inherited the position. St. Orontius was converted to the Christian faith along with his nephew, Fortunatus, by Justus, a disciple of St. Paul the Apostle. St. Orontius was later denounced to the authorities as a Christian and was ordered to sacrifice to the pagan gods. He refused and was arrested, removed from his office, tortured, and exiled to Corinth together with Fortunatus. In Corinth the pair met St. Paul the Apostle, who consecrated St. Orontius as the first bishop of Lecce. When St. Orontius and Fortunatus returned to Lecce they were persecuted and imprisoned again, but were released and ordered to stop preaching. They continued to preach in the surrounding cities, and were arrested a third time and executed. St. Orontius’ feast day is August 26th.
Saint Orontius of Lecce, Bishop and Martyr ~ Pray for us 🙏