SAINTS OF THE DAY: FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 27TH

MEMORIAL OF SAINT GABRIEL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS (SAINT GABRIEL POSSENTI), CLERIC; SAINT GREGORY OF NAREK, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH AND SAINT LEANDER OF SEVILLE, BISHOP – FEAST DAY ~ FEBRUARY 27TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows (Gabriel Possenti), Cleric (Patron Saint of Clerics, Students, Youth, Seminarians,  Novices,  Catholic Action and Abruzzi); Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church and Saint Leander of Seville, Bishop. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for the Clergy, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, and all the ministers, the Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Seminarians, all religious and we pray for our children, students and youths all over the world. We particularly, pray for Vocations to the Priesthood and Consecrated Life.

 “By the shining example of St. Gabriel, you, dear young people, draw the courage to be faithful disciples of Christ” ~ St. John Paul II

Dear Saint Gabriel, your very name recalls your particular devotion to Christ, the Man of Sorrows, and to Mary, his Afflicted Mother. You died young as a Passionist religious but left to us all an example of a life of Christlike sacrifice. Intercede for our seminarians and young religious, who are in desperate need of your patronage amid today’s sensual and selfish world… Amen 🙏🏽

Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows (Gabriel Possenti), Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church and Saint Leander of Seville, Bishop ~ Pray for us 🙏🏽

SAINT GABRIEL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS (SAINT GABRIEL POSSENTI), CLERIC: St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows was an Italian Passionist clerical student, he gave up ambitions of a secular career to enter the Passionist congregation. St. Gabriel (1838 – 1862) was born on March 1, 1838 at Assisi, Italy. This Saint of modern times was originally named Francisco Possenti after the great Saint of his native city Assisi. Born into a professional family, was the eleventh child of Sante Possenti and Agnes Frisciotti. The first year of his life was spent away from his family with a nursing woman who cared for him because his mother was unable. In 1841 Sante moved the family to Spoleto where he was appointed magistrate. In that same year, the youngest Possenti child died at just six months old; Francis’ nine-year old sister, Adele, soon followed. Just days later, his heartbroken mother was too called to eternal life. Francis had lost his mother at just 4 years old. Tragedy continued to plague the family during his youth. In 1846 Francis’ brother, Paul, was killed in the Italian war with Austria. Another brother, Lawrence, later took his own life. Such events, however, did not rob Francis of his spirit and cheerfulness. During his formative years, Francis attended the school of the Christian brothers and then the Jesuit college in Spoleto. He was lively, intelligent and popular at school and was a great favorite with his fellow students and professors. Fastidious in manner and dress, he was fond of literature and the theater. As a young man he enjoyed the society and the worldly life of a typical teenager. He was known as a fancy dresser and a good dancer, he possessed good horsemanship and marksmanship, he frequented parties, and twice was engaged to be married. However, he decided to leave the world after being miraculously cured from two bouts of illness. At sixteen, he suffered a life-threatening illness. Praying for a cure, Francis promised to become a religious. With recovery, however, Francis quickly forgot his promise. But God’s call would not be denied, and Francis soon turned his heart to the Congregation of the Passionists. Sante Possenti was less than pleased with his teenage son’s decision. Determined to show Francis the joys of a secular life of theater and society parties, Sante continued to hope Francis would find pleasure in a social life. But the young man was not to be dissuaded.

Immediately after completion of his schooling, Francis was guided by our Lady into the Passionist Institute, he left for the Passionist novitiate in Morrovalle. In the novitiate, he cultivated a great love for Christ Crucified. Francis received the Passionist habit on September 21, 1856, which that year was the Feast of the Sorrowful Mother. He was given the name: Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother and he became a veritable Apostle of her Sorrows. A year later he took his vows. His monastic life preparing for the priesthood made Gabriel a secluded, non-public figure. His writings reflect his close relationship with God and His mother. During that period, it was a difficult and tumultuous times in Italy. The new Italian government issued decrees closing religious Orders in certain provinces of the Papal States. The new Passionist province of Pieta, to which Gabriel belonged, was in the center of this chaos. By 1860, the Passionists had ceased apostolic work due to the growing threats surrounding the community. During this period various Italian provinces were overrun by soldiers who robbed and terrorized the towns with little mercy. In 1862, at twenty-four years of age, he was struck with tuberculosis and died on February 27, 1862 at Isola del Gran Sasso d’Italia, Italy, a year before his ordination to the priesthood but having already attained to a heroic degree of sanctity by a life of self-denial and great devotion to Our Lord’s Passion. His fidelity to prayer, joyfulness of spirit and habitual mortifications stand out in his otherwise ordinary life. He was Canonized on May 13, 1920, Rome, Italy by Pope Benedict XV. The people of Isola would always remember him as “their Gabriel.” St. Gabriel, in life, did not perform any miraculous events, but after his death (in 1862) many miraculous occurred at his tomb in Isola di Gran Sasso, Italy including the healing of St. Gemma Galgani.  Thousands of divine favors are attributed to his intercession with Christ Crucified and the Sorrowful Mother Mary. He’s the Patron Saint of Youth, especially of young religious, Clerics, Seminarians, Novices, Students, Catholic Action and Abruzzi.

PRAYER: Lord, You inspired St. Gabriel of our Lady of Sorrows with a special love for Your Mother and compassion for her sorrows. Through her, You raised him to the heights of holiness. Grant us great devotion to her sorrows, that we may known her as our loving Mother. Amen🙏

SAINT GREGORY OF NAREK, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH: Saint Gregory (c.950 – c.1005) was born in a village on the shores of Lake Van in 950, the son of an Armenian Archbishop. When his mother died Gregory and his older brother were raised by a scholarly uncle who had them educated at the Narek monastery where he was a monk. The monastery was a prominent center of learning located in what is now Turkey. Gregory too entered the monastery and was ordained in 977. He was raised and lived most of his life in the Monastery of Narekavank in Turkey, teaching, and writing. St. Gregory was a priest/monk, poet, theologian, mathematician, and scientist. He wrote the Encyclopedia of Prayer for all Nations, that’s considered a classic in Armenian literature. The Book of Lamentations, his masterpiece, was completed just before he died at age 90. Today he’s known as “the Watchful Angel in Human Form” because of the many miracles started with prayer. A professor of theology, St. Gregory wrote a mystical interpretation of the Song of Songs, and a long mystical poem called the Book of Prayer or the Book of Lamentations. He described his poem as “an encyclopedia of prayer for all nations.” This classic of Armenian literature has been translated into 30 languages. The Russian text of the Book of Lamentations was set to music in 1985. Little else is known about St. Gregory, other than he died in the early 11th century and was buried within the walls of the Narek monastery where he had spent his life.

In 2015 as the world observed the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire, Pope Francis concelebrated a Mass at the Vatican with Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni and declared the monk, poet, and saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Church. His liturgical feast is celebrated on February 27th.

Saint Gregory of Narek, Doctor of the Church ~ Pray for us 🙏

SAINT LEANDER OF SEVILLE, BISHOP: St. Leander was born of an illustrious family at Carthagena in Spain. He was the eldest of five brothers, several of whom are numbered among the Saints. He entered into a monastery of Seville very young, where he lived many years and attained to an eminent degree of virtue and sacred learning. These qualities occasioned his being promoted to the see of Seville; but his change of condition made little or no alteration in his way of life, though it brought on him a great increase of solicitude. Spain at that time was held in possession by the Visigoths. These Goths, being infected with Arianism, established that heresy wherever they came, in such wise that at the time Saint Leander was made bishop, it had already reigned in Spain a hundred years. This was his great affliction. Nonetheless, by his prayers to God and by his most zealous and unwearied endeavors, he became the happy instrument of the conversion of that nation to the Catholic faith, as his story makes clear.

St. Leander, the holy archbishop of Seville had converted, among others, his own nephew Hermenegild, who was the king’s eldest son and heir apparent, and for this he was banished by King Leovigild, his own brother-in-law. The pious Catholic prince, now known as Saint Hermenegild, was put to death in prison by his unnatural father in the following year, for refusing to receive Communion from the hands of an Arian bishop. Afterwards, touched by grace and filled with remorse, the king recalled Saint Leander. When Leovigild fell sick and found himself past hopes of recovery, he sent for Saint Leander, and recommended to him his other son Recared. This son, by listening to Saint Leander, became a Catholic, and finally brought the whole nation of the Visigoths to the faith. The new king Recared also brought the Suevi back to Catholic unity; they were a people of Spain whom his Arian father Leovigild had perverted.

Saint Leander was no less zealous in the reformation of morals than in restoring the purity of faith, and planted the seeds of the zeal and fervor which produce martyrs and Saints. He received from Saint Gregory the Great a painting of the Mother of God by the hand of Saint Luke, Evangelist, since known as Our Lady of Guadelupe (of Spain). It is he who, as a refutation of Arianism, added to the liturgy of Spain the recitation during Mass of the Nicene Creed, which practice spread to Rome and then to the entire Church. This holy doctor of Spain died about the year 596, on the 27th of February (On leap years, the feast day of this Saint is celebrated on February 28)

Saint Leander of Seville, Bishop ~ Pray for us 🙏