MEMORIAL OF SAINT PAULINUS OF YORK, BISHOP AND SAINT FRANCIS BORGIA, GENERAL OF THE JESUITS – FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 10TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Paulinus of York, Bishop and Saint Francis Borgia, General of the Jesuits. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary and the Saints on this feast day, we humbly pray for God’s Divine Grace and Mercy upon us all. We pray for the poor, the needy and the most vulnerable. We pray for the sick and dying, especially those who are mentally and physically ill and those suffering from cancers and other terminal diseases. We pray for the souls in Purgatory and the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. We pray for all widows and widowers. We pray for peace, love, and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. 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…. Amen🙏
SAINT PAULINUS OF YORK, BISHOP: St. Paulinus (c 584-644) was born in 584 in Rome, Italy. He was a Roman missionary and the first Bishop of York. A member of the Gregorian mission sent in 601 by Pope Gregory I to Christianize the Anglo-Saxons from their native Anglo-Saxon paganism, Paulinus arrived in England by 604 with the second missionary group. He evangelized in Kent for 24 years, worked in the Kentish Kingdom until 625 and little is known of Paulinus’s activities in the following two decades. At that time, King Edwin of Northumbria, who was a pagan, requested permission to marry Ethelburga, the Christian sister of King Edbald of Kent. Edwin indicated that he was willing to give Ethelburga complete freedom of conscience and might even become a convert himself. Therefore, St. Paulinus was consecrated Bishop of York and accompanied Ethelburga as her chaplain, on her journey to Northumbria to marry King Edwin of Northumbria. St. Paulinus was holding the hope that he could convert the pagan King as well as the Northumbrian people. Eventually, the Bishop’s hope came true and he succeeded in converting Edwin to Christianity in 627. He baptized Edwin and his infant daughter at Easter in a wooden church at York, which led the way to many nobles and others seeking Baptism. St. Paulinus also converted many of Edwin’s subjects and built some churches. One of the women Paulinus baptised was a future Saint, Hilda of Whitby. St. Paulinus also built a church of stone at Lincoln where he consecrated Honorius, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 628. He thus came to be known as the first Christian missionary to labor in Northumbria.
In 633, King Edwin was slain in the battle of Hadfield Chase, and all missionary action had to be suspended. Following Edwin’s death, St. Paulinus and Æthelburg fled Northumbria, leaving behind a member of St. Paulinus’s clergy, James the Deacon. St. Paulinus returned to Kent and took Queen Ethelburga and her two children back to Kent. He was then made Bishop of Rochester, comforting the people with his venerable and awe-inspiring presence for the rest of his days. He received a pallium from the pope, symbolizing his appointment as Archbishop of York, but too late to be effective. St. Paulinus died on October 10, 644 at Rochester, Kent, England of natural causes and interred in Rochester cathedral. After his death in 644, St. Paulinus was canonized as a saint. He’s the Patron Saint of Rochester, England and Rochester Diocese.
PRAYER: Lord, through St. Paulinus, Your Bishop, You brought those who had no faith out of darkness into the light of truth. By his intercession, keep us strong in our faith and steadfast in the hope of the Gospel he preached. Amen 🙏
SAINT FRANCIS BORGIA, GENERAL OF THE JESUITS: St. Francis Borgia (1510-1572) was born on October 28, 1510, in Gandia, Valencia, Spain. He was born to a noble family, the son of a Duke of Gandia, the great grandson of Pope Alexander VI, one of the notorious “Borgia Popes,” on his father’s side, and of King Ferdinand of Aragon on his mother’s side. St. Francis’ grandmother and mother lived with a convent of Poor Clares, and led the court of the Borgia in piety, restoring some of the scandalous lineage of the Borgia family. Francis grew in faith, and became a favorite at the court of Charles V. One day, St. Francis was traveling through Alcala, when he saw a man being escorted to prison by the Inquisition. That man was St. Ignatius of Loyola, who would have a profound impact on St. Francis’ life. St. Francis joined the Spanish court of King Charles V at the age of 18, married, and had 10 children. In 1539, St. Francis was made the Viceroy of Catalonia, and then became Duke of Gandia after his father’s death four years later. St. Francis experienced a profound religious conversion which caused him to renounce the pomp of the royal court, yet he continued his life of public service as the Viceroy of Catalonia. He built a university, became a Doctor in theology, and invited the Jesuits to his duchy. After his wife died in 1546, St. Francis entered the Society of Jesus, but the Pope ordered him to stay in the world, until he had taken care of his 10 children and his duchy. Two years later, after providing for his children, St. Francis left Gandia and he joined the Jesuits in Rome and was given a prominent position in the order by St. Ignatius of Loyola. He convinced Ignatius to found the Roman College, and then went to Spain, where he was known for his preaching and his holy example.
In 1565, St. Francis was elected as general, and initiated many projects with great zeal even though he was in ill health. He is known for so many reforms and projects. Under St. Francis’ leadership and reforms, the Jesuits advanced to such a great extent that he is considered to be their second founder. In the years following Ignatius’ death, St. Francis became head of the order and established Jesuit missions in multiple countries. He also counseled his missionaries in both practical strategies as well as spiritual discipline. St. Francis of Borgia was a celebrated preacher and a key figure in the Counter-Reformation movement. St. Francis died in Rome on September 30, 1572, in Ferrara, Spain, two days after returning from an apostolic journey to Spain. Saint Francis Borgia is one of the great saints of the Catholic Reformation, and was cannonized by Pope Clement X in 1670. St. Francis Borgia is the Patron Saint against earth quakes; Portugal, and Rota, Marianas. His feast day is October 10th.
QUOTES OF SAINT FRANCIS BORGIA
“Who could ever soften this heart of mine but YOU alone O Lord!”
“We must make our way towards eternity, never regarding what men think of us, or of our actions, studying only to please God.”
“We must perform all our works in God and refer them to His glory, so that they will be permanent and stable. Everyone—whether kings, nobles, tradesmen or peasants— must do all things for the glory of God and under the inspiration of Christ’s example. . . . ”
Saint Francis Borgia, General of the Jesuits ~ Pray for us 🙏