MEMORIAL OF SAINT ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ, CONFESSOR AND SAINT MARCELLUS THE CENTURION, AND HIS CHILDREN, MARTYRS – FEAST DAY ~ OCTOBER 30TH: Today, we celebrate the Memorial of Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez, Confessor and Saint Marcellus, the Centurion and His Children, Martyrs. 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 in our communities and around the world. We pray for peace, love, justice and unity in our marriages, our families and our world. We pray for the aged, 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. 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 ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ, CONFESSOR: St. Alphonsus (Alonso) Rodriguez (1532–1617) Jesuit Coadjutor, was a man whose humble occupation gave the world only glimpses of his extraordinary holiness. During his lifetime, Brother Alonso Rodriguez never became a priest, published a book, or advanced professionally. But writings discovered after his death revealed a true mystic, who attended to a rich spiritual life while he worked as a doorkeeper and porter. His coming to religious life was only through a string of crushing tragedies. St. Alphonsus Rodriguez was born in Segovia, Spain, during 1532, a son and third child of a wool merchant. He was prepared for his First Holy Communion by St. Peter Faber, one of the first Jesuits. He had originally begun to study to be a Jesuit from age 14, but when his father died St. Alphonsus had to leave school at the age of 14 and was obligated to take over the family business, which eventually failed. He married at the age of 26 and had three children, and was left a widower at the age of 31 when his wife died in childbirth. His wife and two of their children died by the time he was 31. In subsequent years he also lost his mother and the third child, he lost his shop and experienced misfortune. His turn toward a life of prayer and penance could not prevent the subsequent death of his third and last remaining child — nor the discouraging failure of his business. St. Alphonsus developed a life of prayer, intense piety, and rigorous penances, with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother under her title of the Immaculate Conception. Without his wife and children, and having few prospects due to his lack of a higher education, the Spanish layman turned his thoughts to religious life. Even there, however, he faced difficulties.
In his early years, St. Alphonsus had met one of the first Jesuits, Bl. Peter Faber, and with his whole life in ruins, he developed an interest in joining the recently established Society of Jesus. As his desire for the religious life increased and his attempt to join the Jesuits as a late vocation, but his lack of education made him a poor candidate. To amend his deficiency he went back to school, while begging alms to support himself and enduring ridicule from his much younger classmates. St. Alphonsus’ lack of education prevented him from pursuing their course of priestly ordination, and he failed to acquire a diploma from the College of Barcelona despite attending for two years. The Jesuit Fathers in Valencia said he was unfit to join. But Alphonsus’ years of prayer had not been in vain: they were answered when a provincial of the society, sensing his dedication, finally admitted him to the Jesuits as a lay-brother after a long delay when he was nearly 40 years old. He was only a lay brother because he was found too old to study for the priesthood and too weak to take up a lay brother’s work but the Provincial boldly admitted him, remarking that he was receiving him for his holiness. The Provincial was proven this was the right call. A little while after his first vows St. Alphonsus was given a humble job, appointed a porter or door-keeper of the Jesuit college at Majorca and for the next forty six years he remained at the same post, a job which he served with dedication. It was patient, humble work for hours on end, daily walking up and down, taking messages of students, receiving visitors and guests and carrying their luggage, tracking down students or priests when they were needed, delivering messages, and distributing alms to the poor. While other Jesuits traveled the globe evangelizing whole nations, and undertook a vast reform of the Catholic Church throughout Europe, St. Alphonsus carried bags and ran errands for 46 years.
St. Alphonsus was an influence for good to the hundreds who met him. Students began to seek him out, realizing that their doorkeeper was a man of unusual wisdom and faith. Many people within the religious community, as well as many visitors, recognized his holiness and sought his advice and spiritual council. His Jesuit superiors started to take notice as well, and asked him to begin a private record of his life and thoughts. St. Alphonsus struck up a notable friendship with one young man, Peter Claver. St. Peter Claver became one of his disciples, and St. Alphonsus is credited for directing him in his mission to African slaves. St. Alphonsus advised him to volunteer for the South American missions. Following his advice, St. Peter Claver eventually catechized, baptized and spoke out for the rights of 300,000 slaves in South America. St. Alphonsus was known for his rigorous obedience and discipline, and for suffering from scrupulosity, temptations, and attacks from the devil. He took his final vows with the Jesuits at the age of 54. He continued to serve and even preach sermons into his 80’s. He is credited with popularizing the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, copies of which he stockpiled and distributed. He spent his time in quiet prayer and meditation, and towards the end he lost even his memory and could only say, “Jesus, Mary.” On October 31, 1617, surrounded by his Jesuit brothers, Saint Alphonsus died. After his death, his superiors examined the written records he had left behind describing his spiritual life. What they found was the life of a saint and mystic. His approach was simple: Christ was appearing in every person who appeared at the door; the task was to encounter God in any task. From this awareness, he proceeded to a life of contemplation akin to the renowned saints of his era (such as St. Ignatius or St. Teresa of Avila), whose grand achievements are better known. Brother Alphonsus (Alonso) Rodriguez was declared a saint in 1887. He is buried on the same island of Majorca where he answered the door and carried bags for five decades.
Saint Alphonsus (Alonso) Rodriguez, Confessor ~ Pray for us 🙏
SAINT MARCELLUS THE CENTURION, AND HIS CHILDREN, MARTYRS: St. Marcellus (A.D. 298) was born in Arzas of Galicia. A brave pagan, he entered upon the career of arms, hoping to gain a large fortune. He married a young lady named Nona and they were blessed with twelve children. Saint Marcellus was a valorous solider and was promoted to the charge of centurion; he had no thought for any advancement except the sort pertaining to his military life, when he heard the fervent preaching of a holy bishop of the church of Leon. He was converted with his entire family to the Christian religion. All of them except his wife would soon give their blood in honor of their Faith.
During the birthday of the Emperor Maximian Herculeus which was celebrated in the year 298 with extraordinary feasting and solemn rites, St. Marcellus refused to participate in the pagan offering ceremony. He threw away his arms and armour, and the vine-branch, which was the mark of his dignity and openly declared himself a Christian, a soldier of Jesus Christ, the eternal King and was condemned to death. Anastasius Fortunatus, the prefect of the legion, having learned the fact, commanded St. Marcellus to be cast into prison. After the feast, the prisoner was brought before the Prefect, who asked the reason for this conduct. St. Marcellus replied that it was his religion. Hereupon the Prefect declared that he would have to lay his case before Maximian and Caesar Constantius. The latter ruled over Gaul and Spain, and he was most favorable to the Christian. However, St. Marcellus was sent under a strong guard to Aurelian Agricolus, vicar to the Prefect of the praetorium, who was then at Tangier in Africa. When St. Marcellus admitted the truth of the accusation, he was condemned to death for the desertion and impiety. His condemnation led to the death of Saint Cassian who was the secretary or notary of the court. St. Cassian refused to record the sentence pronounced against the martyr, because of its injustice. He was immediately hurried to prison, and was beheaded in his turn on the 3rd of December. The children of Saint Marcellus imitated his constancy, and all lost their lives for the defense of the Gospel; three of the boys were hanged and then decapitated at Leon. Their pious mother bought back their bodies for money and buried them secretly; they were later transferred to a church built in their honor in the city of Leon. St. Marcellus died a martyr, he was beheaded on October 30, 298 at Tangiers, Morocco. He’s the Patron Saint of Conscientious Objectors.
PRAYER: Almighty, ever-living God, You enabled St. Marcellus to fight to the death for justice. Through his intercession enable us to bear all adversity and with all our strength hasten to You Who alone are life. Amen 🙏