More pictures of Bl. Damien's items...

More pictures of Bl. Damien's items can be found here...

All these were taken at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace gallery. (I went camera crazy :-P ^_^ ) There's a mirror in behind some of the items in glass cases, so in one of the pictures you can see me holding a camera and taking the picture.

Apostle for our times

Sorry, couldn't find a picture of him when he was young...

"The apostle is a temple of the most holy Trinity, within whom God is supremely active. The apostle exudes God from every pore: with words, works, prayers, actions, and attitudes, in public and in private, with one's entire being. Live God! Give God!" ~Blessed James Alberione



Childhood:

James Alberione (1884-1971) was born in a peasant family with four other brothers. Um...unfortunately I can't say too much about his childhood because I have two books that mostly tell about his later works in life. Anyway, with poor health, his mother always took care of him. She'd teach him about God and take him to church, often sitting in the back just in case he felt sick.
When he was six years old, his teacher, Rosina Cardona (Kind of like one of those sweet Sunday School teachers I imagine :-), asked her eighty students what they wanted to do in the future. James paused for a moment before saying, "I am going to be a priest." His teacher then saw great potential in him, and did her best to teach him well.
Even with poor health, thin and weak, he advanced well in his school years. Once, when he was nine years old, he was running fast to tell his mother that he had passed ahead of his class. But he didn't dare to tell her that he had promised to light a candle to the Madonna of Flowers, whom his mother had a great devotion to. She guessed, and scolded him saying not to just like a little candle. Then she gave him a coin that was enough for a larger one.
As a student he loved to read. He'd play sometimes, but it wasn't his aptitude, due to his poor health. He'd rather watch, or study with another student.
Most students, especially farmers, would usually finish after third grade (sniff...why can't we?), but James Alberione was the first in his family to have gone through the first year of junior high.
When farming (or something, I can't remember) he would be in charge of holding the lantern for light. Tired and sleepy, it was hard for him to lift it high. So that his father wouldn't scold him, his mother would call out to him, "James, give them light!"

Part two about entering the seminary coming next year :-P ;-)

Blessed Charles Spinola

Sorry for such a late post...




"Meanwhile, by night and day, we confirm our souls by exercises of piety, we chastise our bodies by scourging, haircloths, and other like mortifications; and what constitutes our greatest consolation, we minister at the altar daily. And it has surely been by a special providence of God, that vestments and other requisites for the holy sacrifices were introduced unseen by the guards, after we had been at first for several months deprived of them and unable to refresh ourselves with that heavenly bread of angels.

For my own part I am overjoyed at this special benefit of God, accomplishing the desire which chiefly brought me hither, and I esteem it above the splendor of all fleeting dignities. And justly, for Saint Paul, after being once imprisoned triumphed more in the glory of his chains and bonds, than in his very apostleship, calling himself `Bound in the Lord.' I blush for shame when I think how by no merit of mine, I have obtained this great grace; how God, having before so many holy persons who have cultivated this vineyard with such admirable zeal, has cast his eyes on me, the last of all in the gifts of nature and merit.

I, who can aver that I now begin to be a disciple of Christ amid the greatest pain and confinement of prison, even when my strength seemed failing from hunger alone, I was always refreshed by such delights of consolation, that I deemed all my sufferings undergone in the divine service richly rewarded. Were I still to pass several years in this dungeon, the time would seem to me short in my intense desire of suffering for His love, who so lavishly rewards the labors of this life and makes even torture itself sweet and desirable. Yet God is to be served chiefly for himself alone, for He is the fountain of all goodness, and merits all our devotion without any hope of reward."

-Blessed Charles

source

Blessed Imelda

"Can anyone receive Jesus into his heart and not die?" - Blessed Imelda

Imelda Lambertini (1322-1333) was born to wealthy but charitable parents. Imelda's mother was the sister of an archbishop. Right when she was born, the whole town had expected her father, the Captain General of Bologna, Ambassador to the Republic of Venice to have a son and heir. Some were disappointed when it turned out that they had a baby girl instead. Her parents did not mind, and they named her Imelda. Then, for some reason, bells started to ring loud and long when that was only a custom reserved for the first-born son of a noble family. Shortly after her birth, her mother had a dream that St. Dominic blessed her and Imelda.

Imelda grew up to be a pious young girl who loved to hide away in her garden to pray. She would stop when her family servant would find her, and tell her to come inside the house. Imelda told her maid servant that she prayed every day for a family friend who was blind. On her fifth birthday she told her parents her great desire to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion. Her parents then explained to her that she could not receive Holy Communion because she was still too young. Disappointed, Imelda decided to wait patiently, but also eagerly. During the years, she began to have a great interest for Bologna's (where she grew up) saints like Bl. Diana, but also saints like St. Agnes and St. Tarcisius. As time past, her desire to receive Holy Communion grew.

About four years later, she entered the convent at Val-di-Pietra, and stayed there, still eagerly waiting and praying to receive her first Holy Communion soon. It didn't take very long for the other nuns to discover Imelda's great desire to receive Our Lord. Most of them admired and were impressed by this. became Finally one day when the 11 year old girl was quietly praying alone in the Blessed Sacrament after Mass had been celebrated, a Sacred Host floated down to her from the front. Meanwhile, somewhere in the monastery the other nuns noticed that Imelda was missing, but they also notice some strange, but sweet fragrance around as if there were flowers everywhere, but nowhere to be seen. As they made their way back to the chapel, they found Imelda kneeling down, and facing up towards a Sacred Host float just above her. The chaplain then came, and knowing of Imelda's long and strong desire to receive Our Lord, he took the Host, placed it on a golden paten, and gave the little novice her First Holy Communion.
Later, her family friend who had been blind had regained his sight.

As everyone left the room, Imelda fell into deep prayer. She didn't move from that spot, and soon the other nuns began to worry about her. Imelda's face had become pale, and then the Prioress took her by the shoulders. At once, the little girl fell limp in her arms, and it suddenly came to them that Imelda had died a few minutes after making her first Holy Communion.

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you received into heaven Blessed Imelda who loved you in the Eucharistic banquet. By her prayers may we learn to approach your holy table with that same fervent love and so fulfill our longing to be with you, who live and reign with the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. - General Calendar of the Order of Preachers

pic and prayer from here, and info from the book, Patron Saint of First Communicants The Story of Blessed Imelda Lambertini, by Mary Fabyan Windeatt

Blesseds Jacinta & Francisco Marto

The two young visionaries saw Our Lady at Fatima. Although they both were told by Our Lady that they would go to Heaven at a young age, they spent whatever time they could to obey her gentle commands. Jacinta was very eager to suffer for sinners; she once tied a rope around her waist, never taking it off even when the pain made her cry. The three of them, including Lucia, gave away their lunches to the poor children when they tended the sheep.

Sorry this one is really short, but I'm running out of time on the computer. :-)

But before I end this post, I'd like to share a prayer that Our Lady taught the children of Fatima to say when offering a sacrifice:

O Jesus, it is for the love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, the Holy Father, and in reparation for the wrongs done to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The young visionaries often repeated this prayer and said that they always felt better about making the sacrifice after reciting this prayer. I don't know why, but it's really true, and it has especially helped me during this season of Lent. :-)