LIVES OF THE SAINTS

Santo Expedito (Saint Expedictus)

Saint Expedictus was Armenian and head of the 12th Roman Legion called "Fulminant".

One day appeared to him the spirit of evil in the form of crow and said: "cras! cras! cras!" Latin word that meaning: tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow! A way of saying: leave tomorrow your conversion! But Expedictus stepped the crow shouting HODIE! Which meaning: TODAY! Don’t delay!

He was martyred on 19th April 303.

Santa Rita de Cassia (St. Rita of Cascia)

St. Rita was born in Roccaporena in Italy. She wanted to be religious, but her parents chose to marry her with Paolo, a rich man in the city, but violent and full of enemies. With Paolo Rita had two sons, unhappily her husband was murdered to his enemies, and she lost her two children too.

Alone can follow her vocation and entered to church with the help of her patron saints: St. Augustine, St. Nicholas of Tolentino and St John Baptist.

Some years later Jesus presented her with a thorn in his heart. The thorn in her forehead created a wound that was open for 15 years. Jesus gave her that present when she meditated on his passion and death, asking him to share with her his suffering on the cross.

In her rosary (crown of St. Rita) we pray 3 "Hail Mary" prayed in honor of her three daily disciplines; 4 “Hail Mary” in honor of four years who she was miraculously sustained just feeding herself of the Eucharist; and 15 “Hail Mary” in honor of the15 years suffered by wound caused by the thorn.

SAINT CLAUDE LA COLOMBIERE

"Father La Colombière's talent is to lead people to God,"

(St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

SAINT CLAUDE LA COLOMBIERE (16341-1682), son of the notary Bertrand La Colombiere and Margaret Coindat, was born on 2nd February 1641, France. After the family moved to Vienna Claude began his early education there, completing his studies in rhetoric and philosophy in Lyon become a good student and great teacher.

Claude had no other desire than to direct people to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The friendship of Claude and Margaret Mary Alacoque led to the foundation of more than 280 religious orders, for male and female people, consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In the end of Claude’s life, when he was only 40th years old, Margaret Mary writes to him saying: “He (Jesus) told me that He wishes the sacrifice of your life here at Paray”. Than Claude returned to Paray le Monial and died on 15th February, 1682 into the Glory of God.