Feast of St. Nicholas of Tolentine

Saint Nicholas of Tolentine
Patron Saint of the Dead
Feast Day - September 10th

Nicholas Gurrutti was born in the village of Sant'Angelo in Pontano, Italy in 1245. His parents, middle-aged and childless, made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Nicholas of Bari, their special patron, to ask his intercession on their behalf. Shortly thereafter, a son was born to them whom they named Nicholas out of gratitude.

At an early age Nicholas was greatly moved by the preaching of the Augustinian, Father Reginaldo di Monterubbiano, prior of the monastery of Sant'Angelo, and requested admission to the community. He was accepted by the friars and made his novitiate in 1261. Nicholas directed his efforts to being a good religious and priest, and soon became renowned for his charity toward his confreres and all God's people.

His religious formation was greatly influenced by the spirituality of the hermits of Brettino, one of the congregations which came to form part of the "Grand Union" of Augustinians in 1256, whose communities were located in the region of the Marche where Nicholas was born and raised.

Characteristic of these early hermits of Brettino was a great emphasis on poverty, rigorous practices of fasting and abstinence and long periods of the day devoted to communal and private prayer. As Nicholas entered the Order at its inception he learned to combine the ascetical practices of the Brettini with the apostolic thrust which the Church now invited the Augustinians to practice. At times, Nicholas devoted himself to prayer and works of penance with such intensity that it was necessary for his superiors to impose limitations on him. At one point he was so weakened though fasting that he was encouraged in a vision of Mary and the child Jesus to eat a piece of bread signed with the cross and soaked in water to regain his strength.

Thereafter he followed this practice in ministering to the sick himself.

In his honor the custom of blessing and distributing the "Bread of Saint Nicholas" in continued by the Augustinians in many places today.

Nicholas was ordained to the priesthood in 1271. He lived in several different monasteries of the Augustinian Order, engaged principally in the ministry of preaching. In 1275 he was sent to Tolentino and remained there for the rest of his life. Nicholas worked to counteract the decline of morality and religion which came with the development of city life in the late thirteenth century.

He ministered to the sick and the poor, and actively sought out those who had become estranged from the Church. A fellow religious describes Nicholas' ministry in these words: "He was a joy to those who were sad, a consolation to the suffering, peace to those at variance, refreshment to those who toiled, support for the poor, and a healing balm for prisoners." Nicholas' reputation as a saintly man and a worker of miracles led many people to the monastery of Tolentino.

When in 1884 Nicholas was proclaimed "Patron Saint of the Souls in Purgatory" by Pope Leo XIII, confirmation was given to a long-standing aspect of devotion toward this friar which is traced to an event in his own life.

On a certain Saturday night as he lay in bed, Nicholas heard Fra Pellegrino of Osimo, a deceased friar who Nicholas had known. Fra Pellegrino revealed that he was in purgatory and he begged Nicholas to offer Mass for him and for the other suffering souls so that they might be set free. For the next seven days, Nicholas did so and was rewarded with a second vision in which the deceased confrere expressed his gratitude and assurance that a great number of people were now enjoying the presence of God through Nicholas' prayers. As this event became known, many people approached Nicholas, asking his intercession on behalf of their own deceased relatives and friends.

Nicholas died in Tolentino on September 10th, 1305. He was declared a saint in 1446 - the first member of the Augustinian Order to be canonized. Saint Nicholas' body is venerated in the basilica in Tolentino which bears his name. His feast is celebrated by the Augustinian family on this day each September.
 

The readings for the Augustinian Feast are Sirach 2: 1-9;
2 Corinthians 9: 6-11 and Luke 10: 1-11.

Prayer to Saint Nicholas

O God, source of strength and courage,
you gave your beloved preacher, Saint Nicholas of Tolentino,
the conviction of faith to the very end.

Grace us with the ability to translate your teaching into action,
remain patient amid hardship,
serve the poor and those who suffer,
and live as your true and faithful servants.

Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, pray for us.
Amen.

Prayer for the Deceased

Lord, God of holiness and light.
you do not allow any shadow of darkness or evil in your sight,
and so in your mercy you grant
to those who have left this world burdened with sin,
a time of purification,
applying to them the spiritual treasurers of your holy Church.

Hear my prayer and through the merits of Christ,
the Blessed Virgin, the saints,and all your faithful people
bring to an end this time of waiting
for our beloved dead, especially _____.

In your providence you have chosen Saint Nicholas
as a special intercessor on behalf of the departed.
Hear also his fervent prayer for those
whom I recommend to you through his intercession.

Amen.

Courtesy of Augustinian Press.

Anniversary of Joseph C. Bartley, OSA

Joseph C. Bartley was born in Lawrence, MA in 1893. He entered Saint Rita’s Hall, the House of Postulants, at Villanova, PA in 1909, and was received into the novitiate in 1912. After completing his collegiate and theological studies at Villanova, he was ordained to the priesthood in Saint Charles’ Seminary in Overbrook, PA in 1919.

After ordination, Father Bartley and two other priests were sent to the first House of the Augustinians at Catholic University in Washington, DC, for graduate studies. He received his Ph.D. in economics in 1922, and for the next 40 years was associated with Villanova College. In 1928, when the School of Commerce and Finance was established, he became its first Dean. He held this post until his death. In addition, he was for many years Dean of the summer school and the extension and evening schools. He also served as Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Bartley Hall, home to Villanova's School of Business, is named in his honor.

The School awards the Rev. Joseph C. Bartley, OSA Alumni Medallion annually to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers, demonstrated service to their communities, and provided extraordinary service to the Villanova School of Business.. The award recipient embodies the Augustinian values of caritas, veritas, and unitas. The Rev. Joseph C. Bartley, OSA Alumni Medallion is the highest distinction the school can award to an alumnus/a.

Father Bartley died at the age of 69 on September 7, 1962. He is buried at Villanova in the Community Cemetery.

The Feast of Saint Augustine

St. Augustine of Hippo
Feast Day - August 28

Prayer of St. Augustine
Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know You,
And desire nothing save only You.
Let me hate myself and love You.
Let me do everything for the sake of You.
Let me humble myself and exalt You.
Let me think of nothing except You.
Let me die to myself and live in You.
Let me accept whatever happens as from You.
Let me banish self and follow You,And ever desire to follow You.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in You,
That I may deserve to be defended by You.
Let me fear for myself, let me fear You,
And let me be among those who are chosen by You.
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in You.
Let me be willing to obey for the sake of You.
Let me cling to nothing save only to You,
And let me be poor because of You.
Look upon me, that I may love You.
Call me that I may see You,
And for ever enjoy You.

Amen.

Prayer to St. Augustine
by Pope John Paul II

In celebration of the 1,650th anniversary of the birth of the bishop,
philosopher, theologian and one of the most influential
Fathers of the Church of the West.
 

"Great Augustine, our father and teacher, knowledgeable in the luminous ways of God and also in the tortuous paths of men; we admire the wonders that divine grace wrought in you, making you a passionate witness of truth and goodness, at the service of brothers.

At the beginning of the new millennium marked by the cross of Christ, teach us to read history in the light of Divine Providence, which guides events toward the definitive encounter with the Father.

Direct us toward peaceful ends, nourishing in our hearts your own longing for those values on which it is possible to build, with the strength that comes from God, the 'city' made to the measure of man.

May the profound doctrine, that with loving and patient study you drew from the ever living sources of Scripture, enlighten all those tempted today by alienating illusions.Give them the courage to undertake the path toward that 'interior man' where the One awaits who alone can give peace to our restless hearts.

Many of our contemporaries seem to have lost the hope of being able to reach -- amid the numerous opposing ideologies -- the truth, of which their innermost being still keeps a burning nostalgia.Teach them to never cease in their search, in the certainty that, in the end, their effort will be rewarded by the satisfying encounter with the supreme Truth who is source of all created truth.

Finally, St. Augustine, transmit to us also a spark of that ardent love for the Church, the Catholic Mother of the Saints, which sustained and animated the toils of your long ministry."Have us, walking together under the guidance of legitimate Pastors, reach the glory of the heavenly Homeland, where, with all the Saints, we will be able to join the new canticle of the everlasting alleluia. Amen.

November 2004

To learn more about St. Augustine, click here.

The Feast of St. Monica

St. Monica
Mother of St. Augustine
Feast Day - August 27

Saint Monica was born at Tagaste, located in modern-day Algeria. Her parents brought her up as Christian and married her to an older, pagan man named Patricius. He was a man with a great deal of energy, but also a man given to violent tempers and adultery.

St. Monica attended church daily and cultivated the virtue of patience. She would say to other women who had bad marriages, "If you can master your tongue, not only do you run less risk of your husband’s wrath, but perhaps you may even, one day, make your husband better." She won the favor of her mother-in-law in a short time. Eventually, she converted Patricius to Christianity and calmed his violent nature.

St. Monica bore three children, among them Saint Augustine. Augustine made her very happy with his successes as a scholar and teacher, but he also made her very ashamed with his debauchery. For ten years, Augustine lived with his mistress and subscribed to Manichaeism, which proposes that there is no omnipotent good power and denies the infinite perfection of God in an effort to explain the problem of evil in the world. St Monica sent Augustine to a bishop to be convinced of his errors. The bishop, however, was unable to prevail, and he advised St. Monica simply to continue to pray for her son. He told her, "It is impossible that the son of so many tears should perish."

When her spouse Patricius died, St. Monica joined Augustine in Italy. There, some time later, she had the pleasure of seeing her son, at the age of 33, converted, and baptized by Saint Ambrose. Not long after, as she was preparing to return to Africa, she died at the age of 56 at the port of Ostia.

Prayers to Saint Monica
Patron of Mothers

Blessed Monica, mother of St. Augustine, we give thanks to our Father in heaven Who looked with mercy upon your tears over your wayward son. With your prayers you helped achieve his conversion and heroic sanctification.

Dear St. Monica, we now ask you to pray with us for all those sons and daughters that have wandered away from God. Add your prayers to those of all mothers who are worried over their children or who find themselves in unloving relationships. Pray also for us that, following your example, we may, be better parents to our children. Help us to have patience with them and give us the strength to guide them gently to the right path. Let us become beacons of goodness for them as they grow to adulthood and to be good examples to them in all that we say and do. Amen.

Source: The Saint Monica Sodality of Michigan

St. Monica Led Son to God, Says Pope

During a reflection on St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, Benedict XVI praised Christian parents and the role they play in helping their children in discovering God's will for them in their lives.

The Pope said this today to the crowds gathered at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo to pray the midday Angelus. He noted that on Thursday the Church observed the feast day St. Monica, the model and patroness of Christian mothers.

Young Augustine learned of Christ from his mother, "whose principles would remain with him even in the years when he had hit bottom spiritually and morally."

"Monica never ceased to pray for him and for his conversion, and had the consolation of seeing him return to the faith and receive baptism," the Pontiff continued. "God heard the prayers of this saintly mother, to whom the Bishop of Tagaste had said: 'It is impossible that the son of so many tears will be lost.'"

Benedict XVI noted that Augustine not only converted, but that he "decided to embrace the monastic life and, returning to Africa, found a community of monks."Augustine, who often said his mother "gave birth to him twice," found Christ through his mother, the Pope affirmed.

Families

"The history of Christianity is spangled with the countless examples of saints and authentic Christian families, who accompanied the life of generous priests and pastors of the Church," the Holy Father continued. "One thinks of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, both from families of saints.

"We think -- much closer to us -- of Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini, a married couple, who lived between the end of the 19th century and the middle of the 20th, and who were beatified by my venerable predecessor John Paul II in October of 2001, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio."

Benedict XVI explained: "When the husband and wife generously dedicate themselves to the education of their children, guiding and orienting them in the discovery of God's design of life, they are preparing that fertile spiritual soil from which vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life grow and mature."

The Pope then drew a connection between matrimony and virginity, noting that they are "intimately connected and mutually illuminate each other" because of their "common rootedness in Christ's spousal love."

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - August 30, 2009