“They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him” John 20:2

In honor of the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene, here are some quick facts about her life:

• According to the Gospel of Luke, she was a notorious sinner, and had seven devils removed from her.
• She was present at the crucifixion.
• With Joanna and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, at Jesus’ empty tomb.
• She was put in a boat by the Jews without sails or oars – along with Sts. Lazarus and Martha, St. Maximin (who baptized her), St. Sidonius (“the man born blind”), her maid Sera, and the body of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin.
• After landing in France, she lived as a contemplative in a cave known as Sainte-Baume where the angels provided her with the Eucharist daily.
• She is the patron saint of penitents.

Here is a prayer to St. Mary Magdalene.

Saint Mary Magdalene,
woman of many sins, who by conversion
became the beloved of Jesus,
thank you for your witness
that Jesus forgives
through the miracle of love.

You, who already possess eternal happiness
in His glorious presence,
please intercede for me, so that some day
I may share in the same everlasting joy.

Amen.

Happy feast day!

 

“Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.”

In celebration of the feast day of St. Benedict, here is a look at his life.

In the fifth century, the young Benedict was sent to Rome to finish his education. The subject that dominated a young man’s study then was rhetoric. The power of the voice without foundation in the heart was the goal of the student’s education. And that philosophy was reflected in the lives of the students as well. They had everything, and they spent all of it in the pursuit of pleasure not truth. Benedict watched in horror as vice unraveled their lives.

 

“Upon this rock I will build my church…”

In honor of the feast day of St. Peter and St. Paul, here is a quick biography on St. Peter.

Peter was a native of Bethsaida, near Lake Tiberias, the son of John, and worked, like his brother St. Andrew, as a fisherman on Lake Genesareth. Andrew introduced Peter to Jesus, and Christ called Peter to become adisciple. In Luke is recounted the story that Peter caught so large an amount of fish that he fell down before the feet of Jesus and was told by the Lord, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men”.

 

Get on the Bus Program

Most take people take for granted spending Mother’s Day or Father’s Day with their parents. However, for one in every 11 children in California, they do not get to spend these days with one of their parents because they are incarcerated. These kids do not have an opportunity nor the means to travel sometimes up to 100 miles to visit their parents.

However, Sister Susan Jabro, member of the Sisters of St. Joseph developed along side the  Archdiocese of Los Angeles a program to bus children to state and local prisons for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. These children are provided with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They also receive a teddy bear with a letter from their parent as well as a photograph taken during their visit. Although this program now an independent organization, it has partnerships with several universities and faiths.

The Get on the Bus program allowed 1,106 in 2009 to visit their parents. The program has also dramatically decreased the chances of these children being imprisoned.

For more information, check out this article.