2015 Saint of the Year Devotion!!!

[Susan]

Matthew just announced the opening of the 2015 Saint of the Year.

If you are interested in having a"saint pick you" for devotion for 2015 please

go here:

2015 Saint of the Year

He just opened it up this morning....so spread the news!

If you are unsure what this devotion is about, his site explains it pretty well.

My explanation from last year:

I've done this for several years.  One requests a saint, and the website owner randomly picks a saint for each and everyone who requests one.  You can request one for yourself or one saint for each of the members of your family.  Sometime around  the 1st of January it starts, and I think the drawing continues until mid January.  As it goes, the saint "picks" you.  This saint can be researched by the requestor, prayed to, etc., for the year.  It is a way to get to know the many saints of our Church, especially those who aren't as well known.   The site owner likes to know how it went during the year and if any one had prayers answered (and the like) in regards to their saint.  There has been some interesting stories over the years. It is an interesting endeavor and those who participate look forward to receiving the name of their saint who "picked" them.   It is no different than a mom or dad of a family, putting names of saints in a hat for their children to pick and study/pray to for the coming year.   Once you receive the name of your saint, it is up to you on how much you want to find out about him/her, etc. 

[Cathleen]

I did this devotion this past year.  St. Ephraim the Syrian, Doctor of the Church, picked me!  I learned so much studying his life and example.  Humiliations of various sorts cropped up aplenty this past year.  St. Ephraim taught me to embrace the Cross behind each one.  He also helped me in my prayer life.  Having made his acquaintance and friendship, I will continue to invoke his help but I am also curious about who might pick me this year.

[35nd93pnh50uu]

I've signed up again. I had St Paul this year. It's interesting because I also discovered Blessed Pier Giorgio who was remarkably devoted to St Paul and even wrote out his Hymn to Charity and carried it about with him.

[Gloria]

Thank you for posting this Susan. I am so excited for I do have my name down for a Saints name for 2015 because of you posting this for all of us.

[35nd93pnh50uu]

The saints for the year have just been posted. I have St Colman. 

An interesting point about my saint for last year St Paul. I received a book for a Christmas present and with it came an old pamphlet entitled The Manliness of St Paul. How about that? :-) 

[Gloria]

Blessed Bezela of Goda has picked me for the year.  Now where do I go to find information on this Blessed person.  So far I am finding very, very little.

From Saints for the Year, this was stated, ------with so many of my readers getting special Saints for the Year, I wanted to post a prayer that anyone of you can say.

ETERNAL Father, I wish to honor St. (Name), and I give You thanks for all the graces You have bestowed upon him (her). I ask You to please increase grace in my soul through the merits of this saint, and I commit the end of my life to him (her) by this special prayer, so that by virtue of Your goodness and promise, St. (Name) might be my advocate and provide whatever is needed at that hour. Amen.

PROMISE: "When you wish to honor any particular saint and give Me thanks for all the graces I have bestowed on that saint, I increase grace in your soul through the merits of that saint. When you commit the end of your life to any of the saints by special prayers, I appoint those saints to be your advocates and to provide whatever you need at that hour."-Our Lord to St. Gertrude

From the book: Prayers and Heavenly Promises, Compiled from Approved Sources, by Joan Carroll Cruz.

[35nd93pnh50uu]

St. Colman of Lindisfarne,
Bishop of Lindisfarne
(Died AD 675)

Colman was an Irishman who entered the monastery of Iona. Upon the death of St. Finan in AD 661, he succeeded him as Abbot and Bishop of Lindisfarne. It was during Colman's episcopacy that the controversy concerning the correct way of computing the date of Easter came to a head. Colman led the party which favoured the Celtic method, brought from Ireland, which was practiced throughout Northumbria at that time. However, the Roman party, led by St. Wilfred, was very vocal and eventually persuaded King Oswiu to to call a great synod to discuss the matter at the Royal Deiran monastery at Whitby (AD 664). Colman spoke eloquently and, though neither side could really prove the priority of their claims, the King decided to fall in line with the Roman practices of the rest of Western Europe, including his wife. Bishop Colman resigned in protest and returned to Iona, taking with him all the Irish and about thirty of the English monks at Lindisfarne, as well as many of the relics of St. Aidan.

From Scotland, these monks emigrated to Ireland, in AD 667. Colman settled on the Isle of Inish-Bofin (Co. Galway) where he founded a monastery. Trouble continued to follow the abbot, however, for the Irish monks were in the habit of leaving the monastery during the Summer at the very time when they were needed to gather in the harvest. Upon their return in the Winter, they would expect an equal share to the English monks who had done all the work. The situation caused much discord which Colman for forced to resolve by settling the English monks at Mayo instead. St. Colman is usually said to have died on 18th February AD 675.

[Susan]

Mine is St. Alena....

from Wikipedia...

The traditional account of Saint Alena's life, dating to the twelfth century,^[4] states that she was born in Dilbeek, just outside Brussels, Belgium, to pagan parents, the nobleman Levold and his wife, Hildegaart.^[5][6] Alena chose to be baptized without the knowledge of her parents. As a Christian, she had to attend Mass secretly.^[3]

When her father discovered that she was worshipping as a Christian, he came to the conclusion that Christians had bewitched her into conversion. He sent guards to bring her home; she resisted, and during the fighting she lost one arm.^[1] She subsequently died in prison due to her injuries.^[5]

Various (unspecified) miracles were claimed at the burial site of Alena's body, and one of Levold's subjects, Duke Omundus, had his sight restored by invoking Alena's prayers.^[6]

An angel appeared and took the severed arm to the chapel where she worshipped. Alena's parents were shocked, but the miracles, and the witness given by her determined faith, led them to examine Christianity, and they themselves were converted.^[1]

She is the patron of eye disorders, toothaches, .....   going to be interesting!

[Susan]

This might some folks find their saint, (but not mine.....   :/     )

The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints

And it appears to follow the traditional calendar-  pre 1866!

[Cathleen]

I have St. Irenaeus of Lyon.  He was a disciple of St. Polycarp and wrote extensively against the Gnostic heresies.  He became bishop of Lyon in France and appears to have been a martyr.  I need to find more info.

[Cathleen]

Gloria, maybe you could e-mail Matthew, who runs this devotion and see if he has any info for you on your Blessed?

[Dawn Marie]

St. Evasius of Asti-