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St. Lucy - December 13

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Www.lifehistoriesofthesaint A virgin and martyr of Syracuse in Sicily, whose feast is celebrated on December 13th.  According to the tradition, Saint Lucy was born of rich and noble parents in the year 283.  Her father was of Roman origin, but his early death left her dependent upon her mother, whose name, Eutychia, seems to indicate that she was of Greek heritage. Like so many of the early martyrs, Lucy had consecrated her virginity to God, and she hoped to devote all her worldly goods to the service of the poor.  Her mother, Eutychia, arranged a marriage for her, but for three years she managed to postpone the marriage. Lucy prayed at the tomb of Saint Agatha, to change her mother’s mind about her faith.  As a result, her mother's long haemorrhagic illness was cured and she agreed with Lucy's desire to live for God. Saint Lucy’s rejected bridegroom, Paschasius, denounced Lucy as a Christian. The governor planned to force her into prostitution, but when guards went to fetch he

Saint Agericus of Verdun

Www.lifehistoriesofthesaint Saint Agericus of Verdun Biography Saint Agericus of Verdun was born to a poor farmer. He then became a parish priest at ST. Peter and Paul church in Verdun, France. Later, he served as a Bishop of Verdun in 554 AD. Agericus also served as the advisor to King Childebert II and was noted for his generosity to the poor. When a neighbourhood rebel pioneer named Bertifroi looked for asylum in the sanctuary of minister Agericus in Verdun. In spite of the fact that an individual from the illustrious court himself, Agericus protected the agitator’s entitlement to asylum in a place of God. The lord’s men, in any case, disregarded the custom and the minister, broke into the house of prayer, and slaughtered Bertefroi.

St. Clement's

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Www.lifehistoriesofthesain St. Clement's  Saint Clement's Day  was traditionally, and in some places still is, celebrated on the 23 November, a welcome festival between  Halloween  and  Christmas .  Pope Clement I  is the  patron saint  of metalworkers and  blacksmiths , and so these workers traditionally enjoyed a holiday on his  feast day . Many legends surround  Saint Clement , some suggest he was the first man to refine iron from ore, and to shoe a horse. Clementine customs may be survivals of earlier pagan rituals, a confusion of Saint Clement with the early  Saxon  Wayland, or  Wayland the smith , a mythical metalworker. He shares this feast day, which marks the beginning of winter, with the saint.

St. Cecilia.

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Www.lifehistoriesofthesaint St. Cecilia , Cecilia also spelled  Cecily , (flourished 3rd century,  Rome  [Italy]; feast day November 22), one of the most famous virgin  martyrs  of the early church and historically one of the most discussed. She is a  patron saint  of music and of musicians.  According to a late 5th-century  legend , she was a noble Roman who, as a child, had vowed her virginity to God. When she was married against her will to the future saint Valerian, then a pagan, she told him that an  angel  of God wished her to remain a virgin. He promised to respect this wish if he were allowed to see the angel. She replied that he would if he were  baptized . On his return from baptism he found Cecilia talking to the angel. She then converted his brother Tiburtius, who also saw the angel. Both men were  martyred  before she was. She distributed her possessions to the poor, which enraged the prefect Almachius, who ordered her to be burned. When the flames did not harm her, she wa

Mechtilde of Hackeborn.

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Www.lifehistoriesofthesaint Mechtilde of Hackeborn  (1240/1241 – 19 November 1298) was a  Saxon   Christian   saint (from what is now  Germany ) and a  Benedictine   nun . She was famous for her musical talents, gifted with a beautiful voice. At the age of 50, Mechtilde went through a grave spiritual crisis, as well as physical suffering. In the modern Benedictine calendar, her feast is celebrated on the anniversary of her death, November 19. She died in the convent of Helfta, near  Eisleben . Saint Mechtilde Mechtilde of Hackeborn Born c.1241 Helfta Died 19 November 1298 Helfta Venerated in Catholic Church Anglican Communion Feast 19 November Attributes Scales and a sword, heart, book and dove Patronage Against blindness  Born  Matilda von Hackeborn-Wippra , in 1240 or 1241, she belonged to one of the noblest and most powerful  Thuringian  families; her sister was the illustrious  Abbess   Gertrude of Hackeborn . The family of Hackeborn belonged to a dynasty of Barons in Thuringia who

St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

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Www.lifehistoriesofthesaint St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Duchesne was born into a wealthy family with high political and financial connections. In 1780 she went to study at a  convent  and, despite her father’s opposition, entered the  Visitation Order  in  Grenoble  in 1788. When the  community  was dispersed by the  French Revolution  (1792), she did charitable works for nine years. After vainly trying to reestablish the Visitandines in their convent of Sainte-Marie-d’en-Haut, she turned the convent over to the newly founded Society of the Sacred Heart in 1804 and was received by its founder,  St. Madeleine Sophie Barat .  For 14 years Mother Duchesne prepared for a missionary career, during which time she founded the first Sacred Heart convent in  Paris (1815). In 1818 she headed a band of five nuns, the first to pioneer U.S. territory west of the Mississippi. At  St. Charles , in the soon-to-be state of  Missouri , the women opened a  free school  and a boarding academy, moving in

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

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Www.lifehistoriesofthesaint St. Elizabeth of Hungary Elizabeth of Hungary, also known as St. Elizabeth of Thuringia, was born in Hungary on July 7, 1207 to the Hungarian King Andrew II and Gertrude of Merania. As soon as her life began, she had responsibilities from being a royal pressed upon her. While Elizabeth was very young, her father arranged for her to be married to Ludwig IV of Thuringia, a German nobleman. Because of this plan, Elizabeth was sent away at the age of four for education at the court of the Landgrave of Thuringia. Elizabeth's mother, Gertrude, was murdered in 1213, when Elizabeth was just six-years-old. According to history, the murder was carried out by Hungarian noblemen due to the conflict between Germans and the Hungarian nobles. From this point on, Elizabeth's perspective on life and death dramatically changed and she sought peace with prayer. Happiness was returned to her young life in 1221 when she was formally married to Ludwig, whom she deeply lov