Stories of the Saints and Holy men and women

The English Martyrs

During the so-called "Reformation," when English King Henry VIII established the Church of England as independent of the Catholic Church and himself head of the English church (1534), those who refused to renounce allegiance to the Pope were persecuted or executed. When Elizabeth took control of the Crown from her half-sister, the Catholic Mary (who had reversed some of the "reforms"), the persecutions amplified, especially after the Pope excommunicated Elizabeth in 1570.

The English Reformation was driven by greed and power politics at the top of English society. The common people were predominantly faithful Catholics who opposed the changes. Several uprising of tens of thousands of common people were violently put down by government forces and those considered leaders of them were executed (see Catholic Martyrs of the Reformation). Catholic worship was driven undergound, managed by heroic priests and lay people.

Saint Nicholas Owen, builder of "Priest holes"

>> to do

The Desert Fathers and Mothers

Insults in praise of God

As their fame grew, a Greek philosopher came to the desert to learn from the Desert Fathers. He encountered a monk who insulted him, then demanded payment for it. After three years of this treatment (!), the philosopher, fed up with it, returned to Athens. Upon arrival, he encountered a street bum who was insulting people. The philosopher approached the man and was insulted thoroughly. To the man's surprise, rather than reacting in anger, the philosopher laughed at him. "What are you laughing at," the man demanded. "For three years I paid for insults," replied the philosopher, "and you just gave away one for free!"

The bum stood, bowed, and declared to the philosopher, "Behold, the keys to the city are yours!"  

Sell what you have

A monk was given a manuscript of the Gospels. He read it, and when he got to the words, "Sell what you have and give to the poor," he stopped reading, sold the book. and gave the money to the poor.

Our Father...

Whenever a certain Desert Mother commenced the Our Father prayer, she would become so overwhelmed by the beauty and meaning of God as "our Father" that she would weep and contemplate those two words for days, unable to complete the prayer.

Brigands, robbers, and other scoundrels confronted by Saints

Saint John Cantius & the repenting brigands

When brigands assaulted the Polish Saint John Cantius (Jan Kanty, 1390-1473) and took his possessions, they asked him if he had anything more. He replied he did not, and they let him go on his way. Shortly after, he realized that he did have more, coins sewn into his cloak. He ran after the brigands and told them he had not spoken in error and offered the coins to them. Astonished, they refused the coins and gave back what they had taken from him before.

This occurred on one of St. Cantius' four pilgrimages to Rome by foot -- from Poland, carrying his own bags. He also went to Jerusalem after having contemplated the Passion for nights without sleep.

Sources:

• Canons Regular of St. John Cantius | Illinois (canons-regular.org)

Saint Gabriel Possenti & the expert shot

Saint Gabriel Possenti (1838-1862) was an ambitious, gregarious, charming young man who was an expert swordsman. Falling severely ill, he promised Our Lady that he would become a priest if she would cure him. She did, and he shocked his family and friends by entering the Seminary. That didn't last long, and he went back to his ways. He was injured by a stray bullet during a hunt and made the same promise again-- and forgot about it. He fell ill again and upon recovery kept his promise, finally. Another story has it that he as he watched a procession carrying a large banner and picture of "Our Lady, Help of Christians," Mary's eyes stared at him and he heard her say, "Keep your promise." He repented and joined the Passionists order. He died of tuberculosis at age of 23 and was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.

During the Italian Revolution a band of "Red Shirts," attacked a village and threatened a young girl. Saint Gabriel grabbed a revolver from one of the attackers, and threatened to shoot anyone who would touch her. A brigand sneered, "You have six bullets, and there are 300 of us!" Saint Gabriel turned and shot dead a small lizard that scampered across the road. "Now I have five bullets," he retorted. They turned away.

Sources:

• Patron Saint of Handguns? St. Gabriel Possenti — Catholic Faith On the Move

Saints and Brigands: is there an intervention by Saints Cosmas & Damion?

Intervention of Saints Cosmas & Damian upon the fearsome brigand, Scannacornacchia

The southeastern Italian city of Alberobello celebrates the Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian on September 27 with games, dances, and feasts. In 1781 a roving band of brigands led by the fearsome and loathsome Nicola Spinosa, who was known as "Scannacornacchia" ("slayer of crows"), broke into one large gathering and commenced to dance. Eyeing a frightened, young lady, they approached her with ill intent. Alarmed, her mother jumped between them, genuflecting and weeping, and prayed to Saints Cosmas and Damian to protect her daughter. The Saints intervened and Scannacornacchia spared the girl.

The following year, the first of two statues of the Saints commissioned by one Joseph Dominic Rinaldi, that of Saint Cosmas, arrived to the town. Immediately a long drought ended.

Sources:

• The feast of Saints Cosma and Damiano at the time of the brigands (alberobello.com)
  • the mother's prayer to the Saints is not recorded on that site, but it's part of local legend (no links) and also makes sense,
  • Here for some history of the region and of Scannacornacchia
• The feast of the patron Saints Cosmas & Damian of Alberobello
• see also Murgia dei Trulli | World Monuments Fund (wmf.org) for the conical dwellings used in the region starting around 500 AD. (also:Trullo - Wikipedia)

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however, this page (same website) notes that the next year 1782, a statue of Saint Cosmas was commissioned: https://www.alberobello.com/en/culture-and-traditions/saints-cosmas-damian-alberobello which ended a long drought