January 23--St. Vincent of Saragossa, Deacon and Martyr

St. Vincent of Saragossa by Tomás Giner licensed under public domain. 

As St. Stephen, a deacon, was the first martyr of the Church, so St. Vincent of Saragossa, also a deacon, was the first martyr of Spain. St. Vincent was commissioned by his bishop, St. Valerius, to preach throughout his diocese because he had a speech impediment. When the Roman Emperor Diocletian began his empire-wide persecution in the late third century both St. Vincent and St. Valerius were brought before the governor. St. Vincent was promised freedom if he would throw the Bible into a fire. He refused. “Speaking on behalf of his bishop, he informed the judge that they were ready to suffer everything for their faith, and that they could pay no heed either to threats or promises.” Thus, St. Vincent was tortured and cast into prison and died. St. Valerius was exiled. St. Vincent fulfilled his vocation as a Christian in dying for Christ and as a deacon in assisting and preaching on behalf of his bishop.

Vatican II restored the permanent diaconate and Pope St. Paul VI implemented the restoration in 1967. As of 2022 there were about 13,500 active permanent deacons in the United States. Deacons assist the bishop or priest at the altar and bring communion to the sick and shut-ins. They may preach the Gospel and give a homily. They are ordinary ministers of Baptism and can assist at and bless marriages, officiate at funeral and burial services. Many deacons are involved in pastoral care for parishes or work in parish ministerial and non-ministerial positions. However, 95% of active deacons are at least 50 years old, and their numbers are declining. “Permanent deacons are essential to the Church’s ministry of love and service, especially to the poor and vulnerable,” said Bishop Boyea of Lansing. Please pray for vocations. St. Vincent, pray for us.

August 26--St. Teresa Jornet Y Ibars, Virgin, Religious, and Foundress

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"You have returned to the anguished faces of people venerable for their old age, the serenity and the joy of experiencing again the benefits of a home. You have been chosen by God to reinforce to the world the sacred dimension of life, … [that] man … is enthusiastically sacred because he is the Son of God and always deserves all the vigilance because he is predestined to an eternal destiny" (Paul VI, 1/27/1974).

These words from Pope St. Paul VI proclaim the holiness of today’s saint, St. Teresa of Jesus Jornet, as well as the mission she embarked upon. St. Teresa was born in 1843 in Spain and co-founded a religious order in 1873 that was completely dedicated to helping the elderly poor, the Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly. Her order spread throughout Spain to include more than one hundred houses by the time she died in 1897. She spent the rest of her life tending their needs. Today over 200 houses exist in Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Although St. Teresa’s Little Sisters are not the same as the Little Sisters of the Poor being persecuted in the United States, there are similarities. Both were founded by women in Europe in the 19th century, one in France, the other in Spain, to serve the elderly poor. Both have spread out throughout the world with over 2,000 sisters. The Spanish government was anti-clerical and kept St. Teresa from becoming a religious in 1868. However, it did not succeed in stopping her. The American government had demanded that the Little Sisters of the Poor provide health insurance to their employees that included contraceptives and abortion coverage. As of this writing, the American government has not succeeded. We pray for those who give their lives to Jesus in our elderly poor.

*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TereJornet.jpg