June 30--Venerable Pierre Toussaint, Holy Man

 

Venerable Pierre Toussaint by Franck Louissant

The following is a sketch of Venerable Pierre Toussaint by the Archdiocese of New York Cultural Diversity Apostolate:

“Venerable Pierre Toussaint (1766-1853) was born a slave in Haiti and died a freeman in New York City. He is credited by many with being the father of Catholic Charities in New York. Pierre was instrumental in raising funds for the first Catholic orphanage and began the city’s first school for black children. He also helped to provide funds for the Oblate Sisters of Providence, a religious community of black nuns founded in Baltimore and played a vital role in providing resources to erect Old Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in Lower Manhattan. During a Yellow Fever epidemic when many of the city’s political leaders fled the city in search of healthier rural climates, Pierre Toussaint cared for the sick and the dying. He was a successful entrepreneur, who did not hesitate to share the fruits of his labor with others.

“In recognition of Pierre Toussaint’s virtuous life, the late Cardinal Cooke introduced Pierre’s cause for canonization at the Vatican in 1968. In December 1989, the late Cardinal O’Connor had the remains of Pierre Toussaint transferred from Lower Manhattan to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in midtown Manhattan where he is buried as the only lay person, alongside the former Cardinal-Archbishops of New York City. On December 17, 1997, Pope John Paul II declared Pierre Toussaint, Venerable, thus placing him firmly on the road to becoming North America’s first black saint. Venerable Pierre Toussaint was a man who was proud of his faith, proud of his culture and committed to serving others.”

We need saints to remind us that God is calling us to sainthood in our own time and in our own situation. We pray for Venerable Pierre Toussaint so he may pray for us.

January 30--St. Balthild, Holy Woman

St. Balthild in Chronicle of St. Denis, British Library public domain

Two grave sins that have plagued America are slavery/racism and abortion/infanticide.  But these sins are not unique to America or to our time.  Nonetheless, Christianity has sought to eliminate both these plagues on humanity.  Today's saint is one who dedicated her power to do so!

St. Balthild (or Bathildis) was a slave herself, an Anglo-Saxon from Britain sold to a court official of the the Frankish king, Clovis II, in the seventh century.  Clovis was impressed by her intelligence and skills and married her.  She beame famous for her service to others and her donations.  Two abbeys were founded due to her gifts.  She bore Clovis three sons, all of whom succeeded him as kings.  When Clovis died, she became queen regent and guided the affairs of state.  Here is where her faith became critical in helping her people come closer to God.

According to her biography:  "She ... ordained that yet another evil custom should cease, namely, that many people determined to kill their children rather than nurture them, for they feared to incur the public [taxes] that were heaped upon them by custom...."  Furthermore, "she prohibited the sale of captive Christian folk to outsiders and gave orders through all the lands that no one was to sell captive Christians within the borders of the Frankish realm.  What is more, she ordered that many captives should be ransomed, paying the price herself."

Some might say, "Not enough!"  But the point is she did what she could do!  Do we?  Do we continue to promote life for the unborn?  Do we work to eliminate racism in our society?  These are NOT contradictory efforts!  God has given us dignity by virtue of creating us in his image and likeness.  That dignity belongs to all of us, no matter what our status, location, abilities, or development!  St. Balthild, pray for us!

February 8--St. Josephine Bakhita, Virgin

 

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Slavery has been outlawed in the United States since the 13th amendment was ratified in 1865.  It was abolished in 1888 in Brazil and in 1926 by the League of Nations.  In 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the article:  "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms."

So what does this have to do with today's saint?  She was a slave.  Bakhita, which means "fortunate", was born about 1869 in southern Sudan, kidnapped at the age of seven, and sold several times as a slave.  In 1883 she was sold to the Italian consul in Sudan and two years later "given" to his friend from Italy.  She then became a babysitter to the friend's daughter, joining the Church in 1890, taking the name Josephine.  When the friend wanted to take his daughter and Josephine back to Africa, Josephine refused, and the case went to court.  The Patriarch of Venice and the Canossian sisters intervened and the judge concluded that since slavery was illegal in Italy, Josephine had been free since 1885!  She joined the Canossian Sisters in 1893 and remained with them as a gatekeeper for a compound that included a kindergarten, orphanage, recreational center, and school until her death in 1947.

St. Josephine Bakhita had many owners, but only one Master.  She wrote, "Seeing the sun, the moon, and the stars, I said to myself: who could be the Master of these beautiful things?  And I felt a real desire to see him, to know him and to pay him homage."  God is our master, but one who has set us completely free by saving us from sin through Jesus Christ.  We are blessed beyond all telling!

*https://nunspeak.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/bakhita-01.jpg

September 9--St. Peter Claver, S.J., Missionary

What is the worst situation that you could imagine finding yourself? Terminal illness? Perpetual debt? Permanent separation from your family? Now imagine that situation for every one of the 10,000 Africans that survived out of the 30,000 who were enslaved and placed like sardines on slave ships transported to Cartegena, Columbia each year in the early 17th century. Destitute, shackled, near death or dying; these were the souls to whom St. Peter Claver ministered for over thirty years, baptizing over 300,000. All the while he tended to their spiritual needs, he also brought food and medicine for their physical needs. He was named "worldwide patron of missionary work among black slaves" in 1888 by Pope Leo XIII.

Do we recognize the innate worth and dignity of those on the edges of society? They are children of God as much as you or I. Do we turn away from the person who is begging for money for food or transportation? Ah, but what if the "beggars" only want money for alcohol or drugs? We cannot contribute to what may have made them homeless. Of course not! But there are solutions to that; buy gift cards for local restaurants or prepaid gas cards. "Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me" (Mt. 25:45). We need to follow St. Peter Claver and care for the bodies and souls of our brothers and sisters.