ALL POSTS TAGGED: BLEST ARE WE

Many people who knew young Karol Wojtyla in Poland thought he might someday be an actor or a writer. Instead, he became pope. Karol Józef Wojtyła was born in the town of Wadowice in Poland in 1920. He was the youngest of three children, and his mother died when he was only nine. When he graduated from high school and went to college, he studied drama. But as World War II approached, the university was closed, and Karol went to work in a quarry and then a factory to earn money and avoid being sent to Germany to serve in the army.

Some people do good no matter what happens to them. Martin de Porres did. His mother was an African or Indian from Panama, a former slave. His father was a Spanish soldier and nobleman. So people made fun of Martin because he came from two different races.

Bernhard Lichtenberg was a Catholic priest who served the people of Berlin at St. Hedwig’s Cathedral during a time of great crisis. Born in 1875 in the Prussian province of Silesia, Father Lichtenberg was ordained to the priesthood in 1899 and witnessed the growing power of the Nazi party and its persecution of the Jewish people. His faith in Jesus Christ gave him the courage to speak out.

Only two popes in history have been given the title “the Great.” Pope Leo is one of them. Leo was born in Tuscany in Italy around the year 400 and served as an advisor and diplomat for two popes. He was still a deacon when he was elected pope. Pope Leo was the first pope to call himself the successor to St. Peter.

Catherine Elizabeth McAuley was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1778. From the time she was a young child, Catherine saw her parents living their Catholic faith through service to the poor. After her parents died, Catherine lived with Protestant relatives who wanted her to become a member of their church. Catherine remained true to the Catholic faith.

Throughout his life, Martin faced many dilemmas. At the age of 12, he began to place each one before God.

Problems defeat some people. But problems make heroes of others. Problems made St. Frances Xavier Cabrini a hero. Throughout her life, she turned problems into solutions.

Margaret was an English princess who was born around the year 1045. When her country was invaded, her family escaped by boat. They were headed for Hungary, but a storm crashed their ship on the rocky shore of Scotland. The Scottish king, Malcolm III, invited the family to stay at his castle until their boat could be repaired.

Every person faces good times and bad times. We see this truth in the life of Elizabeth of Hungary. Born in 1207, Elizabeth was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. She grew up a very religious child and married Ludwig, the king of Thuringia (in Germany), when she was only 14. The two worked at their marriage. They respected one another. They loved their three children.

Rose Philippine Duchesne was born in 1769 in Grenoble, France. Against her parents’ wishes, she entered the convent at age 19. During the French Revolution, the convent closed, sho she cared for the poor and sick. After the war, she joined the Society of the Sacred Heart.