Family legacies illuminating the faith for generations

History of the Saints
Holy Cross Church Stained Glass Windows

Generous donations from parish families purchased the beautiful stained glass windows,
which cost $100 each back in 1915, from Jacoby Art Glass in St. Louis Missouri.

 
Triumph of the Cross
By this sign you will conquer”
 - In Hoc Signo Vinges
 
Donor: Father James Jachtyl,
Pastor of Holy Cross from 1914 to 1921
 
Located in the top center of the altar. When the Sacred Body of Jesus was taken down from the Cross and carried to the grave on Calvary, the Cross on which He died was thrown into a ditch or well and covered over with stones and earth, so that the followers of the crucified Redeemer might not find it. Almost 300 years later, in 312 AD, Constantine the Great, not yet a Christian, while battling with Maxentius for the throne of the Roman Empire, prayed to the God of the Christians to aid him in his struggle.
 
In answer to his prayer, a luminous cross or monogram of Christ appeared in the heavens bearing the inscription: “In This Sign You Will Conquer.” In gratitude for victory, under the banner, over Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, on October 28, 312, Constantine had the Sign of Christianity placed on the Roman standards and on the shields of his soldiers. Then came the finding of the True Cross at Jerusalem by St. Helena in 326, commemorated by a feast on May 3.
 
In the year 614, Chosroes II, King of Persia, invaded Syria and Palestine; he took the sacked Jerusalem, carrying off with other treasures the great relic of the True Cross. The Emperor Heraclius of Constantinople, at the head of a large army invaded Persia, and forced the Persians to sue for peace and to restore the Sacred Cross, which Heraclius piously brought back to Jerusalem in 629. When he reached the city gate on the way that led to Calvary, the Emperor laid aside every robe and mark of royalty and, clothed in sackcloth of penance and barefoot, carried the Cross up the ascent of Calvary and restored it to its place in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The event is commemorated by the Church on September 14 in the feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross.

God, You willed that Your only Son should undergo crucifixion, to bring about the salvation of the human race. Grant that we who have known His mystery on earth may deserve to reap the rewards of redemption in heaven. Amen.

St. Stanislaus Kostka
1550-1568 Patron of Poland. Feast Day
Aug. 15 - Nov. 13
 
Donors: Youth of Holy Cross Parish
 
Located on the upper right side of the altar. St. Stanislaus was born October 1550 at Rostkovo, Poland, to a family of polish nobility; son of a senator, he attended the Viennese Jesuit college from age 14 with his brother Paul, who badly mistreated him. While staying at the home of a Lutheran, he became gravely ill, but was not allowed to call for a priest. He prayed to his patron, Saint Barbara, who appeared to him in a vision with two angels, and administered Communion. He was then cured from his disease by Our Lady who told him to become a Jesuit against his family’s wishes.
St. Stanislaus had drawn as his monthly patron for August, the glorious martyr St. Lawrence, and in his honor he performed daily some penance of devotion. On the eve of his feast, he obtained leave to take the discipline; in the morning he went to Communion, and then laid before the image of the saint a letter addressed to Our Lady, in which he begged that he might die on her Feast of the Assumption, and he prayed St. Lawrence to present to her his petition. That night he was seized with a slight fever, which rapidly increased, and on Assumption Eve, he received the last sacrament. Then, as he lay dying, he had brought with him a little book containing a litany in his own writing of his monthly patron saints, whom he constantly invoked. At 3AM on the Feast of the Assumption, his face suddenly lit up with joy, and he breathed forth his soul to the Mother of God, who had come to conduct him to heaven.
 

St. Helena/Helen
Widow; Patron of archeologists, converts, difficult marriages and divorced people. Feast Day August 18
 
Donors: Ladies of Holy Cross Parish
 
Located on the upper left side of altar. It is generally believed by ecclesiastical historians of England that St. Helena was born in that country, and according to Leland, she was the daughter of Coel, a British King who lived in friendship with the Romans. Constantius, at that time an officer in the Roman army in Britain, married her. Constantine, his eldest son, received his education under her eyes.
 
In 293, Constantius was honored by the Empire with the title of Caesar, obtaining the government of Gaul and Britain. In return for this honor he was obliged to divorce St. Helen and marry Theodora, the daughter-in-law of the emperor Maximian. St. Helena was not at that time a Christian, but after the accession of her son Constantine and his miraculous victory, she embraced the Christian faith and the most heroic practices of Christian perfection. Her dutiful son proclaimed her Empress and struck medals in her honor.
 
In spite of this new dignity she assisted with the people at the Divine Office in modest attire, and employed her wealth in charity to the poor and the building of churches. When the Emperor determined to erect a church on Mount Calvary, St. Helena, although 80 years of age, undertook to see the work executed, and started for Jerusalem hoping to find the Holy Cross. Excavations were made and three crosses were discovered. The title which lay near one of the crosses, and perhaps the marks of the nails by which it had been attached, seemed to indicate which one was the Cross of our Savior.
 
St. Helena built two magnificent churches, one on Mount Calvary, the other on Mount Olivet. After traveling through the East, where she beautified the city of Drepanum in honor of St. Lucian, so that Constantine afterward gave it the name of Helenopolis, she returned to Rome. Her journey had been marked by the most illustrious deeds of virtue and by innumerable charities. She died in Rome in August of 238 or 236, in the twentieth year of her son’s reign. Constantine caused her obsequies to be performed with the utmost magnificence, and erected a statue to her memory.
 

Lord Jesus Christ, You willed to enrich Your Church through St. Helena with a treasure beyond price and so revealed to her the hiding place of Your Cross. Through her intercession, grant that the ransom paid on that life-giving wood may win the rewards of everlasting life for us. Amen.

 

St. Peter
Apostle, First Pope
Feast Day June 29
 
Donors: Maria Gwosdz Migura in memory of husband Joseph Migura.
 
Located on the lower left side of the main altar. St. Peter was a fisherman of Galilee, named Simon, and the son of John. His brother Andrew introduced him to Christ about whom they had probably heard from John the Baptizer, and he became His disciple, ultimately giving up his family and possessions to follow him. Christ changed his name to Peter (the Rock) and made him the Rock on which his Church was to be built. After His Resurrection, Jesus conferred the primacy on Peter and he became the Vicar of Christ and the head of the Apostles, the first Pope.
 
The Gospels speak about Peter more than any other Apostle. He was honored on many occasions; several miracles were performed for his benefit; Christ stayed at his home, preached from his boat, sent him the first message of the Resurrection, and appeared to him personally. Often Peter acted as spokesman for the other Apostles, Finally, mention is made of his defects: his anger, imperfect faith, impetuosity and his triple denial of Christ.
 After the Ascension, Peter began his work as head of the Church. He directed the election of Matthias, delivered the first public apostolic sermon, cured a man lame from birth, and received a Divine commission to receive Gentiles into the church. After the execution of James, the brother of John, by Herod Agrippa, Peter was miraculously rescued from prison. He presided at the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem in the year 50, when it was officially declared that the Gentile converts to the faith were not subject to the Jewish law of circumcision. Afterward, he went to Antioch, where it was decided that not even the Jews were bound to observe the Mosaic Law.
 
St. Peter dwelt in Rome intermittently for 25 years as founder and first Bishop of the Church there. Finally in the last years of Nero’s reign, 67 AD, he was crucified with his head downward, at his own request, not deeming himself worthy to die as did his Divine Master. Two Epistles of the New Testament are attributed to him and the Gospel of Mark, who was his disciple, has been called “The Gospel of Peter”.
 

God, You give us a holy joy as we celebrate the Apostle St. Peter. Grant that Your Church may follow his teaching and example in all things, for it is through him that Christianity began its development. Amen.

 
St. Paul
Apostle, Feast Day June 29
 
Donor: Maria Gwosdz Migura in memory of husband Joseph Migura

Located on the lower right side of the altar. St. Paul was born at Tarsus, Cilicia, of Jewish parents who were descended from the tribe of Benjamin. He was a Roman citizen from birth. As he was a young man at the stoning of St. Stephen and an old man when writing to Philemon, about the year 63, he was probably born around the beginning of the Christian era.
 
To complete his schooling, St. Paul was sent to Jerusalem, where he sat at the feet of the learned Gamaliel and was educated in the strict observance of the ancestral Law. Here he also acquired a good knowledge of exegesis and was trained in the practice of disputation. As a convinced and zealous Pharisee, he returned to Tarsus before the public life of Christ opened in Palestine.
 
Sometime after the death of Our Lord, St. Paul returned to Palestine. His profound conviction and emotional character made his zeal develop into a religious fanaticism against the infant church. He took part in the stoning of the first martyr, St. Steven, and in the fierce persecution of the Christians that followed.
Entrusted with a formal mission from the high priest, he departed for Damascus to arrest the Christians there and bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he was nearing Damascus, about noon, a light from heaven suddenly blazed around him. Jesus with His glorified body appeared to him and addressed him, turning him away from his apparently successful career. An immediate transformation was wrought in the soul of St. Paul. He was suddenly converted to the Christian faith and became an Apostle.
 
He remained some days in Damascus after his Baptism, and then went to Arabia, possibly for a year or two, to prepare himself for his future missionary activity. Having returned to Damascus, he stayed there for a time, preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
For this he incurred the hatred of the Jews and had to flee from the city. He then went to Jerusalem to see Peter and pay his homage to the head of the Church.
 
Later he went back to his native Tarsus and began to evangelize his own province until called by Barnabas to Antioch. After one year, on the occasion of a famine, both Barnabas and Paul were sent with alms to the poor Christian community at Jerusalem. Having fulfilled their mission, they returned to Antioch.

 
Lord God, You taught the whole world through the preaching of the Apostle St. Paul. As we celebrate his conversion, grant that following his example, we may be witnesses to Your truth in this world. Amen.

 



ST. AGNES AND ST.  HYACINTH
Donors: Filip and Tekla Kasprzik Tam, Frank and Mary Dlugosch Tam, Anton and Annie Styra Tam, Tom Tam.
 
St. Agnes
d. 304, Virgin and Martyr. Patron of the Children of Mary. Feast Day September 29

St. Agnes suffered martyrdom during the bloody persecution of the emperor Diocletian around 304 at the age of thirteen and became one of the best known and most highly regarded of the Roman martyrs. Her name is still retained the First Eucharistic Prayer for Holy Mass.
 
The Acts of her Passion, which date back only to the 5^th century, are considered to be not entirely reliable, but they do tell us something about her. The young noblemen of Rome, attracted by her wealth and beauty, vied with one another in endeavoring to obtain her hand in marriage, but she refused them all, saying that she had chosen a spouse who could not be seen with mortal eyes. Her suitors, in hope of shaking her constancy, accused her of being a Christian.
 
She was brought before a judge and remained un-swayed by either his kindness or his threats. Fires were kindled, instruments of torture were placed before her eyes, but, immovable in her constancy, she surveyed them with heroic calmness. She was sent to a house of prostitution, but the sight of her inspired such awe that not one of the wicked youths of the city dared approach her. One, bolder than the others, was suddenly struck with blindness and he fell trembling.
 
The youthful saint came forth from this den of infamy uncontaminated in mind and body, and still a pure spouse of Christ. The most prominent among her suitors was now so enraged that he incited the judge still more against her. The heroic Virgin was condemned to be beheaded. “She went to the place of execution” says St. Ambrose, “more cheerfully than others go to their wedding”.
Amid the tears of the spectators, the instrument of death fell and she went to meet the Immortal Spouse whom she had loved better than her life. She was buried on the Via Nomentana, and Constantine erected a church in her honor.
 

All powerful and living God, You choose the weak in this world to confound the powerful. May we like St. Agnes, remain constant in faith. Amen.

St. Hyacinth
1185-1257 Priest, Apostle of Poland and Russia, Feast Day August 16
 
Donors: Filip and Tekla Kasprzik Tam, Frank and Mary Dlugosch Tam, Anton and Annie Styra Tam, Tom Tam
 
This saint was a native of Silesia, (Poland). He studied at Cracow, Prague and Bologna, receiving the degrees of doctor of laws and divinity. On his return home, the Bishop of Cracow gave him a stipend in the cathedral and employed his assistance in the administration of the diocese.
 
After the resignation of the pious Bishop Vincent, Yvo, the uncle of St. Hyacinth, was appointed to fill the See. Going to Rome, he took with him his two nephews, Hyacinth and Ceslas. St. Dominic was then in Rome, and Hyacinth, being greatly impressed, joined his institute in 1218, together with Ceslas and two German gentlemen, receiving the habit from St. Dominic himself in the convent of Santa Sabina. They made their vows by special dispensation after a novitiate of only six months and returned to Poland, St. Hyacinth being appointed superior of their mission. On their way they preached the Gospel in many places, received new members into their Order, and finally, after a lengthy period, arrived in Poland, where they were received with the greatest joy.
 
The preaching of St. Hyacinth effected an entire change of morals in the city of Cracow. He carried the Gospel to the idolatrous countries of the north; in Prussia, Pomerania, along the Baltic, in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. He labored in Russia traveling as far as the Black Sea and the Aegean, and returned to Cracow in 1231; but after two years he set out again to visit the convents he had founded, and penetrated among the Tartars, going even to China and Tibet.
 
He again arrived at Cracow in 1257, the 72 (and last) year of his life. He died on August 15 of the same year. Ecclesiastical historians call him the Apostle of the north and the Thaumaturgus of his age, on account of his numerous miracles. He was, if not the greatest, at least one of the greatest travelers of his day.
 

God, You willed to send St. Hyacinth to enlighten many peoples. Through his intercession grant that we may walk in the light of Your truth. Amen.

 

ST. FLORIEN & ST. STANISLAUS
Donors: Victor and Anastyzia Kolodzey Janyssek, Charles and Rosie Kolodzey Warzinek and Josefa Warzinek in memory of husband Adolph, and father Stanley Maselli

St. Florian
250-304 Patron of Firefighters. Feast Day May 4
 
St. Florian was a police officer of the Roman army, who occupied a high administrative post in Noricum, now part of Austria. He suffered death for the faith in the days of Diocletian.
His legendary ACTS state that he gave himself up at Lorch to the soldiers of Aquilinus, the governor, when they were rounding up the Christians, and after making a bold confession, he was twice scoured, half-flayed alive, set on fire, and finally thrown into the river Enns with a stone around his neck. His body, recovered and buried by a pious woman, was eventually removed to the Augustinian Abbey of St. Florian, near Linz. It is said to have been at a later date translated to Rome, and Pope Lucius III, in 1138, gave some of the saint’s relics to King Casimir of Poland and to the Bishop of Cracow. Since that time, St. Florian has been regarded as a patron of Poland as well as of Linz, Upper Austria and of fireman.
There has been popular devotion to St. Florian in many parts of central Europe, and the tradition as to his martyrdom, not far from the spot where the Enns flows into the Danube, is ancient and reliable. Many miracles of healing are attributed to his intercession and he is invoked as a powerful protector in danger from fire or water.
  
St. Stanislaus
1030-1079; Bishop and martyr. Patron of Poland Feast Day April 11
 
Donors: Victor and Anastyzia Kolodzey Janyssek, Charles and Rosie Kolodzey Warzinek, Josefa Warzinek, in memory of husband Adolph and Father Stanley Maselli
 
St. Stanislaus was born on July 26, 1030, at Sezepanow in the diocese of Cracow, Poland. In his childhood were laid the foundations of his future sanctity. After an early training in the schools of his native country and at the University of Gnesna, he was sent to Paris, where he spent seven years in the study of canon law and theology. Out of humility he refused the degree of doctor and returned home.
 
On the death of his parents, he gave away his ample fortune to the poor, and received the order of priesthood from the Bishop of Cracow, who made him canon of the cathedral, and soon after, preacher and vicar-general. His sermons produced a wonderful reformation of manners. After the death of the Bishop he was unanimously chosen to succeed him in 1072.
 
Boleslaus II, then King of Poland, was leading an infamous life. The saint reproached him in private with the irregularity of his conduct. The King at first seemed to repent, but soon broke out again into enormous excesses. The saint again remonstrated and threatened excommunication. The King became enraged.
 
Finally in 1079, after much patience, the Bishop pronounced upon him the sentence of excommunication. This cost him his life, for while he was in a small chapel outside of Cracow, the King and his guards entered. When the guards refused to obey the wicked order of the King to put the Bishop to death, the impious King murdered the holy Bishop with his own hands.
 

God, for Your honor, the holy Bishop Stanislaus fell before the swords of his persecutors. Grant that we may be strong in the faith and preserver until death. Amen.
 

ST. STEVEN & THE INFANT JESUS
Donors: Stephen and Flora Kolodzey Gaida,
John and Martha Skloss Gaida,
Frank and Caroline Kasprzik Gaida

St. Stephen
d.35; First Martyr, Patron of Stonemasons
Feast Day December 26

St. Stephen, a disciple of Christ, chosen after the Ascension as one of the seven deacons, and “full of grace and fortitude was working great wonders and signs among the people.” Many rose up against him, but they were not able to withstand the wisdom that spoke.

Accused of blasphemy against Moses and against God, he was brought before the Sanhedrin and condemned to be cast out of the city and stoned to death. Kneeling down before his murderer, he cried out with a loud voice saying: “Lord, do not lay this sin against them.” And when he had said this he fell asleep in the Lord, 35 A.D.
 

 God, grant that we may imitate the saint we honor and learn to love our enemies. For today we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen who knew how to pray even for his persecutors. Amen.

 
Infant Jesus
 
Donors: Stephen and Flora Kolodzey Gaida, John
and Martha Skloss Gaida, Frank and Caroline Kasprzik Gaida.
 
Pictured is the child Jesus, shown with the tools of His father’s (Joseph) trade – nails and wood, symbolizing his future crucifixion and (chalice) institution of the Eucharist.
 

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Body and the Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Thy dearly beloved Son. Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and for the sins of the whole world.
 
Prayer: (original polish version)
Ojeze Przedwieczny, ofiaruje Ci Cialo i Krew, Dusze i Bostwo najmilszego Syna Twojego, a Pana naszego Jezusa Chrystusa, na przeblaganie za grzechy nasze i calego swiata.

 
Luke 3:51-52
He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.
 
ST. CONSTANTIUS AND ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA
St. Constantius, Sacristan,  Feast Day September 23
Donors: Constant and Pauline Kasprzek Janyssek
 
According to St. Gregory the Great, St. Constantius, a layman, was sacristan of the famous Cathedral of St. Stephen at Ancona, Italy. In monastic garb, he attended to his duties with a great spirit of perfection which belied his slight stature. He was known as a wonderworker, and one of his deeds
consisted in keeping the lamps of the church lighted even with water or oil in them. Word of his holiness and extraordinary powers spread far and wide, prompting many to ask spiritual favors of him.
 
The character of the saint is best illustrated by a story told about him. One day a rude fellow happened into the church and at the sight of the saint on a ladder attending to the lamps refused to believe in his sanctity. Instead, he began to insult and ridicule the man of God, calling him a liar and a man full of pride. St. Constantius, hearing this tirade, ran to the man and embraced and kissed him in gratitude for having seen him as he was and telling him so. As St. Gregory remarked, he thus gave conclusive proof that he was as great in humility as in miracles.
 

God, through the intercession of St. Constantius, grant that we may overcome all feelings of pride. May we always serve You with that humility which pleases You, through his merits and example. Amen.

 
 
 
St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest
1491-1556 Patron of Retreats. Feast Day July 31
Donors: Constant and Pauline Kasprzek Janyssek
 
St. Ignatius was born of a noble family in 1491, in the Castle of Loyola in Guipuscoa, Spain. Reared in the Court of Ferdinand V of Aragon, the husband of Isabella of Castile, he entered the army and distinguished himself by his valor. He was wounded at the siege of Pamplona, in a war between Charles and Francis I, King of France. During his convalescence he read the “Lives of the Saints” which effected his conversion from worldliness to piety. Henceforth, his life belonged entirely to God.
After a general confession in the monastery of Monserrat, he spent ten months in the solitude of Manresa, where he composed his Spiritual Exercises, and then made a pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land. On his return to Spain he began his studies, and in 1528 he went to Paris to continue them. Here his virtue and wisdom gained him a few companions, and these became the nucleus of the Society of Jesus. At Montmarte they vowed to go to Palestine, or to offer themselves to the Pope, to be employed in the service of God in some other manner. Receiving ordination at Venice together with his companions, St. Ignatius went to Rome where he was graciously received by Pope Paul III.
In 1540, Pope Paul III approved the Society and it soon made rapid progress, spreading to India in the East and to Brazil in the West. St. Ignatius continued to reside in Rome, employed in consolidating and governing his Society. There he became the friend of St. Philip Neri. He was General of the Society more than fifteen years. He died peacefully on July 31, 1556.
 

God, you raised up St. Ignatius in Your Church to inspire men to work for Your greater glory. Grant that we may labor on earth with his help and after his example and merit to be crowned with him in heaven. Amen

 
 


St. Ann, Mother of Mercy
Donors: Robert and Anna Burda Ledwik

Patron Saint of Pregnancy, Fertility and Childless People
Feast Day July 26 (also Feast Day of St. Joachim)
 
Sts. Joachim and Ann, both of the tribe of Judah of the royal house of David, are venerated by the church as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was probably their only child. The other Mary mentioned in the Gospels as the sister of the Mother of God was, it is believed, her cousin; for this was a customary way of designating relatives in the East.
 
St. Ann has been honored from early Christian times. Churches were dedicated to her honor, and the Fathers, especially of the Eastern Churches, loved to speak of her sanctity and privileges. She is often represented as teaching her little daughter to read the scriptures.
 
The Gospel tells us nothing about their lives. Tradition, grounded on very old testimonies, informs us that Sts. Joachim and Ann in their old age came from Galilee to settle in Jerusalem, and there the Blessed Mother of God was born and reared; there also, they died and were buried. A church was built during the fourth century, possibly by St. Helena, on the site of the home of Sts. Joachim and Ann in Jerusalem.
 

Lord, God of our fathers, through Sts. Joachim and Ann You gave us the Mother of Your incarnate Son. May their prayers help us to attain the salvation You promised to Your people. Amen.

 
Novena to St. Ann
GLORIOUS SAINT ANN, filled with compassion for those who invoke you and with love for those who suffer, heavily laden with the weight of my troubles, I cast myself at your feet and humbly beg you to take the present affair which I commend to you under your special protection.  (Mention the request.)
 
Deign to commend it to your daughter, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and lay it before
the throne of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. Cease not to intercede for me until my request is granted.
 
Above all, obtain for me the grace of one day beholding my God face to face, and with you and Mary and all the saints, praising and blessing Him for all eternity.
 
Pray for us, St. Ann, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
 
O Almighty and eternal God, who chose St. Ann to bring into the world the Mother of Your only Son, mercifully grant to us, we beseech You, who devoutly honor her memory, grace to obtain through her merits, the blessings of eternal life. Who lives and reigns the world without end.
Amen.
 
Good St. Ann, mother of her who is our life, our sweetness and our hope, Pray for me. Amen
Our Father… Hail Mary…Glory Be..
 
 
Saint Barbara
Blessed Mary of the Incarnation
1566-1618,
Feast day April 10
(also known as Madame Barbe’ Acarie or Barbara)
 Donors: Anton and Josefa Broll Kolodziej
 
Beatified in 1791. This saintly French woman was born to well-bred Catholic parents. In fact, her father became a priest after her mother’s death. Due to politics, her father lost his property. Her mother was harsh and often violent to her, so she became a timid, frightened child. Barbe was educated in a convent and wanted to be a nun, but her mother insisted on her marriage at age 16 to Pierre Acarie, formerly a King’s Councilor; thus, history generally remember Barbe as the beautiful Madame Acarie.
 
Her mystical life was passive, rather than active; God seized her without effort on her part. Vocal prayer, like reading, was difficult. She was very reserved regarding her mystical illuminations and always very humble.
 
Barbe took a deep interest in her children’s education, and personally trained their characters. She hated falsehood. She also did her best to combat vanity in her children. She taught her three daughters to carry themselves well and dress fashionably, for she did not want to force them into a convent. All three girls became Carmelites, and two of her sons became priests.
 
The grace she drew from contemplation directed and guided her in all her manifold beneficent activities and raising her children. Her second daughter, known in religion as Marguerite du Saint-Sacrement, is regarded by the Abbe Bremond as the ideal Carmelite.
 
Her home became a center for religious activity. Her husband was a troublesome interloper, and vented his irritation (probably jealousy). Pierre Acarie died in 1613; then Barbe joined the Carmelites, but only as a lay sister, taking the name of Marie of the Incarnation. She lied in the convent of Amiens, then in Pontoise, where she died. Barbe radiated with God’s love and often said, “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Benedictines, S. Delany)

 
 
 
St Wenceslaus, Martyr
907-935 Patron of Bohemia, Feast Day September 28 
 Donors: Frank and Maria Warzecha Kolodziejczyk and Rafael and Magdalena Olenick Kolodziejczyk
 
The father of St Wenceslaus, Vratistlas, Duke of Bohemia, was a Christian; but his mother Drahomira, a pagan, was a wicked and cruel woman. Fortunately for St. Wenceslaus, he was educated under the care of his saintly grandmother, St. Ludmilla, with whose efforts he fully corresponded. At Budwies, about sixty miles from Prague, he went to a college where he made great progress in learning. His father died while he was still young, and Drahomira, assuming the title of Regent, gave vent to her hatred of Christianity by a cruel persecution.
 
At the advice of his grandmother, St. Wenceslaus finally took the government into his own hands; but to prevent disputes between him and his brother,
the people divided the territory between them, giving Boleslaus a considerable share. The latter, who had been under the influence of his mother, had acquired her hatred of the Christian religion. The pious St. Wenceslaus led the life of a saint in the midst of his court, distinguishing himself by his devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.
His piety and his severity against the oppressions of the nobility caused some to join the faction of his mother. At midnight, while praying in the church he was assassinated; the mortal blow was given him by his own brother, Boleslaus. His death occurred in 929.
 




 

God, You taught St. Wenceslaus to prize the kingdom of heaven more than his earthly reign. Grant, through his prayers, that we may deny ourselves and cling to You with our whole heart. Amen.
 

 
 

ST THOMAS AND ST. ROSALIA
 
St. Thomas the Apostle
Patron Saint of Architects, Feast Day July 3
Donors: Dybowski Family,
John and Rosalia Majefski Kaminski
 
St. Thomas was a Jew, called to be one of the twelve Apostles. He was a dedicated but impetuous follower of Christ. When Jesus said that he was returning to Judea to visit His sick friend Lazarus, Thomas immediately exhorted the other Apostles to accompany Him on the trip which involved certain danger and possible death because of the mounting hostility of the authorities. At the Last Supper, when Christ told His Apostles that He was going to prepare a place for them to which they also might come because they knew both the place and the way, Thomas pleaded that they did not understand and received the beautiful assurance that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
But St. Thomas is best known for his role in verifying the Resurrection of his Master. Thomas’ unwillingness to believe that the other Apostles had seen their Risen Lord on the first Easter Sunday merited for him the title of “doubting Thomas”. Eight days later, on Christ’s second apparition, Thomas was gently rebuked for his skepticism and furnished with the evidence he had demanded – seeing in Christ’s hands the point of the nails and putting his fingers in the place of the nails and his hand into His side. At this, St. Thomas became convinced of the truth of the Resurrection and exclaimed: “My Lord and My God”, thus making a public Profession of Faith in the Divinity of Jesus.
 
St. Thomas is also mentioned as being present at another Resurrection appearance of Jesus – at Lake Tiberius when a miraculous catch of fish occurred. This is all that we know about Thomas from the New Testament.
 
Tradition says that at the dispersal of the Apostles after Pentecost this saint was sent to evangelize the Parthians, Medes and Persians; he ultimately reached India, carrying the Faith to the Malabar Coast, which still boasts a large native population calling themselves “Christians of St. Thomas”. He capped off his life by shedding his blood for His Master, speared to death at a place called Calamine.
 

Almighty God, let us proudly rejoice as we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle. May we be helped by his patronage and, believing, have a life in the Name of Jesus Christ Your Son, whom he confessed to be the Lord. Amen.

 
 
 
St. Rosalia, Virgin
1130-1160 Patron of Palermo, Italy, Feast Day September 4
 Donors: Dybowski Family and John and Rosalia Majefski Kaminski
 
St. Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of Roses and Quisquina, was a descendant of the great Charlemagne. She was born at Palermo in Sicily. In her youth, her heart turned from earthly vanities to God. She left her home and took up her abode in a cave, on the walls of which she wrote these words; “I Rosalia, daughter of Sinibald, Lord of the Roses and Quisquina, have taken the resolution to live in this cave for the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ.” She remained there entirely hidden from the world.
 
She practiced great mortifications and lived in constant communion with God. Afterward she transferred her abode to Mount Pellegrino, about three miles from Palermo, order to triumph entirely over the instincts of flesh and blood, in sight of her paternal home. She is said to have appeared after death and to have revealed that she spent several years in a little excavation near the grotto. She died alone in 1160, ending her strange and wonderful life unknown to the world. Her body was discovered several centuries later, in 1625, during the pontificate of Pope Urban VIII.
 
Lord God, You showered heavenly gifts on St. Rosalia, Your Virgin. Help us to imitate her virtues during our earthly life and enjoy eternal happiness with her in heaven. Amen.
 
  

IHS - Monogram of our Lord Jesus Christ

Donors: Valentine and Mary Golla Dlugosch
 
Sometimes above the H appears a cross. The monogram became popular after the twelfth century when St. Bernard insisted much on devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. St Ignatius of Loyola adopted the monogram in his seal as general of the Society of Jesus, and thus it became the emblem of his institute.
 

 Lord Jesus, we humbly pray You to give us all a great reverence
and respect for Your most Holy Name.
Forgive us for every having used the name of Jesus in vain, or without due respect.
 
Help us remember how reverently and lovingly Your Mother Mary used the name of Jesus,
and how humbly St. Joseph called you and spoke to You by name.
 
Your name, Dear Jesus, is above every other name in heaven and on earth,
because You are the Jesus, the Savior of all men.  You have saved us, and
You have told us to ask God anything in Your name,
and it would be granted.
 
We ask You, humbly and confidently, to bless us and our work,
and give us the rich treasures of Your diving grace,
without which we cannot even
so much as pronounce the name of Jesus. Amen.

Praised be Christ Forever”
Donor: Polonia Organization
Laudetur Jesus Christus or Laudetur Iesus Christus (Latin for Praised be Jesus Christ) is a traditional Roman Catholic greeting, which is commonly used among members of religious communities, especially of certain ethnic backgrounds. The answer to this greeting is typically "In sæcula! Amen" ("Forever! Amen") or "(Nunc et) in aeternum! Amen" ("(Now and) forever! Amen"). The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, however, respond with "Et Maria Immaculata" ("And Mary Immaculate"). The phrase is also a motto of Vatican Radio.
The use of the greeting in traditional Catholicism is noted by Pius Parsch: "The humanity of Christ is near in the priest. The Catholic people have kept this belief: 'Praised be Jesus Christ' they say whenever the priest comes."
The salutation is also commonly used by other Christian denominations, including Lutherans and other Protestants, as well as some Eastern Churches.
 
 


Shield Emblem of Blessed Mother
– God Save Poland / Boże, coś Polskę
 Donors: Polonia Organization
 
Boże, coś Polskę (God Save Poland) is a solemn prayer for the nation, included in all Catholic Church songbooks, and sung in Polish Churches. The hymn had a complicated history and in its creation at least three authors participated at different, points in time.
 
O, God who, through so many centuries, surrounded Poland with the brilliance of power and glory,
who has protected it with the shield of your defense, against the disasters that were meant to defeat it.
Refrain: To your altars we carry a prayer:
Save our King, Lord! (1816)
Return our homeland to us, Lord! (1830)
Bless our Homeland and freedom! (1989)
Bless our free homeland, Lord! (1996)
 
 
Baptism in the Jordan 
Donors: Warzecha children in memory of parents, Jan and Margaret Kutcka Warzecha. Children: Josef and Mary Jendrzey Warzecha, Filip and Constantine Warzecha Dlugosch, August and Katherine Kaminski Warzecha, Frank and Mary Warzecha Kolodziejczyk, Stanley and Mary Placzyk Warzecha.
 
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” Jesus said to him in reply, “ Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him.