PATRON SAINTS
SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI
St Francis of Assisi can be described as the herald of the great king of heaven. Chosen by God to be a living manifestation of the Crucified Christ, Francis embraced a life of poverty and nurtured in himself a profound devotion to the humanity of Christ. This devotion to the sacred humanity of Christ produced in him a tender love the Blessed Virgin Mary in whose womb the Son of God became man.
SAINT CLARE OF ASSISI
Following in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi, St Clare chose a life of poverty and penance, and arrived at the highest conformity to Christ which is that of the Immaculate Virgin. St Clare lived her life in such total conformity to the Mother of God that she herself became the Matris Dei Vestigium, the perfect image of the Mother of God.
SAINT MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
St Maximilian Mary Kolbe has been called the “St Francis of the 20th century” and in fact he is the most exemplary disciple of St Francis in our times. Motivated by an ardent love for Mary Immaculate, St Maximilian built two ‘Cities of the Immaculate’ in Japan and in Poland and founded a magazine for the purpose of spreading devotion to the Immaculate.
SAINT PIO OF PIETRELCINA
Another saint of our times, St Pio speaks to the men of today, so needful of God. He points out to all, the way to holiness and to the perfect following of Christ Our Lord. St Pio with his stigmata, makes the cross of Christ visible. He bore the wounds of Christ for fifty years and by virtue of those wounds he became a powerful intercessor for the human race. Once, speaking of himself, he said: “As a priest, my mission is one of propitiation, of winning God’s favour for the human family.” He is not just a powerful intercessor, he can rightly be called a co-redeemer and victim with Christ.