Friday, March 16, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick
We know a lot about St. Patrick, but we don't know much about St. Brigid of Ireland, a young lady whose parents were baptized by St. Patrick and with whom she developed a close friendship. Probably helped to lead her to living out a religious life.

Anyway, March 17 is also my granddaughter's birthday and she was named Brigid.

The following is from www.Catholic.org

St. Brigid
Brigid was probably born at Faughart near Dundalk, Louth, Ireland. Her parents were baptized by St. Patrick, with whom she developed a close friendship. According to legend, her father was Dubhthach, an Irish chieftain of Lienster, and her mother, Brocca, was a slave at his court. Even as a young girl she evinced an interest for a religious life and took the veil in her youth from St. Macaille at Croghan and probably was professed by St. Mel of Armagh, who is believed to have conferred abbatial authority on her. She settled with seven of her virgins at the foot of Croghan Hill for a time and about the year 468, followed Mel to Meath. About the year 470 she founded a double monastery at Cill-Dara (Kildare) and was Abbess of the convent, the first in Ireland. The foundation developed into a center of learning and spirituality, and around it grew up the Cathedral city of Kildare. She founded a school of art at Kildare and its illuminated manuscripts became famous, notably the Book of Kildare, which was praised as one of the finest of all illuminated Irish manuscripts before its disappearance three centuries ago. Brigid was one of the most remarkable women of her times, and despite the numerous legendary, extravagant, and even fantastic miracles attributed to her, there is no doubt that her extraordinary spirituality, boundless charity, and compassion for those in distress were real. She died at Kildare on February 1. The Mary of the Gael, she is buried at Downpatrick with St. Columba and St. Patrick, with whom she is the patron of Ireland. Her name is sometimes Bridget and Bride. Her feast day is February 1. 

Not to be left out, but my oldest grandson is Brendan, and St. Brendan also knew St. Patrick and celebrates his birthday March 14.

The Miracle of Lanciano

The video below this post is not the first Eucharistic Miracle that has been seen over the past centuries. One of the more famous ones is the Eucharistic Miracle in Lanciano, Italy.
Around 700 A.D. in a monastery, a priest of the order of St. Basil, was celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He had been suffering from recurring doubts concerning the mystery of transubstantiation (the changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. After he spoke the solemn words of consecration of the host was suddenly changed into a circle of flesh and the wine transformed into blood.

Mary verifications of this miracle have been performed over the past 1,200 years, but the most convincing was made in November of 1970. This miracle underwent scientific scrutiny and the conclusions were presented on March 4, 1971 in detailed medical and scientific terminology. The microscopic studies ascertained and documented the following facts:

1. The flesh was identified as striated muscular tissue of the myocardium (heart wall) having no trace whatsoever of materials or agents used to preserve the flesh from decay.

2. Both the flesh and blood were found to belong to the same blood type AB.

The relics may be seen in the Church of St. Francis, Lanciano, Italy.