November 10, 2019 - "Canonization of Five Blesseds"

On Sunday, October 13, 2019, the Holy Father celebrated Mass and presided at the Rite of Canonization of five Blesseds:  John Henry Newman (1801-90), Cardinal of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, Founder of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England; Josephine Vannini (1859-1911), Foundress of the Daughters of Saint Camillus; Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan (1876-1926), Foundress of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family; Dulce Lopes Pontes (1914-92), professed religious of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God; Marguerite Bays (1815-1879), lay woman and Secular Franciscan.  I intend to spend the next several weeks presenting a brief biography of each of them so we can get to know these newly canonized saints.  The source of the material will be the English weekly edition of L’Osservatore Romano.  Today let’s look at the life of Saint Marguerite Bays and Saint Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan.
 
Marguerite Bays was born on September 8, 1815 at La Pierraz de Siviriez in the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland.  When Marguerite was eight years old, she received the Sacrament of Confirmation and at 11 her First Communion.  Around age 15, she was apprenticed as a seamstress, a trade she practiced all her life.  Having set aside the possibility of religious consecration, Marguerite preferred to remain single, dedicating herself to her family and her parish.
 
Every day Marguerite attended Holy Mass, the most important moment in her day.  On Sundays, she never failed to spend time in adoration, to contemplate the Way of the Cross, and to recite the Rosary.  With great zeal she dedicated herself to religious education both to children, teaching them the catechism and forming them in the religious and moral life, and of young girls, preparing them for their future as wives and mothers.  In 1853, she underwent an operation for intestinal cancer.  Dismayed the type of care required, she begged the Blessed Virgin to heal her or allow her to suffer in such a way that she could share in the Passion of Jesus.  Her prayer was answered on December 8, 1854, the very day on which Blessed Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.  From that time forward, Marguerite’s life was linked to the suffering of Christ.  The five wounds of Christ Crucified appeared on her body at three o’clock every Friday afternoon, and for all of Holy Week, Marguerite relived the sufferings of Jesus from Gethsemane to Calvary.  In accordance with her desire, she died on the feast of the Sacred Heart, June 27, 1879.  She was beatified by Saint John Paul II on October 29, 1995.
 
Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan was born on April 26, 1879 in Puthenchira, the third of five children in a Catholic family.  She was given a Christian education by her mother.  Given her spiritual fervor, she received her First Communion when she was nine.  That was considered early at that time.  Thresia wanted to devote herself to the life of a hermit, but her family was opposed to the idea. 

Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan (continued) Gifted with a deep sensitivity and compassion for suffering humanity and for families in difficult situations, she dedicated herself to helping the poor, the sick, the dying, and the excluded.  She went out to meet people and families in need, visiting the homes of all, without distinction based on caste or belief.  Filled with deep love for the Lord, she experienced visions, ecstasies, and the stigmata.  Bishop John Menachery, understanding her desire to consecrate herself totally to God, gave her permission in 1913 to build a hermitage which became the seat of the “Congregation of the Holy Family,” inaugurated on May 14, 1914.  Thresia was named Mother Superior by the bishop.
 
The reputation for her holy life and her apostolate to the family attracted many young women to consecrate themselves living in prayer and penance in the new Congregation which continued to grow over time in number and vitality.  People from all walks of life approached her, particularly concerning family problems.  She died on June 8, 1926 owing to complications to diabetes.  Mother Mariam Thresia’s reputation for holiness grew rapidly and her tomb became a pilgrimage destination.  She was beatified by St. John Paul II on April 9, 2000.  Her intercession is invoked by families in difficult circumstances and by childless couples.
 
Saints Marguerite Bays and Mariam Thresia Chiramel Mankidiyan, pray for us!
 
Until next week,
Fr. John