From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
October 25th - St Ant=C3=B4nio de Sant'Anna Galv=C3=A3o
(1739-1822)
=C2 Brazil's first saint, Franciscan friar, founder of the order =
of Our
Lady of the Conception of Divine Providence, and miracle worker.
=C2 Many miracles and gifts of divine origin are attributed to Frei
Galvao, among them bilocation, telepathy, premonition and levitation.
He is widely known in Brazil for the aptly named =E2=80=9CFriar Galvao Pill= s:=E2=80=9D
tiny papers with a prayer that can be swallowed. Nuns in the Monastery
of the Light make thousands of these prayer aids and distribute them
to the faithful for free. Many believe they have healing powers, and
numerous miracles have been reported following their use.
Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao was born in 1739 in Sao Paolo to a deeply
religious family. His father had immigrated from Portugal and married
his mother, who was of Brazilian descent. The family was socially well-respected, wealthy, and influential. Along with his ten siblings,
Antonio enjoyed the privileges of growing up rich and well taken care
of.
At age 13, Antonio's father sent him to study under the Jesuits,
hoping to aid his cultural and educational formation. Antonio
developed quickly in his Christian faith, and upon returning home,
declared his intent to become a Jesuit. His father, however, citing
the recent persecution of the Jesuits, persuaded his son to join the
Franciscan convent at Taubat=C3=A9, not far from Guaratinguet=C3=A1. At age=
21,
Antonio entered the novitiate, giving up his political influence and
wealth, and committing himself to a life of service to the Lord. He
immediately distinguished himself as both pious and virtuous, and at
the age of 22, made his solemn vows. The next year, due to his
education and virtue, he was ordained and assigned to Sao Paulo.
In Sao Paulo, Antonio served and studied, working as preacher,
confessor and porter. He further consecrated himself to Our Blessed
Mother, becoming, in his own words, her =E2=80=9Ceternal slave and son.=E2= =80=9D He
consecrated himself fully to Mary, Mother of God, signing a letter of consecration in his own blood in 1766. Within a few years he was
appointed confessor to the Recollects of Saint Teresa, a group of nuns
in that city. As confessor, he met Sister Helena Maria of the Holy
Spirit, a sister of great faith and devotion, who recounted to him her
visions of Jesus. Together, they founded a new community of sisters
under the patronage of Our Lady of the Conception of Divine
Providence. Sister Helena Maria's premature death the next year lef=
t
Father Ant=C3=B4nio responsible for the new congregation, especially for building a convent and church adequate for their growing numbers. He
cared for the community with humility and prudence, serving not only
the sisters, but all members of the city who flocked to his
confessional.
Under his leadership, the community flourished, with a new church and
convent becoming required due to the spread of vocations. The
buildings, referred to as the Monastery of Light, was declared a
"Cultural Heritage site" by UNESCO. Saint Antonio wrote a constitution
for the order, which proved to be an excellent guide to inner life and religious discipline. Many times, it was requested that he leave the
city to be assigned somewhere else, but the bishop, the citizens of
Sao Paulo, and even the city itself seemed to prevent his departure. A
letter from the Senator of the city expressed the wish of the people:
"This man is so necessary to the Sisters of Light, is precious to all
of this City and Towns of the Province of S=C3=A3o Paulo, is a man and religiously wise counsel, all flock to ask him, a man of peace and
charity."
Frei Galv=C3=A3o traveled constantly throughout the region, preaching and serving the people. he always traveled on foot, not accepting the
common practice of being borne by slaves. He walked as much as 60
kilometers a day, reaching gowns and immediately praying, preaching,
and hearing the confessions of those who awaited him. Countless
miracles were attributed to him, and he was frequently sought for
healing in times when there were no resources and medical science
available. On one such occasion, inspired by God, Saint Antonio wrote
upon a piece of paper a Latin phrase from the Office of Our Lady,
which said: "In Thy conception, Thou wast immaculate: the Mother of
God, pray for us." He rolled the paper into pill form and gave it to a
young man who was dying from renal failure. Immediately the pain
ceased and he was cured. By the same method, a woman in labor was
cured of her complications. Saint Antonio thereafter taught the
sisters of his order to create this miraculous =E2=80=9Cpills.=E2=80=9D Cur=
es on
record from his intercessions include curing of breast cancer,
infertility, kidney problems, and childbirth complications.
In 1811, at the request of the bishop of Sao Paulo, Frei Galv=C3=A3o
founded the Collection of Santa Clara in Sorocaba, Brazil, where he
remained for 11 months overseeing the new community. After his death, additional monasteries were founded by the members of his orders.
Saint Antonio died in 1822, and at the request of the people of Sao
Paulo and the Sisters of his order, was buried before the high altar
of the church of the Monastery of Light, which he had built. His tomb
remains a place of pilgrimage today.
Sister Celia Cadorin, who spearheaded the cause for his canonization,
defined the gentle friar as possessing =E2=80=9Cthe tenderness of God." She said: "He was a priest, a Friar of delicacy, gentleness, and kindness, especially to the poor. He was the brother of prayer. He had a heart
of compassion for the sick and all sinners, and conveyed a great peace
at all times."
By all accounts, Saint Ant=C3=B4nio de Sant'Anna Galv=C3=A3o was 'q=
uite normal'
with the exception of his miracles. He lived a life of Franciscan
simplicity, extending the testimony of Christ to everyone. He lived a
life of holiness in the day-to-day as a man of prayer, preacher,
confessor, a missionary popular, and also mason porter of the
Franciscan convent in downtown Sao Paulo. As porter, he was cheerful
and friendly and welcomed everyone.
During the beatification homily, Pope John Paul II quoted from the
Second Letter to Timothy (4:17), "The Lord stood by me and gave me
strength to proclaim the word fully," and then said that Ant=C3=B4nio "fulfilled his religious consecration by dedicating himself with love
and devotion to the afflicted, the suffering and the slaves of his era
in Brazil." The pope continued, "His authentically Franciscan faith, evangelically lived and apostolically spent in serving his neighbor,
will be an encouragement to imitate this .man of peace and charity.=
'"
by Jacob
Saint Quote:
Live in such a way that all may know that you bear outwardly as well
as inwardly the image of Christ crucified, the model of all gentleness
and mercy.
-- Saint Paul of the Cross
Bible Quote:
We must never get tired of doing good, and then we shall get our
harvest at the proper time. While we have the chance, we must do good
to all, and especially to our brothers in the faith.=C2 (Galatians
6:9-10 )
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Act of Entrustment to St. Joseph
O dearest St. Joseph, I entrust myself to you that you may
always be my father, my protector and my guide in the way
of salvation. Obtain for me a greater purity of heart and
fervent love of the interior life. After your example may I do
all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
O Blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may share in the peace
and joy of your holy death. Amen.
--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)