• =?UTF-8?Q?October_25th_=2D_St_Ant=C3=B4nio_de_Sant'Anna_Galv=C3

    From rich@1:396/4 to All on Fri Oct 23 09:13:34 2020
    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 )

    <><><><>
    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)