Saint of the Day - March 16 - St. Clement Mary Hofbauer
March 16
St. Clement Mary Hofbauer
Patron Saint of Vienna
Clement might be called the second founder of the Redemptorists, as it
was he who carried the congregation of St. Alphonsus Liguori to the
people north of the Alps.
John,
the name given him at Baptism, was born in Moravia into a poor family,
the ninth of 12 children. Although he longed to be a priest there was
no money for studies, and he was apprenticed to a baker. But God guided
the young man's fortunes. He found work in the bakery of a monastery
where he was allowed to attend classes in its Latin school. After the
abbot there died, John tried the life of a hermit but when Emperor
Joseph II abolished hermitages, John again returned to Vienna and to
baking. One day after serving Mass at the cathedral of St. Stephen, he
called a carriage for two ladies waiting there in the rain. In their
conversation they learned that he could not pursue his priestly studies
because of a lack of funds. They generously offered to support both him
and his friend, Thaddeus, in their seminary studies. The two went to
Rome, where they were drawn to St. Alphonsus' vision of religious life
and to the Redemptorists. The two young men were ordained together in
1785.
Newly professed at age 34, Clement Mary, as he was now
called, and Thaddeus were sent back to Vienna. But the religious
difficulties there caused them to leave and continue north to Warsaw,
Poland. There they encountered numerous German-speaking Catholics who
had been left priestless by the suppression of the Jesuits. At first
they had to live in great poverty and preached outdoor sermons. They
were given the church of St. Benno, and for the next nine years they
preached five sermons a day, two in German and three in Polish,
converting many to the faith. They were active in social work among the
poor, founding an orphanage and then a school for boys.
Drawing
candidates to the congregation, they were able to send missionaries to
Poland, Germany and Switzerland. All of these foundations had
eventually to be abandoned because of the political and religious
tensions of the times. After 20 years of difficult work Clement himself
was imprisoned and expelled from the country. Only after another arrest
was he able to reach Vienna, where he was to live and work the final 12
years of his life. He quickly became "the apostle of Vienna," hearing
the confessions of the rich and poor, visiting the sick, acting as a
counselor to the powerful, sharing his holiness with all in the city.
His crowning work was the establishment of a Catholic college in his
beloved city.
Persecution followed him, and there were those in
authority who were able for a while to stop him from preaching. An
attempt was made at the highest levels to have him banished. But his
holiness and fame protected him and the growth of the Redemptorists.
Due to his efforts, the congregation, upon his death in 1820, was
firmly established north of the Alps.
He was canonized in 1909.
Comment:
Clement
saw his life’s work meet with disaster. Religious and political
tensions forced him and his brothers to abandon their ministry in
Germany, Poland and Switzerland. Clement himself was exiled from Poland
and had to start all over again. Someone once pointed out that the
followers of the crucified Jesus should see only new possibilities
opening up whenever they meet failure. He encourages us to follow his
example, trusting in the Lord to guide us.
Prayer:
O My Redeemer, will that terrible moment ever come when but
few Christians
shall be left who are inspired by the spirit of faith, that moment when Your
indignation shall be provoked and Your protection shall be taken from us? Have
our vices and our evil lives irrevocably moved Your justice to take vengeance,
perhaps this very day, upon Your children?
We beg You, the Beginning and the End of faith, with contrite hearts,
not to let the light of faith be extinguished in souls.
Remember Your mercies of old, turn Your eyes in compassion
upon the vineyard planted by Your own right hand, and watered by the tears of
the Apostles, by the precious blood of countless martyrs, and made fruitful by
the prayers of so many confessors and innocent virgins.
O divine Mediator, look upon those
zealous souls who raise their hearts to You and
pray without ceasing for the maintenance of that most precious gift of Yours,
the True Faith. Keep us safe in the true Catholic and Roman Faith.
Preserve us in Your holy faith, for if
we are rich with this precious gift, we shall gladly endure every sorrow and
nothing shall ever be able to change our happiness. Without this great treasure
of faith, our unhappiness would be unspeakable and without limit.
O Good Jesus, Author of our faith,
preserve it pure within us; keep us safe in the barque of Peter, faithful and
obedient to his successor, and Your vicar here on earth, so that the unity of
the holy Church may be maintained, holiness fostered, the Holy See protected in
freedom, and the Church universal extended to the benefit of souls.
O Jesus, Author of our faith, humble
and convert the enemies of Your Church; grant true peace and concord to all
believers; strengthen and preserve us in Your holy service to the end, that we
may live with You and die in You.
O Jesus, Author of our faith, let me
live for You and die for You. Amen
Source: American Catholic Organization
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SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
Do you:
feel afraid of your partner much of the time?
avoid certain topics fear of angering your partner?
feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
believe that you deserve to be hurt or mistreated?
wonder if you’re the one who is crazy?
feel emotionally numb or helpless?
Does your partner:
- humiliate, criticize, or yell at you?
- treat you so badly that you’re embarrassed for your friends or family to see?
- ignore or put down your opinions or accomplishments?
- blame you for his own abusive behavior?
- see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?
Does your partner:
have a bad and unpredictable temper?
hurt you, or threaten to hurt or kill you?
threaten to take your children away or harm them?
threaten to commit suicide if you leave?
force you to have sex?
destroy your belongings?
Does your partner:
- act excessively jealous and possessive?
- control where you go or what you do?
- keep you from seeing your friends or family?
- limit your access to money, the phone, or the car?
- constantly check up on you?