Honoring the Late Whitney Houston (a little too late)

Whitney Houston was a world class performer and her death was a tragedy, but she wasn't on my mind until Midnight last night, when I read of her passing on the Google news feed. I was at first shocked to see this, as she was quite young to be passing in this day and age. What's most shocking is that the second thought in my mind was that she overdosed on illegal drugs. I can't imagine that I was the only person who thought this.

About 30 minutes ago I was listening to 1010 Winds News. Residents of Whitney's old neighborhood in NJ were being interviewed about her passing. Many offered their thoughts and prayers to her and her family. In conclusion, many said that Whitney Houston's death was a loss to the community.

It's no secret that Whitney Houston was severly addicted to drugs for the past decade or so.

The question I have is: Where was the community's thoughts and prayers when she was alive and in desperate need of them? I don't think anyone in the community gave her a second thought in the past 5 years.

My next question: Who was Whitney Houston before she was a loss to the community? I think she was more of an embarrasment to the community for the last few years. When the media started reporting on Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown's drug problems, I don't think many of her old neighbors were that proud she was from their community.

I know alot of this sounds cold hearted, and i'm not trying to demonize her old community. This seems to be a very common problem. In this, I did realize something; Why don't we honor the people we care about while they're still alive? Why do we wait to honor them until they're gone? It seems that we cherish anyone that passes away, no matter what we thought about them when they were with us.

The moral of the story is that we need to start appreciating the people we love, care about and think highly of. When someone's struggling and in pain, instead of getting on Twitter and bashing them, why don't we express how dear they are to us. Encourage them. Uplift them. Couldn't all of us use that from time to time?

We don't need expressions of love when we're gone. We need them now.

Patrick
www.apostle.com

Patron Saint Genevieve (Women's Army Corps)

Also known as: Genovefa

Memorial: January 3rd

Born: 422, Paris France

Died: 500, Paris France

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Spiritual student of St. Germanus

Exceptional piousness and desire to dedicate her life to God

Took the veil at 15 years old

Organized large scale prayers for help from God to defend Paris from the oncoming Frank invasion. Also, she encouraged the defense of France and risked her life on several occasions during missions to bring food into the city.

Miracles:

The Church of St. Denis was built over her tomb, and inside the Church were her relics. These relics are believed to have ended a major epidemic.

Saint Genevieve Charm Medal

Patrick
www.apostle.com

Saint Frances (Patron of Chicago)

Prayer of St Frances:

Inspired by the grace of god, we join the saints in honoring the holy virgin Frances Xavier Cabrini. She was a humble woman who became outstanding not because she was famous or rich or powerful, but because she lived a virtuous life. From the tender years of her youth, she kept her innocence as white as a lily and preserved it carefully with the thorns of penitence; as the years progressed, she was moved by a certain instinct and supernatural zeal to dedicate her whole life to the service and greater glory of God.

She welcomed delinquent youths into safe homes, and taught them to live upright and holy lives. She consoled those who were in prison, and recalled to them the hope of eternal life. She encouraged prisoners to reform themselves, and to live honest lives.

She comforted the sick and the infirm in the hospitals, and diligently cared for them. She extended a friendly and helping hand especially to immigrants, and offered them necessary shelter and relief, for having left their homeland behind, they were wandering about in a foreign land with no place to turn for help. Because of their condition, she saw that they were in danger of deserting the practice of Christian virtues and their Catholic faith.

Undoubtedly she accomplished all this through the faith which was always so vibrant and alive in her heart; through the divine love which burned within her; and finally, through constant prayer by which she was so closely united with God from whom she humbly asked and obtained whatever her human weakness could not obtain. Although her constitution was very frail, her spirit was endowed with such singular strength that, knowing the will of God in her regard, she permitted nothing to impede her from accomplishing what seemed beyond her strength.

Patron Saint: Immigrants

Also Known as: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Memorial: December 22nd

Born: 1850 in Lombardi, Italy

Died: December 1917 in Chicago Illinois

Beautified: November 13th 1938

Canonized: July 7th 1946 by Pope Pius XII

Additional Patronages: Hospital administrators, Emigrants and Orphans

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Unable to accept the veil because of poor health, she became a Catholic girls school teacher in the House of Providence Orphanage. She was so successful in educating her students, that she was accepted into the order, and took her religious vows after 6 years of work.

With her continued success at teaching, her remarkable charity and piousness, she was asked by the Bishop of Italy, to establish the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.

With evermore continued successes as Mother Superior of the Missionary, Pope Leo XIII sent her to the United States to establish the Mission there.

In the United States, the mission was founded to work with immigrants, schools, hospitals, orphanages and sick children. The Cabrini Green city in Chicago was named after her.

First citizen of the United States to be Canonized

Miracles:

Beautification: Permanently blind child who was prayed for by intercession to St. Frances had his sight restored

Canonization: A terminally ill nun had prayed the intercession to St. Frances and was cured of her illness.

Saint Frances Charm Medal

Patrick
www.apostle.com

Patron Saint Faith (Pilgrims)

Also Known as: Fides

Memorial: October 6th

Patron Saint: Pilgrims

Additional Patronages: Prisoners and Soldiers

Memorial: October 6th

The death sentence of St. Faith:

Making the sign of the cross on different parts of her body, she uttered this prayer, "Lord Jesus, who art always ready to assist your servants, fortify me at this hour, and enable me to answer in a manner worthy of you."

The tyrant Dacian, assuming an air of mildness, asked her, "What is your name?"

She answered, "My name is Faith, and I endeavor to support in reality what that flame signifies."

Tyrant: "What is your religion?"

Faith: "I have from my infancy served Christ, and to him I have consecrated my whole soul."

Tyrant: "Come, child, have some regard for your youth and beauty; renounce the religion you profess, and sacrifice to Diana, who is a divinity of your own sex, and who will bestow on you the most precious gifts."

Faith: "The divinities of the Gentiles are devils: how then can you advise me to sacrifice to them?"

The tyrant Dacian, in a rage, said: "What! do you presume to call our gods devils! you must resolve instantly to offer sacrifice, or expire under torments."

Saint Faith, calling to mind the courage of the martyrs and the glorious crown promised to those who persevere to the end, far from being terrified at the menaces of the tyrant, feels herself inflamed with a new desire to die for her Lord; "No," cried she, "I not only am prepared to suffer every torment for Christ, but I burn with impatience to die for him."

Dacian, more enraged than ever, ordered a brazen bed to be produced, and the saint to be bound on it with iron chains. A treat fire was kindled under it, the heat of which was rendered still more intolerable by the addition of oil, and other inflammable matter.

The spectators, struck with pity and horror, exclaimed: "How can the tyrant thus torment an innocent young virgin only for worshipping God!"

Hereupon Dacian apprehended numbers of them, and as these refused to sacrifice, they were beheaded with Saint Faith.

Born: Late 200's France

Died: Early 300's France. Tortured and Martyred by beheading

Canonized: Pre-congregation

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Gave her virginity to Christ

During the brutal Diocletian persecutions, Faith was an exceptionally beautiful girl who was unconcerned with earthly life, choosing entire Faith in Christ over the largely pagan society which she lived in

Tortured, beheaded and Martyred in the town square of the Agen city of France for refusing to make a sacrifice to a pagan god. Others in the crowd were deeply sympathetic, and grew angry at the tyrant who was punishing her. These crowd members were also tortured and Martryed alongside her that very day.

Saint Faith Charm Medal

Patrick
www.apostle.com

Patron Saint Eva (Feast of Corpus Christi)

Patron Saint: The Feast of Corpus Christi

Also Known as: Heva, Blessed Eva of Liege

Memorial Feast: May 26th

Canonized: Cultus Confirmed in 1902

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Hermit

Close friend of St. Juliana of Liege, who was the Prioress of Mount Cornillon. Juliana was deeply touched by the enthusiasm of Eva regarding the need for a feast to celebrate the Blessed Sacrament. This was proposed through many channels inside of the Church with little success for years. St. Juliana and St. Eva worked hard together, and in time the Feast was instituted shortly after the accession of Pope Urban.

Saint Eva and Juliana are entirely responsible for the Papal recognition and creation of the Blessed Feast of Corpus Christi

Saint Eva Charm Medal

Patrick
www.apostle.com

Blessed Patron Emma (Lost Families)

Born: Late 10th Century in Germany

Died: 1045 in Austria

Beautified: 1938

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Born to a wealthy German family, vowed celibacy until marriage, bore two boys who ran her husband, the count William of Friesachs' mining operations. Two disgruntled miners killed her two sons, and her husband William vowed revenge on several of the suspected miners and their families. St. Emma convinced William not to seek revenge but to find out who was responsible first. He follwed her advice, and had only the two of the miners charged with the crime.

Shortly after the event, Count William made a pilgrimage to Rome for prayer and guidance. He came back to Emma in sickness and dies several days later. Emma was heartbroken by the loss of her whole family, and gave her entire estate and money to the poor, and founding Churches and Monasteries.

Saint Emma Charm Medal

Patrick
www.apostle.com

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Patron Saint Emily (Single Women)

Also known as: Saint Emily De Vialar or St. Emily of Versailles

Memorial: June 17th

Born: 1797, Southern France

Died: August, 1856

Canonized: 1951 by Pope Pius XII

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Devoted to Celibacy and Prayer

Established the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition

Responsible for starting over 40 houses of Charity around Europe, Africa and Asia, thus spreading the message of Christ to these regions.

Saint Emily Pendants and Charm Medals

Patrick
www.apostle.com

Patron Saint Elizabeth (Young Brides)

Patron Saint: Young Brides

Also Known as: St. Elizabeth of Hungary

St. Elizabeth was the wife of Zachary and the mother of John the Baptist. Elizabeth was also "of the daughters of Aaron" (Luke 1:5) Elizabeth was visited by the Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:8 - 20) with the promise of a Blessed son in her womb. Elizabeth was much older than the average age of child bearing women at that time, John was her first. The birth of John is considered by the Bible a Miracle.

Prayer of St Elizabeth:

Almighty God, by whose grace your servant Elizabeth of Hungary recognized and honored Jesus in the poor of this world:

Grant that we, following her example, may with love and gladness serve those in any need or trouble.

In the name and for the sake of and through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Name Means: Worshipper of God

Memorial: November 17th

Born: In Hungary - 1207

Died: In Germany - 1231 - Natural causes

Canonized: May of 1235 by Pope Gregory IX

Additional Patronages: Bakers, Charities, Beggars, Homeless people and in-law problems

*Daughter of King Andrew of Hungary

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Zealot of the poor, sick and for the teachings of Jesus Christ

selling her fortune and giving it to the poor

Miracles: When bringing food to the poor, her brother the Prince tried to reveal what she was hiding. The food was miraculously changed to roses when he opened her bag

Saint Elizabeth Charm Medal

Patrick
www.apostle.com

Patron Saint Edith (Patron of Europe)

Prayer Reading:

God is there in these moments of rest and can give us in a single instant exactly what we need. Then the rest of the day can take its course, under the same effort and strain, perhaps, but in peace. And when night comes, and you look back over the day and see how fragmentary everything has been, and how much you planned that has gone undone, and all the rasons you have to be embarrassed and ashamed: just take everything exactly as it is, put it in God’s hands and leave it with Him. Then you will be able to rest in Him -- really rest -- and start the next day as a new life.

-Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

Memorial: August 9th

Also Known as: Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Edith Stein

Born: October 12th 1891 in modern day Poland

Died: August 9th 1942. Gassed in the Aushwitz nazi concentration camp

Additional Patronages: Loss of Parents, Martyrs, World Youth Day

Beautified: May 1st 1987 by Pope John Paul II in Germany

Canonized: October 11th 1998 by Pope John Paul II

Why she is venerated by the Holy Roman Catholic Church:

Doctor of Philosophy, who converted to Catholicism from Judaism after seeing the zeal of the Faith of her Catholic friends

Carmelite Nun who took the name Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.

Teacher

Remarkably insightful writer

Inspired and converted many in Europe

Martyred by the nazis in the Auschwitz concentration camp

Saint Edith Medals

Patrick
www.apostle.com