6 FACTS ABOUT ST.

JOSEMARÍA ESCRIVÁ
Let's get to know more about St. Josemaría Escrivá with these 6 facts about him:
BORN IN SPAIN
-Josemaría Escrivá was born in Barbastro, Spain, on January 9, 1902, the second of six
children born to José Escrivá and María Dolores Albás.

BEGAN STUDYING LAW WHILE PURSUING PRIESTHOOD

-Beginning in 1918, Josemaría felt that God was asking something of him, although he did not
know exactly what it was. Having completed his secondary education, he started his priestly
studies at the Seminary of Logroño, passing on, in 1920, to the Seminary of Saragossa, at
whose Pontifical University he completed his formation prior to ordination. At his father's
suggestion and with the permission of his superiors at the seminary, he also started to study
civil law. He was ordained a priest and began his pastoral ministry in 1925. Fr. Josemaría
moved to Madrid to study for a graduate degree in law in 1927. His family was not well-off, and
he had to tutor law students to support them.

FOUNDED OPUS DEI

-On October 2, 1928, while making a retreat in Madrid, God revealed to him his specific mission:
he was to found Opus Dei, an institution within the Catholic Church dedicated to helping people
in all walks of life to follow Christ, to seek holiness in their daily life and grow in love for God and
their fellow men and women. A few months later, on February 14, 1930, God made him
understand that Opus Dei was to spread among women also. By the time of Escrivá's death in
1975, its members reached around 60,000 in 80 countries.

DIED SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY AT 73

-On June 26, 1975, at midday, Josemaría died in his workroom, of a cardiac arrest, before a
picture of Our Lady which received his last glance.

CANONIZED IN 1992 BY POPE JOHN PAUL II

-After one of the shortest waiting periods in papal history (27 years), Josemaría Escrivá was
canonized by now St. John Paul II in 2002. His liturgical feast is celebrated on June 26.

DUBBED AS SAINT OF THE ORDINARY AND PATRON OF DIABETES SUFFERERS

-Pope John Paul II, who canonized Josemaría Escrivá in 2002, dubbed him as the "Saint of the
Ordinary". This is because of the very mission of Opus Dei, which invites everyone to become
holy and that ordinary life can result in sanctity.
Meanwhile, St. Josemaría Escrivá is also known as patron of those who suffer from diabetes, a
disease which he also endured for years. On April 27, 1954, feast of Our Lady of Montserrat,
after a severe allergic reaction to insulin, he was cured inexplicably (according to medical
opinion) of the diabetes.

ST. LORENZO RUIZ

Every 28 September, the Church remembers the first Filipino saint, San Lorenzo Ruiz, patron
saint of Filipino youth, the Philippines, people working overseas, and altar servers.

Let's get to know more about San Lorenzo Ruiz with these 6 facts about him:

1. He is the first Filipino Saint

-San Lorenzo was beatified by Pope John Paul II on February 18, 1981. The beatification
ceremony was held in the Philippines making it the first beatification ceremony ever held outside
the Vatican.

2. He was an altar boy, calligrapher, and later became a seminarian.

-Saint Lorenzo Ruiz was born around the year 1600 in Binondo, Manila in the Philippines. He
was the son of a Chinese father and a Filipino mother. Both were Christians and took care to
raise Lorenzo as a Catholic. He served happily in his parish church as an altar boy and
calligrapher. As a young man, Lorenzo joined the Dominican Confraternity of the Most Holy
Rosary.

3. After leaving the seminary life, he married a woman named Rosario, and had three
children.
-Later after being away from the seminary life, he married a woman named Rosario. The happy
couple had three children, two sons and one daughter. By all accounts, the family was ordinary
and happy.

4. In 1636, Lorenzo was accused of murder. Allegedly he killed a Spaniard. However, to

protect his safety at the time, he fled home and found refuge on board a ship with three
Dominican priests and a leper.
-The ship departed the Philippines on June 10, 1636, bound for Okinawa. A shock awaited the
holy passengers when they arrived in Japan. At the time of their arrival, the rulers of Japan, the
Tokugawa Shogunate, were persecuting Christians. Prior to this persecution, the Christian
population of Japan was thought to number 50,000 souls. Now Lorenzo was arrested by
Japanese officials for the crime of being a Christian and ordered to recant his faith. When he
refused he was imprisoned for two years. On September 27, 1637, Lorenzo and his companions
were taken to Nagasaki to be tortured and killed if they would not recant their faith.

5. Lorenzo and his companions were tortured by water, which was forced into their
mouths and down their throats and out their noses and ears.
-Despite the painful torture, the men refused to do so. Following this, Lorenzo was hanged
upside down, with a rope around his ankles. This method of torture was known as tsurushi, or
"gallows and pit." The torture forces a person to be hanged upside down with a gash cut in their
forehead to prevent too much blood from gathering in the head. The gash also causes the victim
to bleed to death over an extended period of time. Those who have survived the torture have
said it is unbearable. San Lorenzo Ruiz and companions underwent three major types of torture.
Those who survived the three were beheaded. One hand is left free so the victim can offer an
agreed symbol that will represent their desire to recant their faith. Those few who recant are
spared and allowed to live. But few people ever recanted, choosing instead to die for their faith.
6. His last words were, "I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly do accept death for God. Had
I a thousand lives, all these to Him I shall offer. Do with me as you please."
-Lorenzo refused to recant. His traveling companions were all killed, steadfast until the end. He
was beatified by Pope John Paul II on February 18, 1981. The beatification ceremony was held
in the Philippines making it the first beatification ceremony ever held outside the Vatican.

A miracle attributed to his intercession occurred in 1983. A two-year-old girl, Alegria Policarpio,
suffering from hydrocephaly, a condition she had since birth, was miraculously cured. His
canonization took place at the Vatican on October 18, 1987. Lorenzo Ruiz is the patron saint of,
among others, the Philippines and the Filipino people.

SAINT PEDRO CALUNGSOD

-St. Pedro Calungsod, a Filipino catechist, was martyred in 1672 in the Diocese of Cebu. He
was one of the exemplary young catechists chosen to accompany Spanish Jesuit missionaries
to the Islas de los Ladrones, a group of islands renamed Marianas Islands to honor the Virgin
Mary and the mission's benefactress, Maria Ana of Austria, Queen Regent of Spain.

-Calungsod and San Vitores were sent to Guam to catechize the native Chamorros, but rumors
spread that the baptismal water used by missionaries was poisonous. Chief Matapang,
influenced by Choco, refused the invitation and killed the missionaries.

-In 1980, Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal of Cebu requested Vatican permission to initiate
the beatification and canonization of Calungsod. The Sacred Congregation for the Causes of
Saints approved the beatification process in 1997, and Pope John Paul II approved the decree
concerning Calungsod's martyrdom in 2000. The Holy See officially approved the miracle
qualifying Calungsod for sainthood by the Roman Catholic Church in 2011, with the recognized
miracle date being March 26, 2003.

-Pope Benedict canonized Calungsod on October 21, 2012, 340 years after his death. Filipino
Cardinal Ricardo Jamin Vidal concelebrated at the canonization Mass, noting that Calungsod
was the only Filipino without a first-class relic exposed for veneration since his body was thrown
into the sea.

ST. PADRE PIO

St.Padre Pio is mostly known for his deep wisdom about prayer and peace; his stigmata;
miraculous reports of his bilocation; being physically attacked by the devil; and mastering the
spiritual life.
One of the most popular Catholic saints of the 20th century, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, commonly
known as Padre Pio, was a Capuchin Franciscan friar, priest and mystic.
Padre Pio is mostly known for his deep wisdom about prayer and peace; his stigmata;
miraculous reports of his bilocation; being physically attacked by the devil; and mastering the
spiritual life.

1. Padre Pio was only 5 years old when he expressed a strong desire to serve God.
Born May 25, 1887, in Petrelcina, Italy, as Francesco Forgione, he served as an altar boy at his
local parish. At the early age of 5, he consecrated himself to Jesus. By the age of 10, his family
looked to see how he could become a Capuchin friar.
2. Padre Pio was only 15 when he entered the Capuchin Friars Minor as a novice.
Being a young teenager, Francesco was given the name Pio or Pius when he entered as a
novice. He professed his solemn vows three years later. No stranger to suffering amid frail
health throughout much of his studies, he was ordained a priest in 1910. He ascended the
Gargano mountains to the rural friary outside of San Giovanni Rotondo in 1916. He remained
there for 50 years, until his death on Sept. 23, 1968.
3. St. Pio received the visible wounds of Christ known as stigmata, just like St. Francis of
Assisi.
On Sept. 20, 1918, Padre Pio received the stigmata while praying in a church. The wounds
remained visible on his body for the rest of his life. The wounds were on his hands, feet and
side, corresponding to the wounds suffered by Jesus during his crucifixion.
4. The blood from his stigmata smelled of floral perfume.

Referred to as the “odor of sanctity,” the blood that came from Padre Pio’s wounds is said to
have smelled like perfume or as having a floral aroma. The trait has also been exhibited by
other saints who manifested stigmata markings.

5. Padre Pio heard confessions 12 to 15 hours a day.

While listening to confessions, the saint would smell flowers as sins were confessed. Some
penitents waited two weeks just to visit him in the confessionial. Padre Pio could also read the
hearts of penitents, reminding them of sins that were forgotten or omitted. The saint once said:

“Confession is the soul’s bath. You must go at least once a week. I do not want souls to stay
away from confession more than a week. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust;
return after a week, and you will see that it needs dusting again!”

6. Padre Pio suffered attacks from the devil on a consistent basis.

Padre Pio, a Roman exorcist, experienced spiritual warfare from a young age, including attacks
from the devil. Father Gabriele Amorth, a famous exorcist, described the saint's constant
struggle against God's enemies and soul-capturing demons. The devil appeared to him in
various forms, such as a wild black cat, repulsive animals, naked young girls, and even his
spiritual director, Jesus, the Virgin Mary, or St. Francis. Amorth's account highlights the saint's
constant battle against demons.

7. He had the gift of bilocation, that, being in two places at once.

Padre Pio, a friar, was known for his ability to be in multiple places simultaneously, as
evidenced by multiple eyewitness accounts. He was seen in prayer outside his room and on
different continents. Padre Pio believed that bilocation occurred due to an extension of his
personality.

8. A sighting of a “flying friar” kept war planes from bombing Padre Pio’s town during
World War II.

During World War II, Padre Pio appeared in the air over San Giovanni Rotondo, promising the
town's safety. American bombers attempted to attack the city, but failed due to a brown-robed
friar's presence. Padre Pio promised the town would be spared. Later, when an American
airbase was established near Foggia, a pilot visited the friary and found the friar he had seen in
the air.

9. Before dying at the age of 81, all his wounds healed without scars, just as he had
foretold they would 50 years prior.

A doctor examining the saint's body who was present when he was dying observed that the
wounds of the stigmata were completely healed, without any trace or scar. Padre Pio's body
was placed in a coffin in the church of the monastery to allow pilgrims to visit and pray.

10. Pilgrims can visit the rooms in which Padre Pio lived.

All the cells where Padre Pio lived in Italy have been outfitted with vintage furnishings to make
them look exactly like they were in the early 20th century. Each site also boasts a small
museum with relics and artifacts from his life.

11. Many miracles have been attributed to Padre Pio.

Several miracles have been attributed to the saint’s intercession, including the story of Gemma
di Giorgio, a little girl who visited Padre Pio. Born blind without pupils in either eye, she
miraculously regained her sight after visiting him. One truly miraculous factor about her healing
was that, although she could see, she still lacked pupils.

12. He established a hospital.

Living a life of suffering, made difficult by physical pain and sickness, Padre Pio was able to
build a hospital with the help of generous sponsors. Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, which
means “Home for the Relief of the Suffering,” was inaugurated on May 5, 1956. The hospital sits
atop a hill overlooking San Giovanni Rotondo. Starting with only about 250 beds and just
enough equipment, the hospital is now known for its state-of-the-art facilities and services.

13. Even before his death in Sept. 23, 1968, Padre Pio reportedly spent his last moments
in prayer.
Beatified in 1999, St. Padre Pio was canonized on June 16, 2002, by the late Pope and now St.
John Paul II. He is known among Catholics as St. Pio of Pietrelcina. More than 500,000
attended his canonization by Pope John Paul the Great.

ST. ANTHONY DE PADUA

-Anthony’s birth and baptismal name was Fernando Martins. He was born in Portugal in 1195 to
a wealthy family, yet he felt called to the priesthood and chose a life of poverty.
-At the age of fifteen he traveled to the capital of Portugal to study to become a priest. After his
ordination, he lived at an abbey and was responsible for taking care of visiting guests. Once
when some Franciscans were visiting, Fernando felt called to join their order. When he took the
vows of this order, he changed his name to Anthony.
-The plan was for Anthony to travel to Morocco to help spread the Catholic faith. While there, he
became very sick. (Have you ever been sick when you were away from home? It is scary. I
wonder how Anthony felt when he became sick in a strange country.)

-Because he was so sick, his superiors decided to send him back to Portugal. On the way
home, a storm came and blew his ship off course. Instead of landing back in Portugal they
landed in Sicily, not far from Italy. They then traveled to Tuscany which is in the middle of Italy.
Being ill and weak, Anthony’s superiors decided to have him stay with some local friars to regain
his health. He spent a long time there praying and studying.

-Anthony, a novice preacher, was chosen to deliver a homily at a Mass by Dominican friars due
to confusion. His superior advised him to simply say what the Holy Spirit wanted, and his homily
was well-received, leading to him being asked to preach to various groups. Anthony's unique
teachings were accessible to anyone, regardless of education or background, making him a
great preacher.
-Books back in this time were rare and highly treasured. Anthony had a book that he often used
for reference when teaching. One day it was stolen. Saint Anthony prayed that the thief would
return it. His prayer was answered. The thief even eventually became a member of his religious
order! (This is why Saint Anthony is often called upon by people who are searching for lost
items.)

References:
https://www.ncregister.com/blog/who-is-padre-pio
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-anthony-of-padua-505