Issabela Sia

Grade 7 – St. Anthony de Padua

Life of the
Saints
St. John Marie Vianney
A man with vision overcomes obstacles and
performs deeds that seem impossible. John
Vianney was a man with vision: he wanted to
become a priest. But since he was not very
intelligent, he had a hard time studying. His
determination and strong desire to become a
priest helped him cope with his studies until
the time came when he was ordained. As
priest, Fr. Vianney was again faced with
another difficult challenge. He was assigned
in a parish in the remote village of Ars. The
people in the place did not pay attention to
the
Church and were not
interested in prayer
and worship. He knew
he had to attract the
people to the Church so
he began to fast
severely and pray
hard.
Each day, he would wait for people to
come to confession and soon, because
of His kind words and wise advice,
people began to form long lines to the
confessional box. He would spend 11
to 12 hours hearing confessions even
during the cold winter months.
During summer,
when it was
really hot, he
would endure 16
hours of hearing
confessions.

His powerful sermons

during Masses and his patience in
leading his parishioners back to God
through the Sacrament of Penance
drew many people to the Church, even
those coming from outside of Ars. Fr.
Vianney's dedication to his priestly
duties led Pope Pius XI to name him
patron of parish priests.
St. John of the Cross
A faithful man of
God, a priest, a great
writer and spiritual
leader are words that
describe St. John of
the Cross. As a child,
John learned the
meaning of sacrifice
He grew up in for the sake of love
poverty and had from his parents. His
to work at a rich father gave up all
young age to his wealth to marry
help his mother his poor mother.
feed his family
St. John became
a priest and
entered the
Carmelite Order.
He met St. Teresa
of Avila and
helped her make
important
changes in the
way the nuns
lived their life.
He supported her
belief that nuns
and priests
should give
more time for
prayer. These
changes were
not received
well and the
monks from his
own Order
imprisoned him in
a tiny cell. He was able to escape
and hid from his pursuers in a
convent infirmary, where he read
the poetry he wrote while in prison.
From that time on he spent his life
sharing with other people his
experience of God’s love. St. John
wrote books on prayer and spiritual
growth that are still relevant and
helpful to all of Jesus’ followers.
 Venerable
Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot was raised in a poor

family. His father was a laborer and his
mother sometimes went to work as a
chairwoman to help meet expenses. He
was never able to attend school
regularly. From this first job he moved
on a number of jobs, always as
unskilled laborer. Matt was a good
worker but he drank heavily. After a
time, he made a pledge to keep away
from alcoholic drinks. It was not easy
to do. He would wander about the
streets suffering from thirst and the
horrible symptoms of alcohol
withdrawal.
There were times when he felt like going
back into his old alcoholic state. But he
kept his pledge by turning to God for
support and by beginning new habits, one
of which was getting involved in
charitable work. Matt came to the aid of
neighbors in distress and gave money for
numerous charities. He also helped
the strikers with young
children by giving them
his money. He could
sense who of the
laborers were in
trouble and he gave
them money to
tide them over the
crises. Though he
was deeply involved in the fight
for justice, he managed to spend much of
his time in church and in reading about the
social teachings of the Church. God healed
Matt of his addiction to alcohol. His
healing gave him peace and happiness.
St. Pascal Baylon
Paschal was a

shepherd boy
who loved his

work for it gave

him a lot
of time
to play, think,
and
pray. He was very smart and while
watching the sheep, Paschal taught
himself to read. After making his First
Holy Communion, he made every
effort to attend Mass and receive the
Body of Christ. Growing up, Paschal
decided to dedicate his whole life to
God as a brother in the Franciscan
Order. Brother Paschal served God by
taking care of the buildings where he
lived and by welcoming all who came
Soon the pilgrims began calling
Paschal the Holy Brother, because God
seemed to work through him in special
ways. He received the gift of curing the
sick and visitors came from all over the
land to ask for his prayers. He told all
his visitors to pray before the Lord in
the tabernacle and tell Him their needs.
He would speak to them of the great
love that Jesus has for everyone and of
how the Lord delights in having them
visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament. St.
Paschal teaches us the value of actively
participating in the Eucharistic
celebration, of daily prayer, and of
being kind and helpful to others. He
teaches us how,
like Jesus, we
can offer God
sincere worship.
 St. Zita
Zita was a poor girl who became a
housekeeper at the age of twelve. At
an early age, she always tried to be
obedient to God's will. She was not
liked by her co-workers because she
was hardworking
and kind. At first,
her employers
did not like her,
too, because of
her habit of
giving away food
and clothing to
the poor
including those of her employers. In
time, she won them over to her side
and made them participate in her good
work.
Throughout her life,
Zita worked for the
poor, suffering, as
well as criminals
languishing in prisons.
She was also a faithful
servant to her masters,
serving them all
throughout her life
with dedication. She
lived with them for
the last forty-eight
years of her life.
Despite the many
tasks she had to
accomplish, she did
not miss daily Mass.
She always had time
for God. St. Zita is the
patroness of servants
and is depicted in art
with a bag and keys,
or loaves of bread and
a rosary.