December 15th - Blessed Mary Frances Schervier
Traudel
"One is as it were rich, when one has nothing; and another is as it were
poor, when he has great riches" (Prov 13,7). This passage of scripture fits
the servant of God, Frances, who with all her heart espoused holy poverty
and thus came into the possession of the grace of God.
Born in 1819, Frances Schervier was a descendant of a distinguished
family in the old imperial city of Aachen or Aix-la-Chapelle. While she was
perhaps not prominent in the eyes of the world, she enjoyed the distinction
of extraordinary supernatural privileges from the very days of her youth.
Her desire to enter a religious order was thwarted by the early death of her
mother in 1832, when Frances was only 13 years old. She was obliged to
remain at home and attend to the household. But she did not let these
circumstances prevent her from caring in a very special way for the poor and
the sick. So lavish was her liberality that one of the old servants once
remarked, "One of these days the child will have dragged everything out of
the house." Later she was an active member of several benevolent societies
of women and also of what was known as St. John's soup kitchen, a charitable
enterprise organized to feed the needy.
Frances joined the Third Order of St. Francis in 1844. Henceforth she
and four other young women resolved to lead a community life. They found a
dwelling at the old city gate of St. James, and took possession of their
first religious abode on the eve of the feast of St. Francis in 1845. Prayer
and works of mercy were their principal occupation. Mother Frances and her
first companions -- the number soon increased to 23 -- received the
religious
habit on August 12, 1851, and a new religious family was formed. Very
appropriately she called the new congregation the Sisters of the Poor of St.
Francis. The poverty of St. Francis and his love for the poor of Christ
superseded everything else in the eyes of the foundress. On one occasion she
wrote to her sisters: "The impress of poverty and penance should mark even
our chapels and churches and be their distinctive feature."
The first foundation of the Sisters of the Poor of St. Francis in the
United States was made in 1858. Twice Mother Frances came to the US, the
first time in 1863 and the second time in 1868. During her first sojourn in
this country, she joined her sisters in ministering to wounded soldiers of
the Civil War and to the sick, the homeless, and the orphaned. The second
time, while visiting the various institutions conducted by her sisters, she
also lent a helping hand in caring for the sick, the aged, and the poor.
Mother Frances sacrificed everything for the poor out of love for God,
and she was amply repaid by Him who cannot be outdone in generosity. Her
foundation increased visibly, and to this day it enjoys the special blessing
of Divine Providence. At her holy death on December 14, 1876, Mother Frances
was mourned by thousands of daughters in religion as well as by the poor,
and was venerated as a saint. Unusual conversions and other remarkable
events occurred even during her lifetime in answer to her trustful prayer,
and since her departure from this world, such things have happened even more
frequently.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
We beseech Thee, O Lord, that Thy grace may ever precede and accompany
our deeds; let it tend to make us ever mindful of good works. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Saint Quote:
Oh, if you had tasted the delights with which God fills the souls of those
who serve him and suffer for him, how would you condemn all that the world
can promise! I now begin to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, since for his
love I am in prison, where I suffer much. But I assure you, that when I am
fainting with hunger, God hath fortified me by his sweet consolations, so
that I have looked upon myself as well recompensed for his service. And
though I were yet to pass many years in prison, the time would appear short,
through the extreme desire which I feel of suffering for him, who even here
so well repays our labours. Besides other sickness, I have been afflicted
with a continual fever a hundred days without any remedies or proper
nourishment. All this time my heart was so full of joy that it seemed to me
too narrow to contain it. I have never felt any equal to it, and I thought
myself at the gates of paradise.
--Blessed Charles Spinola
Bible Quote:
Pure in their own eyes
There are those who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers;
those who are pure in their own eyes
and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
those whose eyes are ever so haughty,
whose glances are so disdainful;
those whose teeth are swords
and whose jaws are set with knives
to devour the poor from the earth,
the needy from among mankind. (Proverbs 30:11-14)
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THIRTY-ONE DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SOULS
FROM THE PURGATORIAN MANUAL
(Imprimatur 1946)
31st Day
BY A GOOD INTENTION TO MAKE EVEN OUR MOST TRIVIAL ACTIONS AND SUFFERINGS
MERITORIOUS, AND OFFER THEM FOR THE DELIVERANCE OF THE HOLY SOULS.
As rational beings we should have a distinct object in view in all our
actions. By performing even the most trivial act from the motive, thereby to
please our dear Lord, and to do His holy will, they may become meritorious.
It is understood that these acts are not contrary to the commandments of God
and His holy Church, and that the person be in a state of grace. People who
are working from early in the morning till late at night can assist the
suffering souls in an efficacious manner by offering their toil and fatigue
in union with the merits of Jesus and Mary for the relief of the suffering
souls.
Sick persons, and those enduring mental sufferings, such as temptations,
scruples, contempt, slander, unjust treatment; those who mourn for the loss
of a near relative or a dear friend, etc., may make the same intention in
regard to their particular suffering.
Prayer: My dear Redeemer, how many occasions have I lost to gain merits by a
good intention, and thus to assist Thy holy spouses! Pardon my negligence,
and graciously assist me to turn every precious moment of time to advantage
by a good intention, and to make up for the past. In union with Thy merits,
and those of Thy holy Mother Mary and all the saints, I unite all my
thoughts, words, deeds, and spiritual and bodily sufferings for the future,
till my last breath, and offer them for the suffering souls. In return I
beseech the holy souls to obtain for me, and all those for whom I am in duty
and love bound to pray, spiritual and temporal favors, and abundant grace to
lead a holy life and persevere to the end of their life. Through Christ, our
Lord. Amen.
Special Petition: Pray for the souls who spent time uselessly, and were
negligent in making and renewing the good intention.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon
them; may they rest in peace. Amen. (Three times)
Practice: When rising in the morning I shall never omit to make my good
intention for the coming day, and to renew the same at least every hour, by
saying: For love of Jesus and Mary, and the relief of the suffering souls in
Purgatory.
Invocation: My Jesus, mercy!
Also see entire 31day prayer at:
http://www.faithfuldeparted.net/prayers.html