November 28th - Joseph Pignatelli
Waldtraud
Born in Saragossa, Spain, 1737; died October 1811; canonized 1954 by Pope
Pius XII; feast day formerly on November 11.
Born of a Spanish mother and a princely Italian father, Saint Joseph, a
Spanish grandee, was educated in Saragossa. He joined the Jesuits at
Tarragona when he was 16, made his vows in 1755, was ordained in 1763, and
was assigned to Saragossa. In addition to teaching young boys, Father Joseph
had a special ministry to those condemned to execution. After his
profession, he taught at Manresa, Bilboa, and Saragossa.
When Charles III banished the Jesuits from Spain in 1767, Father Pignatelli
and his fellow Jesuits went to Corsica, where they were forced to leave when
the French, who had also banished the Jesuits, occupied the island.
They then settled in Ferrara, Italy, where Joseph was placed in charge of
young recruits. When Pope Clement XIV, under pressure from the Bourbons,
suppressed the Jesuits in 1773 as an administrative measure without
condemning any of the Society's actions. Joseph and the 23,000 members of
the Society of Jesus were secularized.
He lived for the next 20 years at Bologna, Italy, contributing to the
temporal support of his less fortunate fellow Jesuit exiles and
strengthening their courage with brotherly advice. At the same time he
worked hard for the restoration of his beloved institute and studied its
history.
Meanwhile, Empress Catherine had refused to allow the bull of suppression to
be published in Russia, and the Society of Jesus continued in existence
there. In 1792, the duke of Parma invited three Italian Jesuits in Russia to
establish themselves in his realm, and after receiving permission from Pope
Pius VI, Father Pignatelli made his profession again in 1797 and became
superior, thus bringing the Jesuits back to Italy.
He began a quasi-novitiate at Colorno in 1799 and saw Pope Pius VII give
formal approval to the Jesuit province in Russia in 1801. Father Pignatelli
worked to revive the Jesuits, and in 1804 the Society was re-established in
the Kingdom of Naples, with him as provincial-"the link between the old and
the new Society." The province was dispersed when the French invaded Naples
later that same year, whereupon he went to Rome and was named provincial for
Italy. Many Jesuits came back to Rome, where Pius VII offered them their
former college and S. Pantaleon's near the Colosseum. Thus, he restored the
Society in Sardinia and helped conserve it when the French occupied Rome.
Though the Society of Jesus was not fully restored until 1814, three years
after the death of Saint Joseph in Rome on November 11, Pope Pius XII called
him the "restorer of the Jesuits" and described him as a priest of "manly
and vigorous holiness" when he canonized him (Attwater 2, Benedictines,
Coulson, Delaney, Farmer).
Saint Quote:
"We have loved her during life, let us not abandon her until we have
conducted her by our prayers in the House of the Lord."
-St. Ambrose (AD 340-397)
Bible Quote
16 So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but
few chosen. (Matthew 20:16)
November 28th is also the feast day of Saint Catherine Labouré. Virgin,
Visionary
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The Novena in Honor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
Leader: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
All: Amen.
V. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful,
R. And kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
V. Send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created.
R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
Let us pray:
O God, who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful by the light of the
Holy Spirit, grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and ever to
rejoice in His consolation, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
R: Amen.
V: O Mary, conceived without sin,
R: Pray for us who have recourse to Thee. (thrice)
All: O Lord Jesus Christ, who have vouchsafed to glorify by numberless
miracles the Blessed Virgin Mary, immaculate from the first moment of her
conception, grant that all who devoutly implore her protection on earth may
eternally enjoy Thy presence in heaven, who, with the Father and the Holy
Spirit, liveth and reigneth, God for ever and ever. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ, who for the accomplishment of Thy greatest works,
have chosen the weak things of the world, that no flesh may glory in Thy
sight; and who for a better and more widely diffused belief in the
Immaculate Conception of Thy Mother, have wished that the Miraculous Medal
be manifested to St. Catherine Laboure, grant, we beseech Thee, that filled
with like humility, we may glorify this mystery by word and work. Amen.
Remember, O most compassionate Virgin Mary, that never was it known that
anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy assistance, or sought thy
intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto
thee, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother; to thee we come, before thee we
kneel, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not
our petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer them. Amen.
O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of our Lord Jesus and our Mother,
penetrated with the most lively confidence in thy all-powerful and
never-failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous
Medal, we thy loving and trustful children implore thee to obtain for us
the graces and favors we ask during this Novena, if they be beneficial to
our immortal souls, and the souls for whom we now pray. (pray here) You
know, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of thy loving
Son who hates iniquity. Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that
purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every
thought, word and deed may tend to His greater glory. Obtain for us also
a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what
we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where
thou art the Queen of angels and of men. Amen.
Act of Consecration to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
All: O Virgin Mother of God, Mary Immaculate, we dedicate and consecrate
ourselves to thee under the title Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. may
this Medal be for each one of us a sure sign of thy affection for us and a
constant reminder our duties towards Thee. Ever while wearing it, may
we be blessed by thy loving protection and preserved in the grace of thy
Son. O most powerful Virgin, Mother of our Savior, keep us close to you
every moment of our lives. Obtain for us, thy children, the grace of a
happy death; so that, in union with thee, we may enjoy the bliss of
heaven forever. Amen.
V: O Mary, conceived without sin,
R: Pray for us who have recourse to thee. (thrice)