Denver Catholic

14 SEPTEMBER 12-26, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC Parents and guardians love their kids, and safety is a constant concern. To help with the vital task of creating a safe environment for our children, the Archdiocese of Denver oers over 300 parent and guardian safety classes per year, all of which are free. Information about internet safety, school safety and more can be found at archden.org/child-protection. FREE PARENT SAFETY CLASSES Our free classes highlight important facts about child sexual abuse, help you identify situations where sexual abuse might occur, and give you simple and eective strategies for protecting children. All training sessions are free and last only two hours. O…ce of Child and Youth Protection Christi.Sullivan@ArchDen.org SERVING THE DENVER CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SINCE 1890. The heritage behind our mortuaries and cemeteries is one of history and tradition. For more than a century, Catholic families have trusted Olinger Mortuaries and Cemeteries to care for their loved ones because respect for traditions, understanding the needs of the Catholic faith, and providing affordable options is at the heart of what we do. With more than a 90 years of combined experience, parishioners Harry Stevenson, Matt Whaley and Lloyd Swint have assisted families with care and compassion. Today, their experience, combined with those who provide professional services in 11 Olinger neighborhood chapels, is virtually unprecedented in serving the Denver Catholic community. Harry Stevenson 52 Years Matt Whaley 27 Years Lloyd Swint 11 Years (303) 455-3663 www.denverfuneralproviders.com W hen most people think of St. Louis, they think of an idyllic town nestled in a glorious tetrad of magnifi cent rivers. However, there was also a man named St. Louis, so let's learn about him. HE WAS THE KING OF FRANCE. HIS MOTHER WAS THE QUEEN OF CATHOLIC GUILT. St. Louis' mother ruled for him after he became king at age 12. She loved her son, but it appears that her love language was setting the golden standard by which all future Catholic mothers would guilt their children into holiness. Some of the advice he heard growing up include: • The sins of his people were actually a refl ection on him as their monarch. • She would rather see him die than commit a mortal sin. One can only assume she rounded out the stereotype by informing the young monarch he was making Our Lord cry by not fi nishing his escargot. HE REALLY, REALLY LOVED GOD This might seem like a given for a can- onized saint, but look back at what he grew up hearing. By all accounts he should have been fi lled with that awful loveless faith that can be so enticing to public fi gures. But he wasn't. He was really in love with Jesus. In addition to running his country, he prayed the Divine O‹ ce and heard two Masses every day. He also instituted a law that would allow serfs to be freed, personally fed the poor from his table, and would wash their feet. HE WASN'T AFRAID OF WOULD-BE ASSASSINS, AND HE PROVED IT MULTIPLE TIMES At one point during his crusading adventures, St. Louis was captured. While he was being held in Egypt, an Emir rushed into his tent and demanded St. Louis knight him or be stabbed. St. Louis calmly informed him that only a follower of Jesus Christ could perform the duties of a Christian knight. Later, his captors o¨ ered him his freedom if he would swear an oath that implied a blas- phemy. They held their swords to his throat and threatened to massacre Christians, but St. Louis still refused to blaspheme. After he was ransomed, he started another crusade, because he gave exactly zero cares. He won a battle in Tunis, but died of a fever there. He received Viati- cum kneeling next to his camp-bed, the very picture of a humble and pious ruler. HE HELPED END SOME REALLY WEIRD MOVEMENTS AND HERESIES BACK HOME. Crusades were a really popular idea, but sometimes they got a little weird. For example, in 1251 tons of poor people called "pastoraux" (shepherds) crusaded around France demanding the release of Holy Places and killing clergy. They were led by an elusive fi gure named the Master of Hun- gary. St. Louis shut that weirdness²down. France also hosted one of my personal favorite heresies in Church history: Cath- arism (also known as Albigensianism, just to confuse us). Catharism was more of a church than a heresy, with its own clergy, dioceses, etc. They believed that two opposing deities ruled the world. They thought the biblical God was the God of evil and the Church was the invention of Satan, because they also apparently believed that heretics should go big or go home. They also hilariously taught that sex was inherently evil, and that having chil- dren was a sin because it trapped a soul in a body. St. Louis fought them, and they eventually learned the hard way that a movement that condemns having chil- dren is doomed to destroy itself. HE HAS AN AWESOME LEGACY, INCLUDING ONE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN CITIES It's true. The guy had eleven children, and remains the only canonized French monarch. He even introduced the "inno- cent until proven guilty" concept to law, which is a pretty big deal. St. Louis de Poissy, roi de France, priez pour nous! Things to know about St. Louis BY MELISSA KEATING 303-715-3123 | melissa.keating@archden.org www.twitter.com/mkeats42 Around the Archdiocese (the saint, not the arguably perfect city)

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