Denver Catholic

4 OCTOBER 22-NOVEMBER 11, 2016 | DENVER CATHOLIC In-Depth ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY (1880-1906) E lizabeth Catez was born in Avord, France. Her father died when she was only seven years old. She had a refined spiritual and artistic sensitivity and was quite a jokester as well as an accomplished pianist. "She loved music, walking, and enjoying nature and the moun- tains," Patricia Morrison, editorial director of ICS Publications, told El Pueblo Católico. Elizabeth discov- ered her vocation to the contemplative religious life at a young age, but was unable to fulfill this desire until she was 21. She was able to join the Order of Carmel in 1901. Her superiors would later say that this waiting period had given her a great maturity and made her better pre- pared for religious life. "When I recommend prayer to you, this doesn't mean taking on a list of vocal prayers to pray every day. I speak, rather, of a raising of the soul to God through all things," she once wrote. In 1903, she was diag- nosed with Addison's Disease and she died at age 26.† "It seems that I have found my heaven on earth, since heaven is God and God is in my soul," she wrote in the midst of her agony. BROTHER SOLOMON LE CLERCQ (1745-1792) B rother Solomon died a martyr during the reli- gious persecution of the French Revolution. He belonged to the Congre- gation of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (known as the La Salle Brothers), an institute of religious life dedi- cated to the education of children and youth, especially the poor. Brother Le Clercq was characterized by a great love for souls and for abnegation of himself. He was arrested Aug. 15, 1792, for refusing to take an oath to support the civil constitution of the clergy, which required them to separate them- selves from the Church. Two weeks later, nearly all the prisoners were killed for their refusal to take the oath. "Let us suƒer with joy and gratitude for the crosses and a®iction sent to us," he wrote to his sister before dying. El Pueblo Católico spoke with Brother Leonardo Rafael Lopez, coordinator of the La Salle brothers in Ven- ezuela, who described Brother Solomon as "a man of service, atten- tive to the needs of those around him, with a developed capacity to respond [to situa- tions] opportunely and correctly." FATHER JOSE GABRIEL BROCHERO (1840-1914) B etter known as "el cura Brochero" (el cura translates to "the priest"), Father Brochero was a dioce- san priest of Argentina with tremendous mis- sionary zeal. He tried to bring many people to an encounter with God through spiri- tual exercises. In this eƒort, he traveled long miles, riding a mule, sometimes despite intense cold or raging snowstorms. On certain occasions, as many as 500 people joined in these pilgrimages so as to have nine days of retreat according to the method of the spiritual exercises.† Father Brochero founded a retreat house for spiritual exercises that today is named after him. He also built a home for religious, a girls' school, a resi- dence for priests, and various churches. He also participated in the construction of a railroad line to help many people escape poverty and isolation, from where, he said, they were "abandoned by everyone, but not by God." He eventually was left blind and died of leprosy, caught from the faithful he went to visit and to spiritually assist. ALFONSO MARIA FUSCO (1839-1910) H e was a priest of the Diocese of Salerno, in the south of Italy, and the founder of the Congrega- tion of the Sisters of Saint John the Baptist - also known as the Baptistine Sisters of Nazareth. He was characterized by his zeal, his dedica- tion to liturgy and for his diligence in administer- ing the sacraments, espe- cially confession, where he expressed his pater- nal love and understand- ing for the penitents. He dedicated him- self to evangelize with preaching that, while profound, was both simple and incisive. He also endured cer- tain diœcult tests: For example, he was falsely accused, which led his bishop to remove him from leadership of his institute. And some of the sisters of the com- munity caused division with their defiance. He accepted these situa- tions with sorrow, but also with a spirit of sub- mission and obedience. "Let's become saints following Jesus closely … Daughters, if you live in poverty, in chastity and in obedience, you will shine as stars in the sky above," he said to his religious daughters.† The congregation he founded is present in 17 nations on four conti- nents, including Mexico. LUDOVICO PAVONI (1784-1849) H e was born in Brescia, in the north of Italy, to a family of the noble class. As a child he had "a pious spirt, concern for the needy, attention for poor children, a quick and sharp intel- ligence," the current superior of the Pavoni- ani order he founded, Father Ricardo Pinilla, told El Pueblo Católico. Ludovico was ordained a priest in 1807 and sought above all to serve needy children. In 1812, he opened an ora- tory for them, where he gave them instruction in catechesis, morals and citizenship. In 1847, he founded the Congregation of the Sons of Mary Immaculate, which came to be known as the "Pavoniani," made up of religious priests who gave spiritual direction and sacraments, and religious. Father Pavoni died of bronchial pneumonia in 1849, after walking 7.5 miles in a torrential rain with a group of youth from Brescia to Saiano, fleeing the "10-Days" conflict between Austria and Brescia. "We've always called that road the calvary of Saiano, where Ludovico Pavoni, who had lived for his youth, gave his life for them," Father Pinilla said. BISHOP MANUEL GONZALEZ GARCÍA (1877 – 1940) H e was the bishop of the Span- ish Dioceses of Malaga and later of Palencia. He was charac- terized by his great devo- tion to the Eucharist. "The gaze of Jesus Christ in the tabernacle is a gaze that fixes itself in the soul and which you never forget," he wrote in 1902, after leaving for a mission in Palomares del Rio. "It came to be for me like the starting point to see, understand and feel the whole of my priestly ministry." As a bishop, he devel- oped schools and cat- echesis and was often found preaching on the streets. The religious per- secution in Spain of the 1930s immediately brought problems, and in 1931 his episcopal palace was burned down. From 1932 he began to direct his diocese from Madrid, and in 1935 was named bishop of Palencia. His health began to deteriorate but he oƒered his mortifications with docility. He died in 1940 and his epitaph has the following phrase: "I wish to be buried beside a tabernacle, so that my bones in death, as my tongue and my pen in life, can always be saying to those who pass by, 'There is Jesus. There he is. Do not leave him abandoned.'" Newly canonized saints reflect holiness in daily life Along with Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio, Pope Francis canonized another six saints of four nationalities Sunday, Oct. 16.

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