8th January 2012 - St. Thorfinn

St. Thorfinn is a Norwegian Saint, not much is known about him but the little that we do know is simply MARVELOUS!

His Story: I am sure when we read stories we always have a beginning and an ending but this story actually starts at the end which leads us to the beginning.

When St. Thorfinn passed away perhaps due to ill-health, he was buried quietly. Before he passed away he wrote a Will and whatever little he had he distributed it to his family members, the church and it's members...how sweet and generous is that?!

Anyway, we fast forward 50 years later into the future and due to some building operations St. Thorfinn's tomb was opened.. Well unlike other saints what was discovered was a pleasant, sweet smell engulfing the tomb. Wow where could that have come from??! For further investigation, the Abbott decided to find out more about this mystery bishop. It was discovered that a very old monk called Walter de Muda did know something about him.

Walter described him as a gentle and kind man. Walter had written a poem about St. Thorfinn and hung it at his tomb...Now check this out, a poem that was written 50 years ago was still in great condition without any damage. This promted the Abbott to do more because all these signs meant something.Therefore, Walter was instructed to recollect his memories and provide more information about this mysterious bishop.

Turns out, Thorfinn had been through a tough life... basically to make this short...a deal gone wrong between some Kings, Saint Thorfin and an Archbishop let do a fierce fight that cause him to be outlawed...Let's not forget later on he was also shipwrecked, went through hardships, went from city to city helpless and finally made it to TerDoest.

So that's what happened... As soon as his story was recalled by Walter, miracles started happening at his tomb after which he was canonised. Blessed, blessed, blessed!

I say: From what I've read St. Thorfinn was a gentle, kind, generous, humble and patient man. Isn't his story tragic? A political disagreement led to many hardships and his eventual death.

There isn't any image of St. Thorfinn just a statue in his beloved memory in Norway.

Pray to him if you are going through a struggle, a disappointment, a disagreement, a misunderstanding.. I am sure he will hear you in no time.

p.s - A big thanks to blessed Walter de Muda, without his knowledge and poem we wouldn't have known much about St. Thorfinn.

January 6th - Saint Andre Bessette

As I look at St. Andre Bessette, his face exudes nothing but love, his small beady eyes shows abundant warmth and I honestly feel he was a sweet, kind and gentle.

His story: St.Andre was born in Quebec, Canada on August 9th 1845 as ALFRED Bessette. Later on after his canonisation he was known as St. Andre of Montreal.

When Saint Andre was born he was very weak that his father, a carpenter by profession immediately baptised him. What draws me to St. Andre is his story...and what a remarkable one it is! You see, St. Andre was very weak throughout most of his life..He wasn't able to work and would often leave the work he was given due to his ill health. The Pastor of his parish, Fr. André Provençal, noticed the devotion and generosity of the young man. He decided to present Alfred to the Congregation of Holy Cross in Montreal, writing a note to the superior, "I'm sending you a saint." How cool is that?! Indeed he later was to be a Saint of Miracles.

I think St. Andre was deeply devoted to St. Joseph because his father was a carpenter and St. Joseph is the patron saint of carpenters after all. St. Andre dearly loved St. Joseph with all his heart. So deep was his love that he collected coins from the haircuts he would give the boys. He also labelled these collected coins as 'Donations For St. Joseph'.

So great was his love for beloved St. Joseph that he dreamt of building a church for St. Joseph. Now how adorable is this? A man who was weak all his life, who didn't have the strength to work but still worked with all his might wanted to build a church?? Holyyyy!

A few hundered dollars later he built a small wooden shelter for devotees which later turned into a chapel and the dream was finally coming true because at the age of 91 St. Andre wanted to build a basilica!

My sweet St. Andre Bessette you passed away sadly on 6th January 1937. I have learnt from you to work hard and never give up. It doesn't matter if you start small or at the bottom, strive to work hard honestly with God by your side. Despite your ill health you made your dream come true..how awesome must have been that moment you met St. Joseph!

He was declared venerable in 1978 and was beatified in 1982. Pope Benedict XVI approved sainthood for Blessed André on February 19, 2010, with the formal canonization taking place on October 17, 2010.

I say: Close your eyes and pray to St. Andre Bessette if you want to start something new, a new job, a new relationship, guidance, if you want to do something for Our Father, if you are struggling, if you feel you have nothing in life, if you have lost someone and you want strength to move on :)

I love you St. Andre Bessette.

A Saint A Day...

As the clock struck 12am, Sunday 1st January 2012...I made a promise to myself that I will pray more often. 2011 was a dreadful year for me in terms of prayer and my spiritual connection with God.Every time I would try to pray I would just be put off for some odd reason and say to myself "next time". This year I promised myself that I will say the Rosary daily along with a special novena to either the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lord Jesus Christ and to the numerous saints I adore.

My mother is the one who introduced me to Saints and Guardian Angels, she loves them and often would tell me stories about them.
As I lay in bed I stumbled across a saint, St. Josephine Bakhita. What a beautiful saint who suffered and struggled all her live but never gave up her love for God. That clicked something inside to me to read about her more, I couldn't stop staring at her picture and that's it! I was inspired to read about a saint everyday and apply their lives, their stories and their passion into mine.

So begins my journey of this blog of reading about a Saint everyday. My viewpoint about these glorious beings.

Ahhh how wonderful will it be if the Saints know how much I adore them. When my time on earth ends I wonder if they will come to me... 365 plus saints...I can't wait to meet them :D

If anyone stumbles across this blog and knows any information about any particular saint, such as what they liked to eat, what colour is associated with them then let me know!

Thanks and I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I am excited writing about all the saints.