Monthly Archives: April 2010

Dining With the Saints

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Saint Rita of Cascia

 Saint Rita of Cascia was born in the 14th century in the beautiful, hilly countryside of Umbria in Central Italy. Some years ago when I visited the neighboring town of Norcia, I noticed a lovely statue dedicated to her in the town square. In Cascia itself, a huge shrine to the Saint was built in the early 20th century, and you can still visit the house where she was born. Her feast day is celebrated on May 22.

 Saint Rita came to be associated with roses and with fresh figs, both of which are placed on altars to celebrate her Saint’s day. Evidently near the end of her life, when Saint Rita was bedridden in the convent, a cousin visited her and asked if she desired anything from her old home. Saint Rita said she would like to have a rose and a fresh fig from the garden. Since it was January her cousin didn’t expect to find either. However when her cousin went to the house she discovered, in the little snow covered garden, a single blooming rose as well as a fully ripened, edible fig, both of which she brought back to Saint Rita.

 Coincidently fresh figs come into the market right around May 22 (and in California their season extends into January, so possibly this story is not unfeasible). I thought a great way to celebrate St. Rita’s feast day would be by preparing this salad which incorporates some of May’s most fragrant and beautiful produce; fresh figs, chives, mint, and watercress.

 Green Fig Salad with Watercress, Chives, and Mint

  (Serves two)

 1 large bunch of watercress, thick stems removed

5 fresh green figs (or use the black skinned variety if you wish), cut in half

About 10 chives, chopped (with blossoms if available)

1 small shallot, very thinly sliced

A dozen fresh mint leaves

The grated zest and juice from ½ a lemon

A pinch of sugar

Salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

A small chunk of Parmigiano Regggiano

Place the watercress in a medium salad bowl. Add the figs, the chives (and blossoms if you have them), shallot, and mint leaves.

 In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice and zest, sugar, a little salt, and the olive oil.

 Grind some black pepper over the salad and the pour on the dressing. Toss gently. Shave some thin slices of Parmigiano over the top and serve.

 Dining with the Saints is written by Erica De Mane. Her food blog can be found at http://www.ericademane.com

 

Novena for April

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Our Lady of Good Counsel

Madonna of the Popes


(State your petitions)
Holy Virgin, moved by the painful uncertainty we experience in seeking and acquiring the true and the good,
we cast ourselves at thy feet and invoke thee under the sweet title of Mother of Good Counsel.
We beseech thee: come to our aid at this moment in our worldly sojourn when the twin darknesses of error and of evil
that plots our ruin by leading minds and hearts astray.

Seat of Wisdom and Star of the Sea,
enlighten the victims of doubt and of error so that they may not be seduced by evil masquerading as good;
strengthen them against the hostile and corrupting forces of passion and of sin.

Mother of Good Counsel, obtain for us from thy Divine Son the love of virtue and the strength to choose,
in doubtful and difficult situations, the course agreeable to our salvation.
Supported by thy hand we shall thus journey without harm along the paths taught us by the word and example of Jesus our Savior,
following the Sun of Truth and Justice in freedom and safety across the battlefield of life under the guidance of thy maternal Star,
until we come at length to the harbor of salvation to enjoy with thee unalloyed and everlasting peace. Amen.

(By Pope Pius XII, 23 January 1953)

Patron Saints for April

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Italy / Catherine of Siena, 1347–1380,
Feast Day: April 29

As a young girl, she defied her parents and took up the religious life. A tertiary in the Order of St. Dominic, she tended the incurably ill. Catherine received the stigmata, and she developed a following of young people. Her series of dictated letters are classics of Italian literature. She convinced the Pope to return the Holy See from Avignon, France, to Rome, and this made her the patron of Italy.

Other patronages: Europe; fire prevention, nursing services; firefighters, laundresses; sick people

Invoked: against burns, miscarriage, temptation

Novena to Saint Catherine of Siena


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England / George, d. 304, Feast Day: April 23

A soldier from Palestine fighting for the Roman army in Libya, George killed a dragon that was eating two townspeople a day. He then rescued the king’s daughter and was given a white banner with a red cross on it, which he used to convert the town. George’s cult was brought back to England during the Crusades, when soldiers reported seeing him on horseback. His banner was adapted for soldier’s uniforms and official seals in England.

Other patronages: Aragon (Spain), Catalonia (Spain), Genoa, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Istanbul, Lithuania, Moscow, the Netherlands, Palestine, Portugal, Venice; horses; the Crusades; equestrians, farmers, scouts

Invoked: against herpes, leprosy, snakebite, syphilis

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Poland / Adalbert of Prague, 957–997,
Feast Day: April 23

Born into a noble family in Bohemia, Adalbert took his name from his teacher. By the age of thirty, he was named bishop of Prague. His insistence on distributing his wealth to the poor and his disdain for slavery made him the enemy of the ruling class. He left Prague and lived in Rome until being called back. On his second attempt to live there, he was driven out. He evangelized in Russia and Poland and was murdered in Prussia by pagan priests. His persistence in the face of failure served as an inspiration for future missionaries in that area.

Other patronages: Bohemia, Czech Republic, Prussia

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Doormen / Conrad of Parzham, 1818–1894,
Feast Day: April 21

A farmer from Bavaria, Conrad did not become a Capuchin monk until he was in his early thirties. For the next forty years, he was the porter for the shrine of Our Lady of Altotting. He received thousands of pilgrims with charity and kindness, devoting much of his time to teaching local children. It is said he had the gift of prophecy and the ability to read hearts.

Other patronages: Capuchin-Franciscan Province of Mid-America

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Homeless People / Benedict Joseph Labre, 1748–1783, Feast Day: April 16

Born into a prosperous middle-class family in Boulogne, France, Benedict Joseph attempted to enter three different religious orders: the Trappists, the Carthusians, and the Cistercians. Denied entrance because of his health, he went on a barefoot pilgrimage to all the Christian shrines in Europe. Intending to live as a hermit out in the world, he depended on divine providence for his meals and slept in the streets. He died seven years later on the steps of a Roman church.

Other Patronages: mental illness; beggars, pilgrims; bachelors, people rejected by religious orders

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Skaters / Blessed Lydwina of Schiedam, 1380–1433,
Feast Day: April 14

A beautiful girl from the Netherlands, Lydwina became an invalid due to an ice skating accident. For the next thirty years she endured agonizing body pain as well as a series of disfiguring illnesses. She devised a system of meditative prayer, in which she concentrated on Christ’s suffering and offered up her own. Eventually, she fell into mystical experiences and her holiness served as an example to others.

Other patronages: skiers

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Handicapped People / Margaret of Castello, 1287–1320, Feast Day: April 13

Blind, lame, and a dwarf, Margaret was hidden away by her parents, landed nobles. Since she liked to pray, she was sent to live in a chapel in the woods. When she was twenty, her parents took her to a Dominican convent to seek a miraculous cure. When none came, they deserted her there. She helped out in the daycare center run by the nuns. Beloved by the townspeople, she is credited with curing a crippled girl upon her death.

Other patronages: right-to-life movement; unwanted people

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Babies / Zeno of Verona, 300–371, Feast Day: April 12

Born in Africa, Zeno was a bishop of Verona who loved to fish in the Adige river. He was a notable preacher and wrote much about baptism. When he was born, a demon took his place in his crib, and though he was suckled for eighteen years, he never grew. In the meantime, Zeno was raised by monks. When he was coincidentally sent by them to investigate this phenomenon, he forced the demon to spit up all the milk he had consumed into a great vat.

Other patronages: Verona; fishermen; children learning to speak, children learning to walk