Devotion towards Saints

Transcription

1 20 Devotion towards Saints While Henry and Inez were in the first stage of the church, walking on earth towards heaven, they always remembered those who were in the second, that is, the souls who had finished their life on earth, but were still being purified from their imperfections. The Casolani couple prayed earnestly for those who are in the third stage of the church, or rather those who are already "in glory, contemplating in full light, God Himself triune and one, exactly as He is". This love which Henry and Inez shared with those who were already resting in the peace of Christ was reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods. In other chapters Henry and Inez are portrayed as special friends of anything holy, especially the Eucharist, totally united with Christ and his Church. In this chapter we shall see how friendly Henry and Inez were with the Communion of Saints. The couple suffered in Christ and for the glory of Christ, and because of that their actions were of benefit to the common good. The couple regularly asked for the intercession of saints and holy souls. They knew that the saints in Heaven, because they are united with Christ in a more intimate way, continuously intercede for us with the Father. Apart from that, their prayers were first and foremost for the benefit of their neighbour and on behalf of the souls of purgatory that they may be purified from their sins. Inez often prayed "...for the soul closest to Heaven but who still needed prayers." They truly had "...a holy and wholesome thought to set free from their sins those who had died." It is not the intention of the present writer to repeat what has been said about the couple's devotion to the three Maltese Blessed Dun Gorg Preca, Suor Adeodata Pisani, and Nazju Falzon, since the vows they made to the three Blessed, and the graces of healing and spiritual renewal they subsequently received from these, have already been dealt with in detail. Even the great love of God and His Holy Mother in all their attributes and mysteries has already been dealt with in the preceding chapters. Their love of Saint Joseph

2 This is a natural consequence of the immense love Henry and Inez had towards Christ and His Mother, that they were greatly devoted to the third member of the Holy Family, that is Saint Joseph. Another reason for this devotion is that their daughter spent her whole life with the sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition, firstly as student, then as teacher, later on as a religious and head of school. Moreover Henry and Inez spent their last years in the home of the sisters of Saint Joseph at Rabat where the saint is highly honoured. In the March issues of the parish leaflet Inez never failed to remind her readers of this great universal patron of the Church using words of praise and recommendation for prayer. She reminded them about Saint Theresa's words concerning the great saint, that never had a grace been denied her whenever she asked the intercession of St. Joseph. Inez also referred to the prayer that Saint Joseph himself had recommended to Saint Margaret of Cortona: "Saint Joseph pure of heart, pray for us." Inez prayed often to Saint Joseph; this is seen through the letter she sent to Sister Cecilia in 1973 when the latter was taken ill. She had a beautiful prayer to "St Joseph of the departed souls" which she delighted in saying frequently. On 1 March 1990 she wrote the following in her diary: "the month dedicated to my and our dear Saint Joseph." In the diary of the following year she noted in block capitals on 19 March: "ST JOSEPH". Some of her favourite prayers included the "Unfailing Petition to St Joseph" which she distributed in abundance, and which she used to recite before asking for some grace or in moments of trial. She also used to recite the prayer to St. Joseph the custodian of Christian homes, Talba lil San Guzepp kustodju tad-djar Insara. Inez considered Saint Joseph her fiance'. Any passer-by who looks at the house the couple had in Saint Luke`s Road, Gwardamangia, can still see for himself the greatest evidence of the couple's devotion to the saint, since it still bears the name they had given it: "AVE JOSEPH". Devotion to Saint Emilie de Vialar The couple were devoted to St. Emilie de Vialar because she was the foundress of the Order which their daughter joined. They thought so much about Saint Emilie that when Sister Cecilia was in Rome for the General Chapter of the Institution, Inez wrote to her to tell her that she had dreamt about Saint Emilie. In her dream, Inez was in a

3 yard in the company of her daughter and several other people, and at one stage, she noticed Saint Emilie. Inez pointed this out to Cecilia. The two went up to the saint and spoke to her in French, and Saint Emilie was very pleased with Cecilia. Years previously, when Henry and Inez had travelled to France for the noviciate of Cecilia, they had visited the remains of Saint Emilie that were preserved in a glass case at the Mother House in Marseilles. Inez wrote in her own hands an ejaculation to Saint Emilie, who had also visited Malta, and also asked her to intercede for her daughter that her heart may be inflamed with love for Jesus. Saint Monica and Saint Augustine The Casolani couple lived close to the Augustinian communities both in Valletta and at Gwardamangia. Therefore it was quite natural that they were also devoted to Saint Augustine and Saint Monica. Not only, but they were also tertiary members of the Augustinians and were finally buried in a grave belonging to the same Order. In a letter that Henry sent to his daughter Sister Cecilia in 1985 in India, he told her that he was praying to the two saints on the eve of the feast-day of Saint Augustine, so that Cecilia s mission in the sub-continent would be fruitful and blessed by God. According to articles written by Inez, Saint Monica was an exemplary mother, and from what has been said and seen, it is obvious that Inez imitated the saint. Inez read and studied Saint Monica's life thoroughly and she admired her patience, gentleness, perseverance, advice, determination and love that led to the conversion of her son, her husband and her mother-in-law. Inez wrote about Saint Monica's life in the parish leaflet so that many mothers might follow her example. In unison with other saints The Casolani couple were devoted to Saint Bernadette. This was due mostly to the intimate connection of the saint with the Immaculate Conception. They prayed to this saint to bless the mission of their daughter, Sister Cecilia. Henry was a fervent Christian and a good and honest Maltese citizen. He had a great devotion for the patron saint of Malta, Saint Paul, so much so that he wrote in the newspaper praising and encouraging the regular celebrations of the feast of Saint Paul's shipwreck. As

4 has already been noted, Inez had special devotion to the Blessed John Duns Scotus. She wrote a letter to Canon Joseph Grech Cremona so that the latter might send her holy pictures and information about the holy theologian. She was also devoted to Saint Paschal Baylon. She used to pray to the Saint to give Sister Cecilia a good night`s rest while she was working at the General Chapter of her Congregation in Rome. She also reminded her daughter not to forget this saint. Inez did the same when Cecilia was in India in Inez herself slept little. Inez was also familiar with the Opus Dei society and was very keen for the canonisation of their founder Josemaria Escriva'. In fact her wish materialised in 2003 eleven years after her own demise. She had many holy pictures and prayers dedicated to him. She received a grace through his intercession when she successfully underwent an operation in 1985; she also prayed for his intercession in 1986 while she endured great pains because of her migraines. She sent donations to the vicepostulator of the Opus Dei society of England and also sent a letter to ask for relics of Escriva'. Among the devotion of the Casolani couple there are also Saint Sibilla, the Blessed Simon Fidati, whose holy picture with a prayer for intercession they kept and used, as well as Father, now Saint, Pius of Pietralcina who was canonised in 2002 and the holy Maltese priest Fr Alfred Gatt. Inez also wrote a letter to the Pope humbly begging for the beatification of Cardinal Emile Biagenda who had been murdered in the Congo. Pope John XXIII was beatified in Inez had always been convinced that together with Pope Pius XII, John had been a saintly Pope, and she had a great devotion towards both of them. During their trip in 1957, when they visited Pope Pius XII at Castel Gandolfo, Inez wrote: "I was very moved when I saw him, and it could not be otherwise when we think that we were face to face with a SAINT." Eight years later Inez and Henry visited the Vatican basilica. They went down to the tombs of these two Popes and Inez wrote in her diary: "...we could not but kneel in front of them and pray for special graces considering that they were two saintly Popes." Thank God, Henry and Inez lived a holy life. But one must not forget that they looked at the good example of those saintly people who lived on earth before them. Because

5 of this, not only did they imitate the saints, but they also asked for their intercession, and united themselves in prayer with them for the good of the universal Church, and even for those who still need to be totally purified from their sins in order to be united with the saints.