Saints of the Church August- October

Saint Claire of Assisi  Feast Day: August 11  Born in Assisi, Italy to a wealthy devout Christian family  At the age of 18 she became the first female follower of St. Francis  Devoted her life to God and poverty  Began Order of the Poor Ladies- today called The Poor Clares

St. Bernard of Clairvaux  Feast Day: August 20  Very well known writer and preacher  Helped to shift Western Christianity toward a more personal and immediate faith life  Chosen to select the pope during the schism  Important Champion of the Second Crusade  Called the Mellifluous Doctor because of his noted eloquence

St. Augustine  Feast Day: August 28  Rejected Christianity for much of his life  Doctor and Bishop  One of the most influential and widely read early Church Fathers  an important reformer and theologian, helping to put down some of the many heresies  Two of his books Confessions and City of God are still very influential today  His theology focused on original sin, just war, humans as a union of body and soul, and reaffirming the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist

St. Monica  Feast day August 27  Married to a Pagan who was against her Christian faith  Mother of St. Augustine  Prayed for her son to reform him way of life

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta  Feast day September 5  Formed a religious community called the Missionaries of Charity  Opened a home for the dying  Worked with the poorest of the poor who lived in the slums  Believed that all people are worthy of love because they are made in the image and likeness of god  awarded the Pope John XXIII Peace Prize in 1971 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979

St. Teresa of Avila  Feast day October 15  Doctor of the Church  At 14 her mother died and she was sent to be educated by the Augustinian Sisters  Entered the Carmalites  Her early years were marked by illness and migraines, and she often found it difficult to pray  With the help of St. Francis Borgia and St. Peter Alcantara she made great progress in her prayer life and began to experience ecstatic visions.  Lead a reform of Carmelite order as well as many religious houses across Spain  Wrote Interior Castle

Blessed John Paul II  Feast day October 22  Known for his philosophical and theological writings, his contributions at the Second Vatican Council, and his love of working with young people  Used his visibility as a world leader to draw attention to important causes of his time (protection for the unborn, bringing an end to communism in Eastern Europe, and interfaith dialogues)  Initiated World Youth Day