Catholic alphabet Meme

A little late on this, but I wanted to post it in honor of the communion of the saints, especially those who have assisted me:

A is for Ss. Anthony of the Desert, Athanasius, Ambrose, and Augustine (of Hippo), and Augustine (of Canterbury), all who assisted me in entering the faith, and S. Thomas Aquinas, for stumping me with it, and S. Albert the Great,

B is for Ss. Basil, Benedict, Bernard, Bede, and Bonaventure, for their contributions to religious life,

C is for S. John Chrysostom, the golden tongue which ever rings out the Word of God, and Catherine of Sienna, patroness of Dominican Tertiaries,

D is for S. Damasus I who gave us the canon of scripture; and also for Dogma, a man’s best friend, but especially for S. Dominic,

E is for S. Ethelbert, a king who witnessed the power of Christ by trading his crown for the monks habit (read Bede),

F is for S. Felicity, beautiful martyr, preferring her Lord over her life; and S. Francis, who with Dominic helped reignite the fire of the Holy Spirit in a dying Europe,

G is for S. Gregory the Great, for chant and the Pastoral Rule, and Ven Louis of Granada, for the Sinners Guide and the Compendium of the Summa,

H is for S. Hyacinth, Dominican missionary to Poland,

I is for S. Ignatius of Antioch, and Ignacio, founder of the Jesuits, as well as Infallibility, Indulgences, Index, and Inquisition, all aspects of government,

J is for S. Jerome, savior of the Holy Scriptures,

K is for S. Maximillian Kolbe, such a witness, and Thomas a Kempis, whose Imitation of Christ no doubt informed S. Kolbe,

L is for Henri Lacordaire, who dared to return the Dominican Order to France, and Br. Laurence for his delightful “Practice of the presence of God”,

M is for Mary Mother of God, and Mary Magdalene, the two who present us for our imitation with the two paths to Christ,

N is for S. Norbert, among whose Premonstratensians S. Dominic received his formation as a Canon Regular,

O is for Our Lady, Help of Christians; and for Holy Obedience, which all the Saints teach by example,

P is for S. Pius V, first Dominican pope,

Q is for Quakers, my origins, may they enter the Holy Catholic Church (all things are possible with God!), and for Quadragesima, cause it’s such a cool word,

R is for S. Raymond of Penafort, reluctant early master general of the Dominicans, and author of the Summa Casuum, and S. Rose of Lima, first flower of the Americas,

S is for Savonarola, not for anything he wrote or stood for, but that once he made a fine mess, and the chips were down, he presented himself to the mob, giving his life for his friends, an act for which the words “no greater love” apply, and S. Francis de Sales, whose Introduction to the Devout Life

T is for Theresa of Avila, Mystical Doctor, and Tomas de Torquemada, whose cause will probably never be instituted due to the hardness of heart of a world gone mad, and S. Turibius, Archbishop of Lima during the life of S. Rose of Lima,

U is for Uganda, that troubled country which has produced many martyrs, and also home to Fr. Mbishibishi, the Angilcan priest who baptized me,

V for S. Vincent Ferrer, converter of thousands, and S John Vianney, the Cure of Ars,

W for Walter Farrell, whose Summa Companion makes Aquinas’ Summa accessible to the simple minded (like me!),

X for S. Francis Xavier, wonderful missionary to the east,

Z for Munion de Zamora, seventh Master General of the Order of Preachers, for the Rule for the Dominican Tertiaries, and St. Zdislava, who lived it.