Running the race...GRASPING THE PRIZE!

Every year in May, Pittsburgh, has a marathon. The route takes runners through and around the city, and stationed in every neighborhood are volunteers who offer them little cups of water. Runners who don’t care about their finishing time will take a short break to drink the water. Those who want to clock a winning time or even a personal best may grab the water and drink it while still running. Some just pour it on their heads to cool themselves off. The water refreshes them for their arduous journey.

Many of the runners in various levels of the competition train with pacers, a person who rides or runs in front of them to encourage them to keep running at a consistent pace, mile after mile. If the runner is tempted to slow down or quit, the pacer goads him on, not allowing him to slack off.

In today’s gospel when Jesus meets the Samaritan woman at the well, He asks her for a drink of water. Then He tells her that He can give her “living water,” “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The Baptismal waters that initiated us into communion with God and our Christian community removed the stain of original sin. These waters, then, start us on our arduous journey as Christians in following the Way of the Cross and living our faith. We should exude joy as children of God; still, this is our time of trial and testing.

Each time we enter a Catholic church, we dip our fingers into the holy water and make the sign of the cross. This symbolizes our Baptism, which resulted in our incorporation into the Church. Now, in the church where we worship, we join with other baptized Catholic Christians, who can help us through our trials, who can be our “pacers.” These pacers are especially true during the season of Lent, a unique time which passes all too quickly. While no one is perfect, we each may have received certain virtues that others might find edifying or inspiring. For a period of time, someone might try to imitate the patience that someone else in the congregation always exhibits, or someone’s charity or prayerfulness. The saints are also pacers for us, goading us on to stay the course on our challenging journey and celebrate with them at the ultimate, glorious finish line.

We are now about half way through Lent. This is a good time to recall our Lenten resolutions. Have we been faithful to them? If we found that one or two have dropped off, could we reinstate them or substitute others? Let’s arrive at Easter having united our sufferings with Christ’s passion, and with gratitude for His giving us living waters which can bring us to eternal life.

Saint Paddy's Day...not so fast!

The long-held tradition of St. Patrick's Day parades has experienced a bump in the road this year with the saint's feast day occurring during an unusually early Holy Week.In cities across the country most of the parades, some more than a 200-year-old tradition, are going on as planned, even though March 17 is the Monday of Holy Week. But the idea of marching bands, Irish dancing and vast displays of green parading during the solemn week before Easter has stirred some comments from U.S. bishops.The question of how to celebrate the Irish saint is not usually such a dilemma, since the last time his feast day fell during Holy Week was in 1940.Because St. Patrick's Day falls just days before Easter this year the feast will not be celebrated liturgically in most U.S. dioceses, because of a decision by the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.A newsletter from the U.S. bishops' liturgy secretariat last April announced that the feast day of St. Patrick may be moved to Friday, March 14, in dioceses "where St. Patrick is the principal patron of a particular church" and where "it is customarily commemorated as a solemnity."Bishop J. Kevin Boland of Savannah, Ga., the city with a huge St. Patrick's Day celebration, made an early note of the feast day's date change. In December 2006, he wrote dozens of letters to all involved in the city's St. Patrick's festivities, including the parade committee, city agencies, the Board of Education and the Chamber of Commerce, informing them the diocese would be celebrating the feast day March 14.The Irish-born bishop never suggested the city change its festivities, according to Barbara King, spokeswoman for the Diocese of Savannah. A Spokeswoman for the Diocese of Savannah said Feb. 21 that the bishop was simply "letting everyone know what he would be doing."Parade organizers decided that December to change the date of the 2008 parade to coincide with diocesan St. Patrick celebrations. Except for this year, Savannah's parade, unlike those in some other cities, is always held March 17; in many cities the parade is often on the Saturday before the feast day.John Forbes, the Savannah parade committee chairman, told the Savannah Morning News daily newspaper that the date change was fine with him. "We do have something special in St. Patrick's in Savannah," he said. "We're going to stay in line with the Catholic Church. When they celebrate the Mass, we're going to hold St. Patrick's Day (festivities) the same time."In Ohio, Columbus Bishop Frederick F. Campbell's request to city officials that the parade's date be moved was not heeded.Since the date was not changed, the Columbus chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a 200-member group that always participates in the parade, will not do so this year. The Ancient Order of Hibernians describes itself as the oldest lay Catholic organization in the United States."We're obliged to follow the bishop's decision," Jim Wade, the group's president, told The Columbus Dispatch daily newspaper.In other cities, the bishops have chosen not to get involved in suggesting a date change for the parades or other celebrations. New York's traditional parade will take place March 17 on Fifth Avenue. Boston's parade will be March 16, which is Palm Sunday and also the first day of Holy Week. Dublin, Ireland, will host its St. Patrick's parade as usual March 17.Philadelphia and Milwaukee changed their parade dates to avoid conflicts.The Web site for the St. Patrick's Day parade in Philadelphia notes that the parade is annually held the Sunday prior to St. Patrick's Day unless March 17 falls on Sunday, in which case the parade would be that day.Since the traditional parade date this year would have been on Palm Sunday, the parade organizers, way back in September 2006, made the decision to move the 2008 parade to March 9. The organizers noted that Philadelphia's Cardinal Justin Rigali had "urged all parish priests to be with their own parishes and congregations" on Palm Sunday.The city's parade organizers also unanimously approved moving any future parades that would fall on Palm Sunday to take place the prior Sunday.Milwaukee, seemingly without much fanfare or news coverage, changed its parade date to March 8 this year and one of the special guests will be Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan.Cleveland was still planning its March 17 parade but the tradition of fife and drum bands marching into the city's historic Irish-American parishes will not take place this year.The parade conundrum for the patron saint of Ireland will not be faced again for some time. The next time St. Patrick's Day is expected to fall during Holy Week will be in 2160.

MIRROR ON THE WALL!?

As we look around the world, we know that there is something not quite right. There seems to be an anger that grows deeper between and among nations, cultures, races, religions and individuals. There seems to be an increasing amount of violence and inhumane actions — the “Old West” as a synonym for violent acts still describes all too much of America and every nation on earth. With weapons of mass destruction widely available, man’s inhumanity to man is overwhelming in its evil possibilities.
As we look into our spiritual mirrors, we notice there is something not quite right with ourselves. We want peace, but often there is not peace of mind. We have so much, but we seem to enjoy so little. We have our moments, but happiness or joy seems so fleeting. We seem to focus on the secondary rather than the primary. In our quiet moments, we wonder what our mission is, whether God really is what we believe God to be, whether our decisions make any difference, whether our sacrifices really do pay off, whether we are fooling ourselves, and are we really who we say we are?
Yet, as we look around, the world is full of awe and grandeur. Even the wild white stuff of winter looked gorgeous during the quiet emergence of this past Wednesday morning. People are really good at heart, and love does dwell in the hearts of the overwhelming number of people we know. There is something very right about us and about life, for we have loved and the special people we know have made us feel loved.
Lent is that special time provided by the Church for us to get serious about our interior life and how we express it in our daily actions. Lent makes no sense if everything is right and okay. Lent rests on the assumption that all of us detect the need to correct, change, improve because not all is right or as it should be.
May I suggest that Lent’s premise is that we may be “missing the mark.” That is a definition of sin — “missing the mark.” Therefore, we have to make things right. This will require us to enter into Lent as a process for returning home, as it were, to God, to our roots and to the path of discipleship of Jesus. “Missing the Mark” means I need to “Return to God.”
Returning to God means:
— Coming face to face with the Creator— Making every effort to live, to love, to serve, to give and to forgive in a manner that is consonant with that image— Surrendering our false and distorted image of God— Welcoming God’s involvement in every part of our lives— Going back to our sacred stories, becoming acquainted again with our roots— Looking at the Gospels with a new sobering study— Allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit, as Jesus was
In conclusion, let us look at this statement that offers a synthesis of our Lenten observance: “Through this holy season of returning to God, to our story, to our roots, to Christ and to the Gospel, we will also have ample opportunity to return to one another. If we have become distant or estranged or if we have simply lost touch with someone whom God has given as gift in our life, now is the time for returning. If we have not said those words or done those things that assure the other that he/she is loved, and valued and appreciated, now is the time. Only God knows whether you or I will have another such opportunity to do so.”

ADDICTION...taking away your voice?

Perhaps this spiritual insight from a well-known psychiatrist named Gerard May, who wrote a book called ADDICTION AND GRACE some years ago, is worth considering during these early days of Lent. He writes:
After twenty years of listening to the yearnings of people’s hearts, I’m convinced that all human beings have an inborn desire of God whether they are consciously religious or not, this desire for God is our deepest longing and our most precious treasure. It gives us meaning. Some of them have repressed this desire, burying it beneath so many other interests that we are completely unaware of it. Or we may experience it in different ways—as a longing for wholeness, fulfillment, and completion. Regardless of how we describe it, it is a longing for love. It is a hunger for love, to be loved, and to move closer to the source of love.
But something gets in the way of our inborn desire of God. The longing at the center of our hearts repeatedly disappears from our awareness and its energy is usurped by forces that are not at all loving. Our desires are captured, and we give ourselves over to things, that in our deepest honesty, we really do not want.
When Catholics and other Christians like you and me live our faith “as Jesus taught,” then we can become a potential lifesaver to those whom Gerard May states have let other things get in the way of our deepest longing and desire—God. The one caveat is this: if we reflect a false image of Christ, if we come across as judgmental, arrogant or narrow, if we are not living the life of authentic love of Christ and one another, then we can negatively affect the faith life of the very persons we are attempting to reach out to.
The call of Christ is this: to repent or to see transformation of ourselves. Second, it is the call to mission, to reach out to others. And beyond all things, Christ calls us to live the life of love: Love is patient, love is kind, love is not self-seeking, it is never rude. It is not snobbish, it does not put on heirs. . .
Let us reflect with Christ as our model, examine our consciences under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and let us resolve to live as brothers and sisters who share one common source, “Our Father, Who art in Heaven.”
May your Lenten journey continue to be a holy and blessed one!

Stormy Relations During the Reign...

During nearly 50 years of rule, Fidel Castro had an often-stormy relationship with the Cuban Catholic Church.The Jesuit-educated Castro was equally comfortable defusing the Cuban church as an institutional force during the early years of his revolution in the 1960s as he was bantering casually with Pope John Paul II during the papal visit to Cuba in 1998.The 81-year-old Cuban leader announced Feb. 19 that he was retiring as head of the island nation. He had temporarily ceded power to his younger brother, Raul Castro, in July 2006, after undergoing surgery because of intestinal bleeding -- but he never returned to office, ending more than 49 years of continuous rule.He came to power on the Caribbean island Jan. 1, 1959, at 32 years of age after leading a successful guerrilla rebellion against unpopular dictator Fulgencio Batista.After Batista came to power in 1952, Castro, a young lawyer, started organizing a rebel force.Initially, his successful rebellion had ample support among Catholics. He cultivated the support by saying his revolution was motivated by Christian principles. In a press interview with a Catholic priest shortly after taking power, Castro noted that six priests were chaplains to his rebel forces.But things quickly changed. In 1961, he declared himself a Marxist-Leninist and made Cuba the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere, moving it into the Cold War camp of the Soviet Union.His government began institutionally dismantling the church, nationalizing 350 Catholic schools and expelling 136 priests. Church activity was restricted to religious services on church property. Social action projects were prohibited. Church programs were monitored, and Cubans were discouraged from attending worship services with churchgoers discriminated against when seeking state and university employment.Castro's view of the church further soured in the mid-1960s during Operation Pedro Pan, in which U.S. church officials helped resettle 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children sent to the U.S. by parents wanting them to escape Castro's rule.Despite the crackdown on the church, Castro never broke diplomatic relations with the Vatican and continued for decades to get from Vatican, Cuban and U.S. church officials statements criticizing the crippling U.S. economic boycott of Cuba, which he constantly cited as the reason for Cuba's economic woes.Because of this church support there also were some positive notes in church-state relations.During a 2006 U.S. visit, Cuban Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana said that starting in the 1980s "there was an evolution on the part of the government," increasing church-state communication, and "the tension began to diminish."The result was that limits on the church no longer involved the ability to worship but involved the continued inability to have Catholic schools or teach religion in public schools, said the cardinal.But Castro also knew how to play foreign church factions against the Cuban hierarchy to make it look as if only local Catholics opposed his rule.In the 1970s Castro tapped into Latin American theologians' interest in Marxism and their political interest in socialism as an alternative to the capitalism practiced in the region. He cultivated support among non-Cuban Catholic intellectuals and priests dissatisfied with the region's growing gap between the rich and the poor, inviting them to visit his island as a counterpoint to criticisms by Cuban and Vatican church officials.In 2003 he sidestepped the Cuban bishops and directly negotiated with the Vatican to allow a group of Brigittine Sisters entry into Havana at a time when the Cuban bishops had a long list of foreign priests and nuns wanting entry visas.In the early 1990s, serious talks began about the possibilities of a papal visit to Cuba in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet bloc.After a 1996 Castro visit with Pope John Paul at the Vatican, plans finally developed for the Jan. 21-25, 1998, papal trip, interpreted as a sign of improved church-state relations based on a willingness by the government to give the church more breathing space in the post-Cold War era.Castro met the pope several times during the Cuban visit, allowed church officials to mobilize Catholics to attend papal events and permitted papal activities to be televised and reported in the state-controlled media.

He's A Comin...

The Vatican has officially announced Pope Benedict XVI's April 15-20 trip to the United States.In a written statement distributed Feb. 8, the Vatican said the pope would visit Washington and New York City, with a visit to the United Nations in New York. It will be Pope Benedict's eighth apostolic journey outside Italy.Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States, first announced the details of the papal visit during his remarks to U.S. bishops Nov. 12. The Feb. 8 statement was the Vatican's first official announcement of the trip.The pope's six-day trip will include an April 16 meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House, a prayer service that same day with U.S. bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and an April 17 Mass at the new Nationals' stadium in Washington.Also in the nation's capital, the pope will meet April 17 with the heads of Catholic colleges and universities from across the United States at The Catholic University of America and later with representatives of major religions at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.In New York, the pope will address the United Nations April 18, celebrate an April 19 Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral, visit ground zero April 20 and say Mass later that day in Yankee Stadium.

A HEART THAT IS FILLED WITH LOVE...

-Some Reflections on Valentines day 2008…


Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love and it will decide everything. (Attributed to Pedro Arrupe, S.J. (1907-1991) Superior General of the Society of Jesus 1961-1984)

________________________________________________________________________


John Baptist de La Salle knew that the perception of the teachers by their students would dictate how they would behave and act and relate with them. De La Salle urges the teachers to “take much more care of the young entrusted to you than if they were the children of a king.” Such a stance and conviction is all the more remarkable, given the perspective of 18th Century French society.

“Act with goodness and wisdom
in the care of those who are entrusted to you.”

They “are under your guidance
And are your disciples.
They are the living images of Jesus Christ.”

The teachers are urged to grow in awareness of living in God’s presence,
Knowing that the more an individual does “live in God’s presence,” the more likely that person will reflect the attitude and words and actions of Jesus.
“In his presence, we are bound to love.”

(from the Writings of the Founder)


A university class of sociology students were assigned to do a survey of 200 young boys in a Baltimore slum and to project their likely future: in every case the students reported, “he hasn’t got a chance.” Twenty-five years later, another class decided to do a follow-up study of the 180 men who still lived locally; they found, to their amazement, that 176 of them had achieved significant success as lawyers, doctors, businessmen, and in other careers.

When asked to account for their success, so many of them said, “There was this teacher…” and all talked about the same one. Since she was still alive, the researchers sought her out to ask what magic formula she used to give hope to these young men slotted for failure. He response was, “It was really very simple. I loved those boys. (Unknown)



Lord, our God,
Enlighten us so that we may “really see”.
Inspire us to bless others
With understanding, appreciation and love.
Lead us to confirm for your people
The dignity that arises
From being made in Your image and likeness,
And from being called to follow Jesus, Your son.
Pour out on us Your Spirit
That we may be enabled to share Your vision
In our world which You love so much. Amen. (Ronald Rolheiser, OMI)

LENT...UGH

For centuries, Christians have observed the season of Lent by fasting from food and observing other self-denying acts.
These acts help us become more aware of our true needs. When we deny ourselves the comforts we are used to—whether a full plate of food, or some other part of our daily routine (TV, coffee, alcohol, Internet, etc.)— we are more mindful of our great need for God. Also, when we deny our sinful desires, we become more acutely aware of them, for when they are not fed, they tend to surface in more noticeable ways. Most importantly, these practices make us mindful of our need for salvation by Jesus' death on the cross.
Removing Distractions
What follows is some suggestions for ways to fast. None of these are compulsory. Remember that the important thing is to take away distractions, to focus instead on the mercy, salvation, and comforting provision of God. Make time and space for God, and God will meet you.
What can I give up?
[First, some important considerations: if you have any concerns about whether dietary fasting (fasting from food) is safe for you, ask your physician, especially if you have a health concern (heart, diabetes). ... Don't fast from food if your are pregnant or nursing; make sure you always get plenty of fluids; and finally, don't make decisions for others (for example, don't modify a child's diet except to help them decide to cut nonessentials like sodas or desserts, etc.).]
You know yourself best: which of the following might you do without? Try adding to your list each week (see the individual pages of the Calendar to read more specific suggestions). If you fast from all the food items listed in the Calendar pages, you may find that at the end of several weeks, you are eating very simply: vegetables, beans, rice, fruit, grains, etc. Take the suggestions one step at a time and make sure you do what is necessary to have energy for your work, community, or family.
SUGGESTED FAST ITEMS:
Food: Meats, poultry (eggs too), fats and oils, soft drinks, 2nd helpings, Alcohol, Coffee (try tea or some other low-caffeine drink if you get headaches), dairy (milk and cheese), solid foods (only drink water or juices), Junk foods (chips, snacks, salty food), candy (plus refined sugar in general), and dessert (great for kids—very meaningful!).
Media: TV, movies, computer, email (set an autoresponder), Internet, magazines, radio, the phone (leave your cell phone off when appropriate), handhelds, video games, and other technology ....
Other Things: You may want to fast from certain relationships, or people in general, choosing instead to walk only with God for a period. You may also fast from social events, parties, or clubs, if you regularly go out of your way for that kind of gathering.
Days: Leave it all behind: leave junk food, TV, cars, noise, and all the media and messages of the culture. Pack the very minimum (water, warm clothes, etc.) and find a trail, a mountain, or a beach, and feast on God.
Imitate Jesus, who took whole days to walk alone in the wilderness fasting and praying .... Give God the time and the room that he wants. God wants to fill you up, wants to bless you. If we are constantly pouring other stuff into our heads or stomachs, there will be little room for God.
On what days should I fast?
Fast on any day but Sunday--the day of the resurrection--which is a feast day even in Lent. On Friday (the day of the crucifixion), many world Christians will fast, and it can be meaningful to join them. Try fasting from something on each day, Monday-Saturday. You may choose one day to fast from all foods or other comforts for as much of the day that you can (remembering to drink plenty of fluids). End your weekly fast on Sunday: on this day, enjoy your food and your freedom!
Fasting Etiquette
When you fast, you will occasionally be faced with a dilemma: someone offers you food that you have eliminated from your diet. Not everyone knows that you are fasting (nor should they--see below). You have probably just begun to feel good about going without your daily dose of chocolate—or whatever—when there is a friend offering it to you with all good intentions. What is the proper response?
Let humility be your guide. Resist the temptation to explain that you are fasting and so refuse. If you can politely refuse without hurting the person's feelings, then do so. But if someone has prepared something for you to bless you (a special desert at the end of a meal, cookies for a visit, or a big steak dinner right after you gave up meat), then perhaps the more humble response is to accept gratefully. After all, the point of Lent is not the elimination of a specific food, it is sacrifice. Sometimes the greater sacrifice is to give up the idea of a perfect day of fasting for the sake of another.

Paradoxical Commandments

1. People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. . .Love them anyway.

2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. . .Do good anyway.

3. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. . .Succeed anyway.

4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. . .Do good anyway.

5. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. . .Be honest and frank anyway.

6. The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds. . .Think big anyway.

7. People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs. . .Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. . .Build anyway.

9. People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them. . .Help people anyway.

10. Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth. . .Give the world the best you have anyway.
Kent Keith, author Mother Teresa, publicist

RE-LENT

We enter once again into this most holy season of Lent. This season lasts 40 days beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Thursday evening, which is the beginning of the Sacred Triduum leading us into Easter. Through the solemn forty days of Lent, the Church unites herself to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.

Here, at Saint Patrick, we observe this holy season in a variety of ways. On Ash Wednesday, we gathered for a Eucharistic Liturgy and received ashes, the mark of our own mortality. Fridays during Lent will be special days of prayer for our community and will devote itself to the three pillars the Lenten season: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Mass will be celebrated at 7:10AM every Friday of Lent.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle writes the following about the beginning of Lent: “The purpose of the Church in putting ashes on your head is to make you realize that you should be filled with a true spirit of penance. This sacred ceremony is a remnant of the Church’s ancient discipline that obliged public penitents at the start of their penance to receive ashes on their heads by the ministers of the holy altars in full view of the faithful. You should resolve to unite yourself by a suitable disposition of heart. This is how we should begin and end this holy season of forty days.”

He continues: “We will die and we will die only once. We will die well and with God only insofar as we have lived in the practice of penance. Do we wish to die a holy death? Let us live as true penitents.”

The season of Lent beckons all of us, not only in the Lasallian Community, but also in the universal Church, to come back to the Lord with all our hearts. May this season of grace be one of promising spiritual opportunity. May it allow us to look into our own lives and return to God.

A Happy, Holy Lent to all our students and families.

An Offering of Ashes

As many of you know, few (if any) days of the calendar get larger Mass attendance than this... even though it isn't obligatory.And unusually early though it might be, it's almost too easy to simply go through the motions of another Ash Wednesday, another Lent, thinking in the process that, having done it for years before, we've "got it down."If anything, a key message of this season remains a heightened awareness of how much ahead there is to do, how great our potential is to do better, to be better, to do more... and not just 'til Easter, and not just in the same way we did last Lent.The story of this day is one of the more counter-cultural ones out there. The crux of Ash Wednesday is one that fascinates, and rightfully so: in a world -- and, indeed, in a church -- too often obsessed with appearances, with shirking blame and maintaining an image of perfection (sometimes at any cost), all that gets turned inside out: I'm far from perfect. I don't have all the answers. I can't go it alone. What I do matters beyond myself. I can be a better person than who I am right now.Think of yourself as a construction site. You're a bit dusted up today, or you likely will be in a couple hours. No building rises or stands on its own, and the dust of putting one up didn't just magically appear -- like life, building is invariably a messy process if you're doing it right.Along these lines, a work-site without dust is no accomplishment; no meaningful work would be getting done there, whether it's the foundations not being adequately driven in, the ground not being sufficiently cleared, maybe both.A work-site isn't something to behold at mid-project... but the further along it gets, the more specific its work becomes, and the more the dust clears. And then, seemingly all of a sudden, what'd been a mess at the outset is transformed into something beautiful, useful, solid and lasting.These days can easily become nothing more than a longing for whatever we've given up. But they're meant to be more than that -- and the more dust we kick up in the process, the better the finished product will be.Bottom line: for yourself and those around you, let God build a better you this Lent.

The Blessing of Saint Blase

Though its observance is superseded by the last Sunday of Ordinary Time we'll be seeing for a good while, today's the feast of the bishop St Blase, the fourth-century Armenian martyr and patron of throat troubles.Why he hasn't been adopted by cough-drop makers the world over is anyone's guess.Known as "San Blas" en español and "San Biaggio" in italiano, St Blase was killed amidst persecution after refusing to supplicate to a pagan god. But most Catholics know him for the annual throat-blessing, which stems from a child who choked on a fishbone and was brought to the bishop, whose prayer released it. (The image of "Blase with Fish" above being one of many reflecting his claim to fame.)One of the Catholic imagination's more enchanting showpieces, the blessing involves the crossing of two (unlit) candles over the recipient's neck with the prayer
"Through the intercession of St. Blase, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Regardless of what day the feast falls on, most of the throat-blessings invariably take place on the closest Sunday -- given the usual turnouts for daily Mass, popular demand and customary practice have extended the blessing to weekend liturgies. It may also be given by nonordained ministers, albeit without the customary sign of the cross that a priest or deacon would make over the recipient.