For the month of August, not only are we looking at four of our saints whose Feast days are approaching, but also commemorate a significant event – the Assumption of Mary.
St Maximilian Kolbe – 14th
Maximilian Kolbe was born Raymond Kolbe on January 8, 1894, in central Poland. As a boy, he had a deep spiritual experience and joined the Conventual Franciscans in 1907, where he took the name Maximilian.
While studying in Rome, he saw protests against the Church. Back in Poland, he founded a group under Mary’s patronage and was ordained in 1918. In 1927, he started a large monastery in Niepokalanow, then founded another in Japan.
During WWII, Kolbe was arrested and sent to Auschwitz in 1941. Priests were treated harshly, but he continued to minister to others. When ten men were chosen to die after a prisoner escaped, Kolbe offered to take the place of one who cried out for his family. His offer was accepted.
Kolbe prayed with the men in the starvation cell. After two weeks, he was the only one left alive and was killed by injection on August 14, 1941. He was canonised in 1982.
Assumption of Mary – 15th
On the 15th of August we celebrate The Assumption of Mary. The Assumption commemorates the belief that when Mary died, rather than going through the natural process of physical decay on earth, both her soul and body were taken to heaven, to be with her Son, Jesus.
It’s speculated that this could have been possible because she didn’t suffer from original sin, as stated in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This can be further confirmed as there is no relic of Mary’s body in existence, and no one has ever claimed to have found one.
St Bartholomew – 24th
There is limited information about Bartholomew, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He is the patron saint of leatherworkers, bookbinders, plasterers, butchers, tanners, and shoemakers.
He is mentioned in the list of the apostles in the books of Mark, Matthew, Luke and Acts, however there is nothing else known about him from the New Testament.
It is believed that Bartholomew was a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Iran, Turkey and Armenia. Under the command of the Armenian king, Astyages, Batholomew was martyred by flaying and beheading.
St Monica – 27th
St Monica, also called Monica of Hippo, is the mother of St Augustine. She married a Roman pagan, Patricius, when she was very young and together had three children – Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua. She hoped and prayed for her family to become Christians.
Just before the passing of Patricius, she successfully converted the children, and a constant battle with Augustine’s willingness to follow the Christian beliefs followed. After many years, and with the help of St Ambrose, Augustine fully converted.
Together with Augustine, Monica felt the call to spread the Word of God to Africa, but soon after passed away. Most of the information known about Monica is found in the writings of Saint Augustine – in particular, his Confessions.
St Augustine – 28th
August 28 is the Feast of St Augustine of Hippo, the patron saint of brewers, due of his conversion from a former life of loose living. This previous lifestyle included parties, entertainment, and worldly ambitions.
In 354 Augustine was born in Tagaste, today known as Algeria. His father was a Roman official. He owned land that he farmed. Patricius married Monica and they had three children. Monica was a Christian and also became a saint, but her husband was a pagan. She prayed often that her family would be Christians. Just before he died in 371, Patricius converted to Christianity. Augustine would not convert for many more years.
He was baptised, became a priest, a bishop, a famous Catholic writer, Founder of religious priests, and one of the greatest saints that ever lived. He became very devout and charitable, too. On the wall of his room, he had the following sentence written in large letters: “Here we do not speak evil of anyone.” St Augustine overcame strong heresies, practised great poverty and supported the poor, preached very often and prayed with great fervour right up until his death. “Too late have I loved You!” he once cried to God, but with his holy life he certainly made up for the sins he committed before his conversion.
