OCTOBER
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
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19	20	21	22	23	24	25
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October 2008

1 -
St. Therese of the Child Jesus, 'Little Flower' of Lisieux, Patroness of the Missions
See October Mission and Church Intentions of the Pope
"The Congregation has developed well, which I hope will continue. Therefore it will be able to provide in the near future with personnel apt to conduct a mission assigned to it."
[Blessed Conforti on April 13, 1902]
1919 - Opening of the house in Vicenza, Northern Italy, second mission center of the Xaverians
1959 - Beginning of the Xaverian presence in Mazatlan, Mexico
1992 - Blessing of the Xaverian house in Dhaka, Bangladesh

2 -
Feast of the Guardian Angels
See October Mission and Church Intentions of the Pope
"Who knows how God will make good use of you through your personal availability; who knows how many things God will ask of you if you abandon yourselves with generous hearts in his hands. You might even become other St. Francis Xaviers."
[Blessed Conforti on May 20, 1921]
1869 - Birthday of Mohandas Karamchand Ghandhi, the Mahatma, who wrote: 'We earn a right to exist only if we fulfill our duty as citizens of the world'
1930 - Blessed Conforti gives the mission Cross to departing China missionaries Frs. M. Ghezzi and M. Lanciotti

3 -
First Friday
See October Mission and Church Intentions of the Pope
"As your Bishop, let me ask of you a committed promise: it is the vow that among your youth will rise other imitators of the apostolic life of St. Francis Xavier!"
[Blessed Conforti on Feb. 20, 1922]

4 -
St. Francis of Assisi, Religious Founder
See October Mission and Church Intentions of the Pope
"Francis of Assisi is not only a messenger of peace, dear friends; he is most of all a Saint, an apostle of Holiness. It is this aspect which we must preferentially admire in Francis."
[Blessed Conforti on April 24, 1927]
1999 - Fr. Noel Tomasi dies in Bukavu, D.R.Congo: formator in US communities, missionary to Congo
1992 - Mozambique Peace Accord

5 -
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Respect Life Sunday: Begun in 1972, the Respect Life program strives to bring Church teaching on the value and dignity of human life to the attention of the Catholic community and the wider public. The program combines prayer, pastoral services, advocacy and education.
See October Mission and Church Intentions of the Pope
"Every missionary should consider himself a voluntary victim for the conversion of non-Christians and value his modest contribution to the work of Christ for the salvation of the world as his greatest glory."
[Foundation Rule #9]
1920 - Blessed Conforti presides over the First National Congress of the Missionary Union of the Clergy, in Rome
1939 - Xaverians start their mission activities in Peching, China
International Teachers Day

6 -
St. Bruno, Founder of the Carthusians and Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher, Canadian sister and founder
"Grace is God who comes to us like the fire envelops the iron: it heats up, it penetrates, it enflames and makes the iron similar to the fire."
[Blessed Conforti on Aug. 15, 1917]
1914 - Blessed Conforti presides over the Diocesan Synod in Parma

7 -
Our Lady of the Rosary
"The Virgin Mary can obtain for us anything: she does not pray, but she rules."
[Blessed Conforti on May 20, 1922]
1915 - Blessed Conforti writes a letter to the priests on Catechetical Instruction

8 -
"Grace is God who enters in us like the light enters into objects, making them shine like light itself."
[Blessed Conforti on Aug. 15, 1917]
1912 - Blessed Conforti presides over the celebration of the First Eucharistic Congress in the diocese of Parma
1947 - Xaverians build the Novitiate House in Peching, China

9 -
St. Denis, Bishop and Martyr of the Early Church and St. John Leonardi, helped found the 'Propagation of the Faith' (known today as the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples)
"Divine grace is God who comes to us like the perfume of the flower-pot. Grace is God who marks us with His image and likeness, like a seal marks its image on hot wax."
[Blessed Conforti on Aug. 15, 1917]
1904 - Blessed Conforti writes to Pope Pius X the letter of resignation as Archbishop of Ravenna
1918 - Blessed Conforti asks the Vatican to approve the founding of the Oblates of the Sacred Heart

10 -
St. Daniele Comboni, founder of the Comboni missionaries
"Grace is God who gives our souls a divine form; God, life of the soul, as St. Augustine remarked, like the soul is the life of the body."
[Blessed Conforti on Aug. 15, 1917]
1918 - Blessed Conforti writes a Circular Letter to the members of the Missionary Union of the Clergy
1946 - Xaverians purchase the farmhouse of Holliston, MA
National Children's Day

11 -
"Prayer is God who descends to us as we pray; a God who is poured, infused in our hearts, as St. Augustine reminds us so well."
[Blessed Conforti on Jan. 6, 1913]
1962 - Convocation of the Second Vatican Council

12 -
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Brazil: Feasts of Our Lady: N. Sehnora Aparecida and N. Sehnora de Nazarè
"Prayer is God our Redeemer, our friend who watches us and listens to us, who smiles with divine blessings at our offerings and intentions."
[Blessed Conforti on Jan. 6, 1913]UN - World Hunger Day

13 -
USA Columbus Day
"Let us pray our Immaculate Virgin in this solemn moment that she obtain from our Lord the grace of all graces, the grace of perseverance."
[Blessed Conforti on Dec. 8 1929]
1928 - On their trip to China, Blessed Conforti and Frs. Bonardi and Ferrari arrive in Singapore: they visit the Procure of the 'Foreign Missions of Paris' and the church in the Chinese neighborhood

14 -
St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr of the Early Church
"Everything that is good, honest, pleasing, becomes more beautiful and holier by grace, and transformed by God's glory."
[Blessed Conforti on Dec. 8, 1920]
1914 - At the end of the 19th Synod of the diocese of Parma, Blessed Conforti announces his second pastoral visit
UN - International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
1974 - Xaverian Fr. Valerian Cobbe is killed in Shimulia, Xaverian Martyr in Bangladesh
Jewish observance: Succot: is the last of the three pilgrimage festivals. Like Passover and Shavu'ot, Succot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. Historically, it commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Agriculturally, Succot is a festival of the harvest.

15 -
St. Teresa of Jesus - Avila, Doctor of the Church and Foundress of the Discalced Carmelite friars and sisters
"Divine Providence, which sustains and governs all things, will use any human means to accomplish its mysterious plans on the poor of the world."
[Blessed Conforti, May 1893]
1914 - Blessed Conforti writes the Rules for the Minor Seminary of St. Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions

16 -
St. Hedwig, Mother and Religious dedicated to poor and prisoners and St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Promoter of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
"All our knowledge, all our natural and human affections, and all our bonds of blood and friendship remain in us, but they will find their meaning and perfection in heaven."
[Blessed Conforti on Dec. 8, 1920]
1903 - Blessed Conforti writes a Pastoral Letter before his First Pastoral Visit in Ravenna
1911 - During the 'ad limina Apostolorum' audience, Pope St. Pius X 'spontaneously' gives Blessed Conforti the faculties to ordain as Bishop Msgr. Louis Calza, new Apostolic Vicar of Western Honan, China.
1987 - Xaverian Fr. Salvatore Deiana is killed at Altamira, Para', Xaverian Martyr in Brazil
UN - World Food Day

17 -
St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr, successor of St. Peter in Antioch
"Divine Providence has already given me the necessary means to start a missionary congregation with modest beginnings... I'm convinced that, whatever may come, my poor efforts will bring some good fruit."
[Blessed Conforti on May 1, 1894]
UN - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty


18 -
St. Luke the Evangelist
"Finally, through the prayer of the breviary, let us ask some special graces to God, for ourselves and for others, so that we may solemnly glorify God even through this means of priestly devotion."
[Blessed Conforti on Sept. 22, 1930]

19 -
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
WORLD MISSION SUNDAY: In 1926 Pope Pius XI instituted Mission Sunday for the whole Church with the first worldwide Mission Sunday collection taking place in October 1927. The Mission Sunday collection is always taken on the next to last Sunday during the month of October. That day is celebrated in all the local Churches as the feast of catholicity and universal solidarity so Christians the world over will recognize their common responsibility with regard to the evangelization of the world.
Saints John de Brèbeuf and Isaac Jogues and Companions, North American Martyrs
"Hence, the Xaverian missionaries should treasure whatever fosters a supernatural growth, particularly the sacraments. These are the source and channels of sanctifying grace which unites us to God and transforms us into God."
[Foundation Rule #20]

20 -
St. Paul of the Cross, Founder of the Passionists
"I will not decide on anything which will bring good to individuals or to the community, without having spent a lot of time in thought, in prayer, and having asked some counsel. Yet, after the decision is made, I will be inflexible about it."
[Blessed Conforti, FCT 20, 168]
1897 - Beginning of the school year for the Seminary for the Missions in Parma, with 35 students, of which three in Theology and three in Philosophy

21 -
"In the person of my Superior I will see another Christ; I will obey his commands perfectly as the commands of Christ. Far from judging in any way his directions, I will strive to make his will my own."
[Blessed Conforti on Sept. 12, 1885]
1930 - Blessed Conforti celebrates the 20th Synod of the diocese of Parma
1970 - The General Direction of the Xaverian Congregation establishes its presence in Rome
Jewish observance: Shemini Azeret

22 -
"May we contribute something toward the realization of Christ's prophetic vision, the creation of a single Christian family which embraces all peoples."
[Blessed Conforti on July 2, 1921 - LT #1]
1958 - First Xaverians arrive in Congo: Frs. Catarzi, Fellini, Pansa, Tomaselli, Vagni and Viotti
Jewish observance: Simchat Torah

23 -
St. John of Capistrano, reformer of the Franciscans and Poor Clares
"An action of little importance, but fostered by a spirit of obedience, is more pleasing to God than a harsh penance guided by one's own will."
[Blessed Conforti on Sept. 12, 1885]
1928 - On his way to China, Blessed Conforti stops at Honk Kong, and visits the majestic Cathedral and the Seminary
1930 - The first three Xaverians [Frs. Roteglia, Turci and Valenti] pass the exams of the course of Medicine at the University of Parma

24 -
St. Anthony Claret, Bishop and Founder of the Claretians
"To gain virtue, one must oppose violently all evil passions. He who does not do this cannot hope to become virtuous."
[Blessed Conforti on Sept. 12, 1885]
1921 - Pope Benedict XV names Blessed Conforti 'Superior General of the Xaverian Missionaries for Life'

25 -
"The thought that many good people are praying for me brings me great comfort... I assure you of my humble prayers and of the lively affection I have for you who are very dear to my heart."
[Blessed Conforti to Fr. Peter Uccelli, rector of the first Minor Seminary in Vicenza, on Sept. 17, 1922]
1931 - Blessed Conforti ordaines nine Xaverians to the Minor Orders at the Chapel of the Motherhouse in Parma, 10 days before his death
1955 - Sadako Sasaki (1943-1955), Japanese student, a victim of Hiroshima bombing, dies of leukemia. She folds 646 cranes before she dies. Her fellow students complete her project of folding 1000 cranes to fulfill Sadako's wish of achieving world peace. 'I will write peace on your wings, and you will fly all over the world.'

26 -
30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Priesthood Sunday USA
"It's helpful to recall the saying: We'll win by losing. Challenged with extra burdens on our shoulders, we'll make virtues out of each necessity. "
[Blessed Conforti to Fr. Peter Uccelli, on Jan. 17, 1923]
1928 - Blessed Conforti, Frs. Bonardi and Ferrari arrive in Shang-Hai, China, welcomed by Bishop Louis Calza

27 -
Oct. 27 - Nov. 4: First Day of the Novena of Blessed Guido M. Conforti
"Counseling and spiritual direction always helps; much more than homilies, for we can guide the youth with appropriate words of admonishment, correction, and encouragement, according to their needs. These are like the soft rain which penetrates the soil."
[Blessed Conforti to Fr. Peter Uccelli, on Nov. 7, 1923]

28 -
Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
Oct. 27 - Nov. 4: Second Day of the Novena of Blessed Guido M. Conforti
"Encourage the young seminarians to read Mission magazines... All their reading will help tremendously in their apostolic vocation. We need to form an environment which is filled with this missionary spirit."
[Blessed Conforti to Fr. Peter Uccelli, on Sept. 21, 1924]
UN - National Immigrants Day

29 -
Oct. 27 - Nov. 4: Third Day of the Novena of Blessed Guido M. Conforti
"May the Lord sustain you in these holy resolutions for the good of our dear Congregation who, now more than ever, needs willing and ready members for its growth."
[Blessed Conforti to Fr. Peter Uccelli, on Oct. 20, 1921]
1954 - Xaverian Fr. Peter Uccelli, a saintly man, dies in Vicenza, Italy

30 -
Oct. 27 - Nov. 4: Fourth Day of the Novena of Blessed Guido M. Conforti
"Please pray, through the intercession of St. Joseph, that the construction of our Seminary may succeed; we need this space, if we want to receive more missionary candidates."
[Blessed Conforti to Fr. Uccelli, March 10 1926]
1950 - Founding of UNICEF, United Nations' International Children Emergency Fund

31 -
Oct. 27 - Nov. 4: Fifth Day of the Novena of Blessed Guido M. Conforti
"We cannot pretend to have everything, because Divine Providence will not give us what we don't need, but what it's necessary, even though our poor resources are almost exhausted."
[Blessed Conforti to Fr. Peter Uccelli, July 15, 1922]
1997 - Opening of the Shrine of Blessed Guido M. Conforti, in Parma, Italy
USA - Celebration of Halloween