Saint of the Day – 29 October – St Gaetano Errico (1791-1860) – Priest, Founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in 1836, Teacher, Confessor, Apostle of Charity, Eucharistic Adoration devotee, – born on 19 October 1791 in Secondigliano, Naples, Italy and died at 10am on 29 October 1860 in Secondigliano, Naples, Italy of natural causes. The Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, are a religious congregation of priests and brothers, dedicated to serving the needs of God’s family, while witnessing the great love present in the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary – St Gaetano is their Patron.

Gaetano Errico was born on 19 October 1791 in Secondigliano, a small village on the northern boundary of the City of Naples, Italy.   He was the second of nine children born to Pasquale and Marie (Marseglia) Errico.   His father managed a small pasta factory and his mother worked at the loom weaving plush.

As a child he was known in the small village as a good and obedient child, who helped his father in the pasta factory and eagerly shared his parent’s deep faith.   By age 14 Gaetano felt called to the priesthood and religious life.   Many congregations during this time did accept young men at an earlier age than is prevalent today.   However, Gaetano’s first choices, the Capuchins and the Redemptorists rejected his application because of his age.   At the age of 16 he proceeded to apply for the Archdiocesan Seminary of Naples and was accepted.   In January 1808, having received the habit of the Diocese, he began his studies.   His family’s meagre income did not allow him to reside at the seminary.   He therefore registered as a day student which required him to walk the eight kilometers to the seminary and back each day.

During his years of formation in the seminary, he did very well in his studies.   He was deeply faithful to his spiritual life never missing daily Mass and reception of the Eucharist.   While still living at home with his parents, he managed to help them as well. The villagers noted his diligence in filling his days with the studies for the priesthood, visiting the sick on Thursday and even on Sunday he walked through the town encouraging the children to attend their catechism classes.

On 23 September 1815, in the Chapel of St Restituta within the confines of the Cathedral of Naples, Gaetano was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Ruffo Scilla.   Soon after ordination he was appointed to a position as a teacher.   For the next twenty years, he taught his students with exemplary dedication.   Entrusted to his care, his students received both the elements of a good education and spiritual formation.   With great care and ambitious zeal, he imparted the tenets of Christian doctrine and moral values.

He also served with loving commitment in pastoral service at the Parish Church of Saint Cosmas and Damian.   His ministry was characterised by four principle concerns – Proclamation of the Word;  Ministry of Reconciliation;  material and spiritual assistance to the sick and selfless charity.   Each principle held for Gaetano the way to proclaim and make known to all men and women, that in God they have a Father, who loves them.

Every year, he travelled to Pagani (in Salerno), a Redemptorist house, for his annual retreat.   In the year 1818 while praying, an extraordinary event occurred – an event that would change his life forever.   St Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) appeared to him in a vision and told him that God wanted him to found a new religious congregation.   Further, as a sign of this desire, he was to build a church in Secondigliano in honour of Our Lady of Sorrows.   With this vision of Our Lady in his mind, Gaetano was assured that he would succeed.   At first, the people of Secondigliano welcomed with joy the news that God wanted a church in honour of the Sorrowful Mother of Jesus in their little village.   However, human weakness being ever apparent, some were opposed.   Although their numbers were few, their jealousy and distrust made the task more difficult for Gaetano.   He never lost sight of the goal, however and against all odds, the Church was built as God wanted.   The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows was blessed on 9 December 1830.

When the Church was nearly completed, Fr Gaetano began the construction of a house to serve as the first home of the future congregation.   A small house was built and Fr Errico resided there with a lay brother who maintained the Church.   From such humble beginnings, he proceeded to reach out, welcoming priests to come for retreat, hoping to inspire within their hearts a desire to commit themselves to the missions and religious life.

Upon completion of the Church and house, Fr Gaetano commissioned Francesco Verzella, a famous Neapolitan sculptor, to create an image of Our Lady of Sorrows.   It has been said that the sculptor had to redo the statue several times.   The vision of her face of sorrow was clear in Fr Errico’s mind.   Finally, the sculptor got it right and Fr Errico exclaimed, “It is so!”   The statue arrived in Secondigliano in May of 1835 and from then on drew an unending number of pilgrims.

The following year, again while Fr Errico was on retreat in Pagani, God revealed to him that the new congregation to be founded must be in honour of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.   Fr Errico already possessed within himself a most abiding devotion to the Sacred Hearts.   Now he became even more ardent in sharing this love through all his apostolic and missionary activity.   The love of the Sacred Hearts urged him to seek sinners and bring them back to God, to give of himself tirelessly.   With a burning drive within his heart, he especially searched out the most vulnerable, those in danger, the sick, the abandoned and shunned and the spiritually bereft.   He wanted everyone to feel the touch of a loving father who was ever ready to forgive and slow to anger.

He gained approval for the new congregation and its statutes on 14 March 1836 and in October of that year opened a novitiate with eight novices.   He sought papal approval in May 1838.   On 30 June the Congregation of Bishops and Regulars issued the decree.   In order to strengthen his Congregation, he sought royal approval which was granted on 13 May 1840.   In April 1846, he once again went to Rome to ask for final approval.   The Congregation by now had grown, the number of its members had increased and new houses had been opened in southern Italy.   On 7 August1846, Blessed Pius IX issued the Apostolic Brief of Approbation. Gaetano was unanimously elected Superior General.

Fr Gaetano was truly a man of God, a man with a mission, a man on fire with an unquenchable love of Jesus and Mary.   The first secret of his holiness was prayer.   Ever on his knees, his small room in the house in Secondigliano bears the indentations on the floor where, kneeling, he found refuge and strength.   Penance further sustained his holiness.   He fasted continuously, often only taking bread and water in order to give his share of food to the poor.   Self-flagellation was part of his penance, offered humbly for the many sins that wounded the Heart of Jesus.   He was never too tired to travel on, preaching, hearing confessions, encouraging the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ.   His comfort and caring presence reminded all of the love of God the Father… leading many in the small towns and villages to call him a saint.

Fr Errico died on 29 October 1860 at 10:00 AM at the age of 69.   His last testament to his missionaries was… “Love one another and be very observant of our Rules.”

“A saint is dead.,” the townspeople of Secondigliano affirmed upon hearing the news of his death.   It still echoes today. Gaetano Errico, affectionately known by all who knew him as “O Superiore” (The Superior), continues to be an example, a reference point, an intercessor, showing the way to God as lived out in the example of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

In December 1876, Pope Leo XIII declared him Venerable and Pope Paul VI declared the heroism of his virtues with an apostolic decree on 4 October 1974.   St Pope John Paul II on 24 April  2001, signed the Decree of Beatification after approving a miracle attributed to the sole intercession of Ven Gaetano Errico.   The process for the investigation of the miracle required for canonisation opened in Naples on 10 November 2004 and concluded its business on 10 October 2005 prior to it being validated in 2006.   It received the papal approval of Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 in which he acknowledged the 2003 healing of Anna Russo.   On 12 October 2008 he was proclaimed a saint by Pope Benedict XVI.

Novena to St Francis de Sales Day SEVEN – 21 January

“Our intellect is ordinarily full of ideas, opinions and considerations suggested by self-love.   This is the root of many conflicts within the soul, putting before us all sorts of reasons dictated by human prudence to justify our pretensions.   People who make use of this false prudence, instead of enlightening their intellect, obscure it.   They reject advice given to them and let those reasons prevail in their minds which support their own opinions, even wrong ones.   Make use of the virtue of prudence because it is good but make good use of it.   Employ it only rarely, with simplicity and solely for the glory of God.” (St Francis de Sales – Sermons 30; O. IX, pp. 297-298)

Let us Pray:

Saint of the Day – 10 June – Blessed Edward Joannes Maria Poppe

Blessed Memorial of Blessed Edward Joannes Maria Poppe  (18 December 1890 in Temse, Belgium – 10 June 1924 at Moerzeke, Belgium of a stroke, aged 34) Priest  – Apostle of Eucharistic Adoration, especially amongst children and of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Evangeliser, Reformer, Spiritual Director of Seminarians, Supporter of the Labourer – Patron of Moerzeke, Labourers, Military chaplains, Children’s Eucharistic Adoration.   Attributes – Priest’s robes.   Bl Edward’s beatification cause commenced on 5 April 1966 under Blessed Pope Paul VI and he became titled as a Servant of God as a result while the affirmation of his life of heroic virtue saw St Pope John Paul II name him as Venerable on 30 June 1986. That same pope beatified Poppe in Saint Peter’s Square on 3 October 1999.

Edward Joannes Maria Poppe was born in Temse on 18 December 1890 as the third of eight children to the baker Dèsirè Aloies Poppe (25.12.1851-10.01.1907) and Josepha Ogiers (31.08.1863-21.10.1947).   One brother became a priest while five sisters were nuns and one daughter remained home alone with her mother. He was an energetic child and an excellent student.   His mischievousness saw him often knock things over even putting himself at risk of being harmed.   He was also quite stubborn and never left his sisters alone though his sisters would often get back at him and would muss up his hair when he was caught combing in front of the mirror.   He was also a big eater and liked to devour treats from his father’s store.   But in 1902 he received his First Communion and Confirmation and this made him more serious which meant jokes and teasing became rarer.   In spring 1904 his father introduced him to his business plans and had hoped to see his son begin a baking apprenticeship though Poppe remained silent at first though his resolution to become a priest led him to tell his father as much.   Not long after a priest friend to his parents gave a favourable opinion of Poppe’s vocation to which his father told his mother:  “Let’s not be selfish. God has not given us our children for ourselves”.   He studied at the Sint-Niklaas St. Joseph Minor Seminary from 1905 until 1910 where he became a member the De Klauwaerts association which was a student movement in the Flemish Movement before World War I.

Despite his father’s death on 10 January 1907 he was able to continue his studies and commenced his ecclesial studies in 1910 to become a priest.   But at first he wanted to take over his father’s business for his mother’s sake, though his mother did not like the idea and told him:  “Before he died, Papa made me promise to let you continue with your studies. I want to keep that promise”.   He was drafted in September 1910 and being a seminarian made him a target for harassment (he was mocked and provoked) while his companions’ vulgar nature was unendurable to him to what he called “a hell”.   He was also quite pained that he could not receive the Eucharist and go to Mass each week due to the rigidfity of the army service.   But his time in the service still allowed for him to do his philosophical studies.   He liked to read poems which was something he had done since his childhood.

He began his studies in Thomism on 13 March 1912 at the Louvain college where he became influenced from the works of Saint Louis de Montfort which made him a fervent devotee of the Blessed Mother of God.   It was also around this time that he learnt about Saint Thérèse of Lisieux but he also had a love for Saint Francis of Assisi.   In September 1913 he moved to the Ghent for his studies where he became a member of the Filioli Caritatis which was a group of priests who aimed for holiness.   On 14 July 1913 he graduated in letters and philosophical studies at Louvain.

The outbreak of World War I in 1914 saw Poppe called to arms as a battlefield nurse on 1 August but he fell ill in Namur at Bourlers on 25 August after having been at the battle site since 4 August.   He was placed half-dead in an ambulance van and was taken to Bourlers where the priest Castelain took care of him until December.   In his period of recuperation the Germans advancing had with them several prisoners of war and he appealed to Saint Joseph that these men be freed which led to their miraculous freeing all except a Frenchman;   Poppe renewed the appeal and the Frenchman returned. Father Castelain also told him about the life of Blessed Antoine Chevrier.   Once he recovered in he went to Mechelen to continue with his ecclesial studies in April 1915 after Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier obtained for him a dispensation to leave the armed forces.

Priesthood On 1 May 1916 he was ordained to the priesthood.   Poppe became the parish associate pastor in Sint-Coleta on 16 June 1916 which was a poor labourers’ parish in Ghent.   He started the Eucharistic League for the children (he dedicated this to Pope Pius X) and introduced them to the countless aspects of the faith and also taught catechism and handed children devotional cards.  He made it a practice to greet workers after their shifts ended in the late afternoon.   Poppe chose to live in poorness in order to be like his parishioners.

He became exhausted in July 1917 due to his manner of living and his weak health and so was transferred to a convent in Moerzeke.   He was ordered to rest for a month though when he returned the pastor was concerned for him so discharged him from league meetings and catechetical lessons;   this made him heartbroken but he was obedient.  He was often confined to his bed but from there wrote numerous texts for the “Eucharistische Kruistocht” – Eucharistic Crusade) of the Averbode convent while often appearing in the popular adolescent magazine “Zonneland”.   In July 1918 he asked the Bishop of Ghent for a different post and so from 4 October 1918 until 1922 he served as the rector to the Vincentian Sisters.   But Poppe suffered a severe heart attack on 11 May 1919 (and received the Extreme Unction) though spent his time recovering in his bed while writing letters and articles that were criticisms of materialism and Marxism.   He suffered a much more serious heart attack on 8 June and could no longer have visits or celebrate Mass due to the severe status of his health.   He was weak but recovered over the next several months to the point where he managed to make a trip to visit the tomb of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux in France on 15 September 1920.

Declining health and death Improvement in his health saw him appointed as the spiritual leader of the armed forces school in Leopoldsburg in October 1922 for seminarians and priests drawn into service. But a cardiac crisis in 1923 – while visiting his mother on Christmas – made it impossible for him to return to Leopoldsburg and he again was confined to the Moerzeke convent. He suffered a heart attack on 1 January 1924 but suffered a severe relapse on 3 February. Poppe died from a stroke on the morning of 10 June 1924 as he prepared to dress and take care of affairs.   He received the Extreme Unction and gazed at an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as he died.

Post-mortem Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier promoted him as an ideal of a good priest who was spiritual and ascetic and who was prepared to sacrifice his life for the faith.   His birth house in Temse has become a museum and the street is renamed “Priester Poppestraat”; another museum can be found in the Moerzeke convent.   There are statues of Poppe in both Moerzeke and Ghent.

Beatification The beatification process opened in Ghent in an informative process that spanned from 21 March 1946 until its closure on 29 September 1952 at which stage the theologians approved all his spiritual writings on two instances on 13 February 1959 and 15 January 1971.   The formal introduction to the cause came under Pope Paul VI on 5 April 1966 and he was titled as a Servant of God while an apostolic process was later held from 18 November 1967 until 25 June 1969.   The Congregation for the Causes of Saints validated the previous processes in Rome on 28 April 1975 and received the Positio dossier from postulation officials in 1984.     The theologians approved the cause on 25 March 1986 as did the C.C.S. on 10 June 1986. The confirmation of his life of heroic virtue on 30 June 1986 allowed for Pope John Paul II to title him as Venerable.

The miracle was required for his beatification was investigated in the diocese of its origin from 4-19 January 1996 at which stage all documentation was sent to Rome and received C.C.S. validation in a decree on 28 June 1996.   Medical experts approved this healing as a miracle on 6 November 1997 as did the theologians on 31 March 1998 and the C.C.S. members on 1 July 1998.   John Paul II issued his approval to this miracle on 3 July 1998 and beatified Poppe in Saint Peter’s Square on 3 October 1999.