Prayer
Since June 1972, Depaul Anthony Genska, ofm, is involved in ministry-working with persons in female-heterosexual prostitution. It is very challenging!
PRAY - "Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it!" (Psalm 127.1). In your liturgies, especially for these feasts, please PRAY for Genesis House and others involved in working-ministering with persons in female-heterosexual prostitution. Over the years, I have requested the powerful intercessory prayers of the Contemplative Carmelite Nuns, Cistercians (male & female), Contemplative Good Shephard Sisters, Poor Clare Nuns -- some 133 congregations in the United States.
THANK YOU!
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Feast Person Time Comment
.............. Rahab................... B.C........
rescued Jewish spies at Jericho Confer: Joshua, Chapter 2; she is in the geneology of Christ; epistle of St James singles her out with Abraham as model of faith in action; author of Hebrews includes Rahab among the "mighty cloud of witnesses"
.............. Tamar................... B.C........
Genesis, chapter 38; Ruth 4:12; Matthew 1:3;
she is in the geneology of Christ
.............. Hosea/Gomar........B.C.........
Confer book of Hosea. ..............
Par excellance: Jesus Christ..........forever..
`Why does he eat with such people?'; `prostitutes and tax collectors will get into heaven before the righteous'; etc.
.............. Mary, Blessed Mother...
forever embodies every woman and man who says `yes' to God and hence is empowered to be all that God calls one to be!
1/2.....St. Basil the Great....... 329-379 .....
worked to erradicate `white slavery'
1/25...St Paul Apostle............d 67 A.D......
"Those Corinthian women!" usual phrase applied to `loose' women
2/5.....St. Agatha................... 251?...........
Agatha was forced into brothel to humiliate her
2/8.....St. Jerome Emiliani..... 1486-1537
opened refuge for prostitutes
2/8.....St. Josephine Bakhita...1869-1947
intercession for freedom from all forms of slavery; Sudanese Saint - former slave
2/13...Georges Rouault...........1871-1958
"facinated with the brothel-circus-courtroom"; showed sacred among the poor, prostitutes.
2/14...St Valentine..................dates??
Fr Andrew Greeley suggests St Valentine be promoted as Feast for Lovers!
3/6.....St Colette Corbie........ 1381-1447
Poor Clare - she & her father had shelter for street women
3/10....Ven. Joseph Lataste... 1832-1869
Founder: Sisters of Bethany
3/16....St Abraham Kidunai.....6th century
niece, Mary, became a prostitute - she converted
4/2......St. Mary of Egypt.........344-421......
teenage prostitute - ascetic [note: Cardinal Bernardin's birthday is April 2!]
4/4......St Benedict the Moor....1526-1589
intercession for all men and women, especially Blacks, from slavery of sex industry
4/8......St John of God..............1495-1550
Founder of Hospitallers - provided health care to prostitutes, etc
4/20....St Hildegard.............d. 1188
lived in male Cistercian monastery; only at death was it discovered she is female; St Pelagia the Penitent, dancing girl in Antioch-disguished as man, lived as hermit on Mt Olives; St Marina -disguished as boy lived with her father -- what is lesson of such stories perhaps they serve as parabolic reminders of the ideal that "in Christ" if not in the world or the church, "there is no male or female"
4/23....St George RIP 303......
St George slaying dragon (Depaul's baptismal name is George) could modern dragon be sexual absurdities-instruments of mass destruction?/entrance to UNITED NATIONS in New York City - gift of Malta is huge replica of St. George driving sword into a tank!
4/24....St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier................. 1796-1868
Foundress: Good Shepherd Sisters
5/5.....Pope St. Pius V........... 1566-1572
in his pontificate, visited women in prostitution especially in the Coliseum of Rome
5/1974..Jean Cardinal Danilou...1905-1974
ministered with persons in prostitution for some 30 years [died May 1974]
5/12....Edel Quinn................ 1907-1944
Legion of Mary, worked with street women
5/20....Bl Ancangelo Tadini...1846-1912
Founder of Sister Workers of Holy Family of Nazareth work with prostitutes
5/21....St. Eugene de Mazenod...1787-1861
Founder: Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was canonized on Dec. 3, 1995 by Pope John Paull II; we hope in his canonization that it was mentioned he worked with persons in prostitution! Eugene friends with Redemptorists - CSsR & Oblates consider one another `spiritual cousins'
5/26....St Philip Neri............. 1515-1593
walked streets/befriended women in prostitution
6/8......St Elizabeth of Portugal 1271-1336
founded halfway houses for "fallen women"
6/13....St. Anthony of Padua....1195-1231
Minette and Anthony's concern for women in prostitution
6/15....St Micaela of Blessed Sacrament...
Adorer of Bl Sacrament Community who work with women in prostitution
6/16....St John Francis Regis...1597-1640
ministered with persons in female prostitution.. Bl Marie Couderc founded Sisters of St Francis Regis - later becamse known as the Religious of the Cenacle
6/30....Bl. Gennaro Maria Sarnelli, CssR......... 1702-1752
worked with women in prostitution in Naples, Italy/personal friend of St Alphonsus Liguori
7/22....St. Mary Magdalene......time of Christ -
legendary involvement in prostitution
7/31....St. Ignatius Loyola..... 1491-1556
Founder: Society of Jesus/Jesuits - Ignatius established refugees for women in prostitution
8/1.....St. Alphonsus Liguori...1696-1787
Founder: Redemptorists - worked with persons in prostitution
8/2.....St Basil the Blessed......d 1552......
Russian Orthodox "holy fool" - threw stones at houses of people who made public display of their piety, kiss pavement before houses of ill repute - For the former: "Devils lay siege to those;" to the latter "angels weep over these"
8/8.....St. Dominic................. 1170-1221
Founder: Dominicans - Dominic worked with women in prostitution
8/12...St. Clare of Assisi....... 1190-1240
Founder of Poor Clares-companion of St. Francis of Assisi) - all 44 Roman Catholic Poor Clare monasteries in U.S. asked several times to pray for Genesis House-all involved in minsitry in female-heterosexual prostitution.
8/19...St. John Eudes............ 1601-1680
Founder: Sisters of Refugee - Co-Founder with St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier of the Good Shepherd Sisters
8/27...St Monica................... 4th century
Mother of St Augustine who prayed 18 years for conversion of her wayward son
8/28....St Augustine.............. 354-430 relentless search for truth/wrenching struggle for continence - Doctor of Church who teaches us moderns invaluable lessons
9/5......Blessed Mother Teresa 1910-1997
some women Mother Teresa & Missionaries of Charity befriend are women in prostitution
10/1....St. Therese of Lisieux. 1873-1897
Patroness of the Missions - value of redemptive love/64 Carmelite Closiered Nuns monasteries in the U.S. in contact with re: prayers for Genesis House & all involved in ministry with persons in prostitution & sex industry
10/4....St Francis of Assisi......1182-1226 .
Peace Prayer of St Francis is good blue-print for ministry!
10/28 St Jude Apostle.............1st century
Patron of almost hopeless situations!
10/30...Fyodor Dostoevsky.....1821-1881
"Crime and Punishment" saintly prostitute in whose love and faith reside the possibility of Raskolnikov's final redemption
11/2...All Saints......................
Saints/blessed who worked with persons in sex industry/saints-blessed who were once in sex industry
11/2...Holy Souls....................
those RIP who worked with persons in sex industry/those who were employed in sex industry
11/2....Leo Bloy......................1846-1917
Veronique, impoverished prostitute, occasioned Bloy's conversion
11/3....St Martin de Porres......1579-1639
intercession for release of all, especially Black women and men, from the slavery of sex industry
11/25..Bl Luigi-Maria Quattrocchi..1951 & 1965...
first couple beatified in history of Catholic Church - beatified by Pope John Paul II Feast Day on their wedding day - 11/25 - beatified - 10/21/2002
12/3....St. Francis Xavier........
Patron of Missions
12/6....St. Nicholas/ aka: Santa Claus........... .died 350...
befriended women with dowry less they become involved in prostitution
12/14...Bl Frances Schervier..1819-1876
Foundress: Franciscan Sisters of the Poor - Frances visited houses of prostitution and over 30 former prostitutes became Sisters in her religious congregation.
12/25...Jesus Christ..................forever - Incarnation -
"good housekeeping seal of approval" on God's original creation of the body-soul! What do you give God who has everything - you give God a human body-flesh and blood!
1964 feast day?........................died 1964...Nicola D'Onofrio. Died at 21 yrs old - he overcame great temptations re: chastity
Other women and men from other religious and humanitarian traditions who have/who are ministering-working with persons in female-heterosexual prostitution!
PRAY - the harvest is great, the laborers are few!
THANK YOU!