Saint of the Day - Blessed Titus Brandsma Anno was born into a poor peasant family in the Netherlands in 1881. He entered the Carmelite Order when he was seventeen, taking the name Titus. As a novice, he published a Dutch translation of St. Teresa of Avila’s writings. He also created a magazine for his Carmelite Order that eventually was made available to all Dutch Catholics. Titus was ordained to the priesthood when he was twenty-four. After studying in Rome, he returned to the Netherlands and continued his work of translating the writings of St. Teresa. He began a new magazine of Carmelite spirituality and even helped to edit the local newspaper. He taught philosophy from 1923 to 1942. During this time he became well known as a journalist. He was very outspoken against the Nazi party, attacking their philosophy and their anti-Semitic crimes. He defended the Catholic schools and would not allow Jewish students to be excluded from them after the Nazis occupied Holland. Using his reputation as a journalist, he convinced Catholic newspaper editors not to publish Nazi propaganda. The Gestapo arrested Titus on January 19, 1942. While in prison, he wrote poetry and meditations on the Stations of the Cross. In June, he was sent to the Dachau concentration camp near Munich, Germany. He was put to death by lethal injection on July 26, 1942. Pope John Paul II declared Titus Brandsma a blessed in 1985. ❦ Jesus calls us to love everyone—people of all nations, races, and religions. Since God is Father of all, we should think of everyone as a brother or sister. As Christians, we must do what we can to make sure others are being treated fairly.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 16:12:15 +0000
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