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| San Claudio de la Colombière, ora pro nobis |
February 15th is the feast of St. Claude la Colombière, Jesuit Priest and “Master of enlightened spirituality.” Born in Grenoble, France, on February 2, 1641, St. Claude la Colombière entered the Jesuit Novitiate of Avignon at seventeen. At twenty-five, he went to study theology in Paris and was ordained a priest at twenty-eight.
After his ordination, St. Claude taught rhetoric and then began a ministry of preaching at the College of Paray-le-Monial. He was also the confessor of the nearby Visitandine nuns, among whom was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, propagator of the cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Sent to London in 1674 as chaplain to the future Queen Mary of Modena, he was arrested and expelled for wanting to restore the Catholic Church in England and sending Catholic missionaries to the Thirteen Colonies.
Returning to France in 1681, his health deteriorated from the mistreatment he suffered in prison. He died in Paray-le-Monial on February 15, 1682, at 41. St. Claude la Colombière was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929 and canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on May 31, 1992.
In celebration, we’re posting the Prayer of Trust of St. Claude la Colombière. The accompanying photos come courtesy of Father Eugene Carrella. The holy card and “ex ossibus” relic are part of Father Carrella’s impressive collection of religious artifacts. Evviva San Claudio de la Colombière!
Act of Trust of St. Claude la Colombière
My God, I believe most firmly that You watch over all those who hope in You, and that we can want for nothing when we rely upon You in all things, therefore I am resolved for the future to have no anxieties, and to cast all my cares upon You. People may deprive me of worldly goods and of honors; sickness may take from me my strength and the means of serving You; I may even lose Your grace by sin; but my trust shall never leave me. I will preserve it to the last moment of my life, and the powers of hell shall seek in vain to wrestle it from me. Let others seek happiness in their wealth, in their talents; let them trust to the purity of their lives, the severity of their mortifications, to the number of their good works, the fervor of their prayers; as for me, O my God, in my very confidence lies all my hope. “For You, O Lord, singularly has settled me in hope.” This confidence can never be in vain. “No one has hope in the Lord and has been confounded”. I am assured, therefore, of my eternal happiness, for I firmly hope for it, and all my hope is in You. “In You, O lord, I have hoped; let me never be confounded.”
After his ordination, St. Claude taught rhetoric and then began a ministry of preaching at the College of Paray-le-Monial. He was also the confessor of the nearby Visitandine nuns, among whom was St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, propagator of the cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Sent to London in 1674 as chaplain to the future Queen Mary of Modena, he was arrested and expelled for wanting to restore the Catholic Church in England and sending Catholic missionaries to the Thirteen Colonies.
Returning to France in 1681, his health deteriorated from the mistreatment he suffered in prison. He died in Paray-le-Monial on February 15, 1682, at 41. St. Claude la Colombière was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929 and canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on May 31, 1992.
Act of Trust of St. Claude la Colombière
My God, I believe most firmly that You watch over all those who hope in You, and that we can want for nothing when we rely upon You in all things, therefore I am resolved for the future to have no anxieties, and to cast all my cares upon You. People may deprive me of worldly goods and of honors; sickness may take from me my strength and the means of serving You; I may even lose Your grace by sin; but my trust shall never leave me. I will preserve it to the last moment of my life, and the powers of hell shall seek in vain to wrestle it from me. Let others seek happiness in their wealth, in their talents; let them trust to the purity of their lives, the severity of their mortifications, to the number of their good works, the fervor of their prayers; as for me, O my God, in my very confidence lies all my hope. “For You, O Lord, singularly has settled me in hope.” This confidence can never be in vain. “No one has hope in the Lord and has been confounded”. I am assured, therefore, of my eternal happiness, for I firmly hope for it, and all my hope is in You. “In You, O lord, I have hoped; let me never be confounded.”
