Today the
Church celebrates the feast of St. José María de Yermo y Parres, who was canonized by Saint John Paul II on May 21,
2000. Born into a wealthy family in Mexico, this humble saint pursued the
priesthood at a young age, and he devoted his life to caring for the poor.
In 1885, St.
José María founded the Congregation of the Servants of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus and the Poor. He and his congregation extended the mercy of Christ’s
Sacred Heart to the poor and the sick. He also started the Christian Mercy
program in order to help women escape lives of prostitution.
In his homily
for the canonization of St. José María, St. John Paul II said that the new
saint:
…lived
his priestly commitment to Christ by following him with all his might,
distinguishing himself at the same time by an essentially prayerful and
contemplative attitude. In the Heart of Christ he found guidance for his
spirituality and, in reflecting on his infinite love for men, he desired to
imitate him by making charity the rule of his life.
St. José
María de Yermo y Parres, please pray for us, that we might also imitate Christ
by making charity the rule of our lives.
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