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ST.
AILBE
PATRON
SAINT |
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It is believed that St
Ailbe is a Mythical saint who takes on
the
likeness-image of the people who believe in
him. The
picture of St. Ailbe to the right is the African
American Image
as envisioned by the Artist David Csicsko
St. Ailbe History
The Catholic Church has been canonizing saints for
nearly
2000 years. It does this in its wisdom, to
offer us models of
styles, of a truly good Christian life. There is no
such thing as
a typical saint . Best explained in song "A Saint
is just a
sinner who fell down and got up".
St.
Ailbe or Ailbeus is venerated as one of the four great
patron of Ireland. His feast is commemorated on
September 12, throughout Ireland and in the diocese of
Emily, Ireland, his feast kept as that of its
patron and first
bishop.
The
recorded life of Saint Ailbe is a not clear. The date
of
his birth is unknown, One of his account of his birth
is: born
of a serving-girl by a chieftain who ordered that the
baby
should be exposed to perish. A she-wolf raised him
along
with her with her cubs, until a hunter found the child
in the
wolf’s liar and took him away.
Years later he was
present
at a run when an aged she-wolf ran to him for
protection.
The bishop recognized his foster-mother
and gave her
sanctuary and fed her every day
thereafter at his own table.
Another account is he was
1 raised by a British Colony
in
Ireland.
It
is said St. Ailbe returned to Ireland where he
preached the
Gospel to a barbarous people. He
delivered the eternal
wisdom with commanding authority, such was the force
with which word and example he set forth the divine
law, so
evident were the miracles with which he
confirmed the
truth, that the sacred doctrine made its way to the
hearts
of many of his listeners. He not only brought a
multitude
to the faith of Christ but infused into many the
spirit of
perfection.
Later
he is alleged to have gone to Rome
where he was consecrated bishop because of his strong
belief in the Creator of all things.
St.
Ailbe is the reputed author of an ancient monastic
rule written in Old Irish which became the basic
philosophy
of Irish Monasticism.
The rule instructs the monk that his conscience
should be
tender, he must seldom speak, work hard, serve
the sick,
deal gently with sinners, be modest in dress, and
be
wise,
pious, generous, and courteous. St. Ailbe's desire in
his
old age was to retire to Thule, the remotest country
toward the Northern pole, (Shetland or Norway) but it
is
believed the King guarded to prevent his flight. The
date of
St. Ailbe's death is put at 526 or 531 or 551.
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Me a Saint!!!
Bulletin Insert
11/2.02
When
we think about the Saints, we think about their
heroic
deeds and God-Like actions. What we forget is their
humanness.
The Saints had their faults too- just like you and
me. So how are
we different from the saints? We aren't!
We each have our own heroic deeds to do and God like
actions
to perform each day. As you awaken each morning ask
God for forgiveness and strength to prepare you for
another day of heroic actions, that we all might be
His living Saints here on earth..
Father John S. Breslin
CLICK
FOR LIST OF AFRICAN SAINTS
CLICK
ANY OF THE FOLLOWING SAINTS
REVERED BY ST AILBE CHURCH & PARISHIONERS |
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SAINT
AUGUSTUS TOLTON
SAINT
PETER CLAVER
SAINT
GUISEPPINE (Josephine) BAKHITA)
WOMAN OF FAITH AND FORGIVENESS
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ST. AILBE STAINED GLASS WINDOW
.
by the
Artist by David Csicsko
After extensive reading
of the many African saints who
sacrificed their lives and demonstrated
their faith to God by living the
Monastic life. and a visit to Saint
Ailbe Church in Chicago to see the
people of St Ailbe Church working together, giving of themselves. The
artist expressed the following:
"The people of St. Ailbe Church
are a warm, loving and kind people.
They are certainly the people St. Ailbe envisioned when he set up
the Monastic rule. The Stained Glass
image carries the theme "Rooted
in Faith Strengthened by love"
St. Ailbe holds the heart which represents
the love, the cross on the
head covering represents the faith and he felt that St.
Ailbe represented the African American
in image and likeness.
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MOSAIC
MURAL
St Ailbe Revered Saints
On Christmas Eve 2004 at our midnight Mass
and then again on Christmas Day,
in
St. Ailbe Catholic Church,
on
the west wall below the balcony,
the most beautiful
MOSAIC
MURAL ever seen was unveiled. The
congregation was awe stuck, you heard a
rush of sounds of surprise and joy and
praises to the Lord.
This Mosaic
was
Designed
by David Csicsko and especially created
for St. Ailbe Church. David wanted to
combine and infuse many elements from the
windows into the construction of the
mosaic.
Constructed by Mosaic Tile Designer, Erin
Adams, at her studio in New Mexico.
Each glass piece was placed by hand in the
design.
The smaller glass pieces are three pieces
of glass which are infused together.
David made several trips to New Mexico to
view the development of the mosaic
.
Erin came to Chicago for the placement of
the mosaic and David was present to view
his latest masterpiece.
Spend a few moments in
prayer as you contemplate this new
“shrine” that has been created by our
artists in residence David Csicsko and
Erin Adams. Two very gifted artists who
shared their different gifts but the same
spirit.
Some saw it and others did
not!
On Christmas
Eve at our midnight Mass and then again on
Christmas Day, Deacon Bruce brought forth
the significance of why the scripture
passage 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 took on a
new meaning for those who call St. Ailbe
their Church home.
St. Paul wrote to the people in Corinth —-
“There are different gifts but the same
Spirit; there are different ministries but
the same Lord; there are different works
but the same God who accomplishes all of
them in everyone. To each person the
manifestation of the Spirit is given for
the common good. To one the Spirit gives
wisdom in discourse, to another the power
to express knowledge. Through the Spirit
one receives faith; by the same Spirit
another is given the gift of healing, and
still another miraculous powers. Prophecy
is given to one; to another power to
distinguish one spirit from another. One
receives the gift of tongues, another that
of interpreting the tongues. But it is
one and the same Spirit who produces all
these gifts, distributing them to each as
he will.”
On
Christmas Eve/Day Deacon Bruce spoke about
the “different gifts but the same spirit”
of St. Josephine Bakhita, Blessed Pierre
Toussaint, and Sr. Katherine Drexel. All
are depicted in the Mosaic Mural, You will
see their names on the left of each saint.
Recently,
these three special people have been
declared saints or one step away from
sainthood by Pope John Paul II in Rome.
Several members of our Church were present
in Rome when Pope John Paul II declared
Josephine Bakhita and Katherine Drexel
saints.
These three holy and anointed people
(Josephine, Pierre, and Katherine) brought
forth many gifts during their lifetimes
and even beyond their lifetimes.
St. Josephine Bakhita
was born in Africa in the Sudan. She was
subjected to slavery in the Sudan and was
eventually transported to Italy and gained
her freedom from slavery. She was
introduced to God and began sharing her
gifts in God’s service by helping the
Daughters of Charity. She lovingly became
known as "Mother Moretta", our Black
Mother to all she came in contact with.
St.
Pierre Toussaint also shared his
different gifts through the same Spirit of
God. Born into slavery in Haiti, he was
brought to New York City as a slave. He
was granted his freedom and commenced to
do everything possible to help others
obtain their freedom. He was a
hairdresser by trade and became a very
wealthy man. He used his finances to help
refuges find employment, and cared for
orphans in his own home. He even assisted
the white woman who once “owned” him as a
slave when she became destitute. He
started a school for black children and
taught them trades by which they could
support themselves. He is buried within
St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City.
The next
person that Deacon Bruce recognized that
shared the different gifts but the same
spirit was:
St. Katherine Drexel. She was born
in Philadelphia to a very wealthy family.
She received a call from God to renounce
the fame and fortune she was born into and
to minister as a woman religious. St.
Katherine founded the Sisters of the
Blessed Sacrament as well as provided
personal and financial support to numerous
missions and missionaries in the United
States. The Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament (S.B.S.) minister primarily
among Native Americans and African
Americans. She opened, staffed, and
directly supported nearly sixty schools
and missions especially in the West and
South-West United States and in 1925 she
established Xavier University of Louisiana
West.
All these very special people are
reflected in the people who call St. Ailbe
their Church home. They are African,
Haitian, American men, women and
children. Lay and religious alike all
have different gifts but the same spirit.
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St. Ailbe
Catholic Church - 9015 South Harper - Chicago Il
60619
Wheelchair Accessible
Email
St. Ailbe Church
Go to Contact
Us Page For Additional Information
Site
Index
Copyright
© 2003 St. Ailbe Catholic Church. All rights reserved
Problems? Suggestions? Contact StAILBE@aol.com
Web
Design and Development Joan
Singleton - Technical Support
Kevin McFall
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AFRICAN
SAINTS, BLESSED
AND
VENERABLE
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NAME
- YEAR OF DEATH
St. Fulgentius
- 533
Bishop
Ruspe, Tunisia
St. Paul - 342
Founded Monastic life
Thebes
St. Anthony - 346
Founded Monastic life
desert of Egypt
St John/Alms Giver - 619
Patriarch of
Alexandria
St. Gelasius - 496
Bishop of Rome, 3rd
African Pope (492-496)
SS Perpetua & Felicity -
202
Martyred in Carthage
St. Maximilian - 295
Martyred Theveste
Numidia
St. Benedict the Black - 1585
First African canonized
St. Zeno - 380
Bishop of Verona
St. Marcellinus - 4th
Cent.
African Missionary
France
St. Athanasius - 373
Bishop of Alexandria
SS Timothy & Maura -
298
Couple martyred S.
Egypt
St. Isidore of Chio
- 251
Alexandrian army
officer beheaded for his faith
St. Josephine
Bakita - 1947 Born
Slave canonized 2000
St Julia of
Tunisia - ?
Slave Girl
crucified for faith
St. Charles Lawanga
- 1886
22 court servant
martyred & 80 young Anglicans
St. Onuphrius - 4th
Cent.
Egyptian Hermit
St. Orsiesius - c.380
Abbot of Tabennisi
Monastery Egypt
St Cyril of
Alexandria - 444
Patriarch Alexandria
(412-444)
St. Shenute -
c.450
Founder Monastic life Egypt
St. Anatolius -
c.282
Philosopher/Scientist
Alexandria
St. Panataenus - 190
Head of Alexandria
Catechetical School &
Missionary Persia
St. Eugenius - 5th Cent.
Archbishop
of Carthage, Tunisia
St. Speratus &
Comp. - 180
12 martyrs of Scillum,
Carthage, Tunisia
St. Aurelius - 5th Cent.
Archbishop of Carthage,
Tunisia
St. Victor I - 199
Bishop of Rome 1st African
Pope (189-199)
St. Rutilius - 4th Cent.
North African Martyr
Blessed Isdior Bakanja 1909
Congolese laborer &
catechist Martyred for faith
St. Moses the Black
- 395
Slave, gang leader, convert,
died a martyr of non-violence
St. Poeman -
c.387
Desert Monk, holy man
encouraged frequent communion
Blessed Victoire
Rasoantanarivo
- 1894
Founder of Catholic
Action
153 Martyrs of Ytuca
- c.260
Thrown into quicklime in
Utica, Tunisia
Blessed Ghebre
Mikha'el
-1855
Ethiopian priest & martyr
St. Donatian &
Comp. - 484
Martyrs, 6 Bishops Ecclesiastical
province of Byzacene
St. Nemesia &
Comp. - 257
9 Bishops, deacons &
laypersons died in marble
quarry
St. Martin de Porres
- 1639
Dominican Order
Ministry to poor
St. Matthew - 1st
Cent.
Apostle and first Evangelizer
of Nubia (Modern Sudan)
5000 African Marytrs
-483
Martyred for their faith by
the Vandal King Huneric
St. Tekla Hymanot
- 1313 Ethiopian,
reformer of Monasticism
St. Elesan - 555
Ethiopian King died as Monk in
Jerusalem
St. Laibala - 1255
Ethiopian Emperor
revered for his faith
SS. Frumentis &
Aedesuys
-380
Syriac monks &
founders of Church in Ethiopia
St. Michael Aragrave
-4th Cent.
One of the first Ethiopian
Monks
St. Raissa
- c.300
Virgin & martyr in
Alexandria
St. Catherine/Alexandria
- 4th Cent.
Virgin
& martyr in Alexandria
St. Cassian/Tangiers
- 298
Lawyer, convert, martyred for
faith
St. Melchiades -314
Bishop of Rome & 2nd
African Pope (311-314)
St. Thais-
c.350
Egyptian penitent, convert
after many years woman of the
streets,
St. Monica- 387
Mother of St Augustine widow
age 40
St. Augustine -
430
Bishop if Hippo Regius,
Algeria-Doctor of the Church
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