This week, the Church celebrates several saints, including Saint Augustine Zhao Rong (July 9), Saint Benedict (July 11), and Saint Henry (July 13). Catholic Digest offers prayers and reflections so that you might include these saints in a special way in your daily prayers. Saint August Zhao Rong was among the 120 martyrs murdered in China for their Christian faith between 1648 and 1930. His optional memorial not only reminds us of his bravery, but also encourages us to pray for Christians today who are persecuted for their faith. Saint Benedict was a fifth-century hermit who influenced the 1,500-year tradition of religious orders, in which members are unified under a particular rule or set of guidelines for living. Six centuries later, Saint Henry is credited with reforming ecclesiastical and monastic life.
Image credit: St. Benedict delivering his rule to the monks of his order. France, Monastery of St. Gilles, Nimes, 1129, (public domain in the US) via Wikimedia Commons.
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