Catholic Fire

For High School and College Students A Student's Prayer (by St. Thomas Aquinas) Come, Holy Spirit, Divine Creator, true source of light and fountain of wisdom! Pour forth your brilliance upon my dense intellect, dissipate the darkness which covers me, that of sin and of ignorance. Grant me a penetrating mind to understand, a retentive memory, method and ease in learning, the lucidity to comprehend, and abundant grace in expressing myself. Guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and bring it to successful completion. This I ask through Jesus Christ, true God and true man, living and reigning with You and the Father, forever and ever. Amen. Prayer to Our Lady (by St. Thomas Aquinas) O Mary, Seat of Wisdom, so many persons of common intellect have made through thy intercession admirable progress in their studies. I hereby choose thee as guardian and patron of my studies. I humbly ask thee to obtain for me the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that from now on I co...

The saint of the day for May 7th is St. Rose Venerini (1656-1713). Rose was born in Viterbo, Italy in 1656, of a very pious family. She received a good Christian education from her family. At age 20, with her father’s encouragement, Rosa entered the Dominican Monastery of Saint Catherine but remained only a few months. Upon the death of her father, Rosa returned home to care for her mother. As a child, she made a vow to become a nun, but she was deeply moved by the poverty and ignorance of the young girls of her town, and she began to think that perhaps it would be better to do something for them than to be in a convent. Rose invited into her house the young girls and women of her neighborhood to pray the rosary together, and she realized that none of them knew how to pray. She began to question them about catechism, and all of them remained silent. Rose understood that the woman of her time was a slave of ignorance and poverty, destined to the heaviest work, and that no on...

Father of all mercies We ask that you would bless the youngest and littlest of learners, the most helpless and powerless of persons, with Your infinite and loving mercy, granting them the strength to learn, concentrate, and act appropriately towards their teachers and fellow students. We also ask that You would watch over them, at home and at school and grant them proper direction so that they may learn of Your wonderful virtues. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen ~ by David Bennett Via Nick at Catholic School Chronicle (News, Resources and Discussion for Catholic Teachers and Catechists).