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| St. Eugene de Mazenod Marseille Cathedral, France Photo by Finoskov |
History
Eugene was born into a middle-class French family shortly before the French Revolution started. Because of the uprising, he and his family had to flee to Italy. His family life was very unhappy. His parents argued all the time, and his grandmother and his aunt (who lived with them) were always rude to his father for not having enough money. For a while, Eugene was tutored by a priest in Italy, who taught him to love and serve Christ. As a young man, Eugene thought he might want be careless and selfish like the wealthy young men he knew. Then on Good Friday in 1807, when he was praying in front of a Crucifix, Eugene suddenly realized the full impact of God's love. He became a priest and eventually a bishop.
Activity
Because of his own family life, Saint Eugene de Mazenod is a patron for dysfunctional families. We all know of a family where nobody gets along - and where the parents are thinking about divorce. Today, pray for them and ask Saint Eugene to pray for them as well. (If you are in a position to do so, suggest that a couple considering divorce try Retrouvaille first, a self-directed program of rediscovery that has helped many couples remember why they fell in love in the first place.)
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