February 9, 2003
St. Miguel Febres Cordero
Confessor...(1854 -1910) Life:
Francisco was the baptismal name of our saint who was born on November
7, 1854 at Cuenca,Ecuador. Born with a painful handicap of his feet , he was
unable to stand until age five when he received a vision of Our Lady. At age eight he
was miraculously protected from being mauled by a wild bull. In 1863, at age nine, he
enrolled in a school run by the Christian Brothers, which Order had only recently come
to Ecuador. Joined the Brothers at age 15. In fact he was the first latin
American brother to make perpetual vows in the congregation.
School teacher at El Cebollar School, Quito, a position he held for 32 years. A
gentle, dedicated, and enthusiastic teacher. Wrote his own textbooks, some were
adopted by the government, and used throughout the country. Wrote odes, hymns,
discourses on teaching methods, plays, inspirational works, and retreat manuals.
Elected to the Ecuadoran Academy of Letters in 1892, followed soon after by the
Academies of Spain, France, and Venezuela. Conducted religious retreats, and prepared
children for their First Communion. While in spain, during the anticlerical
revolution, Brother Miguel saved the Sacred hosts from profanation which
meant walking 8 miles with poor feet.Novice director for his house from 1901 to
1904.
Sent to Europe in 1905 to translate texts from French to Spanish for use by the Order;
worked primarily in Belgium.
he died on 9 February 1910 of pneumonina at Premia del Mar, Spain, and buried
there; grave disturbed during the Spanish Civil War, and his body found incorrupt;
re-buried in Quito, Ecuador, his tomb has become a pilgrimage site
. In addition to being a religious role model, Miguel is considered a national hero
in Ecuador for his success in so many worthwhile areas.
He was canonized by Pope John Paul II on October 21, 1984.
COMMENT:
People await to find situations, areas for doing
something for God& to be used by Him as an instrument. Our lives on this
earth will become a successful & fruitful only when we accomplish the will
of our Creator in each of our acts.Once our saint expressed *I give
myself completely to Jesus so that He can just use me as He wishes.I
want every word I write, everything I read , everything I do at my desk
and all my work in school to be done for the glory of God.*
REFLECTION:
The heart is rich when it is content, and it is always content when its desires are
fixed on God.
-Saint Miguel
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