Today we celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Clelia Barbieri.
She is the patron saint of those ridiculed for their piety. She could come in handy right now, eh, Senator Vitter and Representative Allen? What's that Clelia? True piety you say? Right. Wonder who the patron saint of hypocrisy is? I digress.
Saint Clelia died in 1870. She haunts her convent still.
Here is what my Saint A Day guide says:
Although her parents were simple hemp workers (blogger's note-whaaa hmmm?) they sensed that Clelia was special after seeing her conversing with invisible friends and levitating. Even as a small child, she expressed her wish to "leave the world" and was interested in the Saint-making process. Clelia became the youngest founder of a religious order (Minims of Our Lady of Sorrows) and died at the tender age of twenty-three, promising her sisters that she would always be with them. Not long afterward her voice was heard accompanying the nuns in prayer and hymns. Soon nuns in other convents also began to hear her high-pitched voice, singing, praying, and speaking the local dialect, sometimes preceded by a series of knocks.
Two things: 1) I have no idea what a Minim is. And 2) If Clelia were our contemporary, she would not be a saint, she would be Mackenzie Phillips.
8 comments:
Not enough bloggers reference MacKenzie Phillips. She and her agent thank you.
Be still my beating heart! A Saint a Day reference and for one so obscure that I am not even sure she is real.
Jess you are not pulling my rosary are you missy????
Signed, clearly not quite Catholic and Esoteric enough!
Jess, if it's saints yer after, I highly recommend the movie, "Millions". English humor, widowed father, two sons, one of whom sees(?) saints, and finds a whopping big bag of money. It's comedic and touching all at once. And no it's not actually a religious movie, though St. Peter makes an appearance and explains the whole loaves and fishes thing.
Millions- what an off beat funny sweet ridiculous little movie. I loved it. And honestly, who wouldn't when St Teresa of Avila shows up as a cigarette smoker?!
I am still trying to find out what Minims means. Less than minimum???
Silly, it is mini-m's. I thought everyone knew that.
Regards,
Tengrain
She conversed with invisible friends? What's wrong with that! Some of my best friends are invisible!
You shoule adopt Mackenzie Phillips as your "I, Splotchy: Adopt-An-Actor Campaign" entry.
Sorry, Tengrain: The Minims (also called the Minimi or The Order of the Minims) are followers of a religious order founded by Francis of Paola in the fifteenth century in Italy. The order flourished in France until the time of the French Revolution. The name refers to their humility as the "least of all religious" and is derived from a passage in the Vulgate, specifically Matt. 25:40. Wikipedia
I suspected my daughter was special too, when she began levitating and conversing with invisible friends (especially because her long time invisible friend was Harpo Marx, really.)
No, I think she'd be Anna Paquin.
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