St Ermino Pampuri
Doctor, Religious Brother

Ermino Pampuri, was born on August 2, 1897 in Trivolzio, Pavia, Italy.  He was one of one of eleven children.  Ermino experienced the pain of losing a loved one very early in his life. When he was three years old, his mother died.  Ermino was sent to live with his aunt in Torrino. When he was 10 years old his father passed away.

 As a young boy Ermino dreamed of becoming a missionary but his health was delicate and he was dissuaded from entering the priesthood.  He completed the normal course of education. After graduation from high school, he enrolled in Medical school at the Pavia University.

While at the university he actively lived his Catholic faith. He was a member of the University’s Severinoe Boesio  Club for Catholic Action,  the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Third Order of St. Francis.  World War I interrupted his studies.  Ermino served as a sergeant and later was trained as an officer in the Medical Corps. In 1921, he graduated top of his class in Medicine and Surgery from Pavia University.

He practiced medicine with an uncle who was also a doctor for three years.  For a short time he worked as an assistant in a medical practice at Vernate. In 1922, he passed his internship with high honors at the Milan Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  He moved to Morimondo to being his own practice.

At Morimondo, he did more than attend to the physical needs of the people.  He assisted the parish priest to set up a band for the youth in the parish.  He also started a Catholic Action Youth Club and was the club’s first president. He served as the secretary of the Parish Missionary Aid Society.

In June of 1927, Dr. Pampuri joined the Brothers hospitallers of St. John of God fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a religious.  Dr. Pampuri wanted to grow in holiness as a religious  and at the same time carry on his medical profession He made  his profession of vows on October, 24, 1928. Now known as Brother Richard, he was appointed director of the dental clinic attached to the St. John of God Brothers' Hospital at Brescia. This dental clinic was used by the working people and the poor in Brescia.   Brother Richard served all who came to the clinic with charity.

When he was serving in the military during World War I, he contracted pleurisy.  A few years after being assigned to working at the dental clinic he suffered from another case of pleurisy which developed into a case of bronco-pneumonia.  Bother Richard died on May 1^st, 1930 at the age of 33. 

During his life he demonstrated great charity and sanctity.  After his death, his reputation spread through Italy, Europe and the world.  He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1981 and canonized in 1989.

 

Blessed Innocent Guz

Blessed Innocent Guz
Priest, Religious, Martyr

Innocent Guz was born on March 18, 1890, in what is now Ukraine.  He joined the Franciscan order in 1908 and was ordained a priest in 1914.  He worked  in several parishes.  In 1933, he was assigned to the monastery founded by St. Maximilian Kolbe.  He served as a confessor and helped to teach the seminarians.  He stayed at there for 3 years working and praying.  He was in the city of Grodno when German invaded Poland, beginning the Second World War.

In 1940, Father Innocent was arrested by the Russians but somehow managed to escape.  He was then caught by the Germans who departed him to the concentration camp called Sachsenhausen. At the end of May 1940, the priests and Jews detained there were kept together for a week and tortured by the guards. At the end of the week. the group was moved to an area for work, but Father Innocent had several fractures and was not able to keep up with the group.  He was taken from the group and beaten.  After being beaten and kicked, Father was taken to a bathroom.  A guard push him into a basin full of water and put a rubber hose in his mouth, killing him.  His final words were "I go to the Immaculata".

Father Innocent Gus was beatified along with six other friars in a group of 108 Polish martyrs of World War II by Pope John Paul II in 1999.

For more information see
"Heroic Catholics of the Twentieth Century"
by Sister Elizabeth Ann, SJW
New Hope Publications
 New Hope Ky.
http://www.newhope-ky.org

Or
Sisters of St. Joseph the Worker
ssjw.org

Seven Marrtyrs of Thailand

Seven Martyrs of Thailand
1 Layman, 4 lay women 2 religious

Thailand, formerly known aw Siam has had Catholic missionaries for over 350 years.  Although most of the population is Buddhist, the country had traditionally been tolerant of other religious. All this changed in the 1930' and 1940'sas the fierce nationalist that swept over Germany and Japan also affected the Thai government.  The Thai government believed that national unity was best achieved by expelling foreign missionaries and persecuting Thai people who followed the 'foreign' religions. 

The seven martyrs all came from Songkhon, near the Mekong River.  Trouble in the village began in 1940 when government officials expelled the parish priest.  Next they began to intimidate and threaten the Catholic villagers, demanding that they renounce their faith.  Although they were frightened, the villagers refused.  Philip Siphong, a catechist and two Sisters of the Congregation of the Lovers of the Holy Cress, Sister Agnes and Sister Lucia encouraged the villagers. 

Philip received a letter requesting his presence in a near by town to meet with officials. Many of the villagers warned him not to go. They feared if was a trap. Their fears were correct.  On December 16, 1940, Philip set out with a police escort for the meeting.  Once he was inside a forest, the police executed him. 

The government hoped that Philips death would end the resistance. They were mistaken. The children continued to attend school, the sisters and their helpers continued encouraging one anther to be strong and steadfast during this persecution.

The government continued to harass the villagers.  On Christmas Date 1940 the situation came to a head. The chief of police came to the convent and threatened the sisters with death if they would not stop teaching about the Catholic faith. Sister Agnes boldly stood up to his threats. In the evening, the sisters sent a letter to the police stating their willingness to die for their faith. They also, in true Christian fashion, forgave their persecutors.

On December 26, the police arrived at the convent and arrested the six people who were staying there: Sister Agnes, Sister Lucia, the cook Agatha, Cecilia Butis, Bibiana and Maria.  Sister Agnes, 31 years old was the oldest of the group.  Maria Phorn,14 years old, was the youngest. The police marched them to the village cemetery.

The small group encouraged one another by singing hymns and praying.  The police fired into the group and then left, convinced that they had killed the Catholics.  The villagers, who had been watching the scene in hiding rushed to see if anyone was still alive. Sister Agnes and Maria Phorn were still breathing.  Sister Agnes told the villagers to send for the police as she was not yet dead.  Hearing that some of the Catholics were still alive, the police returned to the cemetery and killed the wounded victims.

The villagers buried the bodies and continued to endure another four years of persecution.  Eventually, the persecution ended and the Catholic Church in Thailand began to grow.  The seven martyrs were beatified on October 22, 1989 by Pope John Paul II.

For more information see:
Heroic Catholic of the Twentieth Century
By Sister Elizabeth Ann Barkett SJW
New Hope Publications
New Hope, Ky.

Or

Sisters of St. Joseph the Worker
Walton Ky