Saint Bernard was born of a distinguished family at Fontaines in Burgundy…determined to escape temptations of the devil, he, at 22 years of age, determined to enter the monastery of Citeaux, the first house of the Cistercian Order, then famous for sanctity. When his brothers learnt Bernard’s design, they did their best to deter him from it; but he, more eloquent and more successful, won them and many others to his opinion; so that together with him thirty young men embraced the Cistercian Rule. As a monk he was so given to fasting, that whenever he had to take food he seemed to be undergoing torture. He applied himself in a wonderful manner to prayer and watching, and was a great lover of Christian poverty; thus he led a heavenly life on earth, free from all anxiety or desire of perishable goods. The virtues of humility, mercy, and kindness shone conspicuously in his character. He devoted himself so earnestly to contemplation, that he seemed hardly to use his senses except to do acts of charity, and in these he was remarkable for his prudence. He became Abbot of Clairvaux and built monasteries in many places, wherein the excellent rules and discipline of Saint Bernard long flourished.
He wrote many works which clearly show that his doctrine was more the gift of God than the result of his own labors. On account of his great reputation for virtue, the greatest princes begged him to act as arbiter in their disputes, and he went several times into Italy for his purpose, and for arranging ecclesiastical affairs. He was of great assistance to the Supreme Pontiff Innocent II in putting down the schism of Peter de Leone, both at the courts of the emperor and of King Henry of England, and at a Council held at Pisa. At length, being sixty-three years old, he fell asleep in the Lord. He was famous for miracles and Pope Alexander II placed him among the saints. Pope Pius VII, with the advice of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, declared St. Bernard a Doctor of the universal Church and commanded all to recite the Mass and Office of a Doctor on his feast. He also granted a plenary indulgence yearly forever, to all who visit churches of the Cistercian Order on this day. The Liturgical Year, XII, Book IV, Pages 437-438

Saint Mary, whom Jesus converted, and who witnessed His last
moments in company with Mary, His Mother, and St. John, the beloved
disciple, was called Magdalen from the town of Magdala in Galilee. At
least St. Clement of Alexandria and others identify the penitent woman
who washed Jesus feet with her tears with Mary Magdalen.
She was by descent a Galilean, and followed Jesus with other devout
women. Some also suppose that she was the same Mary who was the
sister of Martha and Lazarus. After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared
first to Mary Magdalen and then to His Apostles. It is an ancient
tradition in Provence, France, that St. Mary Magdalen, or Mary the
sister of Lazarus, together with Lazarus, Martha and some other
disciples of Our Lord, being expelled by the Jews, put to sea and landed
at Marseilles; and that St. Lazarus became the first Bishop of that See.
Lives of the Saints, pgs. 279-280
“Three saints” said our Lord to St. Bridget of Sweden, “have been
more pleasing to me than all other: Mary my mother, John the Baptist,
and Mary Magdalen.” The Fathers tell us that Magdalen is a type of the
Gentile Church, called from the depth of sin to perfect holiness; and
indeed, better than any other, she personifies both the wanderings and
the love of the human race, espoused by the Word of God…Albert the
Great assures us that, in the world of grace as well as in the material
creation, God has made two great lights—to wit, two Mary’s, the
Mother of our Lord and the sister of Lazarus: the greater, which is the
blessed Virgin to rule the day of innocence; the lesser, which is Mary
the penitent beneath the feet of that glorious Virgin, to rule the night by
enlightening repentant sinners. As the moon by its phases points out the
feast days on earth, so Magdalen in heaven gives the signal of joy to the
angels of God over one sinner doing penance. Does she not also share
with the Immaculate One the name of Mary, Star of the sea, as the
Churches of Gaul sang in the Middle Ages, recalling how, though one
was a Queen and the other a handmaid, both were causes of joy to the
Church: the one being the gate of salvation, the other the messenger of
the Resurrection? The Liturgical Year, XIII, Book IV, pgs. 160 & 165

The Holy Rosary is recited
daily during May at 7:00 pm in the church. All are
welcome and encouraged to attend.

My Divine Saviour, what didst Thou become,
when for love of souls Thou didst suffer
Thyself to be bound to the pillar? Ah! How
truly then was fulfilled the word of the Prophet,
saying of Thee that from head to foot Thou
shouldst be all one wound, so as to be no
longer recognizable! What shame Thou didst
endure when they stripped Thee of Thy
garments! What torments Thou didst undergo
in that tempest of countless blows! In what
torrents did Thy Most Precious Blood gush
forth from Thy bursting veins!
I know well it was not so much the injustice
of the Roman governor and the cruelty of the
soldiers that scourged Thee as my sins. O
accursed sins, that have cost Thee so many
pains! Alas, what hardness of heart, when
notwithstanding Thy manifold sufferings for
me I have continued to offend Thee! But from
this day forth it shall be so no longer. United to
Thee by bonds of loyalty forever, as long as I
shall live, I shall seek to satisfy Thine offended
justice. By the pains Thou didst suffer when
bound to the pillar, by the scourges which tore
Thine innocent Flesh, by the Blood which
Thou didst shed in such abundance, have
mercy on this unhappy soul of mine; deliver
me today and always from the snares of the
tempter; and when I have come to the end of
my exile, bring me safely home to heaven with
Thee. An indulgence of 500 days.

Fr. Augustine has Mass in Lewiston today.