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The Chaplet of St. Colette’s own prayers
Blessed be the hour in which our Lord Jesus Christ, God and Man was born. Blessed be the Holy Spirit by whom He was conceived. Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary of whom the Incarnate Word was born. May the Lord hear our prayers through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary and in memory of that most sacred hour in which the Incarnate Word was born, that all our desires may be accomplished for Your glory and our salvation. O good Jesus! O Jesus our Redeemer, do not abandon us as our sins deserve, but hear our humble prayer and grant what we ask through the intercession of the most blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of Your Holy name.
Amen
As God pleases as God wills (prayed ten times)
Let us praise the Father in His mercy and the Son by His passion and the Holy Spirit the fountain of peace and sweetness and love.
Amen, amen without recall.
Show of hands, who has heard of St. Colette? It is not uncommon to not know the stories of all the saints. Daily, we often focus on one or two, while there have been thousands in the history of the Church. In my research I have discovered that St. Colette has a strong connection to St. Clare and her followers, the Franciscans, a connection to the poor, and a history of interceding in helping women conceive children, as well as protecting children of serious ailments.
To be in complete disclosure, a meme caught my attention about her and piqued my interest. The “fun fact” states St. Colette wrapped a stillborn in a veil “and that baby was crying when the father reached the priest!” Is it truly only faith which saves us?! St. Colette believed it, as the Bible does teach “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.” Luke 17:19 We send up all our problems to God, Jesus takes it from us, and we are gifted reprieve from anxiety and the promise of eternal life.
St. Colette was born to an older married couple in France in 1381, her mother was 60 at the time. Her parents prayed often to St. Nicholas for intercession, thus her name Nicolette, shortened to Colette. Imagine being 60, having assumed children were not part of God’s plan for you, and then birthing a daughter?!
Colette must have been aware at a young age how important she was to her parents. She understood her holiness on earth and knew the value of interceding in prayer for couples struggling with similar situations. St. Colette is a proven miracle worker. Not only did she bring the newborn back to life while carrying the child under her veil, but it said that St. Colette prayed for a woman experiencing a risky childbirth. Both woman and baby were fine.
St. Colette came to the Poor Clares at a time of transition in which some religious orders were starting to have communal possessions. However, in her visions and through prayer, Colette came to believe that a very strict life of poverty was needed to best serve the Lord. She was a fervent follower of the Franciscan ways, and led many orders to change their approach to material belongings, uniting herself with Christ and His children. She is referred to as a reformer within the Church, she is often depicted with a lamb, as is common among Franciscan saints, and her followers are still active around the world.
We celebrate her feast day on February 7th. A quick video can be viewed at St. Colette
Reflection: Let us think today about how we can better detach ourselves from material goods. What purpose does a new car, as opposed to an older model, have; a new dress instead of the one we wore last anniversary; a new tv , as opposed to maybe a (free) walk to the library and check out a new book?
Act: Do you know anyone that could use St. Colette’s intercession? Print out this story and give it to someone so they can pray the prayer with their rosary or email to a distant friend that perhaps could benefit from her. St. Teresa said she was going to hang out awhile and help people-being the light on earth to guide the sinners to heaven...I imagine she had to join hands with St. Colette to achieve that goal.
