Unpaid Seller

Unpaid Seller Definition: In a transaction of sale it is not possible to avoid credit sales. In credit sales there is a risk of a debtor not paying the price of the goods even after the credit period is over. The seller of the goods therefore must possess some rights which he can use to secure payment of the price. If the recovery of the price is not possible due to the reason of bankruptcy of the buyer, he must have some other remedies. The Sale of Goods Act has made elaborate provisions regarding the rights of an unpaid seller.The term ‘unpaid seller' may be defined as the seller to whom the full price of the goods sold has not been paid. The legal definition of ‘unpaid seller' is given in Section 45 of the Sale of Goods Act, as under: â€Å"The seller of the goods is deemed to be an unpaid seller within the meaning of this Act: (a) When the whole of the price has not been paid or tendered; (b) When a bill of exchange or other negotiable instrument has been received as conditional payment and the condition on which it was received has not been fulfilled by reason of the dishonor of the instrument or otherwise. Features of the unpaid seller 1. He must sell goods on the cash basis and must be unpaid. 2. If he sells on credit basis, he is not an unpaid seller during the period of credit. 3. The term of credit has expired and the price has not been paid to him. 4. He must be unpaid wholly or partially. If a part of price remains unpaid, he is unpaid. 5. When the price is paid in the form of negotiable instruments and it has been dishonored. 6. If buyer offers payment and seller refuses to accept, the seller is not an unpaid seller. . Party A sells a car on cash basis to party B and the price has not been received yet.. 8. A sells good to B on 5 months credit period and B turns insolvent after 2 months. 9. A sells TV set to B on the same day cheque basis, the cheque is dishonored due to insufficient. SALE OF GOODS ACT Contract of Sale: Sale and agreem ent to sell (1) A contract of sale of goods is a contract whereby the seller transfers or agrees to transfer the property in goods to the buyer for a money consideration called the price.There may be a contract of sale between 1 part owner and another. (2) A contract of sale may be absolute or conditional. (3) Where, under a contract of sale, the property in the goods is transferred from the seller to the buyer, the contract is called a sale: but, where the transfer of the property in the goods is to take place at a future time or subject to some condition thereafter to be fulfilled, the contract is called an agreement to sell. 4) An agreement to sell becomes a sale when the time elapses or the conditions are fulfilled subject to which the property in the goods is to be transferred. Capacity to buy and sell-sale of necessaries to persons incompetent to contract Capacity to buy and sell is regulated by the general law concerning capacity contract and to transfer and acquire property: Provided that, where necessaries are sold and delivered to an infant or minor or to a person who by reason of mental incapacity or drunkenness is incompetent to contract, he must pay a reasonable price therefor. Necessaries†, in this section, means goods suitable to the condition in life of such infant or minor or other person and to his actual requirements at the time of the sale and delivery. Contract  of  sale, how made Subject to the provisions of this Act and of any Act in that behalf, a contract of sale may be made in writing or by word of mouth or partly in writing and partly by word of mouth or may be implied from the conduct of the parties. Provided that nothing in this section shall affect the law relating to corporations.Sale and agreement to sell goods on credit in course of retail trade to be accompanied by invoice (1)A sale of goods on creditor an agreement to sell goods on credit in the course of trade shall not be enforceable by action at the suit of the s eller, unless- (a) at the time of the sale or agreement to sell, an invoice or docket, serially numbered, be made in writing in duplicate, both original and duplicate containing- (i) the serial number; ii) the date of the transaction; (iii) the name of the buyer; (iv) the nature and, except in the case of goods exempted from this provision by order of the Minister, the quantity of the goods, in the English language and in figures; and (v)  the price in English words or figures; and b) at the time of delivery of the goods, the original or duplicate of the invoice or docket be delivered to the buyer or to some person to whom the goods may properly be delivered on his behalf: Provided that the provisions of this section shall not apply to an agreement to sell, over a period of time, goods of nature such as are commonly delivered at regular intervals, such as newspapers, bread or milk, or to any sale in pursuance of such agreement, where a written order signed by the buyer or his agen t in that behalf is given to the seller at the time of the agreement to sell. 2) In this section- â€Å"docket† includes a packing note, delivery note or other printed form customarily used for recording the particulars of a sale; â€Å"sale or agreement to sell in the course of trade† means a sale or an agreement to sell to a person by or on behalf of a person who carries on the business of selling goods. Duties of seller and buyer 28. It is the duty of the seller to deliver the goods and of the buyer to accept and pay for them in accordance with the terms of the contract of sale. Payment and delivery prima facie concurrent conditions 9. Unless otherwise agreed, delivery of the goods and payment of the price are concurrent conditions, that is to say, the seller must be ready and willing to give possession of the goods to the buyer in exchange for the price and the buyer must be ready and willing to pay the price in exchange for possession of the goods. Rules as to del ivery 30. -(1) Whether it is for the buyer to take possession of the goods or for the seller to send them to the buyer is a question depending in each case on the contract express or implied between the parties.Apart from any such contract express or implied, the place of delivery is the seller's place of business if he has one, and if not, his residence: Provided that, if the contract be for the sale of specific goods which to the knowledge of the parties when the contract is made are in some other place, then that place is the place of delivery. (2) Where, under the contract of sale, the seller is bound to send the goods to the buyer but no time for sending them is fixed, the seller is bound to send them within a reasonable time. 3) Where the goods, at the time of sale, are in the possession of a third person, there is no delivery by seller to buyer unless and until such third person acknowledges to the buyer that he holds the goods on his behalf: Provided that nothing in this sec tion shall affect the operation or the issue or transfer of any document of title to goods. (4) Demand or tender of delivery may be treated as ineffectual unless made at a reasonable hour. What is a reasonable hour is a question of fact. (5) Unless otherwise agreed, the expenses of and incidental to putting the goods into a deliverable state must be borne by the seller.Rights of an Unpaid Seller (A) Rights against the Goods: Unpaid seller's rights against the goods may be discussed under the following two heads, namely: 1. Where the ownership of the goods has transferred to the buyer: In this case, the unpaid seller has the following rights: (a) Right of lien. (b) Right of stoppage of goods in transit. (c) Right of resale. 2. Where the ownership of the goods has not transferred to the buyer: In this case, the unpaid seller has the right of withholding the delivery of goods sold. (B) Rights against the Buyer: Unpaid seller has the following rights against the buyer: a) Suit for price . (b) Suit for damages. (c) Suit for interest. (d) Suit for repudiation of contract. The Unpaid seller of goods who is in possession of them is entitled to retain his possession until payment or tender of the price in following cases, namely: (a) Where the goods have been sold without any stipulations as to credit, (b) Where the goods have been sold on credit, but the term of credit has expired, and (c) Where the buyer becomes insolvent. † This right can be exercised by the unpaid seller if the following conditions are satisfied: (i)The unpaid seller must be in actual possessions of the goods sold. ii) The unpaid seller can retain the goods only for the payment of the price of the goods. The right of lien is linked with the possession of the goods and not with the title of the goods. Thus, the goods must be in actual possession of the seller. It is, however, not necessary that he should possess the goods as an owner. He can exercise the right of lien, even if he is possessing the goods as an agent or bailee for the buyer [Section 47 (2)]. The important legal provisions relating to the unpaid seller's right of lien may be stated as under: 1.Where the goods are sold without any stipulation as to credit (i. e. in case of cash sale), the unpaid seller may retain the goods if the buyer fails to pay the whole price [Section 47(1)(a)]. He cannot retain the goods for any other charge e. g. maintenance,charge of storage during the exercise of lien. 2. Where the goods are sold on credit, the unpaid seller may retain the goods if the buyer fails to pay the whole price after the expiry of credit period. [Section 47 (1) b)] 3. Where the buyer becomes insolvent, the unpaid seller may retain the possession of the goods until the whole price is paid.It is so because, the law does not compel a person to deliver the goods to an insolvent [Section 47 (1) (c)]. 4. Where the unpaid seller has delivered a part of the goods, he may exercise his lien on the remaining part of th e goods. But where the part delivery is made under the circumstances which show an agreement to waive a lien, the seller cannot retain the goods [Section 48]. 5. The right of lien is indivisible in nature. And, the seller cannot be compelled to deliver a part of the goods on payment of proportionate price of the goods. 1.By delivery of goods to the carrier: The unpaid seller loses his right of lien over the goods when the goods are delivered to some person ( a carrier or other bailee) for the purpose of transmission to the buyer [Section 49 (1) (a)] 2. By delivery of goods to the buyer: The unpaid seller also loses his right of lien when he delivers the goods to the buyer or his agent [Section 49 (1) (b)]. 3. By waiver of the lien; The right of lien is for the benefit of the seller. If he like, he may waive his right. And by waiver, the lien is lost [Section 49 (1) (c)]. The waiver may be express or implied.This right is contained in Section 50 of the Sale of Goods Act, which provid es that where the buyer becomes insolvent, and the unpaid seller has parted with the possession of the goods, he can stop the goods in transit until the price is paid or tendered (I. e. , offered) to him. The right can be exercised if the following conditions are satisfied: (a)The buyer has become insolvent. (b) The goods are in the course of transit, i. e. , the goods have gone out of the actual possession of the seller. But they have not reached in the possession of the buyer. c) The unpaid seller can stop the goods in transit only for the payment of the price of the goods. Duration of Transit The duration of transit is the period between the commencement and end of transit. The transit commences from the time when the goods are delivered to the middleman (i. e. , carrier or other bailee), and it continue till the buyer or his agent takes the delivery of the goods [Section 51 (1)]. The important provisions relating to duration of transit are as follows: (a) Where the goods are rej ected by the buyer and the carrier continue to have the possession of the goods, the transit does not come to an end [Section 51 (4)]. b) Where the goods are delivered in parts, the seller may stop the remainder of goods unless the delivery of part of the goods shows an intention to give up the possession of the whole of the goods [Section 51 (7)]. (c) Where the goods are delivered to a ship chartered by the buyer, then it is a question of fact in each case whether the carrier is acting independently or as an agent of the buyer. If the circumstances show that the carrier is acting as an agent of the buyer, then the transit comes to an end as soon as the goods are loaded on board the ship [Section 51 (5)]. Termination (or Loss) of Right of Stoppage in TransitUnder the following circumstances, the transit comes to an end and the right of stoppage in transit is lost. 1. Interception by the buyer: Sometimes, the buyer or his agent takes the delivery of the goods from the carrier (middle man) before the goods arrive at the appointed destination. In such cases, the transit comes to an end. [Section 51 (2)]. 2. Carrier's acknowledgement to the buyer: Sometimes, after the arrival of the goods at the appointed destination, the carrier acknowledges to the buyer or his agent that now he is holding the goods on buyer's behalf. In such cases, the transit comes to an end. Section 51 (3)]. 3. Carrier's wrongful refusal to deliver the goods to the buyer: (Section 51(6)) The important point here is that the refusal should be wrongful i. e. without any just cause. Eg. If the carrier refuse to deliver the goods because of non payment of freight charges, the refusal is not wrongful. Unpaid seller's right of resale is contained in Section 54 (2) of the Sale of Goods Act, which provides that if the buyer fails to pay or offer the price within a reasonable time, the unpaid seller has the right to resell the goods in the following circumstances: (a) Where the goods are of perishable n ature, b) Where the unpaid seller has exercised his right of lien or stoppage in transit and gives a notice to the buyer of his intention to resell the goods. And also (c) Where the unpaid seller has expressly reserved his right of resale. 1. Where the goods are perishable: The seller may resell the goods to another person within a reasonable time. The term ‘reasonable time' is a. 2. Where the seller expressly reserves his right of resale: It may be noted that in such cases, the seller is not required to give notice of resale.He is entitled to recover damages from the original buyer even if no notice of resale is given. 3.. Where the unpaid seller has exercised his right of lien or of stoppage in transit and gives notice to the buyer of his intention to resell the goods: If after the receipt of such notice, the buyer does not pay or tender the price within a reasonable time, the seller may resell the goods. In such cases, on the resale of the goods, the seller is also entitled to: (a)Recover the difference between the contract price and resale price, from the original buyer, as damages. b)Retain the profit if the resale price is higher that the contract price. However, if the goods are resold by the seller without giving any notice to the buyer, the seller cannot recover the loss suffered on resale. Moreover, if there is any profit on resale he must return it to the original buyer, i. e. , he cannot keep such surplus with him [Section 54 (2)]. In this sense, the notice of resale becomes obligatory, i. e. legally compulsory. Right of Withholding Delivery and Rights against BuyerRight of Withholding Delivery: Sometimes the ownership of the goods sold is not transferred to the buyer. In such cases the seller has the right of Withholding Delivery of the goods sold, if the buyer fails to pay the price. It may be noted that this right is in addition to other remedies available to the seller. This right is similar to and co-extensive with the right of lien and stoppage in transit [Section 46 (2)]. Rights against the Buyer The unpaid seller has the following rights against the buyer : 1. Suit for price:Where the buyer fails to pay the price of the goods in terms of the contract, the seller can file a suit against the buyer for recovery of the price [Section 55]. 2. Suit for damages for non-acceptance of goods: Where the seller is ready and willing to deliver the goods to the buyer, but the buyer wrongfully neglects or refuses to accept the goods and pay for them, then the seller may bring a legal action against the buyer for the recovery of damages suffered due to non-acceptance of the goods [Section 56]. 3.Suit for damages for repudiation of the contract before the due date of delivery of goods: Where the buyer repudiates (i. e. , puts an end to) the contract before the due date of delivery of the goods, the seller has the following options [Section 60]: (i) He may not immediately take any action against the buyer, and treat the contract as subsisting and wait till the date of delivery of goods. (ii) He may immediately treat the contract as repudiated and bring the legal action against the buyer for the recovery of the damages. . Suit for interest: Where the seller tenders the goods, but the buyer fails to accept and pay for them, then the seller may file a suit for the recovery of the price. In such a suit, the seller may also claim the interest on the amount of price payable by the buyer The court may award the interest from the date of tender of the goods or from the date when the price if payable. The rate of interest to be awarded is at the discretion of the court.It may however, be noted that the interest can be recovered by the seller only when he is entitled to recover the price. Thus, when the seller's only remedy is for damages, he cannot file a suit for interest [Section 61]. Reservation of right of disposal (Section 25). – 1. Where there is a contract for the sale of specific goods or where goods are subsequently appropriated to the contract, the seller may, by the terms of the contract or appropriation, reserve the right of disposal of the goods until certain conditions are fulfilled.In such case, notwithstanding the delivery of the goods to a buyer or to a carrier or other bailee for the purpose of transmission to the buyer, the property in the goods does not pass to the buyer until the conditions imposed by the seller are fulfilled. 2. Where goods are shipped or delivered to a railway administration for carriage by railway and by the bill of lading or railway receipt, as the case may be, the goods are deliverable to the order of the seller or his agent, the seller is prima facie deemed to reserve the right of disposal. . Where the seller of goods draws on the buyer for the price and transmits to the buyer the bill of exchange together with the bill of lading or, as the case may be, the railway receipt, to secure acceptance or payment of the bill of exchange, the buyer is bound to return the bill of lading or the railway receipt if he does not honour the bill of exchange; and, if he wrongfully retains the bill of lading or the railway receipt, the property in the goods does not pass to him. Explanation. In this section, the expressions† railway† and† railway administration† shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them under the Indian Railways Act, 1890 . ] (9 of 1890 . ) Buyer’s right against seller Suit for damages for non-delivery When the seller wrongfully refuses to deliver the goods to the buyer, the buyer may sue the seller for damages for non-delivery (Sec. 57) Suit for specific performance Where there is a breach of contract for sale of specific goods, the buyer may file a suit for specific performance.The remedy is granted when subject matter of the contract is rare goods, say, a picture by a dead painter (Sec. 58) Suit for damages for breach of warranty Where there is a breach of warranty, the buyer is entitled to sue for damages if he had paid the price to the seller. But if he has not paid the price yet, he may ask the seller for a reasonable reduction in theprice. (Sec. 59) Suit for cancellation and damages for breach of contract Where there is a breach of contract by the seller, the buyer may avoid the contract and claim damages. Suit for recovery of price with interestIf the buyer has already paid the price to the seller and the seller does not deliver the goods to thebuyer, he can sue the seller for refund of price and interest at a reasonable rate. (Sec. 61) Examples A case of an unpaid seller Case 1 Sir, If a sale deed has been entered saying that the consideration has been paid via a Demand Draft (i. e. issued by the Bank on account of loan). However the demand draft has not actually been encashed, as the loan was subsequently cancelled. However believing on the fact the DD will be encashed the seller signed the Sale Deed.Now as the amount is not actually paid, what ca n be the means to get the unpaid money? If in the suit for recovery of balance amount the buyer is unable to pay the remaining consideration, then what other relief can be provided by the court of law? The buyer got the loan sanctioned by concealing certain facts, so the DD was issued. However before the disbursement the Bank came to know of the facts and the loan got cancelled. That is how the DD could not be encashed. The Bank had issued the DD on the basis of certain facts. However certain important facts were concealed by the buyer from the Bank.Just before the DD could be encashed the Bank came to know the facts and they cancelled the DD. As a result the seller could not get the consideration. Case 2 Please my fellow mates i need urgent help on this    Mr. J sells and consigns certain goods to Mr. S for cash and sends the Railway Receipt to him. Mr. S becomes insolvent and while the goods are in transit, he assigns the Railway Receipt to Mr. N who does not know that Mr. S is insolvent. Mr. J being an unpaid seller wants to exercise his rights. Advise:    (a) whether Mr. J can exercise the right of stoppage of goods in transit ? b) would your answer be different if Mr. N was aware of Mr. J’s insolvency before the assignment of the Railway Receipt in favour of Mr. N ? (a)Mr. J cannot exercise the right of stoppage of goods in transist, because the goods are being taken by Mr. N in good faith and for consideration. (b)Yes, Mr. J in this case can exercise his right of stoppage of goods in Transit, as Mr. N has not acted in good faith. (Refer to section 27 of The Sale of Goods Act, 1930) Ref: http://www. caclubindia. com/forum/unpaid-seller-142227. asp#. UKXVHIdJNGQ

Soft drinks in India: Pepsi

Soft drinks in India is a INR 11,000 Crore industry1. The rising mercury levels have ensured that the Indian soft drinks industry is going through a healthy phase wherein, it registered an impressive growth of 24. 6% in the year 2011/12. Carbonates had a growth of 13. 6% growth, Bottled water saw an incredible 34. 3% growth, Fruits and vegetable juices registered a growth of 29. 7%, Sports and energy drinks saw a growth of 17. 2%. PepsiCo operates in these product lines and the impressive growth numbers were of great encouragement for the soft drinks industry in general and PepsiCo in particular.Coke and Pepsi The key players Coca Cola and PepsiCo actively revived their old brands that were popular in the 1980s in India. Coca Cola revived its old brand Citra within the lime carbonates category. While Coca Cola already had Sprite and Limca in the lime carbonates category, Citrus was priced at 20% cheaper than them. Coca Cola also reintroduced its brand â€Å"Rimzim†, a masala soda with cumin and spices. PepsiCo reciprocated by reviving its popular brand Duke in Mumbai, where it is very well known. Duke was launched in four flavours. Since PepsiCo and Coca Cola have almost similar product lines, companies launched new products and were involved in brand extensions in order to differentiate from the others. PepsiCo’s Mirinda was the answer for Coca Cola’s Fanta in the orange category. Lack of differentiation in the Orange category lead PepsiCo to launch two new varieties of Mirinda- â€Å"Mango Orange† and â€Å"Orange Masala† in order to gain traction among the consumers. PepsiCo’s launch of 7up lemony bite in Punjab was to counter Limca. Tata Gluco + was launched by NourishCo ( A joint venture between PepsiCo and Tata ), a lemon flavoured refreshing and recharging beverage. Danone and Narang Beverages partnered to launch B’lue, a water-based restorative drink. Companies are constantly innovating to come up with new products with greater benefits that will help the companies differentiate themselves in the soft drinks industry. The soft drinks industry in urban India is reaching maturity, which is forcing the companies to look at the rural market as the next bastions of growth. Urban consumers consider carbonated soft drinks unhealthy. There is an increased traction for fruit and vegetable juices among the urban consumers. PepsiCo’s Tropicana, Coca Cola’s Minute maid and Dabur’s Real are addressing this surge in the demand for fruit and vegetable juices. As far as the rural markets are concerned, a significant 21% of the off trade volume sales in 2012 came from these markets. Companies are increasing their focus on rural India. As an indication for the increased focus, Coca Cola started distribution of solar powered coolers in rural areas which can store up to two crates of Returnable Glass Bottles (RGBs). Competitors: The Indian soft drinks industry is dominated by PepsiCo, Coca Cola and Parle Bisleri ltd. Coca Cola has 23. 6% of share, Parle Bisleri ltd. has 21. 6% share and PepsiCo has 21. 2%. Parle Bisleri ltd. garners such high volumes solely based on its packaged drinking water brand â€Å"Bisleri†. Excluding packaged water, it’s almost a duopoly with PepsiCo and Coca Cola being the significant players in the soft drinks industry. PepsiCo and Coca Cola have similar product lines. Each of them has a brand as an answer for the brand of the other company. To start with, in the cola drinks category,

Childhood Memories and Adult Aspirations Essay

Back when I was younger I would spend countless hours playing in the sand box on warm, sunny days. Time was an irrelevant figure of which I knew or cared little about. The biggest problem I had to negotiate was how to construct the biggest and most complex sand castle possible. This type of scenario is something which is much more rare in the adult world. As an adult a person bares a great deal of responsibility and time means much more than in a childs world. Now that I am making the transition from simple childhood into the complex world of adulthood, I am reminded of the many things I will miss about being a kid. Though there are many things about childhood I will miss there are also many things about adult life that I greatly look forward to. One of the activities I will greatly miss about being a kid is going outside during the winter with my little brother and building a snow fortress. We would each take advantage of the snow piles which inevitably formed along the boarders of the driveway after each shoveling job. Therefore, almost immediately after there was a snowfall my brother and I would each build a fort and then proceed, after construction, to have snowball wars. Playing in the snow together brought us hours of fun and enjoyment. It is times like these where life is carefree and the only thing that matters is having fun. We always had a great time together during these moments. Another thing I will miss about being a kid is the recesses we were entitled to in elementary school. Every day class would seem to last an eternity as my friends and I would wait in anticipation of the recess bell. Collectively everyone would get together and decide upon a game which we could play. For example one day we would play soccer and the next day we would play Cops and Robbers. Each activity brought to us many laughs and hours of enjoyment. These periods of time provided us with a break from the day and I believe taught us a great deal about interacting with one another. Recess with all of my friends is something that I miss and will continue to miss for a long time. In the future and into adulthood I am looking forward to in adulthood is being able to have total independence. Independence is something great a person gets when he becomes an adult. Being able to make all of your own  decisions and having the privilege of being able to partake in activities which minors cannot is a great advantage to being an adult. I am looking forward to, for example, being able to go to the sports bar with my friends to watch hockey and football games. It is these privileges which appeal to me and make me exited to become an adult. Lastly being able to travel around the world with friends and family is something I also look forward to in adulthood. I hope to travel to many destinations with friends during and after university. Learning about different cultures, foods, ideas, ways of life, and histories is something I believe will be very enjoyable. Vacations, along with providing lots of relaxation and learning, also give people the chance to meet lots of new and different people. I believe that vacationing with friends provides lots of great experience and therefore posses as a great advantage to becoming an adult. The carefree hours of fun and games experienced as a child will always be something I fondly remember. Currently I accept the fact that those times are, for the most part, gone and am positively anticipating adulthood. The securities of childhood are great accept for the fact that they inevitably take away independence something most people need as they get older. In contrast, however, independence comes with the price of responsibility and therefore must be used wisely. I am greatly looking forward to adult life and will always fondly remember my childhood.

Please go on YouTube & watch a 10 minute speech & write a paragraph or Assignment

Please go on YouTube & watch a 10 minute speech & write a paragraph or two analyzing the speech - Assignment Example Instead of just referring to one American, President began a sentence with the word â€Å"we† 12 times. The purpose of this was to stress how important this was for the American people as a whole. After detailed why this mission was so important, President Obama gave a brief outline about how these events transpired. This was done to reassure the American people that this mission was carried out with transparency and with the full knowledge of the president. Another thing that President Obama does is acknowledge the contribution of his Pakistan counterpart. In the conclusion of his speech, President Obama focuses upon the virtues of justice and achievement. Finally, President Obama touches upon spirituality by referring to God three times in his last few sentences. This is intertwined with talk of American and is thus reconfirming that America is on the right

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 140

Essay Example In order for firms to compete globally, it is important for managers to understand the nature of global markets (244). Competition is worldwide, and therefore it is imperative that companies understand the kind of goods and services that can give them a competitive advantage over other global industries. In addition, the productivity of labor can also affect the economic boundaries of firms. For example, industries with limited labor generally concentrate on producing basic commodities, while those with high expertise focus on producing advanced goods and services. Thus, the availability of labor affects the cost of production, which in turn re-defines trade (Samuelson & Marks, 245). In global markets, the prevailing exchange rate is as well important when computing the cost of production, because it ultimately influences the costs of exports and imports (Samuelson & Marks, 246). Another important factor is the competitive market condition. Indeed, one of the aspects managers consider when making decisions is how they can compete within markets. Depending with market environments, they consider factors that can cause barriers to their entry or even affect how they establish their prices. In a competitive market environment, for example, organizations have to consider the number of firms in the market, how prices are established, and if they can have control over them (Samuelson & Marks, 281). Finally, the application of e-commerce and technology are significantly re-defining trade in many areas, particularly cost economies. These methods facilitate customer increase because they have the potentials to reach a large population, and also offer a variety of online services, which ultimately leads to cost savings for the firms (Samuelson & Marks,

Buddha and the Buddhism based on the Journey to the West by Wu Chengen Research Paper

Buddha and the Buddhism based on the Journey to the West by Wu Chengen - Research Paper Example The reward is that they get admitted back to heaven. This description is in tandem with Christian principles of faith (Miller, 2006). Another depiction of Christianity is from the monkey king who eats the holy peaches. Like forbidden fruits portrayed in the bible, the monkey king eats these fruits reserved for special guest to heaven. He gets enlightened and for his acts, he is kicked out of the Heavenly Garden. A symbolic representation of what unfolded in the Garden of Eden (Miller, 2006). In the novel, Taoist heaven, found in China, coexist with Buddhist western paradise, implied in the novel as a location in India. Taoist gods like the Jade Emperor and Buddhist venerable like Buddha even consult and help one another. When the Jade Emperor becomes overwhelmed by the monkey king’s antics, he presents his lamentations to Buddha who subdues the monkey (Wilkinson and Teague, 2003). The Journey to the West relays a simplified and literalized ascetic Taoism in the Chinese popular origin. Taoist ascetics for instance consider that the final stage of discipline is to attain immortality (Fowler and Fowler, 2008). Since most Chinese were confused about elements of Taoism, this was simplified by popular legend as presented in the novel. As the monkey goes to see Taoist god, he steals pills from Taoist alchemy laboratory. The pills are to prolong life of a human being by a few thousand years (Kherdian and Wu, 1992). This becomes a simplified explanation of ascetics that is easily discernable by the Chinese. The gods of the different religions presented in the novel differ in hierarchies and roles. For instance, Jade Emperor is depicted as the ruler of Earth and Heavens, though he is not as supreme as Confucius, Buddha and Lao Tzu administratively. These gods are also subject to much superior universal forces. The folk heaven which the novel mainly draws from Taoist mythology is a model of the government of Chinese emperors (Flanagan, 2011). The Chinese folk heaven is therefore conveyed as bloated bureaucracy with numerous officials holding grandiose titles. This scenario is underscored by the rewards Xuanzang disciples receive after delivering the sutras. It is also worthy to note that these heavenly administrators are mortals whose virtues in their earthly lives got them their current positions (Cuevas and Stone, 2007). The different religions in Journey to the West find a striking balance and try to accommodate one another (Buswell, 1990). They are not into direct competition with one another. Buddha helps Jade Emperor when he is besieged by the monkey king, whereas Bodhisattva Kwan Yin plays an important role in the novel by helping the pilgrims when on very difficult situations. Although the disciples are promoted to heaven, Xuanzang remains on earth to translate the sutras.

Research movie with Negotiation theme. (movie- startup.com) Paper

Movie with Negotiation theme. (movie- startup.com) - Research Paper Example Its not every day, or every decade, that you get to see a film as eye opening in its timeliness asStartup.com. The movie, which documents the heady rise and even more spectacular fall of an Internet start-up company, feels as if it had been shot through a crystal ball -- it seems to anatomize the whole debacle of the dotcom universe -- yet its remarkable prescience is more than a matter of happenstance. Startup.com is a revelation not merely because a couple of smart filmmakers got lucky, hitting the news headline jackpot just as the Nasdaq nosedived, but because the film, which for sheer dramatic wallop outpowers virtually every fiction feature Ive seen this year, embodies the story of our time, the way that the collusion of money and technology has taken over our dreams. Produced by D.A. Pennebaker, and codirected by his collaborator Chris Hegedus and by a new member of the team, codirector Jehane Noujaim, the movie follows the path of two naively ambitious entrepreneurs in their late 20s. The hulky, high fiving, charismatically bullheaded Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and his nerdish, compartmentalized tech head partner, Tom Herman, have been friends since high school. As the film opens, in 1999, they pool their desire to get rich into a kind of new millennium vision quest. They bark and strategize into their cell phones, pumping up their troops with group cheers. They visit the offices of venture capitalists, raising heroic sums of cash, and they stand around a Manhattan pizza parlor, debating the name of their new company like teenage rockers trying to title their garage band. Theyre digital geek Horatio Algers, and they brandish a willed attitude of locker room swagger descended from the fast lucre Wall Street cowboys of the 80s. With much noise and fanfare, Kaleil and Tom declare their intention: They will launch govWorks.com, a bold new website designed to link people up to local municipalities. In essence, this comes down to a

Sonny's blues( The story) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sonny's blues( The story) - Essay Example is darkness through differentiating himself from black people who did not make it out of their miserable lives, but after the death of his loved ones and Sonny’s release from prison, he embraces his darkness through the music that binds the fears, disillusions, and dreams of his fellow black brethren. Before his mother’s death, the narrator has attained his own whiteness, where he rejects the reality of his blackness. When he gets married, he focuses on his family and raising his children. He does not even visit his mother anymore, and he has lost contact with his brother. In a sense, he has left his darkness behind. Being less dark, in other words, being whiter is critical for him because he does not want to be like any other black man. When he reads about his brother being jailed in the papers for drugs, he does not want to accept the truth e: â€Å"I didnt want to believe that Id ever see my brother going down, coming to nothing, all that light in his face gone out, in the condition Id already seen so many others† (Baldwin par. 6). By saying â€Å"others,† he spaces himself from these people. They are not him, and he is not part of them. But after the deaths of his mother and young daughter, the narrator reaches out to his brother, as he becomes more conscious of how his race impacts his social class and identity. His mother knows this, especially after what happened to her husband’s brother. She asks for her eldest to take care of Sonny: â€Å"It aint only the bad ones, nor yet the dumb ones that gets sucked under† (Baldwin par. 98). She is too painfully aware that being black in itself can push anyone to inner darkness, a darkness that is so deep and entangling that not many can escape it. When the narrator’s daughter died of polio, he realizes that pain intersects them all: â€Å"My trouble made his real† (Baldwin par. 183). From here on, he began piecing his brother together like a puzzle, which helped him understand his own identity too. The narrator

Esaay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Esaay - Essay Example The paper will explore my career objective, learning style, my team role, personal attributes and abilities as a mathematician in computer science and information technology. My career objective is to work for a reputable organization as top-level management in the fields of finance, management, public service or actuarial management where I would be able to use my mathematical and analytical skills to solve mathematical problems related to computer science. I will also be able to use my outgoing personality, enthusiasms, positive attitude, and will to work as a team to enhance the performance of the organization. Learning style preference is a factor that dictates the things that students learn and the ease with which they are learnt. This is because they have the potential of exerting powerful manipulation on the learning effectiveness. For this reasons, Honey and Mumford formulated a four learning style questionnaires that learners may prefer to adopt and a preferred learning methodology. These include the activist, reflectors, theorist, and pragmatism learning styles. I being interested in mathematics that requires deep analytical and complex computations and my preference of working as a team, I prefer the pragmatic learning style. This is because it allows me to ask questions on the spot from my lecturers who are experts in the field of mathematics. Pragmatic learning style enables discussion with my colleagues easy as one who is more knowledgeable in a particular area is given a chance to demonstrate to others the problem instead of struggling as an individual making trial and error as is the case with activist style (Pont 87) Leaning power refers to the skills and psychological traits that enable learners to engage effectively in diverse learning challenges. In this regard I believe that I posses different learning traits and powers that has seen me improve and get good marks in mathematics. My

The Future of Women's Professional Sport Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Future of Women's Professional Sport - Essay Example The author of the essay "The Future of Women's Professional Sport" begins with the short introduction. He mentions that until recently, women’s professional sports were considered by many to be a novelty at best. Yet to assume men’s sports have been widely accepted throughout a long period of time would be incorrect. In 1950, only one professional sport, major league baseball, was dominant in America. Men’s professional football, basketball, and hockey organizations were, by comparison, niche businesses. It was only with the advent of television that interest in all men’s sports grew, for most at a fast pace starting in the 1960’s. To understand where the future of women’s professional sports might be headed, it is important to understand its past and its present in terms of the challenges that have been overcome as well as the problems that remain to be faced. Prior to the 1960’s, U.S. women lived in a society that discouraged girlsâ €™ participation in sporting activities and work outside the home. Because of this, few females at the time had aspirations of sport as a career path. The women who did pursue their athletic goals were therefore not as advanced as their male counterparts and remained unprepared to take advantage of the new media. Girls’ and women’s sports received a boost in 1972 when Title IX became law. To sum up the author says that excluding a few sports, such as tennis, ice skating and gymnastics, low salaries and unequal publicity are some of the problems that many professional female athletes still face.

Lipoprotein abnormalities associated with alzheimer's disease, Essay

Lipoprotein abnormalities associated with alzheimer's disease, diabetes, atherosclorosis - Essay Example The human plasma lipoproteins are commonly classified into six major classes. Chylomicrons form the largest proteins approximately >100nm in diameter. They are synthesized within the intestines and transport dietary triglyceride and cholesterol from absorption sites to various cells of the body. The triglycerides of these particles are hydrolyzed within the plasma compartment through catalysis by lipoprotein lipase. Fatty acids generated through the breakdown are used as a source of energy by the various cells or are taken up by adipocytes (Zhang, Song, Cavigiolio, Ishida, Zhang, Kane, Weisgraber, Oda, Rye, Pownall & Ren, 2011). Lipoprotein particles generated through the action of lipoprotein lipase on Chylomicrons are called chylomicron remnants. The other category of lipoproteins is the very low density lipoproteins (VLDL, with a density of less than 1.006g/ml and a diameter ranging between 30-90nm. These particles transport triglycerides and cholesterol from the liver for re-dist ribution to other tissues in the body. In the plasma compartment, the triglycerides of the VLDL undergo hydrolysis through lipoprotein lipase. This reaction results into the generation of smaller, cholesterol-enriched lipoproteins including intermediate density lipoproteins (IDL). ... High density lipoproteins (HDL) have a density of between 1.063-1.21g/ml, and appear to arise from numerous sources including the intestine and liver. These particles are the smallest of all the lipoproteins which are involved in a process called reverse cholesterol transport. This is a hypothesized pathway whereby HDL acquires cholesterol from peripheral tissues and transports the cholesterol directly or indirectly to the liver (Mahley, Innerarity, Rall & Weisgraber, 2008). The apolipoprotein components of the major plasma lipoproteins can be visualized by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Apolipoproteins of the numerous lipoproteins modulate the metabolism of lipoproteins and determine the unique roles of these lipoproteins in lipid metabolism. A well established function of the apolipoprotein is their involvement in the transport and re-distribution of lipids within several tissues (Mahley, Innerarity, Rall & Weisgraber, 2008). The delivery of lipids to sp ecific to specific cells and tissues involves the recognition of specific apolipoproteins by cell surface lipoprotein receptors. Another function of apolipoproteins involves their role as cofactors for enzymes of lipid metabolism. Another function for specific apolipoproteins involves their role in the maintenance of the structure of lipoproteins. Numerous apolipoproteins including apoB, apoA-I and apoE appear to stabilize the micellar structure of the lipoproteins. In addition, these apolipoproteins together with phospholipids on the surfaces of the particles provide a hydrophilic surface. Apolipoprotein E is a component of the chylomicrons, VLDL, chylomicron

Internet Banking Essay Example for Free

Internet Banking Essay Therefore, since U. K. consumers have used to browsing and shopping online, there are factors that U. K. mobile carriers should pay attention. The factors are to find and collaborate with mobile commerce providers so that they can boost the M-Commerce traffic and thus, revenue. The potential of conducting mobile commerce in the U. K. also bases on the facts that the country has many mobile subscribers. According to International Telecommunication Union (2006), U. K. has 61 million of mobile customers as of January 2006. If 20% of the customers (15 million users) are active subscribers of M-commerce with average spending $100 per month. Therefore, the market for mobile commerce in the UK is $18 billion per year. The condition highlight that mobile commerce is attractive service that mobile service providers like Vodafone must develop by collaborating with merchants and content providers (cp) that build the mobile commerce applications. The development of m-commerce is also backed up by the recent development on 3G (third generation) mobile technology that gives opportunity for subscribers to have faster access to browse internet via mobile phones and conduct m-commerce transaction. British Telecom, for example, estimates that in 2002 they have about 150,000 customers of broadband services that is potential to be the active users of mobile commerce (Verdin, 2002) Recent progress and invention in mobile and wireless technologies has caused the shifting paradigm shift from desktop computers to mobile devices. Recently, it is usual to find consumers using their Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), smart phones, and notebooks that strengthen the facts that business has gone mobile so that the consumers can do all things over wireless gadgets the same with doing by desktop computer (Intel, 2004). The improvement in mobile devices capability also attracts customers to buy new phones and new customers segment that also target teenagers. This condition becomes issues for telecommunication companies and content providers to develop new killing applications besides voice communication that will increase the corporate revenue. The new application is data communication that comes in many forms. Concerning data communications, this paper has discussed several issues/challenges and opportunities in UK mobile telephone industry. To be specific, the point of discussion is about the development of mobile commerce (M-Commerce) that takes advantages of increasing number of mobile users and the development of computer technology. References American National Bank. (2001). Internet Banking Features Benefits. Retrieved December 13, 2007 from http://www. americannationalbank. com/i_features. cfm Arthur D. Little Int. Gmbh. (2001). Key Success Factors for M-Commerce. Presentation for Berlecon Research

Most Influential Theologians

Most Influential Theologians St. Thomas Aquinas St. Thomas was born toward the end of 1226 and was born in Italy. St. Thomas was an Italian scholar and the most influential theologian in the Catholic Church. In 1243 he joined the Dominican order which was not like by his parents and they put him in jail for two years. St. Thomas wrote many works philosophy and theology but his most famous is Summa Theological. In it he gives proof of God and his existence. In another section he talks about ethics and how it roots in Aristole. In a chain of acts of will man strives for the highest end. The third part is about Christ. Thomas teaches that Christ is to be regarded as redeemer after his human nature. Thomas was sent to Paris to study under Albert the Great. He served with Albert as his teaching assistant. In 1252 he began to become a master of theology. Thomas was regonized as an excellent theology. He was very holy and would celebrate mass and then have lunch with the friars. Then in the evening he would pray and read. When he became a Dominican he parents really wanted him to become a monk. He was 19 when this happened. He was in Rome but removed and sent to Paris by his parents. His family became desperate to have him not join but he remained determined. At last the he was sent to Rome to meet the master general of the Dominicans. In 1274 St. Thomas died and never got to finish Summa Theologica. He is known as the model for people studying priesthood. In 1333 he was canonized and was declared one of the doctors of the church by Pope Pius V. Kateri Tekakwitha Young Kateri Tekakwitha, born in 1656 near a town called Auriesville in New York, was the daughter of the Mohawk Chief and a Catholic Algonquin. In 1660, at the age of four, her parents and baby brother were killed by a disease that attacked the village, leaving her an orphan. Tekakwitha survived. Although, she was partially blind. She would feel around to find her way. Seeing this, the others called her a name that by which means The One Who Walks Groping for Her Way. Later on, her uncle and two aunts adopted her. They went back to the village where the disease killed her family and rebuilt a village known as Caughnawaga. Over time, she grew into a sweet, shy young woman. She would spend time with her aunts working in the fields. She would often go to the neighboring forest and gather firewood water from the stream and certain roots to make medicine and die. Despite her poor sight, she was very skilled at beadwork. Also, at the woods she would go alone to pray to god and listen to his and her own voice. At the age of 18, is when her holy and religious life truly began. A priest came to their village and established a chapel. Kateri wanted to learn more about Jesus so she decided to be baptized. At the Age of twenty, she was baptized on Easter. Although, her family did not accept her choice to embace Christ so she became a village outcast. Tekakwitha was treated very badly by others in her settlement. In 1677, she left her village and fled to the Catholic Mission of St. Francis Xavier at Sault Saint Louis, near Montreal. Her journey to get to the mission took over two months but because of her determination, she was allowed to receive her First Holy Communion on Christmas day of that same year. She helped the young and came to the assistance of those who were sick. Her favorite devotion was to fashion crosses out of sticks and place them throughout the woods. this would be the sign that whenever she saw one, she would take a moment to pray. One thing that she loved was the rosary, which she wore around her neck every day. People always asked her to tell them a story. they would listen for a long time because when they were with her they felt the presence of God. One day, a priest came to the people and asked why they always circle around Kateri. Their answer would be, We feel closer to God when she is around and her face glows and looks different when she prays.so beautiful as if she were looking at Gods face . On March 25, 1617 she made a vow of perpetual virginity. She wanted to start a convent of Native American sisters but she was discouraged. Due to bad health, Kateri Tekakwitha died in 1680 at the age of twenty-four. her last words were Jesus, I love you. Like the flower she was named for, the lily, her life was short and beautiful. Moments after her death the scarred face of Kateri Tekakwitha was transformed into a beautiful, flawless face. This was witnessed by many people. She was known as Lily of the Mohawks. In 1943, the Catholic church declared her venerable and beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980. Her feast day id celebrated on July 14 and she is the patroness of World Youth Day 2002. Although not a saint yet, she is the first native American to be declared Blessed. St. Jerome St. Jerome was born at Stridon, a small town in the Roman province of Dalmatia, around 347. In Latin, he was known as Sophronius Eusebius Hieronymus. St. Jerome was not baptized until about 360 or 366 when he went to Rome with his friend Bonosus to pursue their studies. As a student in Rome, he learned how to speak both Greek and Latin but he also engaged in bad activities and needed to repent. To make himself feel better, St. Jerome would visit the remains and items left by the martyrs and the apostles at their catacombs. This experience would remind him of the terrors of hell. To describe Christian concepts, Jerome initially used classical authors but later on converted to Christianity himself. After several years in Rome, he travelled with Bonosus to Gaul and settled in Trier where he began to take up his theological studies as well as meeting many Christian friends. Some of his friends accompanied him when he set out on a journey through Thrace and the Asia Minor. On this journey, two of his friends died and Jerome was seriously ill. During his illness, he had visions that led him to put aside secular studies and devote himself to God. St. Jerome wanted to live a new life of penance so he went for a time to the desert of Chalcis. There he studied, wrote, and attempted to learn the Hebrew language with the guidance of a converted Jew. Returning to Antioch, he was ordained by Bishop Paulinus and continued to study and write. At this time, St. Jerome was a main teacher of the church and was attached to Pope Damascus I and the leading Roman Christians. One of his most famous accomplishments was translating the Bible from Hebrew to Latin so that everyone could understand Gods teachings. Jerome continued to do many important things with the church later on in his life. St. Jerome died near Bethlehem on September 30, 420. His remains were buried in Bethlehem but were later transferred to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. St. Jerome became the patron saint of librarians and is recognized as the Doctor of the Church. His feast day is on September 30. St. Matthew The writer of the first Gospel and one of the twelve Apostles was not only a strong believer in God but a sinning tax collector as well. St. Matthew was born in the first century Judea as the son of a tax collector named Alpheus. The young Matthew grew up like any boy would have if he lived in that time; learning how to complete his fathers job. His father was a tax collector and taught him how to be a good tax collector like Joseph taught Jesus to be a carpenter. From a sinner, to an Apostle, to a writer of the Gospel, Matthew lived a life a lot like Jesus. He was soon hired by Herod Antipas to collect taxes like his father had. As a tax collector he was given an office located in Capernaum. He soon became despised and thought of as an outcast like all tax collectors. While in a large tax collector meeting in his office, Matthew was called by Jesus to live a life devoted to God like the other eleven Apostles. Although many people were skeptical when Jesus asked a sinning tax collector to follow him, Matthew rose up right then and there, converted and started to follow Jesus. As one of the early Apostles, Matthew was often known as Levi. He is often paired with St. Thomas in the Bible and is thought to be involved with a group of early Christians called the Nazarenes. With this group, Matthew and the Apostles proclaimed that Jesus was the son of God and the everlasting Messiah. Matthew was sent to Palestine alone by Jesus to continue preaching the word of God. He isnt mentioned in the Gospel any more other than in the names of the Apostles. Some historical facts place him in Gentile places preaching to those who lived there. Matthew was present with Mary during Jesus Resurrection and Ascension. Matthew was most likely very literate which was an uncommon trait for people in that time. It is unknown where he began writing the first Gospel also known as the Gospel of the Hebrews. It is called this because he began writing it in Hebrew for the early Hebrew Christians. St. Matthew wrote his Gospel the Gospel of Mark somewhere between AD 50 to AD 55. Matthews Gospel reproduces about 90% of Marks. His Gospel was later translated into Greek so more people could read it but the Greek copy was soon lost. The Hebrew copy was placed in the Library of Caesarea where it was kept for many centuries. St. Matthew turned his life around with the help of a fellow Jew. He became an Apostle, and then wrote the first of the four Gospels. Matthew wrote It is unsure whether he died of natural cause or if he was a martyr. We celebrate his feast day on September 21st. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX. St. Matthew grew up a sinning tax collector, was called by Jesus, lived the rest of his life devoted to God, and died with the satisfaction of keeping the oldest and greatest memories alive. St. Jude Personal Life St. Jude was born in the first century AD in the area of Galilee, Palestine. He is also known as St. Jude Thaddeus, Thaddeus being his last name which means the brave one while Jude means giver of joy. It is stated in Matthew 13:55 that St. Jude was a brethren of Jesus, brethren being a Hebrew word indicating a blood relationship. It is also reported that his father, Cleophas was a brother of St. Joseph and was later persecuted for his faith, and his mother, Mary was a cousin of the Blessed Virgin and was said to have stood by the Immaculate Conceptions side while Jesus was crucified. St. Jude also had many brothers, two of which was St. James the Less, and St. Simeon the Zealot. Missionary Work St. Jude was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus along with his brothers James and Simeon, and is remembered for asking Christ at the Last Supper why He would not manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection. His name is not to be confused with Judas of Iscariot, another one of the twelve apostles since both their names are a Greek Variant of the word Judah. After the Pentecost (in which he was present) St. Jude continued to preach the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Libya, and Mesopotamia, where he became a leader of the Church of The East that St. Thomas established there around 37 AD. Although little is known about St. Jude, one of his acknowledged works is the conversion of King Abgar. This idea comes from a Biblical story in which King Abgar of Edessa (a city located in what is now southeast Turkey) asked Jesus to cure him of leprosy and sent an artist to bring him a drawing of Jesus. Impressed with Abgars great faith, Jesus pressed his face into a cloth and gave it to St. Jude to take to Abgar. Once the King saw Jesus image he was cured and he converted to Christianity along with most of the people under his rule. This cloth is believed to be the famous Shroud of Jesus which is currently on display in Turin, Italy. St. Jude is also credited for helping start the Armenian Church, and is believed to be the human author of the Epistle of St. Jude, which is the shortest book in the New Testament. One of his last works before his death was his aid in the election of the bishop of Jerusalem in 62 AD, the bishop that was chosen turned out to be his brother Simeon the Zealot Death Little is known about St. Jude, since he was confused with Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, and his veneration was avoided, thus resulting in being known as the Forgotten Saint. Also, there is little information written about him in the Bible since he was known to travel around the world to preach the Gospel. One of the countries that St. Jude traveled to was Armenia, and it was there where he was reportedly murdered for his faith around the year 65 AD, although there are some instances that claim that St. Jude suffered of martyrdom alongside St. Simon in Persia. Armenia was a country that did not completely convert to Christianity until the 3rd century, about 250 years after St. Judes death. We do not know the specifics of St. Judes death, but he is often depicted carrying an axe or a club, suggesting the way in which he was murdered. After his death, his body was brought back to Rome and was placed in a crypt beneath St. Peters Basilica, which people continue to visit to this day. Sainthood St. Jude was canonized pre-congregation, meaning that he was recognized as a saint before the Catholic Church had a formal process of canonization. His feast day for Western Christianity is on October 28, and his feast day for Eastern Christianity it is celebrated on June 19. St. Jude is often associated with St. Simeon the Zealot, whom he shares his feast day with. He is renowned for being the patron saint of Armenia, lost causes, desperate situations, ibises, hospitals, St. Petersburg, Florida, Cotta Lucena City Quezon, the Chicago Police Department, Club de Regattas do Flamengo (soccer team) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Remembrance Today Even though St. Jude isnt as well known as some of the other saints, he is still as important and is venerated in many religions including the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Eastern Catholic Churches, the Church of the East, the Coptic Church, and the Anglican Communion. Nowadays, St. Jude is probably best known for being the namesake of many hospitals specializing in treating people, and specifically children in terminal illnesses since he is the patron saint of desperate causes. We pray to him now in time of desperate need for the reason that he provided a lot of inspirational support to a group of Christians who were being persecuted in Eastern churches and he exhorted them to keep their faith and to stay in the love of God as they had been taught. We usually see St. Jude depicted carrying the image of Jesus (taken from the story of King Agbar), carrying an Axe, club, boat, oar, and/or a medallion. The following is a common prayer dedicated to St. Jude: Most holy apostle, Saint Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Make use I implore you, of that particular privilege given to you, to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (here make your request) and that I may praise God with you and all the elect forever. I promise, O blessed Saint Jude, to be mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. Saint John the Apostle Saints to me are always people we can look up to and know that they were true followers of Jesus. Saints are a great guide on how to act and be when we grow up or even as teenagers. When we are in doubt we sometimes ask our selves what would Jesus do but we can also ask are selves what would the saints do and know that we would get the right answer. St. John the apostle was the son of Zebedee and was called to be on of the 12 apostles of Jesus along with his brother James. They also were with Jesus on his ministries. John appears on the list of the apostles in Acts and in the synoptic gospels. James and John were also believed to be given the nick name Boanerges which means sons of thunder due to their tempers. In the Bible there are no details about how old john might have been when he became one of Jesus disciples but the Christians say that he lived to at least 100 CE which would have been pretty old. There is also nothing in the Bible telling about how long his activity in Judea lasted. Christian traditions also say that John had a important position in the Apostolic body. John was also present at the transfiguration of Jesus. This is some of the things we have gotten from the Bible. John, according to the Bible, was said to be more important than all the other apostles. The reason why was because he was present at many important time such as the transfiguration, and at the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus was arrested. Paul later in the Bible also calls John the pillar of the Jerusalem church. John was also important because he has been believed to be the author of the fourth gospel, three canonical letters, and the book of revelation. There are so many thing we can learn from saints and these are the most important things that I took from Saint John the Apostle. Again next time you need help deciding what to do just ask yourself what would Jesus do OR what would the saints do. St. Nicholas Having a wonderful family will get you many places, just like were it got Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas came from a wealth family who loved him very much. Sadly, Nicholas parents died while he was still young. Nick was a devoted catholic and when he received his fortune from his parents death, he decided to use it to help the poor and needy. Instead of using the money for himself, he used it for others, which was a start of his generosity. As a young man, Nicholas was known for his kindness. He devoted his life to serving God and became Bishop of Myra while still a young man. He took control of this job to show how responsible he was. This position was very good for Nick and I think it taught him many important things in life. Many people in the land knew that this man was a generous, kindhearted, children loving man who had concerns for other people just like sailors and ships sailings on the oceans. For loving and doing all these things, Nicholas was exiled and imprisoned for believing in god, just like Jesus. This conflict made many people angry and trying to rebel. At this time, there were so many priest, deacons, and other religious believers imprisoned that there was no room for murders, thieves and robbers. After he was released, Nicholas joined the council of Nicaea. After leaving the council, St. Nicholas died on December 6, which is his feast day. On this day, it is a time to reflect on how St. Nicholas was kind to everyone, just like we should be to. Creating this great example for us shows that we need to follow his good ways. Remembering this day will make us realize that we should all commit good deeds no matter what day it is. St. Nicholas was the Patron Saint of Russia. He has many churches named after is glorious name. As a young boy, St. Nick proved to not only himself, but also others that he was a responsible adult. Many people believe you become responsible when youre older, but Saint Nick proved them wrong. He left behind a great example and reputation that will live on forever. St. Augustine of Hippo St. Augustine of Hippo, also known as Aurelius Augustinus, was born into a middle class family on November 13, 354 in Tagaste, modern day Algeria. He was the son of St. Monica and of Patricius. As a young boy, Augustine received a catholic education. His father had believed that he was successful that he had sent him to Cathage, to prepare for his forensic career. St. Augustine was a man of belief, strength, and success. For this he had succeeded in life. Augustine came into the church for having such a strong belief. The reason why he became such a strong believer, was when he had become very ill and could not receive baptism, but he pursued that dream of his. He had joined the men of prayer group and he had three ideas stuck deep in his heart. The first idea was a divine providence or the virtue of prudence. The second one was the future with terrible sanctions or going to hell. The last idea that was in his heart was Christ is above all and the Savior. He also became close with the church when he had given up on Divine Truth and had prayed to the Blessed Mother. The prayers to the blessed mother brought him back to his faith and decided that Christianity was the religion for him. At the start of his religious life he became a priest. The only thing he had kept when he became a priest was his familys house which became a monastic house. Then later on in his life he became a bishop. As he came back to his Christian faith, he wrote about his experiences in books called, Retractions. As he lived his life of prayer, he became closer to God. He also learned how to live a life of peace. As his life drew near so did his life of becoming a saint. On August 28, 430, at the age of seventy-five, Augustines life had come to an end. Augustine was a patron of brewers. As his life came close to its end, he spent almost every moment praying to God. Augustine has become one of my favorite saints as I have learned more about him. His life was powerful and interesting to me. I will try to live my life as an image of him and live out my faith, become closer to the church and God. St. Leo the Great Saint Leo the great was and Italian aristocrat and is the first pope of the Catholic Church to be called The Great. He is best known for meeting Attila the Hun in 452 AD and persuading him to turn back on the invasion of Western Europe. He is also known for being called the Doctor of the Church. St. Leos date of birth is still unknown to this day, but he was born in Tuscany, in Northern France, but refers to Rome and his home town. But it is said that his family moved to Rome when he was very young. The earliest information about Saint Leo being part of the churchs clergy when he was a deacon under Pope Celestine I. While Leo was away on a civil mission to bring peace to France, Pope Sixtus III on August 19, 440. As the people of Rome knew of Leos care and love for the individual souls, Leo was voted by the people to be their bishop. But when the people asked Leo to come back to Rome the Holy Spirit was working through all the faithful, so when Leo came back he was anointed Pope of Rome. He was elected on September 9, 440 AD and would reign as pope for the next 21 years. As pope of the Rome Leo labored constantly to protect the integrity of Faith by waging wars, taking strenuous actions against regions, and ordered to correct the errors of countries in Spain. He did all of this because he cared about the people and the faithful. He wanted them to have the most loving gift of all and that was the teachings of Christ that was handed down by the apostles. He continued to do this by defending the unity of the Catholic Church and with constancy strove to teach all men who were doctrines to lead their souls to the greatest fulfillment of salvation. Pope Leo the Greats pontificate was a continuous period of tireless effort directed at upholding the unity of the Church as the people thought. But after this he did much more. He cared about the Church so much that he tried his hardest to stop invasions in order to save more lives. Such as when he went to Atilla the Hun in 452 and persuading him with all his power to turn back on the invasion of Western Europe. Legend has it that Attila, on looking above St. Leo, saw in a vision that Saints Peter and Paul would support the Popes wishes, which struck him with fear. One of his most important persuasions was with Genseric the Vandal, who had captured the city of Rome. But thanks to Pope Leos intervention the Vandals didnt even touch Rome by not hurting or killing anyone or even taking down the Churches. Pope Saint Leo the Great certainly possessed true care and love for the Church. He submitted his whole heart to Christ, labored to lead others into committing themselves into the See of Peter, and used all his influence to maintain the unity of the Church. If you ask me I would say Saint Leo the Great modeled his life after the sixth Beatitude, which proclaims, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. He has a connection between purity of heart and of faith. He exemplifies love of truth and orthodoxy of faith. In 1754 Benedict XIV exalted St. Leo to the dignity of Doctor of the Church. Not quite two centuries later, Pope Pius XII, in a sermon given on October 12, 1952, noted that Pope Saint Leo is the greatest among the great. Saint Martin of Tours Saint Martin of Tours was born around the time 317 A.D in modern-day Hungary. Martins father was a senior officer in the Roman Army; he was stationed in Ticinum, Cisalpine Gaul (now Pavia, Italy) where Martin grew up. Later, in Martins pre-teen years, he found God and took charge of his religious life. Martin learned many things about God and started on his way to becoming a saint. When Martin was ten years old he went to the church against his parents and became a candidate for baptism. His parents were very upset with him because he went against their wishes. When Martin was fifteen years old, because his father was a retired officer, Martin was required to join the army. While Martin was stationed in Amiens, he experienced the vision that is most remembered today. He was at the gates of the city of Amiens with his soldiers when he met a scarcely dressed beggar. He automatically cut his own military cloak in half and shared it with the beggar. That night he dreamed of Jesus wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. He heard Jesus say to the angels: Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptized; he has clad me. (Sulpicius, ch 2). This dream confirmed Martins fidelity. He was then baptized at the age of eighteen. Later Martin thought his faith prohibited him from fighting and shouted I am a soldier of Christ. I cannot fight. He was charged of cowardice and put in jail. Martin followed the way of the Lord and always served others. Some of the things he was known for were that he was against poverty and did everything he could to help the less fortunate. Some emblems that remind us of him are trees, beggars, soldiers and cloaks. He was known for many great deeds and acts of charity and kindness. Martin died on November 8, 397, in Candes, Gaul (modern-day France). Martin of Tours was just over eighty when he died. He is the patron Saint of beggars and soldiers. We celebrate his feast day on November 11th. Prayer: God, Your Bishop Saint Martin glorified You by both his life and death. Renew in us Your grace, so that neither death nor life can separate us from Your love. Amen Saint John the Baptist But He who acts in truth comes into the light, to make clear that his deeds are done in God. (Luke 3:21) Saint John was the cousin of Jesus. He was a baptizer. He was born to the people named Elizabeth and Zachariah. He had many duties such as; being the first baptizer, writing a gospel ect He told the people to repent and that the Lord is upon them. But his cry was not answered by many passing people. John was often mistaken for the Messiah. He was very holy, and spread Gods word so well that he was called The Anointed One. You yourselves are witnesses to the fact that I said: I am not the Messiah; I am sent before Him.'(Luke 3:28) To be a saint you have to have humility, you have to be willing to die for your faith. You have to be open to the fact that you have to make sacrifices to be a soldier of Christ. He took His chance and became that soldier and was the first priest, and was the first leader to baptize someone. He had a lot of weight on his shoulders that day. The cousin of the Lord being asked to baptize someone when you have no idea what to do. He had to be brave to be that kind of person. In current life today we should be Johns. We should be able to die for our faith and give it all up for the Lord. We were all sent by God to do his will and to be the messengers for his faith. We are to live by example and be the little Johns of the world. If we love and care for Jesus and God then we should be able to understand how we are part of the great plan of salvation. From John, we can learn that we just cant sit here and wait for miracles to happen, we need to write of the Lords love, sing of the Lords love, be the Lords love. Saint Anthony the Abbot Saint Anthony the Abbot was born in 251 at Heracleus, Egypt. He is also known by many names such as Abba Antonius, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, and Anthony the Anchorite. Anthony grew up in a wealthy family. He lived a good childhood and a healthy life. But unexpectedly everything changed. When he was about 20 years old his parents unexpectedly died. He ensured that his sister got a good education and that was about all he could do. But then the lord spoke to him and said If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell, what thou hast, and give to the poor. After Anthony heard this he gave away all of his possessions and started his holy life in the desert. He lived as a hermit in an old abandoned fort for more than 20 years praying in solitude. But the devil tried to tempt him many times and he never gave in to its temptations. But he wasnt always alone. Many followers and admirers came into his fort. He healed many of the sick who came and was also a spiritual counselor for others. He had so many disciples following him that he had to build two monasteries! A lot of people helped him by weaving baskets and making brushes for him which made him the patron of those 2 trades. Saint Anthony was also the patron saint of grave diggers and people who work with pigs. He was patron of gravediggers because he buried an Anchorite which was someone who walled themselves up to be alone in prayer. He was patron of pigs because he used pork to reduce inflammation and itching. An artist drew a picture of him with a pig and someone took it as Anthony being the patron saint of pigs. In 311 Anthony shortly left his fort to go fight Arianism in Alexandria. He also left to comfort the victims of the persecutions at Maximinus. While he was out of his fort he met his sister. It turns out she had also become a holy person and chosen to become a nun. Anthony did return to the desert but he did not return to his fort. He retired in a cave in Mount Colzim. Saint Anthony also knew some other saints. During the later part of his life he became good friends with Saint Paul the Hermit. And his biography was written by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria. He also founded a religious order of hermits. Saint Anthony died at Mount Colzim in 356 due to natural causes. Many people still follow his influences to this day. His order of hermits is still around. People give away possessions to help others. He was canonized by the Pre-Congregation which is where saints are canonized by local church officials so no one knows the exact canonization date. Saint Dominic Saint Dominic is the founder of the Order of Preachers, more commonly known as the Dominican Order. He is also the patron saint of astronomers and the Dominican Republic. Close friends with our patron, Saint Francis of Assisi, he was born into a very re Most Influential Theologians Most Influential Theologians St. Thomas Aquinas St. Thomas was born toward the end of 1226 and was born in Italy. St. Thomas was an Italian scholar and the most influential theologian in the Catholic Church. In 1243 he joined the Dominican order which was not like by his parents and they put him in jail for two years. St. Thomas wrote many works philosophy and theology but his most famous is Summa Theological. In it he gives proof of God and his existence. In another section he talks about ethics and how it roots in Aristole. In a chain of acts of will man strives for the highest end. The third part is about Christ. Thomas teaches that Christ is to be regarded as redeemer after his human nature. Thomas was sent to Paris to study under Albert the Great. He served with Albert as his teaching assistant. In 1252 he began to become a master of theology. Thomas was regonized as an excellent theology. He was very holy and would celebrate mass and then have lunch with the friars. Then in the evening he would pray and read. When he became a Dominican he parents really wanted him to become a monk. He was 19 when this happened. He was in Rome but removed and sent to Paris by his parents. His family became desperate to have him not join but he remained determined. At last the he was sent to Rome to meet the master general of the Dominicans. In 1274 St. Thomas died and never got to finish Summa Theologica. He is known as the model for people studying priesthood. In 1333 he was canonized and was declared one of the doctors of the church by Pope Pius V. Kateri Tekakwitha Young Kateri Tekakwitha, born in 1656 near a town called Auriesville in New York, was the daughter of the Mohawk Chief and a Catholic Algonquin. In 1660, at the age of four, her parents and baby brother were killed by a disease that attacked the village, leaving her an orphan. Tekakwitha survived. Although, she was partially blind. She would feel around to find her way. Seeing this, the others called her a name that by which means The One Who Walks Groping for Her Way. Later on, her uncle and two aunts adopted her. They went back to the village where the disease killed her family and rebuilt a village known as Caughnawaga. Over time, she grew into a sweet, shy young woman. She would spend time with her aunts working in the fields. She would often go to the neighboring forest and gather firewood water from the stream and certain roots to make medicine and die. Despite her poor sight, she was very skilled at beadwork. Also, at the woods she would go alone to pray to god and listen to his and her own voice. At the age of 18, is when her holy and religious life truly began. A priest came to their village and established a chapel. Kateri wanted to learn more about Jesus so she decided to be baptized. At the Age of twenty, she was baptized on Easter. Although, her family did not accept her choice to embace Christ so she became a village outcast. Tekakwitha was treated very badly by others in her settlement. In 1677, she left her village and fled to the Catholic Mission of St. Francis Xavier at Sault Saint Louis, near Montreal. Her journey to get to the mission took over two months but because of her determination, she was allowed to receive her First Holy Communion on Christmas day of that same year. She helped the young and came to the assistance of those who were sick. Her favorite devotion was to fashion crosses out of sticks and place them throughout the woods. this would be the sign that whenever she saw one, she would take a moment to pray. One thing that she loved was the rosary, which she wore around her neck every day. People always asked her to tell them a story. they would listen for a long time because when they were with her they felt the presence of God. One day, a priest came to the people and asked why they always circle around Kateri. Their answer would be, We feel closer to God when she is around and her face glows and looks different when she prays.so beautiful as if she were looking at Gods face . On March 25, 1617 she made a vow of perpetual virginity. She wanted to start a convent of Native American sisters but she was discouraged. Due to bad health, Kateri Tekakwitha died in 1680 at the age of twenty-four. her last words were Jesus, I love you. Like the flower she was named for, the lily, her life was short and beautiful. Moments after her death the scarred face of Kateri Tekakwitha was transformed into a beautiful, flawless face. This was witnessed by many people. She was known as Lily of the Mohawks. In 1943, the Catholic church declared her venerable and beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980. Her feast day id celebrated on July 14 and she is the patroness of World Youth Day 2002. Although not a saint yet, she is the first native American to be declared Blessed. St. Jerome St. Jerome was born at Stridon, a small town in the Roman province of Dalmatia, around 347. In Latin, he was known as Sophronius Eusebius Hieronymus. St. Jerome was not baptized until about 360 or 366 when he went to Rome with his friend Bonosus to pursue their studies. As a student in Rome, he learned how to speak both Greek and Latin but he also engaged in bad activities and needed to repent. To make himself feel better, St. Jerome would visit the remains and items left by the martyrs and the apostles at their catacombs. This experience would remind him of the terrors of hell. To describe Christian concepts, Jerome initially used classical authors but later on converted to Christianity himself. After several years in Rome, he travelled with Bonosus to Gaul and settled in Trier where he began to take up his theological studies as well as meeting many Christian friends. Some of his friends accompanied him when he set out on a journey through Thrace and the Asia Minor. On this journey, two of his friends died and Jerome was seriously ill. During his illness, he had visions that led him to put aside secular studies and devote himself to God. St. Jerome wanted to live a new life of penance so he went for a time to the desert of Chalcis. There he studied, wrote, and attempted to learn the Hebrew language with the guidance of a converted Jew. Returning to Antioch, he was ordained by Bishop Paulinus and continued to study and write. At this time, St. Jerome was a main teacher of the church and was attached to Pope Damascus I and the leading Roman Christians. One of his most famous accomplishments was translating the Bible from Hebrew to Latin so that everyone could understand Gods teachings. Jerome continued to do many important things with the church later on in his life. St. Jerome died near Bethlehem on September 30, 420. His remains were buried in Bethlehem but were later transferred to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. St. Jerome became the patron saint of librarians and is recognized as the Doctor of the Church. His feast day is on September 30. St. Matthew The writer of the first Gospel and one of the twelve Apostles was not only a strong believer in God but a sinning tax collector as well. St. Matthew was born in the first century Judea as the son of a tax collector named Alpheus. The young Matthew grew up like any boy would have if he lived in that time; learning how to complete his fathers job. His father was a tax collector and taught him how to be a good tax collector like Joseph taught Jesus to be a carpenter. From a sinner, to an Apostle, to a writer of the Gospel, Matthew lived a life a lot like Jesus. He was soon hired by Herod Antipas to collect taxes like his father had. As a tax collector he was given an office located in Capernaum. He soon became despised and thought of as an outcast like all tax collectors. While in a large tax collector meeting in his office, Matthew was called by Jesus to live a life devoted to God like the other eleven Apostles. Although many people were skeptical when Jesus asked a sinning tax collector to follow him, Matthew rose up right then and there, converted and started to follow Jesus. As one of the early Apostles, Matthew was often known as Levi. He is often paired with St. Thomas in the Bible and is thought to be involved with a group of early Christians called the Nazarenes. With this group, Matthew and the Apostles proclaimed that Jesus was the son of God and the everlasting Messiah. Matthew was sent to Palestine alone by Jesus to continue preaching the word of God. He isnt mentioned in the Gospel any more other than in the names of the Apostles. Some historical facts place him in Gentile places preaching to those who lived there. Matthew was present with Mary during Jesus Resurrection and Ascension. Matthew was most likely very literate which was an uncommon trait for people in that time. It is unknown where he began writing the first Gospel also known as the Gospel of the Hebrews. It is called this because he began writing it in Hebrew for the early Hebrew Christians. St. Matthew wrote his Gospel the Gospel of Mark somewhere between AD 50 to AD 55. Matthews Gospel reproduces about 90% of Marks. His Gospel was later translated into Greek so more people could read it but the Greek copy was soon lost. The Hebrew copy was placed in the Library of Caesarea where it was kept for many centuries. St. Matthew turned his life around with the help of a fellow Jew. He became an Apostle, and then wrote the first of the four Gospels. Matthew wrote It is unsure whether he died of natural cause or if he was a martyr. We celebrate his feast day on September 21st. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX. St. Matthew grew up a sinning tax collector, was called by Jesus, lived the rest of his life devoted to God, and died with the satisfaction of keeping the oldest and greatest memories alive. St. Jude Personal Life St. Jude was born in the first century AD in the area of Galilee, Palestine. He is also known as St. Jude Thaddeus, Thaddeus being his last name which means the brave one while Jude means giver of joy. It is stated in Matthew 13:55 that St. Jude was a brethren of Jesus, brethren being a Hebrew word indicating a blood relationship. It is also reported that his father, Cleophas was a brother of St. Joseph and was later persecuted for his faith, and his mother, Mary was a cousin of the Blessed Virgin and was said to have stood by the Immaculate Conceptions side while Jesus was crucified. St. Jude also had many brothers, two of which was St. James the Less, and St. Simeon the Zealot. Missionary Work St. Jude was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus along with his brothers James and Simeon, and is remembered for asking Christ at the Last Supper why He would not manifest Himself to the whole world after His resurrection. His name is not to be confused with Judas of Iscariot, another one of the twelve apostles since both their names are a Greek Variant of the word Judah. After the Pentecost (in which he was present) St. Jude continued to preach the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Libya, and Mesopotamia, where he became a leader of the Church of The East that St. Thomas established there around 37 AD. Although little is known about St. Jude, one of his acknowledged works is the conversion of King Abgar. This idea comes from a Biblical story in which King Abgar of Edessa (a city located in what is now southeast Turkey) asked Jesus to cure him of leprosy and sent an artist to bring him a drawing of Jesus. Impressed with Abgars great faith, Jesus pressed his face into a cloth and gave it to St. Jude to take to Abgar. Once the King saw Jesus image he was cured and he converted to Christianity along with most of the people under his rule. This cloth is believed to be the famous Shroud of Jesus which is currently on display in Turin, Italy. St. Jude is also credited for helping start the Armenian Church, and is believed to be the human author of the Epistle of St. Jude, which is the shortest book in the New Testament. One of his last works before his death was his aid in the election of the bishop of Jerusalem in 62 AD, the bishop that was chosen turned out to be his brother Simeon the Zealot Death Little is known about St. Jude, since he was confused with Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, and his veneration was avoided, thus resulting in being known as the Forgotten Saint. Also, there is little information written about him in the Bible since he was known to travel around the world to preach the Gospel. One of the countries that St. Jude traveled to was Armenia, and it was there where he was reportedly murdered for his faith around the year 65 AD, although there are some instances that claim that St. Jude suffered of martyrdom alongside St. Simon in Persia. Armenia was a country that did not completely convert to Christianity until the 3rd century, about 250 years after St. Judes death. We do not know the specifics of St. Judes death, but he is often depicted carrying an axe or a club, suggesting the way in which he was murdered. After his death, his body was brought back to Rome and was placed in a crypt beneath St. Peters Basilica, which people continue to visit to this day. Sainthood St. Jude was canonized pre-congregation, meaning that he was recognized as a saint before the Catholic Church had a formal process of canonization. His feast day for Western Christianity is on October 28, and his feast day for Eastern Christianity it is celebrated on June 19. St. Jude is often associated with St. Simeon the Zealot, whom he shares his feast day with. He is renowned for being the patron saint of Armenia, lost causes, desperate situations, ibises, hospitals, St. Petersburg, Florida, Cotta Lucena City Quezon, the Chicago Police Department, Club de Regattas do Flamengo (soccer team) from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Remembrance Today Even though St. Jude isnt as well known as some of the other saints, he is still as important and is venerated in many religions including the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Eastern Catholic Churches, the Church of the East, the Coptic Church, and the Anglican Communion. Nowadays, St. Jude is probably best known for being the namesake of many hospitals specializing in treating people, and specifically children in terminal illnesses since he is the patron saint of desperate causes. We pray to him now in time of desperate need for the reason that he provided a lot of inspirational support to a group of Christians who were being persecuted in Eastern churches and he exhorted them to keep their faith and to stay in the love of God as they had been taught. We usually see St. Jude depicted carrying the image of Jesus (taken from the story of King Agbar), carrying an Axe, club, boat, oar, and/or a medallion. The following is a common prayer dedicated to St. Jude: Most holy apostle, Saint Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the Church honors and invokes you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray for me, I am so helpless and alone. Make use I implore you, of that particular privilege given to you, to bring visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (here make your request) and that I may praise God with you and all the elect forever. I promise, O blessed Saint Jude, to be mindful of this great favor, to always honor you as my special and powerful patron, and to gratefully encourage devotion to you. Amen. Saint John the Apostle Saints to me are always people we can look up to and know that they were true followers of Jesus. Saints are a great guide on how to act and be when we grow up or even as teenagers. When we are in doubt we sometimes ask our selves what would Jesus do but we can also ask are selves what would the saints do and know that we would get the right answer. St. John the apostle was the son of Zebedee and was called to be on of the 12 apostles of Jesus along with his brother James. They also were with Jesus on his ministries. John appears on the list of the apostles in Acts and in the synoptic gospels. James and John were also believed to be given the nick name Boanerges which means sons of thunder due to their tempers. In the Bible there are no details about how old john might have been when he became one of Jesus disciples but the Christians say that he lived to at least 100 CE which would have been pretty old. There is also nothing in the Bible telling about how long his activity in Judea lasted. Christian traditions also say that John had a important position in the Apostolic body. John was also present at the transfiguration of Jesus. This is some of the things we have gotten from the Bible. John, according to the Bible, was said to be more important than all the other apostles. The reason why was because he was present at many important time such as the transfiguration, and at the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus was arrested. Paul later in the Bible also calls John the pillar of the Jerusalem church. John was also important because he has been believed to be the author of the fourth gospel, three canonical letters, and the book of revelation. There are so many thing we can learn from saints and these are the most important things that I took from Saint John the Apostle. Again next time you need help deciding what to do just ask yourself what would Jesus do OR what would the saints do. St. Nicholas Having a wonderful family will get you many places, just like were it got Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas came from a wealth family who loved him very much. Sadly, Nicholas parents died while he was still young. Nick was a devoted catholic and when he received his fortune from his parents death, he decided to use it to help the poor and needy. Instead of using the money for himself, he used it for others, which was a start of his generosity. As a young man, Nicholas was known for his kindness. He devoted his life to serving God and became Bishop of Myra while still a young man. He took control of this job to show how responsible he was. This position was very good for Nick and I think it taught him many important things in life. Many people in the land knew that this man was a generous, kindhearted, children loving man who had concerns for other people just like sailors and ships sailings on the oceans. For loving and doing all these things, Nicholas was exiled and imprisoned for believing in god, just like Jesus. This conflict made many people angry and trying to rebel. At this time, there were so many priest, deacons, and other religious believers imprisoned that there was no room for murders, thieves and robbers. After he was released, Nicholas joined the council of Nicaea. After leaving the council, St. Nicholas died on December 6, which is his feast day. On this day, it is a time to reflect on how St. Nicholas was kind to everyone, just like we should be to. Creating this great example for us shows that we need to follow his good ways. Remembering this day will make us realize that we should all commit good deeds no matter what day it is. St. Nicholas was the Patron Saint of Russia. He has many churches named after is glorious name. As a young boy, St. Nick proved to not only himself, but also others that he was a responsible adult. Many people believe you become responsible when youre older, but Saint Nick proved them wrong. He left behind a great example and reputation that will live on forever. St. Augustine of Hippo St. Augustine of Hippo, also known as Aurelius Augustinus, was born into a middle class family on November 13, 354 in Tagaste, modern day Algeria. He was the son of St. Monica and of Patricius. As a young boy, Augustine received a catholic education. His father had believed that he was successful that he had sent him to Cathage, to prepare for his forensic career. St. Augustine was a man of belief, strength, and success. For this he had succeeded in life. Augustine came into the church for having such a strong belief. The reason why he became such a strong believer, was when he had become very ill and could not receive baptism, but he pursued that dream of his. He had joined the men of prayer group and he had three ideas stuck deep in his heart. The first idea was a divine providence or the virtue of prudence. The second one was the future with terrible sanctions or going to hell. The last idea that was in his heart was Christ is above all and the Savior. He also became close with the church when he had given up on Divine Truth and had prayed to the Blessed Mother. The prayers to the blessed mother brought him back to his faith and decided that Christianity was the religion for him. At the start of his religious life he became a priest. The only thing he had kept when he became a priest was his familys house which became a monastic house. Then later on in his life he became a bishop. As he came back to his Christian faith, he wrote about his experiences in books called, Retractions. As he lived his life of prayer, he became closer to God. He also learned how to live a life of peace. As his life drew near so did his life of becoming a saint. On August 28, 430, at the age of seventy-five, Augustines life had come to an end. Augustine was a patron of brewers. As his life came close to its end, he spent almost every moment praying to God. Augustine has become one of my favorite saints as I have learned more about him. His life was powerful and interesting to me. I will try to live my life as an image of him and live out my faith, become closer to the church and God. St. Leo the Great Saint Leo the great was and Italian aristocrat and is the first pope of the Catholic Church to be called The Great. He is best known for meeting Attila the Hun in 452 AD and persuading him to turn back on the invasion of Western Europe. He is also known for being called the Doctor of the Church. St. Leos date of birth is still unknown to this day, but he was born in Tuscany, in Northern France, but refers to Rome and his home town. But it is said that his family moved to Rome when he was very young. The earliest information about Saint Leo being part of the churchs clergy when he was a deacon under Pope Celestine I. While Leo was away on a civil mission to bring peace to France, Pope Sixtus III on August 19, 440. As the people of Rome knew of Leos care and love for the individual souls, Leo was voted by the people to be their bishop. But when the people asked Leo to come back to Rome the Holy Spirit was working through all the faithful, so when Leo came back he was anointed Pope of Rome. He was elected on September 9, 440 AD and would reign as pope for the next 21 years. As pope of the Rome Leo labored constantly to protect the integrity of Faith by waging wars, taking strenuous actions against regions, and ordered to correct the errors of countries in Spain. He did all of this because he cared about the people and the faithful. He wanted them to have the most loving gift of all and that was the teachings of Christ that was handed down by the apostles. He continued to do this by defending the unity of the Catholic Church and with constancy strove to teach all men who were doctrines to lead their souls to the greatest fulfillment of salvation. Pope Leo the Greats pontificate was a continuous period of tireless effort directed at upholding the unity of the Church as the people thought. But after this he did much more. He cared about the Church so much that he tried his hardest to stop invasions in order to save more lives. Such as when he went to Atilla the Hun in 452 and persuading him with all his power to turn back on the invasion of Western Europe. Legend has it that Attila, on looking above St. Leo, saw in a vision that Saints Peter and Paul would support the Popes wishes, which struck him with fear. One of his most important persuasions was with Genseric the Vandal, who had captured the city of Rome. But thanks to Pope Leos intervention the Vandals didnt even touch Rome by not hurting or killing anyone or even taking down the Churches. Pope Saint Leo the Great certainly possessed true care and love for the Church. He submitted his whole heart to Christ, labored to lead others into committing themselves into the See of Peter, and used all his influence to maintain the unity of the Church. If you ask me I would say Saint Leo the Great modeled his life after the sixth Beatitude, which proclaims, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. He has a connection between purity of heart and of faith. He exemplifies love of truth and orthodoxy of faith. In 1754 Benedict XIV exalted St. Leo to the dignity of Doctor of the Church. Not quite two centuries later, Pope Pius XII, in a sermon given on October 12, 1952, noted that Pope Saint Leo is the greatest among the great. Saint Martin of Tours Saint Martin of Tours was born around the time 317 A.D in modern-day Hungary. Martins father was a senior officer in the Roman Army; he was stationed in Ticinum, Cisalpine Gaul (now Pavia, Italy) where Martin grew up. Later, in Martins pre-teen years, he found God and took charge of his religious life. Martin learned many things about God and started on his way to becoming a saint. When Martin was ten years old he went to the church against his parents and became a candidate for baptism. His parents were very upset with him because he went against their wishes. When Martin was fifteen years old, because his father was a retired officer, Martin was required to join the army. While Martin was stationed in Amiens, he experienced the vision that is most remembered today. He was at the gates of the city of Amiens with his soldiers when he met a scarcely dressed beggar. He automatically cut his own military cloak in half and shared it with the beggar. That night he dreamed of Jesus wearing the half-cloak Martin had given away. He heard Jesus say to the angels: Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptized; he has clad me. (Sulpicius, ch 2). This dream confirmed Martins fidelity. He was then baptized at the age of eighteen. Later Martin thought his faith prohibited him from fighting and shouted I am a soldier of Christ. I cannot fight. He was charged of cowardice and put in jail. Martin followed the way of the Lord and always served others. Some of the things he was known for were that he was against poverty and did everything he could to help the less fortunate. Some emblems that remind us of him are trees, beggars, soldiers and cloaks. He was known for many great deeds and acts of charity and kindness. Martin died on November 8, 397, in Candes, Gaul (modern-day France). Martin of Tours was just over eighty when he died. He is the patron Saint of beggars and soldiers. We celebrate his feast day on November 11th. Prayer: God, Your Bishop Saint Martin glorified You by both his life and death. Renew in us Your grace, so that neither death nor life can separate us from Your love. Amen Saint John the Baptist But He who acts in truth comes into the light, to make clear that his deeds are done in God. (Luke 3:21) Saint John was the cousin of Jesus. He was a baptizer. He was born to the people named Elizabeth and Zachariah. He had many duties such as; being the first baptizer, writing a gospel ect He told the people to repent and that the Lord is upon them. But his cry was not answered by many passing people. John was often mistaken for the Messiah. He was very holy, and spread Gods word so well that he was called The Anointed One. You yourselves are witnesses to the fact that I said: I am not the Messiah; I am sent before Him.'(Luke 3:28) To be a saint you have to have humility, you have to be willing to die for your faith. You have to be open to the fact that you have to make sacrifices to be a soldier of Christ. He took His chance and became that soldier and was the first priest, and was the first leader to baptize someone. He had a lot of weight on his shoulders that day. The cousin of the Lord being asked to baptize someone when you have no idea what to do. He had to be brave to be that kind of person. In current life today we should be Johns. We should be able to die for our faith and give it all up for the Lord. We were all sent by God to do his will and to be the messengers for his faith. We are to live by example and be the little Johns of the world. If we love and care for Jesus and God then we should be able to understand how we are part of the great plan of salvation. From John, we can learn that we just cant sit here and wait for miracles to happen, we need to write of the Lords love, sing of the Lords love, be the Lords love. Saint Anthony the Abbot Saint Anthony the Abbot was born in 251 at Heracleus, Egypt. He is also known by many names such as Abba Antonius, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, and Anthony the Anchorite. Anthony grew up in a wealthy family. He lived a good childhood and a healthy life. But unexpectedly everything changed. When he was about 20 years old his parents unexpectedly died. He ensured that his sister got a good education and that was about all he could do. But then the lord spoke to him and said If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell, what thou hast, and give to the poor. After Anthony heard this he gave away all of his possessions and started his holy life in the desert. He lived as a hermit in an old abandoned fort for more than 20 years praying in solitude. But the devil tried to tempt him many times and he never gave in to its temptations. But he wasnt always alone. Many followers and admirers came into his fort. He healed many of the sick who came and was also a spiritual counselor for others. He had so many disciples following him that he had to build two monasteries! A lot of people helped him by weaving baskets and making brushes for him which made him the patron of those 2 trades. Saint Anthony was also the patron saint of grave diggers and people who work with pigs. He was patron of gravediggers because he buried an Anchorite which was someone who walled themselves up to be alone in prayer. He was patron of pigs because he used pork to reduce inflammation and itching. An artist drew a picture of him with a pig and someone took it as Anthony being the patron saint of pigs. In 311 Anthony shortly left his fort to go fight Arianism in Alexandria. He also left to comfort the victims of the persecutions at Maximinus. While he was out of his fort he met his sister. It turns out she had also become a holy person and chosen to become a nun. Anthony did return to the desert but he did not return to his fort. He retired in a cave in Mount Colzim. Saint Anthony also knew some other saints. During the later part of his life he became good friends with Saint Paul the Hermit. And his biography was written by Saint Athanasius of Alexandria. He also founded a religious order of hermits. Saint Anthony died at Mount Colzim in 356 due to natural causes. Many people still follow his influences to this day. His order of hermits is still around. People give away possessions to help others. He was canonized by the Pre-Congregation which is where saints are canonized by local church officials so no one knows the exact canonization date. Saint Dominic Saint Dominic is the founder of the Order of Preachers, more commonly known as the Dominican Order. He is also the patron saint of astronomers and the Dominican Republic. Close friends with our patron, Saint Francis of Assisi, he was born into a very re