St. Jeanne de Lestonnac (Dec. 27 1556 to Feb. 2, 1640)

"I am innocent of this man's blood. Look to it yourselves."
(In front of the crowd, Pontius Pilate washed his hands.
St. Matthew 27:24)

This morning, I sent a former co-worker, "Violet," a text message that said: "Happy Birthday!"
I got several responses back which included: "I'm a little banged up. The baby is okay. Warrant out on him. He forgot who was in control of the situation. Thought he was gonna cheat on me and smack me around when I got pissed about it. I don't think he'll come after me though. I think he's just as happy to wash his hands of me and another kid he won't have to take care of. A--hole."
"Violet" is 32, single, and pregnant. I haven't seen her in a year and a half since she was let go from her job at the company I'm employed at. We still keep in touch on birthdays and holidays, although I only saw her once outside of work when we went to see a Mexican mystic in Providence.
In this modern day of text messaging, "Violet" is using a term coined when Christ was still alive, and referred to in the quote above.
It's horrifying that this type of abuse exists and it involves an unborn child.
St. Jeanne de Lestonnac is one of the many patron saints of abuse victims.
She was born in Bordeaux, France on Dec. 27, 1556. She married Baron de Montferrand-Landiras and had a total of eight children. After her husband, father, uncle, and oldest son died, she felt a calling to God.
St. Jeanne de Lestonnac founded the order of the Company of Mary Our Lady. She died on Feb. 2, 1640. Canonized: 1949. Her feast day is May 15 and her body is still incorrupt.
Although, the saints are here to help, I hope that "Violet" seeks a more immediate and practical approach to her problem. When she finds out the sex of the baby in September, I offered to help her with clothes shopping and in general just be someone she can talk to.
We don't always make the best choices in life and in "Violet's" case I hope that she receives the help she needs so that she and her baby can have the abundant life they deserve.

St. Monica (c.322 to 387)

I'm fortunate that no one in my family has ever had a drinking problem. Maybe that's why I hadn't heard about Alcoholics Anonymous until I was in my thirties.
But, I've encountered enough people that say they haven't had a drink in 15 or 20 years and that makes me wonder how anyone could be so dependent on something that they have to eliminate it entirely from their lives. I hear just as many recovering alcoholics talk about going to meetings every week in order to function.
My idea is, instead of sitting in a church basement or library, why not invoke St. Monica, the patron saint of alcoholics into one's life? She is more powerful than any Alcoholics Anonymous leader. How do I know this? I pray to saints and they never fail to help me.
St. Monica was born in Northern Africa c.322. Perhaps her connection to alcohol is that as a child she made frequent visits to the family wine cellar. When hired help told her parents what she was doing, St. Monica was ashamed and immediately stopped drinking.
Years later she married a violent pagan. She was a patient, religious person and she dealt with her horrible husband as best she could. It paid off. Just before his death, he became a Christian.
St. Monica was the mother of St. Augustine of  Hippo, the brilliant theologian and philosopher. She died in 387 in Ostia, Rome and her feast day is Aug. 27. St. Monica is the patron saint of alcoholics and abuse victims.