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ST. JOHN the EVANGELIST CCD
Grades:  Kindergarten through Junior High
Phone: 916 -483-4628
Email: ccd@sjecarmichael.org

July 3

In addition to celebrating Independence Day on Monday, July 4, we should also celebrate the feast day of St. Elizabeth of Portugal, who always led a pious life, and helped all those in need of help: pilgrims, strangers, and the sick and the poor. Elizabeth was born on January 4, 1271, into the royal house of Aragon. Her father was Peter III, King of Aragon, and her mother was Constance of Sicily, who was the sister of three kings: King James II of Aragon, King Alfonso II of Aragon, and Frederick III of Sicily. In addition, she was the great niece of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, her namesake. Even in her early years, Elizabeth was self-disciplined, and she said the full Divine Office daily, fasted, and observed many penances. When Elizabeth was only ten years old, in 1281, her father arranged a marriage for her to King Denis of Portugal, and then, in 1288, their wedding ceremony was performed. The very beautiful and lovable Elizabeth was a holy wife, who continued her devout Catholic life attending Mass and praying daily. She and King Denis had two children: Constance, who eventually became the Queen of Castile, and Afonso, who was later crowned, King Afonso IV of Portugal. Her husband, King Denis, was a statesman, poet, and ecologist, who had a large pine forest planted to prevent local soil degradation. Although her husband respected Elizabeth’s religious devotion, he led a sinful life of spousal abuse and adultery. Eventually, Elizabeth’s prayerful life and her patience transformed her husband’s sinful and often scandalous life. She had long prayed for King Denis to find peace with God. Truthfully, Elizabeth’s sweetness of disposition was one of her greatest assets. This quality was totally evident when Elizabeth not only cared for her own children, but also for King Denis’ illegitimate children. At all times, she provided for the proper education of these children as well as her own. Her sweet, peaceful attitude enabled Elizabeth to be a conciliator during the negotiations of the Treaty of Alcanices in 1297, in which the borders between Castile and Portugal were defined. Then in 1304, Queen Elizabeth entered into additional negotiations between her brother King James II of Aragon and her husband King Denis. When her own son Afonso accused his father of favoring his illegitimate son, and King Denis suspected that Elizabeth favored the Infante, a Civil War ensued between 1322 and 1324. She again became the peacemaker, and in 1323 knowing that her husband wanted to kill their son, Elizabeth actually mounted a mule positioning herself between both opposing armies on the field of Alvalade to prevent battle. Afterwards, peace followed, when in 1324 the illegitimate son was sent into exile, and the Infante swore his loyalty to his father. Throughout her married life, Elizabeth consistently acted as a social worker in her kingdom. She established hostels for pilgrims as well as travelers. Likewise, she provided shelter for the poor and homeless, and she paid for the doweries of girls who were poor. Elizabeth founded a house for penitent women, and an orphanage. King Denis became crucially ill in 1324, and the good Queen Elizabeth then devoted all her time to her husband, never leaving his room except to attend Mass. His illness was tedious and long, and during this period, King Denis repented for his sins during his seriously disordered life. Finally, he apologized to Elizabeth in front of everyone, dying a holy death in 1325. For the next eleven years, Elizabeth was even more involved in her charity work. She entered the Poor Clare Convent at Coimbra. Then she joined the Third Order of St. Francis, living in a house near the convent, and she devoted the rest of her life to the poor and sick. Without fail, Elizabeth continued contributing to society. She was not only a benefactor of various hospitals (Coimbra, Santarem, and Leiria ) and of religious projects, but she also paid for the education of the poor, and she distributed gifts to them. Elizabeth gave up most of her wealth to take care of the needy. Then in 1336, Elizabeth was once again called to mediate a dispute between her son King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile. Having arrived at Estremoz, on the frontier of Castile where her son was, Elizabeth caused the terms of peace to be arranged. Due to this exertion, Elizabeth fell ill and died on July 4,1336, at the age of sixty-six. On May 25, 1625, Pope Urban VIII canonized St. Elizabeth of Portugal. Her clear mind, steady spirit, deep love and sympathy for humankind, and her brave soul enabled her to promote peace.
OUR PRAYER: GOD, THE AUTHOR OF PEACE AND LOVER OF CHARITY, YOU ENDOWED ST. ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL WITH THE WONDEROUS GRACE OF BRINGING DISSIDENTS TOGETHER. THROUGH HER INTERCESSION, ENABLE ALL OF US TO PRACTICE WORKS OF PEACE, SO THAT WE MAY BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD. AMEN

Yours in Christ,
Mrs. Joanne Giffard, CCD/Religious Education Coordinator          ccd@sjecarmichael.org