BIG C CATHOLICS

Memorial - August 14th I prayed very hard to Our Lady to tell me what would happen to me. She appeared, holding in her hands two crowns, one white, one red. She asked if I would like to have them—one was for purity, the other for martyrdom. I said, ‘I choose both.’ She smiled and disappeared.” St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe was only 10 years old when he experienced this vision of Our Lady near his poor family home in Zduńska Wola, Poland. In time, both crowns would come to pass for him, and always the Blessed Mother would be by his side as he received them. Born Raymund Kolbe in 1894, Maximilian entered the Conventual Franciscans in 1907, just three years a er his encounter with Mary; when he professed his first vows in 1911 at the age of 16, he took the name Maximilian. At the profession of his final vows in 1914, he also adopted the name “Mary” in order to show his devotion to the Mother of God. It was while he was0 studying for his doctorate in theology in Rome in 1919 that Ko

Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) Christ’s resurrection from the dead immediately caused controversy brought on by those who sought to suppress that event. That controversy continues even in our time some 2000 years later. There are those in our own times who for their own various reasons want to discredit the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The leaders of ISIS torture and put to death Christians who, like the Apostles, are witnesses to the resurrected Christ. Just the apostles told the members of the Sanhedrin, Christians in the Middle East are by their lives saying: “we are witnesses of these things.” Christ’s resurrection from the dead just won’t go away. The immediate reaction of the Jewish religious authorities is presented to us in the first reading of today’s Mass where it is reported: When the captain and the court officers had brought the apostles in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, the high

Bishop Anba Angaelos General Bishop of the Coptic Church in the United Kingdom For decades we have witnessed the systematic intimidation, persecution, abduction, and even execution of Christians and minorities in the Middle East, but the horrific murder of 21 Coptic Christians in Libya... had a significant and marked effect on millions around the world; it seemed that even evil had a line it should not cross. The Egyptians and their friend from Ghana who were brutally murdered, were not statesmen, religious leaders, activists or spokesmen; but ordinary men from Egyptian villages working to support their families. Those who took their lives sought not only to victimize and disempower them, but to be triumphalist and instill fear in them and in the hearts and minds of all who witnessed this crime. What resulted however was a vision of honour, dignity and resilience demonstrated by these 21 men as they faced the final moments of their lives, with their heads raised, and their

Feast Day -  March 10th  (Scotland) March 11th, is the feast of Saint John Ogilvie (1579 – 1615), born in 1579, at Drum, Scotland. Walter Ogilvie was a Scottish noble who raised his son John in the state religion of Scotland, Calvinism. The Ogilvie family was partly Catholic and partly Presbyterian. John eventually converted to Catholicism at the age of 17 in Louvain, Belgium. He initially studied with the Benedictines, but joined the Jesuits in 1597, and was ordained in Paris in 1610. He was then sent to Rouen. Two French Jesuit missionaries returning from Scotland told him of the blatant persecution of Catholics there. He repeatedly requested assignment to Scotland where wholesale massacres of Catholics had taken place, but by this point the oppressors were searching more for priests than for those who attended Mass. The Jesuits were determined to minister to the oppressed Catholic laity. When captured, they were tortured for information, then hanged, drawn, and brutally q

Optional Memorial - March 7th Women have always been important witnesses to the faith and to the sacredness and value of human life. On March 7th the Church honors Saints Perpetua and Felicity, two young mothers of the 3rd century who were martyred because they refused to renounce their Christian beliefs. They are mentioned in the first Eucharistic prayer at Mass and where highly venerated by the early Church. Saint Perpetua was born around 181 A.D. She was a 20-year-old married, well-educated noblewoman, who followed the path of her mother and was baptized a Christian. Her co-martyr, Felicity, was an expectant mother and catechumen who according to tradition was Perpetua’s slave. They both suffered at Carthage in the Roman province of Africa during the reign of Emperor Septimus in 203 A.D. After their arrest and imprisonment, Perpetua and Felicity were led to the amphitheater together alongside fellow professed Christians Revocatus, Felicitas, Saturninus, Secundulus and Satur

Memorial - January 21st  (In 2018, this feast is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.) Saint Agnes is numbered among the most famous martyrs of the early Church. When the Diocletian persecution was at its height, and when priests as well as laymen were apostatizing from the faith, Agnes freely chose to die for Christ. When she was commanded to offer incense to false gods, she raised her hand to God and made the Sign of the Cross. The following is excerpted from a reflection by Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois on St. Agnes’ great courage and enduring example: ______________________________________________________ St. Agnes of Rome: Her Life & Faithful Witness By Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois "Little is known of St. Agnes. She died as a martyr in Rome somewhere near the beginning of the fourth century, only 12 or 13 at her death. Legend has it she was a very beautiful girl whom many men wanted to marry. She, however, had promised God to remain a virgin and to seek a life of

Optional Memorial - January 20th  The name of Sebastian is enveloped in a wreath of legends. The oldest historical account of the saint is found in a commentary on the psalms by St. Ambrose; the passage reads: "Allow me to propose to you the example of the holy martyr Sebastian. By birth he was a Milanese. Perhaps the persecutor of Christians had left Milan, or had not yet arrived, or had become momentarily more tolerant. Sebastian believed that here there was no opportunity for combat, or that it had already passed. So he went to Rome, the scene of bitter opposition arising from the Christians' zeal for the faith. There he suffered, there he gained the crown." St. Sebastian was widely venerated during the Middle Ages, particularly as a protector against the plague. Paul the Deacon relates that in 670 a great pestilence at Rome ceased when an altar was dedicated in his honor. The Breviary account of the saint is highly legendary; in part it reads: "Diocl

Optional Memorial - January 20th  Openness to the Holy Spirit is integral to the selection of the supreme pontiff. The Third Person of the Trinity guides the solemn proceedings. Indeed, the Mass that opens a papal conclave is meant, not merely to mark the start of a momentous decision and most serious process, but to prepare the hearts and minds of the participants to hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit in selecting the new pope. So imagine a conclave in which a dove literally lands upon the head of someone—and a layperson at that—who has journeyed to Rome to see who will become the next pope. Such was the case in 236 A.D. when a simple farmer named Fabian was unanimously chosen to be pontiff because everyone present took the actions of the dove to be a sign from God. The dove is also the symbol of peace, and the first part of Fabian’s papacy was in fact marked by peace. Under Emperor Philip, Fabian was able to expand the Church of Rome without fear of persecution. All

Feast Day – January 18th  According to popular piety, Saint Prisca, also known as Priscilla, was a child martyr of the early Roman Church. Born to Christian parents of a noble family, Prisca was raised during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius. While Claudius did not persecute Christians as fervently as other Roman emperors, Christians still did not practice their faith openly. Prisca's parents went to great lengths to conceal their faith, and thus, were not suspected of being Christians. Prisca, however, did not feel the need to take precaution. The young girl openly professed her dedication to Christ, and eventually, she was reported to the emperor. Claudius had her arrested, and commanded her to make a sacrifice to Apollo, the pagan god of the sun. Tradition tells how, Prisca refused, and was tortured for disobeying. Suddenly, a bright, yellow light shone about her, and she appeared luminous like a little star. Claudius ordered that Prisca be taken away to pris

Memorial - January 17th  It is interesting that someone who once hoped to be a martyr would instead live to be 105 years old — thus it was with Saint Anthony (or Antony) of Egypt. Born in the year 251, he would not only live through the last of the persecutions of Christians by the Roman Empire, but he would then go on to fight the heresy of Arianism and eventually become known as “the father of monasticism.” Anthony was born in Coma, Egypt, to affluent parents who died when he was only 20 years old.  Left with a substantial material inheritance, it would be the spiritual foundation that his family had impressed upon him which would have the greatest influence on his life. Not long after their death, Anthony heard a Gospel reading at church that he felt was spoken directly to him: “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven.”  (Mt 19:21) Much like St. Francis of Assisi, Anthony took this Scripture passage qui

Optional Memorial - January 9th  Saint Julian and Saint Basilissa, although married, lived, by mutual consent, in perpetual chastity; they sanctified themselves by the most perfect exercises of an ascetic life, and employed their revenues in relieving the poor and the sick. For this purpose they converted their house into a kind of hospital, in which they sometimes entertained a thousand poor people. Basilissa attended the women in separate lodgings from the men; these were taken care of by her husband Julian. At that time, the imperial governor Marcian had constructed pagan idols in Egypt, many of which [according to popular piety} were destroyed by the prayer of the two saints. Because of their Christian faith, professed Christians were horribly persecuted and killed. Some sources report that Basilissa died a martyr. Others contend that, after enduring seven brutal persecutions, she died in peace. Julian survived her many years and received holy martyrdom, together with Celsu

(In 2017, this feast is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.)  December 31st is the optional memorial of Saint Sylvester I, the 4th century pope and confessor, whose papacy saw the end of the initial period of Christian persecution. He guided the Church during the reign of Emperor Constantine when the Arian heresy and the Donatist schism had lead to great discord. He convened the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and oversaw the building of Rome’s magnificent Basilicas. Only a strong and wise man could have preserved the autonomy of the Church in the face of such a looming and powerful figure that was Constantine. _____________________________________________________ Saint Sylvester, a native Roman, was chosen by God to govern His Church during the initial years of her temporal prosperity and the triumph over her persecuting enemies. Pope Melchiades died in January, 314, and Sylvester was chosen as his successor. He governed the Church for over twenty-one years, ably organizing the

The persecution of Christians is worse now than at any time in history. According to some estimates, every five minutes, a Christian is martyred for his faith. More and more, those who believe in Christ are endangered, singled out for hate and systematic genocide. Worldwide, Christians have experienced more persecution in the last five years than in the previous six hundred years combined. Those in the West are besieged by a militant secularism that is openly hostile to Christianity. With the astonishing escalation in Christian persecution unseen seen since the 1st century, the heroic death of Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr, after nearly two millennia, speaks to the Church today. Art critic William Newton, writing for The Federalist , considers several interesting works of art that tell the story of St. Stephen, in " Saint Stephen’s Day Is A Moment To Reflect On Our Witness And Immortality ". The works span much of the so called "Dark Ages", and refl

Feast Day - December 26th  It is an interesting point about human nature that we desire to know the truth — as long as it confirms what we, ourselves, already believe and do. That is why it is often dangerous to be a prophet, a speaker of the real truth as God sees it. The words of such a person are not always greeted with joy, but often with anger, suspicion, indignity and sometimes, even violence. Such was the case of Saint Stephen, whose story is told in the Acts of the Apostles, chapters six and seven. We know very little of Stephen’s life prior to this mention in the Scriptures, but much can be inferred about him from what is written there. At this time, in the very early history of the Church, there were practical issues that had arisen that needed to be addressed. One of these concerned charitable efforts, namely, the distribution of alms to the Hellenist, or Greek-speaking Christian widows; it was alleged that they were being neglected in favor of those who spoke Hebre

Memorial - December 13th  Saint Lucy of Syracuse, also known as St. Lucia, was a third century/early fourth century Christian martyr who died during the persecution ordered by Diocletian. Lucy chose to be a Christian at a time when Christianity was illegal. She sold all her worldly riches and gave her life to the poor After resisting the advances of a Roman soldier, she was denounced as a Christian to Paschasius, the governor of Sicily, and brutally executed. Lucy is one of eight women, who together with the Blessed Virgin Mary, are commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. __________________________________________ The Courageous Virtue and Holy Martyrdom of St. Lucy Today's feast can easily be harmonized with Advent themes. The very name Lucy pulsates with light, a living symbol amid the season's darkness (the days are now the shortest of the year). As a wise virgin Lucy advances with a burning lamp to meet the Bridegroom. She typifies the Church and t

December 6th is the optional memorial of Saint Nicholas, (270-343) also called Nikolaos of Myra, (present day Demre, Turkey) known for his tireless generosity and defense of orthodoxy. Although we have few facts about this 4th century bishop, the many stories about him preserved by tradition and popular piety together with the widespread devotion the faithful have expressed toward him across many times and cultures, give us a glimpse into the holiness of the man. He was born into a wealthy family during the latter part of the 3rd century in what is now the southern coast of Turkey; his parents, devout Christians, died in an epidemic when Nicholas was still a very young man. As a result, he suddenly found himself in possession of a fairly substantial fortune. However, rather than keep his money, he obeyed Jesus’ command to “sell all you have and give it to the poor” and distributed his wealth to the poorest and neediest around him. Nicholas was ordained a priest and was subsequen

The feast of Saint Edmund Campion (1540-1581), the Jesuit priest and English martyr, is celebrated on December 1st. He was born the son of a bookseller in Paternoster row, just behind Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. He grew up amid the religious strife of the 16th century following the dispute between King Henry VIII and Rome. He is venerated among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Campion enrolled in the local grammar school and then, at age 12, attended the new Christ's Hospital school for orphans and the poor. In August 1553, he was selected to deliver a ceremonial address to Queen Mary as she passed through London. Campion was able academically and went to St John's College, Oxford, at the age of 15. He was awarded a degree in 1564 and became a fellow of the University. In 1566, he was again chosen to make a formal speech of welcome before the new Queen, Elizabeth I, as she visited Oxford. Much impressed with Campion, Queen Elizabeth ensured he had friends and

In late 2014, an online book began circulating in jihadist circles entitled, Black Flags from Rome . It discusses the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in Europe with the expressed goal of sacking Rome and destroying the Vatican. Stressing Muslim grievances against the West, including the Crusades,  Black Flags from Rome states: "the Islamic State’s secret weapon = secret white converts," and "recruits" sympathetic to their cause "will give intelligence, share weapons and do undercover work for the Muslims to pave the way for the conquest of Rome." Islamic militants frequently threaten the Pope and symbols of Catholicism . A pro-ISIS media group, the Wafa' Media Foundation, recently told its followers: "The Crusaders' feast is approaching... show them the meaning of terrorism." The message includes a chilling image of smoke rising from Rome with a fighter jet overhead and a jihadist standing next to the sort of makeshift armore

On November 24th the Church celebrates the memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, a 19th century Vietnamese priest and companions, who lost their lives for the Faith. St. Andrew was one of 117 people who were martyred in Vietnam between 1820 and 1862. The last of these martyrs were 17 laypersons, one of them a 9-year-old, executed in 1862. The suffering they endured was barbaric. Christianity came to Vietnam through the Portuguese. Jesuits opened the first permanent mission at Da Nang in 1615. They ministered to Japanese Catholics who had been driven from Japan. The emperor Minh-Mang, banned all foreign missionaries and commanded Vietnamese Catholics to renounce their religion by trampling on a crucifix. Their churches were destroyed and catechesis forbidden. Christians were branded on the face with the words ta dao (false religion) and Christian families and villages were destroyed. Like the priest holes in Ireland during English persecution, many Catholics were offered sanctuary

Father Miguel Pro was a courageous witness to the Faith during his government’s brutal oppression of Catholicism. His magnanimity in death earned him the crown of martyrdom and renown among Mexican Catholics and those across the world. On November 23rd, the Church celebrates his remarkable devotion and example. ______________________________________ José Ramón Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez, also known as Blessed Miguel Pro, the eldest son of Miguel Pro and Josefa Juarez, was born in Guadalupe, Mexico, on January 12, 1891, into a wealthy family. His father was a mining executive in the state of Zacatecas. As a young boy, he was distinguished for his great sense of humor and personal piety. He wrote comics, played the guitar and was especially attuned to the poor. These qualities would help him immensely throughout his priestly ministry. Miguel was particularly close to his older sister, who joined a cloistered convent. This prompted him to discern his own calling to religious life.