BIG C CATHOLICS

(In 2017, this feast is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.)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

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

May 2nd, is the memorial of Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296 – 373), the 4th century bishop, theologian, and Doctor of the Church who as a revered pillar of the Faith championed orthodoxy and the divinity of Christ against the heretical Arius (hence his title "Arius' ablest enemy"). He is a venerated Church Father. Most Catholics today have little idea what the term “Arianism” means. In the 4th century, however, it was the most pernicious heresy ever to be promulgated, and it threatened to destroy the Church's most essential beliefs about Jesus Christ. Arius, for whom the heresy is named, was a priest in Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 3rd century. He believed that, although Jesus was Lord and Savior, he was not equal to God the Father, but was merely the highest of all God’s creatures. In short, Arius denied the divinity of Christ. His teaching had divided the Church. Enter St. Athanasius. He too, was from Alexandria, having become Patriarch Archbishop