BIG C CATHOLICS

Optional Memorial - December 29th  There was a time in England when being a friend of the king could easily lead to martyrdom. Such was the case of Saint Thomas Becket, whose 12th-century conflict with Henry II would result in his murder at the hand of the king’s men in the Cathedral at Canterbury. In so doing Becket went from being "a patron of play-actors and a follower of hounds" to become an heroic "shepherd of souls." Born in 1118, Thomas was appointed Archdeacon of Canterbury in 1154, and became Lord Chancellor of England the following year. When the Archbishop of Canterbury died in 1162, King Henry II saw an opportunity to solidify the crown’s control of the Church, and made his good friend Thomas the next archbishop. But Thomas, who had accepted the position reluctantly, turned out to be more loyal to his Church than to his king. After thwarting the king once too often, Henry reportedly said, "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?&qu

We are posting belatedly about Saint Swithin (or St Swithun), the 9th century saint perhaps best known for a meteorological prediction which is supposed to take place on his feast day, July 15th. Here is the ancient rhyme responsible: St Swithin’s Day, if it does rain Full forty days, it will remain St Swithin’s Day, if it be fair For forty days, t’will rain no more According to traditional folklore whatever the weather is like on that day, whether rainy or sunny, it will continue for the next 40 days and 40 nights. The likelihood that this proverb is an accurate predictor of weather is slim, although occasionally the jet stream cooperates giving some degree of veracity to the ancient formula. What little we do know about St. Swithin is that he was born in Wessex, England sometime in the 9th century and was educated at the old monastery at Winchester. He was subsequently ordained there and became chaplain to King Egbert of the West Saxons. At the time, Winchester was the kingdo