BIG C CATHOLICS

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

Feast Day - December 16th  Perhaps the most prominent European woman of the 10th century through her marriage to the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto the Great of Germany, St. Adelaide was a remarkable figure. The daughter of King Rudolph II of Burgundy, she was born in 931, in Burgundy, France. Adelaide was promised in marriage when she was only two to Lothaire, the son of the ruler of Provence, to end a political feud. When her husband was murdered by a rival prince, his successor tried to make Adelaide his wife. She refused and was held in captivity until freed by the Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I. On Christmas Day 951, she would marry Otto at Pavia. The marriage consolidated his authority in northern Italy, and in 962 they were solemnly crowned emperor and empress of the realm by Pope John XII in Rome. Adelaide ruled with her husband until his death. Otto died in 973, and for twenty years Adelaide’s life was a turmoil of family and political troubles. Her daughter-in-law, the Byzan

Feast Day - December 12th   When Saint John Paul II declared Our Lady of Guadalupe to be patroness of both Mexico and the Americas, he was not merely acknowledging the miracles that took place on a hill near Mexico City in 1531. He was confirming in a powerful way the lesson that Our Lady had already taught when she chose a poor Indian peasant to be her ambassador of faith. He emphasized that all the Americas — north, south, central and the Caribbean — are one, and that all the peoples therein need to be treated equally. He pointed to the fact that the Blessed Mother, through her appearance as Our Lady of Guadalupe, is the Mary of the Magnificat, who stands with the lowly and the poor. And finally, the Pope reminded us that it was Mary’s wish to invite all people, both those native to Mexico and those who came there from Europe, to a profound conversion together in the name of her Son, Jesus. The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a beautiful one. It began near present-day Mexi

The feast of Saint Sabbas (or Savvas) the Sanctified of Jerusalem is celebrated on December 5th in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. He was born in Cappadocia during the reign of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. The son of devout parents, from a young age he excelled in the spiritual life, prayer and asceticism. At sixteen, he traveled to Jerusalem, to the Monastery of Euthymius the Great, who sent him to the Monastery of the venerable Theoctistus. Here, he advanced in holiness becoming a mentor and shepherd of many desert monks. He was later blessed to seclude himself in a cave. On Saturdays, he would leave his hermitage and come to the monastery, where he participated in the divine services and broke bread with the brethren. In due course, Sabbas received permission not to leave his hermitage at all, and he endured in the cave for five years. After several years, disciples began to gather around him desiring the monastic life. As the number of monks increased, a lav

The Feast of Saint Andrew, one of the twelve apostles selected by Our Lord, is November 30th. Andrew has the distinction of introducing his brother Peter to Jesus, saying, "We have found the Messiah." Overshadowed henceforth by his brother, Andrew nevertheless appears again in the Gospels as introducing souls to Christ. After Pentecost, Andrew took up the apostolate on a much wider scale, and is said to have been martyred at Patras in southern Greece on a cross which was in the form of an "X". This type of cross is known as a "St. Andrew's cross." Andrew did not belong to the inner circle of the apostles, Peter, James and John, and the evangelists record nothing extraordinary concerning him [John 6:8]; but tradition extols his great love for the Cross and for the Savior. The Church distinguishes him in the Mass [his name occurs in the Canon and in the Libera since the time of Pope Saint Gregory I] as well as in the Divine Office. The story of hi

According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, November 28th is the feast day of Saint Saturninus, the early 3rd century bishop. missionary and martyr. Saturninus lived heroic virtue in imitation of Christ. The first named prelate in Gaul, he is called the Apostle to the Gauls. ________________________________________ The Life and Holy Martyrdom of St. Saturninus  Saturninus went from Rome, by direction of Pope Fabian, about the year 245, to preach the faith in Gaul. He fixed his episcopal see at Toulouse, and thus became the first Christian bishop of that city. There were but few Christians in the place. However, their number grew fast after the coming of the Saint; and his power was felt by the spirits of evil, who received the worship of the heathen. His power was felt the more because he had to pass daily through the capitol, the high place of the heathen worship, on the way to his own church. One day a great multitude was ga

Feast Day - November 28th   To call Saint James of the Marches zealous is an understatement. He was born James Gangala into a poor family at Monteprandone, a small town in eastern Italy, in the year 1394. He is called "St. James of the Marches" because he was from the March, or coast of the Adriatic Sea. His personal piety, prayerfulness and powerful sermons in defense of the Faith won innumerable souls to Christ. His lowly origins did not prevent him from studying at the University of Perugia, where he earned doctorates in both civil and canon law. He then went to study theology with Saint John of Capistrano and, at age 22, joined the Franciscans at Assisi. His entry into said Order occurred thusly: When traveling one day near Assisi, James entered the Church of the Portiuncula to pray. Moved by the fervor of the holy men who served God there and by the example of their founder Saint Francis, he petitioned in that very place for the habit of the Order. James soon be

According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII, November 20th is the feast of St. Felix of Valois, the companion of St. John of Matha in founding the Trinitarian Order for the redemption of Muslim captives. St. Felix died in 1212, in Cerfroid. The Trinitarian Order's motto inscribed in the heart of Trinitarians is, "Gloria Tibi Trinitas et captivis libertas." (Glory to you O Trinity and liberty to the captives.) ____________________________________ St. Felix of Valois was born in 1127. Together with St. John of Matha, he founded the Order of Trinitarians for liberating captured Christians from Saracen (Muslim) slavery. He belonged to the royal family of Valois. The breviary recounts several marvelous events from his life. As a boy he frequently gave away his clothes to clothe the naked. He pleaded for the life of a murderer condemned to death and foretold that he would reform and lead a highly edifying life-which proved true. With St. John of Matha he journeye

Historically November 14th is the feast of St. Lawrence O'Toole the Archbishop of Dublin during the takeover of Ireland by the Normans and King Henry II. His efforts in the peace process and his frustration with King Henry probably caused his early death. He is highly honored at Eu in Normandy, France, where he died. Laurence O'Toole was born at Castledermot, Kildare, Ireland, 1128. Laurence’s family had been ousted from their ancient throne by Dermot MacMurrough who was the representative of the usurping line. Dermot was a violent, war-loving, vocal man hated by strangers and feared by his own people. (It was he who would invite King Henry II of England to come and take possession of Ireland.) Nevertheless, Laurence's father had many soldiers, servants, land, and cattle. At age 10, Laurence was sent to Dermot as a hostage to guarantee his father's fidelity to the new order. For a time, he lived in Dermot's castle, until the day his father refused to obey an

November 9th, the Church celebrates the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the oldest and highest ranking of the four major basilicas in Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the diocese of Rome, is the official ecclesiastical seat of the Holy Father, not St. Peter's Basilica as many believe. The Basilica is also called the Church of Holy Savior or the Church of St. John Baptist. In ancient Rome it was where most baptisms occurred. The oldest church in the West, it was built under Constantine and consecrated by Pope St. Sylvester in 324. The feast is a universal celebration in honor of the archbasilica, called "the mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world" ( omnium urbis et orbis ecclesiarum mater et caput ), as a sign of unity with the Holy See. Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois explains the feast's significance, "The paradox of this feast is that while it is true that the people are the Church, our buildings

By Msgr. Bernard Bourgeois  Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 46:1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22 “You are God’s building.” (1 Cor 3:9c) On my list of sacred spaces is St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. In the middle of one of the busiest streets in the world, Fifth Avenue, is an oasis of quiet and a place of prayer. Anyone who spends time there knows that there is always a mix of people in the cathedral. For example, there are tourists on a walking tour of NYC taking pictures inside the magnificent structure. A homeless person is sitting in a pew, sleeping off the exhaustion of the day’s journey. Other people are sitting or kneeling in silent prayer before God. Whatever the person’s reasons for walking into that church, I have never known anyone who hasn’t considered it sacred space. In the hustle and bustle of New York City, a house of worship stands as a sentry, reminding all of the need of sacred space wherein the pilgrim can meet God. Today’s feast i

The history of these holy martyrs, also referred to as the Quattuor Coronati , is very confusing. The Roman Martyrology has this: "At Rome on the Via Lavicana the day of the death of four holy martyrs, the brothers Severus, Severianus, Carpophorus, and Victorinus. Under Emperor Diocletian they were scourged to death with lead rods. Their names were first made known many years later through a divine revelation. As no one knew their names previously, the annual feast day (November 8th) to their honor was celebrated under the title: The Four Crowned Brothers. The designation was retained even after the revelation." The Basilica of the Four Crowned Martyrs also contains the relics of five sculptors who under Diocletian refused to make idols or to venerate sun-god pictures. Reports say they were scourged, placed in led coffins and submerged in a stream (c. 300). According to Christian legend, they were named Claudius, Castorius, Simphorianus and Nicostratus, and were secretl

Historically November 7th is the feast of Saint Willibrord, the 8th century bishop of Utrecht in the Netherlands and Archbishop of Cologne, Germany. He is credited for bringing the Good News of Christ to the pagan Frisians (Germanic peoples living in the Netherlands). As a missionary, confessor and gifted catechist, he spread Christianity throughout the British Isles, Germany and the Netherlands. Willibrord was born in Northumberland, (the northernmost county in England) the son of a godly Englishman named Wilgis, who became a monk, and was a most holy saint. When Willibrord was just twenty, he was already wearing the religious habit. Being accustomed to bearing the yoke of the Lord, he went to Ireland to seek greater perfection in the Faith, studying sacred scripture under Saint Egbert. Somewhere around the age of thirty Willibrord was ordained a priest, and was then sent by St. Egbert to convert the pagans of Friesland, together with eleven companions, men eminent for learning

November begins with the Feast of All Saints followed by the Feast of All Souls on which we remember those who have died and are in Purgatory. Although we may pray for the poor souls throughout the year, the month of November is especially dedicated to praying on their behalf. The solemn Feast of Christ the King is also celebrated, marking the end of one liturgical year and the beginning of another. During November, as in all of Ordinary Time (Time After Pentecost), the Liturgy signifies and expresses the regenerated life from the coming of the Holy Spirit, which is to be spent on the model of Christ's Life and under the direction of His Spirit. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world's. The culmination of the liturgical year is the Feast of Christ the King. "This feast asserts the supreme authority of Christ over human beings and their institutions.... Beyond it we see Advent dawning with its persp

Feast Day - October 28th  However meagre in details is the history of these glorious apostles, we learn from their brief legend how amply they contributed to this great work of generating sons of God. Without any repose, and even to the shedding of their blood, they "edified the body of Christ"; and the grateful Church prays to our Lord today: "O God, through the work of the apostles you have spoken your Word of love, your Son, into our world's deafness. Open our ears to hear; open our hearts to heed; open our will to obey, that we may proclaim the good news with our lives." St. Simon is represented in art with a saw, the instrument of his martyrdom. St. Jude's square points him out as an architect of the house of God. St. Paul called himself by this name; and St. Jude, by his Catholic Epistle, has also a special right to be reckoned among our Lord's principal workmen. But our apostle had another nobility, far surpassing all earthly titles: bein

Feast Day - October 27th Born in Tyre, Lebanon, Frumentius and his brother Aedesius were taken on a voyage to Ethiopia while young by their uncle, Meropius, a Christian. During the journey, the ship was attacked by barbarian pirates while harbored in a city on the Red Sea. The entire crew, with the exception of the two children, were slain, and the ship destroyed. Frumentius and Aedesius were captured as slaves. The two youth were unlike the people of the region in appearance, and as such were given to the king of Axum as a curiosity. He was immediately taken with their youth, beauty, and wit, and installed them as members of his court, seeing to their education, and providing them protection and care. Aedesius would in time become the king’s cup-bearer, and Frumentius his trusted secretary. The brothers grew in faith, serving their king well. On his deathbed, grateful for their service, the king granted the twins their freedom. When the king died, the brothers stayed on as

October 25th in England is the feast of the Forty Holy Martyrs of England and Wales (in Wales this is a memorial), a group of forty men, women, religious, priests, and lay people, canonized by Pope Paul VI on October 25, 1970. Their martyrdoms span the years 1535 to 1679. Four distinct waves of persecution occurred. The first followed the passing of the First Act of Supremacy (1534) when Henry VIII broke with Rome. John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, and Henry’s chancellor, Sir Thomas More, were executed in 1535 along with several religious. The second wave came after 1570. Pope Pius V, believing that Queen Elizabeth I, the daughter of Anne Boleyn, was illegitimate and had no right to the throne, issued a papal bull Regnans in excelsis excommunicating her and absolving all her subjects from allegiance to her and her laws. This was a real dilemma for Catholics especially if they were asked the infamous "bloody question": if there was an invasion from the Pope, which would

According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, October 25th is the feast of Saints Chrysanthus and Daria. As husband and wife they carried on an active apostolate among the noble families of Rome during the 3rd century. Denounced as devout Christians, they would undergo various tortures before being buried alive in a sandpit in the year 283. According to legend these two saints belonged to the nobility. Daria received baptism through the efforts of her husband Chrysanthus. In Rome they brought many to the faith, for which cause they were cruelly martyred. Chrysanthus was denounced as a Christian to Claudius, the tribune’s leader. Chrysanthus' attitude under torture so impressed Claudius that he and his wife, Hilaria, two sons, and many of his soldiers became Christians, wherein the Emperor had them all slain. Chrysanthus was sewn inside an ox's hide and placed where the sun shone hottest. Taken to a house of ill-fame, Daria was

The Roman Martyrology includes these twin brother martyrs for October 25th. Saint Crispin was a Roman noble and brother of Saint Crispinian with whom he evangelized Gaul in the middle of the 3rd century. They worked from Soissons, preached in the streets by day and made shoes by night. The group's charity, piety and contempt of material things impressed the locals, and many converted in the years of their ministry. They were martyred in Rome in 286 by torture and beheading, under emperor Maximian Herculeus, being tried by Rictus Varus, governor of Belgic Gaul and an enemy of Christianity. A great church was built at Soissons in the 6th century in their honor; Saint Eligius ornamented their shrine. This feast was immortalized by Shakespeare in his play Henry V, (Act 4, Scene 3). The king gave a rousing speech (called "Saint Crispin's Day) extolling his troops on the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, fought on this day in 1415: This story shall the good man teach his s

According to the 1962 Missal of Saint John XXIII, October 21st is the feast of Saint Hilarion, the 3rd century monastic famous for his miracles and sanctity. Born to pagan parents, he studied in Alexandria, becoming a Christian at age 15. Following the example of Saint Anthony in Egypt, he became a hermit instructed by Anthony himself. Hilarion is the father of monasticism in Palestine and Syria. St. Hilarion was born at Tabatha near Gaza, Palestine, in the year 291. His pagan parents sent him, while still a youth, to study at Alexandria. He was remarkable for his diligence and good manners, and soon became a convert to Christianity, making great progress in faith and charity. He was zealous in visiting churches, in fasting and prayer, in scorning all earthly joys and pleasures. Lured by the fame of St. Anthony, he entered the desert and for two months was his disciple. While absent, his parents died. Now Hilarion gave all he had to the poor, and although hardly 15 years old, he