BIG C CATHOLICS

For many of us, practicing our Catholic faith is a relatively safe thing to do. We may suffer some types of persecution in the form of harsh words or the ridicule of others, but seldom are we called upon to expressly give up our lives rather than renounce our faith in Christ and His teachings. That is perhaps why the example of martyrs reminds us of what faith can cost, and helps us avoid being complacent or taking for granted our own freedom to worship God as we see fit. Martyrdom is not something that ended with the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th century; it is a fact even in modern times. One such story of a martyr’s courage comes to us from the country of Uganda, where 22 men and young boys suffered violent deaths rather than submit to a ruler whose demands were contrary to what they devoutly believed to be the will of God. In the late 19th century, a group of priests from the Society of Missionaries of Africa—also known as the White Fathers because of the

June 2nd, is the optional memorial of 4th century martyrs Saints Marcellinus and Peter. They converted numerous souls to Christ, even while imprisoned during the brutal persecution of Christians ordered by Roman Emperor Diocletian. According to tradition, the incarcerated Peter freed the daughter of the pagan prison-keeper (Artemius) from a demon through prayer. This led to the baptism of Artemius’ entire household by the priest Marcellinus. Even in death, Sts. Marcellinus and Peter won souls for God after the discovery of their tomb and the conversion of their executioner. The following is an account of their final days and martyrdom. _________________________________________ The Holy Martyrdoms of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter Peter, an exorcist, was cast into prison at Rome, under the emperor Diocletian, by the judge Serenus, for confessing the Christian faith. He there set free Paulina, the daughter of Artemius, the keeper of the prison, from an evil spirit which tormente

Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut (In many dioceses the Solemnity of the Ascension  was celebrated on Thursday. This homily is based on the readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter.) ( Click here for today’s readings ) There is a saying you may have heard, which goes, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would they find enough evidence to convict you?” I don’t much like it, actually, because of its accusatory tone, but it certainly fits the context of today’s second reading from 1 Peter, which reflects a time when believers were in fact being punished for the crime of being Christians. There are not a lot of reliable statistics about the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, but there is ample evidence of the fact. For example, Pliny the Younger, a Roman governor in what is now northern Turkey, wrote the following to the Emperor Trajan around the year 111 AD: “In the case of th

Optional Memorial - May 18, 2017 Arianism originated during the fourth century in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire before spreading to the West. By the sixth century, the Arian heresy had weakened in the East, but was not dead. The Byzantine Emperor Justin I ordered Arian clergy to surrender their churches into orthodox Catholic hands. Meanwhile, in the West, Theodoric (King of the Ostrogoths and ruler of Italy), enraged by the emperor’s actions, attempted to coopt the Pope’s authority for his own ends. This placed Pope John in an untenable position. Despite the Pope’s orthodoxy, the Arian King Theodoric expected him to intercede with Emperor Justin on behalf of the heretics. John’s refusal to do so would eventually lead to his holy martyrdom. _________________________________________________ The Heroic Papacy and Martyrdom of St. John I (470 – 526) This Tuscan was destined to be glorified not only during his lifetime but after his death as well. Although peace with

May 3rd, is the feast of Saint Philip and Saint James. St. Philip was born in Bethsaida and may have been a disciple of John the Baptist. He was called by Jesus himself and brought Nathaniel to Christ. Scripture records he was present at the miracle of the loaves and the fishes just before the Lord’s Passion. Jesus answered Philips’ request to show the apostles the Father. No further mention of Philip is made in the New Testament beyond his being listing among the apostles awaiting the Holy Spirit in the upper room. According to tradition, he preached in Greece and was crucified upside down at Hierapolis under the Emperor Domitian. St. James the Lesser, the author of the first Catholic epistle, was the son of Alpheus or Cleophas. His mother Mary, was a close relative of the Blessed Virgin, and for that reason, according to Jewish custom, he is sometimes called the brother of the Lord. He held a distinguished position in the early Christian community of Jerusalem, as a pillar of th

April 23rd, is the optional memorial of Saint George. This year it is superseded by the Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday. Some of the more colorful stories about this patron of England are not substantiated by fact, but that doesn’t mean that the legends surrounding St. George have any less power on the imagination. The most common depiction of the saint, in which he is slaying a dragon, persists, even though it first derived from a 12th century Italian fable. What we can be fairly certain of is that George was a Christian, and a soldier, who was martyred on April 23, 303 AD, during the Emperor Diocletian's reign. The tradition which grew up about him revolves around his standing as a man-of-arms; the story of the dragon, for instance, comes from a tale in which St. George supposedly rescued a king’s daughter from being slain by a serpent. As an example of the ideal of medieval knighthood, St. George became the patron of the Knights of the Garter, more properly k

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 quartered. Any cleric caught attending to

The martyrdom of St. Perpetua, St. Felicity and their companions . Now dawned the day of their victory, and they went forth from the prison into the amphitheatre as it were into heaven, cheerful and bright of countenance; if they trembled at all, it was for joy, not for fear. Perpetua followed behind, glorious of presence, as a true spouse of Christ and darling of God; at whose piercing look all cast down their eyes. Felicity likewise, rejoicing that she had borne a child in safety, that she might fight with the beasts, came now from blood to blood, from the midwife to the gladiator, to wash after her travail in a second baptism. And when they had been brought to the gate and were being compelled to put on, the men the dress of the priests of Saturn, the women the dress of the priestesses of Ceres, the noble Perpetua remained of like firmness to the end, and would not. For she said: For this cause came we willingly unto this, that our liberty might not be obscured. For this cause

The Passion of St. Perpetua, St. Felicitas, and their Companions , one of the oldest Christian texts, records the early 3rd century Roman persecutions of Christians. It contains the prison diary and trial accounts of a young noble woman and Christian catechumen Perpetua from Carthage in North Africa, (present day Tunisia). Giving up her still nursing baby, she insisted on being put to death in the arena during games honoring the Emperor. Many tried to dissuade her, but she got her wish. Witnessing heroically, she faced the wild beasts. After many torments a gladiator was sent in to finish her off, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Perpetua grabbed his hand and pointed his sword at her throat. Perpetua’s example inspired other Christians to give witness to their Faith in equal measure. A pregnant slave girl named Felicity went to prison with Perpetua. Some accounts hold they were friends prior to their imprisonment. Felicity gave birth just before they were sent to the arena.

"When the pyre was ready, Polycarp took off all his clothes and loosened his under-garment. He made an effort also to remove his shoes, though he had been unaccustomed to this, for the faithful always vied with each other in their haste to touch his body. Even before his martyrdom he had received every mark of honor in tribute to his holiness of life. There and then he was surrounded by the material for the pyre. When they tried to fasten him also with nails, he said: 'Leave me as I am. The one who gives me strength to endure the fire will also give me strength to stay quite still on the pyre, even without the precaution of your nails.' So they did not fix him to the pyre with nails but only fastened him instead. Bound as he was, with hands behind his back, he stood like a mighty ram, chosen out for sacrifice from a great flock, a worthy victim made ready to be offered to God. Looking up to heaven, he said: 'Lord, almighty God, Father of your beloved and blessed

February 23th, the Church celebrates the optional memorial of Saint Polycarp (69 – 155 AD), the 1st century bishop, martyr and renowned Apostolic Father. Polycarp was widely venerated largely through the accounts of his heroic martyrdom as recorded by the Church in Smyrna. Tradition holds he was born a pagan before being befriended by Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist who catechized Polycarp in the Faith. As Bishop of Smyrna, (a city in Turkey) Polycarp defended orthodoxy and was a staunch opponent of heresy, most notably the Gnostic sects of Marcionism and Valentinianism. He is honored in both the Eastern and Western Church as one of the three chief Apostolic Fathers (together with Saint Clement of Rome and Saint Ignatius of Antioch). His pupil Saint Irenaeus of Lyons praised his personal holiness and great devotion to God. Some scholars contend that Polycarp may have been responsible for compiling, editing and publishing the New Testament. Whatever the case, there is no doubt

Although they have not been formally canonized, Blessed Miguel Pro and Father Jacques Hamel are most certainly among the elect in heaven by virtue of their glorious martyrdoms in testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior & King. When the court sentenced Stephen to death, the 1st century Protomartyr was taken outside the city to be stoned. Scripture testifies that the participants laid their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul (the future Saint Paul) who consented to the execution. Before giving up his soul to Christ, Stephen prayed for his persecutors: " Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. O Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. " Acts says, "Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him." St. Stephen, help us to be courageously steadfast in faith despite difficulties. St. Agatha (231 – 251 AD) was a girl of immense beauty from a wealthy family in Sicily. The perfect of the city, Quintanius desired her hand in marriage and to gai

Detail of monument to the 26 Jesuit Martyrs at the Nagasaki Museum. Feb. 6th, is the memorial of Saint Paul Miki and companions, the 26 Martyrs of Nagasaki comprised of native Japanese Catholics and foreign missionaries who were martyred for their faith in 1597. The most well-known of the martyrs are Saints Paul Miki, John of Goto, and James Kisai. Bro. Miki was studying for the priesthood, Kisai was a lay brother and John was a postulant. The faith and joy they exhibited in imitating Christ to the last impressed their persecutors greatly. Catholicism reached Japan in the 16th century, when the Jesuit missionary Saint Francis Xavier first preached the Good News there. As a result of continued Jesuit catechesis, by 1590, some 200,000 Japanese had entered the Church. So long as the Emperor permitted it, the Jesuits ministered discreetly, with much success. In 1587, the Japanese imperial government, leery of Jesuit influence and the growing number of Christians among their citize

February 3rd Little is known about the life of Saint Blaise. He was a physician and a Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia. He lived in a cave on Mount Argeus and was a healer of men and animals. According to legend, sick animals would come to him on their own for help, but would never disturb him at prayer. Before Saint Francis of Assisi, he was the saint most frequently associated with animals and the natural world. Agricola, governor of Cappadocia, came to Sebaste to persecute Christians. His huntsmen went into the forests of Argeus to find wild animals for the arena games, and found many waiting outside Blaise's cave. Discovered in prayer, Blaise was arrested, and Agricola tried to get him to recant his faith. While in prison, Blaise ministered to and healed fellow prisoners, including saving a child choking on a fish bone, which led to the blessing of throats on Blaise's feast day. Thrown into a lake to drown, Blaise stood on the surface and calmly invited his persecutors

Saints Fabian and Sebastian , Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia, c. 1475. January 20th, the Church celebrates the optional memorials of Pope Saint Fabian and Saint Sebastian. Both victims of Roman persecution, they were martyred on the same date, 37 years apart. They have been venerated together since their names were coupled in the first martyrologies (as in the Litany of Saints today). Pope Saint Fabian  (c. 200 – 250 AD) The opening Mass of a papal conclave is intended not only to mark the beginning of a great and most solemn process, but to prepare the hearts and minds of the participants to act in accordance with the promptings of the Holy Spirit. At the conclave of 236 AD, a dove landed on the head of a layperson Fabian, who had traveled to Rome to see who would be selected. Fabian was unanimously chosen pope because everyone present saw the actions of the dove as a sign from God. St. Fabian served 14 years as the Vicar of Christ, the majority of which were peaceful. Admire

We have posted several times on the persecution of Christians by ISIS in the Middle East and elsewhere. Our brothers and sisters in faith face intimidation, torture and death simply for being disciples of Christ. Last January, the Vatican condemned ISIS for razing Iraq's oldest Christian monastery . In March, four religious sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, along with 12 other people were murdered in Yemen after ISIS terrorists attacked a home for the sick and elderly. In July, French priest, Father Jacques Hamel was martyred while saying Mass . Other ISIS atrocities against Christians include: assassinations of Church leaders, mass murders and deportations, kidnapping for ransom, sexual enslavement and systematic rape of girls and women, forcible conversions to Islam, as well as, the destruction of Christian churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and artifacts. The violent genocide against Christians by militant Islamic extremists is met by some (particularly in the West)

December 29th, is the optional memorial of Saint Thomas Becket (1119-1170), the 12th century English statesman, Archbishop of Canterbury and martyr. A close associate of King Henry II, in the year 1155, he was appointed Chancellor of England. Seven years later, Becket was named Archbishop of Canterbury, and his relationship with the monarchy deteriorated. Eventually, his refusal to submit to Henry’s jurisdiction resulted in Becket's six-year exile in France. Not long after his return to England, Thomas was murdered by four assassins inside Canterbury Cathedral, making him a martyr. Miracles occurred soon after his martyrdom, and Canterbury became a popular pilgrimage destination in Europe. He is venerated by both the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion as a saint and martyr. Thomas Becket was born in London to Norman parents Gilbert and Matilda Beket. The Icelandic Saga provides this description of him as a young man: “To look upon he was slim of growth and pale of hue,

The Jews knew that Stephen was exceedingly well-informed in the laws of Moses; but as he preached, with great freedom, the Gospel of Christ, they ventured to dispute with him, to convict him of error by their subtle questions and assertions. At that period, there existed Various schools at Jerusalem, in which the Jews were instructed in the laws. Several disciples from each of these schools came to dispute with him; but, notwithstanding their cunning and malice, they were unable to contend with the wisdom with which he spoke. Seeing that he daily converted many to Christ, they became more and more embittered against him, and endeavored to do away with him. They suborned some wicked men to disseminate among the people that Stephen had blasphemed against Moses and God, and that they themselves had heard it. This stirred up not only the people, but also the Elders and Scribes. Full of rage, they laid hands on him and brought him to the Council, which had assembled on his account, and w

Saint Lucy prayed before the tomb of Saint Agatha that her ailing mother be cured. When her mother’s health was restored, St. Lucy immediately asked to remain a virgin and distributed her dowry among the poor. Upon hearing of this, the man to whom Lucy's parents had promised her in marriage against her will, reported her to the governor as a Christian. The judge condemned Lucy to be publicly humiliated in a place of shame. Lucy, with the help of the Holy Spirit, stood firm and professed her faith before the court. To God's servants the right words will not be wanting, for the Holy Spirit speaks in us. All who live piously and chastely are temples of the Holy Spirit. If I am dishonored against my will, my chastity will secure for me a double crown of victory. St Lucy, help us to remain steadfast in faith as we live in imitation of Christ.

Saint Edmund Campion was the most famous of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. who lost their lives in Queen Elizabeth I's campaign to abolish Catholicism from England. Arrested for preaching the Catholic faith, Edmund was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. Dragged through the muddy streets of London to the place of execution, Edmund forgave those who condemned him, saying: I am a Catholic man and a priest. In that faith have I lived and in that faith do I intend to die, and if you esteem my religion treason, then I am guilty. As for any other treason, I never committed. I stand condemned for nothing but the saying of Mass, hearing confessions, preaching and such like duties and functions of priesthood. Seconds later, the cart he was standing on was driven from under him, and he fell from the scaffold to receive the crown of martyrdom. St. Edmund Campion pray that we may remain faithful in the face of persecution just as you were.