BIG C CATHOLICS

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

On December 7th, the Church observes the memorial of Saint Ambrose, the 4th century bishop and Doctor. One of the most important prelates and influential theologians in the early Church, he is acclaimed in the West as a Father of the Church. Ambrose was born at Treves in Gaul, a territory which encompassed modern France, Britain, Spain, and part of Africa. He completed his studies in Rome and later became governor of Liguria and Aemelia with residence at Milan. In the year 370, in his capacity as governor, Ambrose tried to resolve a heated dispute over who would ascend to the episcopacy of Milan. His words struck such a chord in people that someone shouted out that Ambrose should become bishop. Ambrose had no intention of being a priest or a bishop. He was still a catechumen who was preparing for baptism. But the people prevailed and by popular assent, Ambrose was baptized and then consecrated bishop of Milan the following week. His judicious administration proved to be very eff

Memorial - December 3rd (In 2017, this feast is superseded by the Sunday liturgy.) Saint Francis Xavier is one of the great saints who emerged during the Counter-Reformation of the Catholic Church in the mid-16th and early 17th centuries. As a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the zeal with which he undertook his missionary work was so astonishing that both contemporaries and historians alike have compared him to none other than St. Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles. He was born in Spanish Navarre on April 7, 1506. At the age of 19, he traveled to France to study at the University of Paris. There, he met and became friends with another Spaniard named Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius, who had experienced a profound spiritual conversion years before, tried to convince Francis that his life might best be spent, not in academics, but as a missionary in service to Christ. At first, Francis was not convinced of this, but Ignatius persisted and finally won him over. T

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

Memorial - November 22nd  When Saint Augustine famously said, "One who sings prays twice," he may have been thinking of the early Church martyr most often associated with music. Saint Cecilia has often been depicted in art with either an organ or a viola since at least the time of the Renaissance. She is the patron saint of music and musicians, and especially those engaged in the composition and performance of sacred hymns. Much of her story is actually legend, and authentic material related to her life is scarce. We know that she was a Christian woman of high rank who was martyred in either the 2nd or 3rd century. The daughter of patrician Roman Christians, she was given in marriage to a rich young nobleman, Valerian of Trastevere, despite desiring to remain a virgin. By the designs of Providence, her innocence was preserved. There was a feast in her honor celebrated in the Church as early as 545, and at least one church was dedicated in her name in the late 4th cen

November 21st is the memorial of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin. Sacred Scripture contains no text concerning the event commemorated in today's liturgy. For something of a historical background, one may consult the apocryphal works, particularly the Protoevangelium of St. James (ch. 4:1ff). After an angel had revealed her pregnancy, Anna is said to have vowed her child Mary to the Lord. Soon after birth the infant was brought to the sacred precincts at which only the best of Israel's daughters were admitted. At the age of three the Theotokos, was transferred to the temple proper (7:2). According to legend, here she was reared like a dove and received her nourishment from the hand of an angel (8:1). In the East, where the feast, celebrated since the 8th century, is kept as a public holiday, it bears the name, 'The Entrance of the Mother of God (Theotokos) into the Temple'. It was introduced at Rome by a Cypriotic legate to the papal court of Avignon in 137

Memorial - November 13th  Sometimes the things we believe we are supposed to do in life are merely a variation on what God actually has in mind for us. Such was the case with a young Italian girl named Frances Xavier Cabrini. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a missionary in China. But Pope Leo XIII would one day suggest that her missionary efforts were destined to be carried out in a very different part of the world; it wasn’t China, but it was precisely where God desired her to be. Frances Xavier Cabrini was born on a farm in Lombardi, Italy in 1850, one of 13 children.  She was trained as a teacher in a nearby convent school and, when she reached the age of 18, she sought to join the Order that had educated her. Her health, however, was so frail that they denied her request and Frances instead returned to the family farm, where she cared for her parents until their death. Shortly afterward, at the request of a priest, Frances began working at the House of Providence Orph

November 11th is the memorial of St. Martin of Tours. Born around the year 316, in present-day Hungary during the reign of Constantine, he was one of the most popular saints of the Middle Ages. Martin was immediately thrust into a world in transition. Although Christianity had recently been declared legal in the Roman Empire, there were many people who still worshipped the various Roman deities of old, including Martin’s parents. In order to follow Christ, the young Martin had to become a catechumen in secret — which he did at the tender age of 10. At age 15, Martin, as the son of a veteran, was compelled by Roman law to join the army. Though he was a soldier, he tried his utmost to live as a Christian. It was at Amiens, Gaul (modern-day France) that he performed the service for which he would always be remembered. As the army entered the town on a particularly cold winter day, they encountered a poor beggar, dressed in rags and in danger of freezing to death. Martin, moved with c

November 10th is the memorial of Pope Saint Leo I. One of only three popes in the history of the Church to be given the title "Great," St. Leo ruled as pontiff when the Roman Empire in the west was falling into ruins. Acknowledged as the best administrative leader of the early Church, his belief that the Bishop of Rome was responsible for the well-being of all Christians, no matter where they lived, enabled him to be an agent of stability at a time when such a vision was needed. Pope St. Leo’s birthdate is unknown, but by the year 431, he appears in history as a particularly apt and influential deacon in the Church. At the death of Pope Sixtus III in 440, Leo was unanimously elected to succeed him. In his role as the successor of Peter, Pope St. Leo became widely known for his deep spirituality and pastoral care of his people; many of his writings continue to be read today, and one of his sermons is still included in the Office of Readings for Christmas. During his pon

Memorial - November 4th   Charles Borromeo, the bishop of Milan, came from a wealthy, aristocratic Italian family. He was born in the family castle, and lived a rather lavish life, entertaining sumptuously as befit a Renaissance court. He personally enjoyed athletics, music, art, and the fine dining that went along with lifestyles of the rich and famous of the 16th century. His maternal uncle, from the powerful Medici family, was pope. As was typical of the times, his uncle-pope made him a cardinal-deacon at age twenty-three and bestowed on him numerous offices. He was appointed papal legate to Bologna, the Low Countries, and the cantons of Switzerland, and to the religious orders of St. Francis, the Carmelites, the Knights of Malta, and others. When Count Frederick Borromeo passed away, many people thought Charles would give up the clerical life and marry upon become head of the Borromeo family. Rather than submit to the worldly trappings of wealth and status, he deferred to

Memorial - October 19th It has been said that the Catholic Church in North America sprang from the blood of martyrs, and the story of Saint Isaac Jogues and his companions is certainly proof of that. Jogues was born in France in 1607, and missionary zeal soon led the young priest to the New World in 1636, where he worked with the Huron natives under the direction of Fr. John de Brebeuf his fellow Jesuit and mentor. The Huron Indians, however, were not the only native peoples he encountered. The Iroquois were traditional enemies of the Huron and sworn enemies of the French. Consequently, when the Iroquois captured and held Father Jogues and his companions for thirteen months, they were imprisoned and tortured cruelly. Their fingers were cut, chewed, and burned off, and they were forced to watch the mutilation and killing of their Christian converts as a violent punishment. Father Jogues, with the help of the Dutch, was finally able to escape and return to France. He was grant

Memorial - October 17th On this day, the Church commemorates one of the most significant Apostolic Fathers of Christian antiquity, who lived less than a century after Christ. Saint Ignatius of Antioch, (c. 35 – 107) a disciple of the Apostle John, was the third Bishop of Antioch (a city in present day Turkey) from 70 to 107, the date of his martyrdom. Tradition holds Ignatius, as a child, was blessed by Our Lord. He is patron of the Catholic Church in the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. Ignatius is credited with coining the term 'Catholic' in reference to the universal Church. "Wherever Jesus Christ is", he observed, "there is the Catholic Church" (Smyrnaeans, 8:2). He is best known for the seven letters he wrote to six early Christian communities and to Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, defending orthodoxy, urging unity and warning against heresy as he journeyed to his death from Antioch to Rome — a treasure passed down from the 1st century

Memorial - October 7th Originally known as "Our Lady of Victory," the feast recalls the Battle of Lepanto, a 16th century naval action in which Christian forces (the Holy League) repelled a massive Turkish invasion. Pope Saint Pius V attributed the victory to the divine intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary after urging Europe's Christians to pray the Rosary for our Lady's intercession. Some accounts contend St. Pius V was granted a miraculous vision of the Holy League's victory. In 1573, St. Pius V established the feast. Clement XI extended it to the universal Church in 1716. A Brief History of the Rosary According to tradition, in the 12th century, the Rosary was given to Saint Dominic by Mary herself. But the devotion spread by Dominic did not resemble the Rosary we pray today. Originally, the Rosary had 150 beads, representing the number of psalms in the Bible. Religious orders recited the 150 Psalms daily as a way to mark the hours. Those wh

Memorial - October 4th Saint Francis of Assisi, the 13th century Italian friar, preacher. and stigmatic, who founded the Franciscan Order, is perhaps the best-known saint of the Catholic Church. Indeed, Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history. It has been said that of all the holy individuals the Church has canonized, it is this "poor man of Assisi" who most closely resembled Christ Himself. In humility Francis never accepted the priesthood, but remained a deacon his entire life. So much has been written about Francis that the basic outline of his story is well known. Born into wealth and privilege in the town of Assisi, Italy in 1181, this handsome and popular young man spent his youth in living selfishly. Intent on seeking fame, Francis embarked on an ill-fated bale with the neighboring town of Perugia. When that failed, he set off instead on the Fourth Crusade, but never got further than one day’s ride from Assisi. As the result of a drea

Memorial - October 2nd Each person on earth has a guardian angel who watches over and guides us to attain salvation. It has been a common theological opinion that this angelical guardianship begins at the moment of birth; prior to this, the child would be protected by the mother's guardian angel. But this is not certain, and since we now know that the soul is infused at the moment of conception, it may be that the angelic guardianship also begins at that moment. In any case, this protection continues throughout our whole life and ceases only when our probation on earth ends, namely, at the moment of death. Our guardian angel accompanies our soul to purgatory or heaven, and will become our coheir in the Kingdom of Heaven. Angels appear as early as the Book of Genesis and continuously carry out God’s will throughout the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Mary is visited by an angel (Archangel Gabriel) at the Annunciation, and Jesus Himself talks about them in the Gospel of

Memorial - October 1st Imagine for a moment that you are in a dimly lit chapel. Candles light the altar as you are engulfed by soft voices praying the Rosary. You promise to focus completely on the prayers. You lift up your heart and… fall asleep. It is just another day in the life of Saint Therese of Lisieux, better known as the “Little Flower.” More than any other saint, Theresa understood and explained the mystery of divine filiation of living as a child of God. She loved the Blessed Virgin Mary but did not enjoy the Rosary. She was a mystic but did enjoy retreats. St. Therese, however, never became upset or discouraged about falling asleep because she was confident that God, like a good parent, loved his children even when they were sleeping. Commenting on the mystery of her vocation St. Therese wrote, “Jesus does not call those who are worthy, but those he wants to call.” For her, this vocation began as a call to Carmel, a cloistered convent, and ultimately led to her b

Memorial - September 30th Anyone who ran afoul of Saint Jerome would not be likely to soon forget it. This formidable Doctor of the Church was as well known for his sarcastic tongue and blunt correspondences as he was for his redoubtable scholarship. The former was aimed at those who taught heresy or who did not uphold the moral standards of the Church. The latter led to his translation of the Bible into Latin, the common language at the time. That translation, the Vulgate, is the Church's official text. Saint Jerome was born Eusebius Hieronymous Sophronius in the year c. 342, in Dalmatia, a region of Croatia. His father, who was a Christian, saw to it that his son was well educated in terms of both faith and academics. Jerome’s instruction began at home, but when he got older, his father sent him to Rome to study with some of the best pagan and Christian scholars of the day. However, as most young men will, Jerome spent at least part of his early youth indulging in life’s

Memorial - September 27th St. Vincent de Paul is a saint whose name is familiar even to those who do not profess the Catholic faith. This is due in large part to the organization that was begun in his name 173 years after his death. The St. Vincent de Paul Society, founded by Blessed Frederic Ozanam in 1833, took its inspiration from the life of the man whom Pope Leo XIII named patron of all charitable organizations. Many parishes continue to carry out charitable works under his spiritual patronage. Vincent was the third child born to a poor family in Gascony, France, in 1580. At the time of his birth, the Church was in the midst of the Counter-Reformation, the period of intense internal reform following the upheaval of the Protestant Reformation. Although he would later be regarded as "the conscience of France," the young Vincent, who was ordained in 1600, was more concerned at first with living a comfortable life than doing the work that God had intended for him.

September 25th is historically, and in many Benedictine houses, the feast day of Blessed Herman the Cripple, also known as Hermannus Contractus , (Latin meaning contracted one) or Herman of Reichenau, (1013-1054) a monk, 11th century scholar, composer, musical theorist, mathematician, and astronomer. He composed the Marian prayers Alma Redemptoris Mater , and the Salve Regina ("Hail Holy Queen") which is recited each time the most Holy Rosary is prayed. Despite significant physical limitations and immense suffering, the bright and contemplative mind of Blessed Herman advanced not only our understanding of the physical world, but furthered our devotion to Our Blessed Mother, Mary. His contributions to both science and faith remind us that regardless of appearance or apparent physical abilities, we each possess God-given gifts and talents. Due to Bl. Herman's prodigious achievements, he was called "The Wonder of His Age." He wrote extensively on mathematic

Memorial - September 23rd Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, (1887-1968) better known as Padre Pio, was the 20th century Capuchin priest, stigmatic and mystic, who during his lifetime, was a spiritual father to innumerable souls. He is the only priest in the history of the Church to receive the stigmata — the divine marks of predilection — from our Lord’s Passion and Death. Thus, for much of his priesthood, Padre Pio suffered the spiritual, emotional and physical anguish of Christ’s holy wounds. In addition, he was given the miraculous gifts of bilocation, transverberation, (a divine piercing of the heart indicating union with God) the odor of sanctity, the ability to read souls, the ability to see and communicate with spiritual beings, (i.e. guardian angels, demons, the departed) and the capacity to write and comprehend languages foreign to him. Moreover, his brother Capuchins testified under oath that he levitated, healed by touch, and experienced divine ecstasies while praying, as w