The Feast Day of St. Agnes of Rome will be celebrated on January 21. Agnes was born in 291 and died a martyr in 304 at the age of 13.
St. Agnes was born to a noble family in Rome. She was very beautiful, however at an early age she promised her life to God, refusing marriage. The governor’s son, Procop, offered to marry her, but she refused, saying;
“I am already promised to the Lord of the Universe. He is more splendid than the sun and the stars, and He has said He will never leave me!”
Angered by rejection, Procop sentenced her to death.
Agnes was not afraid of death, but was joyful at the thought of meeting our Lord, saying;
“He chose me first and He shall have me.”
She then prayed and bowed, her head to receive the death stroke of the sword.
The daughter of Constantine I was said to have been cured of leprosy after praying at Agnes tomb. In art Agnes is shown with a lamb. The lamb is a symbol of innocence and purity. In Latin, Agnes means lamb. The Greek meaning is chaste, pure, and sacred. On the feast day of St. Agnes two lambs are brought to the Trappist Abbey in Rome. On Holy Thursday they are shorn and their wool is used to weave the palliums which the pope gives to new archbishops.
St. Jerome has written the following about St. Agnes. “All nations, especially their Christian communities, praise in word and writing the life of St. Agnes. She triumphed over her tender age as well as over the merciless tyrant. To the crown of spotless innocence she added the glory of martyrdom.”
St. Ambrose gave an early account of Agnes’ death, stressing her steadfastness and virginity.
St. Sebastian: Patron Saint of Athletes and Plague Sufferers
The Feast Day of St. Sebastian is celebrated on January 20. He is the patron saint of athletes and plague sufferers. He died a martyr in 268.
The legend of St. Sebastian begins with Sebastian joining the Roman army to support and assist Christians and martyrs. The emperor did not know he was a Christian. He was named Captain. While serving as a soldier he converted many to the faith. When it was discovered that he was a Christian, Emperor Dioletian ordered him shot to death. His body was pierced with arrows and he was left for dead. Those who came to bury him found him still alive. He recovered but refused to flee. One day he met the emperor and denounced him for his cruelty to Christians. This time Sebastian was beaten to death with clubs. He is buried in the Appian Way near the catacombs.
St. Ambrosevenerated St. Sebastian as a Saint in the early church. St. Sebastian is considered the patron saint of athletes because of his physical endurance and energetic way of evangelizing. He is also the patron of plague sufferers because of the healings said to have occurred by his prayers.
The Feast Day of St. Fabian is celebrated on January 19. He was the Bishop of Rome and a martyr.
St. Fabian was a Roman layman. He was visiting Rome after the death of Pope Anteros in 236. During a discussion about who the next pope should be, a dove landed on Fabian’s head, which was taken as a sign from the Holy Spirit. He was soon elected the next Bishop of Rome! He served as pope for 14 years and was known for his sanctity.
There was peace at the time of his election. However, after the death of the emperor Philip, Decius, the new emperor began to persecute Christians, demanding that they worship idols. Pope Fabian held fast to the faith and was martyred in the year 250. He is buried in the Catacombs of St. Callistus which he helped to restore. The stone on his grave has the following words in Greek: “Fabian, bishop, martyr”.
St. Berard was born at Carbro, Umbria, Italy. He became a Franciscan monk at the time of St. Francis in 1213. He spoke Arabic.
St. Francissent him and other Franciscans to preach to Muslims in Morocco, (Peter Otho, Accursius, and Adjutus). When they arrived they began preaching in the marketplace. They were immediately arrested and told to stop. They refused which resulted in them being beaten.
After refusing to renounce Christ, the sultan beheaded them on January 16, 1220. They are believed to be the first Franciscan martyrs. After viewing their relics, Anthony of Paduadecided to join the Franciscans.
St. Berard was canonized in 1481 by Pope Sixtus IV.
Watch, dear Lord, with those who wake
or watch or weep tonight, and give your angels
charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones,
O Lord Jesus Christ, rest your weary ones,
bless your dying ones, soothe your suffering ones,
The Feast Day of Bl. William Carter is celebrated on January 11. He was born in London, England in 1548. He was a book publisher and a martyr. Bl. William Carter was a married bookseller living in London. He owned his own printing press. The press was so small he could only produce one page at a time. He used the press to publish Catholic literature. He was always in danger from the Elizabethan authorities.
When the authorities searched his house they found vestments and chalices put in his care. They also found prayer books which contained Catholic prayers, meditations and spiritual exercises. He was charged with printing and publishing the Treatise of Schisme which allegedly incited violence by Catholics and was said to have been written by a traitor.
After the trial, the jury met for 15 minutes before finding him guilty. While the jury was deliberating, William had his final confession heard by a priest who was also on trial. The next day, which was January 11, 1584, he was executed by being hanged, drawn and quartered. Bl. William Carter was beatified in 1987.
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
The Feast Day of St. John Alcober is celebrated on December 30. He was a Dominican Priest, a missionary to China and a Martyr of the Church.
St. John Alcober was born in Granada.in 1694. He entered the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans, in 1709. When marooned for a time on Lorca, he became popular there as a preacher. He reached China in 1728 where he was a missionary for sixteen years. His ministry was done in secret. St. John is considered one of the Martyrs of China.
He, along with Francis Serrano and Father Francis Diaz, was tortured to disclose the location of Bishop Pere Sans Jorda and Father Joachim Royo, who surrendered to stop the torture.
St. John Alcober, St. Francis Serrano, St. Joachim Royo, and St. Francis Diaz were all martyred on October 18, 1739.
The Feast Day of St. Thomas Becket is celebrated on December 29. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury and a martyr.
St. Thomas Becket was born in 1118 in Normandy. He was the son of a wealthy merchant. He went to Paris to study law. After working in the field of law he decided to become a priest. He continued studying towards this goal. Thomas accepted the position of Bishop of Canterbury in 1162. After becoming Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas gave up his worldly lifestyle. He lived an austere life and was generous with his time and money.
Many disputes arose between St. Thomas and King Henry II. Refusing to cooperate with the King, Thomas proceeded to resign as Archbishop, saying his election had been irregular. The Pope reinstated him as archbishop ordering him not to abandon his office. He then recommended Thomas to the Cistercian Abbot at Pontigny. Thomas followed the rules of the monastery after putting on the habit of a monk.
Troops soon appeared. The Cistercians were warned that they were harboring an enemy. No longer welcome there, the Archbishop turned to King Louis for refuge.
After three years of quarreling, Thomas was named the legate for the Pope for England except York.
St. Thomas was murdered with swords at his cathedral in Canterbury by knights of King Henry.
Many miracles were reported at his tomb. He is considered a martyr for the faith.
“I feel as though I am with Mary and Joseph beside the Crib.
It is good to be there. Outside are the cold and the snow,
images of the world, but in the little cave,
lit by the light of Jesus, it is sweet and warm and light.”
The Feast Day of The Holy Innocents is celebrated on December 28.
According to the Gospel of St. Matthew 2:16-18, Herod ordered the execution of all young male children near Bethlehem out of fear of a newborn King of the Jews after the announcement of His birth by the Magi.
It is not known how many children died, however, they are considered Martyrs and are honored by the Catholic Church.
An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream saying;
“take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child and kill kill Him.”
Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt keeping them safe from harm.
The Feast Day of St. Stephen is celebrated on December 26. He was a disciple of Jesus.
St. Stephen is believed to be one of the 72 original disciples of Our Lord. After the ascension of Jesus he became one of the first seven deacons of the Catholic Church. He is considered the first to be martyred for the faith. In the book of Acts:6 we learn the story of the plot against St. Stephen. He was accused of blasphemy against the Jewish temple. This resulted in him being condemned and then stoned to death. Before his death he cried out to the Lord to forgive those persecuting him.
Look! I see an opening in the sky, and the Son of Man standing
at God’s right hand…Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
The Feast Day of St. Flavian is celebrated on December 22.
St. Flavian became the Patriarch of Constantinople after the death of Patriarch Proclus. It was a time of great turmoil in the church. St. Flavian convened a Local Council at Constantinople to discuss the heresy of Eutyches, which believed Jesus was Divine but not human.
When Eutyches persisted in his belief, he was excommunicated from the Church. Chrysathius, a friend of Eutyches, defended him and won his equital and the condemnation of Patrizrch Flavian.
Flavian suffered sever beatings and then he was chained and sentenced to banishment.
The Feast Day of St. Thomas De and Companions is celebrated on December 19.
St. Thomas was a tailor in Vietnam who entered the Dominican Orderas a tertiary. He was arrested and charged with giving aid and shelter to foreign missionaries. He was strangled at the age of 26.
The companions of St. Thomas De were Dominic Uy, Augustine Moi, Xavier May and Francis Man.
Augustine was also a Dominican tertiary. He was a day laborer. He refused to trample a crucifix when he was ordered to do so. He was strangled.
Francis Xavier was a native catechist and was also strangled.
Francis Man was a Dominican Tertiary working as a catechist when arrested.
St. Thomas De and Companions were among the 117 Vietnamese martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
The Feast day of St. Lucy is celebrated on December 13. She is the patron saint of the blind and visually impaired. She is also a martyr.
St. Lucy was born in 283 in Syracuse (Sicily). The name Lucy means “Light”. Her feast day is celebrated on Dec. 13, the day she was executed.
Lucy was born into a wealthy family of Greek ancestry. She vowed her life to Christ. Her Roman father died when she was young. Her mother tried against her will to arrange a marriage for her. After Lucy prayed at the tomb of St. Agatha, her mother’s illness (probably a hemorrhage), was cured. Her mother then agreed to let Lucy consecrate herself to Christ and to remain a virgin.
The rejected suitor of Lucy denounced her and reported her Christianity to the authorities. The magistrate Paschasius was known for his persecution and torture of Christians. He ordered her to burn a sacrifice to the emperor’s image. When she refused, she was ordered to be executed, in the year 304, at the age of 21. The attempt to burn her to death failed, so she was executed by a sword to the throat. Before the execution, she was tortured, having her eyes gouged. This is why she is the patron of the blind and visually impaired. In art St. Lucy is frequently shown holding a golden plate with her eyes on it.
Legend concludes that God restored her sight before her death.
While some of the history of St. Lucy is legend, her name is mentioned in several different places, including the canon of St. Gregory, indicating that she is a real person. By the sixth century, devotion to St. Lucy was widespread.
