The Feast Day of St. Dominic of Silos is celebrated on December 20. He is the patron saint of pregnant women, shepherds and prisoners. He was a Benedictine monk and priest.
St. Dominic of Silos was born in Navarre, Spain. around the year 1000. He was a peasant, shepherding his father’s flock. His love of solitude led him to become a Benedictine monk. He was ordained a priest becoming the Master of novices and prior. Because of his opposition to the annexation of the monastery land he was driven into exile.
St. Dominic turned to King Ferdinand I of Leon for aid. King Ferdinand found him refuge in the town of Silos in a decaying Abbey occupied by six monks. Dominic became the abbot of the community. He rebuilt the monastery both physically and spiritually. The monastery became a center of book design and scholarship Its proceeds were used for charity. St. Dominic raised funds to ransom Christians taken prisoner by the Moors. The membership in the monastery increased to 40 monks.
St. Dominic died on Dec. 20. Many healings were reported at the monastery, especially regarding pregnancy. Almost one hundred hears after his death, Blessed Joan de Aza de Guzmán prayed at his shrine to conceive the child she named Dominic.
“Is it not reward enough to know that
one is doing the will of God?”
Quote of St. Just Bretenie’res; Feast day September 20
The Feast Day of St. Adelaide is celebrated on December 16. She is the patron saint of abuse victims and brides.
St. Adelaide was born in 931 in Burgundy. Her marriage, at the age of 15 or 16 to Lothair, heir of King Hugh of Italy. was arranged by her father. Their union was unhappy but short due to his death three years later. Adelaide refused to marry the son of his successor, Berengar. She was imprisoned in an attempt to force a marriage. Adelaide escaped and requested aid from the Emperor Otto. She eventually married him. They had four children; the future Otto II and three daughters (two became nuns). Otto and Adelaide received the imperial crown from John XII.
After the death of Otto, her son Otto II succeeded him. He also died. Otto III, still a minor was entrusted the joint registry of his mother and grandmother. After he took full power, Adelaide devoted herself to pious works establishing many churches and monasteries.
St. John of the CrossPrayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John of the Cross, Feast Day December 14
The Feast Day of St. John of the Cross is celebrated on December 14. Because of his mystical writing, he is called the Mystical Doctor. He is one of the 35 Doctors of the Church. He is the patron of mystics.
Juan de Yepes Alvarez was born in Spain in 1542. His father was disowned by the family when he married a weavers’ daughter. His father died soon after his birth. Most of Juan’s childhood was spent in poverty. As a teenager, Juan worked in a hospital caring for the terminally ill and mental patients.
At the age of 21, Juan became a brother in the Carmelite Order. He went for higher studies in Slamanca and was ordained a priest, taking the name of John of the Cross at age 25. He soon met St. Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite nun, who convinced him to help her in the work of reforming the Carmelite Order. There was great resistance to the reforming of the order to a more prayerful life. Those against the reform actually kidnapped him. They held him prisoner for over nine months in a small cell, six by ten feet wide. He was beaten often. During this time of trial, St. John of the Cross became very close to God, spending his time writing his mystical poetry. He eventually escaped using a rope made of strips of blankets to climb out the window. The only thing he took with him was his writings. John hid in a convent infirmary where he read his poetry to the nuns. From this period on he shared his experience of God’s love.
St. John of the Cross wrote many books including:
St. John of the Cross
Ascent of Mount Carmel,
Dark Night of the Soul
A Spiritual Canticle
Living Flame of Love
In 1579, he became Rector of Colegio de San Basilio, continuing his writing ministry. He is known for a spirituality which believes in the prayer of detachment. His spirituality also focused on joining our suffering to the Paschal Mystery (the death and suffering of Jesus Christ). He taught that the Cross leads to resurrection, agony to ecstasy, darkness to light, abandonment to possession, denial of self to union with God.
St. John of the Cross died of fever caused by cellulitus. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726. His feast day is Dec. 14, the day of his death and entry into heaven.
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.
The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on Dec. 12. She has been named the patron of the Americas.
Our Lady appeared to a peasant near Mexico City named Juan Diego in 1529. She appeared to him as an Aztec Princess, and spoke in his native tongue. She requested he tell the bishop to build a church on the site. Initially the bishop was skeptical, demanding proof of the vision. Juan Diego returned to the site of the vision to find Castillo Roses blooming in the frozen earth. He collected them and returned to the bishop. When he opened his cloak, the flowers fell to the ground and an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was imprinted on his cloak. (The miracle of the roses) His cloak is under glass, on display, in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe was soon built. Over six million soon converted to the faith because of the apparition.
There have been many apparitions of Mary over time. Not all of them have been approved by the Church. While belief in the apparitions is not a requirement, devotion to the approved apparitions are encouraged. Before an apparition can be approved it is thoroughly investigated by the Vatican.
The church teaches us that Mary always leads us to her Son, Jesus. Jesus is both human and divine; Mary is human only, but the mother of Our Lord. We consider her our spiritual mother, to whom we can always turn to for intercessory prayer. (To Jesus, Thru Mary)
Anyone who is questioning the reverence held for Mary should ask themselves several questions.
Do the commandments require us to honor our father and mother?
Did Jesus honor Mary?
Are we not called to imitate Jesus?
Why then, should we not honor Mary, His mother?
The following prayer to Mary is a sample of intercessory prayer. In this type of prayer, we ask a saint, or another person, to pray for us and with us.
BeautifulVirgin of Guadalupe, I ask you on behalf of all my brothers and sisters of the world that you bless us and protect us. Give us proof of your love and kindness. Oh pure Virgin of Guadalupe, give me through your Son, forgiveness for my sins, blessings for my job, cure for my diseases and needs, and all that you deem necessary. I ask for my family, Oh Mother of God, do not disdain the pleas we present to you in our needs. Amen
The Feast day of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on Dec. 8 during the season of Advent. The feast day celebrates the belief that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin. It is often misunderstood as the celebration of the conception of Jesus.
Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception is the Patron Saint of Brazil and the United States.
The feast day became a celebration for the universal church in the 18th century. Pope Pius IX declare;
“The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”
Mary herself confirmed her title to St. Bernadettesaying to her;
The Feast Day of St. Ambrose is celebrated on December 7. He was the Bishop of Milan and proclaimed a Doctor and Father of the Church. St. Ambrose is the patron saint of bee keepers and students.
St. Ambrose was born in the year 339. He studied in Rome, Italy becoming a lawyer. He was in the process of converting to Catholicism when a great dispute arose after the death of the Bishop of Milan. It was Ambrose who intervened and maintained order. Everyone was so impressed that they requested him as their next bishop even though he he was only a cathecumen (student) and not yet baptized. Resisting at first, eventually Ambrose agreed. He was baptized and eight days later on Dec. 7, 374 he was consecrated the Bishop of Milan at the age of 35.
As bishop he immediately gave his money to the poor. He was known for his fight against paganism and Arianism ( the belief that Jesus Christ did not have a divine nature). He was instrumental in the conversion and baptism of St. Augustine. The title “Honey tongued Doctor” was given to him because of his speaking skills. Because of his title he became the patron saint of bee keepers.
St. Ambrose died of natural causes on April 14, 397.
The Feast Day of St. Nicholas is celebrated on December 6
St. Nicholas
. He is the patron saint of children, sailors, and bakers. He served as the Bishop of Myra.
St. Nicholas was born in the fourth century in Patara in Lycia, which is a province of Asia Minor. Many churches have been built in his honor. His parents were wealthy but it It is believed he was orphaned at a young age. As a young man he decided to devote his inheritance to charities. After returning from a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt he was ordained the Bishop of Myra. He was imprisoned during the Diocletian persecution and released when Constantine came into power.
St. Nicholas was known for his kindness and generosity. He found many opportunities to give away his wealth. One of the stories told about St. Nicholas was that he helped a man who had lost all his money. This man had three daughters to support. In an attempt to save the daughters from prostitution, St. Nicholas, in the dark of night, threw bags of gold coins into their home. The coins landed in their shoes and stockings which were by the fire drying. This is the reason children today put out stockings for Santa Claus at Christmas.
St. Nicholas is also known as Sinterklass in the Dutch culture. Many stories have evolved around the generosity of St. Nicholas. There is a tradition that he enjoyed giving gifts to children in secret. The stories inspired many of the traditions surrounding Santa Claus. The clothing Santa Claus wears is similar to that of a bishop.
St. Nicholas died on December 6, 346.
“The habit of seeing things in the light of faith
lifts us above the mists and the mire of the world.”
The Feast Day of St. Charles de Foucauld is celebrated on December 1. He is the patron saint of diocesan priests. He was a hermit, priest and martyr.
St. Charles de Foucauld was born in Strasbourg, France on Sept. 25, 1858. His father was in the military. Orphaned at the age of six, he and his sister Marie were raised by their grandfather. Charles joined the military, becoming an officer. When his grandfather died, Charles lost his faith. During his period of doubt he repeatedly prayed,
“My God, if you exist, let me come to know you.”
Charles was discharged from the military for misconduct. At the age of 28, he regained his faith. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he decided to become a Trappist monk. He spent seven years as a Trappist monk, first in France and then in Syria. After deciding this was no longer God’s will, he was released from his vows. He became a servant for a convent of Poor Clares and began studying for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1901 at the age of 43. He wished to work with the poor and abandoned. In an attempt to begin a religious order he wrote a Rule for it to follow. However, he found few followers.
On Dec. 1, 1916, he was killed by a band of marauders who surrounded his house. Twenty years after his death religious orders began to form following his rule. The Little Brothers of Jesus, Little Sisters of the Sacred Heart and the Little Sisters of Jesus all follow the Rule written by Bl. Charles de Foucauld. An Association of diocesan priest known as Jesus Caritas also follow the spirituality of Bl. Charles de Foucauld.
St. Charles de Foucauld was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. He was canonized on May 15, by Pope Francis. St. Charles de Foucauld is the patron saint of diocesan priests.
Let us pray a great deal for the conversion of sinners,
since it was above all for them that Our Lord worked
The Crucifixion of St. Andrew the Apostle by Mattia Preti
The Feast Day of St. Andrew the Apostle is celebrated on November 30. He is the patron saint of fishermen. St. Andrew was the first of the twelve Apostles to be called by Jesus.
Mark 1:16-20 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
St. Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter. He was a fisherman and a follower of St. John the Baptist. When he heard the call of Jesus, he immediately left everything and followed Him.
After the ascension of Jesus to heaven, Andrew went to Greece to preach the gospel. In the year 70 he became a martyr. He was put to death on a cross to which he was tied, not nailed. It was a cross in the form of an X, which is now called “St. Andrew’s Cross”. He lived for two days, suffering, yet still preaching the gospel.
Three countries have chosen St. Andrew as their patron: Russia, Scotland and Greece. He is also the patron of fishermen.
St. Andrew’s relics are kept at the Basilica of St. Andrew in Patras, Greece.
“How blind man is when he refuses to open his heart to the light of faith!”
The Feast Day of St. John Berchmans is celebrated on November 26. He is the patron saint of altar boys.
St. John Berchmans was born in 1599 at Diest, Belgium. His father was a shoemaker. At a very young age he wanted to become a priest. After his mother’s death, in 1615 he entered the JesuitCollege At Melines. He journeyed to Rome where he continued to study. He was known for his holiness and his desire for perfection in small things. In 1621, at the age of 22, he died after becoming ill, possibly from dysentery.
Many miracles were attributed to him after his death. He had a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Lady. He composed a Chaplet in honor of her Immaculate Conception. He also composed a poem called ‘To an Altar Boy’.
“Our true worth does not consist in what human beings think of us.
What we really are consists in what God knows us to be.”
The Feast Day of St. Catherine Alexandria is celebrated on November 25. She is the patron saint of Christian philosophers, teachers and librarians. She is considered a virgin and martyr.
While there is no historical evidence regarding St. Catherine of Alexandria there is a strong tradition about her martyrdom. St. Catherine was born around 287 in Alexandria, Egypt. She was the daughter of a wealthy pagan couple. She had a love of learning and studied philosophy and religion. After studying Christianity, she converted.
Legend tells us that she was imprisoned and tortured by Emperero Maxentius after she refused to marry him. He forced her to debate the most learned pagan philosophers hoping she would commit apostasy, however the debates resulted in many conversions to the Christian faith.
St. Catherine was tortured by being placed on a wheel full of spikes in an attempt to kill her. The wheel broke into two pieces and fell apart. She was then beheaded.
“Strength for a person who desires to acquire virtues,
consists in not losing heart when one happens to fall,
