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Here
are the feast days to be celebrated this month of January.
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- St. Sebastian
Saint Sebastian, a native of Milan, Italy. Is a son of a wealthy
Roman family, educated in Milan. Became an officer of the Imperial
Roman army, and captain of the guard and he was an officer in Diocletian's
imperial guard, became favorite of Diocletian. He converted to Christianity
whereupon he suffered martyrdom by order of the emperor. During
Diocletian's persecution of the Christians, Sebastian visited them
in prison, bringing supplies and comfort. Reported to have healed
the wife of a brother soldier by making the Sign of the Cross over
her. He converted soldiers and a governor.
Because the emperor learned that he is already a Christian, Sebastian
was tied to a tree, shot with arrows, and left for dead. He survived,
recovered, and returned to preach to Diocletian. The emperor then
had him beaten to death.
He is the Patron Saint of Archers; armourers; arrowsmiths; athletes;
bookbinders; diseased cattle; dying people; enemies of religion;
fletchers; gardeners; iron mongers; lacemakers; laceworkers; lead
workers; masons; plague; police; racquet makers; Rio de Janeiro;
soldiers; Spanish police officers; stone masons; stonecutters.
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– St. Francis de Sales
Saint Francis de Sales was born on August 21, 1567, and ordained
to the priesthood in 1593. From 1594 to 1598 he labored at the difficult
and dangerous task of preaching to the Protestants of Chablais and
in effect on this was the return of some 70,000 souls to the Catholic
faith. In 1602 he became bishop of Genf. His zeal for souls is attested
in 21,000 extant letters and 4,000 sermons which exemplify how he
applied St. Paul's words: "I have become all things to all
men." You may epitomize his character in two words, kindliness
and lovableness — virtues that were the secret of his success.
His writings reflect his kindheartedness and sweet disposition.
His ardent love for God and souls, his great kindliness, rare wisdom
and sure teaching made St. Francis exceptionally influential in
bringing about conversions and in guiding souls in the spiritual
life. He was St. Jane de Chantal's director, and with her founded
the Order of the Visitation. He is the author of Treatise on the
Love of God and Introduction to the Devout Life. St. Francis died
at Lyons in 1622.
He is the Patron Saint of Authors; Diocese of Baker, Oregon; Archdiocese
of Cincinnati, Ohio; Catholic press; Diocese of Columbus, Ohio;
confessors; deaf people; deafness; Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware;
educators; journalists; teachers; writers.
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- Our Lady of Peace
Our Lady Queen of Peace has been the patroness of the Catholic Church
in Hawaii since 1827. The first Catholic missionaries to the Hawaiian
Islands arrived at Honolulu Bay on July 7, 1827. These missionaries
were members of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and
Mary and of Perpetual Adoration and upon their arrival in the islands
dedicated their labors to the patroness of the Congregation, Our
Lady Queen of Peace and placed the Islands under her protection.
It was in her honor that these missionaries erected the first Catholic
Church.
After more than a decade of contentious relations with the Hawaiian
government, the missionaries were finally allowed to proceed with
their evangelization work. In thanksgiving, the Cathedral of Our
Lady of Peace was erected. Completed in 1843, a statue of Our Lady
Queen of Peace was placed in the niche above the main altar. The
Cathedral was solemnly blessed and dedicated to Our Lady of Peace
on the feast of the Assumption, August 15, 1843.
On July 9, 1906, the statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace was solemnly
crowned in the name of Pope Pius X by his Eminence Cardinal Amette,
Archbishop of Paris. Every year on July 9 the feast of Our Lady
Queen of Peace is celebrated with great solemnity in the Congregation
of the Fathers and Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
and Perpetual Adoration.
During World War I Pope Benedict XV added the title Queen of Peace
to the Litany of Loreto.
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- Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle
The conversion of Saul of Tarsus while he was on his way to Damascus
is one of the most touching miracles in the history of the early
Church. It shows us how faith comes from grace and from one's free
cooperation. The doctrine on the Mystical Body of Christ receives
proof and a clear illustration when Christ says, "Saul, Saul,
why do you persecute me?" We should realize that the best way
to hasten the unity of all Christians is to foster our own daily
personal conversion.
Some time after the death of Our Lord, St. Paul returned to Palestine.
His profound conviction made his zeal develop to a religious fanaticism
against the infant Church. He took part in the stoning of the first
martyr, St. Stephen, and in the fierce persecution of the Christians
that followed.
Entrusted with a formal mission from the high priest, he departed
for Damascus to arrest the Christians there and bring them bound
to Jerusalem. As he was nearing Damascus, about noon, a light from
heaven suddenly blazed round him. He fell to the ground and at the
same time heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute
me?" "Who are you, sir?" he asked. The voice answered,
"I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Get up and go into
the city, where you will be told what to do." Jesus with His
glorified body appeared to him and addressed him, turning him away
from his apparently successful career. This was the start of Paul’s
conversion.
next
page 1,2,3
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| LIVES
OF THE SAINTS |
MAY 1
ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER
This is St. Joseph's second feast day on the Church calendar of celebrations. We honor him also on March 19. St. Joseph is a very important saint. 
MAY 2
ST. ATHANASIUS
St. Athanasius was born around 297 in Alexandria, Egypt. He devoted his life to proving that Jesus is truly God.
MAY 3
ST. PHILIP AND ST. JAMES
Both of these saints were part of the original group of Jesus' twelve apostles.
MAY 4
BLESSED MARIE-LEONIE PARADIS
Blessed Marie-Elodie Paradis was born in the village of L'Acadie in Quebec, Canada. It was May 12, 1840.
MAY 5
ST. JUDITH OF PRUSSIA
St. Judith lived in the thirteenth century. She was born in Thuringia. This was in what is now central Germany. She wanted to model her life on the example of St. Elizabeth of Hungary.
MAY 6
BLESSED FRANCOIS DE MONTMORENCY LAVAL
Blessed Francois was the first bishop of Quebec City, Canada. He was born in 1623 in a small town in France.
MAY 7
BLESSED ROSE VENERINI
Blessed Rose was born in Viterbo, Italy, in 1656. Her father was a physician. Rose entered the convent but returned home after a few months.
MAY 8
BLESSED CATHERINE OF ST. AUGUSTINE
St. Catherine was born on May 3, 1632, in a little village in France. She was baptized the same day.
MAY 9
BLESSED NICHOLAS ALBERGATI
Blessed Nicholas was born in Bologna, Italy. Nicholas' family could afford to send him to the university where he began to study law.
MAY 10
ST. ANTONINUS
St. Antoninus lived in the fifteenth century. Even as a boy he showed that he had good sense and will power.
MAY 11
ST. IGNATIUS OF LACONI
St. Ignatius was the son of a poor farmer in Laconi, Italy. He was born on December 17, 1701.
MAY 12
ST. NEREUS, ST. ACHILLEUS AND ST. PANCRAS
Sts. Nereus and Achilleus were Roman soldiers who died around 304. They were probably Praetorian guards under Emperor Trajan. We know little else about them.
MAY 13
ST. ANDREW FOURNET
St. Andrew Fournet was born on December 6, 1752. He was from Maille, a little town near Poitiers, in France. Andrew's parents were religious people.
MAY 14
ST. MATTHIAS
St. Matthias was one of Our Lord's seventy-two disciples.
MAY 15
ST. ISIDORE THE FARMER
Saint Isidore was born in 1070, in Madrid, Spain. His parents were deeply religious. They named their son after the great St. Isidore, archbishop of Seville, Spain.
MAY 16
ST. UBALD
St. Ubald lived in twelfth-century Italy. He was an orphan raised by his uncle, a bishop. Ubald was given a good education.
MAY 17
ST. PASCHAL BAYLON
St. Paschal, a Spanish saint, was born in 1540. From the time he was seven, he worked as a shepherd. He never had the opportunity to go to school.
MAY 18
ST. JOHN I
St. John I was a priest of Rome. He became pope after the death of Pope St. Hormisdas in 523. At that time, Italy's ruler, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian.
MAY 19
ST. CELESTINE V
Peter di Morone was the eleventh of twelve children. He was born around 1210 in Isernia, Italy. His father died when he was small.
MAY 20
ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENA
St. Bernardine of Siena was born in 1380 in a town near Siena, Italy. He was the son of an Italian governor.
MAY 21
BLESSED EUGENE DE MAZENOD
Blessed Eugene was born in France in 1782. He became a priest in 1811. Father Eugene was sensitive to the needs of the poor and he ministered to them.
MAY 22
ST. RITA OF CASCIA
St. Rita was born in 1381 in a little Italian village. Her parents were older. They had begged God to send them a child. They brought Rita up well.
MAY 23
ST. JOHN BAPTIST ROSSI
St. John Baptist Rossi was born in 1698 in a village near Genoa, Italy. His family loved him. They were proud when a wealthy couple visiting their town offered to educate him. His parents knew the couple and trusted them.
MAY 24
ST. DAVID I OF SCOTLAND
St. David was born in 1080. He was the youngest son of St. Margaret, queen of Scotland, and her good husband, King Malcom.
MAY 25
VENERABLE BEDE
Venerable Bede, the English priest, was famous as a saint, a priest, a monk, a teacher and a writer of history. He was born in England in 673.
MAY 26
ST. PHILIP NERI
St. Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy, in 1515. As a child, his nickname was "Good little Phil." He was always so jolly and friendly that everyone he met loved him.
MAY 27
ST. AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY
St. Augustine was the abbot of St. Andrew's monastery in Rome. Pope St. Gregory the Great chose him and forty other monks for a mission dear to his heart.
MAY 28
BLESSED MARGARET POLE
Blessed Margaret was born in 1471. She was the niece of two English kings, Edward IV and Richard III. Henry VII arranged her marriage to Sir Reginald Pole.
MAY 29
ST. MAXIMINIUS
St. Maximinius was a bishop who lived in the fourth century. It is believed that he was born in Poitiers, France. As a young man, he heard of a saintly bishop of Trier, in Gaul.
MAY 30
ST. JOAN OF ARC
St. Joan was born in 1412. Her hometown was Domremy, a little village in France. Jacques d'Arc, her father, was a hard working farmer.
MAY 31
THE VISITATION OF MARY
Visitation means "visit." The Archangel Gabriel told the Blessed Virgin Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was going to have a baby.
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PHOTO OF THE MONTH |
Tour
of the Relics of the Passion
(International Center
for Holy Relics)
www.HolyRelics.org
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| REFLECTIONS |
 “Jesus’
Baptism”
Why did Jesus, the sinless one sent from the Father in heaven,
submit himself to John’s baptism? John preached a
baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke
3:3). In this humble submission we see a foreshadowing of
the “baptism” of Jesus bloody death upon the
cross. Jesus’ baptism is the acceptance and the beginning
of his mission as God’s suffering Servant (Isaiah
52:13-15; 53:1-12). He allowed himself to be numbered among
sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s
will. Out of love he consented to this baptism of death
for the remission of our sins. Do you know the joy of trust
and submission to God?
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