Nativity of the Lord (Solemnity)
—
St Adalsindis of Hamay
St Alburga of Wilton
St Anastasia of Sirmium
Bl Artale
St Basilée of the Via Latina
Bl Bentivoglio de Bonis
Bl Diego de Aro
St Eugenia of Rome
St Fulk of Toulouse
Bl Jacopone da Todi
St Jovin of the Via Latina
Bl Maria Therese von Wüllenweber
Bl Matthew of Albano
Bl Michael Nakashima Saburoemon
Bl Nera
St Peter Nolasco
St Romulus of Berry
—
Martyrs of Nicomedia
Category: SAINT of the DAY
One Minute Reflection – 24 December
One Minute Reflection – 24 December
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us……..Jn 1:14
REFLECTION – The sun’s rays light up the world without separating themselves from the sun. In like manner, the Son of God comes down to earth to enlighten us without separating Himself from the Father with Whom He is entirely one………..St Anthony of Padua
PRAYER – Come Lord Jesus and give me new courage, for I trust in Your love. By Your renewed coming at Christmas and in the Eucharist, raise me to heavenly glory. On the Memorial of Sts Tarsilla and Emiliana, we implore them to Pray for us, amen.
Saint/s of the Day – 24 December
Saint/s of the Day – 24 December – Sts Tarsilla and Emiliana (6th Century) Virgins
Tarsilla and Emiliana were two paternal aunts of Saint Gregory the Great and it is this holy Pope who narrates their touching story. They renounced the world together, together consecrated their virginity to God and remained in their house as if in a convent, far removed from the conversation of the world. Encouraging one another to virtue by discourse and example, the two sisters soon made considerable progress in spiritual life.
They had a sister named Gordiana, who had taken the same way but little by little fell back into affection for the world, to the great grief of Tarsilla and Emiliana. With gentleness they reproached her, but the inconstant spirit of Gordiana soon forgot their charitable lessons. One day Tarsilla had a vision, in which Pope Saint Felix, her uncle, appeared to her and showed her a palace of marvelous beauty, saying to her: Come; I will receive you into this habitation of light. She fell ill with a fever the next day, which rapidly grew worse. While in her agony, with her eyes lifted to heaven, she cried out to those surrounding her, Make way! Jesus is coming! Soon after speaking these words, as she gazed at the vision, her soul was delivered from the bonds of the flesh. It was 24 December. The fragrance with which the room was filled confirmed the vision the virgin had had before dying.
A few days afterwards she appeared to her sister Emiliana, saying: My sister, come! I did not celebrate with you the birth of the Lord, but together we will celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. If you call only me, Emiliana replied, what will become of our sister Gordiana? Come, Tarsilla answered sadly; Gordiana has decided to remain with the worldlings. And after that vision, Emiliana fell ill and joined her sister for the feast day.
Saints for 24 December
St Adam the Patriarch
St Adela of Pfalzel
Bl Alberic of Gladbach
Bl Brocard of Strasbourg
St Bruno of Ottobeuren
St Caran of Scotland
St Delphinus of Bordeaux
St Emiliana of Rome
St Euthymius of Nicomedia
St Eve the Matriarch
Bl Francesco dei Maleficii
St Gregory of Spoleto
St Hanno of Worms
Bl Ignacio Caselles García
St Irmina of Oehren
St Mochua of Timahoe
Bl Pablo Meléndez Gonzalo
St Paola Elisabetta Cerioli
Bl Peter de Solanes
St Trasilla
Bl Venerandus of Clermont
—
All the Holy Ancestors of Jesus
Blessed Mercedarian Brothers – (4 beati)
Blessed Mercedarian Sisters – (6 beati)
Martyred Maidens of Antioch – (40 saints)
Martyrs of Tripoli – (6 saints)
Thought for the Day – 23 December
Thought for the Day – 23 December
St John of Kanty is a typical saint: He was kind, humble and generous, he suffered opposition and led an austere, penitential life. Most Christians in an affluent society can understand all the ingredients except the last: Anything more than mild self-discipline seems reserved for athletes and ballet dancers. Perhaps we will realise that Christmas is a good time at least to reject self-indulgence. And do it for the salvation of YOUR SOUL and NOT for the size of your hips!
St John of Kanty, Pray for us!
Quote of the Day – 23 December
Quote of the Day – 23 December
“Fight all error but do it with good humour,
patience, kindness and love.
Harshness will damage your own soul
and spoil the best cause.”
~~~St. John of Kanty (Saint of the Day)
One Minute Reflection – 23 December
One Minute Reflection – 23 December
On coming into the world, Jesus said ….. “”For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). By one offering He has forever perfected those who are being sanctified.
REFLECTION – Jesus Christ, the God-Man, was born in a manger and is spiritually reborn on the altar. He suffered on Calvary and continues to offer Himself on the altar.
In His earthly life He spread His teaching and worked miracles among the crowds. In the Eucharist, He spans the centuries and communicates Himself to all………..St John Chrysostum.
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, in contemplating the birth of Your Son in time and in the Eucharist, may I ever attain a new birth. May I through love of You, give my all to my neighbour in true charity. Help me to learn from St John of Kanty to live in humility and whom we ask for intercession. St John of Kanty, Pray for us! Amen
Saint of the Day – 23 December
Saint of the Day – 23 December – St John of Kanty/Cantius (1390-1473) Priest/Theologian/Teacher/Confessor/Philosopher – Patron of Poland and Lithuania and various Universities.
He was born in Kęty, a small town near Oświęcim, Poland, to Stanisław and Anna Kanty. He attended the Kraków Academy at which he attained bachelor, and licentiate. In 1418 he became a Doctor of Philosophy. Upon graduation he spent the next three years conducting philosophy classes at the university, while preparing for the priesthood. Upon his ordination, he became rector at the school of the Canons Regular of the Most Holy Sepulcher in Miechow.[2] While there, he was offered a professorship of Sacrae Scripturae (Sacred Scripture) back at his alma mater, the Kraków Academy, which would later be named the Jagiellonian University. He attained a doctorate in theology and eventually became director of the theology department. He held the professorship until his death in 1473. John spent many hours copying manuscripts of the Holy Scriptures, theological tracts, and other scholarly works.
In physics, he helped develop Jean Buridan’s theory of impetus, which anticipated the work of Galileo and Newton.
During his time in Kraków, John Kanty became well known in the city for his generosity and compassion toward the poor, especially needy students at the university. He subsisted on what was strictly necessary to sustain his life, giving alms regularly to the poor.
He was a serious man and a good teacher. He ate no meat, slept on the floor, and rested little. Though John was hard on himself, he was patient and kind to his students, who loved him in return. Some jealous faculty members, however, had him removed. John was sent to do parish work, but he was not acquainted with such duties. Although the people liked him for his generous and energetic spirit, John was not successful as a parish priest.
John returned to the university to teach Scripture. The material he taught was not remembered as much as his holiness. He was known everywhere for his humility and spontaneous generosity. He gave everything to people who were poor and kept only the clothes he most needed. Four times he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, carrying his luggage on his back. When John died at age 83, people had already claimed him as a saint
Tomb of Saint John Cantius
Church of St. Anne, Kraków, Poland
John of Kanty/Cantius was beatified in Rome by Pope Clement X on 28 March 1676. He was named patron of Poland and Lithuania by Pope Clement XII in the year 1737.[3] Ninety-one years after his beatification, Blessed John Cantius was canonized on 16 July 1767, by Pope Clement XIII.
The Roman Breviary distinguishes him with three hymns; he is the only confessor not a bishop who has been given this honour in the Roman Catholic liturgy.
St. John Cantius is a popular saint in Poland. A number of churches and schools founded by Polish diaspora communities throughout North America are named in his honour, in cities as far-ranging as Cleveland, Ohio; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Rolling Prairie, Indiana, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; St. Cloud, Minnesota; Wilno, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Erie, and Windber, Pennsylvania; New York City and Buffalo, New York.
“John Cantius” has been used as a first and middle name—see, for example, John Cantius Garand.
In 1998, a new religious institute was founded, based in Chicago, which took St. John Cantius as their patron saint. Thus they are the Canons Regular of Saint John Cantius.
Saints for 23 December
St John of Kanty/Cantius (Optional Memorial)
St Antonio of Saint Anne
St Besa of Egypt
Bl Bincema
St Dagobert II of Austrasia
Bl Epifanio Gómez Alvaro
St Frithbert of Hexham
Bl Hartmann of Brixen
Bl Herman of Scheda
Bl James Aymerich
St John Cirita
St John Stone
St Joseph Cho Yun-ho
St Mardonius of Rome
St Mazota of Abernethy
St Migdonius of Rome
St Nicolás Factor-Estaña
St Servulus of Rome
St Thorlac Thorhallsson
St Victoria
St Vintila of Orensee
—
Martyred Dominicans of Santander – (9 beati)
Martyrs of Crete – (10 saints)
Saint of the Day – 22 December
Saint of the Day – 22 December – St. Chaeremon & St. Ischyrion & Other Martyrs
In his letter to Fabian, the Bishop of Antioch, St. Dionysius of Alexandria speaks of Christians who suffered martyrdom under the Emperor Decius.
Many were driven to flee into the desert where they suffered hunger, exposure, and died prey to either wild beasts, or at the hand of men just as wild. A good number were also sold into slavery.
St. Dionysius particularly mentions a very old man, the Bishop of Nilopolis, by name of Chaeremon who, with a companion, disappeared into the mountains of Arabia. Though a search was carried out, not even their bodies were found.
In the same letter St. Dionysius also mentions the name of Ischyrion, the procurator of a magistrate of Egypt.
When ordered by the Egyptian official to sacrifice to the idols, Ischyrion refused so steadfastly that neither abuse nor threats could make him change his mind. The enraged magistrate then had him mutilated and impaled. A great many other martyrs are included here who gave their lives for Christ Jesus at this time in Egypt.
AND today it seems to be repeating itself, Christians are persecuted in these regions. Let us Pray for them all today!
O New Martyrs, through a malevolent force as old as Eden you now number among the ancient holy ones; keep us particularly in your prayers, as once again we are focused on the mysterious lands where humanity first came into being and into knowing and where all will finally be revealed. Pray that we may put aside all that is irrelevant to the moment and looking forever to the East, prepare our spirits for the engagements into which we may be called, whether we live amid these places of ancient roads and portals, or in the most modern of dwellings.
Mary, the God-bearer, pray for us,
Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us,
Saint John the Forerunner, pray for us,
All Holy Men and Women, pray for us.
Amen, Amen.
Saints for 22 December
St Abban of New Ross
Bl Adam of Saxony
St Amaswinthus of Málaga
St Athernaise of Fife
St Bertheid of Münster
St Chaeremon of Nilopolis
St Flavian of Acquapendente
St Honoratus of Toulouse
St Hunger of Utrecht
St Ischirione of Alexandria
Bl Jutta of Diessenberg
Bl Ottone of Toulouse
Bl Thomas Holland
St Zeno of Nicomedia
Martyrs of Ostia – (3 saints)
Martyrs of Rhaitu – (43 saints)
Martyrs of Via Lavicana – (30 saints)
Thought for the Day – 21 December
Thought for the Day – 21 December – St Peter Canisius
St Peter’s untiring efforts are an apt example for those involved in the renewal of the Church or the growth of moral consciousness in business or government. He is regarded as one of the creators of the Catholic press and can easily be a model for the Christian author or journalist. Teachers can see in his life a passion for the transmission of truth. Whether we have much to give, as Peter Canisius did, or whether we have only a little to give, as did the poor widow in the Gospel (see Luke 21:1–4), the important thing is to give our all. It is in this way that Peter is so exemplary for Christians in an age of rapid change when we are called to be in the world but not of the world.
In 1565, the Vatican was looking for a secret agent. It was shortly after the Council of Trent and the pope wanted to get the decrees of the Council to all the European bishops. What would be a simple errand in our day, was a dangerous assignment in the sixteenth century. The first envoy who tried to carry the decrees through territory of hostile Protestants and vicious thieves was robbed of the precious documents. Rome needed someone courageous but also someone above suspicion. They chose Peter Canisius. At 43 he was a well-known Jesuit who had founded colleges that even Protestants respected. They gave him a cover as official “visitor” of Jesuit foundations. But Peter couldn’t hide the decrees like our modern fictional spies with their microfilmed messages in collar buttons or cans of shaving cream. Peter traveled from Rome and crisscrossed Germany successfully loaded down with the Tridentine tomes — 250 pages each — not to mention the three sacks of books he took along for his own university!
St Peter believed in the importance in learning and understanding the Catholic faith. If it is available to you, resolve to read a portion of the new Catechism of the Catholic Church. Don’t try to read too much but consider reading a page a day. Before we can spread our faith we must have a solid foundation in ourselves.
Prayer:
Saint Peter Canisius, you saw the good in even the most troublesome of people. You found their talents and used them. Help me to see beyond the behaviour of others that may bother me to the gifts God has given them and please Pray for us all! Amen
Quote of the Day – 21 December
Quote of the Day – 21 December
“If you have too much to do, with God’s help you will find time to do it all.”
~~~ St Peter Canisius SJ (Saint of the Day)
One Minute Reflection – 21 December
One Minute Reflection – 21 December
God who is mighty, has done great things for me, holy is his name…….Lk 1:49
REFLECTION – “While remaining the Mother of our Judge, Mary is a mother to us, full of mercy.
She constitutes our protection. She keeps us close to Christ and she faithfully takes the matter of our salvation into her charge.”……………….St Peter Canisius (Saint of the Day)
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, You have filled Mary with grace and made her a Co-Redeemer with Christ Your Son. Grant that I may have constant recourse to her and attain the salvation she helped win for the world. St Peter Canisius Pray for us! Amen
Our Morning Offering – 21 December
Our Morning Offering – 21 December
Let my eyes take their sleep
but may my heart always keep watch for You.
May Your right hand bless Your servants
who love You.
May I be united with the praise
that flows from You, Lord Jesus,
to all your saints; united with the gratitude
drawn from Your heart, good Jesus,
that causes Your saints to thank You;
united with Your passion, good Jesus,
by which You took away our guilt;
united with the divine longing
that You had on earth for our salvation;
united with every prayer
that welled from Your divine heart, good Jesus
and flowed into the hearts of Your saints.
Amen
~~~ St Peter Canisius SJ (Saint of the Day)
Saint of the Day – 21 December
Saint of the Day – 21 December – St Peter Canisius SJ (1521-1597 aged 76) – Priest, Religious and Doctor of the Church – Known as The Hammer of Protestantism and the Second Apostle of Germany – Patron of Catholic press, Germany
St. Peter Canisius, from modern-day Netherlands, was born in 1521. His father was the local mayor and his mother died shortly of his birth. Peter studied at the University of Cologne and earned a Master’s degree in 1540 at the age of 19. While there, he met Peter Faber, one of the first Jesuits. Through him, Canisius became the first Dutchman to join the Society of Jesus in 1543. Through his preaching and writings, Peter Canisius became one of the most influential Catholics of his time. He supervised the founding and maintenance of the first German-speaking Jesuit colleges and was known as the Second Apostle of Germany.
If you have too much to do, with God’s help you will find time to do it all…. St Peter Canisius
For a half-century Jesuit Father Peter Canisius led the Catholic Reformation in Austria, Bavaria and Bohemia. For that reason he is reckoned an apostle to Germany, second only to St. Boniface. With stupendous energy he preached and taught in parishes, reformed and founded universities, wrote many books including popular catechisms, restored lapsed Catholics, converted Protestants, preached retreats, and found time to care for the sick. In his last 30 years traveling more than 20,000 miles on foot or horseback, St. Peter Canisius spearheaded the renewal of the Catholic faith in southern Germany.
Peter Canisius revitalised Catholic life and teaching at universities in Ingolstadt and Augsburg. He founded new ones at Prague and Fribourg. In all four cities his preaching and catechising won the hearts of Catholics and attracted nominal Protestants to the church. In Vienna his personal care for plague victims made him a most popular figure.Thus, when appointed diocesan administrator, he was in a position to revive the city’s long decadent Catholic community.
After 1555, Peter Canisius published his famous Summary of Christian Doctrine and two smaller catechisms. These books generated the Catholic Reformation as Luther’s catechism had spread Protestantism. Canisius’s catechisms also helped launch the Catholic press. During the saint’s lifetime they were translated into 15 languages and reprinted more than 200 times. His “German Catechism”, a book which defined the basic principles of Catholicism in the German language and made them more accessible to readers in German-speaking countries. He was offered the post of Bishop of Vienna in 1554, but declined in to continue his traveling and teachings.
In the late 16th century, when open hostility typified relations between Catholics and Protestants, Peter Canisius advised charity and moderation. He opposed theological debates with Protestant leaders and in general, discouraged discussion of Catholic distinctives such as indulgences, purgatory and monastic vows with Protestants. He believed such efforts only heightened division and embittered relations. He articulated his views in this letter to his Jesuit superior:
“It is plainly wrong to meet non-Catholics with bitterness or to treat them with discourtesy. For this is nothing else than the reverse of Christ’s example because it breaks the bruised reed and quenches the smoking flax. We ought to instruct with meekness those whom heresy has made bitter and suspicious and has estranged from orthodox Catholics, especially from our fellow Jesuits. Thus, by whole-hearted charity and good will we may win them over to us in the Lord.
Again, it is a mistaken policy to behave in a contentious fashion and to start disputes about matters of belief with argumentative people who are disposed by their very natures to wrangling. Indeed, the fact of their being so constituted is a reason the more why such people should be attracted and won to the simplicity of the faith as much by example as by argument.”
In 1591, Peter Canisius suffered a stroke that nearly killed him. But he recovered and devoted himself to writing for six more years until his death in 1597.
1-C283-A2 Petrus Canisius / Gemaelde Canisius, Petrus, erster deutscher Je- suit (heiliggesprochen), Nimwegen 8.5. 1521 – Freiburg (Schweiz) 21.12.1597. – Portraet des Petrus Canisius am Schreibtisch. – Niederlande, erste Haelfte des 17. Jahr- hunderts. Oel auf Eichenholz, 36,5 x 30 cm. Privatbesitz. E: Petrus Canisius / Painting Canisius, Petrus (Peter), first German Jesuit (beatified), Nimwegen 8.5.1521 – Freiburg (Switzerland) 21.12.1597. – Portrait of Petrus Canisius at his writing desk. – Netherlands, first half of 17th C. Oil on fir wood, 36.5 x 30cm. Private collection.
Saints for 21 December
St Peter Canisius (Optional Memorial)/Hammer of Protestantism/ Second Apostle of Germany
—
Bl Adrian of Dalmatia
St Anastasius II of Antioch
St Anrê Tran An Dung
Bl Anton Durcovici
St Baudacarius of Bobbio
St Beornwald of Bampton
Bl Bezela of Göda
Bl Daniel of the Annunciation
St Dioscorus
St Festus of Tuscany
St Glycerius of Nicomedia
St James of Valencia
St John of Tuscany
St John Vincent
St Micah the Prophet
St Phêrô Truong Van Thi
St Severinus of Trèves
Bl Sibrand of Marigård
St Themistocles of Lycia
Thought for the Day – 20 December
Thought for the Day – 20 December
St. Dominic of Silos came to know God in the solitude of a shepherd boy. It was this love of solitude that drew him into monastic life where he could be alone with his God. Most of us are so busy we scarcely have time for Sunday Mass. We should cultivate a little solitude, too. It is easy to form habits – is it not? Especially those that give us pleasure. Our greatest pleasure should be communing with God it too becomes a habit – this one is indispensable!
St Dominic de Silos Pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 20 December
One Minute Reflection – 20 December
You, O God, are my stronghold, my gracious God!………..Ps 59:18
REFLECTION – In tribulations, turn to God with confidence. You will obtain strength, light and knowledge.
In joys and successes, turn to God with fear and sincerity. You will escape all snares and be free of everything false…………….St John of the Cross
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, let me turn to You in good times and in bad. Grant that I may always remain in loving union with You no matter what adversity or goodness should befall me. As St Dominic de Silos lived his life, when he was exiled, he found another way to give You honour and through this adversity You filled his work with miracles. So too may it be in my life. St Dominic de Silos Pray for us! Amen
Saint of the Day – 20 December
Saint of the Day – 20 December – St Dominic de Silos O.S.B. (c1000-1073)- Patron of pregnant women, against rabies, against rabid dogs, against insects, captives, prisoners; shepherds.
St. Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers, was named after this Benedictine abbot, who lived a century before him. According to Dominican tradition, St. Dominic of Silos appeared to Blessed Joan of Aza (the mother of the later St. Dominic), who made a pilgrimage to his shrine before the birth of her son and named him after the abbot of Silos.
Dominic of Silos was born in Navarre, Spain, on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees and was a shepherd boy, looking after his father’s flocks. He acquired a love of solitude and as a young man became a monk at the monastery of San Millan de la Cogolla. He eventually became prior of the monastery and came into conflict with the king of Navarre over possessions of the monastery claimed by the king. The king drove Dominic out of the monastery and Dominic went with other monks to Castille, where the king of Castille appointed Dominic abbot of the monastery of St. Sebastian at Silos.
The monastery was in terrible shape, spiritually and materially and Dominic set about to restore the monastery and to reform the lives of the monks. He preserved the Mozarbic Rite (one of the variants of the Latin Rite) at his monastery and his monastery became one of the centers of the Mozarbic liturgy. His monastery also preserved the Visigothic script of ancient Spain and was a center of learning and liturgy in that part of Spain.
Dominic of Silos died on December 20,1073, about a century before the birth of his namesake, St. Dominic of Calaruega. Before the Spanish Revolution of 1931, it was customary for the abbot of Silos to bring the staff of Dominic of Silos to the Spanish royal palace whenever the queen was in labour and to leave it at her bedside until the birth of her child had taken place.
In recent times, great interest in Dominic of Silos has arisen since the literary treasures of the library of Silos have become known. The abbey had a profound influence on spirituality and learning in Spain. Today the monastery is an abbey of the Benedictine Congregation of Solesmes housing a library of ancient and rare manuscripts.
The images show the Monastery and Abbey of Solesmes as well as a Religuary Casket of St Dominic and an image of him taken from the altar piece.
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Christ and Pilgrims of Emmaus, detail from pillar in monastery of St Dominic of Silos, Spain.
Doubting of St Thomas, detail from pillar of St Dominic’s monastery, Silos. Spain, 11th-12th century.
The doubting of St Thomas, detail from pillar of St Dominic’s monastery, Silos, Spain, 11th-12th century
Saints for 20 December
St Attala of Strasbourg
St Bajulus of Rome
St Crescentius of Africa
St Dominic of Brescia
St Dominic de Silos
St Eugene of Arabia
St Gabriel Olivares Roda
St Hoger of Hamburg-Bremen
Bl John de Molina
St Julius of Gelduba
Bl Lorenzo Company
St Liberatus of Rome
St Macarius of Arabia
St Malou of Hautvillers
Bl Michal Piaszczynski
Paul of Latra
Bl Peter de la Cadireta
Bl Peter Massalenus
Philogonius of Antioch
St Thomas of Dover
St Ursicinus of Saint-Ursanne
Bl Vincent Romano
St Zephyrinus, Pope
Thought for the Day – 19 December
Thought for the Day – 19 December
In a very short pontificate – just around 4 years – St Pope Anastasius I faced two big problems. The first was Origen and the second the Donatists. He dealt with them both effectively by conference with his brother Bishops, to confirm his own understanding.
It is not unlike the situations we ourselves face on a daily basis, living as we do in a secular society. And how do we resolve such issues – we are not all theologians/apologists or debaters?
We have everything we need in the Catechism of the Catholic Church – every single answer is there! Do you own a copy? It should be by now rather well-worn!
St Pope Anastasius I Pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 19 December
One Minute Reflection – 19 December
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him and he with me……Rv 3:20
REFLECTION – “Speak to Jesus and you will give joy to His heart.
Your own heart will open up to the ray
of this Sun of Goodness, like humid
and chilled flowers on a spring morning”…………St Peter Julian Eymard
PRAYER – Lord Jesus, let me learn to open the door to my heart to You and speak with You daily. Let me be inundated with the warmth of Your love and direction so that I may follow You more closely every day. Let me live only Your truth dear Lord and follow the teachings of Your Church as St Pope Anastasius I did, whom I ask for intercession in prayer. Amen
Saint of the Day – 19 December
Saint of the Day – 19 December – St Pope Anastasius I – (Papacy began 399-401 his death on 19 December)
Pope St. Anastasius I was elect the 39th Pope in 399. He was born in Rome, the son of Maximus. He condemned the writings of the Alexandrian theologian Origen shortly after their translation into Latin. He fought against these writings throughout his papacy, and in 400 he called a council to discuss them. The council agreed that Origen was not faithful to the Catholic Church.
‘If Origen has put forth any other writings, you are to know that they and their author are alike condemned by me.
The Lord have you in safe keeping, my lord and brother deservedly held in honour.’ — letter to Simplicianus,
During his reign he also encouraged Catholics in North Africa to fight Donatism.
He instructed priests to stand and bow their head as they read from the gospels.
Among his friends were Augustine, Jerome, and Paulinus. Jerome speaks of him as a man of great holiness who was rich in his poverty.
He died in Rome and was eventually buried in the Catacomb of Pontian together with his son, who would be Pope Innocent I, a unique case of a Pope being succeeded by his son.
Saints for 19 December
St Anastasius I, Pope
St Augustine Moi Van Nguyen
St Avitus of Micy
Bl Berengar of Banares
Bernard Valeara of Teramo
Bl Bogumila Noiszewska
St Boniface of Cilicia
Bl Cecilia of Ferrara
St Dominic Uy Van Bui
St Fausta of Sirmium
St Gregory of Auxerre
St Jaume Boguñá Casanovas
St Johannes Gogniat
St Jordi Sampé Tarragó
St Josep Albareda Ramoneda
Bl Kazimiera Wolowska
Bl Konrad Liechtenau
St Manirus of Scotland
St Meuris of Alexandria
St Nemesius of Alexandria
St Phanxicô Xaviê Hà Trong Mau
St René Dubroux
Ribert of Saint-Oyend
St Stêphanô Nguyen Van Vinh
St Thea of Alexandria
St Timothy the Deacon
St Tôma Nguyen Van Ðe
Bl Pope Urban V
Bl William of Fenoli
Blessed Mercedarian Fathers – (6 beati)
Martyrs of Nicaea – (4 saints)
Martyrs of Nicomedia – (5 saints)
Thought for the Day – 18 December
Thought for the Day – 18 December
St Winebald was strongly influenced by his father, St Ruchard and his brother, St Willibald. Sometimes sanctity runs in the family and the encouragement that the family members receive from one another is a large part of their holiness. Let us keep in mind that those we associate with have a powerful influence on our personality and our character. Yesterday on the Memorial of St Olympias, we saw the amazing strength and support she supplied to one of our greatest Saints – Chrysostum – the proof is in the associate – be they family or friend!
St Winebald Pray for us!
One Minute Reflection – 18 December
One Minute Reflection – 18 December
We walk by faith, not by sight……….2 Cor 5:7
REFLECTION – ‘Faith is like a bright ray of sunlight.
It enables us to see God in all things as well as all things in God”………St Francis de Sales
PRAYER – Heavenly Father, help me to shine the spotlight of Your faith on the world I live in. Grant that I may see You everywhere and serve You in everything. Help me to walk by Faith alone, as your saints did, as St Winibald walked forth into strange lands to spread your light! St Winibald Pray for us! Amen
Saint of the Day – 18 December
Saint of the Day – 18 December – St Winebald of Heidenheim (c701-761)- (also called Winebaldus, Winnibald, Wunebald, Wunibald, Wynbald, Wynnebald, Vunibaldo, Vinebaldo) – Benedictine Abbot and Missionary – Patron of construction workers and • engaged couples
St Winebald is one of those amazing English missionaries who evangelized Europe, leaving behind a flourishing Catholicism and a number of monasteries and laying the beginnings of Christianity in what is now Germany, France, Holland, Austria, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
St. Winebald was the son of a West Saxon nobleman, St. Richard and the brother of St. Willibald. With his father and brother he made a pilgrimage to Rome in 721. His father died in Italy and Winebald remained in Rome for further study, like his countrymen before him, St. Wilfrid and St. Benedict Biscop. He returned to England and brought back to Rome some of his relatives to begin a monastic life in the holy city.
When St. Boniface came to Rome in 739, he recruited Winebald for the German missions, ordained him a priest, and put him in charge of churches in Germany and Bavaria. His brother, Willibald, who was now bishop of Eichstatt, asked Winebald to found a monastery for the training of priests and as a centre of learning. Their sister, St. Walburga, came from England to found a convent and both the monastery and the convent were founded at Heidenheim.
He established the rule of St. Benedict in his monastery and Heidenheim became an important center of learning in the missionary territory. Because of illness, Winebald was not able to carry on the missionary work that he desired and yearned to end his days at Monte Cassino.
In 76, Winebald visited St. Boniface’s shrine at Fulda and on the way home to Heidenheim became very sick. When he reached Heidenheim, he became weaker and weaker and after giving his monks a few last words he died on December 18, 761. His tomb became a local shrine and the site of pilgrimages and miracles – to this day!
One Minute Reflection – 17 December
One Minute Reflection – 17 December
A loyal friend is like a safe shelter; find one, and you have found a treasure…..Sir 6:14
REFLECTION – “A friend is more to be longed for than the light; I speak of a genuine one. And wonder not: for it were better for us that the sun should be extinguished, than that we should be deprived of friends; better to live in darkness, than to be without friends.”……………………… St John Chrysostom
PRAYER – God of all consolation, teach me to put all my trust in You. Let me then go out and share the joy of Your love with my neighbour and give You grateful thanks for those You have given me to love and accompany me on our journey to You. St Olympias you were a stalwart and loving friend to St John Chrysostum, Pray for us! Amen
Saint of the Day – 17 December
Saint of the Day – 17 December – St Olympias of Constantinople/the Deaconess – (c361-408)
Throughout church history, holy widows have become friends with priests and bishops, supporting them spiritually and materially, including Olympias and John Chrysostom. A member of Constantinople’s wealthy elite, St. Olympias enjoyed a happy marriage to the prefect, Nebridius. However, when her husband died young, the lovely widow decided to remain single. She refused all suitors, including one advanced by the emperor Theodosius himself.
He punished her by placing her estate under public administration. But she made a striking appeal in 391, and he restored her control over her fortune. Olympias had already decided to live simply, and she began to divest herself, giving everything away to the needy and to the church. Her biographer described her largesse in this way:
Olympias distributed all of her immense wealth and assisted everyone simply and without distinction. She surpassed in generosity to all the Samaritan whose story is told in the gospels. Immediately after the distribution of all her goods, she gave to the archbishop, John Chrysostom, for the cathedral church of the royal city, ten thousand pounds of gold, twenty thousand of silver and all of her real estate situated in all the provinces. Then by the divine will she was ordained deaconess of this holy cathedral of God. And she built a monastery at an angle south of it. John also ordained as deaconesses of the cathedral her three relatives, Elisanthia, Martyria and Palladia. Thus the four deaconesses could stay together in the convent that Olympias had founded.
All were amazed at the holiness of these women: their constant praise and thanksgiving to God, their “charity which is the bond of perfection” (see Colossians 3:14),and their stillness. No man or woman from the outside was permitted to visit them. The holy patriarch John, the only exception, came regularly to sustain the women with his wise teaching.
Olympias, like the women who served Christ, prepared the archbishop’s daily meals and sent them to him. Only a wall separated his residence from the convent. She fed him not only before the plots against him but also after he was banished. Up to the end of his life, she provided for all his expenses as well as for those who were with him in exile.
Olympias also constructed a hospital and orphanage near the convent. She regularly provided hospitality to Christian leaders from all over the East, including Gregory of Nyssa.
When John Chrysostom fell afoul of the empress and was banished, she supported him. He reciprocated by encouraging Olympias when officials persecuted her. Optatus, the prefect of Constantinople, twice banished her for refusing to accept Arsacius and his successor, Atticus, the usurpers who had replaced John as archbishop. Atticus finally disbanded her community and ended her charitable works. Olympias died in exile in 408, a year after the death of John Chrysostom.
The Statue below is on the main Facade of St Peter’s in Rome.
AnaStpaul 
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