Friday, November 30, 2012
Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle
The Golden Legend is perhaps the most famous hagiography of the brother of St. Peter, but it is probably notable more for its glamour and pious romantic spirit than for the kind of historical fact we now take for granted. Before we begin a study of this great man, then, let us recapitulate certain things […]
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
Comm. of St. Saturninus
Begin today the Novena to the Immaculate Conception. Saturninus was born in the third century to Roman nobility. A missionary to Gaul, the Pyrenees, and the Iberian peninsula, he worked with Saint Papoul and converted many, including the farmer now known as Saint Honestus who joined him as a missionary. He was imprisoned in Carcassone […]
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Thursday, November 22, 2012
St. Cæcilia, Virgin and Martyr
St. Cæcilia was a cultivated young patrician woman whose ancestors loomed large in Rome’s history. She vowed her virginity to God, but her parents married her to Valerian of Trastevere. Cæcilia told her new husband that she was accompanied by an angel, but in order to see it, he must be purified. He agreed to […]
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox church both celebrate the Presentation of Mary in the Temple. This celebration clearly shows that neither Roman Catholic Tradition nor the Greek Orthodox church rely on Scripture alone — nor should they. Several apocryphal texts relate that Mary, at the age of three, was brought by her […]
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012
St. Felix of Valois
Born to nobility in the French province of Valois as “Hugh”, this saint received the blessings of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and Pope Innocent II as a child. He was educated at the abbey of Clairvaux and, following his parents’ divorce (and resultant excommunication), he renounced his wealth and took the name Felix. To avoid […]
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Monday, November 19, 2012
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, W; Com. of St. Pontianus, PM
Born a princess to King Andrew of Hungary and the great-aunt of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, St. Elizabeth married Prince Louis of Thuringa at age 13. She built a hospital at the foot of the mountain on which her castle stood, and tended to the sick herself. Her family and courtiers opposed this, but she […]
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Sunday, November 18, 2012
Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul
From Fr. Leonard Goffine‘s wonderful Church’s Year: Quod duce te mundus surrexit in astra triumphans, hanc Constantinus victor tibi condidit aliam. Because the world under thy conduct has risen triumphant to the very heavens, Constantine the conqueror built this temple in thy honour. This inscription stood in letters of gold over the triumphal arch in […]
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Friday, November 16, 2012
St. Gertrude the Great
His Holiness paid tribute to her in an address to the general audience in St. Peter’s Square on October 6, 2010 (includes a link to the video). From the Catholic Encyclopedia: Saint Gertrude the Great was a Benedictine and mystic writer who received visions and allocutions from Heaven. She was born in Germany on the […]
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Thursday, November 15, 2012
St. Albert the Great (Albertus Magnus)
On March 24, 2010, His Holiness gave a lengthy tribute to the “tutor to the Angelic Doctor” in St. Peter’s Square. Following the address, he said, in English (emphasis mine): In our catechesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages, we now turn to Saint Albert, better known as Albertus Magnus, Albert the Great. […]
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Saturday, November 10, 2012
Saint Andrew Avellino, Confessor
Theologian, founder, and friend of St. Charles Borromeo. Born in 1521 at Castonuevo, Sicily, and baptized Lancellato, he took the name of Andrew as a Theatine monk. A devoted young man who was also very handsome, Andrew studied in Venice and in Naples, being ordained and receiving a Doctorate of Laws at the age of […]
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