December Saints

The Feast of St. Francis Xavier

St. Francis Xavier was one of the first Jesuits, known for his missions work in Asia in the 16th century.

St. Francis was born in 1506 in the Kingdom of Navarre, a region now divided between modern-day Spain and France. Francis studied philosophy in Paris and later became an instructor after completing his master's degree.

With the help of his friends, Peter Faber and Ignatius Loyola, Francis found his ultimate calling. In 1534, Francis joined Peter, Ignatius and four others in making a vow of poverty, chastity and dedication to the Gospel.

Francis became a priest in 1537, and three years later, Pope Paul III recognized his group of companions as a religious order, the Jesuits. Francis spent time caring for the sick and the poor in Portugal and India. Adopting the lifestyle of the common people, he lived on rice and water in a hut with a dirt floor.

Later he extended his efforts to Malaysia and Japan. He became fluent in Japanese and instructed the first generation of Japanese Catholic converts. St. Francis then set his sights on the closely-guarded kingdom of China, but a serious illness cut his life short. He died in 1552.

St. Francis Xavier, please pray for us! 

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The Feast of St. Nicholas 

On December 6, we celebrate St. Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop known for his remarkable generosity and love of children that has become the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus.

Also known as Nicholas of Myra, St. Nicholas was born in Lycia in Asia Minor. As a young man, it is said that he made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt in order to study the ways of the Desert Fathers. Returning years later, he was ordained bishop of Myra, which is now Demre, on the coast of modern-day Turkey. He was imprisoned during the persecution of Diocletian and wasn't released until Constantine the Great came to power, making Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

There are many famous tales of the generosity of St. Nicholas. It is said that he threw bags of gold through a poor man's open window to provide the dowry for the man’s daughters. The gold landed in the family’s shoes, drying near the fire. This has led to the tradition of children leaving their shoes by the door or hanging stockings by the fireplace in the hopes of receiving a gift on the eve of his feast.

It is also said that St. Nicholas had a long white beard, often wore red robes and had a custom of giving gifts in secret. The name "Santa Claus" comes from the Dutch word "Sinterklaas," meaning Saint Nicholas. While there are many cultural variations of the Santa Claus legend, the loving generosity of the true St. Nicholas is the inspiration at the heart of it all.

St. Nicholas, please pray for us! 

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The Feast of St. Ambrose

On December 7, the Church celebrates St. Ambrose, a 4th century Bishop of Milan and Doctor of the Church known for his influence on St. Augustine and his opposition to Arianism.

Ambrose, born around 340, was highly educated and sought to reconcile Greek and Roman intellectual culture with the Catholic faith. He received extensive training in literature, law and rhetoric and became the governor of Liguria and Emilia, with headquarters in Milan.
The bishop at the time, Auxentius, followed the heresy of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. In spite of the Council of Nicaea's reassertion of the traditional teaching on Jesus' deity, many clergy still held to Arianism.

After Bishop Auxentius' death, Ambrose was the clear choice as the new Bishop of Milan, even though he was still just a catechumen and not yet baptized. His deep understanding and passion for the traditional faith were well known among the faithful of Milan. With the help of Emperor Valentinian II, a group of Milanese Catholics virtually forced Ambrose to become their bishop.

Bishop Ambrose began his ministry by giving everything he owned to the poor and to the Church. Inspired by Greek theologians like St. Basil and aided by his understanding of philosophy and literature, Ambrose sought to clarify the theological confusion of the time. Ambrose's intellectual approach attracted, among others, St. Augustine of Hippo.

Ambrose lived simply but wrote prolifically. He counseled public officials, pagan inquirers, confused Catholics and repentant sinners. He also displayed remarkable courage when he publicly denied communion to Emperor Theodosius, who had ordered the massacre of 7,000 citizens in Thessalonica. The emperor later publicly repented of the massacre, doing penance for the murders.

St. Ambrose, please pray for us! 

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patronal feast of the United States

In 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed: “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.”

Thus, Pope Pius IX dogmatically confirmed the long-held belief of the Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "To become the mother of the Savior, Mary 'was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.' The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as 'full of grace.' In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God's grace." (CCC 490)

Blessed Virgin, please pray for us! 

The Feast of St. Juan Diego, patron saint of Indigenous people and the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas

After the death of his father, he was raised in the beliefs of the Aztec pagan religion, but always showed signs of having a mystical sense of life. He was beloved for his religious fervor, and his respect for the Virgin Mary and his Bishop Juan de Zumarraga.

In December 1531, Juan was stopped by the beautiful sight of a radiant woman who introduced herself as the "ever-perfect holy Mary, who has the honor to be the mother of the true God." She wanted them to build a chapel in her honor on Tepeyac Hill, which was also the site of a former pagan temple.

When he told Bishop Zumarraga what happened, the Bishop asked for proof or a sign that what Juan saw was real and truly of heaven. After being requested by the Virgin Mary to collect flowers from the top of a hill, Juan returned to the Bishop. He opened his cloak and the Bishop was presented with a miraculous imprinted image of the Virgin Mary on the flower-filled cloak.

After the miracle, Juan Diego moved to a small home on Tepeyac Hill, where he lived a life of work and brayer until his death on December 9, 1548. His imprinted cloak has remained perfectly preserved since 1531. The "Basilica of Guadalupe" on Tepeyac Hill has since become one of the most-visited Catholic shrines in the world.

St. Juan Diego, please pray for us!

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 In 1531, a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a humble Native American at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of what is now Mexico City.

Cuauhtlatohuac, a 57-year-old widower, was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. On his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass, he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared, and within it stood a maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. Speaking in his own language, she identified herself as the Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
She requested that a church be built on the site. The bishop initially hesitated and requested a sign. Mary then sent her native messenger to the top of the hill to gather an assortment of roses for the Bishop.

She also left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on the native's tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth. This cloth should have deteriorated after a few decades, but it shows no sign of decay hundreds of years later.

The story of these apparitions are described in the "Nican Mopohua," a 16th-century document written in the native Nahuatl language. Millions of pilgrims visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe every year, making it one of the most visited sanctuaries. An incredible list of miracles, cures and interventions are attributed to Our Lady.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, please pray for us! 

The Feast of St. Lucy, virgin and martyr

Venerated by Christians since her own time, St. Lucy was likely martyred in Sicily, probably during the persecutions of Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruled 284-305. Legends about Lucy include a rejected suitor denouncing her as a Christian and miracles that saved her from life in a brothel, from being burned at the stake and from having her eyes plucked out. Another legend says she bled to death after her throat was cut.

Lucy, whose name suggests light, is among the saints listed in the canon of the Mass. She is the patron saint of electricians and ophthalmologists. Christians pray for her intercession regarding diseases of the eyes.

St. Lucy, please pray for us! 

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The Feast of St. John the Cross

St. John of the Cross was a 16th-century Carmelite priest, mystic and Doctor of the Church, known for his role in the Spanish Counter-Reformation.

John de Yepes was born in 1542 in Fontiveros near the Spanish city of Avila as the youngest child of parents in the silk-weaving trade. His father died at a relatively young age, and his mother struggled to provide for the family. John spent several years working in a hospital for the poor while studying at a Jesuit college in Medina del Campo.

After discerning his calling to the monastic life, John entered the Carmelite Order in 1563. He had been practicing severe physical asceticism before joining the Carmelites, and now he also follows their original rule of life which emphasized solitude, silence, poverty, work, and contemplative prayer.

John was ordained to the priesthood in 1567 and soon met Saint Teresa of Avila. She and St. John worked together to reform the Carmelites. John was in charge of the new recruits to the “Discalced Carmelites” – the name adopted by the reformed group, wearing sandals rather than ordinary shoes as sign of poverty.

In spite of the severe opposition they faced, their movement of reform grew quickly. In December of 1577, John was seized and imprisoned in a tiny cell for nine months. He was flogged in public regularly and suffered other harsh punishments. Yet, during this period of trial, he composed the poetry that served as the foundation for his spiritual writings.

John managed to escape from prison and resumed the work of founding and directing Discalced Carmelite communities. Over the next decade, he produced many significant spiritual writings.

Only near the end of his life had St. John's monastic superior recognized his wisdom and holiness. Though his reputation had suffered unjustly for years, his situation was reversed soon after his death. He is sometimes called the “Mystical Doctor” as a tribute to the depth of his teaching on the soul's union with God.

St. John of the Cross, please pray for us! 

The Feast of St. Peter Canisius

This doctor of the church was born in Holland and studied canon law in Belgium before turning to the study of theology in Germany. In 1543, after meeting St. Peter Faber, one of St. Ignatius of Loyola’s companions, he entered the Society of Jesus and soon became a well-known preacher.

He attended two sessions of the Council of Trent and was an important figure in the post-conciliar Catholic revival in Europe. After completing his doctorate, St. Ignatius assigned him to renew the Catholic faith in Germany. As the Jesuit provincial in southern Germany, Austria and Bohemia, Peter Canisius started schools, colleges and seminaries. He wrote three catechisms in German and is credited with keeping the southern German peoples Catholic.

St. Peter Canisius, please pray for us!

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The Feast of St. John of Kanty

Greatly revered in his native country of Poland, this saint, also known as John Cantius, spent most of his life teaching at the University of Krakow, where he was a noted professor of sacred Scripture. He also spent an interval as a parish priest, reputedly forced on him because of academic jealousy.

At the university, he impressed on students the need for moderation and good manners in controversy, and was famous for his boundless generosity to Krakow’s poor. A personal austerity contributed to his reputation for holiness: He ate no meat and slept on the floor.

St. John of Kanty, please pray for us! 

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The Nativity of the Lord

The Church celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ with joy. The Eternal Word has become man to dwell among us, fulfilling the prophesies and the longings of the patriarchs.

"For by the mystery of the Word made flesh the light of Thy glory hath shone anew upon the eyes of our mind; so that while we acknowledge Him a God seen by men, we may be drawn by Him to the love of things unseen."

The word for Christmas comes from the Old English "Cristes Maesse," the Mass of Christ. Today the Church focuses especially on the newborn Child. God became human, the embodiment of hope, peace and redemption for us all.


 

The Feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr

"He said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God'... As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.' Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them,' and when he said this, he fell asleep." ~ Acts 7:56,59-60

St. Stephen, pray for us!

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The Feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist

John and his brother, James, Galilean fishermen called the “sons of thunder,” were chosen to be among the Twelve Apostles. John was with Jesus at the Transfiguration, in the Garden of Gethsemane and on Calvary. It was to this “beloved disciple” that Jesus entrusted his mother’s care.

John evangelized in Ephesus (Turkey), was exiled to the island of Patmos and, according to tradition, lived to be 100 years. John and his community of followers are credited with writing the fourth Gospel, three epistles and the Book of Revelation.

St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, please pray for us! 

The Feast of the Holy Innocents, the children who were killed by King Herod

"When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi." ~ Matthew 2:16

Sources vary on the total number of young boys who were killed, as many as 14,000 to 64,000 or more, or possibly a much smaller number.

Today, let us offer gratitude to the Lord for the gift of children, and let us pray for protection over all children, including the unborn.



 

The Feast of St. Thomas Becket

A London-born clerk to Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury, Thomas studied canon law abroad and was ordained a deacon. His support of Henry II’s claim to England’s throne led to his appointment as royal chancellor.

He was the king’s great friend until 1162, when, as the new archbishop of Canterbury, he said he changed from being “a patron of play-actors and a follower of hounds, to being a shepherd of souls.” He and the king clashed over many issues, notably the jurisdiction of ecclesiastical courts.

Thomas fled to France for six years; soon after his return, Henry’s wish to be rid of this troublesome prelate led to Thomas’ murder by four knights. This medieval martyr starred in two modern plays: Eliot’s “Murder in the Cathedral” and Anouilh’s “Becket.”

St. Thomas Becket, please pray for us! 
 

The Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

In the midst of our Christmas celebrations, today we’re reminded of “the rest of the story,” which culminates in the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the beginning of the Church.

Along with Mary and Joseph and all who follow Jesus, our journey has begun.