The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Day Celebrated: January 1, Holy Day of Obligation. What Is the Feast About? One of the most important dogmatic Marian teachings of our faith is that Mary is the Mother of God. This title of “Theotokos” or “God-Bearer” testifies to the fundamental reality of the Incarnation: the Person of the Son assumed to Himself a human nature; He is fully God and fully Man. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that: Called in... Read more
Saint Lucy of Syracuse Feast Day: December 13 Biography: Saint Lucy is one of the early saints of the Church, a virgin-martyr who died in the year 304 and who is mentioned in the first Eucharistic Prayer in the Mass. According to tradition, Lucy was the daughter of wealthy noble parents, a Roman father and a Greek mother Eutychia, born around 283 in Syracuse. Her mother was a Christian, who raised Lucy as one as well. Lucy took her faith... Read more
Feast: Our Lady of Guadalupe Day Celebrated: December 12 What Is the Feast About? The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is particularly important to the Americas, especially the indigenous peoples of the Americas, because this feast celebrates when Mary appeared to demonstrate her particular love and patronage of American peoples. The story of the apparition is that early Saturday morning, December 9, 1531, Juan Diego, a member of the Chichimeca people living near modern day Mexico City, was... Read more
Pope Saint Gregory III Feast Day: December 10 Biography: Most of the time, the election of a new pontiff begins with a funeral; rarely, however, does the nomination process get underway at the funeral, as happened in the case of Pope Saint Gregory III. A Syrian, the man who would become Gregory III was walking in the funeral procession for his predecessor, Pope Gregory II, in 731, when the people and clergy of Rome began to call for him to... Read more
Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatotzin Feast Day: December 9 Biography: Born in 1474 in Cuautlitlan (now part of Mexico City, Mexico) and given the name “Cuauthlatoatzin,” which means “the talking eagle,” Juan Diego, a member of the Chichimeca people, would grow up to become the Church’s first saint indigenous to the Americas. Though little is known about Juan Diego’s early life, records tell us he was baptized in 1524 at 50 years old, along with his wife, Maria Lucia, by the... Read more
The Immaculate Conception Day Celebrated: December 8th, Holy Day of Obligation. What Is the Feast About? Firstly, it is important to remember that the Immaculate Conception is a feast in the Church which celebrates Mary who is conceived without original sin; it is not a feast celebrating the conception of Jesus. So, let’s back things up way back. Turning back to the very beginning, with Adam and Eve and the Garden and the snake and the tree, we need to... Read more
Saint Mary Josepha Rossello Feast Day: December 7 Biography As the fourth of nine children, it should come as no surprise that Benedetta Rossello, later Saint Mary Josepha Rossello, would grow up with a desire to care for the young. Her parents, who were poor, worked as pottery makers near Savona, Italy, work that all their children helped them to complete. Being with her parents, Benedetta was influenced by her parents’ teachings and examples. She also had the opportunity to... Read more
Saint Nicholas of Myra Feast Day: December 6 Biography Saint Nicholas of Myra’s story begins far south of the wintery wonderland we are used to associating with Santa Claus: Nicolas is believed to have been born in Parara, a city in Asia Minor, in the 4th Century. While historically accurate records are lacking, there are many legends about this saint, popular in both the Eastern and Western Church, that have nothing to do with either reindeer or elves. That Nicholas... Read more
And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. In in these words, St. John encapsulates the wonder that is the Incarnation: the union of the Divine with His creation. As our liturgy draws us closer to the celebration of this wondrous event, it’s not surprising that the Incarnation and Incarnational theology take center stage during the Advent season. It’s hard not to ask ourselves: what does it really mean to say God became Man? The problem with... Read more
On the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua, I can’t help reflect on the saint who has proven so important to me. See, I am always losing things. Call it inattentive ADHD, call it the age of distraction, call it my academic inclinations, but I lose something on a daily basis. I cannot tell you how many times I have lost my keys/wallet/debit card/sun glasses/myself. Once, I got lost driving my friends to my house from college (oh hi... Read more
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