Jmj

Today, August 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation.
Also on this day, the Catholic Church honors, in a special way, the following friends of God, saints whose souls are now in heaven:

Bl. Isidore Bakanja (Congolese martyr, 1909)
St. Tarcisius (youthful Roman martyr for the Eucharist)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron saint -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John


-- J. F. Gecik (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 15, 2001

Answers

-- (_@_._), August 15, 2001.

John:

While the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary may be a holy day of obligation in the United States, it is no longer one in Canada and some other parts of the world. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops have changed those feast days which require all Catholics to attend Mass. In Canada, there remain only two holy days of obigation other than Sundays. They are Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

I am informed that the jurisdiction regarding holy days of obligation is purely at regional discretion, which means an American travelling in Canada on Aug. 15 does not have to attend Mass. Conversely, a Canadian travelling in the United States on Aug. 15, must comply with regional Church regulations and is compelled to attend Mass.

St. James and Mary Our Blessed Mother, pray for us!

Ed

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), August 19, 2001.

Jmj

Thanks for this information about Canadian holy days (which saddens me a bit) -- and WELCOME BACK to the forum, Ed. I've missed you, as I mentioned on another thread some days ago.
When you mention "New Year's Day" as one of the two remaining holy days, are you referring to the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God on the 1st of January?
St. James, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 19, 2001.

Yes John, I was referring to the celebration of the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God on the 1st of January. I meant no disrespect in referring to her day as New Year's Day, just wasn't thinking.

Ed

-- Ed Lauzon (grader@accglobal.net), August 19, 2001.

Ed, Welcome back, God bless you. David Sullivan

-- David S (asdzxc8176@aol.com), August 19, 2001.

Ed,

Thanks for the info, to me it's an "eye opener" that days of obligation aren't Church-wide.

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), August 20, 2001.

[An expanded and improved 2002 version of the opening (2001) post follows:]

Jmj

Today, August 15, we members of the Catholic Church family celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heaven -- a holy day of obligation in the U.S. and many other nations.
We also honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Altfrid of Hildesheim (German, Benedictine monk, bishop, d. 874)
St. Arduinus of Rimini (Italian, priest, d. 1009)
St. Arnulf (French, nobleman, Benedictine abbot, bishop, died in Belgium in 1087)
Bl. Isidore Bakanja (Congolese, mason, servant, tortured and martyred in 1909 [beatified 1994]) St. Limbania of Genoa (Cypriot, Bendictine nun in Italy, d. 1294)
St. MacCartin of Clogher (Irish, nobleman, disciple of St. Patrick, bishop, d. 506)
Bl. Maria Sagrario of St. Aloysius Gonzaga [baptized Elvira Moragas Cantarero] (Spanish, pharmacist, Carmelite prioress, martyred [shot] at age 55 in 1936 [beatified 1997])
St. Napoleon of Alexandria (Egyptian, tortured and martyred c. 300)
St. Rupert of Ottobeuren (German, Benedictine abbot for 43 years, d. 1145)
St. Tarcisius (Roman, acolyte or deacon, martyred [stoned and clubbed] protecting the Blessed Sacrament c. 255)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron saint -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John


-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), August 15, 2002.

A good woman, martyred on August 15 of this year, may be added to the list of blesseds and saints some day.

-- (_@_._), August 28, 2002.

Jmj

On August 15, we members of the Catholic Church family celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into heaven -- a holy day of obligation in the U.S. and many other nations. We also honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Altfrid of Hildesheim (German, Benedictine monk, bishop, d. 874)
St. Arduino of Rimini (Italian, priest, d. 1009)
St. Arnulf of Soissons (French, nobleman, Benedictine abbot, bishop, died in Belgium in 1087)
Bl. Isidore Bakanja of Boanji (Congolese, mason, servant, tortured and martyred in 1909 [beatified 1994])
St. Limbania of Genoa (Cypriot, Bendictine nun in Italy, d. 1294)
St. MacCartin of Clogher (Irish, nobleman, disciple of St. Patrick, bishop, d. 506)
Bl. Mary Tabernacle of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Moragas Cantarero of Lillo [Maria Sagrario de San Aloisio Gonzaga] [baptized Elvira] (Spanish, pharmacist, Carmelite prioress, martyred [shot] at age 55 in 1936 [beatified 1997])
St. Napoleon of Alexandria (Egyptian, tortured and martyred c. 300)
St. Rupert of Ottobeuren (German, Benedictine abbot for 43 years, d. 1145)
St. Tarcisius of Rome (Italian, acolyte or deacon, martyred [stoned and clubbed] protecting the Blessed Sacrament c. 255)

If you have anything to share about these holy people, please reply now -- biographical episodes, prayers through their intercession, the fact that one is your patron -- whatever moves you. If you are interested in one of these saints or blesseds and want to find out more about him/her, please ask. Information is sometimes available on the Internet.

All you holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), August 15, 2003.

I think its very sad the Solemnity of the Assumpton of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul into Heaven is not a holy day of obligation in Canada.

Am I missing something? Shame on you, Canada!

May the Blessed Virgin pray for all of us sinners.

-- - (David@excite.com), August 16, 2003.

St. Tarsicius was a 12 year old boy who was carrying the "holy mysteries" when he was beaten to death by a mob on his way to give the euchrastic to people in prison

-- anonymus (bballplayer@mail.com), November 20, 2004.

Dear "anonymous,"

You wrote, "St. Tarsicius was a 12 year old boy ...". I assume that you wrote this in order to contradict what is stated above in the "micro-biography" I posted ("St. Tarcisius of Rome (Italian, acolyte or deacon ..."). [It should be kept in mind that the word "acolyte" is not really synonymous with "altar boy," but was one of the "minor orders" formerly given to seminarians studying for the priesthood.]

Anonymous, what you wrote is what I too was told when in grade school many years ago. However, careful checking shows that we have no historical source of information to verify that claim ("12-year-old boy"). Instead, it is believed to be one of the embellishments added by a 19th-century cardinal to the meager biography of the saint, in the course of his writing of a novel.

As the old (c. 1912) Catholic Encyclopedia article states, there is only one early source of information about St. Tarcisius, and it does not give his age or vocation in life. Anything further that we have is speculation/fiction.
The following is taken from a major Internet source about saints:

"According to the poem on his tomb, written by Pope Saint Damasus ..., Tarsicius was carrying the Eucharist through the streets of Rome, when he was seized by curious bystanders. Preferring death to allowing profanation of the Blessed Sacrament, this acolyte or deacon refused to surrender his precious burden and was murdered with stones and clubs. ... [A] reference to Saint Stephen, in the poem of St. Damasus, leads to the opinion that Tarsicius was probably a deacon, rather than a young acolyte as portrayed in Cardinal Wiseman's highly embellished novel 'Fabiola' (1854). ..."

God bless you.
John

-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), November 21, 2004.