AUGUST 30 -- today's saints

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Jmj

Today, August 30, the Catholic Church honors, in a special way, the following friends of God, saints whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Fiacre (Irish, healer and hermit in France, d. 670)
Bl. Jeanne Jugan (French, foundress of Little Sisters of the Poor, d.1879)
St. Margaret Ward (English, laywoman who aided priests, hanged in 1588 [canonized 1970])
Bl. John Roche (English, servant of St. Margaret Ward, martyred in 1588)

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 30, 2001

Answers



-- (_@_._), August 30, 2001.

John, Do you know why at Mass, That usually only 1 Saint is mentioned on their Feastday? I notice that their are several Saints mentioned on Your Saints of the day for the different Feast Days. David S

-- David S (asdzxc8176@aol.com), August 30, 2001.

Jmj

Hi, David.
The answer to your question is a bit complicated.

I believe that there are several thousand saints and blesseds "recognized" by the Catholic Church. Each one of them has a special day of the year that is linked to their commemoration. And that is why there are usually between two and fifteen people mentioned on my daily lists.

But of these thousands of holy people, fewer than 200 especially prominent ones -- saints to which the Church wants us to pay special attention -- are on what is called the "universal liturgical calendar" of the Latin Rite. The word "universal" refers to the fact that these saints are named on church calendars printed throughout the world, and priests everywhere are encouraged to celebrate Mass in memory of them.

In addition to the "universal calendar," though, each regional or national conference of bishops creates (with Vatican approval) a local calendar on which it names certain saints and "blesseds" that have a special meaning in that area -- such as Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha in the U.S. (and Canada, I think). And so, priests in a given country have special encouragement to celebrate Mass in memory of the saints on both the universal and the local calendar.

Besides the universal and local calendars, there are special calendars used by certain religious orders/congregations (e.g., the Franciscans), who have the pope's permission to celebrate Mass in memory of various lesser known saints and blesseds who once were members.

As you know, especially in the 34 weeks of Ordinary Time, there are many days on which there is no saint listed on the universal calendar nor on the local calendar. Today, August 30, is one of those days in the U.S.. On days like this, a priest, for a good reason, may celebrate Mass in memory of any of the less well-known saints/blessed whose "feast day" it is. For example, perhaps an English priest stationed in the U.S. may want to celebrate Mass today in memory of St. Margaret Ward, to whom he may have a special devotion.

In the Latin Rite, it is a liturgical regulation, decided by Pope Paul VI (and probably by many popes before him), that a priest should celebrate Mass in honor of just one saint whose feast it is. (The exception, of course, is when two or more saints are linked together on purpose -- such as Peter/Paul, Simon/Jude, St. Paul Chong Hasang and companions, etc.) You know that the Mass has special "proper" prayers that are read by the priest at three points in the Mass (after the penitential rite, just before the Eucharistic prayer, and after Communion), and those prayers specifically mention just one saint (or "companion" saints). So, if the priest wanted to commemorate more than two or three or ten unrelated saints/blesseds on the same day, he would have to read all the prayers for all of them. Of course, this is not permitted, because it would be distracting, confusing, time-consuming, etc..

Though commemorating saints' feasts at Mass is important, the Church wants us to keep our focus less on the saint(s) of the day than on the sacrifice of Calvary that is re-presented during the Mass. Unfortunately, I have met some priests who have taken this desire of the Church too far in the other direction. They almost NEVER celebrate Mass in memory of saints, skipping ALL "optional memorials" and even skipping some obligatory memorials!

St. James, pray for us.
God bless you.
John

-- (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 30, 2001.


John, Thanks! You are Blessed with a special gift, You can explain something on anyones level. David S

-- David S (asdzxc8176@aol.com), August 30, 2001.

Two brief comments on the question of Saints:

For those Saints that have no special mention during Mass there is the Feast of ALL SAINTS on Nov. 1st.

I have read that during the first centuries Christians didn't have in their Liturgical books feastdays of Saints. The only festdays were Easter and Pentecost. Mass was celebrated on Sundays as a memorial of Easter. No Masses on week days. There come to mind some questions: When did Christians begin celebrating Saints? When did weekday Masses begin?

Enrique

-- Enrique Ortiz (eaortiz@yahoo.com), August 31, 2001.



Jmj

Hello, Enrique.

The old Catholic Encyclopedia gives us these nuggets of information:

(1) Saint "Justin himself [2d century] seems to be aware only of the Sunday celebration, but Tertullian [3d century] adds the fast days on Wednesday and Friday and the anniversaries of the martyrs ... . As Tertullian calls the whole paschal season (until Pentcost) 'one long feast,' we may conclude with some justice that during this period the faithful not only communicated daily, but were also present at the Eucharistic Liturgy."

(2) "St Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386) describes the liturgy of the Mass of his day as follows ... 'After the spritual Sacrifice, the unbloody service is completed; we pray to God, over this sacrifice of propitiation for the universal peace of the churches, for the proper guidance of the world, for the emperor, soldiers and companions, for the infirm and the sick, for those stricken with trouble, and in general for all in need of help we pray and offer up this sacrifice. We then commemorate the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, that God may, at their prayers and intercessions graciously accept our supplication. We afterwards pray for the dead ... since we believe that it will be of the greatest advantage, if we in the sight of the holy and most awesome Victim discharge our prayers for them. The Christ, who was slain for our sins, we sacrifice to propitiate the merciful God for those who are gone before and for ourselves.' This beautiful passage, which reads like a modern prayer-book, is of interest in more than one connection. It proves in the first place that Christian antiquity recognized the offering up of the Mass for the deceased, exactly as the Church today recognizes requiem Masses -- a fact which is confirmed by other independent witnesses, e.g. Tertullian ..., Cyprian ..., and Augustine .... In the second place, it informs us that our so-called Masses of the Saints also had their prototype among the primitive Christians, and for this view we likewise find other testimonies -- e.g. Tertullian ... and Cyprian ... By a Saint's Mass is meant, not the offering up of the Sacrifice of the Mass to a saint, which would be impossible without most shameful idolatry, but a sacrifice, which, while offered to God alone, on the one hand thanks Him for the triumphal coronation of the saints, and on the other aims at procuring for us the saint's efficacious intercession with God."

(3) "Prototypes and starting-points for the oldest ecclesiastical feasts are the Jewish solemnities of Easter [i.e., Passover] and Pentecost. Together with the weekly Lord's Day, they remained the only universal Christian feasts down to the third century ([according to] Tertullian [and] ... Origen ...). Two feasts of Our Lord (Epiphany, Christmas) were added in the fourth century; then came the feasts of the Apostles and martyrs, in particular provinces; later on also those of some confessors (St. Martin, St. Gregory); in the sixth and seventh centuries feasts of the Blessed Virgin were added. ... In the course of centuries the ecclesiastical calendar expanded considerably, because in earlier ages every bishop had a right to establish new feasts. Later on a reduction of feasts took place ..."

St. James, pray for us.
God bless you.
John


-- (jgecik@amdg.ihs), August 31, 2001.


[Here are some August 30 saints/blesseds to be added to those listed in the opening message:]

St. Agilus of Rebais (French, missionary in Bavaria, abbot in France, d. 650)
Sts. Boniface and Thecla (North African, husband and wife, martyred c. 250)
St. Bononius of Locedio (Italian, missionary in Syria and Egypt, Camaldolese abbot in Italy, d. 1026)
Bl. Bronislava (Polish, cousin of St. Hyacinth, Norbertine nun, hermit, d. 1259)
Bl. Edward Shelley (English, layman, martyred by hanging in 1588 [beatified 1929])
St. Fantinus of Calabria (Italian, Basilian abbot, c. 981)
Sts. Felix and Adauctus (Roman, priest and companion, tortured and martyred by beheading c. 304)
St. Gaudentia and three companions (Roman, virgins, early martyrs)
Bl. Jeanne Jugan (French, maid, nurse, spinner, foundress and superior of Little Sisters of the Poor, d. 1879 [beatified 1982])
St. Loarn of Downpatrick (Irish, disciple of St. Patrick, bishop, 5th century)
Bl. Narcisa de Jesus Martillo Moran (Ecuadoran, orphan daughter of farmers, helper of Dominican nuns in Peru, died at age 37 [canonized 1992])
St. Pammachius (Roman, senator, friend of St. Jerome, d. 410)
Sts. Pelagius, Arsenius, and Silvanus (Spanish, hermits, martyred by Moslems c. 950)
St. Peter of Trevi (Italian, parish priest, c. 1060)
Bl. Richard Leigh and Bl. Richard Martin (English, priest and layman, martyred in 1588 [beatified 1929])
St. Rumon (English, bishop, 6th century)

JFG

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), September 03, 2002.


Jmj

On August 30, we members of the Catholic Church family honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints and blesseds whose souls are now in heaven:

St. Agilus of Rebais (French, missionary in Bavaria, abbot in France, d. 650)
St. Anne Line of Dunmow [nee Higham] (English, convert from Calvinism, married woman, harbored "illegal" priests, martyred [hanged] at about age 36 under Elizabeth I in 1601 [canonized 1970])
Sts. Boniface, Thecla, and twelve companions, of Hadrumetum (North African, married couple and their children, martyred c. 250)
St. Bononius of Locedio (Italian, missionary in Syria and Egypt, Camaldolese abbot in Italy, d. 1026)
Bl. Bronislawa Odrowaz of Kamien (Polish, cousin of St. Hyacinth, Norbertine nun, hermit, d. 1259 [beatified 1839])
Bl. Edward Shelley of Warminghurst (English, layman, martyred [hanged] under Elizabeth I in 1588 [beatified 1929])
St. Fantinus of Calabria (Italian, Basilian abbot, c. 981)
Sts. Felix and Adauctus of Rome (Italian, priest and companion, tortured and martyred by beheading c. 304)
St. Fiacre (Irish, healer and hermit in France, d. 670)
St. Gaudentia and three companions, of Rome (Italian, virgins, early martyrs)
Bl. Ildephonse Schuster of Rome [Ildefonso] [baptized Alfredo Ludovico Luigi (Alfred Luke Louis)] [(Italian, Benedictine monk, cardinal archbishop, d. 1954 [beatified 1996])
Bl. Joan Jugan of Cancale [Jeanne] (French, maid, nurse, spinner, foundress and superior of Little Sisters of the Poor, d. 1879 [beatified 1982])
St. Loarn of Downpatrick (Irish, disciple of St. Patrick, bishop, 5th century)
St. Margaret Clitherow of York ["The Pearl of York"] (English, mother of two priests and a nun, martyred [suffocated under pressure of great weight] at about age 30 under Elizabeth I on Good Friday in 1586 [canonized 1970])
St. Margaret Ward of Congleton and Bl. John Roche [alias Neale/Neele] (English and Irish … laywoman and her servant … aided “illegal” priests, tortured and martyred [hanged] under Elizabeth I in 1588 [canonized 1970])
Bl. Narcisa of Jesus Martillo Moran of Nobol [Narcisa de Jesus] (Ecuadoran, orphan daughter of farmers, helper of Dominican nuns in Peru, died at age 37 in 1869 [beatified 1992])
St. Pammachius of Rome (Italian, senator, friend of St. Jerome, d. 410)
Sts. Pelagius, Arsenius, and Silvanus (Spanish, hermits, martyred by Moslems c. 950)
St. Peter of Trevi [Pietro] (Italian, parish priest, c. 1060)
Bl. Richard Leigh of London [alias Garth] and Bl. Richard Martin of Shropshire (English, priest and layman who sheltered “illegal” priests, martyred under Elizabeth I in 1588 [beatified 1929])
Bl. Richard Lloyd of Anglesey [aliases: Flower/Fudd/Graye] (Welsh, layman, sheltered “illegal” priest, martyred at about age 27 under Elizabeth I in 1588 [beatified 1929])
St. Rumon (English, bishop, 6th century)

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 30, 2003.


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