January 1 -- today's saints and blesseds

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Jmj

On January 1, we members of the Catholic Church family celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. It is also the Church's yearly World Day of Peace.
We also honor, in a special way, the following friends of God -- saints whose souls are now in heaven:

Bl. Adalbero of Ličge (French, bishop in Belgium, d. 1128)
St. Almachius [also known as Telemachus] (hermit, martyred c. 400)
St. Basil of Arles (French, bishop of Aix, d. 521)
St. Beoc of Donegal (Welsh, abbot in Ireland, c. 6th century)
Bl. Bonanno of Abruzzi (Italian, Celestine monk, c. 1320)
Bl. Clarus of Vienne (French, Benedictine abbot, c. 660 [beatified 1907])
St. Concordius of Spoleto (Roman, subdeacon, tortured [racked] and martyred by beheading c. 175)
St. Connat of Kildare (Irish, abbess, c. 590)
St. Cuan (Irish, abbot, 6th century)
Sts. Elvan and Mydwyn (British, 2nd century)
St. Eugendus of Condat (Swiss, abbot, died at about age 60 c. 510)
St. Euphrosyne of Alexandria (Egyptian, virgin, martyred in 470)
St. Fanchea of Rossory (Irish, abbess, c. 585)
St. Felix of Bourges (French, bishop, c. 580)
St. Fulgentius of Ruspe [full Latin name: Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius] (Tunisian, town official, abbot, bishop, theologian, battled Arianism, died at about age 65 in 533)
St. Gregory the Elder of Nazianzos (Cappadocian [from what is now part of Turkey], official, convert at 49, father of three saints, bishop succeeded by his more famous son Gregory, died at about age 98 in 374)
Bl. Hugolinus of Gualdo Cattaneo [Hugolino] (Italian, hermit, Augustinian prior, d. 1260 [beatified 1919])
St. Joseph Mary Tommasi of Alicata [Giuseppe Maria] (Sicilian, Theatine priest, pope's confessor, cardinal, liturgical expert in eight languages, died at age 63 in 1713 [beatified 1803, canonized 1986])
St. Justin of Chieti (Italian, bishop, c. 540)
St. Maelrhys of Bardsey (French, lived on Welsh island, 6th century)
St. Magnus (early martyr)
Bl. Marian Konopinski of Kluczewo (Polish, diocesan priest, martyred by Nazis at Dachau [Germany] at age 35 in 1943 [beatified 1999])
St. Odilo of Cluny ["Archangel of Monks"] (French, Benedictine abbot for 54 years, instituted All Souls' Day [11/02], died at about age 86 c. 1049)
St. Peter of Atroa [baptized Theophylact] (from Asia Minor [now called Turkey], hermit, abbot, died at age 59 in 837)
Holy Soldiers of Rome (thirty men, martyred c. 304)
Bl. Sigmund Gorazdowski of Sanok [Zygmunt] (Ukrainian, priest, died at age 74 in 1920 [beatified 2001])
Bl. Valentine Paquay of Tongres [Valentin] (Belgian, Franciscan priest of the Order of Friars Minor, provincial superior, died at age 76 in 1905 [beatified 2003])
St. William of Dijon [Guglielmo] (Italian, nobleman, Benedictine abbot in France, died at age 68 in 1031)
St. Zdislava Berka of Krizanov (Moravian [from part of what is now Czech Republic], noblewoman, mother of four, first Slavic Dominican tertiary, great benefactor of poor, died at about age 32 in 1252 [beatified 1907, canonized 1995])

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. Additional 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), December 23, 2004

Answers

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-- .. (.@...), January 01, 2005.

January 1

Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord

Octave Day of the Nativity

WHITE Vestments - Double of the Second Class Feast

Circumcision was a sacrament of the Old Law, and the first legal observance required of the descendants of Abraham by Almighty God. It was a sacrament of initiation in the service of God, and a promise, an engagement, to believe and act as He had revealed and directed. The law of circumcision continued in force until the death of Christ. Our Saviour having thus been born under the law, it became Him who came to teach mankind obedience to the law of God,to fulfill all justice, and to submit to it. He was circumcised that He might redeem those who were under the law, by freeing them from the servitude of it, and that those who were formerly in the condition of servants might be set at liberty and receive the adoption of sons in Baptism, which, by Christ’s institution, succeeded to circumcision. (cf. Gal. 4:5) On the day when the divine Infant was circumcised, He received the name of Jesus, which was assigned to Him by the Angel before He was conceived, and which signifies Savior. That name, so beautiful, so glorious, the divine Child does not wish to bear for one moment without fulfilling its meaning. Even at the moment of His circumcision He showed Himself a Savior by shedding for us that blood of which a single drop is more than sufficient for the ransom and salvation of the whole world. Sources: Butler’s Lives of the Saints and other sources by John Gilmary Shea (Benziger Brothers: New York, 1894).

INTROIT: Isaias 9: 6 Puer natus est nobis, et Filius datus est nobis, cujus imperium super humerum ejus: et vocabitur nomen ejus, magni consilii Angeleus. (Ps. 97: 1) Cantate Domino canticum novum: quia micanticum novum: quia mirabilia fecit. v. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Repeat Puer natus est... COLLECT

Dominus vobiscum. R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

Oremus. Deus, Qui salutis aeterne, beatae Mariae virginitate foecunda, humano generi praemia praestitisti: tribue, quaeumus: ut ipsam pro nobis intercedere sentiamus, per quam meruimus auctorem vitae suscipere, Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium Tuum: Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. R. Amen.

GRADUAL: Psalm 97: 2, 4, 2

Viderunt omnes fines terrae salutare Dei nostri: jubilate Deo omnis tera. V. Notum fecit Dominus salutare suum: ante conspectum gentium revelavit justitiam suam.

Alleluia, alleluia. V. (Hebrews 1: 1-2) Multifarie olim Deus loquens patribus in prophetis, novissime diebus istis, locutus est nobis in Filio suo. Alleluia.

-- Nick (nixplace39@hotmail.com), January 01, 2005.


Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

What does this holy day mean, particularly the "Solemnity" part?

Thanks!

-- Emily ("jesusfollower7@yahoo.com"), January 01, 2005.


From the Catholic Encyclopedia: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14133a.htm

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
Solemnity - (From Lat. solet and annus -- a yearly celebration).

The word solemnity is here used to denote the amount of intrinsic or extrinsic pomp with which a feast is celebrated. Intrinsic solemnity arises from the fact that the feast is primarium for the entire Church, or for a special place, because in it a saint was born, lived or died; or because his relics are honoured there. Extrinsic solemnity is added by feriatio, by the numbers of sacred ministers, decorations of the church or adjoining streets, the ringing of bells, the number of candles, costly vestments, etc. In the Roman Martyrology Easter Sunday is announced as the solemnity of solemnities; the first Sunday of October, as the solemnity of the Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.




-- Nick (nixplace39@hotmail.com), January 20, 2005.

Emily, I'm sorry that I overlooked your January 1 question, when I had no access to a computer for several days.

Nick's reply was not correct for the question you asked. His two messages show that he is not following the revised (c. 1970) Liturgical Calendar of the Catholic Church, which is followed by over 95% of Catholics (of the Western/Latin Church).

The "Circumcision," mentioned by Nick, used to be celebrated by all Western Catholics on January 1, when the former Calendar was followed by all. It is now celebrated only by that tiny fraction of Catholics who attend Mass according to an older rite. Nick should have explained this, so that readers would not be confused.

When I have another few minutes free, I will post another message to explain the meaning of "Solemnity" according to the newer use of that word (unless someone else explains it first). Nick's "Catholic Encyclopedia" explanation of "solemnity" comes from before 1920, and it is not quite accurate today.

-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), January 22, 2005.



I'm back, Emily.

When the Latin Church's calendar was revised (as authorized by Pope Paul VI after Vatican II), a formerly complex system of celebrations was simplified. Today, when a day arrives on which the Church wants to commemorate a saint or Our Lady or something special involving Our Lord, the celebration is given one of the following ranks:
1. Optional Memorial
2. (Obligatory) Memorial
3. Feast
4. Solemnity

To honor many of the saints/blesseds and sometimes to honor Our Lady, there can be an Optional Memorial. It is "optional" in that the priest-celebrant may or may not choose to use special prayers composed for Mass and Liturgy of the Hours, to speak about the saint in the homily, to wear a symbolic color of vestment [e.g., red for a martyr], etc.. The priest may instead choose to celebrate the regular "Mass of the day" (e.g., "Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time" or "Saturday of the Third Week of Advent," etc.).

Certain obligatory celebrations on about 65 days of the year are called Memorials. They usually involve someone or something more special -- so much so that the Church does not want priests to omit them. An example is the Memorial of St. Benedict (July 11).

Next come the Feasts, of which there are about 25. These commemorate major saints (e.g., Apostles), special days honoring Our Lady (the Visitation), or special days honoring Jesus (e.g., Triumph of the Cross).

Finally come the 16 Solemnities, the most solemn and festive days in the Liturgical Year. Most of these fall on Sunday or are Holy Days of Obligation:
January 1 -- Mary, the Mother of God
[on or about] January 6 -- Epiphany
March 19 -- St. Joseph, Husband of Mary
[usually] March 25 -- Annunciation (of the Conception of Jesus)
[moveable] between March and June --
Resurrection of the Lord
Ascension of the Lord
Holy Trinity
Body and Blood of the Lord (sometimes called Corpus Christi [literally "Body of Christ"])
Sacred Heart of Jesus
June 24 -- Birth of St. John the Baptist
June 29 -- Sts. Peter and Paul
August 15 -- Assumption of Mary
November 1 -- All Saints
[last Sunday in Ordinary Time] -- Christ the King
December 8 -- Immaculate Conception (of Mary)
December 25 -- Nativity of Jesus

God bless you.
John

-- ("jfgecik@hotmail.com), January 22, 2005.


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