Saints and Feast Days
Practicing Wonder by Learning about Holy Men and Women
During the season of Advent, most of our attention is focused, quite rightly, on the story of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This wonderful liturgical season also offers other stories, ones that often go overlooked: the stories of the saints.
For many people, the lives of the saints seem, frankly, boring or irrelevant. That's not surprising given the way they're often depicted in churches: either as bland plaster statues that make them look dull or as figures in dramatic stained-glass windows that make them look superhuman. The saints were neither. A quick look at the lives of two “Advent saints” shows that they were truly human people who led fascinating lives.
Take St. Francis Xavier, whose feast we celebrate on December 3. When you're writing your Christmas cards, you might think of all the letters that the great missionary sent back to his Jesuit brothers in the sixteenth century. These letters were widely circulated and they thrilled Europe with tales of wonderful new peoples in Africa, India, and Japan. Or remember the feast day of St. Ambrose on December 7 when you're thinking about being forced to do so much Christmas shopping. He was forced to do something, too: In the fourth century he found himself in a church in Milan during a time of religious controversy. The crowd suddenly shouted, “Ambrose, bishop!” He was acclaimed and appointed as bishop even though he wasn't even baptized!
See below the stories of other wonderful Advent saints including St. Juan Diego (December 9), Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12), and St. Lucy (December 13).
So don't forget to mail your Christmas cards early, and don't forget about the lives of our amazing Advent saints, too!
James Martin is a Jesuit priest and the author of My Life with the Saints.
For many people, the lives of the saints seem, frankly, boring or irrelevant. That's not surprising given the way they're often depicted in churches: either as bland plaster statues that make them look dull or as figures in dramatic stained-glass windows that make them look superhuman. The saints were neither. A quick look at the lives of two “Advent saints” shows that they were truly human people who led fascinating lives.
Take St. Francis Xavier, whose feast we celebrate on December 3. When you're writing your Christmas cards, you might think of all the letters that the great missionary sent back to his Jesuit brothers in the sixteenth century. These letters were widely circulated and they thrilled Europe with tales of wonderful new peoples in Africa, India, and Japan. Or remember the feast day of St. Ambrose on December 7 when you're thinking about being forced to do so much Christmas shopping. He was forced to do something, too: In the fourth century he found himself in a church in Milan during a time of religious controversy. The crowd suddenly shouted, “Ambrose, bishop!” He was acclaimed and appointed as bishop even though he wasn't even baptized!
See below the stories of other wonderful Advent saints including St. Juan Diego (December 9), Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12), and St. Lucy (December 13).
So don't forget to mail your Christmas cards early, and don't forget about the lives of our amazing Advent saints, too!
James Martin is a Jesuit priest and the author of My Life with the Saints.
Saint Nicholas
December 6
December 6
Remembered each year most especially during the month of December, his white-bearded face is familiar to and beloved by all. Defying the limits of space and time, his benevolent assistance and generosity to children and people of all ages is legendary throughout the world.
This description, of course, fits both Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas. The latter antedates the former, so let's consider how Saint Nicholas came to be identified as the figure we now know as Santa Claus. His story is told here. Find the most complete information about St. Nicholas along with how to celebrate his feast day at the St. Nicholas Center. |
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
December 8
December 8
Few doctrines of the Catholic Church are as misunderstood as the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Many people, including many Catholics, think that it refers to the conception of Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That event, though, is celebrated at the feast of theAnnunciation of the Lord (March 25, nine months before Christmas).
The Immaculate Conception refers to the condition that the Blessed Virgin Mary was free from Original Sin from the very moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. We celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8; nine months before is December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Learn more about the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the readings of the day and ways to celebrate at Catholic Culture.org. |
St. Juan Diego
December 9 St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, a native of Mexico, is the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas. A beautiful picture of Mary can be seen on a cloak above the main altar in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The cloak belonged to Juan Diego, an Aztec who lived more than 450 years ago. Juan Diego and his wife, María Lucía, converts, walked 14 miles to religious instructions and Mass every Saturday and Sunday. On December 9, 1531, when Juan was a 57-year-old widower, he was walking to Mass. A beautiful lady dressed as an Aztec appeared. She told him she was the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of the true God. |
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Patroness of the Americas December 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (Virgen de Guadalupe), is a title of the Virgin Mary associated with a celebrated pictorial image housed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, and the world's third most-visited sacred site. Read more about St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe. |
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St. Lucy of Syracuse
Martyr of the Early 4th Century December 13 Lucy's feast comes during Advent, when we wait for the coming of Christ, the Light of the World. The Scandinavian countries have a special way of celebrating this feast. A young girl is dressed in a white dress and a red sash (as the symbol of martyrdom). She carries palms and wears a crown of candles on her head. In Sweden, girls dressed as Lucy carry rolls and cookies in procession as songs are sung. A Hungarian custom is to plant wheat in a small pot on St. Lucy's feast. By Christmas green sprouts appear, signs of life coming from death. This symbolizes Lucy's new life, an eternal wedding feast, and ours. The wheat is then carried to the manger scene as the symbol of Christ in the Eucharist. Like many of the early martyrs, little is known about Lucy. She was born in Sicily and died during the persecution of Diocletian. The fact that she is still mentioned in the first Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass shows the great respect that the Church has for her. Learn More. |