Liturgical Year

Today is the Optional Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul. The whole Church celebrates the dedication of the two great Roman basilicas of St. Peter at the Vatican and of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls. The Basilica of St. Peter stands on the site of the tomb of the Prince of the … Read more

The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231), religious. She was the daughter of Andrew II, King of Hungary, and wife of Duke Louis IV of Thuringia. She is famous for her great kindness and inexhaustible charity towards the poor and the sick.

Gospel Excerpt, Year C, Lk 21:5-19: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.

Today the Church celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Albert the Great (c. 1200-1280), son of a German nobleman. While studying at Padua when the Master General of the Dominicans, Jordan of Saxony, succeeded in attracting him to that Order. He was to become one of its greatest glories. After taking his degrees at the … Read more

The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Laurence O’Toole (1128-1180) today, but in Ireland it is an Optional Memorial (although a feast in Dublin). Laurence (also referred to as “Lawrence”) was the Archbishop of Dublin during the takeover of Ireland by the Normans and King Henry II. His efforts in the peace process and his frustration with … Read more

Today the dioceses in the United States celebrate the Memorial of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), virgin, born in Lombardy, Italy, one of thirteen children. She came to America as a missionary, founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart to care for poor children in schools and hospitals. She is the first American citizen … Read more

The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Josaphat (1580-1643), a Catholic of the Ruthenian rite. He was an apostle of the return of the Orthodox schismatics to the Church of Rome. Born in the then Polish region of Lithuania of Orthodox parents, he became a Catholic and a Ukrainian Basilian monk. Chosen bishop, he worked … Read more

The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Martin of Tours (ca. 316-398). St. Martin is the first bishop and confessor honored by the Church in the West. He was a principal apostle of Gaul, where his feast was celebrated as a holyday of obligation with an octave and popular celebrations.

The Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Leo the Great (400-461), during whose pontificate the Council of Chalcedon (451) defined that Christ is one divine person with two natures, divine and human. It was a confirmation of his Epistola Dogmatica (Tomus) to the Patriarch Flavian of Constantinople. He vigorously defended the unity of the Church. … Read more

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the oldest and highest ranking of the four major basilicas in Rome. The Basilica’s official title is “Basilica of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran” but most often called … Read more