The birth of John the Baptist was one of the earliest feasts to be named to a particular day on the Church calendar. June 24 was chosen as it is six months before the birth of Christ. With its proximity to the summer solstice, it signifies the waning of the light, while the birth of Jesus near the winter solstice marks the coming of the light. When John was born, his parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, called him John in accordance with an angel’s instruction. In disbelief that they would have a son, Zechariah asked for a sign and was made mute, but with the giving of the name, his speech was restored. Luke records that he responded with the Benedictus, the great hymn of love and thanksgiving still recited in the liturgy of the hours.
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A leader of the Catholic Reformation, Francis was born in France in 1567. His family insisted he study law rather than enter the seminary. After obtaining doctorates in both canon and civil law by the age of 24, Francis chose religious life instead. His family eventually became reconciled to his choice and he was ordained in 1593.
Appointed bishop of Geneva in 1602, Francis ...
Appointed bishop of Geneva in 1602, Francis reorganized the diocese, reformed religious education, established a seminary and founded schools. He lived a life of austerity and simplicity, sharing with the poor. Wise and intelligent, he emphasized both the loving kindness of God and the human capacity for love.
Francis was beatified the year he died, 1622 – the first formal beatification to take place in St. Peter’s – and canonized in 1665. He is the patron saint of writers and journalists, and of the deaf.
The conversion of Paul was a turning point in the history of the early Church. Saul, as Paul was first known, was a tentmaker from Tarsus who zealously persecuted the followers of Christ. While traveling on the road to Damascus, he was struck down amidst a blinding light from heaven. According to the account in Acts of the Apostles (9.1-22; 22.3...
MorePaul’s zeal for the risen Jesus led him to become a passionate follower and later a teacher of the nations. The letters, or epistles, of Paul offer us a window into the early Church.
According to Mosaic Law, a new mother was considered unclean for 40 days after she had given birth. At the end of that period, she would enter the temple with her child, bringing an offering of either a lamb and a dove or pigeon, or two doves or pigeons, to be cleansed by prayers. Today’s feast commemorates Mary’...
MoreThe observance of this feast began in 4th-century Jerusalem, and was celebrated in Rome by the 5th-century. It is a feast of both Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin. In the Eastern Church, it was called The Meeting of Jesus and Mary with Simeon and Anna, representatives of the Old Covenant.
In the Middle Ages, a tradition began of blessing candles and holding a procession of light on this day. As a result, this feast is also known as Candlemas: Christ our light has come to us.