Also known as John the Divine, the apostle John was the son of Zebedee and the brother of James, and a fisherman. John was very close to Jesus and was present at the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the Agony in the Garden. John is the “beloved disciple” referred to in the gospels. While ancient scholarship linked him to the Fourth Gospel, the Book of Revelation and the three epistles that bear his name, modern scholarship disputes this notion. John is believed to have died at Ephesus in extreme old age. In Christian iconography, his symbol is the eagle.
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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.