Catholic Saints

Finding Saint Anthony

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Many Catholics are familiar with Saint Anthony, the patron Saint of lost things. He is credited with abundant miracles and is often the one we invoke when we’ve misplaced our keys. This month we celebrated his feast day to thank him for his assistance. Although I hold Saint Anthony in the highest regard along with all those in heaven, I would’ve forgotten his feast this year had it not been for his holy intercession and a little help from my mom. 

On June 13th my parents happened to be visiting to help us welcome our daughter into the Church through baptism earlier that week. My mom and I popped out with baby for a bit of antiquing around town. Little did I know that Saint Anthony had his eye on us. Just as we were leaving the last shop before heading for home my mom spied a thin blue rosary hanging by the door. I’m working on my holy card and rosary collections (you can never have too many) and couldn’t resist looping back for a second look. The tag on the simple strand of beads said $12. No doubt the shop owners had yet to meet the Blessed Mother and fully understand the miraculous power of this holy devotion. For 12 measly dollars I couldn’t pass up this sacramental. After purchasing the little rosary we once again made our way to the door and I examined the inscription on the back of the medal. “Saint Anthony” I exclaimed to my mom, holding it aloft for her to see.

“You know it’s his feast day.” She smiled back at me and the two ladies behind the counter. They nodded in a polite though somewhat uninterested fashion. However, I felt as though I’d stumbled onto a rare treasure. I’d of course heard of Saint Anthony and even prayed to him a number of times upon misplacing various household items but today I had the pleasure of finding him. No doubt this was due to his finding me first. Through the rosary, a most beautiful devotion to the Holy Mother, the Saint of lost things found this brand new mother, guiding her yet deeper into her faith. 

The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

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Photo by JINU JOSEPH

While the world ushers in the possibilities of the new year, many Catholics take yet another opportunity to reverence Mary. Although January 1st is not officially a holy day of obligation in all countries it is a day in which we celebrate the Mother of God. This is the octave of Christmas, occurring on the day that Christ was circumcised and given His name. On this Catholic feast we remember Mary as she lovingly fulfills her motherly responsibilities to her beloved Son. Christ was fully human and fully divine, the perfect child just as Mary was and is the perfect mother to us all. Don’t forget to pray your rosary today and implore the Holy Mother for intercessions in your life. God always hears and listens to His mother.   

Roses for Our Lady

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Though tomorrow is not a Catholic holy day of obligation it is one of the many days on the liturgical calendar during which we honor the Virgin Mary. Today marks the anniversary of the second apparition of Mary to Saint Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill (now Mexico City). Our Lady had first instructed him to build a shrine there where she could bring comfort to all who visited. This had been met with some resistance by the bishop so Mary told Juan Diego collect roses and present them to the bishop in the dead of winter as proof of her apparition. Juan Diego did this and the cloak (tilma) he used to carry the roses can still be seen in Mexico City today, imprinted with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

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Today, December 8th, marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, an incredibly important Catholic solemnity and one that is a holy day of obligation in the United States. This means we Catholics are required to attend this mass. As it falls during the season of Advent, the preparation for the nativity of Christ, there is a common misunderstanding about who’s immaculate conception we celebrate today. Everyone knows that Christ was conceived by the power of The Holy Spirit to the Virgin Mary. However, today we celebrate the conception of Holy Mother Mary, Queen of the Universe. 

One of the first things that new Catholics learn about the faith is that, as the son of God, Christ was fully human and fully divine and therefore was without sin. This means that Christ never committed a sin during his time on Earth, from His conception to His ascension into Heaven after His resurrection from the dead. Necessarily, this also means that His mother, Mary, was without sin as her Son could not be contained in a place tainted by sin. Mary’s womb was the very first tabernacle in which our Lord resided and thus Mary must also be pure and virtuous. 

This is also one of the explanations for how Mary could remain a virgin while still becoming the mother of Christ. From the moment of her birth, she was chosen to one day become the mother of God and ultimately the mother of us all. This does not mean that she had no choice in the matter. God is all knowing and outside of time. He knew what decision Mary would make when visited by the archangel, Gabriel. However, God also blesses all of humanity with free will and it was Mary’s yes which ultimately led to the salvation of mankind through the birth of Christ and His death on the cross. 

Though she is merely human, Mary is venerated as the ultimate woman. She is the new Eve, the Blessed Mother, Holy Virgin, Star of the Sea and Queen of the Universe. Through her unfailing trust in God, Mary serves as a blueprint of perfect faith, obedience, and femininity. This is why we venerate the Mother of God on this feast day.

All Saints’ Day

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Nearly everyone knows about All Hallows’ Eve. Every child in America looks forward to Halloween, the last day in October when they get to bundle up under costumes of their favorite characters and flit all over town in search of tasty treats to eat. However, far fewer people are familiar with the Catholic feast which always comes the day after Halloween. All Saints’ Day is a Catholic holy day of obligation meaning that attendance at church is required. 

Catholics flock to church on this particular solemnity to celebrate all the saints, both known and unknown. Even non-believers are familiar with some of the greats; Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Joseph to name a few. These are big ‘S’ Saints. Their sainthood has been formally declared by the Holy Father, the Pope, after careful examination of a series of miracles attributed to each of these people. However, one hardly has to be famous in order to become a saint in the eyes of God. There are hundreds of Saints officially acknowledged and celebrated by the Catholic Church and there are countless more that remain unknown but by those who knew them in life. All those who reside with God in heaven have achieved sainthood through virtuous lives or purification of purgatory, regardless of their renown here on earth. 

We tend to confuse our terminology by saying we pray to Saint Anthony for our lost keys or to Saint Mary Magdalene for continued conversion. In truth, we Catholics only ever pray to God as we worship the one true God, fully present in the holy trinity. No saint, famous or otherwise, can answer our prayers. We believe that all of these holy people are now in heaven and therefore closest to God. By this proximity, they have God’s ear in a sense and are capable of interceding for us. When we invoke specific saints in our lives we ask for their intercessions only, that they might implore God to help us in our need. Today, we honor all of them for this assistance.

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Photo by MART PRODUCTION

Amid all the hustle and bustle of life there are a few days throughout the year during which attendance is required at Catholic mass in addition to our regular Sunday worship. These holy days of obligation are days of rest, reflection and renewed devotion to our Lord and today is one such day. Today we celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary the most holy mother of God is also named the new Eve in the Catholic Church. Just as our fall was brought forth in the Garden of Eden by a woman, so also was our salvation born from a woman’s womb. In this way men and women were both redeemed. 

Mary is also considered the mother of the Church. Christ confirmed this in His last words to Mary and John while on the cross. Like Christ, Mary was free from original sin and unfailing in her devotion to God. For all of these reasons, Mary’s body was not subjected to an earthly death but was assumed into Heaven, body and soul. She is now everyone’s mother and protector as Queen of the Universe. 

The Feast Day of Saint Patrick

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Although not originally native to Ireland, Saint Patrick’s work there spanned nearly all his life. He was born in Roman Britain but was captured by Irish pirates when he was young and was sent to Ireland to work as a slave. He never lost his faith and years later he escaped and returned to Britain. Despite his former captivity, Saint Patrick felt called back to Ireland to bring the Gospel to the pagan country. Thus he set out to become a priest and later a bishop before traveling to Ireland a second time. Saint Patrick is still celebrated and Ireland, nicknamed the Isle of Saints and Scholars, was home to many more saints throughout history thanks to his work.

The Feast of Saint Valentine

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This is a PSA to all the gentlemen looking to surprise their wives and girlfriends this year. Tomorrow is the feast of Saint Valentine, the patron saint of love and happy marriages among many other things. Don’t forget to show your special someone how truly loved they are. Just a few short years ago I never would have guessed that I’d now be among the ranks of happily married women but by God’s grace, that is one of the greatest blessings I’ve ever been granted. During my days as a single lady I had my share of frustrating dead end first dates but I prayed that just one of them would sweep me off my feet. Nearly two years later I’m still marveling at God’s goodness in that answered prayer as I fall more in love with my husband every single day.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

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Today, December 12th, many Catholics celebrate the second appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego. Her first appearance occurred three days earlier on Tepeyac Hill where she requested a shrine to be built on that spot to share her love and compassion with other believers. Juan Diego went to the bishop with this instruction but the bishop required a sign  before he would approve construction. Thus Mary appeared again to Juan Diego and instructed him to climb to the top of the hill and gather roses which he then brought to the bishop in the dead of winter as proof of Mary’s apparition. The cloak, or tilma, in which he carried the roses was imprinted with her image which is still venerated by Catholics today. 

The Virgin of Guadalupe was later named the Patron Saint of the Americas. She remains an icon of unconditional love and compassion for Catholics around the world who flock to Tepeyac Hill, now Mexico City, and the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe every year.