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26th January - Memorial of St. Timothy and St. Titus, Apostles. First century A.D. Attributes: pastoral staff Timothy – patronage: invoked against stomach and intestinal disorders Timothy, Greek: Τιμόθεος; Timótheos, meaning "honouring God" or "honoured by God", was born in Lystra, the son of a Gentile father and a Jewish Christian mother, Eunice. He is known to have studied Scripture as a young man and later became a companion and sometimes the representative of St. Paul, who took Timothy with him when he passed through Lystra on his Second Missionary Journey and remained at Berea with Silas when Paul was forced to leave suddenly (Acts of the Apostles 17: 14 and following). He rejoined Paul at Corinth where he appears to have remained during the period of Paul's preaching there. He was sent to Macedonia with Erastus before Paul's Third Missionary Journey. Timothy is mentioned in the initial salutations of the Pauline Letters to the Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, Thessalonians and Philemon and in the final salutation in Romans. He is known to have been sent to Thessalonica "When we could not bear it any longer, we decided it would be best to be left without a companion at Athens, and sent our brother Timothy, who is God's helper in spreading the gospel of Christ, to keep you firm and encourage you about your faith and prevent any of you from being unsettled by the present hardships." (1 Thessalonians 3: 1-3). There is a mention in the Letter to the Hebrews to Timothy being released which seems to indicate imprisonment of some kind. According to Eusebius he became the first Bishop of Ephesus. Paul’s letters to Timothy direct him to correct innovators and teachers of false doctrines and to appoint further bishops and deacons. According to the Acts of Timothy he met his death at the hands of pagans when he opposed their festivals – probably in honour of Dionysus – and was stoned a clubbed to death. His supposed relics were translated to Constantinople in 356 where cures at his shrine were mentioned by St. Jerome and St. John Chrysostom. Titus, Greek: Τίτος; Títos, was of Gentile birth from Antioch and became Paul’s companion and secretary - Paul refers to Titus as a "partner and fellow-worker in your interests" in his Second Letter to the Corinthians (8: 23). He took part in the Council of Jerusalem in 48 AD at which the admissibility of uncircumcised non-Jews to the Christian community was debated. Paul's refusal to circumcise Titus made Titus a symbol of Paul's determination to extend the Christian faith to the Gentile as well as the Jewish world. He is known to have travelled to Corinth on a difficult mission. Later he was left by Paul to organise the church in Crete and was later sent to Dalmatia. According to Paul's Letter to Titus, he had been left behind in Crete "… to organise everything that still had to be done and to appoint elders in every town." (1: 5) and where he died and is venerated as its first Bishop. His body was buried at Grortyna, until his head was taken to Venice in 823. Almighty and ever-living God, grant that through the intercession of St. Timothy and St Titus, we may live justly in this present age and that we may merit to reach our heavenly homeland. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Timothy https://catholicsaints.info/saint-timothy/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Titus https://catholicsaints.info/saint-titus/ https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14727b.htm https://www.christianiconography.info/goldenLegend/timothy.html https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2019/01/saint-timothy-bishop-martyr.html https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2019/01/st-titus-bishop.html https://www.bartleby.com/210/1/041.html |
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27th January - Optional memorial of St. Angela Merici, Virgin Born 21 March 1474 Desenzano del Garda, Province of Brescia, Republic of Venice Died 27 January 1540 (aged 65) Brescia, Republic of Venice Beatified 30 April 1768, Rome, Papal States by Pope Clement XIII Canonized 24 May 1807, Rome, Papal States by Pope Pius VII Major shrine Sanctuary of St. Angela Merici, Brescia, Italy Attributes cloak, ladder Patronage sickness, handicapped people, loss of parents, courage, strength, and determination The foundress of the Ursuline nuns, Angela was born in 1474 at Desenzo near Lake Garda. She was orphaned at an early age and became a Franciscan tertiary devoting herself, with several companions to the education of poor girls. In 1535 they dedicated themselves to work under the patronage of St. Ursula but took no vows and wore lay clothes. Each member remained with her family evangelizing their relatives, acquaintances and neighbours whilst living a life of prescribed virginity, poverty and obedience. The formal recognition as a Congregation by the Church authorities only came in 1565 – fifteen years after Angela’s death. Up to that point they had not been prepared to approve Angela’s novel concept of unenclosed and mobile sisters. The Congregation is still in existence and has been described as the oldest and most considerable teaching order of women in the Catholic Church. Angela was canonised in 1807. Almighty God, may the Virgin, Saint Angela never fail to commend us to your compassion O Lord and that, following the lessons of her charity and prudence, we may hold fast to your teaching and that it may find expression in all that we do. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merici |
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28th January - Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest. Doctor of the Church. Born Tommaso d'Aquino 1225 Roccasecca, Kingdom of Sicily Died 7 March 1274 (aged 48–49) Fossanova, Papal States Canonized 18 July 1323, Avignon, Papal States by Pope John XXII Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church: 1567 Attributes The Summa theologiae, a model church, the sun on the chest of a Dominican friar Patronage Academics; against storms; against lightning; apologists; Aquino, Italy; Belcastro, Italy; book sellers; Catholic academies, schools, and universities; chastity; Falena, Italy; learning; pencil makers; philosophers; publishers; scholars; students; University of Santo Tomas; Sto. Tomas, Batangas; Mangaldan, Pangasinan; theologians The "Angelic Doctor" or "Common Doctor", Thomas was born into a knightly family in c. 1225 at Rocca Secca near Aquino and between the ages of five and thirteen was educated at the Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino having been offered there as an oblate by his father, and later at the university at Naples. It was there that he met and was attracted to the Dominican friars and planned to join their order – a move that would cause problems domestically, partly because the Dominicans were mendicants, and led to his family pursuing, capturing and imprisoning him for over a year at Rocca Secca. He eventually joined the Order in 1244. Between 1248 and 1252 he studied at Cologne under Albertus Magnus. During this time he was ordained a priest In 1252 he returned to Paris for further theological studies. In 1257 he was admitted as regent master of theology and undertook the threefold duties of a master: commenting on the Bible (something that he would do throughout his life), conducting disputed questions and taking his turn amongst the masters for preaching. At this time he began his Summa Contra Gentes and defended the mendicant orders against their opponents. Between 1259 and 1268 he was at Naples, then taught his Dominican confreres at Orvieto and afterwards at their house in Rome where he began his most famous work, the monumental Summa Theologiae. His deep contemplative devotion at prayer was matched by an intense power of concentration and the ability to dictate to four secretaries at once. He is best know for his monumental exposition of the Catholic faith, his Summa Theologica of c. 1266. This forms a comprehensive statement of his mature thought on al the Christian mysteries answering objections with authoritative replies. Such was its influence that it was accorded special honour at the Council of Trent and still remains an authentic statement of Christian doctrine and its approval by Pope Pius V and later by Pope Leo XIII powerfully assisted in its adoption as the standard theological text in many schools and universities. He devoted the rest of his life until his early death in 1274 to studying, lecturing and writing incessantly dividing his time between Paris and Italy. Thomas was canonised in 1323 and proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V in 1567. Almighty and ever living God, you made your servant Saint Thomas Aquinas outstanding in his zeal for holiness. Grant that we nay understand what the taught and imitate what he accomplished. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Aquinas https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14663b.htm https://www.newadvent.org/summa/ https://catholicsaints.info/saint-thomas-aquinas/ https://www.bartleby.com/210/3/071.html https://www.christianiconography.info/goldenLegend/thomasAquinas.htm https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2014/01/st-thomas-aquinas.html |
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31st January - Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest Born - 15 August 1815, Castelnuovo d'Asti, Piedmont, Kingdom of Sardinia Died - 31 January 1888 (aged 72), Turin, Kingdom of Italy Venerated in - Catholic Church, Anglican Communion Beatified - 2 June 1929, Rome by Pius XI Canonized - 1 April 1934, Rome by Pius XI Major shrine - Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, Turin, Italy Feast - 31 January Attributes - Cassock, Biretta Patronage - Christian apprentices, editors. Publishers. School children. young people, magicians, juvenile delinquents, Piura, Peru The founder of the Salesian Order, John was born in 1815 in Piedmont, the youngest son of a peasant farmer who died when he was just two years old. Brought up by his mother in extreme poverty, when he entered the seminary in 1831 his clothes and shoes had to be provided by charity. Nevertheless, he was ordained in 1841 and began his apostolate to the young men of the Turin area. Persuaded by St. Joseph Cafasso to abandon his dream of foreign missionary work he was appointed a chaplain to a refuge for girls. This position he soon resigned and with his mother lived in poverty with about forty destitute boys in the Valdocco area opening workshops to train them as shoemakers and tailors. By 1856 the number had grown to 150 resident boys with four workshops: there were also 500 children attached to the oratories and ten priests to help teach them. In 1859 he began to organise a Congregation which was formally approved in 1874 and by the founder’s death in 1888 numbered 768 members in sixty-four houses in both the Old and New World. It now numbers many thousands specialising on pastoral work and schools of all kinds. John Bosco was also responsible for the foundation of the Daughters of Our Lady, Help of Christians, an order of nuns to parallel among girls the work of the Salesians. He lived to see the completion of another of his projects, the building of the church of Sacro Cuore in Rome apparently achieved by a heroic trust in Providence to provide the necessary finance. Following his death some 40,000 people are estimated to have visited his body as it lay in state and the funeral was followed by a large proportion of the city of Turin. He was canonised in 1934. Almighty and ever living God, you gave us Saint John Bosco as a father and teacher to the young. Grant that with hearts aflame with that same fire of love, we may seek out souls and serve you alone. See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bosco https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02689d.htm http://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-bosco/ https://saintscatholic.blogspot.com/2014/02/st-john-bosco.html |