Reflecting on the Saints

While there are a fair number of saints who normally would have been celebrated during this week: April 23 - Saint George, Martyr April 23 - Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr April 24 - Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr April 25 - Saint Mark, Evangelist ALL of them, including St. Mark , are suppressed this year in favor of the Octave of Easter . April 20 - EASTER SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD April 21 - Monday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER April 22 - Tuesday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER April 23 - Wednesday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER April 24 - Thursday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER April 25 - Friday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER April 26 - Saturday of the OCTAVE OF EASTER April 27 - SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER or DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY This is because for the major feast days, and Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord is by far the greatest, the Church celebrates for an Octave (for a full week, and one day more).  During this time, the Liturgy is part "in suspended animation,...

The liturgical celebrations which normally would be conducted during this week and next are largely suppressed this week ( Holy Week ) and next ( Octave of Easter ).   Even Solemnities like those of St. Joseph (March 19th) , or the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25th) if they had fallen during Holy Week or the Octave of Easter would have been transposed to the days immediately following the completion of the Octave of Easter . This year there is only one Saint who would have been remembered during the week, Holy Week .  He would have been: April 13th – St. Martin I, Pope and Martyr So we leave him for next year and place our attention on Holy Week instead. The trajectory of Holy Week is as following; Palm / Passion Sunday (this year, 2025 on April 13th) –  in which we commemorate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Holy Thursday (this year, 2025 on April 17th)         Morning – Chrism Mass – a Mass celebrated in each Diocese at the Ca...

O f the various Saints and Memorials celebrated this week: April 7 – Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Priest April 11 – Saint Stanislaus, Bishop and Martyr April 11 – Mary at the Foot of the Cross, memorial OSM April 13 – SUN PALM SUNDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD I’ve chosen to write about the Servite memorial of Mary at the Foot of the Cross , celebrated in the Servite Order as a special feast on the Friday before Good Friday. The point of the feast day is to (1) underline St. Paul’s words that in our own sufferings “we complete the sufferings of Christ” ( Col. 1,24 ) and (2) underline Mary’s truly special suffering at that moment. Here it is useful to go back to the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) , where its final chapter was entitled “the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church.” Regarding Mary’s role in the Mystery of Christ, Christ was able to enter the world because at Mary gave her consent to the r...

Of the Saints and other celebrations remembered this week: April 2 -- Saint Francis of Paola, Hermit April 4 -- Saint Isidore, Bishop and Doctor of the Church April 5 -- Saint Vincent Ferrer, Priest April 6 – 5th SUNDAY OF LENT I’ve chosen to write about Saint Francis of Paola . Saint Francis of Paola was born on March 27, 1416 to a poor but pious family in the town of Paola in Calabria , basically on the top of the arch of the boot of Italy . His parents, poor but devout, had trouble having kids. They prayed asking St. Francis of Assisi to help them, and their prayer was answered with a bouncing little son who they then named Francis .    Still a baby, one of his eyes got infected.  The parents prayed again for St. Francis of Assisi’s intercession.  Again their prayers were answered. So it was not surprising that the parents then took their child and at 12 gave him to the Franciscans at their convent in San Marco Argentano .  There the future saint learne...