B. PIUS IX, POPE, ST. RICHARD Feb. 7

B. PIUS IX, POPE

Bl. Pius IX, Roman Catholic Priest and Pope. The Pope defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, meaning that Mary was conceived without original sin. The last Pope to rule as the Sovereign of the Papal States, which fell completely to Italian nationalist armies by 1870 and were incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. Feastday February 7

ST. RICHARD

An English nobleman who lived in the 8th century, he was the father of three saints who preached the Gospel in Germany. He had a special veneration for the Holy Family. He went on a pilgrimage to Rome and died on his way back to Lucca, where he is buried in the Basilica of San Frediano.  Feb. 7