Christian Today

  SAINTS FOR MARCH 01  St. Hermes and Adrian, Roman Catholic Martyrs with twenty four companions, probably the Massylitan martyrs praised by St. Augustine. They suffered in Massylis, or Marula, in Numidia. Feastday Mar 1 St. Monan was a monk at St. Andrew's under St. Adrian. Monan worked as a missionary in the Firth of Forth area in Scotland until he and a large number of Christians were murdered by marauding Danes  ST. FELIX III, POPE , Born of a Roman senatorial family and said to have been an ancestor of Saint Gregory the Great. Nothing certain is known of Felix, till he succeeded St. Simplicitus in the Chair of Peter (483). At that time the Church was still in the midst of her long conflict .Mar. 1 St. David. According to tradition, St. David was the son of King Sant of South Wales and St. Non. He was ordained a priest and later studied under St. Paulinus. Later, he was involved in missionary work and founded a number of monasteries. The monastery he founded at Mene...

 Saints for February 29 St. Aubin, Roman Catholic, Monk and Bishop. Albinus, also known as Aubin, entered the monastery of Tincillac when a youth, was elected Abbot when he was thirty-five, and was named Bishop of Angers in 529. He was known for his generosity to the sick and the indigent, widows, and orphans, for his work in ransoming slaves, and for his holiness and the many miracles he is reputed to have performed both during his lifetime and after his death. His feast day is Feb 29-Mar. 1

Call in India to Remove Christian Symbols from Faith-Run Catholic Schools - ZENIT - English : Moreover, Hindu groups promote the image of Christianity as a diabolical force that intends to destroy the native Hindu culture with the conversion of Hindus to Christianity.

  The Irreplaceable Role of Fathers https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/the-irreplaceable-role-of-fathers?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=novashare via @CrisisMag

 SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 28 St. Oswald of Worcester (died 29 February 992) was Archbishop of York from 972 to his death in 992. Feb. 28 ST. HILARIUS, POPE, St. Hilary, Roman Catholic, Pope from 461-468 and guardian of Church unity. Hilary rebuilt many Roman churches and erected the chapel of St. John Lateran. Feastday February 28 ST. ROMANUS, ABBOT, he adopted the life of a hermit in the Jura Mountains, France, at age thirty five and was joined by his brother, St. Lupicinus, and many other disciples. The two brothers thus found it necessary to establish two monasteries, at Condat and Leuconne, and a convent at La Beaume which was governed by their sister. Feb. 28

  PHOTOS: Restoration of Bernini’s baldacchino begins in St. Peter’s Basilica https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/256925/photos-restoration-of-berninis-baldacchino-begins-in-st-peters-basilica?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=catholic_news_restoration_work_begins_on_bernini_s_famous_400_year_old_baldac

  Teaching women in Congo to farm aids country's renewal https://www.globalsistersreport.org/node/265276 via @sistersreport

  Joy and warmth pervade at House of the Good Samaritan in Fatimá https://www.globalsistersreport.org/node/265206 via @sistersreport

As I heal and get my life back, God provides what I need when I need it https://www.globalsistersreport.org/node/265341 via @sistersreport

  SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY February 27  Bl. Mark Barkworth. Martyr of England , the first Benedictine to die at Tyburn. Born in Lincoinshire, he was a Protestant educated at Oxford. While in Europe, Mark visited Douai, France, and became a Catholic. He was ordained in Valladolid, Spain, in 1599, and became a Benedictine in Navarre while on his return to England. Mark was arrested soon after his return to his homeland, and three apostates testified against him. With Father Richard Filcock he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on February 27 — the first English Benedictine Martyr.   St. Anne Line, 1601 A.D. English martyr from Dunmow, Essex. The daughter of William Heigham, she was disowned by him when she married a Catholic, Roger Line. Roger was imprisoned for being a Catholic and was exiled and died in 1594 in Flanders, Belgium. Anne stayed in England where she hid Catholic priests in a London safe house. In this endeavor she aided Jesuit Father John Gerard unti...

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 26 ST. FAUSTINIANO, BISHOP OF BOLOGNA St. Alexander of Alexandria, Roman Catholic Priest becoming the bishop of the see in 313. The heresy of Arianism was sweeping the region, as Arius was preaching the doctrine there. Alexander excommunicated Arius in 321, a decision upheld by a council. Alexander is also credited with drawing up the acts of the First General Council of Nicaea in 325. Feb. 26 St. Isabel of France, Roman Catholic Virgin and Nun. Sister of St. Louis and daughter of King Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile, she refused offers of marriage from several noble suitors to continue her life of virginity consecrated to God. She ministered to the sick and the poor, and after the death of her mother, founded the Franciscan Monastery of the Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Longchamps in Paris. She lived there in austerity but never became a nun and refused to become abbess. Feastday February 26 St. Porphyry of Gaza, Roman Catholic Priest and bish...

  SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY  25 ST. NESTOR, BISHOP OF MAGYDOS AND MARTYR St. Walburga, 779 A.D. St. Walburga, Virgin. Walburga was born in Devonshire England, around 710. She was the daughter of a West Saxon chieftain and the sister of St. Willibald and Winebald. Walburga was educated at Wimborne Monastery in Dorset, where she became a nun. In 748, she was sent with St. Lioba to Germany to help St. Boniface in his missionary work. She spent two years at Bishofsheim, after which she became Abbess of the double monastery at Heidenheim founded by her brother Winebald. At the death of Winebald, St. Walburga was appointed Abbess of both monasteries by her brother Willibald, who was then Bishop of Eichstadt. She remained superior of both men and women until her death in 779. She was buried first at Heidenheim, but later her body was interred next to that of her brother, St. Winebald, at Eichstadt.   Bl. Maria Adeodata Pisani Roman Catholic Nun, had "a difficult childhood as her...

‘I Feel I Have Arrived Home’: Former Anglican Bishop Discusses His Journey to the Catholic Church| National Catholic Register : On July 2, Richard Pain became the 11th such bishop to be received into the Church.

A Bleak Year for Christian Unity Concludes| National Catholic Register : COMMENTARY: The Anglican Communion has effectively entered palliative care and divisions in the Catholic world are the deepest in generations — and blessings...

  UK complicit in war crimes: UN experts demand immediate arms embargo https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49199 via @icn_uk Today, 23rd February, UN experts demanded that arms exports to Israel stop immediately. The unprecedented  statement  called on all states, including the UK, to immediately halt arms transfers, including export licences and military aid. The experts stated, without qualification, that "any transfer of weapons or ammunition to Israel that would be used in Gaza is likely to violate international humanitarian law (IHL) and must cease immediately". The statement stressed the obligation on all states to 'ensure respect' for international humanitarian law by parties to an armed conflict, as required by 1949 Geneva Conventions and international law. The experts highlighted obligations already enshrined in UK law, including the  Arms Trade Treaty and the UK's Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.  This states that the government will not grant a...

  SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY  24   The Martyrs of Carthage. Montanus, Lucius, Victoricus, Flavian and companions were ten disciples of St Cyprian of Carthage. They were martyred there under the reign of the Emperor Valerian in 259. The story of their imprisonment and martyrdom is well documented. The group were arrested by an official called Solon after St Cyprian was executed in 258. they spent many months kept in dark dungeons with little food or water. Somehow in such inhuman conditions, the little Christian community bonded and helped one another. When they were finally called to the place of execution, each was permitted to speak. Montanus, who was tall and strong, spoke bravely to the Christian crowd. He told them to be true to Jesus and to die rather than give up the faith. Lucius, who was small and frail, walked quietly to the place of execution. He was weak from the harsh months in prison and had to lean on two friends. The people who watched called to him to remember ...

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY  23  ST. POLYCARP, BISHOP OF SMYRNA AND MARTYR- St Polycarp, martyred on February 23rd of the year 155 at the age of 86, is one of the Christian authors who lived between the 1st and 2nd centuries and who had close ties with the Apostles. He was a disciple of the Evangelist St John and Bishop of Smyrna.  He was bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him.  https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/02/23/st--polycarp--bishop-of--smirne-and-martiyr.html Martyrs of Sirmium, Two groups of Roman Catholic martyrs who suffered at Sirmium, modem Mitrovica, in the Balkans. One group was slain probably in 303 and was seventy in number. The second group was composed of seven virgins probably martyred in 303. St. Martha, Roman Catholic Virgin martyr of Spain. She was beheaded at Astorga, Spain, and her relics were enshrined in the abbey of Ribas de Sil and at Tiers. Feb. 23 St. Boswell, 661 A.D. Abbot of Melrose, England, also c...

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY  22 Martyrs of Arabia, Christians who died for the faith in the lands east of the Jordan River and in the mountains south of the Dead Sea. Most were martyred in the reign of Emperor Galerius and were commemorated in the Roman Martyrology. Feb. 22 Bl. Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski, Roman Catholic Priest. Arrested by the Gestapo on October 18, 1939, he was imprisoned in the German concentration camps Stutthof, Grenzdorf, Sachsenhausen and Dachau, where he died. Feb. 22 St. Elwin , 6th century. Companion of St. Breaca from Ireland to Cornwall, England, also called Elvis or Allen.  Saint Margaret of Cortona, T.O.S.F. , (1247 – February 22, 1297) was an Italian penitent of the Third Order of St. Francis ("T.O.S.F."). She was born in Laviano, near Perugia, and died in Cortona. She was canonized in 1728. She is the patron saint of the falsely accused; hoboes; homeless; insane; orphaned; mentally ill; midwives; penitents; single mothers; reformed prostitutes; step...

Kidnappings (not only of priests and nuns) in Nigeria are out of control: solidarity of the Dicastery for Evangelization - ZENIT - English : For years, Nigeria has been grappling with the scourge of kidnapping, which target not only priests and religious, but also foreigners, businessmen, politicians, government officials, diplomats, traditional rulers, as well as ordinary citizens, including students and school children, who are frequent victims of mass kidnappings.

Holy Land: Christian crisis goes from bad to worse, discriminated against for wearing a cross in Jerusalem - ZENIT - English : Pressure is growing amid a financial catastrophe and deepening religious hatred. Many Christians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem face economic ruin, with a record unemployment rate of 72%.

  SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 21 St. Severian, Roman Catholic Bishop and martyr . The bishop of Scythopolis in Galilee. He attended the Council of Chalcedon (451) and took part in the complete triumph of the orthodox Christian cause against the heretics of the era. On his return home he was assassinated by a group of heretics at the command of Emperor Theodosius II. Feastday Feb. 21 Saint Robert Southwell , English Martyr, Jesuit priest , poet., In 1592 he was arrested by Richard Topcliffe, a professional priest-hunter who had already tortured, raped and killed a number of recusants. For several weeks he was tortured at Topcliffe's house in Westminster. He was then locked away in the Tower for three years. Finally in 1595 he was put on trial where even the judge expressed shock at the ordeal he had been subjected to by Topcliffe. The sentence however, was inevitable. Robert was hung drawn and quartered at Tyburn, together with a notorious highwayman, in front of a huge crowd. After praying...

 SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY  20  Roman Catholic Martyrs of Tyre, An unknown number of Roman Catholic martyrs who suffered in Tyre, modern Lebanon. Feastday February 20 Blessed Francisco Marto and Blessed Jacinta Marto , together with their cousin, Lúcia dos Santos (1907–2005) were the Roman Catholic children from Aljustrel near Fátima, Portugal, who said they witnessed three apparitions of an angel in 1916 and several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917. Feastday Feb. 20 St. Wulfric, 1154 A.D. Hermit and miracle worker. Born at Compton Martin, near Bristol, England, he became a priest and was excessively materialistic and worldly. After meeting with a beggar, he underwent a personal conversion and became a hermit at Haselbury; Somerset, England. For his remaining years, he devoted himself to rigorous austerities and was known for his miracles and  prophecies. While he was never formally canonized, Wulfric was a very popular saint during the Middle Ages, and his ...

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 19  Bl. Lucy, Roman Catholic laywoman Martyr of China . She was a Catholic schoolteacher in China, where she was beheaded. Feb. 19 St. Belina, Roman Catholic virgin martyr . A peasant girl from Troyes, France, she was threatened with rape by the feudal lord of the district. She refused his advances and died in defense of her virginity. Feastday February 19 St. Odran, 452 A.D. Martyr and friend of St. Patrick. According to tradition, he drove Patrick’s chariot. Odran died when he changed places with Patrick in the vehicle just before an ambush by pagans was sprung.   ST. CONRAD CONFALONIERI, FRANCISCAN HERMIT  

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 18  Bl. William Harrington, 1594 A.D. Martyr of England . Born at Mt. St. John, Yorkshire, he studied for the priesthood after meeting St. Edmund Campion and was ordained at Reims, France, in 1592. William returned to England to work in the English mission. Arrested in London in 1593 for being a priest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn.   Bl. John Pibush, 1601 A.D. English marty r, born in Thirsk, Yorkshire. He went to Reims and was ordained in 1587. Returning to England in 1589, John was arrested at Gloucestershire in 1593 and kept in prison in London. He escaped but was recaptured and then tried and condemned. He was executed at Southwark. His beatification took place in 1929.   St. Agatha Lin, Roman Catholic Chinese martyr. She was born in 1817 at Ma-Tchang, China. A teacher at a Christian school, Agatha was beheaded for the faith. Feastday February 18 B.JOHN OF FIESOLE (BEATO ANGELICO), DOMINICAN St. Colman of Lindisfarne, 6...

 Facing the Peril of Docetism https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/facing-the-peril-of-docetism?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=novashare via @CrisisMag 

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY  17  STS. SEVEN FONDERS OF THE ORDER OF THE SERVANTS OF MARY,  AMONG WHOM ST. ALESSIO FALCONIERI. Also called Septem Viri or Septem Fratres, they founded the Order of Servants of Mary. All seven were born in Florence in the 13th century. They were wealthy merchants who chose to live a life of prayer and contemplation. Their feast-day is celebrated on February 17th, the day the last one died.  founded in 1233 by seven Florentine nobles and business men who went to Monte Senario, outside of Florence, Italy to live lives of prayer, community and service dedicated to Mary, Mother of Sorrows. The Order is now worldwide and composed of many different autonomous congregations (smaller groupings ...Feb. 17 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/02/17/sts--seven-fonders-of-the-order-of-the-servants-of-mary-among-wh.html St. Fintan , 603 A.D. Abbot and disciple of St. Columba. Fintan was a hermit in Clonenagh, Leix, Ireland. When disciples gathered around hi...

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 16  ST. JULIANA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR OF NICOMEDIA, IN CAMPANIA Roman Catholic laywoman. Juliana refused to marry a pagan, thereby incurring the wrath of her pagan father and a pagan suitor. She was thereupon imprisoned, tortured, and beheaded. Feastday February 16 St. Elias & Companions, Egyptian martyr with Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Samuel . They went to the mines in Cilicia, to comfort the Christians held there. They were arrested at the gate of the mine and martyred. The historian Eusebius was in Caesarea, in Israel, and gave a vivid account of their martyrdom by torture and beheading. Two others, St. Pamphilus and St. Seleucus, were also caught up in the martyrdom, sharing Elias fate. Porphy, the servant of Pamphilus, demanded that the bodies of the martyrs be buried and was burned to death as a Christian. Feastday Feb,16 St. Gilbert of Sempringham. Gilbert was born at Sempringham, England, son of Jocelin, a wealthy Norman knight. He was sent to Franc...

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 15  St Jovita and Faustinus . For their fearless preaching of the Gospel, they were arraigned before the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who at Brescia, Rome and Naples, subjected them to frightful torments, after which they were beheaded at Brescia in the year 120. Feastday Feb 15 St. Dochow , 473 A.D. Monastic founder from Wales, possibly a bishop. Dochow formed a monastery in Cornwall, England. The Ulster Annual describes him as a bishop.   St. Berach, 6th century. Irish abbot and nephew of St. Freoch. He was raised by his uncle and became a disciple of St. Kevin. Berach, who is sometimes called Barachias or Berachius, founded an abbey at Clusin-Coirpte, in Connaught, Ireland. He is the patron saint of Kilbarry, County Dublin.   St. Farannan, 590 A.D. Abbot and Irish disciple of St. Columba on Iona, Scotland. He returned to Ireland to become a hermit at AllFarannan, now Allernan, Sligo.   Saint Claude de la Colombiere, Roman Catholic Jes...

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 14  Bl. Vicente Vilar David, Roman Catholic Layman Martyr . Valencia, Spain during the persecution of religion welcomed the priests and religious in his house and preferred to die rather than renounce his faith. Feb. 14 ST. VALENTIN, MARTYR ON THE VIA FLAMINIA -One of the most popular of all saints, St Valentine is the patron saint of lovers and of the town of Terni, in Italy. His feast-day falls on February 14th. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/02/14/st--valentin--martyr-on-the--via-flaminia.html St. Conran , A traditional figure, believed to have served as bishop of the Orkney Islands, Scotland. No details of his life have survived.   STS. CYRIL, MONK AND METHODIUS, BISHOP PATRONS OF EUROPE -For almost forty years they have protected the Europe that they helped to evangelize more than a thousand years ago. These saints were responsible for the spread of the Christian message, especially in Eastern Europe, prompting John Paul II to declare them c...

The teachings of Argentina's new saint, Mama Antula, explained by the Pope - ZENIT - English : Address to a group of Argentine pilgrims arriving in Rome for the canonization of Maria Antonia of St. Joseph

  SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 13 Bl. John Lantrua of Triora, Roman Catholic Franciscan Martyr of China , he was arrested, imprisoned, and strangled on February 7. Feastday Feb 13 St. Ermengild, 700 A.D. Queen and Benedictine nun, also called Ermenilda. The daughter of a king of Kent, England, and St. Sexburga, Ermengild married the king of Mercia. She helped spread the faith in Mercia until her husband's death in 675. She then became a nun at Milton at Minster, Sheppey. When her mother, who had served as abbess, retired, Ermengild succeeded to that Office. She then followed St. Sexburga to Ely, becoming abbess there also.   St. Huno, 690 A.D. Monk priest of Ely, England, who aided St. Aetheldreda. Attending her in her last hours, Huna became a hermit in the Fens.   St. Dyfnog. Welsh confesso r of the Caradog family. He was venerated in Clwyd, Wales.   Bl. Archangela Girlani, Roman Catholic Carmelite Religious , She was gifted with ecstasies and levitation and...

SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 12 STS. SATURNINUS AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS OF ABITINA IN AFRICA St. Febronia, Roman Catholic Martyr, known as a Holy Virgin Martyr and is one of the 140 Colonnade saints which adorn St. Peter's Square. Feastday February 12 Bl. Thomas Hemerford, 1584 A.D. English martyr. A native of Dorsetshire, he was educated at Oxford and then studied for the priesthood at English College, Rome. He was ordained in Rome in 1583, and returned to England, where he was swiftly arrested. Condemned for being a priest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn with four companions. He was beatified in 1929.   St. James Feun, Blessed, 1584 A.D. Martyr in England. Born in Somerset, he studied at Oxford and became a fellow until he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and was removed. James married and became a school-master in Somerset. After the passing of his wife, he went to Reims where he studied for the priesthood and received ordination in 1580. Returning to England,...

 SAINTS FOR FEBRUARY 11 ST. SOTERA,VIRGIN AND MARTYR ON THE VIA APPIA -Young and of noble family, but humble spirit, she dedicated herself to works of charity. She was arrested in 304 during the persecutions unleashed by the Emperor Diocletian. She faced her torturers with courage, and still refusing to deny the faith, she was beheaded.   B.VIRGIN MARY OF LOURDES ST GREGORY II, POPE ST. PASCHAL I, POPE

  Pope's homily for consecrated men and women: two obstacles to waiting for God - ZENIT - English https://zenit.org/2024/02/02/popes-homily-for-consecrated-men-and-women-two-obstacles-to-waiting-for-god/?eti=13248 Simeon and Anna are the image and figure of this longing. Upon seeing the Lord enter his temple, they are enlightened by the Holy Spirit and recognize him as the child whom Mary carries in her arms. They had been waiting for him all their lives: Simeon, “righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him” (Lk 2:25); Anna, who “did not depart from the temple” (Lk 2:37). It is good for us to look at these two elders who were waiting patiently, vigilant in spirit and persevering in prayer. Their hearts have stayed awake, like an eternal flame. They are advanced in age, but young at heart. They do not let the days wear them down, for their eyes remain fixed on God in expectation (cf. Ps 145:15). Fixed on God in expectation, always ...