The Nativity of the Lord
"For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." Luke 2:11-14
The Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord
"Christ is bathed in light; let us also be bathed in light. Christ is baptized; let us also go down with him, and rise with him. Jesus rises from the waters; the world rises with him. The heavens like Paradise with its flaming sword, closed by Adam for himself and his descendants, are rent open. The Spirit comes to him as to an equal, bearing witness to his Godhead.
Saint Anthony
Saint Anthony the Great is the father of Christian monasticism. Born in Egypt c.251, he gave away his large inheritance and fled to the desert and led a solitary life of fasting, prayer, and manual labor.
Saint Brigid of Ireland
Saint Brigid of Ireland (452 - 525) was probably born at Faughart near Dundalk, Louth, Ireland. Her parents were baptized by St. Patrick, with whom she developed a close friendship. She was was Abbess of the first convent in Ireland and is co-patroness of that land.
Saint Marianne Cope
Virgin, Professed Sister of St Francis, missionary to leprosy patients. also known as Saint Marianne of Moloka'i. She was beatified in 2005 and declared a saint by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012.
Saint Blaise
Saint Blaise's feast day because of the Blessing of the Throats that took place on this day. Two candles are blessed, held slightly open, and pressed against the throat as the blessing is said. Saint Blaise's protection of those with throat troubles apparently comes from a legend that a boy was brought to him who had a fishbone stuck in his throat. The boy was about to die when Saint Blaise healed him.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Doctor of the Church
Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church, patron of all universities and of students. St. Thomas was one of the greatest and most influential theologians of all time.
Saint Paul Miki and Companions
Brother Paul Miki, a Jesuit and a native of Japan, has become the best known among the martyrs of Japan. He was crucified on Februay 5 with twenty-five other Catholics during the persecution of Christians under the Taiko, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, ruler of Japan in the name of the emperor. In total, 26 martyrs of Japan were crucified on the hill, now known as the Holy Mountain, overlooking Nagasaki.
Saint Archelais, Saint Susanna, & Saint Thecla
St. Archelais, St. Thecla and St. Susanna were Christian virgins of the Romagna region of Italy. During the persecution by Diocletian in the third century, these holy virgins dressed themselves in men’s clothing, cut their hair and went to the Italian province of Campagna. They were gruesomely martyred in ad 293.
Pope Saint Sylvester
Pope Saint Sylvester surely was appointed by God to govern his holy church in the first years of her temporal prosperity and triumph over her persecuting enemies. His pontificate was one of the most important, crucial and eventful of all Popes.
