St. Nicholas Day

Do you know who was St. Nicholas, the one who inspired the Father Christmas image ? The one who some call Santa Claus or just Santa ? He was St. Nicholas of Myra, also known as St. Nicholas of Bari. He was born on 15 of March  270 and died on the 6 of December 343. He was a Bishop from Myra, in Asia Minor. Through him God made so many miracles that he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker.

See this: 

• Upon hearing that a local man had fallen on such hard times that he was planning to sell his daughters into prostitution, Nicholas went by night to the house and threw three bags of gold in through the window, saving the girls from an evil life. These three bags, gold generously given in time of trouble, became the three golden balls that indicate a pawn broker’s shop.
• He raised to life three young boys who had been murdered and pickled in a barrel of brine to hide the crime. These stories led to his patronage of children in general, and of barrel-makers besides.
• Induced some thieves to return their plunder. This explains his protection against theft and robbery, and his patronage of them – he’s not helping them steal, but to repent and change. In the past, thieves have been known as Saint Nicholas’ clerks or Knights of Saint Nicholas.
• During a voyage to the Holy Lands, a fierce storm blew up, threatening the ship. He prayed about it, and the storm calmed – hence the patronage of sailors and those like dockworkers who work on the sea.

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-nicholas-of-myra/

So, next time you think about Father Christmas, or Santa Claus or Santa, remember St. Nicholas, who helped so many people on his time on Earth.

Saints of October

So October begins with a lot of strong Saints Feast Days. On the 1 we have St. Thérèse de Lisieux, the French St. Therese, and on the 2 we have the Guardian Angels Feast Day. On the 3 it's the death of St. Francis of Assisi which feast is on the 4.

On the 5 we have St. Faustina Kowalska, to whom Our Lord talked about His Mercy. On the 6 it's St. Bruno day.

On the 7 is the Feast of Our Lady of Rosary. For information about this feast and the Battle of Lepanto read here.

And then it comes the 12 and 13 of October.

On the 12 people venerates Our Lady Aparecida (Brazil) and Our Lady of the Pillar (Spain) commemorating the Apparition of Our Lady to St. James the Apostle in Zaragoza.

Also the 12 it's the eve of the last Apparition of Our Lady in Fátima. There is a big candle procession in the night followed by Mass. People from all the world go there and some even sleep on the street for lack of hotels - and there are plenty !

In the morning again procession and Mass in commemoration of the Apparition and Miracle of the Sun.

The 15 is the Feast day of St. Theresa of Avila, the great.

On the 16 is St. Longinus the Centurian, whose feast can also be on the 15 March.

On the 17 is St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the Saint of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St Luke Apostle will be on the 18.

The 22 is the feast day of Pope JPII and also the birthday of one of my children.

On 24 we have the feast of St. Raphael, Archangel who, after the CVII began being honoured together with St. Gabriel and Michael on the 29 September, but who many still honour and will do on the 24 of October.

On the same day we celebrate the feast of St. Anthony Mary Claret.

On the 28 we have St. Jude Thaddeus and St. Simon Apostle.

Obviously there are a lot more Saints with their feast days in October but these are the ones of my special devotion. And, above all, the days of Our Lady and not forgetting that October is the month of the Rosary.

So, there you have it, a kind of post you don't read everyday. 😉

St. Peter and St. Paul's Day

And so I say to you,

you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church,

and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

no longer I, but Christ lives in me