SAINT OF THE DAY SATURDAY, 20 DECEMBER, 2025 SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS BENEDICTINE AND MYSTIC WRITER (c. 1000 – December 20, 1073) Born in Cañas, La Rioja, to a family of peasants, he worked as a shepherd before becoming a Benedictine monk at the Monasteries of San Millán de la Cogolla. He was ordained a priest and soon became Master of novices and then prior, before being driven out with two of his fellow monks by King García Sánchez III of Navarre, for opposing his intention to annex the monastery's lands. Under the protection of King Ferdinand I of León, in 1041 they found refuge in the town of Silos at the decaying Abbey of St. Sebastian, occupied by only six monks. (After his death, both the monastery and the town were renamed for him.) Dominic was appointed as the abbot of the community and, inspired by the reforms of Cluny, proceeded to rebuild the monastery, both spiritually and physically. He built the cloisters in the Romanesque style, and established a scriptorium, turning the monastery into a center of book design, scholarship, and significant charity made possible through the proceeds of the gold and silver workshop. Dominic became known for works of healing. The monastery became one of the centers of the Mozarabic liturgy, and also preserved the Visigothic script of ancient Spain. The mother of the better-known Saint Dominic of Guzmán, the Blessed Joan of Aza, is said to have prayed at his shrine before she was able to conceive the son she named for him. That son would grow up to found the Dominican Order. Dominic's special patronage thus became connected with pregnancy, and until the establishment of the Second Spanish Republic in 1931, his abbatial crozier was used to bless the queens of Spain, and was placed by their beds when they were in labor. Wealthy patrons endowed the monastery, and Dominic raised funds to ransom Christians taken prisoner by the Moors. By the time of his death, on 20 December 1073, the monastery numbered forty monks. The noted 13th-century priest and poet, Gonzalo de Berceo, wrote an account of his life. In the 19th century Silos became a monastery in the Benedictine Congregation of Solesmes, and is notable for its fine double Romanesque cloisters, extensive library, and recordings of Gregorian Chant. PATRON: against rabies; against rabid dogs; against insects; captives; pregnant women; prisoners; shepherds. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, let me turn to You in good times and in bad. Grant that I may always remain in loving union with You no matter what adversity or goodness should befall me. As St Dominic de Silos lived his life, when he was exiled, he found another way to give You honour and through this adversity You filled his work with miracles. So too may it be in my life. St Dominic de Silos Pray for us! Amen.
SAINT OF THE DAY SUNDAY, 21 DECEMBER, 2025 SAINT PETER CANISIUS CONFESSOR AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (May 8, 1521 – December 21, 1597) Peter Canisius, the remarkable Jesuit who almost single-handedly reevangelized Central Europe, founded dozens of colleges, contributed to the rebirth of Catholicism by his prodigious writings, and laid the groundwork for the Catholic Reformation north of the Alps. He was born at Nijmegen, Holland, in 1521, and his father was an instructor to princes in the court of the duke of Lorraine. St. Peter Canisius was part of a movement for religious reform as a very young man and in 1543, after attending a retreat given by Blessed Peter Favre, joined the Jesuits and was the eighth professed member of the Society of Jesus. He worked first in the city of Cologne, becoming a spokesman for the Catholic party. He became a consultor to the cardinal of Augsburg at the Council of Trent and in 1547 was called by St. Ignatius to Rome. He was sent to Sicily to teach, then, after his solemn profession in Rome, was sent back to Germany as the first superior of the German province of the Jesuits. Peter next began to restore and found colleges, first in Vienna and Prague, and then in Munich, Innsbruck, and throughout northern Germany. He attracted vocations to the Jesuits, and the society began to flourish in Central Europe. He organized the Jesuits into a compact unit and made the society a leading force in the Counter-Reformation. He was in contact with all the Catholic leaders in Germany, and wrote fourteen hundred letters giving support to those laboring for reform. He was the adviser of the emperor and the confidante of three popes. He was consulted by papal legates and nunciatures and was a severe critic of religious and clerical life in post-Reformation Germany. He recommended far-reaching reforms and had a profound effect upon the education and spiritual life of the clergy. Through his efforts, seminaries were founded, and the popes sent him on important diplomatic missions. In the midst of his many labors, he edited and published editions of the Fathers of the Church, catechisms, spiritual manuals, and textbooks that went into countless editions even in his own lifetime. He died on December 21, 1597, at Fribourg, Switzerland, and was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1925. PATRON: Germany; Catholic press; catechism writers. PRAYER: O God, who for the defense of the Catholic faith made the Priest Saint Peter Canisius strong in virtue and in learning, grant, through his intercession, that those who seek the truth may joyfully find you, their God, and that your faithful people may persevere in confession you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
God raised an army of Jesuit saints just when the Church needed them most. Me He return that order to the Catholic Faith once again.
SAINT OF THE DAY MONDAY, 22 DECEMBER, 2025 BLESSED JACOPONE DA TODI CONFESSOR (c. 1230 – December 25, 1306) Jacomo, or James, was born a noble member of the Benedetti family in the northern Italian city of Todi. He became a successful lawyer and married a pious, generous lady named Vanna. His young wife took it upon herself to do penance for the worldly excesses of her husband. One day Vanna, at the insistence of Jacomo, attended a public tournament. She was sitting in the stands with the other noble ladies when the stands collapsed. Vanna was killed. Her shaken husband was even more disturbed when he realized that the penitential girdle she wore was for his sinfulness. On the spot, he vowed to radically change his life. He divided his possessions among the poor and entered the Secular Franciscan Order. Often dressed in penitential rags, he was mocked as a fool and called Jacopone, or “Crazy Jim,” by his former associates. The name became dear to him. After 10 years of such humiliation, Jacopone asked to be a member of the Order of Friars Minor. Because of his reputation, his request was initially refused. He composed a beautiful poem on the vanities of the world, an act that eventually led to his admission into the Order in 1278. He continued to lead a life of strict penance, declining to be ordained a priest. Meanwhile, he was writing popular hymns in the vernacular. Jacopone suddenly found himself a leader in a disturbing religious movement among the Franciscans. The Spirituals, as they were called, wanted a return to the strict poverty of Francis. They had on their side two cardinals of the Church and Pope Celestine V. These two cardinals, though, opposed Celestine's successor, Boniface VIII. At the age of 68, Jacopone was excommunicated and imprisoned. Although he acknowledged his mistake, Jacopone was not absolved and released until Benedict XI became pope five years later. He had accepted his imprisonment as penance. He spent the final three years of his life more spiritual than ever, weeping “because Love is not loved.” During this time he wrote the famous Latin hymn, Stabat Mater. On Christmas Eve in 1306 Jacopone felt that his end was near. He was in a convent of the Poor Clares with his friend, Blessed John of La Verna. Like Francis, Jacopone welcomed “Sister Death” with one of his favorite songs. It is said that he finished the song and died as the priest intoned the “Gloria” from the midnight Mass at Christmas. From the time of his death, Brother Jacopone has been venerated as a saint. PRAYER: O God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich: Deliver us from an inordinate love of this world, that we, inspired by the devotion of your servant Jacapone, may serve you with singleness of heart, and attain to the riches of the age to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Blessed Jacopone reminds me of the Eastern Tradition of being a, 'Fool for Christ'. From, a certain human perspective it is true that the saints could be looked on as mad. But if Christ really was the Son of God everything changes. 1 Corinthians 4:10, , "We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ"
SAINT OF THE DAY TUESDAY, 23 DECEMBER, 2025 SAINT JOHN OF KANTY PRIEST (23 June 1390 – 24 December 1473) John Cantius was born in the year 1390 in the Polish town of Kanty (whence his surname). He became a professor of theology, then parish priest; soon, however, he returned to the professor's chair at the University of Cracow. On foot he visited the holy places of Rome and Palestine. One day, after robbers had deprived him of all his effects, they asked him whether he had anything more. The saint said no, but hardly had they gone when he remembered having sewn some gold pieces inside his clothing; immediately he followed and overtook them. The robbers, astonished at the man's sense of truthfulness, refused to accept the money and returned to him the stolen luggage. To guard himself and his household from evil gossip he wrote upon the wall of his room (after the example of St. Augustine): Conturbare cave, non est placare suave, diffamare cave, nam revocare grave, i.e. "Guard against causing trouble and slandering others, for it is difficult to right the evil done." His love of neighbor was most edifying. Often he gave away his own clothing and shoes; then, not to appear barefoot, he lowered his cassock so as to have it drag along the ground. Sensing that his death was near at hand, he distributed whatever he still had to the poor and died peacefully in the Lord at an advanced age. He is honored as one of the principal patrons of Poland. PATRON: Lithuania, Poland. PRAYER: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that by the example of the Priest Saint John of Kanty we may advance in knowledge of holy things and by showing compassion to all, may gain forgiveness in your sight. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
SAINTS OF THE DAY WEDNESDAY, 24 DECEMBER, 2025 SAINTS EMILIANA AND TARSILLA VIRGINS (6th Century) Born in Rome, Emiliana and Tarsilla were the daughters of senator Gordian and Saint Silvia. Nieces of Pope Saint Felix III, the young women were destined for lives of holiness, and together, while quite young, renounced the world. As young women, they together consecrated themselves to the Lord, desiring to stay pure. Their house was as a convent, and the two spent so much time kneeling in prayer that their knees and elbows arthritically locked in the position of prayer. Living as hermits, they encouraged one another in the ways of the faith, drawing deeper and deeper into the spiritual life. Tarsilla and Emiliana had a third sister, Gordiana, who had initially made the same vows and consecrated herself to the Lord. Gradually, however, she withdrew from her sisters, returning to the world. Their reproaches fell on deaf ears, and caused them significant sadness and grief. Saint Tarsilla died prior to Saint Emiliana, but not before she received a vision of her uncle, Pope Saint Felix. In her vision, the pope appeared to her, showing her a place of great beauty. He said, “Come, I will receive you into this habitation of light.” Immediately, she fell ill with fever. Her sister ministered to her, but to no avail. By the following day, her illness had grown worse. Saint Tarsilla, in agonizing pain, called out to those around her; “Make way! Jesus is coming!” With her eyes fixed firmly on heaven, she died soon thereafter, and a heavenly fragrance filled the room, confirming her visions. Saint Emiliana was deeply saddened, made more difficult by missing her sister on Christmas. Emiliana received consolation in the form of a vision of her sister, however. In this vision, Tarsilla encouraged, “My sister, come! I did not celebrate with you the birth of the Lord, but together we will celebrate the feast of the Epiphany.” “If you call only me,” Emiliana replied, “what will become of our sister, Gordiana?” “Come,” Tarsilla sadly answered. “Our sister has decided to remain with the world.” Soon thereafter, Saint Emiliana fell ill, and promptly joined her sister in heaven. Their relics are kept at the Oratory of Saint Andrew on the Celian Hill in Rome. PATRON: St. Emiliana - Single laywomen. Sts. Emiliana and Tarsilla: Pray for us!
It says laywomen but I suppose you could take them as being among the first nuns. Or consecrated virgins. Funny I expected them to be martyrs but no. They must both have been very holy indeed to have attracted the attention of the Church like this. Their lives have a curiously modern feel.
this struck me as I sit in the dark early Christmas Eve morning. The losses and sadness I have experienced are overwhelming at the moment. Yet as this saint says, there is celebration to come and I need to hang on and grasp the joy.
SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD THURSDAY, 25 DECEMBER, 2025 CHRISTMAS - THE BIRTH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST Today is the great solemnity that shows the world that the Word incarnate, the Savior of mankind, is finally born. God becoming truly man is an enormous event. Something truly happens that goes beyond any evolutionary process: the fusion of man and God, the creature and the Creator. It is not the progression of another step in the evolutionary process, but the eruption of a personal action, founded on love, that from this point forward reveals to men new space and possibilities. (Joseph Ratzinger in God and the World: A Conversation with Peter Seewald, 2001, p. 197). Christmas says to us: alone we can't profoundly change the world to remedy it. Alone, we can make the world better or worse, but we can't save it. Christ came therefore, because left to ourselves; we couldn't escape the ‘mortal disease' that has enveloped us from the first moment of conception in our mother's womb. This gives us hope, true hope, and true Christian optimism: I can't do it but He is there! This is the mystery of grace synthesized in the human figure of God incarnate. Christmas Eve and Christmas day are moments of contemplation. We consider, in many dimensions, the mystery of love that was incarnated for us. First of all, we contemplate the light and joy, without forgetting Jesus and Mary's sorrows and sufferings, and the many difficulties that had surrounded them: the cold, the uncomfortable place, the dangers….. It would be good to accompany these thoughts by reciting and meditating slowly on the Holy Rosary, preferably in front of a crib. ‘Blessed grotto of Bethlehem that testified to the wonders! Who, in this hour would not turn our hearts? Who would not prefer the opulent palace of the King?' (P. Guéranger, L'Anno Liturgico, Alba 1959 [orig. franc. 1841], I, p122). Listen to the way that St Bonaventura, the seraphic doctor, invites us to contemplate this scene in his ‘Meditation on the life of Jesus Christ': ‘You have also lingered, bent your knee, adored the Lord God, venerated His Mother and greeted Joseph, the holy old man, with reverence. Therefore, kiss the feet of the baby Jesus, who lies in the manger, and pray that the Holy Virgin will allow you to hold Him. Take Him between your arms, hold Him and see His lovable face, kiss it with reverence and rejoice with Him. You can do this because He has come to bring salvation to sinners and He has humbly conversed with them, finally giving Himself as food'. (cit. in Guéranger, pp 136-137) Christmas also reminds us of the great mystery of God's people, of the Church acquired through Christ's blood, animated by the life giving Spirit, governed by the legitimate shepherds in communion with the successor of Peter. On this day in which the Word came to earth, assuming human nature, body, and soul, how can we not think about His Mystical Body that is animated by the Holy Spirit? ‘For this reason, by no weak analogy, [the Church] is compared to the mystery of the incarnate Word. As the assumed nature inseparably united to Him, serves the divine Word as a living organ of salvation, so, in a similar way, does the visible social structure of the Church serve the Spirit of Christ, who vivifies it, in the building up of the body' (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, n.8). Holy Christmas also reminds us of the mystery of Mary as Mother of God, mother of the Incarnated Word, and mother of His mystical body, the Church. Christmas encourages us to contemplate Jesus together with Mary, reflecting on Jesus with ‘His mother', as recounted many times in the Gospels. If our faith must be fully evangelical, it can not neglect a sane and profound devotion to the Mother of God, as she shows us the easiest way to reach Jesus. CHRISTMAS PRAYER: Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter, we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us: for shining star and angel's song, for infant's cry in lowly manger. We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child. We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance. Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, the incomprehensible comprehended, the poetry made hard fact, the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder. We kneel before you shepherds, innkeepers, wisemen. Help us to rise bigger than we are. Amen.
Truly incomprehensible to think God so infinitely bigger than anything would condescend to become like one of his creatures save sin. What a gift. Whatca loving God. Peace to all.
One thing they have in Spain we don't really have in Ireland is a great devotion to the baby Jesus. You see little statues and pictures of the Baby Jesus everywhere. It is the same thing in Italy and Padre Pio loved this devotion and I believe the bay Jesus appeared to him on several occasions. In fact there is quite a lit of saints including famously St Anthony of Padua. The closest I get to this devotion is a statue of the Holy Child of Prague. It is amazing to think of a baby being God.
SAINT OF THE DAY FRIDAY, 26 DECEMBER, 2025 SAINT STEPHEN FIRST MARTYR All we know of Stephen is found in Acts of the Apostles, chapters Six and Seven. It is enough to tell us what kind of man he was. At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenist (Greek-speaking) Christians complained about the Hebrew-speaking Christians, saying that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit... (Acts 6:1-5). Acts says that Stephen was a man filled with grace and power, who worked great wonders among the people. Certain Jews, members of the Synagogue of Roman Freedmen, debated with Stephen but proved no match for the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke. They persuaded others to make the charge of blasphemy against him. He was seized and carried before the Sanhedrin. In his speech, Stephen recalled God's guidance through Israel's history, as well as Israel's idolatry and disobedience. He then claimed that his persecutors were showing this same spirit. “You always oppose the holy Spirit; you are just like your ancestors” (Acts 7:51b). His speech brought anger from the crowd. “But [Stephen], filled with the holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God....' They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.... As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.... Lord, do not hold this sin against them'” (Acts 7:55-56, 58a, 59, 60b). The deacon Stephen, stoned in Jerusalem two years after the death of Christ, has always been the object of very special veneration by the faithful. He is the first martyr. The account in the Acts of the Apostles relating his arrest and the accusations brought against him emphasize the parallel with our Saviour's trial; he was stoned outside the city wall and died, like his Master, praying for his executioners. PATRON: Casket makers; coffin makers; deacons; headaches; horses; masons; diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky; stone masons. PRAYER TO SAINT STEPHEN THE PROTOMARTYR O Great St. Stephen, the scriptures tell us that your face was like an angel's as you witnessed to the truth of Christ. Please ask the Most Holy Trinity to fill my soul and the souls of all my brothers and sisters throughout the world with a deep hunger for the truth that comes from the Heart of Jesus, and also with the loving courage to embrace and profess the truth even amid difficulties, confusion, and persecution. May the serenity and peace which were yours at the hour of your stoning be ours as well as we wait in hope for the coming of the Lord Jesus who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
A wonderful read. Another concerning St. Therese which includes a number of letters she wrote to an aspiring missionary priest, Therese and Maurice.
I wonder why it was that Saint Paul held the robes of the ones who stoned St Stephen but did not actually stone Stephen himself? Why was he the one who held the coats?
Its a great question to ponder and i think a good lesson for us, My thoughts are that Saul (Paul ) held the coats because he was an approved authority figure who maybe never physically witnessed what Stephen did. But He is still complicit in that he oversaw it? And yet—by God’s mercy—he was also being held back from actually throwing a stone and at that moment even Stephen himself could never have imagined the role God planned for Paul. I guess its just again knowing God has the best plan even when we think we think our plan is the right one!
Jesus said to Paul when He appeared to him, 'It is hard for you to kick against the goad'. Which means Paul's conscience was bothering him even before his conversion. As you write Paul could well have been Stephens Judge or prosecutor as he was superbly educated and tied in with the Temple authorities, hence his been sent to Damascus. One interesting thing Venerable Maria of Agreda says about Paul was that the demons advised him on a good diet as they wanted him to live long so he could keep killing Christians. I think she might even have given a description of the diet.
How I would have loved to have seen Stephen's face light up! This is why we paint halos on saints. Sometimes their faces do light up. The Eastern Rites especially emphasise this. How wonderful to see it!! The Transfiguration. I was watching a man praying in Church one time and it struck me in watching him that he seemed to be praying like he meant it. I mentioned this to him a few weeks later and he told me that his daughter had just been diagnosed with cancer and that he had been praying for her.
A special day for me. Stephen is my middle name and this feast day has always been an important part of my Christmas celebration. The fact that he was the first martyr of the Catholic Faith inspired me as a 5th grader to choose Abel as my confirmation name, thinking as I did that Abel was the first to die via Cain's jealousy. I remember my Dad was a little hesitant, but then my Mom said, "Now John... The rest is history!
