|
🗓 Sunday, October 5 – St. Faustina Kowalska
A humble Polish nun of the 20th century, St. Faustina received visions of Christ as the Divine Mercy and recorded them in her Diary. Her witness spread devotion to the Divine Mercy Chaplet and the image of Jesus with rays of mercy flowing from His heart, reminding the world of God’s boundless compassion.
🗓 Monday, October 6 – St. Bruno
Founder of the Carthusian Order in the 11th century, Bruno left a life of prestige as a teacher in France to embrace solitude and prayer in the wilderness. The Carthusians remain one of the strictest monastic orders in the Church, living in silence and contemplation, seeking God alone.
🗓 Tuesday, October 7 – Our Lady of the Rosary
This feast was established to commemorate the Christian victory at Lepanto in 1571, attributed to the power of the Rosary. It celebrates the Blessed Virgin Mary’s intercession through this prayer, which unites meditation on the mysteries of Christ with the simple repetition of the Hail Mary. The Rosary remains one of the Church’s most beloved devotions, drawing families and nations together in prayer.
🗓 Wednesday, October 8 – St. Pelagia the Penitent
A 5th-century actress in Antioch, Pelagia was known for her worldly life until a sermon moved her to repentance. She was baptized, gave away her possessions, and lived the rest of her life as a hermit in prayer and penance. Her story testifies to the transforming power of grace.
🗓 Thursday, October 9 – St. Denis & Companions, Martyrs; St. John Henry Newman
The first bishop of Paris, Denis preached the Gospel in Gaul in the 3rd century. Arrested with Rusticus and Eleutherius, he was martyred by beheading on Montmartre (“mount of the martyr”). His courageous death helped root Christianity in France, where he is still honored as patron of Paris.
On the same day, the Church honors St. John Henry Newman (1801–1890), a brilliant English convert from Anglicanism, cardinal, and spiritual writer. Canonized in 2019, Newman is widely recognized for his prophetic insights and is now set to be declared the newest Doctor of the Church on November 1, 2025. His Apologia Pro Vita Sua and Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine remain classics of theology, and his pastoral prayers continue to inspire. His motto “Cor ad cor loquitur” (“Heart speaks to heart”) expresses his vision of faith as a personal encounter with Christ.
🗓 Friday, October 10 – St. Francis Borgia
A Spanish nobleman of the 16th century, Francis left his titles and wealth to become a Jesuit. As the order’s third Superior General, he expanded missions worldwide and strengthened the Jesuits’ role in education and reform. His life shows the radical surrender of riches for the riches of Christ.
🗓 Saturday, October 11 – St. John XXIII, Pope
Affectionately called “Good Pope John,” he was elected in 1958 and became a beloved shepherd for his humility, humor, and pastoral charity. He visited hospitals and prisons, wrote the influential encyclicals Mater et Magistra and Pacem in Terris on social justice and peace, and worked tirelessly to promote mercy and dialogue in the Church and the world. His warmth and emphasis on human dignity left a lasting mark.
|
