|
🗓 Sunday, September 7 – St. Regina
A 3rd-century martyr of Gaul, Regina was a young woman who embraced Christianity and consecrated her virginity to Christ. Refusing to renounce her faith or marry a pagan, she endured torture and death. Her courage and fidelity inspired widespread devotion in France during the Middle Ages.
🗓 Monday, September 8 – Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Church joyfully celebrates the birth of Mary, the Mother of God, whose “yes” made possible the Incarnation. While Scripture tells us little of her early life, tradition holds she was the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne. Her nativity is honored as a dawn of hope, for in her birth the world was made ready to receive the Savior.
🗓 Tuesday, September 9 – St. Peter Claver
A 17th-century Jesuit missionary in Cartagena, Colombia, Peter Claver became known as “slave of the slaves forever.” He ministered tirelessly to enslaved Africans arriving on ships, bringing them food, medicine, and comfort, and baptizing over 300,000 during his lifetime. He is remembered as a model of charity and advocate for human dignity.
🗓 Wednesday, September 10 – St. Nicholas of Tolentino
An Augustinian friar of the 13th century, Nicholas lived a life of prayer, fasting, and preaching. He was known for his devotion to the holy souls in purgatory, offering Masses and penances on their behalf, and for his compassion toward the sick and poor. He became the first canonized saint of the Augustinian Order.
🗓 Thursday, September 11 – St. John Gabriel Perboyre
Born in France in 1802, John Gabriel joined the Vincentians and became a missionary to China. Arrested during a persecution, he was tortured and condemned for refusing to renounce Christ. In 1840 he was executed by strangulation, tied to a cross like his Lord. Canonized in 1996, he is honored as a model of missionary zeal and steadfast witness to the Gospel.
🗓 Friday, September 12 – Most Holy Name of Mary
This feast honors the sweet and powerful name of Mary, given to her at birth and invoked by Christians as a source of strength. The devotion was popularized in the 17th century after the Christian victory at Vienna in 1683, attributed to Our Lady’s intercession. It reminds the faithful that Mary’s name leads always to her Son.
🗓 Saturday, September 13 – St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor
Archbishop of Constantinople in the late 4th century, John earned the name “Chrysostom,” or “golden-mouthed,” for his eloquent preaching. He boldly denounced corruption and called Christians to holiness, suffering exile more than once for his courage. His homilies and writings remain classics of theology, and the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom—the principal Eucharistic rite of Byzantine Catholics and Orthodox—still carries his name, a lasting witness to his love of the Church’s worship.
|
