Saints of the Month: December
Saints of the Month: December
GO TO MARY
Saints of the Month: December Copyright Š by E. Phang. All Rights Reserved.
Contents Introduction ................................................................................. x Saint Edmund Campion ...................................................... 12 Saint Bibiana ...................................................................... 14 Saint Francis Xavier ........................................................... 16 Saint Barbara ...................................................................... 19 Saint Sabbas the Sanctified ................................................ 21 Saint Nicholas ..................................................................... 23 Saint Ambrose .................................................................... 26 Feast of the Immaculate Conception .................................. 28 Saint Patapios ..................................................................... 30 Saint Juan Diego ................................................................. 32 Feast of Our Lady of Loreto ................................................ 34 Pope Saint Damasus I ......................................................... 36 Our Lady of Guadalupe ....................................................... 38 Saint Lucy ........................................................................... 40 Saint John of the Cross ....................................................... 42 Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli ...................................... 44 Saint Adelaide of Italy ........................................................ 46 Saint John of Matha ............................................................ 48 Saint Winibald .................................................................... 50 Pope Saint Anastasius I ...................................................... 52 Saint Dominic of Silos ......................................................... 54 Saint Peter Canisius ........................................................... 56 Saint Zeno of Nicomedia .................................................... 58 Saint Victoria ...................................................................... 60 Saints Adam and Eve .......................................................... 62 The Nativity of Christ or Christmas Day ............................ 63 Saint Stephen ..................................................................... 65
Saint John the Evangelist ................................................... 67 Holy Innocents .................................................................... 69 Saint Thomas Becket .......................................................... 71 Saint Anysia of Thessaloniki ............................................... 73 Pope Saint Sylvester I ......................................................... 75 Appendix .................................................................................... 77
Introduction
The month of December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. Mary was chosen to be the Mother of Our Lord and was preserved from all stain of Original Sin by the virtue of the merits of Her Son, Jesus Christ. She is thus full of grace and immaculate from the moment of Her conception.
Immaculate Conception by Peter Paul Rubens
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Saints for the month of December. Please see Go to Mary for more information. For Our Lord and Our Lady’s intentions.
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1
Saint Edmund Campion
Portrait of St Edmund Campion
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he 1st of December is the feast day of Saint Edmund Campion S.J., (24 January 1540 – 1 December 1581). Saint Edmund Campion lived between 1540 and 1581 and was born in London. He was the son of a bookseller in Paternoster Row. A good student, he became an Oxford Scholar and won the 12
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admiration of Queen Elizabeth for his wit and pleasant disposition. Though raised a Catholic he was ordained as an Anglican deacon. Saint Edmund became remorseful for his decision to move away from the Church and returned to the Catholic faith. While disguising himself for protection, he witnessed the martyrdom of a fellow scholar. Saint Edmund then decided his vocation was in the priesthood. Pretending to be a pilgrim, he traveled to Rome on foot in order to become a Jesuit priest. After being ordained St Edmund was assigned to minister in Moravia where he received a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary that predicted his martyrdom. Saint Edmund returned to England, though the Catholics were heavily persecuted after the Pope excommunicated Queen Elizabeth. He came under the guise of a jewel merchant, hoping to win Protestant converts and to strengthen the Catholics. However, St Edmund was caught, and sent to the Tower of London and tortured. There he was found guilty of treason. He said, “In condemning us, you condemn all your own ancestors, all our ancient bishops, and kings, all that was once the glory of England – the island of saints, and the most devoted child of the See of Peter.� With two other priests, he was dragged, hanged, drawn and quartered on the 1st of December. He was 41 years old.
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2
Saint Bibiana
Saint Bibiana. Etching by G.B. Mercati after P. da Cortona.
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he 2nd of December is the feast day of Saint Bibiana (d. 361). She is also known as Viviana, Vivian, or Vibiana. She is the patron saint of parish, epilepsy, epileptics, hangovers, headaches, insanity, mental illness, mentally ill people, single laywomen, and torture victims. 14
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The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: ST. BIBIANA was a native of Rome. Flavian, her father, was apprehended, burned in the face with a hot iron, and banished to Aequapendente, where he died of his wounds a few days after; and her mother, Dafrosa, was some time after beheaded. Bibiana and her sister Demetria, after the death of their parents, were stripped of all they had in the world and suffered much from poverty. Apronianus, Governor of Rome, summoned them to appear before him. Demetria, having made confession of her faith, fell down and expired at the foot of the tribunal, in the presence of the judge. Apronianus gave orders that Bibiana should be put into the hands of a wicked woman named Rufina, who was to bring her to another way of thinking; but Bibiana, making prayer her shield, remained invincible. Apronianus, enraged at the courage and perseverance of a tender virgin, ordered her to be tied to a pillar and whipped with scourges loaded with leaden plummets till she expired. The Saint underwent this punishment cheerfully, and died in the hands of the executioners. Reflection.–Pray for a fidelity and patience like Bibiana’s under all trials, that neither convenience nor any worldly advantage may ever prevail upon you to transgress your duty.
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3
Saint Francis Xavier
A Japanese depiction of Francis Xavier, dated to the 17th century. From the Kobe City Museum collection.
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he 3rd of December is the feast day of Saint Francis Xavier S.J. (7 April 1506 – 3 December 1552). He was born as Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta. He is the patron saint of African missions; Agartala, India; Ahmedabad, India; Alexandria, Louisiana; Apostleship of Prayer; Australia; Bombay, India; Borneo; Cape 16
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Town, South Africa; China; Dinajpur, Bangladesh; East Indies; Fathers of the Precious Blood; foreign missions; Freising, Germany; Goa, India; Green Bay, Wisconsin; India; Indianapolis, Indiana; Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan; University of Saint Francis Xavier; Sucre, Bolivia; Joliet, Illinois; Kabankalan, Philippines; Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines; Alegria, Cebu, Philippines; diocese of Malindi, Kenya; missionaries; Missioners of the Precious Blood; Navarre, Spain; navigators; New Zealand; parish missions; plague epidemics; Propagation of the Faith; Zagreb, Croatia; Indonesia; Malacca; Malaysia; Mongolia; and Sri Lanka. The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: YOUNG Spanish gentleman, in the dangerous days of the Reformation, was making a name for himself as a Professor of Philosophy in the University of Paris, and had seemingly no higher aim, when St. Ignatius of Loyola won him to heavenly thoughts. After a brief apostolate amongst his countrymen in Rome he was sent by St. Ignatius to the Indies, where for twelve years he was to wear himself out, bearing the Gospel to Hindostan, to Malacca, and to Japan. Thwarted by the jealousy, covetousness, and carelessness of those who should have helped and encouraged him, neither their opposition nor the difficulties of every sort which he encountered could make him slacken his labors for souls. The vast kingdom of China appealed to his charity, and he was resolved to risk his life to force an entry, when God took him to Himself, and on the 2nd of December, 1552, he died, like Moses, in sight of the land of promise. Reflection.—Some are specially called to work for souls; but there is no one who cannot help much in their salvation. Holy example, earnest intercession, the offerings of our actions in their behalf—all this needs only 17
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the spirit which animated St. Francis Xavier, the desire to make some return to God.
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4
Saint Barbara
St. Barbara with her attribute – three-windowed tower, central panel of St. Barbara Altarpiece (1447), National Museum in Warsaw
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he 4th of December is the feast day of Saint Barbara (3rd c.). She is the patron saint of Armourers, Architects, Artillerymen, Firemen, Mathematicians, Miners, Tunnellers, Chemical Engineers, and Prisoners. The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: ST. BARBARA was brought up a heathen. A tyrannical 19
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father, Dioscorus, had kept her jealously secluded in a lonely tower which he had built for the purpose. Here in her forced solitude, she gave herself to prayer and study, and contrived to receive instruction and Baptism by stealth from a Christian priest. Dioscorus, on discovering his daughter’s conversion, was beside himself with rage. He himself denounced her before the civil tribunal. Barbara was horribly tortured, and at last was beheaded, her own father, merciless to the last, acting as her executioner. God, however, speedily punished her persecutors. While her soul was being borne by angels to Paradise, a flash of lightning struck Dioscorus, and he was hurried before the judgment-seat of God. Reflection.—Pray often against a sudden and unprovided death; and, above all, that you may be strengthened by the Holy Viaticum against the dangers of your last hour.
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Saint Sabbas the Sanctified
Medieval icon of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified.
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he 5th of December is the feast day of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified (439–532). The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints:
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ST. SABAS, one of the most renowned patriarchs of the monks of Palestine, was born in the year 439, near CĂŚsarea. In order to settle a dispute which had arisen between some of his relatives in regard to the administration of his estate, while still young he forsook the world and entered a monastery, wherein he became a model of fervor. When Sabas had been ten years in this monastery, being eighteen years old, he went to Jerusalem to visit the holy places, and attached himself to a monastery then under control of St. Euthymius; but on the death of the holy abbot our Saint sought the wilderness, where he chose his dwelling in a cave on the top of a high mountain, at the bottom of which ran the brook Cedron. After he had lived here five years, several came to him, desiring to serve God under his direction. He was at first unwilling to consent, but finally founded a new monastery of persons all desirous to devote themselves to praise and serve God without interruption. His great sanctity becoming known, he was ordained priest, at the age of fifty-three, by the patriarch of Jerusalem, and made Superior-General of all the anchorites of Palestine. He lived to be ninety-four, and died on the 5th of December, 532.
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6
Saint Nicholas
Russian icon depicting Saint Nicholas with scenes from his life. Late 15th century or early 16th century. National Museum, Stockholm.
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he 6th of December is the feast day of Saint Nicholas (15 March 270 – 6 December 343). He is also known as Nikolaos of Myra, Nicholas of Bari and Nikolaos the Wonderworker. He is the patron saint of children, coopers, sailors, fishermen, merchants, 23
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broadcasters, the falsely accused, repentant thieves, brewers, pharmacists, archers, pawnbrokers, Aberdeen, Galway, Russia, Greece, Hellenic Navy, Liverpool, Bari, Siggiewi, Moscow, Amsterdam, Lorraine and Duchy of Lorraine. The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: ST. NICHOLAS, the patron Saint of Russia, was born toward the end of the third century. His uncle, the Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, ordained him priest, and appointed him abbot of a monastery; and on the death of the archbishop he was elected to the vacant see. Throughout his life he retained the bright and guileless manners of his early years, and showed himself the special protector of the innocent and the wronged. Nicholas once heard that a person who had fallen into poverty intended to abandon his three daughters to a life of sin. Determined, if possible, to save their innocence, the Saint went out by night, and, taking with him a bag of gold, flung it into the window of the sleeping father and hurried off. He, on awaking, deemed the gift a godsend, and with it dowered his eldest child. The Saint, overjoyed at his success, made like venture for the second daughter; but the third time as he stole away, the father, who was watching, overtook him and kissed his feet, saying: “Nicholas, why dost thou conceal thyself from me? Thou art my helper, and he who has delivered my soul and my daughters’ from hell.” St. Nicholas is usually represented by the side of a vessel, wherein a certain man had concealed the bodies of his three children whom he had killed, but who were restored to life by the Saint. He died in 342. His relics were translated in 1807, to Bari, Italy, and there, after fifteen centuries, “the manna of St. Nicholas” still flows from his bones and heals all kinds of sick. Reflection.—Those who would enter heaven must be as little children, whose greatest glory is their innocence. Now, two things are ours to do: first, to preserve it in 24
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ourselves, or regain it by penance; secondly, to love and shield it in others.
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7
Saint Ambrose
St. Ambrose with Book and Whip
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he 7th of December is the feast day of Saint Ambrose (c. 340 – 397). He is also known as Aurelius Ambrosius. He is the patron saint of bee keepers; bees; bishops; candle makers; domestic animals; French Commissariat; geese; learning; livestock; Milan; police officers; students; and wax refiners.
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The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: AMBROSE was of a noble family, and was governor of Milan in 374, when a bishop was to be chosen for that great see. As the Arian heretics were many and fierce, he was present to preserve order during the election. Though only a catechumen, it was the will of God that he should himself be chosen by acclamation; and, in spite of his utmost resistance, he was baptized and consecrated. He was unwearied in every duty of a pastor, full of sympathy and charity, gentle and condescending in things indifferent, but inflexible in matters of principle. He showed his fearless zeal in braving the anger of the Empress Justina, by resisting and foiling her impious attempt to give one of the churches of Milan to the Arians, and by rebuking and leading to penance the really great Emperor Theodosius, who in a moment of irritation had punished most cruelly a sedition of the inhabitants of Thessalonica. He was the friend and consoler of St. Monica in all her sorrows, and in 387 he had the joy of admitting to the Church her son, St. Augustine. St. Ambrose died in 397, full of years and of honors, and is revered by the Church of and as one of her greatest doctors. Reflection.—Whence came to St. Ambrose his grandeur of mind, his clearness of insight, his intrepidity in maintaining the faith and discipline of the Church? Whence but from his contempt of the world, from his fearing God alone?
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8
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Mary’s holy and immaculate conception, by Francisco Rizi, Museo del Prado, 17th-century, Oil on canvas.
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he 8th of December is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is celebrated 9 months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary which is on the 8th of September. The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: ON this day, so dear to every Catholic heart, we celebrate, in the first place, the moment in which Almighty God showed Mary, through the distance of ages, to our first parents as the Virgin Mother of the divine Redeemer, the woman destined to crush the head of the serpent. And as 28
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by eternal decree she was miraculously exempt from all stain of original sin, and endowed with the richest treasures of grace and sanctity, it is meet that we should honor her glorious prerogatives by this special feast of the Immaculate Conception. We should join in spirit with the blessed in heaven, and rejoice with our dear Mother, not only for her own sake, but for ours, her children, who are partakers of her glory and happiness. Secondly, we are called upon to celebrate that ever-memorable day, the 8th of December, 1854, which raised the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Lady from a pious belief to the dignity of a dogma of the Infallible Church, causing universal joy among the faithful. Reflection.—Let us repeat frequently these words applied by the Church to the Blessed Virgin: “Thou art all fair, O Mary? and there is not a spot in thee” (Cant. iv. 7).
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9
Saint Patapios
Saint Patapios
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he 8th of December is the feast day of Saint Patapios of Thebes (4th c.). He is the patron saint of dropsy. Saint Patapios was born in Egypt, Thebes. Both of his parents were Christians, his father a governor. Patapios was educated by the best tutors, and he desired to leave the life of materialism and the world to become an ascetic. He lived as a desert hermit when his father died, as he was inspired by the Church Fathers’ lives. He then moved into a cave near Corinth and later sailed to Constantinople to live as a monk in a Monastery of Blachernae. 30
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He fasted, prayed and even performed miracles until he died at the age of 83. In the early 20th century, Saint Patapios appeared to a local priest in a dream letting him know of where to find his relics. It was found the next day with a large wooden cross on his chest and a parchment with Saint Patapios name.
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10
Saint Juan Diego
Juan Diego by Miguel Cabrera, 1752
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he 9th of December is the feast day of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (1474–1548). He is also known as Juan Diego. He is the patron saint of indigenous peoples. Saint Juan Diego lived between 1474 till 1548. He was a poor but humble peasant, the lowest class of Aztec Indians in today’s 32
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Mexico. He had native name which was Cuauhtlatoatzin, it means “eagle that talks.” At the age of 50 he was baptised by a Franciscan missionary priest and took up the Christian name of Juan Diego. On the 9th of December 1531, which was the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady appeared to him as he went on his way to mass. She appeared as a pregnant Aztec princess on the hill of Tepayac in what is today’s Mexico City. She left her image on Juan Diego’s tilma as proof of her appearance to the local bishop. The image is now known as Our Lady of Guadalupe and the tilma can still be seen in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Saint Juan Diego was canonised in 2002 by Pope Saint John Paul II. He is the first indigenous saint from the Americas.
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11
Feast of Our Lady of Loreto
Our Lady of Loreto and St Winefride, Leyborne Park, Kew – Stained glass window Annunciation
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he 10th of December is the feast day of Our Lady of Loreto. She is the patron saint of aviators, fliers, pilots, and builders. 34
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Our Lady of Loreto, also spelled as Loretto, is one of the titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is associated with the house she was born in and the site of the Annunciation and the home of the Holy Family. The tradition of this Holy House originates from the Apostolic times. In the 13th century the house miraculously moved from Nazareth in the Holy Land to Loreto, Italy, carried there by angels. It was moved to prevent its destruction by the Moslems. A basilica was built around the Holy House in Italy, called the Basilica della Santa Casa (which in English is Basilica of the Holy House). On the doors of the Basilica is written “The whole world has no place more sacred… For here was the Word made Flesh, and here was born the Virgin Mother.”
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12
Pope Saint Damasus I
Lithography of Pope Saint Damasus I (Lisboa, 1840).
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he 11th of December is the feast day of Pope Saint Damasus I (c. 305 – 11 December 384). He is the patron saint of archaeologists. The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints:
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ST. DAMASUS was born at Rome at the beginning of the fourth century. He was archdeacon of the Roman Church in 355, when Pope Liberius was banished to Berda, and followed him into exile, but afterward returned to Rome. On the death of Liberius our Saint was chosen to succeed him. Ursinus, a competitor for the high office, incited a revolt, but the holy Pope took only such action as was becoming to the common father of the faithful. Having freed the Church of this new schism, he turned his attention to the extirpation of Arianism in the West and of Apollinarianism in the East, and for this purpose he convened several councils. He rebuilt the church of St. Laurence, which to this day is known as St. Laurence in Damaso; he made many valuable presents to this church, and settled upon it houses and lands in its vicinity. He likewise drained all the springs of the Vatican, which ran over the bodies that were buried there, and decorated the sepulchres of a great number of martyrs in the cemeteries, and adorned them with epitaphs in verse. Having sat eighteen years and two months, he died on the 10th of December, in 384, being near fourscore years of age.
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13
Our Lady of Guadalupe
The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The 12th of December is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On the 9th of December 1531, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Saint Juan Diego, an Aztec peasant, saw the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Hill of Tepeyac which is near present-day Mexico City. The Bishop requested that Her identity be proved, and Our Lady instructed Saint Juan Diego to gather roses found growing on the hill and take the roses to the bishop. The roses 38
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were not native to the area and it was not in season. Saint Juan Diego gathered the roses in his tilma, a cloak, and when he opened the tilma to reveal the roses to the bishop, an image of the Virgin Mary appeared on the tilma, dressed as a pregnant Aztec princess. The designs in the tilma are like the codex to the Aztecs, and reveals the truth of the Catholic faith that was preached by the missionary priests. Millions were converted as a result of this miracle. The apparition and image are known under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe and is the first apparition in the new world and the only apparition where Our Lady produced an image of Herself. The tilma is now venerated at the basilica and shrine in Mexico City. She is the patroness of the Americas, the new Evangelisation and the unborn.
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14
Saint Lucy
Saint Lucy by Domenico Beccafumi, 1521, a High Renaissance recasting of a Gothic iconic image (Pinacoteca Nazionale, Siena)
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he 13th of December is the feast day of Saint Lucy (283–304). She is also known as Lucia of Syracuse or Saint Lucia. She is the patron saint of the blind; martyrs; Perugia, Italy; Mtarfa, Malta; epidemics; salesmen; Syracuse; Italy; throat infections; and 40
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writers. The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: THE mother of St. Lucy suffered four years from an issue of blood, and the help of man failed. St. Lucy reminded her mother that a woman in the Gospel had been healed of the same disorder. “St. Agatha,” she said, “stands ever in the sight of Him for Whom she died. Only touch her sepulchre with faith, and you will be healed.” They spent the night praying by the tomb, till, overcome by weariness, both fell asleep. St. Agatha appeared in vision to St. Lucy, and calling her sister, foretold her mother’s recovery and her own martyrdom. That instant the cure was affected; and in her gratitude the mother allowed her daughter to distribute her wealth among the poor, and consecrate her virginity to Christ. A young man to whom she had been promised in marriage accused her as a Christian to the heathen; but Our Lord, by a special miracle, saved from outrage this virgin whom He had chosen for His own. The fire kindled around her did her no hurt. Then the sword was plunged into her heart, and the promise made at the tomb of St. Agatha was fulfilled. Reflection.—The Saints had to bear sufferings and. temptations greater far than yours. How did they overcome them? By the love of Christ. Nourish this pure love by meditating on the mysteries of Christ’s life; and, above all, by devotion to the Holy Eucharist, which is the antidote against sin and the pledge of eternal life.
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15
Saint John of the Cross
Saint John of the Cross by Francisco de Zurbarán, 1656
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he 14th of December is the feast day of Saint John of the Cross (1542 – 14 December 1591). He is the patron saint of the contemplative life; contemplatives; mystical theology; mystics; and Spanish poets. The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: 42
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THE father of St. John was discarded by his kindred for marrying a poor orphan, and the Saint, thus born and nurtured in poverty, chose it also for his portion. Unable to learn a trade, he became the servant of the poor in the hospital of Medina, while still pursuing his sacred studies. In 1563, being then twenty-one, he humbly offered himself as a lay-brother to the Carmelite friars, who, however, knowing his talents, had him ordained priest. He would now have exchanged to the severe Carthusian Order, had not St. Teresa, with the instinct of a Saint, persuaded him to remain and help her in the reform of his own Order. Thus he became the first prior of the Barefooted Carmelites. His reform, though approved by the general, was rejected by the elder friars, who condemned the Saint as a fugitive and apostate, and cast him into prison, whence he only escaped, after nine months’ suffering, at the risk of his life. Twice again, before his death, he was shamefully persecuted by his brethren, and publicly disgraced. But his complete abandonment by creatures only deepened his interior peace and devout longing for heaven. Reflection.—”Live in the world,” said St. John, “as if God and your soul only were in it; so shall your heart be never made captive by any earthly thing.
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16
Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli
A picture of Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli, a Genoa XVI century woman.
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he 15th of December is the feast day of Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli (2 April 1587 – 15 December 1651). She is the patron saint of the Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge in Mount Cavalry.
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Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli was born in Genoa, Italy in 1587, to an aristocratic family. At the age of 15 she was forced to marry a wealthy and illustrious man and had two daughters. At the age of 20 her husband died and she refused another arranged marriage. Saint Virginia then took a vow of celibacy and began charitable works for the sick and the poor while raising her two daughters. Once they were grown, she used her wealth to create a refuge center which became a large hospital and then into two religious congregations; the Sisters of Our Lady of Refuge in Mount Calvary, and the Daughters of Our Lady on Mount Calvary. Among her good works included her ability to be a peacemaker between noble families. She died in 1651 and her body is incorrupt.
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17
Saint Adelaide of Italy
Saint-Adélaïde Empress on a stained glass window by Lorin, in the Church of Toury.
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he 16th of December is the feast day of Saint Adelaide of Italy (931 – 16 December 999 AD). She is also known as Saint Adelaide of Burgandy. She is the patron saint of abuse victims; brides; empresses; exiles; in-law problems; parenthood; parents of large 46
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families; princesses; prisoners; second marriages; step-parents; and widows.
Saint Adelaide was born in 931AD and was the daughter of King Rupert II of Burgundy, France. She became the Queen of Italy after marrying the future King of Italy. Her husband died and she was imprisoned after refusing a second marriage that was also politically driven. When the German Emperor Otto came to rule Italy, she consented to his offer of marriage. They eventually had four children, the future Otto II, and three daughters. Two of her daughters became nuns. In 962 A.D. Otto was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII. After her son Otto II was crowned emperor, her jealous daughter-in-law drove her from court. After her son and her daughter-in-law died, Saint Adelaide returned to rule the empire as regent Queen until her grandson was ready to take the throne. She helped the poor, evangelized, and built and restore monasteries and churches. She retired in a convent in Germany and spent her remaining life in prayer.
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Saint John of Matha
Founder of the Order of the Holy Trinity
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he 17th of December is the feast day of Saint John of Matha or Martha (1160–1213). Saint John of Matha was born in 1154 near Provence, France. His parents were noble and pious and they dedicated Saint John to God from his birth. He tended the sick and gave alms to the poor 48
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and advanced in Christian virtue. He studied theology at the University of Paris which helped discerned his called to Holy Orders and he became a priest. He had a vision on the day of his first Mass which compelled him to be devoted to ransoming Christians captured by Muslims and forced into slavery. He fasted and prayed and went to Rome to gain the Pope’s approval for his new religious order that would be dedicated to this purpose. Pope Innocent III ordered a fast and concluded that Saint John’s mission was inspired by God. The Order of the Holy Trinity, or the Hospitaler Order of the Most Holy Trinity and of Captives (Trinatirians) gained approval from the Pope. The habit of the order was a white scapular with a two-toned blue and red cross on the chest which was inspired by the vision. The Trinatarians collected alms and traveled to the Moors to ransom and encourage Christian captives. He died in 1213.
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19
Saint Winibald
Wunibald, as depicted in Pontifikale Gundekarianum (de), 11th century
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he 18th of December is the feast day of Saint Winibald (died 18 December 761). He is also known as Winebald, Winnibald, Wunebald, or Wynbald. Saint Winebald lived between 701 and 761. He was a Saxon 50
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prince and his family was a holy and royal family of England. His parents were both saints; Saint Richard the king was his father and Saint Wunna of Wessex was his mother. His brother, Saint Willibald and his sister, Saint Walburga, and his uncle Saint Boniface were also saints. He made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with his father and brother and stayed for many years in Rome. After this, he was asked by Saint Boniface, his uncle, to help him evangelise Germany. Saint Winebald became a priest and started his work as a missionary in Germany, Holland, France, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg. He left many churches and monasteries under the Rule of Saint Benedict. He became known as helping to lay the foundations of Christianity in Europe and his tomb was a place of pilgrimage after he died.
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20
Pope Saint Anastasius I
Pope Saint Anastasius I
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he 19th of December is the feast day of Pope Saint Anastasius I Pope Saint Anastasius I (died 19 December 401). The following is from Catholic Encyclopedia: A pontiff who is remembered chiefly for his condemnation of Origenism. A Roman by birth, he became pope in 399, and died within a little less than four years. Among his friends were Augustine, and Jerome, and Paulinus, Jerome speaks of him as a man or great holiness who was rich in his poverty. It was during the time of the barbarian invasions. Acta SS., III, September; BUTLER, Lives of the Saints. 27 September.
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T.J. CAMPBELL
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21
Saint Dominic of Silos
Saint Dominic enthroned as Abbot by BartolomĂŠ Bermejo (15th century)
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he 20th of December is the feast day of Saint Dominic of Silos O.S.B. (1000 – December 20, 1073). He is the patron saint of against rabies; against rabid dogs; against insects; captives; pregnant women; prisoners; and shepherds. 54
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Saint Dominic of Silos lived between 1000 till 1073 A.D. He was born to a peasant family in Navarre, Spain. He herded his father’s sheep in the Pyrenees mountains as he was growing up which helped him love the life of solitude. This led him to enter the local Benedictine monastery in Navarre. He became its prior but was driven out because the King of Navarre took over its land. Saint Dominic took refuge in another monastery and King Ferdinand I of Leon put him under his protection. The monastery was initially dilapidated, but when he became abbot, it was restored both materially and spiritualy. The monastery became a place of scholarship and the funds that they raised were given to ransom Christian captives who were slaves of the Muslims. Saint Dominic of silos was known to be a miracle worker. The mother of Saint Dominic Guzman prayed for a son at his shrine, and the son she conceived became the founder of the Dominican Order. After this, Saint Dominic of Silos became the patron connected with pregnancy and up until 1931, his crozier was used by the queens of Spain to bless them and was placed beside them when they were in labour.
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22
Saint Peter Canisius
Priest, Religious and Doctor of the Church
T
he 21st of December is the feast day of Saint Peter Canisius S. J. (8 May 1521 – 21 December 1597). He is the patron saint of the Catholic press, and Germany. In 1565 Peter Canisius was chosen as a secret agent to get the decrees of the Council to all the European bishops. It was a 56
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dangerous assignment in the sixteenth century as the first envoy who tried to carry the decrees through the territory of hostile protestants and thieves were robbed of the documents. Saint Peter Canisius was a well known Jesuit and the Protestants respected him. Peter successfully traveled from Rome and Germany with the Tridentine tomes and three sacks of books he took for his own university. He was born in 1521 in Holland. Peter edited and wrote several volumes on Church history and theology was a delegate to the Council of Trent and reformed the Germany universities from heresy. Peter died in December 21, 1597 and was known as the Second Apostle of Germany and is a Doctor of the Church.
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23
Saint Zeno of Nicomedia
20 000 martyrs from Nicomedia (985, Constantinople, miniature from the Vatican Museum)
T
he 22nd of December is the feast day of Saint Zeno of Nicomedia (d. 303 A.D.). Saint Zeno of Nicomedia died in 303 A.D. He was a Roman soldier and commander who lived in Nicomedia which is today’s Turkey. He lived during the reign of the Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian. They fiercely persecuted the Church and sent many Christians to their death. In Nicomedia 20,000 Christians were burnt to death on Christmas Day as they gathered in a Cathedral. Saint Zeno was put to death when he mocked the Emperor’s 58
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devotion to a soulless god when he offered a sacrifice to a Roman deity.
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24
Saint Victoria
Victoria and Anatolia are portrayed amongst the mosaic Procession of Virgins in the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna.
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he 23rd of December is the feast day of Saint Victoria (d. 250 A.D.). Saint Victoria died in 250 A.D. and was a Roman Christian noblewoman. She and her sister, Saint Anatolia were forced into arranged marriages with two pagan noblemen. However, both saints wished to devote themselves to God and did not want to marry. When they refused, their suiters approached the authorities and denounced them as Christians. The Roman 60
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Emperor of the time, Decius, was persecuting Christians and the sisters were seized and put under house arrest. They tried to break the sister’s faith and coerce them to marry. The sisters did not weaken in faith and sold all their belongings and gave their money to the poor though they were still under house arrest. They converted to Christianity, both the servants and the guards who attended them. The two women were martyred for their faith, Anatolia first and then Victoria. Saint Victoria was stabbed through the heart which was what her rejected suitor, Eugenius requested.
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25
Saints Adam and Eve
The Fall of Man by Peter Paul Rubens
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he 24th of December is the feast day of humanity’s parents, Saints Adam and Eve. The first man and woman created by God, Adam and Eve, are the parents of all mankind. Their disobedience to God’s command allowed sin to enter the world. It was their blessed fault, that God became man, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was crucified. Jesus is now the New Adam and Mary the New Eve. 62
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26
The Nativity of Christ or Christmas Day
Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst depicts the nativity of Jesus
T
he 25th of December is the Nativity of Christ or Christmas Day. The following is from Butler’s Lives of Saints: THE world had subsisted about four thousand years when 63
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Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, having taken human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and being made man, was born of her, for the redemption of mankind, at Bethlehem of Judea. Joseph and Mary had come up to Bethlehem to be enrolled, and, unable to find shelter elsewhere, they took refuge in a stable, and in this lowly place Jesus Christ was born. The Blessed Virgin wrapped the divine Infant in swaddling-clothes, and laid Him in the manger. While the sensual and the proud were asleep, an angel appeared to some poor shepherds. They were seized with great fear, but the heavenly messenger said to them: “Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of exceeding great joy, that shall be to all the people. For this day is born to you a Saviour, Who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign to you: you shall find the Child wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid in a manger.” After the departure of the angel the wondering shepherds said to one another: “Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see the word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shown to us.” They immediately hastened thither, and found Mary and Joseph, and the Infant lying in the manger. Bowing down they adored Him, and then returned to their flocks, glorifying and praising God. Reflection.—Our Saviour sanctified our flesh by taking it on Himself, and with His last breath He commended us to the care of His Virgin Mother. Day by day He still feeds us at the altar with the food of incorruption—His body and His blood.
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27
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephan by Carlo Crivelli
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he 26th of December is the feast day of Saint Stephen (1st. c.), the first martyr. He is the patron saint of Altar Servers; Acoma Indian Pueblo; casket makers; Cetona, Italy; deacons; headaches; horses; Kessel, Belgium; masons; Owensboro, Kentucky; Passau, Germany; Serbia; Republic of Srpska; and Prato, Italy. 65
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The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: THERE is good reason to believe that St. Stephen was one of the seventy-two disciples of our blessed Lord. After the Ascension he was chosen one of the seven deacons. The ministry of the seven was very fruitful; but Stephen especially, “full of grace and fortitude, did great wonders and signs among the people.” Many adversaries rose up to dispute with him, but “they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the spirit that spoke.” At length he was brought before the Sanhedrim, charged, like his divine Master, with blasphemy against Moses and against God. He boldly upbraided the chief priests with their hardhearted resistance to the Holy Ghost and with the murder of the “Just One.” They were stung with anger, and gnashed their teeth against him. But when, “filled with the Holy Ghost and looking up to heaven, he cried out, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God,’ they rushed upon him, and dragging him forth without the city, they stoned him to death” Reflection.—If ever you are tempted to resentment, pray from your heart for him who has offended you.
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28
Saint John the Evangelist
Miniature of Saint John from the Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany (1503–8) by Jean Bourdichon
T
he 27th of December is the feast day of Saint John the Apostle (1st c.). He is the patron saint of love, loyalty, friendships, and authors. ST. JOHN, the youngest of the apostles in age, was called 67
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to follow Christ on the banks of the Jordan during the first days of Our Lord’s ministry. He was one of the privileged few present at the Transfiguration and the Agony in the garden. At the Last Supper his head rested on the bosom of Jesus, and in the hours of the Passion, when others fled or denied their Master, St. John kept his place by the side of Jesus, and at the last stood by the cross with Mary. From the cross the dying Saviour bequeathed His Mother to the care of the faithful apostle, who “from that hour took her to his own;” thus fitly, as St. Austin says, “to a virgin was the Virgin intrusted.” After the Ascension, St. John lived first at Jerusalem, and then at Ephesus. He was thrown by Domitian into a caldron of boiling oil, and is thus reckoned a martyr, though miraculously preserved from hurt. Afterwards he was banished to the isle of Patmos, where he received the heavenly visions described in tine Apocalypse. He died at a great age, in peace, at Ephesus, in the year 100. Reflection.–St. John is a living example of Our Lord’s saying, “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.”
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29
Holy Innocents
The Massacre of the Innocents by Lucas Cranach the Elder (circa 1515)
T
he 28th of December is the feast day of the Holy Innocents (1st c.). The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: HEROD, who was reigning in Judea at the time of the birth of Our Saviour, having heard that the Wise Men had come from the East to Jerusalem in search of the King of the Jews, was troubled. He called together the chief 69
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priests, and learning that Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, he told the Wise Men: “When you have found Him, bring me word again, that I also may come and adore Him.” But God having warned them in a dream not to return, they went back to their homes another way. St. Joseph, too, was ordered in his sleep to “take the Child and His Mother and fly into Egypt.” When Herod found that the Wise Men did not return, he was furious, and ordered that every male child in Bethlehem and its vicinity of the age of two and under should be slain. These innocent victims were the flowers and the first-fruits of His martyrs, and triumphed over the world, without having ever known it or experienced its dangers. Reflection.—How few perhaps of these children, if they had lived, would have escaped the dangers of the world! What snares, what sins, what miseries were they preserved from! So we often lament as misfortunes many accidents which in the designs of Heaven are the greatest mercies.
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30
Saint Thomas Becket
Illumination from an English Book of Hours presenting a spirited account of the murder of Becket, c. 1390, National Library of Wales
T
he 29th of December is the feast day of Saint Thomas Becket (21 December c. 1119 (or 1120) – 29 December 1170), also known as Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London or Thomas à Becket. 71
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He is the patron saint of Exeter College, Oxford; Portsmouth; Arbroath Abbey; and secular clergy. The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints: ST. THOMAS, son of Gilbert Becket, was born in Southwark, England, in 1117. When a youth he was attached to the household of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, who sent him to Paris and Bologna to study law. He became Archdeacon of Canterbury, then Lord High Chancellor of England; and in 1160, when Archbishop Theobald died, the king insisted on the consecration of St. Thomas in his stead. St. Thomas refused, warning the king that from that hour their friendship would be broken. In the end he yielded, and was consecrated. The conflict at once broke out; St. Thomas resisted the royal customs, which violated the liberties of the Church and the laws of the realm. After six years of contention, partly spent in. exile, St. Thomas, with full foresight of martyrdom before him, returned as a good shepherd to his Church. On the 29th of December, 1170, just as vespers were beginning, four knights broke into the cathedral, crying: “Where is the archbishop? where is the traitor?” The monks fled, and St. Thomas might easily have escaped. But he advanced, saying: “Here I am—no traitor, but archbishop. What seek you?” “Your life,” they cried. “Gladly do I give it,” was the reply; and bowing his head, the invincible martyr was hacked and hewn till his soul went to God. Six months later Henry II. submitted to be publicly scourged at the Saint’s shrine, and restored to the Church her full rights. Reflection.—”Learn from St. Thomas,” says Father Faber, “to fight the good fight even to the shedding of blood, or, to what men find harder, the shedding of their good name by pouring it out to waste on the earth.”
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31
Saint Anysia of Thessaloniki
Virgin-martyr Anysia of Thessalonica (Menologion of Basil II, 10th century)
T
he 30th of December is the feast day of Saint Anysia of Salonika (d. c. 298 A.D.), she is also known as Anysia of Thessalonica.
Saint Anysia died circa 298 A.D. Her parents were wealthy and pious Christians living near Thessalonica, Greece. Her parents died when she was still young, and Saint Anysia made private vows of chastity and poverty, dedicating her life completely to Christ. She also gave her wealth to the poor. The persecutions of 73
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Roman Emperor Maximian occurred during her lifetime, and he declared that if anyone meets a Christian, they should kill the Christian without a trial. She was on her way to church on a Sunday when a Roman soldier started to harass her. He attempted to make her sacrifice to a pagan sun god. Saint Anysia spat in his face declaring her commitment to Christ. The soldier became enraged and slew her with a sword.
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32
Pope Saint Sylvester I
Portrait of Pope Sylvester I in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome
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he 31st of December is the feast day of Saint Sylvester I (c. 250-335 A.D.. He is the patron saint of Feroleto Antico, Sylvestrine, Benedictines and Nonantola. The following is from Butler’s Lives of the Saints:
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SYLVESTER was born in Rome toward the close of the third century. He was a young priest when the persecution of the Christians broke out under the tyrant Diocletian. Idols were erected at the corners of the streets, in the market-places, and over the public fountains, so that it was scarcely possible for a Christian to go abroad without being put to the test of offering sacrifice, with the alternative of apostasy or death. During this fiery trial, Sylvester strengthened the confessors and martyrs, God preserving his life from many dangers. In 312 a new era set in. Constantine, having triumphed under the ” standard of the Cross,” declared himself the protector of the Christians, and built them splendid churches. At this juncture Sylvester was elected to the chair of Peter, and was thus the first of the Roman Pontiffs to rule the flock of Christ in security and peace. He profited by these blessings to renew the discipline of the Church, and in two great Councils confirmed her sacred truths. In the Council of Arles he condemned the schism of the Donatists; and in that of Nicæa, the first general Council of the Church, he dealt Arianism its death-blow by declaring that Jesus Christ is the true and very God. Sylvester died A. D. 335.
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Appendix
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