Saint of the day

Saint of the day

September 16: Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, Martyrs

United in love for the Church

Cornelius, possibly a member of the noble Cornelii family, was elected Pope in 251 for his renowned qualities of kindness, prudence, and humility. Before his election, during the period of the Sede Vacante, Novatian, an educated and influential priest, had temporarily led the Church. When Cornelius was appointed, Novatian opposed him, accusing him of being too lenient toward those Christians who, during the persecutions, had renounced the faith (the so-called lapsi), thus causing a rigorist schism.

September 15: Our Lady of Sorrows

Sharing the Wounds of her Son

In the Middle Ages, Christians began to reflect more deeply on the suffering of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, especially at the time of the Passion. Mary was the only person who remained completely faithful to Christ, from his birth to the Cross.

Nicola di Ulisse da Siena, La Croce dipinta, 1472 circa, Abbazia di Sant'Eutizio in Valcastoriana, Preci (Perugia), danneggiata dal terremoto del 2016, e restaurata dagli specialisti dei Laboratori dei Musei Vaticani.

14 September: Exaltation of the Holy Cross

A Holy Sign of God’s Love

“We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, our life and our resurrection: through him we are saved and made free” (Gal 6:14), is the entrance antiphon for the Feast of the Exhaltation of the Holy Cross. This Feast celebrates Christ’s victory over sin and death and is shared by the Catholic and the Orthodox Church. Indeed, the Orthodox Church considers this Feast day to be almost as important as Easter. The origins of the Feast can be traced back to the first Christian communities of Jerusalem, when the faithful solemnly venerated the Holy Cross on Good Friday.

13 September: Saint John Chrysostom, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

He suffered to bear witness to the Gospel

‘Glory to God, in all things’: with these words, on 14 September 407, Saint John Chrysostom, ‘Golden Mouth’, so called because of his oratorical art and eloquence, concluded his earthly pilgrimage. Born in Antioch in a year between 344 and 354, he devoted himself to the study of rhetoric and letters under the direction of the famous Libanius. After finishing his studies, he became fascinated by the world and became involved in theatre and debate. Shortly afterwards, however, he prepared himself for baptism and received it on an Easter Sunday of an unspecified year. He then attended the Diodorus Circle, a kind of seminary where theological studies could be done. During that time, he became interested in exegesis of the Holy Scriptures and learned the historical-literary method of the Antioch school. He then spent six years living a hermit's life, first on Silpius Hill, near Antioch, and then in a cave in solitude and penance.

September 12: The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Like a Fragrance that Draws Us Closer to God

The memorial of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary originated in Spain in the 16th century and was later extended to the entire Church by Pope Innocent XI in 1683. The Pope wanted to thank the Virgin for the victory over the Ottoman army during the siege of Vienna—thanks in part to the intervention of the King of Poland, Jan Sobieski. This victory was seen as a sign of Mary’s maternal protection over Christendom.

September 11: Saints Proto and Hyacinthus, Martyrs

Two Brothers United in Witness of Christ

Of these two martyrs, Saint Proto and Saint Hyacinthus, only their names, the place of their burial and the date of their death—September 11, the day on which the Church commemorates them—are known. However, according to ancient sources such as the Depositio Martyrum of Rome and the Gelasian and Gregorian Sacramentaries, their martyrdom is a historically certain event from antiquity as was their widespread veneration.