Saint of the day

Saint of the day

Domenico Zampieri, detto il Domenichino, (Bologna 1581 - Napoli 1641), Comunione di S. Girolamo, 1614, olio su tela, Musei Vaticani.

30 SEPTEMBER: SAINT JEROME, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

The Bible at the Centre of Life

In his Apostolic Letter Scripturae Sacrae affectus, on 30 September 2020 on the 16th centenary of the death of Saint Jerome, Pope Francis wrote: “The distinctive feature of Saint Jerome’s spirituality was undoubtedly his passionate love for the word of God entrusted to the Church in sacred Scripture. All the Doctors of the Church – particularly those of the early Christian era – drew the content of their teaching explicitly from the Bible. Yet Jerome did so in a more systematic and distinctive way”.

29 SEPTEMBER: ARCHANGELS MICHAEL, GABRIEL AND RAPHAEL

Proclaimers of God’s mysteries

The three Archangels, whom we celebrate on 29 September, were contemplatives of the Glory of God and messengers of the Good News. Their names express their mission, not their nature. They are messengers of the Lord who proclaim his will and “along with the Saints, constitute the immense multitude of worshippers of the living God”.

September 28: Saint Wenceslaus, Martyr

A sovereign who evangelized his people

Saint Wenceslaus is one of the most significant figures in the history of the Christianization of Central Europe. The son of Duke Vratislaus I of Bohemia and his firstborn, he grew up in a period of profound cultural and religious transition: in the early 10th century, Bohemia at the time  was a land where Christianity was slowly spreading amidst still deeply rooted pagan traditions.

27 September Saint Vincent de Paul

A life of service to the poor and the least ones

“God loves the poor, consequently, he loves those who love the poor”, Saint Vincent de Paul often said to his collaborators. Born in Pouy, a small town in Landes, France, on 24 April 1581, to a peasant family, he never forgot that as a child he tended pigs and cows. His father sent him to Dax to study at the College of the Cordeliers, directed by the Franciscans, in the hopes that he could receive an education that would help with the family’s expenses.

September 26: Saints Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs

Physicians of the Body and Soul

Cosmas and Damian appear to have been natives of Cilicia [in modern day Turkey], although in their Passio (text BHG 378) there is a statement in which they declare: “We are from a city of Arabia.” According to the text Life and Miracles (BHG 372), their mother was named Theodote, a very devout woman who raised them in the Christian faith and with moral integrity. She taught them to read using the Bible—particularly the Psalms—as their textbook.

September 25: Saint Firmin, Bishop and Martyr

In the context of the early centuries of Christianity, in an era dominated by the Roman Empire and marked by severe persecutions against the disciples of Christ, the figure of Saint Firmin emerges, venerated as both Bishop and martyr. His memory is particularly rooted in Spain and France where his example has nourished the faith of entire generations. The account of his life lies between tradition and historical reality, sketching the portrait of a steadfast man, animated by unshakable faith and a profound missionary spirit.