Week at a glanceTuesday December 5 ~
Wednesday December 6 ~ Saint Nicholas
Thursday December 7 ~ Saint Ambrose
Friday December 8 ~ The Immaculate Conception
of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saturday December 9 ~ Saint Juan Diego
Sunday December 10 ~ 2nd Sunday of Advent
Monday December 11 ~ Saint Damasus I
Tuesday December 12 ~ Our Lady of Guadalupe
Wednesday December 13 ~ Saint Lucy
Thursday December 14 ~ Saint John of the Cross
Friday December 15 ~
Saturday December 16 ~
Sunday December 17 ~ 3rd Sunday of Advent
The monthly prayer intention of pope francisFor Persons With Disabilities
We pray that people living with disabilities may be at the center of attention in society, and that institutions may offer inclusive programmes which value their active participation. Daily Offering Prayer
God, our Father, I offer You my day. I offer You my prayers, thoughts, words, actions, joys, and sufferings in union with the Heart of Jesus, who continues to offer Himself in the Eucharist for the salvation of the world. May the Holy Spirit, Who guided Jesus, be my guide and my strength today so that I may witness to your love. With Mary, the mother of our Lord and the Church, I pray for all Apostles of Prayer and for the prayer intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen. |
calendar of saintsDecember 6 ~ Saint Nicholas
Little is known about the early life of Nicholas. In the early 4th century he was made bishop of Myra in Lycia (now Turkey). Famous for his charity, he became the focus of popular cults and devotions in the early Middle Ages. He was so popular that he was chosen joint patron of Russia with Saint Andrew; he is also a patron of sailors and children. In many parts of the world, he still plays a role as Santa Claus. December 7 ~ Saint Ambrose
Ambrose was born into the aristocracy in Trier, Germany, about 340, and served the powerful Roman Empire. As governor, he intervened in a dispute over the election of the bishop of Milan. Although he was only a catechumen, the laity elected him as bishop. He hesitated first, but later was baptized and ordained. Ambrose became a remarkable preacher and teacher of the faith. His most famous student was Augustine of Hippo, whom he baptized. Ambrose died in 397. In 1298 he was declared one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church (with Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory I). December 8 ~ Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
A feast dedicated to Mary's conception first appeared in the 7th century and by the 12th century it was firmly established in England. In the 13th century, great thinkers such as St Bernard and St Thomas Aquinas debated whether Mary could have been born without original sin if, as St Paul says, all persons are born in sin (Romans 5.12). By the 19th century, the theological debate was resolved and in 1854 Pius IX defined the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception as a dogma of faith. In 1846, the Catholic Church of the United States declared this to be a patronal feast. December 9 ~ Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
On this date in 1531, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Juan Diego at Tepeyac, near Mexico City. She told him that a church should be built at the site of her appearance. On another visit, Our Lady dent Juan Diego to gather flowers and present them to the bishop. When he did so, the flowers he had collected in his cloak fell away, revealing an image of the Blessed Virgin that miraculously appeared on his garment. This relic is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Juan Diego was canonized in 2002. December 10 ~ Our Lady of Loreto
The Holy House of Loreto (Santa Casa) in Italy has been venerated since the Middle Ages and has been a site of devotion and pilgrimage for centuries. In adding this memorial to the General Calendar in 2019, the Vatican noted that “Saints and Blesseds have responded to their vocation, the sick have invoked consolation in suffering, the people of God have begun to praise and plead with Mary using the Litany of Loreto, which is known throughout the world. In a particular way, all those who travel via aircraft have found in her their heavenly patron.” Our Lady of Loreto is the patroness of air travellers and aviation. December 11 ~ Saint Damasus I
Damasus was born in Rome about 305. His father, who was likely of Spanish descent, was a priest. Damasus also became a priest and in 366 he was chosen pope. He commissioned Saint Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin, a version known as the Vulgate. Damasus died in 384. December 12 ~ Our Lady of Guadalupe
Today's memorial commemorates the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in 1531 at Tepeyac, on the outskirts of Mexico City. Our Lady appeared four times, twice to aboriginal convert Juan Diego, with whom she left orders to build a church and an imprint of her image on a cloak. This cloak, an object of great veneration, is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the major pilgrimage centres of North America. Devotion to Our Lady under this title has grown over the centuries and in 1946 Pius XII named her a patron of the Americas. December 13 ~ Saint Lucy
Lucy was born in Syracuse, Italy, and martyred about 304. Details of her life have been lost in the ensuing legends. During the Middle Ages, people suffering from eye trouble began invoking Lucy's aid because her name is derived from lux ('light'). She is also associated with festivals of light, especially in Scandinavia. December 14 ~ Saint John of the Cross
John was born in 1542 at Fontiveros, Spain. He entered the Carmelite community and was ordained in 1567. With the great Carmelite mystic, Teresa of Avila, he worked for the reformation of his order, and helped found the reformed ('Discalced') Carmelites. During his life, he suffered much, enduring imprisonment, humiliation and ill-treatment. His writings are both classics of spirituality and of Spanish literature. His best-known works are The Ascent of Mount Carmel, The Dark Night of the Soul, and The Living Flame of Love. He died in 1591, was canonized in 1726 and proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1926. December 21 ~ Saint John Canisius
Peter was born in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, in 1521. He joined the Jesuits and worked in Germany, Austria, Bohemia and Switzerland as a leader of the Counter-Reformation. Peter educated Catholics with his popular and influential catechism. Although he worked in a time of conflict with growing Lutheranism, he remained moderate and courteous. Peter died in Fribourg in 1597. He was canonized and declared Doctor of the Church in 1925. |
St. Stephen Catholic Parish
4302 57 Avenue
Olds, AB
403-556-3084
ststephen102@gmail.com
Facebook: St. Stephen's Catholic Parish - Olds, Alberta
4302 57 Avenue
Olds, AB
403-556-3084
ststephen102@gmail.com
Facebook: St. Stephen's Catholic Parish - Olds, Alberta
