Advent 2020

Hi Saint Gang.

To my American friends on this list, Tomorrow is Thanksgiving so….Happy Thanksgiving. To my non American Friends on this list, tomorrow is Thursday so….Happy Thursday.

Remember Monday is November 30th it is the Feast of St. Andrew. The Sunday closest to Andrew’s feast day, before or after, is the first Sunday in Advent. So…this coming Sunday marks the first week in Advent, yes…already!

It has been a pretty challenging year so it may take a little effort trying to find things to be really thankful for. It is a challenge, but there are many blessings we all share. Try and emphasize them and live a joy filled life.

I will be on vacation next week, but bear in mind, Tuesday, 1 December is the feast of our little Saint Community’s Patron: the Vowel less, Saint Grwst

Anyhoo…Advent is the beginning of the new Church year. It is a time of preparation for the celebration of the Birth of Jesus, and a time to anticipate in joyful Hope his triumphal return.

Tom
Sub tutela vel sanctis… Under the personal protection of Saints:

George
Thomas Becket
Anthony
Jude
Nicholas
Gabriel Possenti
Therese of Lisieux
Genesius
Michael the Archangel
Laurence
Stephen
Francis
Padre Pio

Chrysogonus

Saint Chrysogonus

known as
Crisogono
Grisogono

memorial
24 November

Profile

Our saint today was a Priest in Rome. He is mentioned in the never ending Roman Canon; Eucharistic Prayer #1 . He was a good and holy priest who taught the faith quite effectively, but to the wrong people, notably Saint Anastasia who was the daughter of the well connected Roman noble Praetextatus.

This made his name known to our good friend the Emperor Diocletian. The Emperor felt Chrysogonous needed to become a martyr for this, and so he used the almost always effective method of beheading to accomplish his goal.

Chrysogonous’s bodine was unceremoniously tossed into the sea, it eventually washed ashore and recovered. He is buried in Venice but his skull is in the Basilica that bears his name in Rome.

Chrysogonous was a Greek by ethnicity living in Rome. The Greek Church calls him a “Great Martyr” under those dopey hats they wear.

Felicitas of Rome

Saint Felicitas of Rome

Also known as
• Felicity

memorial
• 23 November

Profile

The meanest nun in Our Lady of Solace my late sister Marie had to deal with in her tenure there was named after today’s saint. The name paradoxically means “Happiness.” Sister Mary Felicitas. She was long gone by the time I got there; mine was Sister Mary Muriel.

Our saint for today was a rich widow in the second century Rome. She was also a Christian as were all her children all of whom were martyred. Their names were:

• Alexander
• Vitalis
• Martial
• Januarius
• Felix
• Philip
• Silvanus

Felicity was well known for her devotion and charity to the service of the poor. These good deeds were detected by the Empire’s Sinister Agents, because of her kindness she was arrested. To prove she was not a Christian, Felicity was ordered at that time to worship the pagan gods; fat chance.

As an incentive to her becoming an apostate, her sons were arrested and given the same order; they also told the Emperor to take a hike. After a series of appeals, all of which were turned down, they were all ordered executed by emperor Antoninus.

Felicity was forced to watch as her children were murdered one by one; after each one she was given the chance to denounce her faith. When there were none left, I guess the game was up and the Emperor had her join her sons…..Because she was a Roman Citizen, she was beheaded which is almost always effective in making a martyr, this in the year 165. Her relics are in the Capuchin church at Montefiascone, in Tuscany, where there are no houses to rent.

Our saint today is not the same Felicity as the one mentioned in the excruciatingly long Roman Canon; Eucharistic Prayer #1. That Felicity is the companion of Saint Perpetua, their feast is in March.

Patronage

• against the death of children
• against sterility
• martyrs
• Invoked to have male children (I assume you do this because we all know female children all break their father’s heart sooner or later)
• widows

Pope Pontian

Pontian (R) and Hippolytus (L)

Pope Saint Pontian

Also known as
Pontianus

memorial
19 November

Profile

Our Saint for today was the third Pope to reign, this during the Schism of Antipope Saint Hippolytus of Rome around the year 230. He was the 18th pope overall. Pontian was forgiving toward the Lapsi, those who renounced the faith in the face of persecution, continuing the practice of his predecessors. Hippolytus did not agree, and had himself set up as a rival Bishop of Rome (making Hippolytus the first antipope).

Pontian was exiled along with the antipope Saint Hippolytus by Emperor Maximinus Thrax. They were sent to Sardinia to work in the mines; from all accounts an extraordinarily unhealthy place.

Shortly afterward, in 235, both died there. Sometime before his death, Hippolytus and Pontian were reconciled. By the by, Hippolytus is the only Antipope recognized as a Saint in the church….Some say Pontian abdicated the Papacy just before he died so someone else could lead, either way he was so messed up from working the mines he died the same year, some accounts say the same day he would have abdicated making his abdication a moot point.

Pontian is buried in the catacombs of Callistus, his remains were returned to Rome by Pope Fabian.

Come Join us

If you want me to send you the daily saint every day (more or less) join our Saint Community:

https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=TheSaintGang&loc=en_US">Subscribeto Today's Feast by Email

When they fill out and submit your email at that link you will be sent a confirmation email from Google/Feedburner, you need to respond to that email to confirm your subscription.  As always it is free and I don’t share emails with anyone, unfollow at any time. 

Make sure you read the Saint List Rules Here.   

Did you know the Jack o’Lantern has Christian roots, (sort of)?

Jack o Lanterns come from an Irish legend about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack.” According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. 

Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern.”

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to keep the Devil and other wandering evil spirits away since they had no claim on Jack.  In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o’lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack-o’-lanterns.

Still Humbled But Happy

My Friends, One year ago today I had the thrill of a lifetime, I proclaimed the Gospel at the entrance to the Tomb of Jesus Christ in the Church of the Holy Sepulchure while on Pilgrimage.  It was still empty.....