Author Archives: Catholic Fun Facts
All Saints Days
All Saints Day is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.
In Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. In the Roman Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls’ Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Catholics celebrate All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven (the ‘church penitent’ and the ‘church triumphant’, respectively), and the ‘church militant’ who are the living.
Quotations
Mother Teresa
“The fruit of Silence is
Prayer
The fruit of Prayer is
Faith
The fruit of Faith is
Love
The fruit of Love is
Service
The fruit of Service is
Peace”
St. Evaristus
St. Evaristus was the fourth successor of St. Peter. He succeeded St. Clement in the See of Rome in the reign of Trajan and governed the Church around eight years. The “Liber Pontificalis” says that he was the son of a Hellenic Jew of Bethlehem. He is usually given the title of martyr, but his martyrdom is not historically proven. It is most likely that St. Evaristus was buried near St. Peter’s tomb in the Vatican. His feast day is October 26th.
Quotations
A Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory
O gentlest Heart of Jesus,
ever present
in the Blessed Sacrament,
ever consumed with burning love
for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, have mercy on them.
Be not severe in Your judgments,
but let some drops of Your Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames.
And, Merciful Savior,
send Your angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment,
light and peace.
Amen.
Quotations
Prayer for Peace ~ St. Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon,
Where there is doubt, faith,
Where there is despair, hope,
Where there is darkness, light,
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to
eternal life.
Sts. Crispin and Crispinian
Saints Crispin and Crispinian, said to be brothers, were martyrs of the Early Church who were beheaded during the reign of Diocletion. They were executed on 25 October, 285 or 286. They lived their lives as missionaries in Gaul. Like St. Paul, Crispin and Crispinian worked with their hands, making shoes to earn enough by their trade to support themselves and also the poor.
St Ignatius of Antioch
Fathers of the Church
St Ignatius was a successor of St Peter as bishop of Antioch. Condemned to death by being thrown to wild animal, he was brought to Rome for execution and was martyred there under the Emperor Trajan in 107. On the journey to Rome he wrote seven letter to different churches. In these he discussed Christ, the structure of the Church, and the Christian life in a manner at one wise and learned. At Antioch, this day was observed in his memory as early as the fourth century.
As he travels to Rome to meet his fate as food for the wild animals he writes this letter to the Romans. (an excerpt follows) “All the pleasures of the world, and all the kingdoms of this earth, shall profit me nothing. It is better for me to die on behalf of Jesus Christ, than to reign over all the ends of the earth. ‘For what shall a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul;
Him I seek, who died for us: Him I desire, who rose again for our sake. This is the gain which is laid up for me.”
Learn More……BOOK
St Faustina
Diary of St Faustina
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska is known as the Apostle of the Divine Mercy. She was born to a poor family in Glogowiec, Poland. She had no formal education but a deep love of Jesus Christ. After joining the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy she had profound and intimate experiences of the Mercy of Jesus Christ. These experiences were recorded in her Diary; Divine Mercy in My Soul.
On Good Friday 1937, Christ appeared to Saint Faustina and dictated to her the a novena of prayers to be said from Good Friday through the Octave of Easter, now known as Divine Mercy Sunday.
She died in 1938 and was canonized in 2000. Feast Day: Oct 5th
St Francis of Asissi
St Francis Biography
Did you know that Saint Francis was once a knight in shining armor in his youth? Born in Assisi in 1182, he renounced his wealth after a carefree childhood and committed his life to God. He led a life of evangelical poverty while preaching the love of God to all. Establishing a way of living which a number of his companions followed, his order gained the approval of the Holy See. He founded an order of nuns and a society of laypersons who practice penance while living in the world. He died in 1226. Feastday: Oct. 4th
St. Francis Pray for Us!
