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1 December �St. Eligius

Loving Lord, help us to fulfill the vocation that you have entrusted to us through the example of your holy bishop, Saint Eligius. May his prayer give us the enlightenment to be generous in your service for the up-building of Your Church with the Virgin Mary’s unfailing Motherly assistance. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Saint Eligius (also called Eloi) was a talented metalsmith in France about 1500 years ago. He was in charge of the King’s mint, where coins were made. Eligius and the King got to be good friends, but even though he was a very important man, he did not forget to help others. He gave generously to the poor and paid for slaves to be set free. He also built several churches and a monastery, and finally, he became a priest 640, and then a bishop. Many people became Christians because of his powerful teaching. Died 660. Patron saint of metalworkers, horses, veterinarians, taxi drivers.

Legend has it that St. Eligius was presented a horse that needed new shoes. But the horse was a little wild, possessed. Instead of getting rid of the demon, St Eligius removed the horse foreleg, attached the shoe, and then reattached the leg.

Eligius had asked that, after his death, his horse be given to a certain priest. But a bishop then took the horse away from the priest because he liked that particular horse and wanted it for himself. Reportedly, the horse became sick after the bishop took it, but then was miraculously healed immediately after the bishop returned the horse to the priest.

Patron Saint of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

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1 December �St. Charles de Foucauld

Father,�I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you:�I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you�with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord,�and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence,�for you are my Father.�Amen.

Born in France to an aristocratic family on September 15th, 1858. At age 6, Charles de Foucauld’s parents died suddenly. His grandfather took in Charles and his younger sister until his death 12 years later. He was sent to a boarding school run by the Jesuits. After obtaining his degree and leaving school, he hungered for adventure and thought he might find it in the military life. So he passed the entrance exams for the Saint-Cyr military school and replaced the boarding school life with a military one. In 1886, returned to France, where his cousin, Marie, lived. As children, Charles had once tagged along with his devout cousin. He had always been intrigued by her “holiness,”. Here she arranged for her cousin to meet a priest, Father Huvelin, at Notre Dame Cathedral. Marie told him to speak to Fr. Huvelin about his lack of faith. Charles agreed and found Fr. Huvelin in the confessional. He explained that he was not there for confession. After hearing Charles speak for a while, Fr. Huvelin told him to “kneel and confess your sins.” Charles protested, but eventually did as he was told. Since Charles had not eaten anything, Fr. Huvelin told him to go straight to Holy Communion. Charles expressed later that it was this “encounter with Christ” that enlivened his faith and turned his life around.

His life dramatically changed, Charles joined a Trappist monastery in Ardeche, and then, transferred to Akbes, Syria. Having embraced this monastic life, he woke everyday at 2 a.m. to begin a day of exhausting work and prayer. He gathered hay, harvested crops, picked grapes, hauled rocks, sawed wood, and more. And he prayed. He began to develop the rule of the “Little Brothers of Jesus,” following many of the regulations of Saint Benedict’s order such as eight hours of work and eight hours of prayer, lifelong commitment to one house, strict seclusion, and perpetual silence. Because he wanted his order to be “suitable for illiterate brothers,” he eliminated the requirement to pray the Divine Offices because they were in Latin, and replaced them with prayer, the Rosary, and five hours of adoration.

Charles desired to live like Jesus of Nazareth. Soon after meeting with Dom Wyart in Rome, he left. He found work as a gardener and sacristan for the Poor Clares, first in Nazareth and then in Jerusalem. The sisters were somewhat reluctant at first, but after witnessing his devotion to Jesus at Mass and during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, they began to see that he was authentic. Charles spent two years near the nuns, living and working in solitude and prayer. Then he returned to France.

On June 9th, 1901, in the cathedral in Viviers, Charles de Foucauld was ordained a priest by Archbishop de Montéty.

Although he would never again carry out his functions as a priest in Viviers, Father de Foucauld celebrated his first Mass on the morning of June 10th, 1901, with his sister present. He traveled to Morocco in hopes of establishing a religious community that offered hospitality to all. No one joined him, but eventually a former army friend invited him to Algeria, to live with the Tuareg people. He wrote a Tuareg-French and French-Tuareg dictionary, and translated the Gospels and many of the Psalms into Tuareg (after he died, a two-volume collection of his Tuareg poetry was published).

In 1905, Charles traveled to Tamanrasset, Algeria, where he spent the rest of his life. Here he lived out his faith simply among the people of the desert village. Those who knew him said it was obvious he lived a life devoted to God.

During World War I, attacks were made on the French living in Algeria, and Charles was forced to build a fort to protect the people in the surrounding area; it became a place of refuge for many. On a daily basis, Father de Foucauld would give food to those who begged, always making sure to ask anyone who begged to do a job or to work so that they might remained dignified. Sometime shortly before his death, he penned a prayer of abandonment, which many pray to this day.

Marauders—who set out to steal from the fort Charles had built in Tamanrasset—seized him and dragged him into the trench in front of his fort on December 1st, 1916. As two of his friends approached, Father de Foucauld attempted to warn them, and was shot by one of his captors at close range.

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2 December �Saint Bibiana (Vivian)

Dear Saint Bibiana,

Through your fasting and prayer you were given the grace to endure suffering and torment at the hands of your persecutors. Intercede for us, dear saint, that we also remember that our Lord is always there to strengthen us and give us the grace to persevere. Amen.

St. Bibiana was a Roman who was martyred during the time of Julian the Apostate. A legend states that Bibiana's parents, Flavian and Dafrosa, were devout Christians as well. Dafrosa was beheaded, and Flavian, who was a former Roman prefect, had his face burned with a hot iron and was exiled. Bibiana and Demetria, her sister, were forced to remain in their house after all their possessions had been taken from them. For five months the two sisters fasted and prayed. When they appeared in court, Demetria died on the spot, and the judge handed Bibiana over to a woman named Fufina. This woman tried to tempt Bibiana to be unfaithful to Christ, but her efforts were in vain. Bibiana was scourged to death with whips that were loaded with lead. Her corpse was left out in the open for dogs to eat, but no dogs touched it, and fter two days a priest named John took the body at night and buried it. St. Bibiana is one of the three virgin martyrs particularly venerated in Rome, the other two being St. Cecilia and St. Agnes.

Patron: Diocese of Los Angeles, California; epilepsy; epileptics; hangovers; headaches; insanity; mental illness; mentally ill people; single laywomen; torture victims.

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3 December �Saint Francis Xavier

Help us become a hero—� One who executes both spiritual and physical feats; One who gives himself up to be a part of something greater , One who departs on a journey and returns changed.�Help us to emphasize the magis—� One who does his best in every area;� One who strives to be great in all aspects of his life.�Help us become a person with and for others—� One who respects himself as well as others;� One who performs deeds not for himself, but for others.�Help us become a leader—� One who persuades others to do the right thing;� One who guides others through action, not talk.� We pray to you for help, St. Xavier.� Amen.

This saint, came from a noble Basque family in Spain. He studied at the University of Paris, where he taught philosophy after obtaining his degree of master of arts. Here he met Ignatius of Loyola and was enrolled as one of the first seven Jesuits. In 1540 Ignatius chose him as the first missionary to the Portuguese East Indies. He landed at Goa in India and began a vast apostolate lasting over ten years. Here he instructed the adults, gathered the children by ringing a bell in the streets, catechized them, and also visited the hospitals and prisons. He then turned to the native Indians, teaching the simple folk by versifying Catholic doctrine and fitting the verses to popular tunes. He then went on to Cape Comorin and began the conversion of the Paravas, some days baptizing so many that at night he could not raise his arm from fatigue. Then to Travencore where he founded forty-five churches in various villages. Then to Malacca in Malaya, and for eighteen months from island to island, preaching, instructing, baptizing.

On his return to Goa he heard of the vast harvest of souls awaiting the laborers in Japan and he set out for this field with several companions, arriving at Kagoshima in 1549. In 1551 he returned to Malacca to revisit his converts in India. Now a new goal loomed up before his eyes—pagan China, but he was not to reach it. Arriving on the island of Sancian at the mouth of the Canton river, he became ill of a fever and would have died abandoned on the burning sands of the shore if a poor man named Alvarez had not taken him to his hut. Here he lingered for two weeks, praying between spells of delirium, and finally died, his eyes fixed with great tenderness on his crucifix.

He was buried in a shallow grave and his body covered with quicklime, but when exhumed three months later it was found fresh and incorrupt. It was taken to Goa where it is still enshrined. St. Francis Xavier was proclaimed patron of missionary works by Pope St. Pius X.

Patron: African missions; diocese of Alexandria, Louisiana; Apostleship of Prayer; Australia; black missions; Borneo; China; East Indies; foreign missions; Goa, India; diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin; India; archdiocese of Indianapolis, Indiana; Japan; diocese of Joiliet, Illinois; missionaries; Missioners of the Precious Blood; Navarre, Spain; navigators; New Zealand; parish missions; plague epidemics; Propagation of the Faith.

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4 December �St. Barbara

O Saint Barbara�You are revered among the faithful�as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.�Your life serves as a vivid reminder�that our world is filled with�extreme anger and pain,�but that our faith and hope in the�Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit�can alleviate our burdens.�Pray for me from Heaven that I�may follow your example by�treating God with His established�plan for my life. Amen.

Barbara was the daughter to a rich pagan named Dioscorus. After her mother’s death, he dedicated his life to his only daughter. Barbara was known for her beautiful. Her father shielded her from the world by locking her high up within a tower. He allowed only her pagan teachers to see her. She spent her days gazing upon the hills and admiring all of God's creations. She realized the idols her father and teachers worshiped were not of God's creation. She secretly became a Christian and dedicated her life to knowing the true God and making Him known to others. She offered herself completely to the Lord, choosing a life of consecrated virginity.

As Barbara grew older, her father began presenting men to her for marriage. She refused them all. He allowed for Barbara to leave her tower, hoping some freedom would change her attitude. Instead she meet other Christians. They taught her about the Lord Jesus, the Holy Trinity and the Church. A priest from Alexandria, disguised as a merchant, baptized Barbara into Christ and His Church. A bath house was built for her – originally with 2 windows she requested a third window (Trinity). This bathhouse became a place full of healing power and many miracles occurred.

When Barbara informed him she had become a Christian, he grabbed his sword and went to strike her. She ran off. He chased her but was abruptly stopped when a hill blocked his way. The hill opened and hid Barbara within a crevice. He came across two shepherds and asked them if they had seen her. The first denied, but the second betrayed Barbara. Some legends indicate that he was turned to stone and his flock was turned into locusts.

When she was finally found, he beat her daughter, locked her up and starved her. He and the Prefect continued to beat and torture her, but she never renounced her Christian faith. She prayed to Jesus and he appeared to heal her wounds. Barbara, along with another virtuous Christian woman named Juliana, were injured with rakes and hooks and led naked throughout the city. After praying, an angel came and covered the pair with a robe and torches used to burn Barbara went out when they came near her. She was finally condemned to death by beheading by her father. Her martyrdom took place on December 4th. Both her father and the prefect were killed after being struck by lightning.

She is the patron saint of armourers, artillerymen, architects, geologist mathematicians, miners and the Italian Navy. St. Barbara is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, venerated because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective against diseases. Barbara is often invoked against lightning and fire, with associations of explosions.

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5 December �Saint Sabas

Jesus, Almighty King of kings, You Who obeyed Your Father to the end, Teach us the meaning of obedience. Our soul burns to comply to Your Will, Striving to charm Your Divinity. While our worldly nature seeks one way, our spiritual nature seeks another. Bless us with the strength to obey, That our soul may subdue both natures, blending them as a fair aromatic bloom. We always seek favor in Your eyes, to always obey You until our last breath! Amen.

When Saint Sabas was very small, his father had to go away with the army, so he left Sabas with an uncle. The uncle’s wife was not very kind, so Sabas ran away when he was only 8 years old. He went to live with another uncle, but when the two uncles started quarrelling over Sabas’ inheritance, he ran away again, this time to a monastery. After a while, his uncles reached an agreement – they wanted Sabas to get married! But he wanted to live alone with Christ, so he stayed with the monks. Later on, he organized a lavra, a kind of monastery were each monk lives in his own little one-room house or cave, and the brothers only get together on Sunday for Holy Communion. His lavra is now the oldest operating lavra still in existence in the world today, even though an earthquake destroyed a lot of it in the 1843.

St. Sabbas founded several more monasteries. Many miracles took place through the prayers of St. Sabbas: at the Lavra a spring of water welled up, during a time of drought there was abundant rain, and there were also healings of the sick and the demoniacs. The saint surrendered his soul to God in the year 532.�

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6 December �St. Nicholas

God Our Father we pray, �That through the intercession of St. Nicholas, �You will protect our children. �Keep them safe from harm, �And help them grow, �And become worthy of Your sight. ��Give them strength, �To keep their Faith in You, �And to keep alive their joy, �In Your creation. �Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.��Amen.

Saint Nicholas was not a perfect man. Once he lost his temper and punched another bishop right in the nose! However, he did many wonderful things. He inherited quite a bit of money from his parents, and he was very generous. Once, there was a man who had three daughters and couldn’t afford for them to get married. Late at night, Nicholas tossed a bag of coins through the window (or maybe down the chimney, as some legends say) and then the oldest girl was able to get married. He did it again for the second daughter and then the third. The last time, the father was watching and caught Saint Nicholas in the act so he could thank him.

Patron: against imprisonment; against robberies; against robbers; apothecaries; bakers; barrel makers; boatmen; boot blacks; boys; brewers; brides; captives; children; coopers; dock workers; druggists; fishermen; grooms; judges; lawsuits lost unjustly; longshoremen; maidens; mariners; merchants; murderers; newlyweds; old maids; parish clerks; paupers; pawnbrokers; perfumeries; perfumers; pharmacists; pilgrims; poor people; prisoners; sailors; scholars; schoolchildren; shoe shiners; spinsters; students; thieves; travellers; unmarried girls; watermen;

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7 December �St. Ambrose

O Lord, who has mercy upon all, take away from us our sins, and mercifully kindle in us the fire of your Holy Spirit.
Take away from us the heart of stone, and give us a heart of flesh, a heart to love and adore You, a heart to delight in You, to follow and enjoy You, for Christ’s sake. Amen

Ambrose was born around 340 AD to a Roman Christian family in present day Germany. It is believed by many that when Ambrose was just an infant, a swarm of bees landed on his face and left behind a drop of honey. To his father, this was a sign that Ambrose would become someone great with a wonderful sense for speaking. He studied law, literature in Rome.. Ambrose became the Governor, of Liguria and Emilia around 372. Ambrose’s headquarters were in Milan, the then second capital of Italy. He served for 2 years then became the Bishop of Milan. After the former Bishop of Milan died, Ambrose attended the election to prevent any uproars between the Nicene Church and the Arians. While giving an address, the assembly began calling for him to become the next bishop. However, her was never baptized or trained in theology, so he refused. Within a week's time, Ambrose was baptized, ordained and duly consecrated bishop of Milan on December 7, 374.

As bishop, he donated all of his land and gave his money to the poor. He took the time to study the Old Testament and Greek authors. He used all of this while preaching; his abilities impressed Augustine of Hippo, who previously thought poorly of Christian preachers. After meeting Ambrose, Augustine reevaluated himself and was forever changed. In 387, Ambrose baptized Augustine, who he had a great influence on. St. Monica, Augustine's mother, loved Ambrose "as an angel of God who uprooted her son from his former ways and led him to his convictions of Christ."

St. Ambrose was generous to the poor. He considered them not a group of outsiders, but rather those of the united people. To him, giving to the poor was just a repayment of God's resources, which were intended for everyone equally. He introduced reforms in the order and manner of public worship. He was known for his "liturgical flexibility that kept in mind that liturgy was a tool to serve people in worshiping God, and ought not to become a rigid entity that is invariable from place to place."

Ambrose authored many of the Church's important writings and hymns. He is the patron saint of bee keepers, beggars, candlemakers, domestic animals, learning, students, and wax refiners.

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7 December – Anniversary of Attack on Pearl Harbor

Dear God, not everything that happens in your world reflects your goodness and grace. You have given us freedom to choose, and with that freedom sometimes we choose to do evil. Today we remember a time of great evil in our world – we remember World War II. We also remember those who stood their ground against great evil, those who fought here at home and on the battle fronts to ensure that evil would not prevail. We thank you that in the hour of need you gave men and women the strength and resolve to stand, whatever the cost. May those brave souls who still remain here with us feel today your hand of favor and strength. In their last years here on earth give them renewed hope and an awareness of our gratitude for their bravery and sacrifice. May we never forget them, and may you honor them according to the grace you gave in those days and according to their response to that grace, then and now. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

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8 December �Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Father, you prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by his death and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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9 December �Saint Juan Diego

Saint Juan Diego, you are our first American indigenous saint.

Please pray that God the Father would protect all migrants through his Son, Jesus Christ. Ask the Father to pour out the love of the Holy Spirit upon all who are isolated, alone and separated by choice or necessity from their native lands. May those torn away from their families and forced to leave their country to find work elsewhere be reunited: husbands with wives and parents with children. We ask especially for migrant women and children who are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of human trafficking. Give them your protection and shield them from evil. May we as a Church receive the grace to welcome with love migrants who enter into our country, seeking a home in our parishes and communities. We ask for your prayers and intercession for all immigrants who are desperate, alone and in need of God's loving support. And we ask Our Lady, who appeared to you as your Mother and Mother of all in our land, to wrap her mantle of protection around all migrant people. We beg for her love, compassion, help and protection on all immigrants who today experience great sufferings, sorrows, necessities and misfortunes.

Amen.

Little is known about the life of Juan Diego before his conversion, but iconographical sources, along with the most important and oldest indigenous document on the event of Guadalupe, "El Nican Mopohua" (written in Náhuatl with Latin characters, 1556, by the Indigenous writer Antonio Valeriano), give some information on the life of the saint and the apparitions. Juan Diego was born in 1474 with the name "Cuauhtlatoatzin" ("the talking eagle") in Cuautlitlán, today part of Mexico City, Mexico. He was a gifted member of the Chichimeca people, one of the more culturally advanced groups living in the Anáhuac Valley. When he was 50 years old he was baptized by a Franciscan priest, Fr. Peter da Gand, one of the first Franciscan missionaries. On December 9, 1531, when Juan Diego was on his way to morning Mass, the Blessed Mother appeared to him on Tepeyac Hill, the outskirts of what is now Mexico City. She asked him to go to the Bishop and to request in her name that a shrine be built at Tepeyac, where she promised to pour out her grace upon those who invoked her. The Bishop, who did not believe Juan Diego, asked for a sign to prove that the apparition was true. On December 12, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac. Here, the Blessed Mother told him to climb the hill and to pick the flowers that he would find in bloom. He obeyed, and although it was winter time, he found roses blooming. He gathered the flowers and took them to Our Lady who carefully placed them in his mantle and told him to take them to the Bishop as "proof". When he opened his mantle, the flowers fell on the ground and there remained impressed, in place of the flowers, an image of the Blessed Mother, the apparition at Tepeyac. With the Bishop's permission, Juan Diego lived the rest of his life as a hermit in a small hut near the chapel where the miraculous image was placed for veneration. Here he cared for the church and the first pilgrims who came to pray to the Mother of Jesus. Much deeper than the exterior grace of having been chosen as Our Lady's messenger, Juan Diego received the grace of interior enlightenment and from that moment, he began a life dedicated to prayer and the practice of virtue and boundless love of God and neighbour. He died in 1548 and was buried in the first chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. He was beatified on May 6, 1990 by Pope John Paul II in the Basilica of Santa Maria di Guadalupe, Mexico City. The miraculous image, which is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, shows a woman with native features and dress. She is supported by an angel whose wings are reminiscent of one of the major gods of the traditional religion of that area. The moon is beneath her feet and her blue mantle is covered with gold stars. The black girdle about her waist signifies that she is pregnant. Thus, the image graphically depicts the fact that Christ is to be "born" again among the peoples of the New World, and is a message as relevant to the "New World" today as it was during the lifetime of Juan Diego.

Patron: Mexico.

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10 December �Our Lady of Loreto

Our Lady of Loreto, your home was a sacred place. Within it, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Within your home, you raised your divine Son and saw Him grow in grace and virtue. The love you shared with your Son in that home was pure and perfect in every way. Please pray for us, that our homes will more fully reflect the grace and virtue that abounded in your home so that our homes will become more like your Holy House. Our Lady of Loreto, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.

The Holy House of Loreto - this small house, (31’×13’), in Loreto, Italy. The Apostles revered the Holy House since it was attached to the opening of a cave that completed the home of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Nazareth. Also believed to be the place of the Annunciation. Inside the house is the “Altar of the Apostles,” built by the Apostles after the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven, where Saint Peter celebrated the first Mass. On the altar is a wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child. (replica of statue destroyed by fire).

This Holy House has a long and legendary history. One tradition holds that Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Saint Helena, built a basilica over the Holy House in Nazareth. Prior to the Crusaders leaving the port of Acre, legend holds that on May 12, 1291, angels transferred the Holy House to the small town of Tersatto, modern-day Trsat, Croatia, where it remained for three and a half years. When they entered, they saw the altar with a cedar statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child. A few days later, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a priest and healing his illness in the Holy House, revealing to him its sacred origin. The Holy House became a place of pilgrimage for the locals and a much-beloved object of devotion.

On December 10, 1294, the house was once again picked up by angels and moved to Italy. Today the spot is marked by the Shrine of Our Lady of Trsat and a Franciscan monastery, which make up one of the most important pilgrim sites in Croatia.

Upon the arrival of the Holy House in Italy, legend holds that it landed on a hillside overlooking the port of Ancona and stayed for nine months. Today that spot has a shrine. In 1295, the Holy House moved about twenty miles south to a laurel grove near the town of Recanati. Twelve months later, it was moved for the final time to the middle of a public road where it sits today, in modern-day Loreto, Italy. The name “Loreto,” could be derived from the Latin word lauretum, which means “place of laurels.” The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a hermit, telling him the history and significance of the house. The hermit then told the townspeople, who verified the story by traveling to Tersatto and then to Nazareth. Today, the Holy House is enshrined in a marble frame; its marble exterior sits inside the large Basilica of the Holy House in Loreto.

Before discounting the miraculous transportation of the house, it is worth noting some scientific evidence. 1)the mortar and stones used in the walls of the house come from the Nazareth area and are not found anywhere in Italy. 2) there are no cracks in the walls, they were never dismantled and glued back together. 3)the size of the house matches perfectly the foundation in Nazareth but it would have been difficult to rebuild the house to the original dimensions. 4)transporting a house, in the 13^th century without first completely dismantling it, would have been nearly impossible. 5)the house landed on a public road, it can be seen under the foundation of the house today. At that time, it was not permissible to build a house on a public road, so if it was reconstructed, why choose that spot? 6)there is such a strong tradition of devotion to the house in Croatia and also where the house initially landed in Italy suggests that the miraculous moving of the house truly took place.

Regardless of how the Holy House arrived in Italy, it remains a place of deep devotion. Over the centuries, more than 150 canonized saints have made pilgrimages there. As we celebrate this Holy House today and honor the image of Our Lady of Loreto that resides in that house.�

Patron: Aviators, Builders

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11 December �Pope Saint Damasus

Grant, we pray, O Lord, that we may constantly exalt the merits of your Martyrs, whom Pope Saint Damasus so venerated and loved. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Damasus I was elected pope in the year 366. But there were some people who didn’t want him – they tried to make a different man pope. The two sides fought, and even though Pope Damasus I remained pope, he had to deal with people who didn’t want him throughout his papacy - right up to the day he died. Still, he was able to do some really important things. He had Saint Jerome translate the Bible into Latin, the most commonly used language at that time. Pope Damasus I also used to write rhyming epigrams – little sayings about different saints. If you ever go to Rome, you can visit the Church of Saint Mary in Palmis, where a marble slab is carved with this epigram that Damascus I wrote (it rhymes in Latin but not in English):

"You that are looking for the names of Peter and Paul,�You must know that the saints have lived here."

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12 December�Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

God of power and mercy, you blessed the America’s at Tepeyac with the presence of the Virgin Mary at Guadalupe. May Her prayers help all men and women to accept each other as brothers and sisters. Through your justice present in our hearts, may your peace reign in the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

In the winter of 1531, a poor, 57-year-old Aztec Indian living five miles outside of Mexico City encountered a miraculous happening on his way to morning Mass. First he heard strange music coming from Tepeyac Hill, and then he heard a woman's voice calling his name. Juan Diego climbed the hill and encountered a young woman, appearing to be of his own people in physical appearance and dress. The woman identified herself as the Virgin Mary, and told Juan Diego to ask the bishop of Mexico City to build a church on the hill to assist in the conversion of the nation and be a source of consolation to the people.

Juan Diego obeyed the request, but the bishop was skeptical regarding the message, even though he perceived that Juan was a humble, and well meaning Catholic. Juan reported the bishop's doubt to Our Lady at Tepeyac Hill, and she asked him to return to the bishop once again, bearing the same message. The bishop once again heard the story, and told Juan Diego to ask Our Lady for a sign that it was indeed herself that wished for the church to be built.

When he returned to the hill, Mary gave Juan Diego such a sign. Miraculously, roses appeared on the hill in the middle of winter, and Juan gathered them in his tilma, or cloak. Our Lady arranged the roses in his tilma with her own hands, and Juan returned to the bishop's presence. When Juan released the tilma, allowing the flowers to fall to the floor, it was revealed that a miraculous image of Our Lady had imprinted itself on his tilma (see above).

The bishop immediately fell to his knees, and came to believe in Juan Diego's message. A church was built on the spot of the apparition, as Mary had requested, and 8 million people converted to Catholicism in a short period of time upon hearing of or viewing the miraculous image of Our Lady.

The tilma of Juan Diego has been the subject of much modern research. The tilma, woven out of coarse cactus fiber, should have disintegrated after 20 years, but although over 500 years have passed the tilma is still in perfect condition. The pupils of Mary in the picture reflect the Indians and clergy present at the time of the first revelation of the image. No paint was used, and chemical analysis has not been able to identify the color imprint. Additionally, studies have revealed that the stars on Mary's mantle match exactly what a Mexican would have seen in the sky in December of 1531.

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13 December – Saint Lucy

Saint Lucy, whose beautiful name signifies light, By the light of Faith which God bestowed upon you, Increase and preserve His light in our soul, So that we may avoid evil, be zealous in the performance Of good works, and abhor nothing so much as the blindness and the darkness of evil and sin. ��Obtain for us, by your intercession With God, Perfect vision for our bodily eyes And the grace to use them for God’s greater honor And glory and the salvation of souls. ��St. Lucy, Virgin and martyr, hear our prayers and obtain our petitions. Amen.�

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14 December �St. John of the Cross

O blessed Jesus, �give us stillness of soul in You. �Let Your mighty calmness reign in us.�Rule us, O King of Gentleness, �King of Peace.�

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15 December �Saint Maria Di Rosa

Saint Mary, you weren't afraid to take new opportunities. It's frightening when we are asked to do something that is different or new. We would rather stay in our safe and comfortable routines. Help us to embrace each obstacle in our path as a new opportunity to serve God. Amen

Paula Di Rosa grew up wanting to help people. When she was only 17, she was arranging retreats and missions for her parish and running the ladie’s guild. At 24, she was made the supervisor of a workhouse for poor girls. But she worried about the girls, because many of them were homeless. So she started a boarding house for poor girls where they would be safe at night after work. When she was 30, she became Sister Maria, superior of the Handmaids of Charity, who served hospital patients. When a war started, she and the other sisters went to work at a military hospital, even going out to the battlefield to comfort the soldiers who were hurt or dying. Once, the other army came to break into the hospital and kill all the wounded soldiers inside, but Sister Maria bravely met them at the door carrying a large crucifix, the army men felt ashamed and left.

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16 December �Saint Adelaide

St. Adelaide of Burgundy, pray for us that we may keep the faith when we have to endure difficult situations, and be able to fulfill our duties with generosity in spite of them. Amen.

St. Adelaide was a truly remarkable woman. She was the daughter of the king of Burgundy, and was married to the son of the ruler of Provence as a means of ending a feud. When her husband was murdered by a rival prince, she was shut up in captivity until freed by Otto I, who became Holy Roman Emperor and Adelaide, his Empress. She ruled with her husband until his death, at which time her jealous daughter-in-law had her banished from the court twice! Yet she remained steadfast and faithful, known for her liberality in giving and her piety; and eventually she was restored to court as the regent for her grandson Otto III. She was active in the reforms of the great abbey at Cluny, and reposed in 999. Despite her exalted status, she was a wife and mother, and lived both hard times and good, always faithful to her Lord, and always ready to give generously to those in need. She never took revenge on her political enemies once she gained the regency and it was said that her court was much like a monastery itself in its piety. She is a reminder to me that regardless of how much or how little I may have, my work remains the same.

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17 December �Saint Lazarus of Bethany

Dear patron and assistant of the poor and sick. With this prayer I request your assistance, and with the aid of the Holy Spirit may the Lord always protect me during sickness or in health. Saint Lazarus give me the strength to overcome all the temptations on earth. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.��Amen.

The Righteous St Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary (Magdalene), lived in the village of Bethany, not far from Jerusalem. During His earthly life the Lord Jesus Christ often visited the house of Lazarus, whom He much loved and called His friend (John 11:3,11), and when Lazarus had died and lain four days already in the grave, the Lord raised him from the dead (John 11:1-44). (The Church remembers St Lazarus on the Saturday of the Sixth Week of Great Lent, "Lazarus Saturday.") Many of the Jews, when they heard about this, came to Bethany. Being persuaded of the reality of this most remarkable wonder, they became followers of Christ. Because of this the High Priests also wanted to kill Lazarus. Righteous Lazarus is mentioned in the Holy Gospel once more: when the Lord had come again to Bethany six days before the Passover, Lazarus was also there (John 12:1-2, 12:9-11). After his raising, St Lazarus lived another thirty years as a bishop on the island of Cyprus, where he spread Christianity and peacefully fell asleep in the Lord. The holy relics of St Lazarus were discovered in Kiteia. They were within a marble coffin, upon which was inscribed: "Lazarus of the Four-Days, the friend of Christ." The Byzantine emperor Leo the Wise (886-911) gave orders to transfer the relics of St Lazarus to Constantinople in the year 898 and place them within the church of the Righteous Lazarus.The story of Lazarus is a preview of Jesus' approaching death and resurrection. Lazarus stands for the fallen humanity about to be raised from the death of sin to life in God through Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. The illness which Jesus allows Lazarus to undergo is the symbol of our false self with all its weakness, ignorance, and pride, together with all the damage lying in the unconscious from earliest childhood to the present moment. To raise Lazarus from this illness to life in the Spirit is the most profound meaning of the event. Lazarus' resurrection manifests the full significance of Christ's resurrection, which restores sinful humanity, not only to the divine life, but to its super-abounding fullness.�

Patron: Diocese of Autun, France and archdiocese of Marseille, France.

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18 December �Saints Rufus and Zosimus

Father,��We pray that you would help us pass this exam. Thank you for your guidance in leading us to this study and for sustaining us as I have worked for this qualification. We ask now that your spirit would lead us. Come sharpen our thinking and help us to excel in this test of our learning and understanding. May we be able to recall everything we need from our studies and answer each question well. Amen.

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19 December �Blessed Pope Urban V

Heavenly Father, we are grateful for all that Blessed Pope Urban V accomplished during his papacy and we thank you, Father, for the holy men who watch over our souls. Amen.

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20 December Saint Dominic

God of Truth You gave Your church a new light in the life and preaching of our Father Dominic. Give us the help we need to support our preaching by holy and simple lives. �We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.

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21 December �Saint Peter Canisius

O God, who for the defense of the Catholic faith made the Priest Saint Petr Canisius strong in virtue and in learning, grant, through his intercession, that those who seek the truth may joyfully find you, their God, and that your faithful people may persevere in confessing you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Peter Canisius, the remarkable Jesuit who almost single-handedly reevangelized Central Europe, founded dozens of colleges, contributed to the rebirth of Catholicism by his prodigious writings, and laid the groundwork for the Catholic Reformation north of the Alps. He was born at Nijmegen, Holland, in 1521, and his father was an instructor to princes in the court of the duke of Lorraine. St. Peter Canisius was part of a movement for religious reform as a very young man and in 1543, after attending a retreat given by Blessed Peter Favre, joined the Jesuits and was the eighth professed member of the Society of Jesus.

He worked first in the city of Cologne, becoming a spokesman for the Catholic party. He became a consultor to the cardinal of Augsburg at the Council of Trent and in 1547 was called by St. Ignatius to Rome. He was sent to Sicily to teach, then, after his solemn profession in Rome, was sent back to Germany as the first superior of the German province of the Jesuits.

Peter next began to restore and found colleges, first in Vienna and Prague, and then in Munich, Innsbruck, and throughout northern Germany. He attracted vocations to the Jesuits, and the society began to flourish in Central Europe. He organized the Jesuits into a compact unit and made the society a leading force in the Counter-Reformation. He was in contact with all the Catholic leaders in Germany, and wrote fourteen hundred letters giving support to those laboring for reform. He was the adviser of the emperor and the confidante of three popes. He was consulted by papal legates and nunciatures and was a severe critic of religious and clerical life in post-Reformation Germany.

He recommended far-reaching reforms and had a profound effect upon the education and spiritual life of the clergy. Through his efforts, seminaries were founded, and the popes sent him on important diplomatic missions. In the midst of his many labors, he edited and published editions of the Fathers of the Church, catechisms, spiritual manuals, and textbooks that went into countless editions even in his own lifetime.

He died on December 21, 1597, at Fribourg, Switzerland, and was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1925.

Patron: Germany; Catholic press; catechism writers

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