February 2026

Jubilee Year of Saint Francis on the 800th Anniversary of His Death 

February is the month dedicated to the Holy Family

Let your face shine on your servant. 

JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH, SON, MOTHER, AND HEAD OF THE HOLY FAMILY,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Dear faithful readers, just when you thought it was safe to go outside in the new calendar year, it's time to turn another page on the calendar. At the same time, we are privileged to see that we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on the 2nd. 

Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all peoples; a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.

(Luke 2:29-32)

May we, too, go in peace these days. Jesus is the Peace the world does not give. 

As usual, it's another busy month. This month is dedicated to the Holy Family, and not only can we invoke Jesus, Mary, and Joseph each and every day, we can also invoke beloved Saint Francis of Assisi, especially as the Holy Father proclaimed a Jubilee Year of Saint Francis to commemorate the 800th anniversary of il Poverello's death. Have you ever been to Assisi? If not, you might add it to your list of travel destinations. You will not be disappointed. And get ready for Ash Wednesday and the holy season of Lent, coming soon to a theatre near you. Mark your calendar for February 18, that would be Ash Wednesday. Then comes the first Sunday of Lent on the 22nd, a day to also commemorate Saint Peter's Chair. Have you ever been to Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome to see the golden chair of the rock on which the Church is built? While there you can also see the bones of Saint Peter, the Scavi, if you book in advance. If not, you can certainly see that on your Italian pilgrimage. You are going to be busy. Don't be too busy, however, to skip out on a gelato, or three or more. Yum.

Some other notables are February 10 to commemorate Saint Scholastica, whose twin brother is Saint Benedict. If you are keeping up with the daily reading of the Holy Rule, you will find yourself still in Chapter 7, Humility, the fourth step, all the way to Chapter 23, on Excommunication. The same day, the 10th, that is, sees the Shipwreck of Saint Paul, the birth of the Maltese Church. Up for the 11th is the ever-popular 6th-century Irish Saint Gobnait, the patron saint of bees, beekeepers, and the sick. "Least is the bee among winged things, but she reaps the choices of harvests" (Sirach 11:3). On the 26th we have Saint Alexander of Alexandria who hopefully was never confused about his name and where he was from. One never knows, though. 

What is one way to prepare for Lent? First, go to Chapter 49 of the Holy Rule of Saint Benedict, where our holy father exhorts us, among other things, "to add to the usual measure of our service something by way of private prayer and abstinence from food and drink, so that each of us will have something above the assigned measure to offer God of his own will with the joy of the Holy Spirit" (RB 49:5-6). Keep reading because we can also deny ourselves needless talking and idle jesting and still look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual long (RB 49:7). How will you make this Lent one of joy? And don't forget to look to Chapter 48 on The Daily Manual Labor. It is there that we find that we are to read the whole of a book straight through (RB 48:15). What spiritual reading will you tackle this season? 

Last and not least, kind of, what follows is the customary Ash Wednesday offering by Cardinal Arthur Roche, Prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Fast of judging others; feast on the Christ indwelling in them.

Fast on emphasis on differences; feast on unity of life.

Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of light.

Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.

Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.

Fast from anger; feast on patience.

Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.

Fast from worry; feast on trust.

Fast from compliance; feast on appreciation.

Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.

Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.

Fast from hostility; feast on nonviolence.

Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.

Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.

Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.

Fast from facts that depress; feast on truths that uplift.

Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.

Fast from suspicion; feast on truth.

Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.

Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.

Gentle God, during this season of fasting and feasting, gift us with Your presence, so that we can be a gift to others in carrying out Your work. Amen.

Since we will move into the Lenten desert this month, how about we hear from the Desert Mothers and Fathers. We go to them, then, for a word or two ....*

Abba Gregory said, "These three things God requires of all the baptized: right faith in the heart, truth on the tongue, temperance in the body.

Abba Poemen said, "Teach your heart to guard that which your tongue teaches."

Another of the old men questioned Amma Theodora saying, "At the resurrection of the dead, how shall we rise?" She said, "As pledge, example, and prototype we have Him who died for us, and is risen, Christ our God.

Abba Pambo said, "If you have a heart, you can be saved."

Abba Paul said, "Keep close to Jesus."

Amma Syncletica said, "There are many who live in the mountains and behave as if they were in town, and they are wasting their time. It is possible to be a solitary in one's mind while living in a crowd, and it is possible for one who is a solitary to live in the crowd of his own thoughts. 

Amma Sarah said, "If I prayed God that all men approve of my conduct, I shall find myself a penitent at the door of each one, but I shall rather pray that my heart be pure towards all.

Abba Sisoes said, "Seek God, and do not seek where He dwells."

Abba Arsenius said, 

"If we seek God, He will shew Himself to us, and if we keep Him, He will remain close to us.

Abba Anthony said, "Our life and our death is with our neighbor. If we gain our brother, we have gained God, but if we scandalize our brother, we have sinned against Christ.

Abba Or also said, "If you have spoken evil of your brother, and you are stricken with remorse, go and kneel before him and say: "I have spoken badly of you, let this be my surety that I will not spread this slander further." For detraction is death to the soul.

Thankfully, we have more than a few saints to commemorate this month. May they intercede for us as we begin our Lenten journey. All saints, please pray for us.

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI,

SAINT BRIGID,

SAINT HENRY MORSE,

BLESSED BENEDICT DASWA,

BLESSED CANDELARIA OF SAINT JOSEPH,

SAINT ANSGAR, BISHOP,

SAINT BLAISE,

SAINT LAURENCE OF CANTERBURY,

SAINT DUNSTAN OF CANTERBURY,

SAINT THEODORE OF CANTERBURY,

SAINT WERBURG,

SAINT ANNE LINE, NEE HEIGHAM,

BLESSED ANTHONY OF PAVONIO OP,

BLESSED BARTHOLOMEW OF CERVERIO OP,

BLESSED PETER OF RUFFIA OP,

SAINT GILBERT OF SEMPRINGHAM,

SAINT JOHN DE BRITTO,

BLESSED MARIE-EUGENE GRIALOU,

SAINT CATHERINE DE RICCI,

SAINT AGATHA, VIRGIN, MARTYR,

SAINT PAUL MIKI AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTYRS,

SAINT MEL,

SAINT JEROME EMILIANI,

SAINT JOSEPHINE BAKHITA,

SAINT CUTHMAN OF STEYNING,

SAINT TEILO,

SAINT SCHOLASTICA, VIRGIN,

SAINT PAUL,

OUR LADY OF LOURDES,

SAINT GOBNAIT,

BLESSED REGINALD OF ORLEANS OP,

BLESSED JORDAN OF SAXONY OP,

SAINTS CYRIL, MONK, AND METHODIUS, BISHOP,

SAINT CLAUDE LA COLOMBIERE,

BLESSED NICHOLAS OF PAGLIA OP,

THE SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS OF THE SERVITE ORDER,

SAINT FINTAN OF CLONENAGH,

BLESSED WILLIAM RICHARDSON,

BLESSED JOHN OF FIESOLE OP,

BLESSED ALVAREZ OF CORDOBA OP,

BLESSED CHRISTOPHER OF MILAN OP,

SAINT PETER DAMIAN, BISHOP, DOCTOR,

SAINT ROBERT SOUTHWELL,

SAINT PETER,

SAINT POLYCARP, BISHOP, MARTYR,

BLESSED JOSEPHA GIRBES,

BLESSED CONSTANTIUS OF FABRIANO OP,

SAINT ETHELBERT,

BLESSED MARIA ADEODATA PISANI,

SAINT WALBURGA,

SAINT ALEXANDER OF ALEXANDRIA,

SAINT GREGORY OF NAREK, ABBOT AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH,

SAINT OSWALD,

PRAY FOR US.

*All quotations come from The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection, translated by Benedicta Ward (Cistercian Publications, 1984).

This month's photo: Welcome to a full moon on February 1, 2026. When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you set in place.

© Gertrude Feick 2026

January 2026

Jubilee Year of Saint Francis on the 800th Anniversary of His Death 

January is the month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus

January 18-25: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity "There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling"

At the Name of Jesus, every knee should bend.

MARY, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

JESUS, BRIGHTNESS OF ETERNAL LIGHT,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

JESUS, INFINITE GOODNESS,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

JESUS, MOST POWERFUL,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

Dear faithful readers, welcome to January, the month dedicated to the Most Holy Name of Jesus, and entry into the calendar year 2026. Jesus, meek and humble of heart, have mercy on us. However, let us not be hasty about leaving the Christmas Season behind. May we keep on celebrating Christmas until February 2, when we commemorate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. also called Candlemas. When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ... The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him (Luke 2:22, 40). 

And we kick off the new calendar year on January 1 with the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, a fitting way to get things started, under the protective veil of Our Lady, the Holy Mother of God. At the same time, January 1 is the World Day of Peace with the theme “Peace be with you all: Towards an ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace.” 

Wisdom from above is first of all innocent. It is also peaceable, lenient, docile, rich in sympathy and the kindly deeds that are its fruits, impartial and sincere. The harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.

(James 3:17-18)

We have the option to celebrate (and who wouldn't) the Most Holy Name of Jesus on January 3. Jesus, Son of Justice, have mercy on us. On Sunday, January 4, we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, so let us come with gifts to adore the Lord. After a week of "Days after Epiphany," we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Sunday, January 11. On Monday, January 12, we enter the First Week of Ordinary Time. And then there is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children on January 22. On Sunday, January 25, we celebrate the Sunday of the Word of God, a celebration instituted by Pope Francis, a day devoted to the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God. In between these times, there are several heavy hitter saints to commemorate, for example, Saint Cnut the Duke, a Martyr! So get ready folks, it is another busy month, especially with the commemoration of The Translation of the Black Nazarene, an image enshrined in the Church at Quiapo, Philippines and the Feast of Santo Nino. And lastly, if you haven’t picked up your copy of the Holy Rule of Saint Benedict in some time, now is the time to pick it up and start again with the Prologue to commence the first of three read throughs for 2026. If we keep to daily reading of and reflection on the Holy Rule, by the end of January we will have made it all the way to Chapter 7, "Humility," verse 34. Listen then, with the ear of your heart.

It occurred to me the other morning that together, united as we are in faith and prayer, we could consider two New Year's resolutions. First, how about making friends with a saint this year, or some other person you admire, like a pope or spiritual writer. Read things first, if available, written by him or her. Then things written about him or her. And if the person wrote letters, read some of them. I will spend the year becoming better friends with Saint Therese of Lisieux, "The Little Flower." In fact, I am already busy with her Story of a Soul, and a marvelous book by Ida Friederike Gorres, The Hidden Face: A Study of St. Therese of Lisieux. Who will your friend be this year? Or who is it that you want to become better friends with? 

Second, you might make friends with a psalm. As Cardinal Basil Hume (1923-1999) of happy memory once said, "look for friends among the psalms ... mull over [one of them] during mental prayer ... make it your friend." Are there particular words from the psalmist that sing to you? Then how about memorizing the psalm ... there are 365 days to practice. A favorite psalm of mine, one that has been a favorite since childhood, is Psalm 127, especially the first verse: Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it. In the home where I was raised, there was a framed print of Psalm 127:1 that hung in the breezeway, a place that pretty much anyone who came to our house passed. The words of the psalmist were formative not only for our family, but for countless friends and neighbors too. More recently, Psalm 70 has had a sweet melody, melody sung in perfect pitch.

It is you, O Lord, who are my hope,

my trust, O Lord, since my youth.

On you have I leaned from my birth,

from my mother's womb you have been my help,

My hope has always been in you.

(Psalm 70:5-6)

Now with our voices. The first is one of my favorites from Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a voice that is fitting for this month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus.

Write what you will, I shall not relish it unless it tells of Jesus. Talk or argue about what you will, I shall not relish it if you exclude the name of Jesus. Jesus to me is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, a song in the heart.

Again, it is medicine. Does one of us feel sad? Let the name of Jesus come into his heart, from there let it spring to his mouth, so that shining like the dawn it may dispel all darkness and make a cloudless sky. Does someone fall into sin? Does his despair even urge him to suicide? Let him invoke this life-giving name and his will to live will once be renewed ...

(Bernard of Clairvaux, 1050-1193, On the Song of Songs, 15:III, 6-IV, 7)

And from The Little Flower ...

Jesus deigned to teach me this mystery. He set before me the book of nature; I understood how all the flowers He has created are beautiful, how the splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the Lily do not take away the perfume of the violet or the delightful simplicity of the daisy. I understood that if all flowers wanted to be roses, nature would lose her springtime beauty, and the fields would no longer be decked out with little wild flowers.

And so it is in the world of souls, Jesus' garden. He willed to create great souls comparable to Lilies and roses, but He has created smaller ones and these must be content to be daisies or violets destined to give joy to God's glances when He looks down at His feet. Perfection consists in doing His will, in being what He wills us to be.

(Saint Therese of Lisieux, 1873-1897, Story of a Soul, Manuscript A, Ch. I)

And finally, we hear from our holy father Saint Benedict, from his Holy Rule, all words to inspire and encourage us as we enter a new year, a new beginning ...

First of all, every time you begin a good work, you must pray to God to bring it to perfection.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue 4)

Let us get up then, at long last, for the Scriptures rouse us when they say: It is high time for us to arise from sleep (Romans 13:11). Let us open our eyes to the light that comes from God and our ears to the voice from heaven that every day calls out this charge: If you hear His voice today, do not harden your hearts (Psalm 94:8).

(Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue 8-9)

But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue 49)

Your way of acting should be different from the world's way;

the love of Christ must come before all else.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 4:20-21)

Place your hope in God alone.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 4:41)

God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 5:16)

In a flood of words you will not avoid sin (Proverbs 10:19) ... The tongue holds the key to life and death (Proverbs 18:21) ... We absolutely condemn in all places any vulgarity and gossip and talk leading to laughter, and we do not permit a disciple to engage in words of that kind.

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 6:4-5, 8)

I have not come to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me (John 6:38).

(Rule of Saint Benedict, 7:32)

For all the saints, pray for us!

SAINTS BASIL THE GREAT AND GREGORY NAZIANZEN,

SAINT GENEVIEVE,

SAINT MUNCHIN, 

SAINT KURIAKOSE ELIAS CHAVARA,

BLESSED STEPHANA QUINZANI OP,

SAINT ELIZABETH ANN SETON,

SAINT JOHN NEUMANN, BISHOP,

SAINT CNUT THE DUKE, MARTYR,

SAINT NATHALAN,

SAINT PETER THOMAS,

SAINT APOLIINARIS,

SAINT ANGELA OF FOLIGNO,

SAINT GREGORY OF NYSSA,

SAINT ADRIAN OF CANTERBURY,

SAINT ANDREW CORSINI,

SAINT ANDRE BESSETTE,

SAINT RAYMOND OF PENYAFORT,

SAINT HILARY OF POITIERS, BISHOP, DOCTOR,

SAINT KENTIGERN OR MUNGO,

SAINT SAVA,

SAINTS MAUR AND PLACID,

SAINT ITA,

SAINT REMIGIUS, REMY OR REMI,

SAINT FURSA OR FURSEY,

SAINT JOSEPH VAZ,

SAINT ANTHONY, ABBOT,

OUR LADY OF ARABIA,

SAINT WULSTAN,

SAINT FAOLAN,

SAINT HENRY OF UPPSALA,

THE JESUIT MARTYRS OF THE REFORMATION,

BLESSED ANDREW PESCHIARA OP,

POPE SAINT FABIAN, MARTYR,

SAINT SEBASTIAN, MARTYR,

BLESSED CYPRIAN MICHAEL TANSI,

SAINT PAUL OF THEBES,

BLESSED ANGELO PAOLI,

SAINT AGNES, VIRGIN, MARTYR,

SAINT PUBLIUS,

POPE SAINT MARCELLUS,

BLESSED ANTHONY DELLA CHIESA OP,

SAINT VINCENT, DEACON, MARTYR,

BLESSED HENRY SUSO OP,

SAINT MARIANNE COPE,

SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES, BISHOP,

SAINTS TIMOTHY AND TITUS,

SAINTS ROBERT, ALBERIC, AND STEPHEN,

SAINT ANGELA MERICI, VIRGIN,

SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, PRIEST, DOCTOR,

SAINT JOHN BOSCO, PRIEST,

SAINT HYACINTHA OF MARISCOTTI,

BLESSED ANN OF THE ANGELES MONTEAGUDO OP,

BLESSED GONSALVO OF AMARANTE OP,

BLESSED BERNARD SCAMMACCA OP,

SAINT AELRED OF RIEVAULX,

SAINT MARGUERITE BOURGEOYS OP,

SAINT BENET (BENEDICT) BISCOP,

SAINT PAUL,

BLESSED EDWARD OLDCORNE,

SAINT HENRY DE OSSO,

BLESSED MARCOLINO OF FORLI OP,

BLESSED ARCHANGELA GIRLANI,

BLESSED VILLANA DE' BOTTI,

SAINT GILDAS THE WISE,

SAINT AEDAN OF FERNS,

SAINT ALBAN ROE,

SAINT THOMAS GREEN,

VENERABLE MARY WARD, 

PRAY FOR US.

JESUS, CROWN OF ALL SAINTS,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

This month's photo: On heaven and on earth.

© Gertrude Feick 2026

December 2025

Jubilee Holy Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope

December is the month dedicated to Advent and the Coming of Christ.

Maranatha!

OUR LADY, MOTHER OF JESUS,

IMMACULATE MARY,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Dear Faithful Readers, Happy New Liturgical Year and welcome to the most holy season of Advent, on this first day of December 2025, the month dedicated to Advent and the coming of Christ. Come, and save us, Lord our God; let your face shine upon us, that we may be saved. Alleluia, alleluia. 

The holy season of Advent is a time of preparation, a time to be still, a time to free ourselves from the obstacles that limit our experience of the presence of Jesus who has already come, who will come, and who continuously comes. One way to go about that is by embracing the wisdom of Abba Antony. As the story goes, "Someone asked the Abba Antony, 'What sort of practices do I need to maintain in order to please God?' In reply the elder said, 'Practice what I am prescribing for you: Wherever you go, keep God right before your eyes-always. Whatever you're doing, hold on to the testimony of the holy Scriptures. Wherever you're living, don't be in a hurry to move on. Keep these practices and you'll be saved.'"* Stay awake. Wait. Wait for the Lord. Be still and know that He is God. Recognize His presence at all times and in all places. And you will be saved.

At the same time, it is in this holy season that we anticipate Christmas with the great "O" Antiphons, listed here in part, traditionally sung before and after the Canticle of Mary at Vespers from December 17-23. May we proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Come, Lord Jesus, come. 

O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High ... 

come and teach us the way of prudence.

O Adonai and Leader of the house of Israel ...

come and redeem us with outstretched arm.

O root of Jesse, who stands as a sign among the people ...

come to deliver us and tarry not.

O Key of David, opening the gates of God's eternal Kingdom ...

come and free the prisoners of darkness!

O Rising Dawn, splendor of eternal Light and Sun of Justice ...

come and illuminate those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

O King of the nations and their Desire, the Cornerstone who binds two into one:

come and save mankind, whom you fashioned from clay.

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver ...

come and save us, O Lord our God!

United in faith and prayer, we go forth with words to inspire us ...

To prepare our hearts to welcome the Lord who, as we say in the Creed, will come one day to judge the living and the dead, we must learn to recognize His presence in the events of daily life. Advent is then a period of intense training that directs us decisively to the One who has already come, who will come and who continuously comes.

(Pope Saint John Paul II, 1920-2005, General Audience, December 18, 2002)

The world might have expected the Son of God to be born in an inn; a stable would certainly be the last place in the world where one would look for Him. The lesson is: divinity is always where you least expect to find it. So the Son of God made man, is invited to enter into His own world through a back door.

(Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, 1895-1975)

You too, are mothers of the Child who has been born for you and in you ... Keep watch in your care for the newborn Child.

(Guerric of Igny, 1070/80-1157)

The whole of Christ's life was a continual teaching: His silences, His miracles, His gestures, His prayer, His love for people, His special affection for the little and the poor, His acceptance of the total sacrifice on the cross for the redemption of the world, and His resurrection are the actualization of His word and fulfillment of revelation.

(Pope Saint John Paul II, Catechesi Tradendae, 9)

When it is sincere and comes from the heart, deep emotion is the most eloquent response [to] a great love or a great sorrow ... No word or gesture or gift can substitute for it because it is the best gift. It means opening oneself to the other.

(Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, O.F.M., Cap., preacher to the papal household)

Strict with myself, I want to be only kind and gentle with my neighbor. To live in interior union with our God, and to make of all the monotony, triviality, and simple duties of my life so many prayers for others.

(Servant of God Elisabeth Leseur, 1866-1914)

At this Christmas when Christ comes, will He find a warm heart? Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving others with God's own love and concern.

(Mother Saint Teresa of Calcutta, 1910-1997)

Strive to preserve your heart in peace; let no event of this world disturb it.

(Saint John of the Cross "The Mystical Doctor," 1542-1591)

All my works, Lord, are truly nothing without your grace and mercy, which you so generously shower on all creatures, and this without number or measure. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God (Rom 11:33).

(Venerable Thomas a Kempis, 1380-1471)

But because I ask for silence,

don't think I'm going to die.

The opposite is true;

it happens that I'm going to live.

(Pablo Neruda, 1904-1973)

No one heals himself by wounding another.

(Saint Ambrose of Milan, 339-397)

No one, whether shepherd or wise man, can approach God except by kneeling before the manger of Bethlehem and adoring Him hidden in the weakness of a new-born Child.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 563)

Let us imitate blessed Stephen as far as God gives us the grace to do so. Let us not only love our friends but also our enemies, because there is nothing whereby we can so well redeem our sins, overcome the devil, and please God.

(Saint Caesarius of Arles, 468/70-542)

Now Christmas is come

Let us beat up the drum,

And call all our neighbors together,

And when they appear, 

Let us make them such cheer

As will keep out the wind and the weather.

(Washington Irving, 1783-1859)

BLESSED CLEMENTINE ANUARITE,

SAINT ALEXANDER BRIANT,

SAINT RALPH SHERWIN,

SAINT EDMUND CAMPION,

SAINT BIBIANA,

SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER, PRIEST,

SAINT JOHN DAMASCENE, PRIEST, DOCTOR,

SAINT CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA,

SAINT GERARD OF MAYO,

SAINT JOHN ALMOND,

SAINT BIRINUS,

SAINT NICHOLAS, BISHOP,

SAINT AMBROSE OF MILAN,

SAINT JUAN DIEGO CUAUHTLATOATZIN,

OUR LADY OF LORETO,

SAINT EULALIA OF MERIDA,

SAINT MELCHIADES,

SAINT EDMUND GENNINGS,

SAINT JOHN ROBERTS,

SAINT EUSTACE WHITE,

SAINT POLYDORE PLASDEN,

SAINT SWITHIN WELLS,

POPE SAINT DAMASCUS I,

SAINT MARIA MARAVILLAS OF JESUS,

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE,

SAINT FINIAN OF CLONARD,

SAINT LUCY, VIRGIN, MARTYR,

SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS,

SAINT VIRGINIA CEBTURIONE BRACELLI, 

BLESSED URBAN V,

SAINT CHAEROMON,

SAINT JANE FRANCES DE CHANTAL,

SAINT ADELAIDE,

SAINT GATIAN,

BLESSED MARY OF THE ANGELS,

SAINT OLYMPIAS,

BLESSED SCUBILION,

SAINT FACHANA OF KILFENORA,

SAINT FLANNAN, BISHOP,

SAINT DOMINIC OF SILOS,

SAINT JOHN OF KETY, PRIEST,

SAINT THORLAK THORHALLSSON,

SAINT STEPHEN, THE FIRST MARTYR,

SAINT JOHN, APOSTLE, EVANGELIST,

SAINT ANYSIUS,

THE HOLY FAMILY,

POPE SAINT SYLVESTER I,

PRAY FOR US.

* See Tim Vivian, Becoming Fire: Through the Year with the Desert Fathers and Mothers (Cistercian Studies/Liturgical Press, 2024), entry for December 2, p. 370.

This month's photo: The Light has come into the world; He is wrapped in swaddling clothes. For you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays (Malachi 3:20a).

© Gertrude Feick 2025

November 2025

Jubilee Holy Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope

November is the month dedicated to the Poor Souls in Purgatory 

November 2-8: National Vocation Awareness Week 

Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

OUR LADY, QUEEN OF ALL SAINTS,

OUR LADY, GATE OF HEAVEN,

OUR LADY, QUEEN OF ANGELS,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US. 

Since I, the Lord, brought you up from the land of Egypt that I might be your God, 

you shall be holy, because I am holy.

(Leviticus 11:45)

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.

(Matthew 5:8)

Dear faithful readers, welcome to November, a stellar month dedicated to the Poor Souls of Purgatory. "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, lead all souls to heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy."

This month is overwhelming with so much to celebrate. The month kicks off with All Saints Day, a day to remember and pray for all the saints, those formally declared saints, and those not. We remember the "saints next door," and other holy people we know and have known, those living, that is, the saints in the making (all of us!), and those who are dead. In addition, November 1 is extra special this year because Pope Leo XIV formally declared Saint John Henry Newman (1801-1890) a Doctor of the Church and named him co-patron of Catholic education alongside Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). November 2 follows with All Souls Day, or The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, and then the list of saints to commemorate goes on and on (see below). We celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, on Sunday, November 23, and have a week to prepare for the First Sunday of Advent, November 30, and the beginning of a new liturgical year. Be sure to get plenty of rest, then, the month will be a busy one. And since we enter a new year in the Church, may I be the first to say, "Happy New Year," remembering what G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) said: "The object of the new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul." And as Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) said, "If you wish to make any progress in the service of God we must begin every day of our life with new ardor." Let us begin each day anew then, with ardor and strength to carry on according to God's holy will. By the grace of God we go.

Our voices this month all have something to say about the path to holiness. As we respond to the universal call to holiness, for, after all, as Pope Benedict XVI (1927-2022) reminds us, "We are all called to holiness: it is the very nature of Christian living," and thereby want to achieve holiness, may all that we do and say every day this month, and every day all year round, be with the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Have no fear; do not be afraid to be a saint!

When Saint Scholastica asked her brother Saint Benedict what was needed to achieve holiness, she received this reply: "You must want to."

(Saint Maximilian Kolbe, 1894-1941)

God does not command the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ to be preached with the noise of arms and with pillage. What He rather commands is the example of a good life and holy teaching.

(Saint Rogue Gonzalez, 1576-1628)

All the science of the Saints is included in these two things: To do, and to suffer. And whoever has done these two things best, has made himself most saintly.

(Saint Francis de Sales, 1577-1622)

It fills me with joy to realize that I can lay down my life daily for God, that I can sacrifice it willingly for Him. I may not be a martyr for the faith, but I can be a martyr of charity.

(Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne, 1769-1852)

[Charity] drives us on to love ourselves and our neighbor, to glorify God in time and in eternity, on earth, in purgatory, and in heaven. It lets us grow into the immensity of the heart of God ...

(Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, OP, 1877-1964)

Lord, I am here. Tell me what you would have me to do. If He gives me some task, I am content and I thank Him. If He gives me nothing, I still thank Him.

(Saint Catherine Laboure, 1806-1876)

Tbere is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future.

(Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354-430)

Let Mary's soul be in each of you to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Let her spirit be in each of you to rejoice in the Lord. Christ has only one mother in the flesh, but we all bring forth Christ.

(Saint Ambrose of Milan, 339-397)

The good God is free to make us pass better than we are. And we have to accept that like all the rest. If He exposes our weaknesses, or if He shows off our virtues, so what? Nothing is changed! All that is necessary is that we love God truly.

(Guy Oury, OSB, in Dom Gabriel Sortais: An Amazing Abbot in Turbulent Times)

Why is it that any time we speak of temptation we always think of temptation as something that inclines us to wrong. We have more temptations to be good than we do to become bad.

(Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, 1895-1979)

The saints live not after the fashion of the world ... The dignity of the saints is so great because they are not of this world, but "of the household of God."

(Saint Thomas Aquinas, 1225-1274)

The saints in each generation, joined to those who have gone before and filled like them with light, become a golden chain, in which each saint is a separate link, united to the next by faith, works and love.

(Saint Simeon the New Theologian, 940-1022)

Filled with light, and united in faith, good works, and love, we are not afraid to be saints and become links in the golden chain. All the saints, angels, and the countless others who have gone before us, please pray for us. Cheer us on to join you at the heavenly banquet. And we are encouraged by our Doctor Mellifuus, Last of the Fathers, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153):

The saints want us to be with them, and we are indifferent, The souls of the just await us, and we ignore them ... We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope to possess their happiness.

SAINT MARTIN DE PORRES,

SAINT WINIFRIDE,

SAINT MALACHY,

BLESSED JOHN BODY,

BLESSED RUPERT MAYER,

SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO,

BLESSED FRANCES D'AMBOISE,

ALL THE SAINTS OF IRELAND,

ALL SAINTS OF AFRICA,

SAINT ILLTUD OR ILLTYD,

SAINT NUNO ALVARES PEREIRA,

SAINT JEAN-THEONARD VENARD,

SAINT WILLIBRORD,

BLESSED FRANCES PALAU Y QUER,

SAINT PETER OU,

ALL SAINTS OF WALES,

BLESSED JOHN DUNS SCOTUS "MASTER OF THOUGHT AND LIFE,"

BLESSED GEORGE NAPIER,

SAINT ELIZABETH OF THE TRINITY,

POPE SAINT LEO THE GREAT,

SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS,

SAINT JOSEPHAT, BISHOP, MARTYR,

MOTHER SAINT FRANCES XAVIER CABRINI,

SAINT MACHAR,

BLESSED MARIA TERESA SCRILLI,

SAINT DYFRIG OR DUBRIC OR DUBRICIUS,

SAINT LAURENC O'TOOLE,

THE BEATIFIED MARTYRS OF CLIFTON DIOCESE,

THE READING MARTYRS,

SAINT JOSEPH PIGNATELLI,

ALL CARMELITE SAINTS,

POPE SAINT LEO THE GREAT,

SAINT MARGARET OF SCOTLAND,

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT OF HELFTA,

SAINT EDMUND OF ABINGDON,

OUR LADY GATE OF THE DAWN,

ALL CARMELITE SOULS,

SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY,

SAINT HILDA,

SAINT HUGH OF LINCOLN,

SAINT DIONYSIUS OF ALEXANDRIA, BISHOP,

SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY,

SAINT PETER AND PAUL,

SAINT ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE,

SAINT ROQUE GONZALEZ AND HIS COMPANIONS,

SAINT RAPHAEL KALINOWSKI,

SAINT RAFAEL KALINOWSKI,

SAINT EDMUND,

SAINT BERNWARD,

SAINT CECILIA, VIRGIN, MARTYR,

POPE SAINT CLEMENT I,

SAINT COLUMBANUS, ABBOT,

BLESSED MIGUEL AGUSTIN PRO,

SAINT ANDREW DUNG-LAC AND HIS COMPANIONS, MARTRYS,

SAINT CATHERINE ALEXANDRIA,

BLESSED NIELS STENSEN,

SAINT COLMAN OF CLOYNE,

SAINT LEONARD OF PORTO MAURIZIO,

SAINT JOHN BERCHMANS,

SAINT FERGAL,

OUR LADY OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL,

SAINT CATHERINE LABOURE,

BLESSED BERNARD FRANCIS DE HOYOS,

ALL THE SAINTS OF THE FRANCISCAN, OR SERAPHIC, ORDER,

BLESSED DENIS AND REDEMPTUS,

SAINT ANDREW THE APOSTLE,

SAINT CUTHBERT MAYNE,

PRAY FOR US.

This month's photo: Think of what is above, not of what is on earth (Colossians 3:2).

© Gertrude Feick, 2025

October 2025

Jubilee Holy Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope

October is the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary 

Month of Mission, World Mission Sunday, October 19: "Missionaries of Hope Among All Peoples"

Respect Life Month: "Life: Our Sign of Hope"

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.

OUR LADY OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY,

OUR LADY OF VICTORY,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Welcome to October, dear faithful readers. Yes, indeed, you can be sure that I am wearing my Little Flower footies today.* For all the saints ... Ready or not, then, this is a great month dedicated to the Most Holy Rosary. Why not accept the invitation of Pope Leo XIV, one he extended in a recent General Audience. On September 24, 2025, after he delivered his catechesis, the Holy Father made this announcement:

Dear brothers and sisters, the month of October is now approaching, and in the Church it is dedicated in a special way to the Holy Rosary. Therefore, I invite everyone, every day of the coming month, to pray the Rosary for peace: personally, in the family, in the community.

On this first day of month of October, we get started. With peace as our quest and aim (see the Rule of Saint Benedict, Prologue 17), then, a rosary a day keeps the doctor away. Remember that we pray for peace that the world cannot give as Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid" (John 14:27). After all, "He is peace ... He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father" (Ephesians 2:14, 17-18). 

What does peace mean to you? One way to look at peace is through the eyes of Jesus. How did Jesus respond to division, lack of faith, unrest, anxiety, doubt, rejection, betrayal, dismissal? When Jesus rebuked the disciples, He clearly told them that He, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders" (Luke 9:21-22). We too suffer and are rejected by others, sometimes those we love. Our privilege is to suffer with Jesus and be rejected with Jesus. I marveled at the witness of Saint Therese Couderc (1805-1885), who became the first member of a new religious community in 19th century France, one dedicated to operating retreats for women, work that was a dangerous novelty at the time. Not daunted, Therese led the community to grow in numbers, even though they faced poverty and harsh climate. When the community ran into debt, Therese was blamed. She humbly stepped aside. Successive superiors blamed and ignored Therese and assigned her menial tasks. When the community became divided, Therese was called in to reconcile arguments among the sisters. Alas, Therese was overlooked again. Therese's response is not entirely unpredictable. As related, Therese "learned a great deal about loving God during times of trial and how to peacefully accept His will" (Magnificat, "Saint Who?", September 26, 2025, p. 371). 

Since God certainly loves us no matter what, we, in turn, love Him no matter what. So, as we pray the Most Holy Rosary each day this month, most especially on Mondays and Saturdays with the Joyful Mysteries, and the first mystery, The Annunciation, we pray with Mary, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). And on Tuesdays and Fridays, when we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries, and are with Jesus in the garden in the first mystery, we pray with Jesus, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). We are united in faith and prayer and remember something Saint Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), one of the great Doctors of the Church commemorated on October 15, wrote in The Interior Castle, that is, "Let the Christian be valiant." Together, with Jesus and Mary, we pray for peace this month, personally, in the family, in the community. May the peace of Jesus fill our hearts with joy and hope. 

And not without a few voices (I meant to have more so be on the lookout) to encourage us and plenty of saints to intercede for us, we keep going.

The Rosary is the book of the blind where souls see and there enact the greatest drama of love the world has ever known; it is the book of the simple, which initiates them into mysteries and knowledge more satisfying then the education of other men; it is the book of the aged, whose eyes close upon the shadow of this world, and open the substance of the next. The power of the rosary is beyond description.

(Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, 1885-1979)

We can pray fifty times or more each day: "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us poor sinners how and at the hour of our deaths. Amen." Is it likely that the Blessed Mother will abandon us in our final hour if we say this prayer each day?

(Blessed Franz Jagerstaetter, 1907-1943)

The Holy Rosary is the storehouse of countless blessings. 

(Blessed Alan de la Roche, 1428-1478)

To pray the rosary is to hand over our burdens to the merciful hearts of Christ and His Mother.

(Pope Saint John Paul II, 1920-2005)

Recite your Rosary with faith, with humility, with confidence, and with perseverance.

(Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, 1673-1716)

The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.

(Saint Francis de Sales, 1567-1622)

If by chance your conscience is burdened by sin, take your Rosary and say at least part of it ... [Jesus] will plead for you and will obtain for you contrition and the forgiveness of your sins.

(Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, 1673-1716)

To be always close to Jesus, that's my life's plan.

The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.

The Rosary is the ladder to climb to Heaven.

(Saint Carlo Acutis, 1991-2006)

The Rosary is not a devotion to the Blessed Virgin, it is the devotion to Mary.

(Blessed Pauline Jaricot, 1799-1862)

Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

(Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226)

Jesus does not demand great actions from us but simply surrender and gratitude.

(The Little Flower, Saint Therese of Lisieux, 1873-1897)

The heart is commonly reached, not through the reason, but through the imagination. Persons influence us, voices melt us, looks subdue us, deeds inflame us. Many a man will live and die upon a dogma: no man will be a martyr for a conclusion.

(Saint John Henry Newman, 1801-1890)

I need nothing but God and to lose myself in the heart of Jesus.

(Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, 1647-1690)

All the elect die in the love of God. but it is the privilege of few to die of the love of God ... And to die of the love of God is the surest way of going to Him at once.

(Mother Saint Theodore Guerin, 1798-1856)

There is no place for selfishness-and no place for fear! Do not be afraid, then, when love makes demands. Do not be afraid when loves requires sacrifice.

(Pope Saint John Paul II, 1920-2005)

Every one of us is entrusted is to the care of an angel. That is why we must have a lively and profound devotion to our own guardian angel, and why we should often and trustfully repeat the dear prayer we were taught in the days of our childhood.

(Pope Saint John XXIII, 1881-1963)

Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here. Ever this day be at my side, to light, to guard, to rule, and guide.

Amen.

It's your Church, Lord, I'm going to bed. ☺

(Pope Saint John XXIII, 1881-1963, when turning in for the night)

SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS "THE LITTLE FLOWER,"

THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS,

SAINT MOTHER THEODORE GUERIN,

THE BLESSED MARTRYS OF SUSSEX,

SAINT THOMAS CANTILUPE,

BLESSED ANDRE DE SOVERAL AND AMBROSIO FRANCISCO FERRO,

SAINT FRANCIS BORGIA,

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI,

SAINT FAUSTINA KOWALSKA,

BLESSED FRANCIS XAVIER SEELOS,

SAINT PELAGIA THE PENITENT,

THE MARIST MARTRYS OF BARCELONA,

SAINT BRUNO,

BLESSED MARIE ROSE DUROCHER,

SAINT DENIS OF PARIS,

SAINT JOHN LEONARDI,

SAINT JOHN HENRY NEWMAN,

SAINT PAULINUS,

SAINT DANIEL COMBONI,

POPE SAINT JOHN XXIII,

SAINT KENNETH,

BLESSED WILLIAM HOWARD,

SAINT WILFRID,

BLESSED JAN BEYZYM,

SAINT CARLO ACUTIS,

OUR LADY OF APARECIDA,

SAINT EDWARD THE CONFESSOR,

POPE SAINT CALLISTUS I, MARTYR,

SAINT TERESA OF AVILA,

SAINT HEDWIG,

SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE,

SAINT MARGARET D'YOUVILLE,

SAINT RICHARD GWYN,

SAINT GALL,

SAINT IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH, BISHOP, MARTYR,

SAINT LUKE, EVANGELIST,

SAINTS JOHN DE BREBEUF, ISAAC JOGUES AND COMPANIONS,

SAINT PHILIP HOWARD,

SAINT FRIDESWIDE,

SAINT PETER OF ACALNTARA,

SAINT PAUL OF THE CROSS, PRIEST,

BLESSED DAUDI OKELO AND JILDO IRWA,

BLESSED CHARLES (KARL) OF AUSTRIA,

BLESSED DIEGO LUIS DE SAN VITORES, PRIEST, AND SAINT PEDRO CALUNGSOD,

POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II,

SAINT JOHN OF CAPISTRANO,

SAINT ETHELFLAEDA,

SAINT ANTONY MARY CLARET, BISHOP,

SAINT MAGLIORE,

BLESSED CARLO GNOCCHI,

FREI GALVAO,

SAINT CHAD,

SAINT CEDD,

SAINT OTTERAN,

SAINT SIMON, APOSTLE,

SAINT JUDE, APOSTLE,

SAINT FRUMENTIUS OF ETHIOPIA,

SAINT AEDEIUS,

THE BLESSED MARTYRS OF DOUAI COLLEGE,

SAINT COLMAN MACDUAGH,

SAINT NARCISSUS,

BLESSED CHIARA BADANO,

SAINT MARCELLUS,

THE BLESSED MARTYRS OF WINCHESTER,

SAINT THOGAR,

BLESSED DOMINIC COLLINS,

BLESSED MARIA TERESA TAUSCHER,

SAINT ALFONSO RODRIGUEZ,

SAINT WOLFGANG OF RATISBON,

PRAY FOR US.

*See sockreligious.com 

This month's photo: For Our Lady, raindrops on a rose. Mt. Angel, OR. Lord, hear my voice!

© Gertrude Feick 2025