December 1 Blessed Charles de Foucauld was born in 1858 in France. As an officer in the French army in North Africa, he developed strong feelings about the desert and solitude. After becoming a Christian and a priest, he moved back to the Sahara Desert near the border of Algeria and Morocco to lead a life of Christian solitude. He is known as the Hermit in the Sahara. Charles de Foucauld later lived close to the Tuareg people of Algeria, sharing their life and hardships, and for ten years studied their language and traditions. On December 1, 1916, Charles de Foucauld was killed by a gang of bandits in a kidnapping attempt, outside the fort he had built for the protection of the Tuareg. After his death, his inspiration and writings led to the founding of a new religious congregation that he had hoped to start: the Little Brothers of Jesus, which now includes 250 members living their faith together in small groups in 40 different countries. December 3 Saint Francis Xavier was born in Spain in 1506. He is known as the Apostle of the Indies and Japan because of his extensive mission into Asia, going into many areas that had not yet been visited by Christian missionaries. There he preached to the natives and lived among them, adopting their customs on his travels, and converted tens of thousands to Christianity. In the year 1552 he set out for China, but died before he reached the mainland. Even though he did not learn foreign languages well, and other Europeans did not agree with his work, he continued with his passion for bringing Christ to the people of Asia, and many areas were Christian for centuries because of his work. December 2 Memory of the holy Prophet Habakkuk We know very little of this prophet from the Old Testament: not where he was born, or his job, or even what his name means. The only work attributed to Habakkuk is the short book of the Bible that bears his name. Habakkuk is made up of five oracles about the Babylonians, and a song of praise to God. Habakkuk foretold of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, God's people being captured by Babylon, and the return of God's people to their land again. The style of the book has been praised by scholars, suggesting that Habakkuk was a man of great literary talent. December 4 Saint John of Damascus is remembered as one of the fathers of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was born around 675 in Syria and became a monk and priest. He was interested in law, theology, philosophy, and composed hymns which are still used in churches today around the world. During his time as a priest, there was a big question that Christians were fighting over: Should Christians be allowed to paint pictures of Jesus or other saints? Some argued that it seemed Christians were worshiping the pictures, called icons. In the year 730, the emperor outlawed icons and had them destroyed because he thought God was angry about icons. But Saint John of Damascus wrote that God was not angry about them that icons should not be worshiped, but that they remind us of how we worship God. We have icons in churches today, showing respect to God and others who loved Him, because of the writings of Saint John of Damascus.
December 5 Saint Sabbas the Sanctified was born in the year 439 in Cappadocia. He dedicated his life to Jesus at a very early age and decided to become a monk. He founded many monasteries in Palestine, including one called Mar Saba that today still houses around 20 monks. It is considered to be one of the oldest inhabited monasteries in the world, and still maintains many of its ancient traditions. It is claimed that many miracles took place through the prayers of Saint Sabbas: a spring of water welling up, abundant rain during a time of drought, and healings of sick and possessed people. He died in the year 532 at the age of 93. December 7 Saint Ambrose of Milan was born around the year 340, into a noble Christian family. He received an education in Rome and was named a governor of northern Italy. When the bishop of Milan died in the year 374, the people called for Ambrose to become bishop. But because he was not even baptized, he refused at first, and hid in a friend's home. When the emperor and the church encouraged Ambrose to become the bishop, he was baptized, ordained, and consecrated as bishop of Milan all in one week. After becoming bishop, Saint Ambrose immediately gave up luxuries in his life, gave money to the poor, and donated his land. He is known for standing up for what is right in the Church. Some Christians at the time were saying that Jesus was made by God instead of being God. But Saint Ambrose said that was wrong and preached to everyone that Jesus is God. And once, when an emperor who had killed many people came to his church, Saint Ambrose would not let him enter the church until he had fully repented, and reminded the emperor of the cruelties for which he was responsible. Saint Ambrose was a popular bishop and died in the year 397. December 6 Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker was the Bishop of Myra in the 4 th century. He is said to have been a warm and generous man who gave many gifts to the poor and the sick, and is also said to have performed many miracles. He had a reputation for secret giftgiving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, a practice still celebrated on his feast day, which is today. Saint Nicholas lived in the time of Emperor Diocletian, a persecutor of Christians. Saint Nicholas was thrown into prison during this time. When the emperor Constantine took control of the Roman Empire, Saint Nicholas and other Christian prisoners were released. Saint Nicholas returned to Myra and is said to have taken part in the Council of Nicaea held by Emperor Constantine in 325. This council developed the Nicene Creed, which we say together at church every Sunday. The legend of Saint Nicholas' generosity inspired the origin of traditional children's festivals at Christmastime all around the world. December 8 Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary When Elizabeth greeted Mary, she said, Hail Mary, full of grace! Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Today we celebrate that God chose Mary to give birth to Jesus, the Savior and deliverer of our souls. The Virgin Mary is called Theotokos in Greek meaning Mother of God or Bearer of God.
December 9 The Conception of Saint Anne, Mother of the Theotokos According to the teaching of many of the Church Fathers, the Lord sent an angel to Saints Joachim and Anne, to whom would be born Mary, the mother of Jesus. Anne was unable to have children, but the angel announced that God would make it so she could conceive a child. Mary was then conceived, and she would later become the mother of Jesus. Theotokos is the Greek name for Mary. December 11 Father Daniel the Stylite was born in the year 409 in the small market-town of Maratha, Syria. He embraced monastic life when he was twelve years old. He then went to St. Simeon the Stylite and was blessed by him. At the age of 42, Daniel decided that he too wanted to become a stylite (from the Greek word stylos, meaning pillar) and live on a pillar at a spot near Constantinople. Emperor Leo I built a series of pillars with a platform on top for him, and Daniel was ordained there by St. Gennadius. He celebrated the Eucharist on his pillar, preached sermons, gave spiritual advice, and cured the sick who were brought up to him. He also gave prudent counsel to Emperors Leo and Zeno and the patriarch of Constantinople. All the while, Daniel lived his particular type of pillar spirituality. He came down from his perch only once in 33 years. He died in peace on Saturday, December 11, 493. December 10 Memory of the holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes, and Eugraphus Saint Menas was born in Athens, Greece: a cultured man, eloquent, and of high rank. Saint Eugraphus was his scribe. St. Menas was sent by the emperor from Athens to Alexandria to stop the riots that had arisen between Christians and pagans. Distinguished for his gift of eloquence, Menas instead openly began to preach the Christian faith and he converted many pagans to Christ. Saint Hermogenes was a governor in Greece. Born in paganism, he was converted to the Christian faith at the sight of Saint Menas' miracles. These three martyrs suffered and were killed for their faith in Alexandria under Emperor Maximian in the year 235. December 12 Saint Spyridon was a simple married peasant and shepherd, and father to his daughter named Irene. Upon the death of his wife, Spyridon entered a monastery, and Irene entered a convent. In the things of God, Spyridon would not yield to anyone. This shepherd led such a simple life that he was judged worthy of becoming a shepherd of men, and so was named Bishop of Tremithus, a city of Cyprus. He continued to tend to his flocks of sheep, even though he was a bishop. He took part, according to some, in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and died around 348. He reportedly converted a pagan philosopher to Christianity by using a piece of pottery to illustrate how one single entity could be composed of three unique entities (fire, water, and clay), a metaphor for the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. This is why he is the patron saint of potters.
December 13 Saint Lucia was a young woman martyred for her faith in the year 304, during the Great Persecution under Emperor Diocletian. The traditional story of her life states that she was born in the year 283 to a wealthy family in Syracuse, Sicily, and began giving away much of her riches to the poor. Her fiancé was not pleased with this, and reported her to the rulers of the day. When the Governor of Syracuse order Lucia to burn a sacrifice to the image of the emperor, she refused, and was killed for her devotion to God. St. Lucia was honored in the Middle Ages and remains a wellknown saint. Saint Lucia s feast day is celebrated today around the world. Because her name comes from the Latin word lux which means light, she is especially celebrated in Scandinavian countries where they have long, dark winters. Today, girls there will wear white dresses and a red sash (as a symbol of martyrdom), carry palms, and wear wreaths of candles on their heads. December 15 Saint Eleutherios, Bishop of Illyricum was a Roman by birth. Having lost his father in his infancy, his mother Anthia presented him to Anicetus, the Bishop of Rome, who taught him the Holy Scriptures. Seeing how Eleutherios was gifted by God, the bishop ordained him a deacon at the age of fifteen, a priest at the age of eighteen, and a bishop at the age of twenty. His preaching converted a great number of pagans to the Christian faith. Under the harsh persecution of Emperor Hadrian, he was seized, tortured, and killed for Christ on December 15th. His mother, Anthia, having embraced the body of her son and covering it with motherly kisses, also was killed. December 14 Saint John of the Cross was a Spanish priest and poet born in 1542. He joined the monastic order of Mount Carmel, called Carmelites. Along with Saint Teresa of Avila, he wanted to reform the ways of the Carmelite order, including dressing more primitively (and with bare feet), and with increased studying, fasting, and solitude the way the order had been years before. But many Carmelite friars felt threatened by this reform and kidnapped Saint John of the Cross. He was locked in a tiny cell in a monastery and repeatedly beaten. During his imprisonment, Saint John of the Cross wrote a great part of his most famous poem, Spiritual Canticle, as well as other poems. He managed to escape after nine months. After his escape, he helped guide and establish other monasteries and convents until his death of an illness on December 14, 1591. St. John of the Cross is considered one of the most important mystical poets of Christian and Spanish literature. December 16 The holy Prophet Haggai was born in Babylon. His name means "my holiday," or "festival, feast, festive." Taken from Babylon to Jerusalem, he prophesied at the same time as Zachariah. His desire was to see the Temple reconstructed and their worship of God reinstituted. The message of Haggai was extremely well-received and effective. Within three weeks and a few days after his first address to the people, they began work on the Temple again. He was able to see the construction of the Temple in part and sang of its magnificence. The Temple was completed in 516 B.C. under King Darius, 70 years after it had been destroyed. It was essentially this same Temple that Jesus and the apostles entered time and again during their ministries.
December 17 Eglantyne Jebb was a champion for children suffering from the effects of war and poverty. She and her sister, Dorothy, founded the Save the Children Fund in England in 1919. Eglantyne worked to provide emergency food and supplies to children in Austria and Germany at the end of World War I, and to children in Greece and Soviet Russia during times of famine and war. She then turned her attention to drafting a document which demanded the rights of children to be addressed by the international community. Her Declaration on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the League of Nations, and has since evolved into the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Save the Children Fund continues to work around the world to coordinate emergency relief and to protect children from the effects of war and violence. Her efforts serving children worldwide are remembered every December 17 in the Anglican Church. December 19 Saint Boniface of Tarsus was the slave of a Roman matron of senatorial rank named Aglaida, living under Emperor Diocletian. He and his mistress were pagans, but tiring of their way of life, had found Christianity. Sent by his mistress to Tarsus in Cilicia to procure some martyr's relics, he jokingly promised her that he would soon bring back his own body to her. Accompanied by several of his fellow-servants, he went to Tarsus where the holy martyrs were suffering. As he went among the martyrs and encouraged them in their pains, he was arrested by the ruler and confessed Christ with boldness, and suffered death as a martyr in the year 290. His companions brought back his body to Aglaida. In his memory she constructed a church, which today is the Church of Santi Bonifacio e Alessio. She distributed her wealth to the poor and lived in a monastery for 18 years. December 18 Saint Sebastian grew up in Milan and became an army officer, where he distinguished himself so well that the Emperor Diocletian made him captain of the Praetorian Guard, not suspecting that Sebastian was a Christian. In Rome, while fulfilling the duties of a courtier, he used his position to comfort and encourage his imprisoned fellow Christians. By his labors and example, he brought many to faith in Christ. Around the year 288, he serenely confessed his unshaken faith before Diocletian himself before being taken to the place of execution. There he was tied to a post and shot with arrows. He was left for dead, but miraculously, the arrows did not kill him. The widow of Castulus, Irene of Rome, went to retrieve his body to bury it, and she discovered he was still alive. She brought him back to her house and nursed him back to health. He recovered, and presented himself once again to the Emperor. Astonished and outraged, the tyrant ordered that Sebastian be killed. That evening, a pious Christian woman was told in a vision to retrieve his body and bury it in the catacombs. After Constantine brought peace to the Church, Pope Damasus built a church over the catacomb site in the Saint's honor. December 20 Saint Ignatius, the God-bearer of Antioch was the successor of the Apostles in the city of Antioch. He was given the name "God- Bearer" because he always had the name of Jesus in his heart and on his lips. He encouraged many people and built many churches. Sent to Rome, laden with chains, he encouraged the churches of the cities which he passed through, and wrote seven admirable letters to them. In his letter to the Romans, he gives himself the name of Theophorus to signify that he carried God in his soul. He was killed for his faith in Christ in Rome, under Emperor Trajan, on December 20, in the year 107.
December 21 Saint Juliana of Nicomedia was the daughter of wealthy parents, living under the rule of Emperor Maximian. As a child she was betrothed to the Senator Eleusius, one of the emperor's advisers. Juliana's father was hostile to the Christians, but even so Juliana secretly accepted holy baptism. When the time of her wedding approached, Juliana refused to be married to Eleusius, who was not a Christian. Her father urged her not to break her engagement, but when she refused to obey him, he handed her over to the Governor, her former fiancé. Eleusius again asked Juliana to marry him, but she again refused. After suffering for her faith in Christ, she was killed around the year 299. December 23 Saint John Cantius was born in Poland in the year 1390. He became a priest, Doctor of Philosophy, and contributed to the science of physics. He was known as a man of extreme humility and charity, especially in his generosity to the poor of Kraków, and to needy students at Kraków Academy, where he served as rector and director of theology. He spent many of his free hours hand-copying manuscripts of the Holy Scriptures and other scholarly works. Twenty-six volumes of his work have survived to our time, a total of over 18,000 pages. Saint John Cantius was known for sacrificing his own needs in order to help others. He died on December 24, 1473. December 22 Saint Anastasia the Healer is said to have been the daughter of Pretexastus and Phaustia who instructed her in the Christian faith. She was married to an ungodly young man, named Publius Patricius. Becoming a widow soon after, she went in secret to the dwellings of the poor and the prisons of the martyrs: cleaning their wounds, loosening their chains, and caring for their illnesses. Because of this, she is also called Pharmacolytria the healer. Upon being discovered, Anastasia was seized by the servants of Emperor Diocletian, and was killed in the city of Sirmium for her devotion to Christ around the year 290. December 24 Saint Eugenia The legend of Saint Eugenia states that she was the daughter of noble and very rich parents. Her father, Philip, was the duke of Alexandria and a governor of Egypt. Without her parent's knowledge, she left her father's house by night and disguised herself as a man. She lived in a monastery of monks under the name of Eugene. Her true identity was discovered, however, after being falsely accused of a crime and brought to trial. She was proclaimed innocent, and her father became a Christian as a result. Saint Eugenia moved to Rome and converted many women to Christianity, but she and her servants, Protus and Hyacinth, were all martyred under Emperor Valerian in the year 258.