September 13: Memorial for St. John Chrysostom
St. John Chrysostom, St. Gregory the Great, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, St. Basil, and St. Gregory Nazianzen are the 7 Great Doctors of the Catholic Church. On September 13th, we honor St. John Chrysostom. Chrysostom means “Golden Mouth.”
To quote from the 1998 encyclical from Patriarch Bartholomew:
He preached. He taught. He inspired and led the youth. He cared for the poor and disadvantaged. He remembered the infirm and the aged. He organized missions. He harmonized the liturgical life of the Church…
As a preacher…he was Chrysostom, whose words flowed like honey; known as the greatest speaker, the greatest rhetorician, in history, and before whom the greatest public speakers of every nation seem like novices. He exceeds human rhetorical ability and even the best refinements of the Attic tongue, because his whole inner person was raging with the powerful fire of the Holy Spirit. He gladdened the hearts of those melted by sorrow. He touched the whole world. He stirred up stagnant waters of indolence. He challenged mean and small-minded people.
The entire encyclical is at: http://www.chrysostom.org/encyclical.html
Legion of Mary 85th Anniversary on September 7, 2006
The 85th anniversary of the Legion of Mary will be celebrated with a day of recollection at the Dominican Retreat House in McLean.
Legion Article in Arlington Herald
An excerpt reads:
One of the important ways they do this is through home visitations — what Father Peffley called the “hallmark of the Legion.”
Through door-to-door evangelization, Legion members hope to visit every home within the parish boundaries. Within the Arlington Diocese in 2005, Legion members visited 16,713 homes and spoke to 8,940 people about the Faith.
“No other organization is doing that kind of work,” said Father Peffley.
This ministry brings the Legion in contact with many different people with very different spiritual beliefs. The goal is not to be aggressive with the Faith, but to approach people with kindness and gentleness, he said.
The full article can be found at: www.catholicherald.com/articles/06articles/legion0810.htm
September 8th - Feast of the Birth of Mary
This is the first feast day in the Eastern liturgical year, and is aptly celebrated as such because St. Mary is the new Eve and the Theotokos (Greek for Mother of God).
St. Mary's conception was very much unique in that she was blessed by unique grace to receive the merits of Christ's death on the Cross at the moment of her conception and thus was conceived free from the guilt of original sin.
St. Mary's parents were Sts. Joachim and Anne. When St. Mary was three years old she gave herself to the service of God, and was consecrated to religious life.
When she started to reach her teenage years, it was determined that she was too old to remain at the temple. An older man, St. Joseph, was placed as her guardian; and she was instructed to live with him.
When the Archangel Gabriel appeared to her and told her that she had been chosen to be the Mother of the Redeemer, she agreed in an act of unsurpassed faith, saying, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to thy word."
From that point on, Jesus became Mary's son. We cannot separate Jesus from Mary. He spent thirty years of his mortal life with his Mother, who he gave a willing and perfect obedience.
On this same Feast Day, the Legion of Mary celebrates 85 years since its founding. The Legion of Mary had its first meeting on the night of September 7th, 1921, the eve of the Feast of the Birth of the Mother of God.
Legionaries Meet Cardinal Arinze
The three members of the Legion of Mary (shown above) gathered along with Cardinal Arinze and about 400 other people at Christendom College in Front Royal, July 28-29. Francis Cardinal Arinze is the Prefect of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. In this role, he is the representative of the Pope on liturgical matters.
In his talk, the Cardinal said, “When God speaks, we are not expected to argue, we are expected to listen, to believe and to adore.” He said Catholics should kneel during the consecration, tabernacles should be placed in a prominent part of the church and the artwork within the church should include a crucifix at the front.
Marian Holy Days
September 8 – Birth of Mary
September 12 – Holy Name of Mary
September 15 – Our Lady of Sorrows