This month, we contemplate and honor the many sufferings of the Mother of God while she lived on earth. September 15th is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows in the new calendar....however, in the old, it is the feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. There is a beautiful chaplet of the Seven Sorrows, which we would do well to pray frequently this month. May we unite our own sorrows to those of our Heavenly Mother, making them more bearable and bringing us closer to her. Please see the prayer from the Litany of Our Lady of Sorrows, on our Home page.
We celebrate three more Marian feasts this month....the joyful Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Most Holy Name of Mary and Our Lady of Ransom, dating back to the 13th century (how wonderful our Catholic heritage is, giving us such a connectedness with the Body of Christ through the centuries!). We honor Christ as well this month, in the Exaltation of the Holy Cross....which precedes.....the Ember Days of September, when we exercise penance for a fruitful harvest. Also, we celebrate two 20th century saints, both named Pius....how important these recent saints are, to remind us that sainthood is never too far away or unreachable-it is the destiny we are all called to fulfill!
Here are some of the interesting and notable feasts of this month....let us more fully practice our great Roman Catholic Faith by celebrating these feasts with our families in prayer, spiritual reading and whatever other ways the Holy Ghost inspires us with......
9/1-Saint Anna, the Prophetess (non-standard)
9/3-Saint Gregory the Great, Pope & Doctor-patron of teachers and church music/Saint Pius X, Pope of the 20th Century
9/8-Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
9/10-Saint Pulcheria, Virgin & Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire (non-standard)
9/12-Most Holy Name of Mary, "Nomen Mariae"
9/14-Exaltation of the Holy Cross
9/15-Our Lady of Sorrows (new)/Seven Sorrows of Our Lady (trad)
9/17-Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Virgin, Abbess, Doctor/Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi
9/18-Saint Joseph of Cupertino, Priest-patron of air travel
9/20-Saint Eustace & Companions, Martyrs-invoked against fire
9/21-Saint Matthew, Apostle-patron of bankers and accountants/Ember Wednesday in September (trad meat at one meal)
9/23-Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest, Stigmatist-20th century saint/Saint Thecla, Virgin & Martyr-patron of the dying/Ember Friday in September
9/24-Our Lady of Ransom/Ember Saturday in September (trad meat at one meal)
9/27-Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest & Founder-patron of charitable societies
9/29-Saints Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, Archangels
9/30-Saint Jerome, Priest & Doctor-translated Latin Vulgate Bible
(this blog provides both old and new feasts)