November: Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory

November is dedicated to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. They are holy because they died in a state of grace, but still must be washed of all remnant of sin. They are in a state of suffering and need our prayers for alleviation and a speedy ascent to the Kingdom of Heaven. How much they desire and appreciate our prayers! Though All Souls Day is not a holy day of obligation, it’s still a wonderful idea to attend mass and offer for these souls, especially your loved ones. You can help make the image above, a reality.

We begin the month with All Saints Day. One thing that separates the saints from others, is their willingness to embrace possibility, rather than shrink from it. This takes great courage because the world continually discourages us from being all we can be. Holiness threatens those in power and their agenda. Right now, this is particularly true in the world.

November also gives us 3 Doctors of the Church and another notable theologian, Saint Gertrude the Great. She was a mystic, best known for the work, The Herald of Divine Love. Benedict XIV gave her the title “Great,” to distinguish her from another St. Gertrude (whom she knew personally) and probably because he thought she was great! She is the only woman saint to bear this title. It is appropriate her feast is in the month of November, since she was greatly dedicated to the souls in purgatory and is often invoked on their behalf.

By the end of this month, we will be in Advent! Let us prepare for our spiritual exercises of Advent and remember those of the Body of Christ, who remain suffering in the afterlife.

BTW, the TAN calendar states that Thanksgiving Day is a new feast. I have been unable to corroborate this in my research. If you have any info, please contact us above. Here are a few notable feasts this month:

1-ALL SAINTS DAY

2-All Souls Day

6-First Friday

7-First Saturday

10-Pope St. Leo the Great, Doctor, “Doctor of the Unity of the Church”

13-St. Francis Cabrini, 20th Century Saint

15-St. Albert the Great, Doctor, “The Universal Doctor”

16-St. Gertrude the Great

21-Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

22-CHRIST KING OF THE UNIVERSE / St. Cecilia, Patroness of Music

24-St. John of the Cross, Doctor, “Doctor of Mystical Theology”

29-First Sunday of ADVENT

30-St. Andrew, Apostle

This blog gives both old and new feasts

Image courtesy https://purgatorysouls.blogspot.com

October: Month of the Holy Rosary / Respect Life

Traditionally, October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary and more recently, to the sanctity of human life. We can easily see the connection between Our Lady, who bore the Savior, and the precious life in the womb (and all the vulnerable). We can also easily combine the two, by reciting the Rosary diligently this month, for the intention of life. As the world unravels, all the more important it is to seek God’s mercy through prayer…and to participate in whatever pro-life activities we can this month.

Most importantly, we celebrate the traditional feast of Christ the King on October 25th. Below is a listing of additional notable feasts. There is only one Doctor of the Church, Saint Therese of Lisieux, who extraordinarily acquired this title after spending only 24 years on this earth. We have a feast for the Guardian Angels and also St. Raphael the Archangel. We have 2 Marian feasts, along with the 103rd anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun on the 13th (don’t forget our Fatima Holy Hour!). Also, two 20th century popes and several great visionaries, including St. Faustina Kowalska (this is the first year of her feast, which was announced in May!). Our month concludes with All Hallows Eve, the Triduum of Death.

1-St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor, “Doctor of the Little Way of Spiritual Childhood & Merciful Love” (new)

2-First Friday / The Holy Guardian Angels

3-First Saturday / St. Therese of Lisieux (trad)

4-St. Francis of Assisi

5-St. Faustina, Seer of the Divine Mercy

7-OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY

8-St. Bridget of Sweden

11-DIVINE MATERNITY OF OUR LADY / Pope St. John XXIII

16-St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Seer of the Sacred Heart (new)

17-St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (trad)

18-St. Luke, Evangelist

22-Pope St. John Paul II

24-St. Raphael the Archangel

25-CHRIST THE KING

28-Sts. Simon & Jude, Apostles

31-All Hallows Eve (not a feast, though evening prayer prior to All Saints Day, is part of liturgical observance)

Please don’t laugh at my photography…it's conceptual!

September: Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

This month, we honor the sorrows of our Heavenly Mother. A wonderful devotion is the Chaplet of Our Lady of Sorrows, in which one meditates on the 7 Sorrows with a specially designed chaplet. You can buy one for a good price at Direct From Lourdes (get some Lourdes water while you’re at it!). The feast is September 15th.

Our dear Mother must look upon her children right now with great sorrow. Humanity is being separated and torn apart at the most fundamental levels. The Church has lost much attendance and the House of God has been turned into something looking more like a makeshift military hospital. Let us resolve to console her this month as she grieves over the world. Who knows what will transpire in the next several months? But there is reason for concern. Prayer and prepping are going to be critical, starting immediately. As it says on our Home page, “Pray & Prep!” This has never been more important in our lifetimes than it is RIGHT NOW.

Here is a selection of some of the interesting feasts this month:

3-St. Gregory the Great, Doctor, ”The Greatest of the Great”

4-First Friday

5-First Saturday / St. Teresa of Calcutta

8-BIRTH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

12-MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY

13-St. John Chrysostom, Doctor, “The Golden-Mouthed,” “Doctor of the Eucharist” / Anniversary of Fifth Apparition at Fatima (Don’t forget our Holy Hour!)

14-Exaltation of the Holy Cross

15-OUR LADY OF SORROWS (new) / SEVEN SORROWS OF OUR LADY (trad)

16-Ember Wednesday (prayer and penance-trad meat at one meal)

17-St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor, “Prince of Apologists,” “Gentle Doctor of The Controversies” / St. Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor, “The Teutonic Prophetess,” “Sibyl of the Rhine”

18-Ember Friday (prayer and penance)

19-Ember Saturday (prayer and penance-trad meat at one meal) / OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE (hist)

21-St. Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist

23-St. Pio of Pietralcina

24-OUR LADY OF RANSOM

29-Sts. Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, Archangels (new) / “Michaelmas Day” (trad)

30-St. Jerome, Doctor, “Father of Biblical Science”

This blog gives old and new feasts. The titles of the Doctors of the Church are taken from The 35 Doctors of the Church,TAN Books.

August: Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

“In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph!”

~ Our Lady of Fatima ~

In this month of the Immaculate Heart, we begin on the 1st, with the First Saturday, which is a devotion in reparation to this very Heart. What a great time to begin the “Communion of Reparation,” given to us by Our Lady of Fatima. If your church is not doing this, why not help them start it? Otherwise, you can look at: First Saturdays At Home. Regarding Marian-related feasts, we have St. Alphonsus Liguori (famously authored The Glories of Mary) also beginning the month…..St. Dominic, the Assumption, St. Joachim (he is honored together with Our Lady immediately following the Assumption) and a double Marian feast on the 22nd, which includes the trad feast of the Immaculate Heart. We also have another saint devoted to Mary, St. Maximilian Kolbe, who died on the Vigil of the Assumption. He was starved at Auschwitz, but would not die, so he was given a lethal injection. How appropriate a day to die for one who early in life, created a Marian apostolate, “Militia Immaculatae.” I have noticed something in my research that I have not seen mentioned anywhere…he started the apostolate in 1917, just 3 days after the “Miracle of the Sun,” witnessed by thousands at Fatima. I wonder if that great event spurred him on to create his ministry. Let us give honor and reparation to Our Mother’s dear heart this month. There are so many ways to do this-please find something that resonates for you and your family.

This month shows us 3 Doctors of the Church and also the Transfiguration of Our Lord. These are just some highlights of Holy Church’s month of August. Its always good to look at the coming weeks to plan your spiritual life…..

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1-First Saturday / St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor, ”Prince of Moralists, Most Zealous Doctor, Patron of Confessors & Moral Theologians” (new)

2-St. Alphonsus Liguori, Doctor (trad)

4-St. John Vianney (new-I saw his heart once!) / St. Dominic, Seer of the Holy Rosary

6-TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD

7-First Friday

8-St. John Vianney (trad)

11-St. Clare of Assisi, her actual name was Chiara (my name-I am named after my grandmother who was born in Sicily), also known as Clara (new)

12-St. Clare of Assisi (trad)

14-Vigil of Assumption / St. Maximilian Kolbe, Martyr of Charity under Hitler

15-ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (not a holy day of obligation this year in the US)

16-St. Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary

20-St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor, ”The Mellifluous Doctor, Oracle of the 12th Century, Thaumaturgus of the West, Arbiter of Christendom, Last of the Fathers”

22-Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary / Immaculate Heart of Mary

24-St. Bartholomew, Apostle

28-St. Augustine, Doctor, ”Doctor of Grace, Doctor of Doctors”

This blog gives old and new feasts. The titles of the Doctors of the Church are taken from The 35 Doctors of the Church,TAN Books.

July: Month of the Precious Blood of Jesus

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, in satisfaction for my sins, in supplication for the holy souls in Purgatory, for the needs of Holy Church and especially for the soul of (Name). From The Raccolta

Today is the feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the traditional calendar. And it is the first day of the month in which Holy Church gives us the Blood of Christ to meditate upon and honor. His Precious Blood has been poured out upon the whole world. How much more should we pour ourselves out upon Him. All our guilt. All our sorrows. All our confusion. All our doubt. All our worry. Just give it to Him as He gives Himself to us. This is our great consolation.

In addition to this feast of Our Lord, we also have two Marian feasts coming up this month-the Visitation and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. We have two Apostles, Saint Mary Magdalen and the parents of Our Lady. We celebrate 3 Doctors of the Church as well.

There are many devotions to the Precious Blood we might acquaint ourselves with. How wonderful it always is to learn new prayers and devotions! How endless are the treasures of our Faith! In addition to the prayer above, here are two other devotions:

Litany of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Chaplet of the Precious Blood

Here is a sampling of some of the old and new feasts this month:

7/1-Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ

7/2-Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7/3-St. Thomas, Apostle

7/6-St. Maria Goretti

7/14-St. Kateri Tekakwitha / St. Bonaventure, Doctor (trad)

7/15-St. Bonaventure, Doctor (new)

7/16-Our Lady of Mount Carmel (instituted Brown Scapular devotion to St. Simon Stock)

7/19-St. Vincent de Paul

7/21-St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor

7/22-St. Mary Magdalen

7/25-St. James the Greater, Apostle / St. Christopher

7/26-Sts. Joachim & Anne

7/30-St. Peter Chrysologus, Doctor

7/31-St. Ignatius of Loyola

Image courtesy joyfilledfamily.com

June is the Month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

This week, we have talked about “Mary, Mother of the Church” and the Ember Days of Summer in the Octave of Pentecost (prayer and penance for the coming season). What else do we have to look forward to in this Month of June? Let’s look at a sampling, as we normally do….

Trinity Sunday is both an old and new feast. In the old, it marks the end of Eastertide and the beginning of the Season After Pentecost. However, we are still celebrating the Mystery of the Redemption, as we are still in the Easter Cycle, the Second Part of the Liturgical Year. A new Liturgical Year begins at Advent, when we contemplate the Mystery of the Incarnation.

We have several feasts of Our Lord this month and one for Our Lady. I get excited every June, when we celebrate the “back-to-back” feasts of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart. Let’s think in advance how we will honor these feasts together. We can be celebratory, since the Sacred Heart is a Solemnity! We honor 3 Doctors of the Church and several Apostles as well.

What can we do to give glory to the Sacred Heart of Jesus this month? We can educate ourselves about St. Margaret Mary and the Devotion that was given to her. Please see link on our last post and link below. The Sacred & Immaculate Hearts at EWTN, has a variety of wonderful prayers. One of Our Lord’s “12 Promises of the Sacred Heart” to St. Margaret Mary was:  “I will bless those places wherein the image of my Sacred Heart shall be exposed and venerated.” If you do not already have this image in a place of honor in your home, that would be a great little project this month!

7-Trinity Sunday

9-St. Ephrem of Syria, Doctor

11-Corpus Christi

13-St. Anthony of Padua, Doctor

14-Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (new version of Corpus Christi), St. Basil the Great, Doctor

18-St. Ephrem of Syria, Doctor (trad)

19-Most Sacred Heart of Jesus-Solemnity, no penance

20-Immaculate Heart of Mary

23-Vigil of St. John the Baptist

24-Nativity of St. John the Baptist (my 25th wedding anniversary:)

26-Sts. John & Paul

27-St. Cyril of Alexandria, Doctor

28-Vigil of Sts. Peter & Paul

29-Sts. Peter & Paul

30-Commemoration of St. Paul

We provide both old and new feasts.

Image courtesy Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in London-please read their page on the Sacred Heart.

May is the Month of Our Lady!

Each month in the Catholic calendar is dedicated to a particular intention and this month, it is Our Lady. It is sad Catholics have gotten away from this unifying theme each month. We have largely forgotten that we are the Body of Christ on earth, all as one. Many are focused on their own parishes, not even having any knowledge of what is going on in the parishes around them, nevermind the larger picture. Each month, I will be discussing the focus for that month (I’m not known for being perfectly timely, as I have many domestic responsibilities, family in need and my own health issues-my hubby and I are empty nesters, but I still have lots on my plate-please be patient with me when I am flaky).

So how can we honor the Mother of God this month? I never claim to have all the answers and I always encourage others to be self-empowered and use their own creativity. What I would suggest, as I’ve been saying a lot these days, is to re-commit ourselves to daily Rosary and devotion to the Immaculate Heart in all the requests of Fatima (which we will be discussing in the coming days in detail). Please think of how you can devote yourself to her this month with your family. God will certainly look upon the world with greater mercy if He sees there is love for His Beloved Mother!

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday in the new. Let us never feel abandoned by God, even in dark moments. If you are feeling depressed, just say “I give myself to Thee” and commend it all to Him. Our priest gave a wonderful homily this morning over the internet (where they can see everything-hmmmmm). He said you should never let anything take your joy away. We have Christ and the Good News of the New Covenant-anything less than joy is an insult to Him. He explained that when we are caught up in the cares of the world, our joy can be taken away, but we must keep our eyes on the Eternal. What a great and consoling message at this time.

Following are some notable feasts this month (some old, some new). If you have been following me for several years, you know I have a particular interest in the Doctors of the Church. I always say, if you wish to read one book of each Doctor, it will take 35 years! This month, we have 5 Doctors of the Church. My husband and I read about one of them per month in the book, The 35 Doctors of the Church: https://www.tanbooks.com/thirty-five-doctors-of-the-church.html?___SID=U This month, we are focusing on Saint Robert Bellarmine, whose feast is May 13th. I once read his “Hell and Its Torments” and was forever changed. Have a blessed month of May!

May 3-Good Shepherd Sunday (new), Sts. Philip & James the Less

May 9-St. Gregory Nazianzen, Doctor

May 10-St. John of Avila, Doctor

May 13-OUR LADY OF FATIMA* (take a look at the World Apostolate of Fatima site https://www.bluearmy.com/ for prayers and info), St. Robert Bellarmine

May 15-St. Isidore the Farmer (Nomen Christi Apostolate counts him among our patrons), St. Dymphna, patron of mental disorders (many are experiencing anxiety right now)

May 16-St. Simon Stock, seer of the Brown Scapular, another of Our Lady’s requests (good time to be wearing it!)

May 18-20-Minor Rogation Days-trad custom-prayer and penance

May 21-ASCENSION OF THE LORD-check your diocese if this is a Holy Day of Obligation

May 24-ASCENSION OF THE LORD (new)

May 25-St. Bede the Venerable, Doctor (new)

May 27-St. Bede the Venerable, Doctor (old)

May 30-Vigil of Pentecost

May 31-PENTECOST, The Visitation, The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary (what a wonderful triple feast!)

*Nomen Christi Apostolate is dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima

Picture above is from my own yard-I believe our home has protection!

October is the Month of the Holy Rosary!

First of all, the major features of this month of October in the Roman Catholic Church are:  Dedication to the Holy Rosary given to St. Dominic, the celebration of the centennial of the final apparition at Fatima, the great Miracle of the Sun seen by thousands and a general focus on pro-life issues, the first Sunday of the month being dedicated to this cause....the annual "40 Days for Life," a Christian initiative, overlaps with the month of October-it began September 27th and extends till November 5th-this involves a three-point approach:  Prayer & Fasting,  Constant Vigil and Community Outreach.  Think about getting involved-these efforts have saved many lives!

We also have the trad feast of Christ the King, last Sunday of October and several Marian feasts, including Our Lady of the Rosary, corresponding to this month's theme.  We celebrate only one Doctor of the Church this month, St. Therese, probably (but I haven't researched this) the youngest of all the Doctors, only reaching the age of 24-what an accomplishment for such a young woman to attain a distinction reserved in all 2,000 years of Church history, for only 35 people!  We also honor several saints of the Gospel, companions of Christ, this month, along with one of the writers of the Gospel, Saint Luke.

So there are many things to think about in the coming weeks-if you can't do it all, pick one thing and devote yourself to it.  That is the beauty of being a Catholic-it is such a rich and varied tradition, there is something for everyone!  Here is sampling of this month's feasts:

10/1-St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church, 1897/Respect Life Sunday

10/2-Holy Guardian Angels

10/3-St. Therese of Lisieux (trad)

10/4-St. Francis of Assisi, 1226

10/5-St. Faustina Kowalska, Seer of the Divine Mercy, 1938-pray the chaplet!

10/6-First Friday

10/7-First Saturday/Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary-what a day to celebrate the First Saturday devotion, in the month of the Holy Rosary and also the month of the final Fatima apparition-remember, this devotion was given to Sister Lucia!

10/8-Our Lady of Good Remedy

10/11-Divine Maternity of Our Lady

10/12-Our Lady of the Pillar

10/13-CENTENNIAL OF THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN AT FATIMA, PORTUGAL-the final Fatima apparition-Don't forget our Holy Hour right here on the blog!  What special gift would you like to give Our Lady on this joyful day?  My gift will be to spend the day at the World Apostolate of Fatima Blue Army Shrine in New Jersey-Mass will be said by Bishop Frank Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport, CT-he is the very first clergy member I met with in Brooklyn 4 years ago, to discuss Nomen Christi Apostolate and we had a great meeting!  Maybe I'll see you there?

10/16-St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Seer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1690/St. Gerard Majella, 1755-patron of pregnant women

10/17-St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (trad)

10/18-St. Luke the Evangelist

10/21-St. Ursula & Companions, Martyrs, 4th Century-legend states she had up to 11,000 companions martyred with her, perhaps even more, but no one knows for sure what the actual number was

10/22-Pope St. John Paul II, 2005/St. Mary Salome, Mother of Saints James & John, Apostles

10/24-St. Raphael the Archangel-patron of travelers & the blind

10/28-Saints Simon & Jude, Apostles

10/29-Christ the King

10/31-All Hallow's Eve-pray for those who perform occult practices on this day in direct response to Holy Church's devotion to the saints in Heaven....and for reparation for these sins

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

Prophecy of Simeon + Flight into Egypt + Loss of the Child Jesus + Way of the Cross + The Crucifixion + Descent of the Body of Christ + Burial of the Body of Christ

We honor Our Lady's sorrows this month-she suffered so much to bring us Our Savior!  Let us find ways this month to show our thanks and love for her.  There is a chaplet of her Seven Sorrows, which can be purchased, or you can even pray it on regular rosary beads.  What a wonderful devotion to pray with your family this month!

What are some other features of the liturgical month of September?  As the season of Autumn begins, we celebrate the Ember Days of September, for a fruitful harvest.  This is a great traditional Catholic time to do creative seasonal crafts with kids or anything else you can think of which would be in keeping with the spirit of the Ember Days.  We celebrate 5 Doctors of the Church, including St. Hildegard, one of the few women Doctors-a great lover of nature, which resonates with the mission of Nomen Christi Apostolate.  We also honor 3 20th-century saints, including St. Teresa of Calcutta, who was canonized one year ago! 

Wishes for a blessed month of September-may we all grow closer to Christ in the next 30 days....AND DON'T FORGET OUR FATIMA FAMILY HOLY HOUR ON THE 13TH!

9/1-First Friday

9/2-First Saturday-what a great year to perform the First Saturday Devotion!

9/3-Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor of the Church, 604/Pope St. Pius X, 1914

9/5-St. Teresa of Calcutta, 1997

9/8-Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

9/11-Let us never forget that terrible day 16 years ago!  We pray for the souls of the departed and all those affected by this crime against humanity!

9/12-Most Holy Name of Mary

9/13-Centennial of the Fifth Apparition at Fatima, Portugal/St. John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church, 407

9/14-Exaltation of the Holy Cross

9/15-Our Lady of Sorrows/Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

9/17-St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church, 1621/St. Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church, 1179/Stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi, 1224

9/19-Our Lady of La Salette/St. Januarius & Companions, Martyrs, 304-St. Januarius is the saint whose blood liquefies in Italy several times per year-when it fails to liquefy, it signals a upcoming local disaster

9/20-Ember Wednesday in September-day of prayer and penance, trad meat at one meal

9/21-St. Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist

9/22-Ember Friday in September

9/23-Ember Saturday in September-trad meat at one meal/St. Pio of Pietralcina, 1968

9/24-Our Lady of Ransom

9/27-St. Vincent de Paul, 1660

9/29-Archangels Michael, Gabriel & Raphael

9/30-St. Jerome, Doctor of the Church, 420

August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Today is the feast of St. Alphonsus de Ligouri, who died in 1787 and is a Doctor of the Church. 

The 2nd is the trad feast of St. Alphonsus and the "historical" feast of Our Lady of the Angels-many wonderful Marian feasts to come this month!  Think about how we may honor her Immaculate Heart this coming month.  The feast of her Immaculate Heart is the 22nd, along with her Queenship-what a glorious day!  Of course we also have the Assumption.....the Seven Joys and several other feasts in honor of Our Lady.

It is interesting to note that during this Marian month, we also have....St. Dominic, who gave us the Holy Rosary, St. Maximilian Kolbe, so devoted to Our Heavenly Mother, St. Joachim, her dear father and St. Monica, another famous mother.  We also celebrate 3 Doctors of the Church, 2 saints killed at Auschwitz, one year apart, 2 patrons of gardening (we like them at Nomen Christi!) and the luminous Transfiguration of Our Lord.  Wishing you all summer blessings and don't forget about our Fatima Family Holy Hour, which falls on a Sunday this month!  Here is a sampling of upcoming feasts....

8/4-First Friday/St. John Vianney (The Cure of Ars), 1859 (I saw his heart once!)/St. Dominic, Seer of the Holy Rosary, 1221

8/5-First Saturday/Our Lady of the Snows

8/6-Transfiguration of Our Lord

8/8-St. John Vianney (trad)/St. Dominic (new)

8/9-St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), 1942

8/11-St. Clare (Chiara), Foundress of Poor Clares, Companion of St. Francis of Assisi, 1253/St. Philomena, 304

8/12-St. Clare (trad)

8/13-Centennial of the Fourth Apparition at Fatima

8/14-St. Maximilian Kolbe, Martyr of Charity during Hitler regime, 1941/Vigil of the Assumption

8/15-THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, Holy Day of Obligation (please pray for my son's safe trip back to school today-ty!)

8/16-St. Joachim, Father of the Blessed Virgin Mary

8/20-St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church, 1153

8/21-Our Lady of Knock, 1879/Pope St. Pius X, 1914

8/22-Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary/Immaculate Heart of Mary

8/23-St. Rose of Lima, Patroness of South America, 1617

8/24-Our Lady, Health of the Sick/St. Bartholomew, Apostle

8/26-Our Lady of Czestochowa

8/27-Seven Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary/St. Monica, Mother of St. Augustine, 387

8/28-St. Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church, 430

8/29-The Passion of St. John the Baptist

8/30-St. Fiacre of Brie, Patron of gardeners, 670/St. Rose of Lima, Patroness of gardeners....also! (trad)