Liturgical Calendar

The Solemnity of All Saints: This is a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States and in some other countries unless the feast falls on a Saturday or a Monday. When this feast falls on a Saturday, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation and is usually celebrated at the Sunday Vigil Mass. "Saints" (etym. Latin sanctus = holy, sacred) in the broad sense of the definition are all Christians who, as "holy people," are alive now or in the past and whose lives Jesus transformed (Col 1:2). The definition of "saints" includes the Old Testament faithful who waited for the coming of the Messiah and received His message of salvation from the grave (1 Pt 3:19-20; 4:6; Mt 27:52-53). The saints honored on the Feast of All Saints are all those who have died, stood before God's throne of judgment, and are pronounced worthy to enter into the Beatific Vision in the heavenly kingdom. The saints in Heaven are souls from every nation, language, ethnic group, and generation throughout human history. They all have only one thing in common. During their lives on earth, after they embraced Christ as Savior and Lord, they distinguished themselves through acts of holiness, loving God, and extending His love to the men, women, and children with whom they shared their life's journey. Each saint demonstrated their faith by obeying God's will for their lives. For more information on All Saints Day, see the "Featured Article" The Feasts of All Saints and All Souls.

The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed (All Souls): As Christians, we believe death is not the end. For the faithful, death is only a door to eternal beatitude in communion with the Most Holy Trinity. Jesus's death and resurrection freed humanity from the fear of death so that the hope of our eternal salvation is life with God (1 Pt 1:21). He promised that if we have faith and trust in Him by acknowledging Him as our Lord and Savior, we can "fear no evil" (Ps 23). Hence, the reason why the Gospel of salvation "was preached even to the dead that, though condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the spirit in the estimation of God" (1 Pt 4:6). The destiny God planned for us is a resurrection to eternal life (1 Cor 15:51-57; 1 Tim 2:3; 2 Pt 9), but of our own free will, we must accept that gift. If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and show our love for Him by following His commandments (Jn 14:15, 21; 1 Jn 3:24; 4:9, 16), He gives us new life in the waters of Christian Baptism, purifies our souls (1 Cor 3:12-15), anoints our head with the oil of salvation, and will raise us to eternal life (Mk 16:16; Jn 11:25). He will fill us to overflowing with His divine grace and welcome us into the Banquet of the Just at the end of time. For more information on the Commemoration of All Souls, see the "Featured Article" The Feasts of All Saints and All Souls.

Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome: On November 9^th, the Church celebrates the dedication of the world's first cathedral. Located near the Lateran Palace in Rome, it served as the official residence of the Catholic Church's popes in the 4^th century. Construction began in AD 315, under the direction of the Roman Empire's first Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great, on land once owned by the Laterani family. It was a "basilica," meaning "a building fit for a king." Originally dedicated to the Divine Savior, Pope Sylvester consecrated the Basilica in 324. Destroyed by fire in the 14th century, it was rebuilt and dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Apostle. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the "Mother" Church of Rome and hosted the sessions of five Ecumenical Councils. The Basilica contains many treasured Christian relics. Its high altar sits above a wooden table where it is believed St. Peter celebrated the Eucharist with the Christian community of Rome.

Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul: November 18^th marks the dedication of two churches built to commemorate Saints Peter and Paul. Both suffered martyrdom on the same day (June 29^th, c. AD 67). The Church built them on the sites where the Romans crucified St Peter within the city of Rome and where St Paul suffered martyrdom by beheading outside the city's walls. The first Christian emperor, Constantine I, is said to have dug the first twelve baskets of the earth for the foundation of the earliest church of St Peter shortly after his conversion to Christianity. St Peter's Basilica was dedicated in 324, and St Paul's Basilica in 390. Since their original construction in the 4^th century, both churches have undergone renovation and rebuilding, but have always remained Christian worship sites in Rome.

The Feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary: On November 21^st, AD 543, Christians in Jerusalem dedicated a church to the Virgin Mary and established a feast to commemorate the event. It honored the legend in the ancient document called the Protoevangelium of St. James (also called the Gospel of St. James), which states that the Virgin Mary's parents presented her at the Temple in Jerusalem as a virgin dedicated to God's service when she was three years old. According to the Jewish Talmud and the Protoevangelium of St. James, prepubescent virgins were taught to weave the Temple tapestries and make the priestly vestments and tunics (Ex 35:25; Mishnah: Sheqalim, 8.5D; Josephus, Jewish Wars, 5.2-2ff). They lived within the Temple precincts in a state of ritual purity until they reached puberty, when the priests arranged marriages for them. According to the Protoevangelium of St. James, Mary chose to remain a dedicated virgin; therefore, an elder husband-protector was selected for her: St. Joseph. For Eastern Rite Christians, this feast is called the "Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple." The title is symbolic since Mary herself is God's temple. She is God's "dwelling place" where He came to live and from where He came forth into the world. This feast day turns our thoughts to Advent and Christmas as we commemorate the Savior's birth and look forward to His glorious return.

Our Lord Jesus Christ the King: The Church always celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King on the last Sunday before Advent begins. Pope Pius XI added this solemnity to the liturgical calendar in 1925 and, at that time, set it for the Sunday before All Saints' Day. In 1969, the Church moved the feast to the Sunday before Advent begins. In this feast, we celebrate Jesus's universal kingship. As heirs of the King, we are anointed at our Baptism when we become members of a royal family in Christ's Kingdom of the Church. Most earthly kings wear jewel-encrusted crowns and sit on golden thrones, but our King wears a crown of thorns, and His throne is the wood of the Cross.

The Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle: This feast is usually celebrated on November 30^th. Saint Andrew was a fisherman born in the Galilean village of Bethsaida (Jn 1:44) and a disciple of St John the Baptist. When John identified Jesus to the crowd as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (Jn 1:29), Andrew and a friend (probably St. John Zebedee) spent a day talking with Jesus. He became convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah (Jn 1:40-41). The next day, he brought his brother, Simon, to meet Jesus. At this meeting, Jesus gave Simon the title "Cephas." It is the Greek transliteration of the Aramaic "Kepha," which means "Rock," or in Greek "Petros," and translated into English is "Peter" (Jn 1:42). After returning to their fishing business in Capernaum in Galilee, Jesus called Andrew, his brother, their Galilean fishing partners, and others to follow Him (Mt 4:18-22; Mk 1:16-20; Lk 5:1-11). Later, Jesus selected Andrew as one of the twelve Apostles out of His seventy disciples (Lk 6:12-16).

Scripture records that Andrew and the others left everything to follow Jesus. In the miracle feeding of the five thousand men, St Andrew pointed out to Jesus that a small boy had two fish and five loaves of bread, which Jesus used to feed the multitude (Jn 6:8-9). After Jesus's Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Andrew preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Asia Minor, Armenia, Scythia (southern Russia), and perhaps Greece. Russia honors Andrew as their patron saint. According to Church history, Andrew died a martyr's death c. AD 60. Since the 10th century, icons and paintings depict St Andrew as a martyr, crucified on an X-shaped cross, holding a net with a fish. The faithful invoke his aid against injustice, sterility, gout, and dysentery, and he is the patron saint of fishermen, fishmongers, and those who have paralysis. His name is Greek and means "male virility and courage."

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