Commemoration of Saints (February 13)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

Blessed Jordan of Saxony entered the Dominicans, the Order of Preachers. He was the one who succeeded St. Dominic de Guzman (founder of the Dominicans) as master general of their religious Order in 1222 A.D. He died in ca. 1237 A.D. and was beatified by Pope Leo XII in 1825 A.D. Learn more at Wikipedia.org

St. Catherine de' Ricci was a Dominican nun known for her wisdom and concern for the sick. Over a 12-year period, she had deep spiritual experiences that led to her reception of the stigmata - the physical wounds of Christ crucified manifested in the body (died ca. 1590 A.D.).

St. Ermengild was of English nobility in 7th-8th century Kent, England. By her holy life, she converted her pagan husband and influenced him to lead their people to God. After her husband's death, Ermengild entered a convent founded by her mother. And after her mother's death, she became the third abbess of that convent (died ca. 703 A.D.).

St. Polyeuctus was a pagan Roman officer at first. Converted to Christianity by his friend Nearchus, he was imprisoned and tortured when ordered to renounce his faith in Christ. Zealous of his faith, he was eventually beheaded and died as a martyr for Christ (died ca. 259 A.D.).

St. Stephen of Rieti was abbot of a monastery near Rieti, Italy. There are not many sources about his life except for a mention of him by St. Gregory the Great. Gregory, who died in 604 A.D. and was an Italian who became pope in 590 A.D., praised St. Stephen of Rieti in one of his homilies (died ca. 560 A.D.).

St. Modomnoc became a monk and went to Wales to study under St. David. Catholic tradition tells the story of how Modomnoc introduced bees to his native Ireland. When Modomnoc returned to Ireland from Wales, the bees accompanied him. Back home in Ireland, Modomnoc settled at Kilkenney and became bishop of Ossory (died ca. 6th century).

St. Licinius became a courtier at the court of his cousin King Clotaire I. He was then named count of Anjou by King Chilperic. After his intended marriage was affected because his bride got sick with leprosy, he decided rather to enter religious life. He entered a monastery but was soon elected as bishop of Anjou in 586 A.D. (died ca. 616 A.D.).

St. Martinian became a hermit when he was about eighteen years old. He lived a solitary life for about twenty-five years. Catholic tradition tells many stories about Martinian: his resistance to the flattery of Zoe, a wealthy woman; his rescue of a girl from drowning because of a shipwreck; and his final years at Athens (died ca. 4th century A.D.).

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [February 13]

• Martinian, Hegumen
• St. Zoe and St. Photina, Venerable Women

Commemoration of Saints (February 12)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

• Marina, virgin
• Julian the Hospitaler
• Meletius, bishop
• Ethelwald, bishop
• Antony Kauleas, bishop
• Ludan
• Benedict of Aniane

Two days commemorate the holy life and work of St. Benedict of Aniane: one on February 11 and the other on February 12. One reason is based on St. Benedict of Aniane's death at Kornelimünster Abbey on February 11, 821 A.D., in the monastery Louis had built for him to serve as the base for Benedict's supervisory work. Then he was buried the next day on February 12, hence why some list his feast day as the 11th and some the 12th. Learn more at Wikipedia.org

Saints for February 12 in the Roman Catholic Church, Learn more

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [February 12]

• Meletius, Archbishop of Great Antioch
• St. Marina, Virgin

St. Meletius and St. Marina are both commemorated in the Catholic Church and in the Byzantine Calendar on this day, February 12.

St. Meletius of Antioch (d. ca. 381 A.D.) was born at Melitene, Lower Armenia. He was appointed bishop of Sebastea in the year 358 A.D. but had to flee to the desert because the appointment caused great dissension. The dissension was due to the Arian controversy. Meletius initially seemed to favor Arian positions, but later became a strong defender of orthodoxy. This ambiguity led him to being accepted by both Arian and Catholic factions, making him a central figure in the ongoing conflicts.

In 361 A.D., he was elected archbishop among dissenting groups as a compromise candidate. Despite this compromise, conflicts continue to ensue. The pro-Arian Emperor was persuaded by the Arian Bishop Eudoxus to exile Meletius to Lower Armenia. When the Emperor passed away, Julian became Emperor and recalled Meletius. However, a faction of the Catholic bishops had elected Paulinus as Archbishop causing the beginning of the Melitian schism. This schism was to rend the Church of Antioch for many years. The Council of Alexandria in 362 A.D. was unable to heal the breach, and an unfortunate rift between St. Athanasius and St. Meletius exacerbated the matter.

Gradually, Meletius influence in the East grew as more and more bishops supported him. St. Basil the Great was untiring in his efforts to help Meletius in resolving the breach. In 374 A.D., the breach has become more complicated when Pope Damasus recognized Paulinus as the Archbishop, appointed him papal legate in the East, and then St. Jerome allowed himself to be ordained priest by Archbishop Paulinus.

In 378 A.D., the death of pro-Arian Valens led to the restoration of the banished bishops by Emperor Gratian, and Meletius was reinstated.

"Saintly" Summary of the conflict, with Saints on Both Sides

• St. Basil the Great: A key figure in opposing Arianism. Basil initially opposed Meletius but later reconciled with him.
• St. Jerome: A prominent theologian. Jerome initially supported Paulinus, a rival bishop of Antioch, but later acknowledged St. Meletius.
• St. Athanasius: A leading opponent of Arianism. Athanasius initially hesitated to accept St. Meletius but eventually did so.

This complex web of alliances and shifting positions reflects the turbulent nature of the Arian controversy at the time and the difficulty of the Saints in navigating those theological and political waters. It involved other Saints in the conflict like Pope St. Damasus I, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Gregory Nazianzen (who preached the eulogy for St. Meletius in 381 A.D.).

So what happens when Saints fight against one another? It is just an opportunity for them to make the light of their haloes shine more brilliantly before God and man! They make the truth of God brighter and clearer!

Fortunately, the Meletian schism was resolved between 415-418 A.D. Learn more at Encyclopedia.com

Commemoration of Saints (February 11)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

• Our Lady of Lourdes
• Saturninus, Dativus and Companions, martyrs
• Lucius, bishop and martyr
• Lazarus, bishop
• Severinus, abbot
• Caedmon
• Gregory II, pope
• Benedict of Aniane, abbot
• Paschal I, pope

In 1858 A.D., from February 11 to July 16, Marie Bernarde, a.k.a. St. Bernadette Soubirous, witnessed an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the grotto of Massabielle, near her hometown of Lourdes on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees mountains in France. At first, nobody believed Bernadette, not even her family members and residents of her village. However, by March, 20,000 people wanted to witness what Bernadette already see. Bernadette was instructed by the Blessed Virgin to dig in the soil near the apparition site. When Bernadette was able to discover a spring, it began to flow and soon became the site for many miraculous healings. The local bishop of Lourdes eventually authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1862 A.D.

The site of the apparition attracts about 3 million pilgrims a year. Of some 5,000 reported healings, only 58 have been declared miraculous by Church officials. In 1907 A.D., Pope Pius X made the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes a feast of the Universal Church.

Our Lady of Lourdes and Other Marian Apparitions, Learn more

St. Saturninus and Companions were martyrs from Abitina in Africa. Saturninus was a priest who gathered 48 other men, women and children for a Sunday religious assembly. The soldiers of the empire asked for the surrender of the Sacred Scriptures. When Saturninus and the assembly refused, they were arrested and sent to Carthage. Some were executed the following day while the rest were allowed to die of hunger in prison. This was during the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Diocletian (died ca. 304 A.D.).

St. Benedict of Aniane (ca. 750-821 A.D.) was born of a noble family in Languedoc and served in the court of Pepin III and Charlemagne. He then became a monk for about three years before he decided for a more eremitical life in his own estate along the river Aniane. Later joined by others, this budding community devoted themselves to working in the fields, other manual labor, and copying books. This community soon outgrew their surroundings so they moved to another location where they built a monastery and a church.

Supported by Emperor the Pious, Benedict of Aniane soon became a director of all monasteries in the Empire and instituted widespread reforms. In 817 A.D., he systematized the Benedictine rule and composed two important works:

• his Capitulare monasticum, a systematization of the Benedictine rule that was approved by the Council of Aachen as the rule for all monastic regulations,
• and Concordia regularum, which shows the resemblance of Benedict's rule to those of other monastic leaders.

St. Benedict of Aniane is considered the restorer of Western monasticism and is often called the "second Benedict".

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [February 11]

• St. Blase, Bishop-Martyr

St. Blase or Blaise (d. ca. 316 A.D.) was a bishop of Sebastea in Armenia. He became a hermit when the persecutions of Christians began. He was brought to Agricolaus by hunters who observed him curing the sick and wounded animals. The blessing of throats done on his feast day is attributed to his healing of a young boy who was choking to death from a fish bone in his throat. The two candles used in the ceremony are derived from the candles brought to Blase in prison by the boy's mother.

St. Blase is commemorated both in the General Roman Calendar and in the Byzantine Calendar. In the Catholic Church, he is honored on the 3rd of February. In the Byzantine Calendar, he is honored today, February 11.

Although there was a schism between the Western Church and the Eastern Church in 1054 A.D., this is not the reason for the difference in the observance of the feast day of St. Blaise. The difference in dates for Saint Blaise's feast is a result of the independent development of liturgical calendars within the Eastern and Western sides of Christianity. Both the Western side and the Eastern side of the Church have their own ways of calculating and observing feast days, which have evolved independently over centuries. The shift in the date in the West likely arose from a combination of factors:

• Including local customs. Some regions may have adopted slightly different dates for local reasons.
• It can also be due to calendar reforms. Adjustments to the liturgical calendar over time could have influenced the date.

These are some of the main reasons for the difference in dates of commemoration, but these information needs further extended verification.