Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration
- Agpae, virgin and martyr
- Walfrid, abbot
- Tanco or Tatto, bishop and martyr
- Sigfrid, bishop
- Claude La Colombiere, priest
St. Sigfrid (d. ca. 1045 A.D.) was consecrated as a missionary bishop and became the "apostle of Sweden". With two other bishops, Grimkel and John, he was sent by King Ethelred to Christianize the Swedes and the Norwegians. Sigfrid went to Sweden in 1008 A.D. and was able to baptize Olaf, the king of the Swedes. He also went to work as a missionary in Denmark. However, during a missionary trip to the more remote areas of Scandinavia, Sigfrid's three nephews (who were his main helpers in the mission) were murdered. On his return to King Ethelred, Sigfrid persuaded the king not to execute the killers. The king therefore commuted the punishment to a heavy fine. However, Sigfrid refused to accept the money even when he was in need of funds for rebuilding his cathedral.
There is uncertainty on his canonization. One source says he was canonized in 1158 A.D. by the only English pope, Adrian IV, who had been himself a missionary in Scandinavia. A second source has more clarity: his cult has been established in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark by the 13th century A.D. St. Sigfrid was widely venerated in Sweden before the Protestant Reformation entered the country.
St. Claude La Colombière (1641-1682 A.D.) was a Jesuit priest who has been canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1992 A.D.; he was previously beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929 A.D. He is particularly known as the spiritual director of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, who received revelations about the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Even before his ordination, Claude already displayed a remarkable talent for preaching. It was this talent that was instrumental for his appeal to the new and growing devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was a spiritual weapon against Jansenism, a French movement that incorporated elements of Calvinism and Lutheranism. During his retreat before making final profession as a Jesuit, Claude de la Colombière consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart.
Claude met Margaret Mary at his first priestly assignment when he paid a call to the Visitation convent at Burgundy, France. It was not long before he was reassigned to London, where Protestant England still had laws against Catholic priests. For preaching in the context of the Catholic faith, Claude was arrested for traitorous speech. While in prison, King Louis XIV requested that Claude be saved from execution. With his health already deteriorating, Claude was released from prison, and banished to France. Claude did not recover from his ailment and died on February 15, 1682 A.D. in his early 40s.
After his death, devotion to the Sacred Heart continued to grow, eventually leading to the inclusion of the feast of the Sacred Heart on the universal liturgical calendar in 1856 A.D. and celebrated on the Friday after Corpus Christi. Learn more at Jesuits.global
Related blog posts:
- Classic Consecration of the Family to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Learn more
Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [February 15]
- St. Onesimus, Apostle
- Paphnutius, Venerable-Hermit in Egypt and his daughter Euphrosyne
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