Feast of Saint Francis Xavier (December 3rd)

Francis Xavier was born in Navarre, Spain in 1506. While studying the liberal arts at Paris, he became a follower of Ignatius Loyola. In 1537 he was ordained at Rome and there devoted himself to works of charity. Francis went to the Orient in 1541 where for ten years he tirelessly proclaimed the Gospel in Goa, India, Southeast Asia and Japan. Through his preaching and great organizational skills, many people became converts to the Faith. He died in 1552 while on his way from Goa to China.

From his letters to Saint Ignatius, Saint Francis wrote: "We have visited the villages of the new converts who accepted the Christian religion a few years ago. No Portuguese live here - the country is so utterly barren and poor. The native Christians have no priests. They know only that they are Christians. There is nobody to say Mass for them; nobody to teach them the Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary and the Commandments of God's Law." And, so on this feast day we pray: God our Father, by the preaching of Francis Xavier, you brought many nations to yourself. Give his zeal for the faith to all who believe in you, that your Church may rejoice in continued growth throughout the world.

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Feast of St. Nicholas (December 6th)

The forerunner of Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, is the patron saint of children, sailors, bankers, pawnbrokers, and prisoners. Nicholas was a bishop from the fourth century in what is now modem-day Turkey. His kindness, particularly to those in need, was legendary. Around the twelfth century, children in European households began to leave shoes outside their bedrooms on Saint Nicholas eve, filling them with carrots or hay for Saint Nicholas's horse. Legend had it that Saint Nicholas took the treat for his horse and replaced it with fruit little candies, or small gifts. Treats were meant to be shared by all.

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Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8th)

A feast dedicated to Mary's conception first appeared in the 7th century and by the 12th century it was firmly established in England. In the 13th century, St Bernard and St Thomas Aquinas debated whether Mary could have been born without original sin if, as St Paul says, all persons are born in sin (Romans 5:12). By the 19th century, the theological debate was resolved and in 1854 Pius IX defined the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception as a dogma of faith. In 1846, the Catholic Church of the United Stated had declared this to be its patronal feast.

It is important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christ's conception in Mary's womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived "by the power of the Holy Spirit," in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain-that's what "immaculate" means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by God's grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings.

When discussing the Immaculate Conception, an implicit reference may be found in the angel's greeting to Mary. The angel Gabriel said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Luke 1:28). The phrase "full of grace" is a translation of the Greek word kechariuomene.

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Feast of Holy Innocents Martyrs (December 28th)

By order of King Herod, many little children were massacred in Bethlehem and its neighborhood in the wicked hope that the "King of the Jews" might be among them. These little martyrs confessed Jesus with their death; let us confess our Faith not only with our tongue, but also with good works.

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