God calls each one of us to be a saint.
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November 1, 2006
Feast of All Saints
The earliest certain observance of a feast in honor of all the saints is an early fourth-century commemoration of "all the martyrs." In the early seventh century, after successive waves of invaders plundered the catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagonloads of bones and reinterred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church. According to Venerable Bede, the pope intended "that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons" (On the Calculation of Time).
But the rededication of the Pantheon, like the earlier commemoration of all the martyrs, occurred in May. Many Eastern Churches still honor all the saints in the spring, either during the Easter season or immediately after Pentecost. How the Western Church came to celebrate this feast in November is a puzzle to historians. The Anglo-Saxon theologian Alcuin observed the feast on November 1 in 800, as did his friend Arno, Bishop of Salzburg. Rome finally adopted that date in the ninth century. Quote:
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1. I am the apostle to the Gentiles whose letters you read in the Bible.
2. I am the first American citizen to be canonized whose work among the immigrants gave me the title of 'Patron of All Immigrants.'
3. I am the Carmelite saint whose "Little Way" shows us how offering joys and sorrows daily can make us a great saint.
4. I am the foster father of Christ and the patron of a happy death.
5. I am the cousin of Jesus who prepared the way for the Lord.
6. I am the woman who offered my veil to wipe Jesus' face when He was carrying His cross.
7. I am the apostle chosen by Christ to be head of His Church.
8. I am the missionary who made Ireland famous for its piety and learning.
9. I am the beloved apostle and the writer of the fourth gospel.
10. I am the cousin of the Blessed Virgin Mary whose baby was Presanctified.
11. I am the patron saint of music because I sang the praises of God while I was cruelly put to death.
12. I am the modern day saint who chose martyrdom rather than to be impure.
13. I am the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus.
14. I am the valiant young girl who led France to victory over England and then suffered death by being burned at the stake.
15. I am the 'Little Poverino' whose order is now the largest in the world and who so resembled Christ in my life that I was privileged to bear His sacred wounds in my own body.
16. I am the 'Wonder Worker' of Padua and a Doctor of the Church.
17. I am the Patron saint of schools who was once called the Dumb Ox by my classmates but who wrote many treatises on the faith. My teacher was St. Albert the Great.
18. I am the saint who reformed the Carmelite Order and who became the first woman Doctor of the Church.
19. I am the simple parish priest who was tormented by the devil because my great sanctity brought my people closer to God.
20. I am the Visitation nun to whom Jesus appeared showing His Sacred Heart and to whom He delivered His message of love and plea for reparation.
Choices:
St. Peter |
St. Therese of Lisieux |
St. Anthony |
St. Joan of Arc |
St. Elizabeth |
St. Anne |
St. John the Baptist |
St. John the Apostle |
St. Margaret Mary |
St. Patrick |
St. Maria Goretti |
St. Paul |
St. Teresa of Avila |
St. Cecilia |
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton |
St. John Vianney |
St. Joseph |
St. Thomas Aquinas |
St. Francis Assisi |
St. Veronica |
* 20 point bonus for those who know the century in which their saint lived.
* 5 points for each piece of information you know about your saint.