01 Jan – Octave Day of Christmas; Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is celebrated on Jan 1, the Octave Day of Christmas (i.e. 8th day after Christmas). It is a celebration of Mary’s motherhood of Jesus. The title “Mother of God” is a western [...]
30 Dec – Sixth Day of the Octave of Christmas; Feast of the Holy Fmaily We celebrate the Holy Family of Nazareth which is the model for all who fear the Lord and walk in his ways. – The Sunday Missal _____________________ Colossians 3:12-21 You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you and [...]
28 Dec – Fourth Day of the Octave of Christmas; Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martrys The Holy Innocents are the children slaughtered by Herod the Great when he tried to kill the infant Christ. – Patron Saint Index The children died for Christ, though they do not know it. The parents mourned for the [...]
27 Dec – Third Day of the Octave of Christmas; Feast of St John, Apostle & Evangelist St. John, also known as the “beloved disciple” of Jesus’ was the son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of St. James the Great, and was called one of the Sons of Thunder. Before becoming Jesus’ disciple, he was [...]
26 Dec – Second Day of the Octave of Christmas; Feast of St Stephen, Protomartyr St. Stephen was the first Christian martyr. A deacon and a preacher, all we know of him is related in the Acts of the Apostles. While preaching the gospel in the streets, angry Jews who believed his message to be [...]
08 Dec – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary On this and the following eight days, the Church celebrates, with particular solemnity, the immaculate conception of the ever-blessed Virgin Mary who, from all eternity, was chosen to be the daughter of the heavenly Father, the spouse of the Holy Ghost, the [...]
03 Dec – Feast of St. Francis Xavier, presbyter, religious, missionary (Principal Patron of Foreign Missions) Francis (1506-1552) was a nobleman from the Basque region. He studied and taught philosophy at the University of Paris, and planned a career as a professor. He was a friend of St. Ignatius of Loyola who convinced him to [...]
03 Dec – Feast of St. Francis Xavier, presbyter, religious, missionary (Principal Patron of Foreign Missions) Dear readers, Here is an additional reflection based on the readings for the Saturday in the 1st Week of Advent. It comes to you as a nice cap for this calender year. – Aloysius for The OXYGEN Team Francis [...]
30 Nov – Feast of St Andrew, Apostle Andrew was the first Apostle of Jesus Christ. He was a fisherman by trade, and the brother of Simon Peter. He was a follower of John the Baptist. Andrew went through life leading people to Jesus, both before and after the Crucifixion. He was a missionary in [...]
09 Nov – Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral of the church of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope. It is officially named “Archbasilica of the Most Holy Saviour, St. John Baptist and St. John [...]
