Saints of the Day & More

The two brothers Michael and Constantine, as monks took the name of Cyril and Methodius, respectively, did their missionary work in the ninth century in central Europe, and rightly are called the "apostles of the Slavs". They have the merit of having adapted to the people who came to evangelize and missionaries who used methods, although they had all the pope's approval, opposition arose between the Greeks and Latins. They have the merit of having created a new alphabet called "Cyrillic" precisely by St. Cyril, offering the Slavic world, with translations of the Bible, the Missal and Ritual liturgical, linguistic and cultural unity. This great gift to the brothers Cyril and Methodius to the Slavs did was rewarded with love and devotion popular. But during his life, not everything was easy for the two holy missionaries, but had to fight hard against those who always oppose the great innovators. The two brothers were born in Thessaloniki. They were sons of an impe...

St. Nicholas, called "of Bari", Bishop of Myra (Fourth Century) 6 Dec. Feast day. The great veneration with which this saint has been honored for many ages and the number of altars and churches which have been everywhere dedicated in his memory are testimonials to his holiness and of the glory which he enjoys with God. He is said to have been born at Patara in Lycia, a province of Asia Minor. Myra, the capital, not far from the sea, was an episcopal see, and this church falling vacant, the holy Nicholas was chosen bishop, and in that station became famous by his extraordinary piety and zeal and many astonishing miracles. The Greek histories of his life agree that he suffered imprisonment of the faith and made a glorious confession in the latter part of the persecution raised by Dioletian, and that he was present at the Council of Nicaea and there condemned Arianism. The silence of other authors makes many justly suspect these circumstances. He died at Myra, and was buried in ...