Saints of the Day & More

Sixtus was born in Athens. As a deacon of the Roman church , succeeded Pope St. Stephen on the throne of St. Peter for 257 years , during the persecution of Valerian. Sixtus is a graduate of St. Cyprian: peaceful and excellent prelate . And actually a little peace it rushed away, she just was elected to the churches of Rome and Carthage in bitter fighting over the issue of baptism of heretics. (See St. Stephen I). He had a reconciliation with St. Cyprian , but there was no time for further dialogue , then faced a new emergency : Valerian unleashed a second persecution against Christians. They were invited to recant on pain of expropriation of property and decapitation. In late August of 258, St. Cyprian, who would be beheaded on September 14 he wrote to one of his colleagues : " Valerian , in a letter to the Senate, has ordered that bishops , priests and deacons be executed immediately. Before Pope Sixtus died it is said the he gave St. Lawrence of Rome the chalice the Jesus Chris...

The feast of Maundy (or Holy) Thursday solemnly commemorates the institution of the Eucharist and is the oldest of the observances peculiar to Holy Week. In Rome various accessory ceremonies were early added to this commemoration, namely the consecration of the holy oils and the reconciliation of penitents, ceremonies obviously practical in character and readily explained by the proximity of the Christian Easter and the necessity of preparing for it. Holy Thursday could not but be a day of liturgical reunion since, in the cycle of movable feasts, it brings around the anniversary of the institution of the Liturgy. On that day, whilst the preparation of candidates was being completed, the Church celebrated the Missa chrismalis of which we have already described the rite and, moreover, proceeded to the reconciliation of penitents. In Rome everything was carried on in daylight, whereas in Africa on Holy Thursday the Eucharist was celebrated after the evening meal, in view of more exact con...

Andrew, like his brother Simon Peter, was a fisherman. He became a disciple of the great St. John the Baptist, but when John pointed to Jesus and said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" Andrew understood that Jesus was greater. At once he left John to follow the Divine Master. Jesus knew that Andrew was walking behind him, and turning back, he asked, "what do you seek?" When Andrew answered that he would like to know where Jesus lived, Our Lord replied, "Come and see." Andrew had been only a little time with Jesus when he realized that this was truly the Messiah. From then on, he chose to follow Jesus. Andrew was thus the first disciple of Christ. Next, Andrew brought his brother Simon (St. Peter) to Jesus and Jesus received him, too, as His disciple. At first the two brothers continued to carry on their fishing trade and family affairs, but later, the Lord called them to stay with Him all the time. He promised to make them fishers of men, and this time, they left...