Cristy Li

Pope Saint Damasus I –Image: Pinterest

(CatholicOnline@Facebook) All lovers of scripture have reason to celebrate this date. Damasus was the Pope that commissioned Saint Jerome to translate the scriptures into Latin, the Vulgate version of the  Bible.

To his Secretary St. Jerome, Damasus was “an incomparable person, learned in the scriptures, a virgin doctor of the virgin Church, who loved chastity and heard its praises with pleasure.”

As Pope, his lifestyle was simple in contrast to other ecclesiastics of Rome and he was fierce in his denunciation of Arianism and other heresies. A misunderstanding of the Trinitarian terminology used by Rome threatened amicable relations with the Eastern Church and Damasus was only moderately successful in dealing with that challenge.

More here from Catholic Online and here from Franciscan Media

Blessed Fr. Adolph Kolping (1813-1865) –Image: The Black Cordelias

(Franciscan Media) Born in the village of Kerpen Germany in 1813 Adolph Kolping became a shoemaker at an early age because of his families economic situation–Ordained in 1845, Kolping ministered to young workers in Cologne, establishing a choir which by 1849 grew into the ‘Young Workman’s Society’ a branch of this began in St Louis, Missouri in 1856

Nine years later, there were over 400 ‘Gersellenvereine’ (workman societies) around the world more commonly called the Kolping Societies today this group has over 500,000 members in 54 countries emphasizing the sanctification of the family life and dignity of labor.

Father Kolping, worked to improve conditions for workers and greatly assisted those in need.

Father Kolping once told his followers: “The first thing a person finds in life and the last to which he holds out his hand and the most precious he possesses even if he does not realize it, is his family.”

Blessed Fr. Kolping was beatified by Pope John Paul II on the 27 October, 1991 who said during his homily:

“Adolph Kolping gathered skilled workers and factory laborers together thus he overcome their isolation and defeatism–a faith society gave them strength to go out into their everyday lives as Christ’s witnesses before God and the world, to come together, to become strengthened in the assembly and thus to scatter again is and still remains our duty today. We are not Christians for ourselves alone but always for others too.”

More here on Blessed Fr. Adolph Kolping from The Black Cordelias

(Franciscan Media) A feast called the ‘Conception of Mary’ arose in the Eastern Church during the 7th Century and came to the West in the 8th Century.

In the 11th century it received its present name–the ‘Immaculate Conception’ and during the 18th century it became a feast of the universal Church and is now recognized as a solemnity.

In 1854, Pius IX solemnly proclaimed: “The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”

It took a long time for this doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the Saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless–either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the insights of the brilliant theologians. Even such champions of Mary as Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Aquinas, could not see theological justification for this teaching.

Two Franciscans, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, helped develop the theology–pointing out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleaned from original sin after birth.

In Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset.

More here from EWTN

Related: For Today’s Bible Readings and More Visit -USCCB

Immaculate Conception Pendant here -Catholic Shopping.com

St. Gerald Bishop of Mayo
Image Courtesy: St. Paul Street Evangelization

(CNA) Born in England Northumbria, the exact date of his birth is unknown, we do know that Gerald was an English Monk, becoming Bishop of Mayo and that following the Synod of Whitby in 664 he followed St. Coleman (605-676) to Ireland and settled in Innisboffin in 668

After a period of time dissensions arose between the Irish and the English Monks and St. Coleman decided to found a separate Monastery for the 30 English Brethren, this arose the Abbey of Mayo with St. Gerald being its first Abbot in 670

St. Bede (Feast Day: 25 May) wrote: “The Monastery is to this day 731 occupied by English Monks…continues an exemplary body who gathered there form England and live by the labor of their own hands (after the manner of the early Fathers) under a rule and Canonical Abbot, leading chaste and single lives.”

Although St. Gerald was a comparatively young man, he proved to be a wise ruler and governed Mayo until 697 when it is said that he resigned in favor of St. Adamnan some scholars hold that St. Adamnan celebrated the Roman Easter at Mayo in 703 and then went to Skreen in Hy Fiachrach. — following his departure it is said the Monks prevailed on St. Gerald to resume his duties as Abbot — Mayo though merged in Tuam for a time.

St. Gerald reportedly continued to govern the Abbey and Diocese of Mayo until his death in 731

• Today’s alternative Feast Day is of St. Sabas, Patron Saint of Generosity
  

St. John of Damascus (676-749)
Image Courtesy: St. Paul Street Evangelization

Born in Syria Damascus according to SQPN John spent much of his life in the Monastery of St. Sabas near Jerusalem and all of his life under Muslim rule. Tutored in his youth by a captured Italian Monk Cosmas, together with being educated in Muslim schools, John became quite well schooled in the areas of Geometry, Literature, Logic, Writing and Speech.

St. John became famous in three areas: (1) Writings; (2) Treatise “Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” and (3) A Poet — Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1890 by Pope Leo XII

More here from Franciscan Media and here from Catholic Online

Related: For Today’s Holy Scripture Readings for the Memorial of St. John of Damascus, Visit: -USCCB