Christ in the World

In 236, St. Fabian was the first layman ever elected to the papacy. He promoted the consolidation and development of the Church. He divided Rome into seven diaconates for the purpose of extending aid to the poor. The papacy acquired such prestige during this time that he incurred the ire of Emperor Decius. Martyred in 250, St. Fabian was one of the first victims of persecution under Emperor Decius.

* Celebrated alongside St. Fabian is the Roman martyr, St. Sebastian. Although these two feasts are liturgically separate, they are venerated on the same day and also named together in the Litany of Saints. ~ St. Sebastian, a native of Milan, was an officer in Diocletian’s imperial guard. He converted to Christianity, whereupon he was […]

Called the Patriarch of Monks, St. Anthony retired to the desert when he was eighteen years old. He was the first abbot to form a stable rule for his community of monks dedicated to the service of God. His renown for spiritual direction prompted many people to travel to the desert to seek his advice.

“Nourished for our healing by your Sacraments, O Lord, may we escape every snare of the enemy unharmed, just as by your grace Saint Anthony won glorious victories over the powers of darkness. Through Christ our Lord.” (Prayer After Communion) ~ from the Proper of Saints, Daily Roman Missal

Born at Poitiers, St. Hilary was a leading defender of the Church against the Arian heresy. He wrote twelve books about the Blessed Trinity as well as commentaries on St. Matthew’s Gospel and the Psalms.

“Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may rightly understand and truthfully profess the divinity of your Son, which the Bishop Saint Hilary taught with such constancy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.” (Collect) ~ […]