Prayerbook, Holy Sacrifice of Mass, Old Latin Mass, Feastdays...DECEMBER

Care should be taken always to consult the Proper of the local Diocese, as some Feasts are not celebrated by the Universal Church but are kept only in a particular diocese and by some religious Congregations.

The date is usually the date of the saint's death, known as a feast day because death was the beginning of life in heaven, or of the translation of his or her relics.

Feast Days are also known as Name Days and, in countries with a strong Catholic tradition, are sometimes celebrated instead of Birthdays.

2	St. Bibiana, Virgin, Martyr	St. Bibiana was born at Rome of a noble and Christian family. After her father's martyrdom, about 363, she was scourged to death.
3	St. Francis Xavier, Confessor	St. Francis Xavier was born in Navarre, Spain, 1506. From St. Ignatius Loyola, he heard the words: "What does it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul?" He renounced his worldly life, and became one of the most zealous apostles who have ever preached the Gospel. His particular fields of labor were India and Japan, where he converted innumerable pagans. He died off the coast of China in 1552.
4	St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop, Confessor	St. Peter merited being called "Chrysologus" (golden-worded) from his exceptional oratorical eloquence. Pope Sixtus III elevated him to the Archbishopric of Ravenna. He practiced many corporal and spiritual works of mercy, and died at Imola, Italy, in 450.
4	St. Barbara, Virgin, Martyr	This glorious virgin, dedicated to Christ, suffered cruel martyrdom in Asia Minor, about the year 306.
5	St. Sabbas, Abbot	St. Sabbas died in Cappadocia, Palestine, in 532, after having founded various monastic communities. with many miracles to his credit, he defended the Catholic church against the enemies of the Council of Chalcedon.
6	St. Nicholas, Bishop, Confessor	St. Nicholas is distinguished in the Church for his holy austerity and childlike innocence. Chosen as Bishop of Myra in Licia, Asia Minor, he distinguished himself for his charity and liberality. He was particularly solicitous for the care of the young, and thus is venerated as the patron of children. He took part in the Council of Nicea, in 325, which condemned the Arian heresy. His relics are preserved at Bari, Italy.
7	St. Ambrose, Bishop, Confessor	St. Ambrose was one of the four great Latin Fathers and Doctors of the Western Church. As an orator, he opposed the Arian heretics. As Bishop of Milan, he had the satisfaction of witnessing the conversion of St. Augustine, whom he baptized in 387. As a writer, he enriched Latin literature with many works on Scripture, the priesthood, doctrinal subjects and hymnology. The liturgy of Milan is known as the "Ambrosian Rite." He died in 397.
8	Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary	This Feast commemorates the preservation of the Blessed Virgin from the stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception. It originated in the Eastern Church about the 8th century and was celebrated on Dec. 9. In the 11th century it appeared in the Western Church and was first celebrated in England; and in the 14th century it was included in the calendar of the Universal Church. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was defined by Pope Pius IX on Dec. 8, 1854. This dogma is in accord with the texts of Scripture: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed" (Gen. 3, 15), "Hail, full of grace" (Luke 1, 28), and was clearly understood and accepted by Tradition, the writings of the Fathers and by feasts observed by the general belief of the faithful long before it was defined.
10	St. Melchiades, Pope, Martyr	In the year 314, St. Melchiades died after having suffered much during the persecution of Maximian. The Church, therefore, ranks him as a martyr although he died a natural death.
11	St. Damasus, Pope, Confessor	Born in Spain, St. Damasus governed the Church from 366 to 384. He commanded St. Jerome to translate the New Testament into Latin, combated the Apollinarist and Macedonian heresies and confirmed the second ecumenical council of Constantinople which had condemned the Arian heresy. he died in 384.
12	Our Lady of Guadalupe	The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, near Mexico City, is one of the most celebrated places of pilgrimages in North America. On Dec. 9, 1531, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to an Indian convert, Juan Diego, and left with him a picture of herself impressed upon his cloak. In many of the southwestern states of the United States this feast is a double of the first class. In the diocese of new Orleans, this Feast is anticipated on Nov. 16.
13	St. Lucy, Virgin, Martyr	St. Lucy, a native of Syracuse, Sicily, was instructed in the Faith by her widowed mother, Euthychia. After her mother's cure at the tomb of St. Agatha, she was allowed to make a vow of virginity and to distribute a great part of her inheritance to the poor. She was denounced by the youth to whom she was unwillingly betrothed, and, rather than lose the incorruptible treasure of her virginity, she chose death by the sword in 303. Her name occurs in the Canon of the Mass.
16	St. Eusebius, Bishop, Martyr	St. Eusebius fought with great valor against the Arian heresy which denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ. He merits the rank of martyr on account of the exiles, torments and privations of every kind to which he was subjected by the Arian sect. he died at Vercelli, Italy, in 371.
21	St. Thomas, Apostle	St. Thomas doubted the Lord's Resurrection. He was invited by Jesus to place his fingers into His Holy Wounds. Suddenly from incredulity he passed to ardent faith, exclaiming: "My Lord and my God!" He became a great Apostolic missionary and died in the 1st century.
22	St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin,	St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was born in Lombardy, Italy, in 1850. In 1880 she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and in the United States she founded schools, hospitals, and orphanages for the care especially of Italian immigrants and children. She died at Chicago, Dec. 22, 1917 and was canonized by Pope Pius XII on July 7, 1946.
24	Christmas Eve Vigil	The Christmas Season begins on the 24th of December and ends on the 13th of January. During this time the Church celebrates the following Feasts: The Nativity of our Lord, The Circumcision, The Most Holy Name of Jesus, The Epiphany and The Baptism of our Lord. The contemplation of the Mystery of the Incarnation invites us to be born again through a more vital union with Jesus Christ Who became Man for us. With the Magi we should thank God for manifesting Himself to us. We should walk like them with a lively faith, ever seeking the true God and longing for His heavenly gifts.
25	Christmas Day, The Birth of Our Lord	Today the Church celebrates the Birth of the Word of God according to the flesh. In relatively recent times the three Masses on Christmas have symbolized respectively Christ's human birth from a Virgin, His spiritual birth in our souls and His eternal birth from the Father. This Feast may have been instituted at this date to replace a pagan feast which honored the Sun.
26	St. Stephen, First Martyr	St. Stephen received the commission from the Apostles to gather food for the poor. The judges accused him before the Sanhedrin, being amazed at his wonderful miracles, St. Stephen, the Church tells us, was the first to give up his life for the Savior. He died praying for those who stoned him.
27	St. John, Apostle, Evangelist	St. John is the Apostle whom Jesus loved. It was he who reclined on the bosom of the savior at the Last Supper. He is the author of the sublime Gospel which so emphatically proclaims the Divinity of Christ. To him also our Lord, hanging on the Cross, entrusted His Beloved Mother. He died about the year 100.
28	Holy Innocents, Martyrs	It is because Herod believed the words of the Magi and of the chief priests whom he consulted that he sees a rival in the Infant of Bethlehem, and with jealousy pursues the Child, born King of the Jews. It is this God-King that the Innocents by dying confess. Their passion is the exaltation of Christ. The Church chooses vestments of mourning for her Priests, and omits the "Gloria" and "Alleluia."
29	St. Thomas, Bishop, Martyr	Thomas Becket, after having served as chancellor of Henry II, was made Archbishop of Canterbury. he fought against the King for the liberty of the Church. He was slain, December 29, 1171.
31	St. Sylvester, Pope, Confessor	Little is known of the reign of Pope Sylvester I. He took an active part in the negotiations in regard to the heresy of Arius and the first Ecumenical Council of Nice in 325. He died in 335.