Tuesday, June 21, 2011

June 21: St Aloysius Gonzaga, Memorial


Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (1568 - 1591) was an Italian Jesuit. 

The eldest son of a noble family, he was expected to be a soldier.  But to the horror of his family, he renounced his inheritance and became a Jesuit with the aim of being a missionary.  His confessor was St Robert Bellarmine.  He died after contracting the plague through his service of the stricken in Rome. You can read about his life here.

His martyrology entry reads:
At Rome, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, of the Society of Jesus, most renowned for his contempt of the princely dignity, and the  innocence of his life.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

June 19: Trinity Sunday, Class I

Shield of the Trinity, manuscript ca 1255-65
Today is Trinity Sunday, which marks the final end of the Easter season and its aftermath, and the start of time after Pentecost.

The distinctive part of today's liturgy is the recitation at Prime of the Creed named after St Athanasius (although modern scholars suspect it actually originated in Southern Gaul), which firmly sets out the essentials of the faith in relation to the Trinity as a counter to Arian and other heresies.

June 18: Ember Saturday in the Octave of Pentecost, Class I

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Tuesday, June 14, 2011