The theme of this year's Advent retreat was how the saints of Advent and through the whole year help us to enter more fully into the Christian mystery and the Catholic life.
First Talk - Saints of Advent and Christmas
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Second Talk - Saints throughout the year
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Handout for the talks
The Saints of Advent and Christmas, and Throughout the Year
I. The feast days and the monthly devotions
All these monthly devotions are of relatively recent origin, but do illustrate how the feasts (some older than others) have had a major influence on Catholic life.
*Indicates that the monthly designation is newer and not settled
January, Holy Name of Jesus - January 1st is the Circumcision of Jesus when he received his Name. And there is also the feast of the Holy Name (early January).
*February, The Holy Family - February 2nd is The Presentation
March, St Joseph - March 19th is the Feast of St Joseph
*April, The Eucharist - Holy Thursday (often falls during April).
May, Mary’s Month - Nature’s motherhood and Mothers’ day have had more of an influence on this than any particular feast. In fact, it is the monthly devotion that has led to the establishment of May 31st as a Marian feast (Queenship of Mary, or the Visitation). Note that this is the oldest monthly devotion, beginning in the 1200s.
June, Sacred Heart - The feast of Sacred Heart is always in June.
July, Precious Blood - The Feast of the Precious Blood (traditionally early July).
August, Immaculate Heart - Traditionally, the Immaculate Heart of Mary is Aug 22nd
September, Seven Sorrows of Mary - Our Lady of Sorrows is kept on Sept 15th
October, The Rosary - The Feast of the Holy Rosary on Oct 7th (the battle of Lepanto).
November, Souls in Purgatory - All Souls day is November 2nd, after All Saints.
*December, The Immaculate Conception - In honor of the Feast of December 8th.
II. Some of the important feasts and octaves to celebrate through the year
*Indicates practicing penance on the vigil of the feast (the whole day before)
December: Advent, Barbara (Dec 2), Nicholas (Dec 6), Ambrose (Dec 7), Immaculate Conception with vigil* (Dec 8), Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 12), Lucy (Dec 13), Christmas novena (Dec 16-24), Ember Days, Thomas the Apostle (trad. Dec 21), Christmas with vigil* (Dec 25), Stephen (Dec 26), John the Evangelist (Dec 27), Holy Innocents (called Childermas, Dec 28)
January: Octave of Christmas (Jan 1), 12 days of Christmas (Dec 25-Jan 5), Epiphany with vigil (trad. Jan 6), Epiphany Octave (Jan 6-13), Baptism of the Lord (Octave of Epiphany, trad. Jan 13), Holy Name of Jesus (early Jan), Peter’s Chair at Rome (trad. Jan 18, begins week of prayer for Christian unity)
February: Candlemas or Purification or Presentation (Feb 2), Blase (Feb 3), Septuagesima (three Sundays before Ash Wednesday), Valentine (Feb 14), Mardi gras and Ash Wednesday
March: Lent, Ember Days, Patrick (March 17), Joseph (March 19), Passiontide (veiling images last two weeks of Lent), Annunciation (Lady Day, March 25)
April: Sacred Triduum* with Easter and Octave, Divine Mercy (Sunday after Easter), Rogation Day and Mark (April 25)
May: May crowning (early May), Finding of the Cross (Roodmas, trad. May 3), Fatima (May 13), Minor Rogation Days and Ascension with vigil*, Marian feast of May 31
June: Pentecost with vigil* and octave, Ember Days, Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart, John the Baptist with vigil (June 24), Peter and Paul with vigil* (June 29)
July: Precious Blood (trad. July 1), Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Brown Scapular (July 16), Anne (July 26, because of our Cathedral)
August: Transfiguration (Aug 6), 14 Holy Helpers (trad. Aug 8), Lawrence with vigil (Aug 10), Assumption of Mary with vigil* (called Marymas, Aug 15) and Assumption octave (Aug 15-22), Immaculate Heart or Queenship of Mary (Aug 22)
September: Birth of Mary (Sept 8), Holy Name of Mary (Sept 12), Holy Cross (also Roodmas, Sept 14), Seven Sorrows of Mary (Sept 15), Ember Days, Michael and the Archangels (Michaelmas, Sept 29)
October: Guardian Angels (Oct 2), Holy Rosary (Oct 7), Luke (Oct 18, because of our parish), Ursula (Oct 21, because of our city’s history)
November: All Saints with vigil* (Nov 1), All Souls (Nov 2), Martin of Tours (Martinmas, Nov 11), Advent usually begins
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Fr Ryan's speaking notes for Talk 1
Retreat Talk 1 – On the Saints of Advent and Christmas
I. The proper of seasons and the proper of saints
The proper of seasons is the cycle of the Church’s liturgical year, the structure and rhythm of Christian life. There are six principle seasons: Advent, Christmas (with Ephiphanytide), Ordinary Time (Time through the Year or Time after Epiphany), Lent (preceded by Septuagesima and concluding with Passiontide), Easter (with Ascensiontide), Ordinary Time (Time through the year or Time after Pentecost).
The proper of saints is the feasts of the various saints (and other feasts) celebrated throughout the year which are not tied to the season.
II. The structure of the seasons
A. Advent/Christmas - lighter penances of Advent prepare us for the feast of Christmas.
B. Lent/Easter - greater penances of Lent prepare us for Easter.
C. Some traditions: Septuagesima, Ember Days (Advent, Lent, Pentecost, September), Rogation Days (April 25; and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday before Ascension), all days of Lent as days of penance.
D. Fasts for the vigils of great feasts [in order of importance] - meaning, practicing penance for the whole day before: Easter (Holy Saturday expressly recommended by Canon Law), Christmas, Pentecost, Assumption (August 15th), Immaculate Conception (December 8th), All Saints (October 31st), Peter and Paul (June 29th). Consider either fasting (one meal and two small snacks allowed) and/or abstaining from meat. Because the modern liturgical practice allows the anticipation of the feast on the evening before, it may not always be easy to practice penance for the evening meal (especially, for example, on Christmas Eve).
III. Thru the year: The Life of Christ and the Life of the Church
Note how we live the life of Christ from Advent through Pentecost, and then the life of the Church (the history of the Church, and the Christian life in every age and place and people) from Pentecost to the last Sunday in Ordinary Time.
The living of the life of Christ slows down to a day by day and hour by hour union with our Lord both at Christmas and, most especially at Easter. This is why we have a midnight Mass for Christmas, and then celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas before the Magi arrive at Epiphany. Holy Week before Easter is spent day by day with the Lord in the last week of his life; and the Triduum is spent hour by hour with him in his passion, death and resurrection.
IV. Advent/Christmas and the Saints
A. The special role of the saints in these seasons through February 2 – how Lent is so different from Advent, and Easter octave from Christmas. Advent and Christmas have so many feasts of saints, while Lent and Easter almost completely set them aside.
B. Certain special saints in Advent and Christmas: St Nicholas (December 6), St Lucy (December 13), St Stephen (December 26), St John the Evangelist (December 27), Holy Innocents (December 28), St Ignatius of Antioch (trad. February 1)
C. Other saints: 5 virgins (Bibiana, Barbara, Eulalia, Lucy, Odilia), 2 apostles (Andrew, Thomas), 2 popes (Melchiades and Damasus) 2 doctors (Peter Chrysologus or John Damascene and Ambrose), 2 bishops (Nicholas and Eusebius), 2 confessors (Francis Xavier and Juan Diego), (could also mention 2 Marian feasts, Immaculate Conception and Guadalupe).
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Fr Ryan's speaking notes for talk 2
Retreat Talk 2 - On Saints throughout the Rest of the Year
I. Importance of octaves (and vigils)
Discuss both the vigil as preparing for the great feasts and the octave as extending the feast (with the octave itself being a renewal of the feast)
II. The feast days and the monthly devotions
All these monthly devotions are of relatively recent origin, but do illustrate how the feasts (some older than others) have had a major influence on Catholic life.
January, Holy Name of Jesus - January 1st and Octave of Christmas is the Circumcision of Jesus when he received his Name. And there is also the feast of the Holy Name (Sunday between Octave of Christmas and Epiphany, or January 2nd, or January 3rd, or second Sunday after Epiphany - it has been celebrated on many different days over the centuries).
*February, The Holy Family - February 2nd is The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple or Candlemas and Purification of Mary
*February’s devotion is of much more recent origin
March, St Joseph - March 19th is the Feast of St Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is especially striking because Lent has such a different focus - nevertheless, even when Passiontide is during March, there is a practice of leaving the St Joseph statue uncovered up till Holy Week.
*April, The Eucharist - Holy Thursday (often falls during April). In this case, it is more the proper of seasons which has given us the monthly devotion.
*Again, we note that this monthly devotion is very recent and less settled. Perhaps it will change to Divine Mercy in the next century.
May, Mary’s Month - Nature’s motherhood and Mothers’ day have had more of an influence on this than any particular feast. In fact, it is the monthly devotion that has lead to the establishment of May 31st as a Marian feast (Queenship of Mary, or the Visitation).
Not that this is the oldest monthly devotion, beginning in the 1200s.
June, Sacred Heart - The feast of Sacred Heart is always in June. Again, this monthly devotion is determined by the proper of seasons, since the Feast of the Sacred Heart is calculated from Easter and Corpus Christi.
July, Precious Blood - The Feast of the Precious Blood is the 1st Sunday of July, or July 1st, or can be celebrated as a votive in July (depending on whether celebrating the TLM or Novus Ordo, or following an early tradition).
August, Immaculate Heart - The traditional Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is August 22nd, the octave of Assumption. (Though this was moved to the Saturday after the Sacred Heart in the Novus Ordo, the popular monthly devotion remains in August).
September, Seven Sorrows of Mary - The feast of our Lady of Sorrows is kept on Sept 15th, after the Holy Cross on Sept 14th.
October, The Rosary - The Feast of the Holy Rosary was originally established on the 1st Sunday of October, then moved to October 7th (in honor of the battle of Lepanto).
November, Souls in Purgatory - All Souls day is November 2nd, after All Saints. Also, there is a tradition of an octave privileged requiem Masses from November 2nd to 8th.
*December, The Immaculate Conception - In honor of the Feast of December 8th.
*However, this monthly devotion is recent and not well settled.
III. Traditionally, one or more Apostles each month
January 18, The chair of Peter at Rome & Jan 25, Paul’s conversion
February 22, The chair of Peter at Antioch & Feb 24, Matthias
March, Lent
April 25, Mark the Evangelist
May 11 (or May 3), Philip and James the Less*
June 29, Peter and Paul*
July 25, James the Greater*
August 24, Bartholomew*
September 21, Matthew*
October 18, Luke the Evangelist & Oct 28, Simon and Jude*
November 30, Andrew*
December 21, Thomas*
[* The 8 main feasts of Apostles were traditionally celebrated also with a vigil the day before, including a special Mass and fasting/abstinence.]
IV. Some of the important feasts and octaves to celebrate through the year
*Indicates practicing penance on the vigil of the feast (the whole day before)
December: Advent, Barbara (Dec 2), Nicholas (Dec 6), Ambrose (Dec 7), Immaculate Conception with vigil* (Dec 8), Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec 12), Lucy (Dec 13), Christmas novena (Dec 16-24), Thomas the Apostle (trad. Dec 21), Christmas with vigil* (Dec 25), Stephen (Dec 26), John the Evangelist (Dec 27), Holy Innocents (called Childermas, Dec 28)
January: Octave of Christmas (Jan 1), 12 days of Christmas (Dec 25-Jan 5), Epiphany with vigil (trad. Jan 6), Epiphany Octave (Jan 6-13), Baptism of the Lord (Octave of Epiphany, trad. Jan 13), Holy Name of Jesus (early Jan), Peter’s Chair at Rome (trad. Jan 18, begins week of prayer for Christian unity)
February: Candlemas or Purification or Presentation (Feb 2), Blase (Feb 3), Septuagesima (three Sundays before Ash Wednesday), Valentine (Feb 14), Mardi gras and Ash Wednesday
March: Lent, Patrick (March 17), Joseph (March 19), Passiontide (veiling images last two weeks of Lent), Annunciation (Lady Day, March 25)
April: Sacred Triduum* with Easter and Octave, Divine Mercy (Sunday after Easter), Rogation Day and Mark (April 25)
May: May crowning (early May), Finding of the Cross (Roodmas, trad. May 3), Fatima (May 13), Minor Rogation Days and Ascension with vigil*, Marian feast of May 31
June: Pentecost with vigil* and octave, Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart, John the Baptist with vigil (June 24), Peter and Paul with vigil* (June 29)
July: Precious Blood (trad. July 1), Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the Brown Scapular (July 16), Anne (July 26, because of our Cathedral)
August: Transfiguration (Aug 6), 14 Holy Helpers (trad. Aug 8), Lawrence with vigil (Aug 10), Assumption of Mary with vigil* (called Marymas, Aug 15) and Assumption octave (Aug 15-22), Immaculate Heart or Queenship of Mary (Aug 22)
September: Birth of Mary (Sept 8), Holy Name of Mary (Sept 12), Holy Cross (also Roodmas, Sept 14), Seven Sorrows of Mary (Sept 15), Michael and the Archangels (Michaelmas, Sept 29)
October: Guardian Angels (Oct 2), Holy Rosary (Oct 7), Luke (Oct 18, because of our parish), Ursula (Oct 21, because of our city’s history)
November: All Saints with vigil* (Nov 1), All Souls (Nov 2), Martin of Tours (Martinmas, Nov 11), Advent usually begins
