High Days and Holy Days in November

1 The first martyrs

The first martyrs of Rome are recorded in the old Roman Martyrology, which states that: At Rome, the birthday is celebrated of very many martyrs, who under the Emperor Nero were falsely charged with the burning of the city and by him were ordered to be slain by various kinds of cruel death; some were covered with the skin of wild beasts, and cast to the dogs to be torn asunder; others were crucified, and then when daylight failed used as torches to illuminate the night. All these were disciples of the apostles and the first fruits of the martyrs whom the Holy Roman Church sent to their Lord before the apostles’ death.

3 Hubert (bishop, d 727)

With hunting very much in the public mind at the present, here at least was one man who was converted while hunting. Hubert was out on Good Friday hunting stag when he came across a stag with a crucifix between its antlers. This so shook him that he converted to Christianity, and went on to become Bishop of Tongres-Maestricht. History does not tell us if he killed the stag or not, or if he ever hunted stag again.

4 Charles Borromeo

Why should being a ‘lay’ person stop you from as full as ministry as being ordained? Here is a saint for all lay people who suspect they can do as good a job…

Charles Borromeo was an Italian who lived in Milan from 1538 to 1584. His uncle, Pope Pius IV, made him Archbishop of Milan three years before Charles even became a priest, let alone a bishop. Charles, however, was one of the ablest and most compassionate Christian leaders of his age. He established theological colleges to train future clergy, encouraged children to be taught the Christian faith, and increased the help given to the poor.

5 Guy Fawkes night

A Roman Catholic plot to murder James 1 of England and his parliament at the state opening was uncovered when Guy Fawkes was found in a cellar under the House of Lords on guard over barrels of gunpowder on this night in 1605.

9 Nektarios of Pentapolis (bishop 1846-1920)

Here is a bishop who cleaned toilets and was much loved. Niktarious had been appointed Bishop of Alexandria, but then fled to Greece because some powerful men opposed his appointment. In due course he became director of Rizareion theological school in Athens. And it was here that, in order to help an ill cleaner, Nektarios cleaned out the toilets for him, so that he could resume his job when well again. This compassion and meekness made him greatly loved by the Orthodox Christians in Greece.

9 Remembrance Sunday

High Streets everywhere will soon be blossoming with red poppies: everyone from toddlers in prams to old grans will be wearing one. By Remembrance Day over 40 million are expected to be sold around the county by an army of many thousands of volunteers. The money raised will help our ex-Service people and their dependants To achieve all that takes more than flower power, The annual Poppy Appeal is a highly sophisticated operation manned by a large permanent staff and more than 5,000 voluntary local organisers. Each year there are new angles in the advertising campaign to be decided on, regional launches with celebrities to be organised, and the national launch to catch the imagination of the media.

It is a sobering thought that we have just completed the bloodiest century that the world has ever known. More people died in wars last century than ever before in the history of mankind. Many millions of those died fighting fascism or communism.

A new Millennium, and yet again we are at war – this time with terrorism.

11 Armistice Day

At 11.00 a.m. on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, after four and a quarter years of war, the guns at last fell silent on the battlefields of Europe as Germany admitted defeat and signed an armistice.

13 Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850 – 1917)

In the aftermath of the terrorist attack on America, many thousands of Americans felt compassion towards those whose lives have been devastated. But Frances was the first citizen of the United States to be officially canonized as a saint – by Pope Pius XII in 1946. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and worked among orphans, children and the sick of New York.

21 Presentation of Mary at the Temple (1st century)

This feast is now also called the Presentation of the Lord. St Luke records this event in the following words: “When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him (Jesus) to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” Luke 2.22

30 Advent

As we begin Advent, here are some apt words from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated The bird of dawning singeth all night long, And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad, The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike, No fairy tales, nor witch hath power to charm, So hallowed and so gracious is the time.

Or this Celtic prayer from Poems of the Western Highlanders

Jesu MacMary, at dawn-tide, the flowing, Jesu MacMary, at ebb-tide, the going: When our first breath awakes, Life’s day when darkness takes, Merciful God of all, mercy bestowing, With us and for us be, Merciful Deity, Amen, eternally.

30 St Andrew’s Day

Andrew is a good patron saint for those of you holding a Christmas party this year - and who hope you have rightly estimated the amount of food you’ll need. Andrew was the disciple who, when faced with 5,000 people to feed, brought a boy to Jesus who had two small fish and five barley loaves. When Andrew wasn’t being wildly optimistic with the catering arrangements, he was out fishing with brother Peter and friends James and John.

Go to Next Page

Go to Previous Page

Go to Index Page

Go to Home Page