Memorial of Saints (December 22)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Chaermon, Ischyion and other martyrs
• Anastasia, martyr

St. Chaermon (died ca. 250 A.D.) was bishop of Nilopolis, Egypt. During Decius' persecution of Christians, and when he was already an old man, he fled to the mountains of Arabia and was never seen again.

December 22 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• St. Anastasia, Great-Martyr

St. Anastasia (d. ca. 304 A.D.) is commemorated this day in both the Roman Calendar and the Byzantine Calendar. She was a martyr venerated in Rome since the fifth century A.D. and is mentioned in the Canon of the Roman Mass.

There are many versions on her life. One story says she was the daughter of a noble Roman and had Chrysogonus as her spiritual director. She was married to a pagan and cared for Christians who were in prison during the persecution of Christians during Diocletian's reign. Because of her aid to prisoners, she herself was eventually arrested and executed.

Memorial of Saints (December 21)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Peter Canisius, priest and doctor of the Church
• Anastasius II of Antioch, bishop and martyr

St. Peter Canisius (1521-1597 A.D.) was born in Nijmegen, Holland and studied at Cologne and Louvain. At the age of 23 years, he joined the Jesuits. In 1546 A.D., he was ordained, was theologian to the Cardinal of Augsburg, and attended the Council of Trent. For 30 years, Peter Canisius worked in Germany for the renewal of the Catholic life after the Protestant Reformation had done much harm. He is famous for his catechism. As a Jesuit Provincial he founded several Jesuit colleges.

Related blog posts:

• St. Peter Canisius, priest and Jesuit, Learn more
• The Doctors of the Church: Teachers of the Catholic Faith, Learn more
• Hearts on Fire: Praying with Jesuits, Learn more

December 21 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• St. Juliana, Virgin-Martyr

Memorial of Saints (December 20)

Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials of Saints

• Philogonius, bishop
• Ammon and Companions, martyrs
• Ursicinus, abbot
• Dominic of Silos, abbot

St. Philogonius (died ca. 324 A.D.) was a layman and lawyer at Antioch who got married and had a daughter. In 319 A.D., he was named bishop of Antioch. As bishop of Antioch, he was one of the first to denounce the Arian heresy. During the persecution of Christians under Emperors Maximinus and Licinius, he was imprisoned for a time. He was eulogized by St. John Chrysostom in a still extant panegyric.

Learn more at Wikipedia.org on St. Philogonius

December 20 Saints in the Byzantine Calendar

• St. Ignatius "Theophorus", Priest-Martyr Bishop at Antioch

The Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches commemorate St. Ignatius of Antioch on this day.

St. Ignatius is the Apostolic Father whose letters to the various churches in the ancient Christian world serve as a major source of information regarding the life, faith, and structure of the early Church in Asia Minor and Rome. He also used the name Theophorus (Gk., "bearer of God").

St. Ignatius of Antioch was martyred for his faith in Christ. He was taken to the Colosseum and thrown to the lions, dying almost immediately. In his letter to the Romans, he had described himself as "the wheat of God [to] be ground by the teeth of wild beasts to become pure bread."

The Church at Antioch kept his feast on October 17. The Roman Calendar had observed it on February 1 until in 1969 A.D., when it transferred it to October 17 in order to bring the date into line with the Church at Antioch. The Eastern Churches continue to celebrate his feast this day, December 20.

Related blog post

• St. Stephen, St. Ignatius of Antioch, and the Martyrs of the Early Christian Eras, Learn more