Commemoration of Saints (February 12)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

• Marina, virgin
• Julian the Hospitaler
• Meletius, bishop
• Ethelwald, bishop
• Antony Kauleas, bishop
• Ludan
• Benedict of Aniane

Two days commemorate the holy life and work of St. Benedict of Aniane: one on February 11 and the other on February 12. One reason is based on St. Benedict of Aniane's death at Kornelimünster Abbey on February 11, 821 A.D., in the monastery Louis had built for him to serve as the base for Benedict's supervisory work. Then he was buried the next day on February 12, hence why some list his feast day as the 11th and some the 12th. Learn more at Wikipedia.org

Saints for February 12 in the Roman Catholic Church, Learn more

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [February 12]

• Meletius, Archbishop of Great Antioch
• St. Marina, Virgin

St. Meletius and St. Marina are both commemorated in the Catholic Church and in the Byzantine Calendar on this day, February 12.

St. Meletius of Antioch (d. ca. 381 A.D.) was born at Melitene, Lower Armenia. He was appointed bishop of Sebastea in the year 358 A.D. but had to flee to the desert because the appointment caused great dissension. The dissension was due to the Arian controversy. Meletius initially seemed to favor Arian positions, but later became a strong defender of orthodoxy. This ambiguity led him to being accepted by both Arian and Catholic factions, making him a central figure in the ongoing conflicts.

In 361 A.D., he was elected archbishop among dissenting groups as a compromise candidate. Despite this compromise, conflicts continue to ensue. The pro-Arian Emperor was persuaded by the Arian Bishop Eudoxus to exile Meletius to Lower Armenia. When the Emperor passed away, Julian became Emperor and recalled Meletius. However, a faction of the Catholic bishops had elected Paulinus as Archbishop causing the beginning of the Melitian schism. This schism was to rend the Church of Antioch for many years. The Council of Alexandria in 362 A.D. was unable to heal the breach, and an unfortunate rift between St. Athanasius and St. Meletius exacerbated the matter.

Gradually, Meletius influence in the East grew as more and more bishops supported him. St. Basil the Great was untiring in his efforts to help Meletius in resolving the breach. In 374 A.D., the breach has become more complicated when Pope Damasus recognized Paulinus as the Archbishop, appointed him papal legate in the East, and then St. Jerome allowed himself to be ordained priest by Archbishop Paulinus.

In 378 A.D., the death of pro-Arian Valens led to the restoration of the banished bishops by Emperor Gratian, and Meletius was reinstated.

"Saintly" Summary of the conflict, with Saints on Both Sides

• St. Basil the Great: A key figure in opposing Arianism. Basil initially opposed Meletius but later reconciled with him.
• St. Jerome: A prominent theologian. Jerome initially supported Paulinus, a rival bishop of Antioch, but later acknowledged St. Meletius.
• St. Athanasius: A leading opponent of Arianism. Athanasius initially hesitated to accept St. Meletius but eventually did so.

This complex web of alliances and shifting positions reflects the turbulent nature of the Arian controversy at the time and the difficulty of the Saints in navigating those theological and political waters. It involved other Saints in the conflict like Pope St. Damasus I, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Gregory Nazianzen (who preached the eulogy for St. Meletius in 381 A.D.).

So what happens when Saints fight against one another? It is just an opportunity for them to make the light of their haloes shine more brilliantly before God and man! They make the truth of God brighter and clearer!

Fortunately, the Meletian schism was resolved between 415-418 A.D. Learn more at Encyclopedia.com

Commemoration of Saints (February 11)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

• Our Lady of Lourdes
• Saturninus, Dativus and Companions, martyrs
• Lucius, bishop and martyr
• Lazarus, bishop
• Severinus, abbot
• Caedmon
• Gregory II, pope
• Benedict of Aniane, abbot
• Paschal I, pope

In 1858 A.D., from February 11 to July 16, Marie Bernarde, a.k.a. St. Bernadette Soubirous, witnessed an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the grotto of Massabielle, near her hometown of Lourdes on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees mountains in France. At first, nobody believed Bernadette, not even her family members and residents of her village. However, by March, 20,000 people wanted to witness what Bernadette already see. Bernadette was instructed by the Blessed Virgin to dig in the soil near the apparition site. When Bernadette was able to discover a spring, it began to flow and soon became the site for many miraculous healings. The local bishop of Lourdes eventually authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes in 1862 A.D.

The site of the apparition attracts about 3 million pilgrims a year. Of some 5,000 reported healings, only 58 have been declared miraculous by Church officials. In 1907 A.D., Pope Pius X made the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes a feast of the Universal Church.

Our Lady of Lourdes and Other Marian Apparitions, Learn more

St. Saturninus and Companions were martyrs from Abitina in Africa. Saturninus was a priest who gathered 48 other men, women and children for a Sunday religious assembly. The soldiers of the empire asked for the surrender of the Sacred Scriptures. When Saturninus and the assembly refused, they were arrested and sent to Carthage. Some were executed the following day while the rest were allowed to die of hunger in prison. This was during the persecution of Christians under the Emperor Diocletian (died ca. 304 A.D.).

St. Benedict of Aniane (ca. 750-821 A.D.) was born of a noble family in Languedoc and served in the court of Pepin III and Charlemagne. He then became a monk for about three years before he decided for a more eremitical life in his own estate along the river Aniane. Later joined by others, this budding community devoted themselves to working in the fields, other manual labor, and copying books. This community soon outgrew their surroundings so they moved to another location where they built a monastery and a church.

Supported by Emperor the Pious, Benedict of Aniane soon became a director of all monasteries in the Empire and instituted widespread reforms. In 817 A.D., he systematized the Benedictine rule and composed two important works:

• his Capitulare monasticum, a systematization of the Benedictine rule that was approved by the Council of Aachen as the rule for all monastic regulations,
• and Concordia regularum, which shows the resemblance of Benedict's rule to those of other monastic leaders.

St. Benedict of Aniane is considered the restorer of Western monasticism and is often called the "second Benedict".

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [February 11]

• St. Blase, Bishop-Martyr

St. Blase or Blaise (d. ca. 316 A.D.) was a bishop of Sebastea in Armenia. He became a hermit when the persecutions of Christians began. He was brought to Agricolaus by hunters who observed him curing the sick and wounded animals. The blessing of throats done on his feast day is attributed to his healing of a young boy who was choking to death from a fish bone in his throat. The two candles used in the ceremony are derived from the candles brought to Blase in prison by the boy's mother.

St. Blase is commemorated both in the General Roman Calendar and in the Byzantine Calendar. In the Catholic Church, he is honored on the 3rd of February. In the Byzantine Calendar, he is honored today, February 11.

Although there was a schism between the Western Church and the Eastern Church in 1054 A.D., this is not the reason for the difference in the observance of the feast day of St. Blaise. The difference in dates for Saint Blaise's feast is a result of the independent development of liturgical calendars within the Eastern and Western sides of Christianity. Both the Western side and the Eastern side of the Church have their own ways of calculating and observing feast days, which have evolved independently over centuries. The shift in the date in the West likely arose from a combination of factors:

• Including local customs. Some regions may have adopted slightly different dates for local reasons.
• It can also be due to calendar reforms. Adjustments to the liturgical calendar over time could have influenced the date.

These are some of the main reasons for the difference in dates of commemoration, but these information needs further extended verification.

Commemoration of Saints (February 10)

Solemnities, Feasts, Obligatory and Optional Memorials, and Traditional Dates of Commemoration

• Scholastica, virgin
• Soteris, virgin and martyr
• Trumwin, bishop
• Austreberta, virgin
• William of Maleval

St. Scholastica (d. ca. 543 A.D.) was the sister of St. Benedict of Nursia. She may have also been his twin. Like her brother, she founded an abbey and became its abbess under St. Benedict's spiritual direction. That convent was located in Plombariola, near Monte Cassino, which was the location of the first Benedictine monastery.

Pope St. Gregory the Great wrote a story about St. Benedict and St. Scholastica in his Dialogues. Gregory wrote that St. Scholastica paid a visit to her brother for the last time, since she had an intuition of her day of death. Since women are not allowed in Monte Cassino, both of them met at a nearby farmhouse. They were discussing about spiritual matters when Benedict had to return to the monastery to obey the Rule required of him. Scholastica begged that her brother stay with her a little longer because she knew her time was near. When Benedict refused because of the Rule, Scholastica bowed her head in prayer, and a violent thunderstorm prevented Benedict from returning to the monastery. Benedict accused Scholastica of the storm to which she replied: "I asked a favor of you and you refused it. I asked it of God, and He has granted it." So both of them continued in their discussion about the joys of heaven.

Three days later, Scholastica died. While praying in his monastery cell, Benedict is said to have seen the soul of his twin sister rising to heaven in the form of a dove. St. Scholastica was buried in the tomb Benedict had prepared for himself.

St. William of Maleval (d. ca. 1157 A.D.) may have been a Frenchman who followed a military career at first and led a dissolute life. He however reformed from this former way of life and made a pilgrimage to Rome where he was attended by Pope Eugene III in 1145 A.D. The Pope sent him on a penitential pilgrimage to Jerusalem as a form of penance for his sins.

About 1153 A.D., he went to Tuscany to live as a hermit and at times with a religious community. He was asked to undertake the government of a monastery in the area, but was unsuccessful in attempting to reform the monks. He left that monastery and retired to Monte Pruno. In 1155 A.D. he went to the desert valley of Stabulum Rodis, later known as Maleval, in the territory of Castiglione della Pescaia, where he was joined by Albert, one of his disciples. Together with a doctor named Renaldo, their community developed into the Hermits of St. William (the Williamites) - an early branch of the Hermits of St. Augustine.

St. William of Maleval died at the age of 57 on February 10, 1157 A.D. and was canonized in 1202 A.D. He is honored by the Augustinians who founded a lot of parishes in the Philippines in his name. Most of these parishes are in the northern part of Luzon island in the Philippines. There is also one in the National Capital Region in Buting, Pasig City, and two outside of Luzon island (one in Iloilo and another in Cagayan de Oro) Learn more at Wikipedia.org

Saints in the Byzantine Calendar [February 10]

• Charalampias, Martyr