The month of October still remains within Ordinary Time. October is a month dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God.
MAJOR SAINTS AND FEAST DAYS
| Oct. 1 | Theresa of the Child Jesus, Virgin, | Memorial |
| Oct. 2 | Guardian Angels, | Memorial |
| Oct. 4 | Francis of Assisi, | Memorial |
| Oct. 7 | Our Lady of the Rosary, | Memorial |
| Oct. 11 | Pope St. John XXIII | |
| Oct. 15 | Teresa of Avila, Virgin and Doctor, | Memorial |
| Oct. 17 | Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr, | Memorial |
| Oct. 18 | Luke the Evangelist, | Feast |
| Oct. 19 | John de Brebeuf, Isaac Jogues, and Companions, Martyrs, | Memorial |
| Oct. 22 | Pope St. John Paul II | |
| Oct. 28 | Simon and Jude, Apostles, | Feast |
IRISH SAINTS OF OCTOBER
Oct. 11 Canice, Abbot (c. 515-99)
According to some sources, Canice, also known as Kenneth, was born at Glengiven, and became a monk and priest in Wales under St. Cadoc, at Llancarfan. He traveled to Rome, studied under St. Finian at Clonard, and evangelized in Ireland and Scotland. He was a close friend of Columba, whom he accompanied on a mission to the Picts. Canice may be the founder of monasteries at Aghaboe and Kilkenny in Ireland, and he also left a number of traces in place-names in Scotland.
Oct. 13 Comgan, Abbot (8th century)
Son of a prince of Leinster, he succeeded his father, but was forced to flee to Scotland, where he settled near Skye, built a monastery, and lived an austere life there. He was buried on Iona by his nephew, St. Fillan.
Oct. 16 Gall (d. c. 635)
Gall distinguished himself as a scholar of grammar, poetry, and Holy Scripture under Saints Comgall and Columban at Bangor and was ordained a priest. He was one of twelve disciples who accompanied Columban to the Continent, first evangelizing in France and later in what is now Switzerland. Gall did not accompany Columban when the latter departed for Italy. Some legends have it that this resulted in a falling out between the two that was only healed at the death of Columban, but this may simply be a story to explain their separation. Gall became a hermit, and eventually the famous monastery of St. Gall came to occupy the site of his hermitage. Several stories would seem to indicate that the saint was an avid fisherman. He turned down offers of bishoprics and abbacies to remain a hermit. St. Gall is considered the apostle of Switzerland.
Oct. 21 Fintan, Abbot (d.c.635)
Also known as Munnu, Fintan was a monk of Cluain Inis, spent some time at Iona, and upon returning to Ireland founded a monastery at Taghmon, Wexford, serving as its abbot. He was a firm supporter of the Celtic liturgical practices. He reportedly contracted leprosy late in life.
Oct. 27 Otteran, Abbot (d. 563)
Also known as Odhran, this saint may have been a Briton. He was an abbot in Meath before he left Ireland among the twelve companions who accompanied Columba to Iona.
Oct. 29 Colman of Kilmacduagh, Bishop (d.c. 632)
Son of a chieftain, reportedly consecrated a bishop unwillingly, he lived as a hermit in the Burren. He built a monastery at Kilmacduagh and is considered the first bishop of that see. Like many Irish saints, there are many fanciful stories about him. Colman is said to have been aided in his devotions by a rooster, a mouse, and a fly: the first woke him up for the night office, the second kept him from falling asleep again, while the third served as a bookmark.
Oct. 31 Foillan, Abbot (d.c. 655)
With his two sainted brothers, Fursey and Ultan, he left Ireland for England c. 630, built a monastery at Burgh Castle, near Yarmouth, and evangelized the East Anglians. When his monastery was destroyed by the pagan Mercians under Penda, Foillan and his brother Ultan decided to follow their brother Fursey to Gaul, where they were welcomed by the Neustrian king, Clovis II. Foillan was founder and first abbot of a monastery at Fosses and converted many of the locals. He was murdered by outlaws.
ISSUES
–In August, the Democratic National Committee passed a resolution recognizing the “nones,” that is, those with no religious affiliation, as “the largest religious group” in the party. The resolution went on to warn of harm caused to “the LGBT community, women, and ethnic and religious/nonreligious minorities” by “misplaced claims of ‘religious liberty.'”
–In Colorado, a man with cancer and his doctor are suing a Catholic hospital system there, alleging that its refusal to assist his suicide is a violation of state law. Meanwhile, in California, two Catholic hospital systems are being sued by women who identify as men, for refusing to remove their uteruses as part of a “gender transition.” This is happenig even though one system offered to make a referral to a facility that would perform an elective hysterectomy.
–On September 27, a federal district court in Michigan issued a preliminary injunction against a new state policy instituted by Michigan’s Attorney General, Dana Nessel, which would require adoption and foster care agencies receiving state funding to certify homosexual couples, regardless of religious convictions to the contrary. Judge Robert Jonker noted that statements by Nessel calling religious agencies “hate mongers” and other derogatory terms raise a strong inference of hostility towards religion. This is at least a temporary victory for St. Vincent Catholic Charities, a major provider of foster care and adoption services, which had been barred from funding. Catholic foster care and adoption agencies have been shut down in Illinois, Boston, San Francisco, and D.C., due to measures similar to Nessel’s.
–In some jurisdictions, elections will be held November 5. The statement of our bishops on duties of Catholic voters, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, may be accessed at www.usccb.org.
[Sources consulted for this report include: Butler’s Lives of the Saints, complete edition, ed. and rev. by Herbert Thurston and Donald Attwater; 4 vols. (New York, 1956); The Liturgy of the Hours According to the Roman Rite (New York, 1975); The National Catholic Register; ewtn.com; catholic.org; priestsforlife.org.]
Fraternally,
Patrick J. Lally
lally8404@hotmail.com
