October is among my favorite months; and, it was one of my mother’s favorites as well. From a personal perspective, my brother’s birthday makes October special. But as you know, this tenth month of the year triggers the beginning of the “holiday season” …the academic year is underway, weather is a little cooler, days are a little shorter, etc.
My affection for October extends into my Catholic life as well. To begin with Holy Mother Church dedicates October to the Holy Rosary. And this year our Holy Father has declared the Year of Faith to begin on October 11th and will end on November 24, 2013, the feast of Christ the King.
Many of my favorite saints’ feast fall in October. Although their earthly lives spanned centuries and continents, their love for God and our Catholic faith crossed time and space. A few noteworthy October dates for me are:
- September 29th – Saints Michael, Raphael and Gabriel
- October 1st – St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus
- 2nd – The Holy Guardian Angels
- 4th – St. Francis of Assisi
- 7th – Holy Rosary (won’t be observed in 2012 since it falls on a Sunday)
- 15th – St. Teresa of Jesus
- 16th – St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
- 18th – St. Luke
- 19th – Sts. John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues, and their companions
- 20th – St. Paul of the Cross
- 23rd – St. John of Capistrano
I pray that through the intercession of Our Lady Queen of the Rosary God will send us many graces in October.