Xaverian Calendar January 2011

NEW YEAR'S DAY
Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God
World Day of Prayer for Peace
"A new year is beginning today and, while civil society exchanges best wishes, for those who have faith it is a day of holy and generous resolutions. New year, new life; this must be our motto on this day." [Blessed Conforti on Jan. 1, 1920 - Antol. 704]
1918 - Blessed Conforti publishes the 'Father's Word' a series of articles by our founder on mission call and life
See January Mission and Church Intentions of the Pope
1982 - Opening of the Xaverian house in Murcia, Spain

Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord
Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen, Bishops and Teachers
National Migration Week begins
"Besides the holiness that is proper to the individual, and which strives for inner perfection and the acquisition of virtue, there is undoubtedly a public and civil holiness, whose task is parallel to that of individual holiness: to shape the spirit of the society in which we live so that it conforms to the Christian laws and so that Christ’s Kingdom in the world may be accomplished." [Blessed Conforti on Jan. 4, 1909 - Antol. 678]
See January Mission and Church Intentions of the Pope

The Most Holy Name of Jesus
"It is, therefore, our duty to kneel down and welcome the benefits conferred upon us by Christ, with a heart overflowing with gratitude and filial love." [Blessed Conforti on Mar. 23, 1913 - Antol. 666]
1952 - Xaverian Msgr. Dante Battaglierin becomes Bishop of the Diocese of Jessore, Bangladesh

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, foundress of the Sisters of Charity
"Nature is pliable, good habits are easily acquired and divine grace if felt more keenly. Discipleship exerts a greater attraction. A tranquil and solid conscience is the source of greater energy." [Blessed Conforti on Sept. 11-22, 1913 - Antol. 238]
1903 - Bishop Conforti enters privately the diocese of Ravenna as Bishop, in the middle of the night

St. John Neumann, bishop and promoter of parish schools
"It is not enough to know God’s will in connection with this, we must also fulfill it faithfully and do so completely in accordance with his will." [Blessed Conforti on Sept. 11-22, 1913 - Antol. 238]

Saint André Bessette, religious and healer of Montreal
"Today Jesus Christ solemnly inaugurates the sign of universal brotherhood, which is based on the precept of mutual love. The new Law of Christ banishes forever the hatred, revenge and conflict that have made the world so miserable, and mutual love must govern the relationships between individuals, families and nations." [Blessed Conforti on Jan. 6, 1918 - Antol. 327]
1911 - Blessed Conforti preaches in the Cathedral of Parma, on the necessity of 'sustaining the mission work of the Church'
1921 - Final approval of the Xaverian Constitutions
1987 - Ordination of Bishop G. Biguzzi, for Sierra Leone

St. Raymond of Peñafort, priest and scholar
First Friday
"In its wider meaning, holiness is nothing else that the union of the soul with God." [Blessed Conforti on Nov. 1, 1913]
Orthodox Christmas

"Holiness means possessing the grace, friendship and love of God, practicing good virtues, and accomplishing personal duties in accordance to Divine law." [Blessed Conforti on Nov. 1, 1913]
1931 - Bishop Conforti blesses the cameras and mass-media machinery used for the Xaverian movie 'Our Africa'

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
National Vocation Awareness Week begins
"God the Almighty, as Divine truth, will one day be our reward and crown, our joy for endless years." [Blessed Conforti on Nov. 1, 1913]
1930 - Xaverian Msgr. Assuero Bassi is named Apostolic Prefect of Loyang, Honan, China

Ordinary Time begins
"The unceasing desire of our heart in this mortal life is this: to possess all goodness, and forever know all truth, without fear or deceit." [Blessed Conforti on Nov. 1, 1913]
1991 - Xaverians arrive in the Philippines

"It is impossible for us to want something better than what God wants: His Will is enlightened by infinite designs and guided by eternal wisdom." [Blessed Conforti on Nov. 1, 1917]

"Holiness is possible, because it does not depend on the greatness of our deeds, the height of our places, our marvelous accomplishments or the extraordinary things done." [Blessed Conforti on Nov. 1, 1917]

St. Hilary, Bishop
"Holiness is the observance of divine law, the accomplishment of our duties according to our state which Divine Providence placed us; in a simple phrase, it is the accomplishment of the Will of God" [Blessed Conforti on Nov. 1, 1917]
1906 - After an audience with Pope Pius X, Blessed Conforti accompanies departing China missionaries Frs. Armelloni, Pellerzi and Uccelli to the port of Naples

"The saints possessed this will power, and therefore were able to fight without rest against all the obstacles which they encountered in their journey of life." [Blessed Conforti in Jan. 1918]
1920 - Blessed Conforti writes to the members of the Missionary Union of the Clergy, introducing them to the Encyclical of Pope Benedict XV 'Maximum Illud'
1960 - With decree from the Propagation of Faith, the Xaverians establish the 'International Conforti House' in Rome
1875 - Birthday of Albert Schweitzer

St. Arnold Janssen, Founder of the Divine World Missionaries
"The saints were able to accomplish great things for the glory of God and the good of their neighbors, and reached the highest peaks of Christian perfection." [Blessed Conforti in Jan. 1918]
1929 - Birth of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Holiness is the essential character and the perfection par excellence of God, in Whom there is no shadow of evil or error." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920]
World Day of Migrants and Refugees

USA - National Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.
St. Anthony, Abbot and Founder of Religious Life
"As masterpiece of the goodness and wisdom of God, the true Church must be holy." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920]

Christian Unity Week begins
"Holiness consists in the generous resolution to practice all the virtues in a perfect manner, sacrificing all the demands of our corrupt nature." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920 - Antol. 674]
1904 - Blessed Conforti gives the Crucifix to Frs. Calza, Sartori, Brambilla and Bonardi, departing missionaries for Honan, China

"Holiness consists in uniting ourselves to God through love, drawing from this union a heroic courage for the most sublime moral progress, for the most generous works for the glory of God and the good of the brothers." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920 - Antol. 674]
1906 - Blessed Conforti writes the First Circular Letter to the Xaverians

St. Fabian, pope and martyr and St. Sebastian, martyr
"Holiness consists in the perfect uniformity of the Divine firstfruits of the predestined." [Blessed Conforti on Jan. 14, 1914]
1921 - Blessed Conforti writes a Pastoral Letter on Catholic Youth Organizations

St. Agnes, virgin and martyr of the fourth century
"It is we, human beings who, moved by the spirit of rebellion, do not obey the divine Will and disturb the wonderful harmony of the universe and spoil the world’s beauty." [Blessed Conforti on Nov. 1, 1917 - Antol. 160]

St. Vincent, deacon and martyr of Spain
USA - Day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right of life, on the Anniversary of Supreme Court decision, Roe vs. Wade (1973)
"Holiness does not consist in doing wonderful things and in the enjoyment of extraordinary supernatural gifts, but rather in the possession of the divine grace and in the faithful accomplishment of God’s will." [Blessed Conforti in July 1922 - Antol. 689]
1931 - Blessed Conforti introduces to the Clergy of Parma the Encyclical by Pius XI on Holy Matrimony

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
"God’s will reveals itself in a special way to each one of us through the duties of the state in which divine Providence has placed us. This is the path that led the Saints to the peak of Christian perfection." [Blessed Conforti in July 1922 - Antol. 689]
1923 - Blessed Conforti presides over a week-long celebration of the arrival of the Relic of St. Francis Xavier at the Motherhouse in Parma, Italy
1927 - Blessed Conforti writes his last letter to the members of the Missionary Union of the Clergy as he concludes his mandate as president of this organization

St. Francis de Sales, bishop and patron of writers
"Some became saints amidst the splendor of the most eminent dignity and others in the obscurity of a humble life, despicable in the eyes of the world, which judges by appearances." [Blessed Conforti in July 1922 - Antol. 690]

The Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle
"The Catholic concept of holiness seems to me to be perfectly expressed in these words spoken by John Chrysostom in praise of St. Paul: Cor Pauli, cor Christi erat. The heart of the saint was a perfect copy of Christ’s heart." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920 - Antol. 674]
1907 - Blessed Conforti writes the second Circular Letter
1929 - Blessed Conforti writes the seventh Circular Letter to the Xaverians and an open letter to the diocese of Parma on his recent visit of China
1988 - Apostolic letter 'Euntes in Mundum' by Pope John Paul II on bringing the Gospel of Christ to the World [Jan. 25, 1988]

Saints Timothy and Titus, bishops and companions of St. Paul
"We would say with the same words of the apostle of the gentiles: The saint is one who is happy to make up all that still has to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body (cfr. Col 1:24)." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920 - Antol. 674]
1958 - Opening of the Xaverian novitiate in Brazil

St. Angela Merici, foundress of the Ursulines, teaching order especially for poor girls, wives and mothers
"The excellence and the perfection of the saint are an emanation of the spirit of Jesus." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920 - Antol. 675]

St. Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor, patron of schools and universities
"At first sight, holiness could appear impossible for the human condition; but there is the Church, loving Mother, chosen by Christ as the dispenser of the sacraments to its children." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920]
1898 - Conforti is named Archdeacon of the Cathedral of Parma
1972 - The Amazon Region of Brazil becomes a Province

"Disciples of the Nazarene, following the example of the saints, we are obliged to be like him in some way, to copy something of his life, to reflect in us a little of his love for God, his zeal for prayer, his spotless purity, his temperance, his unfailing love; in short, something of his moral perfection." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920 - Antol. 636]

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
"Let us conduct ourselves in a way to merit one day the prize reserved by God to those who have believed and worked in conformity of their faith. In faith you will find holiness." [Blessed Conforti on May 23, 1920]
World Leprosy Day
1948 - Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi assassinated

St. John Bosco, priest and founder of the Salesians, dedicated to educating youth
"The intimate life of Don Bosco, masterpiece of heavenly grace, bespeaks eloquently of his admirable holiness, woven together by prayer and work. His public life, the foundation of the Salesian congregation, speaks of his spirit of organization, his unwavering courage, his firm character, and his deep knowledge of times and things." [Blessed Conforti on May 26, 1908]