St. Venantius, Martyr is celebrated in Ascensiontide, the week after the Lord’s Ascension into heaven. Ascensiontide is a short liturgical season focused on Christ’s return to the Father and the sending of the Holy Spirit. The day is listed as a feast (a “day kind” of feast) in the divino_afflatu calendar and falls in the first week of Ascensiontide.
Introit (Daily Prayer)
Ps. 26:7-9. Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call, alleluia; to You my heart speaks; Your glance I seek; Your presence, O Lord, I seek. Hide not Your face from me, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. 26:1. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? Glory Be to the Father…
Almighty and eternal God, give us a will ever dedicated to You, and a true heart to serve Your majesty. Through our Lord…
Weekly Prayer
Prayer to St. Joseph
Oh, St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so prompt, so strong, before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. Oh, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession, and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. So that, having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.
Oh, St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while he reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss his fine head for me and ask him to return the kiss when I draw my dying breath.
St. Joseph, patron of departing souls - pray for me. Amen.
Weekly Formation
Commandment 4
The Ten Commandments
Honor thy father and thy mother.
The Fourth Commandment concerns the honor, gratitude, obedience, and care owed to parents and to lawful authority. It also binds parents and superiors to govern justly, provide what is needed, and seek the true good of those entrusted to them.
Saint & Feast
Principal celebration
Venantius
St. Venantius, Martyr
saint
Born
0235-01-01 · Camerino
Died
0250-05-18 · Camerino
Venantius of Camerino is the patron saint of Camerino, Italy and Raiano, Italy. Christian tradition holds that he was a 15-year-old who was tortured, and martyred by decapitation at Camerino during the persecutions of Decius. Martyred with him were 10 other Christians, including the priest Porphyrius, Venantius' tutor; and Leontius, bishop of Camerino.
Saint Eric IX, King of Sweden, was martyred on May 18, 1160. Known for his efforts to spread Christianity in Sweden and Finland, his death marked a significant moment in the Christianization of Scandinavia.
Saint Eric's dedication to spreading the Gospel reminds us of the transformative power of faith.
Fall of Acre
1291Event
On May 18, 1291, the city of Acre, the last stronghold of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, fell to the Mamluks. This marked the end of Christian rule in the Holy Land, impacting the Church's influence in the region.
The fall of Acre serves as a reminder of the temporal nature of earthly power and the enduring call to spiritual resilience.
Canonization of Saint Joan of Arc
1920Canonization
Saint Joan of Arc, the French heroine and martyr, was canonized by Pope Benedict XV on May 18, 1920. Her canonization recognized her role in leading France to victory during the Hundred Years' War and her deep faith.
Catechism
Catechism of the Catholic Church
In the Catechism, we learn that visible churches are more than gathering places: they signify the Church living in that place, the dwelling of God with people reconciled and united in Christ. They are holy places where the community gathers for worship, hears God’s word, sings his praise, prays, and offers the sacrifice of Christ sacramentally present; they are also places of recollection and personal prayer. The altar recalls the Cross of Christ, and under sacramental signs the sacrifice of the Cross is made present as the People of God are invited to the Lord’s table. In the liturgy, the whole assembly participates according to each person’s role, joined to Christ our high priest and to the heavenly liturgy. Its signs and symbols, drawn from creation, human life, and salvation history, become bearers of Christ’s saving and sanctifying action. Sunday, the Lord’s Day and day of the Christian family, is the principal day for the Eucharist, joy, and rest. As the Church keeps the saints’ memorials, she is united with the liturgy of heaven, while Christians themselves become temples of the Holy Spirit.
¶ 1192
Sacred images in our churches and homes are intended to awaken and nourish our faith in the mystery of Christ. Through the icon of Christ and his works of salvation, it is he whom we adore. Through sacred images of the holy Mother of God, of the angels and of the saints, we venerate the persons represented.
A biography or feast reflection has not yet been prepared.
Joan of Arc's unwavering faith and courage remind us to trust in God's plan, even in the face of adversity.
Sunday, the "Lord's Day," is the principal day for the celebration of the Eucharist because it is the day of the Resurrection. It is the pre-eminent day of the liturgical assembly, the day of the Christian family, and the day of joy and rest from work. Sunday is "the foundation and kernel of the whole liturgical year" (SC 106).
¶ 1194
The Church, "in the course of the year, . . . unfolds the whole mystery of Christ from his Incarnation and Nativity through his Ascension, to Pentecost and the expectation of the blessed hope of the coming of the Lord" (SC 102 # 2).
¶ 1195
By keeping the memorials of the saints - first of all the holy Mother of God, then the apostles, the martyrs, and other saints - on fixed days of the liturgical year, the Church on earth shows that she is united with the liturgy of heaven. She gives glory to Christ for having accomplished his salvation in his glorified members; their example encourages her on her way to the Father.
¶ 1196
The faithful who celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours are united to Christ our high priest, by the prayer of the Psalms, meditation on the Word of God, and canticles and blessings, in order to be joined with his unceasing and universal prayer that gives glory to the Father and implores the gift of the Holy Spirit on the whole world.
¶ 1197
Christ is the true temple of God, "the place where his glory dwells"; by the grace of God, Christians also become the temples of the Holy Spirit, living stones out of which the Church is built.
¶ 1198
In its earthly state the Church needs places where the community can gather together. Our visible churches, holy places, are images of the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, toward which we are making our way on pilgrimage.
Baltimore track
Baltimore Catechism No. 3
Lesson 12 — On the Attributes and Marks of the Church
Q. 529.Since the Church can not err, could it ever be reformed in its teaching of faith or morals?
A.Since the Church can not err, it could never be reformed in its teaching of faith or morals. Those who say the Church needed reformation in faith or morals accuse Our Lord of falsehood and deception.
Q. 530.When does the Church teach infallibly?
A.The Church teaches infallibly when it speaks through the Pope and Bishops united in general council, or through the Pope alone when he proclaims to all the faithful a doctrine of faith or morals.
Q. 531.What is necessary that the Pope may speak infallibly or ex-cathedra?
A.That the Pope may speak infallibly, or ex-cathedra, (1) He must speak on a subject of faith or morals; (2) He must speak as the Vicar of Christ and to the whole Church; (3) He must indicate by certain words, such as, we define, we proclaim, &c., that he intends to speak infallibly.
Q. 532.Is the Pope infallible in everything he says and does?
A.The Pope is not infallible in everything he says and does, because the Holy Ghost was not promised to make him infallible in everything, but only in matters of faith and morals for the whole Church. Nevertheless, the Pope's opinion on any subject deserves our greatest respect on account of his learning, experience and dignity.