january proper calendar

JANUARY

03 JANUARY Most Holy Name of Jesus
Since the beginnings of the Order, many friars are remembered for their special love shown to the most beloved Name of the Savior. After the Council of Lyons II (1274) Pope Gregory X himself specially entrusted the promotion of the praise and veneration of the Most Holy Name of Jesus to the Order under the leadership of Blessed John of Vercelli (1283), then Master of the Order. This devotion was further popularized through the preaching and spiritual writings of the Dominican Blessed Henry Suso (1366) and the Franciscan Saint Bernardine of Siena (1444) and the spread of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Name. Because of the special mandate of the Supreme Pontiffs beginning with Pius IV, our Order has labored hard for the institution of this Confraternity along with the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary.

Proper liturgical formularies were widely used in liturgy and were incorporated into the Dominican rite in the XVII century. By 1720 it was inserted in the Roman Calendar for the universal Church on the already existing celebration of the Circumcision of the Lord (January 1), a feast day on which the imposition of the Most Holy Name of Jesus was especially recalled.

Liturgical note: “Commemoratio”.

On the same day:
03 JANUARY Blessed Stephana Quinzani
At Soncino, in the diocese of Cremona, Italy, Blessed Stephana Quinzani, a sister and Virgin of the Order of Preachers.

Blessed Stephana was born on September 7, 1457 at Orcinuovo near Brescia, Italy. From early childhood she heard an interior voice repeating to her the words “Charity, charity charity”. As a child she often visited the Dominican priory in the company of her father who as a Lay Dominican. There she met Blessed Matthew Carreri who taught her the catechism and became her spiritual director.

When the Quinzani family moved to Soncino, Stephana took the habit as a Lay Dominican after repeatedly refusing offers of marriages. She devoted herself to works of charity among the poor and eventually founded a convent where she and other sister tertiaries could lead regular life.

She was particularly devoted to the Passion of our Lord and bore the marks of his stigmata. At the same time she experienced spiritual aridity as well as doubts and temptations. Of the saints of the Order she was particularly devoted to St. Thomas Aquinas and like the Angelic doctor she was also girded by the angels with the cords as a defense against temptations to unchastity. Blessed Stephana died on January 2, 1530 and was beatified by Pope Benedict XIV in 1740.

04 JANUARY Saint Zdîslava Berkiana (of Lemberk)
At Jablonne, in the diocese of Litomerice, Czech republic, Saint Zdislava Berkiana, a lay person and married woman of the Order of Preachers.

Saint Zdîslava was born in Moravia around the year 1220. Married at a young age to a noble Bohemian warrior, brave but severe. Under very difficult circumstances, she raised her children to the practice of Christian virtue and patiently endured her ill tempers husband. She did only provided well for her own family but was also known as a loving mother of the poor, by rendering heroic service to the poor and the sick. Having built a Church and priory for the Dominican friars at Jablonne, she herself received the habit becoming one of the first lay persons to do so in the annals of the Order. In 1252 filled with virtues and merits, she passed to her reward. Pope St. Pius X confirmed her cult in 1908. She was canonized in the Czech Republic in 1998 by Pope John Paul II.

Liturgical note: “Memoria”

07 JANUARY Saint Raymond of Peñyafort
At Barcelona, Spain, Saint Raymond of Peñyafort, priest, the third Master of the Order of Preachers.

Born at Peñyafort in Catalonia, Spain around the year 1175, Saint Raymond was a priest of the church of Barcelona. He became a distinguished theologian and professor of canon law at the University of Bologna and while there joined the Order in 1222. St Raymond was called to Rome by Pope Gregory IX, who appointed him papal chaplain and penitentiary. He was asked to compile and revise the papal Decretales which remained in use until the promulgation of Canon Law in early XIX century. He also composed at the request of his brethren, the famous Summa Cassum or the Cases of Conscience a manual for confessions and preachers.

Elected third Master of the Order (1238-1240) Raymond served his brothers faithfully but he resigned two years later on grounds of ill health. He encouraged the friars to engage in dialogue with Moslems and Jews, established a school for the study of Arabic languages and the Koran and aided the friars of Our Lady of Mercy in their work in northern Africa. Retiring in Barcelona, he spent the next thirty five years preaching, hearing confessions and working for the conversion of non-believers. He died in Barcelona on January 6, 1275 and was canonized by Pope Clement VIII in 1601. .

Liturgical note: “Memoria”

10 JANUARY Blessed Gonsalvo of Amarante
At Amarante, Portugal, Blessed Gonsalvo, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.

Blessed Gonsalvo was born around 1187 in the diocese of Braga, Portugal. After his ordination, to the priesthood, he was given a rich benefice to administer, but soon the temporal responsibilities weighed too heavily upon him that he turned the parish over to his nephew and resolved to become a pilgrim. For fourteen years traveling about the Holy Land and the sanctuaries of Rome, and returned to Portugal and took up the solitary life of a hermit. Under the inspiration of the Blessed Virgin, he entered the Dominican Order. After his introduction to religious life he obtained permission to return with a companion to Amarante, the scene of his earlier solitude, and there took up the life of a hermit once again. He spent his time in contemplation, ascetical practices and in catechizing the people of the area. Filled with the spirit of Holy Father St. Dominic, he confirmed his preaching of the Gospel both by the example of his life and the number of his miracles. He died in 1259 and was beatified by Pope Clement X in 1671.

10 JANUARY Blessed Ann of the Angels Monteagudo
At Arequipa, Peru, Blessed Ann of the Angels Monteagudo, nun and virgin of the Order of Preachers.

Blessed Ann was born in Arequipa, Peru, in the year 1602 and in 1619 professed solemn vows in the monastery of St. Catherine of Siena. There she fulfilled the offices of sacristan, mistress of novices and prioress. She was completely taken up in prayer with God, yet did not neglect the needs of her neighbors. She died in Arequipa on January 10, 1686. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1985.

11 JANUARY Blessed Bernard Scammacca
At Catania, Sicily (Italy), Blessed Bernard Scammacca, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.

Blessed Bernard was born in Sicily in the year 1430. As a young man he spent his youth in luxury and dissipation, until a serious leg wound proved to be the providential means of his conversion. Turning completely from his former way of life, he asked for the Dominican habit in Catania in 1452 and devoted the rest of his days in humble prayer and rigorous penance. He strove to conform himself to Christ crucified through works of charity, and contemplation of the Passion. He promoted the regular life in the Order and was a gifted preacher. Bernard became distinguished for his obedience, fraternal charity and the gifts of contemplation and prophecy which God made him to be greatly admired by the brethren. He was also known for his care of the sick and the poor and he established a hospital to serve them. He died on January 11, 1487 and Pope Leo XII confirmed his cult in 1825.

15 JANUARY Saint Francis Fernandez de Capillas
At Fu An, Fujian, China, Saint Francis Fernandez de Capillas, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers, martyr.

Proclaimed as the “Protomartyr of China”, Saint Francis de Capillas, a Spanish Dominican, was born at Baquerin de Campos, Palencia, Spain in 1608. He entered the Order in Valladolid at the age of 17. While still a deacon he volunteered to join the Province of the Holy Rosary and was sent to the Philippines where he was ordained to the priesthood in Manila. He first labored for a number of years in the Philippines before going to Fujian, China in 1642 where he labored strenuously for the Gospel of Christ. In 1647 when the city was Fu An was besieged by the invading Manchu Tartars he was arrested when he was ministering to some Christians there. After long interrogations and tortures, he was beheaded and thus meriting the crown of martyrdom on January 15,1648. He was beatified by Pope St. Pius X in 1909 and was canonized in 2000 by Pope John Paul II together with the other martyrs of China.

Liturgical note: Other Provinces: “Memoria” of the Dominican Martyr Saints of China; Holy Rosary Province: Proper “Festum” for St. Francis de Capillas.

18 JANUARY Saint Margaret of Hungary
At Budapest, in Hungary, Saint Margaret, nun and virgin of the Order of Preachers.

Saint Margaret was born to King Bela IV of Hungary and the Greek princess Maria Lascaris in 1242. They vowed to dedicate her to God if granted victory over their enemies, the invading Tartars. When four years old, she was placed in the Monastery of Veszprim for her education and later, she received the Dominican habit, and in fulfillment of his vow, her father founded a monastery for her on an island in the Danube near Buda. At age twelve, she made her profession in the hands of Humbert of Romans, fifth Master of the Order. But shortly afterwards her parents obtained a papal dispensation for her to marry the king of Bohemia, but Margaret refused to compromise her vocation. To prevent further annoyance, she received the Consecration of Virgins with three others nuns at the foot of the alter dedicated to her aunt, St. Elizabeth of Hungary. This is the only instance of the consecration of Virgins in the annals of the Nuns of the Order of Preachers. Margaret distinguished herself in the monastery for her humility and poverty. Despite her royal rank, she lived a life totally dedicated to Christ crucified and inspired her sisters by her asceticism, works of mercy, pursuit of peace and humble service. A vivid picture of her characteristics is furnished in her acts of canonization by the nuns who lived with her. She lived in total humility, engaging in the most menial tasks even in the winter when her hands bled from the cold. She cared for the sick and served even the most loathsome on her knees. She spent her days in prayer, singular was her deep devotion to the Eucharist, She constantly fasted and refused nice clothes and royal comforts, remarking that she preferred the odor of sanctity when dead to smelling sweet only when alive. She died in 1270 at age 28 and was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1943.

Liturgical note: “Memoria” for the Dominican FAmily; “Festum” for the Nuns.


19 JANUARY Blessed Andrew of Peschiera
At Morbengo in Rieti, Italy, Blessed Andrew of Peschiera, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.

Blessed Andrew was born at Peschiera, in the diocese of Verona, Italy in 1400 and entered the Order in a reformed priory of the Congregation of Lombardy in Brescia. After completing his studies at San Marco in Florence, he was sent to evangelize the Valtelline region of the Italian Alps. For forty five years, he labored in this rugged and beautiful countryside, bracing all dangers of weather and terrain in order to bring the Gospel to the people caught in the grip of heresy. He travelled on foot and living with the poor, where he shared gladly their harsh life and meager diet. Through his preaching and his holy example, he reconciled many to Christ. He died on January 18, 1485 at the priory of Morbengo which he had founded. Pope Pius VII confirmed his cult in 1820.

22 JANUARY Blessed Anthony Della Chiesa
At San Germano, in the diocese of Vercelli, Italy, Blessed Anthony della Chiesa, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.

A member of the noble family of Della Chiesa di Roddi, Blessed Anthony was born at San Germano, Italy in 1394. After overcoming the opposition of his father, he entered the Order at Vercelli in 1417amd soon became distinguished as a zealous preacher and reformer. He served as prior in Como, Savona, Florence and Bologna, and labored to restore the regular life by exacting upon them its full observance which at the same time governing with prudence and compassion. He was known for his gentle, yet firm treatment of human frailty. He died at Como on January 22, 1459. Pope Pius VII confirmed his cult in 1819.

23 JANUARY Blessed Henry Suso
At Ulm in Germany, Blessed Henry Suso, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.

Blessed Henry Suso was born in Constanz in Swabia, Germany towards the end of the thirteenth century and is associated with Meister Eckhart and John Tauler in the school of Dominican spirituality known as the ”Rhineland Mystics.” He entered the Order at age 13 he was rescued by grace from a state of tepidity in which he had fallen and became one of the most remarkable penitents of the Order as well as a famous preacher. He pursued Divine Wisdom and manifested a great love for the Passion of the Lord. Although he was plagued by calumny, exile and the opposition of his brethren, he succeeded in directing many persons, especially Dominican nuns, to the heights of contemplation. He also wrote extensively on spirituality and the mystical with great depth and beauty where he taught detachment from all sensible reality and union with God through the contemplation of the perfections and sufferings of Christ. He died in Ulm on January 25, 1366. His cult was confirmed by Pope Gregory XVI in 1831.

Liturgical note: “Memoria optativa”

27 JANUARY Blessed Marcolino of Forli
At Forli, in Emilia, Italy, Blessed Marcolino of Forli, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers.

Blessed Marcolino was born in Forli, Italy in 1317 and entered the Dominican Order as a youth. Although not gifted with great talents as a preacher and teacher, he soon became remarkable for his holiness of life and the exact observance of the Rule and Constitutions.

He loved silence and almost uninterrupted prayer without however being inattentive to the needs of the brethren. He also had a great love for children and a deep filial devotion to the Virgin Mother of God. He supported the reform efforts of Blessed Raymond of Capua, and was employed to carry out the reform and the re-establishment of regular discipline in many houses of the Order while he faithfully carried out his priestly ministry and performed works of charity. He was a counselor for many, and a comforter of the sick. He died on January 24, 1397 at a ripe age of 80. Blessed Pope Benedict XIV confirmed is cult in 1750.

28 JANUARY Saint Thomas Aquinas
In the Cistercian Abbey of Fossa Nuova, near Terracina, Italy, Saint Thomas Aquinas, friar and priest of the Order of Preachers. Doctor of the Church

Saint Thomas was born at Roccasecca, Italy in 1225 of the family of the Counts of Aquino. At the age of seventeen he received the habit of the Order at Naples. He was a disciple of Saint Albert the Great, and at the early age of twenty-five obtained the title of Doctor at the University of Paris. He spent his life teaching and writing, deriving as he said, more light and help from the Crucifix than from books. His immortal Summa Theologiae is his best known work. He devoted all of his energy to the service of truth, eagerly searching it out, lovingly contemplating it, and imparting it to others through his writing, his teaching and his preaching. His life was marked by devotion to the Passion of the Lord, to the mystery of the Eucharist and to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. His hymns on the Blessed Sacrament are among the greatest treasures of the liturgy. In his humility he declined all worldly honors and ecclesiastical dignities. He was renowned for his purity. He died on March 7, 1274, at the Cistercian Monastery of Fossanova, while on his way to the Council of Lyons.

In 1323 he was solemnly canonized by Pope John XXII. Known as the “Angelic Doctor,” he was declared Doctor of the Church by Pope Saint Pius V; and by Pope Leo XIII in 1880 was declared Patron of Catholic Schools. Pope Pius XI declared him Doctor of the Most Holy Eucharist. He is Patron of the Confraternity of the Angelic Warfare. This date recalls the translation of his remains to Toulouse.

Liturgical note: “Festum”.

29 JANUARY Blessed Villana de’ Botti
At Florence, in Italy, Blessed Villana de’ Botti, lay person and widow of the Order of Preachers.

Blessed Villana, the daughter of a rich merchant, was born at Florence in 1332. She married the wealthy Pietro Benitendo and together with her husband gave herself up to the sort of empty and dissipated life that wealth and lack of responsibility could easily afford them. A providential vision interior, spiritual state brought her to her senses. Realizing the emptiness of her life, Villana went to the friars of Santa Maria Novella to confess her sins and asked for the habit of the Sisters of Penance of Saint Dominic. Thenceforth she began to lead a penitent and holy life. She took up the study of scripture and the contemplation of Christ crucified and became well known for her admirable patience, self denial and contempt of worldly things. Her holy example drew other women to follow her example and embrace Dominican penitent life. She died on January 29, 1361 and was buried in the Church of Santa Maria Novella. Pope Leo XII confirmed her cult in 1829.