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In the history of the Church, the name of Saint Monica is closely linked to that of her son, Saint Augustine, for whom she prayed and sacrificed herself in order to obtain his conversion from God. Her life, marked by steadfast faith and constant perseverance under God’s guidance, demonstrates how essential prayer and living in God’s grace truly are.
According to the Acts of his martyrdom, Alexander was a Roman imperial centurion commander belonging to the Theban Legion, a military unit composed of Christian soldiers. When the legion was transferred to the West to face incursions by the Germanic tribes of the Quadi and Marcomanni, during the crossing of the Valais region, they received orders to persecute Christians, against whom a new wave of persecutions had broken out. The Christian soldiers, refusing to obey, were massacred. Alexander was one of the few survivors and managed to flee to Italy.
He is known as a just and prudent king, so much so that he earned the nickname prud’homme (“wise man”). He was also a reformer of institutions and often acted as a mediator in international conflicts. This is Louis IX, King of France. He was born on April 25, 1214, and became king at only twelve years old.
Bartholomew is one of the twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus to continue His mission and proclaim the Gospel to all nations. He is mentioned in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, as well as in the Acts of the Apostles. Christian tradition also identifies him with the Apostle Nathanael, mentioned in the Gospel of John, although this identification is debated by some contemporary scholars.
She was the first canonized saint to be born in the Americas. A great mystic, she sought to imitate the example of Saint Catherine of Siena and entered the Dominican Third Order. She is Saint Rose of Lima, whose birth name was Isabel de Flores.
On the octave of the Assumption, the Church celebrates the memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955, originally set for May 31, but later moved to August 22 to highlight more clearly the connection between Mary’s queenship and her Assumption into heaven in body and soul.
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