May the Saints & Feast Days for the month of February inspire you to grow closer to Christ Jesus.
February 2: Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord
40 days after the birth of Jesus Christ, Mary and Joseph present Jesus to the Lord in fulfillment of the Law of Moses “every first-born child shall be consecrated to the Lord” (Ex 13:2). During the presentation, Simeon said to Mary “This Child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed – and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword…” (Lk 2:34,35). St. John Paul II, in Redemptoris Mater, wrote that this prophecy of Simeon was for Mary a second annunciation:
“For they tell her of the actual historical situation in which the Son is to accomplish His mission, namely, in misunderstanding and sorrow. While this announcement on the one hand confirms her faith in the accomplishment of the divine promises of salvation, on the other hand it also reveals to her that she will have to live her obedience of faith in suffering, at the side of the suffering Savior, and that her motherhood will be mysterious and sorrowful.”
February 7: Blessed Pius IX
Pius IX was pope from 1846 to 1878, the longest pontificate since St. Peter. During his tenure, he proclaimed the Immaculate Conception of Mary in 1854, made the Feast of the Sacred Heart universal, consecrated all Catholics to the Sacred Heart, and convened Vatican I which defined the dogma of papal infallibility.
“The foundation of all our confidence is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. God has committed to her the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is His will: That we obtain everything through Mary”
– Blessed Pius IX
February 11: Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes made 18 appearances to Saint Bernadette Soubirous from February to July, 1858. This was shortly after the 1854 dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and during one of the apparitions Mary declared to Bernadette “I am the Immaculate Conception”.
During the third Apparition in February, The Virgin Mary spoke for the first time. Bernadette held out a sheet of paper and a pencil so that she might write down her name, but the Lady replied: “what I have to say to you does not have to be written down”. Meaning that the Virgin Mary wanted to enter into a relationship of love, at the level of the heart.
February 14: Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is not an official holy day or feast day in the Catholic Church. It was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 due to not enough information on St. Valentine. We believe he lived in the third century, but little is known or can be proven true.
What we can do on this day is give honor and praise to the loving Heart of Jesus and express our love to those in our life. St. Valentine’s Day is a great day to pray to the Sacred Heart and renew your love.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I adore You.
February 17: Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday opens Lent, a season of fasting and prayer, and takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”
February 22: Chair of St. Peter
The Chair of St. Peter is located in St. Peter’s Basilica, below a stained glass image depicting the Holy Spirit as a dove. The established seat of a Bishop, is placed in the mother church of a diocese, which is known as a cathedral. It is the symbol of the Bishop’s authority and in particular, of his magisterium. The See of Rome, after St Peter’s travels, thus came to be recognized as the See of the Successor of Peter, and its Bishop’s cathedral represents the mission entrusted to him by Christ to tend his entire flock.
“Consequently, the Chair of the Bishop of Rome represents not only his service to the Roman community but also his mission as a guide of the entire People of God. Celebrating the “Chair” of Peter, means attributing a strong spiritual significance to recognizing it as a privileged sign of the love of God, the eternal Good Shepherd, who wanted to gather his whole Church and lead her on the path of salvation.”
February 23: St. Polycarp
St. Polycarp was a disciple of St. John, the Bishop of Smyrna, and lived from 69 to 159 AD. At the age of 86 he was brought into the arena to be martyred. The Roman proconsul tried to persuade him to deny Christ and pay homage to Caesar. To which St. Polycarp gave his famous reply:
“Fourscore and six years have I served Him and He has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior? If you require me to swear by the genius of Caesar, as you call it, hear my free confession: I am a Christian and if you desire to learn the doctrines of Christianity, appoint a time and hear me.
St. Polycarp
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