Lenten Action for Dreamers The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops invites YOU to participate in a national Call-in-Day to Congress on Monday, February 26, the Feast of St. Paula Montal, the foundress of the Piarist Sisters. Your advocacy is critical to help the nearly 1.8 million Dreamers, young people who were brought to the United States by their parents as children. Many face deportation as soon as March 6, unless Congress reaches a bi-partisan deal to protect them. Please follow these easy steps: 1, Call 855-589-5698 to reach the Capital switchboard, and press 1 to connect to your Senators. Once you are connected to each Senator’s office, please ask the person on the line to deliver this simple message: “I urge you to support a bipartisan common-sense and humane solution for Dreamers which includes protecting them from deportation, providing them with a path to citizenship, rejecting proposals that undermine family immigration or protections for unaccompanied children, and to act now to protect Dreamers because families are not chains, but a blessing to be protected.” 2. Call 855-589-5698 a second time to reach the switchboard again, and press 2 to connect to your Representative. Once you are connected to the Representative’s office, please ask the person on the phone to deliver the same message as above. 3. After completing your call, go to http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org to find other ways to voice your support.

St. Paula Montal is the foundress of the Piarist Sisters. Paula Montal Fornés de San José de Calasanz was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1799. She was the oldest of five daughters. Her father died when she was only 10, and Paula had to go to work to help her mother support the family. She also helped her mother raise her younger sisters. Paula was disappointed that she could not attend school. She promised God that she would devote her life to the Christian education of girls and young women. Paula and her best friend, Inés Busquets, moved to a city near the border of Spain and France in 1829 to open their first school. It offered special training for girls and also educated them in the Catholic faith. After the third school was built, Paula was given permission from the pope in 1847 to form an order of nuns who were committed to her work. The name Paula chose was the Daughters of Mary Religious of the Pious Schools. The community was devoted to our Blessed Mother and to the education of young women. When the community gathered to elect a Mother Superior, Sister Paula was not chosen. This was unusual because she had founded the order, but Paula was not upset. She saw it as a sign that God wanted her to continue to work closely with the girls in the Pious Schools. Paula personally founded eight more schools. She was also responsible for the formation of the young women who wanted to become Daughters of Mary nuns. The young nuns and the students she taught were inspired by her holiness. Mother Paula Montal died on February 26, 1889, at one of the schools she founded, Olesa de Montserrat. She was canonized in 2001, at which time there were more than 800 Sisters of the Pious Schools in 19 countries.

March 1st is St. Davids Day, the national day of Wales and has been celebrated as such since the 12th Century. Today the celebrations usually involve the singing of traditional songs followed by a tea with bara brith (famous welsh fruited bread) and teisen bach (welsh cake). Actually not too much is known about St David except from a biography written around 1090 by Rhygyfarch, son of the Bishop of St. Davids. David was reputedly born on a cliff top near Capel Non (Non’s chapel) on the South-West Wales coast during a fierce storm. Both his parents were descended from Welsh royalty. He was the son of Sandde, Prince of Powys, and Non, daughter of a chieftain of Menevia (now the little cathedral town of St David’s). The site of Davids birth is marked by the ruins of a tiny ancient chapel close to a holy well and the more recent 18th century chapel dedicated to his mother Non can still be seen near St. David’s Cathedral. In medieval times it was believed that St David was the nephew of King Arthur. Legend has it that the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick – also said to have been born near the present day city of St. Davids – foresaw the birth of David in approximately AD520. The young David grew up to be a priest, being educated at the monastery of Hen Fynyw under the tutorage of St. Paulinus. According to legend David performed several miracles during his life including restoring Paulinus’ sight. It is also said that during a battle against the Saxons, David advised his soldiers to wear leeks in their hats so that they could easily be distinguished from their enemies, which is why the leek is one of the emblems of Wales. A vegetarian who ate only bread, herbs and vegetables and who drank only water, David became known as Aquaticus or Dewi Ddyfrwr (the water drinker) in Welsh. Sometimes, as a self-imposed penance, he would stand up to his neck in a lake of cold water, reciting Scripture! It is also said that milestones during his life were marked by the appearance of springs of water. Becoming a missionary David travelled throughout Wales and Britain and even made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where he was consecrated bishop. He founded 12 monasteries including Glastonbury and one at Minevia (St. Davids) which he made his bishops seat. He was named Archbishop of Wales at the Synod of Brevi (Llandewi Brefi), Cardiganshire in 550. Monastery life was very strict, the brothers having to work very hard, cultivating the land and pulling the plough. Many crafts were followed – beekeeping, in particular, was very important. The monks had to keep themselves fed as well as provide food and lodging for travellers. They also looked after the poor. St David died on March 1, 589, at Minevia, allegedly over 100 years old. His remains were buried in a shrine in the 6th century cathedral which was ransacked in the 11th century by Viking invaders, who plundered the site and murdered two Welsh bishops. After his death, his influence spread far and wide, first through Britain and then by sea to Cornwall and Brittany. In 1120, Pope Callactus II canonised David as a Saint. Following this he was declared Patron Saint of Wales. Such was Davids influence that many pilgrimages were made to St. David’s, and the Pope decreed that two pilgrimages made to St. Davids equalled one to Rome while three were worth one to Jerusalem. Fifty churches in South Wales alone bear his name. It is not certain how much of the history of St. David is fact and how much is mere speculation. However in 1996 bones were found in St. David’s Cathedral which, it is claimed, could be those of Dewi himself. Perhaps these bones can tell us more about St David: priest, bishop and patron saint of Wales.

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter - February 22 On the one hand, there is a physical chair which is an ancient, ornamented chair and is located in the apse of St. Peter's Basilica. On the other hand, there is the spiritual authority that this chair represents. Early martyrologies indicate that two liturgical feasts were celebrated in Rome, in honor of earlier chairs associated with Saint Peter, his Roman chair was kept in the baptismal chapel of St. Peter's Basilica, while the Antioch chair was housed in the catacomb of Priscilla. The dates of these celebrations were January 18 and February 22 respectively.. According to recent scientific studies, the object-now known as the Cathedra Petri (Latin for "Chair of Peter”) dates back to the sixth century and-is located in the apse of St. Peter's Basilica. It is enthroned in the back of the chamber, behind the famous altar, on the far, back wall, below the the well-known, stained glass image depicting the Holy Spirit as a dove This display contains an ancient chair that has been repaired and ornamented over time. The wooden throne was a gift from the Holy Roman Emperor Charles the Bald to Pope John VIII in 875. The seat is about one foot ten inches above the ground, and two feet eleven and seven-eighths inches wide; the sides are two feet one and one-half inches deep; the height of the back up to the tympanum is three feet five and one-third inches; the entire height of the chair is four feet seven and one-eighth inches. The oldest portion is a perfectly plain oaken arm-chair with four legs connected by cross-bars. The wood is much worm-eaten, and pieces have been cut from various spots at different times, evidently for relics. To the right and left of the seat are four strong iron rings, intended for carrying-poles, which are set into the legs. Over time, various modifications have been made to the chair, to repair and ornament it. Most notably, the famous Italian artist/architect Bernini (1598-1680) created the current display. During the Middle Ages it was customary to exhibit the chair yearly to the faithful, and the newly-elected pope was also solemnly enthroned on this venerable chair. In order to preserve this precious relic for posterity, Pope Alexander VII (1655-67) enclosed, after the designs of Bernini, the Cathedra Petri above the apsidal altar of St. Peter's in a gigantic casing of bronze, supported by four Doctors of the Church (Ambrose, Augustine, Athanasius, and St. John Chrysostom). The Chair of St Peter, represented in the apse of the Vatican Basilica is a monumental sculpture, a symbol of the special mission of Peter and his Successors to tend Christ’s flock, keeping it united in faith and in charity The Chair of St. Peter is a very ancient tradition, proven to have existed in Rome since the fourth century. On it, we give thanks to God for the mission He entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his Successors. "Cathedra" literally means the established seat of the Bishop, placed in the mother church of a diocese which for this reason is known as a "cathedral"; it is the symbol of the Bishop's authority and in particular, of his "magisterium", that is, the evangelical teaching which, as a successor of the Apostles, he is called to safeguard and to transmit to the Christian Community. 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 "cathedra" represented the mission entrusted to him by Christ to tend his entire flock. Celebrating the "Chair" of Peter, therefore, as we are doing today, means attributing a strong spiritual significance to it and 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. By the way, the pope does not have to sit in the physical Chair of Peter to be infallible? Although the pope's infallible pronouncements are called ex cathedra (Latin, "from the chair") statements, he does not have to be sitting in the physical chair (which is rather high off the ground in any case). In fact, he doesn't have to be seated at all. He simply has to use the fullness of his authority as the successor of Peter to definitively teaching a particular matter pertaining to faith or morals. This use of the full extent of his teaching authority is referred to figuratively, as him speaking "from the chair" of St. Peter. It's a figurative expression, not a reference to the physical object.  

Today, February 15, is the Piarist Feast of Venerable Glicerio Landriani (1588-1618), a cleric and professor of the Piarist Order and a companion of Saint Joseph Calasanz. He moved to the Pious Schools on May 6, 1611, along with five priests. He taught catechism in the schools. He was a titular abbot and as such was assigned to buy the house next to the Piarist Church of San Pantaleo, to be used as a school. He entered the Piarist novitiate in 1618 but became very sick, and it was clear that he would soon die. The Piarist Cardinal Protector received Landriani's simple profession on February 15, 1618, and Landriani passed away a few hours later.

He was the youngest of eight children, was educated by the Piarists, and studied engineering in Valencia, Spain. He was married to Isabel Rodes Reig, the main witness to his life and martyrdom, and who died in 1993. He spread a Christian outlook and morality among his peers and was known for his charity to the poor. He worked as an industrial engineer in the family ceramics firm, and he held several important municipal posts in which he put the Church‘s social teaching into practice. He was always involved in parish activities and Catholic youth groups, and he was firmly against the anti-religious sentiment of 1930’s Spain, where he worked to save persecuted priests and religious. As he was taken away to his martyrdom on February 14, 1937, for supporting his faith, his wife said, “See you tomorrow!”, and he answered, “Until tomorrow or in heaven!”. Those who’ve studied his case believe he had a cause for canonization based solely on his life, not just his martyrdom. He was beatified by Pope St. John Paul II on October 1, 1995.

There are multiple legends of Saint Valentine, and different reliquaries in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Scotland, England and France all claim to have bones attributed to a Saint Valentine. While Catholics believe that Feb. 14 commemorates the martyrdom of Saint Valentine, who was a Roman priest beheaded in the third century, no one can agree on exactly what he did or why he was executed. Some legends say Valentine was a bishop in Terni, Italy, who healed the sick, including the blind daughter of a prison guard whom he met while in jail for practicing Christianity in a pagan world. Some say he was sentenced to death because he tried to convert Emperor Claudius to Christianity. Others say the sentence came because he was caught secretly performing weddings, defying a ban on marriage that had been imposed by the Emperor as a solution to a military recruitment crunch. The feast day’s earliest associations with love and fertility may have been inherited from the pagan festival of Lupercalia, which was celebrated by the ancient Romans between Feb. 13 and Feb. 15. A matchmaking lottery would pair men and women up for the duration of the festival, and the men would slap women with the hides of goats and dogs they had sacrificed, which was thought to make the women fertile, historian Noel Lenski has told NPR. It’s thought that Pope Gelasius I established the feast of Saint Valentine in the fifth century to “Christianize” the festival.But Saint Valentine’s feast day didn’t use to be a big to-do — which should please those who think too much is being made of it now.“Valentine was not one of the more important saints venerated by medieval people — nor was his feast one of the 40 to 50 festa ferianda, or celebratory festivals, which required people to abstain from work in order to fast and attend mass,” Sarah Peverley, a professor of English at the University of Liverpool, explained in a piece for The Conversation. Plus, the holiday fell right in the middle of a run of much bigger holidays, such as Candlemas on Feb. 2, as well as the carnivals leading up to the Shrove Tuesday and the beginning of the Lenten fast season, which often fall around the same time. (Valentine’s Day in 2018, for example, is the same day as Ash Wednesday.) That began to change in the Middle Ages. It’s believed to be around that time, as notions of courtly love gained influence in Europe, that some celebrants found a more cheerful way of explaining why Saint Valentine’s feast day should be a time to think about romance. Poets, most famously Geoffrey Chaucer in his 14th-century “Parliament of Fowls,” were the ones who put it together that the day fell right around the time of year when birds would sing their mating songs to get ready for the spring. He wrote, per one translation, “For this was on Saint Valentine’s day / When every bird cometh there to chose his mate.” A February 1477 letter in which Margery Brews of Norfolk, England, called her fiancé John Paston “my right well-beloved valentine” is considered the oldest known Valentine written in English (and is now housed at the British Library).

St. Agatha, also known as Agatha of Sicily, is one of the most highly venerated virgin martyrs of the Catholic Church. It is believed that she was born around 231 in either Catania or Palermo, Sicily to a rich and noble family. From her very early years, the notably beautiful Agatha dedicated her life to God. She became a consecrated virgin, a state in life where young women choose to remain celibate and give themselves wholly to Jesus and the Church in a life of prayer and service. That did not stop men from desiring her and making unwanted advances toward her. However, one of the men who desired Agatha, whose name was Quintianus, because he was of a high diplomatic ranking, thought he could force her to turn away from her vow and force her to marry. His persistent proposals were consistently spurned by Agatha, so Quintianus, knowing she was a Christian during the persecution of Decius, had her arrested and brought before the judge. He was the Judge. He expected her to give in to his demands when she was faced with torture and possible death, but she simply reaffirmed her belief in God by praying: "Jesus Christ, Lord of all, you see my heart, you know my desires. Possess all that I am. I am your sheep: make me worthy to overcome the devil." With tears falling from her eyes, she prayed for courage. To force her to change her mind, Quintianus had her imprisoned - in a brothel. Agatha never lost her confidence in God, even though she suffered a month of assaults and efforts to get her to abandon her vow to God and go against her virtue. Quintianus heard of her calm strength and ordered that she be brought before him once again. During her interrogation, she told him that to be a servant of Jesus Christ was her true freedom. Enraged, Quintianus sent her off to prison instead of back to the brothel -- a move intended to make her even more afraid, but it was probably a great relief to her. Agatha continued to proclaim Jesus as her Savior, Lord, Life, and Hope. Quintianus ordered her to be tortured. He had her stretched on a rack to be torn with iron hooks, burned with torches, and whipped. Noticing Agatha was enduring all the torture with a sense of cheer, he commanded she be subjected to a worse form of torture ? this evil man ordered that her breasts be cut off. He then sent her back to prison with an order of no food or medical attention. But the Lord gave her all the care she needed. He was her Sacred Physician and protector. Agatha had a vision of the apostle, St. Peter, who comforted her and healed her wounds through his prayers. After four days, Quintianus ignored the miraculous cure of her wounds. He had her stripped naked and rolled over naked over hot coals which were mixed with sharp shards. When she was returned to prison, Agatha prayed, "Lord, my Creator, you have ever protected me from the cradle; you have taken me from the love of the world, and given me patience to suffer: receive now my soul." Agatha is believed to have passed into Heaven around the year 251. She is commonly featured in religious art with shears, tongs, or breasts on a plate. St. Agatha is the patron saint of Sicily, bellfounders, breast cancer patients, Palermo, rape victims, and wet nurses. She is also considered to be a powerful intercessor when people suffer from fires. Her feast day is celebrated on February 5.