The Christmas Saint

 Merry Christmas to all of my readers! Because we're in the season of Christmas, I thought I'd introduce you to a special Christmas saint, whom I learned more about thanks to the author, Susan Peek. 

A Special Saint: 

Christians around the world know that Christmas when we celebrate the birth of Our Lord. In the Catholic Church, there are many feast days celebrated leading up to Christmas and during the Christmas Season, but many haven't heard of the saint whose feast is on Christmas day. St. Nicholas is a common Christmas saint, as well as St. Stephen and St. Lucia. 

This saint is one of the female saints commemorated in the Canon of the Mass too. Any guesses?

• St. Felicity
• St. Perpetua
• St. Agatha
• St. Lucia
• St. Agnes
• St. Cecilia
• St. Anastasia

(credit)

The answer is... (drumroll)... St. Anastasia of Sirmium. Because she lived so long ago (during the time of Diocletian's persecutions of Christian people), her entire life is thought to be legendary. We do know, however, that she was a martyr. 

St. Anastasia's father was a very rich pagan, but her mother was a devout Catholic and is a saint. Her father's name was Praetextatus and her mother was St. Fausta of Sirmium. Without her father's support of the Christian faith, her mother baptized her in secret and raised her as a Christian. 

After her mother's death, life only got harder; she no longer had her mother for support. Praetextatus forced her into marriage to a pagan, Publius, but she continued to live her Christian life in secret. She visited prisons and cared for the sick, until her servant found out. As you can imagine, Publius did not like this so she was locked up. She was happy to suffer for the love of Christ. She also stayed strong through her trials by writing letters to her Christian teacher, St. Chrysogonus. 

Eventually, St. Anastasia became a widow after Publius's death. Once again, she began to help the poor by giving her property to the poor and suffering and visiting prisons. She often helped those suffering from poison during her lifetime and through intercessions, giving her the name "Anastasia Deliverer from Potions". 

Many attempts were made to martyr St. Anastasia, but God protected her and set her free. Eventually, she met another widow, named Theodota. Both continued to help the poor, while spreading Christian messages. Diocletian hated the miracles and good deeds and wanted her martyred. First, Theodota was martyred, but Anastasia survived 60 days of starvation. According to the legend, St. Theodota fed St. Anastasia. Another time, Diocletian tried to drown her, but St. Theodota appeared to the prisoners and led the boat back to shore. St. Anastasia's martyrdom occurred on December 25 in 304 AD, after being burned alive on an island.  

Although her whole life is legend, much of it is believed to be true because it is all found in a "Passio" written shortly before the 6th century. Her life and faith was so great that she is not only commemorated in the Canon of the Mass, but also in the second Mass on Christmas Day. 

I encourage you to read "The Forgotten Christmas Saint: Saint Anastasia", by Susan Peek. Although it is a children's picture book, it is full of excellent information and great illustrations! 

Patron of: weavers, martyrs, widows, those suffering from poison

St. Anastasia, pray for us! 

Are you familiar with St. Anastasia? 

-Miss K

I Finally Review Some Books

Hello, readers! This post has been drafted multiple times in the past few months. It started out as "July Review" and then July was long gone. "October Book Reviews" came next and now it's December. Let's just say school anatomy and physiology has been keeping me VERY busy. In fact, so busy that I've only read a mere twelve books since July. Help! I hardly have time to read. :( 

The beautiful scenery of October! 

On the Blog:

Since July, I've written two posts on this blog and four on my letter writing blog. 

June Review

Hobbit Day!

A Graduation Gift!

I'm a Little Behind: Weeks 20 through 27

Catching Up to Week 39: 52 Letters in a Year

A Handful of Letters and Replies: 52 Letters in a Year

Books:

Although I only read twelve books in five months, they were all very good! Most of them were new to me and not surprisingly, historical fiction. I also started rereading the Chronicles of Narnia, as I've never read the last few books in the series. It's great to be back in the world of Narnia and C.S. Lewis!

A great mix of books! (Photo credits: Goodreads)

mini reviews:

I started draft posts for reviews of some of these books, but for now, you'll be getting mini reviews. 

★★★★★

The Father of the Little Flower: Celine Martin

A short, but wonderful read of St. Louis Martin! Before reading this, I didn't know much about him, but this gave me a LOT of new information. I especially enjoyed the quotations and letters from St. Louis to his daughters. They showed his personality of always showing kindness to everyone around him. Every task put forth before him was accomplished with holiness and growth in virtue. I highly recommend!

Moon Over Manifest: Clare Vanderpool 

Oh my, how do I begin to write a review? This book was ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL! In fact, it has moved up to my favorite historical fiction read of the year. Clare Vanderpool writes with wonderful descriptions, taking you to two time periods-1918 and 1936-with a first person point of view, old newspaper clippings, and storytelling from the townspeople. At first, I had no idea how the plots were going to connect and it all seemed random, but then I started to love it! I didn't want the stories to stop. The stories of Ned and Jinx were wonderful, as well as Abilene's mysterious background.

The Magician's Nephew: C.S. Lewis

On a second reading, this book was much more enjoyable. It has been six years since I read part of this series and honestly, I forgot about everything in this one (except the creation of the rings). Philosophical and amusing certainly describe this book. 

• Digory is such a curious little boy, yet trying his hardest to be a gentleman. There's something about his sweetness that isn't found in any of the other characters.
• Polly is another favorite character of mine. She is feminine, has a hint of being a tomboy, shows strength, is determined, and won't let unfairness get in her way. 
• My third favorite character has to be Uncle Andrew! He has his faults but what would Narnia be without him? 
• Finally, my two absolute favorite events are the creation of Narnia and the animals debating over Uncle Andrew! Amusing for sure. :)

Precious Treasure: The Story of Patrick: Elizabeth Matthews

A beautiful story about an autistic boy, Patrick, and his trials, leading his mother to see God's purpose in everything she does. The piles of laundry, the fingerprints on the walls, the screaming during the night, and everything else happening during the day led her to see why God has placed her in each situation.

"Children are a beautiful stairway to heaven. Slowly, day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute, they work with God to help us grow in virtue and to scrape away all the filth that covers us because of our sins."

I especially loved the format of each chapter- starting with a letter to Patrick from his mother!

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: C.S. Lewis

The scenery while I read this book was perfect- SNOW! Once again, there were many new details that I didn't remember from my first read many years ago. This time, I saw SO many Christian elements, such as the White Witch's "always winter, never Christmas", showing a world without the celebration of Our Lord's birth. The power of Christianity against nonbelievers was also presented in a way that I loved- and in a way I didn't notice on my first reading. 

★★★★

The Ball and the Cross: G.K. Chesterton

Chesterton has an interesting and comical style of writing. I've never seen two characters oppose each other so much, yet have such a strong friendship, but that is what I loved most about it. t was amazing how passionate Evan McIan and James Turnbull are for their beliefs. I also enjoyed the character arc of McIan because although he fights for Catholicism, he has his flaws just as Turnbull has his flaws. It was also fun to see where McIan and Turnball's adventures led, as each chapter had its twists and turns.  Chesterton, I WILL be back for more!  

Yosemite Tomboy: Shirley Sargent          

A quick, one day read, reminding me of the Little House on the Prairie series. Jan and her brother are sent to live near Yosemite National Park (bonus star for extra history about Yosemite!), but it is a big test for Jan. Being only 11-years old and very dramatic, she must learn the challenges of pioneer life. 

Hattie Big Sky: Kirby Larson

Homesteading on the Western frontier in the early 1900s was difficult, right? Now, imagine being a 16-year old homesteading all alone. Hattie Brooks travels to Montana as a brave 16-year old to prove her late uncle's claim. The only problem: she has less than a year to learn the ways of homesteading. While it is historical fiction, Larson does a wonderful job of detailing the joys and hardships of homesteading. Each chapter begins with letter to her friend, who is away at war. Letters in books are always a plus for me! 

Books in Progress:

• A Place for Me: Patrick's Journey Home, Mark and Elizabeth Matthews

• Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis

• The Hobbit (on audio), J.R.R. Tolkien

That's all the reviews for now, but I'll be back soon with four more books. For now, I hope you all enjoy lots of reading for the last month of 2021! 

Have you read any of these books? What have you been reading this month? 

-Miss K