“…They called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith…”(Acts 14:27).
In the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that God has opened the door of faith for the early Church.But did you know that God has opened the door of faith for each one us and he invites us to step through the threshold into a deeper relationship with him.The upcoming Year of Faith is an opportunity for every Catholic to turn towards Jesus Christ, encounter him in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and rediscover the Faith and Church.
With his Apostolic Letter of October 11, 2011,Porta Fidei. . . , Pope Benedict XVI declared that a “Year of Faith” will begin on October 11, 2012 and conclude on November 24, 2013. October 11, 2012, the first day of the Year of Faith, is the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. . . (Vatican II) and also the twentieth anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. During the Year of Faith, Catholics are asked to study and reflect on the documents of Vatican II and the catechism so that they may deepen their knowledge of the faith.
View the USCCB page on the Year of Faith
The Americas have produced a number of faithful Saints, Blesseds, and Venerable “Servants of God” who worked here or were born here; we celebrate them during this Year of Faith:
October 2012: St. Isaac Jogues, S.J. – Jesuit priest, missionary and one of the North American martyrs
November 2012: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, M.S.C. – Missionary and founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
December 2012: St. John Neumann, C.Ss.R. – Missionary and 4th bishop of Philadelphia. Founded the first diocesan Catholic school system in U.S.
January 2013: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, S.C. – Founder of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph. Considered founder of the Catholic School system in the US.
February 2013: St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, R.S.C.J. – Missionary to Native Americans
March 2013: St. Katharine Drexel, S.B.S. – School builder and founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People
April 2013: St. Mother Théodore Guérin, S.P. – Missionary and founder of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
May 2013: St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai, SS.CC. – Missionary to the lepers of Molokai, Hawaii
June 2013: St. Marianne Cope, O.S.F. – Missionary to the lepers of Molokai, Hawaii
July 2013: St. Kateri Tekakwitha – Native American and consecrated virgin
August 2013: Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, C.Ss.R. – Missionary preacher
September 2013: Blessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M. – Founder of the Spanish missions in California
October 2013: Venerable Pierre Toussaint – Haitian-born ex-slave, hairdresser and benefactor in New York
November 2013: Venerable Fulton Sheen – Archbishop and TV Personality
For additional information go to this website: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/saints-for-the-year-of-faith.cfm