The saints are different every day, remember those who were characterized by their good deeds. (GlobeLiveMedia/Jovani Perez)

Decades ago, one could even speak of centuries ago, parents used to assign the first names of their children according to the feasts of the saints of that day, even among Catholics and Orthodox the custom of congratulating people on Your saint’s day. Not in vain in the famous “Mañanitas” there is a stanza that says: “Today, because it’s your birthday, we sing them to you here…”.

He onomastic alludes to the day when a saint is celebrated, although it is common for many people to use it as a synonym for birthday, which is wrong, because when they talk about it, they only allude to the list of holy names.

Like every day of the year, today also commemorates the women and men who stood out for having special connections with the deities, who did good deeds for their neighbors and who had high ethics and morals, reasons that led them to to be canonized or beatified and be among the saints.

It is the day of the saint Monday February 20.

Celebration of the day: Blessed Jacinta Marto

She was born in Aljustrel, Fátima, on March 11, 1910. She was baptized on March 19, 1910. Victim of pneumonia, she fell ill in December 1918. She was admitted to the Villa Nueva de Ourém hospital and finally in Lisbon, at the D. Estefanía Hospital where he died at 10:30 p.m. on February 20, 1920.

From January 21 to February 2, 1920, she was at the Orphanage of Our Lady of Miracles, Estrella Street, Lisbon, a house founded by D. María Godinho, whom Jacinta called “Godmother”. The mass for the body was celebrated in the Church of Our Lady of the Angels, in Lisbon, where his body was deposited until the 24th, when it was transported in an urn to the cemetery of Villa Nueva de Ourém . She was transferred to the cemetery of Fatima on September 12, 1935, the date of the opening of the urn.

On May 1, 1951, he was finally transferred to the Basilica of the Sanctuary.

In addition to the 5 apparitions in the Cova de Iría and 1 of the Angels, Our Lady appeared to Jacinta 4 more times at home during her illness, 1 in the parish church on Ascension Thursday and again in Lisbon in the orphanage and in the hospital.

His life was characterized by the Spirit of sacrifice, the love of the Heart of Mary, of the Holy Father and of sinners.

Driven by concern for the salvation of sinners and reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, she offered everything to God in sacrifice, as the Angel would recommend, always saying the prayer that Our Lady would teach them: “O Jesus, he is for our love, for the conversion of sinners (and increased, by the Holy Father) and in reparation for sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary”.

With this character is other saints and martyrs which are also celebrated this Monday, February 20 as follows:

San Eleuterio of Tournai

Saint-Eucher d’Orleans

Saint Leo of Catania

Saint Serapion of Alexandria

holy tyranion

Pope Francis attends a mass for the beatification of Pope John Paul I in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, September 4, 2022. (REUTERS/Remo Casilli) (Vatican Media/Handout)
Pope Francis attends a mass for the beatification of Pope John Paul I in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, September 4, 2022. (REUTERS/Remo Casilli) (Vatican Media/Handout)

The Catholic and Orthodox Church uses canonization to declare a deceased person a saint.which implies the inclusion of her name in the canon (list of recognized saints) and the authorization to venerate her, acknowledging her power before God.

During Christianity, people were recognized as saints without the need for a formal process; however, this changed in the Middle Ages.

In the case of Catholicism, the Church must make an exhaustive investigation of the life of the person to be sanctified and there are four ways to obtain the appointment: the path of heroic virtues; the path of martyrdom; that of exceptional causes, confirmed by an ancient cult and written sources; and the offer of life.

Moreover, it is an essential requirement who performed at least two miracles (or one in the case of being a martyr). Canonization is made in a solemn papal declaration and a feast day is assigned for liturgical veneration.

There is no set time limit for proceeding with the canonization of a character, since there is even cases like that of San Pedro Damián who was canonized up to 756 years after his death or, conversely, the case of San Antonio de Padua which was named up to 352 days after his death.

The last canonization took place in October 2019, when the pope declared Cardinal John Henry Newman and Sister Dulce of Brazil saints.

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