August 30 - Saint Fiacre is the offspring of a noble family from Ireland then called "Hibernia" or "Land of Scots". He was first educated by Saint Cuanna in the monastery of Kilcoony, on the edge of Loch Orbsen. Fiacre revealed such a talent for herbal care that he became famous there.

August 28 - Augustin of Hippo, born November 13, 354 in Thagaste, the present Souk Ahras, Algeria, and died August 28, 430 in Hippo, is a Roman Christian philosopher and theologian of the upper class. Along with Ambrose of Milan, Jerome of Stridon and Gregory the Great, he is one of the four Fathers of the Western Church and one of the thirty-six Doctors of the Church.

29th August - The John we are talking about here is the forerunner of Jesus and who baptised him. He is the son of Zechariah and Elisabeth and his life was recorded here in June. Moved by the Spirit of God, John takes refuge in the desert to preserve the grace he has received. He lives there until he is thirty years old, practising prayer and contemplation. Then he begins his public life by preaching conversion and baptism, hence his name Baptist.

27 August - Monique, born in 332 in Thagaste in the Roman Empire, now Souk Ahras in Algeria and died in 387 in Ostia, is a Christian of Berber origin. Her son, Augustin, one of the greatest Christian theologians, paid vibrant homage to her, particularly in his Confessions

26 August - Zefferino Namuncurá was born on 26 August 1886 in Chimpay, in a traditional Mapuche family. His father, one of the last leaders of his people, had to surrender to the Argentinean Republican troops three years before Zefferino's birth.

25 August - Born on 25 April 1214 in the Château de Poissy, under the reign of his grandfather Philippe Auguste, Louis IX is the fifth child and second son of the future King Louis VIII, known as "the Lion", and Princess Blanche of Castile. He only became the heir at the age of four, after the early death of his elder brother Philip.

24th August - Bartholomew, bar-Tolmay in Aramaic, "son of the furrow", is a Jew from Galilee and one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Ancient Christian tradition identifies him with the disciple Nathanael mentioned in the Gospel according to John.

23rd August - Isabel Flores de Oliva, in the Rose de Lima religion. She was born in 1586 in Lima, in the Viceroyalty of Peru. Coming from a poor family, she was the tenth child of parents born in metropolitan Spain.

22 August - Queen of Heaven (Regina Caeli) is a title given to Mary, mother of Jesus. The Catholic Church declares, as a dogma, that Mary was raised to heaven and that she dwells with Jesus Christ, her divine son.

21 August - Victoire Rasoamanarivo, a Malagasy laywoman, born in Antananarivo in 1848, she is the daughter of Rainandriantsilavo and Rambahinoro. She converted to Christianity at the age of 15 and asked for baptism, which was given to her on November 1, 1863.

20 August - Born in 1090 or 1091 at the Château de Fontaine-lès-Dijon near Dijon, to a noble family from Burgundy, Bernard is the third of seven children. Son of the lord Tescelin le Roux and of sainte Alèthe de Montbard.

19 August - John Eudes was born on 14 November 1601, in Ri, near Argentan, Normandy. After completing his humanities at the Jesuit College of Caen, he entered the newly founded Society of the Oratory of Jesus of France on March 23, 1623.

The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth

At the end of its second General Assembly, held from 15 to 18 October 2024, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace sent a message to government officials at all levels, as well as to all Malagasy and all people of goodwill.

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Love and Salvation

Christmas is a great joy, because it is the love of God that has come to us, proclaims Fr. Bizimana Innocent, Provincial Superior of the Salesians Don Bosco of Madagascar and Mauritius, presenting his Christmas greetings. Salvation is accomplished, so life is not in danger of disappearing. It is this love and this salvation that we wish to fill our life so that we have peace.

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Zatti, our brother

The short film "Zatti, our brother" (Argentina, 2020) focuses on one of the most difficult episodes of his life. We are in Viedma, in 1941: at the age of 60, Zatti is forced to leave the hospital he has attended for decades. His faith and strength are tested.

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