On Feb. 2, the Vatican published two documents updating the General Roman Calendar. The memorial of St. Martha, June 29, will now include her siblings, Sts. Mary and Lazarus. In a separate decree, Pope Francis created optional memorials for three Doctors of the Church: St. Gregory of Narek, Feb. 27, St. John De Avila, May 10, and St. Hildegard of Bingen, Sep. 17. The decrees both bear the signature of Cardinal Robert Sarah, now ex-Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, the Vatican office that regulates the liturgy.
The decree on the Memorial of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus notes, “the Lord Jesus experienced the family spirit and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, and for this reason the Gospel of John states that he loved them.” Until now, the General Calendar did not have any memorial of Sts. Mary or Lazarus. The decree explains, “The traditional uncertainty of the Latin Church about the identity of Mary – the Magdalene to whom Christ appeared after his resurrection, the sister of Martha, the sinner whose sins the Lord had forgiven – which resulted in the inclusion of Martha alone on 29 July in the Roman Calendar, has been resolved in recent studies and times.” This memorial is obligatory, and therefore must be celebrated during Masses and the Liturgy of the Hours on that day.
In the decree on the three Doctors of the Church, Cardinal Sarah writes, “[T]he wisdom that characterizes these men and women is not solely theirs, since by becoming disciples of divine Wisdom they have themselves become teachers of wisdom for the entire ecclesial community.”
St. Gregory of Narek was a 10th century Armenian abbot, theologian, and poet. His most famous work is The Song of Lamentations, a book of mystical poetry. This work is a collection of penitential prayers to God which reflect on the separation between the perfection of God and the constant need for the Christian to correct his ways. The book is a staple of spiritual literature in Armenia, second only to the Bible. St. Gregory was declared a Doctor of the Church in 2015.
St. John De Avila was a priest and mystic in Spain in the 16th century. He is known primarily for his evangelization in Andalusia, an autonomous region in modern-day Spain. In addition to leading evangelization and reform movements in Andalusia, he authored dozens of sermons and hundreds of letters. St. John was a close friend with St. Ignatius of Loyola and assisted in the early growth of the Jesuits. For these works he was declared a Doctor of the Church at the opening of the Synod on Evangelization in 2012.
St. Hildegard of Bingen was a 12th century German abbess, composer, mystic, theologian, and polymath. She founded two monasteries and wrote works on theology, botany, and medicine. St. Hildegard’s composed and written music have been passed down to the modern day in greater quantity than any of her Medieval contemporaries. She went on several preaching tours and was renowned in her lifetime. She was declared a Doctor of the Church along with St. John De Avila in 2012.
The Vatican has published the official Latin texts for these memorials, but as of publication, there are not yet official translations into English. In the interim, the USCCB directs the celebration of these new memorials according to the Common of Doctors.
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