Saint Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney Feast Day - 8 August

Quoted from Wikipedia [1]:

John Vianney (born Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney; 8 May 1786 – 4 August 1859), venerated as Saint John Vianney, was a French Catholic priest who is venerated in the Catholic Church as a saint and as the patron saint of parish priests. He is often referred to as the "Curé d'Ars" (i.e. the parish priest of Ars), internationally known for his priestly and pastoral work in his parish in Ars, France, because of the radical spiritual transformation of the community and its surroundings. Catholics attribute this to his saintly life, mortification, persevering ministry in the sacrament of confession, and ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. His feast day is August 8. (Pre-1969 Roman Calendar)

YouTube has a movie on the saint in French [2], and [3] in French with English subtitles.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Vianney, quoted without bold emphasis and hyperlinks.

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5MeDJ45dLM

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOFXIWRnCek

Feast Of The Transfiguration Of Jesus - 6 August

Quoted from Catholic Culture [1]:

This Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord became widespread in the West in the 11th century and was introduced into the Roman calendar in 1457 to commemorate the victory over Islam in Belgrade. Before that, the Transfiguration of the Lord was celebrated in the Syrian, Byzantine, and Coptic rites. The Transfiguration foretells the glory of the Lord as God, and His Ascension into heaven. It anticipates the glory of heaven, where we shall see God face to face. Through grace, we already share in the divine promise of eternal life.

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #554:

From the day Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Master "began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things. . . and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Peter scorns this prediction, nor do the others understand it any better than he. In this context the mysterious episode of Jesus' Transfiguration takes place on a high mountain, before three witnesses chosen by himself: Peter, James and John. Jesus' face and clothes become dazzling with light, and Moses and Elijah appear, speaking "of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem". A cloud covers him and a voice from heaven says: "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!"

[1] https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2022-08-06, bold emphasis and italics original.

Saint James The Apostle Feast Day - 25 July

Quoted from Learn Religions [1]:

James was among the first of the twelve disciples. When Jesus called the brothers, James and John were fishermen with their father Zebedee on the Sea of Galilee. They immediately left their father and their business to follow the young rabbi. James was probably the older of the two brothers because he is always mentioned first.

Three times James, John, and Peter were invited by Jesus to witness events no one else saw: the raising of the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Mark 5:37-47), the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-3), and Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-37).

But James was not above making mistakes. When a Samaritan village rejected Jesus, he and John wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the place. This earned them the nickname "Boanerges," or "sons of thunder." The mother of James and John also overstepped her bounds, asking Jesus to grant her sons special positions in his kingdom.

James' zeal for Jesus resulted in his being the first of the twelve apostles to be martyred. He was killed with the sword on order of King Herod Agrippa I of Judea, about 44 A.D., in a general persecution of the early church.

 

Quoted from Wikipedia  [2]:

Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians teach that James, along with others named in the New Testament as "brothers" of Jesus, were not the biological children of Mary, mother of Jesus, but were possibly cousins of Jesus, or step-brothers from a previous marriage of Joseph (as related in the Gospel of James).

The Catholic tradition holds that this James is to be identified with James, son of Alphaeus, and James the Less. It is agreed by most that he should not be confused with James, son of Zebedee also known as James the Great.

[1] https://www.learnreligions.com/profile-of-apostle-james-701062, quoted without hyperlinks.

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James,_brother_of_Jesus, quoted without references and hyperlinks.

Saint Mary Magdalene Feast Day - 22 July

Quoted from Catholic Daily Readings [1]:

Saint Mary Magdalene was also known as Apostle to the Apostles or Mary of Magdala. She was the woman who is outlined in the four Gospels as the one who witnessed the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and helped Jesus and His Apostles with resources as they were traveling around preaching.

Quoted from Catholic.org [2]:

Mary Magdalene has long been regarded as a prostitute or sexually immoral in western Christianity, but this is not supported in the scriptures. It is believed she was a Jewish woman who lived among Gentiles, living as they did.

The Gospels agree that Mary was originally a great sinner. Jesus cast seven demons out of her when he met her. After this, she told several women she associated with and these women also became followers.

 

Quoted from Wikipedia [3]:

It is widely accepted among secular historians that, like Jesus, Mary Magdalene was a real historical figure.

[1] https://catholicreadings.org/saint-mary-magdalene/

[2] https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=83

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene, quoted without references.

The Visitation Of The Blessed Virgin Mary - 2 July

Quoted from Learn Religions [1]:

The feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates the visit of Mary, the Mother of God, with the child Jesus in her womb, to her cousin Elizabeth. The visit took place when Elizabeth was herself six months' pregnant with the forerunner of Christ, Saint John the Baptist.

...

For close to six centuries, the Visitation was celebrated on July 2, but with his revision of the Roman calendar in 1969 (at the time of the promulgation of the Novus Ordo), Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the last day of the Marian month of May so that it would fall between the feasts of the Annunciation and the Birth of Saint John the Baptist—a time when Luke tells us that Mary would certainly have been with Elizabeth, taking care of her cousin in her time of need.

[1] https://www.learnreligions.com/visitation-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-542483#:~:text=For%20close%20to%20six%20centuries%2C%20the%20Visitation%20was,of%20her%20cousin%20in%20her%20time%20of%20need.

Feast Of The Most Precious Blood Of Jesus Christ - 1 July

Quoted from Wikipedia [1]:

The Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ is a feast, which has been in the General Roman Calendar from 1849 to 1969. It is focused on the Blood of Christ and its salvific nature.

...

In Catholic belief, the Blood of Christ is precious because it is Christ's own great ransom paid for the redemption of mankind. In this belief, as there was to be no remission of sin without the shedding of blood, the "Incarnate Word" not only offered his life for the salvation of the world, but he offered to give up his life by a bloody death, and to hang bloodless, soulless and dead upon the Cross for the salvation of humanity. Jesus is said to have given his life – his blood – for the sake of all humanity, atoning for every form of human sin. The devotion to the Most Precious Blood is thus understood to be a call to repentance and reparation.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Most_Precious_Blood, quoted without bold type and references.

Saints Peter And Paul Feast Day - 29 June

Quoted from Catholic News Agency [1]:

On June 29 the Church celebrates the feast day of Sts. Peter & Paul. As early as the year 258, there is evidence of an already lengthy tradition of celebrating the solemnities of both Saint Peter and Saint Paul on the same day. Together, the two saints are the founders of the See of Rome, through their preaching, ministry and martyrdom there.

Peter, who was named Simon, was a fisherman of Galilee and was introduced to the Lord Jesus by his brother Andrew, also a fisherman. Jesus gave him the name Cephas (Petrus in Latin), which means ‘Rock,’ because he was to become the rock upon which Christ would build His Church.

Peter was a bold follower of the Lord. He was the first to recognize that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” and eagerly pledged his fidelity until death. In his boldness, he also made many mistakes, however, such as losing faith when walking on water with Christ and betraying the Lord on the night of His passion [Luke 22:54-62; John 18:25-27; Mark 14:66-72].

Yet despite his human weaknesses, Peter was chosen to shepherd God's flock. The Acts of the Apostles illustrates his role as head of the Church after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Peter led the Apostles as the first Pope and ensured that the disciples kept the true faith.

St. Peter spent his last years in Rome, leading the Church through persecution and eventually being martyred in the year 64. He was crucified upside-down at his own request, because he claimed he was not worthy to die as his Lord.

He was buried on Vatican hill, and St. Peter's Basilica [was] built over his tomb.

St. Paul was the Apostle of the Gentiles. His letters are included in the writings of the New Testament, and through them we learn much about his life and the faith of the early Church.

Before receiving the name Paul, he was Saul, a Jewish pharisee who zealously persecuted Christians in Jerusalem. Scripture records that Saul was present at the martyrdom of St. Stephen.

Saul's conversion took place as he was on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christian community there. As he was traveling along the road, he was suddenly surrounded by a great light from heaven. He was blinded and fell off his horse. He then heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” He answered: “Who are you, Lord?” Christ said: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Saul continued to Damascus, where he was baptized and his sight was restored. He took the name Paul and spent the remainder of his life preaching the Gospel tirelessly to the Gentiles of the Mediterranean world.

Paul was imprisoned and taken to Rome, where he was beheaded in the year 67.

He is buried in Rome in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

In a sermon in the year 395, St. Augustine of Hippo said of Sts. Peter and Paul: “Both apostles share the same feast day, for these two were one; and even though they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, and Paul followed. And so we celebrate this day made holy for us by the apostles' blood. Let us embrace what they believed, their life, their labors, their sufferings, their preaching, and their confession of faith.”

[1] https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/sts-peter-and-paul-501