December 2024
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| 1 | First Sunday of Advent |
 | World Aids Day |
| Rosa parks refuses to give up her seat on a bus (1955) |
| Feast of Blessed Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916): A French soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnographer, Catholic priest and hermit who lived among the Tuareg people in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916. |
| 2 | International day for the Abolition of Slavery |
| Anniversary of the martyrdom of Maura Clarke, Ita Ford, Dorothy Kazel and Jean Donovan in El Salvador |
| 3 | Feast of St. Francis Xavier, 1506–1552;
He was Catholic missionary and saint who co-founded the Society of Jesus and, as a representative of the Portuguese Empire, led the first Christian mission to Japan. |
| International Day of Persons with Disabilities |
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| 5 | International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development |
| 6 | Feast of St. Nicholas, 270–343: The patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, toymBirthday of Elizabeth A. Johnson, CSJ (b. 1941): Christian feminist theologian known for writings on the mystery of God, human suffering, ethics, and issues related to women.akers, unmarried people, and students. |
| 7 | Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (1941) |
| Birthday of Noam Chomsky, 1928: Social Justice Scholar. |
| Feast of St. Ambrose, d. 397: A theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan; He is the patron saint of bee keepers, beggars, learning. |
| 8 | Second Sunday of Advent |
| Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary: A Catholic dogma that states Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived without original sin. |
| 9 | International Anti-Corruption Day |
| 10 | Human Rights Day |
| Anniversary of the death of Thomas Merton, OCSO, 1915–1968: Trappist monk and peace activist. |
| Birthday of Kathy Kelly (b.1952): Peace activist and founding member of Voices for Creative Nonviolence |
| 11 | International Mountain Day |
| 12 | Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe: According to tradition, the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on December 9,1531 on Tepeyac Hill, which is now a suburb of Mexico City. She identified herself as the Mother of God and the mother of all humanity. She asked Juan Diego to build a shrine on the hill so she could share her love and compassion with all who believe. |
| 13 | Feast of St. Lucy, d. 304: She was a Roman Christian martyr; the patron saint of the blind, those with eye-trouble, and the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. |
| 14 | Feast of St. John of the Cross, OCD, 1542–1591: He was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major figure of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, and he is one of the thirty-seven Doctors of the Church. John of the Cross is known for his writings. |
| Anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, 2012 |
| 15 | Third Sunday of Advent–Gaudete |
| Birthday of Chico Mendes (1944-1988):
A Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader, and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the human rights of Brazilian peasants and Indigenous people. He was assassinated by a rancher on December 22, 1988 |
| 16-24 | Las Posadas |
| 17 | Birthday of Pope Francis (b. 1936) |
| 18 | International Migrants Day |
| Birthday of Stephen Bantu Biko (1946-1977): Anti-apartheid activist in South Africa, founder of the Black Consciousness Movement |
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| 20 | International Human Solidarity Day |
| Birthday of Mother Maria Skobtsova (1891-1945): Orthodox nun in Paris, Her home was a soup kitchen, a center for the renewal of Orthodox thought, and under the Nazi occupation, a haven for the rescue of Jews |
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| 22 | Fourth Sunday of Advent |
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| 24 | Christmas Eve |
| 25 | Feast of the Incarnation–Christmas Day |
| Hanukkah (Dec. 25–Jan.2) |
| 26 | Feast of St. Stephen, 5–34: He is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity. According to the Acts of the Apostles he was a deacon in the early Church. |
| Birthday of Baba Amte (1914-2008): Indian social activist best remembered for his work for rehabilitation and empowerment of poor people suffering from leprosy |
| 26-Jan 1 | Kawanzaa |
| 27 | Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist |
| Birthday of Jon Sobrino, sj (b.1938): Theologian and writer , known for his contribution to liberation theology |
| 28 | Feast of the Holy Innocents |
| Birthday of Liu Xiaobo (1955-2017): Chinese literary critic, writer, professor, and human rights activist , best known for his participation in the Tiananmen Square protests; incarcerated as a political prisoner. |
| 29 | Feast of the Holy Family |
| Anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD (1890) |
| Birthday of Sr. Thea Bowman, SFPA (1937-1990): Helped organize the 1987 Black Catholic Congress and credited with incorporating African rituals and dances and African American folk songs into the Mass |
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| 31 | New Year’s Eve |
| Birthday of Odetta Holmes (1930-2008): American singer, guitarist, songwriter, civil and human rights activist, often called the “Voice of the Civil Rights Movement” |
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