Calendar Class of August 15, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

Carpe novos amicos Italos! In another case of "All Roads Lead to Mecosta" this summer, meet our new Italian friends Anna and Lorenzo, and their four adorable bambini. These two professors at Hillsdale College teach all the courses I would love to take if I could do my degree over again-- the Italian language, Western Heritage, American Heritage, and modern European history. Just this past June the couple were in Rome with a group of 30 students from Hillsdale College, where they ran into one of their former students- and babysitters- who happens to now be one of our staff members! At the time we didn't know one another and were just two ships passing in the Eternal City, destined to meet in that other capital of culture, Mecosta. We remarked on the irony of our situations with they being Italians residing in Michigan, we being Michiganders residing in Italy. It was lovely to attend Mass on this Feast of the Assumption with Italians, for whom this date also signifies the holiday of Ferragosto. Read more about that below!

Liturgical: Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Assumption

Now toward the end of the summer season, at a time when fruits are ripe in the gardens and fields, the Church celebrates the most glorious "harvest festival" in the Communion of Saints. Mary, the supremely blessed one among women, Mary, the most precious fruit which has ripened in the fields of God's kingdom, is today taken into the granary of heaven.

—Pius Parsch, The Church's Year of Grace

Bishop Barron's Gospel reflections today.

Sanctoral: St. Tarcisius (d. 3rd to 4th century), a young martyr of the Eucharist, is the patron saint of First Communicants and altar servers.

St. Hyacinth of Poland (1185–1257), a canon of Krakow, who joined the Dominican Order in Rome during the lifetime of the founder, in about the year 1217. He returned to Krakow with the first band of Dominican missionaries. The newcomers spread over all the northern countries into Russia, the Balkans, Prussia and Lithuania. St. Hyacinth preached the crusade against the Prussians. He died on the feast of the Assumption, 1257.

St. Stanislaus of Kostka (1550-1568), was born in Poland. He entered the Jesuits at age 17. He practiced the most severe mortifications, experienced ecstasies at Mass, and lived a life of great sanctity. He died in Rome on August 15, only nine months after joining the Jesuits, and was canonized in 1726. He is venerated in Poland especially as a patron of youth.

Human: Today is the jubilant summer holiday of Ferragosto in Italy!

The term Ferragosto comes from the Latin term Feriae Augusti (“Augustus' Holidays”), as the celebration was established by the emperor Augustus in 18 BC. Augustus introduced Ferragosto for two reasons: firstly to make himself look great (who doesn’t like being given an extra public holiday) and secondly to give the empire’s workers a well-deserved day off after months of toiling in the fields.

In the morning, clients would pass by their patrons’ houses to greet them—collecting a small tip for their troubles—before attending one of the many horse races held across the Roman Empire (a remnant of which survives in the form of Siena’s bi-annual Palio).

Ferragosto was not traditionally held on August 15th but on August 1st (the first day of the month that Augustus himself introduced). It was the Catholic Church that pushed the event back in the calendar so that it coincided with the Assumption of Mary.

Assumption Day is now a public holiday in dozens of countries with strong roots in Catholic or Orthodox traditions. Some of these you would expect, like Austria, Chile, France, Greece and Poland, while some are more surprising, such as Senegal, Syria and Togo.

While the Feast of the Assumption was introduced in the 5th century by Bishop Cyril of Alexandria, it was not until the 6th century that the tradition was adopted by the Eastern Church and recognised by the Western Church as a Holy Day of Obligation.

More info here!

Natural: In Italy today, everyone who can is heading to either the seaside or the mountains to escape the August heat, some for as long as two weeks. Many picnics and barbecues occur during these weeks, so of course there are traditional "Ferragosto recipes" incorporating fresh produce, most of which are designed to be eaten al fresco with lots and lots of family and friends! Here is a brief article on the traditions.

Film of the Day: Pranzo di Ferragosto

Italian: Ghirlanda (wreath)

Quote: "D’inverno non vedete l’ora che arrivi l’estate. D’estate avete paura che torni l’inverno. Per questo non vi stancate mai di rincorrere il posto dove non siete: dove è sempre estate."

--Tim Roth