Calendar Class of May 5, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

Welcome, McConnell Center Scholars! Today we traipsed around the Janiculum hill for hours, exploring the plethora of palimpsests along the way. We have an enjoyable agenda laid out for these next nine days in Rome with our new friends, at the end of which we will certainly have a new Roman Pontiff! It's an exciting and historic time to be exploring the Eternal City.

Liturgical: Monday of the Third Week of Easter

Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

John 6:22-29

Sanctoral:   Hilary of Arles (c. 401 – May 5, 449)

Saint Hilary teaches us to respect authority even if found in a young person. Age is not the issue: prudence and wisdom are.

Human: 311 AD – Emperor Galerius died in Sardica as a result of illness. It happened soon after signing the decree prohibiting further persecution of Christians. It was the first ever legal act establishing religious freedom for Christians in the Roman Empire. Thus the Christians could freely profess their religion. They had to be released from prisons or quarries, and the sacred objects seized by the imperial authorities were to be returned to them.

¡Cinco de Mayo—Meaning, Food, and Facts!

Natural: The wonder of a number-- Why 5/5/25 is More Than Just a Date – It’s Square Root Day!

Italian: Balordo (stupid / foolish)

Quote: A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome. 

– Francesco Petrarca, poet