Calendar Class of November 12, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

Carpe Ardea Cinerea! This morning Tony and I made the wise decision to take the dog for a walk in the park, where I spotted this tree aflame in autumnal glory, and this Grey Heron, soaking up the morning sunshine. In ancient Rome, this bird was a symbol of divination, its call used by the augers to foretell events. My Rome Nature Study Club is currently making a list of the flora and fauna thriving in this habitat, which is a little paradise at the edge of the city. The other day we were fortunate enough to attend Mass in the neo-Romanesque private chapel of the Doria-Pamphilj family, with the princess and her husband in attendance. The princess shared stories of times past on the property, when it seemed to be a land outside of Rome. This morning it seemed very much the same still, a place set apart, where majestic birds like the heron can be found sunbathing amidst fiery foliage.

Liturgical: Wednesday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time

I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”

Psalm 82:3-4, 6-7

Sanctoral: St. Josaphat (1580-1623) was born to a devout religious family of Ruthenian ancestry in what is now Ukraine, and was baptized in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He devoted his virginity to the Virgin Mary and grew in his reverence for ancient liturgy. During a revival of Eastern Catholic monastic life he became a monk in the Order of St. Basil, and was ordained to Holy Orders in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in 1609. He was noted for his life of asceticism, holiness, and virtue which led to his appointment as Archbishop of Polotsk in what is today Belarus. During his lifetime there was much sociopolitical and ecclesiastical rivalry between the Catholics and Orthodox, especially in the wake of the 1596 Union of Brest which saw the Ruthenian rite break with Orthodoxy and come under the authority of the Holy See. St. Josaphat was passionate about working for the reunification with Rome and won many heretics and schismatics back to communion with Rome. However, he was also strongly opposed to the Latinization of his people. This combination of views drew ire from both Catholic and Orthodox clergy. His diocese was contested by the Orthodox, and a rival Orthodox bishop was set up to oppose him, causing riots. During one uprising Josaphat tried to calm the tensions and work for reunification and peace, but his enemies plotted to kill him. A mob of Orthodox Christians entered Josaphat's home, stabbed and axed his body and threw it into a river. His body was seen glowing in the water and was recovered. After his martyrdom many miracles were attributed to his intercession. Josaphat's sacrifice became a blessing as regret and sorrow over his death converted many hearts toward reunification with the Catholic Church. In 1867 Josaphat became the first saint of the Eastern Church to be formally canonized by Rome.

Human: Birthday of Grace Kelly (actress and later known as Her Serene Highness Princess Grace of Monaco) – 1929, and Anne Hathaway (actress) – 1982

Death day of Canute (1035) — King of England, Denmark, and Norway remembered for consolidating a North Sea empire in the early 11th century.

1880 Best-selling American novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ" by soldier Lew Wallace is published

1918 — Austria’s National Assembly declared the new Republic of German-Austria one day after Emperor Charles of the Austrian Royal Family relinquished power.

1990 The World Wide Web is first proposed by CERN computer scientists Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau

Natural: The Great Grey Heron

Also: How to Grow Lemon Trees Indoors or Outdoors: Planting, Care, and Harvest Tips

Italian: Scarpa (shoe)

Scarpa most likely derived from scarpettina (meaning “little shoe”), which itself comes from the Greek karpatínē, a variant of karbatínē, meaning “footwear made of raw leather.” Treccani, on the other hand, suggests a possible Germanic origin from skarpa meaning “leather pocket.”

Quote: "Since love completes all, makes all hard things soft, and the difficult easy, let us strive to make all our acts proceed from love." -St. Arnold Janssen