Calendar Class of October 30, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

Carpe gladio! Seize the sword! We happened upon this blacksmith in the medieval town of Sermoneta on my birthday as we wandered down a street and stopped to admire his hand-carved walking sticks for sale. Fortunately, he noticed us as well and came out to chat. It turns out that Dino Messini is a Jack-of-All-Trades, a rare breed of human beings in our technological age. Dino creates historical weapons for the annual reenactment of the Battle of Lepanto that Sermoneta puts on every October. Also a keeper of bees, we purchased several large jars of Dino's delicious orange blossom honey extracted from the surrounding countryside. Dino is a living history book whose passion for his town and its past has not dimmed with time. We were fortunate to stumble upon his walking sticks so that he could pass the torch of history on to us, and then send us home with a renewed appreciation for the importance of keeping historical methods of arts, crafts, and agriculture alive, even in an age of convenience and efficiency.

Liturgical: Thursday of the 30th Week of Ordinary Time

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31b-39

Sanctoral: St. Alphonsus Rodriguez (1532–1617) was born in Segovia, Spain, the son of a wool merchant. He was prepared for his First Holy Communion by St. Peter Faber, one of the first Jesuits. When his father died, Alphonsus had to leave school at the age of 14 to take over the family business, which eventually failed. He married and had three children, and was left a widower at the age of 31 when his wife died in childbirth. In subsequent years he also lost his mother and all three of his children. Alphonsus developed a life of prayer, intense piety, and rigorous penances, with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother under her title of the Immaculate Conception. His desire for the religious life increased and he attempted to join the Jesuits as a late vocation, but his lack of education made him a poor candidate. To amend his deficiency he went back to school, while begging alms to support himself and enduring ridicule from his much younger classmates. After a long delay he was finally admitted to the Jesuits when he was nearly 40 years old, but only as a lay brother. He was given the humble job of a porter (doorkeeper), a job which he served with dedication for 46 years. Many people within the religious community, as well as many visitors, recognized his holiness and sought his advice and spiritual council. St. Peter Claver was one of his disciples, and St. Alphonsus is credited for directing him in his mission to African slaves. St. Alphonsus was known for his rigorous obedience and discipline, and for suffering from scrupulosity, temptations, and attacks from the devil. He took his final vows with the Jesuits at the age of 54. He continued to serve and even preach sermons into his 80's. He is credited with popularizing the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, copies of which he stockpiled and distributed.

Human: Birthday of Christopher Columbus (explorer)- 1451, John Adams (2nd U.S. president) – 1735, and Ezra Pound (poet) – 1885

1340 Battle of Rio Salado (or Tarifa): King Afonso IV of Portugal and King Alfonso XI of Castile defeat Sultan Abu al-Hasan 'Ali of Morocco and Yusuf I of Granada in the last Marinid invasion of the Iberian Peninsula

1784 A 15-year-old boy entered a soldiers’ training school in Paris on this day. He was to become the military genius and great commander known as Napoléon Bonaparte.

1899 Battle of Ladysmith: Boers defeat the British, leading to the Siege of Ladysmith in Natal

1905 Russian Tsar Nicholas II grants civil liberties and accepts the first Duma (Parliament) in the "October Manifesto"

Natural: 24 Strange Facts About the Universe That Will Blow Your Mind

Italian: Zanzara (mosquito)

The Italian word for that pesky insect whose high-pitched buzzing is enough to drive even the most patient of people to the brink of madness is zanzara (mosquito). It comes from the late Latin zinzala which has onomatopoeic origins.

Quote: "Before processing a situation, let your nerves and the effervescence of your imagination calm down. Recollect yourself: a few days of patience. You will see, thus, by some distance and peace, all things will take back their proper proportions. During the period of agitation, guard against arguing, deciding, and acting. Emotion troubles the reason; passion misleads judgment; self-love renders the situation unjust toward ourselves." — An Anonymous Carthusian Monk