Calendar Class of October 6, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

Carpe canem! Why do kids and puppies always grow up faster than we adults can wrap our minds around the changes? St. Bernards in particular have an astonishing growth rate, as you will know if you recall the Carpe Diem Snapshot of this beast when he was just a fluffy puppy in Maya's arms last Spring.

Liturgical: Monday of the 27th Week of Ordinary Time

Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Sanctoral: Bruno (c. 1030 – October 6, 1101)

This saint has the honor of having founded a religious order which, as the saying goes, has never had to be reformed because it was never deformed. No doubt both the founder and the members would reject such high praise, but it is an indication of the saint’s intense love of a penitential life in solitude.

Saint Bruno was born in Cologne, Germany, became a famous teacher at Rheims, and was appointed chancellor of the archdiocese at the age of 45. He supported Pope Gregory VII in his fight against the decadence of the clergy, and took part in the removal of his own scandalous archbishop, Manasses. Saint Bruno suffered the plundering of his house for his pains.

He had a dream of living in solitude and prayer, and persuaded a few friends to join him in a hermitage. After a while he felt the place unsuitable and through a friend, was given some land which was to become famous for his foundation “in the Chartreuse”—from which comes the word Carthusians. The climate, desert, mountainous terrain, and inaccessibility guaranteed silence, poverty, and small numbers.

Saint Bruno and his friends built an oratory with small individual cells at a distance from each other. They met for Matins and Vespers each day and spent the rest of the time in solitude, eating together only on great feasts. Their chief work was copying manuscripts.

Hearing of Saint Bruno’s holiness, the pope called for his assistance in Rome. When the pope had to flee Rome, Bruno pulled up stakes again, and after refusing a bishopric, spent his last years in the wilderness of Calabria.

Saint Bruno was never formally canonized, because the Carthusians were averse to all occasions of publicity. However, Pope Clement X extended his feast to the whole Church in 1674.

Reflection

If there is always a certain uneasy questioning of the contemplative life, there is an even greater puzzlement about the extremely penitential combination of community and hermit life lived by the Carthusians. May we mirror Saint Bruno’s quest for holiness and unity with God.

Human: Child Health Day

First proclaimed to be May 1 by President Coolidge in 1928, this national observance has taken place on the first Monday in October since 1960. On Child Health Day, we are encouraged to pay special attention to the physical and mental health and safety of children in the United States. Topics covered on this day include prenatal care, environmental hazards, and adolescent issues.

Natural: October 2025 Full Moon: Harvest Moon is the Largest and Brightest Supermoon of the Year

Native Americans named October’s Moon the Hunter’s Moon because it was the time to hunt in preparation for winter. Other tribes called it the Travel Moon and the Dying Grass Moon.

Italian: Spesa (grocery shopping / spending / expense)

Quote: "While the world changes, the cross stands firm.”-St. Bruno