Calendar Class of September 26, 2025

A Carpe Diem Snapshot:

We entered the Wardrobe yesterday and took a deep dive into Narnia, with Professor Wesley Reynolds guiding our path through the snowy woods. Recalling Father Christmas' surprise tea party, we tried our hand at a few recipes from the Official Narnia Cookbook by Douglas Gresham. Wesley's gooseberry fool was absolutely delicious and a rare treat, but he made enough to feed all of Aslan's army! We happily made our way through the Narnian treats while Wesley helped us better understand and appreciate the many levels of allegory contained within the Chronicles. The history of the lamppost, the first thing Lucy sees in Narnia, was of particular interest to me. Incidentally, the Italian word of the day happens to be "lampione"!

Liturgical: Friday of the 25th Week of Ordinary Time

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.”

Then he sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone. He said, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

Luke 9:18-22

Sanctoral: Sts. Cosmas and Damian (d. 287 A.D.) were twin brothers born in Arabia. They both became skilled physicians who practiced in Asia Minor. They took no money for their medical services, for which they were well-respected. Because of their charity they drew many to the Catholic faith. During the Christian persecution under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, Cosmas and Damian were targeted, arrested, and tortured. After being miraculously preserved from injury throughout their cruel tortures, holding firm in their faith to the end, they were finally killed by beheading. They were martyred together with their three brothers. Their remains were buried in Syria and many miracles were attributed to them. In gratitude for the healing he received through the intercession of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, Roman Emperor Justinian I (6th c.) restored a church dedicated to their honor in Constantinople, which became a place of pilgrimage. Sts. Cosmas and Damian are regarded as the patron saints of physicians, surgeons, and pharmacists. They are mentioned by name in the Roman Canon of the Mass.

Human: Johnny Appleseed Day

John Chapman ( Johnny Appleseed) was born in Massachusetts on September 26, 1774. He was a legendary American pioneer and folk hero who planted apple trees across the American Frontier. Chapman earned his nickname because he planted small orchards and individual apple trees during his travels as he walked across 100,000 square miles of Midwestern wilderness and prairie. He was a genuine and dedicated professional nurseryman known for his generous nature, his love of the wilderness, his devotion to the Bible, his knowledge of medicinal herbs, his harmony with the Indians, and his eccentric nature, too. His efforts resulted in settlers’ planting their own orchards.

John Chapman died in 1845 near his nursery in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Every September, when apples are ripe, Fort Wayne hosts an annual festival to commemorate the life of Johnny Appleseed.

Next time you bite into an apple, think of Johnny Appleseed. Learn more about Johnny Appleseed and Johnny Appleseed Day!

Birthday of T.S. Eliot (poet) – 1888

Natural: What would happen if Earth’s rotation started to slow down?

Earth is already slowing down and has been doing so for billions of years. At the present time, our planet is slowing down by about .002 second per century. The slowing occurs mainly because of friction between solid earth and ocean tides. Earth’s loss of rotational energy is transferred to the Moon, which goes into a wider orbit, thus lengthening the time between successive full Moons.

Italian: Lampione (lamp post / street light)

A lampione is a large glass-covered lamp supported by a column or a support fixed to the wall, used for lighting streets, squares, gardens, and the like. It derives from the word lampa, meaning ‘lightning’ or ‘flash’.

Books of the Day: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (on stage), Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Calahan Henry

Quote: “All shall be done, but it may be harder than you think.”

― Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis