Feast day: July 25^th
Death: 251

Before the 1969 reform of the Roman calendar, Christopher was listed as a martyr who died under Decius. Nothing else is known about him. There are several legends about him including the one in which he was crossing a river when a child asked to be carried across. When Christopher put the child on his shoulders he found the child was unbelievably heavy. The child, according to the legend, was Christ carrying the weight of the whole world. This was what made Christopher patron saint of travelers and is invoked against storms, plagues, etc... His former feast day is July 25^th.

Before the formal canonization process began in the fifteenth century, many saints were proclaimed by popular approval. This was a much faster process but unfortunately many of the saints so named were based on legends, pagan mythology, or even other religions -- for example, the story of the Buddha traveled west to Europe and he was "converted" into a Catholic saint! In 1969, the Church took a long look at all the saints on its calendar to see if there was historical evidence that that saint existed and lived a life of holiness. In taking that long look, the Church discovered that there was little proof that many "saints", including some very popular ones, ever lived. Christopher was one of the names that were determined to have a basis mostly in legend. Therefore Christopher (and others) was dropped from the universal calendar.
[Source: Catholic Online; http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=36
Copyright 1996-2000 Terry Matz. All Rights Reserved.]

More about St. Christopher [Source: Wikipedia]
Saint Christopher is venerated by several Christian denominations as a martyr killed in the reign of the 3^rd century Roman Emperor Decius (reigned 249–251). His veneration only appears late in Christian tradition, and did not become widespread in the Western Church until the Late Middle Ages, although churches and monasteries were named after him by the 7^th century.
That Christopher's name, meaning "Christ-bearer", foretells his adult life may give a clue that his story lacks a precise historical origin. He may be the same figure as Saint Menas. His most famous legend, which is mainly known from the West and may draw from Ancient Greek mythology, tells that he carried a child, who was unknown to him, across a river before the child revealed himself as Christ. Therefore he is the patron saint of travelers, and small images of him are often worn or placed in vehicles by Christians.

Legend
There are several legends associated with the life and death of Saint Christopher which first appeared in Greece and had spread to France by the 9th century. The 11^th century bishop and poet, Walter of Speyer, gave one version, but the most popular variations originated from the 13^th century Golden Legend.

According to the legendary account of his life Christopher was initially called Reprobus. He was Canaanite 5 cubits (7.5 feet (2.3 m)) tall and with a fearsome face. While serving the king of Canaan, he took it into his head to go and serve "the greatest king there was". He went to the king who was reputed to be the greatest, but one day he saw the king cross himself at the mention of the devil. On thus learning that the king feared the devil, he departed to look for the devil. He came across a band of marauders, one of whom declared himself to be the devil, so Christopher decided to serve him. But when he saw his new master avoid a wayside cross and found out that the devil feared Christ, he left him and enquired from people where to find Christ. He met a hermit who instructed him in the Christian faith. Christopher asked him how he could serve Christ. When the hermit suggested fasting and prayer, Christopher replied that he was unable to perform that service. The hermit then suggested that because of his size and strength Christopher could serve Christ by assisting people to cross a dangerous river, where they were perishing in the attempt. The hermit promised that this service would be pleasing to Christ.

After Christopher had performed this service for some time, a little child asked him to take him across the river. During the crossing, the river became swollen and the child seemed as heavy as lead so much that Christopher could scarcely carry him and found himself in great difficulty. When he finally reached the other side, he said to the child: "You have put me in the greatest danger. I do not think the whole world could have been as heavy on my shoulders as you were." The child replied: "You had on your shoulders not only the whole world but Him who made it. I am Christ your king, whom you are serving by this work." The child then vanished.

Christopher later visited the city of Lycia and there comforted the Christians who were being martyred. Brought before the local king, he refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods. The king tried to win him by riches and by sending two beautiful women to tempt him. Christopher converted the women to Christianity, as he had already converted thousands in the city. The king ordered him to be killed. Various attempts failed, but finally Christopher was decapitated.

Historical Identification
Historical examination of the legends suggests Reprobus (Christopher) lived during the Christian persecutions of the Roman emperor Decius, and that he was captured and martyred by the governor of Antioch. Historian David Woods has proposed that St. Christopher's remains were possibly taken to Alexandria by Peter of Attalia where he may have become identified with the Egyptian martyr Saint Menas.

The legend of Saint Christopher records two important historical facts that identify him with the historical Saint Menas. The first is that the Greek and Latin legends of Saint Christopher identify him as belonging to the Third Valerian Cohort of the Marmantae, a military unit of Northern Africa of Marmarica (between modern day Libya and Egypt), recruited by none other than the Emperor Diocletian. The second is that Saint Christopher was martyred in Antioch.

The martyrdom of Saint Menas corresponds to the details of the legend of Saint Christopher. The theory that identifies the two saints as one and the same concludes that the name "Christopher" meaning "Christ-bearer" was a title given to the name of the valiant Menas who died in Antioch. Since he was not a native of that land, his name was not known and so he was simply revered by his generic title: "Christophoros" or "Christ-Bearer.". Saint Menas happens to be the patron of travelers in the Coptic tradition,^[7] which further supports an association with Saint Christopher who is the patron of travelers in the Greek and Latin traditions.

Early Life
Saint Margaret Mary (Marguerite Marie Alacoque) was born on July 22, 1647 at Lhautecour, France.  
From early childhood, Margaret was described as showing intense love for the Blessed Sacrament (the Eucharist),
and as preferring silence and prayer to childhood play.  After her First Communion, at the age of nine,
she practiced in secret severe corporal mortification (including carving the name "Jesus" into her chest as an
adolescent [1]) until paralysis confined her to bed for four years. At the end of this period, having made a vow to
the Blessed Virgin to consecrate herself to religious life, she was instantly restored to perfect health.[2]

Visions
Margaret had visions of Jesus Christ, which she thought were a normal part of human experience and continued to
practice austerity.  However, in response to a vision of Christ, crucified but alive, that reproached her for forgetfulness
of Him, claiming His Heart was filled with love for her due to her promise.  On May 25, 1671 she entered,
when almost 24 years of age, the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial intending to become a nun.[2]

She was subjected to many trials to prove the genuineness of her vocation.  She was admitted to wearing the religious
habit on August 25, 1671, but was not allowed to make her religious profession on the same date of the following year,
which would have been normal.[3]   Finally, she was admitted to profession on November 6, 1672.   She changed her
baptismal name of Marguerite (Margaret) to her religious name of Marguerite-Marie (Margaret Mary).

In the convent she received several revelations of the Sacred Heart, the first on December 27, 1673, and the final one 18 months later.
The visions revealed to her the form of the devotion, the chief features being Holy Communion on the First Friday of each month, the
Holy Hour on Thursdays, and the Feast of the Sacred Heart.[4]

Rebuffed by her superior, Mother de Saumaise, in her efforts to follow the instruction she had received in the visions, she eventually won
her over but was unable to convince a group of theologians of the validity of her apparitions, nor was she any more successful with many
of the members of her community.  She received the support of Saint Claude de la Colombiere, the community's confessor for a time, who
declared that the visions were genuine.  

In 1683, opposition in the community ended when Mother Melin was elected Superior and named Margaret Mary her assistant. She later
became Novice Mistress, saw the convent observe the feast of the Sacred Heart privately beginning in 1686, and two years later, a chapel
was built at the Paray-le-Monial to honour the Sacred Heart.[5]

Beatification
After Margaret Mary's death, on October 17, 1690, the devotion to the Sacred Heart, fostered by the Jesuits and the subject of
controversies within the Church.  It was not officially recognized till 75 years after her death.[4]

The discussion of her own mission and qualities continued for years. All her actions, her revelations, her spiritual maxims, her teachings
regarding the devotion to the Sacred Heart, of which she was the chief exponent as well as the apostle, were subjected to the most severe
and minute examination, and finally the Sacred Congregation of Rites passed a favorable vote on the heroic virtues of this "servant of God".  
In March 1824 Pope Leo XII pronounced her Venerable (the first step on the path to canonized sainthood).  When her tomb was
canonically opened in July 1830, two instantaneous cures were recorded to have taken place.  On September 18, 1864 Pope Pius IX
declared her Blessed.

She was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920, and in 1929 her liturgical commemoration was included in the Roman Catholic calendar
of saints for celebration on October 17, the day of her death.  In 1969 this date was assigned to a saint of the Apostolic Age, Saint Ignatius
of Antioch, and the memorial of Saint Margaret Mary was moved to the previous day of October 16.

In 1928, Pope Pius XI issued the Papal encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor affirmed the Church's position regarding the credibility of
Saint Margaret Mary’s visions of Jesus Christ by speaking of Jesus as having "manifested Himself" to Saint Margaret Mary and having
"promised her that all those who rendered this honor to His Heart would be endowed with an abundance of heavenly graces".[6]

Her short devotional writing, La Devotion au Sacré-Coeur de Jesus (Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus), was published posthumously
by J. Croiset in 1698.  

Her body rests under the altar in the chapel at Paray, France, and many striking blessings have been claimed by pilgrims attracted there
from all parts of the world.[2]


The Twelve Promises of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary [7]
For those devoted to His Sacred Heart:
(1) I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
(2) I will establish peace in their families.
(3) I will console them in all their troubles.
(4) They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death.
(5) I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
(6) Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
(7) Tepid souls shall become fervent.
(8) Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
(9) I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
(10) I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
(11) Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
(12) The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of
nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving
their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.


From a letter by Saint Margaret Mary [7]
The sacred heart of Christ is an inexhaustible fountain and its sole desire is to pour itself out into the hearts of the humble
so as to free them and prepare them to lead lives according to his good pleasure.

From this divine heart three streams flow endlessly. The first is the stream of mercy for sinners; it pours into their hearts sentiments
of contrition and repentance. The second is the stream of charity which helps all in need and especially aids those seeking perfection
in order to find the means of surmounting their difficulties. From the third stream flow love and light for the benefit of his friends who
have attained perfection; these he wishes to unit to himself so that they may share his knowledge and commandments and, in their
individual ways, devote themselves wholly to advancing his glory.

This divine heart is an abyss filled with all blessings, and into the poor should submerge all their needs. It is an abyss of joy in which all
of us can immerse our sorrows. It is an abyss of lowliness to counteract our foolishness, an abyss of mercy for the wretched, an abyss
of love to meet our every need.

Are you making no progress in prayer?  The you need only offer God the prayers which the Savior has poured out for us in the sacrament
of the altar. Offer God his fervent love in reparation for your sluggishness. In the course of every activity pray as follows: “My God, I do
this or I endure  that in the heart of your Son and according to his holy counsels. I offer it to you in reparation for anything blame worthy or
imperfect in my actions.”; Continue to do this in every circumstance of life.  

But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than
renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the divine heart. In this way his will can carry out for us whatever contributes to
his glory, and we will be happy to be his subjects and to trust entirely in him.


Quote
"And He [Christ] showed me that it was His great desire of being loved by men and of withdrawing them from the path of ruin that made
Him form the design of manifesting His Heart to men, with all the treasures of love, of mercy, of grace, of sanctification and salvation which
it contains, in order that those who desire to render Him and procure Him all the honor and love possible, might themselves be abundantly
enriched with those divine treasures of which His heart is the source." — from Revelations of Our Lord to St. Mary Margaret Alacoque.


Additional Information
-  Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
-  Catholic Encyclopedia, by Sister Mary Bernard Doll
-  For All The Saints, by Katherine Rabenstein
-  Lives of the Saints, by John Crawley
-  New Catholic Dictionary
-  Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints, by Matthew Bunson,Margaret Bunson, and Stephen Bunson
-  The Secret of Saint Margaret Mary, by Henry Gheon


References
The majority of this article was taken from Wikipedia a free internet encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Alacoque#cite_note-0)
1.  The Longman Anthology of British Literature: The Twentieth Century Vol. 2C, 2439
2.  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque,Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09653a.htm.
3.  The Life of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque by Émile Bougaud (TAN Books 1990 ISBN 0-89555-297-3), pp. 94-102.
4.  Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, article Margaret Mary Alacoque, St (Oxford University Press 2005
ISBN 978-0-19-280290-3).
5.  Catholic Online: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
6.  Encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor of Pope Pius XI
7.  http://saints.sqpn.com/saintm14.htm
8.  The Recognitions by Gaddis, William, Penguin Classics, New York, New York. 1993, pp.66-67.
9.  This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.