A Belgium-based peacebuilding non-profit is reporting 750 people killed in an attack on Ethiopia church.
Friends, in “Fratelli Tutti,” the Holy Father prophetically calls Christians to rediscover the long tradition of Catholic social teaching as it pertains to labor, business, and property. Pope Francis challenges everyone to sacrificially share what we have with the poor and needy, and he reminds those with wealth of their high moral obligations of sacrificial service.
Pope Francis is working to ensure that poor people who are assisted by Holy See facilities for the homeless be offered the possibility of being ...
Pope Francis received his first dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday as the Vatican began its vaccination campaign, according to reports.

Many Christmas carols make mention of the three kings, who follow a star and come to pay homage to the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
In the Bible, they are not called kings, and their number is not specified—instead they are “wise men from the East.” At many courts in the east, including ancient Babylon and Persia, learned astrologers often served as priestly advisers, practiced in the art of magic.
In the centuries since, the three magi have been interpreted as kings.
Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/people-in-the-bible/three-kings-magi-epiphany/
Saint John of the Cross

Juan de Yepes y Álvarez was born in Spain and entered the Carmelite Order as a young man.
After a meeting with St. Teresa of Avila, he joined her attempts at reforming the order and pledged himself to a more stringently monastic and studious life than Carmelites then practiced.
Arrested, imprisoned, and tortured for his beliefs by his fellow monks, John underwent a spiritual awakening while captive that led to an outpouring of mystical poetry and writing, later collected in volumes such as Ascent of Mount Carmel, Dark Night of the Soul, and A Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom of Christ.
He was canonized a saint in 1726.
Source: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/st-john-of-the-cross

It’s the day after Christmas, a public holiday, St. Stephen’s Day. The 26th of December is St. Stephen’s Day a national holiday not only in Croatia but across most of the world.
Saint Stephen's Day, or the Feast of Saint Stephen, is a Christian saint's day to commemorate Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr or protomartyr, celebrated on 26 December in the Latin Church and 27 December in Eastern Christianity.
Source: https://www.thedubrovniktimes.com/information/item/5928-saint-stephen-s-day-in-croatia
The Holy Family

Holy Family, as a theme in Christian art, representation of the infant Jesus with his immediate family. There are two major versions, one showing the Virgin and Child with St. Joseph and the other showing the Virgin and Child with the Virgin’s mother, St. Anne.
Like a number of other themes dealing with the lives of Christ and the Virgin, the Holy Family gained importance at the end of the Middle Ages as an inspiration to popular piety through contemplation of the emotional aspects of the Gospel story.
It was most frequently depicted in painting and, especially in the Renaissance, was a favourite subject for altarpieces.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/art/Holy-Family

Stephen I, also called Saint Stephen, Hungarian Szent István, original name Vajk, (born c. 970–975, Esztergom, Hungary—died August 15, 1038, Esztergom; canonized 1083; feast day August 16), first king of Hungary, who is considered to be the founder of the Hungarian state and one of the most-renowned figures in Hungarian history.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Stephen-I-king-of-Hungary

Pope Francis proclaims “Year of St Joseph”
With the Apostolic Letter “Patris corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.
To mark the occasion, the Holy Father has proclaimed a “Year of Saint Joseph” from today, 8 December 2020, to 8 December 2021.
Source: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2020-12/pope-francis-proclaims-year-of-st-joseph.html
Thomas Becket, a London merchant’s son, was a complex person – in his youth he was a normal ebullient young man, stormy and proud, selfish and arrogant, vain, and anxious to please, but in later life, became one of the most pious and devout Archbishops of the 12th century.
Fiestday: December 29
Source: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Thomas-Becket/