Feast of Saint Athanasius

Today the Church celebrates the heroic virtue of this 3rd century saint who was a bishop, and Doctor of the Church. He spent his life battling the Arian heresy and he was an integral part of the crafting of the Creed in Nicea in 325 AD.  He also wrote a letter (Festal Letter) which contained a list of books that eventually became canonized in later Catholic Church Councils as the New Testament.
   His life was a series of battles and controversy and he was known as "Athanasius Contra Mundum."
Athanasius Against the World!  He spent 17 years of his 40 year bishopric in exile because of the Arian leanings of the roman emperors at the time, but he would not back down.

Saint Athanasius, we ask for your intercession that we would always be faithful to the Truth and stand up for Christ and His Church despite any opposition, as you yourself did. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we pray, Amen.