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Unique Catholic Feasts of local Churches?

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**Unique Catholic (liturgical or otherwise) Feasts of local Churches?** I would like to gather information on local unique feasts that exist or have at one time existed within the Catholic Church either at a parish, diocesan or national level. For example the Catholic Church in Malta celebrates the Feast of the Shipwreck of St. Paul each year on February 10th. > This coming Wednesday 10th February, Malta will be celebrating the feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck. Although usually celebrated with particular fervour in Valletta, it is a public holiday across the whole country, for this feast has for centuries held a special significance for the Maltese people. > > According to the Acts of the Apostles, in the year 60 AD, St. Paul was on a ship headed to Rome, where he was to face trial. At one point during the voyage, the ship was caught in a violent storm, which eventually led to the vessel foundering off the Maltese coast. St. Paul and everyone else aboard made it to shore safely, where they were welcomed and looked after by the locals. St. Paul remained here for three months, during which time it was claimed that he performed a number of miracles, but most importantly, he was also credited with introducing Christianity to Malta, and to have converted the local people. > > This, at least, is what tradition claims. Some academics are more sceptical; for starters, the earliest archaeological evidence of Christianity in Malta has been dated to the 4th century AD, several hundred years after the shipwreck. One also has to bear in mind that following the Arab conquest in 870 AD, Islam would have become the dominant faith here for quite some time, before Malta was eventually re-Christianised. It was then, perhaps, in an attempt to emphasise Malta’s Christian roots while encouraging a breaking off from Islam, that some stories associated with St. Paul’s visit started to gain popularity. His cult grew and was strengthened even more with the arrival of the Knights of St. John, who found the perfect opportunity to win over the locals by championing their patron saint, not to mention that being in possession of a number of Pauline sanctuaries would also have increased their own prestige. Thus, with time, many Pauline legends sprung up. - 7 Legends linked to St. Paul’s Shipwreck For the sake of clarity I am interested in both liturgical and/or piously recognized local traditions of non-liturgical feasts by the local Ordinary of the diocese in question. If possible please include the date of celebrating the Feast and any pertinent information or sources attached to it.
Asked by Ken Graham (81444 rep)
Jan 2, 2022, 11:45 PM
Last activity: Apr 15, 2023, 01:43 AM