"The Church celebrates the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on Monday, June 24, and on August 29, we will celebrate the memorial of his martyrdom. There is no other Saint for whom the Church celebrates both of these moments. Generally, it celebrates only their 'birth into heaven,' with the exception, of course, of Jesus, the Son of God; December 25, His birth, and Good Friday; His death and the Virgin Mary; September 8; Her birth, and August 15; Her Assumption into Heaven.

Jesus Himself said, 'Amen, I say to you, among those both of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist' (Mt. 11:11). He was the last of the great prophets of Israel, the first to testify to Jesus, who initiated a Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and, in this context, Baptized Jesus. He was a martyr who died defending the Judaic law... --Excerpt from VATICAN NEWS, "The Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist."  [https://www.vaticannews.va/en/liturgical-holidays/solemnity-of-the-nativity-of-saint-john-the-baptist.html]

--Parish Bulletin, June 23, 2024.