Faith in Action at Legacy of Life House

The Holy Name Society traces its roots to the Council of Lyons in the year 1274. The Albigensian Heresy was posing a serious challenge to the Medieval Church. This heresy was devastating society – it challenged the divinity of Christ, repudiated all of the sacraments of the Church, and encouraged taking one’s life. Pope Gregory X convened a special Council of Bishops in Lyons, France. The Council prescribed that the faithful should have a special devotion to the Holy Names of God and Jesus in reparation of the insults offered to it by the Albigensian blasphemers. The Dominican Order was asked to spread this devotion in a special letter to (now Blessed) John of Vercelli, Master General of the Dominican Order. The Dominicans fervently executed the pope’s command, preaching everywhere the power and glory of the Holy Name of Jesus.

The history of the Society itself in the fourteenth and the fifteenth centuries is somewhat obscure, but that it continued to exist is certain from papal bulls addressed to the Dominicans.  In 1432 at Lisbon the devotion preached by a retired Dominican bishop, Andrea Diaz, was a means of stopping the ravages of a plague that was then afflicting that city. In gratitude for their deliverance, on January 1, 1433, the people of  Lisbon held what was probably the first procession in honor of the Holy Name of Jesus.

Following the example of Pope Pius IV, the popes of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries made the Society an object of special solicitude, encouraging its promotion and regulating its organization. Since then, branches of the society multiplied rapidly and are now located in many dioceses, including throughout the United States. 

“All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ...”
 Colossians 3:17

A fellowship that reinforces social, service, and spirital balance in the daily lives of the men within the parish.

Meetings are normally held on the first Monday of the month (August through June) at 7:30 pm in the Hagenbach Room of the Parish Center. Pizza and beverages are provided. All are welcome!

For more information, email [email protected].  

The Holy Name Society is proud to have the opportunity to provide financial assistance through “fun-raising” and membership dues. This past year, they provided support for individual parishioners and partner organizations:

"I have witnessed the many projects, and events that the Holy Name Society and Men’s Club (HNS) has either sponsored or assisted with. I am not only impressed, but very proud as a member of this church community to see what this impressive organization does for so many with the limited resources they have."  - Saint Monica Parishioner