St Hilary’s Feast Day

Is today, traditionally the coldest day of the year (he says with the air-con on full).  One of the most severe winters in history began around 13 January in 1205, when the Thames in London froze over and ale and wine turned to solid ice and were sold by weight.

"So began a frost which continued till the two and twentieth day of March, so that the ground could not be tilled; whereof it came to pass that, in summer following a quarter of wheat was sold for a mark of silver in many places of England, which for the more part in the days of King Henry the Second was sold for twelve pence; a quarter of beans or peas for half a mark; a quarter of oats for thirty pence, that were wont to be sold for fourpence. Also the money was so sore clipped that there was no remedy but to have it renewed."

—Stowe's Chronicle

So that's stuff on the cold bits, now onto St H himself:

Hilary was born in Poitiers, France. His parents were very wealthy and made sure he received a good education. Hilary was raised as a pagan. Pagans worshipped many gods. That did not make sense to Hilary. He thought that there could only be one true God. To learn more, Hilary read the Scriptures. Meeting Jesus in the Gospels and learning what Jesus taught about God the Father changed Hilary’s heart. He was baptized and became a Christian.

Hilary was married and had a daughter so it was surprising when he was chosen to be the bishop of Poitiers. In those days, bishops were chosen by the local priests and approved by the people. Hilary was respected for his intelligence and his modesty. People thought that he would make a good leader.

At that time, a priest named Arius was preaching that Jesus was not truly God. This was a heresy, or false teaching, but many people, including the Emperor, began to believe in Arius’ preaching. Hilary opposed Arius’ ideas and spoke out against him. He wanted everyone to know that it is through Jesus, God’s only Son, that we are saved. The Emperor punished Hilary by sending him away.

Hilary made good use of his time alone. He wrote important books and sermons about the Blessed Trinity and he composed hymns that expressed the beliefs of our faith. When he was finally permitted to return to Poitiers, the people gathered in the town square to cheer him. He spent the rest of his life writing and preaching.

The Church honors Hilary as a saint and as a Doctor of the Church. That means that his teachings help all Catholics to better understand their faith. We can honor Hilary by reading the Gospels as he did and asking Jesus to help us grow in our love for him.

No idea about the feast bit though.  Good info from here and here.