MILLENNIUM MILESTONES & MEMORIES: TIME CAPSULES

336 A.D.
Election of Pope Saint Mark as 34th successor of Peter. Born in Rome, he would decree that the Pope should be consecrated by the Bishop of Ostia and would institute the "Pallium" which is still in use. It is made from the wool of a previously blessed lamb and is decorated with black crosses. During his pontificate he would produce the first calendar of religious feastdays.
580 A.D.
Death of Saint Faustina and Saint Liberata, biological sisters who were both Benedictine nuns and the co-foundresses of the Convent of Santa Margarita in Como, Italy. St. Faustina's name was taken in religious life by another some thirteen hundred year's later - Blessed Faustina Kowalska.
1272 A.D.
Death of Saint Fazzio, a goldsmith by trade who founded the Order of the Holy Spirit in Cremona, Italy and died on this date at the age of 82.
1774 A.D.
Death of Blessed Beatrix d'Este. After becoming a widow early in life, she retired to a Benedictine nunnery and after a period of preparation, founded the convent at Ferrara, Italy, naming it after St. Antony.
1995 A.D.
Pope John Paul II begins his pastoral visit to Australia, a papal tour that would also take him to New Zealand and the Philippines.