In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"—Lk 1:39-42 (ESV) Many Church Fathers teach that St. John the Baptist was justified (cleansed of original sin) as soon as he heard the voice of Mary when he was in the womb of his mother Elizabeth.  (This is one reason why he leapt for joy!)  St. John the Baptist was conceived in original sin, but born without original sin as he was so filled with the Holy Spirit at the [...]

As most of you know, the only apostle not martyred was St. John the Beloved (also called St. John the Theologian.)   But as seen in the FSSP Ordo today (the 6th of May) there is an optional 4th class feast of St. John's near-martyrdom in boiling oil at the Latin Gate that is even celebrated in red (R) by the priest (if he can find it at the back of his '62 Missal!) Here's the Roman Calendar as produced by the FSSP: As the definitive and ancient Roman Martyrology reads on the 6th of May, "In Rome, the feast of St. John before the Latin Gate. Being bound and brought to Rome from Ephesus by the order of Domitian, [St. John the Apostle] was condemned by the Senate to be cast, near the said gate, into a vessel of boiling [...]