September 23

Born in 1597, Francesco Barberini was the nephew of Cardinal Maffeo Barberini, who became Pope Urban VIII and elevated him to cardinal in 1624. As Cardinal Nephew, he managed papal finances, diplomacy, and the Barberini family's interests in Rome. Barberini was a generous patron of artists, commissioning works from Gian Lorenzo Bernini and other masters. He founded libraries and scholarly academies, fostering Baroque culture in the papal court. After Urban VIII's death, he skillfully negotiated reconciliation with Pope Innocent X and preserved his family's legacy. Barberini authored legal and theological treatises, influencing canon law. He died in 1679, remembered for both his political acumen and cultural patronage.

Born in 1650 in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, Jeremy Collier was ordained in the Church of England in 1676. He served as chaplain to King William III before his consecration as Bishop of Landaff in 1706 and later Bishop of Salisbury in 1716. Collier's influential pamphlet 'A Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage' sparked a literary controversy with playwrights such as John Dryden. He argued for stricter moral and religious standards in public entertainment, shaping the future of English drama. Beyond his theatre critique, Collier wrote sermons and theological works defending church discipline and non-jurors. His writings contributed to the moral rigor of early 18th-century Anglicanism. Collier died in 1726, leaving a lasting impact as both a churchman and literary critic.

Moshe Zvi Segal was born in 1876 in the Russian Empire and later immigrated to Palestine. He became a prominent rabbi, teaching at yeshivot and seminaries and producing commentaries on Talmudic texts. Segal was active in communal affairs and worked to strengthen Jewish scholarship during the formative years of the Yishuv. His writings bridged traditional halachic study with contemporary issues facing Jewish communities. He continued teaching and writing until his death in 1968, leaving a legacy of rigorous scholarship and devotion to education.