SAINTS JANUARY 19

 

SAINTS JANUARY 19

STS. MARIUS, MARTHA, AUDIFACE AND ABACHUM, MARTYRS ON THE VIA CORNELIA, Marius and his two sons were beheaded on the Via Cornelia and their bodies were burned. Martha was murdered in a place called Nymphae Catabassi, thirteen miles outside of Rome.

 Jan 19

ST. GERMANICUS MARTYR OF PHILADELPHIA Jan 19

St. Canute IV Martyred Roman Catholic king of Denmark, sometimes called Knud. The illegitimate son of King Sven II Estridson of Denmark, Canute succeeded his brother Harald III Hen in 1081. After marrying Adela, the sister of Count Robert of Flanders, Canute built churches and monasteries. In 1085, he planned an invasion of England, but the nobles of the court rebelled against him and forced him to flee to the isle of Funen. There, Canute, his brother Benedict, and seventeen companions were slain in the church of St. Alban Feastday Jan 19

ST. JOHN, BISHOP OF RAVENNA

St John was Bishop of Ravenna at a time when the whole country was being devastated by the war with the Lombards. He was a holy pastor, entirely dedicated to caring for the needs of his people and his church. Pope Gregory the Great’s book, “The Rule for Pastors” to him. He died in 595.   Jan 19

St. Fillan. A son of Feriach and St. Kentigerna, was also known as Foelan. He became a monk in his youth and accompanied his mother from Ireland to Scotland where he lived as a hermit near St. Andrew's monastery for many years, and then was elected abbot. He later resigned and resumed his eremitical life at Glendochart, Pertchire, where he built a church and was reknowned for his miracles. Various legends attribute the most extravagant miracles to him, such as the one in which his prayers caused a wolf that had killed the ox he was using to drag materials to the church he was building, to take the ox's place. Fillan died on January 19...  

St. Henry of Sweden. Henry was an Englishman of the twelfth century residing at Rome. In 1152, he was consecrated Bishop of Uppsala, Sweden, by the Papal Legate Nicholas Breakspear, who later became Pope Adrian IV. In 1154, St. Eric, King of Sweden, led a punitive expedition against the Finns in retaliation for their marauding activity into Sweden, and Henry accompanied him. Eric offered peace and the Christian Faith to the people of Finland, but they refused. A battle ensued and the Swedes won.  Henry baptized the defeated people in the Spring of Kuppis near Turku. When Eric returned to Sweden, Henry remained behind, working to convert more of the Finns. To this end he built a church at Nousis, which became his headquarters. In time, Henry met a violent death on account of his love of God. A converted Finnish soldier named Lalli had murdered a Swedish soldier. After careful consideration of the facts and assiduous prayer, Henry imposed the penalty of excommunication on the murderer. Lalli became enraged and slew the saintly bishop with an ax. Henry was buried at Nousis, and miracles were reported at his tomb.  

St. Branwallader, 6th century.  Bishop of Jersey, England. A part of his remains were translated by King Athelstan in 935.  

St. Wulfstan, 1095 A.D. Wulfstan (1008-1095)  A Bishop and reformer, also called Wulstan and Wolstan. Born at Long-Itch ington, Warwickshire, England, he studied at the abbeys of Evesham and Peterborough, received ordination, and joined the Benedictines at Worcester. Wulfstan served as treasurer of the church at Worcester, was prior of the monastery, and finally was named bishop of Worcester in 1062. After overcoming initial doubts about his ability to hold the office of bishop, he demonstrated such skill after the Norman Conquest that he was the lone bishop to be kept in his post by William the Conqueror (r. l066-l087). For the next three decades, Wulfstan rebuilt his cathedral, cared for the poor, and struggled to alleviate the harsh decrees of the Normans upon the vanquished Saxons. Wulfstan died while engaged in the daily ritual of washing the feet of a dozen poor men. He was canonized in 1203.  

St. Nathalan. Hermit and bishop of Tullicht, best known for his miracles. A Scot born to a noble family near Aberdeen, he became a hermit and performed miracles during a famine. Later he became a bishop, and during one visit to Rome was consecrated by the Holy Father. He returned to Tullicht, where he built churches and conducted missionary activities.