Christian Today

Bl. William Guntei - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. William Guntei, Roman Catholic Priest and English Welch Martyr hanged at Shoreditch, Feastday is August 28

Bl. William Dean - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. William Dean, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr executed in Nile End Green, London.  Feast day is August 28

Bl. Thomas Holford - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Thomas Holford, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr hanged at Clerkenwell in London. Feast day is August 28

Bl. Thomas Felton - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Thomas Felton,  Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr hanged at lsleworth, London. Feast day is August 28

Bl. Robert Morton - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Robert Morton,  Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr executed at Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. Feast day is August 28

Bl. Hugh More - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Hugh More, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr. martyred at Lincolns Inn Fields by hanging. Feast day is August 28

Bl. John Roche & Margaret Ward - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bls. John Roche & Margaret Ward, Roman Catholic English Martyrs. They were offered their liberty if they would ask the Queen's pardon and promise to go to church; to which they replied that they had done nothing that could reasonably offend her Majesty, and that it was against their conscience to attend a protestant church. So they were condemned. These martyrs, who suffered with such firm constancy and patience, were forbidden to speak to the people from the scaffold because their persecutors were afraid of the impression they would make; "but the very death of so many saint-like innocent men (whose lives were unimpeachable), and of several young gentlemen, which they endured with so much joy, strongly pleaded for the cause for which they died." Their feast day is August 28. .

St. Edmund Arrowsmith - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Edmund Arrowsmith, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr convicted of being a Catholic priest, sentenced to death, and hanged, drawn, and quartered at Lancaster. Feastday Aug. 28

Bl. Laurentia Herasymiv - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Laurentia Herasymiv, was a nun who joined the Sisters of Saint Joseph in 1933 and was Martyred Under Communist Regimes in Eastern Bloc. feastday 8-28

St. Monica - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Monica, Roman Catholic Laywoman and was married by arrangement to a pagan official in North Africa, who was much older than she, and although generous, was also violent tempered. His mother Lived with them and was equally difficult, which proved a constant challenge to St. Monica. She had three children; Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua. feastday Aug 27

St. Margaret the Barefooted - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Margaret the Barefooted-Roman Catholic Laywoman Wife and model of charity. She was born into a poor family at San Severino, Ancona, Italy. Married at fifteen, she suffered through ill treatment from her husband with prayer, while begging alms for the poor and sick. She walked as barefooted as the lowliest beggar. Feastday Aug 27

St. Patricia - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Patricia Roman Catholic patron of Naples, and like St. Januarius there, a vial believed to be filled with her blood reportedly liquefies thirteen hundred years after her death. Feast Aug. 25

St. Louis King of France - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Louis IX, Roman Catholic King of France. He was well known for protecting the French clergy from secular leaders and for strictly enforcing laws against blasphemy.  He established the Sorbonne (1252) and the monasteries of Rayaumont, Vavert, and Maubuisson. Louis led two crusades, the Sixth and the Seventh Crusades. Feastday Aug 25

St. Genesius of Arles - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Genesius, During a stage performance before Emperor Diocletian in Rome, the actor Genesius portrayed a catechumen about to be baptized in a play satirizing the Christian sacrament. In the midst of the ceremony he was suddenly converted to Christianity. When presented to the Emperor, he declared his Christianity. Enbraged, Diocletian had him turned over to Plautian, prefect of the praetorium, who tortured him in an effort to force him to sacrifice to the pagan gods. When Genesius persisted in his faith, he was beheaded. Genesius is the patron of actors. Feast day is Aug. 25.

St. Bartholomew - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Bartholomew, one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Feastday Aug. 24

St. Philip Benizi - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Philip Benizi,  Roman Catholic Servite cardinal and preacher. Feastday Aug. 23

St. Rose of Lima - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Rose of Lima, Roman Catholic Dominican Nun the patroness of Latin America and the Philippines. Feastday Aug. 23

Bl. William Lacey - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. William Lacey,  Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr. He was arrested in York Prison while participating in the Eucharistic ceremony being sung in the cell of Blessed Thomas Bell. Condemned, he was executed at Knavesmaire,just outside of York with Blessed Richard Kirkman. Feastday Aug. 22

Bl. Richard Kirkman - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Richard Kirkman, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered near York with Blessed William Lacey, on August 22, for denying the supremacy of Queen Elizabeth I as head of the Church of England. Feastday Aug. 22

St. John Kemble - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. John Kemble, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr. At the age of eighty-one, he was arrested at Pembridge Castle, the home of his brother. He was falsely charged in the Titus Qates Plot and condemned for being a Catholic. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Hereford. Feastday Aug. 22

St. Antoninus - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Antoninus (died 186) was a public executioner in Rome. It is believed that during the trial of St Eusebius he had a vision and converted to Christianity. The proclamation of faith cost his life and he was beheaded in 186. His feast day is 22 August.

St. Cyriaca - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Cyriaca, Roman Catholic Widowed Martyr and patroness of St. Laurence, sometimes called Dominica. St. Laurence, deacon and martyr, used Cyriacas villa in Rome to distribute alms to the poor. She was scourged to death for the faith. The church of St. Mary in Dominica was named after her. Feastday Aug. 21

St. Pius X - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Pius X, Roman Catholic Priest and became the two hundred fifty-ninth Pope, Feastday Aug. 21

Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Sts. Leovigild and Christopher, Martyrs of Cordoba, Spain, put to death under the Muslim ruler of Cordoba, Abd al-Rahman II. Leovigild was a priest and Christopher was a monk. Feastday Aug. 20

St. Bernard of Clairvaux - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Roman Catholic Abbot and Doctor of the Church.  Feastday Aug. 20

Martyrs of Thrace - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Roman Catholic Martyrs of Thrace, A group of thirty-seven martyrs who suffered in Thrace, in modem northern Greece. Their feet and hands were sliced off and then they were cast into a furnace. Feastday Aug. 20

Saint of the Day for Tuesday, August 19th, 2014 - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Andrew the Tribune, The "Great Martyr," and the leader of converts in the Roman army,  his men faced a battle with a Persian host. Calling upon Christ for aid, the Romans were victorious. Andrew and some of his troops became Christians as a result and were discharged from military service.  they were arrested by the military governor and executed in the Taurus Mountains of Cilicia. Feastday 8-19

Bl. Peter Zuniga - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Peter Zuniga, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr of Japan. A Spaniard from Seville, he grew up in Mexico, where his father was the sixth Viceroy of the Spanish colony. Upon his return to Spain, he joined the Augustinians, and, after ordination, he requested to be sent to Japan and the missions there. Going first to the Philippines in 1610, he was later assigned to Japan, arriving there in 1620. Two years later, he was arrested and, with Blesseds Louis Flores, Joachim, Firayama, and the captain and crew which had transported them, was put to death. The crew was beheaded while the others were burned alive. Feastday Aug. 19

Bl. Joachim Firayama Diz - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Joachim Firayama Diz, Roman Catholic Martyr of Japan, a ship captain. He brought Blessed Peter Zuniga and Louis Flores to Japan on his ship but was captured by Dutch Protestant pirates and taken to Firando, Japan. He and his crew, all members of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, were beheaded at Nagasaki. Feastday Aug. 19

St. Leo & Juliana - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Sts. Leo & Juliana, ,Roman Catholic Martyrs. Leo suffered martyrdom at Lycia. Juliana was martyred at Stribylum, in Asia Minor. Feastday Aug. 18

St. Helena - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Helena, Roman Catholic Empress mother of Constantine the Great. Her porphyry sarcophagus is in the Vatican Museum.  Feastday Aug. 18

Bl. Caspar and Mary Vaz - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Caspar and Mary Vaz, Roman Catholic Martyrs of Japan. They were husband and wife and tertiaries of St. Francis. Both were martyred in Nagasaki. Caspar was burned alive, and Mary was beheaded. Feastday Aug. 17

St. Paul and Juliana - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Sts. Paul and Juliana, Roman Catholic Martyred brother and sister, they were put to death at Ptolemais, in Palestine, during the persecution launched by Emperor Aurelian.  Feastday Aug. 17

St. Michael My - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Michael My, Roman Catholic Martyr of Vietnam. He was the mayor of a town in Vietnam when the persecution of Christians started. Michael was martyred with Blessed Anthony Dich, his son-in-law, and with St. James Nam. Feastday Aug. 12

Bl. William Freeman - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. William Freeman, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr. he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Warwick on August 13

St. Otranto Martyrs ~ Antonio Primaldo - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online t.s Antonio Primaldo and  The Otranto Martyrs, Roman Catholic Priests and Martyrs.  Feastday Aug. 14 Antonio Primaldo was martyred in 1480 by Ottoman invaders after he refused along with approximately 800 others, to convert to Islam. In 1480, an Ottoman force arrived by sea in the southern tip of the Italian boot, at the town of Otranto. Ontranto at that time was a small, fortified town of about 6,000 inhabitants. The Ottomans immediately attacked the town, bombarding it indiscriminately. The asked for the town�s surrender the next day, which was summarily refused. Thus scorned, the Ottomans resumed their bombardment compelling the civilians to retreat into the small citadel there. That retreat and the subsequent entry into the town by the Ottoman invaders, initiated a 15-day siege during which the inhabitants remained steadfast. A final assault was ordered on the citadel by the Ottoman commander, Gedik

Bl. Mary Magdalen Kiota - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Mary Magdalen Kiota, Roman Catholic Dominican tertiary and Japanese Martyr. A princess of Japan and relative of a local lord, she was a Dominican tertiary. Arrested for sheltering missionaries, she was burned alive at Nagasaki. Feastday Aug. 16

St. Stephen the Great - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Stephen the Great, Roman Catholic King. He gave his patronage to Church leaders, helped build churches, and was a proponent of the rights of the Holy See. Stephen also crushed the pagan counter reaction to Christianity, forcibly converting the so-called Black Hungarians after their failed rebellion. In recognition of his efforts, Stephen was anointed king of Hungary in 1000, receiving the cross and crown from Pope Sylvester II.  Feastday Aug. 16

St. Clare - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Clare, Roman Catholic Nun. Foundress of an order of nuns now called "Poor Clares." Patron of sore eyes. Feastday Aug. 11

St. Philomena - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Saint Philomena, Roman Catholic Virgin and Martyr. Patroness of the Living Rosary and the Patroness of the Children of Mary, is the only person recognized as a saint solely on the basis of her powerful intercession, although pertinent revelations regarding her life have been recorded. Her relics are now preserved in Mugnano. Feastday Aug. 11

St. Lawrence - Martyr - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Saint Lawrence was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help to the poor and the needy. When a persecution broke out, Pope St. Sixtus was condemned to death. As he was led to execution, Lawrence followed him weeping, "Father, where are you going without your deacon?" he said. "I am not leaving you, my son," answered the Pope. "in three days you will follow me." Full of joy, Lawrence gave to the poor the rest of the money he had on hand and even sold expensive vessels to have more to give away. The Prefect of Rome, a greedy pagan, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. So he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. The Saint said he would, in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all the poor and sick people supported by the Church. When he showed them to the Prefect, he said: "This is the Church's treasure!&q

St. Asteria - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Asteria, Roman Catholic laywoman and Virgin Martyr, sister of St. Grata. Asteria and her sister were martyred at Bergamo, in Sicily, according to tradition. They were also associated with the burial of the martyr Alexander. Feastday Aug. 10

St. Edith Stein - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Edith Stein, Roman Catholic Nun. Teresa was arrested, and was sent to the concentration camp Teresa died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Feastday Aug. 9

Religious Liberties Commission statement on religious persecution in Iraq - Independent Catholic News Religious Liberties Commission statement on religious persecution in Iraq

St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Mary of the Cross MacKillop,  Roman Catholic Nun. together with Father Julian Tenison Woods, founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australasia with an emphasis on education for the poor, particularly in country areas. She is the only Australian until now, to be recognised by the Roman Catholic Church as a saint. Feastday Aug. 8

Bl. John Felton - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. John Felton, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr. John nailed a copy of the Bull of Pope St. Pius V excommunicating Queen Elizabeth I to the doors of the bishop of London’s residence. Arrested and imprisoned, he was racked three times before being martyred in St. Paul’s churchyard. Feastday Aug.8

St. Dominic - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Dominic, Roman Catholic Priest. Dominic preached against the Albigensians (heresy) and helped reform the Cistercians. Dominic founded an institute for women at Prouille in Albigensian territory in 1206 and attached several preaching friars to it. When papal legate Peter of Castelnan was murdered by the Albigensians in 1208, Pope Innocent III launched a crusade against them headed by Count Simon IV of Montfort which was to continue for the next seven years. Dominic followed the army and preached to the heretics but with no great success. In 1214 Simon gave him a castle at Casseneuil and Dominic with six followers founded an order devoted to the conversion of the Albigensians  Feastday Aug. 8

St. Hormisdas Pope - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Hormisdas Roman Catholic Pope from 514-523, successor to St. Symmachus, and father of Pope St. Silverius  Born in Frosinone, Campagna di Roma, Italy, he was an Italian, although he had a Persian name. Married and widowed prior to ordination, he succeeded St. Symmachus on July 21, 514. One of his great achievements was the ending of the Acacian  Schism which had divided the Eastern and Western Churches since 484. The Church in Constantinople was reunited to Rome in 519 as a result of the confession called the Formula of Hormisdas. This document was signed by Patriarch John of Constantinople and 250 Eastern bishops. Hormisdas also received Laurentian schismatics into the Church and secured the acceptance of the Tome of Leo I and the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon and the recognition of the authority of the Holy See over the universal Church. Feastday Aug. 6

Martyrs of Cardena - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Martyrs of Cardena, Roman Catholic Benedictine Monks and Martyrs.in the monastery of Cardena, Spain, under Abbot Stephen. More than two hundred monks here were put to death by the Arabs (muslims) during their conquest of the peninsula. Feastday Aug. 6

St. Addal - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Addal, Roman Catholic Priest and  Martyr. A disciple of Christ sent by St. Thomas to the court of King Abgar the Black, the second century Osroene ruler. Legendary accounts claim Abgar wrote to Christ asking Jesus to cure him of an intolerable and incurable illness. Feastday Aug. 5

St. Nouna - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Nouna, Roman Catholic wife of St. Gregory of Nazianzus. A Christian, she was responsible for converting Gregory to the Christian faith. He was originally a member of the Hypsistorians, a pagan group. All of their children became saints: Gregory Nazianzus the Younger, Caesarius of Nazianzus, and Gorgonius. Feastday Aug. 5

And The Truth Will Set You Free: How I Was Reconciled to the Catholic Church - Conversion Story of Kathleen M. Gavlas - The Coming Home Network

Bl. William Horne - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. William Horne, Roman Catholic Carthusian lay brother and English Martyr. A member of the London Charterhouse of the Carthusians, he was arrested for opposing the religious policies of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547), which included the imprisonment of Catholics and the destruction of monasteries. William was executed at Tyburn with two companions.

St. Lydia Purpuraria - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Lydia Purpuraria, Roman Catholic and Paul's first convert at Philippi. She was baptized with her household, and Paul stayed at her home there. Feastday Aug. 3

St. Dominic Van Honh Dieu - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Dominic Van Honh Dieu, Roman Catholic Dominican Priest and Martyr. A native of Vietnam. He was martyred at the age of sixty-seven. Feastday Aug. 1

St. Sofia - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Eastern allegory explaining the cult of Divine Wisdom, Faith, Hope, and Charity were the daughters of Wisdom (known as Sofia in the Roman Martyrology on September 30th), a widow in Rome. The daughters suffered martyrdom during Hadrian's persecution of Christians: Faith, twelve, was scourged and went unharmed when boiling pitch was poured on her, was beheaded; Hope, ten, and Charity, nine, were also beheaded after emerging unscathed, from a furnace; and Wisdom died three days later while praying at their graves. Feast day - August 1st.

Bl. Thomas Welbourne - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Thomas Welbourne, Roman Catholic School master and English Martyr. He worked as a schoolmaster until his arrest for preaching the Catholic faith. He was arrested and condemned with Blesseds John Fuithering and William Brown. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at York.  Feastday Aug. 1

St. Alphonsus Marie Liguori - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Alphonsus Marie Liguori, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, and the founder of the Redemptorist Congregation. Feastday Aug. 1