Christian Today

St. Hermes and Adrian, Roman Catholic Martyrs with twenty four companions, probably the Massylitan martyrs praised by St. Augustine. They suffered in Massylis, or Marula, in Numidia. Feastday Mar 1

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS:March 1 St. David. According to tradition, St. David was the son of King Sant of South Wales and St. Non. He was ordained a priest and later studied under St. Paulinus. Later, he was involved in missionary work and founded a number of monasteries. The monastery he founded at Menevia in Southwestern Wales was noted for extreme asceticism. David and his monks drank neither wine nor beer - only water - while putting in a full day of heavy manual labor and intense study. Around the year 550, David attended a synod at Brevi in Cardiganshire. His contributions at the synod are said to have been the major cause for his election as primate of the Cambrian Church. He was reportedly consecrated archbishop by the patriarch of Jerusalem while on a visit to the Holy Land. He also is said to have invoked a council that ended the last vestiges of Pelagianism. David died at his monastery in Menevia around the year 589, and his cult was approved in 1120 by Pope Callistus II. He ...

St. Oswald of Worcester (died 29 February 992) was Archbishop of York from 972 to his death in 992. Feb. 28

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 28 ST. HILARIUS, POPE ST. ROMANUS, ABBOT

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 27 Bl. Mark Barkworth. Martyr of England, the first Benedictine to die at Tyburn. Born in Lincoinshire, he was a Protestant educated at Oxford. While in Europe, Mark visited Douai, France, and became a Catholic. He was ordained in Valladolid, Spain, in 1599, and became a Benedictine in Navarre while on his return to England. Mark was arrested soon after his return to his homeland, and three apostates testified against him. With Father Richard Filcock he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tybum on February 27 — the first English Benedictine Martyr. St. Anne Line, 1601 A.D. English martyr from Dunmow, Essex. The daughter of William Heigham, she was disowned by him when she married a Catholic, Roger Line. Roger was imprisoned for being a Catholic and was exiled and died in 1594 in Flanders, Belgium. Anne stayed in England where she hid Catholic priests in a London safe house. In this endeavor she aided Jesuit Father John Gerard until her arrest. Anne ...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB, 27 ST. GABRIEL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS, PASSIONIST

St. Alexander of Alexandria, Roman Catholic Priest becoming the bishop of the see in 313. The heresy of Arianism was sweeping the region, as Arius was preaching the doctrine there. Alexander excommunicated Arius in 321, a decision upheld by a council. Alexander is also credited with drawing up the acts of the First General Council of Nicaea in 325. Feb. 26 St. Isabel of France, Roman Catholic Virgin and Nun. Sister of St. Louis and daughter of King Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile, she refused offers of marriage from several noble suitors to continue her life of virginity consecrated to God. She ministered to the sick and the poor, and after the death of her mother, founded the Franciscan Monastery of the Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Longchamps in Paris. She lived there in austerity but never became a nun and refused to become abbess. Feastday February 26 St. Porphyry of Gaza, Roman Catholic Priest and bishop of Gaza, known from the account in his Life for Ch...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 26 ST. FAUSTINIANO, BISHOP OF BOLOGNA

Saint Tarasios was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 25 December 784 until his death on 25 February 806 Bl. Maria Adeodata Pisani Roman Catholic Nun, had "a difficult childhood as her parents did not live together. She renounced and disposed of her wealth, willingly living as a cloistered nun." Feastday Feb.25

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 25 St. Walburga, 779 A.D. St. Walburga, Virgin. Walburga was born in Devonshire England, around 710. She was the daughter of a West Saxon chieftain and the sister of St. Willibald and Winebald. Walburga was educated at Wimborne Monastery in Dorset, where she became a nun. In 748, she was sent with St. Lioba to Germany to help St. Boniface in his missionary work. She spent two years at Bishofsheim, after which she became Abbess of the double monastery at Heidenheim founded by her brother Winebald. At the death of Winebald, St. Walburga was appointed Abbess of both monasteries by her brother Willibald, who was then Bishop of Eichstadt. She remained superior of both men and women until her death in 779. She was buried first at Heidenheim, but later her body was interred next to that of her brother, St. Winebald, at Eichstadt. Feb. 25

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 25 ST. NESTOR, BISHOP OF MAGYDOS AND MARTYR

Vatican News @VaticanNews #Gospel of the Day (St Matthew 7:7-12) "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." http://ow.ly/lVpa50DIEnp

The Martyrs of Carthage. Montanus, Lucius, Victoricus, Flavian and companions were ten disciples of St Cyprian of Carthage. They were martyred there under the reign of the Emperor Valerian in 259. The story of their imprisonment and martyrdom is well documented. The group were arrested by an official called Solon after St Cyprian was executed in 258. they spent many months kept in dark dungeons with little food or water. Somehow in such inhuman conditions, the little Christian community bonded and helped one another. When they were finally called to the place of execution, each was permitted to speak. Montanus, who was tall and strong, spoke bravely to the Christian crowd. He told them to be true to Jesus and to die rather than give up the faith. Lucius, who was small and frail, walked quietly to the place of execution. He was weak from the harsh months in prison and had to lean on two friends. The people who watched called to him to remember them from paradise. As each of the Christia...

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 24 St. Adela, 1137 A.D. Benefactor and English princess. Adela was the youngest daughter of William the Conqueror. In 1080 she married Stephen of Blois. Throughout her life, Adela had an active role in English politics. She was famed for endowing churches and monastic institutions. St. Cumine, 669 A.D. Irish abbot called “the White.” The abbot of Iona, Scotland, he wrote a biography of St. Columba.Feb. 24

Feb. 23 Martyrs of Sirmium, Two groups of Roman Catholic martyrs who suffered at Sirmium, modem Mitrovica, in the Balkans. One group was slain probably in 303 and was seventy in number. The second group was composed of seven virgins probably martyred in 303. St. Martha, Roman Catholic Virgin martyr of Spain. She was beheaded at Astorga, Spain, and her relics were enshrined in the abbey of Ribas de Sil and at Ters. Feb. 23

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 23 St. Boswell, 661 A.D. Abbot of Melrose, England, also called Boisil. Boswell trained as a monk under St. Aidan. As abbot, Boswell served as a biblical scholar. He was given a gift of prophecy and was known for his preaching, and he trained Sts. Cuthbert and Eghert. Boswell died of the plague. St. Jurmin, 7th century. Prince of East Anglia, England, and a relative of King Anna . He is honored as a confessor, and his relics were enshrined at Bury St. Edmunds. St. Milburga, 715 A.D. Benedictine abbess who received the veil from St. Theodore of Canterbury. She was the daughter of a king of Mercia and sister of Sts. Mildred of Thanet and Mildgytha. Milburga was abbess of Wenlock Abbey in Salop, Shropshire, England. Her father and her uncle, King Wulfhere, provided funds for the abbey. Among the remarkable abilities she evidenced were levitation and power over birds.

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 23 ST. POLYCARP, BISHOP OF SMYRNA AND MARTYR St Polycarp, martyred on February 23rd of the year 155 at the age of 86, is one of the Christian authors who lived between the 1st and 2nd centuries and who had close ties with the Apostles. He was a disciple of the Evangelist St John and Bishop of Smyrna. Born between 69 and 70AD of Christian parents, he learnt the teachings of Christ directly from the Apostles and became a disciple of St John the Evangelist. Irenaeus, who was his pupil and then Bishop of Lyon, and the historian Eusebius of Caesarea, write of him thus: "Polycarp was not only educated by the Apostles and lived with many of those who had seen the Lord, but it was the Apostles who sent him to Asia as Bishop of the Church of Smyrna". (Adversus Haereses III, 3,4, Historia Ecclesiastica IV, 14,3,4) The Martyrium Polycarpi, considered by many to be the oldest and most authentic of the Acts of the Martyrs, was written by one who was an eyewi...

Martyrs of Arabia, Christians who died for the faith in the lands east of the Jordan River and in the mountains south of the Dead Sea. Most were martyred in the reign of Emperor Galerius and were commemorated in the Roman Martyrology. Feb. 22 Bl. Stefan Wincenty Frelichowski, Roman Catholic Priest. Arrested by the Gestapo on October 18, 1939, he was imprisoned in the German concentration camps Stutthof, Grenzdorf, Sachsenhausen and Dachau, where he died. Feb. 22

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 22 St. Elwin, 6th century. Companion of St. Breaca from Ireland to Cornwall, England, also called Elvis or Allen. Bl. John the Saxon, 895 A.D. Monk and martyr. A monk in a monastery in France, he was invited to go to England by King Alfred the Great and to assist in the restoration of the Christian faith in the wake of the severe and destructive invasions by the Danes. Appointed abbot of Athelingay by Alfred, John served with vigor and distinction until his murder one night by two French monks under his care.

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 22 ST. MAXIMIANUS OF RAVENNA, BISHOP ST. MARGARET OF CORTONA

Saint Robert Southwell , English Martyr, Jesuit priest, poet., Feb. 21 Bl. Pepin of Landen, Roman Catholic Frankish mayor of the palace, duke of Brabant, and the chief political figure during the reigns of the Frankish kings Clotaire II, Dagobert I, and Sigebert II .The husband of Blessed Ita, he was a close ally of Bishop Arnulf of Metz with whom he overthrew Queen Brunhilda of Austrasia. He was soon appointed mayor of the palace for his role. Following an incident in which he reprimanded King Dagobert I for his adulterous life, he was exiled from the court and went into retirement near Aquitaine. Recalled to serve as tutor to Dagobert's three year old son, Pepin once more became the chief figure of the kingdom until his death. Pepin earned a reputation for defending the interests of the Church, promoting the spread of Christianity, and working to have only truly worthy bishops appointed to Frankish sees. While never canonized, he is listed as a saint in some old martyrologies...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 21 ST PETER DAMIAN, BISHOP OF OSTIA AND CARDINAL, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, CAMALDOLESE St Peter Damian is among the saints we meet in “Paradise”, in Dante’s “Divine Comedy”. A reformer and Doctor of the Church, he fought the simony and corruption that was spreading among the clergy of his time. His feast-day is celebrated on February 21st. A difficult childhood Born in Ravenna in 1007, he was the last of seven children. His mother felt she couldn’t cope with yet another child and refused to breastfeed him, effectively condemning him to certain death. A friend intervened, taking the child in her arms and scolding the mother who repented of her rash behavior and took care of him like the others. When she died, Peter was raised first by his sister Rodelinda and then by a brother who treated him and forced him to do the most menial tasks. Finally, he was entrusted to his eldest brother, Damiano, who was Archpriest in a parish near Ravenna and who took care of y...

Supremacy and Survival: The English Reformation: Book Review: Russell Shaw's "Eight Popes and the C... : When I went to Eighth Day Books last Saturday, I purchased this book (with a Gift certificate!!) and remembered that I had forgotten to ment...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 20 ST. LEO OF CATANIA, BISHOP

Roman Catholic Martyrs of Tyre, An unknown number of Roman Catholic martyrs who suffered in Tyre, modern Lebanon. Feastday February 20 Blessed Francisco Marto and Blessed Jacinta Marto, together with their cousin, Lúcia dos Santos (1907–2005) were the Roman Catholic children from Aljustrel near Fátima, Portugal, who said they witnessed three apparitions of an angel in 1916 and several apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1917. Feastday Feb. 20

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 20 St. Wulfric, 1154 A.D. Hermit and miracle worker. Born at Compton Martin, near Bristol, England, he became a priest and was excessively materialistic and worldly. After meeting with a beggar, he underwent a personal conversion and became a hermit at Haselbury; Somerset, England. For his remaining years, he devoted himself to rigorous austerities and was known for his miracles and prophecies. While he was never formally canonized, Wulfric was a very popular saint during the Middle Ages, and his tomb was visited by many pilgrims. St. Colgan, 796 A.D. Abbot of Clanmacroise, in Offaly, Ireland. A friend of Blessed Alcuin, Colgan was called “the Wise” and “ the Chief Scribe of the Scots.” #englishlanguage

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 19 ST. CONRAD CONFALONIERI, FRANCISCAN HERMIT

Saints February 19 St. Belina, Roman Catholic virgin martyr. A peasant girl from Troyes, France, she was threatened with rape by the feudal lord of the district. She refused his advances and died in defense of her virginity. Feastday February 19 Bl. Lucy, Roman Catholic laywoman Martyr of China. She was a Catholic schoolteacher in China, where she was beheaded. Feb. 19

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 19 St. Odran, 452 A.D. Martyr and friend of St. Patrick. According to tradition, he drove Patrick’s chariot. Odran died when he changed places with Patrick in the vehicle just before an ambush by pagans was sprung.

St. Agatha Lin, Roman Catholic Chinese martyr. She was born in 1817 at Ma-Tchang, China. A teacher at a Christian school, Agatha was beheaded for the faith. Feastday February 18

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 18 Bl. William Harrington, 1594 A.D. Martyr of England. Born at Mt. St. John, Yorkshire, he studied for the priesthood after meeting St. Edmund Campion and was ordained at Reims, France, in 1592. William returned to England to work in the English mission. Arrested in London in 1593 for being a priest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. St. Colman of Lindisfarne, 676 A.D. An Irish bishop of Lindisfarne, England, a disciple of St. Columba. He was born in Connaught, Ireland. At the Synod of Whitby Colman defended the Celtic ecclesiastical practices against St. Eilfrid and St. Agilbert. When King Oswy introduced the Roman rites, Colman refused to accept the decision and led a group of Irish and English monks to the Isle of Innishboffin, near Connaught. In time he moved the English monks to Mayo. Colman was praised by Blessed Alcuin and St. Bede. Bl. John Pibush, 1601 A.D. English martyr, born in Thirsk, Yorkshire. He went to Reims and was or...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 18 B.JOHN OF FIESOLE (BEATO ANGELICO), DOMINICAN

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 17 St. Fintan, 603 A.D. Abbot and disciple of St. Columba. Fintan was a hermit in Clonenagh, Leix, Ireland. When disciples gathered around his hermitage he became their abbot. A wonder worker, Fintan was known for clairvoyance, prophecies, and miracles. He also performed very austere penances. St. Fortchern, 6th century. Bishop of Trim, Ireland. He was converted by St. Loman. Fortchern became a hermit in Meath, retiring from his see after a few years. St. Loman, 450 A.D. Bishop of Trim, in Meath, Ireland, the son of Tigris, the sister of St. Patrick. He accompanied St. Patrick to Ireland and converted a local chieftain. Another tradition dates Loman to the seventh century, denying his relationship to St. Patrick.

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 17 STS. SEVEN FONDERS OF THE ORDER OF THE SERVANTS OF MARY AMONG WHOM ST. ALESSIO FALCONIERI Also called Septem Viri or Septem Fratres, they founded the Order of Servants of Mary. All seven were born in Florence in the 13th century. They were wealthy merchants who chose to live a life of prayer and contemplation. Their feast-day is celebrated on February 17th, the day the last one died. Leaving the city 13th century Florence. Seven merchants, members of a secular group of faithful devoted to the Blessed Virgin (the "Company of Servants of Mary" or "Laudesi"), decided to dedicate themselves to a life of penance, contemplation and service to Mary. Their choice was certainly influenced by the two great Mendicant Orders of the time, the Franciscans and Dominicans, as well as by the experience of the Camaldolese, Vallombrosians and Cluniac Monks, already present in those lands, and of penitential groups such as those of Saint Augustine and Mo...

St. Elias & Companions, Egyptian martyr with Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Samuel. They went to the mines in Cilicia, to comfort the Christians held there. They were arrested at the gate of the mine and martyred. The historian Eusebius was in Caesarea, in Israel, and gave a vivid account of their martyrdom by torture and beheading. Two others, St. Pamphilus and St. Seleucus, were also caught up in the martyrdom, sharing Elias fate. Porphy, the servant of Pamphilus, demanded that the bodies of the martyrs be buried and was burned to death as a Christian. Feastday Feb,16

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 16 St. Gilbert of Sempringham. Gilbert was born at Sempringham, England, son of Jocelin, a wealthy Norman knight. He was sent to France to study and returned to England to receive the benefices of Sempringham and Tirington from his father. He became a clerk in the household of Bishop Robert Bloet of Lincoln and was ordained by Robert's successor, Alexander. He returned to Sempringham as Lord on the death of his father in 1131. In the same year he began acting as adviser for a group of seven young women living in enclosure with lay sisters and brothers and decided the community should be incorporated into an established religious order. After several new foundations were established, Gilbert went to Citeaux in 1148 to ask the Cistercians to take over the Community. When the Cistercians declined to take on the governing of a group of women, Gilbert, with the approval of Pope Eugene III, continued the Community with the addition of Canons Regular for ...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 16 ST. JULIANA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR OF NICOMEDIA, IN CAMPANIA

February 15, 2021 Saint Claude de la Colombiere, Roman Catholic Jesuit Priest. a Roman Catholic priest and the confessor of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. His feast day is the day of his death, 15 February

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 15 St. Berach, 6th century. Irish abbot and nephew of St. Freoch. He was raised by his uncle and became a disciple of St. Kevin. Berach, who is sometimes called Barachias or Berachius, founded an abbey at Clusin-Coirpte, in Connaught, Ireland. He is the patron saint of Kilbarry, County Dublin. St. Dochow, 473 A.D. Monastic founder from Wales, possibly a bishop. Dochow formed a monastery in Cornwall, England. The Ulster Annual describes him as a bishop. St. Farannan, 590 A.D. Abbot and Irish disciple of St. Columba on Iona, Scotland. He returned to Ireland to become a hermit at AllFarannan, now Allernan, Sligo.

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 15 STS. FAUSTINUS AND JOVITA, MARTYRS ST. ONESIMUS, DISCIPLE OF ST. PAUL

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 14 St. Conran, A traditional figure, believed to have served as bishop of the Orkney Islands, Scotland. No details of his life have survived.

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 14 STS. CYRIL, MONK AND METHODIUS, BISHOP PATRONS OF EUROPE For almost forty years they have protected the Europe that they helped to evangelize more than a thousand years ago. These saints were responsible for the spread of the Christian message, especially in Eastern Europe, prompting John Paul II to declare them co-patrons of Europe. The administrator and the scholar They were born only two years apart. Methodius – whose baptismal name was Michael – was born in 825 (according to the Constantinian calendar) in the Greek city of Thessalonika, and Cyril followed in 827. History recounts that at first they were apart. The elder brother quickly distinguished himself as a capable administrator, becoming a public official in a province of the Byzantine Empire. The younger brother received a refined education in Constantinople – grammar, rhetoric, astronomy and music – meant to prepare him to be a high-level imperial functionary. But when he was finally offe...

Saints Feb. 13 Bl. Archangela Girlani, Roman Catholic Carmelite Religious, She was gifted with ecstasies and levitation and was reported to have performed miracles. Feastday Feb 13 Bl. John Lantrua of Triora, Roman Catholic Franciscan Martyr of China, he was arrested, imprisoned, and strangled on February 7. Feastday Feb 13 St. Catherine de Ricci, Roman Catholic Dominican Religious, she experienced an "Ecstacy of the Passion" every Thursday from noon until Friday at 4:00 p.m. for twelve years. Feastday Feb 13

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 13 St. Dyfnog. Welsh confessor of the Caradog family. He was venerated in Clwyd, Wales. St. Ermengild, 700 A.D. Queen and Benedictine nun, also called Ermenilda. The daughter of a king of Kent, England, and St. Sexburga, Ermengild married the king of Mercia. She helped spread the faith in Mercia until her husband's death in 675. She then became a nun at Milton at Minster, Sheppey. When her mother, who had served as abbess, retired, Ermengild succeeded to that Office. She then followed St. Sexburga to Ely, becoming abbess there also. St. Huno, 690 A.D. Monk priest of Ely, England, who aided St. Aetheldreda. Attending her in her last hours, Huna became a hermit in the Fens. St. Modomnoc, 550 A.D. Irish bishop and a disciple of St. David of Wales. Sometimes called Domnoc or Dominic, he was a member of the royal Irish family of O’Neil and ended his years as a hermit at Tibraghny in Kilkenny When Modomnoc returned to Ireland after studying with S...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 13 B. JORDAN OF SAXONY, DOMINICAN

St. Febronia, Roman Catholic Martyr, known as a Holy Virgin Martyr and is one of the 140 Colonnade saints which adorn St. Peter's Square. Feastday February 12

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 12 Bl. Thomas Hemerford, 1584 A.D. English martyr. A native of Dorsetshire, he was educated at Oxford and then studied for the priesthood at English College, Rome. He was ordained in Rome in 1583, and returned to England, where he was swiftly arrested. Condemned for being a priest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn with four companions. He was beatified in 1929. St. Ethelwald. Bishop of Lindisfame, England, a disciple of St. Cuthbert. Ethelwald served as prior and then abbot of Old Melrose in Scotland. St. Bede praised Etheiwald, who succeeded St. Eadfrith at Lindisfame in 721. St. James Feun, Blessed, 1584 A.D. Martyr in England. Born in Somerset, he studied at Oxford and became a fellow until he refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and was removed. James married and became a school-master in Somerset. After the passing of his wife, he went to Reims where he studied for the priesthood and received ordination in 1580. Returning to ...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 12 STS. SATURNINUS AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS OF ABITINA IN AFRICA

How the 1571 Battle of Lepanto saved Europe : For those who know little history, today's battle with the Islamic State in the Middle East may seem new and unprecedented. It is not.  In a.d.&n...

The Disappearing Babies : The birth rate in America has plummeted to dangerous levels, and only the proper view of marriage and childbearing can reverse the disturbing trend.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 10 St. Trumwin, 704 A.D. Early Scottish bishop. An Englishman by birth, he was named bishop of the Picts in southern Caledonia (Scotland), in 681. He based his mission in the monastery of Abercorn on the Firth of Forth. When his political patron King Egfrith of Northumbria was slain by the Picts at the Battle of Nechtansmere, Trumwin was forced to flee with all of his monks to the safety of the south Taking up residence at Whitby, England, he spent his remaining days there as a monk. St. Erluph, 830 A.D. Martyred bishop of Werden, Germany. From Scotland originally, he served as a missionary in Germany. Pagans martyred Erluph to protest his success as a missionary.

Saints Feb. 10 Bl. Pierre Fremond, Bl. Louise Bessay de la Voute, Bl. Louise Poirier Barre Roman Catholic Martyrs during the French Revolution.

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 10 ST. SCHOLASTICA, VIRGIN, SISTER OF ST. BENEDETTO Sister of St. Benedict of Nursia, Scholastica was the first Benedictine nun, always humbly devoted to her brother and faithful to his Rule. STS. ZOTICUS, HYACINTH AND AMANTIUS, MARTYRS ON THE VIA LABICANA

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 9 St. Alto, 760 A.D. Hermit and missionary, recorded as an Irishmen or possibly an Anglo-Saxon. He lived near Augsburg, Germany, arriving in the region circa 743. Living in a simple hut in wild lands, Alto soon achieved a reputation for holiness and austerity. Word of his good works reached King Pepin, who gave him a parcel of land near Altmunster, in modern Friesling Diocese in Bavaria. Alto Alto soon achieved a reputation for holiness and austerity. Word of his good works reached King Pepin, who gave him a parcel of land near Altmunster, in modern Friesling Diocese in Bavaria. Alto cleared the land and founded an abbey. St. Boniface came in 750 to dedicate the abbey church. The monastery was ravaged by the Huns but was restored in 1000 and made a Benedictine house. The Brigittines took it over in the fifteenth century. St. Teilo, 6th century. Welsh bishop, also called Eliud, Issell, Teillo, Teilou, Dub, and Theliau. A native of Penally, Pembrokshi...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 9 ST. APOLLONIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR OF ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT Highly regarded for her courage and integrity, she was captured in 249, when she was already an elderly woman, during the fierce persecutions of the 3rd century in Egypt. Refusing to deny the faith, she was tortured by having her teeth torn out, and was finally burnt alive.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 7 St. Richard. Richard was the father of Saints Willibald, Winnebald, and Walburga. He was on a pilgrimage to Rome from his native Wessex, England, with his two sons when he was stricken and died at Lucca, Italy. Miracles were reported at his tomb and he became greatly venerated by the citizens of Lucca, who embellished accounts of his life by calling him "king of the English". His feast day is February 7th. St. Augulus, 303 A.D. Martyr listed by St. Jerome as a bishop. He is also described as martyr of London, England, by some scholars. Still others identify him as St. Aule of Normandy, France. Bl. William Richardson, 1603 A.D. Martyr of England. Born in Sheffield, he studied for the priesthood at Valladolid and Seville, Spain, receiving ordination in 1594. William was sent back to England, where he used the name Anderson. He was soon arrested and executed at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was the last martyr in the rei...

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 8 St. Cuthman, 900 A.D. A saint of southern England, a holy Sheppard near Steyning in Sussex. He cared for his aging mother and, aided by his neighbors, built a church in Steyning. Cuthman, who was known for his miracles, was honored in the church that he built. His relics were later transferred to FeCamp, in France. St. Elfleda, 714 A.D. Benedictine abbess also known as Edifleda, Elfeda, Elgiva, or Ethelfieda. The sister of King Oswy of Northumbria, England, she was placed as an infant in the convent of Hartlepool. The abbess, St. Hilda, took Elfieda to Whitby, and she succeeded Hilda there as abbess. Elfieda was powerful in Church affairs and mediated a dispute between Sts. Wilfrid and Theodore. She also aided St. Cuthbert. Elfieda died at Whitby. St. Jacut and Guethenoc, 5th century. Disciples of St. Budoc, sons of Sts. Fagan and Gwen, and brothers of St. Gwenaloe. They were forced to leave Britain by invading Saxons, probably going with Budo...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 7 B. PIUS IX, POPE ST. RICHARD An English nobleman who lived in the 8th century, he was the father of three saints who preached the Gospel in Germany. He had a special veneration for the Holy Family. He went on a pilgrimage to Rome and died on his way back to Lucca, where he is buried in the Basilica of San Frediano

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB.8 ST. JOSEPHINE BAKHITA, VIRGIN The story of St. Josephine Bakhita, the Sudanese slave who became a Canossian Sister, is one of the most extraordinary tales of oppression and redemption in the Church. This saint from Darfur, who lived between the 19th and 20th centuries, went from chains and torture to the service of the Gospel. The little girl had never worn a dress until the day two scowling men appeared in the fields, blocking her path and holding a knife to her side, kidnapping her much as one might snatch a hen from its coop. The day when her life turned into a nightmare, that terrified 9-year-old girl forgot everything, even her name and the names of her parents, with whom she had had a happy life. A slave Arab slave merchants took care, not to clothe her, but to give her a new name. “Bakhita,” they called her, Arabic for “fortunate one,” a horrible joke of a name for the child born in 1869 in a village of Darfur, in South Sudan. She became human merc...

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 6 St. Mel. He is said to have been the son of Conis and Darerca, the sister of St. Patrick, whom he accompanied to Ireland and helped to evangelize in that country. According to the Life of St. Brigid, he is said to have had no fixed See, which might fit in his being a missionary. St. Patrick himself built the church at Ardagh and to this he appointed his nephew, Mel. Acting upon the apostolic precept, he supported himself by working with his hands, and what he gained beyond bare necessities, he gave to the poor. For sometime, he lived with his aunt Lupait, but slanderous tongues spread serious accusations against them, and St. Patrick himself came to investigate their conduct. Mel was plowing when he arrived, but he cleared himself of the charge by miraculously picking up a live fish from the ground as if from a net. Lupait established her innocence by carrying glowing coals without burning herself or her clothing. St. Patrick was satisfied, but he to...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 6 ST. PAULO MIKI, PRIEST, AND COMPANIONS, JAPANESE MARTYRS A Jesuit and the first Japanese Catholic religious, he announced the Gospel, for which he was arrested and crucified at Nagasaki along with 25 companions. Before dying, he reiterated that salvation can be found in Jesus alone and invited everyone to joyfully follow Christ and forgive their enemies. ST. DOROTHEA, VIRGIN AND MOTHER

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 5 St. Vodoaldus, 725 A.D. Hermit, sometimes called Voel and Vodalus. A native of Ireland or Scotland, he journeyed to France and worked for a time as a missionary. He later lived as a hermit beside St. Mary's Convent at Soissons. Vodoaldus was a great miracle worker. Feb. 5

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 5 Saint Agatha‘s is one of the most beautiful testimonies of faith in the early certuries. The Church celebrates her memory on February 5, the day she died a martyr in Catania. The impetuous young Sicilian, subjected to horrible torture, proved a brave fidelity to Christ. In the Sicily of the 3rd century, the story of Agatha descends between Catania and Palermo, the two cities that contend the honor of being the martyr’s birthplace. Reading her Passio, it seems it can be inferred that the girl was born in AD 235 at the foot of Mt. Etna, to a wealthy noble family. She is still an adolescent when she manifests the will to consecrate herself to God, and with the ritual of velatio (the “taking of the veil”) receives from her bishop the flammeum, the red veil then worn by consecrated virgins. Tradition also describes her as a deaconess (an office), dedicated to service in the Christian community. In AD 250 the edict of Emperor Decius against Christians opened a l...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 4 ST. JOSEPH OF LEONESSA, CAPUCHIN FRIAR Born in 1556, he went to Constantinople where he helped Christians who had been captured by the Turks. He tried to preach the Gospel to the Sultan, for which he was arrested, tortured and driven out. He travelled around Italy on foot, preaching the Good News to the poor, the sick, and prisoners.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 4 St. Aldate, 600 A.D. Bishop and leader of Gloucester, England. Aldate's life is not detailed historically. He is is reported to have served as bishop of the region and to have roused the countryside to resist pagan invasion forces. Bl. John Speed, 1594 A.D. An English martyr. he was a layman sometimes called Spence. He was executed at Durham for befriending Catholic priests. John was beatified in 1929 as one of the Durham Martyrs. St. John Stone, 1538 A.D. John Stone (d. 1538) + Augustinian martyr, one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was a friar at Canterbury who denied the Supremacy Act of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547) and was arrested and executed by being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Canterbury. St. Liephard, 640 A.D. English martyred bishop, companion of King Caedwalla on a pilgrimage to Rome. Liephard was slain near Cambrai, France, and is revered as a martyr. St. Modan, 6th century. Abbot and son of an...

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 3 St. Anatolius, 9th century. Scottish bishop and hermit. Anatolius left his see and Scotland to make a pilgrimage to Rome. He became a hermit at Salins, France. Another tradition states that Anatolius was a bishop in Galicia, Spain. St. Werburg, 785 A.D. Widow and abbess. A woman from Mercia, England, she became a nun after her husband died. Werburg entered a convent, possibly Bardney, where she became abbess. St. Werburga, 699 A.D. Benedictine nun and patroness of Chester, England. The daughter of King Wulfhere of Mercia and St. Ermenilda, she was born in Staffordshire. Werburga resolutely refused to marry, insisting instead that she become a nun at Ely. After studying under St. Etheldreda, she departed the convent of Ely in 675 and assisted her uncle Ethelred, who was now king, in reforming the convents of the realm. She also founded communities at Hanbury, Trentham, and in Wedon, in Northamptonshire. Her remains were transferred from Trentham t...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 03 ST. BLAISE, BISHOP OF SEBASTE AND MARTYR A physician in Armenia who was made a bishop, he is attributed with many miracles. One of these involved the miraculous removal of a fish bone from a young boy’s throat – which is why he is considered protector from throat diseases. After refusing to deny the Faith, he was beheaded in 316. ST. ANSGAR, BISHOP OF HAMBURG AND BREMEN, APOSTLE OF SCANDINAVIA

Supremacy and Survival: The English Reformation: Today's "Great Feast": The Presentation in the Temple : Sadly, this feast will probably not be celebrated as it should be in the Catholic churches/parishes where I live. St. George Orthodox Cathed...

St. Joan de Lestonnac, Roman Catholic Nun and founderess of the order The Company of Mary Our Lady. though she lived in the 17th century her body remains incorrupt.Feastday Feb.2

Martyrs of Ebsdorf Roman Catholic Martyrs. A group of four bishops, eleven noblemen, and companions led by St. Bruno. They were slain by Norsemen while serving in the army of King Louis III of France. These martyrs died at Luneberg Heath, at Ebsdorf, Saxony, in modem Germany, repelling the Norse assault. Feastday Feb.2

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 02 ST. CATHERINE DE’ RICCI, DOMINICAN VIRGIN OF PRATO ST. NICOLA SAGGIO OF LONGOBARDI, MINIMS ORDER MEMBER

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS February 2 St. Feock, Patron of a church in Cornwall, England, possibly Irish by birth, who may be St. Fiace. St. Lawrence of Canterbury, 619 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury, England, sent there by Pope St. Gregory I the Great. A Benedictine, Lawrence accompanied St. Augustine to Canterbury in 597 and succeeded him as archbishop in 604. When the Britons lapsed into pagan customs, Lawrence planned to return to France, but in a dream he was rebuked by St. Peter for abandoning his flock. He remained in his see and converted the local ruler King Edbald to the faith. He died in Canterbury on February 2. Lawrence is commemorated in the Irish Stowe Missal and is reported to have been scourged by St. Peter in his dream, carrying the physical scars on his back.

Martyrs French Revolution, Feastday February 1 Bl. Anne Hmard, Bl. Anne-Francoise de Villeneuve, Bl. Catherine Cottenceau, Bl. Francoise Bonneau, Bl. Francoise Michau, Bl. Francoise Pagis Roulleau, Bl. Gabrielle Androuin, Bl. Jeanne Bourigault Bl. Jeanne Fouchard Chalonneau, Bl. Jeanne Gruget Doly, Bl. Jeanne-Marie Sailland d'Epinatz, Bl. Louise Rallier de la Tertiniere Dean de Luigne, Bl. Louise-Aimee Dean de Luigne, Bl. Madeleine Blond, Bl. Madeleine Cady, Bl. Madeleine Perrotin Rousseau, Bl. Madeleine Sailland d'Epinatz, Bl. Madeleine Salle, Bl. Marguerite Riviere Huau, Bl. Marguerite Robin, Bl. Marie Cassin, Bl. Marie Grillard, Bl. Marie Lenee Lepage Varance, Bl. Marie Leroy Brevet, Bl. Marie Pichery Delahaye, Bl. Marie Roualt Bouju, Bl. Marie-Genevieve Poulain de la Forestrie, Bl. Marie-Jeanne Chauvigne Rorteau, Bl. Marthe Poulain de la Forestrie, Bl. Marie-Jeanne Chauvigne Rorteau, Bl. Marthe Poulain de la Forestrie, Bl. Perrine Androuin, Bl. Perrine Besson, Bl. P...

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS, FEB. 1. St. Brigid of Ireland,The Mary of the Gael, she is buried at Downpatrick with St. Columba and St. Patrick, with whom she is the patron of Ireland. Her name is sometimes Bridget and Bride. St. Seiriol, 6th century. Welsh monk and hermit, He is honored on Puffin Island (island of Ynys-Seiriol), off the coast of Anglesey, Wales. Other details of his life are scarce. St. Cinnia, 5th century. A princess of Ulster, Ireland. She was converted to Christianity by St. Patrick. When she entered a convent, St. Patrick gave her the veil. St. Crewanna, 5th century. A confessor who accompanied St. Breaca from Ireland to Cornwall, England. Crowan near St. Erth is believed to have been named in his honor. St. Darulagdach, 524 A.D. Abbess of Kildare, Ireland, the successor of St. Brigid. She is also called Dardulacha. St. Jarlath, 480 A.D. Also called Hierlath, Irish bishop and disciple of St. Patrick. He became bishop of Armagh and aided monastic expansion an...

SAINT OF THE DAY FEB. 01 B. LUDOVICA ALBERTONI, ROMAN WIDOW ST. BRIGID, ABBESS IN IRELAND