Christian Today

St. Thomas Du Roman Catholic Vietnamese martyr. A native of Vietnam, he entered the Dominicans as a tertiary and aided the Catholic cause in Vietnam until his arrest by authorities. He was tortured and finally beheaded. Feastday May 31

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 31 ST. FELIX OF NICOSIA St Felix of Nicosia was a Capuchin friar who lived in the first half of the 18th century. Inside his convent he was porter, shoemaker, and nurse. Outside, he went around begging, and teaching catechism to children. He died in 1787 and was canonized in 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 30 Bl. William Filby, 1582 A.D. Martyr of England. Born in Oxfordshire, he studied at Oxford. After graduation, William was converted to Catholicism and went to Reims, France, where he received ordination as a priest in 1581. He returned to England immediately and was arrested with St. Edmund Campion. William was executed at Tyburn with three companions on May 30. He was beatified in 1886. Bl. Thomas Cottam, 1582 A.D. English martyr. Born at Dilworth, Lancashire, England, in 1549, he was raised as a Protestant and studied at Oxford University before undergoing a conversion to Catholicism. Leaving England to prepare for ordination at Douai and Rome, he was ordained and joined the Jesuits. going home in 1580. Arrested at his landing at Dover, he was taken to the Tower of London and eventually hanged, drawn, and quartered with three companions. St. Walstan, 1016 A.D. Penitent and model of charity. Born at Bawburgh, near Norwich, England, he was renowned fo...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 30 ST. JOAN OF ARC, VIRGIN ST. PETRONILLA According to the Passio of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, St Petronilla may have been the daughter of the Apostle Peter. What is certain is that she was buried in the Catacombs of St Domitilla. She was martyred in the 4th century and her remains were transferred to St Peter's in 757AD. ST. FERDINAND, KING OF CASTILLA

Martyrs of Toulouse, Roman Catholic Martyrs. Twelve martyrs put to death by Albigensian heretics nearToulouse, France, on the eve of the feast of the Ascension. Four diocesan priests, three Dominicans, two Benedictines, two Franciscans, and one layman died singing the Te Deum. Feastday May29

St. William Arnaud, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr. A member of the Dominicans, he held the post of inquisitor general in Southern France during the effort to extirpate the Albigensian heresy. He was martyred by the heretics with eleven companions and is counted among the Martyrs of Toulouse. Feast May 29

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 29 Bl. Richard Thirkeld, 1349 A.D. English martyr, also listed as Thirkild. Born in Durham, England, he studied at Oxford and was said to be quite old when he left the isle to receive preparation for the priesthood at Reims and Douai, France. Ordained in 1579, he went back to England and served the Catholics in the area around Yorkshire until his execution for being a priest on May 29 at York.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 29 ST. URSULA LEDÓCHOWSKA, FOUNDRESS OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE URSULINE SISTERS OF THE AGONIZING HEART OF JESUS ST. PAUL VI, POPE

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 28 Bl. Thomas Ford, 1582 A.D. Martyr of England. He was born in Devon and educated at Oxford. There he converted and set out for Douai, France. Ordained a priest in 1573, he was sent back to England three years later. Thomas labored in Oxfordshire and Berckshire until his arrest. He was martyred on May 28 at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. He was a companion of St. Edmund Campion, and he died with Blesseds Robert Johnson and John Shert. Thomas was beatified in 1882. Bl. Robert Johnson, 1582 A.D. English martyr. Born in Shropshire, England, he was a servant before he went to study at Rome and Douai, France, receiving ordination in 1576. Returning to the English mission, he served in the area of London for four years, until his arrest. Robert was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn with Blesseds Thomas Ford and John Short. Robert was beatified in 1886. St. Augustine of Canterbury, 605 A.D. At the end of the sixth century anyone would have ...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 28 ST. GERMAIN, BISHOP OF PARIS

St. Augustine of Canterbury, Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597,the "Apostle to the English" and a founder of the English Church. Feastday May 27

Saints May 26 St. Mariana, Roman Catholic Holy recluse, Patron of Ecuador; Americas; bodily ills; loss of parents; people rejected by religious orders; sick people; sickness. Feastday May 26 St. Matthew Phuong a catechist & St. John Hoan a Priest, Roman Catholic Martyrs of Vietnam, arrested by government officials for their faith, tortured and then beheaded. Feastday May 26 Bl. Eva of Liege, Roman Catholic Holy recluse, Feastday May 26

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 26 St. Becan, 6th century. Irish hermit in Cork. Becan lived in the time of St. Columba and was known for his sanctity. St. Dyfan. Missionary to the Britons. He was sent by Pope St. Eleutherius when a local Briton king requested missionaries from the pope. Dyfan is remembered with a church at Merthyr-Dyfan, Britain. He is also called Deruvianus and Damian. Sts. Fugatius and Damian, 2nd century. Reportedly missionaries sent by Pope St. Eleutherius to Britain. They are also listed as Phaganus and Diruvianus Fagan and Deruvian, or as Hager and Dyfan. St. Oduvald, 695 A.D. Scottish abbot. A native of Scotland, he entered the monastic life and became abbot of Melrose, which was then a great spiritual center of the era.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 26 ST. PHILIP NERI, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE ORATORY Philip was born in Florence but reborn, for the Romans, in the squares and alleys of the Eternal City, the most run-down of them, in and through which a holy shepherd acquired the “smell of the sheep” - sheep, who had the stench of poverty, which empties both the pockets and the soul. ST. ELEUTERUS, POPE

Saint David Galván Bermúdez, Roman Catholic Priest and Mexican Martyr. Bl. Jose Isabel Flores Varela, Roman Catholic Priest and Mexican Martyr. St. Manuel Moralez, Roman Catholic Semianian and Mexican Martyr. Bl. Miguel de la Mora, Roman Catholic Priest and Mexican Martyr. Bl. Sabas Reyes Salazar, Roman Catholic Priest and Mexican Martyr. St. Salvador Lara Puente, Roman Catholic Layman and Mexican Martyr. Bl. David Uribe-Velasco,Roman Catholic Priest and Mexican Martyr. Bl. Luis Batiz Sainz, Roman Catholic Priest and Mexican Martyr.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 25 St. Aldhelm, 709 A.D. Bishop and abbot, also called Adelemus, Athelmas, Adelnie, Eadelhelm, Aedelhem. Born about 639, and a relative of King Ine of Wessex, he received his early education at Malmesbury, in Wiltshire, England. There he was trained by an Irish teacher, Maildubh, and by Adrian, a native of Roman Africa. Adrian arrived in England with Bishop Theodore and was made abbot of St. Augustine's, Canterbury. After his training in Malmesbury, Aldhelrn was named abbot of Malmesbury, where he practiced great austerity. During his term in office the abbey prospered, and he also founded St. Lawrence monastery, in the area of Bradfordon-on-Avon. Aldhelm went to Rome to represent Malmesbury before Pope Sergius. He also counseled the Wessex Synod. In 705, Aldhelm succeeded Hedda as bishop of Sherborne, Hedda's original diocese being divided. He died only four years later. A silver shrine was erected at Malmesbury in 857 by King Ethelwulf. The shrine...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 25 ST. GREGORY VII, POPE ST. BEDE THE VENERABLE, BENEDECTINE, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH ST. MARY MAGDALENE DE' PAZZI, VIRGIN

Day of Prayer for Church in China. May 24

St. Joanna, Joanna was the wife of Chuza, steward of King Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee. She was one of the women who helped provide for Jesus and the Apostles and was one of the three women who discovered the empty tomb of Jesus on the first Easter morning. Jennifer and Jessica are derivatives of Joanna. Feastday May 24 St. John del Prado, Roman Catholic Franciscan martyr of Morocco. He was born in Morgobresio, in Leon, Spain, and became a Franciscan of the Strict Observance. Volunteering in 1613 to go to Morocco, he was martyred there with two Franciscan companions on the orders of the ruler of Marrakesh. The ruler supposedly executed John personally. Feastday May 24 Bl. Louis Moreau, Roman Catholic ordained a priest on December 19, 1846. He was named bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada on November 19, 1875. Founder of the Sisters of de Saint-Joseph of Saint-Hyacinthe and Sisters of Sainte-Martha. Feastday May 24

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 24 ST. VINCENT DI LÉRINS, PRIEST

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 24 St. David, 1153 A.D. King of Scotland, the son of King Malcolm III and St. Margaret, born in 1084. He was sent to the English Norman court in 1093, and he married Matilda, the widow of the earl of Northhampton, becoming an English baron in 1113. David succeeded his brother, Alexander I, as the king of Scotland in 1124. Years of Struggle against King Stephen ended in 1139 when they made peace. David founded dio-ceses and monasteries in Scotland, instituted Norman law, started the office of chancellor, and conducted many charitable projects. He died in Carlisle, Scotland, May 24. He was never formally canonized.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 23 St. William of Rochester, Patron of adopted children. St. William of Rochester is the patron saint of adopted children. William was a well-to-do burgher at Perth, Scotland. He went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem with his adopted son David who murdered him near Rochester, England. When a mentally deranged woman found his body and cared for it, she was miraculously cured of her mental problems. Reportedly miracles occurred at his grave, and it is said that he was canonized by Pope Alexander IV in 1256, though there is no record of such a canonization. There is a shrine dedicated to William at Rochester Cathedral. St. Goban, 6th or 7th century. Abbot also called Gobhnena. He is believed to be the Goban mentioned in the life of St. Laserian. Goban served in Tascaffin, County Limerick, Ireland.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 23 ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST DE ROSSI, ROMAN PRIEST

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 22 St. Boethian, 7th century. Benedictine martyr and a disciple of St. Fursey. An Irishman by birth, Boethian built the Pierrepoint Abbey near Laon, in France. He was murdered there by rebellious monks. Bl. John Forest, 1538 A.D. Martyr of England, the confessor of the first wife of King Henry VIII, Queen Catherine of Aragon. He became a Franciscan at Greenwich at the age of seventeen and studied at Oxford. John opposed Henry’s divorce and the suppression of religious orders. Because of this he was arrested at Newgate and ordered to agree to the Oath of Supremacy. Refusing, John was dragged on a hurdle to Smithfield and then burned to death at the stake. A wooden statue of St. Derfel was burned with John. He was beatified in 1886. St. Conall, 7th century. Abbot of Inniscoel Monastery in County Donegal, Ireland. A holy well there is named after St. Conall.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 22 ST. RITA OF CASCIA, AGOSTINIAN The Church remembers Saint Rita on 22 May. She is known as patroness of lost causes. First a wife and exemplary mother, then an Augustinian nun, she asked Christ to share His Passion with her, and had the sign of a thorn on her forehead. Her remains are lodged in the Basilica of Cascia. Margherita Lotti - “Rita” for short - was born in the small township of Roccaporena in Umbria, probably in 1371. Her parents, poor farmers and peasants, made sure she had good schooling and religious education in the nearby Cascia, in the care of the Augustinian friars. From the friars, Rita learned devotion to St. Augustine, St. John the Baptist, and Nicholas of Tolentino, whom Rita chose as his patron saints. Wife and mother Around 1385, she married Paolo di Ferdinando di Mancino. Society was rife with controversies and political rivalries, in which Rita’s husband was involved. The young Rita, however, through prayer, patience, and the abili...

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 21 St. Barrfoin, 6th century. Irish missionary, possibly a bishop, and friend of Sts. Columba and Brendan. Barrfoin took charge of a church founded by St. Columba in Drum Cullen, Offaly. He lived at Killbarron. He also journeyed to spread the faith. Barrfoin repeated his adventures on a voyage to the Americas to St. Brendan the Navigator. St. Constantine the Great, 337 A.D. Junior Emperor and emperor called the “Thirteenth Apostle” in the East. The son of Constantius I Chlorus, junior emperor and St. Helena, Constantine was raised on the court of Co-Emperor Diocletian. When his father died in 306, Constantine was declared junior emperor of York, England, by the local legions and earned a place as a ruler of the Empire by defeating of his main rivals at the battle of the Milvian Bridge in 312. St. Gollen, 7th century. Welsh saint also listed as Collen or Colan. He gave his name to Llangollen, in Clwyd, Wales, and he is associated in legend with Gla...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 21 STS CHRISTOPHER MAGALLANES, PRIEST AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS IN MEXICO ST. EUGENE DE MAZENOD, BISHOP OF MARSEILLES, FOUNDER OF THE MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE

St. Basilissa Roman Catholic Martyr. After her conversion to Christianity. She was beheaded for her faith when she was denounced to Emperor Galienus by Pompeius and remained steadfast in her refusal to marry him. May 20

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 20 ST. BERNARDIN OF SIENA, FRANCISCAN ST. AUREA, MARTYR OF OSTIA

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 22 St. Ethelbert, 794 A.D. Martyred king of East Anglia, England. When Ethelbert, the son and heir of Ethelred, went to Mercia to ask for the hand of a princess, he was murdered by her mother, Queen Cynethryth. He was especially venerated in Hereford.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 19 ST. URBAN I, POPE ST. PETER CELESTINE V, POPE (PIETRO DEL MORRONE) STS. PARTHENIUS AND CALOGERO, MARTYRS ON THE VIA APPIA ST. IVES, PRIEST, ADVOCATE OF THE POOR ST. CRISPIN OF VITERBO, CAPUCHIN

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 19 Bl. Alcuin, 804 A.D. Benedictine scholar and counselor to Charlemagne, sometimes called Alcuin of York. He was born in York, England, circa 735 and became a monk in the Benedictine Order in York. Ordained a deacon, Alcuin became headmaster of the cathedral school. He went to Rome and then met Charlemagne at Parma. Charlemagne invited Alcuin to become the minister of education for the Frankish court. Alcuin also founded a school and tutored the emperor. Upon retiring from the court, he became the abbot of St. Martin of Tours Monastery, reforming the house with St. Benedict of Aniane. Alcuin was listed in martyrologies as a Blessed. He was known for his holiness and scholarly wisdom, writing theological and liturgical treatises, and for his contributions to the so called Carolingian Renaissance. St. Dunstan, Patron of armorers, goldsmiths, locksmiths, and jewelers. Born of a noble family at Baltonsborough, near Glastonbury, England, Dunstan was educated t...

St. Elgiva of Shaftesbury, Roman Catholic Queen and mother of Kings Edwy of the Saxons and Edgar, King of England, and wife of Edmund the First. She gave up public life and became a Benedictine nun at Shaftesbury. May 18 St. Theodotus of Ancyra, and Companions Theodotus was an innkeeper at Ancyra, Galatia (modern Turkey), who gave burial to seven virgins, Thecusa, Alexandra, Claudia, faina (Phaina), Euphrasia, Matrona, and Julitta after their martyrdom for refusing to wear pagan priestess robes and take part in a pagan festival. Theodotus was himself betrayed by an apostate and was martyred. In turn, his remains were gathered up by a Christian and sent to Malus where they received a proper burial and were enshrined in a chapel. May 18

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 18 St. Feredarius, 863 A.D. Irish abbot of lona, Scotland, in 863. He moved the relics of St. Columba to Ireland because of Danish raids. St. Merililaun, 8th century. Martyred pilgrim. He was from England, journeying to Rome, when he was slain at Reims, France, under circumstances that warranted his being considered a martyr.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 18 ST.JOHN I, POPE AND MARTYR ST. FELIX OF CANTALICE, CAPUCHIN FRIAR

Bl. Antonia Mesina, Roman Catholic Martyr, she was murdered by a teenager when she resisted his rape attempt, Patron of martyrs; rape victims, May 17

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 17 St. Cathan, 6th or 7th century. Bishop of the isle of Bute, in Scotland, called Kil-Cathan in his honor. A tomb bearing his name was found near Londonderry, Ireland, but Scottish scholars claim his remains are at Kil-Cathan. St. Madern. Hermit of Cornish descent also called Maden and Madron. Nothing is known of his life, but he was of Cornish descent and connected with Brittany, France. Numerous churches in England bear his name, and the reputed site of his hermitage, St. Madern’s Well, is still popular. St. Maiduif. Irish abbot and founder of Malmesbury Abbey in England. He trained St. Aldhelm there.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 17 ST. VICTOR, MARTYR ON THE VIA SALARIA ANTICA ST. PASCHAL BAYLON, FRANCISCAN LAY , PATRON OF THE EUCHARISTIC ASSOCIATIONS

St. Hilary, Roman Catholic Priest Bishop of Pavia, Italy, who was a ferocious enemy of the Arian heresy.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 16 St. Simon Stock. Although little is known about Simon Stock's early life, legend has it that the name Stock, meaning "tree trunk," derives from the fact that, beginning at age twelve, he lived as a hermit in a hollow tree trunk of an oak tree. It is also believed that, as a young man, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where he joined a group of Carmelites with whom he later returned to Europe. Simon Stock founded many Carmelite Communities, especially in University towns such as Cambridge, Oxford, Paris, and Bologna, and he helped to change the Carmelites from a hermit Order to one of mendicant friars. In 1254 he was elected Superior-General of his Order at London. Simon Stock's lasting fame came from an apparition he had in Cambridge, England, on July 16, 1251, at a time when the Carmelite Order was being oppressed. In it the Virgin Mary appeared to him holding the brown scapular in one hand. Her words were: "Receive, my be...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 16 ST. ALEXANDER, BISHOP OF JERUSALEM AND MARTYR ST. UBALD, BISHOP OF GUBBIO

St. Jeanne de Lestonnac, Roman Catholic Nun and founder of religious order The Company of Mary. may 15

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 15 St. Britwin, 733 A.D. Benedictine abbot of Beverley, England, and friend of St. John of Beverley, who became the bishop of York. Britwin did much too foster monasticism and culture in England. St. Gerebrand, 7th century. Martyred Irish priest, companion of St. Dymphna. He was quite elderly when he went with St. Dymphna to Belgium, where they were slain by pagans. Gerebrand, sometimes called Gerebern, is patron of a Rhineland area.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 15 ST. TORQUATUS, BISHOP OF GUADIX ST. ISIDORE THE FARMER ST. DYMPHNA

Sts. Victor and Corona, Roman Catholic Husband and Wife and Martyrs. They were put to death in Syria during the reign of Marcus Aurelius. May 14 St. Maria Dominic Mazzarello, Roman Catholic Nun and founder of the Salesian Sisters.May 14

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 14 St. Carthach the Younger, 637 A.D. Irish hermit and bishop, also called Carthage, Cuda, or Mochuda. Originally a swineherd, Carthach was ordained and then became a hermit about 590 in Kiltulagh and then in Bangor, under St. Comgall. Carthach traveled to Offaly, where he founded a monastery, ruling more than eight hundred monks. He wrote a rule for the monastery in metrical verse, a document that is extant. He is believed to have served as the bishop of Fircall until he and his monks were expelled by some local lord. Carthach founded another monastery at Lismore on the banks of the Blackwater, and lived in a nearby cave. He died on May 14. St. Engelmund, 739 A.D. Benedictine abbot, companion of St. Willibrord. He was born in England where he ruled an abbey. Then he went to Friesland.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 14 ST. MATTHIAS, APOSTLE ST. MICHAEL GARICOÏTS, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF PRIESTS OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS OF BÉTHARRAM

St. John the Silent, Roman Catholic Bishop. He asked to be walled up and lived for seventy-five years as a silent recluse. Feast May 13 The Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. On 13 May 1917, three children were pasturing their little flock in the Cova da Iria, parish of Fatima, town of Vila Nova de Ourém. today the diocese of Leiria-Fatima. They were called: Lucia de Jesus, aged 10, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, aged 9 and 7. May 13

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 13 St. Abban. Irish hermit whose life is largely undocumented. Born in Ireland, Abban resided in Abingdon, England before the era of St. Patrick. Abban is part of the great panorama of early Irish Christians who served as models for European monasticism and faith. He is especially revered in Abingdon, England. Bl. Juliana of Norwich, 1423 A.D. Benedictine English mystic, sometimes called Julian. She was a recluse of Norwich, living outside the walls of St. Julian’s Church. In 1373, she experienced sixteen revelations. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love - a work on the love of God, the Incarnation, redemption, and divine consolation - made her one of the most important writers of England. She wrote on sin, penance, and other aspects of the spiritual life, attracting people from all across Europe. She is called Blessed, although she was never formally beatified St. Mael. A hermit of Wales sometimes called Mabel. He was a disciple of St. Cadfan, whom he acc...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 13 B. MARY VIRGIN OF FATIMA

May 12 St. Flavia Domitilla, Roman Catholic Martyr with Euphrosyna and Theodora. She was related to Emperors Domitian and Titus and was a great-niece of St. Flavius Clemens. She was martyred with her two foster sisters.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 12 STS. NEREUS AND ACHILLEUS, MARTYRED ON THE VIA ARDEATINA ST. PANCRAS, MARTYRED ON THE VIA AURELIA ST. GERMANUS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, BISHOP

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 11 Bl. John of Rochester, 1537 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England who died with Blessed James Walworth. He was born in Terling, Essex, and became a monk in the London Charterhouse. John was implicated in Blessed James Walworth’s correspondence with the duke of Norfolk. He and James refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and were martyred at York and beatified in 1886. St. Tudy, 5th century. Abbot also called Tegwin and Tudinus. A native of Brittany, France, he became a disciple of St. Brioc and embraced the erernetical life. Eventually, he served as abbot of a community of monks near Landevennec, Brittany. Later, he journeyed to England and preached in Cornwall.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 11 ST. ANTHIMUS OF ROME, MARTYRED ON THE VIA SALARIA

St. Peter Van, Roman Catholic Catechist and Vietnamese Martyr. A native catechist, he was arrested by authorities and beheaded. May 10 St. Solange, Roman Catholic Martyr, a shepherdess whose beauty attracted the lustful attention of a noble in Poitiers. He kidnapped her, but when she leaped from the horse on which he was carrying her off, he pursued and killed her. May 10

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS May 10 St. William of Pontoise, 1192 A.D. English hermit. He resided at Pontoise, in France, having gone there to take up the eremetical life. His hermitage became popular in the region. He may have been Benedictine at St. Martin's Abbey. St. Comgall, b.516 A.D., d.601 A.D. Abbot and teacher of St. Columbanus and the monks who evangelized France and central Europe. He was born about 516 in Yester, Ireland, and studied under St. Fintan at Cluain Eidnech Monastery. After living under a harsh rule as a hermit, Comgall founded a monastery in Bangor. He was abbot for eight thousand monks. Comgall also accompanied St. Columba on a mission to Inverness, Scotland, and founded a monastery at Heth. He died at Bangor. Bl. Damien de Veuster, 1889 A.D. The Leper Priest, the Hero of Molokai. Born in Tremelo, Belgium, on January 3, 1840, he joined the Sacred Hearts Fathers in 1860. He was born Joseph and received the name Damien in religious life. In 1864, he was sent ...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 10 ST. GORDIANUS, MARTYRED ON THE VIA LATINA ST. JOHN OF AVILA, PRIEST STS. QUARTUS AND QUINTUS, MARTYRED ON THE VIA LATINA

Bl. Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, Roman Catholic Nun and foundress of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. May 9

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 9 St. Beatus, 112 A.D. A monk and hermit called Beatus of Lungern and earlier designated as the Apostle of Switzerland. Baptized in England by St. Barnabas and ordained by St. Peter, Beatus went to Switzerland. He lived and died on Mount Beatenburg above Lake Thun. The cave became a popular pilgrim's destination, the famed site of Beatus' fight with a dragon. St. Sanctan, 6th century. Irish bishop. He governed two sees, at Kill-da-Les and Kill-na-Sanctan (modern Dublin). It is possible that he was British by birth. St. Gorfor. A saint of Wales, patron of Llanover, in Gwent, Wales. Bl. Thomas Pickering, 1679 A.D. Benedictine martyr. Born in Westmoreland, England, he entered the Benedictines as a lay brother at Douai, France, and there took his vows in 1660. Going home to England, he became attached to the Benedictines in the service of the Chapel Royal of Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II (r. 1660-1685). Arrested as part ...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 09 ST. ISAIAH, PROPHET ST. PACHOMIUS, ABBOT ST. LOUISE DE MARILLAC

St. Peter of Tarantaise, Roman Catholic Monk and Archbishop. He was named the archbishop of Tarantaise against his wishes, and he devoted much energy to reforming the diocese, purging the clergy of corrupt and immoral members, aiding the poor, and promoting education. He is also credited with starting the custom of distributing bread and soup the so called May Bread just before the harvest, a custom which endured throughout France until the French Revolution. Feastday May8

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 08 ST. BONIFACE IV, POPE ST. VICTOR MAURUS OF MILAN, MARTYR ST. BENEDICT II, POPE ST. ARSENIUS THE GREAT, ROMAN DEACON, ANCHORITE IN EGYPT

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS May 7 St. John of Beverly. John was born at Harpham, Yorkshire, England. He studied under Adrian at St. Theodore's School in Kent, and on his return to his native land, became a monk at Whitby. He was named bishop of Hexham in 687 and then transferred to York as metropolitan in 705, succeeding St. Bosa. John was known for his holiness, his preference for the contemplative life, and his miracles, many of which are recounted in Bede's Ecclesiastical History, the author of which he had ordained. In ill health, John resigned the bishopric of York in 717 and retired to Beverly Abbey, which he had founded, and remained there until his death on May 7. His shrine was for centuries one of the most popular pilgrim centers in England. He was canonized by Pope Benedict IX in 1037. St. Liudhard, 600 A.D. Bishop and chaplain to Queen Bertha, daughter of King Charibert of Paris, France. When Bertha went to England to marry King Ethelbert of Kent, Liudhard accom...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 07 ST. FLAVIA DOMITILLA, ROMAN MARTYR ST. ROSA VENERINI, VIRGIN, FOUNDRESS OF THE MAESTRE PIE VENERINI

ST. MARIUNUS AND JAMES, MARTYRS, May 6 Bl. Anna Rosa Gattorno, foundress of the Congregation of the Daughters of St. Anne. May 6

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS May 6 St. Eadbert, 698 A.D. Abbot bishop of Lindisfarne, Ireland, successor of St. Cuthbert. He was praised by St. Bede for his learning and knowledge of the Scriptures. Eadbert’s relics were enshrined in Durham, England, circa 875. In some lists he is called Edbert. Bl. Edward Jones. Blessed Edward Jones and Anthony Middleton, Martyrs Edward Jones from Wales and Anthony Middleton from Yorkshire were both educated at the Douai College in Rheims. They became priests and were sent to the English mission in the time of Elizabeth II. Middleton was the first to arrive in England, in 1586, and pursued the ministry for some time without being discovered, helped considerably by his youthful appearance and slight stature. Jones followed, in 1588, and quickly became known by the English Catholics as a devout and eloquent preacher. The two men of God were hunted down and captured with the aid of spies posing as Catholics, and they were hanged before the very doors of the...

Bl. Sadoc & Companions, Roman Catholic Dominican missionaries and Martyrs. Sadoc was brought into the Dominican order by St. Dominic himself. Sent to Hungary with a group of Dominican missionaries, he labored among the Hungarians and then went on to Poland, where he founded and served as prior of a Dominican house at Sandomir, in 1260, however, the town was sacked by the advancing Mongols. Sadoc and forty-nine other friars were all put to death while singing the Salve Regina. Feastday May 5 St. Jutta, Widowed noblewoman of Thuringia, Germany, noted for visions and miracles. She married at fifteen and raised children. When her husband died on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Jutta moved to Prussia, becoming a recluse at Kulmsee. May 5

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS MAY 5 St. Aventinus, 1180 A.D. Hermit and companion of St. Thomas Becket. A hermit in Tours, France, he was ordained a deacon by St. Thomas and accompanied him to the Synod of Tours in 1163. When Thomas was martyred In 1170 Aventinus went to Touraine, France, remaining there until his death. Bl. John Haile, 1535 A.D. Martyr of England, a companion in death of St. John Houghton at Tyburn. He was an elderly secular priest, the vicar of Isleworth, Middlesex, when he was arrested by King Henry VIII’s men. John was executed at Tyburn. He was beatified in 1886. St. Echa, 767 A.D. Anglo-Saxon priest hermit, also called Etha. He was Benedictine who lived at Crayk, near York, England. Hermits such as Echa served as a link to the early Desert Fathers of Egypt. Bl. Edmund Ignatius Rice, 1844 A.D. The founder of the Congregation of the Brothers of the Christian Schools often called the Irish Christian Brothers. Edmund was born in Wescourt, Ireland, in June, 1762, the...

Martyrs of England, A group of Blessed Catholics from England who were martyrs for the faith in the British Isles. They are to be differentiated from the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Fifty-four were beatified in 1886; nine were beatified in 1895; and 137 more received beatification in 1929.

The Eighty-five Martyrs of England and Wales are a group of men who were executed on charges of treason and related offences in the Kingdom of England between 1584 and 1679. They are considered martyrs in the Roman Catholic Church and were beatified on 22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II. Feastday May 4

St. Florian, was an officer of the Roman army, who occupied a high administrative post in Noricum, now part of Austria, and who suffered death for the Faith in the days of Diocletian. His legendary "Acts" state that he gave himself up at Lorch to the soldiers of Aquilinus, the governor, when they were rounding up the Christians, and after making a bold confession, he was twice scourged, half-flayed alive, set on fire, and finally thrown into the river Enns with a stone around his neck. Feastday May 4

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS May 4 Bl. Carthusian Martyrs, 1540 A.D. English monks of the Carthusian Order put to death by King Henry VIII because of their continued allegiance to the pope and the authority of the Holy See. These martyrs, eighteen in all, were beatified in 1886. St. Augustine Webster, 1535 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales canonized in 1970. Augustine was a Carthusian prior of the Charterhouse at Axholme, England. He was arrested in London and martyred at Tyburn. St. John Houghton, 1535 A.D. Protomartyr of the English Reformation. A native of Essex, he served as a parish priest after graduating from Cambridge. He then became a Carthusian and the prior of the Carthusian Charterhouse of London. As an opponent of King Henry VIII’s Acts of Succession and Supremacy, he was arrested with other Carthusian but was released temporarily. He then refused to swear to the Oath of Supremacy, the first man to make this refusal. Dragged through the streets, he was ex...

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 04 ST. ANTONINA OF NICEA, MARTYR

Sts. Timothy & Martha, Roman Catholic Martyrs, husband and wife, in Antinoe (modern Egypt). Timothy was a reader in the Egyptian Church who was ordered to hand over the Scriptures to Roman officials. When he refused, he was arrested and condemned with his wife of a mere three weeks, Martha. They were nailed to a wall and lingered for nine terrible days during which they gave encouragement to each other. Feastday May 3 Bl. Marie Leonie Paradis, Roman Catholic Nun. Taught in Montreal, in New York, and in Indiana. With 14 of her sisters, she founded the Poor Sisters of the Holy Family, devoted to assisting priests and seminarians, at Memramcook, New Brunswick in 1877.

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS May 3 St. Ethelwin, (d. eighth century). Ethelwin, Second bishop of Lindsey, England. He accompanied St. Egbert to Ireland, where he died. Feast day: May 3. St. Scannal, 563 A.D. Disciple of St. Columba and an Irish missionary. He was associated with the region of Cell Coleraine. St. Gluvias, 6th century. Monastic founder and brother of St. Cadoc of Llancarfan, Wales. Gluvias labored in Cornwall, England, where he may have started an abbey. He is also called Glywys.

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 03 STS. PHILIP AND JAMES THE LESS, APOSTLES ST. ALEXANDER, POPE, WITH STS. EVENTIUS AND THEODULUS, PRIESTS, MARTYRED ON THE VIA NOMENTANA - INFORMATION ON THE SAINT OF THE DAY

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS May 2 St. Ultan, 686 A.D. Benedictine abbot. The brother of Sts. Fursey and Foil Ian, he followed them into the monastic life, entering the community of monks at Burgh Castle, near Yarmouth, East Anglia, England. He subsequently went to France to escape the predations of the Mercians and was greeted with enthusiasm by St. Gertrude of Nivelles. After serving as chaplain to Gertrude's nuns, be became the founding abbot of Fosses Monastery on land given to him by Sts. Gertrude and Ita. He also ruled Peronne. St. Neachtian. Irish confessor. He was a friend of St. Patrick, possibly a relative, and was supposedly present when Patrick died.

St. Zoe, wife of Exsuperius, also known as Hesperus, both Christians, and slaves. When they refused to eat food offered to the Gods by their master on the birth of their son, they and their two sons, Syriacus and Theodulus, were tortured and then roasted to death in a furnace. Feastday May 2nd

SAINT OF THE DAY MAY 02 ST ATHANASIUS, BISHOP OF ALEXANDRIA IN EGYPT AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH

St. Bertha of Kent, The first Christian queen of England, a Frankish princess. She married Ethelbert of Kent, a pagan king, and she brought her chaplain, Luidhard, to the court. Ethelbert welcomed St. Augustine to Kent in 596 . Feastday May 1 St. John-Louis Bonnard,Jean-Louis Bonnard (b. 1 March 1824 at Saint-Christôt-en-Jarret, Diocese of Lyon; beheaded 1 May 1852) was a French Roman Catholic missionary to Vietnam, one of the Martyrs of Vietnam, canonized in 1988,May 1 ST. JEREMIAH, PROPHET Jeremias is the prophet of mourning and of symbolical suffering. This distinguishes his personality from that of Isaias, the prophet of ecstasy and the Messianic future, of Ezechiel, the prophet of mystical (not typical) suffering, and of Daniel, the cosmopolitan revealer of apocalyptic visions of the Old Covenant. May 1

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS May 1 St. Asaph, 600 A.D. First bishop of Asaph in Wales also called Asa. He is believed to have lived in a hermitage near Tenegel, near Holywell. He is also described in a life of St. Kentigern, or Mungo. While still young, Asaph served Kentigern. Asked to bring Kentigern a piece of wood for the fire, Asaph brought live coals in his apron, an event that alerted Kentigern to Asaph's sanctity. When Kentigern left the area in 573, Asaph was consecrated a bishop. Asaph's relatives, Deiniol, Tysilo, and others were honored as saints. St. Brieuc, 510 A.D. Bishop educated by St. Germanus, in Auxerre, France. He is believed to have been born in Dyfed or Cardiganshire, Wales, circa 420. Ordained in France, Brieuc returned to England as a missionary. Known also as Briocus, Briomaglus, or Brioc, he converted his parents and became known for his miracles. He also converted Conan, a local ruler of Brittany, France, and founded a monastery near the present site o...

ST JOSEPH THE WORKER, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, PATRON OF WORKERS Today we remember Saint Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, in his role as a common labourer – a carpenter. This feast bears witness to the fact that even humble work allows men and women to participate in the divine plan of salvation. St Joseph is venerated as the patron of Christian workers. Joseph, the “Just Man” The Gospel of St Matthew describes Joseph as a “just man”, which in the language of the Bible means one who loves and respects the law as the expression of the will of God. Like Mary, Joseph too was visited by an angel, who appeared to him in a dream. And, again like Mary, her spouse, Joseph said “Yes”, when the angel revealed that the Child she bore was conceived of the Holy Spirit. The special characteristic of Joseph is hiddenness, remaining in the background. No word of his is recorded in the Gospels. He is not mentioned after the finding of Christ in the Temple. Probably by the time Jesus...