Christian Today

  Saint of the day May 31 Sts. Cantius, Cantianus, Cantianilla, & Protus, Roman Catholic Martyrs. Cantius with his brother, Cantianus, and his Sister, Cantianilla. They belonged to the Roman Anicii family, nobles orphaned as children and raised as Christians by one Protus. They freed their slaves, sold their estates, gave to the poor, and fled to Aquileia, Italy, when Emperor Diocletian started his persecution of Christians. Captured at Aquae Gradatae they refused to sacrifice to the pagan gods and were beheaded. Feast May 31 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. May 31 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 ...

  Saint of the day 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, Engl...

 Saint of the day 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. 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 Martyrs of Toulouse, Roman Catholic Martyrs. Twelve martyrs put to death by Albigensian heretics near Toulouse, France, on the eve of the feast of the Ascension. Four diocesan priests, three Dominicans, two Benedictines, two Franciscans, and one layman died singing th...

  Saint of the day 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.   Bl. John Shert, 1582 A.D. English martyr. He was born at Shert Hall, ...

 Saint of the day May 27 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

  Saint of the day 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. St. Philip Neri, Roman Catholic Priest and known as the Apostle of Rome, founding a society of secular clergy called the "Congregation of the Oratory". Feast May 26 St. Mariana, Roman Catholic Holy recluse, Patron of Ecuador; Americas; bodi...

 Saint of the day May 25 Venerable Bede. Bede was born near St. Peter and St. Paul monastery at Wearmouth-Jarrow, England. He was sent there when he was three and educated by Abbots Benedict Biscop and Ceolfrid. He became a monk at the monastery, was ordained when thirty, and except for a few brief visits elsewhere, spent all of his life in the monastery, devoting himself to the study of Scripture and to teaching and writing. He is considered one of the most learned men of his time and a major influence on English literature.   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, A...

  Saint of the day 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 dioceses 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. 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,...

 Saint of the day 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. ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST DE ROSSI, ROMAN PRIEST He is the patron saint of Voltaggio and his feast day is celebrated on May 23. St. Julia, Roman Catholic M...

 Saint of the day May 22 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. 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.   St. Conall, 7th century. Abbot of Inniscoel Monastery in County Donegal, Ireland. A holy well there is named after St. Conall. St. Rita, Roman Catholic Patron of impossible cases, Saint Rita's tomb with her i...

 Saint of the day May 21 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. 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.  Gollen, 7th century. Welsh saint also listed as Collen or Colan. He gave his name to Llangollen, in Clwyd, Wales, and he is associated i...

 Saint of the day May 20 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. St. Bernardine of Siena, Roman Catholic Franciscan missionary. He is known  as “the Apostle of Italy” for his efforts to revive the country's Catholic faith during the 15th century. His preaching was frequently directed against gambling, witchcraft, sodomy and usury - particularly as practised by Jews. Feast May 20 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 ST. AUREA, MARTYR OF OSTIA

 Saint of the day May 19 Bl. Peter Wright, 1651 A.D. Jesuit martyr in England. Born in Slipton, Northamptonshire, England, Peter converted to Catholicism and was given preparation for the priesthood in Ghent and Rome. Entering the Jesuits in 1629, he ministered to English soldiers in Flanders and accompanied Sir Henry Gage back to England. He also served as a chaplain to the Royalist army during the English Civil War. After the war, he was arrested at the home of the Marquis of Winchester during the oppression of Catholicism by Oliver Cromwell and was put to death at Tyburn. 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...

 Saint of the day May 18 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. 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. St. Pope John I, Roman Catholic Pope and Martyr. John was elected Pope while he was still an archdeacon upon the death of Pope Hormisdas in 523. Feast 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 ...

 Saint of the day 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. St. Paschal Baylon, Roman Catholic Franciscan lay brother and mystic. Patron of all eucharistic confraternities and congresses. Feast May 17 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 ST. VICTOR, MARTYR ON THE VIA SALARIA ANTICA

 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 beloved son, this ...

 Saint of the day 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. St. Jeanne de Lestonnac, Roman Catholic Nun and founder of religious order The Company of Mary. may 15 St. Dymphna, Roman Catholic Laywoman Martyr, the patron of those suffering from nervous and mental afflictions. Feast May 15 St. Isidore was canonized in 1622. In 1947, he was proclaimed the patron of the National Rural Conference in the United States. He is the patron of farmers, and his feast day is May 15th. Prayer : God, through the intercession of St. Isidore, the holy Farmer, grant that we may overcome all...

 Saint of the day 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. St. Maria Dominic Mazzarello, Roman Catholic Nun and founder of the Salesian Sisters.May 14 Sts. Victor and Corona, Roman Catholic Husband and Wife and Martyrs. They...

 Saint of the day 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. Cadfa...

 Saint of the day May 12 Saint Pancras, (Pancratius). He was born at the end of the third century and brought up by an uncle in Rome after the death of his parents. Both he and his uncle became Christians. Pancras was beheaded in 304 during Diocletian's persecution. He was only 14 years old.  Pancras is especially venerated in England because Augustine of Canterbury dedicated his first church to Pancras and his relics were presented as a gift to the king of Northumberland. A district in London is named St. Pancras after him.  In His Footsteps:  What do you know about the faith of teenagers? Whatever age you are, check into your parish youth group or a youth service organization to find out more and perhaps join or help out.  Prayer:  St. Pancras, pray for all teenagers that their faith may be as strong as yours, strong enough to lead them through all the trials of their life.  St. Diomma, 5th century. Patron saint of Kildimo County, Limerick, in Irelan...

 Saint of the day 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. ST. ANTHIMUS OF ROME, MARTYRED ON THE VIA SALARIA

 Saint of the day May 10 American Ruthenian Catholic Sister of Charity, May 10, The beatification ceremony was the first to take place in the United States, 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 Janu...

 Saint of the day May 09 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 of the "Popish Plot," he was condemned and hanged at Tyburn. 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. Gor...

 Saint of the day May 08 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 ST. VICTOR MAURUS OF MILAN, MARTYR In 1576, at the request of St. Charles of Borromeo, Victor's relics were transferred to a new church in Milan established by the Olivetan monks. The church still bears St. Victor's name today. After a life of adherence to the Faith during perilous times, St. Victor Maurus was taken prisoner and tortured as an old man. May 8 ST. BONIFACE IV, POPE Boniface IV A doctor's son from L'Aquila, Pope/Saint Boniface IV was deacon and treasurer to St. Gr...

 Saint of the day May 07 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 accompanied her....

 Saint of the day May 06 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 doo...