Christian Today

St. Peter, First Roman Catholic Pope and Martyr, The Apostle to the Gentiles, St. Paul was the greatest missionary in history. A Pharisee converted to Christ, his concern for expounding the faith to those, who heard him, would make him the first Christian theologian. His martyrdom is remembered on June 29, St. Mary Salome, Roman Catholic, Mother of John, surnamed Mark, who is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. Her home in Jerusalem was a gathering place of the Apostles. Peter went to Mary’s home when he was released from prison by King Herod. Feastday: June 29

St. Almus, 1270 A.D. Cistercian abbot also called Alme and Alanus. He was a monk in the English Cistercian monastery at Melrose when he was elected abbot of Scotland's Balmerino monastery, founded by Ermengardis, the widow of William I of Scotland. St. Austell, 6th century. Confessor and disciple of St. Newman of Cornwall, England. Modern scholars believe that Austell was a woman named Hoystill, a daughter of Brychan of Wales. St. Crummine, 5th century. Bishop and disciple of St. Patrick of Ireland. St. Patrick placed Crummine over the church in Lachan County, Westmeath. St. Paul I, Roman Catholic Priest and Pope from 757-767 . Feastday: June 28 St. Irenaeus, Roman Catholic Priest. He was an early Church Father and apologist. As one of the first great Christian theologians, he emphasized the traditional elements in the Church, especially the episcopate, Scripture, and tradition. Against the Gnostics, who said that they possessed a secret oral tradition from Jesus hims...

Saint John Southworth. Priest and English martyr. He went overseas to study and was ordained in Douai in 1618. St John returned to England in 1627 and was soon arrested. He spent three years in prison - the first of several imprisonments. Most of his priestly work was carried out in Westminster. He was much loved for his ministry to the sick and dying, especially during the plague years. He continued his work until 1654, when he was arrested for the last time, tried and finally condemned to death. On this day, June 27 at the age of 62, he was hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, close to where Marble Arch now stands. St John was the last secular priest to suffer in this way. His body was taken to Douai, embalmed and buried. But when the seminary was demolished, during the French Revolution, his coffin was lost. It was accidentally discovered in 1927 and taken to St Edmund's College in Ware. Three years later St John's body was placed in a shrine at Westminster Cathedral, in...

Saint of the day June 26 Bl. Teresa Fantou, Roman Catholic Nun and French Martyr of the Sisters of Charity in Arras, during the French Revolution, she was arrested by republican authorities and guillotined at Cambrai.Teresa and her three companions, Francoise Lanel, Madeleine Fontaine, and Joan Gerard. Feastday: June 26 St. Marie Magdalen Fontaine, Roman Catholic Nun and French Martyr. Martyred Sister of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul . She was superior of the congregation’s house at Arras when the French Revolution erupted in the country With three members of her community, Mary Magdalen was guillotined at Cambrai, France. Feastday: June 26 Bl. Jane Gerald, Roman Catholic Nun and French Martyr of the Sisters of Charity in Arras, during the French Revolution, she was arrested by republican authorities and guillotined at Cambrai. Feastday: June 26 St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer, Roman Catholic Priest founded Opus Dei, an institution within the Catholic Church dedicated to he...

Saint of the day June 25 ST.WILLIAM, ABBOT, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF MONTEVERGINE, JUNE 25 Sometimes, even a young child is able to make a decision that will change his life forever. This was the case with St William, who at the age of fourteen decided to go on pilgrimage – first to Santiago de Compostela, and then to the Holy Land. Like St Francis a century later, William gave up all he had in order to embrace a religious life. He freed himself from attachments to his family, gave up his noble title, put on a tattered habit, and left his home in Vercelli (Italy) barefoot. ST. PROSPERUS OF AQUITAINE, PHILOSOPHER June 25 St. Eurosia, A Roman Catholic French martyr, a victim of the Muslim invasion of Spain. She was born in Bayonne, France, and was slain at Jaca in the Pyrenees of Aragon, Spain, when she refused to marry a Muslim.Feastday June 25

Saint of the day June 24 St. Selyf, 6th century. Hermit in Cornwall. He is perhaps to be identified with St. Solomon, who has the same feast day. St. Adalbert , 740 A.D. A missionary in Ireland whose tomb became a center for pilgrims. Adalbert was born in Northumbria, England, and was educated at Rathmelgisi Monastery. Accompanying St. Willibrord and others to Friesland, he gained many converts in an area called Egmont. Adalbert was also a companion of St. Egbert to Ireland. It is believed that he became St. Willibrord's successor as the abbot of Epternach. Adalbert's shrine was noted for miracles after his death. St. Bartholomew of Fame, 1193 A.D. A Benedictine hermit and miracle worker associated with Durham, England. He was born in Whitby, in Northumbria, England, and was called Tostig. After going to Norway, Bartholomew was ordained and returned to Durham, where he entered the Benedictine Order. He became a hermit on the island of Fame, on the coast of Northumbria,...

Saint of the day June 23 St. Thomas Garnet, 1608 A.D. English Jesuit martyr. A nephew of the Jesuit Henry Garnet, he was born in Southwark, England, and studied for the priesthood at St. Omer, France, and Valladolid, Spain. Initially ordained as a secular priest, he joined the Jesuits in 1604 and worked to advance the Catholic cause in Warwick until his arrest in 1606. He was exiled after months of torture but returned in 1607 and was soon arrested. He was hanged at Tyburn. Beatified in 1929, he was canonized in 1970 and is included among the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. Saint Ethelreda (Audrey), 679 A.D. Around 640, there was an English princess named Ethelreda, but she was known as Audrey. She married once, but was widowed after three years, and it was said that the marriage was never consummated. She had taken a perpetual vow of virginity, but married again, this time for reasons of state. Her young husband soon grew tired of living as brother and sister and began to ma...

https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/44949 Three people were killed and 36 abducted on Sunday, 19 June, in the latest attacks by Fulani gunmen on two churches in the Kajuru Local Government Area (LGA) of southern Kaduna state, Nigeria. According to the Kaduna state government, militia men riding on motorcycles began by attacking the Ungwan Fada community before moving on to Ungwan Turawa and Ungwan Makama all under Roboh community, looting shops in each area and carting away valuables. According to survivors of the attack on Roboh village, militia men sporting AK-47s descended on St Moses Catholic Church as the Sunday service was underway, killing three people later identified as Peter Madaki, Ali Zamani, and Elisha Ezekiel. One seriously injured victim is being treated at St Gerald Catholic Hospital in Kaduna South. The militia then attacked Bege Baptist church, abducting 36 people in total; five men, and the rest women and children. The Ward Head was among the abductees but was l...

Mexico: Two Jesuit priests murdered https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/44952 via @icn_uk FrJavier Campos and Fr Joaquín Mora FrJavier Campos and Fr Joaquín Mora Source: Vatican News/Jesuits Two Jesuits priests, FatherJavier Campos and Father Joaquín Mora, were killed in Cerocahui, Tarahumara, Mexico on Monday. Both priests were murdered while they were trying to protect a man who ran into a church in search of refuge while he was fleeing from an armed individual. Fr Luis Gerardo Moro Madrid, SJ, provincial of the Mexico province of the Society of Jesus, announced the news in the following statement: "It is with deep pain and a sense of anguish that I inform you that in the afternoon of 20 June, in Cerocahui, Tarahumara, Jesuit Fathers Javier Campos, SJ, and Joaquín Mora, SJ, were murdered while trying to defend a man who was seeking refuge in the church and who was being pursued by an armed person." The Provincial said the Jesuits were also working with federal an...

Saint of the day June 22 St. Alban. St. Alban was the first martyr of England, his own country (homeland). During a persecution of Christians, Alban, though a pagan, hid a priest in his house. The priest made such a great impression on him that Alban received instructions and became a Christian himself. In the meantime, the governor had been told that the priest was hiding in Alban's house, and he sent his soldiers to capture him. But Alban changed clothes with his guest, and gave himself up in his stead. The judge was furious when he found out that the priest had escaped and he said to Alban, "You shall get the punishment he was to get unless you worship the gods." The Saint answered that he would never worship those false gods again. "To what family do you belong?" demanded the judge. "That does not concern you," said Alban. "If you want to know my religion, I am a Christian." Angrily the judge commanded him again to sacrifice to the g...

Pope: 'Newly beatified martyrs show us the way to holiness' - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2022-06/pope-angelus-martyrs-beatification-spanish-civil-war.html

Pope: “Church in the Digital” offers tools for a Church also present online Pope Francis pens the preface for “Church in the Digital”, a book edited by Fabio Bolzetta which offers tools and proposals for the Church that is also present in the digital world. By Benedict Mayaki, SJ “The difficult period humanity is going through because of the pandemic has made it clear not only that we will come out of this crisis if we come out of it together, but it has made us realize how useful technological tools and social networks can be.” Pope Francis made that remark in the preface of a new book titled “The Church in the Digital” (La Chiesa nel Digitale), edited by Fabio Bolzetta and published by Tau Editrice. The book was born from the experience of the Association of Italian Catholic Webmasters (WECA) and offers tools and proposals to discover, reflect upon, and share on social networks the experience of the Church which is also present in the digital world. The Church during the pandem...

Saint of the day June 21 St. John Rigby, 1600 A.D. Martyr of England, a layman executed at Southwark. He was born near Wigan, England, and was reconciled to the Church. Admitting that he was a Catholic, he was arrested and placed in Newgate Prison. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Southwark on June 21. John is one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales and was canonized in 1970 by Pope Paul VI. St. Corbmac, 6th century. An abbot and disciple of St. Columba, who made him the superior of Durrow Monastery. St. Maine. Founder of Saint-Meon in Brittany, France. He was a disciple of St. Samson. Maine, who also is listed as Meen, Mevenus, Mavenus, or Mewan, was either Welsh or Cornish. St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Roman Catholic Jesuit Priest. He served in a hospital during the plague of 1587 in Milan, and died from it at the age of 23. Feastday: June 21

Saint of the day June 20 Bl. Anthony Turner, 1679 A.D. Martyr of England. The son of a Protestant minister, he was born in Leicestershire and educated at Cambridge. A convert to Catholicism, Anthony went to Rome and joined the Jesuits in Flanders and was ordained in 1661. He returned to England and labored in Worcester until he was arrested in the so-called Titus Oates affair. Convicted on perjured evidence, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn on June 20. Anthony was beatified in 1929. Bl. William Harcourt, 1679 A.D. Jesuit martyr of England, also called William Barrows. Born in Lancashire in 1609, he studied at St. Omer, France, where in 1632 he became a Jesuit. Returning to England in 1645, he labored in London on behalf of the Catholic mission for more than thirty years. Condemned falsely for complicity in the so-called Popish Plot, he was executed at Tyburn with five other Jesuits, He was beatified in 1929. Bl. Thomas Whitbread, 1679 A.D. English Jesuit and mar...

 Saint of the day June 19 Bl. Humphrey Middlemore, 1572-1591 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. He was hanged at Tyburn with two monks of the London Charterhouse.   Bl. William Exmew, 1535 A.D. Carthusian martyr. An Englishman, he was educated at Cambridge and entered the Carthusians, eventually becoming sub-prior of the London Charterhouse. Owing to their refusal to accept the reforms of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547), William was executed with Blesseds Sebastian Newdigate and Humphrey Middlemore. They were beatified in 1886. Bl. Thomas Woodhouse, 1573 A.D. English martyr. A resident of Lincolnshire, he received ordination as a secular priest and took up a post there. Forced to resign from this post, he became a tutor in Wales. He was arrested in 1561 for celebrating a Mass and was sent to Fleet Prison. During the period of his incarceration, which lasted twelve years, he entered the Society of Jesus Thomas was tried in 1570. He was hanged at Tyburn.  Bl. Sebastian ...

 Saint of the day June 18 St. Marina Roman Catholic Virgin- She flourished in Bithynia in the eighth century, and served God under the habit of a monk, with extraordinary fervor. Her wonderful humility, meekness, and patience are celebrated in the lives of the fathers of the desert. Feastday: June 18 St. Aquilina, Roman Catholic Virgin and Martyr beheaded at Byblos. She was only twelve years old. Feastday: June 18 ST. GREGORY BARBARIGO

 Saint of the day June 17 St. Briavel. The patron of a parish in Dean Forest, Gloucestershire, England. St. Herve, 575 A.D. Welsh bard who was is a popular patron in Brittany, France. Herve, sometimes called Harvey or Hervues, was the son of the bard Hyvarnion, and was born blind. Raised by his uncles because his mother was a hermitess, he was taken to Brittany. There he built an abbey at Lanhourneau, and he was venerated as a miracle worker and bard. He is invoked against eye trouble, and he is depicted with a wolf. Tales and legends associated Herve with a wolf.    St. Adulf, 680 A.D. Bishop and missionary, venerated with his brother, Butulf. They were nobles of Saxon or Irish lineage who became monks. Both went as missionaries to Germany. There Adulf was made the bishop of Utrecht. Butulf returned to England and founded a religious house in 654, becoming widely respected for his holiness.     St. Nectan. Hermit and martyr also called Nighton or Nectaran....

 Saint of the day June 16 Bl. William Greenwood, 1537 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. A lay brother in the Carthusian London Charterhouse, he was arrested for opposing the policies of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547) and starved to death in Newgate Prison with six companions.   St. Curig, 6th century. Welsh bishop in the see of Llanbadarn. Several churches in Wales are dedicated to Curig. St. Cettin, 5th century. Bishop and disciple of St.Patrick also called Cetagh. Cettin was consecrated a bishop to help St. Patrick.    St. Colman McRhoi, 6th century. An abbot and disciple of St. Columba. He founded the monastery of Reachrain, now Lamboy Island, in Dublin, Ireland, ruling as abbot.   Sts. Quiriacus and Julitta, Roman Catholic Martyrs. Quiricus was the three year old son of Julitta, a noble widow of Tarsus. Arrested for being a Christian, Julitta enraged the Roman magistrate by scratching his face. Her punishment before execution was to watch while Qu...

 Saint of the day June 15 Bls. Thomas Green, Thomas Scryven, and Thomas Reding, 1537 A.D. English Carthusian martyrs. Thomas Green studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, entering the London Charterhouse of the Carthusians where he took vows and received ordination. Arrested for opposing King Henry VIII's (r. 1509-1547) claim of spiritual supremacy over the English Church, Thomas was imprisoned with two other Carthusians, the lay brothers Thomas Scryven and Thomas Reding, and four other companions. All were starved to death at Newgate Prison. St. Trillo, 6th century. A Welsh saint of whom little is known beyond his status as patron saint of two sites in Gwynedd, Wales. In some lists he is called Drel or Drillo.   St. Edburga of Winchester, 960 A.D. Benedictine abbess, the daughter of King Edward the Elder and his third wife Edgiva, and the granddaughter of Alfred the Great. She became a nun at Winchester Abbey, then abbess, and was known for her miracles. Her shrine is ...

 Saint of the day June 14 St. Elgar, 1100 A.D. Hermit on the isle of Bardsey, off the coast of Cearnarvon, Wales. He was born in Devonshire, England, and spent many years as a captive in Ireland.   St. Cearan, 870 A.D. Irish abbot called “the Devout,” also known as Ciaran. He was abbot of Bellach-Duin now Castle Kerrant, County Meath.   St. Dogmael, 6th century. Welsh monk of the house of Cunedda, the son of Ithel ab Ceredig ab Cunedda Wledig. He preached in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and then went to Brittany, in France. Several churches bear his name.   St. Nennus. Abbot. From Ireland, he became abbot of monasteries on the isles of Arran and Bute. Nennus was the successor of St. Enda St. Methodius I, Roman Catholic Priest and was exiled by Emperor Leo V the Armenian for refusing to yield to the imperial decrees on the destruction of icons. Feastday: June 14 ST. ELISHA, PROPHET St. Anastasius XVII Roman Catholic Deacon and Martyr. A monk in the Benedictine...

  Poland: Ten WWII nuns beatified Jun 12th, 2022  https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/44883 Source:  Vatican News Ten Polish nuns who cared for the elderly, the sick, and children and were killed by Soviet soldiers in 1945 were beatified by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints in Wrocław Cathedral on Saturday. During the Sunday Angelus Pope Francis paid tribute to their witness. During the Mass Cardinal Marcello Semeraro compared the martyrdom of the Sisters of St Elizabeth to the current situation in Ukraine. he said:  "The whole life of these sisters was a true gift of self in service to the sick, the little ones, the poor, the most needy. Their selfless love was heroic to the extent that they chose not to flee from the approaching Red Army in late 1944-45. And this despite the news of its brutality and the atrocities committed by its soldiers against the inhabitants of East Prussia." "Although they were aware of the risks ...

 Saint of the day June 13 June 13 St. Damhnade. Virgin venerated in Ireland. St. Augustine of Huy, Roman Catholic Martyr. When it was discovered he was a Christian, he joined St. Nicholas Thé in martyrdom.They were sawed into pieces. Feastday: June 13 St. Aquilina, Roman Catholic Martyr. She was arrested during Diocletian's persecution of Christian, and though only twelve, was beaten and decapitated by order of the magistrate, Volusian, when she would not renounce her Faith. Feastday: June 13 St. Anthony of Padua, Roman Catholic Franciscan Brother and Doctor of the Church. Feastday: June 13

  Saint of the day June 12 St. Ternan, 5th century. Missionary and bishop, sometimes called Torannan. According to tradition, he was a disciple of St. Palladius and was perhaps consecrated bishop by him in 432. He worked for many as a missionary bishop among the Picts in Scotland and he is honored as the founder of the abbey of Culross, in Fifeshire, where he died.   St. Chirstian, 1138 A.D. Bishop and brother of St. Malachy of Armagh. His Celtic name was Croistan O'Morgair. In 1126, Christian was named the bishop of Clogher, in Ireland.   St. Cominus. Patron saint of Ardcavan, Ireland, an abbot.   St. Cunera. A British virgin venerated in Germany.  St. Eskill, 1080 A.D. English missionary to Sweden, a companion of St. Sigfrid, his kinsman. Eskill went with St. Sigfrid to Sweden. There he was consecrated as the bishop of Strangnas and evangelized Sodermanland. King Sweyn the Bloody, the pagan successor to the murdered Christian King...

 Saint of the day June 11 St. Tochmura. Irish virgin. She is venerated in the diocese of Kilmore, Ireland, and is considered a special patron of women in labor.   St. Blitharius, 7th century. Companion of St. Fursey. A native of Scotland, Blitharius went with St. Fursey to France to undertake missions and evangelization. He is venerated in Champagne, and is sometimes called Blier. St. Barnabas, A Jew, born in Cyprus and named Joseph, he sold his property, gave the proceeds to the Apostles, who gave him the name Barnabas. Feastday: June 10 St. Peter Rodriguez and Companions, Roman Catholic Knights of Santiago of Portugal and Spanish Martyrs, put to death by the Muslim Moors Feastday: June 11

 Saint of the day June 10 Bl. Olivia, was a beautiful girl of thirteen, of a noble Palermo, Italy, family who was carried off to Tunis by raiding Moslems. They allowed her to live in a nearby cave but when they found that her miracles and cures had converted many Mohammedans, she was imprisoned, tortured, and after converting her executioners trying to burn her to death, was beheaded. Feastday June10 St. Getulius, Martyr with Amantius, Caerealis, and Primitivus. He was the husband of St. Symphorosa. An officer in the Roman army, he resigned when he became a Christian and returned to his estates near Tivoli, Italy. There he converted Caerealis, an imperial legate sent to arrest him. With his brother Amantius and with Caerealis and Primitivus, Getulius was tortured and martyred at Tivoli. Feastday June10

 Saint of the day June 09 St. Columba, 521-597 A.D.  Born probably in Donegal Ireland of royal descent he studied at Moville under St. Finnian then in Leinster at the monastery of Clonard under another St. Finnian. He was ordained before he was twenty-five and spent the next fifteen years preaching and setting up foundations at Derry, Durrow, and Kells. Possibly because of a family feud which resulted in the death of 3000 and for which he considered himself partly responsible he left Ireland at 42 and landed on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. There he built the monastery which was to become world famous. With SS Canice and Comgall he spread the gospel to the Picts; he also developed a monastic rule which many followed until the introduction of St. Benedicts. He died on Iona and is also known as Colm, Colum and Columcille.   St. Baithin, 598 A.D. Abbot and cousin of St. Columba, also listed as Comm or Cominus in some lists. Baithin was abbot of Tiree Abb...

 Saint of the day June 08 St. William of York. Bishop. William of York was the son of Count Herbert, treasurer to Henry I. His mother Emma was the half-sister of King William. Young William became treasurer of the church of York at an early age and was elected archbishop of York in 1140.    St. Edgar the Peaceful, 975 A.D. English king and patron of St. Dunstan, who served as his counselor. England underwent a religious revival in his reign, and he is venerated at Glastonbury. However, his daughter, St. Edith of Wilton, was borne by one of two religious women with whom he had an affair.   St. Levan, 6th century. Celtic saint sometimes listed as Levin or Selyr. He went to Cornwall, England, as a missionary and is revered there.   St. Muirchu, 7th century. Irish confessor. He is noted for writing the lives of St. Brigid and Patrick. In some lists he is called Maccutinus. St. Bron, 511 A.D. Bishop and disciple of St. Patrick. Bron was the bishop of Cassel...

  Saint of the day June 07 St. Robert of Newminster. Robert of Newminster, Saint, Abbot, (Benedictine) Cistercians (1100-1159) A priest from North Yorkshire who took the Benedictine habit at Whitby and obtained permission to join some monks of York who were attempting to live according to a new interpretation of the Benedictine rule at Fountains abbey (1132). Fountains soon became Cistercian and one of the centres of the White Monks in N. England. Newminster abbey in Northumberland was founded from it in 1137, and Robert became its first abbot. He is described as gentle and merciful in judgement. St. Willibald, 786 A.D. Bishop and missionary. A native of Wessex, England, he was the brother of Sts. Winebald and Walburga and was related through his mother to the great St. Boniface. After studying in a monastery in Waitham, in Hampshire, he went on a pilgrimage to Rome (c. 722) with his father, who died on the way at Lucca, Italy. Willibald continued on to Rome and then to Jerusalem...

  Saint of the day June 06 The Carthusian Martyrs were the monks of the London Charterhouse, the monastery of the Carthusian Order in central London, who were put to death by the English state in a period lasting from the 19 June 1535 till the 20 September 1537. The method of execution was hanging, disembowelling while still alive and then quartering Bl. Walter Pierson, 1537 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. A member of the Carthusian Charterhouse of London, he served as a lay brother and was arrested with his companions by English authorities for opposing the religious policies of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547). With six other Carthusians, he was starved to death in prison.  Bl. John Davy, 1537 A.D. Carthusian martyr of England. A member of the Carthusian Charterhouse of London, he was an opponent of the Act of Supremacy of King Henry VIII. and was arrested and starved to death in Newgate Prison with six Carthusian companions. John was beatified in 1886.   Bl. Robe...