Christian Today

Saint of the day August 31 Bl. Richard Bere, 1537 A.D. English martyr. Born at Glastonbury, he studied at Oxford and the Inns of Court before entering the Carthusians in London. When he and his fellow monks voiced their opposition to the planned divorce of King Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon, they were starved to death in Newgate Prison. St. Aidan of Lindisfarne , 651 A.D. Aidan of Lindisfarne, born in Ireland, may have studied under St. Senan before becoming a monk at Iona. At the request of King Oswald of Northumbria, Aidan went to Lindisfarne as bishop and was known throughout the kingdom for his knowledge of the Bible, his learning, his eloquent preaching, his holiness, his distaste for pomp, his kindness to the poor, and the miracles attributed to him. He founded a monastery at Lindisfarne that became known as the English Iona and was a center of learning and missionary activity for all of northern England. He died in 651 at the royal castle at Bamburgh.   St. Raymon...

 Saint of the day August 30 Bl. Edward Shelley, 1588 A.D. English martyr of Warminghurst. He sheltered priests and was hung at Tyburn. Edward was beatified in 1929.   St. Loaran , 5th century.  Irish disciple of St. Patrick. He is sometimes listed as the bishop of Downpatrick, Ireland.   Bl. Richard Leigh, 1588 A.D. English martyr . Born in London, circa 1561, he studied at Reims and Rome and was ordained a priest in 1586. Returning to England, he was arrested and banished. He returned and was again arrested for being a priest and, with Blesseds Richard Martin, Edward Shelley, John Roche, Richard Flowers, and St. Margaret Ward, was executed at Tybum. Richard was beatified in 1929.    St. Richard Martin, 1588 A.D. English martyr. Born in Shropshire, he studied at Oxford and was a devout Catholic. Arrested for giving shelter to priests, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tybum with Blesseds Richard Leigh, Edward Shelley, John Roche, Richard Flo...

 Saint of the day August 29 Bl. Richard Herst, 1628 A.D. English martyr, also called Hurst. Born near Preston, Lancashire, England, he was well known as a farmer until being arrested on the charge of murder. He fought with three men who tried to arrest him, and one of them, named Dewhurst, died. In point of fact, he was hanged at Lancaster on August 29 because of his refusal to deny Catholicism. He was offered his freedom if he took the Oath of Supremacy but declined. He was beatified in 1929. St. Velleicus , 8th century. Anglo-Saxon abbot also listed as Willeic. He journeyed to Germany to assist in the evangelization of the region as a disciple of St. Swithbert and served as abbot of Kaiserswerth, on the Rhine.   St. Sebb i, 694 A.D. Also listed as Sebbe, he became the king of Essex (or the East Saxons) following the conversion of the kingdom by St. Cedd in 664. He ruled at a time when there was relative peace and the realm was under the domination of Mercia, a nearby k...

  Saint of the day August 28 St. Edmund Arrowsmith, 1628 A.D.  St. Edmund Arrowsmith (1585 - 1628) Edmund was the son of Robert Arrowsmith, a farmer, and was born at Haydock, England. He was baptized Brian, but always used his Confirmation name of Edmund. The family was constantly harrassed for its adherence to Catholicism, and in 1605 Edmund left England and went to Douai to study for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1612 and sent on the English mission the following year. He ministered to the Catholics of Lancashire without incident until about 1622, when he was arrested and questioned by the Protestant bishop of Chester. He was released when King James ordered all arrested priests be freed, joined the Jesuits in 1624, and in 1628 was arrested when betrayed by a young man he had censored for an incestuous marriage. He was convicted of being a Catholic priest, sentenced to death, and hanged, drawn, and quartered at Lancaster on August 28th. He was canonized as one of the F...

  Saint of the day August 27 St. Decuman, 706 A.D. Hermit martyr, also called Dagan. He was Welsh, and he lived as a recluse in Somersetshire, England. There he was murdered in a fashion that led to his veneration as a martyr. St.  Etherius, 602 A.D.  Bishop of Lyon s, France, who welcomed St. Augustine when he was on his way to England. Pope St. Gregory I the Great  recommended Etherius to St. Augustine. Etherius is some-times listed as Alermius.   St. Malrubius. Martyred hermit of Merns , Scotland. He was slain by Norse invaders who landed in his area and razed the countryside. St. Monica, Roman Catholic Laywoman and was married by arrangement to a pagan official in North Africa, who was much older than she, and although generous, was also violent tempered. His mother Lived with them and was equally difficult, which proved a constant challenge to St. Monica. She had three children; Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua. feastday Aug 27 Patron of Wives and Ab...

  Saint of the day August 26 Bl. Thomas Percy, 1572 A.D. English Martyr , born in 1528. Earl of Northumberland from 1537, Thomas initially enjoyed an excellent relationship with Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603). Thomas also served Queen Mary (r. 1542-1587). Queen Elizabeth bestowed the Order of the Garter on him in 1563. He then became involved in the Rising of the North and fled to Scotland but was sold to Queen Elizabeth for two thousand pounds. For three years he languished in a prison, refusing fervently to abjure his faith in return for his freedom. Thomas was finally beheaded at York and was beatified in 1896.   St. Bregwin, 764 A.D. Also Breguivine, the twelfth archbishop of Canterbury, England.  He served from 761 until his death. His letters to St. Lullus of Mainz are extant and Eadmer wrote his life.   St. Pandwyna, 10th century. A Scottish or Irish saint also called Pandonio. A church is dedicated to her in Cambridgeshire, England.   ST ZE...

  Saint of the day August 25 St. Louis IX, King of France . He was well known for protecting the French clergy from secular leaders and for strictly enforcing laws against blasphemy.  He established the Sorbonne (1252) and the monasteries of Rayaumont, Vavert, and Maubuisson. Louis led two crusades, the Sixth and the Seventh Crusades.Feastday Aug 25 Bl. Louis Sotelo, Franciscan martyr of Japan . Louis Was a noble of Spain, who was ordained and sent to Manila, Philippines, in 1601. He went to Japan in 1603 but was exiled. Returning to Spain in 1613, he visited Rome in 1622, and then went again to Japan. He was arrested in Nagasaki and burned alive at Shimabara. Feastday Aug 25 St. Patricia Roman Catholic patron of Naples, and like St. Januarius there, a vial believed to be filled with her blood reportedly liquefies thirteen hundred years after her death. St. Patricia,  fled to Italy to escape marriage and became a virgin consecrated to God in Rome. She returned to constan...

  Saint of the day August 24 St. Yrchard, fifth century. Scottish bishop and disciple of St. Ternan also called Yardcard. Yrchard served as a missionary among the Picts. St. Nathanael, is St. Bartholomew. He was one of the apostles. His name means 'son of Tolomai'.  he is the man from Cana that Jesus said was incapable of deceit. He preached in India and Greater Armenia, where he was flayed and beheaded by King Astyages. Feastday Aug 24 ST. JEANNE ANTIDE THOURET, VIRGIN, FOUNDRESS OF THE SISTERS OF CHARITY SAINT EMILY DE VIALAR 

  Saint of the day August 23 St. Tydfil, 480 A.D. Welsh martyr , reportedly from the clan of Brychan. She was slain by a group of pagan Picts or Saxons and is venerated at Merthyr-Tydfil, Glamorgan. Wales.   St. Ebba, 870 A.D. Abbess of Coldingham, E ngland, on the Scottish border, called “the Younger.” She and her nuns were martyred by Danes in an invasion. She mutilated her face to discourage rape by the invading Danes. The raiders set fire to Coldingham, killing all of the nuns.   St. Eugene, 6th century. Irish missionary to England who became the first bishop of Ardstraw, in Tyrone, Ireland, now Derry. He is also listed as Eoghan, Enny, and Owen. He was born in Leinster, Ireland, and was a relative of St. Kevin of Glendalough. Kidnapped as a child, he spent years as a slave before returning to Ireland. There he helped St. Tigernach found Clones Monastery in 576. St. Philip Benizi,  Roman Catholic Servite cardinal and preacher. Aug. 23 St. Rose of Lima,...

  Saint of the day August 22 St. John Kemble, 1679 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales . He was born in Herefordshire, England, in 1599, and studied at Douai, where he was ordained in 1625. Returning to England, John labored in missions for fifty-three years. At the age of eighty-one, he was arrested at Pembridge Castle, the home of his brother. He was falsely charged in the Titus Oates Plot and condemned for being a Catholic. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Hereford. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970.   St. John Wall, 1679 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born near Preston, England, and was educated at Douai and Rome and ordained in 1645. In 1651 he became a Franciscan, called Father Joachim of St. Anne, returning to Worcester, England, in 1656. There he was arrested in December 1678 and imprisoned for five months. He was martyred by being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Redhill. Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970. ...

 Saint of the day August 21 St. Hardulph. A hermit of Leicester, England, possibly the recluse of Breedon, mentioned in the life of St. Modwenna. A church was dedicated in hid honor. St. Pius X, Roman Catholic Priest and became the two hundred fifty-ninth Pope St. Cyriaca, Roman Catholic Widowed Martyr and patroness of St. Laurence, sometimes called Dominica. St. Laurence, deacon and martyr, used Cyriacas villa in Rome to distribute alms to the poor. She was scourged to death for the faith. The church of St. Mary in Dominica was named after her. Feastday Aug. 21

 Saint of the day August 20 St. Edbert , 960 A.D.  King of Northumbria, England, the successor of St. Ceolwulph. He reigned for two decades and then became a Benedictine monk at York. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eadberht_of_Northumbria  St. Herbert Hoscam , 1180 A.D. Archbishop and patron saint of Conze, Italy. He was English by birth but served as prelate of the Basilicata area.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Hoscam St. Ronald , 1158 A.D. A warrior chieftain in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. According to tradition, he made a vow to build a church, fulfilling the pledge by erecting the cathedral of St. Magnus at Kirkwall. Ronald was later murdered by a group of rebelling warriors and was venerated as a martyr at Kirkwall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B6gnvald_Kali_Kolsson Roman Catholic Martyrs of Thrace , A group of thirty-seven martyrs who suffered in Thrace, in modem northern Greece. Their feet and hands were sliced off and then they were cast...

 Saint of the day August 19 St. Mochta, 535 A.D. Bishop of Ireland. He was born in Britain but was brought to Ireland as a child. There he became a disciple of St. Patrick. During a visit to Rome, Mochta was made a bishop by Pope St. Leo I. He founded Louth Monastery with twelve companions and was probably consecrated by St. Patrick. He died at the age of ninety, the last known disciple of St. Patrick.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochta St. Sebald , 770 A.D. Patron Saint of Nuremberg. Hermit, missionary, and a patron saint of Nuremberg. Most likely an Anglo-Saxon from England, he arrived on the Continent and became a hermit near Vicenza, Italy, and then participated in the missionary enterprise of the times, assisting in the work. of St. Willibald in the Reichswald. Many miracles were attributed to him, including turning icicles into firewood.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebaldus St. Credan , 780 A.D. A Benedictine abbot of Evesham, England, in the reig...

  Saint of the day August 18 St. Daig Maccairaill, 586 A.D. Monastic founder and bishop, also called Dagaeus and Daganus. He was the son of Cayrill and a disciple of St. Finian. Daig Maccairaill founded a monastery at Iniskeen, Ireland. He is called “one of the Three Master Craftsman of Ireland.”   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daig St. Hugh the Little , 1255 A.D. Martyred nine year old of Lincoln, England, reportedly a victim of ritual killing by English Jews. King Henry III conducted the investigation of the crime which resulted in eighteen or nineteen Jews being hanged. Hugh had been scourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified. Miracles supposedly accompanied the recovery of the lad’s body from a well, and the martyrdom became part of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The feast of the saint is no longer kept by the Church, and the entire account of the young saint is considered an example of the anti Semitism which was rampant throughout the Middle Ages. In art, he was depi...

  Saint of the day August 17 St. Drithelm, 700 A.D.  A wealthy man of Northumbria, England, who supposedly died, experienced a powerful vision of heaven, hell, and purgatory, and then was found to be alive. He divided his possessions among his wife and children and made benefices for the poor before becoming a monk at Melrose Abbey. He lived as a hermit there with great austerities. St. Bede gives an account of his life.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dryhthelm St. Hiero , 885 A.D. Irish martyr, also called Iero. He was an Irish missionary to Holland, where he was martyred  https://celticsaints.org/2018/0817c.html St. James the Deacon, 769 A.D. Italian monk and deacon. A companion of St. Paulinus in the missionary effort in Northumbria, England, he was so dedicated to the evangelizing cause that he remained in the region despite the constant dangers of the severe pagan reaction. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_the_Deacon Sts. Paul and Juliana, Roman Cathol...

 Saint of the day August 16 St. Armagillus, 570 A.D. Welsh missionary, called Armel, Ermel, and Ervan, and a cousin of St. Samson. He studied under Abbot Carentmael, joining the abbot in missionary journeys to Brittany, France. The  missionaries founded Saint-Armel-des-Boscheaux and Plou-Ermel or Plouharzel. Connor, a local chieftain, forced them to leave the mission until 555. Connor was slain in battle that year, allowing their return. Armagillus is honored by a Comish church, St. Erme. Bl. Mary Magdalen Kiota, Roman Catholic Dominican tertiary and Japanese Martyr . A princess of Japan and relative of a local lord, she was a Dominican tertiary. Arrested for sheltering missionaries, she was burned alive at Nagasaki. Feastday Aug. 16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/26_Martyrs_of_Japan St. Stephen the Great, Roman Catholic King . He gave his patronage to Church leaders, helped build churches, and was a proponent of the rights of the Holy See. Stephen also crushed the pagan count...

 Saint of the day August 15 ST. TARCISIUS, ROMAN, MARTYR OF THE EUCHARIST,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarcisius ST. STANISLAUS KOSTKA, JESUIT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislaus_Kostka

 Saint of the day August 14 St. Fachanan. This saint's feast is observed liturgically throughout all Ireland and he is patron of the diocese of Ross, where he was probably the first bishop. He was born at Tulachteann, was one of the pupils of St. Ita, and founded the monastery of Molana on an island in the Blackwater, near Youghal. But his great achievement was the establishment of the monastic school of Ross, at what is now Rosscarbery, in county Cork, one of the most famous schools of Ireland, which flourished for three hundred years and survived in some form until the coming of the Normans. Fachanan (Fachtna) suffered for a time from blindness, from which he recovered at the intercession of St. Ita's sister, who was about to give birth to St. Mochoemog. St. Fachanan was revered as a "wise and upright man", with a great gift for preaching; St. Cuimin of Connor said of him that he was "generous and steadfast, fond of preaching to the people and saying nothing th...

Saint of the day August 13 St. William Freeman, 1595 A.D. English martyr . Born in East Riding, Yorkshire, he studied at Oxford and was converted to Catholicism in 1586 by the martyrdom of Blessed Edward Stransahm at Tyburn. He went to Reims, France, where he was ordained in 1587. He went back to England the following year, and labored for the English mission in Worcestershire and Warwickshire until arrested in early 1595. Seven months later he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Warwick on August 13. William was beatified in 1929. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Freeman_(martyr)#:~:text=William%20Freeman%20(c.,by%20Pius%20XI%20in%201929. St. Wigbert, 738 A.D. Abbot and missionary . Originally an English monk, he traveled to Germany, where he accepted the invitation of St. Boniface, who wanted his help in the missionary field and who named him abbot of Fritzlar, near Cassel, France. After a number of years, he was transferred to Ohrdruf, in Thuringia, Germany, but Boniface gav...

Saint of the day August 12 St. Just . Patron saint of the church of St. Just, near Penzance, Cornwall, England, also called Justus. It is possible that several saints' lives are present in the accounts of Just's life, as he is variously described as a hermit and martyr. St. Jambert or Lambert , 792 A.D. Benedictine archbishop of Canterbury, sometimes listed as Lambert. He succeeded St. Bregwin as archbishop in 766. Jambert was the thirteenth prelate of the primal see of England and was noted for his patronage of monasteries and the poor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambert_of_Maastricht St. Merewenna . Patroness of Marharm Church, in Cornwall, England. Sometimes known as Merwenna and Merwinna, she was a daughter of Brychan of Brecknock. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A6rwynn St. Murtagh , 6th century. Bishop of Killala, Ireland, appointed by St. Patrick. Also called Muredach, he was a member of the royal family of King Laoghaire. Murtagh reportedly met with St. C...

Saint of the day August 11 St. Blane . Blane was born on the island of Bute, Scotland; he studied in Ireland for seven years, became a monk there, and on his return to Scotland was ordained and devoted himself to missionary work. He was consecrated bishop, made a pilgrimage to Rome, is credited with performing miracles, and died at Kingarth on Bute. He is also known as Blaan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Blane St. Lelia . The diocese of Limerick today keeps the feast of St. Lelia, who as well as a commemoration in all other Irish dioceses. Canon O'Hanlon, in his lives of the Irish saints, says of this maiden that "her era and her locality have not been distinctly revealed to us; but there is good reason for supposing that she lived at a remote period, and most probably she let a life of strict observance, if she did not preside over some religious institution in the province of Munster". Lelia is now generally identified with the Dalcassian saint Liadhain, great...

Saint of the day August 10 St. Lawrence, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr . Saint Lawrence was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help to the poor and the needy.Feastday Aug10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lawrence#:~:text=Saint%20Lawrence%20or%20Laurence%20(Latin,Emperor%20Valerian%20ordered%20in%20258. St. Asteria, Roman Catholic laywoman and Virgin Martyr , sister of St. Grata. Asteria and her sister were martyred at Bergamo, in Sicily, Feastday Aug. 10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grata_of_Bergamo

Saint of the day August 09 St. Nathy . Nathy is surnamed Cruimthir (the priest). He was born at Luighne, Sligo, Ireland and became a disciple of St. Finnian of Clonnard, who made him a bishop. He was founder-abbot of a monastery, which is questioned by some in view of his surname. His cult was confirmed in 1903. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nath_%C3%8D_of_Achonry St. Phelim , 6th century. Irish monk and disciple of St. Columba. He is honored as a patron saint of Kilmore and is also listed as Fidleminus and Felix. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Felim St. Bandaridus , 556 A.D. Bishop of Soissons, also called Banderik, Bandarinus, and Bandery. In 540, Bandaridus was made bishop of Soissons, France. He founded Crepin Abbey and served the area until King Clotaire I banished him over a disagreement. He went to England and became a gardener in an abbey, living there anonymously. When he was recognized after seven years, Bandaridus was recalled by the king. Bandaridus was bu...

Saint of the day August 08 Bl. John Felton, 1570 A.D. Martyr of England who promoted the papacy in London . Born in Bermondsey, London, to a Norfolk line, John nailed a copy of the Bull of Pope St. Pius V excommunicating Queen Elizabeth I to the doors of the bishop of London’s residence. Arrested and imprisoned, he was racked three times before being martyred in St. Paul’s churchyard. Pope Leo XIII beatified him in 1886. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Felton_(martyr) St. Ellidius , 7th century. Patron saint of Himant, Powys, Wales, and of a church in the Scilly Isles of England. Also called Illog. Bl. Mary MacKillop , 1909 A.D. The first native Australian to be beatified. Born Mary Helen MacKillop in Melbourne, she was of Scottish ancestry. Concerned with the poor and suffering, Mary founded the Sisters of St. Joseph and of the Sacred Heart. These sisters were dedicated to educating children. In 1873, she became Mary of the Cross, and two years later was elected mother gen...

Saint of the day August 07 St. Donat. Patron saint of St. Donat’s or Llandunwyd, Glamorgan, Wales. Nothing else is known, but in some lists he is called Dunwyd. https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2966 St. Claudia. Claudia was the mother of Linus, who became the second Pope. Tradition has her as the daughter of British King Caractacus, who was sent to Rome with his family in chains when he was defeated by Aulus Plautius. Released by Emperor Claudius, one of his daughters took the name Claudia, remained in Rome, was baptized, and is the Claudia mentioned in St. Paul's second letter to Timothy. Another tradition has her as the daughter of Cogidubnus, a British ally of Claudius, who took the Emperor's name. Martial mentions a British lady, Claudia Rufina, and says she was married to his friend Aulus Pudens, a Roman senator. Another tradition has this senator the Pudens also mentioned in St. Paul's second letter to Timothy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sai...

Saint of the day August 06 St. Hormisdas Roman Catholic Pope from 514-523, successor to St. Symmachus. One of his great achievements was the ending of the Acacian Schism which had divided the Eastern and Western Churches since 484. The Church in Constantinople was reunited to Rome in 519 as a result of the confession called the Formula of Hormisdas. Feastday Aug. 6 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Hormisdas Martyrs of Cardena , Roman Catholic Benedictine monks in the monastery of Cardena, Spain, under Abbot Stephen. More than two hundred monks here were put to death by the Muslim Arabs during their conquest of the Spanish peninsula. Feastday Aug. 6 https://second.wiki/wiki/mc3a1rtires_de_cardec3b1a https://second.wiki/wiki/mc3a1rtires_de_cardec3b1a

Saint of the day August 05 ST. OSWALD St Oswald was martyred in England, at Maserfield, later named Oswestry in his memory. He was king of Northumbria and famous as a skilled warrior – but even more as a lover of peace. He worked strenuously to spread the faith, and was killed out of hatred for Christ while fighting against the pagans. Aug 5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswald_of_Northumbria St. Abel , 751 A.D. Archbishop and Benedictine abbot. Abel was probably born in Ireland, and was a noted churchman, accompanying St. Boniface on his missions to the European Continent. He was chosen as archbishop of Reims by Pope St. Zachary, a nomination ratified by the Council of Soissons in 744. However, a usurper named Milo occupied the see and would not relinquish it. Abel retired to a monastery at Lobbes, and was installed as abbot. He died there in the "odor of sanctity." https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1072 St. Gormcal, 1016 A.D. An Irish abbot of Ard...

Saint of the day August 04 St. Lua , 609 A.D. Abbot and disciple of St. Comgall, sometimes listed as Lugud or Molua. He was born in Limerick, Ireland, where he aided St. Comgall and reportedly founded 120 monasteries. He was also a hermit for a few years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Lua_of_Killaloe ST. JOHN VIANNEY, THE CURÉ OF ARS, PATRON OF PARISH PRIESTS STS. JUSTIN AND CRESCENZIO, MARTYRS ON THE VIA TIBURTINA

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Saint of the day August 03 Bl. William Horne, 1540 A.D. Carthusian lay brother and martyr . A member of the London Charterhouse of the Carthusians, he was arrested for opposing the religious policies of King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547), which included the imprisonment of Catholics and the destruction of monasteries. William was executed at Tyburn with two companions. https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/4-august-1540-the-execution-of-blessed-william-horne-carthusian-martyr/ St. Trea , 5th century. Irish hermitess. A convert to Christianity through the efforts of St. Patrick, she embraced the eremitical life and lived out her days as a recluse at Ardtree, Derry, Ireland. Bl. Waltheof, 1160 A.D. Cistercian abbot, also known as Walthen and Waldef. The son of Simon, earl of lluntingdon, England, he was born circa 1100, and was raised at the court of the Scottish king alter his mother, Maud, wed King David I of Scotland (r. 1124-1153) following the death of her first husband. While at ...

Saint of the day August 02 St. Thomas of Dover, 1295 A.D. Benedictine monk and martyr . Also called Thomas Hales, he served as a Benedictine monk at St. Martin's Priory in Dover, England. In 1295, the priory was overrun by a French raiding party which was assailing Dover, and Thomas, being old and infirm, could not escape with the rest of the community. The French raiders demanded that he tell them the whereabouts of the church treasures. When he refused, they murdered him. Miracles were soon reported at his tomb, and an altar was dedicated to him in the priory church in 1500. King Richard II of England (r. 1379-1399) requested that his cause be opened in 1382. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_of_Dover St. Alfreda, 795 A.D. Virgin and hermit , also known as Afreda, Alfritha, Aelfnryth, and Etheldreda. She was the daughter of King Offa of Mercia, in England, and was either betrothed to or loved by St. Ethelbert, the king of the East Angles. Ethelbert went to Offa's co...

Saint of the day August 01 Bl. Thomas Welbourne, 1605 A.D. English martyr. Born in Hutton Bushel, Yorkshire, he worked as a schoolmaster until his arrest for preaching the Catholic faith. He was arrested and condemned with Blesseds John Fuithering and William Brown. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at York. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Welbourne St. Almedha, sixth century. Virgin and martyr also called Aled or Filuned. The Welsh tradition reports that Almedha was the daughter of King Brychan. Having taken a vow of virginity and dedicated to Christ, Almedha fled from her father's royal residence to escape marriage to the prince of a neighboring kingdom. She went to three Welsh villages - Llandrew, Llanfillo, and Llechfaen - but the people turned her away, despite her promise warning that dreadful thing calamities would befall anyone who denied her sanctuary. Almedha reached Brecon, where she took up residence in a small hut, but the king arrived and demanded her r...