Christian Today

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER 30  St. Honorius of Canterbury, 653 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury, England, a native of Rome, sent to the British Isles by Pope St. Gregory I the Great. Honorius was Benedictine who went to England at the request of St. Augustine of Canterbury. He succeeded to the see in 627. Honorius was consecrated by St. Paulinus, and he consecrated Sts. Felix and Ithamar, the first English born bishops. Honorius gave St. Paulinus refuge when he fled Caedwalla of Wales after the death of King Edwin. St. Enghenedl, 7th century. Welsh saint venerated in a church in Anglesey, Wales.    St. Laurus, 7th century. Welsh abbot, also listed as Lery. He left Wales to go to Brittany, France, and founded an abbey on the river Doneff, now called Saint Lery.    St. Midan , 610 A.D. Saint of Anglesey, sometimes called Nidan. He was an evangelist of that region of Wales. Other details of his life no longer exist. ST. JEROME, PRIEST AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH Saint Jero...

 SAINTS SEPTEMBER 29  Bl. Richard Rolle de Hampole, 1349 A.D. English mystic and hermit. Born at Thornton, Yorkshire, England, circa 1300, he was educated at Oxford and in Paris from 1320-1326, before entering into the life of a hermit on the estate of a friend, John Dalton of Pickering in 1326. After several years of intense contemplation, he took to wandering across England, finally settling down at Hampole where he assisted the spiritual development of the nuns in a nearby Cistercian community. He died there on September 29. Richard was very well known and his writings widely read during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. He was one of the first religious writers to use the vernacular. A cult developed to promote his cause after miracles were reported at his tomb, although the cause was never officially pursued. His works include letters, scriptural commentaries, and treatises on spiritual perfection. Perhaps his best known writing was De Incendio Amoris. He also wrot...

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER  28  St. Annemund, 658 A.D. Bishop and friend of St. Wilfrid of York, called Delphinus by Bede and Chamond or Annemundus. The son of a prefect in Lyons, Gaul, Annemund was raised in the count of King Dagobert I. When Clovis II succeeded to the throne, Annemund served as his councilor. Named the bishop of Lyons, Annemund befriended St. Wufrid of York. When Clovis died, Annemund was slain in the political upheaval of his time. He died on September 28, 658.    St. Tetta , 772 A.D. Benedictine abbess. She governed the convent of Wimborne in Dorsetshire, England, and she was a supporter of the missionary effort of St. Boniface in Germany, dispatching nuns to assist in the evangelization.  St. Conwall , 630 A.D. A disciple of St. Kentigern in Scotland also called Conval. He was a priest who preached and worked in Scotland.    St. Machan. Scottish saint educated in Ireland. Machan was ordained as a bishop in Rome. Details of his labo...

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER 27  St. Barrog, 7th century. Disciple of St. Cadoc, in Wales, also called Barroq and Barnoc. He was a hermit who lived on Barry Island, off the coast of Glamorgen. Sts. Adolphus and John, Roman Catholic Martyrs of Spain , brothers and residents of Seville, the sons of an Islamic father and a Christian mother. Caught in the persecutions conducted by the Muslim Caliph of Córdoba, Abdal-Rahman II, Adolphus and John were martyred in Córdoba. Feastday Sept 27 ST. VINCENT DE PAUL, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION AND THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY, PATRON OF ALL THE ASSOCIATIONS OF CHARITY. 

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER 26 St. Meugant, 6th century. Hermit of Britain. Also called Maughan, Mawghan, and Morgan, he was a disciple of St. lIltyd and reportedly died on the island of Bardsey. He is the titular patron of churches in Wales and Cornwall. St. Colman of Elo, 612 A.D. Abbot and bishop, also called Colman Lann Elo. He was born circa 555 at Glenelly, Tyrone, Ireland, the nephew of St. Columba, In 590 A.D.; he built a monastery at Offaly. He also founded Muckamore Abbey and became bishop of Connor. Colman was the author of the Alphabet of Devotion. He died at Lynally on December 26.   Sts. Cosmas & Damian, Being Christians, they were filled with the spirit of charity and never took money for their services. At Egaea in Cilicia, where they lived, they enjoyed the highest esteem of the people. When the persecution under Diocletian broke out, their very prominence rendered them marked objects of persecution. Being apprehended by order of Lysias, governor of Cilicia, ...

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER 25 St. Ceolfrid, 716 A.D. Benedictine abbot of St. Paul Monastery at Wearmouth-Jarrow, England , also called Geoffrey. He was born in Northumbria in 642 and became a monk at Ripon. St. Benedict Biscop named him prior of Wearmouth, but he was too strict and was forced to leave. Accompanying St. Benedict to Rome in 678, Ceolfrid became the deputy abbot of St. Paul’s in 685. He and one young student were the only ones to survive the regional plague. He became the abbot in 690 and developed the twin monasteries into cultural centers. The Codex Amatianus, the oldest known copy of the Vulgate Bible in one volume, was produced at his command. He also trained St. Bede. In 716, Ceolfrid retired and started for Rome, dying on September 25 at Longres, in Champagne, France.    St. Egelred, 870 A.D. Benedictine monk at Crayland Abbey, Great Britain. He died with the abbot and many fellow monks at the hands of invading Danes.   St. Fymbert, 7th century. Bis...

 SAINTS SEPTEMBER 24 Martyrs of Chalcedon, A group of forty-nine Christians slain in Chalcedon during the reign of Emperor Diocletian . Records indicate that the martyrs were members of the choir in the church of Chalcedon. Sts. Chuniald and Gislar, 7th century. Irish or Scottish missionaries to southern Germany and Austria. They labored as disciples of St. Rupert of Salzburg. Feast of Our Lady of Ransom B. COLUMBA RAWSKI, ABBESS B. V. MARY OF THE MERCY ST.PACIFIC OF SAN SEVERINO, FRANCISCAN FRIAR , Carlo Antonio Divini was born in San Severino in 1653; he was orphaned at a young age. He entered the Franciscan order, taking the name Pacificus, and began a long apostolate of service in his own region. His health was poor, and he died in 1721. He was canonized in 1836.  

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER 23 Bl. William Way, 1588 A.D. Martyr of England . Born in Exeter, England, he went to Reims, France, where he was ordained in 1586. Using the name Flower, William started his labors, but was arrested within six months. He was executed at Kingston-on-Thames by being hanged, drawn, and quartered.    St. Cissa, 7th century. A Benedictine hermit in Northumbria, England. It is believed he resided near Lindisfarne. St. Adamnan . Adamnan, born in Drumhome, Donegal, Ireland, became a monk at the monastery there. Later at Iona, of which he became ninth abbot in 679. He gave sanctuary to Aldfrid when the crown of Northumbria was in dispute after the death of Aldfrid's father, King Oswy. In 686, when Aldfrid had ascended the throne, Adamnan visited him to secure the release of Irish prisoners. Two years later Adamnan visited several English monasteries and was induced by St. Ceolfrid to adopt the Roman calendar for Easter. Adamnan worked ceaselessly thereafter wit...

 SAINTS SEPTEMBER 22 St. Lolanus, 1034 A.D. Scottish bishop whose life is Unknown because fifth-century legends obscure the historically accurate accounts of his labors. Sts. Felix and Constantia, Roman Catholic Martyrs of Nocera , Italy, slain in the persecution conducted by Emperor Nero. Feastday Sept 22 St. Thomas of Villanueva, Roman Catholic Spanish friar of the Order of Saint Augustin e who was a noted preacher, ascetic and religious writer of his day. He became an archbishop who was famous for the extent of his care for the poor of his see. Feastday Sept 22 Sts. Digna & Emerita Roman Catholic Virgin Martyrs , Roman maidens martyred in the Eternal City. They both died while praying before their judges. Their relics are in St. Marcellus Church in Rome. Feastday Sept 22 St. Phocas the Gardener ,  Phocas’ Christian identity became known to the pagan Roman authorities. Soldiers were dispatched to find and arrest him. Upon nearing Sinope, they stopped at Phocas’ door and...

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER 21  St. Hieu, 657 A.D. English abbess of Northumbria , England, who received the veil from St. Aidan. She governed Tadcaster Abbey, in Yorkshire. She may be identical with St. Bega or Bee.    St. Mabyn, 6th century. Welsh and Cornish saint, with Mabon and Mabenna. All are associated with St. Teilo. St. Mabenna was the daughter of Chieftain Brychan of Brecknock, Wales. They are all revered in various places that bear their names, but no details of their lives are extant. St. Thomas Dien, Roman Catholic Martyr of Vietnam. A native of Vietnam, he entered the seminary program of the Paris Foreign Missions but was put to death before he could complete his studies. Thomas was flogged and strangled. Feastday Sept 21 St. Maura Troyes, Roman Catholic Virgin. - She was nobly born at Troyes in Cham pagne in the ninth century, and in her youth obtained of God by her prayers the wonderful conversion of her father, who had till then led a worldly life. After ...

 SAINTS SEPTEMBER 20  Bl. Thomas Johnson, 1537 A.D. English Carthusian Martyr. A priest and member of the London Charterhouse, he was arrested with fellow monks for opposing the claim by King Henry VIII of spiritual supremacy over the English Church. Imprisoned at Newgate, Thomas was starved to death. St. John Charles Cornay, Martyr of Vietnam . He was born in Loudon, Poitiers, France. and joined the Paris Society of Foreign Missions. Sent to Vietnam he worked there until his arrest after being denounced as a Christian by a bandit. He was kept in a cage for months and subjected to hideous cruelties before being beheaded. Feastday Sept 20 St. Eusebia, Roman Catholic Benedictine abbess and Martyrs , slain with her community by the Muslim Saracens at Saint-Cyr, France. Forty nuns died with Eusebia. Feastday Sept. 20 St. Lawrence Imbert, Bishop and martyr of Korea. Lawrence was born in France and was a member of the Paris Society of Missions. He was tortured to death with Sts. P...

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER 19  St. Theodore of Tarsus, 690 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury, England, and a memorable figure in the English Church. A native of Tarsus, Turkey, he was a Greek by descent. After studying in Tarsus and Athens, Greece, he went to Rome, where he became so respected that Pope St. Vitalian (r. 657-672) appointed him to succeed to the see of Canterbury in 667. After receiving consecration on March 26, 668, he set out for England in the company of Sts. Dominic Biscop and Hadrian the African, both of whom were to provide assistance and helped guarantee that Theodore's administration remained entirely orthodox. They arrived at Canterbury in May 669 and Theodore moved immediately to consolidate his position as primate of England and the metropolitan status of the see of Canterbury. To promote further unity, he convened two synods, at Hereford in 673 and at Hatfield in 680. Such was the success of his programs that the Venerable Bede wrote that Theodore was "the firs...

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER 18  St. Hygbald , 690 A.D. Benedictine abbot of Lincolnshire England, also called Higbald, Hugbald, or Hybald. Several churches in the region bear his name. Bl. Carlo Erana Guruceta, Roman Catholic Marianists. Martyred with Blessed Fidel Fuidio Rodriguez and Blessed Jesus Hita Miranda during the Spanish Civil War. Feastday Sept 18 St. Dominic Trach, Roman Catholic Vietnamese martyr and a priest member of the Dominican Third Order . Caught up in the persecution against Christians, Dominic was beheaded. Feastday Sept.18 St. John Macías, O.P. Roman Catholic, Spanish-born Dominican laybrother who evangelized in Peru in 1620.Feastday Sept 18 St. Methodius of Olympus, Roman Catholic Bishop and martyr, famous for his writings. St. Jerome wrote of his martyrdom at Chalcis, in modern Greece. Feastday Sept 18 St. Ludmilla of Bohemia, Roman Catholic Czech saint and martyr venerated by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. She was born in Mělník as daughter of a Slav...

  SAINTS SEPTEMBER 17 St. Brogan , 7th. Century. Abbot of Ross Tuirc, Ossory, Ireland, he is called the author of a hymn to St. Brigid. St. Columba of Spain, A Spanish virgin and martyr of Cordoba. She served as a nun at Tabanos until the Moorish persecution started in 852. Going to Cordoba, she refused to deny the faith and was beheaded. St. Emmanuel Trieu, Martyr of Vietnam, an ordained priest. A native Vietnamese, he joined the army but was ordained and worked under the auspices of the Foreign Mission of Paris. While visiting his mother, he was arrested in the anti-Christian persecution and martyred by beheading. St. Robert Bellarmine, Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church . He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation. He was canonized in 1930 and named a Doctor of the Church. St. Lambert of Maastricht, Bishop, martyr, and patron of St. Willibrord’s missions . He was driven from his see by Ebroin, the tyrannical mayor of the royal palace, and liv...

The Catholicism and Anti-Catholicism of the British Monarchy : By Eric Sammons - The British Monarchy is like a glorious fruit tree, with roots extended deep into the ground, but with a great weed intertwined with it.

 Saint of the day September 16 St. Ninian. According to the life of Ninian by St. Aelred, he was the son of a converted chieftain of the Cumbrian Britons, studied at Rome, was ordained, was consecrated a bishop and returned to evangelize his native Britain. He had his own church built by masons from St. Martin's Monastery in Tours, which became known as The Great Monastery and was the center of his missionary activities. From it Ninian and his monks evangelized neighboring Britons and the Picts of Valentia. Ninian was known for his miracles, among them curing a chieftain of blindness, which cure led to many conversions.    St. Edith of Wilton , Edith of Wilton was the daughter of King Edgar of England and Wulfrida. She was born at Kensing, England, and was brought as a very young child to Wilton Abbey by her mother, who later became a nun there and Abbess. Edith became a nun when fifteen, declined her father's offer of three abbacies, and refused to leave the convent to ...

  Saint of the day September 15 St. Merinus , 620 A.D. Bishop beloved in both Scotland and Ireland. Sometimes called Meadhran or Merryn, he was a disciple of St. Comgall at Bangor. Sts. Emilas & Jeremiah, Roman Catholic Spanish martyrs of Muslim controlled Cordoba, Spain, by Caliph Abd-al-Rahman II . Emilas was a deacon. The young men were beheaded. Feastday Sept. 15 St. Valerian, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr. The massacre of the martyrs of Lyons with their bishop, St. Pothinus, took place during the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius in the year 177. Marcellus, a priest, we are told, by Divine intervention, managed to escape to Chalon-sur-Saone, where he was given shelter. His host was a pagan, and seeing him offer incense before images of Mars, Mercury, and Minerva, Marcellus remonstrated with and converted him. While journeying toward the North, the priest fell in with the governor Priscus, who asked him to a celebration at his house. Marcellus accepted the invitation, but...

  Saint of the day September 14 Triumph of the Holy Cross   ST. ALBERT, PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM Albert was a man famous for his wisdom. After serving as Bishop of Vercelli, he became the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. He reformed the Carmelite Rule. He was killed in an act of vengeance by the Master of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, whom he had removed for immoral conduct. #hospital

  Saint of the day September 13 St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church - Information on the Saint of the Day - Vatican News Saint of the day September 13 St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church - Information on the Saint of the Day - Vatican News https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/09/13/st--john-chrysostom--bishop-and-doctor-of-the-church.html

  Saint of the day September 12 St. Ailbhe , 541 A.D. Bishop and preacher, one of the saints whose life has been woven into the myths and legends of Ireland. He was a known disciple of St. Patrick, and is called Albeus in some records. What is known about Ailbhe is that he was a missionary in Ireland, perhaps sponsored by King Aengus of Munster. He was also the first bishop of Emily in Munster, Ireland. Legends and traditions abound about his life. One claims that he was left in the woods as an infant and suckled by a wolf. This legend is prompted in part by Ailbhe's later life. An old she-wolf came to Ailbhe for protection from a hunting party, resting her head upon his breast. He is supposed to have been baptized by a priest in Northern Ireland, possibly in a British settlement. The so called Acts of Ailbhe are filled with traditions that are not reliable. Ailbhe was noted for his charity and kindness, as well as his eloquent sermons. He is beloved in Ireland. Bl. Thomas Zumarrag...

  Saint of the day September 11 St. Ambrose Edward Barlow, 1641 A.D. Martyr and one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales . A convert, Ambrose studied for the priesthood at Douai, France, and Valladolid, Spain. In 1615 he was professed Benedictine, affiliated by request to the Spanish Abbey of Celanova. For twenty-four years, Ambrose worked in Lancashire, England, despite the dangers. He was arrested four times but was released. On his fifth arrest, he was executed at Lancaster.  St. Daniel, 584 A.D. Welsh bishop and founder, companion of Sts. Dygrig and David. Daniel belonged to the Strathclyde family of Wales. He founded a monastery at Bangor Fawr, Caernarvonshire, in 514. He also became the first bishop of that see. Daniel went to St. David to persuade him to attend the Synod of Brefi. In Wales he is sometimes called Desiniol Bl. Francis Takea, Roman Catholic Martyr of Japan, A twelve-year-old martyr of Japan, the son of Blessed Thomas Takea and a companion of Blessed ...

 Saint of the day September 10 Bl. Lucy de Freitas, Roman Catholic Martyr of Japan. A native Japanese, she was the widow of Philip de Freitas. Lucy, a Franciscan tertiary, was arrested for sheltering Blessed Richard of St. Anne, a Franciscan priest. Although advanced in age, Lucy defended the faith before the authorities and was burned to death for it at Nagasaki, Japan, on September 10 Bl. Agnes Takea, Roman Catholic Martyr of Japan . She was the wife of Blessed Cosmas Takea. They were martyred with Blessed Charles Spinola by beheading at Nagasaki. Sept. 10 Bl. Mary Tanaura, and companions, Roman Catholic Martyrs of Japan. with Mary Tanaka and Magdalen Sanga. Mary and her companions were beheaded at Nagasaki. Mary Tanaka was married to Blessed Paul Tanaka. Magdalen Sanga was the wife of Blessed Anthony Sanga. Feastday Sept 10 Bl. Mary Tokuan & Mary Choun, Roman Catholic Martyrs of Japan . They were slain with their husbands for refusing to give up the Christian faith..Sept 10...

  Saint of the day September 09 St. Bettelin , 8th century. Hermit also called Bertram, a disciple of St. Guthlac. He lived in Croyland, England, and is listed as the patron of the town of Stafford. Remains of his shrine are at Staffordshire. Legend claims he was a noble who married an Irish princess who went into labor and gave birth in the forest while he went for help. Wolves ate her and the child in his absence. Bettelin and companions lived under the auspices of Croyland Monastery, founded by King Ethelbald of Mercia.   St. Wulfhilda , 1000 A.D. Benedictine abbess. Probably a member of the Anglo-Saxon nobility, she was much sought after by King Edgar (r. 957-975) for her hand in marriage while a novice at Wilton Abbey. She refused his proposal and finally won his permission to become a nun. She eventually became abbess of the convents of Barking and Ilorton, serving from 993 as abbess of both houses. St. Kieran . Kieran was born in Connacht, Ireland. He was the son o...

  Saint of the day September 08 Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary St. Kingsmark , 5th century. A Scottish chieftain also called Cynfarch. He lived in Wales, where he is venerated. St. Disibod , 700 A.D. An Irish bishop also called Disen or Disibode. Discouraged by his lack of success as a missionary in Ireland, he went to Germany, where he founded a monastery on a hill near Bingen, called Disibodenburg. St. Hildegard of Bingen resided there in time.   St. Adrian, Roman Catholic Martyr. Adrian was a pagan officer at the imperial court of Nicomedia. Impressed by the courage of a group of Christians who were being tortured, he declared himself a Christian and was imprisoned with them and suffered excruciating tortures before he was put to death. His young wife, Natalia, who was present at his death, comforted him in his agony, recovered one of his severed hands, and took it to Argyropolis near Constantinople, where she fled to escape the importunities of an imperial official...

 Saint of the day September 07 Bl. John Duckett, 1644 A.D.  Martyr of England, born in Underwinder, Yorkshire, John was ordained in 1639 at Douai. He studied three years in Paris and then returned to the English mission at Durham, where he worked until his arrest and martyrdom on September 7 at Tyburn with Blessed Ralph Corby. They were hanged, drawn, and quartered. Both were beatified in 1929.   Bl. Ralph Corby, 1644 A.D. Jesuit martyr of England, also known as Ralph Corbington. Born in Maynooth Ireland, on March 25, 1598, he was trained at St. Omer, France, Seville, and Valladolid, Spain, before receiving ordination. He entered the Jesuits in 1631, and volunteered in 1632 for the dangerous mission in England He was given responsibility for the area around Durham Ralph worked for twelve years before he was arrested near Newcastle with Blessed John Duckett. He was martyred by being hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tybum on September 7. Ralph was beatified in 1929. S...

 Saint of the day September 06 Sts. Felix and Augebert , seventh century. Two martyred Englishmen who were captured and sold into slavery in France. Ransomed by Pope St. Gregory I the Great, Felix became a priest and Augebert a deacon. While preparing to return to England as missionaries, they were slain by pagans in Champagne, France.   St. Maccallin , Irish bishop of Lusk, Great Britain, Sometimes called Macallan and Macculin Dus. He is also venerated in Scotland. Bl. Thomas Tsughi, Roman Catholic Priest and Japanese Martyr . A native, he was educated by the Jesuits, and entered the Society of Jesus in 1589. Forced to leave Japan, he went to Macao but then returned to Japan in disguise. Giving in to temptation, he left the Jesuits for one dark day but then repented and gave himself utterly to the Christian cause in the islands. Seized by authorities, he was burned alive at Nagasaki with several companions after authorities refused to allow his family to buy his freedom....

  Saint of the day September 05 Bl. William Browne, 1605 A.D. Martyr of England . He was a layman in Northamptonshire arrested and executed at Ripon for being a Catholic. He is associated in martyrdom with Blesseds Thomas Welbourne and John Fulthering. St. Joseph Canh Luang Hoang, Roman Catholic Vietnamese Martyr . Feastday Sept 5 St. Peter Tu,  Roman Catholic Vietnamese martyr. A native Vietnamese, he joined the Dominicans and became a priest in his own country. He was beheaded. Feastday Sept 5 SAINT OF THE DAY SEPTEMBER 5, S. MOTHER THERESA OF CALCUTTA S. Mother Theresa of Calcutta - Information on the Saint of the Day - Vatican News  https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/09/05/s--mother-theresa-of-calcutta.html 

 Saint of the day September 04 St. Ultan , 657 A.D. Bishop of Ardbraccan, Ireland. He was noted for his care of the poor, orphans, and the sick, and is the reputed collector of the writings of St. Brigid. Ultan illustrated his own manuscripts.   St. Rhuddlad, 7th century. Welsh virgin, patroness of Llanrhyddlad in Anglesey, Wales.   St. Monessa, 456 A.D. Virgin convert of St. Patrick in Ireland. Reportedly the daughter of an Irish chieftain, Monessa died in the instant that she was baptized. Bl. Dina Belanger, Roman Catholic Religiou s, died on 4 Sept in the Couvent de Jesus-Marie, Sillery , Quebec Canada. Feastday Sept 4. St Rosalia was born to a noble family around the year 1125. At a very young age she left the court to live the life of a hermit; she was only 35 when she died. Her popularity increased when, during a plague, her relics were carried in procession around Palermo, resulting in many healings.   ST. BONIFACE I, POPE ST. MARINUS, HERMIT ...

  Saint of the day September 03 St. Angus MacNisse. According to legends, Angus MacNisse was baptized by St. Patrick, who years later consecrated him, bishop. After a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Rome, he founded a church and monastery at Kells, which developed into Connor, of which he is considered the first bishop. His story is filled with extravagant miracles, such as changing the course of a river for the convenience of his monks and rescuing a child about to be executed for his father's crime by causing him to be carried by the wind from his executioners to his arms.   St. Balin , 7th century. Confessor and disciple of St. Colman of Lindisfarne. Balm was the son of an AngloSaxon king. He accompanied St. Colman to lona, in Scotland, and then took up residence in Connaught, Ireland.   St. Hereswitha, 690 A.D. Benedictine princess of Northumbria, England, sister of St. Hilda and mother of Sts. Sexburga, Withburga, and Ethelburga. A widow, Hereswitha spent th...

  Saint of the day September 02 In 1622 took place what was called the " great martyrdom ", fifty-two chosen Christians being martyred on the same day (2 Sept.) at Nagasaki, twenty seven being decapitated, and the remainder being burned alive at Nagasaki. Feastday Sept 2 Martyrs of September, A group of 190 martyrs who were massacred on September 2 and 3, during the French Revolution. One hundred twenty were martyred at the Carmelite Church on the rue de Rennes in Paris. Feastday Sept 2 St William of Roskilde, Bishop . This Anglo Saxon priest was chaplain to Canute, king of England and Denmark from 1016-1035. He accompanied him on several trips to Scandinavia and became so concerned about the ignorance and superstition there, he decided to stay behind and preach the Gospel. A caring and tireless pastor, William lived in Zeeland and eventually became bishop of Roskilde. In the early years he had many struggles with the fierce king Sweyn Estriden.One day, after the king pursued...

 Saint of the day September 01 St. Fiacre. Patron of Gardeners and Cab-drivers St. Fiacre (Fiachra) is not mentioned in the earlier Irish calendars, but it is said that he was born in Ireland and that he sailed over into France in quest of closer solitude, in which he might devote himself to God, unknown to the world. He arrived at Meaux, where Saint Faro, who was the bishop of that city, gave him a solitary dwelling in a forest which was his own patrimony, called Breuil, in the province of Brie. There is a legend that St. Faro offered him as much land as he could turn up in a day, and that St. Fiacre, instead of driving his furrow with a plough, turned the top of the soil with the point of his staff. The anchorite cleared the ground of trees and briers, made himself a cell with a garden, built an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin, and made a hospice for travelers which developed into the village of Saint-Fiacre in Seine-et-Marne. Many resorted to him for advice, and the poor,...