Christian Today

SAINTS DECEMBER 31 St. Melania , The life of St. Melania reminds us of the fleeting character of earthly wealth. We should strive to emulate her use of wealth as well as talents to further the cause of Christ. Dec.31 ST. MELANY, ROMAN MATRON , Dec.31 STS. DONATA, PAULINA AND HILARY, MARTYRS ON THE VIA SALARIA NUOVA Dec. 31   St. Sylvester, Roman Catholic Priest and was Pope for twenty-four years and eleven months.The Council of Nicea was assembled during his reign, in the year 325, during the period in which the Roman Emperor, Constantine, built the first Roman basilicas, and the Council of Nicea clarified central Christological teachings. Pope St. Sylvester died on 31  https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/12/31/st--sylvester-i--pope.html 

  SAINTS DECEMBER 30 St. Egwin , 717 A.D. An English noble who became the bishop of Worcester, England, in 692. Chargedwith being overly strict by his clergy, Egwin went to Rome. Upon his return to England, he founded Eversham Monastery with the aid of the kingdom of Mercia. A vision of Mary prompted this founding. In 709, Egwin returned to Rome, accompanied by King Cenred of Mercia and King Offa of the East Saxons. St. Anysia, Roman Catholic Martyr of Greece. She was a wealthy woman of Salonika, in Thessaly, who used her personal funds to aid the poor. A soldier accosted her in the street and tried to drag her to a pagan sacrifice. Anysia resisted and was killed when the soldier attacked her with his sword. Dec. 30 The Martyr Saints of China, or Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions , are saints of the Roman Catholic Church. The 87 Chinese Catholics and 33 Western missionaries, from the mid-17th century to 1930, were martyred because of their ministry and, in some cases, for...

SAINTS DECEMBER 29 Bl. William Howard, 1680 A.D. Martyr of England . He was born the son of Thomas, earl of Arundel, in 1616 and raised a Catholic. The grandson of Blessed Philip Howard and a member of the noble family of the Howards, William held the title of Viscount Stafford. He was made a Knight of the Bath by King Charles I (r.1624-1649), and married Mary Stafford in 1637. In 1640, William was named Baron Stafford. A county in Virginia in the United States bears his name. He was arrested on the false accusation of complicity in the so-called Popish Plot and imprisoned for two years before finally being beheaded on Tower Hill on December 29. He was beatified in 1929 St. Aileran, 664 A.D. Monk , biographer, and scholar. Also called Sapiens the Wise. Aileran was one of the most distinguished professors at the school of Clonard in Ireland. St. Finian welcomed Aileran to Clonard. In 650, Aileran became rector of Clonard, and was recognized as a classical scholar and a master of Latin a...

  SAINTS DECEMBER 28 St. Romulus and Conindrus, 450 A.D. Missionaries and bishops , honored as the first evangelizers of the Isle of Man. They were contemporaries of St. Patrick and part of the great mission labors of that era. St. Maughold, 488 A.D. Irish bishop converted by St. Patrick, also listed as Macull and Maccaldus. Originally an outlaw, he was spiritually changed by St. Patrick and performed penance and entered the religious life. Maughold was told to leave Ireland as part of his penance and set sail, landing on the Isle of Man. There he evangelized the people and was elected bishop. Sts. Eutychius & Domitian, Roman Catholic Martyrs of Ancyra , in Galatia. Eutychius was a priest and Domitian a deacon, and they died for defending the faith. Feastday Dec.28 Holy Innocents, martyrs -The Holy Innocents are the children of Bethlehem, put to death by order of King Herod, as part of his efforts to eliminate the child Jesus, whom prophecies announced as the Messiah and new K...

SAINTS DECEMBER 27 St. Fabiola, Roman Catholic laywoman, devoted herself to charitable works and aiding churches, and built the first Christian public hospital in the West, where she personally tended the sick. Feastday December 26 St. John, Apostle and Evangelis t --The “beloved disciple” was an impetuous fisherman who became a disciple of Jesus, the only one of the apostles not to be martyred. Tradition holds him to be the author not only of the fourth Gospel, but of the Johannine letters and the Book of Revelation.  https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/12/27/st--john--apostle-and-evangelist.html 

SAINTS DECEMBER 26 St. Amaethlu, 6th century. Founder and hermit. Arnaethlu also called Maethlu, lived in Wales. A church in Anglesey is named after him as the founder. St. Pope Dionysius Roman Catholic Priest and Pope . Dionysius died in Rome, was the first pope not listed as a martyr, and was buried in the cemetery of Callistus. Dec.26 St. Vincentia Maria Lopez Y Vicuna, Roman Catholic Nun and foundress of Daughters of Mary Immaculate for Domestic Servic e, a religious congregation dedicated to the ministering to working girls. Dec.26 ST. STEPHEN, FIRST MARTYR St. Stephen Stephen's name means "crown," and he was the first disciple of Jesus to receive the martyr's crown. Stephen was a deacon in the early Christian Church. Saint Stephen is known as the “Proto-Martyr,” insofar as he was the first of the early disciples to shed his blood for Christ. The account of his martyrdom by stoning is related in the Acts of the Apostles. Because of the manner of his death, he i...

SAINTS DECEMBER 25 St. Alburga, 800 A.D. Abbess and foundress , born a princess in Wessex, England. The sister of King Egbert of Wessex, Alburga displayed piety at an early age. She was married to Wulfstan of Wiltshire as part of a political alliance. She founded Wilton Abbey while married to Wulfstan. Upon his death, Alburga retired to Wilton and became the abbess. B. MARY OF THE APOSTLES, VIRGIN, FOUNDRESS OF THE SALVATORIAN SISTERS. She established the Sisters of the Divine Savior – also referred to as the Salvatorian Sisters – with the assistance of the priest Venerable Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan, founder of the Salvatorians. She later assumed the name of "Maria of the Apostles" following her solemn profession as a nun. Dec 25 St. Eugenia, Roman Catholic Martyr , Eugenia converted many others, including her mother, Claudia, and suffered martyrdom by sword for her faith in Rome, where she had gone with her mother. Her feast day is December 25th. ST. ANASTASIA, MARTY...

SAINTS DECEMBER 24 St. Caranus, 7th century. A Scottish bishop venerated in Aberdeen. He served in Eastern Scotland. ST. IRMA, ABBESS   Saint Irma lived between the seventh and eighth centuries, and was abbess of the Benedictine Monastery at Trier. Tradition says she was the daughter of St. Dagobert, King of Austrasia. She helped San Willibrord, the English monk who evangelised Frisia.   Dec. 24 ST. TARSILLA, ROMAN VIRGIN, AUNT OF ST. GREGORY THE GREAT A Roman nun and paternal aunt of Pope St. Gregory I the Great, who reigned from 590 to 604, St. Tarsilla was praised by her nephew for her faith and charity. She dedicated her life to prayer and to assisting others in difficulty. Dec. 24 St. Lucian, Roman Catholic African martyr with Drusus Metrobius, Paul, Theotirnus, and Zenobius. They were martyred at Tripoli, Libya. Feastday Dec.24

SAINTS DECEMBER 23 Martyrs of Crete, Ten Roman Catholic martyrs of the island of Crete who suffered during the persecution of Emperor Trajanus Decius. They are named Agathopus, Basilides, Eunician, Euporus, Evaristus, Cleomenes, Gelasius, Saturninus, Theodulus, and Zoticus. Feastday: December 23 St. Victoria, Roman Catholic Martyr, with her sister Anatolia, she refused importunate suitors. Both were imprisoned and starved by their suitors but persisted in refusing marriage. Anatolia was converted to Christianity and converted many in Picenum before being denounced for her faith, for which she was tortured and executed at Thora on Lake Velino in Italy. When Victoria refused to sacrifice to pagan gods, she too was executed, perhaps at Tribulano. The guard was converted by their example and was also martyred. Feastday Dec.23rd. St. John of Kanty, Roman Catholic priest , scholastic philosopher, physicist and theologian, Born in Kęty, Poland, in 1390, John was a priest and professor of phi...

SAINTS DECEMBER 22 St. Chaeromon, Roman Catholic Bishop of Nilopolis, in Egypt. When the persecution was instituted by Emperor Trajanus Decius, Chaeromon Was quite elderly. He and several companions fled into the Arabian desert and were never seen again. The bishop and his companions are listed as martyrs. Feastday Dec. 22 ST. FRANCESCA SAVERIO CABRINI, VIRGIN, FOUNDRESS OF THE MISSIONARIES OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS. Pope Francis has described St Frances Xavier Cabrini as a woman who understood that the modern world would be marked by people fleeing their homes in search of peace, and that these were the people she wished to take care of. The Church remembers her on December 22nd as the patron saint of migrants.   https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/12/22/st--francesca-saverio-cabrini--virgin--foundress-of-the--mission.html

SAINTS DECEMBER 21 St. Andrew Dung Lac. Roman Catholic Martyr companion of St. Peter Thi. Andrew, born in 1785, was a priest in Vietnam, his homeland. He was arrested and beheaded on December 21 with Peter Thi. Feastday Dec. 21 ST. MICAH, PROPHET , Born in the 8th century near Jerusalem, Micah was a peasant, whom God called to denounce the exploitation of the poor, the injustices committed by the powerful and corrupt, and the practice of idolatry. A prophet, he announced a great joy for Israel: the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem. Dec. 21 Bl. Adrian, Roman Catholic Dominican martyr in Dalmatia. Adrian and twenty-seven others were executed by Muslims for confessing Christ. Feastday Dec.21 ST. PETER CANISIUS, JESUIT AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH . St. Peter Canisius was the first Dutch Jesuit and lived in the 16th century. He is considered the second Apostle of Germany after St. Boniface. A prolific writer, he was one of the architects of the spiritual renewal of the Catholic Church promot...

SAINTS DECEMBER 20 ST PHILOGONIUS, BISHOP OF ANTIOCH A Syrian lawyer, Philogonius was a great orator, highly esteemed for his wisdom and fairness. Married, he had a daughter. He was elected bishop of Antioch in 314. He combatted Arianism, a heresy that denied the divinity of Jesus. He died in prison in 324, a courageous witness to the faith. Dec.20 Bl. Peter de la Cadireta, Roman Catholic Dominican Martyr . A Spaniard, he entered the Dominicans and devoted his time to preaching to the heretics, including the Albigensians, in the area around Urgell, Spain. A group of heretics stoned him to death. Feastday Dec 20  

SAINTS DECEMBER 19 St. Manirus. Bishop and an apostle to Scotland. He evangelized the Highlanders in the northern regions and was revered for his kindness and goodwill. ST. ANASTASIUS, POPE Anastasius of the noble Roman Maximi family was elected Pope in 399. He had a profound spirituality and lived a lifestyle of poverty. He courageously defended the Catholic faith, opposing the heresy of Donatism. He died in 401.   Dec.19 Saint Urban Pope . William de Grimoard was a scholar who taught at four universities: Paris, Montpelier, Toulouse and Avignon. In 1352, he became abbot of St Germain, Auxerre. He was chosen as abbot of St Victor, Marseille in 1361. During a papal mission to Naples, he learnt that Pope Innocent VI had died and he had been elected successor. For 50 years the papacy had been based at Avignon. In 1366 Pope Urban decided to try to return to Rome. Dec. 19 St Thomas De & Companions Roman Catholic Vietnamese martyrs. Thomas was a Vietnamese tailor who entered...

 SAINTS DECEMBER 18 St. Winebald, 761 A.D. Benedictine abbot and missionary . The brother of Sts. Willibald and Walburga, he was born in Wessex, England, and went on a pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land with his brother and father. When their father died at Lucca, the brothers proceeded to Rome. Winebald remained in the Eternal City while his brother went on to the Holy Land. Winebald studied in Rome for seven years, went back to England, but then returned to Rome determined to enter the religious life. At the invitation of St. Boniface, he gathered together a group of English missionaries and went to Germany in 739. Winebald was ordained, labored in Thuringia and Bavaria, and then joined Wilibald in his missionary enterprise in Eichstatt, Frisia, Holland. With his brother, he founded the monastery of Heidenheim, Germany, where he served as abbot with his sister as abbess. He struggled against the local pagans and strove to make the monastery one of the leading ecclesiastical cen...

SAINTS DECEMBER 17 St. Briarch, 627 A.D. Abbot and founder, a companion of St. Tudwal. Briarch was an Irishman who entered a monastery in Wales. He went with St. Tudwal to Brittany, France. There he built a monastery and served as abbot. St. Tydecho, 6th century. Welsh saint. He is honored by several churches in Wales. St. Cadfan was his brother. Other details of his life are no longer available. ST. JOHN OF MATHA, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE TRINITARIANS. Born in 1154 in France, St. John was a professor of theology in Paris, before leaving everything to become a priest at the age of 40. He founded the Order of the Most Holy Trinity. He left for Africa, with a mission to free Christian slaves, whom he succours in his hospices. He died in Rome in 1213.   Dec.17 ST. DANIEL, PROPHET,   A Jew of a noble family, he was deported to Babylon (VII century BC). He became an official of the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel prophesied the fall of the Babylonian Empire. Because of...

  SAINTS DECEMBER 16 St. Beoc , 5th or 6th century. Irish monastic founder also called Beanus, Dabeoc, Mobeoc, and Moboac. He is credited with founding a monastery in Lough Derg, in Donegal. ST. DAVID, KING AND PROPHET God chose him as king of Israel, despite his being the youngest of the sons of Jesse: God does not look at the appearance but at the heart of man. A warrior and poet, David was also a great sinner, but recognized his faults and asked forgiveness. Our Lord Jesus Christ is born of David’s line.   Dec.16 St. Albina, Roman Catholic Martyr and a young witness for Christ. Albina was born in Caesarea and was martyred there. Feastday Dec.16 St. Adelaide, Roman Catholic Holy Roman Empress and Patron of abuse victims ; brides; empresses; exiles; in-law problems; parenthood; parents of large families; princesses; prisoners; second marriages; step-parents; widows, Born in 931, Adelaide was the daughter of King Rudolph of Burgundy. She married the Holy Roman Emperor, O...

SAINTS DECEMBER 15 St. Florentius, 7th century. Abbot of Bangor Monastery in Ireland also called Flann. He was part of the great monastic program of evangelization and protection of the arts. ST. VALERIAN, BISHOP IN AFRICA AND MARTYR . Bishop of Abbenza (Tunisia), he bore witness to Jesus Christ, true God and true man, during the persecution of the Vandals. The Arian heretic King Genseric forced Valerian to live on the street, though he was eighty, for refusing to hand over the Church’s sacred vessels. He died of his hardship.  Dec. 15 Saint Virginia Centurione Bracelli, Roman Catholic Nun , Feastday Dec. 15

SAINTS DECEMBER 14 St. Fingar, 5th century. Martyr of Cornwall, England, with Phiala, his sister, and companions. Irish by birth, the martyrs were slain at Hoyle, near Penzance, by pagans. ST. JOHN OF THE CROSS, PRIEST AD DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, DISCALCED CARMELITE Saint John of the Cross was a 16th century Spanish theologian and mystic. Together with Saint Teresa of Jesus, he reformed the Carmelite Order. He was proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926 and, traditionally, is nicknamed the "Mystic Doctor". https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/12/14/st---john-of-the-cross--priest-ad-doctor-of-the-church--discalce.html 

SAINTS DECEMBER 13 St. Elizabeth Rose, Roman Catholic Nun . Benedictine abbess, the foundress of the convent of Sainte-Marie-du-Rozoy, near Courtenay, Loiret, France. Dec. 13 ST. ARISTON, MARTYR OF PORTO, Dec. 13 St. Lucy, was a young Roman Catholic martyr who lived in Syracuse lost her life during the persecution of Christians in the early fourth century. Her veneration spread to Rome so that by the sixth century the whole Church recognized her courage in defense of the faith. Patron of Blindness St. Lucy was martyred on December 13, 304. At her trial, the judge reportedly became enamored of her beautiful eyes, and she, to halt his passion, tore them out and sent them to him on a platter. Hence, St. Lucy - a name derived from the Latin for light, lux - is invoked as protector of the eyes.  Feastday Dec 13 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/12/13/st--lucy--virgin-and-martyr-of--syracuse.html 

SAINTS DECEMBER 12 Bl. Thomas Holland, 1642 A.D. English martyr. Also known as Thomas Sanderson and Thomas Hammond, he was born at Sutton, near Prescot, Lancashire, England, in 1600. Thomas left England to study at St. Omer, France, and Valladolid, in Spain, and entered the Jesuits after ordination in 1624. Going home, circa 1635, he worked to aid the Church in the isles for seven years until his arrest in London. Thomas was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. St. Agatha, 790 A.D. Nun and missionary aide to St. Boniface. Agatha was a member of a Benedictine convent in England, a disciple of St. Lisba. When St. Boniface was conducting his missionary labors, Agatha went to Germany to assist him. St. Edburga , 751 A.D. Benedictine abbess and disciple of St. Mildred. A member of the royal family of Kent, England, she succeeded St. Mildred as abbess of Minster-in-Thanet. She also conducted a correspondence with St. Boniface, whom she met while on a pilgrimage to Rome. A noted calligrap...

SAINTS DECEMBER 11 St. Cian, 6th century. A Welsh hermit, believed to have been a servant of St. Peris. St. Pens. Patron saint of Llanberis, Wales . No documents on his life are extant. Pope Saint Damasus I Roman Catholic Priest. All lovers of Scripture have reason to celebrate this day. Damasus was the pope who commissioned Saint Jerome to translate the Scriptures into Latin, the Vulgate version of the Bible. Feastday December 11

  SAINTS DECEMBER 10 St. Eustace White, 1591 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born in Louth, Lincolnshire, England. Converted to the faith, he studied for the priesthood at Reims, France, and in Rome. After ordination in 1588, he returned to England. Eustace was taken prisoner because of his missionary work and executed at Tyburn, England. Bl. Thomas Somers, 1610 A.D English martyr. Born in Westmoreland, England, he worked for a time as a schoolmaster. Leaving England, he went to Douai, France, where he studied for the priesthood and received ordination before returning home under the alias of Wilson to assist the Catholic cause in London. Arrested for being a priest, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn with Blessed John Roberts. St. Edmund Genings, 1591 A.D. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales . Born in Lichfield, England, he converted to the faith. He was ordained a priest at Reims, France, in 1590. The following years, after working...

SAINTS DECEMBER 09 St. John Roberts, 1610 A.D. Benedictine member of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. He was born in Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd, Wales, and studied at Oxford. John became a Catholic and went to Paris in 1598, Studying and becoming a Benedictine priest in 1602. He then returned to England and aided so many victims of the plague of 1603 that he became quite famous. He left England for a time to establish a seminary but then returned to London. He had many adventures until his final arrest for being a priest. With Blessed Thomas Somers, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. St. Ethelgiva, Benedictine abbess of Shaftesbury, England . She was a daughter of King Alfred the Great. St. Budoc, 7th century. Bishop and hermit also called Budeux and Beuzec. He is reported to be the son of a king of Brittany and of Azenor, the daughter of the ruler of Brest, France. Azenor was supposedly exiled in a cask, and Budoc was born at sea, attended by St. Brigid. He was raised in...

SAINTS DECEMBER 08 St. Romaric, Roman Catholic Monk, a Merovingian nobleman named Romaric, who became a monk at Luxeuil; and established the monastery which was later known as Remiremont (Romarici Mons).   Feastday December 8 ST. EUTYCHIUS, POPE, CEMETERY OF ST. CALLISTO St. Callixtus, the deacon whom Pope St. Zephyrinus put in charge of them and who was later elected pope (a.d. 217–22) himself. St. Callistus was a Pope who died for their faith, the first Martyr Pope after St. Peter. Dec 8

SAINTS DECEMBER 07 Martyrs of Africa, The collective name given to the Roman Catholic martyrs who died for the faith in Africa Latina, the northwestern region of Africa. The martyrs vary according to year and feast day. Dec. 7 St. Maria Giuseppe Rossello, Roman Catholic Nun . Foundress of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy. Feastday Dec 7 ST. AMBROSE, BISHOP OF MILAN AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH Among the great holy Doctors of the Western Church, Ambrose was Bishop of Milan, a writer of hymns, initiator of Mariology. He embodies the ideal of the pastor. Remembered by the Church on 7 December, he was the author of famous liturgical texts and inflexible against heresy. Dec 7 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/12/07/st--ambrose--bishop-of-milan-and-doctor-of-the-church.html

SAINTS DECEMBER 06 Bl. Adolph Kolping, Roman Catholic Priest. He was a leader in providing social support for young workers in the cities of industrial Germany, and worldwide. Dec. 6 St. Nicholas, Roman Catholic Priest. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus, whose modern name comes from the Dutch Sinterklaas, itself from a series of elisions and corruptions of the transliteration of "Saint Nikolaos". https://lnkd.in/gfMYP8J St. Peter Pascual, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr. he became bishop of Jaen, although the diocese was technically under the dominion of the Islamic Moors. Nevertheless, he preached extensively to promote the Christian faith in Islamic communities and sought to ransom Christian captives being held by  Islamic Moorish captors. He was martyred in Granada. Feastday Dec.6 ST. ASELLA, ROMAN VIRGIN

  https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/12/06/saint-nicholas-of-bari--bishop-of-myra.html

SAINTS DECEMBER 05 St. John Almond, 1612 A.D One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales. A native of Allerton, England, he was educated in Ireland and then at Reims and in Rome. After his ordination in 1598, he returned to England as a missionary, and was arrested in 1602. John was imprisoned in 1608 for a time and arrested again in 1612. He was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn.  St. Cawrdaf, 6th century. Welsh chief, the successor of Caradog in Brecknock and Hereford. He entered a monastery after retiring, serving under St. lIltyd. St. Nicholas Tavigli, Roman Catholic Franciscan Martyr of Jerusalem . He then went to the Holy Land to preach among the Muslims and was martyred at Jerusalem. Feastday Dec.5 St. Crispina, Roman Catholic Martyr. Arrested for being a Christian, she was taken before Proconsul Anulinus at Thebaste, in Numidia, and was ordered to deny Christ. Crispina refused and was tortured and publicly ridiculed then she was beheaded. Feastday Dec.5 Bl. Philip...

SAINTS DECEMBER 04 St. Osmund, 1009 A.D. Bishop of Salisbury who helped compile the Domesday Book. A member of the Norman nobility, he was the son of Count Henry of Seez and Isabella, half-sister of King William the Conqueror of England. He took part in the Norman Conquest and served William as his chancellor. In 1078, he was appointed bishop of Salisbury, completing the cathedral there and founding a cathedral chapter of canons regular and school for clerics. Osmund also assisted the king in assembling the massive census which became the Domesday Book. In the dispute over investiture between King William II and St. Anselm of Canterbury, Osmund initially sided with the king, but later he admitted he had made a mistake, and he begged Anselm’s forgiveness. Osmund also collected manuscripts for the cathedral library, was a copier and binder of books, authored a life of St. Aldhelm, and was thought to be responsible for drawing up the books governing the liturgical matters for the diocese...

SAINTS DECEMBER 03 Bl. Edward Coleman, 1678 A.D. English martyr, a victim of the Titus Oates Plot. Educated at Cambridge, he convened to the faith and served as secretary to the duchess of Thirsk. Condemned falsely of conspiring to restore Catholicism to England, he was executed at Tyburn. He was beatified in 1929. St. Birinus, 650 A.D. The "Apostle of Wessex ." Birinus a German became a priest in Rome and a bishop in Genoa, Italy, before undertaking a missionary apostolate, sent by Pope Honorius I. He went to Britain in 634, where he preached to the West Saxons. King Cynegils was converted by Birinus and gave him the area of Dorchester as his see. He died on December 3, and was buried in Dorchester, Oxfordshire. St. Ethernan . A Scot who studied in Ireland and was consecrated a bishop there. He returned toScotland as a missionary. St. Lucius, 200 A.D. The Ruler of Britain who wrote to Pope St. Eleutherius for missionaries . A convert,he established the dioceses of London, E...

SAINTS DECEMBER 02 St. Bibiana, Roman Catholic Virgin and Martyr , Apronianus ordered her to be tied to a pillar and beaten with scourges, laden with lead plummets, until she expired. Feastday December 2 Bl. Maria Angela Astorch, Roman Catholic Nun . she entered the Capuchin Poor Clare monastery begun by Angela Serafina Prat.Dec 2 St. Pontian, Roman Catholic Martyr , He was put to death with four other Christians during the persecutions of the Church under Emperor Valerian. Dec.2 St. Eusebius, Roman Catholic Priest and Martyr with Adria, Aurelia, Hippolytus, Mary, Martana, Maximus, Marcellus, Neon, and Paulina. Eusebius was a priest, and Marcellus was a deacon. They were beheaded with Mary and Neon. Adria and Hippolytus, and probably Aurelia, were beaten to death. Paulina died under torture and Maximus was drowned. Dec. 2 Bl. Ivan Sleziuk, Roman Catholic Priest . On June 2, 1945, Bishop Ivan was arrested and deported for ten years to the labor camps in Vorkuta, Russia. arrested again a...

SAINTS DECEMBER 01 St. Edmund Campion . Edmund was born in London, the son of a bookseller. He was raised a Catholic, given a scholarship to St. John's College, Oxford, when fifteen, and became a fellow when only seventeen. His brilliance attracted the attention of such leading personages as the Earl of Leicester, Robert Cecil, and even Queen Elizabeth. He took the Oath of Supremacy acknowledging Elizabeth head of the church in England and became an Anglican deacon in 1564. Doubts about Protestantism increasingly beset him, and in 1569 he went to Ireland where further study convinced him he had been in error, and he returned to Catholicism. Forced to flee the persecution unleashed on Catholics by the excommunication of Elizabeth by Pope Pius V, he went to Douai, France, where he studied theology, joined the Jesuits, and then went to Brno, Bohemia, the following year for his novitiate. He taught at the college of Prague and in 1578 was ordained there. He and Father Robert Persons we...