Christian Today

SAINT OF THE DAY JULY 31, ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, PRIEST, FOUNDER OF THE JESUITS, Pride shattered Iñigo López de Loyola thirsted for fame and glory. The boy, born in 1491 into the lesser nobility in Spain’s Basque country, learned sword-fighting and all things military. As he grew, he danced, got into fights, toyed with women, and dreamed of imitating Spain’s knight-hero, El Cid. It seemed as if his dream was being realized for a time: the man Iñigo was esteemed as a courageous soldier. But in 1521, at Pamplona, a French cannonball shattered his leg. The leg was set poorly and was healing crooked. The soldier, concerned with his looks and prowess, begged the doctor to break it again. It was a long convalescence. Iñigo begged for chivalric romances to read to while away the time. There were no such books in his family’s castle, however, so he was brought books he had no desire to read: a life of Jesus and lives of the saints. Boredom got the better of him, ...

JULY 30 ST. PETER CHRYSOLOGUS, BISHOP OF RAVENNA AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH Peter Chrysologus was Bishop of Ravenna in the 5th century, when the Italian city was the capital of the western Roman empire. He is famous for his homilies, and his preaching earned him the epithet “golden-worded” (Chrysologus). St Peter was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1729. July 30 STS. ABDON AND SENNEN, MARTYRS

St. Julitta, Roman Catholic Martyred woman of Caesarea in Cappadocia, in modem Turkey. She lost all her estates in a court case. Her opponent suffered a decision against his claims and denounced Julitta as a Christian, thus gaining the entire land in the dispute. She was burned at the stake. Feastday July 30

ENGLISH SPEAKING SAINTS JULY 30 St. Tatwine, 734 A.D. Archbishop of Canterbury from 731. Probably from Mercia, England, he became a monk at Bredon, and eventually was named archbishop of Canterbury in succession to Brithwald. Respected by St. Bede, he was the author of several works, including a grammar and riddles. Bl. Thomas Abel, 1540 A.D. English martyr. A graduate of Oxford University, Thomas served as chaplain to Queen Catharine of Aragon, proving intensely loyal to her cause during the ordeal of the divorce proceedings against her by King Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547). Arrested by English authorities for denying the spiritual supremacy of the king, he was incarcerated in the Tower of London for six years, finally receiving execution at Smithfield. He was beatified in 1886. Bl. Edward Powell, 1504 A.D. English martyr, a councilor to Queen Catherine of Aragon, wife of King Henry VIII. A Welshman, Edward was a canon of Salisbury, England, and a fellow of Odd, noted...

SAINTS JULY July 29 St. Kilian, 7th century. An Irish abbot who wrote the life of St. Brigid. He ruled a monastery on the island of Iniscaltra, Ireland. St. Martha Wang, Roman Catholic Martyr of Tonkin, Vietnam, who was arrested carrying letters from the imprisoned martyrs, Blesseds Joseph Tshang and Paul Tcheng. She was beheaded with them at Tsingai. Feastday July 29th. Bl. Urban II, Urban supported the Christian conquest of Spain from the Moors, and at the council of Claremont in 1095, he declared the Truce of God and preached the first crusade. Feastday 7/29

Fr. Stanley_Rother Martyr of Guatemala July 28