The saints

				       The Saints for 2006

The "Back" at the bottom of each saint article, when clicked, will bring you back to the Table of Contents.

St. Anastasia

Matron of a noble Roman family, married to a pagan. She was a spiritual student of Saint Chrysogonus. She was martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.

Her name is commemorated in the second Mass of Christmas and the first eucharistic prayer. Nothing is really known about her except her death, but there have been no end of attempts by story-tellers to fill in the blanks.

This Mass was originally celebrated not in honour of the birth of Christ, but in commemoration of this martyr, and towards the end of the fifth century her name was also inserted in the Roman canon of the Mass. Nevertheless, she is not a Roman saint, for she suffered martyrdom at Sirmium, and was not venerated at Rome until almost the end of the fifth century.

It is true that a later legend, not earlier than the sixth century, makes Anastasia a Roman, though even in this legend she did not suffer martyrdom at Rome. The same legend connects her name with that of St. Chrysogonus, likewise not a Roman martyr, but put to death in Aquileia, though he had a church in Rome dedicated to his honour. According to this "Passio", Anastasia was the daughter of Praetextatus, a Roman vir illustris, and had Chrysogonus for a teacher. Early in the persecution of Diocletian the Emperor summoned Chrysogonus to Aquileia where he suffered martyrdom.

Anastasia, having gone from Aquileia to Sirmium to visit the faithful of that place, was beheaded on the island of Palmaria, 25 December, and her body interred in the house of Apollonia, which had been converted into a basilica. The whole account is purely legendary, and rests on no historical foundations. All that is certain is that a martyr named Anastasia gave her life for the faith in Sirmium, and that her memory was kept sacred in that church.

According to Theodorus Lecto, during the patriarchate of Gennadius (458-471) the body of the martyr was transferred to Constantinople and interred in a church which had hitherto been known as "Anastasis", thenceforth the church took the name of Anastasia. Similarly the cultus of St. Anastasia was introduced into Roman from Sirmium by means

of an already existing church. As this church was already quite famous, it brought the feast of the saint into especial prominence. She died circa 304 at Sirmium, Dalmatia, and her relics are at Istanbul, Turkey (formerly Constantinople).

Her memorial is 25 December.

Patronage: martyrs, weavers, widows.

back

St. John Damascene

Also known as Doctor of Christian Art, Jean Damascene, Johannes Damascenus, John Chrysorrhoas ("golden-stream"), John of Damascus.

He was the son of Mansur, born 676 at Damascus, Syria, representative of the Christians to the court of the Muslim caliph. Apparently he thrived as a Christian in a Saracen land, becoming the chief financial officer for caliph Abdul Malek. He was tutored in his youth by a captured Sicilian monk named Cosmas. Between the Christian learning of the monk, and that of the Muslim schools, John became highly educated in the classical fields (geometry, literature, logic, rhetoric, etc.).

John inherited his father's office but resigned it about 726 and entered a monastery in Palestine. His life was spent largely in fighting with his pen for orthodoxy against iconoclasm, opposition to the religious use of images. Veneration of pictures and statues symbolizing sacred figures, Christian doctrine, and biblical events was an early feature of Christian worship. He did this through a series of letters opposing the anti-icon decrees of Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople. Legend says that Germanus plotted against him, and forged a letter in which John betrayed the caliph; the caliph ordered John's writing hand chopped off, but the Virgin Mary appeared and reattached the hand, a miracle which restored the caliph's faith in him.

After this incident, John became a monk near Jerusalem. Priest. Anathematized by name by the 754 Council of Constantinople over his defense of the use of icons, but defended by the 787 Seventh Council of Nicea.

His fame rests on his theological masterpiece, The Fountain of Wisdom, a Greek work in three parts and the first real compendium of Christian theology. It was a theological study of Aristotle's categories, a history of heresies, based on Epiphanius and Theodoret, with supplementary material on iconoclasm and Islam, and a formal exposition of the Christian faith. This last work was extensively used by the scholastics and is still a prime source for the dogmatic opinions of the principal Eastern Fathers. John also wrote hymns and regulated the choral parts of the Byzantine liturgy. He stimulated the production of Byzantine painting. He wrote other works defending the orthodox faith, commentaries on Saint Paul, and poetry. He was a philospher.The elegance of his Greek brought him the epithet Chrysorrhoas ("golden-stream"). He was the last of the Greek Fathers of the Church, and the first of the Christian Aristotleans. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1890 by Pope Leo XIII.

He died 749 of natural causes.

His memorial is 27 March (Latin Church), 4 December (Greek Church).

His name means God is gracious or gift of God.

back

St. Osmund

Also known as Edimund, Edmund, Osimund.

Born at Seez, Normandy, France, he was the son of Henry, count of Seez. He received a good education, and became count of Seez in his own turn. He was of the English clergy. He eventually served as Lord Chancellor and Bishop of Salisbury.

Companion of William the Conqueror, and part of the invasion force of 1066.

Osmund held an exalted position in Normandy, and according to a late fifteenth century document his mother was Isabella, daughter of Robert, Duke of Normandy, who was the father of William the Conqueror. With his uncle, the king, he came over to England, proved a trusty counsellor, and was made chancellor of the realm. The same document calls him Earl of Dorset. He was employed in many civil transactions and was engaged as one of the chief commissioners for drawing up the Domesday Book. He became Bishop of Sarum, virtually William's choice, by authority of Gregory VII and was consecrated by Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1078. This diocese comprised the Counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, and Berkshire, for in 1058 the old Bishoprics of Sherborne and Ramsbury had been united under Bishop Hermann and the see transferred to Old Sarum. This is described as a fortress rather than a city, placed on a high hill, surrounded by a massive wall and Peter of Blois refers to the Castle and Church as "the ark of God shut up in the temple of Baal".

Bishop of Salisbury in 1078. He took his duties seriously, concerned for the good of his diocese, even if many considered it conquered territory. His cathedral administration became a model for cathedrals throughout England. Believed to have initiated the Sarum Rite in England. May have written a biography of Saint Aldhelm, which has not survived, and approved his beatification in 1078. Knew and sought the guidance of Saint Anselm. Enjoyed copying and binding books.

In 1086 Osmund was present at the Great Gemot held at Old Sarum when the Domesday Book was accepted and the great landowners swore fealty to the sovereign. He died in the night of 3 Dec., 1099, and was succeeded, after the see had been vacant for eight years, by Roger, a crafty and time-serving statesman. His remains were buried at Old Sarum, translated to New Salisbury on 23 July 1457, and deposited in the Lady Chapel where his sumptuous shrine was destroyed under Henry VIII. A flat slab with the simple inscription MXCIX has lain in various parts of the cathedral. In 1644 it was in the middle of the Lady Chapel. It is now under the eastern-most arch on the south side.

Osmund's work was threefold — First, the building of the cathedral at Old Sarum, which was consecrated on 5 April 1092. Five days afterwards a thunderstorm entirely destroyed the roof and greatly damaged the whole fabric. Second, the constitution of a cathedral body. This was framed on the usual Norman model, with dean, precentor, chancellor, and treasurer, whose duties were exactly defined, some thirty-two canons, a subdean, and succentor. All save the last two were bound to residence. These canons were "secular", each living in his own house. Their duties were to be special companions and advisers of the bishop, to carry out with fitting solemnity the full round of liturgical services and to do missionary work in the surrounding districts. There was formed a school for clergy of which the chancellor was the head. The cathedral was thoroughly constituted "the Mother Church" of the diocese, "a city set on a hill". Osmund's canons were renowned for their musical talent and their zeal for learning, and had great influence on the foundation of other cathedral bodies.

Third, the formation of the "Sarum Use". In St. Osmund's day there were many other "Uses" (those of York, Hereford, Bangor, and Lincoln remained) and other customs peculiar to local churches, and the number was increased by the influx of Normans under William. Osmund invented or introduced little himself, though the Sarum rite had some peculiarities distinct from that of other churches. He made selections of the practices he saw round him and arranged the offices and services. Intended primarily for his own diocese, the Ordinal of Osmund, regulating the Divine Office, Mass, and Calendar, was used, within a hundred years, almost throughout England, Wales, and Ireland, and was introduced into Scotland about 1250.

He died 4 December 1099 at Salisbury, England of natural causes, and was buried in his cathedral at Old Sarum. His relics were translated to Salisbury in 1226, then even later translated to the new cathedral and deposited in the chapel of Our Lady in the church in 1457. His shrine was destroyed in the reign of King Henry VIII, but his bones are still interred in the same chapel, covered with a marble slab.

He was canonized 1456 by Pope Calistus III. His cause had been pursued since 1228.

His memorial is 4 December; 16 July (translation of his relics).

His areas of patronage derive from the miraculous healings that occurred at his tomb, and which paved the way for his canonization.

Patronage: insanity, mental illness, mentally ill people, paralysed people, paralysis, ruptures, toothache.

back

St. Nicholas

Also called Nicholas Chrysoberges, Nicholas of Myra, Nicholas of Bari. He is also known as Nikolaus in Germany and Sinterklaas, a contracted form of Sint Nicolaas, in the Netherlands and Flanders.

He was patriarch of Constantinople from 983. Though he is one of the most popular saints in the Greek as well as the Latin Church, there is scarcely anything historically certain about him except that he was Bishop of Myra in the fourth century.

Some of the main points in his legend are as follows: He was born at Parara, a city of Lycia in Asia Minor. In his youth he made a pilgrimage to Egypt and Palestine. Shortly after his return he became Bishop of Myra. He was cast into prison during the persecution of Diocletian, and was released after the accession of Constantine. He was present at the Council of Nicaea. In 1087 Italian merchants stole his body at Myra, bringing it to Bari in Italy.

The numerous miracles St. Nicholas is said to have wrought, both before and after his death, are outgrowths of a long tradition. There is reason to doubt his presence at Nicaea, since his name is not mentioned in any of the old lists of bishops that attended this council. His cult in the Greek Church is old and especially popular in Russia.

As early as the sixth century Emperor Justinian I built a church in his honour at Constantinople, and his name occurs in the liturgy ascribed to St. Chrysostom. In Italy his cult seems to have begun with the translation of his relics to Bari, but in Germany it had begun already under Otto II, probably because his wife Theophano was a Grecian. Bishop Reginald of Eichstaedt (d. 991) is known to have written a metric, "Vita S. Nicholai." The course of centuries has not lessened his popularity.

His representations in art are as various as his alleged miracles. In Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, they have the custom of making him the secret purveyor of gifts to children on 6 December, the day on which the Church celebrates his feast; in the United States and some other countries St. Nicholas has become identified with Santa Claus who distributes gifts to children on Christmas eve. His relics are still preserved in the church of San Nicola in Bari. Up to the present day an oily substance, known as Manna di S. Nicola, which is highly valued for its medicinal powers, is said to flow from them.

The destruction of several pagan temples is also attributed to him, among them one temple of Artemis (also known as Diana). Because the celebration of Diana's birth is on December 6, some authors have speculated that this date was deliberately chosen for Nicholas' feast day to overshadow or replace the pagan celebrations.

He died in 996 of natural causes.

He was canonized Pre-Congregation.

Patronage: Greece, Russia, the Kingdom of Naples, Sicily, Lorraine, the Diocese of Liège, many cities in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Belgium, Campen in the Netherlands, Corfu in Greece, Freiburg in Switzerland, and Moscow in Russia. He is patron of seamen, merchants, archers, children, prostitutes, pharmacists, lawyers and prisoners.

Nicholas is also known for coming to the defence of the falsely accused, often preventing them from being executed, and for his prayers on behalf of sailors and other travellers.

back

St. Leo the Great

Born circa 400 at Tuscany, Italy of Italian nobility, he was a strong student, especially in scripture and theology. He was Priest, eloquent writer and homilist. According to the Liber Pontificalis he was a native of Tuscany.

By 431, as a deacon, he occupied a sufficiently important position for Cyril of Alexandria to apply to him in order that Rome's influence should be thrown against the claims of Juvenal of Jerusalem to patriarchal jurisdiction over Palestine. About the same time Johannes Cassianus dedicated to him the treatise against Nestorius written at his request. But nothing shows more plainly the confidence felt in him than his being chosen by the emperor to settle the dispute between Aëtius and Albinus, the two highest officials in Gaul.

During his absence on this mission, Pope Sixtus III died (August 11, 440), and Leo was unanimously elected by the people to succeed him. On September 29 he entered upon a pontificate which was to be epoch-making for the centralization of the government of the Church.

Pope from 440 to 461 during the time of the invasion of Attila the Hun. When Attila marched on Rome, Leo went out to meet him and pleaded for leave. As Leo spoke, Attila saw the vision of a man in priestly robes, carrying a bare sword, and threatening to kill the invader if he did not obey Pope Leo. As Leo had a great devotion to Saint Peter, it is generally believed the first pope was the visionary opponent to the Huns. When Genseric invaded Rome, Leo's sanctity and eloquence saved the city again.

The significance of Leo's pontificate lies in the fact of his assertion of the universal episcopate of the Roman bishop, which comes out in his letters, and still more in his ninety-six extant orations. This assertion is commonly referred to as the doctrine of Petrine supremacy.

According to him the Church is built upon Peter, in pursuance of the promise of Matthew 16:16-19. Peter participates in everything which is Christ's. What the other apostles have in common with him they have through him. The Lord prays for Peter alone when danger threatens all the apostles, because his firmness will strengthen the others. What is true of Peter is true also of his successors. Every other bishop is charged with the care of his own special flock, the Roman with that of the whole Church. Other bishops are only his assistants in this great task.

Through the see of Peter, Rome has become the capital of the world in a wider sense than before. For this reason, when the earth was divided among the apostles, Rome was reserved to Peter, that here, at the very center, the decisive triumph might be won over the earthly wisdom of philosophy and the power of the demons; and thus from the head the light of truth streams out through the whole body.

In Leo's eyes the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon acquired their validity from his confirmation. The wide range of this theory justifies the application to him of the title of the first pope.

He called the Council of Chalcedon to condemn heresies of the day, fought Nestorianism, Monophysitism, Manichaeism, and Pelagianism, built churches, wrote letters and sermons encouraging and teaching his flock, many of which survive today. It is for these writings that Leo was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1574.

He died 11 April 461 at Rome, Italy.

The Roman Catholic and many Anglican churches mark November 10 as the feast day of Saint Leo (formerly April 11), while the Eastern Orthodox churches mark February 18 as his feast day.

His name means lion in the Latin.

back

St. Benedict

Also known as Benedict of Narsia, Benedict of Norsia, Biscop Baducing, Benedict of Nursia, Founder of Western Monasticism.

Benedict Biscop, an English churchman, was born circa 628, of a good Roman nobility family at Narsia, Umbria, Italy, and was for a time a thegn of King Oswiu.

Twin brother of Saint Scholastica, he studied in Rome, but was dismayed by the lack of discipline and the lackadasical attitude of his fellow students. He fled to the mountains near Subiaco, living as a hermit in a cave for three years, reported to have been fed by a raven. His virtues caused an abbey to request him to lead them. He founded the monastery at Monte Cassino, where he wrote the Rule of his order. His discipline was such that an attempt was made on his life . . . some monks tried by poison him, but he blessed the cup and rendered it harmless. He returned to his cave, but continued to attract followers, and eventually established twelve monasteries.

He then went abroad and after a second journey to Rome (he made five altogether) lived as a monk at Lerins on the Mediterranean coast of France (665–667). It was under his conduct that Theodore of Tarsus came from Rome to Canterbury in 669, and in the same year Benedict was appointed abbot of Ss. Peter and Paul's, Canterbury.

Five years later he built the monastery of St Peter at Wearmouth, on land granted him by Ecgfrith of Northumbria, and endowed it with a library. A papal letter in 678 exempted the monastery from external control, and in 682 The King was so delighted at the success of St Peters, he gave Benedict more land in Jarrow and urged him to build a second monastery. Benedict erected a sister foundation, St Paul, at Jarrow. He Appointed Ceolfrid as the superior, who was to become Bede's mentor, who left Wearmouth with 20 monks including the young Bede to start the foundation in Jarrow. Bede tells us that he brought builders and glass-workers from Francia to erect the buildings in stone.

His idea was to build a model monastery for England, sharing his knowledge of the experience of the Catholic Church in Europe. It was the first ecclesial building to be built in stone, and the use of glass was a novelty for many of the Saxons in 7th century England. It eventually possessed what was a large library for the time, and it was here that Benedict's student St Bede wrote his famous works. The library became world-famous, and manuscripts that had been copied there became prized possessions throughout Europe.

He died on January 12, 690. In his life time he had seen the Church change from being divided between the Roman and Celtic Churches and threatened by a resurgent paganism, to becoming a strong united and growing Roman Catholic Church, united with the worldwide church. His monastery was the jewel in the crown,under the direct patronage of the Pope and ushered in a Golden Era for Christianity in England.

He had the ability to read consciences, prophesy, and forestall attacks of the devil. He destroyed pagan statues and altars, and drove demons from groves sacred to pagans. At one point there were over 40,000 monasteries guided by the Benedictine Rule. A summation of the Rule: "Pray and work."

On March 24, 2004, the City of Sunderland adopted St Benedict Biscop as its patron saint.

His name means blessed.

Patronage: against nettle rash, against poison, against witchcraft, agricultural workers, cavers, civil engineers, coppersmiths, dying people, erysipelas, Europe, farm workers, farmers, fever, gall stones, Heerdt, Germany, inflammatory diseases, Italian architects, kidney disease, monks, nettle rash, Norcia, Italy, people in religious orders, poison, schoolchildren, servants who have broken their master's belongings, speliologists, spelunkers, temptations, witchcraft.

back

The Conversion of Paul

Paul himself admits that he at first persecuted Christians, but later embraced the belief that he had fought against.

Acts 9:1–9 memorably describes the vision Paul had of Jesus on the road to Damascus, a vision that led him to dramatically reverse his opinion. Paul himself offers no clear description of the event in any of his surviving letters, and this, along with the fact that the author of Acts describes Paul's conversion with subtle differences in two later passages, has led some scholars to question whether Paul's vision actually occurred. However, Paul did write that Jesus appeared to him "last of all, as to one untimely born", and frequently claimed that his authority as "Apostle to the Gentiles" came directly from God. In addition, an adequate explanation for Paul's conversion is lacking in the absence of his vision.

Following his stay in Damascus after conversion, Paul first went to live in the Nabataean kingdom, which he called "Arabia", for an unknown period of time, then came back to Damascus, which by this time was under Nabatean rule. After three more years he was forced to flee from that city under the cover of night. He traveled to Jerusalem, where he met Saint Peter and James the Just.

Following this visit to Jerusalem, Paul's own writings and Acts slightly differ on his next activities. Acts states he went to Antioch, whence he set out to travel through Cyprus and southern Asia Minor to preach of Christ, a labor that has come to be known as his "First Missionary Journey". Paul merely mentions that he preached in Syria and Cilicia, and though Acts states that Paul later "went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches", it does not explicitly state that these were churches founded by Paul on a previous journey.

These missionary journeys are considered the defining actions of Paul. For these journeys, Paul usually chose one or more companions for his travels. Barnabas, Silas, Titus, Timothy, John, surnamed Mark, Aquila and Priscilla all accompanied him for some or all of these travels. He endured hardships on these journeys: he was imprisoned in Philippi, was lashed and stoned several times, and almost murdered once.

back

St. Thomas Aquinas

Born circa 1225 at Roccasecca, Aquino, Naples, Italy.

Also known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, Great Synthesizer, The Dumb Ox, The Universal Teacher.

He was the son of the Count of Aquino, born in the family castle in Lombardy near Naples. An Italian Catholic philosopher and theologian in the scholastic tradition, he was educated by Benedictine monks at Monte Cassino, and at the University of Naples. He secretly joined the medicant Dominican friars in 1244. His noble family kidnapped and imprisoned him for a year to keep him out of sight, and deprogram him, but he rejoined his order in 1245. He is considered by the Catholic Church to be its greatest theologian and one of the thirty-three Doctors of the Church. There have been many institutions of learning named after him.

The life of Thomas Aquinas offers many interesting insights into the world of the High Middle Ages. He was born into a family of the south Italian nobility and was through his mother Countess Theadora of Theate related to the Hohenstaufen dynasty of Holy Roman emperors. He was probably born early in 1225 at his father Count Landulf's castle of Roccasecca in the kingdom of Naples. Landulf's brother, Sinibald, was abbot of the original Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino, and the family intended Thomas to follow his uncle into that position, this would have been a normal career-path for a younger son of the nobility.

In his fifth year he was sent for his early education to the monastery. However, after studying for six years at the University of Naples, he left it in his sixteenth year. While there he probably came under the influence of the Dominicans, who were doing their utmost to enlist within their ranks the ablest young scholars of the age, representing along with the Franciscan order a revolutionary challenge to the well-established clerical systems of early medieval Europe. This change of heart did not please the family. On the way to Rome, Thomas was seized by his brothers and brought back to his parents at the castle of San Giovanni, where he was held a captive for a year or two to make him relinquish his purpose.

According to his earliest biographers, the family even brought a prostitute to tempt him, but he drove her away. Finally, the opposition of his family was overcome by the intervention of Pope Innocent IV., and Thomas assumed the habit of St. Dominic in his seventeenth year. His superiors, seeing his great aptitude for theological study, sent him to the Dominican school in Cologne, where Albertus Magnus was lecturing on philosophy and theology; he arrived probably in late 1244. He accompanied Albertus to the University of Paris in 1245, and remained there with his teacher for three years, at the end of which he graduated as bachelor of theology.

He studied in Paris from 1245-1248 under Saint Albert the Great, then accompanied Albertus to Cologne. He was ordained in 1250, then returned to Paris to teach. He taught theology at University of Paris, and wrote defenses of the mendicant orders, commentaries on Aristotle and Lombard's Sentences, and some bible related works, usually by dictating to secretaries. He won his doctorate, and taught in several Italian cities. He was recalled by king and university to Paris in 1269, then recalled to Naples in 1272 where he was appointed regent of studies while working on the Summa Theologica.

On 6 December 1273 he experienced a divine revelation which so enraptured him that he abandoned the Summa, saying that it and his other writing were so much straw in the wind compared to the reality of the divine glory. He died four months later while en route to the Council of Lyons, overweight and with his health broken by overwork.

His works have been seminal to the thinking of the Church ever since. They systematized her great thoughts and teaching, and combined Greek wisdom and scholarship methods with the truth of Christianity. Pope Leo VIII commanded that his teachings be studied by all theology students.

He died 7 March 1274 at Fossanuova near Terracina of apparent natural causes. His relics are at Saint-Servin, Toulouse, France.

He was canonized 1323, and proclaimed Doctor of the Church in 1567.

Memorial ia 28 January.

Patronage: academics, against storms, against lightning, apologists, book sellers, Catholic academies, Catholic schools, Catholic universities, chastity, colleges, learning, lightning, pencil makers, philosophers, publishers, scholars, schools, storms, students, theologians, universities, University of Vigo.

back

All Saints

The festival of All Saints, also sometimes known as "All Hallows," or "Hallowmas," is a feast celebrated in their honour. All Saints is also a Christian formula invoking all the faithful saints and martyrs, known or unknown.

The Roman Catholic holiday (Festum omnium sanctorum) falls on November 1, followed by All Souls Day on November 2, and is a Holy Day of Obligation, with a vigil and an octave. The Eastern Orthodox Church's All Saints is the first Sunday after Pentecost and as such marks the close of the Easter season.

Common commemorations by several churches of the deaths of martyrs began to be celebrated in the 4th century. The first trace of a general celebration is attested in Antioch on the Sunday after Pentecost. This custom is also referred to in the 74th homily of John Chrysostom and is maintained to the present day in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The date of festival was changed to November 1 by Pope Gregory III to coincide with the ancient Celtic New Year's festival Samhain. He designated November 1 as the date of the anniversary of the consecration of a chapel in St. Peter's for the relics "of the holy apostles and of all saints, martyrs and confessors, of all the just made perfect who are at rest throughout the world". By the time of the reign of Charlemagne, the November festival of All Saints was widely celebrated. November 1 was decreed a day of obligation by the Frankish king Louis the Pious in 835 issued "at the instance of Pope Gregory IV and with the assent of all the bishops."

In Portugal, Spain and Mexico, ofrendas (offerings) are made on this day. In Spain, the play Don Juan Tenorio is traditionally performed. In Portugal and France, people offer flowers to dead relatives. In Poland and Germany, the tradition is to light candles and visit the graves of deceased relatives. In the Philippines, the day is spent visiting the graves of deceased relatives, where they offer prayers, lay flowers, and light candles, often in a picnic-like atmosphere. In English speaking countries, the festival is celebrated with the hymn "For All the Saints", set to music by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

The festival was retained after the Reformation in the calendar of the Church of England and in many Lutheran churches. In the Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden, it assumes a role of general commemoration of the dead (similar to the All Souls commemoration in the Eastern Orthodox Church that takes place two Saturdays before the beginning of Lent). In the Swedish calendar, the observance takes place on the first Saturday of November. In many Lutheran Churches however, the festival has fallen into disuse.

back

St. Louis IX

Also known as Louis Capet.

Son of King Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile, he was born 25 April, 1214 at Poissy, France, and became King of France at age eleven. His mother ruled as regent until he reached 22, and then he reigned for 44 years.
br> He made numerous judicial and legislative reforms. He promoted Christianity in France, established religious foundations, aided mendicant orders, propagated synodal decrees of the Church, built leper hospitals, and collected relics. He married Marguerite of Provence at age 19, and became the father of eleven. Louis supported Pope Innocent IV in war against Emperor Frederick II of Germany. He was a Franciscan tertiary, and led two Crusades, dying on one of them.
br> Much of what we know of Louis' life comes from Jean de Joinville's famous biography of Louis, Life of Saint Louis. Joinville was a close friend, confidant, and counselor to the king, and also participated as a witness in the papal inquest into Louis' life that ended with his canonization in 1297 by Pope Boniface VIII.
br> Louis was the elder brother of Charles I of Sicily (1227–1285), whom he created count of Anjou, thus founding the second Angevin dynasty.
br> Louis brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade in 1229 after signing an agreement with Count Raymond VII of Toulouse that cleared his father of wrong-doing. Raymond VI had been suspected of murdering a preacher on a mission to convert the Cathars.
br> Louis's piety and kindness towards the poor were much celebrated.
br> He went on crusade twice, in 1248 the Seventh, and then in 1270 the Eighth Crusade. Both crusades were total failures. After initial success in his first attempt, Louis's army was met by overwhelming resistance from the Egyptian army and citizens. In 1249, Louis was eventually defeated and taken prisoner in Mansoura, Egypt. Louis and his companions were released in return for the surrender of the French army and a large ransom. He died near Tunis during the latter expedition on August 25, 1270 traditionally during an outbreak of plague but thought by modern scholars to be dysentery.
br> His corpse was taken to the French royal necropolis at Saint-Denis, resting in Lyon on the way. His tomb at Saint-Denis was a magnificent gilt brass monument designed in the late 14th century. It was melted down during the French Wars of Religion, at which time the body of the king disappeared. Only one finger was rescued and is kept at Saint-Denis.
br> Louis IX was succeeded by his son, Philippe III.
br> Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the canonization of Louis in 1297. He is the only French monarch ever to be made a saint. His memorial is 25 August, formerly 24 August.
br> Name meaning: famous warrior.
br> Patronage: barbers, Blois, France, builders, button makers, Carthage, Tunisia, construction workers, Crusaders, death of children, difficult marriages, distillers, embroiderers, French monarchs, grooms, haberdashers, hairdressers, hair stylists, kings, La Rochelle, France, masons, needle workers, city of New Orleans, Louisiana Oran, Algeria, parenthood, parents of large families, passementiers, prisoners, Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin, France, archdiocese of Saint Louis, Missouri, city of Saint Louis, Missouri, sculptors, sick people, soldiers, stone masons, stonecutters, tertiaries, Versailles, France.

back

St. Polycarp of Smyrna

He was Born circa 69.

Polycarp of Smyrna (martyred in his 87th year, ca. 155-167) was a Christian bishop of Smyrna (now Izmir Turkey) in the second century. He died a martyr, by being stabbed and his corpse burned at the stake in Smyrna, and is recognized as a saint in both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

He was an associate of, converted by, and disciple of Saint John the Apostle, and a friend of Saint Ignatius of Antioch. He fought Gnosticism.

Polycarp was a companion of Papias, another "hearer of John" as Irenaeus interprets Papias' testimony, and a correspondent of Ignatius of Antioch. Ignatius addressed a letter to him, and mentions him in the letters to the Ephesians and to the Magnesians. Polycarp's famous pupil was Irenaeus, for whom the memory of Polycarp was a link to the apostolic past. Lightfoot suggested that Polycarp also knew Melito of Sardis.

The date of Polycarp's death is disputed. Eusebius dates it to the reign of Marcus Aurelius, circa 166-167. However, a post-Eusebian addition to the Martyrdom of Polycarp dates his death to Saturday, February 23 in the proconsulship of Statius Quadratus, which works out to be 155 or 156. These earlier dates better fit the tradition of his association with Ignatius and John the Evangelist.

Because in the Smyrnaean letter known as the Martyrdom of Polycarp it states that Polycarp was taken and killed on the Great Sabbath, some believe that this is evidence that the Smyrnaeans under Polycarp observed the seventh day Sabbath.

He was the Bishop of Smyrna which is modern Izmir, Turkey, and a revered Christian leader during the first half of the second century. The Asia Minor churches recognized Polycarp's leadership and chose him representative to Pope Anicetus on the question of the date of the Easter celebration. Only one of the many letters written by Polycarp has survived, the one he wrote to the Church of Philippi, Macedonia. At 86, Polycarp was to be burned alive in a stadium in Smyrna. The "Acts" of Polycarp's martyrdom are the earliest preserved reliable account of a Christian martyr's death. He was an Apostolic Father.

. . . from a letter by the Church of Smyrna to the Phillipians on the martyrdom of Saint Polycarp. When the pyre was ready, Polycarp took off all his outer clothes and loosened his under-garments. There and then he was surrounded by the material for the pyre. When they tried to fasten him also with nails, he said, "Leave me as I am. The one who gives me the strength to endure the fire will also give me strength to stay quite still on the pyre, even without the precaution of your nails." So they did not fix him to the pyre with nails, but only fastened him instead.

Looking up to heaven, he said, "Lord, almighty God, Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom have come to the knowledge of yourself, God of angels, of powers, of all creation, of all the race of saints who live in your sight, I bless you for judging me worthy of this day, this hour, so that in the company of the martyrs I may share the cup of Christ, your anointed one, and so rise again to eternal life in soul and body through the power of the Holy Spirit.

"I praise you for all things, I bless you, I glorify you through the eternal priest of heaven, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. Through him by glory to you, together with him and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen."

When he had said, "Amen" and finished the prayer, the officials at the pyre lit it. But, when a great flame burst out, those of us privileged to see it witnessed a strange and wonderful thing. Like a ship's sail swelling in the wind, the flame became as it were a dome encircling the martyr's body. Surrounded by the fire, his body was like bread that is baked, or gold and silver white-hot in a furnace, not like flesh that has been burnt. So sweet a fragrance came to us that it was like that of burning incense or some other costly and sweet-smelling gum.

The flames did not harm him and he was finally killed by a dagger, and his body burned.

His memorial is 23 February.

Patronage against earache, dysentery.

back

St. Thomas à Becket

Also known as Thomas Beckett, Thomas of Canterbury.

He was born in London sometime during the 1110s. His parents were of the middle class, and his family was from near Rouen in France. He received an excellent education, which he completed at the University of Paris.

Returning to England, he attracted the notice of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, who entrusted him with several important missions to Rome and finally made him archdeacon of Canterbury and provost of Beverley. He so distinguished himself by his zeal and efficiency that Theobald commended him to King Henry II when the important office of Lord Chancellor was vacant.

Henry, like all the Norman kings, desired to be absolute ruler of his dominions, both Church and State, and could find precedents in the traditions of the throne when he planned to do away with the special privileges of the English clergy, which he regarded as fetters on his authority. As Chancellor, Becket enforced the king’s danegeld taxes, a traditional medieval land tax that was exacted from all landowners, including churches and bishoprics. This created both a hardship and a resentment of Becket among the English Churchmen. To further implicate Becket as a secular man, he became an accomplished and extravagant courtier and a cheerful companion to the king's pleasures. Young Thomas was devoted to his master's interests with such a firm and yet diplomatic thoroughness that scarcely anyone, except perhaps John of Salisbury, doubted his allegiance to English royalty. King Henry even sent his son Henry, later the "Young King", to live in Becket's household, it being the custom then for noble children to be fostered out to other noble houses. Later that would be one of the reasons his son would turn against him, having formed an emotional attachment to Becket as a foster father.

Archbishop Theobald died April 18, 1161, and the chapter learned with some indignation that the king expected them to choose Thomas his successor. That election took place in May, and Thomas was consecrated on June 3, 1162, in accordance with the king's wishes. He became Archbishop in 1162 and was so until 1170.

At once there took place before the eyes of the astonished king and country an unexpected transformation in the character of the new archbishop. Having previously been a gay, pleasure-loving courtier, Becket became an ascetic prelate in simple monastic garb, fully devoted to the cause of the hierarchy and prepared to do his uttermost to defend it.

In the schism which at that time divided the Church, he sided with Pope Alexander III, a man whose devotion to the same strict hierarchical principles appealed to him, and from Alexander he received the pallium at the Council of Tours.

On his return to England, Becket proceeded at once to put into execution the project he had formed for the liberation of the Church in England from the very limitations which he had formerly helped to enforce. His aim was twofold: the complete exemption of the Church from all civil jurisdiction, with undivided control of the clergy, freedom of appeal, etc., and the acquisition and security of an independent fund of church property.

The king was quick to perceive the inevitable outcome of the archbishop's attitude and called a meeting of the clergy at Westminster on October 1, 1163 at which he demanded that they renounce all claim to exemption from civil jurisdiction and acknowledge the equality of all subjects before the law. The others were inclined to yield, but the archbishop stood firm. Henry was not ready for an open breach and offered to be content with a more general acknowledgment and recognition of the "customs of his ancestors." Thomas was willing to agree to this, with the significant reservation "saving the rights of the Church." But this involved the whole question at issue, and Henry left London in anger.

Henry called another assembly at Clarendon for January 30, 1164, at which he presented his demands in sixteen constitutions. What he asked involved the abandonment of the clergy's independence and of their direct connection with Rome. He employed all his arts to induce their consent and was apparently successful with all but the primate.

Finally even Becket expressed his willingness to agree to the constitutions, but when it came to the actual signature, he defiantly refused. This meant war between the two powers. Henry endeavoured to rid himself of his antagonist by judicial process and summoned him to appear before a great council at Northampton on October 8, 1164, to answer charges of contempt of royal authority and malfeasance in the Lord Chancellor's office.

Becket denied the right of the assembly to judge him, appealed to the Pope, and, feeling that his life was too valuable to the Church to be risked, went into voluntary exile on November 2, embarking in a fishing-boat which landed him in France. He went to Sens, where Pope Alexander was, while envoys from the king hastened to work against him, requesting that a legate should be sent to England with plenary authority to settle the dispute. Alexander declined, and when, the next day, Becket arrived and gave him a full account of the proceedings, he was still more confirmed in his aversion to the king.

Henry pursued the fugitive archbishop with a series of edicts, aimed at all his friends and supporters as well as Becket himself; but Louis VII of France received him with respect and offered him protection. He spent nearly two years in the Cistercian abbey of Pontigny, until Henry's threats against the order obliged him to move to Sens again.

Becket regarded himself as in full possession of all his prerogatives and desired to see his position enforced by the weapons of excommunication and interdict. But Alexander, though sympathizing with him in theory, favored a milder and more diplomatic way of reaching his ends. Differences thus arose between pope and archbishop, which became even more bitter when legates were sent in 1167 with authority to act as arbitrators. Disregarding this limitation on his jurisdiction, and steadfast in his principles, Thomas treated with the legates at great length, still conditioning his obedience to the king by the rights of his order.

His firmness seemed about to meet with its reward when at last, in 1170, the pope was on the point of fulfilling his threats and excommunicating the king, and Henry, alarmed by the prospect, held out hopes of an agreement that would allow Thomas to return to England and resume his place. But both parties were really still holding to their former ground, and the desire for a reconciliation was only apparent.

Both, however, seemed for the moment to have believed in its possibility, and the contrast was all the sharper when it became evident that the old irreconcilable opposition was still there. Henry, incited by his partisans, refused to restore the ecclesiastical property that he had seized, and Thomas prepared to issue the pope's sentence against the despoilers of the Church and the bishops who had abetted them. It had been already sent to England for promulgation when he himself landed at Sandwich, on December 3, 1170, and two days later entered Canterbury.

The tension was now too great to be endured, and the catastrophe that relieved it was not long in coming. Passionate words (supposedly "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?," though this may be apocryphal) from the lips of the angry king were interpreted as a command by four knights, Reginald Fitzurse, Hugh de Moreville, William de Tracey, and Richard le Breton, who immediately plotted the murder of the archbishop, and accomplished it at the entry of the Quire in Canterbury Cathedral on Tuesday December 29, as the Archbishop was going to Vespers with the monastic community.

He was given the 'à' in his name many years after he died, alluding to that of Thomas à Kempis (b. 1379–80, d. 1471, author of "The Imitation of Christ"). The allusion was made so as to make him appear more holy and worthy of sainthood.

He was canonized 21 February 1173 by Pope Alexander III.

His memorial is 29 December.

Patronage: clergy, Exeter College Oxford, Portsmouth England, secular clergy.

back

St. Stephen the Martyr

Also known as Stephen the Deacon.

Saint Stephen is the Protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity and is venerated as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church and its Eastern Rite, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of England and its Anglican Communion among other religious denominations. He is identified as one of the first deacons chosen by the early church in Acts of the Apostles.

Upon the death of Jesus, Stephen began to work hard to spread what was then called The Way. He preached the teachings of Jesus and participated in the conversion of Jews and Gentiles. Acts tells the story of how Stephen was tried by the Sanhedrin for blasphemy and was then stoned to death by an infuriated mob encouraged by a man on the side of the mob who would later be known as Saint Paul.

All we know of him is related in the Acts of the Apostles.

Saint Stephen's name is simply derived from the Greek Stephanos, meaning "crown", which translated into Aramaic as Kelil. Saint Stephen is traditionally invested with a crown of martyrdom for Christianity and is often depicted in art with three stones and the martyrs' palm. In Eastern Christian iconography he is shown as a young beardless man with a tonsure, wearing deacon's vestments, and often holding a miniature church building and censer.

He died stoned to death circa 33.

Canonized Pre-Congregation.

The Feast of Saint Stephen is celebrated on December 26 in the Western Church and December 27 in the Eastern Church. A simple octave is kept by the Roman Catholic Church in honor of this feast; it is also commemorated in the liturgy of January 2.

Patronage: casket makers, coffin makers, deacons, headaches, horses, Kessel, Germany, masons, diocese of Owensboro Kentucky, Passau, Germany, Prato, Italy, stone masons.

back

St. Catherine of Genoa

Also known as Apostle of Purgatory, Caterinetta, Caterina Fieschi Adorno.

Daughter of Giacopo Fieschi and Francesca di Negro, Geonese nobles, she was born in 1447 at Genoa, Italy . She was the youngest of five children. In her youth she felt a call to religious life, but on her father's death when she was 16, she married Julian Adorno. They were a childless couple, he was careless and unsuccessful as a husband and provider, often cruel and unfaithful, and reduced them to bankruptcy.

After Catherine converted him, the two lived together chastely the rest of their lives, working with the sick and poor till Julian's death in 1497. She was a Franciscan tertiary, and Directress in 1490. She caught and survived the plague in 1493. She was a spiritual student of Don Cattaneo Marabotto in 1499. A visionary, mystic and writer.

The life of St. Catherine of Genoa may be more properly described as a state than as a life in the ordinary sense. When about twenty-six years old she became the subject of one of the most extraordinary operations of God in the human soul of which we have record, the result being a marvellous inward condition that lasted till her death. In this state, she received wonderful revelations, of which she spoke at times to those around her, but which are mainly embodied in her two celebrated works: the "Dialogues of the Soul and Body", and the "Treatise on Purgatory". Her modern biographies, chiefly translations or adaptations of an old Italian one which is itself founded on "Memoirs" drawn up by the saint's own confessor and a friend, mingle what facts they give of her outward life with accounts of her supernatural state and "doctrine", regardless of sequence, and in an almost casual fashion that makes them entirely subservient to her psychological history. These facts are as follows:

Two popes -- Innocent IV and Adrian V -- had been of the Fieschi family, and Jacopo himself became Viceroy of Naples. Catherine is described as an extraordinarily holy child, highly gifted in the way of prayer, and with a wonderful love of Christ's Passion and of penitential practices, but, also, as having been a most quiet, simple, and exceedingly obedient girl. When about thirteen, she wished to enter the convent, but the nuns to whom her confessor applied having refused her on account of her youth, she appears to have put the idea aside without any further attempt. At sixteen, she was married by her parents' wish to a young Genoese nobleman, Giuliano Adorno. The marriage turned out wretchedly; Giuliano proved faithless, violent-tempered, and a spendthrift. And made the life of his wife a misery. Details are scanty, but it seems at least clear that Catherine spent the first five years of her marriage in silent, melancholy submission to her husband; and that she then, for another five, turned a little to the world for consolation in her troubles. The distractions she took were most innocent; nevertheless, destined as she was for an extraordinary life, they had the effect in her case of producing lukewarmness, the end of which was such intense weariness and depression that she prayed earnestly for a return of her old fervour.

Then, just ten years after her marriage, came the event of her life, in answer to her prayer. She went one day, full of melancholy, to a convent in Genoa where she had a sister, a nun. The latter advised her to go to confession to the nuns' confessor, and Catherine agreed. No sooner, however, had she knelt down in the confessional than a ray of Divine light pierced her soul, and in one moment manifested her own sinfulness and the Love of God with equal clearness. The revelation was so overwhelming that she lost consciousness and fell into a kind of ecstacy, for a space during which the confessor happened to be called away. When he returned, Catherine could only murmur that she would put off her confession, and go home quickly.

From the moment of that sudden vision of herself and God, the saint's interior state seems never to have changed, save by varying in intensity and being accompanied by more or less severe penance, according to what she saw required of her by the Holy Spirit Who guided her incessantly. No one could describe it except herself; but she does so, minutely, in her writings.

For about twenty-five years, Catherine, though frequently making confessions, was unable to open her mind for direction to anyone; but towards the end of her life a Father Marabotti was appointed to be her spiritual guide. To him she explained her states, past and present, in full, and he compiled the "Memoirs" above referred to from his intimate personal knowledge of her.

Of the saint's outward life, after this great change, her biographies practically tell us but two facts: that she at last converted her husband who died penitent in 1497; and that both before and after his death -- though more entirely after it -- she gave herself to the care of the sick in the great Hospital of Genoa, where she eventually became manager and treasurer.

She died 14 September 1510 at Genoa, Italy, worn out with labours of body and soul, and consumed, even physically, by the fires of Divine love within her.

She was beatified in 1675 by Clement X, but not canonized till 1737, by Clement XII. Meantime, her writings had been examined by the Holy Office and pronounced to contain doctrine that would be enough, in itself, to prove her sanctity.

Her memorial is 15 September; formerly 22 March.

Her name means pure one.

Patronage: brides, childless people, difficult marriages, people ridiculed for their piety, temptations, victims of adultery, victims of unfaithfulness, widows.

back

St. Margaret of Scotland

Born circa 1045 in Hungary.

Granddaughter of King Edmund Ironside of England, and great-niece of Saint Stephen of Hungary, she was born in Hungary while her family was in exile due to the Danish invasion of England. She was Edgar Atheling's sister. She still spent much of her youth in the British Isles.

While fleeing the invading army of William the Conqueror in 1066, her family's ship wrecked on the Scottish coast. The spot where she is said to have landed is known as Queensferry, which is named after her in English. They were assisted by King Malcolm III Canmore of Scotland, whom Margaret married in 1070 and became the Queen of Scotland.

The marriage of Malcolm and Margaret soon took place and was followed by several invasions of Northumberland by the Scottish king, probably in support of the claims of his brother-in-law Edgar. These, however, had little result beyond the devastation of the province.

Far more important were the effects of this alliance upon the history of Scotland. A considerable portion of the old Northumbrian kingdom had been reduced by the Scottish kings in the previous century, but up to this time the English population had little influence upon the ruling element of the kingdom. Malcolm's marriage undoubtedly improved the condition of the English to a great extent, and under Margaret's sons, Edgar, Alexander I and David I, the Scottish court practically became anglicized. Margaret was very religious, and saw to the building of churches and the preservation of sacred relics. She rebuilt the monastery of Iona, and provided a free ferry and housing for pilgrims coming to visit the shrine of Saint Andrew. She was a lavish alms-giver, and paid the ransoms of English hostages held by the Scots.

Malcolm and Margaret had eight children, six sons and two daughters, one of whom was Saint Maud, wife of Henry I. They were:

Her husband Malcolm and their eldest son Edward were killed in battle against the English in November 1093. Her son Edmund was left with the task of telling his mother of their deaths. Margaret was ill, and she died on 16 November, 1093, four days after the deaths of her husband and her eldest son. It is notable that while Malcolm's children by his first wife Ingibjörg all bore Gaelic names, those of Margaret all bore Anglo-Saxon/English names. At the time this was noted with displeasure amongst many in the Scottish court and amongst the public although it is for this reason, and others, that many see Margaret as being responsible for starting the demise of Gaelic culture in the Lowlands and Scotland in general. In fact, in Gaeldom, she has usually not been considered a saint, but referred to as Mairead/Maighread nam Mallachd which means accursed Margaret.

Margaret founded abbeys and used her position to work for justice and improved conditions for the poor.

She died 16 November 1093 at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland, four days after her husband and son died in defense of the castle, and is buried in front of the high altar at Dunfermline, Scotland. Her relics were later removed to a nearby shrine. The bulk of her relics were destroyed in stages during the Protestant Reformation and the French Revolution.

She was canonized 1251 by Pope Innocent IV.

Her memorial is 16 November, formerly 10 June. It is the 16th of June in Scotland.

Patronage: death of children, large families, learning, queens, Scotland, widows.

back

St. Jude

Also known as Thaddeus. His other names are Jude Thaddaeus and Jude Lebbeus. He is also known as Saint Thaddeus (Greek Thaddaios), alternatively spelled "Thaddæus" or "Thaddaeus" in different versions of the Bible, and Saint Matfiy in Russian Orthodox tradition.

He was the son of Cleophas, who died a martyr, and Mary who stood at the foot of the Cross, and who annointed Christ's body after death. Saint Jude is a Christian saint and one of the twelve apostles of Jesus.

He should not be confused with Judas Iscariot, yet another apostle, who betrayed Jesus and later committed suicide. Saint Jude was a brother of St. James the Lesser, and a relative of Jesus ( nephew of Mary and Joseph). Mark 6:3 states about Jesus: "Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?". So, he was a blood relative of Jesus Christ, and reported to look a lot like him. In the Acts of Thomas, one of the New Testament apocrypha, written in Syria in the early 3rd century, he was identified with Jude Thomas, which is the full name of the apostle Thomas according to Syrian tradition.

He may have been a fisherman. He was a writer of canonical letter, and he preached in Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia with Saint Simon. He was a healer, an exorcist, and could exorcise pagan idols, which caused the demons to flee and the statues to crumble.

Jude, as Saint Juda is credited in the Armenian Apostolic Church with bringing Christianity to Armenia.

His patronage of lost or impossible causes traditionally derives from confusion by many early Christians between Jude and Judas. Not understanding the difference between the names, they never prayed for Jude's help, and devotion to him became something of a lost cause.

Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why he would not manifest himself to the whole world after his resurrection. He is referred to by several names: Jude is so named twice in Luke and also in Acts among lists of the Apostles. This indicates that Thaddeus might be a family name. In Matthew he is "Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus", which led to speculations that he may be one of the seventy Jesus sent out after His Ascension rather than one of the Twelve. In the Catholic tradition, however, he is considered Saint. Thaddeus and Saint Jude are considered synonymous.

The multiplicity of names is not interpreted by mainstream Christian writers as a method of blurring Jude Thomas' identity, but attributed to embarrassment: "Even in the Gospels the evangelists were embarrassed to mention the name of Judas. Their prejudice is quite apparent. In the one passage in which St John spoke of Thaddeus, he hurried over the name, and was quick to add, "Judas, not the Iscariot. . . " Even more striking is the fact that both Matthew and Mark never mentioned the full name of this apostle, Jude Thaddeus, but merely called him by his surname, Thaddeus. One can correctly assume that the evangelists wanted to reestablish a good name for this apostle among his companions and especially among the people. By using only his surname, they could remove any stigma his name might have given him."

The Epistle of Jude bears his name: it is additionally self-identified as written by "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James". It is directed to the Churches of the East, particularly the Jewish converts, to counter the heresies of the Simonians, Nicolaites and Gnostics.

He died beaten to death with a club, then beheaded. His relics are at Saint Peter's, Rome, at Rheims, and at Toulouse, France.

His memorial is 28 October (Roman Church) and 19 June (Eastern Church).

His name, Thaddeus, means sweetness or gentleness of character.

Patronage: desperate situations, forgotten causes, hospital workers, hospitals, impossible causes, lost causes, diocese of Saint Petersburg, Florida.

back

St. Simon the Apostle

Also known as Simon the Cananean, Simon the Zealot.

The apostle Simon, called Simon the Zealot in Luke and Acts, as well as Simon Kananaios ("hearkening, listening"), was one of the most obscure among the apostles of Jesus. Little is recorded of him aside from his name. Few pseudepigraphical writings were connected to him, and Jerome does not include him in De viris illustribus, but his name occurs in all the passages of the synoptic gospels and Acts that give a list of apostles, without further details.

"Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas ("the son" is understood) of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor." (Luke 6:12-16, RSV).

To distinguish him from Simon Peter, he is called Kananaios, or Kananites, and in the list of apostles in Luke 6:15, repeated in Acts 1:13, Zelotes, the "Zealot". Both titles derive from the Hebrew word qana, meaning The Zealous, though Jerome and others mistook the word to signify the apostle was from the town of Cana (in which case his epithet would be "Kanaios") or even the region of Canaan. As such, the translation of the word as "the Cananite" or "the Canaanite" is purely traditional and without contemporary extra-canonic parallel.

In the canonic New Testament Simon the Zealot is never identified with Simon the brother of Jesus mentioned in Gospel of Mark 6:3.

In later tradition, Simon is often associated with St. Jude as a proselytizing team. They share their feast day on 28 October. The most widespread tradition is that after evangelizing in Egypt, he joined Jude in Persia and Armenia, where both were martyred. This version is the one found in the Golden Legend.

Later traditions expand on an independent personality for Simon and speculate about his fate. One tradition states that he travelled in the Middle East and Africa; another says he visited Britain -- possibly Glastonbury -- and was martyred in modern-day Lincolnshire. Another, doubtless inspired by his title "the Zealot", states that he was involved in a Jewish revolt against the Romans, which was brutally suppressed.

The New Testament records nothing more of Simon, aside from this multitude of pseudonyms.

Several places claim to have been the site of his martyrdom. Abbyssinians claim he was crucified in Samaria, Lipsius says he was sawn in half at Suanir, Persia, and Moses of Chorene writes that he was martyred at Weriosphora in Iberia. Many locations claim to have relics.

His memorial is 28 October (Roman Church), 10 May (Coptic Church).

Patronage: curriers, sawmen, sawyers, tanners.

back

Feast of the Guardian Angels

The term guardian angels refers to the belief that each soul has an angel who is available to shepherd the soul through life, and help bring them to God. That every individual soul has a guardian angel has never been defined by the Church, and is, consequently, not an article of faith, but it is the "mind of the Church". As St. Jerome expressed it: "how great the dignity of the soul, since each one has from his birth an angel commissioned to guard it."

Belief in the reality of angels, their mission as messengers of God, and man's interaction with them, goes back to the earliest times. Cherubim kept Adam and Eve from slipping back into Eden; angels saved Lot and helped destroy the cities of the plains; in Exodous Moses follows an angel, and at one point an angel is appointed leader of Israel. Michael is mentioned at several points, Raphael figures large in the story of Tobit, and Gabriel delivered the Annunciation of the coming of Christ.

Pagans, like Menander and Plutarch, and Neo-Platonists, like Plotinus, held it. It was also the belief of the Babylonians and Assyrians, as their monuments testify, for a figure of a guardian angel now in the British Museum once decorated an Assyrian palace, and might well serve for a modern representation. Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar the Great, says: "He (Marduk) sent a tutelary deity (cherub) of grace to go at my side. In everything that I did, he made my work to succeed." The concept of each soul having a personal guardian angel has long been accepted by the Church. See that you despise not one of these little ones (children): for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. - Jesus, Matthew 18:10.

In the Bible this doctrine is clearly discernible and its development is well marked. In Genesis 28-29, angels not only act as the executors of God's wrath against the cities of the plain, but they deliver Lot from danger. In Exodus 12-13, an angel is the appointed leader of the host of Israel, and in 32:34, God says to Moses: "my angel shall go before thee." At a much later period we have the story of Tobias, which might serve for a commentary on the words of Psalm 90:11: "For he hath given his angels charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways." Lastly, in Daniel 10 angels are entrusted with the care of particular districts . . . one is called "prince of the kingdom of the Persians", and Michael is termed "one of the chief princes".

The feast, celebrating the angels who helped bring us to God, began in many local calendars centuries ago, and was widely known by the 16th century. Pope Paul V placed a feast venerating the angels on the general calendar on 27 September 1608. Ferdinand of Austria requested that it be extended to all areas in the Holy Roman Empire. Initially placed after the feast of Michael the Archangel, it was seen as a kind of supplement to that date. Pope Clement X elevated the feast, celebrated 2 October, to an obligatory double for the whole Church. On 5 April 1883, Pope Leo XIII raised the feast to the rank of a double major.

Memorial is 2 October; first Sunday in September (in Germany).

Patronage: diocese of Gary, Indiana, Spanish police officers.

back

St. Luke the Apostle

Luke the Evangelist was born at Antioch to pagan Greek parents, and possibly a slave.

He is said by tradition to be the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the third and fifth books of the New Testament.

One of the earliest converts, his earliest notice is in Paul's Epistle to Philemon, verse 24. He is also mentioned in Colossians 4:14 and 2 Timothy 4:11, two works commonly ascribed to Paul. Our next earliest account of Luke is in the Anti-Marcionite Prologue to the Gospel of Luke, a document once thought to date to the 2nd century AD, but more recently has been dated to the later 4th century.

Luke is a Syrian of Antioch, a Syrian by race, a physician by profession, studying in Antioch and Tarsus. He probably travelled as a ship's doctor. Many charitable societies of physicians are named for him.

He had become a disciple of the apostles and later followed Paul until his (Paul's) martyrdom. Having served the Lord continuously, unmarried and without children, and filled with the Holy Spirit, he died at the age of 84 years.

Legend has that he was also a painter who may have done portraits of Jesus and Mary, but none have ever been correctly or definitively attributed to him. This story, and the inspiration his Gospel has always given artists, led to his patronage of them. He met Saint Paul at Troas, and evangelized Greece and Rome with him, being there for the shipwreck and other perils of the voyage to Rome, and stayed in Rome for Paul's two years of being in prison.

He wrote the Gospel According to Luke, much of which was based on the teachings and writings of Paul, interviews with early Christians, and his own experiences. He also wrote a history of the early Church in the Acts of the Apostles.

He died circa 74 in Greece. Some stories say he was martyred, others not. His relics are at Padua, Italy. Some manuscripts add that Luke died "in Thebes, the capital of Boeotia". All of these facts support the conclusion that Luke was associated with Paul.

His name means bringer of light.

His memorial is 18 October.

Patronage: artists, bachelors, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, doctors, glass makers, glassworkers, gold workers, goldsmiths, Hermersdorf, Germany, lacemakers, lace workers, notaries, painters, physicians, sculptors, stained glass workers, surgeons, unmarried men.

back

St. Edward the Confessor

Edward the Confessor or Eadweard III, son of King Ethelred II (who was unseated by a Danish invasion) was born 1003 at Islip, Oxford, England.

He was the penultimate Anglo-Saxon King of England and the last of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 until his death. His reign marked the continuing disintegration of royal power in England and the aggrandizement of the great territorial earls, and it foreshadowed the country's later connection with Normandy, whose duke William I was to supplant Edward's successors Harold and Edgar Ætheling as England's ruler. Edward and his brother were sent to Denmark to be quietly killed, but the officer in charge took pity on the boys, and sent them to Sweden, and from there they went to the King of Hungary to be raised and educated. When grown, the brothers moved to Normandy and waited their chance to return to England.

In his quarter-century of Norman exile during his most formative years, while England formed part of a great Danish empire, Edward developed an intense personal piety. His familiarity with Normandy and its leaders was also to influence his later rule.

Edward gained a reputation as just and worthy of the kingship, and the people of England gave him their support. Edward ascended to the throne of his father on 3 April, Easter, 1042.

Returning to England with Alfred in an ill-advised abortive attempt, in 1036, to displace their step-brother Harold Harefoot from the throne, Edward escaped to Normandy after Alfred's capture and death. The Anglo-Saxon lay and ecclesiastical nobility invited him back to England in 1041, this time as co-ruler with his half-brother Harthacanute, son of Emma and Canute, on whose death on June 8, 1042, he ascended the throne. Edward was crowned at the cathedral of Winchester, the royal seat of the West Saxons on April 3, 1043.

Edward's reign was marked by peace and prosperity. He repulsed invasion, helped restore the King of Scotland to his throne, remitted unjust taxes. and was noted for his generosity to the poor and strangers, and for his piety and love of God.

Edward had married Godwin's daughter Edith on January 23, 1045 to satisfy his people, but he and the queen remained celibate. The monastic author of the king's hagiography, written about the time of his canonization, has represented the childless union as a spiritual marriage, with Edward refusing to consummate it rather than break a vow of chastity. His nearest heir would have been his nephew Edward the Exile, who was born in England, but spent most of his life in Hungary. He had returned from exile in 1056 and died not long after, in February the following year. So Edward made his great nephew Edgar Atheling his heir.

Edgar had no secure following among the earls. The resultant succession crisis on Edward's death without a direct "throneworthy" heir . . . the "foreign" Edgar was a stripling of fourteen . . . opened the way for Harold's coronation and the invasions of two effective claimants to the throne, the unsuccessful invasion of Harold Hardrada in the north and the successful one of William the Bastard.

William of Normandy, who had visited England during Godwin's exile, claimed that the childless Edward had promised him the succession to the throne, and his successful bid for the English crown put an end to Harold's nine month kingship following a 7000-strong Norman invasion.

Edgar Atheling was elected king by the Witan after Harold's death but was brushed aside by William. Edward, or more especially the medieval cult which would later grow up around him under the later Plantagenet kings, had a lasting impact on English history. Westminster Abbey was founded by Edward between 1045 and 1050 on land upstream from the City of London, and was consecrated on December 28, 1065. Centuries later, Westminster was deemed symbolic enough to become the permanent seat of English government under Henry III. The Abbey contains a shrine to Edward which was the centerpiece to the Abbey's redesign during the mid thirteenth century.

Historically, Edward's reign marked a transition between the 10th century West Saxon kingship of England and the Norman monarchy which followed Harold's death. Edward's allegiances were split between England and his mother's Norman ties. The great earldoms established under Canute grew in power, while Norman influence became a powerful factor in government and in the leadership of the Church.

Edward was reported to have the power to heal by touch.

He died 5 January 106, and was interred at the Abbey of Saint Thomas Becket.

He was canonized in 1161, and his memorial is 13 October.

Patronage: difficult marriages, kings, separated spouses.

back

St. Francis of Assisi

Also known as Francis Bernardone, il Poverello.

He is the founder of the Franciscan Order.

Son of Pietro Bernadone, a rich cloth merchant, Francis was born in 1181 at Assisi, Umbria, Italy as Francis Bernardone. Of his mother, Pica, little is known, but she is said to have belonged to a noble family of Provence. Francis was one of several children. The legend that he was born in a stable dates from the fifteenth century only, and appears to have originated in the desire of certain writers to make his life resemble that of Christ.

At baptism the saint received the name of Giovanni, which his father afterwards altered to Francesco, through fondness it would seem for France, whither business had led him at the time of his son's birth. In any case, since the child was renamed in infancy, the change can hardly have had anything to do with his aptitude for learning French, as some have thought.

Though he had a good education and became part of his father's business, he also had a somewhat misspent youth. Certain it is that the saint's early life gave no presage of the golden years that were to come. No one loved pleasure more than Francis. He had a ready wit, sang merrily, delighted in fine clothes and showy display. Handsome, gay, gallant, and courteous, he soon became the prime favourite among the young nobles of Assisi, the foremost in every feat of arms, the leader of the civil revels, the very king of frolic. But even at this time Francis showed an instinctive sympathy with the poor, and though he spent money lavishly, it still flowed in such channels as to attest a princely magnanimity of spirit. He was a Street brawler and some-time soldier.

When about twenty, Francis went out with the townsmen to fight the Perugians in one of the petty skirmishes so frequent at that time between the rival cities. The Assisians were defeated on this occasion, and Francis, being among those taken prisoners, was held captive for more than a year in Perugia. A low fever which he there contracted appears to have turned his thoughts to the things of eternity, and he had a conversion experience, including a reported message from Christ calling him to leave this worldly life. Upon release, Francis began taking his religion seriously.

He took the Gospels as the rule of his life, Jesus Christ as his literal example. He dressed in rough clothes, begged for his sustenance, and preached purity and peace. His family disapproved, and his father disinherited him. Francis formally renounced his wealth and inheritance. He visited hospitals, served the sick, preached in the streets, and took all men and women as siblings. He began to attract followers in 1209, and with papal blessing, founded the Franciscans based on a simple statment by Jesus: "Leave all and follow me."

In 1212 Clare of Assisi became his spiritual student, which led to the founding of the Poor Clares. He visited and preached to the Saracens. He composed songs and hymns to God and nature, and lived with animals, worked with his hands, cared for lepers, cleaned churches, and sent food to thieves. In 1221 he resigned direction of the Franciscans.

While in meditation on Mount Alvernia in the Apennines in September 1224, Francis received the stigmata, which periodically bled during the remaining two years of his life. This miracle has a separate memorial on 17 September.

In the Middle Ages people who believed to be possessed by Beelzebub especially called upon the intercession of Saint Francis, the theory being that he was the demon's opposite number in heaven.

He died 4 October 1226 at Portiuncula, Italy of natural causes. His relics are in Assisi, Italy.

He was canonized 16 July 1228 by Pope Gregory IX.

His memorial is 4 October.

Patronage: against dying alone, against fire, animal welfare societies, animals, Assisi Italy, birds, Catholic Action, Colorado, archdiocese of Denver Colorado, dying alone, ecologists, ecology, environment, environmentalism, environmentalists, families, fire, Franciscan Order, Freising, Germany, Italy, diocese of Kottapuram, India, lacemakers, laceworkers, diocese of Lancaster, England, merchants, diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, needle workers, peace, diocese of Salina, Kansas, archdiocese of San Francisco California, Sante Fe New Mexico, archdiocese of Sante Fe New Mexico, tapestry workers, zoos.

back

St. Jerome

Also Known As Eusebius Hieronymus Sophronius Hieronymus, Girolamo, Hieronymus, Man of the Bible.

He was born, circa 347 at Strido, Dalmatia, to a rich pagan family. He led a misspent youth. Another study says that he was born to Christian parents, but was not baptized until about 360, when he had gone to Rome with his friend Bonosus to pursue his rhetorical and philosophical studies.

A Lawyer, he was converted, in theory, and baptised in 365. He began his study of theology, and had a true conversion. He became a monk, and lived for years as a hermit in the Syrian deserts. He was reported to have drawn a thorn from a lion's paw; the animal stayed loyally at his side for years.

He studied in Rome, became a Priest, and was a student of Saint Gregory of Nazianzen. He was secretary to Pope Damasus I who commissioned him to revise the Latin text of the Bible. The result of his 30 years of work was the Vulgate translation, which is still in use. He is recognized by the Vatican as a Doctor of the Church and Father of the Church.

He was friend and teacher of Saint Paula, Saint Marcella, and Saint Eustochium, an association that led to so much gossip, Jerome left Rome to return to the desert solitude. Lived his last 34 years in the Holy Land as a semi-recluse. He wrote translations of Origen, histories, biographies, and much more. Since his own time, he has been associated in the popular mind with scrolls, writing, cataloging, translating, etc. This led to those who work in such fields taking him as their patron - a man who knew their lives and problems.

He was surrounded by a circle of well-born and well-educated women, including some from the noblest patrician families, such as the widows Marcella and Paula, with their daughters Blaesilla and Eustochium. The resulting inclination of these women for the monastic life, and his unsparing criticism of the life of the secular clergy, brought a growing hostility against him amongst the clergy and their supporters. Soon after the death of his patron Damasus (December 10, 384), and having lost his necessary protection, Jerome left his position at Rome.

In August 385 he returned to Antioch, accompanied by his brother Paulinianus and several friends, and followed a little later by Paula and Eustochium, who had resolved to leave their patrician surroundings and to end their days in the Holy Land. In the winter of 385 Jerome accompanied them and acted as their spiritual adviser. The pilgrims, joined by Bishop Paulinus of Antioch, visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the holy places of Galilee, and then went to Egypt, the home of the great heroes of the ascetic life.

In Alexandria Jerome listened to the blind catechist Didymus the Blind expounding the prophet Hosea and telling his reminiscences of Anthony the Great, who had died thirty years before; he spent some time in Nitria, admiring the disciplined community life of the numerous inhabitants of that "city of the Lord," but detecting even there "concealed serpents," i.e., the influence of the theology of Origen. Late in the summer of 388 he was back in Palestine, and settled down for the remainder of his life in a hermit's cell near Bethlehem, surrounded by a few friends, both men and women (including Paula and Eustochium), to whom he acted as priestly guide and teacher.

Amply provided by Paula with the means of livelihood and of increasing his collection of books, he led a life of incessant activity in literary production. To these last thirty-four years of his career belong the most important of his works -- his version of the Old Testament from the original text, the best of his scriptural commentaries, his catalogue of Christian authors, and the dialogue against the Pelagians, the literary perfection of which even a controversial opponent recognized. To this period also belong the majority of his passionate polemics, which distinguished him among the orthodox Fathers, including notably the treatises occasioned by the Origenistic controversy against Bishop John II of Jerusalem and his early friend Rufinus. As a result of his writings against Pelagianism, a body of excited partisans broke into the monastic buildings, set them on fire, attacked the inmates and killed a deacon, which forced Jerome to seek safety in a neighboring fortress.

Jerome died near Bethlehem on September 30, 420. The date of his death is given by the Chronicon of Prosper of Aquitaine. His remains, originally buried at Bethlehem, are said to have been later translated to the church of Santa Maria Maggiore at Rome, though other places in the West claim some relics.

In the artistic tradition of the Roman Catholic Church it has been usual to represent him, the patron of theological learning, as a cardinal, by the side of the Bishop Augustine, the Archbishop Ambrose, and the Pope Gregory I. Even when he is depicted as a half-clad anchorite, with cross, skull, and Bible for the only furniture of his cell, the red hat or some other indication of his rank is as a rule introduced somewhere in the picture.

His memorial is 30 September.

Patronage: archeologists, archivists, Bible scholars, librarians, libraries, schoolchildren, students, translators.

back

St. Vincent de Paul

Born April 24, 1580 near Ranquine, at Pouy, Landes, Gascony near Dax, southwest France to a peasant family. The town is now known as Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Landes, France.

A highly intelligent youth, Vincent spent four years with the Franciscan friars at Acqs, Turkey, getting an education and taking notice of the poor around him. Tutor to children of a gentlemen in Acqs. He began divinity studies in 1596 at the University of Toulouse. Ordained at age 20.

He studied humanities at Dax with the Cordeliers and he graduated in theology at Toulouse. Vincent de Paul was ordained in 1600, remaining in Toulouse until he went to Marseille for an inheritance. On his way back from Marseille, he was taken captive by Turkish pirates to Tunis, and sold into slavery. After converting his owner to Christianity, Vincent de Paul was freed in 1607.

Returning to France, he devoted his life to help the poor, building large houses for them. He served as parish priest near Paris where he started his organizations to help the poor, nursed the sick, found jobs for the unemployed, etc. Chaplain at the court of Henry IV of France. With Louise de Marillac, founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity. He instituted the Congregation of Priests of the Mission (Lazarists), and worked always for the poor, the enslaved, the abandoned, the ignored, the pariahs.

He was appointed by Louis XIII royal almoner of the galleys allowing him to attempt to improve the conditions of the French peasantry.

He died 1660 at Paris, France, his body incorrupt.

In 1705 the Superior General of the Lazarists requested that the process of his canonization might be instituted. On August 13, 1729, Vincent was declared Blessed by Benedict XIII, and canonized by Clement XII on June 16, 1737. In 1885 Leo XIII gave him as patron to the Sisters of Charity. He is also patron to the Brothers of Charity.

His feast was formerly kept on July 19, but is now observed on September 27 - the day of his death.

Patronage: charitable societies, charitable workers, charities, horses, hospital workers, hospitals, lepers, leprosy, lost articles, Madagascar, prisoners, diocese of Richmond Virginia, spiritual help, Saint Vincent de Paul Societies, Vincentian Service Corps, volunteers.

back

St. Dominic de Guzman

Born 1170 of wealthy Spanish nobility at Caleruega, half-way between Osma and Aranda in Old Castile, Spain, he was the son of Blessed Joan of Aza. He was named after the patron saint of the Benedictine Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos, a few miles north of Caleruega.When she was pregnant, his mother dreamed she saw her son under the figure of a black-and-white dog, and that he would set the world on fire with a torch it carried in its mouth. A dog with a torch in its mouth became a symbol for the order which he founded, the Dominicans. At Dominic's baptism, Blessed Joan saw a star shining from his chest, which became another of his symbols in art, and led to his patronage of astronomy.

Dominic was educated in the schools of Palencia, afterwards a university, where he devoted six years to the arts and four to theology. In 1191, when Spain was desolated by a terrible famine, Dominic was just finishing his theological studies. He gave away his money and sold his clothes, his furniture and even his precious manuscripts, that he might relieve distress. When his companions expressed astonishment that he should sell his books, Dominic replied: "Would you have me study off these dead skins, when men are dying of hunger?" This utterance belongs to the few of Dominic's sayings that have passed to posterity. In 1194, around twenty-five years old, Dominic became a canon regular, in the diocese of Osma, under the rule of Saint Augustine.

His gifts made him the ideal companion of his bishop, Don Diego, when he was sent on a diplomatic mission for the king of Castile in order to secure a bride in Sweden for the crown prince of Spain. The mission made its way to Sweden via the south of France. When they crossed the Pyrenees, Dominic and Diego encountered the Albigensians.

They found themselves in an atmosphere of heresy. The country was filled with preachers of strange doctrines, who had little respect for Dominic, his bishop, or their Roman pontiff. The experiences of this journey inspired in Dominic a desire to aid in the extermination of heresy. He was also deeply impressed by an important and significant observation. Many of these heretical preachers were not ignorant fanatics, but well-trained and cultured men. Entire communities seemed to be possessed by a desire for knowledge and for righteousness. Dominic clearly perceived that only preachers of a high order, capable of advancing reasonable argument, could overthrow the Albigensian heresy.

Returning from Northern Europe after finding that the intended bride had died, Diego and Dominic stayed a number of years in the south of France working among the Albigensians. Diego was forced by the pope to return to his diocese, and Dominic remained in France. There Dominic first gathered a group of women who had left the Albigensians and formed them into a religious community dedicated to the care of young girls. This community of Dominican women still exists.

In 1208 Dominic visited Languedoc a second time, and on his way he encountered the papal legates returning in pomp to Rome, foiled in their attempt to crush this growing schism. To them he administered his famous rebuke: "It is not the display of power and pomp, cavalcades of retainers, and richly-houseled palfreys, or by gorgeous apparel, that the heretics win proselytes. It is by zealous preaching, by apostolic humility, by austerity, by seeming, it is true, but by seeming holiness. Zeal must be met by zeal, humility by humility, false sanctity by real sanctity, preaching falsehood by preaching truth."

At one point Dominic became discouraged at the progress of his mission; no matter how much he worked, the heresies remained. But he received a vision from Our Lady who showed him a wreath of roses, representing the rosary. She told him to say the rosary daily, teach it to all who would listen, and eventually the true faith would win out. Dominic is often credited with the invention of the rosary; it actually pre-dates him, but he certainly spread devotion to it, and used it to strengthen his own spiritual life.

Reported miracle worker who brought four people back from the dead. Legend says that Dominic received a vision of a beggar who, like Dominic, would do great things for the Faith. Dominic met the beggar the next day. He embraced him and said, "You are my companion and must walk with me. If we hold together, no earthly power can withstand us." The beggar was Saint Francis of Assisi.

In 1214, Dominic established himself, with six followers, in the house of Peter Cellani, a rich resident of Toulouse. Eleven years of active and public life had passed since the Subprior of Osma had forsaken the quietude of the monastery. He now resumed his life of retirement and subjected himself and his companions to the monastic rules of prayer and penance. But the restless spirit of the man could not long remain content with the seclusion and inactivity of a monk's life. The scheme of establishing an order of Preaching Friars began to assume definite shape in his mind. He dreamed of seven stars enlightening the world, which represented himself and his six friends.

The final result of his deliberations was the organization of his order. In 1215, the year of the Fourth Lateran Council, Dominic went to Rome to secure the approval of the pope, Innocent III. It was not formally confirmed until 1216 by Honorius III. Dominic's order was called The Order of Preachers, or more popularly known as the Dominican Order.

Dominic now made his headquarters at Rome, although he traveled extensively in the interests of his growing brotherhood of monks. He was made Master of the Sacred Palace, who functions as the personal theologian to the popes. It has ever since been occupied by members of the Dominican Order.

Throughout his life Dominic is said to have zealously practiced rigorous self-denial. He wore a hair shirt, and an iron chain around his loins, which he never laid aside, even in sleep. He abstained from meat and observed stated fasts and periods of silence. He selected the worst accommodations and the meanest clothes, and never allowed himself the luxury of a bed. When traveling, he beguiled the journey with spiritual instruction and prayers. As soon as he passed the limits of towns and villages, he took off his shoes, and, however sharp the stones or thorns, he trudged on his way barefooted. Rain and other discomforts elicited from his lips nothing but praises to God.

Death came at the age of fifty-one and found him exhausted with the austerities and labors of his eventful career. He had reached the convent of St. Nicholas, at Bologna, Italy, weary and sick with a fever. He refused the repose of a bed and bade the monks lay him on some sacking stretched upon the ground. The brief time that remained to him was spent in exhorting his followers to have charity, to guard their humility, and to make their treasure out of poverty. Lying in ashes upon the floor he passed away at noon, on the sixth of August, 1221.

He was Canonized 13 July 1234 by Pope Gregory IX at Rieti, Italy, his Memorial is 8 August.

His name Means belonging to God.

Patronage: astronomers, astronomy, prelature of Batanes-Babuyanes, Philippines, diocese of Bayombong, Philippines, Dominican Republic, falsely accused people, scientists.

back

St. James the Great

Also known as one of the Sons of Thunder, Saint James the Moor slayer, Jacobus Major, Iago, Santiago.

Saint James the Great, "Holder of the heel, supplanter", was the son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of Saint John the Apostle, and may have been Jesus' cousin. He is called "the Greater" to distinguish him from the other apostles named James (St. James the Less & James the Just). Apparent disciple of Saint John the Baptist, he was one of the disciples of Jesus. He and his brother were fisherman, and the Synoptic Gospels state they were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to begin traveling. James and John were called Boanerges, or the "Sons of Thunder". they left everything when Christ called them to be fishers of men. James was present during most of the recorded miracles of Christ. He preached in Samaria, Judea, and Spain, and was the first Apostle to be martyred.

The pilgrimage to his relics in Compostela became such a popular devotion that the symbols of pilgrims have become his emblems, and he became patron of pilgrims. His work in Spain, and the housing of his relics there, led to his patronage of the country and all things Spanish. For centuries, the Spanish army rode to battle with the cry "Santiago!" ("Saint James!").

Like all men of renown, many stories grew up around James. In one, he brought back to life a boy who had been unjustly hanged, and had been dead for five weeks. The boy's father was notified of the miracle while he sat at supper. The father pronounced the story nonsense, and said his son was no more alive than the roasted fowl on the table. The cooked bird promptly sat up, sprouted feathers, and flew away.

He died 44 at Jerusalem, stabbed with a sword by King Herod Agrippa. Legend says his body was taken by angels, and sailed in a rudderless, unattended boat to Spain where a massive rock closed around it. He is venerated in All christianity

Canonized Pre-Congregation.

Memorial 25 July, formerly 5 August.

Patronage against arthritis, against rheumatism, Antigua, Guatemala, apothecaries, arthritis sufferers, diocese of Bangued, Philippines, blacksmiths, Chile, Compostela, Spain, druggists, equestrians, furriers, Galicia, Spain, Guatemala, horsemen, knights, laborers, Loiza, Puerto Rico, Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montreal, Canada, Nicaragua, pharmacists, pilgrims, Pistoia, Italy, rheumatoid sufferers, riders, Sahuayo, Mexico, soldiers, Spain, Spanish conquistadors, tanners, veterinarians.

back

St. Brigid of Ireland

Also known as Bride, Bride of the Isles, Bridget of Ireland, Bridget, Brigid of Kildare Brigit, Ffraid, Mary of the Gael, but according to the Catholic dictionary of Saints, iIncorrectly known as Bridget.

Daughter of Dubtach, pagan Scottish king of Leinster, and Brocca, a Christian Pictish slave who had been baptized by Saint Patrick, she was born in 453 at Faughart, County Louth, Ireland. Just before Brigid's birth, her mother was sold to a Druid landowner. Brigid remained with her mother till she was old enough to serve her legal owner Dubtach, her father.

She grew up marked by her high spirits and tender heart, and as a child, she heard Saint Patrick preach, which she never forgot. She could not bear to see anyone hungry or cold, and to help them, often gave away things that were Dubtach's. When Dubtach protested, she replied that "Christ dwelt in every creature". Dubtach tried to sell her to the King of Leinster, and while they bargained, she gave a treasured sword of her father's to a leper. Dubtach was about to strike her when Brigid explained she had given the sword to God through the leper, because of its great value. The King, a Christian, forbade Dubtach to strike her, saying "Her merit before God is greater than ours". Dubtach solved this domestic problem by giving Brigid her freedom.

Brigid returned to her father, who arranged a marriage for her with a young bard. Bride refused, and to keep her virginity, went to Bishop Mel, a pupil of Saint Patrick's, and took her first vows. Legend says that she prayed that her beauty be taken from her so no one would seek her hand in marriage; her prayer was granted, and she regained her beauty only after making her vows. Refusing many good offers of marriage, she became a nun and received the veil from St. Macaille. With seven other virgins she settled for a time at the foot of Croghan Hill, but removed thence to Druin Criadh, in the plains of Magh Life, where under a large oak tree she erected her subsequently famous Convent of Cill-Dara, that is, "the church of the oak" (now Kildare), in the present county of that name.

Another tale says that when Saint Patrick heard her final vows, he mistakenly used the form for ordaining priests. When told of it he replied, "So be it, my son, she is destined for great things."

Though her first convent started with seven nuns. At the invitation of bishops, she started convents all over Ireland. She was a great traveller, especially considering the conditions of the time, which led to her patronage of travellers, sailors, etc. Brigid invented the double monastery, the monastery of Kildare that she ran on the Liffey river being for both monks and nuns. Saint Conleth became its first bishop; this connection and the installation of a bell that lasted over 1000 years apparently led to her patronage of blacksmiths and those in related fields.

Not alone was St. Bridget a patroness of students, but she also founded a school of art, including metal work and illumination, over which St. Conleth presided. Even allowing for the exaggerated stories told of St. Brigid by her numerous biographers, it is certain that she ranks as one of the most remarkable Irishwomen of the fifth century and as the Patroness of Ireland. She is lovingly called the "Queen of the South: the Mary of the Gael" by a writer in the "Leabhar Breac". St. Brigid died leaving a cathedral city and school that became famous all over Europe.

Viewing the biography of St. Brigid from a critical standpoint we must allow a large margin for the vivid Celtic imagination and the glosses of medieval writers, but still the personality of the founder of Kildare stands out clearly, and we can with tolerable accuracy trace the leading events in her life, by a careful study of the old "Lives" as found in Colgan. It seems certain that Faughart, associated with memories of Queen Meave (Medhbh), was the scene of her birth, and Faughart Church was founded by St. Morienna in honour of St. Brigid. The old well of St. Brigid's adjoining the ruined church is of the most venerable antiquity, and still attracts pilgrims.

As to St. Brigid's stay in Connacht, especially in the County Roscommon, there is ample evidence in the "Trias Thaumaturga", as also in the many churches founded by her in the Diocese of Elphim. Her friendship with St. Patrick is attested by the "Book of Armagh", a precious manuscript of the eighth century, the authenticity of which is beyond question. The book states: "Between St. Patrick and St. Brigid, the columns of the Irish, there was so great a friendship of charity that they had but one heart and one mind. Through him and through her Christ performed many miracles". At Armagh there was a "Templum Brigidis"; namely the little abbey church known as "Regles Brigid", which contained some relics of the saint, destroyed in 1179, by William Fitz Aldelm. It may be added that the original manuscript of Cogitosus's "Life of Brigid", or the "Second Life", dating from the closing years of the eighth century, is now in the Dominican friary at Eichstatt in Bavaria.

She died 1 February 523 at Kildare, Ireland of natural causes and was buried in Downpatrick, Ireland with Saint Patrick and Saint Columba. Her head was removed to Jesuit church in Lisbon, Portugal.

She was Canonized Pre-Congregation.

Her Memorial is 1 February or 10 June (translation of relics).

Her name means fiery arrow.

Patronage: babies, blacksmiths, boatmen, cattle, chicken farmers, children whose parents are not married, dairymaids, dairy workers, fugitives, infants, Ireland, Leinster, Ireland, mariners, midwives, milk maids, newborn babies, nuns, poets, poultry farmers, poultry raisers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, travellers; watermen.

back

St. Barnabas the Apostle

Also known as Joseph.

Paul was a Levite Jewish convert, coming to the faith soon after Pentecost, taking the name Barnabas. and was one of the first prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch. Luke speaks of him as a "good man". Though not of the chosen Twelve, Barnabas is mentioned frequently in the Acts, and is included among the prophets and doctors at Antioch. He is considered an Apostle.

He was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. His aunt was the mother of John, surnamed Mark. He was a native of Cyprus, where he had a possession of land, which he sold, and gave the proceeds to the church in Jerusalem. A companion of Saint Paul, he introduced him to the Apostles. When Paul returned to Jerusalem after his conversion, Barnabas took him and introduced him to the apostles. It is possible that they had been fellow students in the school of Gamaliel.

The prosperity of the church at Antioch led the apostles and brethren at Jerusalem to send Barnabas there to superintend the movement. He found the work so extensive and weighty that he went to Tarsus in search of Paul to assist him. Paul returned with him to Antioch and labored with him for a whole year. At the end of this period, the two were sent up to Jerusalem, this about AD 44, with the contributions the church at Antioch had made for the poorer brethren there.

Shortly after they returned, bringing John Mark with them, they were appointed as missionaries to Asia Minor, and in this capacity visited Cyprus and some of the principal cities of Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia. With the conversion of Sergius Paulus, Paul begins to gain prominence over Barnabas from the point where the name "Paul" is substituted for "Saul". Instead of "Barnabas and Saul" as heretofore it is "Paul and Barnabas" in the scriptures.

Barnabas stood in closer relation to the Jerusalem church than Paul. Paul appears as the preaching missionary, whence the Lystrans regarded him as Hermes, Barnabas as Zeus. Returning from this first missionary journey to Antioch, they were again sent up to Jerusalem to consult with the church there regarding the relation of Gentiles to the church. According to Galations 2:9-10, Barnabas was included with Paul in the agreement made between them, on the one hand, and James, Peter, and John, on the other, that the two former should in the future preach to the pagans, not forgetting the poor at Jerusalem. This matter having been settled, they returned again to Antioch, bringing the agreement of the council that Gentiles were to be admitted into the church.

Having returned to Antioch and spent some time there, Paul asked Barnabas to accompany him on another journey. Barnabas wished to take John Mark along, but Paul did not, as he had left them on the former journey. The dispute ended by Paul and Barnabas taking separate routes. Paul took Silas as his companion, and journeyed through Syria and Cilicia, while Barnabas took his nephew John Mark to visit Cyprus.

Barnabas is not again mentioned by Luke in the Acts. However, in Galations 2:13 a little more is learned about him, and his weakness under the taunts of the Jewish Christians is evident. From 1 Corinthians 9:6 it may be gathered that he continued to labor as missionary.

He died martyred in c.61 at Salamis. At the time of his death he was carrying a copy of the Gospel of Saint Matthew he'd copied by hand.

His name means son of encouragement or son of consolation.

His memorial 11 Jun.

Patronage: against hailstorms, Antioch, Cyprus, invoked as peacemaker.

back

St. Joan of Arc

Also known as Jean D'arc, Jeanne d'Arc, Jehanne Darc, Maid of Orleans.

She was born 6 January 1412 at Greux-Domremy, Lorraine, France, one of five children of Jacques d'Arc and Isabelle Romee. She was a shepherdess, and a mystic. From age 13 she received visions from Saint Margaret of Antioch, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and Michael the Archangel.

She is a national heroine of France and a Saint of the Catholic Church. In the early 15th century, England, in alliance with Burgundy, controlled most of what is modern France. In May 1428 Joan's visions told her to find the true king of France and help him reclaim his throne. She resisted for more than three years, but finally, in 1429, went to Charles VII in Chinon and told him of her visions. She convinced the uncrowned king to give her a suit of armor and permission to relieve the siege at Orléans. At first treated as a figurehead by veteran commanders, she gained prominence when she lifted the siege in only nine days.Carrying a banner that read "Jesus, Mary", she led troops from one battle to another.

After several other engagements and an important victory at Patay, she led a bloodless expedition to Rheims for Charles VII's coronation. This settled the disputed royal succession and recovered important territory. The renewed French confidence outlasted her own brief career. She was severely wounded, but her victories from 23 February 1429 to 23 May 1430 brought Charles VII to the throne.

Captured by the Burgundians during the defence of Compiegne, she was sold to the English for 10 thousand francs. She was put on trial by an ecclesiastical court conducted by Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais, a supporter of England, and was excuted as a heretic. John, Duke of Bedford had her burnt at the stake in Rouen. She had been the heroine of her country at the age of seventeen. She died at just nineteen.

Some twenty-four years later Pope Callixtus III reopened the case. The new finding overturned the original conviction, and her piety to the end impressed the retrial court. Pope Benedict XV canonized her on 16 May, 1920.

Joan's trial for heresy was political. The Duke of Bedford claimed the throne of France for his nephew Henry VI, and she was responsible for the rival coronation. Condemning her was an attempt to discredit her king. Legal proceedings commenced on 9 January 1431[4] at Rouen, the seat of the English occupation government. The procedure was irregular on a number of points.

To summarize some major problems, the jurisdiction of promoter bishop Cauchon was a legal fiction. He owed his appointment to his partisanship. The entire trial was financed by the English government. Clerical notary Nicolas Bailly, commissioned to collect testimony against her, could find no adverse evidence. Without this the court lacked grounds to initiate a trial. Opening one anyway, it denied her right to a legal advisor.

Nonetheless, her testimony was brilliant. The transcript's most famous exchange is an exercise in subtlety. Asked if she knew she was in God's grace, she answered: "If I am not, may God put me there, and if I am, may God so keep me." The question is a scholarly trap. Church doctrine held that no one could be certain of being in God's grace. If she had answered yes, then she would have convicted herself of heresy. If she had answered no, then she would have confessed her own guilt. Her response was not only perfect but poetic.

Several court functionaries later testified that significant portions of the transcript were altered in her disfavor. Many clerics served under compulsion, including the inquisitor, and a few even received death threats from the English. Joan should have been confined to an ecclesiastical prison with female guards. Instead the English kept her in a secular prison guarded by their own soldiers. Bishop Cauchon denied Jeanne's appeals to the Council of Basel and the Pope, which should have stopped his proceeding.

The twelve articles of accusation that summarize the court's finding contradict the already doctored court record. Illiterate Joan signed an abjuration document she did not understand under threat of immediate execution. The court substituted a different abjuration in the official record.

Heresy was a capital crime only for a repeat offense. Joan agreed to wear women's clothes when she abjured. Shortly afterward she was subject to a sexual assault in prison, possibly by an English lord. This does not appear to have been rape. She resumed male attire either as a defense against molestation or, in the testimony of Jean Massieu, because her dress had been stolen and she was left with nothing else to wear.

Eyewitnesses described the scene of the execution on 30 May 1431. Tied to a tall pillar, she asked two of the clergy, Martin Ladvenu and Isambart de la Pierre, to hold a crucifix before her. She repeatedly called out "...in a loud voice the holy name of Jesus, and implored and invoked without ceasing the aid of the saints of Paradise." After she expired the English raked back the coals to expose her charred body so that no one could claim she had escaped alive, then reduced the body to ashes to prevent any collection of relics. They cast her remains into the Seine. The executioner, Geoffroy Therage, confessed to having "...a great fear of being damned, as he had burned a saint."

After Charles VII regained Rouen in November 1449, the investigation began with an inquest by the clergyman Guillaume Bouille, Inquisitor-General Jean Brehal conducted an investigation in 1452, and the formal appeal was initiated in November 1455. Pope Callixtus III authorized this appeal, known today as the "Rehabilitation Trial," at the request of Brehal and surviving members of Joan's family. The appellate process included clergy from throughout Europe and observed proper court procedure. After collecting testimony from 115 witnesses, theologians gave opinions. Brehal drew up his final summary of the case in June 1456. This describes Joan as a martyr and her judges as heretics for having convicted an innocent woman in the pursuit of a secular vendetta. The court declared her innocence on 7 July 1456.

Several impostors arose in the years following Joan of Arc's death. The most successful of these, Jeanne de Armoises, won the support of two of Joan's brothers and carried on the charade for four years until she met the king.

The Hundred Years' War continued for 22 years after Joan's death. Most modern historians consider the Treaty of Arras in 1435 and the weak rulership of England's Henry VI to be greater factors in ending the conflict. Kelly deVries argues that Joan's aggressive use of artillery and frontal assaults influenced French tactics for the remainder of the war. All agree that Joan of Arc had a profound effect on French patriotism. She is among the earliest successful exponents of nationalism to emerge from the feudal era.

She died burned alive on 30 May 1431 at Rouen, France.

She was Beatified 11 April 1905 by Pope Saint Pius X, and Canonized 16 May 1920 by Pope Benedict XV.

Her memorial is 30 May.

Her name means God is gracious.

Patronage: captives, France, imprisoned people, martyrs, opposition of Church authorities, people ridiculed for their piety, prisoners, rape victims, soldiers, WACs, WAVES, Women Appointed for Voluntary Emergency Service, Women's Army Corps.

back

St. Augustine of Canterbury

Also known as Apostle to the Anglo-Saxons, Apostle to the English, Austin.

Augustine of Canterbury, birthdate unknown but born at Rome, Italy, was the first Archbishop of Canterbury. He was a monk and abbot of Saint Andrew's abbey in Rome. Sent to Pope Gregory the Great with 40 brother monks, to evangelize the Briti