இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் ஆகஸ்ட் 27

 St. Margaret the Barefooted

Feastday: August 27

Patron: of brides, difficult marriages, victims of abuse, widows

Birth: 1325

Death: 1395

Wife and model of charity. She was born into a poor family at San Severino, Ancona, Italy. Married at fifteen, she suffered through ill treatment from her husband with prayer, while begging alms for the poor and sick. She walked as barefooted as the lowliest beggar.

Margaret the Barefooted (1325–1395) was born into a poor family in San Severino, Italy.[1] She was abused by her husband for years because of her dedication to the Church and to helping the poor and sick. She walked barefooted as a beggar to better associate herself with the poor. She died widowed in 1395 of natural causes.

Saint Monica

✠ புனிதர் மோனிக்கா ✠

(St. Monica)

தாய், கைம்பெண், உறுதிமொழி ஏற்காத மறைப்பணியாளர்:

(Mother, Widow, Religious Lay Woman)

பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 332

தகாஸ்தே, நுமிடியா, ரோமப் பேரரசு

(Thagaste, Numidia, Roman Empire)

இறப்பு: கி.பி. 387

ஓஸ்தியா, இத்தாலி, ரோமப் பேரரசு

(Ostia, Italy, Roman Empire)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Eastern Orthodox Church)

ஆங்கிலிக்கன் சமூகம்

(Anglican Communion)

லூதரனியம்

(Lutheranism)

ஓரியண்டல் மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Oriental Orthodox Church)

முக்கிய திருத்தலம்:

தூய அகுஸ்தினார் திருத்தலம், ரோம், இத்தாலி

(Basilica of Sant'Agostino, Rome, Italy)

நினைவுத் திருவிழா: ஆகஸ்ட் 27

பாதுகாவல்:

திருமண பிரச்சினைகள், ஏமாற்றமடையும் குழந்தைகள், பாலியல் வன்கொடுமை அல்லது துரோகத்தால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள், (வாய்மொழி) துஷ்பிரயோகம் மற்றும் உறவினர்களின் மனமாற்றம், பொய்க் குற்றச்சாட்டினாலும் வதந்திகளாலும் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்கள், பிலிப்பைன்ஸ், ஐக்கிய அமெரிக்க நாடுகள்

புனிதர் மோனிக்கா, “ஹிப்போவின் மோனிக்கா” (Monica of Hippo) என்று அறியப்படுகிறவரும், ஆதி கிறிஸ்தவ புனிதரும் ஆவார். இவர், புனிதரும், மறைவல்லுநருமான புனிதர் அகுஸ்தீனுடைய (St. Augustine of Hippo) தாயாருமாவார். புனிதர் அகுஸ்தீன் எழுதிய சுயசரித நூலில் (Confessions), தம் மனமாற்றம் பற்றி எழுதுவதோடு அந்த மனமாற்றத்துக்குத் துணைபுரிந்த தன் அன்னையாகிய மோனிக்காவின் புனிதத்தையும் வெகுவாகவே போற்றியுள்ளார்.

வாழ்க்கை குறிப்பு:

மோனிக்காவின் பெயரிலிருந்து அவர் “பேர்பர்” (Berber) இனத்தவர் என நம்பப்படுகின்றது. இவர் இளவயதிலேயே “பேட்ரீசியஸ்” (Patricius) என்னும் “ரோம-பேகனியருக்கு” திருமணம் செய்துவைக்கப்பட்டார். “பேட்ரீசியஸ்”, அல்ஜீரியாவில் அரசு சார்ந்த பதவி வகித்து வந்தார். “பேட்ரீசியஸ்” வன்முறை, கோபம் போன்ற குணங்களைக் கொண்டிருந்ததோடு ஒழுங்கீன பழக்கவழக்கங்கள் கொண்டவராக இருந்தார். இதனால் கிறிஸ்தவரான மோனிக்காவின் மணவாழ்வு அமைதியின்றி இருந்தது. மோனிகாவின் உதாரகுணம், செயல்பாடுகள் மற்றும் பிரார்த்தனை பழக்கங்கள் பேட்ரிசியஸைக் கோபமூட்டின. ஆனாலும், அவர் மோனிக்காவை மரியாதையுடனேயே நடத்தினார் என்று கூறப்படுகிறது.

இவர்களுக்கு மூன்று குழந்தைகள் பிறந்தனர். மூத்தவர் “அகுஸ்தீன்” (Augustine); இரண்டாமவர் “நவீஜியஸ்” (Navigius); மூன்றாவது பெண்குழந்தை “பெர்பெச்சுவா” (Perpetua). தன் கணவரின் அனுமதி கிடைக்காததால் இவர்களுக்கு மோனிக்காவால் திருமுழுக்கு கொடுக்க இயலவில்லை. இளவயதினில் அகுஸ்தீன் நோய்வாய்ப்பட்டபோது, திருமுழுக்கு கொடுக்க இணங்கினாலும், உடல் நலம் தேறியதும், பேட்ரிசியஸ் தன் மனதை மாற்றிக் கொண்டார்.

அகுஸ்தீன் “மடௌரஸ்” (Madauros) நகருக்கு கல்விகற்க அனுப்பப்பட்டார். இவ்வேளையில் பேட்ரீசியஸ் மனமாறி கிறிஸ்தவரானார். பேட்ரீசியஸ் மனமாறிய சில நாட்களிலேயே இறந்தார். தமது பதினேழு வயதில், “கார்தேஜ்” (Carthage) நகருக்கு அணியிலக்கணம் (Rhetoric) கற்க சென்ற அகுஸ்தீன், அங்கே ஒழுக்கமற்ற வாழ்வை வாழத் தொடங்கினார்.

அங்கே அகுஸ்தீன் “மனிச்செஸ்ம்” (Manichaeism) எனும் புதிய மதத்தைத் தழுவி தம் தாயாரை மனம் நோகச் செய்தார். மகனுடைய போக்கினால் வேதனையுற்ற மோனிக்கா கிறிஸ்தவ சமயத் தலைவராகிய ஒரு புனித ஆயரிடம் சென்று ஆலோசனை கேட்டார். அவர் மோனிக்காவிடம், "இவ்வளவு கண்ணீர் வழிந்தோடக் காரணமாக இருந்த மகன் ஒருநாள் மனம் திரும்புவார்" என்று கூறிய சொற்கள் வரலாற்றில் சிறப்புப் பெற்றவை.

அகுஸ்தீன் அன்றைய உலகின் கலாச்சார மையமாக இருந்த ரோம் நகருக்கு யாரிடமும் சொல்லாமல் பயணமாகிச் சென்றார். இதை அறிந்த மோனிக்கா மகனைத் தேடி ரோமுக்குச் சென்றார். அதற்குள் அகுஸ்தீன் மிலன் (Milan) சென்றுவிட்டார். அங்கேயும் மோனிக்கா மகனைப் பின்தொடர்ந்தார். மிலன் நகர பேராயரான அம்புரோசால் (Ambrose) மனமாற்றம் அடைந்த அகுஸ்தீன், 17 வருட எதிர்ப்புக்குப் பின் திருமுழுக்கு பெற்றார். அகுஸ்தீன் எழுதிய சுயசரித நூலாகிய " ஒப்புதல்கள்” (Confessions) என்னும் புத்தகத்தில் தம் இளமைக்கால அனுபவங்களையும் தாம் தவறான வழியில் சென்றதையும் பின் தன் தாயின் இறை வேண்டுதலால் மனம் மாறியதையும் விரிவாக விளக்கியுள்ளார்.

இறப்பு:

இத்தாலி நாட்டை விட்டு ஆப்பிரிக்காவுக்குப் பயணமாகச் செல்லுவதற்கு அகுஸ்தீனும் மோனிக்காவும் ரோம் நகரின் துறைமுகமாகிய “ஓஸ்டியா” (Ostia) நகரில் காத்திருந்தபோது மோனிக்கா நோய்வாய்ப்பட்டு மரித்தார். ஓஸ்டியா நகரிலேயே அவர் அடக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டார். அவரது கல்லறை சிறிதுகாலம் கவனிப்பாரற்றுக் கிடந்தாலும், 6ம் நூற்றாண்டில் மோனிக்காவின் மீப்பொருள்கள் ஓஸ்டியாவில் புனித அவுரா என்பவர் கோவிலுக்குக் கொண்டுசெல்லப்பட்டு அங்கு புனித அவுரா கல்லறை அருகே மோனிக்கா அடக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டார்.

Profile

Raised in a Christian family, she was given in marriage to a bad-tempered, adulterous pagan named Patricius. Mother of two, one of whom is Saint Augustine of Hippo whose writings about her are the primary source of our information about Monica. She prayed constantly for the conversion of her husband (who converted on his death bed), and of her son (who converted after a wild life). Spiritual student of Saint Ambrose of Milan. Reformed alcoholic.

Born

322 at Tagaste (Souk Ahrus), Roman North Africa (modern Algeria)

Died

387 at Ostia, Italy

Patronage

• alcoholics, alcoholism

• difficult marriages

• disappointing children

• homemakers, housewives

• married women, wives

• mothers

• victims of adultery or unfaithfulness

• victims of verbal abuse

• widows

• Archconfraternity of Christian Mothers

• Bevilacqua, Italy

• Mabini, Bohol, Philippines

Saint Monica, also known as Monica of Hippo, is St. Augustine of Hippo's mother. She was born in 331 A.D. in Tagaste, which is present-day Algeria.

When she was very young, she was married off to the Roman pagan Patricius, who shared his mother's violent temper. Patricius' mother lived with the couple and the duo's temper flares proved to be a constant challenge to young Monica.

While Monica's prayers and Christian deeds bothered Patricius, he is said to have respected her beliefs.

Three children were born to Monica and Patricius: Augustine, Navigius, and Perpetua. Unfortunately, Monica was unable to baptize her children and when Augustine fell ill, Monica pleaded with Patricius to allow their son to be baptized.

Patricius allowed it, but when Augustine was healthy again, he withrew his permission.

For years Monica prayed for her husband and mother-in-law, until finally, one year before Patricius' death, she successfully converted them.

As time passed, Perpetua and Navigius entered the religious life, but unfortunately Augustine became lazy and uncouth. This greatly worried Monica, so when Patricius died, she sent the 17-year-old Augustine to Carthage for schooling.

While in Carthage, Augustine became a Manichaean, which was a major religion that saw the world as light and darkness, and when one died, they were removed from the world of matter and returned to the world of light, which is where life comes from.

After Augustine got his education and returned home, he shared his views with Monica, who drove him from her table. Though it is not recorded how much time passed, Monica had a vision that convinced her to reconcile with her wayward son.

Monica went to a bishop, who told her, "the child of those tears shall never perish."

Inspired, Monica followed Augustine to Rome, where she learned he had left for Milan. She continued her persual and eventually came upon St. Ambrose, who helped her convert Augustine to Christianity following his seventeen-year resistance.

Augustine later wrote a book called Confessions, in which he wrote of Monica's habit of bringing "to certain oratories, erected in the memory of the saints, offerings of porridge, bread, water and wine."

When Monica moved to Milan, a bishop named Ambrose told her wine "might be an occasion of gluttony for those who were already given to drink," so she stopped preparing wine as offerings for the saints.

Augustine wrote: "In place of a basket filled with fruits of the earth, she had learned to bring to the oratories of the martyrs a heart full of purer petitions, and to give all that she could to the poor - so that the communion of the Lord's body might be rightly celebrated in those places where, after the example of his passion, the martyrs had been sacrificed and crowned."

After a period of six months, Augustine was baptized in the church of St. John the Baptist at Milan. The pair were led to believe they should spread the Word of God to Africa, but it the Roman city of Civitavecchia, Monica passed away.

Augustine recorded the words she imparted upon him when she realized death was near. "Son, nothing in this world now affords me delight. I do not know what there is now left for me to do or why I am still here, all my hopes in this world being now fulfilled."

She was buried at Ostia, and her body was removed during the 6th century to a hidden crypt in the church of Santa Aurea in Osta, near the tomb of St. Aurea of Ostia.

In 1430, Pope Martin V ordered her relics to be brought to Rome and many miracles were reported to have occurred along the way. Later, Cardinal d'Estouteville built a church to honor St. Augustine called the Basilica di Sant'Agostino, where her relics were placed in a chapel to the left of the high altar.

Her funeral epitaph survived in ancient manuscripts and the stone it was originally written on was discovered in the church of Santa Aurea in 1945.

Saint Poemen

Also known as

Pastor, Shepherd

Profile

Leader of a group of hermits in the desert of Skete in Egypt, living in the abandoned ruins of a pagan temple at Terenuth. Noted for his strong discipline, permitting himself and his brothers four hours of sleep a day, spending the rest of the time in chores, prayers or study. One of the very few survivors of barbarian raids in 407. Urged frequent Communion for all; had a way with words and was known for his wise sayings.

Died

c.450 of natural causes

Blessed Dominic Barberi

Also known as

• Dominic of the Mother of God

• Apostle to England

Profile

Born to a poor farm family, orphaned by age eight, and raised by an aunt and uncle on a farm in Merlano, Italy. An uneducated shepherd boy, he spent his time with the flocks in prayer. Met many Passionist priests exiled from France during the repressions of Napoleon. During prayers with them he received a divine message that he would work in northern Europe and England. One day in 1814, just before he entered into an arranged marriage, he slipped away from his family and joined the Passionists, taking the name Dominic of the Mother of God.

Though he had no education, Dominic proved to be an excellent student, quick to grasp philosophy and theology. Ordained in Rome on 1 March 1821. Teacher and spiritual director, writer on theology and homiletics. One of his works was based on the idea of bringing modern science to philosphical studies; condemned in its day, it's now seen as preparing the way for some of the reforms of Pope Leo XIII. Feeling always drawn to England, he worked to learn English, and met with any English visitors to Rome that he could find.

Delegate to the general chapter of his Order in 1833. With Father Peter Magagnotto, Father Seraphim Giammaria, and Brother Crispin Cotta, he established the first Passionist presence at Ere, Belgium in 1840, the first Passionist monastery outside Italy. Dominic, however, continued to press the need for work in England, and he was finally assigned to work there, establishing the first residence during Holy Week of 1842. Tireless preacher and home missioner, working for the return of anti-Catholic England to unity with Rome. Received many to the faith including John Henry Cardinal Newman's conversion to Catholicism and Father George Spencer's entrance to the Passionists; both their Causes for beatification are being investigated.

Born

22 June 1792 at Viterbo, Italy

Died

• 3pm 27 August 1849 at Reading, Berkshire, England of a heart attack

• buried in the Passionist church in Saint Helen's, Lancashire, England

Beatified

27 October 1963 by Pope Paul VI at Rome, Italy

Saint Caesarius of Arles

Profile

Brother of Saint Caesaria of Arles. Entered the monastery at Lérins at age 18, and worked as his house's cellarer. His devotion to duty earned him the enmity of some of his brother monks who were too interested in the house wines. Illness forced him to leave the monastery, and while he recovered in Arles, his uncle Eonus, bishop of Arles, had him transferred from Lérins.

Priest. Spent three years reforming a monastery that had lost discipline. Reluctant bishop of Arles in 503; he would rule his see for 40 years. Noted reformer and opponent of Arianism in his see, he presided over several synods where he insisted on discipline and orthodox teaching. He regularly visited his parishes, and was a successful preacher; several of his sermons have survived to today. He ordered that the Divine Office be sung every day in his churches. Built a convent in Arles with his sister as abbess, and wrote a rule for its nuns. His work restored confidence his clergy, and brought many back to the faith. Spiritual teacher of Saint Cyprian, whom he consecrated as bishop.

In 505 he was exiled to Bordeaux by King Alaric II of the Visigoths who was under the mistaken impression that Caesarius was trying to make Arles part of Burgundy. When the accusation was disproved, Caesarius was allowed to return to his diocese. There he helped the victims of the seige of Arles by the forces of Burgundy. He was arrested for political reasons when Theodoric the Ostrogoth seized Arles, but the charges were dropped and Caesarius freed in 513.

Pilgrim to Rome, Italy. Apostolic delegate to Gaul, receiving the pallium from Pope Saint Symmachus, repeatedly the first time a western bishop was so honoured. Attended the Council of Orange in 529, and led the movement to condemn Semi-pelagianism. Published Brevarium Alarici, an adaptation of Roman law; it became the civil law of all Gaul. Following the fall of Arles by the Franks in 536, Caesarius moved his offices and residence to Saint John's convent where he lived out his last seven years, spending much of his time in prayer.

Born

• 470 at Châlons, Burgundy, Gaul (modern France)

• Roman citizen

Died

27 August 543 at Saint John's convent, Arles, Gaul (modern France)

Patronage

against fire

Saint Guarinus of Sion

Also known as

• Guarinus of Molesmes

• Guarinus of Sitten

• Guarinus of Zion

• Guarin, Guarino, Guerin, Guerrino, Warin, Warinus

Additional Memorials

• 14 February (Foglianti d'Italia since 1701)

• 30 August (diocese of Sion, Switzerland; Trappists; Cistercians)

• 1 September (Geneva, Switzerland and Annecy, France since 1777)

Profile

Born to the nobility. Cistercian Benedictine monk at the monastery of Molesmes in Laignes, Côte-d'Or, Burgundy, France. Spiritual student of Saint Robert of Molesmes. Helped found the monastery of Aulps in the Savoy region, diocese of Geneva, Switzerland, and was chosen its second abbot in 1113. In 1120, in order to ensure the house stayed true to its founding principles, he had it moved from the jurisidction of Molesmes and to that of Clairvaux. Guerrino served as abbot for 37 years during which worked endless for the growth of the abbey and the spiritual development of its monks. In 1138 Guerrino agreed to the requests of Pope Innocent II and became bishop of Sion, Switzerland. Though he had accepted the see reluctantly, he was known for his zeal in spreading and supporting the faith in his diocese, and improving its administration.

Born

c.1065 at Pont-à-Mousson, Lorraine (in modern France)

Died

• 27 August 1150 in the Aulps monastery in Savoy (in modern France) of natural causes

• relics hidden in 1794 to save them from the anti–Christian excesses of the French Revolution

• relics enshrined in the church of the parish of Saint John of the Aulps in 1804

• relics moved to the church of Plan d'Avau in Saint-Jean-d'Aulps, Switzerland in 1886

• some relics enshrined in Jeuxey, Vosges, France in 1873

Patronage

• against plague

• cattle

Blessed Amadeus of Lausanne

Also known as

Amadeus von Lausanne

Additional Memorial

30 August (Diocese of Lausanne-Geneva-Fribourg)

Profile

Son of Blessed Amadeus of Clermont. Member of the royal family of Franconia. Educated at the monasteries at Bonnevaux and Cluny in France. Courtier in the household of King Henry V of Savoy and Burgundy. Cistercian monk at Clairvaux Abbey in 1124 under the direction of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Abbot of Ilautecombe abbey, Savoy in 1139. Though he protested his inadequacy, he was chosen bishop of Lausanne, Switzerland in 1144. He worked for reform in the violent, disturbed diocese, both in the clergy and laity. Co-regent for and teacher of Duke Blessed Humbert of Savoy. Chancellor of Burgundy, appointed by Frederick Barbarossa. Several of his homilies have survived to today.

Born

1110 in the castle of Chatte, Dauphine, France

Died

• 27 August 1159 of natural causes

• interred in the cathedral of Lausanne, Switzerland

• tomb and relics rediscovered in the cathedral in 1911

Beatified

• 1710 (public cultus began)

• 9 December 1903 by Pope Pius X (cultus confirmed)

Saint David Lewis

Also known as

Charles Baker (alias used to hide from anti-Catholic authorities in Wales)

Additional Memorial

25 October as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales

Profile

His mother, Margaret Prichard, was Catholic, but his father, Morgan Lewis, was a Protestant school headmaster; David, the youngest of nine children, was raised Protestant. He was reconciled to Catholicism in Paris, France at age 16. Studied at the English College in Rome, Italy from 1638. Ordained in 1642. Joined the Jesuits in 1645. Spiritual director of the English College in Rome. He returned to Wales in 1648 and spent over 30 years ministering to persecuted Catholics from the village of Cym, living in a farmhouse that served as a base for missionary work. During the increased persecutions triggered by the Titus Oates Plot, David was betrayed by a servant, and arrested in November 1678 at Llantarnan, Wales. Condemned in March 1679 for the crimes of being a priest and saying Mass. Imprisoned and interrogated in London, then returned to Usk. One of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Born

1616 in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales

Died

• hanged, drawn and quartered on 22 August 1679 in Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales

• buried in Usk

• his grave has become a pilgrimage destination

Canonized

25 October 1970 by Pope Paul VI

Saint Phanurius

Also known as

Fanourios, Fanurius, Phanurios, Phanourios

Profile

Soldier. Martyr. No other reliable information has survived. An apparition of Phanurius was reported on the island of Rhodes in 1500. Tradition says that he died praying for his mother; she was such a notorious sinner that he became known as patron of lost or impossible causes.

Born

at Crete

Died

stoned to death

Patronage

• lost articles

• desperate, forgotten, impossible or lost causes

Blessed Roger Cadwallador

Additional Memorials

• 29 October as one of the Martyrs of Douai

• 22 November as one of the Martyrs of England, Scotland, and Wales

Profile

Studied at Rheims, France in 1591, and at English College in Valladolid, Spain in 1592. Ordained at Valladolid in 1593. An exceptional student of Greek. Returned to England in 1594 to minister to covert Catholics in the area of Herefordshire for 16 years during a period of official persecution. Arrested on Easter, 1610, and executed for the crime of being a priest. Martyr.

Born

1566 at Stratton Sugwas, Herefordshire, England

Died

hanged, drawn, and quartered on 27 August 1610 at Leominster, Herefordshire, England

Beatified

22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Juan Sánchez Molina

Profile

After studying at the San Indalecio de Almería seminary, Juan was ordained a priest in the diocese of Almería, Spain on 4 June 1909. Parish priest for 25+ years. Chaplain of the Little Sisters of the Poor and of the Provincial Prison of Almería in 1935. Imprisoned and martyred in the Spanish Civil War.

Born

20 November 1882 in Rioja, Almería, Spain

Died

27 August 1936 aboard the battleship Jaime I anchored in the harbor in Almería, Spain

Beatified

• 25 March 2017 by Pope Francis

• beatification celebrated in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Aguadulce, Almería, Spain, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato

Blessed Jean-Baptiste Souzy

Profile

Priest in the diocese of La Rochelle, France. Imprisoned on a ship in the harbor of Rochefort, France and left to die during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the French Revolution. Appointed by his bishop to serve as vicar-general of the prisoners, he tended to them as best he could in the horrible conditions of the ships. One of the Martyrs of the Hulks of Rochefort.

Born

24 March 1732 in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, France

Died

27 August 1794 aboard the prison ship Deux-Associés, in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France

Beatified

1 October 1995 by Pope John Paul II

Saint Gebhard of Constance

Also known as

Gebhard II

Profile

Bishop of Constance (Konstantz), Germany from 979 till his death. Founded the Benedictine abbey of Peterhausen in 983.

Born

949 in Austria

Died

• 27 August 995 of natural causes

• buried at Peterhausen abbey in Switzerland

Patronage

• Constance, Germany, city of

• Vorarlberg, Austria, province of

Blessed Angelus of Foligno

Also known as

• Angelo Conti

• Angelo of Foligno

• Angelus Conti

Profile

Born to the Italian nobility. Augustinian hermit at the age of 20. Friend of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino and Saint Hugolinus of Gualdo Cattaneo. Helped found three Augustinian monasteries.

Born

• 1226 in Foligno, Umbria, Italy

• relics enshrined in the church of Saint Augustine, Foligno

Died

26 or 27 August 1312 in Foligno, Umbria, Italy

Beatified

11 March 1891 by Pope Leo XIII (cultus confirmation)

Blessed Jean Baptiste Guillaume

Also known as

Brother Uldaric

Profile

Salesian brother, joining on 16 October 1785. Imprisoned on a ship in the harbor of Rochefort, France and left to die during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the French Revolution. One of the Martyrs of the Hulks of Rochefort.

Born

1 February 1755 in Fraisans, Doubs, France

Died

27 August 1794 aboard the prison ship Deux-Associés, in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France

Beatified

1 October 1995 by Pope John Paul II

Saint Licerius of Couserans

Also known as

Licerio, Lizier

Profile

Spiritual student of Saint Faustus of Riez in France. Bishop of Couserans, France in 506. Saved the city of Courserans from Visigoth destruction by prayer.

Born

500 in Lleida in the Pyrenees (in modern Spain)

Died

c.548 in Courserans, Aquitaine (in modern France) of natural causes

Saint Baculus of Sorrento

Also known as

Bacolo, Baccolo

Profile

Born to the nobility, he gave up the worldly life to devote his life to study and prayer. Bishop of Sorrento, Italy. Noted for his work to end paganism in his diocese, and as an exorcist.

Died

• 27 August c.660

• interred in the walls of Sorrento, Italy

• re-interred in the church of San Felice in Sorrento

Patronage

Sorento, Italy

Blessed Gabriel Mary

Also known as

Gilbert Nicolas

Profile

Refused admission by several houses of the Franciscan Observants before being received at Notre Dame de la Fon, Rochelle, France. Priest. Confessor to Saint Jane of Valois. Worked with Saint Jane to found the order of the Annonciades in 1532.

Born

1463 at Clermont, France as Gilbert Nicolas

Died

1532

Beatified

1647 by Pope Innocent X (cultus confirmed)

Blessed Maria Pilar Izquierdo Albero

Profile

Founded the Missionary Work of Jesus and Mary.

Born

27 July 1906 in Zaragoza, Spain

Died

27 August 1945 in San Sebastian, Guipúzcoa, Spain of natural causes

Beatified

4 November 2001 by Pope John Paul II

Saint Narnus of Bergamo

Also known as

Narno

Additional Memorial

15 January (diocese of Bergamo, Italy)

Profile

First bishop of Bergamo, Italy.

Died

• c.345 in Bergamo, Italy of natural causes

• interred in the crypt of the church of Saint Alexandria, Bergamo

• relics transferred to the modern cathedral of Saint Alexander in 1561

Saint Arontius of Potenza

Also known as

Orontius

Additional Memorial

1 September as one of the Twelve Holy Brothers

Profile

Martyred in the persecutions of Maximian.

Died

• beheaded in 303 at Potenza, Italy

• relics enshrined in the Basilicata of Pontenza

• relics enshrined in Benevento, Italy in 760

Saint Fortunatus of Potenza

Additional Memorial

1 September as one of the Twelve Holy Brothers

Profile

Martyred in the persecutions of Maximian.

Died

• beheaded in 303 at Potenza, Italy

• relics enshrined in the Basilicata of Pontenza

• relics enshrined in Benevento, Italy in 760

Saint Honoratus of Potenza

Additional Memorial

1 September as one of the Twelve Holy Brothers

Profile

Martyred in the persecutions of Maximian.

Died

• beheaded in 303 at Potenza, Italy

• relics enshrined in the Basilicata of Pontenza

• relics enshrined in Benevento, Italy in 760

Saint Sabinian of Potenza

Additional Memorial

1 September as one of the Twelve Holy Brothers

Profile

Martyred in the persecutions of Maximian.

Died

• beheaded in 303 at Potenza, Italy

• relics enshrined in the Basilicata of Pontenza

• relics enshrined in Benevento, Italy in 760

Saint Rufus of Capua

Also known as

Rufino, Rufo

Profile

Spiritual student of Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna. Bishop of Capua, Italy. Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.

Died

295

Saint Ebbo of Sens

Profile

Monk of Saint-Pierre-le-Vif Abbey in Sens, France. Bishop of Sens. Held his flock together and helped them survive a siege by Saracens in 725.

Born

Tonnere, France

Died

740

Saint Euthalia of Leontini

புனித யூத்தலியா 

(ஆகஸ்ட் 27)

இவர் சிசிலியைச் சார்ந்தவர். இவருக்கு ஒரு சகோதரர் இருந்தார்.

இவருடைய தாயார் இரத்தப்போக்கினால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருந்தார். ஒரு நாள் அவர் ஒரு கனவு கண்டார். அந்தக் கனவில் மூன்று புனிதர்கள் தோன்றி அவரிடம், "நீ கிறிஸ்துவின்மீது நம்பிக்கைகொண்டு திருமுழுக்குப் பெற்றால், உன்னிடமுள்ள இரத்தப்போக்கு நின்றுவிடும்" என்று சொல்லிவிட்டு மறைந்து போனார்கள்.

கனவில் தோன்றிய மூன்று புனிதர்கள் தன்னிடம் சொன்னதுபோன்று யூத்தலியாவின் தாயார் ஆண்டவர் இயேசுவின்மீது நம்பிக்கை கொண்டு, திருமுழுக்குப் பெற்றார். இதனால் அவருடைய இரத்தப்போக்கு நின்றுபோனது.

தன்னுடைய தாயிடமிருந்து இரத்தப்போக்கு நின்றதையும், அவர் இயேசுவின் மீது நம்பிக்கை கொண்டதையும் நேரடியாகப் பார்த்த யூத்தலியாவும் இயேசுவின்மீது நம்பிக்கை கொண்டார்.

இச்செய்தி யூத்தலியாவின் சகோதரனுக்குத் தெரியவந்தது. அவன் தன் தாயிடம் "நீங்கள் கிறிஸ்துவை மறுதலியுங்கள்" என்று சொல்ல, அவர் அதற்கு முடியாது என்று சொல்ல, அவன் அவரைத் தாக்கத் தொடங்கினான்; ஆனால் அவர் அவனிடமிருந்து தப்பித்து ஓடிவிட்டார்.

இதையெல்லாம் பார்த்துக்கொண்டிருந்த யூத்தலியா, "நீ ஏன் இவ்வாறு நடந்து கொள்கிறாய்?" என்று கேட்ட பொழுது, பதிலுக்கு அவன் "அப்படியானால் நீயும் கிறிஸ்துவின்மீது நம்பிக்கை கொண்டிருக்கிறாயா?" என்றான். இவர் "ஆமாம், நான் கிறிஸ்துவின்மீது நம்பிக்கை கொண்டிருக்கிறேன்" என்று சொன்னதும், அவன் இவரைக் கொடூரமாகத் தாக்கிக் கொலை செய்தான்.

இவ்வாறு யூத்தலியா ஆண்டவர் இயேசுவின் மீது கொண்ட நம்பிக்கைக்காகத் தன்னுயிர் துறந்தார்

Profile

Convert. Nun. Murdered by her own brother during the persecutions of Decius. Martyr.

Born

Sicily, Italy

Died

3rd century Leontini, Sicily

Saint Decuman

Also known as

Dagan

Profile

Hermit in Somerset, England in an area that is now named Saint Decumans in his honour. Martyr.

Born

Wales

Died

706 in Saint Decumans, Somerset, England

Saint Agilo of Sithin

Profile

Monk at Saint Aper Abbey in Toul, France. Reforming abbot at Saint Bertin Abbey in Sithin, France where he worked to restore monastic discipline.

Died

957

Saint Anthusa the Younger

Profile

Martyr.

Born

Persian

Died

sewn up in a sack and drowned in a well in Persia

Saint Malrubius of Merns

Profile

Hermit in Merns, Kincardineshire, Scotland. Martyred by Norwegian invaders.

Died

c.1040

Saint Giovanni of Pavia

Profile

Bishop of Pavia, Lombardy, Italy from 801 to 813.

Died

813 of natural causes

Saint Carpophorus

Also known as

Carpone

Profile

Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.

Died

295

Saint Etherius of Lyons

Also known as

Alermius

Profile

Bishop of Lyons, France.

Died

602

Martyrs of Tomi

Also known as

• Martyrs of Mesia

• Martyrs of Oxyrynchus

• Martyrs of Tomis

Profile

A group of 17 Christians imprisoned and excuted for their faith during the persecutions of Diocletian. They miraculously were unburned by fire and untouched by wild animals. We know the names and a few details on five of them - John, Mannea, Marcellinus, Peter and Serapion.

Died

• tied to stakes and burned alive; they emerged unharmed

• thrown to wild animals in the amphitheatre; the animals ignored them

• beheaded in 304 in Tomi, Mesia (modern Costanza, Romania)

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War

Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939. I have pages on each of them, but in most cases I have only found very minimal information. They are available on the CatholicSaints.Info site through these links:

• Blessed Buenaventura Gabika-Etxebarria Gerrikabeitia

• Blessed Esteban Barrenechea Arriaga

• Blessed Fernando González Añon

• Blessed Francisco Euba Gorroño

• Blessed Hermenegildo Iza Aregita

• Blessed José María López Carrillo

• Blessed Juan Antonio Salútregui Iribarren

• Blessed Pedro Ibáñez Alonso

• Blessed Pelayo José Granado Prieto

• Blessed Plácido Camino Fernández

• Blessed Quirino Díez del Blanco

• Blessed Ramón Martí Soriano

Martyrs of Nagasaki

Profile

A group of fourteen missionaries and Japanese native Christians who were martyred together for their faith -

• Blessed Antonius of Saint Francis

• Blessed Bartolomé Díaz Laurel

• Blessed Caius Akashi Jiemon

• Blessed Francisca Pinzokere

• Blessed Francisco of Saint Mary

• Blessed Franciscus Kuhyoe

• Blessed Leo Kurobyoe Nakamura

• Blessed Lucas Tsuji Kyuemon

• Blessed Ludovicus Matsuo Soyemon

• Blessed Magdalena Kiyota

• Blessed Maria Shobyoe

• Blessed Michaël Koga Kizayemon

• Blessed Thomas Sato Shin'emon

• Blessed Tsuji Shobyoe

Died

16 August 1627 in Nagasaki, Japan

Beatified

7 May 1867 Pope Pius IX

இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் ஆகஸ்ட் 26

 St. Zephyrinus

Feastday: August 26

Death: 202

Zephyrinus, Pope + Pope from 199-217. According to the Liber Pontificalis , he was a Roman by birth. His reign, as succcssor to St. Victor I (r. 189-199), was dominated by the troubles caused by several heretical groups and the severe persecution of the Church launched by Emperor Septimius Severus (r. 193-211) around 202. The antipope Hippolytus criticized his vacillation in dealing with the Monarchian heretics. According to tradition, Zephyrinus was martyred. His cult was suppressed in 1969. Feast day: formerly August 26.

St. Pantagathus

Feastday: August 26

Death: 10th century

A Scottish or Irish saint, also called Pandonio. A church is dedicated to her in Cambridgeshire, England.

Bl. Thomas Percy

Feastday: August 26

Birth: 1528

Death: 1572

English martyr, born in 1528. Earl of Northumberland from 1537, Thomas initially enjoyed an excellent relationship with Queen Elizabeth I (r. 1558-1603). Thomas also served Queen Mary         (r. 1542-1587). Queen Elizabeth bestowed the Order of the Garter on him in 1563. He then became involved in the Rising of the North and fled to Scotland but was sold to Queen Elizabeth for two thousand pounds. For three years he languished in a prison, refusing fervently to abjure his faith in return for his freedom. Thomas was finally beheaded at York and was beatified in 1896.

Arms of Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, KG

Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, 1st Baron Percy, KG (1528 – 22 August 1572), led the Rising of the North and was executed for treason. He was later beatified by the Catholic Church.

Early life

Percy was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Percy and Eleanor, daughter of Sir Guiscard Harbottal. He was the nephew of Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, with whom Anne Boleyn had a romantic association before she became the wife of King Henry VIII. When Thomas was eight years old his father, Sir Thomas Percy, was executed at Tyburn (2 June 1537) for having taken a leading part in the Pilgrimage of Grace, and he also is considered a martyr by many. Thomas and his brother Henry were then removed from their mother's keeping and entrusted to Sir Thomas Tempest.[1]

In 1549, when Thomas Percy came of age, an Act was passed "for the restitution in blood of Mr. Thomas Percy". Shortly afterwards he was knighted, and, three years later, in Queen Mary I's reign, he regained his ancestral honours and lands. He was returned as Member of Parliament for Westmorland in the Parliament of England called in November 1554.[2] Declared governor of Prudhoe Castle he besieged and took Scarborough Castle, which was seized by rebels in 1557. In reward he was granted the title of Earl of Northumberland and the Baronies of Percy, Poynings, Lucy, Bryan, and Fitzpane were restored to him, on 1 May 1557.[2] He was installed at Whitehall with great pomp, and soon after was named Warden General of the Marches, in which capacity he fought and defeated the Scots.

Life under Elizabeth's Reign

On Queen Elizabeth I's accession the earl, whose loyalty to the Catholic Church was known, was kept in the North while the anti-Catholic measures of Elizabeth's first Parliament were passed. Elizabeth continued to show him favour, and in 1563 gave him the Order of the Garter. He had then resigned the wardenship and was living in the South. But the systematic persecution of the Catholics rendered their position most difficult, and in the autumn of 1569 the Catholic gentry in the North, stirred up by rumours of the approaching excommunication of Elizabeth, were planning to liberate Mary, Queen of Scots, possibly with a view putting her on the English throne, and to obtain liberty of worship. Earl Thomas with the Earl of Westmorland wrote to the pope asking for advice, but before their letter reached Rome circumstances hurried them into action against their better judgment.

Marriage and progeny

17th century stained glass escutcheon showing arms of Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland (1528–1572), KG, (with 11 quarters) impaling Somerset (glass damaged/incomplete), paternal arms of his wife Anne Somerset, daughter of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester, the whole circumscribed by the Garter. Detail from Percy Window, Petworth House, Sussex

In 1558 he married Anne Somerset, daughter of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester,[1] by whom he had the following progeny:

Thomas Percy, Baron Percy (died 1560),[3] predeceased his father

Elizabeth Percy, wife of Richard Woodroffe of Woolley, son of Francis Woodroffe.

Joan Percy, wife of Lord Henry Seymour, a younger son of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset by his wife Anne Stanhope.

Lucy Percy, wife of Edward Stanley of Tong Castle, the son of Sir Thomas Stanley by his wife Margaret Vernon[3]

Mary Percy (11 June 1570 – 1643), a nun, founder of Benedictine Dames in Brussels from which nearly all the existing houses of Benedictine nuns in England are descended.[1]

Death

Capture and beheading

After the Rising of the North failed, Thomas fled to Scotland, where he was captured by the Earl of Morton, one of the leading Scottish nobles. After three years, he was sold to the English Government for two thousand pounds. He was conducted to York and on 22 August 1572 was beheaded at a public execution on Pavement, refusing an offer to save his life by renouncing Catholicism.[1][4] His headless body was buried at the now demolished St Crux Church, York.

Succession

His wife survived him, as did four daughters who were his co-heirs. The baronies of Percy and of Poynings and the earldom of Northumberland of the older creation were forfeited, but owing to a clause in the patent the newer earldom of Northumberland and the other honours conferred in 1557 were not.[5] As his only son had predeceased him without male issue, the earldom passed to his younger brother Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland.

Beatification

He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII on 13 May 1895 and his festival was appointed to be observed in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle annually on 14 November.

Bl. Zepherin Namuncura

Feastday: August 26

Birth: 1886

Death: 1905

Zepherin Namuncura was the eighth of twelve children of the chief of the Araucano Indians of the Argentine Pampas, Chief Manuel Namuncura.Zepherin's ambition was to lead his people to the religion of the one true God. When Zepherin was two, his father gave him to the Salesian priest, Father Dominic Milanesio, telling him that he was giving this son, the future leader of his people, to be brought up in the white man's religion. Zepherin was educated at the Salesian mission school in Buenos Aires. At the age of seventeen, he went into the seminary where he studied hard enough to become second in his class. Zepherin was also growing in virtue and was often found in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

On September 24, 1903, with the permission of his Superiors, Zepherin organized a procession in honor of Our Lady of Mercy. That night he fell into bed tired from his day's labor. He awoke coughing and spitting up blood. Zepherin had tuberlosis. In April of 1904, Zepherin accompanied Archbishop Cagliero to Rome where it was thought that the warm dry air might be good for his health.

In March of 1905, Zepherin took a sudden turn for the worse. He lost weight alarmingly, and seemed to be often in pain. His director wrote, "He got worse day by day, yet he was never impatient. He suffered, but he held onto his cross generously." In April, Zepherin was transferred to the hospital run by the Brothers of God in Rome. Here he bore his cross of suffering heroically, constantly praying the Rosary for his people. This saintly seminarian died on the morning of May 11, at the age of eighteen, surrounded by several of the brothers who were praying for him. He was buried in Rome, but at the insistence of his people, his body was taken back to Patagonia in 1924 and buried at the Salesian school of Fortin Mercedes. Zepherin was declared Venerable by Pope Paul VI in 1972.

Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá (August 26, 1886 – May 11, 1905) was a religious student, the object of a Roman Catholic cultus of veneration in northern Patagonia and throughout Argentina.

Early life

He was born at Chimpay, a small town in Valle Medio, Río Negro Province, Argentina,[1] the sixth child of Rosario Burgos and a Mapuche cacique, Manuel Namuncurá.[2] At the age of eight, he was baptized by a Salesian missionary priest, Domingo Milanesio.[3] Namuncurá's early years were spent by the Río Negro river, and it was here that he, according to legend, miraculously survived a fall into the river.

His father Manuel, Chief of the Mapuches, promoted to honorary colonel in the Argentine army, decided that his son study in Buenos Aires, in order to prepare himself "to be useful to his people."[1] Thanks to the friendship of Manuel with General Luís María Campos, Minister of War and the Navy of Argentina, the boy came to study in the National Workshops of the Navy as a carpenter's apprentice. There he would remain for three months. Being the only native Indian in the school Ceferino found himself mistreated by the other students and he soon fell ill. He wrote to his father that he was not happy in that place and Manuel then asked former Argentine president Luis Sáenz Peña's advice. He recommended to Colonel Manuel Namuncurá that he send the boy to the Salesians of Don Bosco.[3]

Education

On September 20, 1897, Ceferino went to study with the Salesians at the Colegio Pío IX, a technical academy in Almagro, Buenos Aires. [4] There he showed himself to be an excellent student and choral musician. He enjoyed his studies and sports and was known to perform card tricks for his classmates or teach them archery.[3] From April 2, 1901, Carlos Gardel, afterwards a legendary tango singer and film actor, became a student at the academy and sang along with Ceferino in the chorus.

When he finished his studies, Manuel his father wanted him back home, to serve as interpreter and secretary, but Ceferino was already enthusiastic about becoming a Salesian priest.

In Italy

Although his health was already generally frail, Ceferino began studying for the priesthood.[1] In 1904, he departed for Italy accompanying Mgr. Giovanni Cagliero, a former disciple of Don Bosco who was to become an Archbishop. Pope Pius X received them in September, after which Namuncurá moved to Turin and later to the Salesian College "Villa Sora" in Frascati, to continue his education. He became increasingly ill during the Italian winter and was taken to Rome, where he finally succumbed to pulmonary tuberculosis on May 11, 1905, at the Fate bene fratelli hospital.

Back to Argentina

In 1924 his remains were returned to Argentina and placed in the chapel at Fortín Mercedes, in the southern part of Buenos Aires Province. In 1945, a request for his beatification was forwarded to the Holy See.[5] Between May 13 and July 10, 1947, the Church officially started the process for Canonization of Ceferino Namuncurá, with 21 then-living witnesses deposing evidence in favour of his virtues.

At his birthplace of Chimpay a small chapel was erected, where believers from Río Negro Province and beyond began to pray for his intercession.

On June 22, 1972, Pope Paul VI promulgated the Decree of Heroism of His Virtues and Ceferino was thus proclaimed venerable, becoming the first Catholic Argentine to receive that title and the first South American aborigine.

The devotion to Ceferino Namuncurá, the saintly young Mapuche, known popularly as The Lily of Patagonia ("El lirio de la Patagonia") became very extensive in Buenos Aires and throughout Argentina. In particular the indigenous people recognise him as one of their own. The affection of the people of Argentina for this selfless young man is quite touchingly sincere and images and representations of his face are myriad. In 1991 his relics were translated from the small sanctuary chapel to the roomier Sanctuary of Mary, Help of Christians, at the same town of Fortín Mercedes.

Blessed

In 2000 a committee of Vatican pathologists declared that the healing of the uterine cancer of a young mother, Valeria Herrera from Córdoba, Argentina, could not be explained medically, with which it was left to Church authorities to decree that it was a miracle due to the intercession of Ceferino Namuncurá. This opened the way for the beatification of Ceferino.

Pope Benedict XVI finally decreed his beatification on 6 July 2007.[6] The ceremony of beatification was held in Chimpay, Argentina, on November 11, 2007. It was one of the few beatification ceremonies held outside the Vatican and in the blessed's own land; it was the first beatification of a South American aborigine. Blessed Ceferino was beatified by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a Salesian of Don Bosco and Vatican Secretary of State. The ceremony was attended by more than ten thousand people with the active participation of Mapuche delegations.

Ceferino's liturgical calendar memorial as a Catholic beatus was established on August 26.

Legacy of Ceferino

Ceferino Namuncurá's first legacy is to his own nation and people: Argentina and the Mapuche people. There are many books and videos on the life of the young holy man, most of them in Spanish. The meaning of Ceferino is also important to the Mapuche and all South American ancestral peoples. Manuel Gálvez, the prominent Argentine novelist and biographer, wrote a biography of Ceferino Namuncurá in 1947: El Santito de la Toldería. La vida perfecta de Ceferino Namuncurá.

Ceferino Namuncura Park, along the Negro River, in Chimpay is named in his honor.[5]

Zephyrin: The Musicale

Zephyrin: The Musicale is a musical play in honor of Blessed Ceferino Namuncurá. It was shown on March 14, 15 and 16, 2008 at SM Cinema One in Cebu, Philippines. It was written by Jude Thaddeus Gitamondoc and directed by Daisy Brilliantes Ba-ad with the help of Don Bosco Technology Center Productions.The musical was a Salesian Production made in honor of the beatification of Ceferino. The musical featured amateur actors, mostly coming from high school and elementary school. The story begin when Ceferino is only a child and ends after his death

Saint Mary of Jesus Crucified

Also known as

• Al Qiddisa

• Maram Baouardy

• Maria di Gesu Crocifisso

• Mariam Baouardy

• Marie of Jesus Crucified

• Mary Baouardy

• Maryam Bawardi

• The Little Arab

Profile

Born to Giries Baouardy and Mariam Shahine, a poor Greek Melchite Catholic family. Twelve of her thirteen brothers died in infancy, and Mary's birth was an answered prayer to Our Lady. Her parents died when Mary was only two, and she was raised by a paternal uncle. Moved to Alexandria, Egypt at age eight.

Betrothed in an arranged marriage at age 13, she refused to go along with it, insisting on a religious life. As punishment for her disobedience, her uncle hired her out as a domestic servant, making sure she had the lowest and most menial of jobs. A Muslim servant with whom she worked began to act as her friend with an eye to converting her from Christianity. On 8 September 1858, Mary convinced him she would never abandon her faith; in response he cut her throat and dumped her in an alley. Mary lived, an apparition of the Virgin Mary treated her wound, and she left her uncle's house forever.

She supported herself as a domestic, working for a Christian family and praying. In 1860 she moved in with the Sisters of Saint Joseph. Supernatural events began to occur around her, and the Sisters would not let her join their house. She was taken to the Carmel at Pau by a Sister in 1867, and became a lay sister. Later that year she entered the cloister, taking the name Mary of Jesus Crucified, and making her final profession on 21 November 1871.

She continued to experience supernatural events. She fought off a demonic possession for 40 days, received the stigmata, was seen to levitate, had the gift of prophecy and knowledge of consciences, and permitted her guardian angel to speak through her. Helped found the missionary Carmel of Mangalore, India. Returned to France in 1872. Built a Carmelite monastery in Bethlehem in 1875. Supernatural gifts aside, she was known for her devotion to the Holy Spirit, even sending word to Pope Pius IX that the Spirit was not emphasized enough in seminaries.

Born

5 January 1846 at Abellin, Galilee, Palestine as Mary Baouardy

Died

26 August 1878 at Bethlehem of gangrene following an injury received at the construction site of the Bethlehem monastery

Canonized

17 May 2015 by Pope Francis

Melchizedek the Patriarch

Also known as

Melchisedech

Derivation

Hebrew: king of justice

Article

King of Salem, most probably Jerusalem, and a priest of the Most High God. He came to meet Abram after his victory over Chodorlahomor and his allies (Genesis 14), and on this occasion brought forth bread and wine, blessed Abram, thanked God for the victory, and received tithes of all the spoils. The “bringing forth bread and wine” is interpreted by all the Fathers and Catholic commentators as offering a sacrifice to God, because the phrase which follows, “he was priest of the Most High God,” seems to give the motive why he brought forth bread and wine. According to oriental custom Abram would wish to thank God by sacrifice, and if Melchisedech came to meet Abram because he was a priest of the Most High God, the latter would ask him to offer the sacrifice, and would pay him the tithes for this truly sacerdotal function. Melchisedech is a type of Christ (Psalm 109; Hebrews 7), because of his titles, King of Justice, King of Peace, Priest of the Most High God; and because of his eternal priesthood. Scripture is silent about his lineage, about his birth and death; and in this sense he is “without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life” (Hebrews 7). This silence suggests the eternal Son of God and His endless priesthood. He is a type of Christ also because of his superiority to Abram, from whom he received tithes and whom he blessed. In Jewish tradition Melchisedech is commonly identified with Sem; Origen and Didymus held him to have been an angel; some even thought that he Wall an incarnation of the Holy Spirit or the Son of God.

Saint Orontius of Lecce

Also known as

• Orontius the Companion

• Aronzo, Hermes, Horace, Oronzio, Oronzo, Rontius

Profile

Son of Publius, a Roman imperial treasurer; uncle of Saint Fortunatus. Converted by the shipwrecked Saint Paul the Apostle. Roman imperial treasurer upon his father's death. Denounced as a Christian, he was ordered to sacrifice to idols; he refused. He was arrested, stripped of his office, whipped, and exiled to Corinth where he met up with Saint Paul again. Consecrated as the first bishop of his home town of Lecce, Italy. He returned to the town during the persecutions of Nero, was arrested again, and ordered to denounce Christianity. He refused, and after some time in prison managed to get released. He immediately resumed preaching in the areas of Brindisi and Bari. Martyr.

Born

22 in Lecce, Italy

Died

beheaded with an axe on 26 August 68 a couple of miles outside Lecce, Italy

Patronage

• against cholera (his intercession ended an outbreak in 1851)

• Acaya, Italy

• Botrugno, Italy

• Brindisi-Ostuni, Italy, diocese of

• Campi Salentina, Italy

• Diso, Italy

• Lecce, Italy, city of

• Lecce, Italy, archdiocese of

• Lecce, Italy, province of

• Muro Leccese, Italy

• Ostuni, Italy

• Paola, Italy (his intercession saved the city from a siege by the Bruzi)

• Turi, Italy (hid from his persecutors in a cave there; appeared in a vision there in answer to prayers, and his intercession ended a plague in the city c.1657

Saint Jeanne Elizabeth des Bichier des Anges

Profile

Daughter of Antony Bichier, lord of Agnes, and Marie Augier de Moussac. From ages ten through nineteen she was educated at a convent at Poitiers, France. When her father died, she returned home to keep her family's property from being confiscated by the state. She won the court battle to retain the property, and she and her mother moved to La Guimetiere.

The town still suffered the effects of the French Revolution; it didn't even have a priest, much less religious communities. Jeanne Elizabeth gathered the remaining faithful together to pray, read Scripture, and sing hymns. Lived for a while with the Carmelites and the Society of Providence to learn about religious life firsthand.

She soon heard of Saint Andrew Fournet, who practiced a similar ministry in a nearby city; in 1797 she met him, and asked for his help. The two quickly became friends, and together founded the Sisters of the Cross (Sisters of Saint Andrew) to care for the sick and the poor, and to help educate the people of rural France. Jeanne Elizabeth was the first superior of the community, and by 1830 the community had sixty houses scattered throughout France. A men's congregation, Priests of the Sacred Heart of Betherran was formed alongside the Sisters.

Born

5 July 1773 at La Blanc, Charente, France

Died

26 August 1838 La Puye, Vienne, France of natural causes

Canonized

6 July 1947 by Pope Pius XII

Blessed Maria Corsini Beltrame Quattrocchi

Profile

Daughter of Angiolo Corsini, a royal army captain of grenadiers, and Giulia Salvi. Due to her father's military postings, she lived in the Italian cities of Pistioa, Florence, Arrezo and Rome by the time Maria was nine. Initially enrolled in a Rome parochial school, her father transferred Maria to public school after one of the nuns bad-mouthed the king. She served as a volunteer Red Cross nurse during World War I. Catechist to women parishioners. Married to Blessed Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi. Mother of four. During World War II, their home became a shelter for refugees. Professor, and writer on education. Member of Women's Catholic Action. Noted speaker to women's lay groups. Widow.

Born

24 June 1884 at Florence, Italy

Died

26 August 1965 in Serravalle, Arezzo, Italy of natural causes

Beatified

• 21 October 2001 by Pope John Paul II

• her beatification miracle involved the healing of a young man with a severe circulatory disorder; he is now a neuro-surgeon in Milan, Italy

Readings

[They] made their family an authentic domestic Church, open to life, prayer, witness of the Gospel, the social apostolate, solidarity with the poor, and friendship. - Cardinal José Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Congregation of the Causes of Saints

Our Lady of Czestochowa

Also known as

• Black Madonna of Czestochowa

• Czarna Madonna

• Hodegetria

• Imago thaumaturga Beatae Virginis Mariae Immaculatae Conceptae

• Matka Boska Czestochowska

• One Who Shows the Way

Profile

A revered four-foot high, wood and canvas icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Czestochowa, Poland. In the image, Mary, dressed in fleur-de-lis robes, directs attention away from herself and toward Jesus. The Child Jesus raises his right hand in a blessing to the viewer while holding the gospels in his left hand. It was created by an unknown artist some time prior to 1430, possibly as early as the 6th century; it was badly damaged by Hussite raiders in 1430 and had to be restored. The images is credited with saving the Jasna Góra Monastery from invading Swedes. King John II Casimer crowned the images as Queen and Protector of Poland on 1 April 1652. Pope Clement XI issued a Canonical Coronation of the image on 8 September 1717. Another Canonical Coronation was issued on 22 May 1910 by Pope Pius X. Yet another was issued by Pope John Paul II on 26 August 2005.

Patronage

Poland

Blessed Juan Segura Rubira

Profile

The son of a school teacher, the nephew of a parish priest, Juan was baptized at the age of five days, and eventually followed the paths of both his elders. He graduated in 1899, and became a teacher for the next 20+ years. In 1921, at age 39, he finally followed a call to the priesthood, and after some studies was ordained a priest in the diocese of Almería, Spain on 10 June 1922. Director of the Ave María de la Dehesa de la Villa Schools in Madrid, Spain in 1923. During the Spanish Civil War, anti–Catholic forces burned church schools, and killed priests on sight. Father Juan at first went into hiding, but realized that he was endangering the people who sheltered him, he tried to hide in the wild; it didn't work, and he was quickly captured by the militia. Martyr.

Born

21 September 1881 in Purchena, Almería, Spain

Died

26 August 1936 in Cuestas de Belinchón, Cuenca, Spain

Beatified

• 25 March 2017 by Pope Francis

• beatification celebrated in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Aguadulce, Almería, Spain, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato

Blessed Alejandro Más Ginester

Also known as

Father Pedro of Benisa

Profile

Youngest of four children of Francisco Más and Vicenta Ginestar. Joined the Franciscan Capuchins on 1 August 1893 at the convent of Saint Mary Magdalen in Massamagrell, Spain, and made his perpetual vows on 8 August 1897. Priest, ordained on 22 December 1900 in Ollería, Spain. Working primarily in youth ministery and catechesis, he was know for his strict personal adherence to the Rule of his Order. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War.

Born

13 December 1876 in Benisa, Alicante, Spain

Died

• shot 14 times on 25 August 1936 in Vergel, Alicante, Spain

• buried in Denia, Spain

• exhumed on 30 July 1939 and re-interred at the chapel of martyrs of the Capuchin convent of Saint Mary Magdalen in Massamagrell, Spain

Beatified

11 March 2001 by Pope John Paul II

Saint Alexander of Bergamo

பெர்கமோ நகர்ப் புனித அலெக்சாண்டர்

(-303)

(ஆகஸ்ட் 26)

இவர் உரோமையை ஆண்டு வந்த தியோகிளசியன் என்பவனுடைய படையில் போர்வீரராக, நூற்றுவர் தலைவராகப் பணிபுரிந்து வந்தார்.

அக்காலத்தில் உரோமை ஆண்டு வந்த மன்னர்களால் கிறிஸ்தவர்களுக்கெதிரான வன்முறைகள் தொடர்ந்து கட்டவிழ்த்து விடப்பட்டன. இதனால் கிறிஸ்தவர்கள் பலவாறாகச் சித்திரவதை செய்யப்பட்டுக் கொல்லப்பட்டார்கள்.

இந்நிலையில் உரோமையை ஆண்டு வந்த தியோகிளசியன் என்ற மன்னன் தனக்கு கீழ் பணிபுரிந்து வந்த அலெக்சாண்டரிடம் கிறிஸ்துவைப் பின்பற்றுகிறவர்களைக் கூண்டோடு அளிக்குமாறு கட்டளை பிறப்பித்தான். இதற்கு இவர் மறுப்புத் தெரிவித்தார். அவன் ஏன் என்று கேட்டபொழுது, "நான் நம்பிக்கை கொண்டிருக்கும் கிறிஸ்துவின்மீது நம்பிக்கை கொண்டிருக்கும் யாரையும் நான் துன்புறுத்துவதில்லை" என்று உறுதியாகச் சொன்னார்.

இதனால் வெகுண்டெழுந்த மன்னன் கி.பி.303 ஆண்டு இவரைக் கொலை செய்தான்.

இவர் பெர்கமோ நகரின் பாதுகாவலராக இருக்கிறார்.

Also known as

Alessandro da Bergamo

Additional Memorial

22 September (Eastern Orthodox)

Profile

Imperial Roman centurian, possibly in the Theban Legion. Martyred both for his faith, and probably for refusing to martyr other Christians. Legend says that he fled his legion, had a series of captures and narrow escapes, preaching on the run and converting many before finally being caught and beheaded, but those documents are likely pious fiction.

Died

beheaded c.287

Patronage

• Bergamo, Italy, city of

• Bergamo, Italy, diocese of

• Capriate San Gervasio, Italy

• Cervignano d'Adda, Italy

Blessed Levkadia Harasymiv

Also known as

• Levkadia Herasymiv

• Leukadia, Laurentia, Lavrentia, Lorenza, Leucadia

Additional Memorial

27 June as one of the Martyrs Killed Under Communist Regimes in Eastern Europe

Profile

Greek Catholic. Entered the Sisters of Saint Joseph in 1931, taking her vows in 1933. Arrested for her faith by the NKVD in 1951, and sent to Borislav (in the modern Czech Republic), then exiled to Tomsk, Siberia. She contracted tuberculosis, and was relocated to Kharsk, Siberia on 30 June 1952. Martyr.

Born

30 September 1911 at Rudnyky, Lviv District, Ukraine as Levkadia Harasymiv

Died

28 August 1952 of tuberculosis and overwork at Kharsk, Tomsk Region, Siberia, Russia

Beatified

27 June 2001 by Pope John Paul II in Ukraine

Blessed Jacques Retouret

Profile

Born to a family of merchants, Jacques received an education and was known as a lover of books. Joined the Carmelites of the Ancient Observant at age 15. Priest. A popular preacher, his health forced him to limit his mission work. Arrested at the convent at Limoges, France, he was ordered deported to French Guinea, imprisoned on a ship in the harbor of Rochefort, France and left to die as part of the anti-Catholic persecutions of the French Revolution. One of the Martyrs of the Hulks of Rochefort.

Born

15 September 1746 in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, France

Died

26 August 1794 aboard the prison ship Deux-Associés, in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France

Beatified

1 October 1995 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Jean of Caramola

Also known as

Giovanni

Profile

Jean moved to Italy in 1300, which had been declared a Holy Year. Benedictine hermit in a cave on Mount Caramola, Basilicata, Italy. Cistercian lay-brother at the abbey of Santa Maria del Sagittario, Naples, Italy; he was so dedicated to a holy silence that most people thought he was a mute. Miracle worker.

Born

c.1280 in Toulouse, France

Died

• 26 August 1339 at the abbey of Santa Maria del Sagittario in Naples, Italy of natural causes

• interred in a chapel dedicated to him in the abbey

• body found incorrupt in 1500

• relics moved to the church of San Giovanni Battista di Chiaromonte in 1808

• body found incorrupt in 2002

Saint Teresa de Gesu, Jornet y Ibars

✠ புனிதர் தெரெசா ஜோர்னெட் இபார்ஸ் ✠

(St. Teresa Jornet Ibars)

கன்னியர்/ நிறுவனர்:

(Virgin/ Founder)

பிறப்பு: ஜனவரி 9, 1843

அய்டோனா, ல்லேய்டா, ஸ்பெய்ன் அரசு

(Aytona, Lleida, Kingdom of Spain)

இறப்பு: ஆகஸ்ட் 26, 1897 (வயது 54)

லிரியா, வலென்சியா, ஸ்பெய்ன் அரசு

(Liria, Valencia, Kingdom of Spain)

ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

முக்திபேறு பட்டம்: ஏப்ரல் 27, 1958 

திருத்தந்தை 12ம் பயஸ்

(Pope Pius XII)

புனிதர் பட்டம்: ஜனவரி 27, 1974 

திருத்தந்தை ஆறாம் பவுல்

(Pope Paul VI)

பாதுகாவல்:

"கைவிடப்பட்ட முதியோரின் சின்னஞ்சிறு சகோதரிகள் சபை" (Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly) 

ஆன்மீக சபைகளால் மறுக்கப்பட்ட மக்கள் (People rejected by religious orders)

முதியோர் (Elderly people)

நினைவுத் திருநாள்: ஆகஸ்ட் 26

புனிதர் தெரெசா ஜோர்னெட் இபார்ஸ், ஸ்பேனிஷ் ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க மறைப்பணியாளரும், "கைவிடப்பட்ட முதியோரின் சின்னஞ்சிறு சகோதரிகள்" (Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly) என்ற சபையின் நிறுவனரும் ஆவார்.

ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டின் “ல்லேய்டா” (Lleida) பிராந்தியத்தின் “அய்டோனா” (Aytona) எனும் சிறு நகரில், 9 ஜனவரி 1843ல் விவசாய குடும்பமொன்றில் பிறந்த இபார்ஸின் தந்தை பெயர் “ஃபிரான்சிஸ்கோ ஜோஸ் ஜோர்னேட்” (Francisco José Jornet) ஆகும். தாயாரின் பெயர், “அன்டோனியிட்டா இபார்ஸ்” (Antonieta Ibars) ஆகும்.

சிறுவயதிலிருந்தே எழைகளின்பால் தீவிர பற்று கொண்ட இவர், பல துன்பங்களுக்கு உட்படுத்தப்பட்டார். அனைத்து துன்பங்களையும் பொறுமையோடு எதிர்கொண்டார். ஏழைகளின் நிலை கண்டு எப்போதுமே கவலை கொண்டிருந்தார்.

இவர் சிறுவயதிலிருந்து, தான் ஓர் துறவியாக வேண்டுமென்று ஆசை கொண்டார். தன் விருப்பத்தை பல துறவற இல்லத்தில் தெரிவித்தார். ஆனால் இவரை, துறவறத்திற்கு சேர்த்துக்கொள்ள யாரும் முன்வரவில்லை. எந்த துறவற சபையினரும் அவரை ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளவில்லை. இதனால் ஓர் ஆசிரியராக படித்து, பின்னர் பள்ளியில் ஆசிரியர் பணியை செய்தார். தமது பத்தொன்பது வயதில் “பார்சிலோனா” (Barcelona) நகரில் ஆசிரியை பணி செய்கையில், துறவு வாழ்க்கைக்கு தாம் அழைக்கப்படுவதாக உணர்ந்தார்.

கி.பி. 1868ம் ஆண்டு, “பர்கோஸ்” (Burgos) நகருக்கு அருகேயுள்ள “எளிய கிளாரா” (Poor Clares) மடத்தில் இணைய விண்ணப்பித்தார். ஆனால் அப்போதிருந்த ஆன்மீகத்துக்கேதிரான சட்டங்கள், அவரை சபையில் இணைய தடுத்தன. அதனால், பின்னர் கி.பி. 1870ம் ஆண்டு, “மதச்சார்பற்ற கார்மேல்” (Secular Carmelites) சபையில் உறுப்பினராக இணைந்தார்.

அவரது தந்தையின் இறப்பு மற்றும் அவரைப் பீடித்த ஒரு கடுமையான நோய் காரணமாக, அவர் நீண்ட காலத்திற்கு தமது வீட்டிலேயே தங்க நேரிட்டது. பின்னர், தமது ஆன்மீக வழிகாட்டியின் ஆலோசனைகளின்படி, பிராந்தியத்திலுள்ள முதியோரை அழைத்து வந்து சரியாக அவர்களை கவனிக்க ஆரம்பித்தனர். கி.பி. 1872ம் ஆண்டு, இதற்கான முதல் இல்லத்தை “பர்பாஸ்ட்ரோ” (Barbastro) என்னும் இடத்தில் தொடங்கினார். அவரது சொந்த சகோதரியான மரியா இதற்கு உதவினார்.

நாளடைவில் தன் விருப்பத்தை, தன்னுடைய ஆன்ம வழிகாட்டியிடம் தெரிவித்தார். அவர் காட்டிய வழியில் சென்ற தெரசா, கி.பி. 1872ம் ஆண்டு பார்பஸ்ட்ரோ (Barbastro) என்ற ஊரில், ஒரு துறவற சபையை தொடங்கினார். இச்சபைக்கு "கைவிடப்பட்ட முதியோரின் சின்னஞ்சிறு சகோதரிகள்" (Little Sisters of the Abandoned Elderly) என்ற பெயரை சூட்டினார்.

கி.பி. 1873ம் ஆண்டு, மே மாதம், 8ம் தேதி, “வலென்சியா” (Valencia) நகரில் தமது சபையின் தலைமை இல்லத்தை நிறுவினார். சபையின் தலைமைப் பொறுப்பையும் தாமே ஏற்றார். தமது சபையின் சகோதரிகளிடம், ஏழைகளுக்காக தமது வசதிகளை தியாகம் செய்யுமாறு கற்பித்தார். கி.பி. 1887ம் ஆண்டு, திருத்தந்தை “பதின்மூன்றாம் லியோ” (Pope Leo XIII) சபைக்கான அங்கீகாரத்தை வழங்கினார்.

கி.பி. 1897ல், ஸ்பெயின் நாட்டில் காலரா (Cholera) நோய் பரவியது. இந்நோயால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டோருக்கு உதவிட இவரும் இவரது சபையின் சகோதரிகளும் தீவிரமாக செயல்பட்டனர். இம்முயற்சிகளில் மிகவும் மனம் தளர்ந்த தெரேசா சபையின் தலைமைப் பொறுப்பிலிருந்து ஓய்வு பெற்றார். மிகவும் தளர்ச்சியடைந்த தெரெசா, காசநோய் (Tuberculosis) பாதிக்கப்பட்டு, கி.பி. 1897ம் ஆண்டு, ஆகஸ்ட் மாதம், 26ம் தேதி “லிரியா” (Liria) நகரில் மரணம் அடைந்தார்.

Also known as

Teresa of Jesus Ibars

Profile

Raised on a farm. Teacher at Lérida. Tried to join the religious life, but was refused. At the suggestion of her spiritual director, she founded the Little Sisters of the Poor at Barbastra on 27 January 1872. The congregation expanded to 58 houses in Teresa's lifetime.

Born

9 January 1843 at Aytona, Lleida, Spain

Died

26 August1897 in Liria, Valencia, Spain of natural causes

Canonized

27 January 1974 by Pope Paul VI

Patronage

people rejected by religious orders

Saint Anastasius the Fuller

Profile

Born a wealthy Aquileian noble family. After reading Saint Paul's advice to the Thessalonians that it's best to work with your hands, he became a fuller at Spalato, Dalmatia (modern Split, Croatia). Martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian when he painted a cross on his shop door and openly practised his faith.

Died

• drowned with a weight around his neck in 304 in Salona, Dalmatia (part of modern Croatia)

• his body was recovered, brought back to Salona, and a church was built there in his honour

• relics transferred to Spalato (modern Split, Croatia) in the 7th century

Patronage

• fullers

• weavers

Blessed Fèlix Vivet Trabal

Profile

Son of a building contractor. Studied in Rocafort, Barcelona, Spain and Campello, Alicante, Spain. Salesian brother, making his vows in 1928 in Sarrla, Spain. Studied theology at the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War.

Born

23 January 1911 in San Feliu de Torelló, Barcelona, Spain

Died

shot on 25 August 1936 on the side of the road with his father and brother outside Esplugues, Barcelona, Spain

Beatified

11 March 2001 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Herluin

Profile

Raised to be a soldier, and served as a knight at the court of the Count of Brionne, France. He left the life of arms to found a monastery on his estate at Bonneville, France. Benedictine monk. Abbot at Bonneville. Moved his community to a new home on the banks of the River Bec in 1040. Abbot to Archbishop Lanfranc and Saint Anselm of Canterbury; the three together made their house a center of learning in Christendom.

Born

Normandy (in modern France)

Died

1078 of natural causes

Blessed Stanislaus Han Jeong-Heum

Additional Memorial20 September as one of the Martyrs of Korea

Profile

Layman martyr in the apostolic vicariate of Korea.

Born

1756 in Gimje, Jeolla-do, South Korea

Died

26 August 1801 in Gimje, Jeolla-do, South Korea

Beatified

15 August 2014 by Pope Francis

Blessed Juan Urgel

Profile

Mercedarian friar. Elected Master General of the Mercedarians on 8 September 1492; he served for 21 years. Founded several monasteries in Spain and northern Africa. Noted for his personal piety in the midst of his administrative and missionary work.

Died

26 August 1513 in the Mercedarian convent in Barcelona, Spain of natural causes

Blessed Margaret of Faenza

Also known as

• Margarita of Faenza

• Margherita of Faenza

• Marguerite of Faenza

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Benedictine Vallumbrosan nun at Saint John the Evangelist convent near Florence, Italy, where she eventually became abbess. Spiritual student of Saint Humilitas.

Born

at Faenza, Italy

Died

1330 of natural causes

Blessed Ioachim Watanabe Jirozaemon

Also known as

Joaquín Watanabe Jirozaemon

Profile

Married layman in the diocese of Fukuoka, Japan. Martyr.

Born

c.1551 in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Japan

Died

26 August 1606 in prison Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, diocese of Fukuoka, Japan

Beatified

24 November 2008 by Pope Benedict XVI

Saint Bregwin of Canterbury  

Profile

Noted spiritual teacher. Archbishop of Canterbury, England in 759. Received the pallium from Pope Paul I in 761. Bregwin's letters to Saint Lull of Mainz survive.

Born

Saxony (in modern Germany)

Died

• 764 of natural causes

• buried in the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist, east end of Canterbury Cathedral

Saint Victor the Martyr

Also known as

Vitores

Profile

Hermit near Burgos, Spain. At the command of an angel, he returned to Cereza, Spain to preach Christianity to the Moors who were laying seige to the city. Martyr.

Born

Cereza, Spain

Died

crucified c.950 in Spain

Blessed Jean Bassano

Profile

Canon regular. Celestine Benedictine at Paris, France. Spiritual director of Saint Colette. Held several offices in his congregation, and worked to establish it in England and the Aragon region of Spain.

Born

1360 at Besançon, France

Died

1445 of natural causes

Saint Secundus the Theban

Profile

Soldier. Martyr. Member of the Martyrs of the Theban Legion.

Died

martyred c.287 in Agaunum (modern St-Maurice-en-Valais, Switzerland

Saint Eleutherius of Auxerre

Profile

Bishop of Auxerre, France in 532; he served for 29 years. Assisted at the four Councils of Orleans.

Died

561

Saint Irenaeus of Rome

Profile

Martyred during the persecutions of Valerian.

Died

drowned c.258 in the sewers of Rome, Italy

Saint Victor of Caesarea

Also known as

Vittore

Profile

Martyr.

Died

crucified in Caesarea, Mauritania (in modern Algeria)

Saint Abundius the Martyr

Profile

Martyred during the persecutions of Valerian.

Died

drowned c.258 in the sewers of Rome, Italy

Saint Rufinus of Capua

Profile

Fifth-century bishop of Capua, Italy.

Died

relics enshrined in the cathedral of Capua, Italy

Blessed Vyevain of York

Profile

Archbishop of York, England in the latter 13th century.

Died

1285 of natural causes

Saint Maximilian of Rome

Profile

Martyr.

Died

cemetery of Basilla on the Via Salaria Antica outside Rome, Italy

Saint Pandwyna

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Nun. The church in Eltisley, England is dedicated to her.

Born

Irish

Died

c.904 of natural causes

Saint Felix of Pistoia

Also known as

Felix of Pistoja

Profile

Ninth-century hermit in Pistoia, Italy.

Saint Elias of Syracuse

Profile

Monk. Bishop of Syracuse, Sicily.

Died

660

Martyrs of Celano

Profile

Three Christians, Constantius, Simplicius and Victorinus, martyred in the same area at roughly the same time. That's really all we know, though it didn't stop writers in later centuries from inventing colourful histories, making them a father and sons, adding saintly family members, earthquakes, close escapes, etc.

Died

• c.159 in the Marsica region of Italy

• at some point their relics were interred under the main altar of the San Giovanni Vecchio church in the Collegiata di Celano

• relics authenticated in 1057 by Pope Stephen IX

• the city was depopulated in 1222; when it was re-built, the relics were re-enshrined in the church of San Vittorino on 10 June 1406

Patronage

Celano, Italy

Martyred in the Spanish Civil War

Thousands of people were murdered in the anti-Catholic persecutions of the Spanish Civil War from 1934 to 1939. I have pages on each of them, but in most cases I have only found very minimal information. They are available on the CatholicSaints.Info site through these links:

• Blessed Emilio Serrano Lizarralde

• Blessed Francesc Casademunt Ribas

• Blessed Josep Maria Tolaguera Oliva

• Blessed Luis Valls Matamales

• Blessed María de Los Ángeles Ginard Martí

• Blessed Pere Sisterna Torrent