St. Ammon
Feastday: September 1
Death: 332
Martyr who died with forty young women converts. Ammon was a deacon in Thrace, now in the southern Balkans. Under the persecutions of Emperor Licinius, he and forty of his converts died. St. Ammon was singled out and slain by having a red hot poker placed on his head.
St. Anna the Prophetess
Feastday: September 1
Death: unknown
A widow and seeress, described in St. Luke's Gospel.
St. Beatrice da Silva Meneses
Feastday: September 1
Patron: of Prisoners
Birth: 1424
Death: 1490
Beatified: 28 July 1926, Rome, Kingdom of Italy, by Pope Pius XI
Canonized: 3 October 1976, Vatican City, by Pope Paul VI
St. Beatrice da Silva Meneses, Religious (Feast - September 1) Beatrice was born in Ceuta, Portugal, in 1424. She was the daughter of the Count of Viana, and the sister of St. Amedeus of Portugal. In Portugal, Beatrice is known as Brites.
Raised in the household of Princess Isabel, Beatrice went to Spain with her when Isable married John II of Castile. Evenually, she tired of court life and entered the Cistercian convent at Toledo.
In 1484, Beatrice founded the Congregation of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The groups first house was the castle of Galliana, a gift from Queen Isabel. Beatrice died at Toledo on September 1, 1490 and was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1976.
In his own wisdom, God calls each individual to a particular vocation. The life of St. Beatrice reminds us of how important it is for us to be always open to God's designs in our regard, and to pray that his will be done.
Beatrice of Silva, O.I.C., also known (in Spanish) as Beatriz da Silva y de Menezes and (in Portuguese) as Beatriz de Menezes da Silva, (Campo Maior, Portugal ca. 1424 – Toledo, Castile, 16 August 1492) was a noblewoman of Portugal, who became the foundress of the monastic Order of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady in Spain. She is honored as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
ks
Life
Beatrice was one of the eleven children of Rui Gomes da Silva, the first governor of Campo Maior, Portugal, after its reconquest from Arab rule, and of Isabel de Menezes, the Countess of Portalegre, an illegitimate daughter of Dom Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real and 2nd Count of Viana do Alentejo, in whose army her father was serving at the time of her birth. One of her brothers was the Blessed Amadeus of Portugal, O.F.M., a noted reformer of the Order of Friars Minor. She was long thought to have been born in the Portuguese colony of Ceuta in North Africa, where her father was serving as a military adjutant at that time. Modern research has determined that she was, in fact, born in the family home at Campo Maior.[1]
The apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Beatrice da Silva
Tomb of Saint Beatrice da Silva in Toledo, Spain.
Beatrice was raised in the castle of Infante John, Lord of Reguengos de Monsaraz. In 1447 Beatrice accompanied his daughter, Princess Isabel of Portugal, to Castile as her lady-in-waiting when Isabel left to marry King John II of Castile and became Queen of Castile and León.[2] Beatrice was her good and close friend, (and later was to receive her support when she founded the Conceptionists). Soon, however, her great beauty began to arouse the irrational jealousy of the Queen, who had her imprisoned in a tiny cell. During this incarceration, Beatrice experienced an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which she was instructed to found a new Order in Mary's honor.
Beatrice finally escaped her imprisonment with difficulty and took refuge in the Dominican Second Order monastery of nuns in Toledo. Here she led a life of holiness for thirty-seven years, without becoming a member of that Order.[2] In 1484 Beatrice, with some companions, took possession of a palace in Toledo set apart for them by Queen Isabel the Catholic for the new community under the name Monastery of Santa Fe, which was to be dedicated to honoring the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
In 1489, by permission of Pope Innocent VIII, the nuns adopted the Cistercian Rule,[2] bound themselves to the daily recitation of the Office of the Immaculate Conception, and were placed under obedience to the ordinary of the archdiocese. The foundress determined on the religious habit, which is white, with a white scapular and blue mantle, with a medallion of Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception.
Beatrice died in the monastery she had founded on 16 August 1492.[3] Her remains are still venerated in the chapel of that monastery.
Saint Beatrice of Silva's Patronism is of prisoners.
Legacy
In 1501 Pope Alexander VI united the nuns of Santa Fe, which Beatrice had founded, with the neighboring Benedictine Monastery of San Pedro de las Duenas, and put them all under the Rule of St. Clare. Through this, the Order became connected with the Franciscans. Pope Julius II gave the new Order a rule of life of its own in 1511, and in 1516 special Constitutions were drawn up for the new Order by the Franciscan Cardinal Francisco de Quiñones, who resolved some ongoing tensions between the nuns of Santa Fe and the former Benedictine nuns who had been fused into the Order, establishing the community as the Monastery of the Immaculate Conception.[4]
A second monastery was founded in 1507 at Torrigo, from which, in turn, were established seven others. The Order soon spread through Portugal, Spain, and their colonies in South America—as early as 1540, as well as in Italy, and France.[a] At its height, there were some 200 monasteries of the Order throughout the world.
Veneration
Beatrice de Menezes da Silva was beatified in 1926 by Pope Pius XI and later canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1976.[5] Her feast day is celebrated by both by the Conceptionist nuns and the Franciscan Order and in Spain on 1 September, but in 2012 was transferred to 17 August for Portugal
Bl. Michael Ghebre
Feastday: September 1
Death: 1855
Vincentian martyr of Ethiopia also listed as Mikael Gabra. A native of that country, Michael became a Catholic in 1844 - converted by a Vincentian - and was ordained in 1851. Theodore II, the Negus of Ethiopia, launched a persecution of Catholics in 1855. Michael and four companions were arrested. Michael was dragged from place to place and died from abuse in prison on August 28. He was beatified in 1926.
St. Fiacre
Feastday: September 1
Patron: of Gardeners and Cab-drivers
St. Fiacre (Fiachra) is not mentioned in the earlier Irish calendars, but it is said that he was born in Ireland and that he sailed over into France in quest of closer solitude, in which he might devote himself to God, unknown to the world. He arrived at Meaux, where Saint Faro, who was the bishop of that city, gave him a solitary dwelling in a forest which was his own patrimony, called Breuil, in the province of Brie. There is a legend that St. Faro offered him as much land as he could turn up in a day, and that St. Fiacre, instead of driving his furrow with a plough, turned the top of the soil with the point of his staff. The anchorite cleared the ground of trees and briers, made himself a cell with a garden, built an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin, and made a hospice for travelers which developed into the village of Saint-Fiacre in Seine-et-Marne. Many resorted to him for advice, and the poor, for relief. His charity moved him to attend cheerfully those that came to consult him; and in his hospice he entertained all comers, serving them with his own hands, and sometimes miraculously restored to health those that were sick. He never allowed any woman to enter the enclosure of his hermitage, and Saint Fiacre extended the prohibition even to his chapel; several rather ill-natured legends profess to account for it. Others tell us that those who attempted to transgress, were punished by visible judgements, and that, for example, in 1620 a lady of Paris, who claimed to be above this rule, going into the oratory, became distracted upon the spot and never recovered her senses; whereas Anne of Austria, Queen of France, was content to offer up her prayers outside the door, amongst the other pilgrims.
The fame of Saint Fiacre's miracles of healing continued after his death and crowds visited his shrine for centuries. Mgr. Seguier, Bishop of Meaux in 1649, and John de Chatillon, Count of Blois, gave testimony of their own relief. Anne of Austria attributed to the meditation of this saint, the recovery of Louis XIII at Lyons, where he had been dangerously ill; in thanksgiving for which she made, on foot, a pilgrimage to the shrine in 1641. She also sent to his shrine, a token in acknowledgement of his intervention in the birth of her son, Louis XIV. Before that king underwent a severe operation, Bossuet, bishop of Meaux, began a novena of prayers at Saint-Fiacre to ask the divine blessing. His relics at Meaux are still resorted to, and he is invoked against all sorts of physical ills, including venereal disease. He is also a patron saint of gardeners and of cab-drivers of Paris. French cabs are called fiacres because the first establishment to let coaches on hire, in the middle of the seventeenth century, was in the Rue Saint-Martin, near the hotel Saint-Fiacre, in Paris. Saint Fiacre's feast is kept in some dioceses of France, and throughout Ireland on this date. Many miracles were claimed through his working the land and interceding for others. Feast day is September 1st.
Saint Fiacre (Irish: Fiachra, Latin: Fiacrius) is the name of three different Irish saints, the most famous of which is Saint Fiacre of Breuil (c. AD 600 – 18 August 670[1]), the Catholic priest, abbot, hermit, and gardener of the seventh century who was famous for his sanctity and skill in curing infirmities. He emigrated from his native Ireland to France, where he constructed for himself a hermitage together with a vegetable and herb garden, oratory, and hospice for travellers. He is the patron saint of gardeners.[1]
St. Fiacre window, Church of the Good Shepherd (Rosemont, Pennsylvania)
Fiachra is an ancient pre-Christian, Irish name. It has been interpreted to denote "battle king"[3] or to derive from fiach ("raven").[4] The name is found in ancient Irish folklore and stories such as the Children of Lir.
The appellation "of Breuil" can in present times be misleading: the site of the hermitage, garden, oratory, and hospice of Saint Fiacre was in the place denominated "Brogillum" in ancient times and later renamed "Breuil", forming his epithet. However, Breuil was then again renamed "Saint-Fiacre" in his honor, which is the name of the present commune on the same site, in the Department of Seine-et-Marne, France.[5] The commune of Breuil, Department of Marne, France is located far from and is not the same as the commune of Saint-Fiacre (formerly named "Breuil"), although the two communes probably were both in the ancient French Province of Brie, which adds to the confusion.
Life
Saint Fiacre, 15th-century statue in the Church of Saint Taurin d'Évreux
"Though not mentioned in the earlier Irish calendars, Fiacre was born in Ireland at the end of the sixth century AD. He was raised in a monastery where he became a monk and imbibed knowledge of herbal medicine."[6] Fiacre was ordained a Catholic priest at some point, and elevated to the rank of abbot.[1] "In time he had his own hermitage and perhaps a monastery, possibly near St. Fiachra’s Well at Cill Fiachra (Kilferagh), Sheastown, in the barony of Shillelogher near Bennetsbridge, County Kilkenny, Ireland. As crowds flocked to him because of his reputation for his holiness and cures, he sailed to France in search of greater solitude."[6]
He arrived in Meaux, France in AD 628.[1] Saint Faro, the Bishop of Meaux, was "well-disposed to him due to kindnesses he and his father’s house had received from the Irish missionary Columbanus," and so "granted him a site at Brogillum (Breuil), in the province of Brie"[6][1] (presently Saint-Fiacre, Department of Seine-et-Marne, France) when Saint Fiacre approached him and manifested his desire to live a life of solitude in the forest.[7] There Saint Fiacre built a hermitage for his dwelling, a vegetable and herb garden, an oratory in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a hospice in which he cared for travellers. He lived a life of great mortification devoted to prayer, fasting, keeping vigils, and manual cultivation of his garden. "His fame for miracles was widespread. He cured all manner of diseases by laying on his hands".[1]
He died on 18 August AD 670, and his body was interred in the local church of the site of his hermitage complex, which church became his original shrine.[1] The site of his hermitage complex developed into a village, which was later named Saint-Fiacre and is presently in the Department of Seine-et-Marne, France.
Legends
Saint Faro allowed Saint Fiacre as much land as he might entrench in one day with a furrow; Fiacre turned up the earth with the end of his staff, toppling trees and uprooting briers and weeds. A suspicious woman hastened to tell Saint Faro that he was being beguiled and that this was witchcraft. Saint Faro, however, recognized that this was the work of God. It is said that thereafter Saint Fiacre prohibited women, on pain of severe bodily infirmity, from the precincts of his hermitage.[8]
Veneration
St. Fiachra's garden, Irish National Stud and Gardens
Saint Fiacre's relics were preserved in his original shrine in the local church of the site of his hermitage, garden, oratory, and hospice, in present Saint-Fiacre, Seine-et-Marne, France, but later transferred in 1568 to their present shrine in Meaux Cathedral in Meaux, which is near Saint-Fiacre and in the same French department, because of fear that fanatical Calvinists endangered them. The Roman Martyrology commemorates him on 11 August.[citation needed] 1 September is given as an alternative date for his memorial. Meaux continued to be a great centre of devotion to him, especially in the 17th and 18th centuries. Visitors to his shrine included Anne of Austria, Bishop Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet, Saint John of Matha, King Louis XIII of France, and Saint Vincent de Paul.[9][1] Saint Fiacre had a reputation for healing haemorrhoids, which were denominated "Saint Fiacre's figs" in the Middle Ages. Cardinal Richelieu venerated his relics hoping to be relieved of the infirmity.[10][11]
To celebrate the Second Millennium, "Saint Fiachra's Garden" opened in 1999 at the Irish National Stud and Gardens, Tully, County Kildare, Ireland, his nation of birth.[12]
Patronage
Saint Fiacre is the patron saint of the commune of Saint-Fiacre, Seine-et-Marne, France. He is the patron of growers of vegetables and medicinal plants, and gardeners in general, including ploughboys.[10] His reputed aversion to women is believed to be the reason he is also considered the patron of victims of venereal disease.[9] He is further the patron of victims of hemorrhoids and fistulas, taxi cab drivers, box makers, florists, hosiers, pewterers, tilemakers, and those suffering from infertility.[13] Finally, he is commonly invoked to heal persons suffering from various infirmities, premised on his reputed skill with medicinal plants.
Fiacre cabs
Main article: Fiacre (carriage)
From about 1650, the Hotel de Saint Fiacre, in the rue St-Martin in Paris, hired out carriages. These carriages came to be known as fiacres, which became a generic term for hired horse-drawn transport. Although sometimes claimed by taxi-drivers as a patron saint, St. Fiacre is not recognized as such by the Church
Saint Giles
புனிதர் கைல்ஸ்
(St. Giles)
மடாதிபதி:
(Abbot)
பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 650
ஏதென்ஸ், அச்செயா, கிழக்கு ரோமப் பேரரசு
(Athens, Achaea, Eastern Roman Empire)
இறப்பு: செப்டம்பர் 1, 710
செப்டிமேனியா, விஸிகோத் அரசு, (தென் ஃபிரான்ஸ்)
(Septimania, Kingdom of the Visigoths (Languedoc, Southern France)
ஏற்கும் சமயம்:
ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை
(Roman Catholic Church)
கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை
(Eastern Orthodox Church)
ஆங்கிலிக்கன் சமூகம்
(Anglican Communion)
முக்கிய திருத்தலங்கள்:
புனிதர் கைல்ஸ் துறவு மடம், ஃபிரான்ஸ்
புனிதர் கைல்ஸ் தேவாலயம், எடின்பர்க், ஸ்காட்லாந்து
(Abbey of Saint-Gilles (Saint-Gilles, France)
St. Giles' Cathedral (Edinburgh, Scotland)
பாதுகாவல்:
பிச்சைக்காரர்கள்; கொல்லர்கள்; மார்பக புற்றுநோய்; தாய்ப்பால் ஊட்டுதல்; புற்றுநோயாளிகள்; ஊனமுற்றோர்; எடின்பர்க் (ஸ்காட்லாந்து); வலிப்பு; காடுகள்; துறவிகள்; குதிரைகள்; தொழு நோயாளிகள்; மன நோய்; தீயவர்கள்; ஏழை மக்கள்; ஆட்டுக்கடா; தூண்டுகோல் தயாரிப்போர்; மலட்டுத்தன்மை.
நினைவுத் திருநாள் : செப்டம்பர் 1
புனிதர் கைல்ஸ், ஏதேன்ஸ் நாட்டைச் சேர்ந்த ஒரு கிரேக்க துறவியும் கிறிஸ்தவ புனிதரும் ஆவார். இவரது சரிதம், “புரோவென்ஸ்” (Provence) மற்றும் “செப்டிமீனியா” (Septimania) பிராந்தியங்களை மையமாக கொண்டதாகும். “தூய கைல்ஸ்-டு-கர்ட்” (Saint-Gilles-du-Gard) எனுமிடத்தில் இவர் நிறுவிய துறவு மடம், இவரது சமாதியாகவும் பிரபல திருயாத்திரை ஸ்தலமாகவும் விளங்குகின்றது. இவர், பதினான்கு தூய (Fourteen Holy Helpers) உதவியாளர்களில் ஒருவராவார்.
கைல்ஸ் ஆரம்பத்தில் இன்றைய தென் ஃபிரான்ஸ் நாட்டின் “செப்டிமானியாவில்” (Septimania) “கர்ட்” நதி (River Gard) மற்றும் “ரோன்” (Rhône) நதிகளின் முகத்துவாரத்தில் வசித்தார். இவர், “ஏதென்ஸ்” (Athens) நாட்டின் அரசனான “தியோடோர்” (King Theodore) மற்றும் அரசி “பெலஜியா” (Queen Pelagia) ஆகியோரின் மகன் என்ற கூற்று முற்றிலும் ஜோடிக்கப்பட்ட கற்பனையே என்று ஆரம்பகால சரித்திர ஆசிரியர்கள் கூறுகின்றனர். இறுதியில், “நிமேஸ்” (Nîmes) பிராந்தியத்தினருகேயுள்ள அடர்ந்த காடுகளின் உட்பகுதிகளுக்கு பின்வாங்கிச் சென்ற இவர், பல ஆண்டு காலம் அங்கேயே தீவிர தனிமையில் வாழ்ந்தார். அவருக்கு துணையாக ஒரு மான் மட்டுமே எப்போதும் உடன் இருந்தது என்பர். பலவேளைகளில், தமது பால் தந்து இவரது பசியாற்றியதாகவும் கூறப்படுகிறது.
கைல்ஸ், புலால் உணவு உண்பதை முற்றிலும் தவிர்த்திருந்தார். இந்த பின்வாங்கல், அரசனின் வேட்டைக்காரர்களால் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது. அவர் தஞ்சம் அடைந்த இடத்திலேயே அடைக்கலம் புகுந்தார். ஒருமுறை, இவரது மானை நோக்கி வீசப்பட்ட அம்பு ஒன்று, இவரை தைத்தது. இவர் காயமடைந்தார். இதனால், பின்னாளில் இவர் ஊனமுற்றோரின் பாதுகாவலர் ஆனார்.
வரலாற்று அமைப்பின் காரணமாக, “விசிகோத்” (Visigoth) அரசனான “வம்பா” (Wamba) ஒரு கபடமற்றவனாக சித்தரிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறார். அரசன் “வம்பா”, துறவி கைல்சை அவரது பணிவின் காரணமாக, மிகவும் மரியாதையாக நடத்தினார். அரசன் வம்பா, இவருக்காக பள்ளத்தாக்கில் “புனிதர் கைல்ஸ் துறவு மடம்” (Saint-Gilles-du-Gard) எனும் துறவு மடத்தை கட்டி கொடுத்தார். கைல்ஸ், துறவு மடத்தில் “பெனடிக்டைன்” (Benedictine rule) ஒழுங்கு விதிகளை அமல்படுத்தினார்.
கைல்ஸ், தமது துறவு மடத்திலேயே, புனிதத்தன்மை மற்றும் அற்புதங்களின் மிக உயர்ந்த புகழுடன் 8ம் நூற்றாண்டின் தொடக்கத்தில் மரித்தார்.
இங்கிலாந்தில், பல பண்டைய தேவாலயங்கள் மற்றும் மருத்துவமனைகள் கைல்ஸுக்கு அர்ப்பணிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. “புருஸ்ஸல்ஸ்” (Brussels) நகரின் ஒரு பகுதிக்கு அவரது பெயரிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. ஜெர்மனியில், 14 பரிசுத்த உதவியாளர்கள் என அழைக்கப்படுபவர்களுள் ஒருவராக கைல்ஸ் உட்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளார். நோயிலிருந்து மீள்வதற்காகவும், மரண வேளையில் வல்லமைக்காகவும் இந்த பரிசுத்த உதவியாளர்களை நோக்கி செபிக்கப்படுகிறார்கள். குறிப்பாக ஜேர்மனி, ஹங்கேரி மற்றும் சுவீடன் ஆகிய நாடுகளில் "பரிசுத்த உதவியாளர்களுக்கான" பக்தி தீவிரமாக உள்ளது. அத்தகைய பக்தியால் அவரது புகழ் பரவியது. கைல்ஸ் விரைவிலேயே ஏழைகள் மற்றும் ஊனமுற்றோரின் பாதுகாவலரானார்.
Also known as
Aegidius, Aegidus, Aigeides, Aigigios, Egidio, Egidius, Egydius, Gil, Gilg, Gilgen, Gilgian, Gilles, Ilg, Ilgen, Jilg
Profile
Born to the wealthy, Greek nobility; when his parents died, Giles gave his fortune to help the poor. Known as a miracle worker. To avoid followers and adulation, he left Greece c.683 for France where he lived as a hermit in a cave in the diocese of Nîmes, a cave whose mouth was guarded by a thick thorn bush, and a lifestyle so impoverished that, legend says, God sent a deer to Giles to nourish him with her milk; a tradition developed that made him a patron of nursing mothers, and those suffering with breast cancer.
One day after he had lived there for several years in meditation, a royal hunting party chased the deer into Giles' cave. One hunter shot an arrow into the thorn bush, hoping to hit the deer, but instead hit Giles in the leg, crippling him. The king sent doctors to care for hermit's wound, and though Giles begged to be left alone, the king came often to see him.
From this, Gile's fame as sage and miracle worker spread, and would-be followers gathered near the cave. The French king, because of his admiration, built the monastery of Saint Gilles du Gard for these followers, and Giles became its first abbot, establishing his own discipline there. A small town grew up around the monastery, and upon Giles' death, his grave became a shrine and place of pilgrimage; the monastery later became a Benedictine house.
The combination of the town, monastery, shrine and pilgrims led to many handicapped beggars hoping for alms; this and Giles' insistence that he wished to live outside the walls of the city, and his own damaged leg, led to his patronage of beggars, and to cripples since begging was the only source of income for many. Hospitals and safe houses for the poor, crippled, and leprous were constructed in England and Scotland, and were built so cripples could reach them easily. On their passage to Tyburn for execution, convicts were allowed to stop at Saint Giles' Hospital where they were presented with a bowl of ale called Saint Giles' Bowl, "thereof to drink at their pleasure, as their last refreshing in this life."
In Spain, shepherds consider Giles the protector of rams. It was formerly the custom to wash the rams and colour their wool a bright shade on Giles' feast day, tie lighted candles to their horns, and bring the animals down the mountain paths to the chapels and churches to have them blessed. Among the Basques, the shepherds come down from the Pyrenees on 1 September, attired in full costume, sheepskin coats, staves, and crooks, to attend Mass with their best rams, an event that marks the beginning of autumn festivals, marked by processions and dancing in the fields. Giles is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, the only one not to die as a martyr.
Born
at Athens, Greece
Died
• between 710 and 724 in France of natural causes
• legend says that those who attended his funeral heard choirs of angels singing and then fading away as they carried his soul to heaven
• his tomb is in the crypt of the abbey church of Saint-Gilles, Gard, France
• in 1562, Huguenots burned the abbey, murdered the monks, looted the church, and vandalized the tomb; the surviving relics of Saint Giles were distributed to other churches
• in Scotland in the seventeenth century, his relics were stolen from a church which triggered a great riot
Patronage
• against breast cancer • against cancer in general; of cancer patients • against epilepsy; of epileptics • against noctiphobia or fear of night; of noctiphobics • against insanity or mental illness; of mentally ill people • against leprosy; of lepers • against plague • against sterility or barrenness • against drought • against fire • against storms • abandoned people; against abandonment • beggars • breast feeding or nursing mothers • disabled, handicapped or physically challenged people; cripples • hermits • poor people, paupers • forests, wood lands • horses • rams • blacksmiths • shepherds • spur makers • - • Graz, Austria • Klagenfurt, Austria • Monte San Savino, Italy • Tolfa, Italy • Edinburgh, Scotland
Blessed Giuliana of Collalto
Also known as
Juliana
Profile
Born to the Italian nobility, the daughter of Count Rambaldo VI and Countess Giovanna of Sant'Angelo of Mantua. She received a Christian education, and at age 12, she entered the Benedictine convent of Santa Margherita di Salarola near Calaone, Italy. There she became a friend of Blessed Beatrix of Este the Elder who entered the convent in 1220. Founded a Benedictine convent on Spinalonga (modern Giudecca) off Venice, Italy, and served as its abbess. Known for her charity and care for the local poor. Late in life she began suffering from severe headaches, possibly migraines, which led to her patronage of others who do.
Blessed Giuliana was reported to be a miracle worker, including -
• instantly healing the shattered broken arm of one of her nuns by praying over her
• she went to the prison cell of an innocent man, opened the prison doors and removed all his chains simply by praying over them
• one Christmas night a severe storm kept the local priest from reaching the convent, Giuliana prayed about the problem; an angel carrying the Christ child appeared to the nuns, announcing the birth of Jesus
Born
1186 in Collalto, Susegana, Treviso, Italy
Died
• 1 September 1262 at Venice, Italy of natural causes
• buried in the cemetery of the San Biagio church of the Spinalonga convent
• the location of her grave was lost, but in 1297 dozens of small flaming torches were seen to hover over it; her body found to be incorrupt
• relics enshrined in a wooden sarcophagus the in the church altar in 1733
• relics moved to the church of the Redeemer in Venice in 1810
• relics moved to the Saint Anne chapel at the parish church of Saint Euphemia in Venice in 1820
• the original wooden sarcophagus is on exhibit in the Museo Correr in Venice
• some relics enshrined in a church in Collalto, Italy
Beatified
20 May 1753 by Pope Benedict XIV (cultus confirmed)
Patronage
• against headaches
• against migraines; of migraine sufferers
Blessed Douceline of Digne
Also known as
Douceline of Hyères
Profile
Daughter of Berengarius of Digne, a prosperous merchant, and Huguette of Barjols; the couple was known for their piety and charity. Following the death of her parents, she moved to Hyères, France, and was drawn to the spirituality of the Franciscans who had recently moved into the area; she sometimes stayed at a Poor Clare convent. She spent her time caring for the sick and poor, and her personal property dwindled to the clothes on her back and a pile of straw she used for a bed.
Learning of the Beguine life, she adopted the Beguine habit; she attracted a number of like-minded women who became the community of Beguines in Hyères known as the "Ladies of Roubaud", named after a river that flowed near where they met. In 1240, Douceline took vows of virginity and poverty, and became leader of the "Ladies". In 1250, with the invitation and help of her brother Hugues of Digne, a Franciscan friar who wrote the rule of the group, she established a Beguine house in Marseille, France. Her reputation for holy wisdom spread, she became a counsellor to many people of all stations, was known to levitate while in prayer, and though she never joined the Franciscans, the local brothers and sisters considered her one of their own.
Born
1214 in Digne-les-Bains, Provence (in modern France)
Died
• 1 September 1274 in Marseille, France of natural causes
• interred in the the Franciscan church in Marseille next to her brother Hugues
• the bishop of Orange, France delivered her funeral eulogy
• relics transferred to the New Major church when the old one was demolished in 1524
• relics transferred to the new cathedral, built in 1857
Patronage
Hyères, France
Saint Lupus of Sens
Profile
Leu, Loup, Lowe, Lupo, Wolf
Profile
Born to the Burgundian nobility, he was early noted to have a love to Christ and the Church. Nephew of Saint Austremius of Orleans, and Saint Aunarius of Auxerre who both saw to his education. Noted for his love of music and his generosity to the poor. Monk at Lérins. Priest. Archbishop of Sens, Burgundy (in modern France) in 609.
When Lupus hesitated to acknowledge Clotaire II as the rightful ruler of Burgundy, and insisted that the will of God trumps the will of rulers, Clotaire used the excuse of slander about Lupo and a woman to exile him to Ansenne, a predominently pagan area. Lupus evangelized the people of the area, converting many, including the region's governor. When Lupus' replacement in Burgundy, the politically ambitious monk Monegisil, was killed during a riot, the people demanded the return of their rightful bishop. Clotaire recalled Lupus, and punished those who had spoken against him.
Legend says that once when celebrating Mass, a jewel descended from heaven into the elevated chalice.
Born
near Orleans, Gaul (in modern France)
Died
• 623 in Brienon-sur-Armançon, Yonne, France of natural causes
• buried under the gutter of Saint Columba's basilica, Sens, France
• relics transferred to the new cathedral on 23 July 853
Patronage
against epilepsy; of epileptics
Exiles of Campania
Profile
Twelve priests of northern Africa who were driven into exile into Italy by Arian Vandals. There they continued to be outspoken about their faith; all became noted preachers and evangelists, and some bishops in their dioceses. We have a few details about their individual lives, and the areas in which they became patrons. Their names are Adiutor, Augustus, Canion, Castrensis, Elpidius, Heraclius, Marcus, Priscus, Rosius, Secundinus, Tammarus and Vindonius.
Saint Nivard of Reims
Also known as
Nivardo, Nivo
Profile
Born to the wealthy Gallic nobility, related to the Merovingians, and brother-in-law of King Childeric II of Austrasia. He grew up in the royal court and was an adult before feeling a call to religious life. Priest. Archbishop of Reims, France in 657.
Because of his court contacts, and because Reims was the capital of King Clovis II, Nivard obtained great benefits from the rich and powerful which he used to support religious houses. He worked helped found the Saint-Pierre Abbey in Hautvillers, France, a house that combined the rules of Saint Benedict of Nursia and Saint Columbanus, and was the house where tradition says Dom Pierre Perignon developed the process to make champagne. Bishop Nivard also built churches in his diocese and supported the monasteries of Corbie, Soissons and Fontenelle.
Born
early 7th century in the region of Reims, France
Died
• 1 September 673 of natural causes
• buried at Saint-Pierre Abbey, Hautvillers, France
Blessed Giovanna Soderini
Also known as
• Giovanna da Firenze
• Jane Soderini
• Johanna Soderini
Profile
Born to the Italian nobility. Spiritual student of Saint Giuliana Falconieri. She became a Servite tertiary and withdrew from worldly life to live on Mount Senario, attending Mass every morning, in Eucharistic adoration every night. She was for her life of prayer and austerity, and her devotion to the Passion of Christ and the Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Born
1301 at Florence, Italy
Died
1 September 1367 in or near Florence, Italy of natural causes
Beatified
1 October 1828 by Pope Leo XII (cultus confirmation)
Saint Terentianus of Todi
Also known as
Terenciano, Terentian, Térentien, Terenziano
Profile
Priest. Bishop of Todi, Umbria, Italy. Old traditions says that he was tortured on the rack, had his tongue cut out for preaching, and martyred in the persecutions of Hadrian in 118, but it is more likely that he was died in the 4th century.
Patronage
• Capranica, Italy
• Fraore, Italy
• Isola di Compiano, Italy
• Nicorvo, Italy
• Rezzoaglio, Italy
• San Terenziano, Italy
• Teano, Italy
Saint Firminus the Younger
Also known as
• Firminus II
• Firman...
Additional Memorial
2 January (translation of relics)
Profile
His father, Faustinian, was prefect of imperial Roman Gaul and a convert, baptized by Saint Firminus of Amiens; Faustinian named his son Firminus in honour of the saint. Firminus became a priest, and c.350, he was chosen the third bishop of Amiens, France where he served for about 40 years.
Died
• c.390 of natural causes
• buried in the church of Our Lady in Amiens, France; the church has since been renamed for Saint Acheul
• relics translated to the cathedral of Amiens in the 7th century
Blessed Colomba of Mount Brancastello
Profile
Born to the nobility, she was the daughter of the count of Pagliara, Italy, and sister of Saint Bernard Valeara of Teramo. As a teenager, Colomba retired to live as a mountain hermitess in a cave. Near the cave is an imprint in the rock that looks like a hand; tradition says it's where Colomba grabbed the stone to reach her home of solitude.
Born
1100 in Pagliara, Teramo, Italy
Died
• winter 1116 on Mount Brancastello, Italy of natural causes
• Saint Bernard Valeara of Teramo built a chapel on the site of her hermitage cave
Saint Firminus the Younger
Also known as
• Firminus II
• Firman...
Additional Memorial
2 January (translation of relics)
Profile
His father, Faustinian, was prefect of imperial Roman Gaul and a convert, baptized by Saint Firminus of Amiens; Faustinian named his son Firminus in honour of the saint. Priest. Third bishop of Amiens, France c.350, serving for about 40 years.
Died
• c.390 of natural causes
• buried in the church of Our Lady, which has since been renamed for Saint Acheul in Amiens, France
• relics translated to the cathedral of Amiens in the 7th century
Joshua the Patriarch
Also known as
• Joshua the Prophet
• Joshua, son of Nun
• Giosuè, Hosea, Hoshea, Jehoshua, Jesus, Josua, Josue, Josuë, Jozua, Jozuë, Osee, Yehoshu'a, Yehoshúa, Yeshua
Profile
Old Testament patriarch. The successor of Moses the PatriarchMoses as leader of the Israelites, he led them into Canaan. Led the Israelite forces that took Jericho.
Born
in pre-Exodus Egypt as Hoshea
Died
c.12th century BC
Abdon the Judge
Also known as
• Abdon ben-Hillel
• Abed-Dün
Profile
Judge of Israel for 8 years, as described in the Old Testament Book of Judges. Married, the father of 40 sons, grandfather of 30 children.
Born
in Pirathon
Died
buried in Pirathon
Ibzan the Judge
Also known as
• Ibzan of Bethlehem
• Abesan, Ebzan
Profile
Judge of Israel for 7 years, as described in the Old Testament Book of Judges. Married and the father of 30 sons and 30 daughters.
Born
Israelite
Died
buried in Bethlehem
Blessed Giustino of Paris
Profile
Trained in the law, he taught at the University of Paris, France. Mercedarian secular knight in Valencia, Spain. Assigned to Granada, Spain where he worked to ransom Christians held prisoner by the Moors, and encourage Christians who were about to renounce their faith in fear. Beaten and murdered by Moors for his work. Martyr.
Born
Paris, France
Died
hanged in 1337 in Granada, Spain
Saint Regulus
Also known as
Regolo
Profile
Priest. Bishop. Exiled from North Africa to Tuscany, Italy by Arian Vandals; there he lived as a holy and miracle working hermit. Martyred in the persecutions of Totila of the Ostrogoths.
Born
North Africa
Died
• beheaded c.545 in the Tuscan region of Italy
• relics enshrined in the cathedral of San Martino in Lucca, Italy
Patronage
• Montaione, Italy
• Vagli Sotto, Italy
• Metropolitan Chapter of the Cathedral of San Martino, Lucca, Italy
Saint Victorious of Le Mans
Also known as
Vittore, Victor
Profile
Sub-deacon. Married and the father of one son. Spiritual student of Saint Martin of Tours. At the recommendation of Saint Martin, Victorius was chosen bishop of Le Mans, France c.450; his wife became a nun and Victorius served for approximately 40 years. He attended the Council of Angers in 453, and the Council of Tours in 461. Saint Gregory of Tours wrote about him.
Died
c.490 in Le Mans, Lugden Gaul (in modern France)
Saint Verena of Zurich
Also known as
Verena of Zurzach
Profile
Related to one of the soldiers of the Theban Legion. Verena travelled to the area of modern Switzerland to search for him. After learning of his death, she settled down to live as an anchoress near Zurich.
Born
Egypt
Died
3rd century
Saint Constantius of Aquino
Also known as
Costantino
Profile
Bishop of Aquino, Italy c.465 to c.487. Attended the Council of Rome in 465. Had the gift of prophecy. Pope Saint Gregory the Great wrote about him in the Dialogues, and Saint Peter the Deacon wrote a biography of him.
Died
c.487 of natural causes
Patronage
• Aquino, Italy
• Aquino-Pontecorvo, Italy, diocese of
• Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo, Italy, diocese of
Our Lady of Montevergine
Also known as
• Madonna di Montevergine
• Madonna Bruna
• Mamma Schiavona
Profile
One of the so-called Black Madonnas, this image serves as part of the altar piece of the Sanctuary on Montevergine, Italy, the destination of thousands of pilgrims each year.
Saint Sulien of Amorica
Also known as
Giles, Silin, Ssilin, Sulian, Sulinus
Additional Memorial
1 January as one of the Breton Missionaries to Britain
Profile
Born to the Breton nobility. Missionary to the British Isles, working to oppose heresies. Hermit on an island near Anglesy, Wales. He then returned to Brittany where he converted many and led a group of spiritual students.
Born
6th century Brittany (in modern France)
Saint Sinicius of Reims
Also known as
Sinice, Sinicio
Profile
Worked with Saint Sixtus of Reims, and became second bishop of Reims, France upon the death of Sixtus, and served c.280 to c.286.
Died
c.280 of natural causes
Saint Aegidius of Sansepolcro
Also known as
Egidio, Giles
Profile
With Saint Arcanus of Sansepolcro, he made a pilgrimage to Palestine where they collected relics of the saints, and brought them back to Italy in the mid- to late-10th century. They founded a Benedictine monastery, which grew into Borgo San Sepulcro (modern Sansepolcro, Italy), to house them.
Born
Spain
Died
c.1050 of natural causes
Saint Arcanus of Sansepolcro
Also known as
Arcanum, Arcano
Profile
With Saint Aegidius of Sansepolcro, he made a pilgrimage to Palestine where they collected relics of the saints, and brought them back to Italy in the mid- to late-10th century. They founded a Benedictine monastery, which grew into Borgo San Sepulcro (modern Sansepolcro), Italy, to house them.
Born
Italy
Died
c.1050 of natural causes
Saint Sixtus of Reims
Also known as
Sixte, Xystus
Profile
First bishop of Reims, France, serving from c.270 to c.280. Worked with Saint Sinicius of Reims.
Died
c.280 of natural causes
Abigail the Matriarch
Profile
Jewish laywoman and Old Testament matriarch. Wife of King David. One of the seven women considered a prophet by the Talmudic scholars. Her story is related in 1st Samuel.
Born
c.1000 BC
Died
c.950 BC
Saint Priscus of Capua
Also known as
Prisco
Profile
Assigned by Saint Peter the Apostle as first bishop of Capua, Italy. Martyred in the persecutions of Nero.
Died
c.66
Blessed Simone Ponce
Profile
Mercedarian friar. Assigned to the Andalusia region of modern Spain, he suffered abuse from the Moors, but managed to free 137 Christians enslaved by Muslims.
Born
Spain
Died
1359 of natural causes
Saint Ambrosinian of Armenia
Also known as
Ambrosinien, Ambrosinia
Profile
Bishop from southern Armenia who came to France at an unknown time. He was revered by the parents of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux who dedicated a chapel to him.
Died
relics enshrined in the cathedral of Langres, France
Blessed Luigi Conciso
Profile
Mercedarian friar. A doctor of theology, he wrote a number of books about the Mercedarians. Assigned to Algiers in north Africa, he freed 88 Christians who had been enslaved by Muslims.
Died
1372
Saint Vincent of Xaintes
Also known as
• Vincent of Dax
• Vincent of Aquae Augustae
Profile
First bishop of Dax, France. Worked with Saint Laetus of Dax. Martyr.
Born
Toledo, Spain
Died
5th century
Patronage
Dax, France
Saint Arealdo of Brescia
Memorial
1 September
Profile
Martyred with his sons Carillo and Oderico by invading Lombards.
Died
• c.576 in Brescia, Italy
• relics enshrined in the cathedral in Brescia in 1305
• relics transferred to the cathedral crypt on 8 June 1614
Blessed Giles of Castaneda
Profile
Benedictine Cistercian monk. Abbot of the monastery of San Martín de Castaneda, diocese of Astorga, Spain. In his old age he retired from community life to live as a prayerful hermit.
Born
Spanish
Died
c.1203 of natural causes
Saint Anea of Como
Profile
Child martyr.
Died
• in Rome, Italy, date unknown
• interred in the catacombs of Rome
• relics transferred to the church of San Croce in Como, Italy in 1700
Saint Laetus of Dax
Profile
Deacon in the diocese of Dax, France. Worked with Saint Vincent of Xaintes.
Died
5th century
Saint Agia
Also known as
Aia, Aye
Profile
Married. Mother of Saint Lupus of Sens. Widow.
Died
6th century
Saint Lythan
Also known as
Llythaothaw
Profile
Two churches in Wales are dedicated to this saint, but no information about him has survived.
Twelve Holy Brothers
Also known as
Martyrs of the South
Profile
A group of martyrs who died c.303 at various places in southern Italy. In 760 their relics were brought together and enshrined in Benevento, Italy as a group.
• Saint Arontius of Potenza
• Saint Donatus of Sentianum
• Saint Felix of Sentianum
• Saint Felix of Venosa
• Saint Fortunatus of Potenza
• Saint Honoratus of Potenza
• Saint Januarius of Venosa
• Saint Repositus of Velleianum
• Saint Sabinian of Potenza
• Saint Sator of Velleianum
• Saint Septiminus of Venosa
• Saint Vitalis of Velleianum
One tradition describes Saint Boniface of Hadrumetum and Saint Thecla of Hadrumetum as their parents.
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 Agustín Navarro Iniesta
• Blessed Alejandro Cobos Celada
• Blessed Alfonso Sebastiá Viñals
• Blessed Amparo Carbonell Muñoz
• Blessed Andrés Iniesta Egea
• Blessed Antonio Lorca Muñoz
• Blessed Antonio Villanueva Igual
• Blessed Carmen Moreno Benítez
• Blessed Crescencio Lasheras Aizcorbe
• Blessed Enrique López y López
• Blessed Francesc Trullen Gilisbarts
• Blessed Guillermo Rubio Alonso
• Blessed Isidro Gil Arano
• Blessed Joaquín Ruiz Cascales
• Blessed Joaquim Pallerola Feu
• Blessed José Franco Gómez
• Blessed José Prats Sanjuán
• Blessed Josep Samsó y Elias
• Blessed Juan José Egea Rodríguez
• Blessed Julian Villanueva Alza
• Blessed Manuel Mateo Calvo
• Blessed Mariano Niño Pérez
• Blessed Maximiano Fierro Pérez
• Blessed Miquel Roca Huguet
• Blessed Nicolás Aramendía García
• Blessed Pedro Meca Moreno
• Blessed Pedro Rivera y Rivera
• Blessed Pio Ruiz De La Torre
• Blessed Simó Isidre Joaquím Brun Ararà
• Blessed Tomás Galipienzo Perlada
