Mary the Blessed Virgin
Feastday: January 1
Patron: of all humanity
Birth: September 8, Nativity of Mary
Death: August 15, Assumption of Mary
Mary
, also known as St. Mary the Virgin, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Mary, Mary Mother of God or the Virgin Mary is believed by many to be the greatest of all Christian saints. The Virgin Mother "was, after her Son, exalted by divine grace above all angels and men."
Mary is venerated with a special cult, called by St. Thomas Aquinas, hyperdulia, as the holiest of all creatures. The main events of her life are celebrated as liturgical feasts of the universal Church.
Mary's life and role in the history of salvation is foreshadowed in the Old Testament, while the events of her life are recorded in the New Testament. Traditionally, she was declared the daughter of Sts. Joachim and Anne. Born in Jerusalem, Mary was presented in the Temple and took a vow of virginity. Living in Nazareth, Mary was visited by the archangel Gabriel, who announced to her that she would become the Mother of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit.
She became betrothed to St. Joseph and went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was bearing St. John the Baptist. Acknowledged by Elizabeth as the Mother of God, Mary intoned the Magnificat.
When Emperor Augustus declared a census throughout the vast Roman Empire, Mary and St. Joseph went to Bethlehem, his city of lineage, as he belonged to the House of David. There Mary gave birth to Jesus and was visited by the Three Kings.
Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple, where St. Simeon rejoiced and Mary received word of sorrows to come later. Warned to flee, St. Joseph and Mary went to Egypt to escape the wrath of King Herod. They remained in Egypt until King Herod died and then returned to Nazareth.
Nothing is known of Mary's life during the next years except for a visit to the Temple of Jerusalem, at which time Mary and Joseph sought the young Jesus, who was in the Temple with the learned elders.
The first recorded miracle of Jesus was performed at a wedding in Cana, and Mary was instrumental in calling Christ's attention to the need. Mary was present at the Crucifixion in Jerusalem, and there she was given into John the Apostle's care. She was also with the disciples in the days before the Pentecost, and it is believed that she was present at the resurrection and Ascension.
No scriptural reference concerns Mary's last years on earth. According to tradition, she went to Ephesus, where she experienced her "dormition." Another tradition states that she remained in Jerusalem. The belief that Mary's body was assumed into heaven is one of the oldest traditions of the Catholic Church.
Pope Pius XII declared this belief Catholic dogma in 1950. The four Catholic dogmas are: Mother of God, Perpetual virginity of Mary, the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary. The feast of the Assumption is celebrated on August 15. The Assumption was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her earthly life. According to Pope Pius XII, the Virgin Mary "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."
In 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception - that Mary, as the Mother of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, was free of original sin at the moment of her conception. The feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8. The birthday of Mary is an old feast in the Church, celebrated on September 8, since the seventh century.
Other feasts that commemorate events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary are listed in the Appendices. Pope Pius XII dedicated the entire human race to Mary in 1944. The Church has long taught that Mary is truly the Mother of God .
The Blessed Virgin Mary may be taken as a patroness of any good activity, for she is often cited as the patroness of all humanity. Mary is also associated with protecting many occupations and locations.
St. Paul observed that "God sent His Son, born of a woman," expressing the union of the human and the divine in Christ. As Christ possesses two natures, human and divine, Mary was the Mother of God in his human nature.
This special role of Mary in salvation history is clearly shown in the Gospel where she is seen constantly at her son's side during his soteriological mission. Because of this role, exemplified by her acceptance of Christ into her womb, her offering of him to God at the Temple, her urging him to perform his first miracle, and her standing at the foot of the Cross at Calvary Mary was joined fully in the sacrifice by Christ of himself.
Pope Benedict XV wrote in 1918: "To such an extent did Mary suffer and almost die with her suffering and dying Son; to such extent did she surrender her maternal rights over her Son for man's salvation, and immolated him - insofar as she could in order to appease the justice of God, that we might rightly say she redeemed the human race together with Christ."
Mary is entitled to the title of Queen because, as Pope Pius XII expressed it in a 1946 radio speech, "Jesus is King throughout all eternity by nature and by right of conquest: through him, with him, and subordinate to him, Mary is Queen by grace, by divine relationship, by right of conquest, and by singular election."
Mary possesses a unique relationship with all three Persons of the Trinity, thereby giving her a claim to the title of Queenship. She was chosen by God the Father to be the Mother of his Son; God the Holy Spirit chose her to be his virginal spouse for the Incarnation of the Son; and God the Son chose her to be his mother, the means of incarnating into the world for the purposes of the redemption of humanity.
This Queen is also our Mother. While she is not our Mother in the physical sense, she is called a spiritual mother, for she conceives, gives birth, and nurtures the spiritual lives of grace for each person. As Mediatrix of All Graces, she is ever present at the side of each person, giving nourishment and hope, from the moment of spiritual birth at Baptism to the moment of death.
In art, Mary is traditionall portrayed in blue. Her other attributes are a blue mantle, crown of 12 stars, pregnant woman, roses, and/or woman with child.
Hundreds of thousands of pieces of Marian artwork and sculptures have been created over the years from the best and most brilliant artists, like Michelangelo and Botticell, to simple peasant artists. Some of the most early examples of veneration of Mary is documented in the Catacombs of Rome. Catacomb paintings show Mary the Blessed Virgin with her son.
The confidence that each person should have in Mary was expressed by Pope Pius IX in the encyclical Ubipriinum : "The foundation of all our confidence. . . is found in the Blessed Virgin Mary. For God has committed to Mary the treasury of all good things, in order that everyone may know that through her are obtained every hope, every grace, and all salvation. For this is his will, that we obtain everything through Mary."
St. Almachius
Feastday: January 1
Death: 400
Also called Telemachus, a martyr and hermit who died in a Roman arena. He lost his life for protesting against the inhuman practice of having gladiators fight to the death for entertainment. During one of the events, Almachius entered the arena in Rome and demanded an end to the barbaric custom. He was promptly stoned to death by an irate crowd. His actions prompted Emperor Honorius to put end to the gladiatorial duels across the Roman Empire.
St. Zdislava of Lemberk
Feastday: January 1
Patron: of Difficult marriages; people ridiculed for their piety
Birth: 1220
Death: 1252
Canonized: Pope John Paul II
As a child of seven, Zdislava, the daughter of a Czech aristocratic family, ventured into the woods with the intent of becoming a hermitess, but she was soon tracked down and brought home from her adventure. Zdislava married a Czech nobleman, the Count of Lemberk. The couple had four children. Zdislava received Holy Communion almost daily, and experienced many ecstasies and visions.
She devoted herself to the poor, bathing the sick with her own hands, and taking homeless refugees into her home. When on one occasion her husband, exasperated by her charity, angrily went to expel from their castle a fever-stricken beggar she had given a bed to, he was stunned to find in the bed a crucifix instead. The mysterious incident moved him to accede to Zdislava's desire to fund the foundation of a new Dominican convent. While still young, Zdislava was stricken with a fatal illness. She reassured her husband and children that she hoped to be of more help to them in the next life than she could ever be in this world. Soon after Zdislava's death on January 1, 1252, her husband experienced a vision of her in glory.
Zdislava Berka (also, Zdislava of Lemberk; c. 1220–1252,[1] in what is now the northern part of Czech Republic) was the wife of Havel of Markvartice, Duke of Lemberk, and is a Czech saint of the Roman Catholic Church. She was a "wife, mother, and one of the earliest lay Dominicans".[2] She was a "precociously pious child",[1] running away at the age of seven to the forest to become a hermit. She was forced by her family to return home, and when she was 15, they forced her to marry wealthy nobleman Havel of Markvartice. He treated her brutally, but she was eventually able to perform acts of charity, give refuge to the poor and dispossessed at their home, found and support two priories, and join the Third Order of St. Dominic as a layperson. She died in 1252. She is the patron saint of Bohemia, of difficult marriages, and of those who are ridiculed for their piety. Her feast day is January 1.
Life
Zdislava was from the town of Litoměřice in what is now the northern part of the Czech Republic, to a Bohemian noble family.[3] Her devout mother was born in Sicily and came to Bohemia as "a member of the retinue" of Queen Kunigunde.[4] During her childhood, Zdislava went with her mother to visit Kunigunde, who probably first exposed Zdislava to the Dominicans. She might have met Ceslaus and Hyacinth of Poland.[2] Zdislava, a "precociously pious child",[1] was "extremely pious from her infancy",[5] giving money away to charity at a young age. When she was seven years old, she ran away from her home into the forest to pursue a life of prayer, penance, and a solitary life as a hermit. Her family found her, though, and forced her to return home.[5][6] When she was 15, her family forced her to marry, despite her objections, the wealthy nobleman Havel of Markvartice, who owned Lembeck Castle, a fortified castle in a frontier area that was occasionally attacked by Mongol invaders. Zdislava and Havel had four children.[1][4][6]
Zdislava's husband was "a man of violent temper"[5] and treated her brutally, but "by her patience and gentleness she secured in the end considerable freedom of action in her practices of devotion, her austerities and her many works of charity".[6] She devoted herself to the poor, opening the castle doors to those dispossessed by the invasions. Hagiographer Robert Ellsberg stated that Havel tolerated her "extravagant charity"[1] because she followed his wishes and wore the costly clothes fitting her rank and station and would indulge in his "extravagant feasts"[2] with him. Zdislava had ecstasies and visions, received the Eucharist daily even though it was not a common practice at the time, and performed miracles; one account reports that she even raised the dead.[2][7]
Ellsberg reported that Zdislava donated to hospitals and built churches with her own hands.[1] According to one story, she gave their bed to a sick, fever-stricken refugee; Havel "became indignant at her hospitality"[8] and was prepared to eject the man, but found a figure of the crucified Christ there instead. Writer Joan Carroll Cruz called the incident a "miracle",[7] but one account states that she replaced the bed with a crucifix.[2] The incident "deeply impressed"[7] Havel, though, and he relaxed the restrictions he had placed on her. Eventually, he allowed her to build St. Lawrence Priory (a Dominican convent for women), donate money to another convent for men in Gabel, a nearby town, and join the Third Order of St. Dominic as a layperson.[5][6][7] Hagiographer Alban Bulter states, however, that "the alleged connection of [Zdislava] with the third order of St Dominic remains somewhat of a problem, for the first formal rule for Dominican tertiaries of which we have knowledge belongs to a later date".[6]
Shortly after founding St. Laurence Priory, Zdislava fell terminally ill; she consoled her husband and children by telling them that "she hoped to help them more from the next world than she had ever been able to do in this".[6] She died on January 1, 1252, and was buried, at her request, at St. Laurence.[5][6]
Veneration
Lembeck Castle
Shortly after her death, Zdislava is reported to have appeared to her grieving husband, dressed in a red robe, and comforted him by giving him a piece of the robe.[5] Her appearance to him "greatly strengthened him in his conversion from a life of worldliness".[6] According to hagiographer Agnes Dunbar, her room was still being shown to visitors to the Lembeck Castle into the 19th century.[5] Zdislava was beautified by Pope Pius X in 1907 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in the Czech Republic in 1995.[1][6][9] She is the patron saint of Bohemia, of difficult marriages, and of those who are ridiculed for their piety.[1][5] Her feast day is January 1
Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe
Also known as
Fabius Claudius Gordianus Fulgentius
Additional Memorial
3 January (Augustinians; North Africa)
Profile
Born to a Roman senatorial family, and was well educated. Provincial fiscal procurator and lieutenant governor of Byzacena. He became a monk early in life, led to the religious life by the writings of Saint Augustine of Hippo, whose work remained a touchstone for him the rest of his life. Priest. Abbot. Bishop of Ruspe (modern Kudiat Rosfa, Tunisia) in 508, an illegal election in the Arian controlled land following the invasion of the Vandals led by Thrasimund.
Exiled with 60 other bishops to Sardinia. There they built a monastery, and continued to write, pray, and study. He returned to Carthage in 515 to debate with Arians; he was so convincing that he was exiled again in 518. King Hilderic succeeded Thrasimund in 523, and permitted the exiles to return. Fulgentius preferred to return to his monastery and resume his studies, but he was such a popular preacher, he was kept busy in the pulpit until his death.
Born
c.465 at Carthage, North Africa (modern Tunis, Tunisia)
Died
• 1 January 533 in Ruspe of natural causes
• some relics translated to Bourges, France in 714
Saint Joseph Mary Tomasi
Also known as
• Giuseppe Maria Tomasi di Lampedusa
• Giuseppe Maria Tomasi
• Guiseppe Maria Tommasi
• Josef Maria Tomasi
• Joseph Marie Carus
• Joseph Mary Tommasi
Additional Memorial
3 January (Theatines)
Profile
Born to the wealthy Sicilian nobility, the son of the duke of Palermo, Italy and Rosalia Traino. When their children were grown, both of his parents entered religious life, and four of his sisters became nuns. Joseph renounced his inheritance and position in favour of his brother, and joined the Theatines on 24 March 1665. He studied philosophy at Messina, Ferrara, and Modena, Italy, and theology in Rome and Palermo, Italy. Joseph learned Greek, Ethiopic, Arabic, Syriac, Chaldaic, Hebrew, Italian, and Latin. He was ordained on 25 December 1673.
Father Joseph was stationed in Rome and served as examiner of the clergy for Pope Innocent XII. He lived as a hermit, and was chastised by authorities for being over-scrupulous. Studied and wrote extensively on the liturgy, publishing several titles under the pen name Joseph Marie Carus.
Confessor to Cardinal Alboni; when Albani was elected Pope, he was reluctant to accept the throne. Joseph advised him it would be a mortal sin to refuse, so Albani became Clement XI. Consultor of the Theatines. Theologian to several congregations. Consultor to the Congregation of Rites, and to the Congregation of Indulgences and Sacred Relics. Though he insisted he was not worthy, he was created cardinal-priest by Clement XI on 18 May 1712. He was a prolific writer on theology, Scripture, and patristics. Known for his knowledge, humility, charity, and reforming work. Joseph always enjoyed teaching catechism to children. He is reported to have predicted the date of his death.
Born
12 September 1649 at Licata, archdiocese of Agrigento, Sicily, Italy
Died
• 1 January 1713 at home next to the church of San Lorenzo in Panisperna, Rome, Italy of natural causes
• buried in the church
• transferred to the Theatine church of San Andrea della Valle, Rome, and interred under a side altar in 1971
• body found incorrupt
Canonized
12 October 1986 by Pope John Paul II
Patronage
liturgy
Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord
Also known as
In Circumcisione Domini et Octav Nativitatis
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Though he was not bound by law, Christ wanted to fulfill the law and to show His descent in the flesh from Abraham, and so was circumcised on the eighth day of his life (Luke 2:21), and received the name expressive of His office, Jesus, (Saviour). He was, as Saint Paul says, "made under the law", that is, He submitted to the Mosaic Dispensation, "that he might redeem them who were under the law: that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Galatians 4:4-5). "The Christ, in order to fulfil all justice, was required to endure this humiliation, and bear in His body the stigma of the sins which He had taken upon Himself." The circumcision took place, not in the Temple, though painters sometimes so represent it, but in some private house, where the Holy Family had found a rather late hospitality. The public ceremony in the synagogue, which is now the usage, was introduced later.
As Christmas was celebrated on 25 December, celebration of Circumcision fell on the first of January. In the ages of paganism, however, the solemnization of the feast was almost impossible due to orgies connected with the Saturnalian festivities being celebrated at the same time. Even in our own day the secular features of the opening of the New Year interfere with the religious observance of the Circumcision, and tend to make a mere holiday of that which should have the sacred character of a Holy Day. Saint Augustine of Hippo points out the difference between the pagan and Christian manners of celebrating the day: pagan feasting and excesses were to be expiated by Christian fasting and prayer. The Feast was kept at an early date in the Gallican Rite, as is clearly indicated in a Council of Tours in 567, in which he Mass of the Circumcision is prescribed. The feast celebrated at Rome in the seventh century was not the Circumcision as such, but the octave of Christmas. The Gelasian Sacramentary gives the title "In Octabas Domini", and prohibits the faithful from idolatry and the profanities of the season. The earliest Byzantine calendars (eighth and ninth centuries) give for the first of January both the Circumcision and the anniversary of Saint Basil. The Feast of the Circumcision was observed in Spain before the death of Saint Isidore in 636. It seems, therefore, that the octave was more prominent in the early centuries, and the Circumcision later. As paganism passed away the religious festivities of the Circumcision became more conspicuous and solemn; yet, even in the tenth century, Atto, Bishop of Vercelli, rebuked those who profaned the holy season by pagan dances, songs, and the lighting of lamps.
Saint Peter of Atroa
Also known as
• Pierre d'Atroa
• Theophylact
Profile
Eldest of three children. Following a message from the Blessed Virgin, he became the spiritual student of Saint Paul the Hesychast. Monk at age 18 at Crypta, Phrygia (in modern Turkey), taking the name Peter. Ordained at Zygos, Greece. On the day of his ordination he healed a possessed man at the door of the church, which was the beginning of a ministry of healing. Noted confessor, able to read the souls of his parishioners.
He began a pilgrimage with his teacher Saint Paul to Jerusalem, but they did not make it there. A vision from God sent them to Mount Olympus in Bithynia where Paul founded a monastery at the chapel of Saint Zachary near Atroa, and served as its first abbot. When Paul died in 805, 32-year-old Peter succeeded him as abbot. The monastery flourished, but in 815 Peter closed it due to the persecutions of the iconoclastic Emperor Leo the Armenian. Peter moved to Ephesus and then to Crete.
Due to his support of the use of icons, Peter found that he was a wanted man. He escaped imperial troops by miraculously becoming invisible. He briefly returned to his family home where his brother Christopher and widowed mother received monastic habits from his hands. He then settled for several years at Kalonaros near the Hellespont, but his own fame as a healer forced him to move on. His wonder-working caused an accusation of practicing magic and invoking devils, but he was completely cleared by Saint Theodore Studites.
Hermit near Atroa. Restored the Saint Zachary monastery and reorganized several others. However, after a few years of this work there was another outbreak of iconoclasm. This included his own bishop, and for their safety he sent his brother monks into hiding. When the persecutions turned violent, Peter retired to Saint Porphyry monastery on the Hellespont, and except for a brief visit to his friend Saint Joannicus of Mount Olympus at Balea, he never left again.
Born
773 near Ephesus, Asia Minor (modern Turkey) as Theophylact
Died
1 January 837 at Atroa of natural causes while his brother monks were singing the night office
Saint Odilo of Cluny
Also known as
• Archangel of Monks
• Olon, Odilon
Additional Memorials
• 29 April as one of the Seven Abbots of Cluny
• 19 January in Cluny (formerly 2 January)
• 6 February in Switzerland
Profile
Born to the French nobility, the son of Berald de Mercoeur and Gerberga who became a nun when widowed. Cured of unnamed malady in childhood by the intervention of Our Lady. Monk at Cluny at age 29. Abbot at Cluny in 994 at age 32 until his death. Promoted the Truce of God whereby military hostilities were suspended at certain times for ostensibly religious reasons, but which allowed enough commerce that people could survive, and which guaranteed sanctuary to those who sought refuge in a church. Instituted the feast now know as All Soul's Day. Known to sell Church property and treasures to feed the poor during times of famine. Declined the archbishopric of Lyon. Increased the Cluniac houses from 37 to 65. The cause for his canonization was pressed by Saint Peter Damian, who wrote a biography of him.
Born
962 at Auvergne, France
Died
• 1 January 1049 at Souvigny, France of natural causes
• relics burned in 1793 during the French Revolution
Patronage
• against jaundice
• souls in Purgatory
Representation
• Benedictine abbot with a skull and crossbones at his feet
• abbot celebrating Mass with Purgatory open at his side
• abbot in the same image as angels releasing souls from Purgatory
Saint Zedislava Berka
Also known as
• Zdislava Berka
• Zedislava Berkiana
• Zdislava of Lemberk
Additional Memorial
4 January (Dominicans)
Profile
Born to the Bohemian nobility. Married laywoman, and mother of four. Hers was not a happy marriage, and her largesse to the poor put her in frequent conflict with her husband. Dominican tertiary. Founded the Dominican priory of Saint Lawrence near her castle where she received Communion daily, an unusual practice at the time.
Born
c.1220 in the diocese in Križanov, Ždár nad Sázavou, Vysocina kraj (modern Czech Republic)
Died
1 January 1252 at Jablonné, Ceská Lípa, Liberecký kraj (modern Czech Republic) of natural causes
Beatified
• 28 August 1907 by Pope Pius X (cultus confirmed)
• 2 July 1994 by Pope John Paul II (decree of heroic virtues after Cause re-opened)
Canonized
21 May 1995 by Pope John Paul II
Patronage
• difficult marriages
• people ridiculed for their piety
Representation
• Dominican tertiary with a crucifix wound with roses
• taking a sick person's place in bed
Saint Euphrosyne of Alexandria
Also known as
Euphrosyna, Smaragdus
Additional Memorials
• 16 January (some Roman calendars)
• 25 September (Greek calendar; Armenia calendar)
• 15 February (Greek calendar)
• 24 September (Greek calendar)
• 11 February (Carmelites; Nordic calendars)
• 8 March (Armenian calendar)
Profile
Daughter of Paphnutius, a rich citizen of Alexandria, Egypt, born in her parents' old age due to the prayers of a monk who was a friend of the family. When she was grown, her family arranged a marriage for her to wealthy young noble, but she preferred religious life. While her father was on a retreat, Euphrosyne gave away her possessions, then became a nun and spiritual student of the monk who had prayed for her birth. To hide from her family, she wore men's clothes, and became a monk, using the name Smaragdus. She became famous for her holiness and wisdom, and became a spiritual teacher of her father, who did not recognize her. On her deathbed she revealed her true identity to her father who then became a monk, and lived in her cell the remaining ten years of his life.
Modern scholarship indicates this was probably pious fiction that was mistaken for history, and that Saint Euphrosyne never existed.
Died
• 470 of natural causes
• some relics at Boulogne, France
• some relics at the monastery of Saint John de Beaulieu in Picardy, France
Representation
woman dressed as a monk
Blessed Valentin Paquay
Also known as
• Jan Louis Paquay
• Joannes Ludovicus Paquay
• Valentijn Paquay
• Valentine Paquay
• Valentinus Paquay
Profile
The fifth of eleven children born to Hendrik Paquay and Anne Neven, a pious couple who raised all their children to have a strong connection to the Church. Louis studied literature at the College in Tongres. He entered Saint Trond Seminary in 1845. When his father died unexpectedly in 1847, Louis left school to join the Franciscans, making his vows on 4 October 1850 and taking the name Valentine. He then resumed his studies, and was ordained on 10 June 1854. Assigned to the monastery of Hasselt, Belgium where he lived for the rest of his life.
He served as sub-prior and prior of the house. Served as a Provincial Definitor from 1890 to 1899. Noted, eloquent and popular preacher. He wrote constantly. Had the gift of reading a visitor's consience, and became sought after confessor and spiritual director. Valentin had a strong devotion to the Holy Eucharist, and promoted frequent communion. He also had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and encouraged it as well, especially to his fellow Franciscans. He prayed the Way of the Cross each day.
Born
17 November 1828 in Tongres, Limburg, Belgium as Louis Paquay
Died
1 January 1905 in Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium of natural causes
Beatified
9 November 2003 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Lojze Grozde
Also known as
Alojzij Grozde
Profile
As he was born out of wedlock, his mother had him baptized him on the day of his birth, but she, his biological father, and his and step-father all refused to raise the boy, and from age four he was grew up by his maternal grandparents and an aunt. They all poor peasants, but pious and patriotic people who instilled those traits in Lojze. He was an excellent student, graduated with honours, and with the help of an unknown benefactor, attended an Episcopal boarding school. He joined the Congregation of Mary at age 13, and Catholic Action at age 15; he immediately became an active and enthusiatic member. Lojze considered the priesthood, but felt he could accomplish more as a layman, counseling other young people and working through Catholic Action. Wrote poetry from an early age. Imprisoned, tortured and murdered by Communist partisans under Tito; the partisans were as ferocious in their persecution of Catholics as they were in their opposition to invading Nazis. Martyr.
Born
27 May 1923 in Trzisce, Zgornje Vodale, Slovenia
Died
• tortured to death on 1 January 1943 in Mirna, Trebnje, Slovenia
• his body was abandoned and found by accident by children on 23 February 1943, and buried in a small nearby cemetery
Beatified
• 13 June 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI
• recognition celebrated at Celje, Slovenia
Saint Vincent Strambi
Also known as
Vincenzo Maria Strambi
Profile
Son of a druggist. His parents encouraged his vocation of a parish priest. Ordained in 1767. Joined the Passionists in 1768 after a retreat led by Saint Paul of the Cross. Professor of theology. Passionist provincial in 1781. Bishop of Macerata-Tolentino, Italy in 1801. Exiled in 1808 for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to Napoleon, but returned in 1813 after Napoleon's downfall. Saved Macerata from being sacked by Murat's troops. Instituted reforms throughout his diocese, ending such corruption that he received death threats. Indefatigable missioner and preacher. Worked with and for his people in during a typhus epidemic. On the death of Pope Pius VII, he resigned his see to become an advisor to Pope Leo XII.
Born
1 January 1745 at Civitavecchia, Italy
Died
1 January 1824 in Rome, Italy of natural causes
Canonized
11 June 1950 by Pope Pius XII
Saint Zygmunt Gorazdowski
Also known as
Zigmund Horazdowski
Profile
Roman Catholic in an area predominantly Greek Catholic. Suffered with respiratory problems all his life. Studied law for two years, but quit to enter the seminary at Lviv, Ukraine. Ordained in 1871. Senior priest of the parish of Saint Nicholas in Lviv.
Organized The Affordable Public House and The House for Workers, shelters for the poor, hungry, and homeless. Built a dormitory for poor students of a teacher's college so they could concentrate on study. Founded The House of the Child Jesus, a shelter for abandoned children and single mothers and their children. Founded a convent for the Sisters of Mercy of Saint Joseph in 1884 so the sisters could help with these organizations; their mission was to work in boarding schools, and to care for the aged and sick. Wrote catechisms and other educational works.
Today the Sisters continue their work in Poland, France, Germany, Italy, Brazil, Congo, and Cameroon.
Born
1 November 1845 at Sanok, Podkarpackie, Poland
Died
1 January 1920 at Lviv, L'vivs'ka oblast', Ukraine
Canonized
23 October 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI at Rome, Italy
Saint William of Dijon
Also known as
• William of Cluny
• William of Saint Benignus
• William of Volpiano
• Guglielmo, Guillaume
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Born to the Italian nobility, the son of Count Robert of Volpiano. Born during a battle in which his father defended the island against Emperor Otto. When the island was lost, the Emperor became William's sponsor and patron. Educated from age seven in the Benedictine abbey of Locadio, Vercelli, Italy. Benedictine monk at Locadio. Monk at Cluny Abbey in 987 under Saint Majolus. Reorganized Saint Sernin abbey on the Rhône. Abbot of Saint Benignus abbey at Dijon, France. Ordained in 990. Under his direction, and with his zeal for the Cluniac reform, Benignus became a center of spirituality, education, and culture, and the mother monastery of some 40 others in Burgundy, Lorraine, Normandy, and northern Italy. Noted for his zeal for the Church, his tender concern for the poor, his resolve and lack of intimidation when dealing with the politically powerful.
Born
962 in the family castle on San Giuglio Island, Lake Orta, Novara, Piedmont, northern Italy
Died
1 January 1031 at Fecamp monastery, Normandy, France of natural causes
Saint Eugendus of Condat
Also known as
Agendus, Augendus, Eugend, Eugendo, Oyan, Oyand, Oyend, Yan
Additional Memorial
4 January in the diocese of Besançon and diocese of Saint Claude
Profile
Taught to read and write at home by his father, a man who became a priest himself. Moved into the Condat Monastery, Mount Jura, Switzerland at age seven, and stayed there the rest of his 61 years. Learned to read Greek and Latin, and became a noted Scripture authority. He refused to become ordained, saying he was unworthy to be a priest. Chosen abbot of his house c.496; the monastery was later renamed Saint-Oyend in his honour, and still later was known as Saint-Claude. When the wooden monastery burned, he managed to get it rebuilt in stone; it lasted for centuries. Known for the extreme austerity, simplicity, humility and good cheer, and for his life of continual prayer.
Born
c.449 at Izernore, Ain, France
Died
1 January 510 at Condat, Switzerland of natural causes
Patronage
• Saint-Oyen, Tarentaise, France
• Saint-Oyen, Valley of Aoste, Italy
• Saint-Oyens, Vaud, Switzerland
Saint Concordius of Spoleto
Also known as
Concord, Concorde, Memorial
Additional Memorials
• 2 January (Bispal, Spain)
• 4 July (translation of relics)
Profile
Sub-deacon in Rome, Italy. Spent most of his time alone in prayer and meditation. Imprisoned for his faith during the persecutions of Marcus Aurelius. Tried at Spoleto, Italy by Torquatus, the governor of Umbria, Italy, he was offered his freedom if he would renounce his faith and worship a statue of Jupiter; Concordius declined. The judge had him beaten and tortured on the rack; when he could speak, Concordius praised Jesus. After two more days in prison, Concordius was offered an idol to worship; he spat on it. Martyr.
Died
• beheaded c.175 in a prison cell in Spoleto, Italy
• some relics in Bispal, Spain
Representation
• with an angel who fed him during his captivity
• destroying a pagan idol
Readings
I have already told you, I am a Christian and confess Jesus Christ. - Saint Concordius when the judge demanded his name
Blessed Marian Konopinski
Additional Memorial
12 June as one of the 108 Martyrs of World War II
Profile
Priest and vicar-general of the archdiocese of Poznan, Poland. Chaplain of the Congregation of the Holy Archangels. Studied social science at the university in Poznan. Arrested for his faith in September 1939 during the Nazi invasion of Poland. Imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp, he ministered to other prisoners, said a rosary daily as long as his health lasted, and was used for medical experimentation until the procedures killed him. Martyr.
Born
10 September 1907 in Kluczewo, Wielkopolskie, Poland
Died
1 January 1943 in the concentration camp at Dachau, Oberbayern, Germany
Beatified
13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II
Readings
See you in God's kingdom. – Blessed Marian's final words
Saint Baglan of Wales
Also known as
• Faglan
• one of the Breton Missionaries to Britain
Profile
Fifth century missionary from Brittany to Britain, especially in Wales. Founded monasteries, including one whose site was chosen via a crozier with healing powers which led him to a tree with "three kinds of fruit".
Representation
• carrying fire in his bare hands (symbolic of controlled his lusts without them harming him)
• with a tree bearing three types of fruit (emblematic of teaching the Trinity, similar to Patrick's clover; or of faith, hope and love; or of poverty, chastity and obedience)
• a man by a tree with a hive of bees in the trunk, a sow with her litter underneath it, and a crow who had made a nest in the branches (a tree with three types of fruit)
• a man kneeling in prayer so long that his knees have left dents in the stone
Blessed Hugolinus of Gualdo Cattaneo
Also known as
• Hugo Linus a Gualdo Captaneorum
• Hugo Linus of Gualdo
• Ugolino de Gualdo
Profile
Augustinian hermit as a young man. With Blessed Angelus of Foligno, he founded a monastery in Gualdo Cattaneo, Italy in 1258, and served his remaining years as the prior of the house. For many years there was fellowship named for him, but it dissolved in 1568.
Born
c.1200 in Gualdo Cattaneo, Italy
Died
1 January 1260 in Gualdo Cattaneo, Italy of natural causes
Beatified
12 March 1919 by Pope Benedict XV (cultus confirmed)
Patronage
Gualdo Cattaneo, Italy
Representation
Augustinian hermit
Saint Gregory Nazianzen the Elder
Profile
Gregory spent the first 50 years of his life as a pagan, and worked as a government official most of his adult life. Married to Saint Nonna, who converted him to Christianity in 325. Father of Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Saint Caesarius of Nazianzen, and Saint Gorgonius. Bishop of Nazianos, Cappadocia, Asia Minor c.328. As bishop he became attached to an heretical Christian offshoot, but in 361 was brought back to the orthodox faith by his son Gregory. At age 94, he made younger Gregory his co-adjutor in Nazianos.
Born
c.276 at Nazianzos, Cappadocia, Asia Minor
Died
374 of natural causes
Blessed Adalbero of Liège
Also known as
• Adalbero of Louvain
• Alberon...
Profile
Born to the nobility. Brother of Count Godfrey Le Barbu of Louvain. Priest. Canon of Metz, France. Prince-Bishop of Liège, Belgium in 1123. Founded the abbey of Saint-Gilles near Liege.
Born
1070
Died
• 1 January 1128 of natural causes
• buried at the foot of the altar in the church of the abbey of Saint-Gilles
• original tomb-stone destroyed when the church was burned by William of Orange in 1568
• new tomb-stone emplaced during renovations in 1646, but later covered by other construction
• grave and tomb-stone re-discovered during church renovations in 1892
Saint Clarus of Vienne
Also known as
• Clair of Vienne
• Clair du Dauphiné
Profile
Benedictine monk at the abbey of Saint Ferreol. Abbot of Saint Marcellus in Vienne, Dauphine (in modern France). Noted spiritual director, including work at the convent of Saint Blandina where his own mother and sisters were nuns. Was also known for a profound understanding of theology, yet a teaching style that made it clear to any student. Reputed miracle worker.
Born
c.590 in Vienne, Dauphine, France
Died
c.660
Beatified
9 December 1903 by Pope Saint Pius X (cultus confirmed)
Patronage
tailors
Saint Frodobert of Troyes
Also known as
• Frodobert of Moutier-la-Celle
• Frodobert of Luxeuil
• Frobert, Frodoberto
Additional Memorial
1 January (translation of relics)
Profile
Educated in the cathedral school at Troyes, France. Benedictine monk at Luxeuil Abbey where he was a spiritual student of Saint Waldebert of Luxeuil. Founded Moutier-la-Celle abbey near Troyes, France c.655, and served as its first abbot. Noted for his austere lifestyle, and his devotion to prayer.
Born
c.600 in Troyes, France
Died
c.670 in Troyes, Neustria (in modern France) of natural causes
Blessed Andrés Gómez Sáez
Profile
Member of the Salesians, taking his vows at Carabanchel Alto, Madrid, Spain on 28 July 1914. Ordained in Orense, Spain on 9 September 1925. Parish priest in Baracaldo, in La Coruña and in Santander, Spain. Arrested and executed by militia troops the Spanish Civil War for the crime of priesthood. Martyr.
Born
7 May 1894 in Bicorp, Valencia, Spain
Died
shot on 1 January 1937 in Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Beatified
28 October 2007 by Pope Benedict XVI
World Day of Peace
About
Feast day dedicated to peace. It first observed on 1 January 1968, proclaimed by Pope Paul VI. It was inspired by the encyclical Pacem in Terris by Pope John XXIII and with reference to Paul's encyclical Populorum Progressio. Popes have used this day to make magisterial declarations relevant to the social doctrine of the Church on such topics as the United Nations, human rights, women's rights, labor unions, economic development, the right to life, international diplomacy, peace in the Holy Land, globalization and terrorism.
Saint Thaumastus of Mainz
Also known as
• Thaumastus of Poitiers
• Theomastus of...
Profile
Early 5th century bishop of Mainz (in modern Germany). Saint Gregory of Tours writes about him in The Glory of the Confessors.
Died
• 5th century Poitiers, France of natural causes
• healing miracles reported at his burial site
• scrapings from the tomb of Saint Thaumastus were reputed to have healing powers
Patronage
• against colic in children
• against fever
• against toothache
Saint Buonfiglio Monaldi
Also known as
Bonfilio Monaldo
Additional Memorial
17 February as one of the Founders of the Servites
Profile
The eldest of the Seven Founders of the Servants of Mary. First superior of the Servites, serving until 1256.
Died
1 January 1261 of natural causes
Beatified
1 December 1717 by Pope Clement XI (cultus confirmed)
Canonized
15 January 1888 by Pope Leo XIII
Saint Fanchea of Rossory
Also known as
Faenche, Fainche, Faine, Garbh, Garbhp
Profile
Sister of Saint Enda of Arran, Saint Lochina, Saint Carecha and Saint Dareima. Nun. Persuaded her brother to become a monk. Noted spiritual director. Founded a convent at Rossory, Fermanagh, Ireland, and served as its first abbess. Because of her key role in the founding of Irish monasticism, many fantastic stories grew up around her.
Born
at Clogher, Ireland
Died
• c.585 of natural causes
• buried at Killane, Ireland
Blessed Jean-Baptiste Lego
Additional Memorial
2 January as one of the Martyrs of Anjou
Profile
Brother of Blessed René Lego. Priest in the diocese of Angers, France. Martyred in the persecutions of the French Revolution for refusing to swear the oath imposed on the clergy by the secular Revolutionary government.
Born
13 May 1766 in La Flèche, Sarthe, France
Died
1 January 1794 at Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France
Beatified
19 February 1984 by Pope John Paul II at Rome, Italy
Saint Telemachus
Also known as
Almachio, Almachius, Almachus
Profile
Hermit or monk from the eastern part of the Roman empire. He protested in Rome against gladiatorial combat, and was murdered by its supporters. His efforts moved the Christian emperor Honorius to ban the combats, and Telemachus is considered a martyr, saving many through his sacrificial death.
Died
stoned to death or cut to pieces (sources vary) on 1 January 391 or 404 (sources vary) in Rome, Italy
Saint Concordius of Tivoli
Also known as
Concordio
Additional Memorial
4 July (translation of relics)
Profile
Son of a man who became a priest late in life. Priest. Fled Rome, Italy to Tivoli, Italy during the late 2nd-century persecutions of emperor Marcus Aurelius. When all the people of Tivoli were ordered to sacrifice to idols, Concordius spat on them instead. Martyr.
Born
Rome, Italy
Died
• beheaded in 175 at Tivoli, Italy
• relics translated to the diocese of Girona, Italy
Blessed René Lego
Also known as
Renatus Lego
Additional Memorial
2 January as one of the Martyrs of Anjou
Profile
Priest in the diocese of Angers, France. Martyred in the persecutions of the French Revolution for refusing to swear the oath imposed on the clergy by the secular Revolutionary government.
Born
5 October 1764 in La Flèche, Sarthe, France
Died
1 January 1794 at Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France
Beatified
19 February 1984 by Pope John Paul II at Rome, Italy
Saint Basilius of Ancyra
Also knhown as
Basil
Profile
Layman in Ancyra, Galatia (modern Ankara, Turkey). During the persecutions of Julian the Apostate, Basilius publicly announced his Christianity in front of governor Saturninus; he was arrested, tortured, sent to Constantinople, tortured further, sent to Caesarea, and finally executed. Martyr.
Died
torn to pieces by lions in the arena in Caesarea in 362
Representation
man standing next to a lion or lioness
Saint Severino Gallo
Profile
Received a doctorate from the University of Paris. Mercedarian friar. While ransoming Christians enslaved by Muslims in North Africa, he was captured by a Muslim prince, and ordered to convert to Islam; he refused. Martyr.
Born
France
Died
tortured then nailed to a pole and left to die from shock, trauma and blood loss in 1419 in Algiers, Algeria
Saint Sciath of Ardskeagh
Also known as
Scéithe, Scethe, Scetthe, Skay
Additional Memorial
6 September (translation of relics)
Profile
Daughter of Meacher; descended from High-King Conor. Sixth-century nun associated with the church in Feart Scéithe (modern Ardskeagh), Buttevant, Ireland.
Died
• 6th-century Ireland of natural causes
• relics translated to Tallaght, Ireland
Saint Colman Muillin of Derrykeighan
Also known as
• Colman of Doire Caocháin
• Colman Moldendarius
• Colman Miller
• Colmanus...
Profile
Late 6th-century member of a gang of bandits who was brought to the faith by Colman Elo of Lynally. The name "miller" and its variants comes from his use of a mill as a place of worship.
Saint Demet of Plozévet
Also known as
• Demet of Plozeved
• Demat, Dervel, Devet, Tevet, Zevet
• one of the Breton Missionaries to Britain
Profile
Fourth-century hermit near Plozévet, Brittany (in modern France). Missionary to the British Isles.
Saint Fintan of Myshall
Also known as
• Fintan of Midhíseal
• Fintanus, Fiontan
Profile
Son of Eachaidh and Aighleann; brother of Saint Colum of Myshall; great-nephew of Saint Colman of Cloyne. Churches are known to have been named for him, and he is listed in regional martyrologies, but details of his life have been lost.
Born
Ireland
Blessed Jean of Saint-Just-en-Chaussée
Profile
Member of the Premonstratensians. Canon of Saint-Just-en-Chaussée monastery. In 1147 he was placed in charge of another Premonstratensian house which he led until his death.
Born
c.1100 in France
Died
1160
Saint Felix of Bourges
Profile
Bishop of Bourges, France. Had a special devotion to the Eucharist. Attended the Council of Paris in 573. Many miraculous cures attributed to his intercession. Praised by Saint Gregory of Tours, there was poetry dedicated to him, and he is still venerated at Bourges.
Died
c.580 of natural causes
Saint Tyfrydog
Also known as
Tyvrydog
Profile
Son of Arwystli Glof ab Seithenyn. Sixth-century monk on Bardsey Island, Wales. Built a church in the village of Lladyfrydog, Wales. A standing stone nearby is said to be a man who stole the bible from that church and got turned into stone.
Born
Welsh
Saint Mydwyn
Also known as
Meduin, Medwin, Medwy
Profile
Sent by King Saint Lucius to Pope Saint Eleuterus to petition for missionaries to Britain, then returned to work as a missionary himself.
Born
2nd century Britanny (part of modern France)
Died
buried in Glastonbury, England
Saint Elvan
Also known as
Eluan, Elvanus
Profile
Sent by King Saint Lucius to Pope Saint Eleuterus to petition for missionaries to Britain, then returned to work as a missionary himself. Bishop.
Born
2nd century Britanny (part of modern France)
Died
buried at Glastonbury, England
Saint Clarus of Vallis Regia
Also known as
Chiaro
Profile
May have been a bishop, may have been an abbot, may have been both; surviving records are very unclear. Venerated at Vallis Regia, Genoa, Italy.
Died
1043 of natural causes
Saint Peter of Temissis
Profile
In a Muslim controlled area he was ordered to kiss the Koran; he refused. Martyr.
Born
Pelopon, Greece
Died
hanged in 1776 in Temissis, Asia Minor (in modern Turkey)
Blessed Catherine de Solaguti
Profile
Mercedarian nun at the convent of Jesus and Mary in Orozco, Spain.
Saint Cuan
Also known as
Claunus, Mochua, Moncan, Moncain
Profile
Career soldier who gave up the life of war for the religious life. Founded several churches and monasteries in Ireland. Lived to nearly 100.
Died
6th century
Saint Justin of Chieti
Profile
Bishop of Chieti, Italy.
Died
c.540
Patronage
Chieti, Italy
Blessed Gisela of Rosstreppe
Profile
Born to the royal family of Eastphalia; sister of Blessed Liudbirg of Thale. Nun.
Died
late 9th century in Harz, Germany of natural causes
Saint Concordius of Arles
Also known as
Concorde
Profile
Fourth-century monk at Lerins Abbey. Bishop of Arles, France.
Died
c.343 of natural causes
Saint Basil of Aix
Profile
Priest at Arles, France. Bishop of Aix, Provence, France. Known for his exceptional sanctity, his work in his diocese, and as a miracle worker.
Died
521
Blessed Bonannus of Roio
Profile
Benedictine monk of the Celestine Congregation at the monastery of Saint Laurence, Abruzzi, Italy.
Died
c.1320 of natural causes
Saint Maelrhys
Profile
Lived on the isle of Bardsey. Venerated in northern Wales where an ancient stone church is dedicated to him.
Born
6th century Brittany (part of modern France)
Blessed Odilo of Stavelot
Profile
Benedictine monk. Abbot of the monastery of Stavelot-Malmédy Abbey in Belgium.
Died
954
Saint Connat
Also known as
Comnatan
Profile
Nun and abbess of Saint Brigid's convent in Kildare, Ireland.
Died
c.590
Saint Colman mac Rónán
Also known as
Colmanus
Profile
Irish bishop.
Saint Theodotus
Profile
Martyr.
Died
beheaded
Saint Brogan
Profile
Mentioned in the Gorman Martyrology.
Saint Magnus the Martyr
Profile
Martyr.
Martyred Soldiers of Rome
Profile
Thirty soldiers martyred in Rome as a group during the persecutions of Diocletian. We don't even known their names.
Died
martyred c.304 at Rome, Italy
Martyrs of Africa
Profile
Eight Christians martyred together in Africa, date unknown. The only details we have are four of their names - Argyrus, Felix, Narcissus and Victor.
Breton Missionaries to Britain
Profile
Collectively commemorates the lives and works of 48 hermits and monks who immigrated from Brittany to the British Isles to preach and found monasteries.
• Ailvin of Armorica • Alain of Armorica • Baglan of Wales • Cadfan • Cadfarch • Canna of Langanna • Cathan of Tamlacht • Caurdave of Wales • Coatman of Armorica • Conan of Armoria • Crallon of Langrallon • Cristiolus of Pembrokeshire • Cuvilan of Armorica • Demet of Plozévet • Dochdoui of Llandaff • Durdan of Armorica • Eithras of Dunoding • Elgude of Armorica • Flevin of Whitland • Gredifael of Whitland • Guindave of Enli • Henin of Enli • Iddoge of Llantrisant • Lechide of Arllechwedd • Leuddade of Enli • Lonion of Lanbadern-Vaur • Lynab of Llandaff • Lyvin of Wales • Mael of Enli • Mahelerve of Enli • Medrode of Armorica • Meigant of Armorica • Paternus III of Wales • Rhystide of Caerlleon • Sadwrn of Wales • Sulien of Armorica • Tangwn of Wales • Tanwg of Bardsey • Tathan of Llandathan • Tecwin of Armorica • Tegai of Armorica • Tetecho of Armorica • Teudrige of Armorica • Trillo of Llandrillo • Trinio of Armorica • Turoge of Armorica • Tydecho of Merionetshire • Tyvodige of Armorica •
