St. Eusebius of Milan
Feastday: August 12
Death: 462
Bishop of Milan, Italy, the successor of St. Lazarus. A Greek by birth, Eusebius aided Pope St. Leo the Great in repressing the heresy of Eutychianism.
Eusebius (Italian: Eusebio) was Archbishop of Milan from 449 to 462. He is honoured as a saint and his feast day is 12 August.[1]
Life
According to the writings of Ennodius, bishop of Pavia in early 6th-century, Eusebius was Greek. He probably participated, as bishop of Milan, to a synod held in Rome in 449 which condemned the doctrines of Eutyches, deemed to be heretic.[2] Surely Eusebius was the addressee of a letter written by Pope Leo the Great and carried to Milan in 451 by Abundius bishop of Como and Senator, who were returning to North Italy from Constantinople. In 451 Eusebius convened a Provincial Council in Milan, attended by eighteen bishops,[1] where the Tome of Leo was read and approved, and consequently the doctrines of Eutyches were condemned.[2]
The main political event in Eusebius' episcopate was the 452 invasion of Italy by the Huns led by Attila. The Huns razed Aquileia and then moved East and sacked numerous cities such as Padua. They entered also in Milan where Attila occupied the imperial palace and set fire to a large part of the town, destroying also the cathedral of Saint Tecla.[3] Eusebius, along with many citizens, fled from the Huns and left the town. They returned in Milan only when Attila was convinced by Pope Leo to retire. Eusebius led the reconstruction of the town, including the cathedral which was re-consecrated in 453 by Maximus II bishop of Turin (not to be confused with Saint Maximus of Turin)[2] who for the occasion spoke the homely De reparatione ecclesiae mediolanensis.[4]
Eusebius died on 8 August, probably in 462, and his remains were interred in the city’s basilica of St. Lorenzo Maggiore. His feast is celebrated on 12 August.[3] A late tradition, with no historical basis, associates Eusebius with the Milan's family of the Pagani.
St. Cassian of Benevento
Feastday: August 12
Death: 340
Bishop of Benevento in southern Italy. His relics are enshrined there.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal
Feastday: August 12
What a way to start a marriage! Jane no sooner arrived at her new home then she discovered she might lose it. Her husband, Christophe, had not only inherited the title of baron but enormous debts as well.
But Jane had not come to the marriage empty-handed. She brought with her a deep faith instilled by her father who made daily religious discussion fun, allowing the children to talk about anything -- even controversial topics. She also brought a good-hearted way that made a friend comment, "Even stupid jokes were funny when she told them."
These qualities helped the twenty-year-old French woman take charge by personally organizing and supervising every detail of the estate, a method which not only brought the finances under control but won her employees' hearts as well.
Despite the early financial worries, she and her husband shared "one heart and one soul." They were devoted to each other and to their four children.
One way Jane shared her blessings was by giving bread and soup personally to the poor who came to her door. Often people who had just received food from her would pretend to leave, go around the house and get back in line for more. When asked why she let these people get away with this, Jane said, "What if God turned me away when I came back to him again and again with the same request?"
Her happiness was shattered when Christophe was killed in a hunting accident. Before he died, her husband forgave the man who shot him, saying to the man, "Don't commit the sin of hating yourself when you have done nothing wrong." The heartbroken Jane, however, had to struggle with forgiveness for a long time. At first she tried just greeting him on the street. When she was able to do that, she invited him to her house. Finally she was able to forgive the man so completely that she even became godmother to his child.
These troubles opened her heart to her longing for God and she sought God in prayer and a deepening spiritual life. Her commitment to God impressed Saint Francis de Sales, the bishop who became her director and best friend. Their friendship started before they even met, for them saw each other in dreams, and continued in letters throughout their lives.
With Francis' support, Jane founded the Visitation order for women who were rejected by other orders because of poor health or age. She even accepted a woman who was 83 years old. When people criticized her, she said, "What do you want me to do? I like sick people myself; I'm on their side." She believed that people should have a chance to live their calling regardless of their health.
Still a devoted mother, she was constantly concerned about the materialistic ways of one of her daughters. Her daughter finally asked her for spiritual direction as did may others, including an ambassador and her brother, an archbishop. Her advice always reflected her very gentle and loving approach to spirituality:
"Should you fall even fifty times a day, never on any account should that surprise or worry you. Instead, ever so gently set your heart back in the right direction and practice the opposite virtue, all the time speaking words of love and trust to our Lord after you have committed a thousand faults, as much as if you had committed only one. Once we have humbled ourselves for the faults God allows us to become aware of in ourselves, we must forget them and go forward."
She died in 1641, at sixty-nine years of age.
In Her Footsteps
We have been told the secret of happiness is finding: finding yourself, finding love, finding the right job. Jane believed the secret of happiness was in "losing," that we should "throw ourselves into God as a little drop of water into the sea, and lose ourselves indeed in the Ocean of the divine goodness." She advised a man who wrote to her about all the afflictions he suffered "to lose all these things in God. These words produced such an effect in the soul, that he wrote me that he was wholly astonished, and ravished with joy."
Today, when any thoughts or worries come to mind, send them out into the ocean of God's love that surrounds you and lose them there. If any feelings come into your heart -- grief, fear, even joy or longing, send those out into the ocean of God's love. Finally, send your whole self, like a drop, into God. There is no past no future, here or there. There is only the infinite ocean of God.
Prayer: Saint Jane, you forgave the man who killed your husband. Help me learn to forgive a particular person in my life who has caused me harm. You know how difficult it is to forgive. Help me to take the steps you took to welcome this person back into my life. Amen
*In the USA, Jane Frances de Chantal's feast day was moved to August 12 in order to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.
Jane Frances de Chantal (Jeanne-Françoise Frémiot, Baronne de Chantal; 28 January 1572 – 13 December 1641) is a Catholic saint, who was beatified in 1751 and canonized in 1767. She founded the religious Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary.[1] The order accepted women who were rejected by other orders because of poor health or age.[2] When people criticized her, Chantal famously said, "What do you want me to do? I like sick people myself; I'm on their side." During its first eight years, the new order also was unusual in its public outreach, in contrast to most female religious who remained cloistered and adopted strict ascetic practices.
Her life
Jane Frances de Chantal was born in Dijon, France, on 28 January 1572, the daughter of the royalist president of the Parliament of Burgundy, Bénigne Frémyot and his wife, Margaret de Berbisey. Her paternal uncle was the prior at Val des Choux.[3] Her brother André became the Archbishop of Bourges (1602–1621).
Her mother died when Jane was 18 months old. Her father became the main influence on her education. She developed into a woman of beauty and refinement.
Baroness
Having turned down two prior suitors, in 1592, she married the Baron de Chantal when she was 20 and they lived in the feudal castle of Bourbilly. There they hosted hunting parties and other entertainments for the neighboring nobles. Their first two children died shortly after birth. When her older sister Margaret died, the baroness brought her three small children to Bourbilly. She and her husband subsequently had a son and three daughters. Baron de Chantal was occasionally away from home on service to the king. Chantal gained a reputation as an excellent manager of the estates of her husband, as well as of her difficult father-in-law, while also providing alms and nursing care to needy neighbors.
In 1601, the Baron was accidentally killed in a hunting accident. Left a widow at 28, with four children, the broken-hearted baroness took a vow of chastity.[5] Chantal then put the estate in order and acceded to her father's request that she and her children to stay for a time with him in Dijon. She had not long returned to Bourbilly when she received a letter from her widowed father-in-law demanding that she live with him in his castle at Monthelon, Saône-et-Loire. Towards the end of 1602, Chantal closed up Bourbilly and moved to Monthelon.
Francis de Sales
In 1604, her father invited her to come to Dijon to hear the bishop of Geneva, Francis de Sales, preach the Lenten sermons at the Sainte Chapelle.[6] They became close friends and de Sales became her spiritual director. He "...bade her avoid scruples, hurry, and anxiety of mind, which above all things hinder a soul on the road to spiritual perfection."[3] At De Sales suggestion, she divided her time between Dijon and Monthelon so to attend to both her father and father-in-law.
In 1605, Pierre de Bérulle sent Anne of Jesus to found a Carmelite house in Dijon. She wanted to become a nun but he persuaded her to defer this decision.[4] As for her request to perform additional austerities, De Sales was firm in advising between seven and eight hours sleep. In 1610 Chantal's daughter, Marie Aymée, married De Sales youngest brother, Bernard. Shortly after this, Chantal's youngest daughter, Charlotte, died of an illness. With the death of De Sales' mother, Chantal moved to Annecy to be of assistance to Marie Aymée with her remaining daughter Françoise. Her fifteen-year-old son, Celse Bénigne, lived with his grandfather in Dijon.
Daughters of the Visitation
De Sales purchased a small house on Lake Annecy, where she was joined by Marie Favre, daughter of president of Savoy, and Charlotte de Bréchard, whom De Sales had also recruited. The Congregation of the Visitation was canonically established at Annecy on Trinity Sunday, 6 June 1610.[5] Chantal had previously made over her wealth to her children, so the circumstances of the group were rather poor. The order accepted women who were rejected by other orders because of poor health or age. Their office was the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
During its first eight years, the new order also was unusual in its public outreach, in contrast to most female religious who remained cloistered and adopted strict ascetic practices. A second convent was established in Lyon. The usual opposition to women in active ministry arose and Francis de Sales was obliged to make it a cloistered community following the Rule of St. Augustine. He wrote his Treatise on the Love of God for them.[4] When people criticized her for accepting women of poor health and old age, Chantal famously said, "What do you want me to do? I like sick people myself; I'm on their side."
Her reputation for sanctity and sound management resulted in many visits by (and donations from) aristocratic women. The order had 13 houses by the time de Sales died, and 86 before Chantal herself died at the Visitation Convent in Moulins, aged 69. Vincent de Paul served as her spiritual director after de Sales' death. Her favorite devotions involved the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary.[8] Chantal was buried in the Annecy convent next to de Sales.[5] The order had 164 houses by 1767, when she was canonized. Chantal outlived her son (who died fighting Huguenots and English on the Île de Ré during the century's religious wars) and two of her three daughters, but left extensive correspondence. Her granddaughter also became a famous writer, Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné.
Veneration
Francis de Sales meets Jane Frances de Chantal, cutout from a window in the cathedral of Annecy
She was beatified on 21 November 1751 by Pope Benedict XIV, and canonized on 16 July 1767 by Pope Clement XIII.
Saint Jane Frances's feast day was included in the General Roman Calendar in 1769, two years after she was canonized. Her feast was set as 21 August. In the 1969 revision of the calendar, her feast was moved to 12 December, to be closer to the day of her death, which occurred on 13 December 1641, the feast of Saint Lucy.[9] In 2001, Pope John Paul II included in the General Roman Calendar the memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe on 12 December.[10] Consequently, he moved the memorial of Saint Jane Frances to 12 August.
Patronage
Jane Frances de Chantal is invoked as the patron of forgotten people, widows, and parents who are separated from their children
St. James Nam
Feastday: August 12
Death: 1838
Canonized: Pope John Paul II
Vietnamese martyr. A native of Vietnam, he became a priest and joined the Paris Society of Foreign Missions. Seized in the anti Christian persecutions, he was beheaded with Sts. Anthony Dich and Michael My.
The Vietnamese Martyrs (Vietnamese: Các Thánh Tử đạo Việt Nam; French: Martyrs du Viêt Nam), also known as the Martyrs of Annam, Martyrs of Tonkin and Cochinchina, Martyrs of Indochina, or Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (Anrê Dũng-Lạc và các bạn tử đạo), are saints on the General Roman Calendar who were canonized by Pope John Paul II. On June 19, 1988, thousands of overseas Vietnamese worldwide gathered at the Vatican for the Celebration of the Canonization of 117 Vietnamese Martyrs, an event chaired by Monsignor Tran Van Hoai. Their memorial is on November 24 (although several of these saints have another memorial, having been beatified and on the calendar prior to the canonization of the group
The Vatican estimates the number of Vietnamese martyrs at between 130,000 and 300,000. John Paul II decided to canonize those whose names are known and unknown, giving them a single feast day.
The Vietnamese Martyrs fall into several groupings, those of the Dominican and Jesuit missionary era of the 18th century and those killed in the politically inspired persecutions of the 19th century. A representative sample of only 117 martyrs—including 96 Vietnamese, 11 Spanish Dominicans, and 10 French members of the Paris Foreign Missions Society (Missions Etrangères de Paris (MEP))—were beatified on four separate occasions: 64 by Pope Leo XIII on May 27, 1900; eight by Pope Pius X on May 20, 1906; 20 by Pope Pius X on May 2, 1909; and 25 by Pope Pius XII on April 29, 1951.[citation needed] All 117 of these Vietnamese Martyrs were canonized on June 19, 1988. A young Vietnamese Martyr, Andrew of Phú Yên, was beatified in March, 2000 by Pope John Paul II.
Bl. Isidore Bakanja
Feastday: August 12
Birth: 1887
Death: 1909
Beatified: 24 April 1994 by Pope John Paul II
Isidore Bakanja (c. 1887 at Bokendela in Congo Free State – 15 August 1909 at Busira, Belgian Congo) was beatified on 24 April 1994 by Pope John Paul II. His feast day is 12 August on the Carmelite Calendar of Saints, and 15 August in the general Church calendar. Isidore Bakanja is considered a strong witness to the grace of reconciliation that can be experienced between peoples of different races.
Bakanja accepted the Christian faith at eighteen years of age through the ministry of Cistercian missionaries in what is today the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly known as the "Congo Free State" Belgian Congo). He was a very devout convert and catechist. Bakanja had a great love for the Blessed Virgin Mary that he expressed through recitation of the Rosary and by being invested in the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. His employers had ordered him to cease sharing the Gospel as well as remove the scapular that he wore as a witness to his faith. Isidore's refusal to comply with the demands of his supervisor resulted in his being brutally beaten and chained.
As a result of the beating and persistent ill treatment he received, Bakanja's wounds became severely infected. As his condition worsened his supervisor sought to keep him from the view of the plantation's inspector. However, Bakanja was discovered and taken to the inspector's home for treatment. His condition had deteriorated so severely, however, that no further medical attention could help him.
At this point Isidore told the inspector "tell them that I am dying because I am a Christian." Missionaries in the area visited Isidore and urged him to forgive the supervisor. He assured them that he already had, declaring "When I am in heaven, I shall pray for him very much."[1]
The National Shrine of Saint Jude, Faversham, United Kingdom contains an icon of Isidore. In 2004 a fire broke out in the Shrine Chapel which destroyed the murals which hung there, and it damaged much of the other artwork. The decision was made to install icons depicting saints inspired by the Carmelite Rule of Saint Albert, and in commemoration of the 8th centenary of the Carmelite Rule in 2007. The icons were written by Sister Petra Clare, a Benedictine hermit living in Scotland, United Kingdom
Saint Jeanne de Chantal
Also known as
• Jane Frances of Chantel
• Jane Frances Fremiot de Chantal
Additional Memorials
• 18 August (United States)
• 12 December (from 1970 to 2001)
• 21 August (the date of the founding of her Order; from 1769 to 1969)
Profile
Born to the nobility, the daughter of the president of the Parliment of Burgundy who raised her alone after the death of her mother when Jeanne was 18 months old. Married in 1592 at age twenty to Baron de Chantal. Mother of four. Widowed at 28 when the Baron was killed in a hunting accident and died in her arms. Taking a personal vow of chastity, she was forced to live with her father-in-law, which was a period of misery for her. She spent her free time in prayer, and received a vision of the man who would become her spiritual director. In Lent, 1604, she met Saint Francis de Sales, and recognized him as the man in her vision. She became a spiritual student and close friend of Saint Francis, and the two carried on a lengthy correspondence for years. On Trinity Sunday, 6 June 1610 she founded the Order of the Visitation of Our Lady at Annecy, France. The Order was designed for widows and lay women who did not wish the full life of the orders, and Jeanne oversaw the founding of 69 convents. Jeanne spent the rest of her days overseeing the Order, and acting as spiritual advisor to any who desired her wisdom. Visitationist nuns today live a contemplative life, work for women with poor health and widows, and sometimes run schools.
Born
28 January 1572 at Dijon, Burgundy, France
Died
• 13 December 1641 at the Visitationist convent at Moulins, France of natural causes
• relics at Annecy, Savoy (in modern France
Canonized
16 July 1767 by Pope Clement XIII
Patronage
• against in-law problems
• against the death of parents
• forgotten people
• parents separated from children
• widows
Blessed Pope Innocent XI
Also known as
Benedetto Odescalchi
Profile
Born to a pious patrician family; his brother became bishop of Novara, Italy. Benedetto felt an early call to the priesthood. Educated by Jesuits at Como, Italy. Apprentice at his family's bank in Genoa, Italy when he was fifteen. Studied law at Rome and Naples in Italy, and received his Doctor of law degree in 1639. Protonotary apostolic to Pope Urban VIII. President of the Apostolic Chamber. Commissary at Ancona, Italy. Papal administrator of Macerata, Italy. Papal financial commissary in the Marches. Governor of Picena. Cardinal-deacon of Santi Cosma e Damiano on 6 March 1645. Prefect of the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signature of Grace on 22 January 1647. Cardinal-priest of Sant' Onofrio. Papal legate to Ferrara, Italy, assigned to oversee famine relief on 15 June 1648. Bishop from Novara, Italy on 4 April 1650 to 6 March 1656. Noted for spending all the revenues of his see in charity to the poor and sick. Part of the conclave of 1655 that chose Pope Alexander VII. Camerlengo of the Sacred College of Cardinals from 12 January 1660 to 24 January 1661. Papal legate to Ferrara in 1666. Part of the conclave of 1667 that chose Pope Clement IX. Part of the conclave of 1669 - 1670 that chose Pope Clement X; was nearly elected himself. Chosen 240th pope on 21 September 1676 after a two month inter-regnum, taking the name Innocent XI.
Stood against the meddling in Church affairs by King Louis XIV of France; Louis tried to get back in papal favour by persecuting Protestants, but Innocent immediately pleaded for a halt to the abuse. Fought nepotism in Church bureaucracy, worked to reduce the expenses of the Curia. Encouraged catechetical instruction. He disapproved of James II's method of attempting to restore Catholicism in England, but it is not true that he supported William of Orange against the king. Fought Jansenism, Quietism, and the heresies promoted by Molinos. He encouraged daily Communion, insisted on a high standard of education in the seminaries, condemned gambling, immodesty in dress, and laxism in moral theology. Noted for his simple, pious life both before and after his ascension to the papacy.
Born
19 May 1611 at Como, Italy as Benedetto Odescalchi
Papal Ascension
• elected unanimously on 21 September 1676
• installed on 4 October 1676
Died
• 12 August 1689 at Rome, Italy of natural causes
• buried in a mausoleum under the altar of San Sebastiano in Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City
Beatified
7 October 1956 by Pope Pius XII
Blessed Vittoria Diaz y Bustos de Molina
Profile
Lay woman of the diocese of Córdoba, Spain. She studied at teacher’s college in Seville, Spain, earning her degree in 1923. She joined the Teresian Institute in 1926. Taught school in rural Spain where she worked at night to educate adults and working women. She founded a library, was extremely active in her parish, and organized a Catholic Action group. Arrested on 11 August 1936 by anti–Catholic forces in Spanish Civil War, and murdered the next day. Martyr.
Born
11 November 1903 in Seville, Spain
Died
• shot in the early morning of 12 August 1936 in near an abandoned mine near Hornachuelos, Córdoba, Spain
• relics enshrined at the oratory of the Teresian Institute mother house
Beatification
10 October 1993 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Buenaventura García-Paredes Pallasá
Profile
Born to a pious family of shepherds, and he worked the fields as a boy. Educated at the Dominican Apostolic School. Dominican novice in Toledo, Spain; he made his solemn profession in 1887, taking the name Bonaventure of Saint Louis Bertran. Studied theology in Avila, Salamanca, Valencia and Madrid in Spain, concentrating on the works of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Priest, ordained on 25 July 1891 in Avila. Obtained doctorates in philosophy and civil law. Returned to Avila where he taught and began writing. Prior of his house in 1901. Opened a school in Segovia, Spain. Superior of the province of Manila, Philippines on 14 May 1910. Supervised the building of schools and hospitals in China, Japan and Vietnam; he worked to recruit more Dominican friars, and to insure the proper spiritual formation of those novices. Founded the magazine Missiones Dominicans. Built the Theological Study Center of New Orleans, Louisiana. Elected reluctant Master-General of the Dominicans on 22 May 1926; he was actually hoping to retire, but accepted the duty. Martyred in the persecutions of the Spanish Civil War.
Born
19 April 1866 in Castañedo, Valdés, Asturias, Spain
Died
• shot by firing squad on 12 August 1936 in Fuencarral, Madrid, Spain
• buried in the cemetery of Fuencarral
• re-interred in the crypt of the Santísimo Rosario Church in Madrid in 1940
• re-interred at the Convento de Santo Tomás de ávila, Madrid in 1967
Beatified
28 October 2007 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Karl Leisner
Profile
Studied theology in Münster, and tried to establish Catholic youth groups. However, the Nazis sought control of all work with youth, and he had to take teenagers "camping" in Belgium and the Netherlands in order to freely discuss Catholicism.
He spent six months in compulsory agricultural work during which, despite Nazi opposition, he organized Sunday Mass for his fellow workers. His home was raided by the Gestapo, who seized his diaries and papers. These meticulously preserved documents tell how the spiritual young man became a heroic religious leader.
Ordained deacon by Bishop von Galen in 1939. Imprisoned in Freiburg, Mannheim and Sachsenhausen for criticizing Hitler. Transferred on 14 December 1941 to Dachau, where he was secretly ordained on 17 December 1944 by French bishop Gabriel Piquet, who had been admitted to the camp with the help of local religious authorities. Leisner was so sick he had to postpone his first Mass for over a week.
Still in the camp when it was liberated on 4 May 1945, but was immediately transferred to tuberculosis sanitarium of Planegg, near Munich, Germany for the remaining months of his life.
Born
28 February 1915 at Rees, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Died
12 August 1945 at Planneg, Bavaria, Germany of tuberculosis
Beatified
23 June 1996 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Józef Stepniak
Also known as
• Father Florian
• prisoner 22738
Profile
Born to a farm family, the son of Paul and Anna Misztal; he was baptized at the age of one day. Jozef's mother died when the boy was very small. Studied at the Capuchin college of Saint Fidelis in Lomza, Poland; he was a mediocre student, succeeded through simple determination and hard work. Franciscan tertiary. Entered the Capuchin novitiate at Nowe Miasto, Poland on 14 August 1931, taking the name Florian; he made his profession on 15 August 1935. Ordained on 24 June 1938, he continued his studies at the Catholic University of Lublin. When the Nazi anti-Catholic persecutions began soon after the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, Father Jozef refused to flee the area, preferring to take his chances so he could continue ministering to his brother frars and the local Christians. Arrested by the Gestapo on 25 January 1940 he was first imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and then Dachau where he was worked and starved until he was of no more use in the fields. Martyr.
Born
3 January 1912 in Zdzary, Mazowieckie, Poland
Died
gassed on 12 August 1942 in the death chambers of Dachau concentration camp, Oberbayern, Germany
Beatified
13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II in Warsaw, Poland
Blessed Manuel Basulto Jiménez
Profile
Son of a miller. Seminarian in Avila, Spain in 1880. Ordained on 15 March 1893. Parish priest in Narros del Puerto, Spain. Studied theology at the San Carlo Borromeo seminary and law at the University of Valladolid. Taught in the seminary in Madrid, Spain. Canon of the cathedral of Leon, Spain. Director of the Circle of Catholic Workers, the Association of the Apostleship of Prayer, and the Conference of Saint Vincent de Paul. Bishop of Lugo, Spain on 3 September 1909. Bishop of Jaén, Spain from 18 December 1919 until his death. Supported catechism of children and adults, and supported the formation of worker's unions and Catholic Action. Arrested for his faith on 2 August 1936. Martyred in the persecutions of the Spanish Civil War.
Born
17 May 1860 in Adanero, ávila, Spain
Died
• shot on a prisoner transport train on 12 August 1936 in Vallecas, Madrid, Spain
• buried in the crypt in the Cathedral of Jaén, Spain
Beatified
• 27 October 2013 by Pope Francis
• beatification recognition celebrated at Tarragona, Spain
Blessed Enrique María Gómez Jiménez
Profile
Baptized at the age of two days. After studying at the seminary of Saint Julian, he was ordained a priest in the diocese of Almería, Spain on 26 May 1888. Chaplain of the convent of San Clemente in 1890. Parish priest in Villar de Cantos, Spain. Bursar of the collegiate church of Belmonte. Canter at the cathedral of Almería. Missionary to Argentina in 1910 where he served for seven years. In 1933, his failing health confined him to the area of Cuenca, Spain. When the anti–Catholic militia in the Spanish Civil War came for him, they first tried to stage his death so it looked like a suicide; the 71 year old man fought so hard to avoid that scandal that the militiamen gave up and killed him outright. Martyr.
Born
15 July 1865 in Cuenca Spain
Died
shot on 12 August 1936 in the bullfighting ring in Cuenca Spain
Beatified
• 25 March 2017 by Pope Francis
• beatification celebrated in the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Aguadulce, Almería, Spain, presided by Cardinal Angelo Amato
Blessed Félix Pérez Portela
Profile
The son of Miguel Pérez and Portela Saturnina. Entered the seminary in Madrid, Spain in 1907. Began studying at the Spanish School of San Jose, in Rome, Italy in October 1913. Studied theology and canon law at the Gregorian University. Ordained on 10 March 1918, and became a parish priest in Madrid. Personal secretary to Venerable Manuel Basulto Jiménez, bishop of Jaén, Spain, in June 1920. Vicar General of the diocese in 1935. Dean of the cathedral of Jaén. Martyred in the Spanish Civil War.
Born
21 February 1895 in Adanero, ávila, Spain
Died
• shot on a prisoner transport train on 12 August 1936 in Vallecas, Madrid, Spain
• buried in the crypt in the Cathedral of Jaén, Spain
Beatified
• 27 October 2013 by Pope Francis
• beatification recognition celebrated at Tarragona, Spain
Saint Euplus of Catania
Also known as
• Euplio
• Euplius
Profile
Deacon. Tortured and martyred by order of governor Calvisianus in the persecutions of Diocletian for the crime of possessing a copy of the Gospels. His copy of the Scripture was taken when he was arrested; in court he was asked if he had any other copies, and he began to recite them from memory.
Died
• flogged to death on 12 August 304 in Catania, Sicily, Italy
• relics in Trevico, Italy that were long thought to be from Euplus were examined scientifically in 2005 and determined to be from three different people
Patronage
• Catania, Sicily, Italy
• Francavilla di Sicilia, Italy
• Trevico, Italy
Saint Antôn Nguyen Dích
Also known as
Anthony Dich Nguyen
Additional Memorial
24 November as one of the Martyrs of Vietnam
Profile
Married layman in the apostolic vicariate of West Tonkin. A wealthy farmer, solid citizen, and patron of his church. He worked to help the missionaries of the Paris Foreign Mission Society, supporting them financially, and hiding priests from government oppression. Arrested and tortured for his faith, his association with foreigners, and for sheltering priests, especially Saint James Nam, who was arrested on Anton's property. One of the Martyrs of Vietnam.
Born
c.1769 in Chi Long, Hanoi, Vietnam
Died
beheaded on 12 August 1838 in Bay Mau, Hanoi, Vietnam
Canonized
19 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pierre Jarrige de la Morelie de Puyredon
Profile
Priest in the diocese of Limoges, France. Imprisoned on a ship in the harbor of Rochefort, France and left to die during the anti-Catholic persecutions of the French Revolution. One of the Martyrs of the Hulks of Rochefort.
Born
19 April 1737 in Saint-Yrieix, Haute-Vienne, France
Died
12 August 1794 aboard the prison ship Deux-Associés, in Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, France
Beatified
1 October 1995 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pedro del Barco
Additional Memorial
1 November (Ávila, Spain)
Profile
Known as a pious child, when Pedro's parents died he moved to the area of modern Ribera Barcense, started a garden which he used to feed himself and the area poor. Catechist to any who would listen. His reputation for holiness and zeal for the faith led to him being chosen canon of the cathedral of Segovia. Priest. Hermit near the river Tormes.
Born
1088 in Ávila, Spain
Died
1155 of natural causes
Saint Giacôbê Do Mai Nam
Also known as
James Nam
Additional Memorial
24 November as one of the Martyrs of Vietnam
Profile
Priest in the apostolic vicariate of West Tonkin. Worked with the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris. One of the Martyrs of Vietnam.
Born
c.1781 in Dông Biên, Thanh Hóa, Vietnam
Died
beheaded on 12 August 1838 in Bay Mau, Hanoi, Vietnam
Canonized
19 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II
Blessed Józef Straszewski
Profile
Priest in the diocese of Wloclawek, Poland. Martyred in the Nazi persecutions.
Born
18 January 1885 in Wloclawek, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland
Died
gassed on 12 August 1942 in the death chambers of Dachau concentration camp, Oberbayern, Germany
Beatified
13 June 1999 by Pope John Paul II in Warsaw, Poland
Saint Porcarius of Lérins
Also known as
Porcario
Profile
Benedictine monk. Abbot of Lérins, France, a house of 500 monks. Warned in a vision that the monastery would be attacked, he managed to evacuate about three dozen of the students and younger brothers to the mainland by boat; Porcarius and all but four of the remaining brothers were massacred by invading Saracens. Martyr.
Died
c.732 at Lérins, France
Saint Cecilia of Remiremont
Also known as
Chiara, Gegoberga, Sigaberga
Profile
Daughter of Saint Romaric of Remiremont. In the mid-7th century, she and her sister Azaltrude became nuns at the Remiremont Abbey which her father had built, and Cecilia long served as its abbess.
Patronage
eyes
Blessed Charles Meehan
Also known as
Charles Mahoney
Additional Memorial
22 November as one of the Martyrs of England, Scotland, and Wales
Profile
Franciscan priest. Martyred in connection with the Titus Oates Plot.
Born
c.1640 in Ireland
Died
12 August 1679 at Ruthin, Denbighshire, Wales
Beatified
22 November 1987 by Pope John Paul II
Saint Micae Nguyen Huy My
Additional Memorial
24 November as one of the Martyrs of Vietnam
Profile
Lifelong layman in the apostolic vicariate of West Tonkin. One of the Martyrs of Vietnam.
Born
c.1804 in Ke Vinh, Hanoi, Vietnam
Died
12 August 1838 in Bay Mau, Hanoi, Vietnam
Canonized
19 June 1988 by Pope John Paul II
Saint Anicetus of Marmora
Profile
Tortured and martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.
Died
• burned at the stake in 304 at Nicomedia on the shores of the Sea of Marmora
• relics enshrined in a church on the island of Daphnos in the Agean Sea
Saint Simplicio of Vercelli
Also known as
Simplicius
Profile
Eighth bishop of Vercelli, Italy. Served during a period of barbarian invasion. No records of his episcopate have survived.
Died
c.470
Saint Photinus of Marmora
Also known as
Fotinus, Fozio
Profile
Tortured and martyred in the persecutions of Diocletian.
Died
• burned at the stake in 304 at Nicomedia on the shores of the Sea of Marmora
• relics enshrined in a church on the island of Daphnos in the Agean Sea
Saint Murtagh of Killala
Also known as
Muredach, Muiredach
Profile
Disciple of Saint Patrick, and may have been a relative. First bishop of Killala, Ireland, consecrated by Patrick c.443. In later years he became a hermit on the island of Innesmurray.
Patronage
diocese of Killala, Ireland
Saint Hilaria of Augsburg
Profile
Mother of Saint Afra of Augsburg. While visiting the tomb of Saint Afra with some friends, she was seized by the authorities and martyred.
Died
burned alive c.304
Saint Gracilian
Also known as
Gratiliano
Profile
While in prison for his faith, Gracilian restored the sight of a blind girl, Saint Felicissima, and converted her to the faith. Martyr.
Born
at Faleria, Italy
Died
beheaded c.304
Patronage
Bassano Romano, Italy
Saint Lelia
Profile
Daughter of Prince Cairthenn. Lived in the Irish cities of Limerick and Kerry. Nun. Superior of a convent in Munster, Ireland. Several Irish place names keep her memory alive, and her house was renamed Saint Lelias’s in honour of her holiness.
Born
Irish
Died
5th century Ireland
Saint Jambert of Canterbury
Also known as
Jaenbert, Janbert
Profile
Abbot of Saint Augustine's monastery, Canterbury, England. Archbishop of Canterbury, England in 765.
Died
792 of natural causes
Saint Herculanus of Brescia
Also known as
Ercolano
Profile
Bishop of Brescia, Italy.
Died
c.550
Saint Discolio of Vercelli
Profile
Fourth bishop of Vercelli, Italy. No records of his episcopate have survived.
Saint Felicissima the Blind
Profile
A blind girl whose sight was restored by Saint Gracilian when he was in prison for his faith. Convert. Martyr.
Died
beheaded c.304
Saint Macarius of Syria
Profile
Monk. Martyred for trying to spread the faith to pagans.
Died
Syria
Saint Julian of Syria
Profile
Monk. Martyred for trying to spread the faith to pagans.
Died
Syria
Saint Ust
Also known as
Just, Justus
Profile
Hermit. The town of Saint Just near Penzance, Cornwall, England is named after him.
Saint Merewenna
Profile
Venerated in Marhamchurch near Bude, Cornwall, England, but no details have survived.
Martyrs of Augsburg
Profile
The mother, Hilaria, and three friends of of Saint Afra of Augsburg. While visiting the tomb of Saint Afra who were seized by the authorities and martyred when they visited Afra's tomb - Digna, Eunomia, Euprepia and Hilaria.
Died
burned alive c.304
Martyrs of Barbastro
Profile
Six Claretian brothers and priests who were martyred together in the persecutions of the Spanish Civil War.
• Gregorio Chirivas Lacamba
• José Pavón Bueno
• Nicasio Sierra Ucar
• Pere Cunill Padrós
• Sebastián Calvo Martínez
• Wenceslau Clarís Vilaregut
Died
12 August 1936 in Barbastro, Huesca, Spain
Beatified
25 October 1992 by Pope John Paul II
Martyrs of La Torre de Fontaubella
Profile
Four parish priests who were murdered together in the persecutions of the Spanish Civil War.
• Antoni Nogués Martí
• Joan Rofes Sancho
• Josep Maria Sancho Toda
• Ramon Martí Amenós
Died
12 August 1936 in La Torre de Fontaubella, Tarragona, Spain
Beatified
• 13 October 2013 by Pope Francis
• beatification celebrated in Tarragona, Spain
Martyrs of Puerta de Hierro
Profile
Five nun in the Archdiocese of Madrid, Spain, all members of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, and all martyred together in the Spanish Civil War.
• Estefanía Saldaña Mayoral
• María Asunción Mayoral Peña
• María Dolores Barroso Villaseñor
• María Severina Díaz-Pardo Gauna
• Melchora Adoración Cortés Bueno
Died
12 August 1936 in Puerta de Hierro, Aravaca, Madrid, Spain
Beatified
27 October 2013 by Pope Benedict XVI
Martyrs of Rome
Profile
A group of Christians martyred together in the persecutions of Diocletian. We know little more than their names - Crescentian, Juliana, Largio, Nimmia and Quiriacus.
Died
• c.304 in Rome, Italy
• buried on the Ostian Way outside Rome
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:
• Antoni Perulles Estivill
• Atilano Dionisio Argüeso González
• Carles Barrufet Tost
• Buenaventura García-Paredes Pallasá
• Carles Barrufet Tost
• Domingo Sánchez Lázaro
• Félix Pérez Portela
• Gabriel Albiol Plou
• José Jordán Blecua
• Josep Nadal Guiu
• Juana Pérez Abascal
• Manuel Basulto Jiménez
• Manuel Borràs Ferré
• Pau Figuerola Rovira
• Pedro José Cano Cebrían
• Perfecto Del Río Páramo
• Ramona Cao Fernández
