St. Alexander October 5

 St. Alexander

Feastday: October 5

Death: 3rd Century

Martyred with innumerable companions at Trier, Germany. Alexander and the other martyrs were executed by the Trier Roman Prefect, Rictiovarus, in the reign of Emperor Diocletian.

St. Apollinaris October 5

 St. Apollinaris

Feastday: October 5

Death: 520

Bishop of Vienne, Gaul, and patron saint of that diocese. Apollinaris was the son of St. Hesychius and brother of St. Avitus of Vienne. He was trained by St. Marnertus and he was consecrated by his brother circa 492. He was sent into exile during the political turmoil caused by the marriage of an official of King Sigismund of Bavaria. The local bishops condemned the marriage, defended by the king. When Apollinaris' cloak was used to cure King Sigismund, he was recalled and restored to his office.

St. Attilanus October 5

 St. Attilanus

Feastday: October 5

Birth: 937

Death: 1007

Benedictine bishop and companion of St. Froilan. Born in Tarazona, near Saragossa, Spain, he became a Benedictine at Mareruela, under St. FroiIan. lie was named bishop of Zamora and was consecrated on Whitsunday in 990. St. Froilan was consecrated with him. Attilanus was canonized in 1089.

Attilanus (Atilanus) (937–1007) was a Spanish Benedictine and bishop of Zamora. He was prior of Moreruela Abbey.[1]

He was canonized in or about the year 1095.

St. Aymard October 5

 St. Aymard

Feastday: October 5

Death: 965

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Abbot, succeeding St. Odo in Citiny, France, in 942. Aymard served until 948, when blindness forced him to retire. He had continued the reforrn of St. Odo.

Bl. Bartholomew Longo October 5

 Bl. Bartholomew Longo

Feastday: October 5

Birth: 1841

Death: 1926

Beatified: 26 October 1980 by Pope John Paul II

Also known as Bartolo Longo; Bartolomea Longo; Bartolomeo Longo di Latiano; Brother Rosary; Fratel Rosario; Herald of the Blessed Virgin Mary's Rosary; and Man of Mary. A son of a physician, Longo was born financially well off, and received a good education, both secular and Christian, and attended a Piarist school until age sixteen. Raised in a pious family, they prayed the Rosary together each night. An excellent student, he was skilled in literature, oratory, fencing, dancing, music, and other arts, could play flute and piano, directed a school band; was also known to be restless, and had difficulty sitting through classes. Studied law at the University of Naples where received his degree in 1864, but where he fell into a dissolute and worldly life.

Following a philosophy class taught by a fallen-away priest, Longo moved from indifference to the Church to ridicule, to open hostility. He participated in street demonstrations against the Pope, then dabbled in occult nonsense like magnetism and spiritism, tipping tables and contacting the spirit world through mediums. Burning his bridges, he finally became a Satanist, and with some further study, a Satanist priest.

Bartholomew's family and friends refused to give up on the young man, praying for his return to the faith, and pecking away at his interest in Satan. Vincente Pepe, a respected professor from his home town, convinced him to turn from the occult, and a Dominican friar named Father Albert guided him through his return to the Church in a process we would today call deprogramming. Longo finally recovered his senses and his faith, and became a Dominican tertiary on 25 March 1871, taking the name Fratel Rosario (Brother Rosary).

Bartholomew wanted to do something to make amends for his apostasy, and began preaching against the occult in the places where college students frequented. Father Albert helped him join a group of local lay people working for the poor. Seeing the terrible, grinding poverty that was the lot of most, he wanted to do something to help, and had a sudden inspiration that the Rosary would become the key. He established a shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in the valley of Pompei and used up a discarded painting of Mary under that title. Pilgrims came, miracles occurred, the crowds grew, and the local bishop asked Bartholomew to construct a new church. Work on the church began in 1876, it was dedicated in 1887, given to the papacy on 19 February 1894, was designated a basilica in 1901 by Pope Leo XIII, and today receives about 10,000 pilgrims a day.

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Bartholomew and Mariana, the widowed Countess di Fusco, constructed other charitable institutions nearby forming what became known as the City of Charity or City of Mary. To staff the orphanage in the City, Longo founded the Daughters of the Rosary of Pompeii.

He established a trade school for the Sons of the Imprisoned, boys whose fathers were in jail, and placed it under the direction of the Brothers of Christian Schools. The success of the school disproved the contemporary assumption that children of criminals were doomed to be criminals themselves, and in 1922 he established a sister school for the daughters of prisoners.

Because Bartholomew and Mariana worked together so much, gossip developed that they were romantically involved. To prevent their good work from being tainted by this talk, the two married in April 1885, but lived together celibately in keeping with private vows. It was not enough for some, however, and in the first years of this century he was accused of adultery, profiteering, dishonesty, even insanity. In 1906, Pope Saint Pius IX asked Longo to retire as administrator for the good of the City, and he did, handing it over to the papacy, and taking a job in the City as a regular employee. Made a Knight of the Guard Cross of the Holy Sepulcher in 1925.

St. Boniface October 5

 St. Boniface

Feastday: October 5

Death: 287

Martyr of Trier, Germany, with St. Palmatius and companions. They have been revered only since the eleventh century. They were martyred in the reign of Emperor Maximian.

St. Charitina October 5

 St. Charitina

Feastday: October 5

Death: 304

Young virgin tortured to death in the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. She is believed to have been martyred at Amisus on the Black Sea.

St. Charitina of Amisus (also known as Charitina of Rome), was a virgin from Asia Minor, distinguished by strict chastity and piety. Charitina spent her life in fasting, prayer and study. By her example she converted many to Christianity during the reign of Emperor Diocletian and was seized in the city of Amisus in Pontus. After torture, death, burial and desecration, her body was thrown into the sea in the year 304.

Life

Orphaned young, she was the servant of an eminent Christian man called Claudius the pious, who brought her up as his own daughter.[1] The young woman was very pretty, sensible, and kind. She imparted her love for Christ to others, and she converted many to the way of salvation.[2] Charitina was meek, humble, obedient and silent. Although not as yet baptized, she was a Christian at heart.[3] She studied the law of God day and night and vowed to live in perpetual virginity as a true bride of Christ.

Having brought others to the Christian faith, the Emperor Diocletian's governor, Dometius, heard of her and sent soldiers to take her from her foster-father for trial. The judge asked her: "Is it true, little girl, that you are a Christian, and that you delude others by bringing them to this dishonourable faith?" Charitina courageously replied: "It is true that I am a Christian, and a lie that I delude others. I lead those in error to the way of truth, bringing them to my Christ."

The judge ordered that her hair be cut off and live coals put on her head, but the maiden was preserved by God's power. They threw her into the sea, but she clambered out saying, "This is my baptism."[3] God delivered her from it. She was bound to a wheel which began to turn, but an angel of God stopped the wheel and Charitina remained unharmed. Then the wicked judge sent some dissolute youths to rape her. Fearing this dishonour, St Charitina prayed to God to receive her soul before these dissolute men could foul her virginal body and so, while she was kneeling in prayer, her soul went out from her body to the immortal Kingdom of Christ[4] St. Charitina died a martyr’s death in the year 304.[2]

St. Firmatus & Flaviana October 5

 St. Firmatus & Flaviana

Feastday: October 5

Death: unknown

Martyrs of Auxerre, France, listed in St. Jerome's martytrology. Firmatus was a deacon and Flaviana a virgin.

St. Galla October 5

 St. Galla

Feastday: October 5

Death: 550

Widowed Roman noblewoman, praised by Pope St. Gregory I the Great. The daughter of Quintus Aurelius Symmachus, she married and was widowed within a year. Galla joined a community of pious woman on Vatican Hill, Italy. She lived there, caring for the sick and poor until cancer claimed her life. Pope St. Gregory wrote about her, and St. Fulgentius of Ruspe delivered a treatise, in her honor.

Galla of Rome was a 6th-century Roman widow and saint.

Life

Galla was the daughter of Roman patrician Symmachus the Younger, who was appointed consul in 485. Galla was also the sister-in-law of Boethius. Her father, Symmachus the Younger, was condemned to death, unjustly, by Theodoric in 525. Galla was then married but was soon widowed, just over a year after marriage. It was believed that she grew a beard, to avoid further offers of marriage. Being wealthy, she decided to retreat to the Vatican Hill, and founded a hospital and a convent near St. Peter's Basilica. Galla is reputed to have once healed a deaf and mute girl, by blessing some water, and giving it to the girl to drink. Galla remained there for the rest of her life, tending to the sick and poor, before dying of breast cancer in 550.[1]

The Old Church dedicated to St. Galla

Legacy

Galla's biography is in the Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great. Galla is also believed to be the inspiration for the letter of Saint Fulgentius of Ruspe, titled "De statu viduarum". The old church dedicated to St. Galla (called "Santa Calla" - meaning "holy warm" - in the roman dialect), located south of the Piazza Montanara (where the building of Anagrafe is currently located) in rione Ripa, was demolished in the 1930s to make way for the Via del Mare. A hospice for old people was adjoined to the church, and as a result, the elderly in Rome got the facetious nickname "Santa Calla". The new church dedicated to St. Galla, located in the Ostiense quarter, was consecrated in 1940. The old church contained a picture of Our Lady, which represents a vision of Our Lady to St. Galla. It is now placed over the high altar of the church of Santa Maria in Campitelli.[2]

Galla is one of the 140 saints whose images adorn St. Peter's Square's colonnade.

St. Magdalevus October 5

 St. Magdalevus

Feastday: October 5

Magdalevus (d.c.776) + Benedictine bishop of Verdun, France. He was a monk at Saint-Vannes until 736, when he was made the bishop of his native city. Feast day: October 5.

St. Meinuph October 5

 St. Meinuph

Feastday: October 5

Death: 859

Abbot-founder and a godson of Charlemagne, also called Magenulf, Magenulpus, and Meen. A noble of Westphalia, he became a priest. Meinulf established the abbey of Bodeken in Westphalia, Germany, for nuns. His fame as a preacher and evangelist led to his being designated as one of the apostles to Westphalia.

 

St. Palmatius October 5

 St. Palmatius

Feastday: October 5

Death: 287

Martyr of Trier, Germany, with companions. They were reportedly martyred in the reign of Diocletian.

St. Placid October 5

 St. Placid

Feastday: October 5

Patron: of Messina (co-patron), Biancavilla, Castel di Lucio, Montecarotto, Poggio Imperiale

Death: 6th century

Disciple of St. Benedict at Subiaco and Monte Cassino. He is known mainly through the Dialogues of Pope St. Gregory I the Great and is closely associated with St. Maurus of whom little is known outside of legend and the Dialogues . The son of a patrician named Tertulus, the very young Placid was placed into the care of St. Benedict at Subiaco, supposedly being saved from drowning through the aid of the renowned saint. Placid subsequently accompanied Benedict to Monte Cassino, which was evidently given to Benedict by the obviously grateful Tertulus. The name Placid was thereafter at­tached to assorted legends, including one assigning him credit for founding St. John the Baptist Monastery at Messina, in Sicily. While there, he was said to have been martyred by Saracen raiders with two brothers, a sister, and thirty companions. It is known that he was never in Sicily, and the bones discovered in 1585 at the monastery and widely believed to be Placid's are not, in fact, his. Among his disciples are counted Eutychius, Faustus, Donatus, and Firmatus. 

For the martyr of this name, see Saint Placidus (martyr).

Saint Placidus (also known as Saint Placid) was a disciple of Saint Benedict. He was the son of the patrician Tertullus, was brought as a child to St. Benedict at Sublaqueum (Subiaco) and dedicated to God as provided for in chapter 69 of the Rule of St. Benedict (oblate).

Life

Placidus was the eldest son of the patrician Tertullus. When he was about eight years old, his father placed him under the care of St. Benedict at Subiaco, to be educated. Saint Gregory the Great (Dialogues, II, vii) relates an account of Placidus being rescued from drowning by his fellow monk, Saint Maurus, when, at Saint Benedict's order ran across the surface of the lake below the monastery and drew Placidus safely to shore. It appears certain that he accompanied Saint Benedict when, about 529, he removed to Monte Cassino, which was said to have been made over to him by the father of Placidus.[1]

Of his later life nothing is known, but in an ancient psalterium at Vallombrosa his name is found in the Litany of the Saints placed among the confessors immediately after those of Saint Benedict and Saint Maurus; the same occurs in Codex CLV at Subiaco, attributed to the ninth century.[1]

Veneration

He is venerated together with Saint Maurus on 5 October.[2]

Patronage

He is the co-patron of Messina along with the Madonna of the Letter, and is the official patron of Biancavilla, Castel di Lucio, Montecarotto, and Poggio Imperiale.[3] Because a large portion of Easton, Pennsylvania's Italian community originally came from Castel di Lucio, Saint Placidus is given particular veneration with an annual parade through South Side on the Sunday before Labor Day. The Sunday after is the Feast of the Holy Cross, celebrated by immigrants from the neighboring town of Santo Stefano di Camastra.

Bl. Raymond of Capua October 5

 Bl. Raymond of Capua

Feastday: October 5

Birth: 1330

Death: 1399

The so called second founder of the Dominican Order. Born at Capua, Italy, in 1330, Raymond delle Vigne entered the Dominicans while attending the University of Bologna and subsequently held several posts, including prior of the Dominican house in Rome and lector in Florence and Siena. While at Siena, he made the acquaintance of St. Catherine of Siena, serving as her spiritual director from 1376 and becoming her closest advisor. Through the years he was connected with most of Catherine's important undertakings, including the call for a Crusade against the Turks, the negotiation of peace between the papacy and Florence, and the plea made to Pope Gregory XI to depart Avignon and return to Rome. Raymond also worked to bring aid and comfort to the victims of a plague which struck Siena, and when he fell sick with the disease, Catherine nursed him back to health. Upon the start of the Great Western Schism in 1378, both Raymond and Catherine gave their support to Pope Urban Vi against antipope Clement Vll. Raymond traveled to France in an unsuccessful bid to win the support of that kingdom; during the sojourn he was nearly killed by overzealous partisans of Clement VII. He continued to strive for a peaceful settlement of the crisis in the Church, even after Catherine's death in 1380, and was elected master general of the Dominicans As head of the order until his death at Nuremnberg, he brought reforms to its houses and demanded the strict adherence to the rules laid down by St. Dominic. He also wrote biographies of Catherine of Siena and St. Agnes of Montepulciano. 

Bl. Robert Sutton October 5

 Bl. Robert Sutton

Feastday: October 5

Death: 1588

 

English martyr. Born at Kegwell, Leicestershire, he became an Anglican priest, studying at Oxford. In 1575, he converted and went to Douai, France. He returned to England and was arrested in London and hanged at Clerkenwell.