St. Fortunata
Feastday: October 14
Death: 303
Virgin martyr in Caesarea, in Israel, reportedly with her brothers, Sts. Carphonius, Evaristus, and Priscian. Her relics have been venerated in Naples, Italy, since the eighth century.
St. Fortunata
Feastday: October 14
Death: 303
Virgin martyr in Caesarea, in Israel, reportedly with her brothers, Sts. Carphonius, Evaristus, and Priscian. Her relics have been venerated in Naples, Italy, since the eighth century.
St. Fortunatus of Todi
Feastday: October 14
Death: 537
Bishop of Todi, Italy He is famed for saving that city from marauding Ostrogoths.
Saint Fortunatus (died 537) was a 6th-century bishop of Todi.[1] According to tradition, he defended Todi during a Gothic siege.[2] He is the patron saint of Todi. He is praised by Gregory the Great, who calls him a man of great virtue who took great care in attending to the sick.[3] Gregory, who was born around the time that Fortunatus died, was greatly interested in Fortunatus' life. Gregory writes that "a certain poor old man was brought to me –because I always love to talk with such men- of whom I inquired his country, and hearing that he was of the city of Todi, I asked him whether he knew Bishop Fortunatus. He said he knew him very well. 'Then I beseech you,' said I, 'tell me whether you know of any miracles that he did, and, since I am very desirous to know, explained to me what manner of man he was.'"[4]
Bl. Jacques Laigneau de Langellerie
Feastday: October 14
Birth: 1747
Death: 1794
Beatified: Pope John Paul II
Jacques Laigneau de Langellerie was a priest in Angers, France and was martyred during the French Revolution.
St. Bernard of Arce
Feastday: October 14
Death: 9th century
A recluse of Arpino in the Campania district of Italy. He was born in England or Ireland and made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Rome. He then became a hermit, known for his sanctity. Bernard's relics are in Rocca d'Arce.
St. Manakus
Feastday: October 14
Welsh abbot of Holyhead, Wales, also called Manaccus. He was a co worker of St. Cybi. Manakus died in Cornwall, England.
St. Manechildis
Feastday: October 14
Hermitess and patroness of Sainte Menehould, France, also listed as Menehould. She was the youngest of seven sisters revered as saints in the Champagne district. She was born in Perthois, the daughter of Sigmarius, and received the veil from Bishop St. Alpinus. Manechildis lived for a time at Bienville.
St. Menehould
Feastday: October 14
Death: 5th century
Patron saint of the French town in the Argonne that bears her name. She had five sisters who were also venerated. Menehould was active in Chalons-sur-Marne.
St. Rusticus
Feastday: October 14
Death: 574
Bishop of Trier, Germany. He was forced to resign his see owing to the charge of sexual misconduct which was made against him by St. Goar. He retired to a hermitage which was under the direction of St. Goar, where he spent the rest of his life in deep recollection.
Sts. Saturninus & Lupus
Feastday: October 14
Death: unknown
Martyrs who were put to death at Caesarea, in Cappadocia (in modern Turkey).
Bl. Alexandrina Maria da Costa
Feastday: October 13
Birth: 1904
Death: 1955
Beatified: April 25, 2004 by Pope John Paul II
Holy Saturday of 1918, Alexandrina Maria da Costa, a fourteen-year-old native of Balasar, Portugal, was sewing when three men broke into her home, threatening to violate her chastity. Resolute to preserve her purity, she fled by jumping out a window. The thirteen-foot plunge to the ground crippled her for life. At the age of twenty-one, she became totally paralyzed and permanently bedridden. Alexandrina accepted this affliction as God's will for her and an opportunity to offer herself totally as a "victim soul" for the conversion of sinners. For a period of three and a half years, she received the mystical gift of experiencing each Friday the pains of Christ on the cross. For thirteen years, she was imbued with the mystical phenomenon of being nourished solely by the Eucharist. Out of zeal to convert sinners, Alexandrina requested for her tombstone these words: "Sinners, how much I want to tell you...Do not risk losing Jesus for all eternity, for he is so good. Enough with sin. Love Jesus, love him!" On October 13, 1955, before breathing her last, Alexandrina declared, "I am happy, because I am going to heaven."
St. Berthoald
Feastday: October 13
Death: 7th century
The fifth bishop of Cambrai Arras, France. His time as bishop came during a period of severe upheaval in France, and he labored to protect his people.
Berthoald (or Bertoald) (died 604) was the mayor of the palace of Burgundy from some time before 603 (when he is first mentioned as mayor under King Theuderic II) until his death in the next year. According to the Burgundian chronicler Fredegar, he was moderate, sensible, brave, and honest.
In 604, Theuderic, at the suggestion of his grandmother Brunhilda, sent Berthoald to inspect the royal villae along the Seine, in order to have him away from court so that he might be conveniently killed. Brunhilda intended to raise her paramour Protadius to Berthoald's honours. Berthoald and three hundred men were at Arèle when King Clotaire II of Neustria—alerted by some means to his presence— sent an army under his son Merovech and his mayor Landric to assault him. Berthoald fled to Orléans, and Landric followed and besieged him, which violated a peace treaty with Theuderic. The king of Burgundy went out at Christmas to Étampes and met the forces of Merovech and Landric. Defeating them with the aid of Berthoald, he took Paris. Berthoald was killed in battle, having charged the enemy too far, with no regard for his own life, which he knew was in danger at court because of the plottings on behalf of Protadius. Protadius was indeed made mayor of the palace after him.
St. Carpus
Feastday: October 13
Death: 1st century
Confessor mentioned by St. Paul in one of his letters. St. Paul stated that he had left his cloak with Carpus. Greek tradition makes him a bishop.
Carpus of Beroea of the Seventy Disciples is commemorated by the Church on May 26 with Alphaeus, and on January 4 with the Seventy.
In his second Epistle to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:13), Paul requests, "The phelonion that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books." Carpus was bishop of Beroea (or Verria) in Macedonia.