Saint of the day .

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Saint of the day: 2nd May


Saint Athanasius

Bishop. Patriarch of Alexandria. Born in 296, to Christian parents, Athanasius became deacon and secretary to Bishop Alexander. He attended the Council of Nicea in 325, which condemned the Arian heresy (that denied the eternity of the Word of God and the Divinity of Christ). The Creed formulated during this first General Council of the church is part of Christian belief today.

Athanasius was a vigourous defender of Christian orthodoxy all his life. In 328 he became bishop and made many pastoral visits throughout his province. For many years he became the target of bitter attacks by Arians and Meletians. Much of his life was spent in exile in Trier, Rome, and country districts outside Alexandria where many of his flock followed him.

During these periods he wrote extensively. In 365, after the death of the emperor Constantius, he returned to his diocese for the last time and his diocese enjoyed a great spiritual revival. There were many candidates for the monastic life. He made many pastoral visits and huge crowds came to hear him preach.

St Athanasius was described as a man small in stature but of towering spirit. Newman said he was the "principle instrument after the Apostles by which the sacred truths of Christianity have been conveyed and secured to the world."

As well as his writings against the Arians, he wrote several works including the Life of St Anthony, commentaries on the Scriptures.

An eight century monk wrote: "If you find a book by Athanasius and have no paper on which to copy it, write it on your shirt."

St Athanasius died in 373. He is one of the four great Greek doctors of the church together with St Basil the Great, St John Chrysostom, and St Gregory of Nazianzus.

Saint Athanasius , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 3rd May



Saint Philip and Saint James the Younger




Apostles. St Philip was from Bethseda in Galilee. Soon after Jesus called him to be an apostle, he began to convert others, finding his friend Nathaniel and telling him that Jesus of Nazareth was the one Moses and the prophets had written about.

When the Greeks wanted to see Jesus it was Philip who they approached. At the Last Supper he asked: "Lord show us the Father." and Jesus replied: "He that has seen me has seen the Father. I am in the Father and the Father in me."

According to tradition, St Philip preached in Phrygia and died, or was martyred at Hierapolis.

St James was the son of Alphaeus. Little is known about him. He is sometimes said to be the same James referred to as '"the Lord's brother'. He presided over the Christian community in Jerusalem and was martyred there in around 62AD. The contemporary Jewish historian Josephus, writes that James was stoned to death.

The Epistle of St James is commonly attributed to him .

Saint Philip and Saint James the Younger , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 4th May

The English Martyrs

These forty saints died for their faith between 1535 and 1679. They were selected from 200 already beatified by earlier popes. They were canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970. In 2001 their feast was moved to this day.

Thirteen were seminary priests, ten were Jesuits, three Benedictines, three Carthusian monks, one Brigettine, two Franciscans, and one Austin friar. The rest were lay people: four men and three women.

They are: Saint John Almond; Edmund Arrowsmith; Ambrose Barlow; John Boste; Alexander Briant; Edmund Campion; Margaret Clitherow; Philip Evans; Thomas Garnet; Edmund Gennings; Richard Gwyn; John Houghton; Phillip Howard; John Jones; John Kemble; Luke Kirby; Robert Lawrence; David Lewis; Anne Line; John Lloyd; Cuthbert Mayne; Henry Morse; Nicholas Owen; John Paine; Polydore Plasden; John Plessington; Richard Reynolds; John Rigby; John Roberts; Alban Roe; Ralph Sherwin; Robert Southwell; John Stone; John Wall; Henry Walpole; Margaret Ward; Augustine Webster; Swithun Wells; Eustace White.


The Forty English Martyrs , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 5th May


Saint Jutta

Married woman. St Jutta lived in 13th century Thuringia. She enjoyed a very happy marriage and had several children. After her husband died on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land she was devastated for a time, but then devoted her remaining few years to prayer and caring for the poor and sick.

A relative of hers was the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights. After her death in 1260, her hermitage near Kulmsee in Prussia, (now Chelmza in Poland) became a popular place of pilgrimage.

Saint Jutta , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 6th May


Saint Edbert

Bishop of Lindisfarne. Bede described this seventh century saint as a priest of great learning, famous for his knowledge of the Bible, and for his great generosity. He used to give a tenth of his livestock, fruit, grain and clothing to the poor each year.

While he was bishop of Lindisfarne he roofed the wooden church with lead. He also built a new shrine for St Cuthbert. Each year during Lent he would make a retreat on St Cuthbert's Isle.

St Edbert died on this day in 698, Many miracles were reported at his tomb and he was soon considered a saint locally. In 875 his relics were carried with those of St Cuthbert throughout Northumbria. His shrine was later at Durham.

Saint Edbert , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 7th May

Saint John of Beverley

Bishop of York. This eighth century saint was born at Harpham in Humberside. He studied at Canterbury before returning to Yorkshire to become a monk at St Hilda's double monastery at Whitby. In 687 he was consecrated bishop of Hexham.

St John was known for his special care for the poor and for those with disabilities. He taught one young man to speak.

From time to time he would go on retreat to his hermitage. He founded the forest monastery of Beverley and retired there in 717. He died on this day in 721.

Both Bede and Alcuin record many miracles attributed to him. Julian of Norwich was a devotee. King Henry V said he owed his victory at Agincourt to Saint John of Beverley.

Saint John of Beverley , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 8th May


Saint Peter of Tarantaise

Cistercian archbishop. Born in Dauphine, France in 1102, Peter joined the Cistercian Order at Bonneveaux at the age of 20 with his two brothers and father.

When he was 30 he was sent to serve as the first abbot of Tamie, in the Tarantaise Mountains, between Geneva and Savoy. There he built a hospice for travellers.

In 1142, he was named archbishop of Tarantaise although he was initially very reluctant to take up the office. He devoted much energy to reforming the diocese. He got rid of corrupt and immoral priests, and did much to help the poor and educate the young. Peter also established the custom of distributing bread and soup the 'May Bread' just before the harvest. This custom continued throughout France until the French Revolution.

After working very hard for 23 years as bishop, Peter suddenly vanished. He was discovered some time later serving as a lay brother in a Cistercian abbey in Switzerland and was persuaded to return to Tarantaise and resume his episcopal duties.

Peter of Tarantaise was an advisor to popes and kings. He defended the papacy in France and helped bring about a reconciliation between King Louis VII of France and Prince Henry II of England.

Peter was canonized in 1191. He should not be confused with Peter of Tarantaise, who became Pope Innocent V.


Saint Peter of Tarantaise , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 9th May

Saint Pachomius




Founder of Christian community monasticism. St Pachomius was born near Esneh in Egypt around 290. He was the first monk, not simply bringing hermits together in groups but organising them with a proper communal life and a rule.

Details of his life are uncertain but it is said he was once a soldier who became a Christian after his release from service. For some years he put himself under the direction of an anchorite named Palemon. In 320, he went to live at Tabennisi on the Nile, in Central Egypt with a few other monks. As the community grew, Pachomius gradually organised it. A second monastery was established at Pabau and nine more followed. Two were for women.

Both St Basil the Great and St Benedict were influenced by this early saint. He died in 346.

Saint Pachomius , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 10th May

Saint John of Avila

Priest, writer, mystic. John was born in 1500 in New Castile to wealthy Jewish parents. He studied law at Salamanca but then gave the subject up to devote himself to prayer and penance for three years. He then went to Alcala and studied theology under Dominic de Soto. In 1525 he was ordained. He gave away his inheritance to the poor and wanted to join the missions in Mexico. Instead he was asked to re-evanglise Andalusia which had been under Moorish influence for many years.

His mission was very successful and people flocked to hear him preach. He fell foul of the Inquisition however, who found his preaching too rigorous and particularly objected to his view that the rich would be excluded from heaven. The charges were eventually dropped, and after three years imprisonment he was released to great popular acclaim.

Saint John was spiritual director to many saints, including Theresa of Avila, Francis Borgia and John of God. He wrote on many spiritual subjects. His most famous work was Audi Filia, written in 1530 for Dona Sancha Carillo, who had given up wealth and status for a life of solitary prayer.

During his last 15 years he suffered much ill health. A great admirer of St Ignatius Loyola, for a time he considered joining the Jesuits. After his death in 1569, he was buried in the Jesuit church at Montilla. He was canonised in 1970.

Saint John of Avila , pray for us .

and St Damian of Molokai

Fr Damien (Joseph) De Veuster, born 1840 in Tremeloo, Belgium. He joined the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts volunteering for the mission to the Hawaiian Islands. In 1873 he went to work as a priest in a leper colony on the island of Molokai. He died from leprosy in 1889 aged 49. The testimony of the life he lived among the lepers of Molokai led to an intensive study of Hansens disease, eventually leading to a cure. Pope John Paul II beatified Damien in 1995. He was named a saint by Pope Benedict on 11 October 2009.

St Damian of Molokai , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 11th May

Saint Comgall

First abbot of Bangor, Northern Ireland. St Comgall known as the 'father of the monks of Ireland. Born in 516, he was trained by St Fintan at Clonenagh. After his ordination he lived for some years as a hermit in very austere conditions, in Lough Erne.

In 558 he founded Bangor which became the largest monastery in Ireland. Together with several smaller houses the community is said to have reached 3,000.

The seventh century Antiphoner of Bangor wrote that he was 'strict, holy and constant'. His community was said to have been 'graced with the hope of salvation and made perfect in love.'

Comgall trained Columbanus and was associated with St Columba who he visited on Iona. They are said to have preached the Gospel in Inverness.

After his spiritual director died, Comgall is quoted as saying: 'My soul-friend has died and I am headless. You too are headless. For a man without a soul-friend is a body without a head.'

Comgall died in 601. He was buried at Bangor. His grave was destroyed by Vikings in 822.

Saint Comgall , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 12th May



Saint Pancras

Martyr. Little is known of his life. According to legend, he came from Phrygia and was martyred in Rome at the age of 14 around 304. A church was built over his tomb in 500 by Pope St Symmachus.

In 664 some of his relics were sent to the king of Northumbria by Pope Vitalian. He is mentioned by Bede. Six ancient churches in England were dedicated to him, including one by St Augustine of Canterbury. The parish of St Pancras in London gave the name to the old borough and the railway station as well as a 19th century church on Euston Road. The more historic Old St Pancras church, on an ancient site, behind the station still survives.

Martyr. Little is known of his life. According to legend, he came from Phrygia and was martyred in Rome at the age of 14 around 304. A church was built over his tomb in 500 by Pope St Symmachus.

In 664 some of his relics were sent to the king of Northumbria by Pope Vitalian. He is mentioned by Bede. Six ancient churches in England were dedicated to him, including one by St Augustine of Canterbury. The parish of St Pancras in London gave the name to the old borough and the railway station as well as a 19th century church on Euston Road. The more historic Old St Pancras church, on an ancient site, behind the station still survives.


Saint Pancras , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 13th May

The Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

On 13 May 1917, three children were pasturing their little flock in the Cova da Iria, parish of Fatima, town of Vila Nova de Ourém. today the diocese of Leiria-Fatima. They were called: Lucia de Jesus, aged 10, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, aged 9 and 7.

About midday, after praying the Rosary, they were amusing themselves building a little house of stones scattered around the place where the Basilica now stands. Suddenly they saw a brilliant light, and thinking it to be lightning, they decided to go home. But as they went down the slope another flash lit up the place, and they saw on the top of a holmoak (where the Chapel of Apparitions now stands), "a Lady more brilliant than the sun", from whose hands hung a white rosary.

The Lady told the three little shepherds that it was necessary to pray much, and she invited them to return to the Cova da Iria during five consecutive months, on the 13th day at that hour. The children did so and the 13th day of June, July, September and October, the Lady appeared to them again and spoke to them in the Cova da 0a. On the 19th of August, the apparition took place at Valinhos, about 500 metres from Aljustrel, because on the 13th the children had been carried off by the local Administrator to Vila Nova de Ourém.

At the last apparition, on October 13, with about 70,000 people present, the Lady said to them that she was the "Lady of the Rosary" and that a chapel was to be built there in her honour. After the apparition all present witnessed the miracle promised to the three children in July and September: the sun, resembling a silver disc, whirled on itself like a wheel of fire, then seemed about to fall upon the earth.

Afterwards, when Lucia was a Religious Sister of Saint Dorothy, Our Lady appeared to her again in Spain (10 December 1925 and 15 February 1926, in the Convent of Pontevedra, and on the night of 13/14 June 1929, in the Convent of Tuy), requesting the devotion of the five first Saturdays (to pray the Rosary, meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, confess and receive Holy Communion, in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary), and the Consecration of Russia to the same Immaculate Heart, This request had been announced by the Apparition on 13 July 1917, in what is called the "Secret of Fatima".

Years later, Sr Lucia related that, between April and October of 1916, an Angel had appeared to the three seers on three occasions, twice in the Cabeço and once at the well in the garden behind Lucia´s house, who exhorted them to prayer and penance. Since 1917 pilgrims have come to the Cova da Iria in thousands upon thousands from all parts of the world, at first on the 13th of each month. later during the summer and winter holidays, and now more and more all the year round.

Pope John Paul II had a great devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. The late Pope said he believed that it was through the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima that he had survived the near-fatal attempt on his life on 13 May 1981.

Our Lady of Fatima , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 14th May



Saint Matthias

Apostle. Matthias was chosen by the apostles, to fill the place left vacant by Judas Iscariot. He was with them at Pentecost. According to legend he preached in Judea and then Cappadocia and near the Caspian Sea. Tradition also links him with Ethiopia.

His history is sometimes confused with that of Matthew and Andrew. He was martyred and his supposed relics were translated from Jerusalem to Rome by the Empress Helena. In the 11th century some of these were moved to Treves. Since 1969, his feast has been celebrated on this day.


Saint Matthias , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 15th May

Saint Dympna

Martyr. Possibly seventh century. Patron of the mentally ill. Few facts are known about this ancient saint but her memory has been very influential. According to legend, she was the daughter of a British or Celtic king. When his wife died, he developed an incestuous attraction for Dympna. In an effort to escape his attentions, she fled with her confessor St Gerebernus, to Antwerp, and then to Gheel. Her father tracked them down and found them living as hermits. When they refused to return, the king killed his daughter and had his servants kill the priest. Both bodies were buried on the spot. In the 13th century they were reburied - an occasion marked by many cures of epileptics and people suffering from insanity.

From that time on, the town of Gheel has developed a wonderful record of caring for the mentally ill. In modern times it has pioneered their treatment in the homes of farmers and other local residents .

Saint Dympna , pray for us .

also Saint Isidore the Farmer

Farm labourer, married man. Born in 1070, Isidore entered the service of John de Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, when he was about ten years old. He worked faithfully on his estate outside the city for the rest of his life. He married a young woman who also became a saint - Maria de la Cabeza. They had one son.

Isidore used to rise early in the morning to go to church. His fellow workers sometimes complained about him when he arrived at work late after spending too long in church. During his holidays he used to visit the churches of Madrid and surrounding areas. He also prayed all day long, as he walked behind the plough.

Isidore was known for his generosity to the poor. There are accounts of him miraculously finding supplies of food for them. He also had a great concern for the proper treatment of animals.

He died on this day in 1130, and was declared a saint in 1622 with Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila and Philip Neri. Together, the group is known in Spain as "the five saints."

He is now a patron saint of farmers and rural communities and patron of Madrid.

Saint Isidore the Farmer , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 16th May


Saint Simon Stock

Carmelite friar. According to tradition St Simon Stock was born in Aylesford in Kent. Little is known of his early life. he may have travelled to the Holy Land on pilgrimage. He was elected prior general of the Carmelite order in 1247. This was a crucial time in the history of the order which had recently come to the West from Palestine. Among the foundations established at this time were Cambridge, Oxford, Paris and Bologna.

Another tradition describes how St Simon experienced a vision of the Virgin Mary, which lead to the establishment of the Brown Scapular. The Latin hymn to Mary: Flos Carmeli - Flower of Carmeli' is attributed to St Simon. In 1951, his relics were brought from Bordeaux to Aylesford on the rebirth of the old friary which is once again a thriving religious centre in the heart of Kent.

Saint Simon Stock , pray for us .



and Saint Brendan the Navigator

Abbot. St Brendan was probably born near Tralee in around 486. He was fostered by St Ita at Kileedy and Erc, bishop of Kerry. He became a monk and later abbot. Many landmarks in the west of Ireland are named after him including Mount Brandon in the Dingle peninsula. He founded several monasteries including Clonfert in 559, Annadown in Galway, Inishadroum, Co Clare, and Ardfert Co Kerry.

Like many of his contemporaries he was a great traveller. St Brendan is said to have visited Columba at Hinba in Argyle. Other accounts say he founded a Scottish monastery, became abbot of Llancarven in Wales, and went to Brittany with St Malo.

Much of what we know about him today is based on the Navigation of St Brendan, an eighth century chronicle which transformed the historical seafaring abbot into a mythical adventurer who accomplished incredible exploits. One story tells of a sea voyage with a band of monks across the Atlantic to an island - a beautiful Land of Promise. For a long time historians thought this was just fantasy, but in 1976-7 an expedition which studied the account in detail, demonstrated that it was quite possible for the monks to have reached North America. A book, The Brendan Voyages, describes their journey.

Saint Brendan the Navigator , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 17th May


Saint Paschal Baylon

Franciscan laybrother. Patron of Eucharistic devotions. St Paschal was born in 1540 at Torre Hermosa in Aragon. He came from a poor shepherd family. In 1564 he joined the reformed Friars Minor of Peter of Alcantara at the convent of Loreto.

Paschal worked very hard with the sick and poor and was known for his good humour. One day he was observed performing an elaborate dance before a statue of Our Lady in the refectory. From the early morning he would pray for hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament before serving one Mass after another.

One day he was sent to deliver some letters to the Breton Minister General in France. On his journey he was stoned twice by the Huguenots. Although he managed to complete the task, he suffered from the effects of his injuries until his death in 1592 at the friary of Villareal.

Saint Paschal Baylon , pray for us .

Many miracles and cures were reported at his tomb. In 1618 he was beatified and in 1690 he was canonised.

 

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Saint of the day: 18th May

Saint John I

Pope and martyr. Born in Tuscany, John I was a priest of Rome. He became Pope in 523. At that time, Italy had been conquered by Theodoric the Goth, who was an Arian and did not believe that Jesus was God. The Emperor Justin I of Constantinople was planning to reconquer Italy and had set in place sanctions against the Arians.

Theodoric asked Pope John to visit the Emperor and negotiate a peace settlement.

Pope John's mission is said to have gone well. But on his return to Italy, Theodoric accused the Pope of plotting with Justin against him.

The Pope was captured by Theodric's soldiers in Ravenna as he was travelling back to Rome. They threw him into prison where he eventually died of thirst and starvation in 526. He was canonised in 1690.

Saint John I , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 19th May

Saint Dunstan

Benedictine monk and reformer, archbishop of Canterbury. Patron of goldsmiths, jewellers and locksmiths. Born in 909 at Baltonsborough, near Glastonbury, he was educated at Glastonbury and then after a spell of working for his uncle, joined the court of King Athelstan. In 935 he was expelled for studying pagan poetry and being a musician.

For a time he considered marriage, but eventually decided to become a priest. He lived for a while as a hermit, doing metalwork and painting. In 939, Edmund became king of Wessex and installed him as abbot of Glastonbury. Monastic life in England had virtually died during the Danish invasions, when many of the religious communities were attacked and destroyed, but under his rule it was reborn and would thrive until the Reformation.

Dunstan refounded many abbeys including Malmesbury, Westminster, Bath and Exeter. In 970 a conference of bishops, abbots and abbesses drew up a national code of monastic observance based on the Rule of St Benedict.

St Dunstan was principle advisor to all the Wessex kings of his time. During the reign of the youthful Edwy, he was banished abroad. Edgar recalled him and in 959 he was made Archbishop of Canterbury. The present coronation rite derives from the one compiled and used by St Dunstan for King Edgar.

Besides his pastoral ministry, his monastic organisation and reform of church life, St Dunstan had many other gifts. He was an accomplished metalworker and bellfounder. He played the harp and loved to sing. When he sang at Mass, a contemporary wrote: "He seemed to be talking with the Lord face to face."

As an old man he took delight in teaching the boys at the cathedral school. He was described as a gentle teacher, much loved by his pupils. His emblem in art is a pair of tongs - which he used, according to legend to seize the nose of the Devil.

On Ascension Day in 988, he preached three times. Two days later, on 19 May, he died. His cult sprang up spontaneously, and grew rapidly, making him one of England's most important saints. It has been said that the 10th century gave shape to English history, and St Dunstan gave shape to the 10th century.

Saint Dunstan , pray for us .

 

[Colin]

Saint of the day: 20th May



Saint Bernardino of Siena

Franciscan preacher. St Bernadino was born at Massa di Carrera in 1380, and brought up by an aunt after his parents died. As a young man he took charge of the La Scala hospital at Siena after most of the staff died of plague. He then looked after his bedridden aunt until her death. In 1402 he became a Franciscan friar and soon began to make a name for himself as a preacher. For many years he journeyed on foot, preaching up and down Italy in churches and in the open air. For eight years his teaching was criticised by the University of Bologna, but eventually they decided in his favour.

Called the 'people's preacher', St Bernardino spoke out relentlessly against usury. He also denounced the strife between different Italian cities. He was best known for his devotion to Jesus. At the end of his sermons he would hold up a plaque with the letters IHS. It is said that these letters became so popular, card-makers who had been ruined by the saint's denunciation of gambling, recouped their losses, by selling the religious plaques instead. They can still be seen in churches in Tuscany and elsewhere.

For a time he was vicar general of his order and worked hard to restore a stricter observance of the Franciscan rule. During his office, vocations to the order increased tenfold. He set up schools of theology and took part in the Council of Florence which attempted to reunite the Eastern and Western Churches.

But in 1443 he resigned and went back to his favourite task of preaching. He died on this day in 1444 in Abruzzi. Ten years later he was canonised.

There were many mediaeval paintings of him, generally depicting him as a small man with burning eyes holding the IHS plaque. Sometimes he is shown with three mitres at his feet - representing three bishoprics he refused. His cult spread to England especially with the Observant Friars who set up their first foundation in Greenwich in 1482 and became a province of five houses by 1499.


Saint Bernardino of Siena , pray for us .

 

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Saint of the day: 21st May

Saint Andrew Bobola

Martyr. Jesuit priest. This Polish saint was born in 1591. He became a Jesuit at Vilno in 1609 where he preached at the church of St Casimir before being appointed superior at the house at Bobruysk. During an epidemic of plague he worked night and day caring for the sick and dying.

Later he worked as a missionary, bringing whole villages of Orthodox Christians into communion with the Catholics. This caused considerable animosity from the Cossacks. The Jesuits were driven from their churches and colleges and forced to hide in the marshes. King Radziwill gave them a house in Pinsk in 1652. This was captured by the Cossacks in 1657. After undergoing many tortures, Andrew Bobola was killed around this time in 1657. His body was buried at Pinsk. In 1808 it was translated to Polotsk when it was found to be incorrupt.

During the Russian Revolution the Bolsheviks took the saint's remains to Moscow. In 1922 they were moved to Rome. St Andrew is now buried in the Jesuit church in Warsaw. He was canonised in 1938.

Saint Andrew Bobola , may you be an inspiration for us .