SAINT FEAST DAY FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN SEPTEMBER Saints celebrated on the 2nd of September WELCOME! VENERABLE BLONDA, WIDOW Blonda was a widow and tertiary of the Servite Order, whose memory is observed in Verruculo in Northern Italy (Emilia), within the Diocese of Rimini, on September 2 . The Bollandists * list her as " Venerable ." The story of this widow’s conversion is remarkable enough to warrant inclusion here. She hailed from the Foschi family of Verrucolo , in the Diocese of Rimini. Her husband died only a few years into their marriage, leaving behind a son - an heir to the virtues of both parents - who was subsequently murdered in a cruel act by the enemies of their family. Consumed by this, she became filled with the most tormenting thoughts of revenge. Meanwhile, the enemies of her house escalated their hatred toward the unfortunate mother to an extreme degree of inhumanity. One day, after she had eaten what she believed to be a calf’s heart during her midday meal, her tormen...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN NOVEMBER Saints celebrated on the 12th November WELCOME! GEBHARD III, BISHOP OF CONSTANCE Gebhard III, Bishop of Constance, Margrave and Duke of Zähringen, was, according to Zedler *, the 47th bishop to hold this see. His father was Berchtold the Bearded . The pious son exchanged his comital attire for the  habit of Saint Benedict . Emperor Henry IV had elevated Otto I to the see of Constance; Otto sided with the Emperor. Meanwhile, with the support of his relatives, Gebhard - then at the monastery of  Hirschau  - was called to serve as bishop.  Pope Gregory VII confirmed his appointment without hesitation. The opposing faction, however, set up an anti-bishop named Arnold , forcing Gebhard to step aside. Yet, when Emperor Henry V - who was initially devoted to the Papal See - ascended to the throne, he restored Gebhard to his episcopal seat. The latter concluded his God-pleasing and fruitful ministry on November 12 , 1110. While some...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 4th of May WELCOME! SAINT TRIFINA, MARTYR OF ROME Saint Trifina, commemorated on May 4 , was a Roman martyr whose relics were transferred to Bologna in the year 1650. (Information from Stadler 's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume  5, Augsburg, 1882, p. 567) Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations PRAYER: Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Trifina may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 26th of May WELCOME! BLESSED HENRI PLANCHAT, PRIEST AND MARTYR Blessed Henri Planchat Father Mathieu Henri Planchat, son of a Magistrate, was born November 8 , 1823, in the Loire region of France. His father, a devout Christian, was subsequently posted to Chartres and then to Lille, before being appointed president of the Court of Oran in Algeria. Despite being separated from his family, young Henri continued his education in Paris, studying law, as his father had wished, but no sooner had he obtained his law qualification than he entered the seminary San Sulpice , Issy-les-Moulineaux. During his theological studies, he took part in one of the conferences of the Society of  Saint Vincent de Paul , presided over by Jean-Leon Le Prevost. It was through this involvement that he became acquainted with the Institute of the Brothers of  Saint Vincent de Paul  - founded by Le Prevost in 1845 - and discovered his vocati...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 23rd of May WELCOME! SAINT WICBERT, MONK Saint Wicbert [Guibert] ( May 23 ), the founder of the monastery of Gembloux - a man from a highly distinguished family - exchanged his knightly arms for a monk’s habit and retired to the monastery of Gorze . He was so fervent in his faith that he dared to preach the Gospel to the Hungarians during their predatory raid into Lorraine, and he actually succeeded in bringing about some conversions. He died on  May 23 , 962. (Information from Stadler 's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume  5, Augsburg, 1882, p. 783) Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations PRAYER: May the intercession of Saint Wicbert commend us to you, so that through his merits we may obtain that which we cannot accomplish by our own. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Sources of the...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 12th of May WELCOME! ENEMOND MASSE, PRIEST AND MISSIONARY Stained glass design featuring North American missionaries Nesmes Masse [Massé], one of the first Jesuits sent to the New World, was born August 3, 1575 at Lyon. The eldest son of Francois Masse, a baker, he entered the novitiate of the  Society of Jesus   at Avignon on August 22, 1595, taking the name Enemond [Énemond]. Immediately following his ordination, he requested to be sent as a missionary. Having arrived in Acadia in 1611, he was taken prisoner by the English two years later. The English sent him back to France, upon which he served as the rector of La Fleche College for more than ten years. In 1625, he travelled to Quebec. There he lived with the Recollets, and  Father Charles Lalemant  entrusted to him the work of completing Notre-Dame-des-Anges , in which the missionaries began to live in 1626. Enemond was once again taken prisoner by ...