ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN NOVEMBER Saints celebrated on the 12th November WELCOME! SAINT CRAPHAILDES, MARTYR Saint Craphaildes (also spelled Craphailde or Crafahilde ) is an early Christian martyr from the 7th century, primarily recognised in the Catholic tradition of the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands). She is closely linked to the story of Saint Livinus (Saint Livin), an Irish bishop and missionary. According to traditional hagiography, Saint Livinus was hosted at the home of Craphaildes in the area of Brabant (near modern-day Ghent, Belgium). When a band of pagan barbarians attacked and brutally killed Livinus , Craphaildes openly condemned the murderers and lamented his death. Enraged by her protests, the same attackers murdered Craphaildes along with her infant son, Brictius (or Brice). Her remains, alongside those of her son and Saint Livinus , were historically translated to the Saint Peter's Abbey in Ghent around the year 10...
ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JUNE Saints celebrated on the 20th of June WELCOME! SAINT IDA OF GHENT, WIDOW AND MARTYR This Saint Ida, commemorated on June 20, was buried in the Church of St John in Ghent - now the capital of the Belgian province of East Flanders - and was held in high veneration there. However, when the highly renowned and authentic relics of Saints Bavo and Livinus , as well as other saints, were brought there, the church (which is the cathedral) was given the name of Saint Bavo , causing the memory of Saint Ida to recede significantly into the background. Later, when the famous exegete Cornelius Jansenius - appointed the first Bishop of Ghent in 1567 - inspected the coffins of his church (which had been hidden during a time of persecution), he found an inscription on one of them reading: " Relics of the holy virgin and martyr Ida. " Meanwhile, an old manuscript preserved at the Church of St John identifies her as the mother of Saint Ursula ...