SAINT FEAST DAY FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JUNE Saints celebrated on the 1st of June WELCOME!  BLESSED THEOBALD OF ALBA, CONFESSOR Blessed Theobald, Confessor, is venerated at Alba in Liguria ( Alba Pompeia , in the former Duchy of Montferrat , now the Province of Cuneo in Piedmont ) on the Tanaro River, and at Mondovì, but especially in his birthplace, Vico (also located in Liguria). His parents are said to have been wealthy; yet, for Christ's sake, he chose the poor and lowly life of a cobbler. With the earnings from his labour, he supported a sickly shoemaker and his family in Alba for several years. Before he died, the master offered him his daughter Verida in marriage; however, the pious cobbler declined the offer because he had taken a vow of perpetual chastity. After the master had died, Theobald bestowed his savings upon the master's widow and then undertook a pilgrimage to Compostela in Spain. He spent the remainder of his life in Alba working as a porter, amidst prayer and acts of pe...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MARCH Saints celebrated on the 26th of March CILLEN CENANNANI, MONK An Illustration from the Book of Kells¹ ⬅️ Litany of the Irish Saints Killenus [ Cillen Cenannani, Cullen Cenannani ]( March 26 ), who appears in Irish martyrologies, is listed by the  Bollandists * - along with three others - among their Praetermissi (omitted entries). Dr . Kelly * calls him Cillen Cenannani , but, as is usual, without further details. (III. 606). *A hagiography source used by the authors  (Information from Stadler 's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 3, Augsburg, 1869, 617) Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org Cillen Cenannani (often modernized as Cullen Cenannani ) is an early medieval Irish saint documented in ancient Christian hagiographies. The primary record of this individual comes from the Martyrolo...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MARCH Saints celebrated on the 20th of March WELCOME! SAINT JOZEF BILCZEWSKI, ARCHBISHOP OF LVIV Pope John Paul II  beatified Jozef Bilczewski in 2001 and  Pope Benedict XVI  canonised him four years later. Jozef was born in 1860 in Wilamovice in southern Poland and attended secondary school in Wadowice, the future birthplace of  the Polish pope . He was ordained priest in Krakow by Cardinal Albino Dunajewski. He received a doctorate in theology from the University of Vienna and eventually became professor of dogmatic theology at the John Casimir University of Lviv. Throughout his academic career he devoted himself to scientific work and his exceptional intellectual abilities were recognised by Franz Joseph, the Emperor of Austria, who presented Fr Jozef to the Holy Father as a candidate for the vacant Metropolitan See of Lviv. On  December 17 , 1900, at the age of 40, he was named Archbishop of Lviv of the Latin Rite. After accep...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN APRIL Saints celebrated on the 18th of April WELCOME! BLESSED MARY OF THE INCARNATION, FOUNDRESS Blessed Mary of the Incarnation Blessed Mary of the Incarnation ( April 18 ), a  Carmelite  from Pontoise, was beatified by  Pius VI in 1791. Born in Paris on February 1 , 1565, and baptized Barbara, she was the only daughter of a virtuous and respected couple: the honourable Nicolas Avrillot and his wife, Mary (née Lhuillier). From the cradle, the pious Barbara showed herself to be a child of grace. From the age of eleven, she accustomed herself to an almost ceaseless lifting of her heart to God - a practice taught to her by her aunt, a nun at Longchamp, under whose guidance she had grown up. From that time on, she displayed a great fear of offending God, a scrupulous care not to inconvenience anyone, and deep humility whenever she was reproved. She prepared for her First Holy Communion through acts of mortification and penance that would have...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN SEPTEMBER Saints celebrated on the 2nd of September WELCOME! SAINT TOBIT THE PROPHET Tobit and his wife Anna by Rembrandt   Saint Tobit [the Elder] ( September 2 ), surnamed " the Prophet " because he foretold the end of the Assyrian captivity, the destruction of the city of Nineveh, and the return of the Israelites from captivity¹ - is listed in the German martyrology of  Blessed Canisius * under this date, accompanied by an extended encomium drawn from the biblical narrative, which also makes mention of his God-fearing son. The  Bollandists * mention him among their praetermissi . (Information from Stadler 's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume  5, Augsburg, 1882, p.561) Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations PRAYER: May the intercession of Saint Tobit 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 ...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JUNE Saints celebrated on the 20th of June WELCOME! THE IRISH CATHOLIC MARTYRS Mass in a Connemara Cabin by Aloysius O'Kelly, 1883 The custom of priests saying Mass secretly in people's homes dates to the era of the Irish Catholic Martyrs. On September 22 , 1992,  Pope John Paul II  beatified a group of 17 Irish Martyrs, recognizing men and women - both laypeople and clergy - who were killed for their Catholic faith between 1579 and 1654 during the Tudor and Stuart conquests of Ireland. Their feast day is June 20 , which marks the anniversary of the 1584 execution of Archbishop Dermot O'Hurley.   The Martyrs: Blessed Patrick O'Healy  (bishop), Blessed Cornelius O'Rourke (priest), Franciscans, d. 1579; The Wexford Martyrs: Blessed Matthew Lambert, Blessed Robert Meyler, Blessed Edward Cheevers, and Blessed Patrick Cavanagh, d. 1581; Blessed Dermot O'Hurley, Archbishop of Cashel, d. 1584; Blessed Margaret Ball, Dublin laywoman, d. 1...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN OCTOBER Saints celebrated on the 23rd of October WELCOME! SAINT KILLIAN MAC TOIDNAIM ⬅️ Litany of the Irish Saints Killianus [Killian] is a saint appearing under this date in several Irish hagiographical sources - namely the Martyrologies of Tallaght * and Donegal *,  as well as in the works of Colgan *, Marianus Gorman *, Cathaldus *, Maguire *, and the Martyrology of Cashel * - as the son of Toidnaim (Todnanus, Dodnanus). However, these same sources also list a Saint Killianus or Killenus on  October 22 ; the  Bollandists * omitted this individual entirely, mentioning him only here under  October 23 with the note that they did not know how to distinguish these two individuals from the many others [i.e.  Saint Kilian ,  Saint Kilian , Cillen Cenannani ] bearing this name, which was very common among the Irish and Scots. In Kelly’s edition of the Martyrology of Tallaght *, the entry for  October 22  reads simply ...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MARCH Saints celebrated on the 13th of March WELCOME! SAINT ANGUS MACDALE ⬅️ Litany of the Irish Saints Cuangussius [Angus], (March 13), surnamed Macdale, a son of Ailillus, was a pious man in Ireland renowned for his learning; he died in the year 746 at Cashel and is buried in the monastery of Lethmore. [Linguistically, the name Macdale could stem from the Gaelic "Mac Dàil", which translates to "son of Dàil." - Source: Google AI ] (Information from Stadler 's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume  1, Augsburg, 1858, p. 694) Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org ➡️ Irish Confessors and Martyrs

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 28th of May WELCOME! BLESSED STEFAN WYSZYNSKI, CARDINAL Cardinal Wyszynski on August 15, 1966 Stefan Wyszynski was born on August 3 , 1901 in Zuzela, Poland. After studying in Warsaw, Lomza, and Wloclawek, Wyszynski was ordained  August 3 , 1924, and was assigned to the basilica at Wloclawek. After gaining a doctorate in sociology and ecclesiastical law at the Catholic University of Lublin, he studied further in France, Italy, and Belgium. Back in Poland, he founded the Christian Workers University in 1935. He served as Bishop of Lublin from 1946 to 1948. and as Archbishop of Warsaw and Archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. He was created a cardinal on January 12 , 1953 by  Pope Pius XII . As Archbishop of Gniezno, Wyszynski possessed the title "Primate of Poland". Stefan Wyszynski was the spiritual leader of the Polish nation, credited with the survival of Polish Christianity in the face of repression and persecu...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN NOVEMBER Saints celebrated on the 14th of November   WELCOME! SAINT GREGORY PALAMAS, BISHOP Gregory, an Eastern Orthodox cleric, was born in Constantinople around 1296, the son of Constantine, a courtier of the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos. Because his father died when Gregory was still young, the Emperor himself took part in the raising and education of the boy and hoped that Gregory would devote himself to government service, but Gregory, at barely 21 years of age, entered a monastery on Mount Athos (in modern Greece) and followed the rule of  Saint Basil . He lived on Athos in solitude for most of the following twenty years.  In 1326, because of the threat of Turkish invasions, he and the brethren retreated to the defended city of Thessaloniki, where he was then ordained a priest. Dividing his time between his ministry to the people and his pursuit of spiritual perfection, he founded a small community of hermits near Thes...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 30th of May WELCOME! BLESSED MARIA FERNANDEZ  Blessed Maria Fernandez (May 30) was the companion of  Blessed Constantia Cira (Xira) , with whom she founded or expanded the Convent of  Saint Monica in Evora, Portugal. To what was stated in Volume 1 page 663 , we merely add that the two vied with one another in their love for their fellow sisters, acting as though they were their own biological sisters. (Information from Stadler 's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume  4, Augsburg, 1875) Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations PRAYER: May the intercession of Blessed Maria commend us to you, so that through her 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 these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk,...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY Saints celebrated on the 11th of January WELCOME! MAURICE, ARCHBISHOP OF ROUEN Maurice, remembered on January 11, the fifty-fourth Archbishop of Rouen and formerly Bishop of Le Mans, ranks among the most pious and meritorious prelates of the French Church. Elected after a one-year vacancy of the see to succeed Theobald (d. 1229), he rendered great service to the reform of ecclesiastical discipline by holding synods and conducting visitations. In 1233, he placed the diocese under interdict. His stewards calculated the revenues of the archiepiscopal mensa (the episcopal endowment) at 12,000 pounds; yet he directed that only two or three thousand be used for his own needs and those of his household, declaring: "Beyond that, I possess nothing; it is the property of the poor - use it for the poor." In his measures, he showed no regard for persons or social standing; he punished unchaste priests without mercy. He died during the Octave of the Epi...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN FEBRUARY Saints celebrated on the 20th of February WELCOME! SAINT JACINTA MARTO Saint Jacinta Marto   [Saint Jacinta Marto was a young Portuguese shepherd child who, along with her brother  Francisco and cousin Lucia , witnessed the famous apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. In 1918, Jacinta and Francisco fell victim to the influenza epidemic.] THE INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC THAT SWEPT THE WORLD IN 1918 “I will take Jacinta and Francisco soon,” our Lady had said to Lucia on June 13 . The final illness of the two children began with the influenza epidemic that swept the world in 1918. [“Spanish ‘flu epidemic”]. They were both stricken. Complications set in, and neither recovered, although Jacinta lingered on longer than her brother. “FOR THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS”  One day when Lucia came to visit her sick cousins, Jacinta had great news for her. “Lucia,” she cried, “our Lady came to see us and said she was coming soon for ...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN AUGUST Saints celebrated on the 12th of August WELCOME! GERARD II, BISHOP OF ARRAS AND CAMBRAI Gerard II, born c. 1020, was probably descended from the lords of Lessines and the  thirty-third Bishop of Cambrai from 1076 to his death on August 12, 1092 - the last bishop to hold the joint see of Cambrai and Arras. " German in language and in culture ", he was related to both of his predecessors, Lietbert and Gerard I. This prince-bishop of the Holy Roman Empire's episcopacy coincided with the beginning of the Investiture Controversy between emperor and pope. An account of Gerard's episcopacy was recorded in the Gesta Gerardi secundi episcopi (Deeds of Bishop Gerard the Second) and in the Gesta episcoporum Cameracensium (Deeds of the Bishops of Cambrai). Sources:  Google AI - https://prabook.com/web/mobile/#!profile/2308933 -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_II_(bishop_of_Cambrai)

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY Saints celebrated on the 19th of May WELCOME! BLESSED ROSA CZACKA, VIRGIN AND FOUNDRESS Mother Rosa Czacka Countess Rosa Czacka (Róża Czacka) was born on October 22, 1876 in Biała Cerkiew , in today's Ukraine. She suffered from progressive vision loss - despite the numerous surgical interventions that were performed on her, she went completely blind in her early twenties. Falling from a horse, which detached both retinas, had accelerated the process.  Already in 1911, while living in Warsaw, the Polish capital, Rosa had begun caring for the blind there (at Holy Cross Church). Having recognized the full extent of lack of organized care for the partially sighted and the blind in Poland, she henceforth devoted herself to that need with heart and soul and all her strength.  Rosa entered the Franciscan Third Order on August 15, 1917 - taking the saint's name Elizabeth (Elżbieta) - before founding her own religious congregation in late 1918, the F...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY Saints celebrated on the 27th of January WELCOME! WILLIAM, BISHOP OF LE MANS William [Guillaume], remembered on January 27, Bishop of Le Mans from 1144 to 1186, was a man of prayer, mortification, and charity, equally diligent regarding his own salvation and that of his flock. He was laid to rest in the abbey church of Saint Vincent. (Information from Stadler 's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume  5, Augsburg, 1882, p. 793) Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org