SAINT FEAST DAY FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR

  SAINT EMMA, WIDOW  The name Emma , ​​according to some, is derived from  Imme (bee); i.e. the industrious. At the St Luidger monastery in Werden on the Ruhr (three miles north-east of Düsseldorf) there could formerly be seen, among other relics, an intact hand, which had next to it a piece of parchment, on which was stated the feast day of St Emma (April 19). The Bollandist* Henschenius (Apr. II. 962) assumes that this Emma is none other than that godly matron who Adam of Bremen commemorates with the words: "In these days" (namely around the year 1040) "the noblewoman Emma died , the former wife of Count Luidger and sister of Bishop Meginwerk of Paderborn, who gave almost all her great wealth to the poor and to the churches. Her body lies in the church of Bremen and her soul enjoys heavenly rest. When she was still alive, she bequeathed the Stiplage estate on the Rhine to the church in Bremen.” The hand mentioned above probably came from Bremen to Werden at a later d...

  ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN DECEMBER Saints celebrated on the 3rd of December Prayer to the Angels and the Saints Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation. In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven. Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses. Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives...