Celebrating
some of the saints from the South’s Christian inheritance of various lands:
Universal
Church Feasts:
6th
– The Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ
7th
– St John the Baptist
Africa:
1st
– St Fulgentius, an extraordinary bishop who endured the persecutions
(tortures, exile, etc.) of the Arian Vandals heroically.
5th
– St Syncletica, of Macedonian parents, she became a renowned holy mother of
Egypt. She was born into great wealth,
but gave it all away and lived with her blind sister in seclusion. Later, she emerged as a great spiritual
teacher with her words, but even more so by her living witness of fasting, prayer,
and other virtues, and by bearing terrible physical illnesses with great
patience and thanksgiving to God.
Shorter
version:
Longer
version (with some of her teachings quoted):
More
sayings of this Saint:
6th
– Martyrs of Northwest Africa, a number of Christians of both sexes burnt at
the stake under Septimius Severus.
9th
– St Marciana, a virgin martyred by the heathen by throwing her before a wild
bull in Mauritania (though she also was persecuted in other ways before that).
12th
– St Arcadius of Mauritania, a great martyr; his persecutors slowly cut him to
pieces joint by joint, but he nevertheless patiently and joyfully proclaimed
the Gospel to those around him.
15th
– St Paul of Thebes, one of the greatest of the Egyptian Desert Fathers. He was revered by St Anthony himself.
17th
– St Anthony the Great, the greatest saint of Africa and one of the greatest
saints of the whole Church of any generation.
The
life of the Holy Father:
18th
– Sts Athanasius the Great and Cyril, Archbishops of Alexandria: Saints Athanasius and Cyril were Archbishops
of Alexandria. These wise teachers of truth and defenders of Christ’s Church
share a joint Feast in recognition of their dogmatic writings which affirm the
truth of the Orthodox Faith, correctly interpret the Holy Scripture, and
censure the delusions of the heretics.
19th
– St Macarius the Great of Egypt, one of the greatest Fathers of the Church;
his homilies and treatises on prayer, union with God, etc. are treasures of
spirituality.
19th
– St Macarius of Alexandria, a great ascetic and wonderworker of the Egyptian
desert.
26th
– St Ammon of Egypt, the successor of St Anthony the Great as head of the monks
of Pispir.
Africa/Italy/England:
9th
– St Adrian, abbot of St Augustine’s Monastery in Canterbury. Born in Africa, abbot of a monastery in
Naples, nominated to be Archbishop of Canterbury. He refused the latter post, but accompanied
St Theodore, the new Archbishop, to England where he greatly assisted the young
Christian nation as abbot of St Augustine’s; a teacher of Greek, Latin, poetry,
and the Holy Scriptures; and in other ways.
A wonderworker as well.
Asia
Minor:
1st
– St Basil the Great, one of the great Church Fathers.
‘Saint
Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, “belongs not to the
Church of Caesarea alone, nor merely to his own time, nor was he of benefit
only to his own kinsmen, but rather to all lands and cities worldwide, and to
all people he brought and still brings benefit, and for Christians he always
was and will be a most salvific teacher.” Thus spoke Saint Basil’s
contemporary, Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium.’
More
about St Basil is at
3rd
– St Gordius the Martyr, St Basil the Great recounts the glorious deeds of his
martyrdom here, which are a treasure for the whole Church:
10th
– St Gregory of Nyssa, another one of the great Church Fathers and brother of
St Basil the Great; for the depth of his teachings he is called a ‘Father of
Fathers’.
22nd
– St Timothy, Bishop of Ephesus; the disciple of St Paul the Apostle who died
as a martyr at the hands of the heathens in Ephesus.
25th
– St Gregory the Theologian, one of the pillars of the Church; so sublime are
his theological writings, poems, and orations that he is one of only three
saints to bear the title ‘Theologian’: St
John the Apostle and St Symeon the New Theologian are the other two.
30th
– Synaxis of the Three Holy Hierarchs, Sts Basil the Great, Gregory the
Theologian, and John Chrysostom.
Let
us who love their words gather together / and honor with hymns the three great
torch-bearers of the triune Godhead: / Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian
and John Chrysostom. / These men have enlightened the world with the rays of
their divine doctrines. / They are sweetly-flowing rivers of wisdom / filling
all creation with springs of heavenly knowledge. / Ceaselessly they intercede
for us before the Holy Trinity!
Belgium:
8th
– St Gudula, daughter of St Amelberga, she spent much time with St Gertrude at
Nivelles and afterwards lived a life of holiness. She is the patroness of
Brussels in Belgium.
19th
– St Mark, Archbishop of Ephesus, was a stalwart defender of Orthodoxy at the
Council of Florence. He would not agree to a union with Rome which was based on
theological compromise and political expediency (the Byzantine Emperor was
seeking military assistance from the West against the Moslems who were drawing ever
closer to Constantinople).
A
great example of steadfastness for this age of compromise.
Belgium/France:
25th
– St Poppo, born in Flanders, after a military career he made a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem and Rome. On his return he became a monk at St Thierry in Rheims in
1006. Two years later he moved to Saint-Vannes and then to Vaast in Arras. In
1021 he became Abbot of Stavelot-Malmédy in Belgium and the monastic revival
soon spread to other monasteries, among others to Hautmont, Marchiennes, St
Maximinus of Trier in Germany and St Vaast in Arras in France.
England:
2nd
– Martyrs of Lichfield under Diocletian.
6th
– St Peter of Canterbury, a monk from St Andrew's in Rome, he was one of the
first missionaries sent to England. He became first Abbot of Sts Peter and Paul
(later St Augustine's), founded in Canterbury. While travelling to France he
was drowned off Ambleteuse near Boulogne, where his relics are still honoured.
7th
– St Cedd of Essex and Lastingham, a great evangelizer of the English people.
8th
– St Pega, the sister of St Guthlac of Crowland in England. She too lived as an
anchoress. The village of Peakirk (Pega's church) in Northamptonshire is called
after her.
More
about the holy sister of the great St Guthlac is here:
9th
– St Brithwald, Archbishop of Canterbury, gave a steady hand of guidance to the
English Church for 37 years.
10th
– St Sethrid, stepdaughter of Anna, King of East Anglia. She became a nun at
Faremoutiers-en-Brie in France under St Fara, whom she succeeded as abbess. She
was the half-sister of Sts Etheldred (Audrey) and Ethelburgh.
12th
– St Benedict Biscop, founder of the monasteries of Wearmouth and Jarrow. He greatly strengthened Christianity in
England through these two monasteries, fostering there sacred arts and
learning. St Bede is one of his
spiritual children.
13th
– St Elian, a missionary to Cornwall and England
15th
– St Ceolwulf, a holy king of Northumbria who abdicated to become a monk. St Bede thought highly of him. His relics have been the source of miracles.
19th
– St Branwallader, a bishop in Jersey in the Channel Islands. King Athelstan,
who founded the monastery of Milton in Dorset in England translated relics of
the saint there in 935.
25th
– St Sigebert, the first Christian King of East Anglia in England. He
introduced Orthodoxy into his kingdom, later himself becoming a monk. He was
killed by the pagan King Penda of Mercia and was venerated as a martyr.
25th
– St Thorgyth, a nun at the convent of Barking in England with St Ethelburgh.
She is described as a miracle of patience under suffering.
She
was blessed with mystical sight:
England/France:
30th
– St Bathildis, born in England, she was sold as a slave to the mayor of the
palace of the Kingdom of Neustria. In 649 King Clovis II married her and she
became the mother of three future kings. After her husband's death, she was
regent of France (656-664). When Clotaire III came of age, she became a nun at
the convent of Chelles which she had founded.
She
seconded the zeal of St. Owen, St. Eligius, and other holy bishops, and with
great pains banished simony out of France, forbade Christians to be made
slaves, did all in her power to promote piety, and filled France with
hospitals and pious foundations. She restored the monasteries of St. Martin,
St. Denys, St. Medard, &c. founded the great abbey of Corbie for a seminary
of virtue and sacred learning, and the truly royal nunnery of Chelles, on the Marne, which had been begun by St. Clotildis.
England/Germany/Sweden:
18th
– St Wilfrid, born in England, he became a missionary in Germany and Sweden. He
was martyred for destroying an image of Thor.
France:
1st
– St Oyend, a great ascetic and abbot of the famous monastery of Condat.
3rd
– St Genevieve of Paris, one of the greatest saints of France; set apart for
God as a child; a wonderworker and helper of captives and those in need; an
example to all in fasting, prayer, and pilgrimages to honor the relics of St
Martin of Tours, St Denys, and those of other saints; and a strong deliverer of
Paris from calamity several times, even after her death.
Short
version:
Long
version:
O
Shepherdess who guardest the sheep at Nanterre against the horde of wolves and
the Scourge of God, / thou dost protect the city of the Parisians. / O St
Genevieve, do not forget to guard thy spiritual sheep even now, / from heaven
where thou livest after death.
4th
– St Gregory, a widowed senator, he was chosen bishop of Langres and shone
forth with great virtue and sanctity as a pastor. He was the father of St Tetricus and the
great-uncle of St Gregory of Tours.
4th
– St Rigobert, a wonderworking bishop of Rheims who was banished unjustly from
his diocese but accepted the injustice without murmuring and finished his life
as a holy monk.
5th
– St Convoyon of Redon, the founder of the great monastery of Saint Saviour in
Brittany; persecuted by the Vikings.
6th
– St Melanius, born in Brittany, he was Bishop of Rennes and succeeded in
overcoming idolatry in his diocese. His holiness
allowed God to raise a dead man through him and to perform other wonders.
7th
– St Aldric, Bishop of Le Mans, The holy pastor was
humble, patient, severe towards himself, and mild and charitable to all others.
He employed both his patrimony and his whole interest and credit in relieving
the poor, redeeming captives, establishing churches and monasteries, and
promoting piety and religion.
8th
– St Lucian, Apostle of Beauvais and martyr, and Sts Maximian and Julian, his
fellow martyrs
8th
– St Frodobert, a monk at Luxeuil in France, he founded the monastery of
Moutier-la-Celle near Troyes, where he led a life of unceasing prayer and
asceticism.
9th
– St Vaneng, a rich fellow who loved hunting, who later gave up worldly
pursuits at the behest of St Eulalia of Barcelona and helped found two
important monasteries, Fontenelles and Fecamp.
12th
– St Salvius, a miracle-working bishop of Amiens.
13th
– St Hilary of Poitiers, a great light of the Church in the West.
Short
version:
Long
version:
16th
– St Honoratus of Arles, the founder of the great monastery of Lerins and a
wonderful example of Christian perfection.
16th
– St Treverius, born in Neustria, he showed spiritual sensitivity from
childhood. He lived as a hermit near the monastery of Thérouanne until he moved
to Dombes. The village of Saint Trivier in France commemorates his name.
17th
– St Sulpicius II, the Pious, bishop of Bourges in France from 624 to 647. He
devoted himself to the care and defence of the poor and persecuted.
19th
– St Lomer, a shepherd boy near Chartres in France and then priest, he became a
hermit. Disciples came and he founded the monastery of Corbion near Chartres.
He lived to be over a hundred.
25th
– St Projectus, an illustrious bishop of Auvergne; a lover of the poor; a great
teacher; and a wonderworker; he was martyred by evil men because of a false
accusation.
25th
– St Amarinus, abbot of a monastery in the Vosges in France and companion in
martyrdom of St Projectus (St Priest), Bishop of Clermont. The valley of
Saint-Amarian in Alsace is named after him.
27th
– St Marius, abbot of a monastery in France who was granted the gift of
prophecy.
28th
– St John, born in Dijon in France, he became a hermit in Reomay. When
disciples gathered around him, he fled and became a monk at Lérins. Here he
learnt the traditions of St Macarius and on his return to Reomay, he and the monastery
he founded there lived according to them.
28th
– St Odo of Beauvais, born near Beauvais in France, he gave up a military
career to become a monk at Corbie. In 861 he became a very influential Bishop
of Beauvais.
France/Belgium:
24th
– St Bertrand, a disciple of St Bertinus, he also helped St Omer enlighten the
north of France and Flanders. He later became Abbot of Saint-Quentin.
30th
– St Aldegund, she was daughter of Walbert, of the royal blood of France,
and born in Hainault about the year 630. She consecrated herself to God by a
vow of virginity, when very young, and resisted all solicitations to marriage,
serving God in the house of her holy parents, till, in 638, she took the
religious veil, and founded and governed a great house of holy virgins at
Maubeuge. She was favoured with an eminent gift of prayer, and many
revelations; but was often tried by violent slanders and persecutions, which
she looked upon as the highest favours of the divine mercy, begging of God that
she might be found worthy to suffer still more for his sake. His divine
providence sent her a lingering and most painful cancer in her breast. The
saint bore the torture of her distemper, also the caustics and incisions of the
surgeons, not only with patience, but even with joy, and expired in raptures of
sweet love, on the 30th of January, in 660 . . . .
France/England:
27th
– St Julian, first bishop of Le Mans, highly venerated across France and also
in England. A wonderworker, too.
France/Germany:
2nd
– St Adalard, an exceptional monk and abbot, as well as a counsellor to kings,
tutor to the young, and monastic founder.
Full of humility, love for the needy, and a wonderworker.
France/Spain:
27th
– St Emerius, born in France, he founded and was the first Abbot of St Stephen
of Bañoles in Catalonia in Spain.
27th
– St Candida, mother of St Emerius, who founded the monastery of St Stephen of
Bañoles in Spain. She reposed as an anchoress near the monastery.
Germany/France/Belgium:
7th
– St Thillo, born in Saxony in Germany, he was abducted by robbers and
enslaved. Freed by St Eligius of Noyon, he became a monk at Solignac and
enlightened the area around Tournai and Courtrai in Belgium. The inhabitants
of the country of Isengihen, near Courtray, regarded him as their apostle. His name is famous in the French and Belgic
calendars.
Germany/Italy:
8th
– St Severinus, An Eastern monk who enlightened Noricum Ripense, now in Austria.
He founded several monasteries, notably one on the Danube near Vienna, where he
organised help for those afflicted by the invasions of Attila and the Huns and
where he reposed. Six years after his repose, the monks were driven out and
took his relics to Naples in Italy, where the monastery of San Severino was
built to enshrine them.
For
more on this wonderful saint:
Ireland:
1st
– St Fanchea, born in Clogher in Ireland, she was the sister of St Enda. She
founded a convent at Rossory in Fermanagh and was buried in Killane.
1st
– St Mochua, the founder of many churches and monasteries in Ireland, he lived
to nearly 100.
1st
– St Mochua, he founded a monastery that grew into the town of Balla.
2nd
– St Munchin of Limerick, venerated as the patron of
Limerick, Ireland, because it grew up around his foundation at Innis Ibhton on
the Shannon, and derived its name Luimnich from him. More at http://celticsaints.org/2020/0102a.html.
3rd
– St Fintan, a disciple of St Comgall at Bangor in Ireland. He is honoured as
the patron-saint of Doon in Limerick where his holy well still exists.
3rd
– St Finlugh, a brother of St Fintan, he went to Scotland, where he became one
of St Columba's disciples. Returning to Ireland, he became abbot of a monastery
in Co. Derry.
5th
– St Kiara (Chier), a spiritual daughter of St Fintan Munnu. She lived in
Ireland near Nenagh in Co. Tipperary, at a place now called Kilkeary after
her. she was abbess of two convents, one
at Kilkeary and the other at Tech Telle, now Tehelly.
10th
– St Dermot (Diarmis, Diarmaid), the spiritual father of St Kieran of
Clonmacnois and later founder of a monastery on Innis-Clotran Island in Ireland.
11th
– Sts Ethenia and Fidelmia, daughters of King Laoghaire in Ireland and among
the first converts of St Patrick, they became nuns and reposed in holiness.
15th
– St Ita of Kileedy, she is called the ‘foster mother of the Irish saints’ and
is second only to St Brigid in veneration among the women saints of Ireland.
17th
– St Nennius (Nennidh), one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland.
23rd
– St Colman of Lismore, abbot of Lismore in Ireland and also a bishop.
During his rule the fame of Lismore reached its peak. More about the monastery of Lismore is here.
24th
– St Guasacht, son of Maelchu, the master under whom St Patrick worked as a
slave in Ireland. Guasacht was converted by Patrick, whom he helped as Bishop
of Granard in Ireland.
24th
– St Manach (Manchan), a disciple of St Kieran of Clonmacnoise, he converted
the people of the Island of Lemonaghan and founded a monastery there.
27th
– St Natalis, Natalis founded monasticism in northern Ireland and was a
fellow-worker with Saint Columba (f.d. June 9). He ruled the abbeys of Cill,
Naile, and Daunhinis. His holy well is still a place of pilgrimage.
28th
– St Cannera, A holy virgin who lived as an anchoress near Bantry in Ireland.
She reposed after visiting St Senan and receiving communion. She was buried on
St Senan's island off Enniscorthy.
29th
– St Blath, Saint Blath was the lay-sister who served as cook at Saint Brigid's
convent in Kildare. She earned a reputation for sanctity, and of her cooking it
is said that bread and bacon at Brigid's table were better than a banquet
elsewhere.
29th
– St Dallan Forghaill, a great scholar and a martyr at the hands of pirates;
before his death he was at one time Chief Bard of Ireland who praised St
Columba of Iona for arguing against the abolition of the bardic guild.
Ireland/England/France:
16th
– St Fursey, having founded a monastery at Rathmat in Ireland, he went to
England and founded another at Burgh Castle in Suffolk. He finally moved to
France and founded a monastery at Lagny near Paris. He was buried in Picardy. His
life is famous for his remarkable visions.
Ireland/France:
18th
– St Deicola, a monk at Bangor in Ireland, he followed St Columbanus to
Burgundy in France, where he helped found the monastery of Luxeuil. Later he
founded a second monastery in Lure in the Vosges.
The
city of Lure in France had its beginnings in St Deicola’s mountain hermitage.
23rd
– St Maimbod, born in Ireland, he was martyred by pagans while preaching to
peasants near Kaltenbrunn in Alsace, now in France.
God
has worked many miracles through his relics:
Ireland/Germany:
8th
– St Erhard, Erhard is described as another of the many Irish missionary
bishops who crossed over to the continent and evangelized Bavaria, especially
in the region around present-day Regensburg. Many miracles are attributed to
his prayers. Erhard is mentioned in still strong local traditions. After his
death a group of women formed into a religious group called the Erardinonnen
(the Nuns of Erhard), to pray perpetually at his tomb in Regensburg, which they
did until the Reformation. In art Saint Erhard is portrayed as a bishop
baptizing Saint Odilia, thereby restoring her sight. He is venerated at
Regensburg.
30th
– St Amnichad, born either in Ireland or in Scotland, he travelled to Germany
and became a monk and then a hermit at Fulda.
Sixteen years after his death, Blessed
Marianus Scotus joined Fulda. He records that
daily for ten years he celebrated Mass over the tomb of Amnichad, around which
a supernatural light was often seen and a heavenly psalmody was heard.
Ireland/Scotland:
7th
– St Kentigerna, daughter of Kelly, prince of Leinster and mother of St
Coellan. After her husband's death she left Ireland and became an anchoress on
the island of Inchebroida on Loch Lomond in Scotland, where a church is
dedicated to her.
9th
– St Fillan, born in Ireland, he accompanied his mother, St Kentigerna, and his
relative, St Comgan, to Scotland, where he lived as a monk. The place of repose
is called Strathfillan.
15th
– St Blaithmaic, an abbot from Ireland who went to Scotland and was martyred by
the Danes on the altar steps of the church of Iona.
20th
– St Fechin, born in Connaught in Ireland, he founded several monasteries. His
name is connected with Fobhar (Fore) in Westmeath. Ecclefechan and St Vigean's
near Arbroath in Scotland are also called after him.
25th
– St Eochod, one of St Columba's twelve companions, he was chosen to enlighten
the Picts in Scotland. He is called the Apostle of the Picts of Galloway.
26th
– St Conan, born in Ireland, he became a monk at Iona and a bishop in the Isle
of Man. Not even the Protestant
Reformation was able to stop his veneration.
29th
– St Walloch (Voloc), an Irish bishop who evangelized the Picts in
Scotland. He lived a very humble life
amongst the Picts and was able to convert many of them.
31st
– St Adamnan, an Irishman who lived as a monk at Coldingham in Scotland and advanced
in holiness to such a degree that he was granted the gift of foresight.
Ireland/Switzerland:
31st
– St Eusebius, born in Ireland, he became a monk at St Gall in Switzerland and
later lived as a hermit on Mt St Victor in the Vorarlberg. While denouncing
godlessness, he was struck with a scythe and killed. As a result he was
venerated as a martyr.
Ireland/Wales:
31st
– St Aidan of Ferns, the first Bishop of Ferns in Co. Wexford in Ireland where
he also founded and became abbot of a monastery. In his youth he had become a
monk under St David in Wales and later in life he returned to live there.
He
built a number of churches and monasteries in Ireland, worked miracles, and
cared for the poor and for animals.
Jerusalem:
16th
– The Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy Apostle Peter.
New
Rome/Constantinople:
17th
– St Theodosius the Great, a holy emperor who dealt heavy blows to idolatry
throughout Christendom.
21st
– St Maximus the Confessor, one of the greatest Church Fathers of any age. He zealously opposed the heresy of
Monotheletism and for this was exiled and tortured by the authorities.
Champion
of Orthodoxy, teacher of purity and of true worship, / enlightener of the
universe and adornment of hierarchs: / all-wise father Maximus, your teachings
have gleamed with light upon all things. / Intercede before Christ God to save
our souls.
27th
– The translation of the relics of the great teacher of the Church St John
Chrysostom back to Constantinople, which was attended by many miracles.
Old
Rome:
1st
– St Telemachus, a hermit from the East who was martyred for protesting the
gladiatorial fights in Rome. His murder
put an end to the fights.
2nd
– Martyrs of Rome, many martyrs who suffered in Rome under Diocletian for
refusing to give up the Holy Scriptures.
2nd
– St Sylvester, bishop of Rome, persecuted in his youth for the Orthodox Faith,
he became a firm and steady guide for his diocese later in his life.
5th
– St Emiliana, a Roman lady and the paternal aunt of St Gregory the Great, from
whom we know of her saintly life, visions and repose.
5th
– St Telesphorus, a Grecian by birth, and the seventh bishop of Rome. Towards
the end of the year 128, he succeeded Saint Sixtus I. sat eleven years, and saw
the havoc which the persecution of Adrian made in the church. “He ended his
life by an illustrious martyrdom,” says Eusebius; which
is also confirmed by St. Irenæus.
10th
– St Agatho, a Greek, born in Sicily; as the Orthodox bishop of Rome, he played
an important role in combatting the monothelite heresy. He is also given the title Wonderworker for
all the miracles he has worked.
11th
– St Hyginus, bishop of Rome for only a few years, but he did much to combat
heresy.
12th
– St Tatiana and her fellow martyrs, she was daughter of a Roman consul but
dedicated her life to God. Her torments
were brutal, but God worked many miracles through her in the midst of them that
brought many to the True Faith.
16th
– St Marcellus, bishop of Rome, persecuted by ‘tepid and refractory
Christians’.
20th
– St Fabian, bishop of Rome, chosen as bishop in a miraculous way, a martyr,
and a supporter of missionary activity in Gaul.
20th
– St Sebastian, a noble and beautiful ornament of the Church, a great and holy
martyr at Rome. Commemorated with him
are several other martyrs.
21st
– St Agnes, a virgin-martyr in Rome, aged only twelve or thirteen, she suffered
and was buried by the Via Nomentana in Rome, where a basilica in her honour has
stood since the fourth century. St Ambrose, St Damasus and Prudentius sang her
praises and she is a patroness of chastity.
23rd
– St Emerentiana, a martyr in Rome. Still only a catechumen, this foster-sister
of St Agnes was found by pagans praying at the tomb of the recently martyred
Agnes and was stoned to death.
24th
– St Xenia of Rome and her two maidservants.
St Xenia was the daughter of a Senator but ran away from home to live a
monastic life. Her death was accompanied
by miracles.
25th
– St Felicity and Her Seven Sons; a family of the Roman nobility martyred for
declaring their faith in Christ.
26th
– St Paula, a Roman lady of noble birth, she married a patrician and had five
children, among them St Eustochium and St Blaesilla. Left a widow when she was
thirty-two, she presided for twenty years over the sisterhood she had founded
in Bethlehem. She also established a guest house for pilgrims there.
Shorter
version:
Longer
version:
28th
– St Flavian, a deputy-prefect of Rome who was martyred in Civita Vecchia in
Italy under Diocletian.
29th
– The translation of the relics of St Ignatius the Godbearer.
31st
– St Marcella, a noblewoman of Rome, as a widow she turned her home into a
house-church and she devoted herself to prayer and almsgiving. When Alaric
sacked Rome, Marcella was cruelly scourged as the Goths thought that she had
hidden her wealth. In reality she had already distributed it to the poor. She
died shortly after from the effects of this treatment.
Palestine:
11th
– St Theodosius the Cenobiarch, a great monastic leader in the Middle East, a
wonderworker, a friend of the poor and sick, and an upholder of the True Faith
against heretics.
By
a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God
brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined
the whole universe! / Our Father Theodosius, pray to Christ God to save our
souls!
20th
– St Euthymius the Great, another great monastic leader, upholder of True
Dogma, and wonderworker of Palestine.
Poland:
5th
– St Gaudentius of Gnesen, younger brother of St Adalbert of Prague and also a
monk at the monastery of Sant' Alessio on the Aventine in Rome. He escaped the
massacre in which his brother was martyred by the pagan Prussians and in 1000 became
first Archbishop of Gnesen in Poland.
Russia:
2nd
– St Juliana of Lazarevo, a noble married woman who showed extraordinary devotion
to God throughout her life through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. Her relics have been the source of many
miracles.
10th
– St Theophan the Recluse, a key spiritual writer and Church Father of modern
times.
24th
– St Xenia of Petersburg, the widow of an army officer, she lived a holy life
as a Fool-for-Christ, working many miracles.
29th
– St Andrei Rublev, one of the greatest icon writers of the Church. His icon of the Holy Trinity (‘The
Hospitality of Abraham’) is probably his most famous.
Scotland:
8th
– St Nathalan, born of a noble family at the beginning of the 7th C. on the
East Coast of Scotland. Nathalan decided to show his devotion to God by
spending his life cultivating the earth. As a result, he grew vegetables enough
to feed people in times of famine. He preserved Scotland from Pelagianism. He
resided at Tullicht, now in the Diocese of Aberdeen of which he became Bishop.
He built churches in Tullicht, Bothelim and Hill. He reposed in the late 7th C.
and was buried in the Church at Tullicht. His name appears in the Aberdeen
Breviary.
More
details here:
13th
– St Kentigern Mungo, The name Mungo means 'darling'. He began preaching in
Cathures on the Clyde on the site of the city of Glasgow and was consecrated
first Bishop of the Strathclyde Britons. Driven into exile, he preached around
Carlisle and then went to Wales, where he stayed with St David at Menevia.
Returning to Scotland, he continued his labours, making Glasgow his centre. He
is venerated as the Apostle of north-west England and south-west Scotland.
For
a longer account:
19th
– St Nathalan, born of a wealthy family in Scotland, he became a hermit and was
praised for earning his living by tilling the soil, 'which comes closest to
divine contemplation'. He became a bishop and lived in Tullicht.
21st
– St Vimin, an important bishop of Scotland, founder of the monastery of
Holywood.
28th
– Sts Brigid and Maura, born in Scotland, they were martyred in Picardy in
France while on pilgrimage to Rome.
28th
– St Glastian, the patron saint of Kinglassie in Fife in Scotland. He made
peace between the Picts and the Scots.
Spain:
13th
– Sts Gusemindus and Servusdei, Two martyrs, one a parish-priest, the other a
monk, who suffered in Cordoba in Spain under Abderrahman II.
16th
– St Fulgentius, brother of Sts Isidore and Leander of Seville in Spain and of
St Florentina. He was Bishop of Ecija in Andalusia and one of the leaders of
the Spanish Church of that time.
21st
– Sts Fructuosus, Augurius, and Eulogius, Fructuosus, Bishop of Tarragoña in
Spain, and his two deacons, Augurius and Eulogius, were burnt at the stake
under Valerian. When the fire had burnt through their bonds, they stretched out
their arms in the form of a cross and died.
22nd
– St Vincent the Deacon-Martyr, highly venerated in Spain and beyond.
Prudentius’s
poem on St Vincent:
A
longer version of his life:
23rd
– St Ildephonsus, nephew of St Eugene of Toledo in Spain. He knew St Isidore of
Seville and became a monk and Abbot of Agli on the Tagus near Toledo. He became
Archbishop there in 657. He excelled as a writer, especially on the Mother of
God.
26th
– St Alphonsus, Bishop of Astorga in Spain, he went to live as a simple monk at
the monastery of St Stephen de Ribas de Sil in Spanish Galicia.
26th
– St Ansurius, Bishop of Orense in Galicia, he helped found the monastery of
Ribas de Sil in Spain. He became bishop in 915, but in 922 became a simple monk
at the monastery. After his repose he was venerated there, together with seven
other bishops who had followed his example.
Spain/France:
22nd
– Sts Vincent, Orontius, and Victor: Vincent
and Orontius were brothers born in Cimiez near Nice in France. They preached
the Gospel in the Spanish Pyrenees and were martyred with St Victor at
Puigeerda near Gerona in Spain. Their relics were later taken to Embrun in
France.
Switzerland:
21st
– St Meinrad, of the noble family of Hohenzollern, he became a monk at the
monastery of Reichenau on the Rhine in Germany. Later he became a hermit in
Switzerland, and this later became the monastery of Einsiedeln, meaning in
German 'the Hermitage'. He lived as a hermit for twenty-five years, was
murdered by robbers and is venerated as a martyr.
Syria:
28th
– Two very influential saints of the Church from Syria, St Ephraim of Edessa
and St Isaac of Nineveh. St Ephraim is
called ‘The Harp of the Holy Spirit’, for he was a gifted poet and hymn writer
and an insightful commentator on the Holy Scriptures. St Isaac wrote some of the greatest treatises
on prayer and the spiritual life in the history of the Church.
Translations
of St Isaac’s works are here:
Wales:
7th
– St Brannock of Braunton, the tutor of the Welsh king Brychan’s children.
25th
– St Dwynwen, born in Wales, churches dedicated to her are to be found in Wales
and Cornwall. Her holy well and shrine at Llanddwyn in Anglesey were once
centres of pilgrimage.
By
her prayers, many pilgrims have been able to find good husbands and wives for
themselves.
Wales/France:
29th
– St Gildas the Wise, born in the year the Britons defeated the Saxons at Bath,
he was a disciple of St Illtyd. Towards the end of his life, he went to
Brittany and lived as a hermit on the island of Rhuys. St Gildas is famous for
a work on the sufferings of his homeland, De excidiis Britanniae.
Wales/France/England:
24th
– St Cadoc, founder of the monastery of Llancarfan not far from Cardiff in
Wales, he later lived as a hermit on an island off the coast of Vannes in
Brittany. He returned to Britain and by tradition was martyred by heathen near
Weedon in England.
--
Holy
Ælfred the Great, King of England, South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð, unworthy though we are!
Anathema
to the Union!
