April 11-17
"The saints have always been the source and origin of renewal in the most difficult moments in the Church's history."
- Pope John Paul II
St. Mary Margaret d'Youville Feastday: April 11
Foundress of the Sisters of Charity, the Grey Nuns of Canada. She was born at Varennes, Quebec, and was baptized Marie Marguerite Dufrost de Ia Jemmerais. After being educated by the Ursulines, she was married to Francois d’Youville in 1722, becoming a widow eight years later. Mary Margaret worked to support herself and her children, aiding the Confraternity of the Holy Family as well. In 1737, she founded the Sisters of Charity, the Grey Nuns, with three companions. A formal declaration took place in 1745, and two years later she became directress of Montreal’s General Hospital, operated by her community. The Grey Nuns expanded to the United States, Africa, and South America. Mary Margaret died in Montreal on December 23. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1990.
St. Maedhog
Feastday: April 11
An Irish abbot, also called Aedhan or Mogue. He ruled Clonmore Abbey, Ireland, and was associated with Sts. Oncho and Finan.
St. Wigbert
Feastday: April 12
690 A.D.
Missionary. An Anglo-Saxon, he went to Ireland and became a disciple of St. Egbert before journeying to Friesland, the Netherlands, where he spent time as a missionary. He died in Ireland.
St. Caradoc
Feastday: April 13
1124 A.D.
Welsh hermit and harpist. He served a local king in southern Wales before becoming a hermit at St. Cendydd Church in Gower, later taking up residence on Barry Island at St. Issels. Forced into exile by Henry I's invasion of the region, Caradoc went to Haroldston, where he occupied the cell of St. Ismael.
Bl. Edward Catheriek Feastday: April 13
English martyr. He was born at Carlton, near Richmond, Yorkshire, England, and educated at Douai, France. He returned to England in 1635 as a missionary priest and worked there until his martyrdom at York. Edward was beatified in 1929.
St. Gunioc
Feastday: April 13
838 A.D.
Scottish bishop who is recorded in the Aberden Breviary.
Bl. John Lockwood Feastday: April 13
English martyr, sometimes called John Lascelles. He was born in Sowerby, Yorkshire, and went to Rome to study for the priesthood as a mature man. He was ordained in 1597 returned to England the following year. He was arrested and banished in 1610 but returned to work until his arrest in 1642. At the age of eighty-one, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at York with Blessed John Catherick. John was beatified in 1929.
St. Tassach
Feastday: April 14
495 A.D.
Bishop, also known as Asicus. One of the first disciples of St. Patrick, he was a gifted artisan, creating for St. Patrick croziers, patens, and chalices. He was later appointed the first bishop of Rahoip, Ireland, and gave Patrick the last rites.
St. Paternus
Feastday: April 15
The first 5th century saint. He followed his father's path by becoming a hermit in Wales. He founded the monastery at the great church of Paternus, and became a bishop of that region. He was known for his preaching, charity and mortifications. Scholars believe his story is an amalgam.
St. Ruadan
Feastday: April 15
584 A.D.
One of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland, an abbot founder. He was born in Leinster, Ireland, and was a disciple of St. Finian of Clonard. Ruadan was the founder of the monastery of Lothra, in Tipperary, which had 150 monks.
St. Mundus
Feastday: April 15
962 A.D.
Scottish abbot sometimes called Mund, Munde, or Mond. He founded abbeys in Argyle, Scotland.
St. Donan Feastday: April 16 or 17 ST. Donan a remarkable fact about the widespread work of the Celtic missionary saints from the fifth century onwards is that scarcely any cases of violent opposition or martyrdom are recorded until the Viking and Danish raids began at the end of the ninth century. The pagan Celts accepted the missionaries even when they did not accept their religion and pagan and Christian symbols are found side by side on the great pictish stones.
Donan (or Donnan) deserves a note in these pages not only because of the extent of his journeyings but because he and his fellow monks on the island of Eigg provide the most dreadful case of martyrdom in the history of the Celtic Church. He and fifty-two of his followers were butchered within the refectory of the monastery. The only other martyrdoms recorded seem to be those of Constantine of Kintyre and of Kessog.
The date of his birth is not known but he was contemporary with, or a little younger, than Columba. We presume that he was Irish and early in adult life crossed to Galloway. Thereafter we only know him through a chain of Kildonans up the west coast of Scotland, beginning with a Kildonan at Kirkmaiden and a Chapel Donan at Kirkcolm, and terminating at Kildonan on the island of Little Bernera in the Outer Hebrides.
The story of Donan's martyrdom was by no means unknown in mediaeval Scotland and some commemorations might be due to later interest and veneration. But the plotting of the place-names suggests a logical route of missionary progression northwards.
Only one incident is recorded as happening during these missionary years. He crossed to lona to meet Columba, and according to the story, asked that saint to act as his 'anamchara' or 'soul- friend', which took the place of the Roman Church's 'confessor'. CLICK LOCATION LINK FOR MORE INFO http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=422
- Pope John Paul II
St. Mary Margaret d'Youville Feastday: April 11
Foundress of the Sisters of Charity, the Grey Nuns of Canada. She was born at Varennes, Quebec, and was baptized Marie Marguerite Dufrost de Ia Jemmerais. After being educated by the Ursulines, she was married to Francois d’Youville in 1722, becoming a widow eight years later. Mary Margaret worked to support herself and her children, aiding the Confraternity of the Holy Family as well. In 1737, she founded the Sisters of Charity, the Grey Nuns, with three companions. A formal declaration took place in 1745, and two years later she became directress of Montreal’s General Hospital, operated by her community. The Grey Nuns expanded to the United States, Africa, and South America. Mary Margaret died in Montreal on December 23. She was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1990.
St. Maedhog
Feastday: April 11
An Irish abbot, also called Aedhan or Mogue. He ruled Clonmore Abbey, Ireland, and was associated with Sts. Oncho and Finan.
St. Wigbert
Feastday: April 12
690 A.D.
Missionary. An Anglo-Saxon, he went to Ireland and became a disciple of St. Egbert before journeying to Friesland, the Netherlands, where he spent time as a missionary. He died in Ireland.
St. Caradoc
Feastday: April 13
1124 A.D.
Welsh hermit and harpist. He served a local king in southern Wales before becoming a hermit at St. Cendydd Church in Gower, later taking up residence on Barry Island at St. Issels. Forced into exile by Henry I's invasion of the region, Caradoc went to Haroldston, where he occupied the cell of St. Ismael.
Bl. Edward Catheriek Feastday: April 13
English martyr. He was born at Carlton, near Richmond, Yorkshire, England, and educated at Douai, France. He returned to England in 1635 as a missionary priest and worked there until his martyrdom at York. Edward was beatified in 1929.
St. Gunioc
Feastday: April 13
838 A.D.
Scottish bishop who is recorded in the Aberden Breviary.
Bl. John Lockwood Feastday: April 13
English martyr, sometimes called John Lascelles. He was born in Sowerby, Yorkshire, and went to Rome to study for the priesthood as a mature man. He was ordained in 1597 returned to England the following year. He was arrested and banished in 1610 but returned to work until his arrest in 1642. At the age of eighty-one, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at York with Blessed John Catherick. John was beatified in 1929.
St. Tassach
Feastday: April 14
495 A.D.
Bishop, also known as Asicus. One of the first disciples of St. Patrick, he was a gifted artisan, creating for St. Patrick croziers, patens, and chalices. He was later appointed the first bishop of Rahoip, Ireland, and gave Patrick the last rites.
St. Paternus
Feastday: April 15
The first 5th century saint. He followed his father's path by becoming a hermit in Wales. He founded the monastery at the great church of Paternus, and became a bishop of that region. He was known for his preaching, charity and mortifications. Scholars believe his story is an amalgam.
St. Ruadan
Feastday: April 15
584 A.D.
One of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland, an abbot founder. He was born in Leinster, Ireland, and was a disciple of St. Finian of Clonard. Ruadan was the founder of the monastery of Lothra, in Tipperary, which had 150 monks.
St. Mundus
Feastday: April 15
962 A.D.
Scottish abbot sometimes called Mund, Munde, or Mond. He founded abbeys in Argyle, Scotland.
St. Donan Feastday: April 16 or 17 ST. Donan a remarkable fact about the widespread work of the Celtic missionary saints from the fifth century onwards is that scarcely any cases of violent opposition or martyrdom are recorded until the Viking and Danish raids began at the end of the ninth century. The pagan Celts accepted the missionaries even when they did not accept their religion and pagan and Christian symbols are found side by side on the great pictish stones.
Donan (or Donnan) deserves a note in these pages not only because of the extent of his journeyings but because he and his fellow monks on the island of Eigg provide the most dreadful case of martyrdom in the history of the Celtic Church. He and fifty-two of his followers were butchered within the refectory of the monastery. The only other martyrdoms recorded seem to be those of Constantine of Kintyre and of Kessog.
The date of his birth is not known but he was contemporary with, or a little younger, than Columba. We presume that he was Irish and early in adult life crossed to Galloway. Thereafter we only know him through a chain of Kildonans up the west coast of Scotland, beginning with a Kildonan at Kirkmaiden and a Chapel Donan at Kirkcolm, and terminating at Kildonan on the island of Little Bernera in the Outer Hebrides.
The story of Donan's martyrdom was by no means unknown in mediaeval Scotland and some commemorations might be due to later interest and veneration. But the plotting of the place-names suggests a logical route of missionary progression northwards.
Only one incident is recorded as happening during these missionary years. He crossed to lona to meet Columba, and according to the story, asked that saint to act as his 'anamchara' or 'soul- friend', which took the place of the Roman Church's 'confessor'. CLICK LOCATION LINK FOR MORE INFO http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=422
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